The past weekend was about as good as it gets for USMNT fans. The result top of mind will be the exhilarating, tumultuous triumph against Mexico in the Concacaf Nations League final. But there was another interesting result that happened in the Caribbean that American fans might have missed.
Trinidad and Tobago has been eliminated from World Cup contention.
RIO DE JANEIRO - The president of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has been removed from office for 30 days by the organization’s ethics commission, it said on Sunday, only a week before Brazil is due to host the Copa América.
Brazilian news reports said Rogério Caboclo was accused of sexually harassing an employee.
The CBF gave few details.
South American players should be given the chance to opt out of playing the Copa América this month, the World Leagues Forum (WLF) said in an open letter to FIFA and the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) on Saturday.
The WLF, an organisation that represents more than 40 professional leagues and their clubs, said the abrupt decision to move the Copa América to Brazil after Argentina pulled out due to a surge in COVID-19 cases "directly affect(s) leagues, their member clubs and their players."
Neymar had a pretty good game in World Cup qualifying on Friday night, leading Brazil to a 2-0 win over Ecuador with a goal and an assist. But watching that Neymar penalty vs Ecuador, I found myself feeling like a crotchety old man, yelling at the TV for a youngster doing something stupid.
Brazil has a perfect 15 points from five matches to top CONMEBOL’s World Cup qualifying table. Neymar is a big reason why, with four goals to go with three assists. He added to both tallies on Friday and now only trails Pelé by eight as the top scorer in Seleção history.
The excitement around the USMNT is warranted. The quality of our young core is evident in the roll call of clubs they play for: Barcelona, Juventus, Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund among them.
But the expectations have to be tempered. These players are still developing, which is also evident in the roles they play for those teams. Gio Reyna started the highest percentage of league games with BVB at 67.6%, followed by Dest with Barça (60.5%) and then Pulisic with the Blues (47.4%) and McKennie with the Old Lady (47.4%).
San Marino gets plenty of attention and scrutiny for being the worst national team in the world according to the FIFA men’s world rankings. I even wrote about San Marino the other day after the team scored its first goal in over a year.
Chile and Inter Milan midfielder Arturo Vidal is recovering in hospital after contracting COVID-19, the Chilean national team announced on Tuesday.
A statement said that the 34-year-old tested positive for the virus after initially being hospitalised with severe tonsilitis.
INFORMACIÓN | Parte médico de Arturo Vidal
Fresh off his contributions in the UEFA Champions League final, Christian Pulisic is expected to start Thursday when the United States men's national team faces Honduras in a CONCACAF Nations League semifinal in Denver.
Pulisic came on as a substitute in the 66th minute of Chelsea's 1-0 victory over Manchester City in Porto, Portugal. In a prime scoring chance, Pulisic had a shot that went just wide of the left post with an opportunity to give Chelsea a two-goal lead.
The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) said on Monday it would move next month's Copa América to Brazil, after original host nation Argentina pulled out at the last minute due to a surge in COVID-19 cases.
The decision means the oldest international tournament in the world will kick off as planned on June 13, with the final on July 10.
"The 2021 Copa América will be played in Brazil!" CONMEBOL said in a statement. "The start and finish dates are confirmed. The host cities and the matches will be revealed by CONMEBOL in the coming hours."
Nike Inc said on Thursday it ended its partnership with Brazilian soccer star Neymar last year because he refused to cooperate in an investigation into sexual assault allegations leveled against him by a Nike employee.
Neymar, who currently plays for Paris St. Germain, denies the allegations, his spokeswoman said in a statement.
The world's largest sportswear maker said in a statement it viewed the allegations about an incident in 2016 as "credible" but also said an independent investigation it commissioned was inconclusive.