Women’s World Cup opening weekend, Barcelona bellyache and Messi’s Miami debut
Everything you need to know about what happened this weekend
The Women’s World Cup is in full swing following the tournament’s first weekend of games. The United States made its debut against Vietnam with a 3-0 win.
There was also plenty of preseason action by European teams on American soil and Lionel Messi actually made people care about the Leagues Cup with his Inter Miami debut.
Here’s your weekend recap:
3. Women’s World Cup action
We’re less than a week into the Women’s World Cup and there’s already been plenty of excitement and drama. What there hasn’t been is lopsided results.
FIFA expanded the tournament from 24 to 32 teams. As a result, eight nations, such as Vietnam and Haiti, qualified for the very first time. The expectation was that the talent gap would very much be on display.
While there is a gap, there hasn’t been much in routs. In fact, minnows have performed well even in defeat.
The most-lopsided score to date was Japan’s 5-0 win against Zambia. Other than that, England only managed a 1-0 win against Haiti and France was held to a scoreless draw versus Jamaica.
The USWNT play against the Netherlands, a team they defeated in the 2019 final, on Wednesday at Wellington Regional Stadium in Wellington, New Zealand. The Netherlands defeated Portugal 1-0 in their first match at this tournament.
2. Barcelona’s preseason troubles
Arsenal, Manchester United, Real Madrid, AC Milan and Juventus are just a few of the European clubs training and playing friendlies in the United States this summer.
Another team doing so is Barcelona. Or should we say trying to do so.
The Spanish champions announced that their friendly against Juventus, which was due to take place on Saturday, had been cancelled after 12 players became ill due to a viral infection. The match at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, home of the NFL's San Francisco 49ers, was the first of four matches Barca have scheduled on their U.S. preseason tour.
There was initial hope of rescheduling the game for Sunday, but the players needed at least 48 hours to fully recover.
The team’s next friendly is against Arsenal on Wednesday at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. That game is still on as of now.
1. Messi makes memories
All that pink you’re seeing isn’t the new “Barbie” movie. Rather, it’s Inter Miami and the debut of Lionel Messi with the MLS club.
The Argentine superstar did not disappoint. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner capped his debut by delivering an unforgettable and magical free kick that sailed into the upper left corner of the net in the 94th minute on Friday night, giving Inter Miami a 2-1 win over Mexican club Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup.
“What I saw was the goal,” Messi told reporters. “I saw the goal. I knew that I had to score.”
Inter Miami manager Gerardo Martino celebrated on the sidelines, saying afterwards, “It’s a movie that we have seen before.”
The Leagues Cup, a tournament that pits MLS and Liga MX teams, features a three-team group stage with the top two teams from each group advancing to a knockout round. Both leagues have suspended their seasons this summer in order to play the tournament.
In other news: Kylian Mbappe was excluded from the Paris Saint-Germain roster that traveled to Japan for their preseason tour. Sources told ESPN that the French champions are considering never playing their star striker again. Mbappe only has a year left on his contract and has told the club he intends to leave as a free agent in the summer of 2024. … Neymar said he “cried for five days straight” after Brazil's 2022 World Cup exit, adding that he considered international retirement after their elimination to Croatia in the quarterfinals. “I can’t tell you what went through my head,” Neymar told YouTuber Casimiro. “It was the most painful defeat of my career, for sure. I cried for five straight days. It hurt me a lot that my dream had turned to nothing.” … Former Italy striker Giuseppe Rossi announced his retirement following a career that was plagued by injuries. The New Jersey-born Rossi last played for Spal in Italy’s Serie B. He famously snubbed a USMNT call-up so he could play for Italy.