Australia, the defending champion of the AFC Asian Cup, almost came undone at the group stage of the 2019 edition due to one of the most ludicrous penalty decisions you’ll ever see at a major international tournament (as you’ll soon see, VAR is obviously not in use out in the United Arab Emirates).
After suffering a shock defeat to Jordan to open group play, a 3-0 victory over Palestine on Match Day 2 had eased the pressure on the Socceroos, but a result still needed to be secured Tuesday against Syria.
Wednesday marked the third day of training at the USMNT’s annual January camp, and judging by all the social media responses, your perception of how Gregg Berhalter is doing on the job is greatly influenced by one of two things: Either (1) you don’t understand that this isn’t a FIFA international window — the requirement for European clubs to release players — and you’re outraged by the amount of MLS inclusions or (2) you understand that no European players can be called, and that includes midfielders Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie, but you’re mad as hell that Michael Bradley is there.
The 2019 Women’s World Cup in France begins on June 7 with the hosts playing against South Korea at the Parc des Princes in Paris, and the tournament ends on July 7 with the final in Lyon. In between, FOX Sports, the U.S. broadcast rights-holder for the event, has promised to beef up coverage by announcing a collaboration with Twitter.