Lionel Messi ended his long wait for the World Cup title in one of the most memorable finals in history. Messi was at his most inspirational, scoring two goals to take his total for the tournament to seven and delivering his country's third World Cup triumph as Argentina beat France 4-2 on...
World Cup History Beckons for France, Mbappé, Deschamps
World Cup history is beckoning for France, star player Kylian Mbappé and coach Didier Deschamps. When France walks on the field Sunday for the tournament final against Argentina and Lionel Messi, soccer lore is waiting to be written for the team. Les Bleus could be the first winner of back-to-back titles...
Messi, Argentina Beat Croatia 3-0 to Reach World Cup Final
Lionel Messi is back in the World Cup final with Argentina on his mission to win soccer’s biggest prize for the first time. And, at 35, he could hardly be playing any better. Messi converted a penalty and had a hand in the other two goals by Julián Álvarez, leading Argentina to...
Iran Coach Aims to Send the US Home From the World Cup
Deep in the meeting rooms of the Al Rayyan Hotel in Qatar, Iran has been cooking up a plan to send the U.S. national soccer team home from the World Cup. The team’s silver-haired leader is a master of defensive tactics, creative preparation, and surprising counter-strikes. He is identifying American...
Iran Women Attend FIFA Soccer Game for First Time in Decades
TEHRAN, Iran — They had to sit well apart from the men, and the stadium was practically empty, but thousands of Iranian women in merry jester hats and face paint blew horns and cheered Thursday at the first FIFA soccer match they were allowed to freely attend in decades. In...
US Women's Soccer Pay Gap More Complicated Than You Think
Americans should all stand and cheer for our U.S. Women’s Soccer Team, now four-time World Cup champions. After their latest championship victory, the crowd even broke out into chants of “Equal pay!” in support of the team’s wage-discrimination lawsuit against their employer, the U.S. Soccer Federation, and for their broader...
Women's World Cup Champ's Hotel Room Burglarized
LOS ANGELES — The celebration was cut short for a member of the World Cup champion U.S. women's soccer team after she discovered someone had burglarized her hotel room in Los Angeles. Allie Long tweeted on Thursday it happened after the team was honored at The ESPYS on Wednesday night. After the...
US Men Fail to Follow Women, Lose Gold Cup Final to Mexico
CHICAGO — The U.S. men's soccer players showed how far, far behind the women they are. Hours after the American women won their fourth World Cup, the men were outplayed by Mexico in the CONCACAF Gold Cup final. Jonathan Dos Santos scored in the 73rd minute to give El Tri...
US Headed to Women's World Cup With 6-0 Win Over Jamaica
FRISCO, Texas — The U.S. women's national team breezed through CONCACAF qualifying to secure a spot in the World Cup next year in France. The Americans still have to face Canada. "Just because we qualified for the World Cup doesn't mean we're going to take our foot off the gas,"...
French Superstar Mbappe, 19, Donates World Cup Paycheck & Bonus
Kylian Mbappe plays soccer with the passion of a youngster, which he is, and the knowledge of a much old player. He's exhibiting this same combination of heart and wisdom off the pitch as well. The 19-year-old French forward, according to the newspaper L’Equipe, is donating his World Cup paycheck...