Here are five names to have at your fingertips about the eighth World Cup, hosted and won by England. World CupWilly. The nation that wrote the rules to the game 103 years earlier finally hosted the World Cup. It created the first World Cup mascot — the soccer-playing lion World Cup Willy, the firstin a […]
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World Cup Countdown: Maracana heroes missing from Germany squad
Only nine members of Germany’s 2014 World Cup-winning squad have been named by Coach Joachim Loew to his 27-player preliminary roster for the 2018 World Cup that will be pared down to23 players. Neither Mario Goetze, who scored the overtime goal in Germany’s 1-0 2014 final win over Argentina, nor the man who assisted on […]
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World Cup Retro 1962: Five names to have at your fingertips
Here are five names to have at your fingertips about the seventh World Cup, hosted by Chile and won by Brazil. Carlos Dittborn. FIFAhad by now decided to alternate venues between Europe and South America. Chile was a controversial choice because of a devastating earthquake and a 1960 drought that ravaged the nation’seconomy. Chile’s soccer […]
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Argentina: Dybala and Icardi make preliminary squad
Juventus forward Paulo Dybala and Inter Milan forward Mauro Icardi, who both were excluded from Argentina’s squad for its March friendlies, were named to Coach Jorge Sampaoli‘s35-player preliminary squad for the World Cup in Russia. Dybala over Icardi? Dybala helped Juve win its seventh straightSerie A title. He scored 22 goals but only eight in the […]
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World Cup Countdown: Six MLS Ticos headed to Russia
Costa Rica’s 23-player squad for the World Cup includes six MLS players. As many as seven players could be on Panama’s team for its first World Cup when the Canaleros’ squad is cut down from 35 to23. The squads announced on Monday included 22 MLS players. Most teams have not picked their final squads. Other […]
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Mexico: No Jonathan Gonzalez for World Cup, loads of injury concerns
With injury concerns about five players, Mexico coach Juan Carlos Osorio named a preliminary squad of 28 players that he will need to reduce to 23 for the 2018 World Cup. Not on the shortlistis 19-year-old Mexican-American Jonathan Gonzalez, who filed a switch of association to play for Mexico’s senior national team. Molina over Gonzalez. […]
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Neymar should be ready to go at Brazil training camp
Brazil head coach Tite released his squad of 23 players at a news conference in Rio de Janeiro on Monday, and it included only three Brazilian-based players: Corinthians’ Cassio andFagner and Gremio’s Pedro Geromel. Local options. The spotlight will be on the 28-year-old Fagner as a possible choice at right back for Dani Alves, who […]
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World Cup Retro 1958: Five names to have at your fingertips
Here are five names to have at your fingertips about the sixth World Cup, hosted by Sweden and won by Brazil. Nils Liedholm. Sweden had won the gold medal at the 1948 Olympicsoccer tournament in London but its stars, Gunnar Gren, Gunnar Nordahl and Nils Liedholm, were dropped from the national team by the Swedish […]
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World Cup Retro 1954: Five names to have at your fingertips
Here are five names to have at your fingertips about the fifth World Cup, hosted by Switzerland and won by West Germany. Television. The fifth World Cup, hosted by Switzerland so FIFAcould celebrate its 50th anniversary in its headquarter nation, was the first to be televised. The European Broadcast Union, which had to pay no […]
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World Cup Retro 1950: Five names to have at your fingertips
Here are five names to have at your fingertips about the fourth World Cup, hosted by Brazil and won by Uruguay. Maracana. Brazil was a natural choice to host the World Cupafter the tournament’s hiatus during World War II. Rebuilding European nations didn’t put soccer stadiums high on their priority list. Brazil, where soccer’s popularity […]