Mark Geiger is the first American referee to be selected to officiate at a World Cup since Brian Hall was selected in 2002. So far in this tournament Geiger and his two assistants Sean Hurd and Joe Fletcher are the only crew to have been appointed to two games. It is also worth noting that […]

Luis Suárez made a spectacular contribution in his first game of the World Cup. The Uruguayans have three crucial points on the board and England will need a lot of things going in their favor if they are even to have a sniff of qualifying. 1- Cagey, Cagey Opening: With both sides losing their opening […]

Mexico has made at least the knockout round in every World Cup since 1994, and once again will attempt to in a winner-take-all game against Croatia in Recife. Unlike Mexico’s previous two games, one against arguably the worst team in the tournament (Cameroon) and the other against a team that Mexico seems to have the […]

Soccer coverage in the United States is enjoying the greatest TV ratings the sport has ever seen. With better viewing times, more coverage than ever before and a World Cup that is very accessible, it's no wonder that broadcasters in the United States are seeing record numbers. On top of all that, the sport of […]

The second 0-0 result of the World Cup will be seen as a massive chance blown to get three points by Japan, who enjoyed a one man advantage for the best part of an hour and dominated possession. Greece defended resolutely but could have easily snuck away with a victory had they converted their chances. […]

MLS expansion team Orlando City have signed Brazilian star Kaka, according to a report by ESPN announcer Taylor Twellman. The Florida-based MLS team, who currently play in USL-PRO, will debut Kaka in 2015. The former Real Madrid and AC Milan midfielder will be loaned out to Sao Paulo until he's ready to train with Orlando […]

George Harrison sang that “All Things Must Pass” and so it was for Spain’s reign. Spanish tears met Chilean cheers. Let’s take a look at how both nations’ newspapers reacted to the match. Catalonia’s Mundo Deportivo (see above front cover) narrowly wins the front page of the day with its zeitgeist-capturing “Abdication” headline. Spain’s mind was […]

The USMNT will face Portugal in Manaus without striker Jozy Altidore who suffered a hamstring injury during USA’s 2-1 victory over Ghana last Monday. Altidore was sprinting for a ball and pulled up clutching the back of his thigh. He was carried off the pitch looking to be in immense pain and underwent MRI scans […]

When Radamel Falcao was injured in that fateful Coupe de France match back in January, the overall emotion in Colombia dipped to a low. There seemed to be a deflated sense of value to the overall squad as if the team was knocked off a pedestal. There were other injuries that exacerbated that sentiment when […]

In the final match of the day, Japan plays Greece with kick-off times scheduled for 6PM ET/3 PM PT Where to watch – • English language: ESPN and WatchESPN • Spanish language: Univision, Univision Deportes Network and Univision online • Portuguese language: ESPN Deportes Referee – Joel AGUILAR (El Salvador) Starting lineups – Japan: Kawashima, Uchida, Honda, Nagatomo, Okazaki, […]

England are on the verge of exiting the 2014 FIFA World Cup after losing to Uruguay 2-1. Both of the goals scored by Uruguay were put in the back of the net by Luis Suarez. Who else? Initially, Wayne Rooney scored an equalizer for England to tie the game 1-1 with Uruguay in the World […]

The stakes have been raised for both the teams in todayt's blockbuster clash between England and Uruguay at 3PM ET/12 PM PT Where to watch – English language: ESPN and WatchESPN Spanish language: Univision, Univision Deportes Network and Univision online Portuguese language: ESPN Deportes Referee – Carlos Velasco Carballo (Spain) Starting lineups – England starting XI: Hart, Johnson, […]

Ever since the World Cup was expanded to 32 teams for the 1998 edition, only four teams have managed to qualify from the group stage after losing the opening game (Turkey in 2002, Ghana & Ukraine in 2006, and Spain in 2010). Natal, the City of the Sun, thus will host a must-win contest for […]

"That is a hammer blow," said ESPN commentator Ian Darke, after Luis Suarez scored the opening goal in the World Cup Group Stage game against England. Suarez headed the ball into the corner of the net past an outstretched Joe Hart to give Uruguay the 1-0 lead. It was an inch-perfect cross by Edinson Cavani, […]

ESPN has announced its World Cup TV commentator assignments for the second week of coverage from Brazil, from June 20 to June 26. There are few surprises in the assignments for the final games of the Group Stage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Ian Darke and Taylor Twellman will commentate the US-Portugal and US-Germany […]