It’s been a year since Lionel Messi delivered a rare but powerful speech before Barcelona’s Joan Gamper Trophy match against Boca Juniors. It was during that address to the Camp Nou crowd that he promised a return of the Champions League trophy to Catalonia, but that promise was later eviscerated by Liverpool at Anfield. Messi’s pledge was then widely mocked.
Apparently not everyone is on board with the USWNT equal-pay suit. In an interview with the news site TooFab, former USMNT player Jermaine Jones openly criticized the action, stating that some women are making more money in the NWSL than men in MLS, while also claiming that the NWSL is league where “you can say that you suck” and you still get paid.
Jones' comments stem from the fact that members of the USWNT receive a guaranteed extra bonus of around $60,000 for playing in the NWSL, an incentive to draw American talent to the league.
20-year-old Christian Pulisic has jumped onto the international soccer scene over the past few years, but after signing for Chelsea this past winter, the American is looking to use the Premier League to push himself even further.
@cpulisic_10 enjoying his first training session at Cobham! pic.twitter.com/e45LWY1IzW
Tomorrow night at 9:00 p.m. CT on ESPN, the LA Galaxy hosts Los Angeles FC in the fourth edition of El Tráfico. The early days of the Los Angeles Derby have been largely dominated by two players: LAFC’s Carlos Vela is the rivalry's top scorer with four to his name, but the Galaxy’s Zlatan Ibrahimović is right behind him with three, including that unforgettable brace on his MLS debut.
The USWNT victory party continued apace on Wednesday morning with the team embarking on a parade through New York City before settling down for a ceremony in front of city hall, which included a powerful speech from Golden Boot and Golden Ball winner Megan Rapinoe and a not-so-incredible talk from USSF president Carlos Cordeiro.
Last night in Belo Horizonte, Brazil defeated Argentina 2-0 to advance to the final of the 2019 Copa América, thus prolonging Lionel Messi’s wait for a crowning glory in international play.
The match was a real humdinger, featuring a Seleção side frightening in both defense and attack and an Albiceleste unit that didn’t make playing cohesive football look like an impossible task. This was probably the best Argentina’s looked since 2016.