It was a must-win match against a neighboring rival, one that had just thwomped the Americans a month earlier. And it kicked off with a half-empty stadium — and that’s being generous. The USMNT vs Canada attendance was shockingly sparse on Friday night in Orlando, Florida.
When former USMNT manager Jürgen Klinsmann labelled the newfangled CONCACAF Nations League a “waste of time” back in October (rich enough coming from a coach that inspired his team to defeats against Mexico, Costa Rica and Guatemala by a combined scoreline of 8-1 during 2018 World Cup qualifying), it was easy to grasp the German’s point: If you limit the amount of big matches you have against quality opponents, you limit your growth.
The USMNT approaches Friday’s CONCACAF Nations League match against Canada needing a victory to have any chance of advancing to the semifinals of the competition, and they'll do so without attacking catalyst Christian Pulisic, who misses out with a hip injury he sustained against Crystal Palace last Saturday.
Christian Pulisic has scored yet again. *Insert hyperbole here about the young American while ignoring the fact he barely played at the start of the season and up-and-down performances are all just a part of the process for young players.*
What is worrying, however, is the injury sustained as Pulisic scored on Saturday.
Soccer in America is failing, they say. The USMNT sucks! The USWNT will soon be passed by Europeans!
Soccer, we’ve been told, will never fully succeed in America.
Well now, Americans have found a way to stay relevant in soccer — at least once our robot overlords take over.
In a series of videos that is sure haunt your nightmares, some “Mini Cheetah” robots from MIT have been shown to frolic, run, gallop, trot, prance, do backflips and, yes, play soccer.
Raúl Jiménez was the first to react.
The Wolverhampton striker’s boot had violently struck the head of Kenan Bajric of Slovan Bratislava while attempting a bicycle kick, and Jiménez immediately called for medical staff to come onto the field.
After 10 minutes, Bajric was stretchered off the pitch. Shortly thereafter, Jiménez was apologizing after scoring a critical late winner.
If you Google “Tyler Boyd” you’re going to be given results about some American football player who will never earn the love and admiration of Turkish soccer fans. The real Tyler Boyd, the New Zealand-born USMNT winger, is finally starting to win over those in Istanbul.
Tyler Boyd, the soccer player, joined Turkish club Beşiktaş in July, shortly after switching international allegiances from the country of his birth and father (New Zealand) to the country of his mother (U.S.).
While the U.S. was sent packing after the group stage following its worst-ever showing at a FIFA U-17 World Cup, Mexico is through to the quarterfinals following a 2-0 victory over Japan in Gama, Brazil, on Wednesday. If you were already a little disappointed with U.S. Soccer following the dismal showing, you’ll be pleased to know that Mexico’s success is even further damnation of our bumbling federation.
Finally, some good news surrounding the U.S. men’s national team. 18-year-old Ajax defender Sergiño Dest has committed his future to the Yanks, and he'll hopefully be on display if we can qualify for the 2022 World Cup.
The Dynamo have a new coach, and for the first time since Dominic Kinnear roamed the sidelines at Robertson Stadium, Houston fans have a reason to be excited about the man in charge. Tab Ramos is coming to Houston.
The Houston Dynamo announced Tab Ramos as its new head coach on Friday, confirming reports from earlier in the week.
It’s official Dynamo fans. Tab Ramos is your new head coach! #ForeverOrange