When North American sports leagues return to action after the coronavirus crisis, questions are sure to linger over whether the fans will be willing, or have the resources, to pack stadiums as they once did, sports analysts have said.
The last major stint of Ronaldinho’s legendary career was the nine months he spent with Querétaro in Liga MX. At the age of 35, the Brazilian certainly wasn’t as mobile or explosive as he’d been a decade prior when winning the Ballon d’Or with Barcelona, but his ability on the ball remained unparalleled.
So it's perhaps fitting that his greatest moment in Mexico was a seven-minute cameo that served to placate the paying audience inside Club América’s Estadio Azteca on April 19, 2015.
I don’t know what this woman was pitching in this conference call, but it’s a yes from me. I’m all in. Let’s produce 100,000. Shut 'em down, open up shop. Oh, no. That’s how Ruff Ryders roll.
Her ability to stay cool and collected in the face of what appears to be Querétaro’s Jair Pereira smashing into stuff is as impressive as an Edwardian cockerel.
If soccer never comes back, then at least we saw an enticing match south of the border at Estadio Azteca on Sunday night.
Major sports league across the world have suspended their seasons in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. A few leagues held out longer than others, including Liga MX, the Brasileiro and Australian A-League, albeit without fans present in stadiums. By Sunday, however, both Mexico and Brazil announced they would suspend their national leagues.
Despite Real Madrid’s 2-0 victory over Barcelona in El Clásico last weekend, everyone knew there’d be more twists to come in LaLiga, but nobody expected Real to hand control back to Barça just days later.
In his quest to replace Zlatan Ibrahimović at the LA Galaxy, Javier “Chicharito” Hernández certainly got off to a quieter start than the Swede. While Zlatan instantly endeared himself to America with a spectacular brace against LAFC in El Tráfico, Chicharito was held to just one shot in the Galaxy’s 2020 season opener against Houston.
Despite making 106 appearances for Mexico, winning three Gold Cups and capturing an Olympic gold medal by the age of 30, Giovani dos Santos’ career has been largely denounced as a case of what could’ve been.
At the root of that feeling is his sparkling origin story, one which saw him join Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy at the age of 13 before cementing his status at the 2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship as perhaps Mexico’s greatest-ever talent.
There’s a lot to like about Inter Miami with Rodolfo Pizarro, Matías Pellegrini, Jorge Figal and Wil Trapp featuring in the club’s MLS debut on Sunday, but they’re obviously nowhere near last season’s Supporters’ Shield winners Los Angeles FC for the time being.
Raúl Jiménez scored his 13th Premier League goal of the season on Sunday (equalling his total from last campaign with 10 games remaining), and it was an all-important match-winner as Wolves defeated Tottenham in North London. With the victory, Wolves moved above Spurs and into sixth-place. The club’s now level on points with fifth-place Manchester United and only three behind Chelsea in fourth.
The MLS debut of LA Galaxy's new Mexican goal machine Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez and the long-awaited arrival of the David Beckham-owned Inter Miami expansion team highlight the start of the league's 25th anniversary season this weekend.
The campaign, which kicks off with all 26 clubs in action, will also see defending champions Seattle Sounders seeking a third title in five seasons and Los Angeles FC eager to build on a record-breaking 2019 regular season.