Well, that was short-lived. Argentina manager Edgardo Bauza’s trip out to Barcelona has to be deemed a resounding success with the news that Lionel Messi has decided to reverse his decision to retire from international football.

Rather than keep his country in limbo, Messi now appears set to star for Argentina in their September World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Venezuela — an outcome that looked impossible at the end of June.

In defense of Hope Solo, her comments about the USA’s loss to Sweden have come in the heat of the moment — fresh off a devastating defeat, it’s understandable that she’s completely lost the plot.

Alright, that’s enough of defending Hope Solo.

The United States women’s national team clawed their way back into their quarter-final match against Sweden, but were unable to find a winner in 120 minutes of action. The lottery of penalties ultimately doomed the four-time gold medalists.

It was the first penalty shootout in the history of women’s soccer at the Olympics, and the USWNT were unable to conquer their nerves as Sweden emerged victorious, 4-3.

When Brazilian under-23 coach Rogerio Micale suggested that Neymar could one day quit the Brazilian national team due to a lack of respect, the parallels that could be drawn with Lionel Messi’s treatment and subsequent retirement from Argentina’s setup were almost too self-evident. 

Newly appointed Argentina boss Edgardo Bauza has arrived in Barcelona in an attempt to bring Lionel Messi back into the international fold. The most important task facing Bauza over the coming months is to entreat the former Argentine captain to reconsider his early retirement.

The USWNT drew 2-2 against Colombia to top Group G in Manaus on Tuesday. Goals from Crystal Dunn and Mallory Pugh for the U.S. were cancelled out by two free kicks from Maria Catalina Usme, one of which was the result of an error by U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo.

Mexico beat Fiji 5-1 Sunday in the Olympics, but it wasn't all good for El Tri. Striker Oribe Peralta and midfielder Rodolfo Pizarro have been ruled out of the tournament due to injury. Peralta, who scored Mexico's first goal in the opener against Germany, suffered a broken nose and Pizarro, who scored the other goal in the opener against Germany, has a fractured fibula.