SOCCER INTERNATIONAL ARTICLES

The United States was incredibly lifeless and deserved to lose the CONCACAF Cup to Mexico on Saturday.Can it turn around and get back on the pitch on Tuesday against Costa Rica and play up to the level of success it is always assumed to show?... 

The good news for Germany is that it knows it is at least going to get one more shot to play for a spot in Euro 2016. The bad news? After nine matches against a weak group, there's no way that this match against Georgia should have meant anything. Still, on Sunday, the Germans can long last clinch the Group D title and a trip to Euro 2016 in a match which should easily be won against Georgia.... 

There are only six fixtures in the group stage of the Champions League, which makes each and every one incredibly vital.We're just one duel in, but there's already a good indication of which teams are going to win which groups.... 

Diego Simeone prepared for Barcelona's match against Atletico Madrid without 14 regular players who were off on international duty. Many of those men didn't end up playing in that fixture over the weekend, one which was won by the Catalans anyway 2-1 on the road in Madrid.However, the benefit of not using so many players of quality against Atletico is that he can bring a full side with him to Italy to take on AS Roma in the Champions League opener on Wednesday.... 

It's really tough to suggest that the entire season for Manchester United is going to come down to how well it plays in the Champions League, but with the way Manchester City has pulled away from the rest of the Premier League in the opening month of the year, that might be the case. Louis van Gaal is under tremendous pressure coming back to his Dutch homeland on Tuesday night against PSV Eindhoven in the opening Group B fixture.... 

There isn't all that much time left for Mexico. El Tri has to get ready for a Confederations Cup Playoff against the United States on October 10. Their last shot to get it right prior to that match comes in a tough friendly played on American soil against Argentina.... 

Had the United States finished the job at the Gold Cup, they probably wouldn't even be playing this match on Friday. Instead, the Americans had a miserable finish at the Gold Cup, and they are going to be forced into a Confederations Cup playoff against Mexico the fall.With that 90 minutes looming, Jurgen Klinsmann has called up 23 men to come together to take on Peru on Friday in a friendly with huge implications for the USMNT.... 

Qualifying for Euro 2016 has already been quite strange, as there are a lot of teams which are still fighting for their lives in this tournament you wouldn't have picked to struggle so badly. The next round of qualifying fixtures begins on September 3, so now is a perfect time to take a look at where we stand as we inch closer towards this tremendous tournament.... 

Manchester United's fourth place finish in the Premier League last year was worthwhile enough to put it in the Champions League playoff. The Red Devils did the job at Old Trafford, putting aside Club Brugge with ease 3-1. The job isn't done though, and a two-goal loss on Belgian soil on Wednesday would be a disaster.... 

A goal in the final five minutes of the first meeting of these two teams last week might prove to be a killer to AS Monaco. The French side needs to draw two goals back if it is to advance to the Champions League group stage against Valencia on Tuesday.... 

The United States women's soccer team put on the show of shows at the World Cup in Canada earlier this summer. Jill Ellis will put her team back on display for the first time since triumph on the international stage on Sunday against visiting Costa Rica.... 

Many suspect there will be one-way traffic Munich on Tuesday afternoon, where Tottenham will play its last tune-up match for the Premier League season against Real Madrid.... 

Both Real Madrid and Inter Milan are still getting acclimated to their new bosses, making it a perfect time for the two sides to run up against each other in the International Champions Cup in China.... 

Of all of the teams which came to the United States for the preseason International Champions Cup, perhaps the two most supported ones have been Barcelona and Chelsea. Even in matches in the home cities of MLS teams they have been playing against, these two sides have gotten tremendous support, and we suspect that there will be a lot of fans donning both colors on Tuesday night at FedEx Field in what will be Chelsea's last match before the Community Shield on Sunday.... 

Both Manchester United and Paris Saint Germain have picked up three good results in their first three fixtures played here at the International Champions Cup. The two teams will finish off the preseason portions of their schedules on Wednesday against one another at Soldier Field.... 

Last season, Inter Milan took care of Real Madrid in the International Champions Cup.This year, the two clubs are going to be facing off with one another yet again, this time in Guangzhou, where there should be a massive Real contingent to support the team.... 

The International Champions Cup might not mean a heck of a lot, particularly to the European teams who are treating this as nothing more than a warm-up to the season ahead, but don't tell that to supporters of AC Milan and Inter Milan.The Derby Della Madonnina is always one of the roughest and toughest in the entire world, and though this match technically means little in Shenzhen on Saturday, you probably won't know that based on the way the two teams play on the pitch.... 

There really isn't all that much of an argument about the fact that Barcelona has one of the best teams in the entire world. That said, the Los Angeles Galaxy and their newest signings are going to hope to prove that they have taken some steps closer to the big boys on Tuesday night in the International Champions Cup against the Spanish giants.... 

It just wasn't supposed to be this way for either Costa Rica or Mexico. Most figured that these two were going to end up meeting in the semifinals or perhaps even the finals of the Gold Cup, but after each struggled in group play, they're subjected to going through each other now in the quarterfinals on Sunday.... 

It isn't showing that Trinidad & Tobago is playing in the quarterfinals of the Gold Cup. What is surprising is the fact that it is doing so as a group winner. There is no match in the first knockout round that is tighter from a betting perspective though, than the one T&T will play against Panama on Sunday.... 

With Costa Rica not really in the best form at the moment, many are starting to believe that the only team which can oust the United States from the Gold Cup aside from Mexico is Jamaica. The Reggae Boyz will be on the same pitch as the Americans on Saturday, but not at the same time. They'll be playing in the second match of the day in Baltimore against upstart Haiti.... 

If the United States knows what is good for it, it will waste little time in dismissing Cuba from the Gold Cup in the quarterfinals of this tournament on Saturday.... 

The International Champions Cup might be nothing more than a preseason exhibition tournament, but for Rafael Benitez, he will want to make sure that he gets his tenure at Real Madrid off to a good start against Italian giants AS Roma on Saturday in Melbourne.... 

The big problem which Club America has had over the course of its first couple matches of the year against MLS teams is that it has been just starting off, while the MLS squads have been in the midst of their season. However, they will turn the tide on Friday when they take on Manchester United, who will be playing its first fixture of the campaign in the International Champions Cup.... 

Surprises have been abound in the 2015 Gold Cup, but perhaps we shouldn't have been surprised to see Jamaica put together a good showing in Group B. The Reggae Boyz will win their group and lock up a quarterfinal spot in this tournament if they can beat El Salvador on Tuesday night in Toronto....