With all of the hype surrounding Rematch, you would be forgiven for having no idea that another 5v5 soccer title is coming, no wait, it actually launched three weeks ago in early access. GOALS is a soccer game touting itself as a free-to-play, multiplayer-focused, and esports-ready football game. Those are all good words, but the video I've included above is what the game looks like in the year 2025.
Adding another strike, the game's marketplace is blockchain-based.
"By introducing digital ownership in GOALS, users will at all times be able to sell their assets in an open marketplace for real-life money if desired," the game's marketing materials say. "Hence, GOALS aims to attract players who want a good gameplay experience, compete in a proper esports football title, and truly own their digital assets."
GOALS generates random digital players that you own and can deal through its marketplace. All the chaos and price gouging of EA Sports FC's Ultimate Team, only without any real soccer players! Man, where do I sign up for that?
After EA and FIFA had their ugly breakup, a lot of people were hoping the sports gaming giant and its newly christened EA Sports FC would be vulnerable. But that simply hasn't been the case. It turns out being on top of the industry for years earns you a market share that's hard for anybody else to cut into.
I'm being 100 percent honest. Even if EA Sports FC and Rematch didn't exist, I'd be far more likely to fire up FIFA Street or Sega Soccer Slam than spend much time with GOALS. Even assuming it was the best free-to-play soccer game in the world, it exists in a weird place. Anybody looking for a 5v5 experience is already playing Rematch. Anybody looking to play a more competitive online title is playing EA Sports FC, while they may be doing it through clenched teeth because of Ultimate Team.
But if you try GOALS and think I'm offbase, feel free to let me know over on Bluesky.