Sorry gents, the headlines will be delayed until the afternoon. Mrs95 and I are flying home from Lisbon on an early morning flight.
Viagem segura! Meanwhile, Olivier Giroud scored in his last game for AC Milan. He has scored 48 goals, 20 assists, and won a Serie A trophy. The 37-year-old definitely left his mark at Milan. As a Quakes fan I don’t care too much for LA teams but am sure Giroud will do well at LAFC.
https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/40205153/copa-america-2024-winner-prize-money-usa Bookmark this link in case anyone ever asks why the Copa America is in the US. The answer is because it’s worth a hell of a lot of money.
Instead of playing a nation's national anthem prior to matches, organizers ought to consider playing Cyndi Lauper's "Money Changes Everything"?
FC Cincinnati raise their ceiling, two contenders emerge out West & more from Matchday 16 https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/fc-c...tenders-emerge-out-west-more-from-matchday-16 MLS Week 15: LAFC wins in Atlanta, Cincinnati in Toronto https://ussoccerplayers.com/2024/05/mls-week-15-lafc-wins-in-atlanta-cincinnati-in-toronto.html Your Sunday Kickoff: Toronto-Cincinnati, Colorado-Minnesota & Dallas-RSL go off the rails https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/your...olorado-minnesota-dallas-rsl-go-off-the-rails Bogusz scores a goal, Lloris has third consecutive shutout; LAFC beats Atlanta https://www.dailynews.com/2024/05/2...third-consecutive-shutout-lafc-beats-atlanta/ Atlanta United’s circumstances aren’t getting easier to break winless streak https://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-...ak-winless-streak/JL5RIX7HVBGOZNO3SZFURH7E5Q/ Oliver Semmle leads the Union to a scoreless tie at Charlotte FC https://www.inquirer.com/soccer/philadelphia-union-charlotte-fc-score-oliver-semmle-20240525.html Kahlina extends streak as Charlotte FC, Philadelphia Union play to scoreless draw https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/charlotte-fc/article288747830.html Fire, D.C. United end losing streaks in 1-1 draw https://www.espn.com/soccer/report/_/gameId/692805 Another lead slips away as D.C. United sputters to a draw vs. Chicago https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/05/25/dc-united-chicago-fire/ McVey's first goal of season helps D.C. draw with Fire https://www.tsn.ca/soccer/christoph...son-helps-d-c-united-draw-with-fire-1.2126217 CF Montréal plays Nashville to scoreless draw at Saputo Stadium https://montrealgazette.com/sports/...nashville-to-scoreless-draw-at-saputo-stadium Nashville SC is 0-3-2 on road after scoreless draw vs CF Montreal https://www.tennessean.com/story/sp...real-hany-mukhtar-rumba-munthali/73738284007/ NYCFC stay hot with a 1-0 win over Revolution https://www.espn.com/soccer/report/_/gameId/692806 A BIG GOAL BY BIG BIRD: Parks ensures NYCFC keeps flying high https://www.frontrowsoccer.com/2024...g-bird-parks-ensures-nycfc-keeps-flying-high/ Revolution suffer 1-0 home loss to New York City FC https://www.bostonherald.com/2024/05/25/revolution-suffer-1-0-home-loss-to-new-york-city-fc/ 3 takeaways from the Revolution’s 1-0 loss vs. New York City FC https://www.boston.com/sports/new-e.../05/26/revolution-new-york-city-fc-takeaways/ Replay: Diego Rossi records both goals in Columbus Crew 2-0 victory over Orlando City SC https://sports.yahoo.com/coming-crew-travels-orlando-city-183016621.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall Orlando City shut out at home by defending MLS champ Columbus https://www.orlandosentinel.com/202...-out-at-home-by-defending-mls-champ-columbus/ FC Cincinnati downs Toronto FC in seven-goal thriller to reach 10th win of 2024 https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sp...raight-win-at-torontos-bmo-field/73857064007/ Stoppage-time goal lifts high-flying FC Cincinnati past Toronto FC 4-3 https://torontosun.com/sports/socce...time-goal-lifts-fc-cincinnati-past-toronto-fc Real Salt Lake storm back, tie FC Dallas on late stoppage goal https://www.espn.com/soccer/report/_/gameId/692808 Red-hot Real Salt Lake rallies from three-goal deficit to earn 3-3 draw vs. FC Dallas https://www.sltrib.com/sports/rsl/2024/05/25/real-salt-lake-rallies-three-goal/ FC Dallas loses 3-0 lead for disappointing draw with Real Salt lake https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/f...d-for-disappointing-draw-with-real-salt-lake/ Sounders creep above playoff line with win over St Louis City https://www.seattletimes.com/sports...ove-playoff-line-with-win-over-st-louis-city/ St. Louis City SC loses third straight game, 2-1 to Seattle https://fox2now.com/sports/st-louis-city-sc-loses-third-straight-game-2-1-to-seattle/ Rapids roar back from two goals down to earn draw with Minnesota United https://www.denverpost.com/2024/05/26/cabral-brace-navarro-rapids-minnesota-united/ Minnesota United gives up two-goal lead, settles for 3-3 draw at Colorado Rapids https://www.twincities.com/2024/05/...ead-settle-for-3-3-draw-with-colorado-rapids/ Riqui Puig’s second-half goal leads the Galaxy to win over Houston https://www.dailynews.com/2024/05/2...lf-goal-leads-the-galaxy-to-win-over-houston/ Houston Dynamo lose after rally by Riqui Puig and LA Galaxy https://www.houstonchronicle.com/te...amo/article/la-galaxy-dash-recap-19478896.php Sporting KC sits last in the West after 14 matches. Here’s what happened in Portland https://www.kansascity.com/sports/soccer/sporting-kc/article285954296.html Evander, Felipe Mora fuel Portland Timbers in victory over Sporting KC https://www.oregonlive.com/timbers/...land-timbers-in-victory-over-sporting-kc.html 5 takeaways from Austin FC's 1-1 draw with the San Jose Earthquakes https://www.statesman.com/story/spo...paypal-park-1-1-draw-may-25-2024/73861184007/ Ebobisse ties Landon Donovan’s on SJ Earthquakes all-time scoring list in draw with Austin https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/05...es-all-time-scoring-list-in-draw-with-austin/ Robert Taylor helps short-handed Inter Miami beat Vancouver https://www.espn.com/soccer/report/_/gameId/692799 Messi-less Inter Miami beats Vancouver 2-1 on the road, proves it can win without stars https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/mls/inter-miami/article288752380.html No Messi, no problem: Inter Miami downs slumping Vancouver Whitecaps 2-1 https://vancouversun.com/sports/soccer/mls/vancouver-whitecaps/whitecaps-vs-inter-miami-vancouver-loses-2-1/wcm/d3a95a6e-ed29-4ac8-9bfd-3fa50a7f01d3
I chuckled when I saw your post with this link. I literally sent this same exact espn link to my whatsapp sports group at 4:43 pm (eastern) YESTERDAY, with basically the identical message attached. Nope, it aint brain surgery what is going on here.
I doubt it happens, but at one point in the near future if I heard that Conmebol was adding Canada, Mexico and the USA, I would bot be surprised. there is just too much money to be made. With the North American markets and the South American athletes, such a union could rival Uefa in the future.
Problem is, as I understand it, CONCACAF essentially has to agree to let them go. And there are a whole lot of CONCACAF countries that won't want to give up the $$$ that CONCACAF earns and sends their way on the back of the U.S. and Mexican Nats and games hosted in the U.S. and Canada.
Find a way to bring them along as well. CONCACAFMEBOL, where some of those smaller SA countries get to have games in the US and the smaller CA and Caribbean teams get to offset some of their loss by playing Argentina and Brazil. Obviously, that won't happen, but there would have to be some sort of parachute for the smaller countries at least at first.
PRO/REL between International Regions National teams can be promoted to CONMEBOL or relegated to Concacaf
The participation of the islands in regular competition is pretty much entirely funded by US-hosted Gold Cup (and more recently Nations League finals) revenue. That's why there's no support within CONCACAF to even attempt to host those tournaments elsewhere.
Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Suriname, and Trinidad & Tobago are all technically part of South America. Tell CONMEBOL they have to take those countries in and if they do they get USA, Mexico, Canada, and at that point just add the rest of CONCACAF.
Back when FIFA gave the two Cups to Russia and Qatar, there was a bit of talk among the nations that matter that the low population or low ability nations were a tail wagging the American, Mexican, Argentinian, Brazilian, Japanese, Nigerian, etc., dog. I don’t think there’s a chance FIFA will allow it, but the comical lack of balance between voting power within FIFA and economic power within FIFA is a reminder that FIFA isn’t backed by an army or laws or anything. If the ~20 nations that matter decide to leave FIFA, FIFA is dead in the water. That’s the scenario where something like this might happen.
I think it is less the nations than UEFA, CONMEBOL, the EPL, LaLiga and Bundesliga. The last three have access to the bulk of the best international players and the first two have the bulk of the best international teams. FIFA got smacked hard by the leagues and UEFA for impacting schedules for the Qatar World Cup and then smacked again over their stupid every two-year World Cup idea. So far that seems to be the only check on FIFA.
I really try to avoid telling people they’re not being fans in the right way; sports is all just meaningless entertainment. But the expanded club World Cup is an incredibly dumb idea in general, and has no coherent thoughts about the sporting purpose. Already there’s something more than a bit weird, especially to Americans, about a club making a competition based on last year’s roster. But this thing is way worse. It’s just a mish mash of rationalizations to get a lot of big clubs together for $$$.
Great point on the CWC, there's been pushback against AFCON expansion as well. FIFA seems to forget that their golden geese are the players (under contract to the big clubs) who participate in these events. The players and the clubs are rightly concerned over fixture congestion, travel and too many games. If they decide they're not participating, FIFA is done. However, kleptocrats can't build things like "Centers of Excellence" in Trinidad without cash from FIFA events.