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Neymar has been ruled out of the World Cup after Brazil's team doctor confirmed he suffered a broken vertebra late in Friday's quarterfinal victory against Colombia.

July 4th 12:00PM EDT ESPN2 France v Germany 4:00PM EDT ESPN Brazil v Colombia July 5th 12:00PM EDT ABC Argentina v Belgium 4:00PM EDT ESPN Netherlands v Costa Rica

You wouldn't think, five years into the Obama presidency, that so many liberal Americans wouldn't like America. A new Pew survey found that 44 percent of Americans don't often feel pride in being an American, and only 28 percent said that America is the greatest country in the world. Respondents who "often feel proud to be American" were overwhelmingly conservative (from 72 percent to 81 percent depending on the kind of conservative). A majority (60 percent) of "solid liberals" said they don't often feel proud to be an American. The polling data only proves what has been obvious for...

Members of the United States men's soccer team signed autographs for fans and posed for pictures at Los Angeles International Airport after returning from the World Cup early Thursday aboard a flight from Brazil. The flight left Brazil for LAX late Wednesday night and touched down around 6 a.m. PT. Defender Omar Gonzalez, a member of Major League Soccer's LA Galaxy, was among the first to clear customs and greet a group of fans dressed in red, white and blue gathered inside the terminal. "It was a long flight, but I'm happy to be back," Gonzalez said. "I think we...

The media are poring over each and every detail of the life of U.S. soccer team’s heroic goalkeeper. Here’s one they probably won’t mention: Tim Howard is a Christian. Beating the U.S. soccer team in a 2-1 game, Belgium eliminated the U.S. from the World Cup, on July 1. Despite that, the U.S. team still boasted a win: goalkeeper Tim Howard made 16 goal saves during the match, the most in World Cup history since 1966 (when record-keeping first began). ABC, CBS and NBC noted the champion’s popularity – but failed to mention his faith. During the morning segments after...

Brazil is known for many things. Soccer, of course, and its team is keeping its end up, having advanced to the final 8 in the World Cup. Another famed thing is its casual dress code. Visitors to beaches often find that virtually every woman is wearing a bikini, for example. “Body type seemingly had no influence on a woman’s choice of swimwear -- indeed, there were plenty of bikini-clad woman of all ages happily and unselfconsciously sporting bellies, flab, and cellulite,” traveler Michael Sommers wrote a few years ago. “Unlike North Americans, in general, Brazilians tend to be much more...

A Michigan referee of an adult-league soccer match died Tuesday, two days after being punched in the head by a player, authorities said. John Bieniewicz, 44, died at Detroit Receiving Hospital from injuries suffered in what police said was an unprovoked attack. The blow left the victim unconscious and not breathing on the field, Livonia Police Chief Curtis Caid said. After the attack, the player fled the field and waved his middle finger at the crowd. Bieniewicz was in critical condition when he reached the hospital and was pronounced dead Tuesday morning.

Suarez is reportedly on his way out of Anfield after receiving a four-month club ban from FIFA for biting Italy's Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup, but Liverpool's steep asking price of £80 million ($137 million) presents a serious obstacle for Barcelona. That's where Sanchez enters the picture.Barcelona got the apology it wanted from Luis Suarez, now it needs Alexis Sanchez to sign off on a move to Liverpool that would allow the Spanish giants to acquire the infamous World Cup biter. Suarez is reportedly on his way out of Anfield after receiving a four-month club ban from FIFA for...

Tim Howard may very well be the most popular man in America at this moment. So much so, an official White House petition was started Tuesday night to rename the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport after Howard -- seriously.

DETROIT (AP) — A man who was punched in the head over the weekend while refereeing an adult-league soccer match in suburban Detroit died Tuesday, authorities and a longtime friend of the referee said.

Soccer doesn’t express the American ethos as powerfully as our other popular sports: We are a country of pioneers, and we like to see extraordinary effort rewarded... with points. Has the time finally come to slap a Do Not Resuscitate bracelet on soccer’s prospects for popularity in America? If it were up to me, the answer would be no, because soccer players are among the strongest, fittest, most strategic athletes in the world. But, for various reasons, the sport itself does not seem destined for the popularity that supporters have been predicting for the last decade. I’m reminded of the...

