In no rush to name a successor to Jorge Sampaoli, the Argentine federation appointed under-17 coach Lionel Scaloni as interim senior coach for upcoming friendlies against Guatemala andColombia in the United States. Scaloni, who played for Argentina at the 2006 World Cup, was an assistant to Sampaoli at Sevilla and with the Argentine national team. […]
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Posted inStory, World Cup Watch
How confederations fared: European teams dominate, but not against South America
One of the greatest appeals of World Cup play is so rarely do teams from the same confederation play each other. In the first round that concluded Thursday, 42 of the 48 games matchednations from different confederations, which provides a fairly large data base from which to compile head-to-head records. As one might expect, the […]
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Croatia evokes memories of 1998 semifinal squad
It’s been two decades since a World Cup debutant rolled all the way to the semifinals before losing to the eventual champion. Playing in its first World Cup since gainingindependence from the former Yugoslavia, Croatia finished second to Argentina in Group F and knocked off Romania (1-0) and Germany (3-0) before falling to France and […]
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Maradona backs Messi, slams Sampaoli after slow Argentina start
To kick off the World Cup with a 1-1 tie against Iceland in which Lionel Messi failed to convert a penalty kick triggered a typically Argentine reaction. Shock. Outrage.Accusations and recriminations. In other words, the usual. The result dropped Argentina into a tie with Iceland for second place in Group D, which is headed by […]
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Group D Preview: World Cup is the last stand for Argentina with Messi
Every World Cup group is rife with storylines, yet the lineup in Group D ticks all the boxes culturally as well as competitively. Two-time champion Argentina is ledby Lionel Messi, one of the all-time greats whose brilliant legacy is destined to be at least partially eclipsed if he can’t lead his nation to the title. And […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
No surprise — no Icardi in Argentina's 23-player World Cup squad
As expected, Argentina national team coach Jorge Sampaoli picked Juventus forward Paulo Dybala to go to the World Cup while he didn’t include Mauro Icardi, the Serie A top scorerwith 29 goals for Inter Milan. Dybala joins Lionel Messi, Juventus teammate Gonzalo Higuain and Sergio Aguero in the Argentina frontline corps, which shapes up to […]
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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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Atlanta United's Ezequiel Barco sidelined 4-6 weeks
Atlanta United fans will have to wait a while to see how good is 18-year-old Argentine Ezequiel Barco, the most expensive signing in MLS history. The MLS club announced Barco willbe out 4-6 weeks after straining his right quad during training on Tuesday. He started the first two games at the Carolina Challenge Cup. You’re […]
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MLS Moves: Kaku transfer saga ends with Red Bulls move
One of the longest MLS transfer sagas in recent memory ended on Friday when the New York Red Bulls completed the transfer of Argentine attacking midfielder Alejandro “Kaku” Romero Gamarra fromHuracan. Gamarra, who will be the Red Bulls’ first Young DesignatedPlayer, was signed for a fee believed to be in excess of $5 million. A […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Record deal: Independiente signals Barco's move to MLS's Atlanta United
Argentine club Independiente bid farewell to 18-year-old midfield star Ezequiel Barco, signaling that it had reached an agreement with Atlanta United for his transfer. Llegaste como un chico. Te formaste en la pensión y te vas como un hombre campeón. Todo pasa, la gloria eseterna. ¡Gracias y éxitos, Ezequiel!#TodoRojo pic.twitter.com/37EhUPVfUrJanuary 12, 2018 Barco’s penaltykick gave […]