Central America

Premier League Clubs Face Sanctions If They Use Players Withheld From National-Team Duty

Premier League clubs could face sanctions from FIFA if they play South American players who were not released for international duty in this weekend's games.

Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City are among clubs who did not release Brazilian players for the current international break due to them having to travel to "red list" countries and face a choice of not selecting those players this weekend or running the risk of sanctions.

USMNT Travels To Honduras Facing Barrage Of Questions, Criticisms

The USMNT is only two matches into its 14-game CONCACAF World Cup qualifying odyssey, but one look at the early table shows you why Wednesday’s meeting between the U.S. and Honduras in San Pedro Sula is feeling like a must-win.

While qualification obviously doesn’t hinge on the result, there’s a sense that if the tournament successes of the past summer are to have any real meaning, then the U.S. needs to end this September window with its first win of the Octagonal. 

Forget The Octagonal, Welcome To The Concacaf Qualification Ladder

My Spanish is a little rusty, but here is a snippet from a conversation overheard between a few El Salvadorian fans shortly before the country's World Cup Qualifier against the USMNT on Thursday:

Guy No. 1: "OK, here's the plan: step one — get a ladder. Step two — carry the ladder into the stadium."
*Pause*
Guy No. 2: "What's step three?"
Guy No. 1: "What do you mean step three? That's the whole plan, we take the ladder and bring it into the game. That's it."

I Know What You Did This Summer: Tata Martino Needs Wins To Avoid Slash

After a summer spent playing the role of bridesmaid, Tata Martino’s Mexico begins World Cup qualifying by putting on a brave face and getting back out there, but September’s trifecta of matches each pose their own particular challenges for El Tri.

A couple big names miss out entirely through injury — Chucky Lozano, Héctor Herrera, Diego Lainez and Héctor Moreno — although Andrés Guardado returns after recovering from his own ailments. Meanwhile Covid continues to change, disrupt and alter plans by the minute, so don't be surprised if this preview is already entirely worthless.

Win At Home And Draw Away: First 3 WCQ Opponents Will Push USMNT To Edge

As the holder of the Nations League, Gold Cup and a new world ranking of 10th, the USMNT approaches World Cup qualifying at its highest level of confidence in five years — since John Brooks destroyed the house that Ecuador built at the Copa América.

But the formula for success in CONCACAF never changes: try to win at home, try to draw away. Get that done and you’re going to Qatar; experiment with the formula like Jürgen Klinsmann and you’ll kill Taylor Twellman.

USMNT Is A Month Away From Heading To The Dreaded Olímpico Metropolitano; Will They Get A Result?

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.

Canada Ends Costa Rica’s Golden Generation To Set Up Mexico Semifinal

For the first time since 2007, Canada is back in the semifinals of the Gold Cup after a commanding 2-0 win over Costa Rica at AT&T Stadium in Arlington on Sunday night.  

The immediate consequence is that Canada plays Mexico on Thursday at NRG Stadium in Houston. The long-term implication is that Canada, heading into 2022 World Cup qualifying, can make a serious claim as to now being Concacaf’s third-best team.

Dang It Honduras, It Should’ve Been The USMNT Losing To A Team That Didn’t Register A Shot On Target

Honduras snatched Concacaf’s final spot at the Olympics away from the USMNT in March. Four months later, Los Catrachos did the USMNT proud by dominating a game against Romania and still finding an incredible way to lose 1-0. I’m sure that USMNT players are punching the air while watching the Honduras vs Romania highlights.

Let me remind you why the USMNT isn’t at the Olympics.

Mexico Wins Group A, But El Salvador Looks Great Ahead Of World Cup Qualifying

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. 

Germany's Olympic Team Abandons Friendly Match After Alleged Racist Abuse

The German men's Olympic soccer team left the pitch five minutes before the end of their warm-up game against Honduras in Wakayama, Japan on Saturday after defender Jordan Torunarigha was allegedly racially abused.

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