Police arrested a high school soccer coach in Texas after he spent thousands at a strip club in Houston on the school’s credit card. Initially, J.D. Bales claimed the charge was fraudulent. However, evidence indicated otherwise. Police then arrested Bales before he posted a bond of $10,000. 



The incident happened in July during a coaching clinic. Bales spent $5,455.81 on a district credit card at The Men’s Club of Houston. Eventually, Bales submitted payment for the charge. Yet, the overwhelming evidence against Bales centered around the fact that he used taxpayer money at a strip club in Houston. The Wise County District Attorney, which oversees the region including Bridgeport High School, indicted Bales. After that, the DA issued a warrant for Bales’ arrest.



The Bridgeport Independent School Department accepted Bales’ resignation in September earlier this year. At the time, the Bridgeport ISD said it was investigating “allegations of misconduct regarding the use of district funds.”



“[Bales] resigned from both his coaching position and his role as a [special education] teacher at Bridgeport Middle School [Sept. 8],” the statement read. “Superintendent Dr. Amy Ellis confirmed that the decision to accept the resignation is in the best interest of Bridgeport ISD and the athletic program.”



The Bridgeport Athletic Department hired Bales in 2018. He coached the soccer team and served as an assistant on the football team. Yet, this was not the only controversy that surrounded the Bridgeport Bulls soccer program.



<h2>Soccer coach at a strip club is not the only concern</h2>



This same soccer program was already under the microscope for previous instances of concern. During its time in the playoffs in 2023, the Bridgeport Police Department investigated the soccer program following allegations of hazing. The soccer team fielded accusations of underclassmen suffering at the hands of those already on the team.



“The investigation revealed that over the 2022-23 soccer season, several upperclassmen (players) were involved in the hazing initiation of underclassmen, described as ‘de-pantsing,’” Bridgeport Police Chief Steve Stanford told <a href="https://www.wcmessenger.com/articles/6-bridgeport-students-arrested-for-hazing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Wise County Messenger</a>. “These incidents involved the underclassmen (some as young as 14 years old) being restrained or held down while multiple subjects removed articles of the victim’s clothing, including their pants and underwear. The victim reported that while in an unclothed state, they were filmed and made to repeat phrases such as ‘I’m your b***h.’”



All of the hazing rituals were part of the initiation for underclassmen joining the team. This happened between October 2022 and March 2023. In the end, police arrested six players on the high school’s soccer team. Each of the players picked up a charge of a Class B misdemeanor. 



<h2>Bales is no longer affiliated with Bridgeport ISD</h2>



The Bridgeport ISD has cut off its ties with J.D. Bales after all of the issues surrounding the soccer program. The Texas school’s newest soccer season starts at the end of the year. The school’s season runs through March with games scheduled against teams from around Texas. The playoffs will begin after the conclusion of the regular season. J.D. Bales will not be on the sidelines with the team this season.



Photo: Imago

Soccer coach spent $5k at strip club using school's credit card

Police arrested a high school soccer coach in Texas after he spent thousands at a strip club in Houston on the school's credit card.

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 The promising start to the final stretch of World Cup Qualifying was derailed on Sunday when the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/2022/01/30/canada-stun-us-to-close-in-on-world-cup-berth/">US lost against Canada</a>. Despite the US going over 35 years without losing a game to Canada, Head Coach Gregg Berhalter has now managed to lose to Les Rouges twice in the last 26 months, both abject disasters where the US looked both impotent and disinterested. Now, what felt like a comfortable cushion in the Octagonal is gone, setting up a nervy run to the finish. The final game of this window is up next against Honduras. 
 Berhalter’s first loss to Canada back in October of 2019 could be forgiven. It was a game in the Concacaf Nations League with nothing really on the line. While dispiriting, upsets do happen and streaks do eventually come to an end. But there were one or two alarming issues to come out of that game, including Christian Pulisic very clearly having little to no respect for his manager (perhaps justifiably). Those same issues reared their ugly heads again on Sunday as the US once again fell 2-0 on the road against the Canadians. They kept the ball for long stretches of time but failed to do anything with it, almost as if the gameplan was to keep possession just for the sake of keeping possession. But such is the case with a manger desperate to prove how much smarter he is than everybody else. Berhalter’s postgame comments also served to illustrate just how out of touch with reality and how in love with himself he really is by saying that while the result hurt, the performance (one shot on goal) did not. A couple of more performances that don’t hurt and the US might just miss out on a second straight World Cup. 
 Honduras is quite frankly a terrible soccer team right now. They are a shadow of their former self (a team that went to back to back World Cups in 2014 and 2018 and just missed out on qualifying for 2018, losing a home and home playoff to Australia. This round of qualifying has been an abject disaster. They have failed to win a single game and have lost six straight in qualifying (seven straight overall). They are winless in an astounding 13 straight games, dating all the way back to July when they won their second group stage game at the Gold Cup. They have nothing left to play for other than pride, as with just three points and four games remaining, they have been officially eliminated from qualifying for the World Cup. Their roster for this window is mostly domestic based players but does feature Bryan Acosta of the Colorado Rapids, with 2 goals in 56 caps for Los Catrachos. 
Notes: 
1. Standings for the Octagonal: Canada (22pts), USA (18pts), Mexico (18pts), Panama (17pts), Costa Rica (13pts), El Salvador (9pts), Jamaica (7pts), Honduras (3pts)
When and where to watch the game on US TV and streaming
Wednesday, February 2, 2022 
Allianz Field 
St. Paul, Minnesota 
7:30pm ET 
FS1, Univision, TUDN, 
All-Time Series
USA leads series 18-4-5
Last Meeting
Wednesday, September 8, 2021 
Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano 
San Pedro Sula, Honduras 
USA 4-0 Honduras
Current FIFA Ranking
USA: 11 
Honduras: 76
Next Game
Thursday, March 24, 2022 
World Cup Qualifying 
Mexico vs. USA 
Estadio Azteca 
Mexico City, Mexico

