Cautiously Optimistic Since 2007
The United States stole the show on Day 2 of the World Cup, breezing past Paraguay in a 4-1 rout at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. Fueled by Christian Pulisic and Folarin Balogun, the Stars & Stripes breezed to victory, putting four goals past a Paraguay side that conceded only 10 goals during their 18-match […]
Every summer, the worst-kept secret in the transfer market is that Roma must sell before June 30th to balance the books and avoid UEFA’s FFP restrictions. This summer, with Roma in need of about €50 million, the sharks have begun circling some of Roma’s prized assets. There were already reports that Roma turned down a […]
If the first day of the 2026 World Cup was any indication, we’re in for an interesting month of football. From the red card-infused kickoff between Mexico and South Africa, which saw three players sent off in the second half, to South Korea’s come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Czechia, there was no shortage of action in […]
Day two of the 2026 World Cup kicks off later this afternoon, with co-co-hosts Canada and the United States begin their journey toward the Jules Rimet Trophy. With Mexico setting the standard in yesterday’s 2-0 win over South Korea, the remaining North American hosts will look to follow suit today. Canada hosts Bosnia-Herzegovina at BMO […]
Roma supporters have seen this movie before: a talented young attacker arrives and he flashes enough brilliance to convince everyone that he might be part of the club’s future. But then comes the haunting pressure of Financial Fair Play; the young star suddenly becomes expendable. A transfer fee gets booked before the end of June, […]
With Roma presumably flush after ending their Champions League drought, the club has been linked to a bevy of exciting players. Sure, they can’t play amongst the Real Madrids and Manchester Citys of the world, but the Giallorossi’s return to Europe’s most prestigious competition should give them more financial leeway on the transfer market. We’re […]
Few among us can deny the impact Donyell Malen had on Roma’s up-and-down attack. Prior to his arrival, Gian Piero Gasperini’s attack was fueled more by good intentions than by goals, with Matíás Soulé struggling to do the heavy lifting up front. However, once Malen arrived, Roma became must-watch viewing for calcio fans. With Malen […]
Marash Kumbulla and Anass Salah-Eddine return to Roma after their loan spells at Mallorca and PSV, respectively. This summer, they aim to earn Gasperini’s trust and fight for their place on the team. But is that a realistic goal or just sheer hope? The Albanian and the Moroccan experienced very different seasons. Kumbulla struggled with […]
While he hasn’t had as many public suitors as Manu Koné, Evan Ndicka may be no less critical to Roma’s transfer plans this summer. That the Ivorian defender hasn’t been mentioned in the transfer press as frequently is due to two factors: 1) We accept it as a fait accompli that he’ll be sacrificed to […]
If there is one thing we can say with certainty about Roma’s summer mercato now that the season is over and Champions League football has been secured, it’s that Gian Piero Gasperini is going to want more attacking options. The Giallorossi may have ridden Donyell Malen’s remarkable second half of the season into the Champions […]
As much fun as it is to dream about the acquisitions Roma will make to strengthen Gian Piero Gasperini’s squad ahead of the Giallorossi’s first Champions League appearance in nearly a decade, the sobering fact remains: Roma must sell first. Before Tony D’Amico can bring in shiny new toys for GPG in July—as we’ve seen […]
The 2025-26 season is over, and it ended on a high note for Roma as the Giallorossi finished in third and qualified for next season’s Champions League. In this episode, we put a bow on the season, debate which players Roma can afford to lose, set expectations for Europe, and discuss the latest transfer rumors. […]
When it comes to the transfer game, you take all the help you can get. With Roma in the midst of another front-office transition, replacing former Director of Sport Frederic Massara with Atalanta’s Tony D’Amico, whose arrival may be delayed until June 30th, navigating the already challenging transfer waters might prove difficult. In times like […]
Cast your mind back to last Saturday. Whether you were picking out new patio furniture, attending a graduation party, or just giving your lawn an overdue mowing, you likely felt a sense of unease silently stalking you as you carried out your weekend errands. That specter wasn’t a latent sign of an impending breakdown. It […]
The word transformative is tossed around a lot in sports journalism, typically when describing the effect of a new player or manager on any given club. While we’re no strangers to hyperbole—I once claimed that Roma would be foolish to ever sell Mattia Destro—when it comes to Donyell Malen’s impact on Roma in 2026, transformative […]
When Roma finally landed Gian Piero Gasperini last summer, it felt like the tables were about to shift. No more falling victim to the Luis Muriels, Duvan Zupatas and Josip Illicics of the world. No more embarrassing 3-1 defeats. No more standing around flat-footed while Atalanta tore us to shreds. No, now it was our […]
Roma Roundtable Season Review: Forwards Roma Roundtable Season Review: Midfield Roma Roundtable Season Review: Goalkeepers & Defense
During yesterday’s review of Roma’s goalkeepers and defense, we waxed poetically about the combined brilliance of players like Mile Svilar, Evan Ndicka, and Wesley França. And tomorrow, we plan on doing the same when we cast our eyes towards Donyell Malen and the forward. However, today’s review focuses on a slightly more confounding section of […]
Gian Piero is renowned for his high-flying, attack-at-all-costs approach to football. Sure, he doesn’t line up eight to 10 men at the midfield stripe for the opening kickoff like a certain Zdeněk Zeman, but Gasperini made his name on overwhelming opponents in the final third. While we did see plenty of that brand of football […]
It took nearly eight years and another 38 rounds of play, but thanks to Sunday’s thrilling victory over Hellas Verona, Roma will finally return to the Champions League. In grand Roma fashion, it wasn’t easy and tested the limits of our nerves, but thanks to stellar performances from Paulo Dybala and Mile Svilar, the Giallorossi […]
I don’t think it’s any stretch of the imagination to say that this was the most nerve-wracking match we’ve experienced in several years, save perhaps for Roma’s ill-fated Europa League final against Sevilla in 2023. After an up and down (and all around) season, Gian Piero Gasperini and the Giallorossi scratched and clawed their way […]
After 37 weeks of play, it all comes down to this: A win over Hellas Verona and Roma returns to the Champions League for the first time in eight years. While it’s been a typically chaotic season for the Giallorossi, full of stops and starts, the past few months have given us newfound confidence that […]
Roma find themselves in what feels like a unique situation for all the time I’ve written for Chiesa di Totti: they truly have their fate in their own hands. Thanks to the events of the thirty-seventh match day, the Giallorossi are tied on points for third place with A.C. Milan, and a win tomorrow against […]
“Kone has recovered, he trained with us all week, he has a few minor ailments, he’s not quite 100%, but he’s definitely available. I don’t know if he’ll start or start during the match, but he’s available. The rest of the team is feeling the heat and the temperatures, so we need to be good […]
While we’re a few days out from Roma’s thrilling 2-0 win over Lazio in the Derby della Capitale, we couldn’t help but bask in the glory of the Giallorossi’s victory, one that lifted Roma into fourth place and, more importantly, in control of their own destiny. Despite the swell of emotion and positivity that followed […]