As much as organizers — especially the 2022 organizers here in Qatar — would like, you can’t separate soccer from politics at the World Cup. U.S. central defenders Walker Zimmerman and Tim Ream found that out on Sunday night at the team’s first media availability ahead of Tuesday’s high-stakes match against Iran Unbeknownst to them, […]
Paul Kennedy
Paul Kennedy edited Soccer America for 41 years (1985-2026). He began writing for SA in 1974. He started writing for France Football in 1978 and has served on in Ballon d'Or jury since 2007.
Posted inSoccer America Top of the News, Story
I got to see Lionel Messi score at the World Cup
I am not sure how many more World Cups I have in me, but I don’t feel any obligation to attend any more. I got to see Lionel Messi score on Saturday night. Not just any goal, but a goal that summed up everything that is magic about him and might have saved a nation […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
USA-England draws almost 20 million TV viewers
The USA’s 2022 World Cup match against England on Black Friday drew almost 20 million viewers for English- and Spanish-language broadcasts. Fox reported that 15,377,000 viewers watched the match, which ended in a 0-0 tie, while it averaged 4.6 million viewers across Telemundo, Peacock and Telemundo streaming platforms. The combined audience for USA-Wales on Monday […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Hall of Fame: DaMarcus Beasley and Landon Donovan elected in Class of 2023
DaMarcus Beasley and Landon Donovan, teammates when the USA went to the quarterfinals of the 2002 World Cup at the start of their careers, will be inducted as members of the National Soccer Hall of Fame’s 2023 class. Both players were elected in their first year of eligibility. They will join Lauren Cheney Holiday, whose […]
Posted inSoccer America Top of the News, Story
USA gains plenty of respect with England tie but that will mean nothing if it can't score
There has not been, it seems, a World Cup group that the English media have not found a way to make out to be a walk in the park. In 2010, the Sun famously ran a cover after the draw for the tournament in South Africa with the headline: “EASY,” as in “E” for England, […]
Posted inSoccer America Top of the News, Story
USA-England: Connections to English game grow stronger
When the USA plays England on Friday night at the Al Bayt Stadium, the northern-most of the eight World Cup stadiums in Qatar, it won’t be the first time they have met at the World Cup. The USA famously defeated England, 1-0, in 1950 and tied England, 1-1, in 2010 en route to winning their […]
Posted inSoccer America Top of the News, Story
Canada unleashed offers the way
Of the five confederations represented at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Concacaf, is the only one whose entrants have all played their opening matches after Wednesday night’s action. Here’s the verdict: • 4 games; • 2 points; • 1 measly goal scored (Tim Weah‘s marvelous strike for the USA against Wales); and • 9 […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Hall of Fame: Lauren Cheney Holiday selected for Class of 2023
Lauren Cheney Holiday, who started for the USA when it won the 2015 Women’s World Cup, will be inducted into National Soccer Hall of Fame as a member of its 2023 class. Holiday’s husband, Milwaukee Bucks star Jrue Holiday, surprised her with the news on Tuesday at the Bucks’ practice facility. Her mother Rita Cheney […]
Posted inSoccer America Top of the News, Story
TV Watch: USA-Wales draws almost 12 million viewers
The USA’s 2022 World Cup opener against Wales averaged 8.3 million viewers on Fox and 3.4 million viewers on Telemundo. The match was their first broadcast involving the USMNT at the World Cup. It did not qualify for the 2018 World Cup, the first men’s tournament for which Fox and Telemundo had the English- and […]
Posted inSoccer America Top of the News, Story
A tie that feels like a loss
The USA opened the 2022 World Cup with a 1-1 tie against Wales, but it sure felt like a loss. Actually, it could’ve easily been a loss. “Walking into the locker room after the game,” Coach Gregg Berhalter said after the match at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, “you can see the disappointment of the […]