By: Casey Rhine
Ohhhh El Clásico, where to begin. One of soccer's most heated, yet most deeply cherished rivalries.Few of you readers get to experience El Clasico, in Barcelona, while it's happening. This was my mission on December 23rd and should be your mission on May 6th if you are not lucky enough to go to the game in the Camp Nou.
MANCHESTER — Manchester City's Erling Haaland struck his first two goals at Old Trafford as they ran roughshod over Manchester United in a 3-0 thrashing in Sunday's heated Premier League derby.
Haaland, whose 11 league goals this season equals United's total goal output, converted a penalty in the 26th minute when VAR showed Rasmus Hojlund pulled down Rodri at a free kick. The Norwegian calmly slotted the ball into the bottom right corner.
The USWNT vs. Netherlands World Cup group stage match on Wednesday night was a fascinating midfield battle that epitomized the old cliché of it being "a game of two halves."
In the opening 45, the Dutch diced the Americans apart with a precision so masterful that it resembled ease. In reality, it's very difficult to turn the USWNT's finely tuned press against themselves, but the Netherlands were a Clockwork Oranje with clever movement, one-touch play and numerical superiority.
The U.S. women's national team is in a position to win a record third straight World Cup because every player who steps on the field is expected to meet the high standards of their predecessors.
Sophia Smith is the latest example of a potential legend in the making, following in the footsteps of players such as Mia Hamm, Abby Wambach and current teammate Alex Morgan.
DUNEDIN - The Netherlands kicked off their Group E campaign with a 1-0 win over Women's World Cup debutants Portugal at Dunedin Stadium on Sunday, thanks to a first-half goal from Stefanie van der Gragt that was awarded on a VAR review.
The Dutch edged Portugal 3-2 a year ago in the European Championship group stage, but this time the Iberian side were no match for the team in their trademark orange and did not have a shot on target until the 82nd minute.
The addition of the Saudi Pro League to the soccer scene won't jeopardize the well-being of Major League Soccer, commissioner Don Garber said.
Speaking to reporters Sunday night at the welcoming ceremony for Lionel Messi to his new MLS club, Inter Miami CF, Garber said he isn't fazed by the commitment made by the Saudi Public Investment Fund to pro soccer.
The Concacaf Gold Cup semifinals are upon us Wednesday night, and although it's easy to pencil the United States and Mexico into the final for a third straight time, we shouldn't be so quick to write off Panama or Jamaica.
This feels like a particularly open final four. You could probably make just as convincing of an argument about why the U.S. is the best team remaining as you could one about why they're the worst, and the same goes for El Tri.
The USMNT is soaring into the Concacaf Gold Cup knockout rounds after twice matching their largest margin of victory in tournament history (back-to-back 6-0 results against Saint Kitts and Nevis and Trinidad and Tobago).
But all that will quickly be forgotten Sunday night when the U.S. welcomes Canada to TQL Stadium in Cincinnati with the knowledge that anything less than safe passage to the semifinals will be considered an unmitigated disaster, especially against a Canadian team that finished behind Guatemala in group play.
MEXICO CITY - Mexico coach Diego Cocca and director of national teams Rodrigo Ares De Parga have left their roles, the country's soccer federation (FMF) said on Monday with less than a week to go before the start of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
The announcement comes a day after Mexico beat Panama to win the CONCACAF Nations League bronze medal after a 3-0 loss in the semifinals on Thursday to the United States, who went on to retain their title.
FMF announced that Jaime Lozano, who led Mexico to a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, will take over as interim manager.
Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois asked not to travel with Belgium for their Euro 2024 qualifier in Estonia on Tuesday, telling shocked coach Domenico Tedesco he did not feel respected within the team as he walked out of the squad.
Courtois, 31, played in Saturday's 1-1 home draw with Austria but told Tedesco after the match that he would not make himself available for the Estonia game.
Tedesco says Courtois's unhappiness spilled over when striker Romelu Lukaku was given the captain's armband for the Austria game in the absence of injured regular skipper Kevin De Bruyne.