There’s some real dumb shit going on with the Denmark national team right now. Despite international matches against Slovakia and Wales scheduled during this international break, there’s no sign of Christian Eriksen, Kasper Schmeichel or even coach Age Hareide. So the Denmark vs Slovakia friendly on Wednesday had an interesting look.
If you follow college football, you’ve probably heard of 37-year-old University of Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck. He rose to prominence at Western Michigan after leading the unfancied program to a 13-1 record in 2016 and a trip to the Cotton Bowl, but it was his approach to coaching (hyper energy, hyper millennial-approved, hyper “elite”) that won him both fans and detractors in equal measure.
On Thursday, Wesley Sneijder will make his 134th and final appearance for the Netherlands in a friendly against Peru at Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam. The 34-year-old, who currently plays his club ball with Al-Gharafa in Qatar, is calling time on a 15-year international career that included mesmerizing performances at both Euro 2008 and, most famously, the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
The Denmark national team was ever so close to making it to the quarterfinals of the 2018 World Cup, losing on penalties to eventual runner-up Croatia. Fast forward a few months, and the Danish are at risk of not being allowed to play in Euro 2020.
So… erm… how does a nation that was successful at the World Cup and in the top 10 in the latest FIFA rankings reach this point?
On Tuesday morning, the U.S. women’s national team found out its group for Concacaf World Cup qualifying next month. Then the reigning world champions went out and routed Chile 4-0. And Tobin Heath was so gosh darn dominant, with her feet all over the USWNT vs Chile highlights, that it makes you wonder what the heck she has to do to get some recognition from the fools at FIFA who decide who is nominated for the FIFA Best Awards.
The international break is coming up, and depending on how your club team is going this season, it could be either a major help or a major hindrance. But fear not, fellow fans, because UEFA has decided to make the international breaks a little more interesting.
The UEFA Nations League is the latest big creation by the boffins at UEFA, and it is aimed at making international friendlies actually mean something.
Interim USMNT manager Dave Sarachan has named his 24-man roster for upcoming friendlies against Brazil (Sept. 7) and Mexico (Sept. 11), including 14 players age 23 and under. Christian Pulisic is the big name absentee after the winger suffered an injury while training with Borussia Dortmund, while 25-year-old New York Red Bulls defender Aaron Long is the only uncapped player in the squad.
Tottenham fans can exhale. There will be no mandatory Son Heung-Min military service. All thanks to the Spurs midfielder beating up on a bunch of kids.
All South Korean men must complete 21 months of military service for the country, a response to the constant threat of the militaristic North Korea. There are only two ways to gain exemptions: win a medal at the Olympics or win gold at the Asian Games.
Son, 26, would be required to enter into military service by the time he turns 28, unless he could gain an exemption.
September 1, 2018, marks just 279 days until the FIFA Women’s World Cup kicks off at the Parc des Princes in Paris. The competition at the event has never been stronger or deeper, and those who illuminate the tournament will rightly be elevated to the status of legend. Historically, the best female soccer players of all time have earned that moniker by dominating one of the seven previous editions of the tournament.
Interim coach Ricardo Ferretti's Mexico squad for a pair of upcoming friendlies in the United States was announced on Wednesday. Of note, El Tri’s all-time leading goal scorer Javier Hernández was not chosen. Jonathan González, a 19-year-old native of Santa Rosa, California, was.
The Mexico squad will face Uruguay on Sept. 7 in Houston followed by the United States on Sept. 11 in Nashville, meaning González will have a chance to play against the country of his birth.
| NOTA