SAO PAULO — Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni called for a more rigorous set of criteria for the Video Assistant Referee after Lionel Messi’s potential match-winning goal was chalked off for an infringement in their 1-1 draw with Paraguay.
Messi side-footed home from around 12 meters to complete a long and flowing counter-attack but play was hauled back for a foul committed in the Argentine half at the very start of the move.
A new era of the USMNT dawned on Thursday with Giovanni Reyna and Konrad de la Fuente playing in a front three that’ll soon be able to call upon Christian Pulisic and Josh Sargent for assistance. Watching the U.S. isn’t just fun again, it’s blissful.
North Macedonia qualified for Euro 2020, the first-ever major tournament in the team's 27-year history, when a second-half goal from 37-year-old forward Goran Pandev gave them a 1-0 win away to Georgia in their playoff on Thursday.
The USMNT returned from a 285-day hiatus on Thursday. A global pandemic and the U.S. federal government’s bungled response meant the Americans hadn’t taken the pitch since a friendly on Feb. 1. Since then, young Americans abroad have staked their claims as vital figures at some of Europe’s biggest clubs, from Borussia Dortmund to Juventus to Barcelona.
The USMNT played its first match since Feb. 1 on Thursday, a friendly against Wales in Swansea. It was the first time the team had taken the field since Covid-19 shut the world down, since the world watched as George Floyd was murdered in broad daylight by the police, since people around the globe began protesting systemic racism in police departments and society as a whole. And it was the first time the U.S. players had the opportunity to make their own statement as a team, and they did so with USMNT jackets featuring social justice messages.
Croatia’s captain and center back Domagoj Vida was surprisingly substituted at halftime during Wednesday’s friendly match against Turkey. It was only later revealed why Vida was taken out so early. His COVID test from that morning had come back positive.
Vida was quickly isolated from the team and further testing revealed he was indeed positive. This means that he played a full 45 while potentially spreading the virus to teammates and opponents.
The rise of Sergiño Dest has been meteoric. After all, it’s only been 459 days since he made his league debut with Ajax and 380 since he committed his international future to the USMNT.
But this is a 20-year-old who forced his way into the starting 11 of a title-winning Ajax side before convincing Barcelona to part with $25 million. And early returns in Catalonia have been good — Dest was arguably Barça’s best player in El Clásico.
MADRID — Real Madrid and Germany player Toni Kroos has taken a swipe at FIFA and UEFA, claiming the world and European organising bodies are treating players like "puppets" by expanding tournaments and creating new competitions.
Kroos criticised the creation of the UEFA Nations League in 2018, which he competes in with Germany, as well as FIFA's expanded Club World Cup, which was set to take place in 2021 before being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wales forward Gareth Bale is fit for their international games against the United States, Ireland and Finland after shaking off an ankle injury, assistant manager Robert Page said.
Bale, who missed Wales' October internationals due to a knee injury, was pictured with an icepack on his right ankle after being substituted during Tottenham Hotspur's 1-0 win at West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League on Sunday.
Paul Pogba "cannot be happy" with the situation he finds himself in at Manchester United, France head coach Didier Deschamps said on Monday.
The French midfielder has started just four of United's seven Premier League games this season, and just one of three in the Champions League. Pogba's future at United remains uncertain after he suggested last month that he "dreams" of playing for Real Madrid.