Premisa 1: El Campeonato Mundial de fútbol se juega cada dos años. Premisa 2: El nombre oficial de los certámenes de fútbol que se disputan cada dos años son: la Copa Mundial de la FIFA y los Juegos Olímpicos. Conclusión: El mundo entero se paraliza cada dos años por el evento deportivo más popular del globo terráqueo, el concilio ecuménico del fútbol.
The excitement is building towards a pair of USMNT friendlies scheduled for the end of the month with the locations of the fixtures (Austria and Northern Ireland) dictating appearances from the European-based players who’ve helped supporters move beyond the last World Cup qualifying debacle.
When Fulhamerica beats Liverpool at Anfield, you know that foreshadows a historic day for USMNT players in Europe. While Antonee Robinson got off the bench in that one (although Tim Ream didn’t), Sunday saw goals from a remarkable number of U.S. footballers abroad, including Josh Sargent, Brenden Aaronson, Tyler Boyd and Konrad de la Fuente.
We’ll start with Sarg in the Bundesliga. The 21-year-old striker scored Werder Bremen’s lone goal in a 1-1 draw with FC Köln. Sargent’s header was his second goal in as many games, giving him four in 22 appearances this season.
Reggie Cannon is like a lot of Americans playing soccer abroad these days. He’s young (22), talented (13 USMNT caps already) and eager to help the U.S. do things it’s never done before in international men’s soccer. But unlike many (but not all) of the young Americans playing for top European clubs right now, he’s got an accomplished family helping inspire and encourage him.
The USMNT will play against its counterparts of Jamaica and Northern Ireland in March. The warm-up match against Jamaica has been scheduled for March 25 at the Stadion Wiener Neustadt in the Austrian city of Wiener Neustadt.
Three days later, the U.S. team will travel to Belfast to face Northern Ireland.
This month’s schedule is .
For the U.S. men’s national team, 2020 was another lost year with a mere four matches played because of the Covid-19 pandemic, by far the fewest in recent memory. This came on the heels of a lost year in 2018, when U.S. Soccer took 14 months to find a new coach after Bruce Arena and Jurgen Klinsmann’s failed World Cup qualifying campaign. Needless to say, the 2021 USMNT schedule could not be more important.
Barnsley FC has spent one season in its long history in the Premier League, in 1997-98. It was relegated immediately after finishing in 19th place on 35 points that season.
The USMNT and El Tri are considering Efraín Álvarez for the Concacaf Olympic qualifiers. The player who was runner-up in the World Cup with the U-17 Tricolor is on the preliminary rosters of both teams, which will be looking for a ticket to Tokyo 2021 in March.
18-year-old LA Galaxy midfielder Efrain Alvarez played for USMNT at U15 level, and Mexico at U15 and U17 level.
He's been named in both nation's preliminary rosters for Olympic qualifying.
Cristiano Ronaldo, like every other footballer on the planet, is underrated when it comes to headers.
On top of having one of the most badass names on the USMNT, Duane Octavious Holmes scored one of the best goals you’ll see from the past weekend. This Duane Holmes goal vs Swansea City was his second of the game and an absolute beauty.
Holmes might have had the most impressive weekend out of all USMNT players in Europe. Holmes bagged a brace in his fifth game back with boyhood club Huddersfield Town. His two goals in the second half came only three minutes apart. The first was a cool finish that followed an excellent string of passes.