A year out from the World Cup, the final stages of qualifying are at their halfway point. As is normally the case, Europe is proving to be the most difficult region to advance from. If the group stage were to end today, Portugal and Italy would have to square off against other second place teams in a two-legged tie just to qualify for Russia next summer.
Portugal defeated Latvia 3-0 in 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring a brace for the reigning European champions. 21-year-old Porto striker Andre Silva, whose name will become synonymous with transfer speculation this summer, added Portugal’s third with Ronaldo laying on the assist.
Ronaldo’s brace made it a staggering 18 goals in his last 11 matches for club and country. For the season, it’s 53 goals in 51 games. Those kinds of numbers stopped making sense a long time ago.
Mexico defeated Honduras 3-0 at the Azteca with a heavily rotated side, showcasing a squad depth that no nation in CONCACAF can come close to matching. Chivas defender Oswaldo Alanis gave Mexico the advantage from a corner, and El Tri continued to make easy work of a Honduran side whose World Cup dream is all but over.
Hirving “Chucky” Lozano scored the second in the 63rd and Raul Jimenez added the third in the 66th to quickly shift all focus to Sunday’s showdown.
The United States men's national team isn't perfect, but with Christian Pulisic they have moments of perfection.
Pulisic's first goal against Trinidad & Tobago involved three players with incredible skill combining with perfection. Darlington Nagbe danced down the right channel of the field at Dick's Sporting Goods Park before dropping the ball back to DeAndre Yedlin, whose cross cut through the defense and found Pulisic for the tap-in.
It wasn't the greatest performance from the USWNT in Gothenburg, but it did the job. The United States was looking for some semblence of revenge after a heartbreaking Olympic exit at the hands of the Scandinavian side last summer in Rio. The misery of the penalty shootout defeat was compounded by some bitter words from notoriously outlandish goalkeeper Hope Solo. After the loss, the U.S. No. 1 called Sweden "a bunch of cowards."
U.S. Soccer teamed up with the You Can Play Project to celebrate LGBTQ Pride Month in early June's international friendlies. The You Can Play Project is centered on securing equality, respect and safety for all athletes, coaches and fans of any sexual orientation or gender identity.
Spain and Colombia both scored goals in the first half that shouldn't have been let in. Falcao scored a great header in the 54th minute. After an incredible season, winning the French Ligue 1 with AS Monaco, Falcao's swagger and confidence are reminiscent of his Atletico Madrid days.
The biggest takeaway from this game is that Radamel Falcao is a testament that 31 is the new 25. Don't hang up your boots anytime soon, Monaco is begging you.
On Saturday, during halftime of the USMNT’s 1-1 draw with Venezuela, the preliminary 40-man roster for the 2017 Gold Cup was revealed. Manager Bruce Arena now has about three weeks to narrow that list down to the final cut of 23 players. The United States will open the tournament on July 8 against Panama.
This 40-player pool came with several surprises. MLS dominates the list with 32 of the selections being domestically-based. Here are a few of the more interesting decisions from Arena for the 2017 Gold Cup.
In the last 12 months, Xherdan Shaqiri has scored six times. They have all been phenomenal goals. His recent strike against Belarus lives up to the insanely high standard he has set for himself.
A decent hit from Xherdan Shaqiri last night for. There's power in the #SCFC man's calves! pic.twitter.com/yHFfVubsRM