Doing soccer in Russia is expensive. With the 2018 World Cup less than a year away, it just got even more expensive. The costs for next year’s World Cup rose by $600 million more than previously planned, Russian authorities disclosed on Tuesday.
Make it back-to-back hat-tricks for 17-year-old Liverpool talent Rhian Brewster at the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup in India. After hitting the United States for three in England’s 4-1 victory in the quarterfinals, the London-born striker again found the back of the net thrice, this time in the Three Lions’ 3-1 victory over Brazil in the semifinals.
Brewster, who scored on his Liverpool U-23 debut back in January, now leads the tournament’s Golden Boot race with seven goals. He also bravely struck the first penalty in England’s Round of 16 shootout triumph over Japan.
Vladimir Putin “would be glad” to see banned FIFA dignitaries Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini at the 2018 World Cup, according to the Russian president’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. Blatter and Platini have both received lengthy bans from FIFA for their roles in a secret payment made from Blatter’s FIFA to Platini, then the UEFA boss. The two held their posts atop the federations when Russia was awarded the 2018 World Cup (and Qatar for 2022, but that’s another story).
So the USMNT won’t be in the World Cup next year. Your summer plans probably got completely thrown out of whack without the Red, White & Blue to watch in Russia. But fear not. We here at The18 have a list of 10 things to do next summer that don’t involve the U.S. at the World Cup.
These 10 things should keep you busy for most of the summer, or at least keep you distracted enough from the fact the U.S. won’t be in the World Cup for the first time since 1986.
We're all bummed the USMNT didn’t make it to the World Cup. Many Americans are still recovering from the emotional blow suffered last week. There are those who just want to forget about everything soccer until 2022. Others are looking for new national teams to root for next summer.
Here’s a thought. American fans should support Mexico. Am I serious? Yes! Here’s why:
Welcome aboard, Claudio. Former USMNT captain and one of the best American players ever Claudio Reyna joined the growing list of former players and coaches jumping on the bandwagon of bashing U.S. Soccer for failing to qualify for the World Cup. Reyna didn’t hold back in his criticisms of how the country approaches soccer.
239 days. That’s how long we’ve got to wait until June 14, the day when Russia will kick off the 2018 World Cup at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. The buildup to the world’s greatest sporting event is gaining traction as we’ve now confirmed 23 of the 32 finalists, and we’ll know the rest of the field come November.
It’s been 35 years since Peru’s last appearance at a FIFA World Cup finals, a streak of hurt dating back to the 1982 tournament in Spain. By improbably finishing fifth in CONMEBOL qualifying, ahead of back-to-back Copa America champions Chile and 2014 finalists Ecuador, a home-and-away playoff against Oceania representative New Zealand is the only thing standing in the way of Peru punching their ticket to Russia.