Do not read on if you, like myself, are still coping with last week’s announcement that David Silva and Gerard Pique are calling it quits with the Spanish national team. International football, it seems, may soon be suffering another casualty, though perhaps we have a couple years to prepare for this one.
At the age of 32, David Silva has announced his retirement from international football after collecting 125 caps and scoring 35 goals for the Spanish national team. Silva was a member of the squads that won Euro 2008, the 2010 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2012. At Euro 2012, Silva started all six of Spain’s matches and scored the opening goal of the final against Italy.
Keisuke Honda, one of the greatest Japanese players in the last decade, recently announced he was moving to Australia to play in the A-League with reigning champions Melbourne Victory.
But, despite signing for a new club, Honda was not done there. He has now just been announced as the General Manager of the Cambodian National Team. The 166th-ranked side now boasts a 2013 Asian Golden Ball winner sitting on its bench during matches.
It’s been nearly 10 months since Bruce Arena resigned in disgrace as USMNT coach after failing to guide the Americans to the World Cup for the first time since 1986. The U.S. still hasn’t named a replacement.
Croatia shocked most of the soccer world with its run to the World Cup final, although we here at The18 saw it coming. In order to prove that was no fluke, I'm doubling down on my bold World Cup predictions, this time four years in advance of the tournament instead of one. If you're wondering who the Croatia of the 2022 World Cup will be, you don't need to look any further than their neighbor (and historical rival) to the east.
The Mexico Women's National Team won the gold medal at the Central American and Caribbean Games on Monday night in Barranquilla, Colombia.
With staggering goals and extraordinary performances, Mexico bounced back from an early deficit in the final vs. Costa Rica.
El Tri Femenil secured the highest prize with a final score of 3-1. Mexico trailed 1-0 after María Alvarado scored via a penalty kick for Costa Rica in the 13th minute.
On June 9, the USMNT drew with France 1-1. On June 13, the United States was awarded the 2026 World Cup. On July 30, LA Galaxy phenom and California native Efrain Alvarez admitted that he’d still be open to representing the U.S. over Mexico. Ladies and gentleman, in the aftermath of missing the world’s greatest event because of a defeat to Trinidad & Tobago, I’m not at all opposed to calling this a new golden era in U.S. soccer.
With a squad comprised largely of players that led Portugal to glory at the 2016 European U-17 Championship, Portugal has now ridden what’s quickly becoming a golden generation to more international glory, this time at the 2018 European U-19 Championship in Finland. Portugal defeated Italy 4-3 in a madcap final that saw three goals scored in quick succession during the first period of extra time.
Joao Filipe opened the scoring just before halftime for Portugal. The Benfica youngster fired in a low drive after a brilliant piece of control at the top of the box.
Juan Carlos Osorio stepped down as coach of the Mexican national team on Friday. Now El Tri fans turn their attention to who will be the next Mexico coach.
JCO surprised no one with his announcement on Friday. While the Mexican federation (FMF) reportedly offered him a new contract to extend his stay as coach, the Colombian was widely expected to pursue other challenges.
After a deep analysis and discussion, Juan Carlos Osorio has decided to step down of the head coach charge.
It’s not quite the #MeToo movement, nor is it a Pokémon. But the #MeTwo movement in part inspired by Mesut Özil is evolving into something quite powerful, something that’s been building for decades.