The Gold Cup doesn’t exactly excite quite like the Euros, Copa America or even the Confederations Cup. There are really only three, maybe four, quality teams and the chances of getting CONCACAF’d are higher than ever.
Even though odds are stacked in favor of Mexico or the United States winning in the end, there are reasons to watch the other 10 countries competing over the month of July.
When it comes to the notoriously ill-advised FIFA World Ranking system, there’s generally a lot to laugh at. Nations are cruelly punished by virtue of not playing (the United States, unbeaten since November of 2016, drops 12 places to 35th) while others largely benefit by playing lesser sides in meaningful competition (Poland is up to sixth after waxing Romania in World Cup qualifying).
The likes of Arsenal, Everton, Leicester City, Newcastle United and Tottenham all saw the majority of their players return to the training ground for the start of preseason today. Many other sides, like Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea, will also begin their preparations this week.
Boca Juniors celebrated their 32nd Primera Division title on Sunday with a 2-1 victory over Union de Santa Fe. They finished seven points above hated rival River Plate, and to add insult to injury, they unveiled a clock displaying and tracking their 112+ years of unrelegated existence.
Bruce Arena has finalized his 23-man roster for the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup, and it’s an interesting mix of veteran players that are desperate to impress and make one final World Cup squad while the next generation of talent aims to prove that their time has arrived.
While every player on the roster stands to either gain or lose a lot with regards to the ultimate goal of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, here are five players that could use this tournament as a springboard to more important roles next summer.
The United States has appeared in 10 FIFA World Cups, including the last seven straight. Out of those 10 appearances, they've fallen at the first hurdle on five occasions. The most notable exceptions include the first-ever World Cup in 1930 when the side finished third in the 13-team tournament and their run to the 2002 quarterfinals in Japan and South Korea.
Approaching the halfway point of the 2017 Major League Soccer season, Minnesota United has already answered two questions that lingered around the expansion club throughout preseason: 1.) Is MNUFC the worst MLS side of all-time? No. Far from it. In fact, with five wins (which is what many predicted would be their grand total for the entire season), they’re only three points out of the playoff picture.
With the Russia World Cup less than a year away, we here at The18 asked ourselves who are the best (and worst) fans in the world.
We’ve compiled a list below of superlatives to break down what makes each country’s fans unique, for better or worse.
Note: We limited results to nations that are or have been regular World Cup qualifiers. Scroll to the bottom for the best and worst fans.
Now that the 2016-17 season has concluded, let’s take a look at 10 managers who exceeded expectations for their clubs.
In 2016, the Chicago Fire were awful. They finished last in all of Major League Soccer with 31 points from 34 games. The foundations for that pathetic season had been laid in 2015, when they finished last in MLS with 30 points from 34 games.
2017, however, has been a different story. The Fire have already matched their point total from last season, and surpassed their total from 2015, with 18 games still to play, and they're riding an eight-game unbeaten streak in league play.