Following Belgium’s 1-0 defeat to France in the semifinals of the World Cup, defeated Red Devils stars Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois immediately began throwing shade at Les Bleus.
This is, without a doubt, the most attention a T3 (third coach) has ever received before a World Cup semifinal, but you can certainly understand why: Thierry Henry, the man who appeared in 123 matches for France while scoring 51 goals, is now tasked with educating the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Eden Hazard and Dries Mertens in the art of deconstructing Les Bleus.
In the eyes of many, USMNT legend Landon Donovan is now a massive sell-out. The man with the second-most appearances in the history of the USMNT and the joint-leader for goals has decided to support El Tri at the World Cup (in partnership with Wells Fargo) despite his role in turning the Mexico-United States soccer rivalry into one of the biggest in the world.
The Portugal vs Spain World Cup 2018 prediction articles from around the planet have been somewhat rocked by news of Julen Lopetegui’s dismissal as coach of Spain, but the drama surrounding la Furia Roja has only intensified the hype surrounding what’s quite possibly the game of the 20
In terms of glamour, no group stage game comes close to matching Portugal vs Spain on June 15 at Fisht Olympic Stadium in Sochi. This is, after all, a meeting between the last three European Champions (Spain in ’08 and ’12, Portugal in ’16), and a clash between arguably the world’s best player, Cristiano Ronaldo, and a who’s who of talent concentrated at the mega clubs of the world’s two best domestic leagues.
This World Cup, just like the 2010 and 2014 events preceding it, will be dominated by the narrative surrounding Lionel Messi and Argentina. You know the one: Maradona lifted La Albiceleste to the ’86 title (he was well-marshalled by Lothar Matthaus in the final, but we don’t speak about that) and Messi needs to do the same to earn our love and respect. It’s tired, untrue but extremely captivating.
According to The Tennessean, a September 11 friendly between the United States and Mexico will take place at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. The USMNT will face Brazil at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Sept. 7 before making the 900 mile journey to face El Tri in the Music City.
It doesn’t get any more iconic than the home shirts of both Real Madrid and Barcelona. As Los Blancos (The Whites), Real is synonymous with its all-white kit. For the Blaugrana (a Catalan reference to blue and garnet), it’s stripes of the aforementioned colors. But that hasn’t stopped both Adidas and Nike from trying to shake things up on an annual basis.
A remarkably contentious — almost hilariously so — El Clasico ended 2-2, a result that won’t particularly bother Real Madrid but one that sees Barcelona extend this season’s unbeaten league run to 35 matches. If you’re a Real Madrid fan, Barcelona got away with murder; if you’re a Barcelona fan, Real Madrid got special treatment. So just another El Clasico, really.