Football Blog (Page 171)

[ad_1] St. Louis CITY SC have bolstered their defensive options with the signing of right-back Jake Nerwinski via free agency, the club announced Monday. Nerwinski joins Major League Soccer’s latest expansion club on a contract through the 2024 season with an option for an additional year. “We are pleased to have Jake join us for the inaugural season,” St. Louis sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel said in a club press release. “The addition of Jake not only bolsters our back line, it gives our team another MLS-experienced player to help navigate the long season for our younger players.” Nerwinski represented the Vancouver Whitecaps for five yearsRead More →

[ad_1] The United States men’s national team will play their last Group Stage match against Iran on Tuesday, with a ticket to the knockout round on the line.  The USMNT currently sit in third place of the Group B standings with two points, after drawing with Wales and England. While Iran holds the advantage in second, beating Wales and losing to England to earn three points.  The American side must win in order to qualify for the round of 16. Any other result would see them eliminated from the tournament.  But USMNT defender Walker Zimmerman insists the team can take on the high stakes ofRead More →

[ad_1] All four Concacaf nations have now played two group games at the 2022 World Cup, with their situations and requirements clear heading into matchday three. The final round of group games is always dramatic, with teams playing at the same time and so many twists and turns meaning you can go from top and through to bottom and out in the space of a few short minutes. Prepare yourself for the drama by finding out just what each Concacaf nation needs to do to reach the knockout rounds of the 2022 World Cup: The USMNT are in control of their own destiny. / JohnRead More →

[ad_1] Cameroon came from two goals down to earn a credible 3-3 draw with Serbia on Monday morning. Both Cameroon and Serbia entered the game on the brink of elimination from the World Cup after two opening defeats, almost giving this fixture the air of a knockout game. The first big chance came after a deft flick from Serbia’s captain Dusan Tadic, with Aleksandar Mitrovic rattling the woodwork in the tenth minute. The Fulham target man had cut inside the hapless Nicolas Nkoulou and fired across goal on his left foot, he was unfortunate not to score in the end. Another glorious chance fell toRead More →

[ad_1] Gareth Southgate has insisted that Phil Foden will be play a ‘big part’ for England at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Foden is arguably the brightest young talent in the Premier League, having won the PFA Young Player of the Year in consecutive seasons, and has been in fine form for Manchester City during the current campaign – scoring seven goals in 14 league appearances. Despite this, at international level the 22-year-old has found opportunities slightly harder to come by. Foden was brought on as a sub in England’s opening game win over Iran, before not even making it off the bench inRead More →

[ad_1] After a heartbreaking miss in the Euro 2020 final last year, Marcus Rashford has insisted that he is ready to step up and take a penalty again for England. Rashford, who came off the bench to score against Iran in England’s opening game, explained that he enjoys big moments and won’t shy away if called upon. In fact, he’s even looking forward to an opportunity to redeem himself from the spot. “You never want to miss a penalty,” he said. “As an individual, I’ve always been comfortable and I enjoy being in big moments so I’m hoping that we get to take another penaltyRead More →

[ad_1] Wales midfielder Joe Allen has admitted that his side will go into Tuesday’s match with England with ‘a different game plan’ to their opening two matches in the competition, after taking a solitary point from their two World Cup matches so far. Allen returned from injury after a number of months on the sidelines with a hamstring issue against Iran, though his side conceded two late goals following his introduction. It leaves Wales bottom of the group and needing to beat England to have any chance of qualifying for the last 16. A big criticism of the Welsh team so far in Qatar hasRead More →

[ad_1] Alvaro Morata remained positive despite Spain falling to a late draw with Germany in Group E at the World Cup, insisting they faced an ‘amazing team’. Morata came off the bench to fire Spain ahead after an hour in what looked like another dominant display, but they let Germany back in late in the game and Die Mannschaft punished them through substitutions of their own. Niclas Fullkrug fired in an equaliser after 83 minutes to ensure the game finished 1-1 and increase Germany’s chances of making it to the knockout stages. Speaking to the BBC after the final whistle, Morata wasn’t concerned with hisRead More →

[ad_1] The second round of the 2022/23 FA Cup took place this weekend as teams competed to reach the third round and earn a glamorous tie against one of the Premier League’s elite. The 40 winners from the previous round competed at this stage, with Premier League and Championship clubs joining in the next round. What were the biggest upsets in the FA Cup second round? The only side remaining from the seventh tier of English football – Alvechurch – exited the competition in the second round as they were beaten by League One Forest Green Rovers 2-1. All seven sides from the sixth divisionRead More →

[ad_1] Usually, home advantage gives the nations hosting a World Cup a big boost on the pitch, but that’s not always the case. While those playing host have ended the tournament as World Champions on six occasions, others haven’t done nearly as well on home turf. Here are our five worst World Cup host nations ever. Japan couldn’t get past Turkey / Alex Livesey/GettyImages Relative to expectations, Japan didn’t do too badly in 2002, and they’re really only in our top five because of how well host nations usually perform. Having played three and lost three World Cup matches prior to the edition they hostedRead More →