After finishing in third place at the 2015 World Cup, advancing to the semifinals of Euro 2017 and, most recently, capturing the 2019 SheBelieves Cup on U.S. soil, England approached this summer’s World Cup with expectations at an all time high.
With an average age of 26 years and six months across the board, this is the oldest makeup of players in the history of the Women’s World Cup. Brazil is a key contributor to that stat with the second-oldest squad in France, and the veterans include Mônica (32), Marta (33), Cristiane (34) and Formiga (41).
The Seleção kicked off its campaign today against Jamaica in Grenoble, and although Marta missed out due to a thigh injury, Brazil still triumphed 3-0 thanks to huge performances from Formiga and Cristiane.
The opening match of the Women’s World Cup is in the books, host France crushing South Korea 4-0. But more than the final score, the France vs South Korea highlights showed one thing: the American women will have to beat Les Bleues if they hope to repeat, and it won’t be easy.
The USWNT entered the 2019 Women’s World Cup as the favorite to win it all. Jill Ellis’ side is ranked No. 1 in the world, features some of the best attacking talent on the planet and has the experience to repeat as champion.
The U.S. has advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup after shocking tournament-favorite France 3-2 in Bydgoszcz, Poland, on Tuesday. Trailing 2-1 with just over 15 minutes remaining, the USMNT U-20s came storming back with late goals from Sebastian Soto and Justin Rennicks.
A promotion/relegation playoff between Le Mans (third-place finishers in the Championnat National, France’s third division) and Gazélec Ajaccio (18th-place in Ligue 2, France’s second division) was decided in the most extraordinary of circumstances on Sunday.
The first leg, played at MMArena in Le Mans last Friday, finished 2-1 in favor of Gazélec. Accordingly, the Ligue 2 side was heavily favored to retain its division two status ahead of today’s return leg at Stade Ange Casanova.
If you build it, they will come. That comes as no surprise given the approximate season ticket waitlist of 13,000, but the Portland Timbers finally put on their 2019 home opener — 13 matches into the MLS season — in front of a sellout crowd of 25,218 at Providence Park on Saturday night.
The stadium, located in southwest Portland, underwent an $85 million expansion that added roughly 4,000 seats to the eastern side of the stadium, accounting for the Timbers’ historic 12-game road trip to begin the season.
As “You’ll Never Walk Alone” rung through the gorgeous Wanda Metropolitano rafters on Saturday night, Jurgen Klopp finally had his Champions League trophy. And Liverpool is finally back on top of the world.
Liverpool defeated Premier League rival Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in the Champions League final on Saturday in Madrid, giving the Reds their sixth European championship. (Just as we here at The18 predicted.)
The U.S. secured passage to the Round of 16 at the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup by defeating Qatar 1-0 thanks to a goal from 19-year-old PSG forward Timothy Weah on Thursday. It was, in all honesty, the American’s worst performance so far in Poland, but the result sees the team finish runners-up behind Ukraine in Group D.
The U.S. now awaits the result of tomorrow’s meeting between France and Mali — a France victory or draw will see a knockout round clash against Les Bleus, but a Mali victory would see the U.S. play against the African side.
Chelsea defeated Arsenal 4-1 in the final of the Europa League thanks to a mesmerizing second half performance from Eden Hazard, who's almost certainly played his final match for the Blues before moving to Real Madrid this summer. Hazard recorded two goals and an assist before being subbed off to a standing ovation in the 89th minute.
Here he is talking post-match and saying goodbye.
"I made my decision already...I love Chelsea. Chelsea is part of my life, part of my family."
For many Americans, win = good and loss = bad. It’s ingrained in the psyche of a sporting nation that values hundreds of points in a single game — the highest entertainment consisting of a series of start-stop mini games that bear no resemblance to the intricate processes that dictate the 90 minutes of play on a soccer field.