Free Republic

I fear the only fair solution is to pay our garbage national men’s team more.No, actually, this is more complicated than it seems at first glance. According to a letter released Monday by U.S. Soccer President Carlos Cordeiro, the federation paid out $34.1 million in salary and game bonuses to the women between 2010 and 2018 as opposed to $26.4 million paid to the men. The total does not include the value of benefits received only by the women, like health care…Comparing compensation between the two teams is difficult because the pay structure is based on different collective bargaining...

“New York City, you’re the motherf***ing best!” she said, classy as ever, as the crowd cheered for her and her vulgarity. Of course, Rapinoe couldn’t care less that kids were in the crowd. “Well, we certainly want to apologize for the language at the end there,” MSNBC anchor Craig Melvin said to the audience. Following their victory over the Netherlands, she shared a photo on Twitter of her and two other gay teammates with a caption. “We already discussed this,” she said in the tweet. “Science is science. Gays rule,” she said, as if heterosexuals could not win. It was...

There are growing demands for FIFA to consider using both male and female referees at future Women's World Cups after out-of-control Cameroon players were allowed to foul England players with impunity at the end of Sunday's round-of-16 tie. Former England captain Faye White echoed the views of her ex-international team-mate Casey Stoney in arguing that there should be a mix of both, also insisting that the debate cuts two ways. The men's game also had a part to play in allowing female involvement, raising refereeing levels before future tournaments to ensure they play a full and credible part.

Jurgen Klinsmann has been relieved of his duties as coach and technical director of the U.S. men's national team, U.S. Soccer announced on Monday. According to Sam Borden of the New York Times, current Los Angeles Galaxy coach Bruce Arena is likely to replace Klinsmann on an interim basis. However, Borden notes that details have not been finalized. According to Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated, Arena could be announced as soon as Tuesday. In a statement, U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati explained the move, which comes after the team's horrible start to the hexagonal round of World Cup qualifying. The...

The United States' path toward the 2018 World Cup became considerably more difficult when coach Jurgen Klinsmann made some puzzling lineup choices and the American defense self-destructed Friday night in a 2-0 loss to Guatemala in Guatemala City. ADVERTISEMENT Edgar Castillo's poor backpass set up corner kicks that led to Rafael Morales' goal in the seventh minute. A goal kick by Paulo Motta went most of the length of the field in the 15th and Carlos Ruiz ran onto the ball, came in alone on goalkeeper Tim Howard and doubled the lead. Seeking their eighth straight World Cup berth, the...

“How do you say [in advance] it is not going to work?”

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) Apparently, the desire still burns in Landon Donovan. Days after wondering publicly how much longer he will have the hunger to play at an elite level, Donovan scored his first international hat trick in five years, leading the Americans over Scotland 5-1 in an exhibition game Saturday night. ''Now, we have Landon back and he gave us the goals,'' U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann said. ''We can't complain tonight.'' The U.S. has won five straight following an 1-4-1 start under Klinsmann, who replaced Bob Bradley after the 4-2 loss to Mexico in last year's Gold Cup final. Clint...

U.S. players can't crack Europe's glass ceiling Monday, March 2, 2009 It was another lost weekend in Europe for the three most talented players the United States has ever produced. With the World Cup just 16 months away and Bob Bradley, like most managers, reluctant to call on players not receiving regular minutes at the club level, this situation could become a problem for the national team really soon. But I suspect the bigger issue for U.S. fans at present is the simple lack of respect afforded their biggest stars. I've never bought into the theory of a bias against...

"Jürgen Klinsmann will be named head coach of the U.S. men's national team within two weeks according to a number of well-placed sources " "Klinsmann, who steered Germany to a third-place finish in the 2006 World Cup and won the 1990 World Cup as a player, has long been coveted by the Americans to restart a stuttering men's national team program. A star with VfB Stuttgart, Tottenham Hotspur and Bayern Munich, the former forward has a reputation for being a pragmatist and displayed considerable acumen and political savvy during his tenure as German national team head coach." "Klinsmann inherits a...

On May 8, the United States National Team will take on Mexico in a soccer match at the Reliant Stadium in Houston. I will admit I am not the biggest fan of the sport in the world, but I think it would be great idea for their to be a big pro-America crowd there for this game. Too often in matches held in areas fairly close to Mexico (Los Angeles in particular) our players have been treated as visitors by large pro Mexican crowds. The treatment of our players on our own soil by these crowds has been abysmal, and...