Men's National Teams

Real Sociedad climbed above Atletico Madrid and into fourth place in La Liga after defeating Espanyol 2-1 on Friday. Carlos Vela’s sixth league goal, his second in two games, and Asier Illarramendi’s wonder strike secured the three points for Sociedad.

Vela opened the scoring in the 26th minute after brilliantly controlling a pass from Inigo Martinez and finishing with composure.

DeAndre Yedlin put in another brilliant performance for Newcastle United over the weekend, showing his defensive qualities in a 1-0 victory over Derby with a blocked shot, six tackles and 10 clearances, including one off the goal line. 

Yedlin with a goal-saving clearance off the line - Darlow in no mans land #NUFC #DCFC

These February friendlies are always a bit of a wild card. Diluted squads, unusual locations and the determination not to get injured can often lend to a less than desirable match. Even with these issues, as a professional player, every time you put on that national team jersey, it’s an opportunity. With both teams fielding squads of mostly fringe players, El Tri were the only side to seize the chance and turn up in a one-sided affair.

The Canadian women’s national team had an impressive run at the 2016 Rio Olympics. After losing to eventual champions Germany 2-0 in the semifinals, Canada would go on to defeat the host nation Brazil in the bronze medal match, 2-1. 

The result tied their best-ever Olympic performance, which was another bronze in 2012. As the nation’s player pool continues to grow with talent, the success of the last five years will be an encouragement to both young players and investors. 

Prior to Sunday’s match against Serbia, much of the coverage centered on the idea of dual-national American players. It’s not a new concept. The United States has been fielding dual nationals since US Soccer was founded.

Oguchi Onyewu signed for the Philadelphia Union on Monday, bringing back a smorgasbord of painful nostalgia. I loved Onyewu, he proudly flew the flag for American soccer players abroad for a number of years, but he was also at the center of a couple unpleasant memories during a very formative time in my life. 

Mexico manager Juan Carlos Osorio has named his 23-man squad for El Tri’s February 8 friendly against Iceland in Las Vegas, Nevada. As the match does not fall on an official FIFA international date (meaning European clubs do not have to release their players for national team duty), the squad is primarily Mexico-based, apart from the LA Galaxy’s Giovani dos Santos.

A day after enfing his four-month goal drought for Bayer Leverkusen, Mexican striker Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez responded to U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed border wall, tweeting a poem by Mexican illustrator Jorge Mendez.

México en mi corazón. Orgulloso de ser mexicano hoy y siempre. Hoy unidos más que nunca. ¡Viva México! 

Escrito por mi paisano @cometa_ pic.twitter.com/NVhzPjY37R