US-Honduras: USMNT faces must-win game in freezing conditions

US-Honduras: USMNT faces must-win game in freezing conditions - World Soccer Talk

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The United States Men’s National Team always seem to face various stumbling blocks during World Cup Qualifying.
During the campaign to qualify for South Africa 2010, Costa Rica pounded the U.S. in San José. Then, Mexico beat the Americans in the Estadio Azteca. Finally, Bob Bradley’s squad dropped points again against Costa Rica, this time at home. Yet, the United States topped the Hex.
Four years later, they dropped the first game on the road in Honduras and were once again drilled in Costa Rica. But, again, the USMNT finished atop qualifying to reach Brazil 2014.
Failing to qualify for Russia 2018 was a <a href="https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/us-national-team-eliminated-2018-fifa-world-cup" target="_blank" rel="noopener">well-documented disaster</a>. Not only did the Americans drop points at home, but the squad also lost outright to both Mexico and Costa Rica. Bruce Arena’s squad were especially bad on the road. They failed to win a single game on foreign soil, only picking up three points in five games.
<h3>USMNT sits second in qualifying</h3>
So far, overall standings show improvement compared to previous qualifying attempts. In fact, the United States sits second in the Octagonal.
However, the warning signs are there.
For example, Canada came to Nashville and held the U.S. to a draw. Then, most recently, Panama knocked off Gregg Berhalter’s squad. Previously, the U.S. owned an undefeated record against the Panamanians in World Cup qualifying. These serve to remind the USMNT that there’s still a long way to go. They better tighten things up if they don’t want to miss out on a second-consecutive World Cup. The next chance to take another step closer to the World Cup is against Costa Rica, in the city widely regarded as the spiritual home of American soccer: Columbus, Ohio.
Gregg Berhalter made a gamble on Sunday in Panama by heavily rotating the squad that had beaten Jamaica 2-0 a few days earlier. He made a total of seven changes and it’s pretty safe to say that it backfired spectacularly (very similar to the way Bruce Arena’s heavy squad rotation after the Panama win in 2017 blew up in his face when facing Trinidad &amp; Tobago several days later). The US was outshot 8-5 and failed to register a single shot on goal. 
The lone goal on the night came straight from a corner kick that Gregg Berhalter’s favorite player Gyasi Zardes was able to latch onto and beautifully head into the back of the net. The only problem was that it was his own net and not Panama’s (though the goal was inexplicably credited to Panama’s Anibal Godoy). The US response, as has so often been the case when falling behind under Gregg Berhalter, was to just completely wilt and pray for the final whistle. There was no effort, no heart, and no attempt at a fightback. Many fans were justifiably upset with the results, though many in the American soccer media were once again quick to jump to Berhalter’s defense and explain why losing is perfectly fine with the usual tired argument of it’s just nearly impossible to win on the road in CONCACAF (despite the fact that the US has never lost in Panama before).
Costa Rica has long been on almost the same level as the US and Mexico in CONCACAF. But the last several years have not been kind to the Ticos and 2021 has been no different. They finished a disappointing 4th place in the Nations League in June before getting bounced out of the Gold Cup at the quarter-final stage by Canada. 
The jump into World Cup Qualifying hasn’t been much better. They posted two draws and a loss in the September window and only just won their first game on the Octagonal on Sunday against El Salvador. 
Luis Fernando Suarez is now the manager, having been appointed in June. He’s the 5th manager for Costa Rica since the 2018 World Cup but might just be the right man for the job having guided two other countries to the World Cup before (Ecuador in 2006 and Honduras in 2014). 
The roster he called in for this round of qualifying is made up of almost entirely domestic based players, though there are a few elderly, European-based exceptions. In goal, as ever, is Keylor Navas of Paris Saint-Germain and in defense is 32 year old Oscar Duarte of Levante (in Spain). Four players also ply their trade at US clubs: Francisco Calvo of the Chicago Fire, Ronald Matarrita of FC Cincinnati, Randall Leal of Nashville SC, and Luis Diaz who is something of the hometown hero for Costa Rica in this game as he plays for the Columbus Crew.
Notes:
1. Sunday’s loss to Panama snapped a 13-game unbeaten run for the US dating back to June.
2. While the US may be returning to Columbus for the first time since 2016, the game is being played in the Crew’s shiny new stadium and not Historic Crew Stadium.
3. Standings in the Octagonal after five games: Mexico (11pts), USA (8pts), Panama (8pts), Canada (7pts), Costa Rica (6pts), El Salvador (5pts), Honduras (3pts), Jamaica (2pts)
When, Where
Wednesday, October 13, 2021 
Lower.com Field 
Columbus, Ohio 
7pm ET 
Live on ESPN2, UniMas, TUDN and ESPN+
All-Time Series
USA leads 18-16-6
Last Meeting
Wednesday, June 9, 2021 
Rio Tinto Stadium 
Sandy, Utah 
USA 4-0 Costa Rica
Current FIFA Ranking
USA: 13 
Costa Rica: 44
Next Game
Friday, November 12, 2021 
World Cup Qualifying 
USA vs. Mexico 
TQL Stadium 
Cincinnati, Ohio 
Live on ESPN2, Univision, TUDN and ESPN+

U.S. hosts Costa Rica after weekend defeat in World Cup Qualifying

U.S. hosts Costa Rica after weekend defeat in World Cup Qualifying - World Soccer Talk

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