SOCCER INTERNATIONAL ARTICLES

Over the course of their long rivalry, Mexico has dominated the United States in men’s soccer. El Tri holds a 35-19-15 all-time record against the Stars and Stripes, and they will look to add to that tally when they head to the Big Apple to take on the USMNT on Friday night. These teams met just two months ago in Chicago at the Gold Cup Final, with Mexico claiming its eighth Gold Cup crown in a 1-0 win thanks to a goal from Jonathan Dos Santos. ... 

The Los Angeles Galaxy are out to follow in the footsteps of Atlanta United by winning an international trophy. Those have been few and far between for MLS teams, as the league has not had much success in the CONCACAF Champions League or in other tournaments of that nature over the years. The Galaxy are the lone MLS team in the Leagues Cup Semifinals though, and they will look to advance to the final that will be held in Las Vegas next month by picking up a win over Cruz Azul.... 

The first-ever Leagues Cup has seen a continuation of a trend, Liga MX teams beating MLS teams in cross-league competitions. We’ve seen that carried out to a T in the CONCACAF Champions League, and that was what we saw in the first round of this competition. A Liga MX team was pitted against an MLS team in the first round of this tournament, and the Mexican side won three of the four matches. That has led to two Liga MX rivals being pitted together in the semifinals, and Club America will take o... 

Liverpool missed out on a chance to add another trophy to their mantle last week when they took on Manchester City for the FA Community Shield. The Reds had a chance to win the match in regulation shortly before full time, but a Kyle Walker clearance at the line sent the match to penalties, and the Citizens emerged victorious there. Liverpool will be out to shrug off that disappointment and win another trophy when they face Chelsea for the UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday.... 

The Campeones Cup was founded last year. In an effort to increase the level of competition in North America, the MLS and Liga MX made the decision to have the MLS Cup winner face off against the Campeon de Campeones for a piece of regional silverware. UANL Tigres won the first edition of this event, beating Toronto FC 3-1 with Jesus Dueñas notching a brace. Club America will look to follow in the footsteps of their compatriots, while Atlanta United are out to win it for the MLS.... 

The International Champions Cup is underway. On Tuesday night, Fiorentina knocked off Guadalajara Chivas 2-1 just outside of Chicago, while on Wednesday night, Arsenal beat Bayern Munich 2-1 in Los Angeles. A total of 12 teams are participating in this competition, and they are out to follow in the footsteps of Tottenham Hotspur. Last year, Spurs used an International Champions Cup win as a springboard to greater success, making it to the Champions League final.... 

Over the last 12 months, the United States have not had quality results in international play. The Stars and Stripes are 4-2-5 over that stretch, and that has supporters of the USMNT worried headed into the Gold Cup in two weeks. On Sunday, they will play their final tune-up prior to the competition when they take on Venezuela. This will be Venezuela’s last game before Copa America kicks off next week, and they are looking to round into form.... 

The first-ever UEFA Nations League Final will take place this weekend, but first we must find out which two countries will face off in the final. Portugal and Switzerland will meet in the first semifinal on Wednesday. The Portuguese are favored as they have a higher FIFA ranking and they are the hosts of the tournament, but the Swiss have pulled off a number of surprises over the last decade. They will look to pull off one more in their hopes for a major international trophy.... 

The United States Women’s National Team has won more World Cups than any other country. The USWNT have claimed three of the seven Women’s World Cups contested, and they are the favorites to win this year in France. The Stars and Stripes are 20-3-1 over the last 12 months, but that one loss came to France on French soil. They would love to avenge that defeat on their way to earning another star above their logo. ... 

This year’s Women’s World Cup is set to be one of the most hotly contested in recent memory. The level of the game has risen across the globe, and multiple countries are looking to win their first title. Hosts France are co-favorites along with United States, and they have only made it to the semifinals once in their history. England and Australia are among the favorites too, and both countries are looking to make the finals for the first time ever. ... 

The United States Women’s National Team will play their final tune-up before the Women’s World Cup in France this weekend. The USWNT is the favorite to win the Women’s World Cup this summer, and they are heavy favorites in their friendly over Mexico on Sunday. Mexico failed to qualify for the event after failing to advance past the Group Stage of the CONCACAF Women’s Championship for the first time since 2000 last year, and this will be their last game for some time.... 

The Reggae Girlz made history by becoming the first Caribbean country to qualify for the World Cup. Jamaica knocked off Panama in penalties at the CONCACAF Women’s Championship last October, punching their ticket to the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France. Just getting to this point was reason for celebration, but now Jamaica are looking to do the improbable and make it to the knockout rounds. ... 

The Gregg Berhalter era is off to a winning start. The United States and Ecuador didn’t play the cleanest game on Thursday, but the Stars and Stripes ended up getting a 1-0 win. The US controlled the run of play throughout, and they can feel confident about a defensive performance where Ecuador only managed one shot and didn’t put any balls on net. However, they have to work on their attack as they managed only five shots themselves and put just two shots on net. They will look to improve agains... 

