After three consecutive major final losses, Argentina decided to rebuild their squad. Edgardo Bauza became their third coach in just over two years, and everybody is hoping for a fresh start after their heart breaking loss to Chile in the Copa America Centenario.
Neymar’s match against Bolivia contained parts of the good, the bad and the ugly. The good was a goal and two assists which helped the Selecao to a 5—0 rout of Bolivia in Natal, Brazil.
The bad was a 36th-minute yellow card that means he’s suspended for Brazil’s October 11th qualifier away to Venezuela. However, given that Venezuela currently dwell at the bottom of the CONMEBOL WCQ table with two points from nine matches, Neymar’s absence shouldn’t be a factor.
CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying grew in legend with another improbable incident during Thursday’s match between Ecuador and Chile.
With Ecuador holding a 3-0 advantage over Chile at the Estadio Olimpico Atahualpa in Quito, Ecuardorian international Enner Valencia, who plays his club football for Everton in the Premier League, allegedly faked an injury to evade police capture in the 82nd minute.
Throughout the tenure of Jurgen Klinsmann as the head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team, American soccer fans have watched the team take steps forward, as they did by advancing out of the group of death at the 2014 World Cup, only to also watch them take steps back, as they did by losing in the semifinals of the 2015 Gold Cup.
The positive atmosphere surrounding Clint Dempsey’s return to light training on September 14th has been dashed following the devastating Seattle Sounders’ announcement that the 33-year-old forward will not return in 2016.
Sam Allardyce’s managerial record with the England National Team stands at a perfect 100 percent, and it may well end that way. A series of discussions with undercover investigative reporters from the English newspaper The Telegraph posing as Far East businessmen has shaken Allardyce’s position to the core. It remains to be seen whether the Football Association, England’s governing body, deem Allardyce’s role as untenable.
“I wish I could say that I am shocked by the decision, but unfortunately I am not. The problem of racism in football remains a burning, very serious and topical one, which needs continuous attention.”
Former Italian national team forward Paolo Rossi celebrated his 60th birthday Thursday. With his hat trick at the 1982 World Cup in Spain, Rossi not only managed to push Italy to glory but also gave a name to his biography, published in 2002: "I Made Brazil Cry".
Brazil was the heavy favorite of that World Cup. Players like Zico, Socrates, Paulo Roberto Falcao, Toninho Cerezo and Eder were part of that Brazilian National Team.
For thirty years now Canada have been searching for their elusive treasure. The 1986 World Cup in Mexico was the last time they'd qualified for a World Cup finals, finishing a glorious 24th out of 24 participants.
Their hopes of advancing to the 2014 tournament in Brazil were dashed before the final Hexagonal round, a calamitous 8-1 defeat to Honduras leaving the Canucks hurting.