Gabriel Jesus and Lionel Messi both missed first-half penalty kicks. Only Messi followed it up with a goal.
The Brazilian hit his PK wide moments before Messi had his effort saved by Alisson, allowing the Argentine to poke home the rebound in the 13th minute. Messi notched his 69th career international goal for Argentina to propel his side to a narrow 1-0 win over rival Brazil in a friendly on Friday in Saudi Arabia.
Cristiano Ronaldo entered today’s Euro 2020 qualifier against Lithuania needing five goals to reach a century for Portugal. It was always going to be close as the Juventus striker has historically feasted on the world’s 132nd-ranked side, including the four he hit when the two nations met in Vilnius back in September.
When former USMNT manager Jürgen Klinsmann labelled the newfangled CONCACAF Nations League a “waste of time” back in October (rich enough coming from a coach that inspired his team to defeats against Mexico, Costa Rica and Guatemala by a combined scoreline of 8-1 during 2018 World Cup qualifying), it was easy to grasp the German’s point: If you limit the amount of big matches you have against quality opponents, you limit your growth.
The USMNT approaches Friday’s CONCACAF Nations League match against Canada needing a victory to have any chance of advancing to the semifinals of the competition, and they'll do so without attacking catalyst Christian Pulisic, who misses out with a hip injury he sustained against Crystal Palace last Saturday.
At the age of 25, Paulo Dybala’s already conquered much of the footballing world — fitting for a man that celebrates his goals by donning a figurative gladiator mask. This season marks his fifth with Italian power Juventus, and every previous year has finished with a Serie A title to go along with three Coppa Italia triumphs.
Much like it was throughout the entirety of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, it’s still a very popular sentiment to express how good Rose Lavelle is at soccer.
rose lavelle is good at passing
— Aaron West (@oeste) November 11, 2019
New USWNT manager Vlatko Andonovski begins his reign tonight with a friendly against Sweden at MAPFRE Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, and I’ve got to say, he’s already impressed me with his training methods.
Let me show you Exhibit A and then I rest my case.
While the U.S. was sent packing after the group stage following its worst-ever showing at a FIFA U-17 World Cup, Mexico is through to the quarterfinals following a 2-0 victory over Japan in Gama, Brazil, on Wednesday. If you were already a little disappointed with U.S. Soccer following the dismal showing, you’ll be pleased to know that Mexico’s success is even further damnation of our bumbling federation.
For a country that’s madly in love with the game, the football tournaments at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics will be sources of exorbitant amounts of pride and pressure for the host nation of Japan.
The women’s team treated the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup as something of a trial by fire for a squad that featured 14 players aged 23 and under, including young midfield maestro Yui Hasegawa. That side advanced to the Round of 16 before losing to eventual finalist the Netherlands.
Attention all 34.5 million Americans who list their heritage as primarily or partially Irish: The Republic of Ireland is dropping a fantastic new home shirt (apart from the damn Three Ireland sponsor) that’ll serve you very well on Saint Patrick’s Day and then throughout next summer’s Euro 2020 tournament.
The New Balance-produced number is a beautiful Eden Green, features subtle tonal pin stripes, a smart collar and some nice touches of gold, including a gold border that frames the Ireland crest and the gold-inscribed “Éire” on the back.