The pre-tournament excitement about this very talented Belgium squad has sobered after two narrow and uninspiring wins in Brazil. This has put them top of Group G and through to the Round of 16, yet it's hardly been satisfying or convincing. The arc of slow starts, flat middles, and late highs is not a path […]

Ghana and Portugal battle to see if they can find a way to qualify for the next round. One of them will go home. One prays to move forward. TV times: • English language: ESPN2 and WatchESPN • Spanish language: UniMás, Galavision and Univision online • Portuguese language: ESPN Deportes or ESPN Deportes+ Starting lineups: Portugal: Beto, Bruno Alves, Pepe, Miguel […]

In 1990, when the US qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 40 years, I didn’t have cable so I couldn’t enjoy TNT’s ramshackle coverage. So I followed along with the New York Daily News. There were no recaps, highlights, or columns, just the scores printed in agate type on a page of […]

As a tourist town, Los Angeles suffers by comparison to other cities. It lacks the compactness of Boston, D.C., or San Francisco; cities where a solid day’s walk lets you to soak in a wealth of sights. It doesn’t have must-see architectural landmarks like the Golden Gate Bridge, the Empire State Building, the Willis (Sears) […]

Luis Suarez has been banned by FIFA for 9 international matches, and will not be allowed to participate in any soccer-related activity for a period of four months. The worldwide ban is immediate and means that Suarez will miss this weekend's game against Colombia as the first match of his ban. He has been banned […]

The wave of soccer support in the Nashville area has been steadily growing for several years now. Scores upon scores of kids playing in very successful youth programs and club teams, growth in popularity of the Nashville Football Club, and hosting US men’s and women’s national team games at LP Field have all no doubt […]

The USA and Germany face off today at Noon ET/9am PT in the final game for each side in Group G. A win by either team wins the group, but both teams only need to walk out of the Arena Pernambuco in Recife with a single point to ensure advancement into the next round. The […]

Actor and comedian Will Ferrell crashed a US Soccer party last night in Recife to cheer on the United States ahead of its game against Germany (Noon ET/9am PT kickoff). Ferrell jokingly offered to be available for the USA World Cup team if they need him due to the injury to Jozy Altidore. Ferrell, who […]

In a huge blow to Ghana's chances of defeating Portugal today, the Ghana Football Association has announced that both Kevin Prince-Boateng and Sulley Muntari have been suspended indefinitely from the national team and will not be playing in today's crucial FIFA World Cup game against Portugal. The Ghana FA has withdrawn Sulley Muntari's accreditation as […]

Kyle Beckerman #15, it’s not just what you see on the back of his jersey at this World Cup it is also what he signed at the bottom of the notes he wrote for his Mom as a kid. Born in Maryland, it’s been Beckerman’s dream to play for the U.S. Men’s National team since […]

Cesare Prandelli’s path as Italy coach begun four years ago, just after the South African World Cup fiasco, which was led by the former World Cup winner Marcello Lippi. During his four years in charge as Italy’s coach, the former Fiorentina manager led Italy to second place at Euro 2012 and the third place at […]

Thirty seconds. The USA was a mere 30 seconds away from a momentous victory and qualification into the knockout stage. Instead, all of that was snatched away right at the death in heartbreaking fashion and they had to settle for a 2-2 draw, along with just 4 points instead of 6. Soccer can be a cruel […]

When was the last time the United States played a bad World Cup game, devoid of drama, controversy, and great goals? You’d have to go all the way back to a meeting with Germany in Paris in 1998. Jurgen Klinsmann got the second goal for the Germans as they eased by the overmatched and misfiring […]

Thursday is the final match day in Group G, and none of the teams in the Group of Death are 100% through or 100% nor are they knocked out. Germany also belongs to this group, though their position is the least precarious, as they would need a colossal collapse against the USA and either Ghana […]

This week I have been receiving a lot of, to use a polite word, “guff” about the United States National Team from militant anti-soccer people. They constantly bring up the idea that the U.S. simply needs a draw to advance in the World Cup and, because Germany can also finish first with a draw, there […]