Over the course of the last five FIFA Beach Soccer World Cups, Russia has won the competition twice and finished third twice. Over that same period, the United States has won one single game.
On Thursday, the 2021 Beach Soccer World Cup kicked off with Russia, the host of the tournament, welcoming Team USA to the 5,000-seat Luzhniki Beach Soccer Stadium in Moscow.
When it comes to attack-minded players, the USMNT has never been more exciting. Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna, Weston McKennie, Brenden Aaronson and Konrad de la Fuente are all footballers that bring you to your feet when in possession around goal, but they all share two common traits: (1) they’re not strikers and (2) they’re young.
These are important points because now we’re going to move on to talking about USMNT strikers who, for the most part, are all also fledglings.
Germany great Gerd Müller, widely regarded as one of the game's greatest goal scorers and nicknamed "Der Bomber”, has died at the age of 75, his former club Bayern Munich said on Sunday.
Müller scored 68 goals in 62 international games for West Germany, including the winner in the 1974 World Cup final, and is third in the all-time list of most goals in the competition with 14 goals behind Ronaldo (15) and Miroslav Klose (16).
He also won the European championship in 1972 with them.
Hay un sabor de boca amargo alrededor de la selección adulta de México. Las dos finales perdidas ante Estados Unidos -Nations League y Copa Oro- son píldoras difíciles de tragar tanto para los jugadores, como para los analistas y los aficionados. Y no solo por los resultados en sí, sino que también pensando en el futuro y las próximas Clasificatorias a Catar 2022, las cuales comienzan el próximo 2 de septiembre.
Nearly four years after ignominiously bowing out of 2018 World Cup qualifying, the USMNT is ready to begin qualifying for the 2022 World Cup. The last four years have felt like a lifetime on and off the pitch in the U.S., but Sept. 2 marks the start of an opportunity to rewrite the script, a chance to cast off the miserable low of 2017 and show the country how much the team has improved.
Or not — we’ll see.
Concacaf World Cup qualifying begins for the USMNT on Sept. 2 against El Salvador. After the match in El Salvador, the U.S. hosts Canada on Sept. 5 and then travels to Honduras to play on Sept. 8. The last game of this first WCQ window is the one that has me concerned.
I predict the USMNT to get seven points from these first three qualifying games in the form of victories against El Salvador and Canada, but a hard-fought draw in Honduras. Why is that? The Olímpico Metropolitano, and really anywhere in Honduras, is a fortress.
The reason you won’t see some of the best men's soccer players at the Olympics is sort of peculiar. In order to preserve the status of the World Cup as the greatest international event for men’s soccer, an Olympic soccer age limit was instituted for the men's tournament.
The men's Olympic soccer tournament only features players under 23 years old, with three exceptions for each country.
On June 18, FIFA finally handed down a meaningful sanction to the Mexican Football Federation (FMF), requiring Mexico to play its next two home games without fans because of continued use of a homophobic chant during matches. Now the FMF is trying to pull a fast one and make its women’s team serve the punishment.
Classy.
Por estos días en Argentina se recuerdan los 35 años del título en la Copa del Mundo de 1986. Solo ayer, de hecho, el día se consagró al ilustre doblete de Diego Armando Maradona sobre los ingleses.
La Mano de Dios...
Del mejor gol ⚽ de la historia... ¡al gol más polémico de la historia! La famosa 'Mano de Dios' ⚽ cumple hoy 35 años. Una jugada que enfureció a los ingleses y elevó a Maradona a lo más alto del fútbol mundial pic.twitter.com/Y4SbcOrTnp
FIFA finally stepped in (not like Concacaf was going to) and punished Mexico for the continuous homophobic chants from fans on Friday. On top of a $65,000 fine, Mexico will be forced to play its first two home games of World Cup qualifying without fans. Officially, the punishment is due to the chants heard during Olympic qualifying.