National Teams

On Wednesday morning, Canadian residents awoke to extensive coverage of the massive sporting news: Toronto had defeated Minnesota 4-2, the Habs lost to Tampa Bay 3-1, Winnipeg succumbed to Arizona 4-2, Calgary thumped the Flyers 3-1 and the Canucks battered the Red Wings 5-1. What’s more, Donald Trump had welcomed a heavy concentration of Canadians to the White House on Tuesday in the form of the Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues. 

Trump congratulated the Blues on the stock market being way up, an agriculture deal with China and a Mike Pence trip to Turkey.

In the end, the scoreline flattered the USMNT. 2-0 isn’t so bad, right folks? Just try and forget the fact that Canada hadn’t scored against the U.S. since 2007, let alone recorded a victory since 1985.

Is it a new low for the U.S.? For those with a longer memory than Twitter allows, it’s difficult to countenance that when remembering 2018 World Cup qualifying performances in San José and Couva, but it’s frightening to think that this is the rebuild — exactly two years and five days — since that entirely disheartening 2-1 loss to Trinidad and Tobago.

A disastrous week of qualifying for the Republic of Ireland began with a 0-0 draw away to Georgia on Saturday and concluded with a 1-0 defeat to Switzerland in Geneva on Tuesday, effectively handing control of Group D over to the Swiss and Denmark in Euro 2020 qualifying.

Torrential rain before Tuesday’s match had pounded the pitch at Stade de Genève, but the prospective bog figured to suit an Irish side that entered the match with an anemic attack that’d produced only six goals in six games coupled with an unforgiving defense that’d conceded only twice. 

It was historic, but amidst renewed tensions and the recent launching of some unidentified projectiles toward the Sea of Japan (as well as a forthcoming "Hog Apocalypse"), it wasn’t exactly euphoric. For the first time since a 1990 friendly, the men’s teams of North and South Korea faced off in Pyongyang. 

Cristiano Ronaldo scored the 700th goal of his professional career, but Portugal’s 13-game unbeaten streak was brought to an abrupt end by Ukraine in Kiev on Monday. The victory secured qualification to Euro 2020 for Ukraine, and it was a continuation of the country’s glorious renaissance under the direction of 43-year-old manager Andriy Shevchenko.

It was Shevhenko himself who scored Ukraine’s last goal at a major international tournament — that coming at Euro 2012 — but based on today’s display, this is a team that will certainly do more than make up the numbers next summer. 

Despite having a portion of the Vasil Levski Stadium closed by order of UEFA for “racist behavior” from Bulgaria supporters during a June qualifier against Kosovo, the buildup for today’s match between England and Bulgaria in Sofia was centered around how Three Lions players would respond to the inevitable racist abuse that would come their way.

It’s easy to get cynical about the Brasil Global Tour sponsored by Chevrolet, which is simply adspeak for the series of globetrotting friendlies that the Seleção contests in between Copa Américas, World Cups and World Cup qualifying. 

In the preposterously bloated football calendar, nobody likes a meaningless friendly. But what’s Brazil supposed to do during the international break with no qualifying stage for the 2020 Copa América and with 2022 World Cup qualifying matches not beginning until March of 2021?

On Sunday, during a crunch Euro 2020 qualifier between Wales and Croatia in Cardiff, there was a terrifying moment in the 14th minute when highly touted Welsh winger Daniel James — somewhat stooping to win a header in the middle of the park — caught a flying knee to the back of the head from Croatian defender Domagoj Vida.

Wales and Croatia played to a mutually beneficial draw on Sunday, with Nikola Vlašić’s ninth-minute opener canceled out by Gareth Bale just before the halftime whistle in Cardiff. Croatia remains top of a tight-knit Group E and can secure passage with a draw or victory against Slovakia on Nov. 16, while Wales is now on a collision course with Hungary on Nov. 19 in Cardiff (assuming the Dragons take care of business against Azerbaijan on Nov. 16).

It wasn’t a vintage Netherlands performance by any means, but the Dutch’s quest for a first major international tournament appearance since the 2014 World Cup remains on course following a 2-1 victory over Belarus on Sunday.

With two matches remaining in Euro 2020 qualifying, a draw against Northern Ireland in Belfast on Nov. 16 would ensure a return to the big stage for the Oranje.