The excitement is building towards a pair of USMNT friendlies scheduled for the end of the month with the locations of the fixtures (Austria and Northern Ireland) dictating appearances from the European-based players who’ve helped supporters move beyond the last World Cup qualifying debacle.
ASUNCION — The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) has decided to suspend this month's double header of World Cup qualifiers for Qatar 2022 amid concern over the COVID-19 pandemic and strict quarantine restrictions.
The 10 South American teams were due to play two games on March 25/26 and March 30 but CONMEBOL acknowledged tightening lockdown and quarantine regulations mean many of the European-based players will be unable to travel.
Scoring a goal against Mexico is a dream for every American soccer player. Clint Dempsey’s 57 goals for the USMNT is tied for the most in history, but none of those 57 came against America’s rival down south.
When Dempsey stepped up to take a penalty against El Tri in 2013, every fan expected him to bury it, right? This wasn’t the case, as one of the greatest players in U.S. history lasered his shot six yards wide of the goal. Why would Dempsey do this? We have a pretty good idea.
Date: Sept. 10, 2013
With soccer tactics constantly changing, certain types of players are not always accommodated.
Roles like the libero, trequartista, striker partnerships and burly center backs have become, or are quickly becoming, outdated in modern football. Other roles like ball-playing goalkeepers, false nines and wingers that cut inside onto their stronger foot have become very trendy.
This often leaves current players wishing they had played in a previous decade and former players wishing their career had started a little later. Ah, what could have been.
The fighting spirit of Uruguay has enabled the country with a population of just 3.5 million (smaller than Connecticut) to collect two World Cup titles and the ninth-most wins in the tournament’s illustrious history. However, this combativeness has occasionally crossed the line, most notably in the collection of the fastest red card in World Cup history and Luis Suárez’s bite of Giorgio Chiellini.
FIFA will aim to announce in the last quarter of 2021 the host cities for the 2026 World Cup being jointly staged by the United States, Canada and Mexico, soccer's world governing body said in a statement on Tuesday.
For a memorable few months in 2008, Russia was the talk of the soccer world.
Zenit St. Petersburg captured the Europa League title, defeating Rangers in the final after dismantling Bayern Munich 5-1 on aggregate in the semis.
Just a month later, the national team also achieved unprecedented success, reaching the semifinals of Euro 2008 before bowing out to eventual champion Spain.
Occasionally sport coughs up the sort of matchup that you cannot tear your eyes from — not so much a David vs. Goliath battle as it is a 50-car pileup on the highway. We’re talking “how the hell did they find themselves here?” sort of situations.
These were the games that stayed with you, the games that meant something, even if you were too small to understand why.
The Korea women’s ice hockey team at the 2018 Winter Olympics
More than any other sporting event, the men’s World Cup captures the imagination through unforgettable moments: goals that make you leap out of your seat in celebration, anger or confusion. The best World Cup goals are those you remember years later, if not decades.
No one can argue that 2020 has been an awful year that we all want to put behind us. But before we look ahead 2021, we have to take a minute to appreciate how sports have provided something resembling normality in recent months.
Considering the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been incredibly lucky to have soccer leagues playing regularly since June.