The U.S. men’s national team is in Phoenix this week getting ready for Sunday’s friendly against Panama. That match will be followed with another exhibition against Costa Rica the following Saturday to wrap up Gregg Berhalter’s first January camp as USMNT coach.
Meanwhile, young Americans in Europe are thriving — showing just how impotent the annual January camp for domestic players really is.
He’s one of the most iconic players in the history of the USMNT. And he just can’t quit soccer.
Landon Donovan, having come out of retirement twice before, once again has failed to stay retired. According to Sports Illustrated, Donovan will return to the pitch to play with the San Diego Sockers of the Major Arena Soccer League.
Club León this is not.
In the history of U.S. Soccer, no one has scored more goals and tallied more assists for the USMNT and MLS than Landon Donovan. He’s kind of a big deal.
It’d been a long time since any nation treated the USWNT like Spain did in the opening 45 of today’s contest in Alicante. 2019 will mark La Roja’s second-ever World Cup appearance (the first came in 2015), but the growing European side controlled 58 percent of possession and out-passed the defending world champions 274-195 in the first half. Not bad for a first-ever meeting with the powerhouse that is the USWNT.
Schalke defeated Wolfsburg 2-1 in Bundesliga action on Sunday in a match replete with Americans. 25-year-old USMNT defender John Brooks anchored Wolfsburg, and promising 20-year-old attacker Haji Wright made a late substitute appearance for Schalke. However, it was 20-year-old Weston McKennie who made the difference for the home side at Veltins-Arena.
I hope you can kick these balls with some of the world's best players. Here's a brief guide to the balls used in some of the world's most popular leagues and how much they cost.
English Premier League: The Nike Merlin, at a cool $160. Looks and feels like a classic professional ball.
Jill Ellis got the test she wanted for the USWNT vs France. And then some.
Kadidiatou Diani scored two goals, including an audacious second-half chip, to send third-ranked France to a 3-1 win over the U.S. in front of a sold-out crowd Saturday at Stade Oceane in Le Havre, France.
The USWNT had its 28-match unbeaten streak snapped in the first game of 2019 after having gone unbeaten in 2018. The last time the U.S. women lost was July 27, 2017, a 1-0 defeat to Australia in the Tournament of Nations.
Tim Weah, the 18-year-old American, wasn’t getting much playing time at PSG. This was no surprise, with the likes of Edinson Cavani, Kylian Mbappé and Neymar ahead of him in the pecking order.
So Weah went on loan to Celtic earlier this month in search of more playing time.
That playing time has arrived and it didn’t take long for Weah to show new manager Brendan Rodgers what he can do.
The Copa Libertadores is one of the greatest footballing competitions in the world, trailing only the UEFA Champions League for grandest club tournament. For Americans who have been unable to watch it for years, how to watch Copa Libertadores just got a lot simpler.
U.S. Soccer, in hopes of expanding and improving the youth talent pool, has launched a new talent identification program at the U-14 level. Currently, however, this American youth soccer development program is only available for boys. A similar program will be implemented for girls, but they'll have to wait until next season.
It is never easy to hang up your cleats and call it quits. But on January 12, 2019, Sky Blue FC defender Christina Gibbons announced her retirement from the NWSL.
At a young age of 24, Gibbons' short-lived career came to an end with her playing in 18 matches, starting in 16 of them.
Prior to her professional appearances, she had a successful collegiate career at Duke University and she was then drafted fifth overall by FC Kansas City in the 2017 NWSL College Draft. In between her trade to Sky Blue in 2018, she also competed for Melbourne Victory in Australia’s W-League.