It’s been a vengeful week for U.S. Soccer. Last night at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, the USMNT romped to a 6-0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago, exacting a small fraction of revenge for that frightful night in Couva. The win came only two days after the USWNT had vanquished its own personal demons by defeating Sweden at the Women’s World Cup.
For the last decade, Freddy Adu has been quixotically rediscovering his love for the game and declaring himself a much more learned and focused footballer. The problem is, over the course of the last five years, he’s only played 34 professional games, basically the same amount that Harry Kane plays in a week.
According to recent reports from Spanish daily MARCA, Atlético Madrid is planning on making a massive $135 million bid for Benfica wonderkid João Félix. The 19-year-old attacker tore up the Primeira Liga last season, scoring 15 goals while adding seven assists in 26 games.
The fee would double Atlético’s previous transfer record, set when purchasing French winger Thomas Lemar from Monaco last summer for $67 million.
Fresh off scoring his 100th career goal during France’s 4-0 UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying victory over Andorra, 20-year-old French sensation Kylian Mbappé boarded a plane for the United States, where he’s since been spotted at Nike’s World Headquarters, chilling with LeBron James, at game six of the NBA Finals and throwing out the first pitch at a Los Angeles Dodgers game.
We’ll probably have to wait another couple decades to see Mbappé in MLS, but it’s clear that he enjoys his time spent stateside. Of course, it’s hard not to when the red carpet is rolled out wherever you go.
Fresh off helping Mexico to the CONCACAF U-17 Championship title last month, 16-year-old Californian Efraín Álvarez has registered his first goals for the LA Galaxy, notching a brace in the club’s 3-0 U.S. Open Cup victory over Orange County FC on Wednesday night.
The U.S. has advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup after shocking tournament-favorite France 3-2 in Bydgoszcz, Poland, on Tuesday. Trailing 2-1 with just over 15 minutes remaining, the USMNT U-20s came storming back with late goals from Sebastian Soto and Justin Rennicks.
The U.S. secured passage to the Round of 16 at the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup by defeating Qatar 1-0 thanks to a goal from 19-year-old PSG forward Timothy Weah on Thursday. It was, in all honesty, the American’s worst performance so far in Poland, but the result sees the team finish runners-up behind Ukraine in Group D.
The U.S. now awaits the result of tomorrow’s meeting between France and Mali — a France victory or draw will see a knockout round clash against Les Bleus, but a Mali victory would see the U.S. play against the African side.
The best young women’s player on the planet is from a town in Scotland with a population of 33,698 inhabitants, and that’s what makes our beautiful game so glorious. How is 20-year-old Erin Cuthbert this good? How has she managed to lift Scotland to its first-ever Women’s World Cup appearance? Why isn’t she the talk of the global footballing community?
For many Americans, win = good and loss = bad. It’s ingrained in the psyche of a sporting nation that values hundreds of points in a single game — the highest entertainment consisting of a series of start-stop mini games that bear no resemblance to the intricate processes that dictate the 90 minutes of play on a soccer field.
Argentina’s U-20 World Cup campaign is off to a glorious start in Poland, thanks in large part to Atlanta United’s Ezequiel Barco. The 20-year-old attacker scored a penalty in the 63rd minute to put Argentina up 2-1, and then he scored what would prove to be the match-winner in the 71st with a stunning side-foot volley from distance.