USA

If there is one thing that absolutely sucks about playing soccer or any sport, it is the risk of getting injured. Every time you step on the field there is a chance you can get hurt. Whether it is a pulled muscle, sprained ankle, concussion or, the worst of all, a torn ACL, getting injured is never ideal for anyone. Every injury is tough, but tearing your ACL has got to be one of the most common and horrible injuries that could happen. It may be a biased opinion since I have experienced an ACL tear, but I would take a rolled ankle over hearing that pop any day. 

The first ever Gold Cup Group Stage Draw has pitted the USMNT against the foes from up north, Canada. Joining the U.S. and Canada in Group B is Martinique and the winner of a play-in round that will be one of the following teams: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Bermuda, Barbados or Haiti.

In case you are unfamiliar with the structure of the 2021 Gold Cup, I refer you here. 

After an exciting weekend of NWSL matches with plenty of goals and quality plays, the games continue on Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 10:00 p.m. EST with the Portland Thorns welcoming OL Reign to Providence Park. 

The Thorns are coming off their first match — and win — of the Fall Series after defeating the Utah Royals 3-0 on Sunday, Sept. 20. Simone Charley, Lindsey Horan and Sophia Smith all tallied goals. Smith debuted for Portland, scored her first professional goal and truly showed why she was the No. 1 draft pick in 2020. 

Rookie defender Madison Hammond collected a bunch of firsts after her OL Reign faced off against the Utah Royals in their Fall Series debut.

Hammond, a graduate of Wake Forest University, made her first appearance for the Reign during the match and became the first Native American to play in the NWSL. (Hammond is Navajo.)

Anthony Fontana, Ilsinho and Brenden Aaronson each scored one goal to lift the host Philadelphia Union past Inter Miami 3-0 on Sunday night.

Kacper Przybyłko recorded assists on the first two goals for the Union, who are 4-1-0 in their past five games. The Union (8-2-4, 28 points) picked up three points in heavy rain without captain and midfielder Alejandro Bedoya (suspension for yellow-card accumulation) and right back Ray Gaddis (hamstring).

LA Galaxy II parted ways with defender Omar Ontiveros on Saturday, three days after he was found to have used a racial slur during a USL Championship game against the San Diego Loyal, which is coached by former USMNT star Landon Donovan.

The league on Friday suspended the 25-year-old Ontiveros for six games, tacked on to his one-game ban for the red card he received in the 1-1 draw on Wednesday night.

A strange season is about to get stranger for the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Following the MLS is Back Tournament, the Whitecaps played six consecutive games against Canadian rivals Montreal and Toronto, owing to travel restrictions and COVID-19 quarantine requirements.

Sunday night, after road games at Real Salt Lake and Los Angeles FC, the Whitecaps (5-8-0, 15 points) will play host to the Portland Timbers (6-4-3, 21 points) on what will be their home field for the remainder of season — Providence Park in Portland.

Colorado's game Sunday against visiting Sporting Kansas City was postponed after one Rapids player and three staff members tested positive for COVID-19.

The tests were conducted on Thursday and Friday, according to a statement released by the league Saturday.

The match between the Colorado Rapids and Sporting Kansas City on Sunday Sept. 27 has been postponed.

Alex Morgan didn’t get on the field in her first match at Tottenham. The USWNT striker was an unused substitute as Spurs lost to North London rival Arsenal in the quarterfinals of the FA Women’s Cup. But Morgan did get a front-row view of the gorgeous Jordan Nobbs goal vs Tottenham that sent Arsenal on its way to a 4-0 win.