I'll have you know that I consider myself the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge-meister.
No one appointed me this position, I wasn't voted into it and I've only just recently thought of the title, but I think about the All-Star Skills Challenge a lot: the contests, the strategies, the techniques and the storied three-event history of the competition.
The USMNT is soaring into the Concacaf Gold Cup knockout rounds after twice matching their largest margin of victory in tournament history (back-to-back 6-0 results against Saint Kitts and Nevis and Trinidad and Tobago).
But all that will quickly be forgotten Sunday night when the U.S. welcomes Canada to TQL Stadium in Cincinnati with the knowledge that anything less than safe passage to the semifinals will be considered an unmitigated disaster, especially against a Canadian team that finished behind Guatemala in group play.
Rose Lavelle said she is more comfortable taking on the responsibilities of leadership and is ready to step up as a senior member of the U.S. squad when she heads to her second Women's World Cup, even as questions remain around her fitness.
The 28-year-old midfielder, who scored in the 2019 final as the Americans won their fourth title, has been nursing a knee injury and last played on April 8 in a friendly against Ireland.
After a strangely long break in the action (the United States has a whole week to figure out how to win 6-0 again), the Concacaf Gold Cup returns this weekend with the quarterfinals.
It's no surprise to see the USMNT and Mexico at the business stage of the tournament, but Jamaica, Panama, Guatemala and Canada all navigated the group phase without tasting defeat.
Will we see any surprises in the last eight?
Panama vs. Qatar
Following are the eight groups for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, which will be held in Australia and New Zealand from July 20 to Aug. 20:
WHAT IS THE FORMAT FOR THE GROUP AND KNOCKOUT STAGES AT WORLD CUP 2023?
* The tournament opens with the group stage where each of the 32 teams play three matches. The field has been expanded from 24 teams after the 2019 World Cup in France.
* Teams get three points for a win and one for a draw. The top two teams in each group advance to the round of 16.
JOHANNESBURG - South Africa's Women's World Cup preparations were plunged into chaos on Sunday when a shadow national team including a 13-year-old took on Botswana in a friendly as the squad selected for the finals were locked in a dispute with the national association.
The match was supposed to be a send-off for the squad going to the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand before they continue their preparations outside the country.
Liverpool have signed versatile Hungarian midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai from Bundesliga side RB Leipzig, the Premier League club said on Sunday.
The 22-year-old Hungary captain arrives at Anfield after British media reported Liverpool paid a $76.37 million release clause in his contract.
Szoboszlai becomes the club's second recruit under new sporting director Jörg Schmadtke after Argentine Alexis Mac Allister as Liverpool look to revamp their midfield following a disappointing season.
It's soccer jersey weather (there's no better option at an outdoor concert), and clubs across Europe are cashing in by releasing their new threads for the 2023-24 campaign.
Below we've recommended five jerseys for special commendation in the field of aesthetic beauty while we've classified five more as ew don't think so.
Winners
#1. Manchester City home
NEW YORK - The USWNT's Megan Rapinoe will take on a different role in her fourth Women's World Cup appearance, coach Vlatko Andonovski said on Wednesday, as he named his 23-player squad for the quadrennial tournament.
The pink-haired forward's heroics led the U.S. to a fourth title in 2019, as her larger-than-life persona helped cement her as the biggest celebrity in American soccer, drawing legions of fans and the ire of former U.S. President Donald Trump.
The 23-player USWNT squad tasked with achieving an unprecedented World Cup three-peat was revealed by manager Vlatko Andonovski on Wednesday, and despite many obvious selections on the back of a qualifying cycle that grew pretty predictable, a late injury to captain Becky Sauerbrunn has shaken things up.