It’s with great sadness that our summer of soccer 2019 draws to a close. The USWNT lifted the World Cup, Brazil triumphed on home soil at the Copa América, Mexico reclaimed the Gold Cup and we’re into the final week of the Africa Cup of Nations. Unless you’re eagerly anticipating the ICC, our glorious summer is at an end.
Vissel Kobe defeated Nagoya 5-3 in J1 League play on Sunday thanks to braces from Spanish legends Andrés Iniesta, age 35, and David Villa, 37. Villa opened the scoring with a fine solo goal, and then Iniesta restored Vissel Kobe’s advantage with this sensational long-range effort.
Japan, as evidenced by the first goal it scored against the Netherlands on Tuesday, is one of the most technically gifted footballing nations on the planet. The Nadeshiko combine wonderfully and, at times, appear to harmoniously coexist on the same wavelength.
But that wasn’t the case during Tuesday’s warmup before a Round-of-16 encounter with the Netherlands. This is the rondo from hell.
The Copa América has some unconventional participants this year. Due to the small size of the CONMEBOL (10 teams), additional invitees are required in order to create the tournament's typical 12-team structure.
Normally, these spaces would be filled by teams from CONCACAF, but because the Gold Cup is also this summer, CONMEBOL offered the spots to Japan and Qatar of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). So, while certainly unlikely, there is a possibility that Japan or Qatar will be crowned Copa America champion this summer.
The draw for the 2019 Women’s World Cup really couldn’t have been unkinder for Thailand. Not only did the world’s 34th-ranked side land the defending world champion, they also got the last team to defeat the USWNT at a major international tournament, Sweden.
Things, of course, got off to a historically bad start when surrendering 13 unanswered goals to the U.S. to begin group play, and things weren’t looking pretty again today when trailing Sweden 4-0 in the 81st minute.
What amount of responsibility do spectators have to clean up after themselves? It’s something anyone who attends a sporting event, movie or concert must ask themselves: Do I dispose of my trash after the show is over or leave it for others to pick up?
I’d rather not guess what percentage of people leave their trash at their seats — I’d wager it’s quite high, based on what I’ve personally witnessed in the U.S. What I can say is that fans of Japan’s men’s and women’s national teams are certainly not ones to leave trash to others.
Many utilized the build-up to the USWNT’s World Cup opener against Thailand to criticize manager Jill Ellis, which is an ingenious position to take because you’re right if they win (“In spite of her!”) and you’re right if they lose (“Told ya!”), but after watching the States utilize “the Zdeněk Zeman method” at kick off before shifting into a sort of 2-3-5 in possession, I gotta say, I
The warning signs are there for the USWNT ahead of tomorrow’s opener against Thailand: Yesterday, Italy shocked Australia to record its first Women’s World Cup win since 1999. Today, Argentina gathered its first-ever WWC point by playing to a 0-0 draw with 2015 finalist Japan.
The first details of FIFA 20 have been confirmed by EA SPORTS, including a release date of September 27 and a new gameplay mode called “VOLTA Football” — which is “an authentic street football experience” wherein you can “build your player, pick your gear, and express your own personal style.”
The 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup will begin on Friday, June 7, with France, the host nation, opening play against South Korea at the Parc des Princes in Paris. Almost 50,000 will be in attendance to watch the opening ceremony followed by the first fixture from Group A, and just like when Russia opened the 2018 Men’s World Cup against Saudi Arabia, it’ll be the only match of the day.