It shouldn't have to be like this, USMNT. Christian Pulisic is only 18 years old, but suddenly everyone is looking to him to be the catalyst of the offense. It's true that Pulisic is the best player on the team, but it's also true that he's an 18-year-old on a team with other very good players on it, players who need to carry their shares of the load.
I love soccer. I can’t get enough of it. So this is always a bittersweet time of year. Domestic leagues are coming to an end. Cup competitions are finishing up. In fact, many of Europe’s top leagues had been settled for the past few weeks and lacked final-day drama. So in order to get my fix of intense, competitive league football, I turned my attention to Mexico and the Liga MX Liguilla playoffs.
And I fell in love.
On Thursday Olympique Lyonnais topped Paris Saint-Germain in the Women’s UEFA Champions League final. Lyon took home the trophy after eight rounds of penalty kicks, topping PSG 7-6. The win gave Lyon their second straight treble and saw them tie the record of most Champions League titles at four.
USWNT superstar striker Alex Morgan started up top for OL after putting in a wonderful debut season with the club. And, while she will gladly take the UEFA title in her first attempt, her night was marred by an injury in the 23rd minute.
Last week’s NWSL results shortened the gap among the top six teams. The Courage still lead the league, but 6th place FC Kansas City is only four points back. The statement result from week seven was Chicago’s 3-2 victory over the NC Courage. The Red Stars have now won three of their last four and are up into second place in the table.
Meanwhile, the Washington Spirit continue to languish at the bottom of the table, after having made the 2016 NWSL Final. They’ve lost their last three games, and take on fellow bottom table side Houston Dash on Saturday.
The United States matched their biggest-ever triumph on the U-20 World Cup stage, and Mexico scored a game-winner in the 89th minute as North America sent two representatives into the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup quarterfinals — just as many as South America and one less than Europe.
Rumors of John Brooks’ transfer from Hertha Berlin to Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga have been confirmed, and the reported fee of $22.4 million makes the USMNT defender the most expensive American player of all-time.
Brooks is currently in Denver with the U.S. squad ahead of a friendly against Venezuela and two key World Cup qualifiers against Trinidad & Tobago at home and Mexico at the Azteca. The fee paid for Brooks is roughly twice as much as the previous record, the $11 million Sunderland paid AZ Alkmaar for Jozy Altidore back in 2013.
Jonathan Klinsmann is young and still has a lot of growing up to do. Goalkeepers generally improve with experience more so than other positions and tend to peak in their late 20s and early 30s. So we're not that worried about him yet.
That said, he should stop watching tapes of Joe Hart.
"It's a very hard league to play in. It's very physical, there's a lot of running. So there is a lot of physical work and to me, in my mind, too little play."
Andrea Pirlo probably didn't have running wind sprints in mind when he planned on winding down his career in MLS, but that's what he got. Although NYCFC play on one of the smallest fields you'll ever see at the professional level, Pirlo still chases the game more than when he played in Italy. And, of course, he's 38 now, so he's likely feeling the burn a bit more.
After a rough start to the 2017 MLS season for both Giovani dos Santos and the LA Galaxy, the club are now unbeaten in their last four matches following Sunday’s 2-1 away win over Minnesota United — a run that has seen Dos Santos register three goals and an assist.