I know - it seems like it’s been going on forever! And still two weeks to go. It’s not the World Cup itself, it’s the Google Doodles. How many more of these stupid multicultural soccer gifs on its header (hee, hee) do we have to endure? 48 so far, and counting:Yeah, Team USA lost to the chocolate people - and no, that’s not racist, it’s just who they are:Sure, it would have been nice to win something for a change, as we’ve been on a losing streak for a while now. First we were handed a bitter loss when the...

We’ll get 'em next time. Sadness mixed with pride engulfed the nation as the United States men's soccer team was defeated 2-1 in the World Cup Round of 16 by Belgium on Tuesday in Salvador, Brazil — moving the "Red Devils" into the World Cup Quarter-Finals and sending the Yanks home. After a closely contested 90 minutes that ended level at 0-0, the dream run for America in the 2014 World Cup ended on the foot of winger Kevin De Bruyne in the opening minutes of overtime. Belgium's Romelu Lukaku then scored again in the 104th minute of overtime, putting...

A poll conducted in the days leading up to the United States extra-time defeat against Belgium confirmed the suspicions of various conservative pundits that soccer is by and large a liberal past-time, but the poll also indicated that the sports growth may rest with southern members of the GOP. YouGov looked at the demographics of soccer enthusiasm in the United States, specifically at the breakdown of fans based on politics, region and race, prior to as well as in the midst of Americans quadrennial World Cup love affair. The study found that Democrats are more likely to follow soccer as...

The United States was eliminated from the World Cup, but it went out battling. Belgium beat the Americans, 2-1, in the Round of 16 at Salvador, with all the goals coming in extra time. Tim Howard was heroic in keeping the game scoreless through 90 minutes, and he ended the evening credited officially with 15 saves. But in the third minute of extra time, Kevin De Bruyne finally broke the deadlock. He was set up by Romelu Lukaku, who had just come into the match. Lukaku made it 2-0 at 105 minutes, seemingly putting the match out of reach. But...

Conservative columnist Ann Coulter has been shown a red card for her controversial comments criticizing the World Cup and calling soccer a girls’ game. On the eve of the United States game against Belgium, Coulter has been blasted by fellow conservatives who have scoffed at her claim that "any growing interest in soccer can only be a sign of the nation’s moral decay," Politico reported. On Fox & Friends, host Brian Kilmeade attacked Coulter, saying, "I will outline what she said and try to find anything factual in it. That will be an interesting little exercise." And Fox News host...

SAO PAULO – Lost amid all the talk about the World Cup making soccer grow in popularity within the United States is one very real and unexpected development taking place right here in Brazil. The United States is growing in popularity within soccer. Don't look now, U.S. men's national team, but you are increasingly becoming the second favorite team for a lot of folks from other countries, including the host nation. "Brazil is falling in love with the U.S.," said Brazilian businessman Mario Ribiero, who partied with American supporters in Recife last week. "It is seen as something new and...

SALVADOR, Brazil — Every four years, soccer cleans its slate and allows nations to reinvent themselves. Forgotten teams resurface. Small programs make big strides. Champions uphold their legacy or, in the case of Spain this summer, show their age. For the second consecutive World Cup, the United States is in position for a breakthrough, a fresh narrative, a defining moment.[From Fancy Stats: How the United States can beat Belgium | What to expect from U.S.-Belgium (not much scoring) ]Four years ago in South Africa, the Americans won their first-round group in a heroic manner but lost to Ghana on an...

ESPN has been hyping the World Cup for weeks, showing video from venues across the country where large crowds have gathered to watch the US play. But it's a mirage. Only about 17% of Americans are showing interest in the World Cup soccer matches as opposed to 12% who are following the IRS lost emails story and 26% following events in Iraq. Pew Research: So far, the growing crisis in Iraq has not drawn strong interest from the American public. As Sunni militants extend their control of large swaths of Iraq, 25% say they are paying very close attention to...

SALVADOR, Brazil – The eyes of two nations will be glued to it no matter what happens, but statistical history from this World Cup suggests that the United States' round-of-16 showdown with Belgium on Tuesday could turn into a high-scoring classic. Because if you want to see goals galore, you'll see them in Salvador. The previous line was more than a terrible attempt at rhyming. A genuine trend has seen 21 goals rattled in over the course of just four games at Arena Fonte Nova. Forwards such as U.S. captain Clint Dempsey, who has already struck twice in the tournament,...