The World Cup groups have been drawn. Here’s a brief reminder of who made the final cut: UEFA/Europe Russia (Host) Belgium England Germany Spain Poland Iceland Serbia France Portugal Switzerland Croatia Sweden Denmark AFC/Asia Iran Japan South Korea Saudi Arabia Australia CAF/Africa Egypt Nigeria Senegal Morocco Tunisia …
The governing body of North and Central American soccer (CONCACAF) has decided it would be a good idea to implement a UEFA-esque qualifying system for the Gold Cup. There have been plenty of new changes under the new format, but let’s take a look at how the current system operates: …
With the conclusion of all but one of the qualifying rounds across the globe we’ve taken a pretty big step towards Russia 2018. The following 23 nations have secured their places at next summer’s World Cup: CONCACAF Mexico Costa Rica Panama CONMEBOL: Brazil Uruguay Argentina Colombia UEFA …
Make sure you check out my initial thoughts on the fine before reading this update. On November 2nd a judge in Costa Rica issued an injunction for the audit that the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS) did to Club Sport Herediano for not paying a certain payroll tax on player …
We are finally done with trades in the 2017 NFL Season. I got most of my previous picks for Pittsburgh correct, however, the other teams I didn’t do as well with. As the Trade Deadline and the halfway point in the season have come, let’s recap how it has been so far in …
Last week it was reported that Costa Rican champions Club Sport Herediano were fined by the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (Costa Rican Social Security Service). Clubs in Liga FPD are required to pay a payroll tax each season. According to the details of the fine Herediano haven’t paid that tax for …
In most professional soccer leagues around the world there is a system of promotion and relegation. At the end of the season ~3 teams could move either up or down within the system of leagues in their domestic associations based on how well they perform throughout the season; however, this …
Pending a successful appeal of the phantom goal scored by Panama two nights ago, the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) will not be participating in the World Cup in Russia next summer. Yesterday’s outcomes produced the only scenario in which the USMNT would’ve been eliminated. This is the first …
We made it to the last week of the Hexagonal. Here’s a quick overview of the current situation: Mexico and Costa Rica have qualified automatically. Trinidad and Tobago has been eliminated. Current Standings from Week 9: Standings courtesy of mlssoccer.com Race for 3rd and 4th Places 3. …
The first of the three games on October 6th is the most important. While Costa Rica vs Honduras is also a big matchup that day it does not overshadow this one because of its World Cup implications. The two nations are locked in a fight for the 3rd and 4th …
I’m doing things differently for Weeks 9 and 10 because of three reasons: 1. It is easier and more simple due to complex scenarios 2. I can go into detail about the three games and lastly because I cannot say definitively qualification and elimination scenarios. The Current Standings After …
The US is currently in fourth place for the Hexagonal or the Fifth round of the CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers. Now, that is a good place to be in coming into the last two weeks of the qualifiers, but the level of play isn’t there. If anything in Weeks 7 …
