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Women's World Cup 2023
Final: England vs. Spain As for the previous prediction, that of Netherlands, let's forget that one. I stand by my previous record of strong predictions. Will I be sending Netherlands a holiday celebration card this year? Seeing as I haven't in past years: probably not. Nonetheless, the team should be back next time around. It was a strong group. I stand by that prediction and it goes to show that you never know. As for the exciting final between England and Spain: tough call. However it turns out, there will be a first-time champ for the Women's World Cup. Let's go with England, 1-0. More around the corner. The 2023 Women's World Cup champions:
Netherlands Predicted here. The 2023 Gold Cup
So far, after winning the CONCACAF Nations League—on 6-18-23—over Canada, the USMNT is sailing through the Gold Cup. United States vs. Jamaica 6-24-23 CONCACAF Gold Cup 1-1 This Jamaican team was better than others of recent years. A tough opponent for the US and a 1-1 draw about summed it up. United States vs. Saint Kitts and Nevis 6-28-23 CONCACAF Gold Cup 6-0 This is why I love CONCACAF. Who in their right mind has heard of Saint Kitts and Nevis? Then you remember: “Wait a second, I think we played them years ago” or “Was that Martinique?” but the memory is hazy because it is, after all, Saint Kitts and Nevis and you have a hard time pronouncing the “Nevis” part. There was a classic win for the USMNT in the 1998 Gold Cup over Brazil—that had Taffarel and Romario—off the foot of Preki that resulted in a 1-0 historic victory. Kasey Keller—in goal—was huge that game and received a great compliment from Romario, as a result. You see, that’s a game to remember…because it’s Brazil. No one is talking about a game versus Saint Kitts and Nevis from 1978, etc. That’s the beauty of Saint Kitts and Nevis. It’s a very small dual-island—FYI—in the Caribbean. In fact, because it’s such an underdog soccer-nation, with a population of around 47,000, that makes it all the more interesting to watch. The population of the US? Approximately 333 million. And watch I did. The score was a predictable 6-0 goal-fest from the US. To give some perspective, This Is Our CITY covers soccer in and around St. Louis: the capitol of American soccer. There are many towns—suburbs, that is—that have a population of 40,000. For instance, a town near St. Louis, Belleville, IL, where Jimmy Connors is from, has a population of around 41,000. Essentially, the USMNT—333 million strong—just played Belleville. The amazing world of CONCACAF. United States vs. Trinidad and Tobago 7-2-23 CONCACAF Gold Cup 6-0 Trinidad—whose population is around 1.5 million—usually gives a better game. The key word here is “usually” because the score was astronomical and the result was pretty much the same: overwhelming US domination. Players to watch, with crafty skill, for the US: Sonora, Zendejas and Ferreira. The big game against Canada is upcoming, tomorrow. United States vs. Canada 7-9-23 CONCACAF Gold Cup Quarter-final More to come, stay tuned...  Waiting for a call from US Soccer, to be invited on as head coach, of course ;)
I have but one caveat: we’d win the FIFA World Cup the first time out. With ease.
