Ask locals and they will confirm that the stadium has long had a poor reputation. “For lack of a better word, the technical term for MetLife Stadium is ‘blah’,” says long-time New Jersey sports columnist Steve Politi. One of his readers once compared its appearance to a giant prison toilet, another to a big air … Read more
Few international teams in modern football history have been able to capture the imagination like Jack Charlton’s Republic of Ireland side of the early 1990s. Under the former Leeds United lynchpin, Ireland qualified for their first ever World Cup in 1990, reaching the quarter-finals in Italy, and soon proved that not to be a one-off, … Read more
Key events I’ve just got a fairly respectable 10/15 in our challenging World Cup final quiz. Have a go … Share I’m very much looking forward to seeing Cherki play. It’s hard to argue that he’s been hard done by when France have so many incredible attackers but a man of his exceptional quality ought … Read more
We’ve got another quiz for you. The 2022 World Cup had some truly memorable moments. The final was sensational, but it was full of surprise knockouts and incredible group stage drama. It was also full of goals, and before the 2026 World Cup and its expanded format, was the highest scoring tournament of all-time We’ve … Read more
Thomas Tuchel has insisted he is not interested in engaging in the “blame game” over England’s World Cup elimination and vowed to close the gap on the leading nations. Even Donald Trump has joined criticism of Tuchel’s tactics in the semi-final defeat by Argentina, with the US president questioning why he made Harry Kane “a … Read more
Asked about how he viewed the last 35 minutes of the game having had time to reflect, Tuchel said he felt “the same way – that we were too passive”. “If you’re asking if I regret my decision, if this is the question, then I don’t regret my decisions,” he added. “I felt that the … Read more
NEW YORK — Will Sunday’s FIFA World Cup final mark the coronation of Lionel Messi-era Argentina as the best national team of all time? Or will Spain’s next-greatest generation take a huge step toward claiming that title for itself? It’s a dream finale between two iconic soccer powers. With Messi and coach Lionel Scaloni leading … Read more
De La Fuente, who said teenage winger Lamine Yamal is fit after sitting out training, preferred to talk up Sunday’s final instead of focus on Argentina’s tactics. “On Sunday we will watch a great show, two great national teams, very similar in some aspects in terms of attitudes and talent,” he added. “I think it … Read more
The thick smoke that has engulfed New York and much of the eastern seaboard over the past few days has drawn wry smiles in Dallas and Los Angeles, where locals will watch on with a sense of schadenfreude when the World Cup final takes place in the New York New Jersey Stadium (usually known as … Read more
“Maybe Lionel Messi has picked up lots of babies, maybe it’s chance, but for those of us who have faith, who believe in something beyond, ‘chance’ is God’s pseudonym when he doesn’t want to sign his name,” Luis de la Fuente says. “In life, everything happens for a reason. Sometimes it’s true that the circle … Read more