Tucked between the Nations League final and Gold Cup kicking off, MLS Matchday 20 found a way to keep fans excited. The early games brought the heat while the late-night slate kept the stove warm on a day packed with goals despite stars across the league missing out.
NEW YORK - Nine months ago, Alyssa Thompson was playing youth soccer. In July, the 18-year-old forward will test herself against the best after being named in the four-time champions United States' squad for the Women's World Cup.
It has been a dizzying rise for Thompson, the second-youngest ever named in a U.S. World Cup squad.
When it comes to rookies in the National Women's Soccer League, most of the discussion has centered around No. 1 overall pick Alyssa Thompson. The headlines write themselves when you're talking about an 18-year-old who's already scored some spectacular goals for Angel City and is challenging for the USWNT World Cup squad.
But what about No. 2 overall pick Michelle Cooper, the forward who won the 2022 Hermann Trophy as the nation's best college player with 19 goals and 11 assists in 22 games during her sophomore season at Duke?
In the grand history of Concacaf, there's never before been a tournament where our gladiators have entered the arena and spectators have murmured amongst each other: "See them there? Them's Canada. They're going to slaughter everyone."
At least not since Craig Forrest was standing between the sticks.
The United States men's U-20 team wanted to make history Sunday by advancing to the World Cup semifinals for the first time in program history, but after looking like tournament favorites while rattling off four straight victories, scoring 10 goals and conceding none, the U.S. dream quickly became a nightmare against Uruguay in the quarterfinals.
The ability to choose is often taken for granted in soccer. With the increased prominence of dual nationals in recent years, fans are becoming used to seeing players pick which nationality they want to represent, like Yunus Musah and Folarin Balogun. What’s less common, however, is a player who, before turning 19, not only qualifies for four national teams but has already represented three of them.
In a word, forgettable. Following one of the most exciting matchdays of the MLS season, the league’s first foray into midweek play definitely did not live up to the billing, but there were still a few moments that caught our attention. Despite MLS Matchday 13 being promoted as a continuation of Rivalry Week, there were few games that truly fit that description, and it showed both on the field and in the scorelines.
After paying homage to the Stars and Stripes with his first signature PUMA collection last year, Christian Pulisic is back at it again with another "CP" pack themed around Captain America's second greatest love — his own tattoos.
The pièce de résistance of Pulisic's second PUMA collection is the latest signature version of the ULTRA ULTIMATE boots.
AC Milan forward Rafael Leão could be fit to face Inter Milan in their Champions League semifinal second leg, manager Stefano Pioli said on Monday, providing a major boost to his side's hopes of overturning a two-goal deficit.
Portuguese winger Leão, 23, missed the 2-0 first-leg defeat and also sat out Saturday's shock loss to Spezia in Serie A after sustaining a thigh injury in Milan's league win over Lazio earlier this month.
Leão has been one of Milan's most influential players this season and registered 13 goals and 10 assists in all competitions.
We're witnessing greatness.
Days after being named the March/April NWSL Rookie of the Month, 18-year-old Alyssa Thompson scored another outrageous goal during Angel City's 3-2 win over the Kansas City Current on Sunday night.
The No. 1 overall pick now has three goals in seven appearances, and each has been a showcase of her otherworldly talent.