In the early hours of Wednesday morning, the USWNT suffered a crushing end to its 44-game unbeaten streak and opened the Tokyo Olympics with a humbling 3-0 defeat to the only team that’s been able get the better of the U.S. in recent times, Sweden.
Stina Blackstenius — who scored against the U.S. at Rio 2016 — hit a brace, and Lina Hurtig put the game beyond doubt in the 72nd minute.
Thanks to Chaka Rodríguez’s 26th-minute goal, Mexico defeated El Salvador 1-0 on Sunday night and won Gold Cup Group A, meaning that the United States and El Tri can’t possibly meet until the final.
But based on the evidence of the group stage, if either side overlooks their opponents in the quarterfinals or semifinals, they’re going home.
Gianluca Busio stood in the center circle at Children's Mercy Park on Sunday afternoon, awaiting the whistle to kick-off the USMNT’s Gold Cup group finale against Canada.
When it sounded, the 19-year-old moved the ball to James Sands on the backline. The defender launched it forward at Sam Vines, who initiated a bit of head tennis that allowed the U.S. to suddenly overwhelm the left-hand side numerically.
New Everton manager Rafa Benítez says he is hoping to forge a winning mentality at the Premier League club and convince fans that he is the right man for the job, despite facing a backlash over his appointment in recent weeks.
The Spaniard was hired by Everton on a three-year deal last month, but the move proved to be an unpopular one given Benítez's illustrious past with Liverpool, who he managed from 2004 to 2010.
Following the Euro 2020 final where Italy narrowly defeated England on penalties, both sides displayed the true highs and lows of soccer.
Italians were put on top of the world as they secured just their second-ever European Championship and first since 1968. From their fans pouring onto the streets and erupting in joy to Italy’s team stripping down to tighty whities, Italians made sure to properly celebrate the moment.
But the spectrum of reactions following the Euro 2020 final from both squads and their fans couldn't have been further apart.
RIO DE JANEIRO - Brazil forward Neymar said he hopes Argentina will be their opponents in the Copa América final and has no doubts that the hosts would come out on top against their fierce rivals.
Brazil beat Peru 1-0 in Monday's semifinal in Rio de Janeiro thanks to a 35th minute goal from Lucas Paquetá to book their spot in Saturday’s decider at the Maracanã stadium.
The second semifinal between Argentina and Colombia is on Tuesday.
While the Euros roll on through the knockout rounds, we have plenty of wild fan interactions already. From fans showing up to support their team in the wrong country to pitch invaders wielding rainbow flags, anything goes as fans are enjoying their time back. Football fans were kept from stadiums and fully supporting their teams for over a year by the Covid-19 pandemic, diminished to yelling at screens instead of faces, so we wouldn't expect anything less extravagant than what has been happening. Let's take a look at the best Euro 2020 fans so far.
It seems the USMNT's long pursuit of dual national Efraín Álvarez will soon be at an end. Born in Los Angeles to parents originally from Mexico, Álvarez has represented both El Tri and the USMNT at youth level.
There will be plenty of people with mixed feelings on Merseyside on Wednesday. The initial rumors that ex-Liverpool manager Rafa Benítez was being considered for the Everton job were met with shock and disbelief, and now it's a done deal: Benítez returns to Merseyside to take charge of the Blues on a three-year contract.
We can confirm Rafael Benitez has been appointed as our new manager.
— Everton (@Everton) June 30, 2021
Inglaterra venció 2-0 a Alemania en Wembley. ¡Sí, en suelo inglés!, un hito que no se lograba desde 1975.
Con la histórica victoria, Inglaterra avanzó además a los cuartos de final de la Euro 2020, donde se verá las caras, en Roma, contra el ganador del Suecia vs Ucrania.