Women's National Teams

Liga MX Femenil is in its second full year of operation, but if a match this week between Tigres and Chivas is any indication, the rivalries are starting to form.

A top-of-the-table clash between UANL and Guadalajara ended with four players being sent off, two from each team. Tigres won 3-1 on Monday to push their lead to four points over Chivas in Grupo 2 of the 18-team Liga MX Femenil Apertura. 

All four goals were scored in the first half. A double from Katty Martínez in the first seven minutes put UANL on the path to victory. 

The NWSL regular season wrapped up this past weekend with a mixed bag of business-as-usual and surprising results. All around the league, for playoff bound teams and doormats alike (we’re looking at you, Sky Blue), the level was turned up to 11, giving fans both feel-good entertainment and high quality football to get excited about heading into the postseason.

On Tuesday morning, the U.S. women’s national team found out its group for Concacaf World Cup qualifying next month. Then the reigning world champions went out and routed Chile 4-0. And Tobin Heath was so gosh darn dominant, with her feet all over the USWNT vs Chile highlights, that it makes you wonder what the heck she has to do to get some recognition from the fools at FIFA who decide who is nominated for the FIFA Best Awards. 

The United States is a big country. It spans four time zones just in the contiguous continental landscape. So it can understandably be a tough task to schedule a weekday match that kicks off at a time suitable for the entire country. Unfortunately, the USWNT vs Chile match on Friday night didn’t really kick off at a time suitable for any part of the country — except maybe Hawaii.

Seattle Reign star Megan Rapinoe pulled out of the USWNT camp due to a rib injury suffered in her team’s win against the Houston Dash last week. Jill Ellis called up Utah Royals forward Amy Rodriguez in her absence for two friendlies against Chile. 

Japan won the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup with a 3-1 rout of Spain on Friday in France, avenging an earlier loss in impressive fashion. Japan scored the game’s first three goals, including a scorcher from Hinata Miyazawa in the first half. 

Spain defeated Japan 1-0 in Group C play, the Spanish ladies taking first place in a group of death that also included the United States. The two met again in Vannes, France, with the tournament on the line.

In the final of the U-20 Women's World Cup, Japan showed it was the best in the world in this age group.

USWNT fans rejoice: Two major assets in Mallory Pugh and Kelley O’Hara have returned to the USWNT roster. Coach Jill Ellis announced the list of 23 players who would report to training camp for friendlies against Chile on Aug. 31 and Sept. 4 in California.

Our final roster before World Cup Qualifying is here. You with US? pic.twitter.com/0GqLS1SGOw

U.S. Soccer is still looking for a clear path forward after the shocking failure of the men’s national team to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. In its search, the federation is turning to you, the soccer community, to help guide U.S. Soccer into the future in a new initiative called U.S. Soccer Voices. 

A weekend of petulance, playacting and red cards in Liga MX sent Tigres manager Tuca Ferretti over the edge, a reaction that was largely triggered after Guido Pizarro was given a straight red card in the 23rd minute for a fairly innocuous piece of contact with Toluca’s Luis Mendoza. 

A U.S. national soccer team being knocked out at the group stage of a major tournament is a headline that we don't often associate with the women’s side, but today produced an outcome not many in the soccer world could've predicted. The U.S. U-20 women’s national team saw its journey at the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup come to a shocking end before it really even got started. 

STANDINGS // CLASSEMENT