A victory for sports washing, Australia pulled out of the bidding for the 2034 World Cup leaving Saudi Arabia as the only bidder. We won’t know who the host of the 2027 Women’s World Cup is until May but the 2030 and 2034 men’s World Cups are done and dusted.
2021-22-23-24 News Thread
- Thread starter jeffbear
- Start date
VinatieriDefinesClutch
Active member
Ooh good! Another world cup that I won't watch for moral reasons! How close is Saudi Arabia to sea level, maybe they'll be underwater by then.
FIFA restricted the bidding to Asia and Oceania on a compressed timetable, I guess it was their turn up at the wheel. Asia hosted 2022, 2026 is CONCACAF and 2030 is UEFA/Morocco. I guess CONMEBOL got locked out becuase they’re hosting 3 matches in 2030, too.
Seems like a technicality to me, but Leo Messi became the first active MLS player to win the Ballon D'Or on Monday. It was his 8th win. Aitana Bonmati of Spain won the Feminine trophy, while Erling Haaland won the Gerd Murphy as best striker, Emi Martinez won the Yashin Trophy as best keeper and Jude Bellingham won the Kopa Trophy as best young player.
US Soccer finally got around to hiring a new coach for the USWNT, although it's gonna have to wait until her current gig is finished. Emma Hayes has finally decided to leave Chelsea after a decade of stellar results, but will be completing the WSL season before taking over the US team. Fair enough I guess, as she's chasing a 5th consecutive title and has a loaded roster. It won't leave a ton of prep time before the Olympics though, and interim coach Twila Kilgore has hardly been a ray of inspiration.
Hayes had to be on everyone's short list though, so she's a big get. Charismatic, tactically progressive and incredibly media savvy ... it's like she was custom ordered. Not a ton of international experience, but there's more than enough success at club level to look past that.
Hayes had to be on everyone's short list though, so she's a big get. Charismatic, tactically progressive and incredibly media savvy ... it's like she was custom ordered. Not a ton of international experience, but there's more than enough success at club level to look past that.
NWSL Finals are set after two squeaky semis over the weekend. OL Reign got past San Diego 1-0 last night after Gotham nipped Portland 1-0 with a goal that came DEEP into extra time. Fittingly weird finale for a weird year and both Megan Rapino and Allie Krieger get one more game before retirement. Neither Reign nor Gotham looked particularly championshippy at any stage of the season, but have been flawless when it matters most.
VinatieriDefinesClutch
Active member
Oh boy, well if anyone else listens to the football ramble podcast, I guess we know what the A segment will be for the next episode.
While I hardly think Phil Neville is a tactical genius or anything, that mess in Miami wasn't all on his shoulders. Their roster construction was insane (and illegal) and paid no respect to such niceties as you know ... training camp and cohesion. I wouldn't have hired him, but I suspect that he'll do much better in an organization run by adults
I think you’re giving Merritt Paulson far too much credit.
Fair, but it's run like a pro soccer club and not like a teenager's fantasy team/Football Manager account. So ...
Gotham are the NWSL champs after a really entertaining 2-1 win over Reign. Sadly, Megan Rapinoe shredded her achilles only a few minutes into the game, but Bethany Balcer played great in her place so I'm not sure it had a real impact on the game. It was Midge Purce's night anyway, as the Gotham winger was in shred mode all night. She had a lovely assist on Lynn Williams' tap-in to open scoring and factored into Ester's game winner too ... plus she was just a menace all game. Rose Lavelle kept Reign in it, but they just couldn't find an equalizer ... even after Gotham keeper Mandy Haught got red carded for handling outside the area on a breakway in stoppage time. Bonkers stuff.
It’s officially official. She’s staying with Chelsea through the end of the WSL season and will join when it’s complete. She’ll have 4 matches in charge before the Olympics, 2 each in June and July. Twila Kilgore will remain as interim coach and then join Hayes’ staff as an assistant.
Emma Hayes named new Head Coach of U.S. Women's National Team | U.S. Soccer Official Website
Long-Time Chelsea FC Head Coach Started Her Coaching Career in the United States; Hayes Was Named The Best FIFA Women’s Coach in 2021
If you’re really jonesing for soccer, ESPN+ has a riveting FA Cup First round proper replay between Cray Vally Paper Mills and Charlton Athletic at 2:45. Cray Valley play in the Isthmian League, Southeast Division, level 8 on the pyramid. They’re 1 of 3 teams from level 8 to make it through qualifying. Sheppey United were eliminated but Ramsgate advanced to the Second round proper.
Or FS2 has a friendly between Belgium and Serbia at the same time.
Or FS2 has a friendly between Belgium and Serbia at the same time.
Last edited:
Cray Valley and Charlton are only 4 miles apart. Cray Valley brought 2,000 fans to the first match at Charlton, they lifted capacity at their ground by 50% to 1,500 for the replay.