By MARK LORENZANA In the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Germany failed to advance to the knockout stage, thanks — or no thanks, depending on whose perspective it is — in large part to an inspired first game by the Mexican National Team. Mexican winger Hirving “Chucky” Lozano’s lone goal back then, against Germany, four years ago, was enough to give
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By MARK LORENZANA Brazilian forward Richarlison came through for his team in Qatar after teammate Neymar suffered an ankle injury and limped off the field, giving the Seleção a 2-0 win against a tough and physical Serbian team on the afternoon of Thursday, Nov. 24 (Mexico City time). Richarlison, who also plays for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, initially scored
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By MARK LORENZANA Another odds-on favorite lost in its first game in Qatar — a day after Saudi Arabia stunned powerhouse Argentina — as Germany squandered a 1-0 lead and ended up losing to Japan, 2-1, on Wednesday, Nov. 23. The Germans have not lost a World Cup match after taking the lead since the 1994 tournament, when Bulgaria won
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By MARK LORENZANA Despite controlling most of the match offensively and having several shots at goal, the Mexican National Team walked away from its opening game in Qatar with a scoreless draw against Poland on the morning of Tuesday, Nov. 22 (Mexico City time). On the same day, two-time champion Argentina, led by soccer legend Lionel Messi, was upset by
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By MARK LORENZANA The United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) on Monday, Nov. 21, figured in a disappointing 1-1 draw against Wales in its opening match in Qatar, after dominating the first half of the match and taking an early 1-0 lead. The U.S. team, however, blew its chance to take the win after Welsh forward Gareth Bale scored on a
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By MARK LORENZANA Superstars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are winding down their legendary soccer careers, which includes — perhaps, more importantly — being the unofficial torchbearers of the beautiful game, and this upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar is the last time they will lace up their cleats to play for their respective countries, Argentina and Portugal. The
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By MARK LORENZANA With only a month to go until the 2022 FIFA World Cup opens in November, hundreds of Mexican soccer fans are looking for a way to fulfill their dream of watching the Mexican National Soccer Team in a packed stadium in Qatar and, perhaps, enjoy some sightseeing on the side. Some unscrupulous and shady characters, however, haven
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By MARK LORENZANA There has been a lot of soccer news lately. Two columns ago, I wrote about a particularly bad stretch for Mexican soccer: how the Mexican Women’s National Soccer Team went winless in the recently concluded CONCACAF W championship despite hosting the tournament here in Mexico, about how Mexico’s U-20 National Men’s Soccer Team suffered a shocking defeat
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By MARK LORENZANA It hasn’t been a good stretch for Mexican soccer lately, and that’s putting it mildly. On the night of Thursday, July 7, the Mexican national women’s soccer team was dealt a painful loss, 0-3, by regional upstart Haiti in the group stages of the Concacaf W Championship. The crushing blow came several days after losing 0-1 to
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By MARK LORENZANA Inoue Knocks out Donaire in Round 2 Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue knocked out future hall-of-famer Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire in their rematch on Tuesday, June 7 (Japan Standard Time), at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan. What was expected to be a competitive rematch of their 2019 fight that Inoue won via unanimous decision — which
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