In an unexpected announcement, Sigi Schmid, an incredibly important figure in American soccer, passed away at the age of 65 on Tuesday. It was reported that he was admitted to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center due to a heart-related condition.
Just looking at the USMNT rosters from the past year, it’s clear Gregg Berhalter needs to find a consistent striker. With the retirements of Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan — joint-top goal scorers all time for the U.S. — in the last four years and Jozy Altidore’s inconsistency, the team lacks that out-and-out goal threat. But looking at the recent Josh Sargent stats, the 18-year-old redhead might be the No. 9 of the future.
A month ago Sargent couldn’t even get into a Bundesliga match with Werder Bremen. Now he can’t stop scoring.
PSV Eindhoven keeps increasing its footprint in North America. The Dutch club has been home to a number of Mexico internationals over the years, notably Hirving Lozano and Erick Gutierrez currently. DeMarcus Beasley once kept chalk on his boots on the wings at PSV in the Eredivisie and Champions League. PSV added one more American to the ranks on Friday: 18-year-old Richard Ledezma.
Ledezma, a Phoenix native, made his move official on Friday, though it’s been known for some time he’d be making the move during the winter transfer window after he turned 18 in September.
Gregg Berhalter has made his first public decisions as U.S. men’s national team coach, picking the 2019 USMNT roster for the January camp. Berhalter, hired on Dec. 2, named 27 players based entirely in MLS for the annual three-week January training camp, which will culminate in friendlies against Panama and Costa Rica.
America took over the Bundesliga for a brief moment during the Schalke-Bayer Leverkusen match on Wednesday in Gelsenkirchen. Weston McKennie, 20, soared above everyone on the pitch to get his head to a corner kick, which was then turned in for a Haji Wright goal, the 20-year-old’s first in the Bundesliga.
How can the U.S. ever expect to win a World Cup when its star player can’t even grasp Concacaf-rules football?
Christian Pulisic, the 20-year-old Borussia Dortmund who is already perhaps the USMNT’s best player, was a part of the FIFA 19 World Tour with a new video that dropped this week. Pulisic faced off against BVB teammate and FIFA 17 cover boy Marco Reus in a no-rules match of FIFA 19.
No rules means just what you’d think: no offside, no fouls, no bookings.
After being officially unveiled as the next manager of the USMNT on Dec. 2, Gregg Berhalter went on a whirlwind media tour where he was asked how he’d fix U.S. Soccer and deliver the 2022 World Cup by recreating the style of play American fans have come to expect when watching Manchester City play from their couch on Saturday mornings.
Berhalter handled himself in a refreshing manner after the fool’s paradise of Jurgen Klinsmann and warbling smugness of Bruce Arena, although that obviously won’t placate exceptionalists who demand he be named Zinedine Zidane.
Newcastle United wingback DeAndre Yedlin was sent off for the first time in his 73-match Premier League career on Sunday during Newcastle’s crushing 2-1 defeat to Wolves. With the score level at 1-1 in the 57th minute, a terrible touch from the USMNT defender allowed Wolves’ Diogo Jota to charge through on goal, and Yedlin’s tactical foul outside the box resulted in a straight red card as the last defender.
America is going to be OK after all.
Forget all the talk of a growing political divide in this country, increasing climate change or an impending cold war with China. Josh Sargent is going to make everything alright.
Sargent, an 18-year-old native of O’Fallon, Missouri, made his Bundesliga debut with Werder Bremen on Friday against Düsseldorf. He scored moments later — on his very first touch as a professional footballer.