Over the course of the last five FIFA Beach Soccer World Cups, Russia has won the competition twice and finished third twice. Over that same period, the United States has won one single game.
On Thursday, the 2021 Beach Soccer World Cup kicked off with Russia, the host of the tournament, welcoming Team USA to the 5,000-seat Luzhniki Beach Soccer Stadium in Moscow.
It was a big day for Americans in Europe on Tuesday as Brenden Aaronson’s RB Salzburg took on Brøndby in the first leg of their Champions League playoff, while over in Germany Gio Reyna’s Borussia Dortmund welcomed Bayern Munich to the Westfalenstadion for the DFL-Supercup.
Brøndby had taken a surprise 1-0 halftime lead at Red Bull Arena, prompting 33-year-old manager Matthias Jaissle (who used to be an assistant at Brøndby) to turn to Aaronson for the second 45.
That change brought good things for Salzburg.
When it comes to attack-minded players, the USMNT has never been more exciting. Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna, Weston McKennie, Brenden Aaronson and Konrad de la Fuente are all footballers that bring you to your feet when in possession around goal, but they all share two common traits: (1) they’re not strikers and (2) they’re young.
These are important points because now we’re going to move on to talking about USMNT strikers who, for the most part, are all also fledglings.
Sebastian Lletget posted news on his Instagram on Friday that his sister, Viviana, has passed away.
The U.S. men’s national team is reaching levels we haven’t seen in 15 years, rising 10 spots in the latest FIFA rankings. Hopefully this current crop handles its high ranking better than the 2006 squad.
In this edition of The18 Untold, we examine the USMNT’s performance at the 1904 Summer Olympics in St Louis. The tournament remains the United States’ crowning achievement as the only time it medalled, but the U.S. actually managed to take home both the silver and bronze.
Watch the video above for the story.
Nearly four years after ignominiously bowing out of 2018 World Cup qualifying, the USMNT is ready to begin qualifying for the 2022 World Cup. The last four years have felt like a lifetime on and off the pitch in the U.S., but Sept. 2 marks the start of an opportunity to rewrite the script, a chance to cast off the miserable low of 2017 and show the country how much the team has improved.
Or not — we’ll see.
Concacaf World Cup qualifying begins for the USMNT on Sept. 2 against El Salvador. After the match in El Salvador, the U.S. hosts Canada on Sept. 5 and then travels to Honduras to play on Sept. 8. The last game of this first WCQ window is the one that has me concerned.
I predict the USMNT to get seven points from these first three qualifying games in the form of victories against El Salvador and Canada, but a hard-fought draw in Honduras. Why is that? The Olímpico Metropolitano, and really anywhere in Honduras, is a fortress.
In December 2018, after more than a year without a coach, U.S. Soccer tapped Gregg Berhalter to lead the USMNT through the 2022 World Cup. Before he even took the field for his first training session, many American fans were unhappy with the hire. Now nearly three years later, is it OK to like what Berhalter is doing with the USMNT?
Earlier this year, I swore off FIFA Ultimate Team. I became sick with the meta of FUT and the feeling of being cheated by the game. But just when I thought I was out, they’re pulling me right back in.
On Friday, Clint Dempsey dropped this little video, announcing he’ll be a part of the FUT Heroes lineup available in FIFA 22 at launch. I will 100 percent buy a game just to play as a fisherman who moonlights as the greatest male soccer player Texas has ever produced.