With just a year to go until the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the Russian National Team finds itself in a bit of trouble. All 23 members of its 2014 World Cup squad are being investigated by FIFA for doping. A total of 34 Russian players are facing investigation, the Daily Mail reported.
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.
Torsten Frings is finally getting his comeuppance, 15 years and 24 hours to the day.
The former German international became head coach of SV Darmstadt in January, around the time American Terrence Boyd joined the team.
Darmstadt was promptly relegated to 2. Bundesliga.
On Thursday, 19-year-old Texan McKinze Gaines signed with the club. One can only assume he’s planning to help finish the job Boyd started.
Why might these young Yanks be plotting revenge on a new coach of high regard who spent a couple years in MLS before retiring?
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.
With the FIFA Confederations Cup in full swing, the opening match of the 2018 World Cup in Russia is officially less than a year away.
For fans who are planning on making the trip to cheer on their country, they can expect to spend about $2,500 on travel, lodging, tickets, food and other miscellaneous expenses for a week-long trip. Although only three teams have officially qualified for Russia 2018 (Brazil, Iran and Russia), it'd be a smart move to start saving up now for fans of nations positioned well in qualifying.