Before the friendly between the LA Galaxy and Manchester United Sunday, Galaxy mascot Cozmo pulled a little joke on United during warm-ups, displaying a sign that said "IT'S CALLED SOCCER" to the Red Devils.
I cannot tell you - it is literally impossible to convey - how much this photo means to me. pic.twitter.com/5t1uKCPbbx
— Will Parchman (@WillParchman) July 16, 2017
The CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinal match-ups are set. Only eight teams remain. Let's check them out:
July 19: Costa Rica vs. Panama
Time: 6:00 p.m. EST
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
TV: FOX Sports 1, Univision
Match-up: Costa Rica finished first in Group A, and Panama finished second in Group B. Costa Rica thrives on an organized defense and the creativity of Benfica midfielder Bryan Ruiz on offense. Panama's top players include Porto forward Ismail Diaz and NYCFC midfielder Miguel Camargo.
It is now time to take the CONCACAF Gold Cup seriously. A Gold Cup rule allows managers to make up to six changes between the group and knockout stages, and USMNT manager Bruce Arena is bringing in his all-time leading goalscorer, his number one goalkeeper, his captain, his top striker and Darlington Nagbe, who's probably the best player of the bunch.
From USSoccer.com:
The United States has hosted the last seven CONCACAF Gold Cups, which you'd believe would provide the USMNT with a significant home field advantage. However, attendance figures make it clear that Mexico has the most loyal support in the States.
In the six Gold Cups dating back to 2005 (not including this year's tournament), Mexico has always drawn more fans to its matches than the USMNT. Although Mexico doesn't play as often in the U.S. as the USMNT, the differences are significant and suggest that El Tri has more dedicated fans in their rival's home turf.
Chuck Blazer, the former FIFA Executive committee member and CONCACAF General Secretary who the FBI flipped into spilling the beans on FIFA corruption, passed away yesterday at age 72, his lawyers confirmed.
Chuck Blazer, a controversial former FIFA exec, has died. Statement from his lawyers here: pic.twitter.com/j1wOXORbWY
— Jim Dalrymple II (@JimDalrympleII) July 13, 2017
Hey it's the CONCACAF Gold Cup! Fun!
No. Not fun. Not fun for people who must watch this product. The soccer is bad at the Gold Cup. Real bad. Even the USMNT, the host nation and one of the favorites, is a shadow of itself. This is a soccer wasteland.
Let's see what some of our colleagues in soccer media had to say about the USMNT's thrilling 3-2 win against Martinique:
The U.S. Open Cup didn’t disappoint on Tuesday, with Sporting KC and FC Dallas combining for three red cards and three extra-time goals in a wild game at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas.
The home side prevailed 3-0 despite going down a man in the 15th minute. The full highlights are worth the watch:
Phoenix is strongly making its case as the best place for youth soccer in the United States. Although one should take many factors into consideration when evaluating a metro area for its ability to develop players, it's clear that the level of competition in and around the Phoenix area is as strong as any other place in the U.S.
Sam Kerr is the greatest goal scorer in the history of the National Women’s Soccer League, but all anyone wants to talk about is those refs, man.
Sky Blue FC striker Kerr scored a brilliant second-half hat trick to be set the career mark with 35 goals in the NWSL, but all three goals came after a red card to FC Kansas City’s Shea Groom. And it wasn’t the only controversy involving the league's top players on Saturday.
Andre Blake captained Jamaica to a winning start at the 2017 Gold Cup on Sunday, keeping a clean sheet and recording six saves in the Reggae Boyz victory over Caribbean rivals Curacao.
The international heroics from the 26-year-old goalkeeper were no different from what he’s been accomplishing with the Philadelphia Union throughout the first half of the 2017 season.