Soccer coaches are faced with countless unenviable problems every day: How to go about training, how to set the team up for matches, how to meld personalities into a single unit. But one problem every coach would love to have is what Vlatko Andonovski is facing ahead of this summer’s Olympics: How to cut some of the best players in the world.
Up until France’s 4-2 victory over Croatia in the final of the 2018 World Cup, Les Bleus were criticized for playing with the sort of pragmatic control that wins you titles but few admirers.
Half of the front four (Olivier Giroud and Blaise Matuidi) were employed in yeoman’s work, while the left flank of Lucas Hernandez, N'Golo Kanté and Matuidi was there to destroy any fleeting moments of opposition joy.
En medio del desastre que tiene con la organización de la Copa América, la CONMEBOL se dio tiempo entre ayer y hoy de hacer el sorteo de los octavos de final de la Copa Libertadores, así como de publicar el calendario con los cruces.
Debido a los torneos de selecciones que habrá durante el mes junio, la mejor competencia del planeta entrará en receso y se reanudará recién el próximo 13 de julio.
La selección nacional de México y su similar de Costa Rica se enfrentarán este jueves por las semifinales de la Concacaf Nations League, en un partido que se llevará a cabo en el Empower Field at Mile High, en la ciudad de Denver, Colorado.
El duelo será el número 23 entre ambos seleccionados. México es el favorito absoluto, ya que de acuerdo al historial ha ganado 14 de esos enfrentamientos. Costa Rica, por otro lado, solo ha celebrado la victoria en dos ocasiones. Los seis encuentros restantes han terminado en empate.
On Tuesday, England's 33-man preliminary squad was reduced to its final 26 members for the upcoming Euro 2020 tournament.
The likes of Jesse Lingard, James Ward-Prowse and Ollie Watkins were cut, while Manchester United's Mason Greenwood withdrew due to injury:
England's final 26-man squad, with the following seven missing out...
Aaron Ramsdale
Ben White
Ben Godfrey
James Ward-Prowse
Jesse Lingard
Ollie Watkins
Mason GreenwoodCorrect decisions?
Un discreto y humilde 29 de marzo de 1991 nació en París, Francia, un tal N’Golo Kanté. Hijo de inmigrantes africanos que tuvieron la oportunidad de radicarse en la ciudad de la luz y buscar un futuro mejor.
Como otros tantos colegas futbolistas, la infancia de Kanté fue tan hostil como prometedora. El muchacho fue recolector de basura en París para ayudar a su familia y a la temprana edad de 11 años perdió a su padre. Eso sí, a pesar de los obstáculos que se le presentaron en la vida, se mantenía en la lucha por cumplir su gran sueño: ser jugador de fútbol.
After six years away, Blackpool FC is back in the Championship.
Following a 6-3 aggregate victory over Oxford United in the semifinals, Neil Critchley's side overcame a horrific start to the final to earn salvation at Wembley. Blackpool conceded the earliest goal ever scored in a League One Playoff Final through an own goal by Ollie Turton just 50 seconds into the game.
Turton's blushes would be spared by the most unlikely of heroes as teammate Kenny Dougall, who had scored two goals in his last 82 games, bagged a brace to secure playoff glory for Blackpool.
It was only a friendly between the USMNT and Switzerland at Kybunpark in St. Gallen on Sunday evening, but the immediate implications were huge for both nations.
Schalke endured a historically bad season in 2020-21, but the rot actually began far earlier. There were clear signs about midway through the previous campaign. The Royal Blues' last win of 2019-20 was a 2-0 victory over Borussia Monchengladbach on January 17, 2020. Manager David Wagner was then unable to prevent Schalke ending the season on a winless streak of 16 games.
Across Europe, there are still games to be played and honors to be won. Besides the Champions League, several leagues are still in the midst of promotion playoffs. But the mayhem of managerial turnover is well underway.