It’s been a particularly hellish period for supporters of Ireland. The search for a more progressive style of football yielded one goal in eight matches throughout 2020, and then Luxembourg recorded a famous 1-0 World Cup qualifying win in Dublin back in March.
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.
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.
The latest list of USMNT roster snubs for September’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers is a group of players with incredible talent. USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter announced the 26-man roster for the first three games of World Cup qualifying and left out some big names.
First, here’s the full 26-man roster.
The squad that will open the 2022 @FIFAWorldCup Qualifying campaign.
Christian Pulisic will have to sit out for Chelsea’s London Derby against Arsenal on Sunday due to a positive Covid test. For those asking themselves, “is Christian Pulisic vaccinated?” the answer is yes. Pulisic posted to his Instagram story on Friday that he was feeling well and had no symptoms.
Over the course of the last five FIFA Beach Soccer World Cups, Russia has won the competition twice and finished third twice. Over that same period, the United States has won one single game.
On Thursday, the 2021 Beach Soccer World Cup kicked off with Russia, the host of the tournament, welcoming Team USA to the 5,000-seat Luzhniki Beach Soccer Stadium in Moscow.
When it comes to attack-minded players, the USMNT has never been more exciting. Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna, Weston McKennie, Brenden Aaronson and Konrad de la Fuente are all footballers that bring you to your feet when in possession around goal, but they all share two common traits: (1) they’re not strikers and (2) they’re young.
These are important points because now we’re going to move on to talking about USMNT strikers who, for the most part, are all also fledglings.
Carli Lloyd, one of the greatest women's soccer players to ever grace the game, has announced her retirement, U.S. Soccer said on Monday.
The 39-year-old Lloyd, who was twice named the FIFA Women's Player of the Year, became the second-most capped player in world soccer history (312) during a career that includes two Women's World Cups and two Olympic gold medals.
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.
The USMNT put in a legendary performance on Sunday night to firmly stamp themselves as the kings of Concacaf with a 1-0 victory against Mexico to win the Gold Cup. I along with many critics doubted that this squad could get the job done. I have never been happier to be wrong.