National Teams

For the first time ever in a men’s senior-level competitive match, the Canada national team started three teenagers. 

Well, the match wasn’t that competitive. 

Canada, with teens Alphonso Davies, Jonathan David and Liam Millar in the starting XI, throttled the U.S. Virgin Islands 8-0 in a Concacaf Nations League qualifying match on Sunday in Bradenton, Florida. The eight goals marked a record for the Canada national team. 

Welcome home, France.

Back playing in France for the first time since winning the 2018 World Cup, the French national team received a rousing reception from its fans: a magnificent tifo that portended a magnificent performance from Kylian Mbappé against the Netherlands on Sunday.

If there are two things I know about Denmark, it’s that Nicklas Bendtner is a knucklehead and Christian Eriksen is really damn good.

Both of those truths were on display on Sunday.

Manchester United and England defender Luke Shaw carried his fine form into England’s friendly against Spain today while delivering a truly gorgeous assist to the put the Three Lions up early, but the 23-year-old was subsequently stretchered off in the 53rd minute after being knocked unconscious following a collision with Spain’s Dani Carvajal.

Shaw has started all four of Manchester United’s Premier League matches this season, and it was his finely taken goal that gave the Red Devils all three points against Leicester back in August. 

With Argentina in flux under interim manager Lionel Scaloni and this international break containing only two inconsequential friendlies being played in the United States, Lionel Messi’s absence from the squad directly following his exertions in Russia came as no surprise, despite the myriad of hot takes that are attempting to read between the lines. 

Neymar’s return to the Seleção for a pair of September friendlies against the USMNT and El Salvador brought forth the requisite questions concerning his World Cup antics, and the Paris Saint-Germain star was measured in his response to being labelled a diver before meeting the U.S. in New Jersey on Friday. 

Luis Suarez had a decent World Cup with two goals over the summer. Guillermo Ochoa, however, was probably the highest-performing goalkeeper in Russia. But on the scorching Luis Suarez free kick vs Mexico, Memo Ochoa was left with no chance on Friday night in Houston. 

As I watched the U.S. friendly against Brazil, a fly kept buzzing around my living room. It would fly in circles, occasionally getting near enough to me so I could try to swat it out of the sky, but it always fluttered away out of my reach. That’s pretty much how most of the USMNT vs Brazil highlights looked, with the Brazilians dancing around their hosts for a 2-0 win on Friday night in New Jersey.

Brazil racked up well over 60 percent of possession and at times dazzled with tricks and flicks. It didn’t look great for a lot of the young USMNT players in defense and midfield.

Lost amidst the scratched Frenchmen and bashed Irishmen during the opening day of the UEFA Nations League on Thursday was the start of the Concacaf Nations League. Kind of.