The final major international window before the World Cup begins Monday and lasts through early next week with crucial matches being contested across UEFA, CONMEBOL, Concacaf, CAF, AFC and OFC. We'll know 29 of the 32 competing nations in Qatar after this period, with only the inter-confederation playoffs (two spots) and a delayed European playoff final (one spot) to go.
The United States soccer team finds itself at the beginning of a bright new era.
The squad is young, hungry and ready to make its mark on the world’s stage, but the emerging generation knows it’s standing on the shoulders of those who came before them and helped establish the U.S. as a global force.
Landon Donovan — widely recognized as the best male U.S. soccer player of all time — is a legend of the American game, while Jordan Morris — winner of the Hermann Trophy (top college player) and MLS Rookie of the Year — is viewed as a difference maker for years to come.
The USMNT and Mexico have played each other more than any other country in the world, but there are two meetings every four years that stand out above every other match between the old foes. For as often as the teams face off in finals and friendlies, it’s the World Cup qualifiers that tend to bring out the fiercest moments in this rivalry. Here’s everything you need to know about how to watch USA Mexico World Cup qualifying match scheduled for Thursday, March 24, at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.
Russia's hopes of competing at the 2022 World Cup were effectively ended after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejected a request from the Russian Football Union to freeze FIFA's suspension while their appeal is heard.
CAS said in a statement on Friday that the suspension of all Russian teams and clubs from FIFA's competitions would therefore remain in force.
The decision effectively prevents Russia from taking part in World Cup qualifying playoffs, scheduled later this month, as no CAS hearing has yet been fixed.
The USMNT World Cup qualifying roster for the March Concacaf matches is finally here, with a bit too much fanfare, if we’re being honest. U.S. Soccer decided to reveal the squad live on SportsCenter, but the show wasn’t really worth the hype.
Because we won’t make you wait like SportsCenter did to show you the roster, here it is.
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Spain and Real Sociedad forward Mikel Oyarzabal is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in training, the LaLiga club said on Thursday.
An ACL tear can take from six to nine months to recover from, meaning Oyarzabal could miss out on being fit to feature in the World Cup in Qatar in November-December.
The first time I heard it, I wasn’t quite sure what I was hearing. I attended the first USMNT-Mexico game after the 2002 World Cup meeting, a friendly in Houston, and kept hearing fans yelling “dos a cero.” I knew enough Spanish to translate the phrase, but I had no idea of the Dos a Cero meaning and history, let alone what it would turn into.
Little did I know back in 2003, but Dos a Cero would come to define the American perspective of the USA-Mexico men’s soccer rivalry for nearly two decades.
“When is the March USMNT roster coming out?” is the question fans have been asking for about a week now. The U.S. has its three final and biggest World Cup qualifying games to close out March.
Fans are eager to know who the American players will be that play Mexico, Panama and Costa Rica to try to qualify for Qatar this winter. In the past, the USMNT would release the roster via social media the week before the first game of a qualifying window.
For the final window of qualifying the USMNT is doing things a bit different.
Life is cruel, even for the most pampered soccer players in the world. Four years of chasing a ticket to the World Cup and then, all of a sudden, the dream is over. The reasons for players missing World Cup tournaments are countless: because their country didn't manage to qualify, because their coach decided not to put them in the 23-list squad or because of a damn untimely injury.
We see the same pain every World Cup cycle, and Qatar 2022 is no different. So here we have a list of the biggest names missing from the next tournament.
The U.S. Soccer Federation has received assurances from Mexican Football Federation officials that players and fans will be safe during a World Cup qualifier between the teams in Mexico City this month after violent clashes marred a Mexican league game.