590 the Fan with Cam Janssen, Charlie Marlow & Jim Hayes on KFNS 3-8 Segment 5 - Questions they FORGOT to ask Shane Stay - JJ Redick And Kendrick Perkins Yell In Bonkers Fight Over Race On ESPN 3-8 Segment 4 - Soccer aficionado and author Shane Stay joins the show in-studio Talking a little soccer at 590 the Fan KFNS, March 8, 2023, 9:00am. St. Louis soccer talents—like Pat McBride, Jim Leeker, Bob Bozada, Terry Michler, Ed Gettemeier, Steve Trittschuh, Brad Davis, Will Bruin, Josh Sargent, Tim Ream, St. Louis City and others—will probably be discussed.* There have been many great STL radio talents, such as Ron Jacober, Bob Costas and Mike Shannon; glad to join a few more at KFNS tomorrow. * St. Louis soccer history is vast, and includes powerhouse programs such as St. Thomas Aquinas-Mercy, CBC, Vianney, SLUH, St. Mary’s, DeSmet, Granite City, CHS, SIUE, SLU, St. Louis Stars, St. Louis Steamers, St. Louis Ambush, and much more.  St. Louis City's opening MLS game is February 25, 2023. This Is Our CITY captures the long-awaited (and mysterious) buildup to this debut. For those new to St. Louis soccer, it's the original capitol of soccer in America. FUN FACTS SLU: 10 NCAA Championships (#1 All Time) 1950 World Cup, US vs. England: 1-0 (5 starters from St. Louis) 1958: Kutis SC plays as proxy for the USMNT! 1968-77: St. Louis Stars pioneer US soccer in NASL 1972: Pat McBride becomes an NASL First Team All-Star 1973: All College titles won by SLU, UMSL, Florissant Valley 1979: SIUE NCAA Champions 1980: “Bronze Boot” game, SLU vs. SIUE, attendance is 22,512 1981: St. Louis Steamers erupt with “legendary” high attendance 1980-84: St. Louis Steamers earn 2nd-place three times 1985: U.S. Soccer Player of the Year, Perry Van der Beck 1995: St. Louis Ambush wins indoor Championship Club State, Regional & National titles: Dominated by St. Louis High School State Championships: Ditto! The Missouri HS top 2 coaches for State titles: Vince Drake (10),* Terry Michler (9)** The Illinois HS top coach for State titles: Gene Baker (9)*** Home of the Hermann Trophy (5 winners from St. Louis) U.S. Open Cup Championships: 10 NASL Rookie of the Year: Jim Leeker (1970) NASL Rookie of the Year: Steve Pecher (1976) MLS MVP: Taylor Twellman (2005) MLS All-Time Assists: #2 Steve Ralston, #3 Brad Davis USMNT: St. Louis captains & members, get your calculator USMNT: A player, captain & eventual coach? Bob Kehoe USMNT: St. Louis players represented at the FIFA World Cup, 12 U.S. Soccer CEO: Dan Flynn (2000-19) TV broadcasters: Bill McDermott, Ty Keough, Taylor Twellman August Busch IV oversaw Anheuser-Busch from Soccer Park The original location idea for St. Louis's MLS stadium? Collinsville, Illinois**** Players listed in This Is Our CITY: A select Gazillion 2023: St. Louis City SC debuts in MLS! …more at This Is Our CITY * St. Thomas Aquinas-Mercy. ** CBC. *** Granite City, king of the Metro East. Princes of the Metro East? Collinsville HS & Edwardsville HS. (Once upon a time, Granite City regularly hosted the "Tournament of Champions" at its notorious field "the Gauntlet" in which top brass from St. Louis-proper, such as St. Thomas Aquinas-Mercy, CBC, Vianney, and others, were invited. With industrial smokestacks nearby, and a town crazed for soccer, "the Gauntlet" was an intimidating venue. How serious was Granite City about soccer? Under Baker a tradition began. To start the season, for the opening training session, it began promptly at 12 midnight and local fans would buy tickets to watch, and the place would sell out.) **** It wasn't in Collinsville's downtown, but it was off the Interstate near the Raceway, Cahokia Mounds and a very large trash dump obscured by a massive hill. Also, in the surrounding area are cities (more like dwellings) known for industrial pollution, strip clubs and abandoned tires. In other words: John Waters' dream come true. Luckily everyone moved the stadium idea to the present location of Downtown West. The overall consensus for CITYPARK: thumbs up! It's an immaculate place for a game with a plentitude of bars and restaurants near by. One such town, Clayton, one of the top cities in the area, has everything tourists need for a relaxing time. Mayor Harris has done a great job there and fans of the games should have a great time. Also, of course, are Ladue, Brentwood, Webster Groves, Town & Country, along with areas around Soulard that people will flock to. Don't forget historic Laclede's Landing, right on the river by the Arch. This area is where, among other things, Mississippi Nights once flourished with many bands stopping by, such as Nirvana and Red Hot Chili Peppers. As Mayor Roach, of O'Fallon, IL, told me, his town (centrally located for tourists) will be a major hub for hundreds of people staying for games; there are many hotels, places to eat, and access to downtown St. Louis is very 'user-friendly'; in fact, most Illinois suburbs are closer to downtown St. Louis than many Missouri suburbs of St. Louis. Go figure. Enjoy the opening game!  Top 5 Amazon "Best Sellers in Soccer"
