Tomorrow night at 9:00 p.m. CT on ESPN, the LA Galaxy hosts Los Angeles FC in the fourth edition of El Tráfico. The early days of the Los Angeles Derby have been largely dominated by two players: LAFC’s Carlos Vela is the rivalry's top scorer with four to his name, but the Galaxy’s Zlatan Ibrahimović is right behind him with three, including that unforgettable brace on his MLS debut.
The new season of Liga MX kicked off yesterday with the annual curtain raiser, the Campeón de Campeones. The one-off match pits the previous season’s Apertura and Clausura winners against each other, so last night in Carson, California we had Club América taking on Tigres at Dignity Health Sports Park (home of the LA Galaxy).
The match finished 0-0 after 90 minutes and went straight to a penalty shootout. In goal for América was Agustín Marchesín, and the 31-year-old Argentine absolutely dominated proceedings.
Mexico’s quest for its eighth Gold Cup — and first since 2015 — almost came to an abrupt end in Houston last night in front of over 70,000 at NRG Stadium. Raúl Jiménez had given El Tri a first half lead, only for Costa Rica to respond in the second half via a converted Bryan Ruiz penalty.
That would be the only scoring on the night, so the match would be decided on penalties. The shootout started as a nightmare for Mexico after Jiménez had his shot saved while Celso Borges converted for Costa Rica.
El Tri kicked off its battle to regain the CONCACAF Gold Cup last Saturday night, and what a way to start the campaign. The Mexicans outplayed their Cuban counterparts in a overwhelmingly one-sided match.
21-year-old LA Galaxy talent Uriel Antuna kicked off the scoring with a right-footed shot inside the box after the ball rebounded from the post. Raul Jimenez announced himself at the Copa Oro with a goal at the 31st minute, and his goal again showed how well he does at holding off pressure from opposition players.
Guillermo “Memo” Ochoa is not happy with Mexico’s warm up matches leading up to the 2019 Gold Cup. He blasted the Mexican Football Federation after the Ecuador game, a friendly that El Tri went on to win. His biggest criticism was rooted in his belief that the federation continues to put profit over the safety of players, which has been something that’s been repeated in the past from other players.
Summer in the soccer world is a time of hope, drama, disappointment, loss and new beginnings. In a footballer’s life, it could be a time of complete change and new opportunities; new challenges to take on. This summer is proving no different.
There is hope that teams can add players that will make them stronger and more competitive — take Real Madrid buying Eden Hazard and various others after a disappointing 2018-19 season. There is drama circulating too, with Gareth Bale being a lighting rod of speculation at Real as well.
Fresh off helping Mexico to the CONCACAF U-17 Championship title last month, 16-year-old Californian Efraín Álvarez has registered his first goals for the LA Galaxy, notching a brace in the club’s 3-0 U.S. Open Cup victory over Orange County FC on Wednesday night.
In the upcoming July issue of FourFourTwo, Argentine legend and current Dorados manager Diego Maradona provides us with a fascinating thought: “If Manchester United need a coach, I’m the man to do it,” he says. “I know they sell lots of shirts around the world, but they need to win trophies, too. I can do that for them.”
One of the most well-known Mexican boxers right now, Canelo Álvarez definitely did not play soccer growing up. He's been fascinated with boxing since the age of 13, and he would go on to become a professional at 15 years of age. But is there a Canelo Alvarez favorite soccer team?
The Guadalajara-born fighter has become this generation’s Mexican star. Mexico has often done great in the world of boxing, and Álvarez is carrying the torch passed on to him by past greats of the sport.