By: Casey Rhine
Ohhhh El Clásico, where to begin. One of soccer's most heated, yet most deeply cherished rivalries.Few of you readers get to experience El Clasico, in Barcelona, while it's happening. This was my mission on December 23rd and should be your mission on May 6th if you are not lucky enough to go to the game in the Camp Nou.
The United States women’s national team will go on a month-and-a-half hiatus following a spring that saw them lift the inaugural Concacaf W Gold Cup and their seventh SheBelieves Cup. We’d say we’ve seen enough for a USWNT Olympic roster prediction.
Incoming USWNT head coach Emma Hayes will need to narrow the roster to 18 names for the Paris Olympics. She’ll have watched both tournaments and have a solid idea of who deserves to go.
The March international break recently finished which means it’s time for The18’s latest Copa América power rankings. The big tournament is only about three months out!
Two Concacaf teams secured the final two qualification spots with Canada and Costa Rica booking their tickets for this summer’s big event.
These rankings are based on recent performances and how we feel each team will perform in the tournament. After each person listed their top 16 teams, we aggregated the results into one official power rankings list.
Here’s our spring list for the 16 teams.
Sparks tend to fly when the United States and Mexico meet on the same field. The rivalry between North America’s two best national teams always produces entertainment and golazos. Some of the best USA vs Mexico goals have been scored in the last 20 years.
The United States men’s national team will face Jamaica on March 21 in the Concacaf Nations League semifinals. With the game about three weeks away we’re ready for a USMNT starting XI prediction.
USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter will be deploying his A-team as the U.S. look to win a third-straight Concacaf Nations League and prepare for this summer’s Copa América.
Here’s a look at our USMNT starting XI prediction for March.
USMNT Starting XI vs Jamaica Prediction
United States men’s national team head coach Gregg Berhalter has a decision to make that few people will envy. Who will be the USMNT starting striker?
The answer to that question will be vital for this summer’s Copa América as the USMNT will be tested against South America’s elite teams.
Before the highly anticipated tournament begins, Berhalter will give USMNT fans some insight on which striker(s) he prefers with the Concacaf Nations League in March.
After a two-month break the UEFA Champions League returned this week as the knockout stages kicked off. We at The18 are trying something new and we’re picking our favorites for the best Champions League goals of the week.
Of the four games played this week eight goals were scored. Let’s get into the list.
5. Kylian Mbappé attacks at the back post
Christian Pulisic couldn’t help but laugh and make a face when his fellow AC Milan and USMNT teammate Yunus Musah guessed that Landon Donovan was Pulisic’s soccer hero.
The humorous moment happened during a “Teammates” video with Soccer.com where the two players quizzed each other to see how well they know one another.
Pulisic Donovan soccer hero moment
LMAOOO pic.twitter.com/n8AyAPV6Pm
Nottingham Forest nearly secured a big point at home against Arsenal however a costly Matt Turner mistake at his near post saw the Gunners win 2-1 on Tuesday.
The latest Matt Turner mistake featured the United States men’s national team goalkeeper conceding a goal between his legs. Turner’s errors are cause for concern among the USMNT faithful.
In the 65th minute with the score tied 0-0 Gabriel Jesus was in on Forest’s goal but at a tight angle. What should have been a standard save instead turned into disaster for Turner as it went right through the wickets.
One unwritten rule of soccer that doesn’t really exist in other sports is the art of players not celebrating if they score a goal against a team they formerly played on.
Nottingham Forest’s Chris Wood took that unwritten rule to heart on Boxing Day when netted a hat trick against his former club, Newcastle.
The New Zealand forward was the hero in Forest’s massive 3-1 victory but hardly celebrated as he followed the unwritten rule of not celebrating after scoring against a former team.
Chris Wood not celebrating vs. Newcastle