After the United States missed out on the 2018 World Cup, it became evident that it was time to tear out the carpet and start from scratch when it came to building a competitive team. Jurgen Klinsmann was replaced by Gregg Berhalter, and he has been starting the youth movement that will hopefully lead the Stars and Stripes back to the World Cup in 2020. We will see whether some of that fruit is starting to bear when the USA takes on Ecuador in an international friendly on Thursday.... 

Manchester City will look to win their first trophy of the season when they take on Chelsea in the Carabao Cup Final this Sunday. The Citizens are odds-on favorites to win the competition, and there have been whispers of the club potentially winning anywhere from two to four trophies this year. They are still in good shape in the FA Cup, Premier League, and Champions League, and this would get them off to a good start. City have won three of the last five Carabao Cup titles.... 

One of the most exciting cup competitions will enter the first leg of its Round of 16 this week when Spain’s Copa Del Rey starts up once more. Barcelona has vanquished all comers in this tournament over the last half-decade, winning each of the last four Copa Del Rey titles to make them the most successful team by far in this competition. They have won the Copa Del Rey 30 times over their history.... 

For the first time since Robert Green’s infamous ‘Hand of Clod’ blunder, the United States and England will face off in international soccer. The stakes are much less significant this time, as that game came eight years ago at the 2010 World Cup, and this is an international friendly that will not have the same tension and aura about it. However, there were still be bragging rights to play for, and an England loss would be the talk of the tabloids. ... 

Over the last five years, Spanish teams have ruled the European soccer scene. A Spanish team has won the Champions League in each of the last five years, with Real Madrid being responsible for four of those five wins, and a Spanish team has won the Europa League four times in the last five years. Along those lines, we will once again see two Spanish teams square off for the UEFA Super Cup when Atletico Madrid faces Real Madrid in Estonia on Wednesday. In each of the previous five seasons, the Champions League winner has gone on to win the UEFA Super Cup, but three of those five wins came in extra time, and Atletico will look to tally one for the Europa League. ... 

After months of waiting, we are finally starting to see top flight football once more. There is plenty of excitement heading into the FA Community Shield title between Manchester City and Chelsea on Sunday. Manchester City are coming off the best Premier League campaign in history and are looking to repeat as champions. City broke numerous records on their way to last year’s title and are favorites to win the Premier League again. ... 

It’s been a busy offseason for AS Roma. After a fantastically successful season that saw Roma make it to the Champions League Semifinals, the club received offers they couldn’t refuse on midfielder Radja Nainggolan and goalkeeper Alisson. Nainggolan moved to Serie A rival Inter Milan for 38 million Euros back in June, while Alisson signed with Liverpool for over 70 million Euros last week. Rather than sit back and count their money though, the ownership at Roma has reinvested heavily in the club. ... 

Many of the matches in the International Champions Cup will bring together teams that don’t normally face each other. Teams from different domestic leagues around Europe face off in interesting tilts that add a level of intrigue to a tournament full of exhibition matches. However, that isn’t the case when Manchester City and Liverpool square off on Wednesday. ... 

It was a warm welcome back to the States for Christian Pulisic on Sunday. Pulisic carries the hopes and dreams of America with him as the young star for the U.S. Men’s National Team, and he had an incredible day against Liverpool. Pulisic got Dortmund on the board with a penalty kick in the 66th minute, and then proceeded to control the last 10 minutes of the match in leading the German club to a 3-1 victory. He was able to calmly put one into the corner of the net on a break, giving Dortmund the lead in the 89th minute, and then set up Jacob Bruun Larsen’s goal in extra time after a quick move and shot led to a big rebound that Larsen put away. The exciting youngster will play on home soil one more time in the International Champions Cup, when Dortmund takes on Benfica on Wednesday. ... 

After five years of internal turmoil that saw the club tumble down the Serie A table, AC Milan has new ownership and hopefully a new lease on life. The historic club has really struggled during that time. Former owner Silvio Berlusconi’s fall from grace coincided with the start of Milan’s woes, and his eventual decision to sell the team led to even more trouble. The businessman that bought the club was unable to find the finances to complete the deal, and that led to investment fund Elliott Management acquiring the club last week. Fans are hoping they can turn the page and start anew, and they will be looking forward to watching Milan on the pitch against Manchester United. ... 

Bayern Munich got its American road trip started right on Saturday. Bayern overcame a 1-0 first-half deficit against Paris Saint Germain in order to win its first match of the International Champions Cup. American Timothy Weah opened the scoring for PSG and the Ligue 1 champions took the lead into halftime. Bayern started its comeback in the second half with a goal from Javi Martinez in the 60th minute. Young star Renato Sanches put Bayern Munich up 2-1 eight minutes later, and then Joshua Zirkzee slammed the door shut with a goal in the 78th minute. After that performance, they are slight favorites heading into their match against Juventus. ... 

There is a lot of excitement surrounding Liverpool heading into this season. The Reds made it all the way to the Champions League Final in 2018, beating Premier League champions Manchester City in the process, and they looked like they might claim Champions League glory before Mo Salah exited with an injury. Jurgen Klopp has received plenty of praise for his team’s performance, and deservedly so. ...