Embattled FIFA said Friday it has turned over more than 1,300 pages of documents and 20,000 pieces of evidence to Swiss and U.S. authorities conducting investigations and criminal proceedings regarding bribery and corruption.

Just as we are again getting all wrapped up in the drama of the Hexagonal, Concacaf's six-team final round of World Cup qualifying, FIFA has come out and announced a plan that could make it obsolete in the long term. Beginning in 2026, the World Cup will be expanded to 48 teams and a minimum of six Concacaf teams (up to a maximum of eight) will qualify for the finals.

The USA is in much better shape after its 6-0 win over Honduras and 1-1 tie with Panama, but if form held through the remainder of World Cup 2018 qualifying in Concacaf -- every team won its remaining games at home and lost on the road -- it would still finish in fourth place in the Hexagonal.

Six hours before Argentina faced Bolivia in Tuesday's World Cup qualifier, FIFA announced a four-game suspension for Lionel Messi. That doesn't bode well for La Albiceleste, which hasn't missed a World Cup since 1970.

To understand why Danny Blind got fired as Dutch national team coach, we'll put in perspective the selection decision he made for the World Cup 2018 qualifier against Bulgaria that cost him his job. It would be like Bruce Arena deciding for Friday's USA-Honduras game to start 17-year-old midfielder Paxton Pomykal from FC Dallas.

A couple of years ago, I started hearing from top level referee instructors and administrators the phrase "what football wants." Now even the most conservative organ of soccer, the IFAB, talks about "what football wants." What is "what football wants"? It is definitely cyclical and situational. "What football wanted" 10 years ago is different than "what football wants" today, it will be different in 10 years later.

Globalization and advances in technology are often portrayed in negative terms these days. The opportunities they provide for some are obstacles for others. The expansion into new markets -- namely, the United States, China and other Asian countries -- has provided new opportunities for Europe's elite, the EPL clubs, and clubs like Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Real Madrid.

After languishing for 18 months at Manchester United, German World Cup champion Bastian Schweinsteiger has joined the Chicago Fire on a reported $4.5 million, one-year contract. That's a good move, according to the German press, whose reaction doesn't always flatter MLS.

Even in disgrace, former FIFA president Sepp Blatter remained a popular figure in many soccer circles. In particular, he fought to bring the World Cup to Africa for the first time. After his choice, South Africa, was beaten out by Germany for the 2006 hosting rights, it was awarded the 2010 tournament. Unfortunately, that event and much about South African soccer have since become tarnished by charges of corruption.

The dramatic exclusion of England captain Wayne Rooney, who has fallen out of the starting lineup for Manchester United, for games against Germany and Lithuania may indicate his international career is nearing its end.

Issa Hayatou, a symbol of the old FIFA, was finally deposed as the president of the Confederation of African Football after a reign of 29 years. The Cameroonian lost to Ahmad Ahmad, the president of the Madagascar Football Association, in a vote of 34-20 of CAF members at its congress in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Monaco did it. It came back from two goals down after the first leg and a goal down on aggregate late in the second leg to knock off Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League. All you need to know about Monaco are the ages of the three goalscorers in the second-leg win: Fabinho (23), Tiemoue Bakayoko (22) and Kylian Mbappe (18).

Gary Lineker, who called Leicester City's sacking of Claudio Ranieri "inexplicable, unforgivable and gut-wrenchingly sad," was just one of many fierce critics of the club's Thai owners. Now it looks like the club got it right, handing over the reins to longtime assistant Craig Shakespeare.

The strike of Liga MX referees in Mexico lasted one game. They got their point across when they showed up for work on Friday -- and refused to officiate.

Arsenal is reeling in the turbulence of a 10-2 rout by Bayern Munich in the Champions League, and its seventh straight elimination in the round of 16 is damning evidence for those fans who want a managerial change sooner rather than later.