Landon Donovan’s Sudden MLS Comeback Is a Shocker, but It’s Not a Stunt

Landon Donovan never let anyone else write his story. He remained in Major League Soccer when many in the American soccer community wanted him to challenge himself in Europe. He took a sabbatical from the U.S. men’s national team because he needed a break, a decision that hurt his chance to make the 2014 World Cup roster. He’s been outspoken about issues within the sport he played so well, in addition to talking openly and honestly about his personal battles with mental health. At the end of 2014, he walked away from MLS—a league he played a large role in helping grow—on... 

It’s Arrogant and Naive to Expect England to Be Impressive in Qualifying

After the East Berlin uprising of 1953, Bertolt Brecht wrote his poem “The Solution,” in which he made the suggestion that the government should dissolve the people and elect another. Successive England managers must, less ironically, feel something similar. The public and its reaction to the national team—and the media are implicated in this, simultaneously shaping and being shaped by the public’s mood—are largely ridiculous. England did not play particularly well in Trnava, Slovakia, on Sunday. The game was boring. That seemed to make people angry. But what did they... 

England’s Target to Win 2022 World Cup Removed by New FA Chairman Greg Clarke

Greg Clarke, the new chairman of the Football Association, has scrapped a goal for England to win the 2022 FIFA World Cup set by his predecessor Greg Dyke.  The statement was made by former chairman, Dyke, in 2013. He also suggested the Three Lions should make the semi-final at the 2020 UEFA European Championship as part of their development. However, Clarke has stated there are no longer such lofty ambitions. “I’m not going to put pressure on and say we are going to win this tournament or that tournament,” he said, per BBC Sport. Additionally, Clarke was critical of... 

Wayne Rooney Should Have Quit England Duty After Euro 2016, Says Peter Shilton

England captain Wayne Rooney should have quit international duty after the Three Lions’ humiliating exit from Euro 2016 in June, according to Peter Shilton, currently the country’s most-capped player.  The former England goalkeeper’s record of 125 appearances for the Three Lions is likely to be beaten by Rooney, 30, who has announced his intention to play until the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia and earned his 116th cap in Sunday’s 1-0 win over Slovakia, per Lyall Thomas of Sky Sports. But Shilton, 66, believes the Manchester United skipper should have retired from playing... 

Assessing the State of USMNT Entering Hexagonal Round of World Cup Qualifying

The United States men’s national soccer team secured a spot in the Hexagonal round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying Tuesday with an emphatic 4-0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago in Jacksonville, Florida. The victory at EverBank Field clinched top spot in Group C in the penultimate round of qualifying in North America. The first-place finish earned the Yanks a match with Mexico at home on November 11 to open the Hex before visiting Costa Rica on November 15. Ahead of what is expected to be the most competitive Hex of all time in just two months, let’s assess the USMNT program as a whole... 

Portugal Go from Triumph to Planning Post-Cristiano Ronaldo Future

Fifty-eight days. That’s the gap between the apex of Portugal’s footballing achievement—winning the Euro 2016 final—and their next competitive match, as they start out on the road to Russia in a 2018 World Cup qualifier in Switzerland. Barely has the ticker tape floated down from the sky to the ground and Fernando Santos’ team are back grinding. That’s how it happens, as Italy’s 2006 World Cup winners could tell you. Having edged out France to lift the trophy in Berlin, they were given a chasing by the same opposition 59 days later in a visceral Euro 2008... 

Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani Receive Video Message from Pablo Escobar’s Hitman

Uruguay stars Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani have received an unexpected message of support from Jhon Jairo Velasquez, who served as a hitman for Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar.   Broadcaster Valentin Fletcher relayed the video, featuring “Popeye”: Per Goal’s Alex Young, he said: Hello, I am Jhon Jairo Velasquez Vasquez, Popeye, the personal hitman for Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria.  I come to send a strong salute to the Uruguayan football team, and champions [Suarez] and [Cavani]. Receive all my love, my respect, you who are the strength of your people, the... 

Jan Durica Suggests England’s 1-0 Victory Against Slovakia Was Fixed

Slovakia defender Jan Durica believes England’s 1-0 win over Slovakia on Sunday was fixed by the match officials.  Adam Lallana netted a 95th-minute winner for the Three Lions in Trnava in the FIFA World Cup qualifier, with Slovakia skipper Martin Skrtel sent off with 33 minutes remaining for two bookable offences. Durica, who plays his club football for Turkish side Trabzonspor, believes there was some foul play at work during the fixture, per Sami Mokbel of the Daily Mail. “There is only one place at the World Cup. Why should Slovakia go there when we have England in the group?”... 

Mexico vs. Honduras: Live Stream, Schedule for World Cup 2018 Qualifier

Mexico have confirmed their spot in the fifth and final round of CONCACAF qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, but their opponents on Tuesday, Honduras, need at least a point from the Estadio Azteca clash to guarantee advancement to the Hexagonal. Per FIFA World Cup, El Tri maintained their perfect record in the fourth round’s Group A with a recent 3-1 victory over El Salvador, while Honduras put themselves in a strong position to advance in second place with a 2-1 win over Canada: Mexico’s defeat of El Salvador was not entirely convincing—they were... 

Chris Sutton Comments on Wayne Rooney, Sam Allardyce After Slovakia vs. England

One-time England international Chris Sutton believes Wayne Rooney is “killing” Harry Kane by playing in midfield and has urged Three Lions manager Sam Allardyce “to get a grip.” In his column for the Daily Mail, Sutton delivered a frank assessment of Allardyce’s debut game as England boss—a 1-0 win over Slovakia on Sunday—and believed Rooney playing on the left side of a midfield three does not get the best out of Kane: With Rooney in a deep-lying midfield role for most of the match, [Kane] was isolated up front and it killed his game. For Kane to be most... 

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