USMNT

The U.S. will be at the U-20 Men’s World Cup. Alex Mendez and Uly Llanez made sure of that on Friday night.

The USMNT is currently playing in the Concacaf U-20 Championship in Bradenton, Florida. After crushing it in the first group stage — five wins with 39 goals for and two against — the U.S. needed just one more win in the second group stage to ensure one of four Concacaf spots at the 2019 U-20 World Cup. 

They got that win in style, beating Costa Rica 4-0 thanks to a couple impressive goals from Mendez and Llanez.

In the rom-com/drama “500 Days Of Summer,” Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character is convinced he’s found The One in Summer, played by Zooey Deschanel. They date for nearly a year before she breaks up with him, sending him into a spiral of depression. It’s not until 500 days after they started dating that JGL’s character really gets over Summer when he meets a new gal, Autumn. 

The U.S. men’s national team sure could use a Spring.

The U.S. men’s national team was outplayed by England on Thursday at Wembley Stadium in London. The Three Lions deserved their 3-0 win, with two quick-strike goals in the first half proving the difference. But Christian Pulisic vs England might’ve been the highlight of the match, particularly eight seconds of love in the second half.

For as young and inexperienced as the USMNT squad is — and for the patience that’s required throughout this painful rebuilding process — it’s a sobering thought that the England side that ran circles around its opponent at Wembley today featured standout performances from Dele Alli (age 22), Ben Chilwell (21), Trent Alexander-Arnold (20) and Jadon Sancho (18).  

We haven’t seen Christian Pulisic in a USMNT jersey since the 3-0 victory over Bolivia back on May 28, when we were given a tantalizing look at the attacking combination play between himself, Tim Weah and Josh Sargent. 

Newcastle United has finally figured out how to win a match.

After going 10 matches without a win to start the Premier League campaign, the Magpies have done it twice in the last week to jump out of the relegation zone. And DeAndre Yedlin’s offense was vital to Newcastle’s 2-1 win over Bournemouth on Saturday at St. James’ Park. 

While Salomón Rondón will receive most of the plaudits for scoring both goals for the Magpies against Bournemouth, Yedlin was the spark to get the offense going. 

Eric Wynalda is one of the most iconic figures in U.S. Soccer history — up there with Landon Donovan, Alexi Lalas and Mia Hamm. The striker turned broadcaster turned coach was a veteran of three World Cups and was the USMNT’s all-time leading scorer from seven years.

On Friday morning, Wynalda lost decades of memorabilia in a massive wildfire that consumed his home in Westlake Village in Ventura County, California. 

Fortunately, Wynalda, his wife and kids were able to escape unharmed.