Hulk, Ramsey, Pep, Spurs, Donovan, Vidal

The 25th-Best USMNT Player Of All Time

Holla! There goes another week. In the bag. Done and dusted. Sunday is the Gold Cup final. We really could not care less after the shambolic manner in which CONCACAF has handled the tournament. We're ready for club footy! Thankfully, it'll come soon. Here we go...

Right, so Stuart James has a lovely little interview with Aaron Ramsey. Ramsey claims that he's a man now, so he's got that going for him.

Backheel Breakfast

It's a big year for Pep Guardiola and Bayern Munich. Raphael Honigstein reports from Germany on the...German Giants. No doubt the capture of Gore Arturo Vidal will help Pep's cause. Can we say that again? Great. Thanks. No doubt the capture of Gore Arturo Vidal will help Pep's cause.

Barney Ronay is taking a look at Spurs now that Gareth Bale is well and truly gone and maybe forgotten. They got a load of cash for the Welsh Ape and initially it did not look like it had been well spent. But, according to Barney, they've moved on and actually look quite healthy. Quite.

The Mill. Plus One. Plus Plus One.

Back in the U.S. of A., MLS lumbers on. This weekend we get our first look at Frank Lampard and Andrea Pirlo as they are expected to debut for NYCFCYCFCCCFY. Should be interesting. Here's a Weekend Preview.

You want to read about Landon Donovan? The Greatest USMNT Player Ever? The Guardian and Jeff Bradley have you covered. But, who was second-best in their estimation? Reyna? OK, fair enough.

Good on you, Hulk! The Brazilian striker has told SPECTRE FIFA to piss off. He won't participate in the Russia 2018 draw. They'll spin the story, but we're pretty sure why he won't be there. "Club commitments," our ass. Here's more on the draw itself, where Wales and Romania will be top seeds.

That'll do. Enjoy your weekend.

Onward!!

-SSN

nbcsoccer.com

Jamaica Defeat USA, Mexico Ushered to the Final, Figo, Miss Charming

Indeed.

Well. How do you like that? What a shitshow. First the U.S. lose to Jamaica and then Mexico receive another pass so they can play in the final. How obvious is this going to be, CONCACAF? We know you want the money, but come on! Here's the fallout from a night of utter poop:

Steve Goff: Night of Absurdity

USA 1 - 2 Jamaica: Brian Strauss at the Georgia Dome

USA 1 - 2 Jamaica: Jeff Carlisle at the Georgia Dome

USA 1 - 2 Jamaica: Three Quick Thoughts

Graham Parker: Lessons from USA's Gold Cup defeat to Jamaica

Joe Prince-Wright: What we learned from USMNT’s Gold Cup campaign

Kevin Draper: Mexico advance after Panama CONCACAF'd

Mexico 2 - 1 Panama: Three Thoughts

Mexico 2 - 1 Panama: Three Thoughts Two

Now then. Is this the year Spurs finally make the Champions League? Richard Jolly investigates. Want to know how the Galatico era began at Barcelona? One name: Luis Figo. And things in Russia  are simply absurd. Miss Charming?

The Mill. Plus One. Plus Plus One.

Backheel Breakfast

And finally...where does the U.S. go from here?

Onward!!

-SSN

nbcsoccer.com

USA vs. Jamaica, Mexico vs. Panama

Really??!!

It's Hump Day and we've got to be quick. Just about the only thing going on is the Gold Cup. Well, that and quite a few rioting Frankfort and Leeds fans. The U.S. face the Reggae Boys and the Mexicans and Panamanians clash. Here you go:

Gold Cup Semifinals Preview

Gold Cup Semifinals Preview II

USA vs. Jamaica: Preview

USA vs. Jamaica: Preview II

Mexico vs. Panama: Preview

We out!

Onward!!

-SSN

nbcsoccer.com

Cuban Defections, Goals of the Week, Transfer Rumors, Transfer Rumours, USMNT

Ciao ciao, Andrea. Ciao ciao ciao ciao. Ciao.

Hey, now. It's all a bit quiet today. And we're not complaining. It's providing the opportunity for SSN Staffers to clean out the office fridge, order more paper, and get that huge stack of documents filed.

There's finally some decent coverage of the Cuban defections that occurred during the Gold Cup. Check the BBC's piece here. It's pretty incredible stuff, really. Unlike their baseball counterparts, there are no multi-million dollar contracts to be had. Want more? Here's an excellent article on Cuba and the U.S. as the dynamic between the two nations changes.

And now for Goals of the Week, featuring one from Boca, one from River, and one from the man who belongs to Jesus.

The Mill. Plus One. Plus Plus One.

We should probably get some Power Rankings for MLS. Top? Kansas City. Bottom? Chicago.

Gore Arturo Vidal has left Juventus for Germany. James Horncastle is wondering if The Old Lady can survive without the Chilean midfielder.

Backheel Breakfast

The U.S. play Jamaica tomorrow night in Atlanta. Grant Wahl is with the Yanks and filed this report.

That's all we got!

Onward!!

-SSN

nbcsoccer.com

USA Crush Cuba, Mexico Gifted a Goal and the Game, Sepp Showered in Cash

Here's to a pleasant week for you and yours. In the Gold Cup, Mexico couldn't finish and therefore couldn't score so the ref gave them a penalty in the closing minutes to allow them to advance at the expense of Costa Rica. Ugh. Yes, they deserved to win the match based on the play over the course of the 120 minutes. But, just not this way. The fix is in, folks! Elsewhere, the U.S. had little trouble with Cuba, Jamaica won, and Panama won on penalties. Your semis look like this: USA vs. Jamaica and Mexico vs. Panama. Both matches are Wednesday, with the U.S. in the earlier (6:00 p.m. EDT) fixture. Here's the shit from the weekend of CONCACAF fun:

CONCACAF Gold Cup: Saturday's Day 12 Takeaways

CONCACAF Gold Cup: Sunday's Day 13 Takeaways

USA 6 - 0 Cuba: Grant Wahl at the Meadowlands

USA 6 - 0 Cuba: Three Quick Thoughts

Mexico 1 - 0 Costa Rica: How Social Media Reacted

Mexico 1 - 0 Costa Rica: Three Observations

Manchester United have signed quite a few new lads, haven't they? One of them is Matteo Darmian. What's his story? Well, first of all, he's Italian. Second of all, Paolo Bandini is on the case and we'll let him take over from here.

Major League Soccer? Five Things We Learned? Sure. But let us take a guess about one of the things we learned. Maybe that the assGalaxy just keep getting better and better? Just how is that in a league that's supposed to be set up for parity? Hmmmm. Here's a Weekend Review to go along with your learning session.

The Mill. Plus One. Plus Plus One.

Haven't heard from Sam Kelly in a spell. He's down in Argentina and he's updating us on Tevez's return to Boca. Gracias, Sam!

Backheel Breakfast

This is funny. Sepp gets showered with cash.

That's fine for a Monday. Catch ya later.

Onward!!

-SSN

nbcsoccer.com