Top 10 Amazon "New Releases in Sports History" Top 10 Amazon "Best Sellers in Sports History" "St. Louis City SC: 2023, the Opening Season!" (First published at Cardinal Publishers Group, January 12, 2023) 2023. St. Louis enters MLS for the first time! St. Louis City SC takes the field in its inaugural MLS season, making history in the process. As I point out in This Is Our CITY, St. Louis should eventually be champs and have a strong franchise for years to come. MLS started in 1996. Why such a long wait for the king of soccer, St. Louis?! This little tidbit is elucidated in This Is Our CITY and let’s just say ownership issues combined with a proper stadium were reasons for the delay. That is, well-intentioned ownership issues and stadium proposals that didn’t materialize to the liking of MLS leadership. The current ownership group, led in part by Carolyn Kindle Betz and Jim Kavanaugh, pushed it over the top. Early on, the St. Louis Stars (of the NASL) had players from various backgrounds, yet under Coach Bob Kehoe the Stars were known for a one-time “all St. Louis” starting lineup with top-notch players, including Pat McBride. Unless there’s some secret archive of the Seattle Sounders that slipped by my radar, this is the only time such a thing has occurred in American pro soccer history. (Or any pro sport, for that matter.) Since the Stars, St. Louis made history with a number of pro outfits, including but not limited to the St. Louis Steamers and St. Louis Ambush, the latter of which won the indoor championship in 1995 under legendary owner Abe Hawatmeh. From that point, there were a couple pro outdoor ventures, one being Saint Louis FC of the USL Championship league. But St. Louis City SC is the milestone. This is the biggest venture for St. Louis pro soccer, to date. Over the years, by way of club, high school, college, pro, and the USMNT, St. Louis has contributed a voluminous amount of talent to US soccer at large. As the original headquarters of soccer in America, this contribution has been heralded as overwhelmingly unique, to say the least. To this date, St. Louis University is still the number one team in NCAA history with the most titles, 10. Lurking close behind in second-place with eight is powerhouse Indiana University. For years, Indiana’s success has, in part, been thanks to skillful players gathered from St. Louis. Here are a few St. Louisans that represented Indiana University: Jeff Sendobry Tim Walters Mike Freitag Dan King Joel Shanker Kenny Godat John van Buskirk Chris Klein Pat Noonan Kevin Robson Mike Ambersley Mike Roach Harry Weiss Will Bruin Jack Maher AJ Palazzolo Austin Panchot Daniel Munie Kyle Barks One such player, with an interesting connection to St. Louis, would be author Whitey Kapsalis. As a kid, he briefly landed in the St. Louis suburb, Collinsville, IL, before eventually becoming captain of Indiana University…as a walk-on! Unheard of! If you haven’t read To Chase a Dream, you might want to.* St. Louis City SC will also rely on local talent, in part, to guide its opening season, including John Klein of Saint Louis University. This 2023 season opens the beginning of something special for St. Louis City SC, St. Louis, American soccer, the MLS, and international soccer as this team is not only stepping into MLS but that of the international soccer community. It's a big moment and there's much more in store for St. Louis in the days ahead. * Kapsalis also wrote, The Leadership Code, an empowering message of the true definition of leadership as a quiet confidence that truly desires the good of another and leaves others better off. More at This Is Our CITY  Top 5 Amazon "Best Sellers in Soccer" Top 10 Amazon "New Releases in Sports History" Top 10 Amazon "Best Sellers in Sports History"
 “USMNT: A Quick Reflection and Look Ahead to 2026” The Four-Year Review: America’s Quest for the Cup (First published at Cardinal Publishers Group, December 29, 2022) Once again, the USMNT had the athletic talent to win the FIFA World Cup in Qatar outright yet something happened, something very familiar: it didn’t. Why? Why is it that the most talented athletic nation on earth didn’t win the men’s World Cup? What is it about American soccer culture that keeps holding us back?...more at Cardinal Publishers Group   |
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