The NWSL regular season wrapped up this past weekend with a mixed bag of business-as-usual and surprising results. All around the league, for playoff bound teams and doormats alike (we’re looking at you, Sky Blue), the level was turned up to 11, giving fans both feel-good entertainment and high quality football to get excited about heading into the postseason.
For the first time ever in a men’s senior-level competitive match, the Canada national team started three teenagers.
Well, the match wasn’t that competitive.
Canada, with teens Alphonso Davies, Jonathan David and Liam Millar in the starting XI, throttled the U.S. Virgin Islands 8-0 in a Concacaf Nations League qualifying match on Sunday in Bradenton, Florida. The eight goals marked a record for the Canada national team.
Welcome home, France.
Back playing in France for the first time since winning the 2018 World Cup, the French national team received a rousing reception from its fans: a magnificent tifo that portended a magnificent performance from Kylian Mbappé against the Netherlands on Sunday.
Manchester United and England defender Luke Shaw carried his fine form into England’s friendly against Spain today while delivering a truly gorgeous assist to the put the Three Lions up early, but the 23-year-old was subsequently stretchered off in the 53rd minute after being knocked unconscious following a collision with Spain’s Dani Carvajal.
Shaw has started all four of Manchester United’s Premier League matches this season, and it was his finely taken goal that gave the Red Devils all three points against Leicester back in August.
I don’t normally abuse my position as a writer at The18 to bring you solely what I would like to bring you — the golden rule for hacks like me is to give the people what the people want — except when it comes Xherdan Shaqiri.
I’m not one of those people that’s instantly enamored with the mechanics of a flip throw-in. After you’ve seen it once, you’ve seen it a million times — like a fire-eating street performance. If I had to select my two favorite flip throw-ins of all-time, I’d go with this kid getting smashed in the face.
On Tuesday morning, the U.S. women’s national team found out its group for Concacaf World Cup qualifying next month. Then the reigning world champions went out and routed Chile 4-0. And Tobin Heath was so gosh darn dominant, with her feet all over the USWNT vs Chile highlights, that it makes you wonder what the heck she has to do to get some recognition from the fools at FIFA who decide who is nominated for the FIFA Best Awards.
Celta Vigo sits third in LaLiga after three games on the back of a commanding 2-0 win over Atletico Madrid at the Balaidos on Saturday. The ability of Celta’s backline to completely nullify the threat posed by Antoine Griezmann and Diego Costa (Atletico didn’t land a shot on target throughout the entire match) saw its defenders marked out for individual praise, especially 27-year-old Mexico international Nestor Araujo.
Atlanta United will certainly make the playoffs on the backend of a terrific season, but D.C. United deprived Tata Martino’s side of clinching while giving its own playoff hopes a major boost by defeating the Five Stripes 3-1 in the nation’s capital.
Wayne Rooney was again instrumental for D.C., assisting Luciano Acosta on the game’s opening goal in the 29th minute before restoring the Black-and-Red’s advantage from the spot in the 52nd. With the match in the balance, Rooney then provided another assist for Acosta in the 77th minute to secure the three points for D.C. United.
While we should probably wait to see what Cristiano Ronaldo offers after he gets his first for Juventus, this early September strike from Sampdoria’s Fabio Quagliarella could easily fit the bill for the 2018-19 Serie A Goal of the Season.
The 35-year-old is in the midst of a career renaissance after scoring a personal-best total of 19 goals in 35 matches last year, and he’s now off the mark this season with one of the best goals of his legendary career.
This world-class bit of instinctive finishing put the final touches on Sampdoria’s 3-0 win over Napoli today.