The road to the 2020 World Cup in Qatar for the U.S. Men’s National Team begins in Austria on March 29 when Gregg Berhalter’s side will meet Jamaica in the rematch of the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup Semifinal. The U.S. will follow up that friendly with a trip to Belfast on April 1 where they will play Northern Ireland.
Once again Ole Gunnar Solskjaer got the better of Pep Guardiola as Manchester United won 2-0 at the Ethiad on Sunday.
With the win Solskjaer He is the only manager to have won more matches against Guardiola (four) than he has lost (three), and the first United coach to win their first three away games against their city rivals.
The latest, on Sunday, was perhaps the best of the lot, as the Red Devils lifted themselves from their recent lethargic displays to end City’s 21-match winning run in style, winning 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium in a result that though unlikely to reignite their own title bid, again proves that when Solskjaer gets it right, they can beat any opposition.
Liverpool suffered a sixth consecutive home defeat on Sunday, this time to Fulham, as their hopes of securing a top-four finish now look almost over.
Less than a year ago this Liverpool side was being called the best side ever in the Premier League era. But after six home losses in a row for Jurgen Klopp’s side, the decline of this Liverpool side has been astonishing. They are still Premier League champions for the time being, but they are a team in free fall. Their league form, post-Christmas has seen them win just three of their 14 fixtures. They have taken just 12 points out of a possible 42 in that time.
Karim Benzema scored a late equalizer as Real Madrid prevented city rivals Atletico Madrid from moving five points clear at the top of La Liga.
France striker Benzema who missed two really good chances earlier in the game, cancelled out Luis Suarez first half goal
Atletico had the chance to effectively knock Real out of the title race but, like in the 2014 Champions League final, let in a late goal against their bitter city rivals which changed the whole picture.
From an eight-point lead on Real with a game in hand, which would have felt unassailable, to just five points and a sense of regret gnawing away at them.
The 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup was originally scheduled to be held from July 2 through July 25 2021, but will now be played from July 10 through August 1. Mexico are the defending champions.
In the past, Concacaf hand-picked its Gold Cup groups based on commercial and competitive considerations. This year, however, in advance of the 16th regional championship, a proper draw was conducted for the first time. And for the USA, it delivered a tantalizing matchup with Alphonso Davies and Canada.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says players cannot be allowed to travel for March’s international break if they have to quarantine when they return.
In the UK at present, anyone returning from coronavirus ‘red list’ countries is required to quarantine for 10 days.
Fifa says clubs can prevent players leaving if they need to quarantine for five days or more on their return.
“I understand the need of the different FA’s but it is a time where you cannot make everybody happy,” said Klopp.
“The players are paid by the clubs so that means we have to be the first priority. You cannot make everyone happy in this period of our lives.
I wrote earlier this week about the financial troubles that Inter Milan’s Chinese owners are in. Inter owe over €200m in transfer fees to other clubs, with their biggest debt being too Manchester United for the signing of Romelu Lukaku back in 2019.
Inter still owe United over €50m for Lukaku, and it appears that they have failed to make a €5m bonus payment to the Premier League side.
According to Italian outlet Il Corriere dello Sport, that missed payment has triggered a clause in the contract that states that Inter need to pay outstanding fee in full by March 31. The problem is that Inter does not have €50m. They obviously don’t even have €5m!
Inter Milan’s owners Suning Group have halted operations at its Chinese football clubs due to financial jeopardy – in a bombshell move which plunges the future of the Serie A giants into uncertainty.
An announcement from the company last week announced that the Chinese Super League champions would no longer be in existence:
“Due to the overlapping of various uncontrollable elements, we have to announce with great regret that Jiangsu will cease operation of teams at all levels while continuing to seek, in a wider scope, interested parties for the future development of the club,” Suning announced on Weibo.
Former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu, his adviser Jaume Masferrer, the club’s CEO Oscar Grau and head of legal services Roman Gomez Ponti have been arrested following a raid at the club’s offices on Monday.
A statement from Barcelona read:
“Given the entry of the local police at the club’s offices, per a court order relating to the hiring [of a third-party company] and monitoring services of social networks, FC Barcelona has offered its full support to judicial and police authorities and collaborated with them to clarify the facts that are the subject of the investigation.
Manchester United were drawn against AC Milan in the most high-profile tie in Europa League round-of-16 draw.
The draw saw Arsenal face the side who eliminated them from the competition last season in Olympiakos, while AS Roma and Shakhtar Donetsk, Champions League regulars in recent seasons, will play one another.
Between them, United and Milan have won a total of 10 European Cup/Champions League titles. They last faced each other in the Champions League round of 16 in 2010, when United won 7-2 on aggregate.