The US Men’s National Team fell 3-1 against Costa Rica during their qualifying match this past Friday. Many have drawn comparisons to when the US lost in Costa Rica in 2009. Both were World Cup qualifiers, both 3-1 defeats, and both saw Costa Rica take an early lead and hold it throughout the match. I… Read More »
Honduras stunned Mexico last night with a 2-1 victory in the legendary Azteca stadium. It was only the second time Mexico lost a qualifying game at home, and placed Mexico 4th in the current CONCACAF rankings. If they remain there, they will have to compete for a slot in the World Cup in a game… Read More »
As we enter into several days of World Cup qualifying matches, it’s worth returning to some of the more dramatic moments of the 2010 qualifiers. This excellent short documentary (brought to my attention by Peter Alegi, editor of the blog Football is Coming Home) brings us back Algeria’s qualification. Their victory of Egypt incited mass… Read More »
The U.S. Men’s National Team’s loss to Honduras on February 6 generated a small wave of surprise and recrimination. Coach Jurgen Klinsmann has come in for criticism for showing either a lack of respect for Los Catrachos or a bit of naïvete by playing a young defensive line with no cohesion. The surprise stems from… Read More »
An interesting story is shaping up in the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying games with two consecutive victories by Haiti. They’ve now followed up a 6-0 trouncing of the Virgin Islands with a 2-0 defeat of Curacao, and are at the top of their qualifying group. Haitian football has, of course, been through a lot during… Read More »
Front page story on NYT regarding Egyptians reaction to the Algeria – Egypt playoff loss for a spot in the 2010 South Africa World Cup. While my last final exam tomorrow precludes an analysis, the series of matches between Egypt and Algeria have served as a platform, a somewhat cathartic space, for all the ill-will to come… Read More »
With the furor surrounding the France-Ireland game, and Thierry Henry’s decisive handball, dying down a little, it may be time to think through what just happened, and what it illuminates for us about the sport of football. After receiving a barrage of criticism, a not inconsiderable amount of it openly racist, Henry redeemed himself in… Read More »
If football were fair in any way, Ireland would be heading to the World Cup in South Africa. Instead, after a largely weak performance, France snuck through thanks to a handball by Thierry Henry converted into a header by Gallas. Irish fans, who packed in large numbers in the Stade de France, are surely reeling… Read More »
This was the title of an article in The New York Times yesterday. The article discusses the rise and current fall of Diego Maradona and the Agentina soccer population’s general dissatisfaction and disenchantment with Maradona as the coach for the national team. And while Argentina did just qualify last week for the 2010 World Cup… Read More »
USA Soccer has experience a wide range of emotions in this eventful week. The joy at World Cup qualification in Honduras was tempered quickly by the tragic car crash that has left Charlie Davies in the hospital, needing multiple surgeries. I’ve tried to make sense of the entire situation in an article I wrote for… Read More »
