International Soccer

Zlatan Is Celebrating His 40th Birthday By Leading Sweden In World Cup Qualifying

After missing the European Championship with a knee injury that lingered into the start of the new season, AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimović has been recalled to the Sweden national team for a pair of upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Kosovo (Oct. 9) and Greece (Oct. 12). Ibrahimović celebrates his 40th birthday on Oct. 3, so we’ll get to see if transitioning into the "middle age adult" stage of life has any effect on his game.

You wouldn’t think so.

UEFA And CONMEBOL Announce Date For Super Final Between Italy And Argentina

European Championship winners Italy will face Copa America winners Argentina in June 2022, the soccer governing bodies of Europe and South America said on Tuesday.

"The agreement reached by the two organisations currently covers three editions of this match between the respective continental winners," UEFA said in a statement.

No venue or competition title name was given for the match but a source told Reuters the game has been given the working title of the 'Finalissima'.

What Was The Point Of Beating Paraguay 17-0, U.S. Soccer?

The U.S. women’s national team cruised to an 8-0 victory in a friendly on Tuesday night in Cincinnati, hometown hero Rose Lavelle providing a goal and three assists in the process. It was a second straight win over Las Guaraníes after a 9-0 triumph on Thursday in Cleveland, essentially part of U.S. Soccer’s bronze-medal victory tour after the Olympics. 

After watching the USWNT twice destroy Paraguay by a combined 17-0 over the past week, I found myself wondering: What the fuck was the point of it all? Is this really good the U.S.? For Paraguay? For the game? For anyone?

Marta’s Perfect Free Kick Against Argentina Was Medicinal For Pelé

The all-time leader in goals scored at a World Cup is not Pelé nor Ronaldo — it’s another Brazilian, the timeless Marta. The brilliant No. 10 added a 113th career international goal to her tally on Monday, a stunning free kick that stirred Pelé whilst the elder Brazilian watched from a hospital. 

Carli Lloyd Scores 4 Goals On First 12 Touches As USWNT Takes Out Olympic Frustrations On Paraguay

After a disappointing third-place finish at the Olympics, the USWNT set out on what was supposed to be a victory tour of sorts with a pair of friendlies against Paraguay in September and two more against South Korea in October. With the U.S. only “celebrating” an unsatisfactory bronze medal, the four-time world champions took out their frustrations on a Paraguay squad that may have wished it had just stayed home.

I’m Embarrassed For EA Sports Over Their Attempt At FIFA 22 Women’s Ratings; How Is Rapinoe Still This High?

Another year, another FIFA game where it’s obvious EA Sports paid no attention to women’s soccer. The FIFA 22 women's ratings are somehow even worse than last year, once again proving the WoSo portion of the franchise is merely lip service to try to appease women without actually putting in any effort.

Latest FIFA Rankings: England Reaches The Heights, But USMNT Out Of Top 10

Euro 2020 finalists England pushed world champions France out of the top three in world soccer body FIFA's latest men's soccer rankings published on Thursday.

Belgium remained the top ranked side, followed by Brazil. European champions Italy, on a record unbeaten international run of 37 matches, are fifth with Argentina sixth.

Third place equals England's highest ranking since 2012. Gareth Southgate's side lost on penalties to Italy in the Euro 2020 final at Wembley in July and were World Cup semifinalists in Russia in 2018. France went out of Euro 2020 in the Round of 16.

Watch The Gregg Berhalter Halftime Speech That Saved Him From Getting The Axe

With the USMNT’s back very much up against the Olimpico Metropolitano Stadium walls on Sept. 8, something needed to change, quickly. The Gregg Berhalter halftime speech vs. Honduras was just what the squad needed, combining tactical tweaks with positive motivation. 

The result? A 4-1 come-from-behind victory over Honduras to save the U.S. from a dismal start to World Cup qualifying and potentially save Berhalter’s job.

USA Begins Futsal World Cup With 11-0 Loss To Argentina, But They Are Gods Amongst Men

Futsal’s importance to developing great footballers has never been a secret. 

Brazil is the standard-bearer of the hard court game that favors ball control, passing in tight spaces and creativity over any sort of physical advantage. Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Neymar, Pelé and Philipe Coutinho all played extensively in their youth, and what they learned and practiced on the court translated beautifully onto the pitch.

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