Most people remember Simone Zaza for what was probably the worst moment of his life. Left for dead after a pedestrian loan spell with West Ham, the Italian forward is reinventing himself with Valencia, having scored eight goals in nine La Liga appearances this season, second only to Lionel Messi’s 11.
Julie Ertz did it again Sunday. The USWNT defender scored in a 6-0 rout of South Korea, her fifth goal of 2017. She’s now tied with Alex Morgan for most goals scored for Team USA this year. Julie Ertz’s goal-scoring ability makes her the Sergio Ramos of women’s football.
Ertz headed in the United States’ fourth goal of the first half for her 13th goal in international play, most among active American defenders. It was her second goal in four days and fourth in her last four national-team appearances.
Russia and Qatar will host the next two World Cups. But neither country is very good at soccer. It may be hypocritical right now to throw dirt on Russia and Qatar after the U.S. failed to qualify for the World Cup themselves, but let’s be bitter Americans and point out all the teams that are better than Russia and Qatar in soccer.
Toronto FC might just be completing the best regular season in MLS history. While that may not matter much once the playoffs start at the end of October, it’s worth noting the records within reach of Toronto FC with two matches to play.
The Reds host the Montreal Impact on Sunday and finish the season with a trip to Atlanta United’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. While the Supporters' Shield has been wrapped up, here’s what is on the line for Toronto FC.
The USMNT’s failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup is nothing less than an abject failure. It’s a failure for U.S. soccer on so many levels, from player development and youth organization to individual performances and coaching decisions. It’s a failure that must be learned from so as to never repeat it again.
CONMEBOL is fun, guys. Through 17 games only one team out of 10 — Brazil — has clinched its spot in the 2018 World Cup. Six teams still have a chance for the remaining three automatic qualifying berths, with one more team qualifying for the intercontinental playoff against New Zealand. Five of those teams control their own destiny. On Tuesday, all 10 teams play in five matches kicking off simultaneously with South American World Cup hopes on the line.
Poland qualified for the 2018 World Cup with a 4-2 home victory over Montenegro on Sunday, a result that also eliminated Montenegro. More importantly, we saw why Poland World Cup aspirations are so high, as a fantastic team goal to take a 2-0 lead in the 16th minute showed why it’s going to be such a hard out next summer.
Does your goalie like to pick out passes to nearby teammates and help the team play out of the back or does he like to hoof it up the park to get it as far away from him as possible? The answer may determine your spot in the English Premier League table. Goalie distribution is almost directly correlated to EPL success according to the chart below.
This graphic shows the percentage of passes from EPL goalies that are long balls and the top five teams are all among the top seven teams through seven games in the 2017-18 season.