U.S. National Team Tourney News

It’s been an interesting week for American international football. Last night the United States squeaked by the Canadian national team in a 2-1 thriller that is already generating controversy in conspiracy circles. At the very end of the game (there must have been ten seconds or so left) Canada scored what looked to be a very good goal that would have tied the game at two goals a piece. The goal was ruled offsides (although no one can see where the offsides were) by the Mexican Referee, and now thus the U.S. will play (surprise!) Mexico in the hotly anticipated final this Sunday on Fox Soccer Channel at 3PM EST. That game should be great fun, in fact, and it is my only recommended game of the weekend. As I said last week, we’ve really entered the lean times in terms of good soccer matches.

I don’t want to look too far ahead when we’ve got such a great game coming, up, but Sport’s Illustrated’s Grant Whal had a nice piece this week that mentioned some of the men who will be playing for Argentina next week against the U.S. in the opening match of the Copa America. Just a few of the Argentineans who will be suiting up in the powder blue stripes to play against the Americans: Lionel Messi, Hernán Crespo, Carlos Tévez, Javier Mascherano, Juan Román Riquelme, Fernando Gago, Diego Milito and Pablo Aimar. Now that, my friends, will be a fun game to watch. It starts Thursday.