The Covid-19 pandemic had many sporting casualties in 2020. While nothing compares to the immense (and ongoing) loss of life, U.S. soccer fans were denied the opportunity to pay NFL-level prices to watch preseason friendlies between indifferent European clubs in the International Champions Cup. Similarly, the less-promoted but far-more-interesting Women’s International Champions Cup was canceled in 2020. 

ESPN announcers Julie Foudy and Sebastian Salazar talked a lot about the fact the pitch-side mics were clearly picking up everything USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovski was saying during his team’s friendly against France on Tuesday. The audio was certainly interesting, but more so because of a faulty output from ESPN than any tidbits gleaned from a coach yelling at his players.

The USWNT is so dominant in world soccer, some games feel like they’re over before they begin. But that’s never the case when Sweden lines up against the U.S., and we saw Saturday as the USWNT narrowly escaped defeat, salvaging a 1-1 draw with a late Megan Rapinoe penalty in a friendly in Stockholm. 

France was missing a number of key players for a variety of reasons, from injuries to Covid-19. England was playing the same day Prince Philip died at age 99. It was a mismatch.

France showed impressive depth to dispatch England 3-1 in a matchup of two of the world’s best national teams in a friendly on Friday in Caen, France. Next up for France? The best team in the world on Tuesday.

La Selección Mexicana de fútbol visitará Arlington, Texas, el próximo 30 de mayo para un partido amistoso contra Islandia. Si bien las entradas aún no están a la venta, actualmente se anima a los aficionados a registrarse para obtener información sobre estas.

El enfrentamiento fue confirmado este miércoles por la Federación Mexicana de Fútbol y Soccer United Marketing, quienes además anunciaron otros cuatro partidos del Tri en Estados Unidos para este año. 

Five straight friendly wins for the U.S. after it beat Northern Ireland 2-1 on Sunday, a rare victory in Europe; nine games without a loss tallying a 33-5 goal margin. The USMNT is playing better than it has in years, and while the competition hasn’t been the best, there’s an undeniable new mood around the team.