English Premier League

As we head into the last three months of EPL play, Liverpool continues to make history. While doing so, they are also making the opposition look rather foolish. On Saturday, February 2nd, the Mighty Red took down Southampton by a score of 4-0 dominating offensive possession the entire 90 minutes even though it took them till the second half to get on the board.

In the 47th minute of the match, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain received the ball on the right side of the penalty box, cut in front of a defender to get to the top of the 18, and finished a lovely strike on the ground that left the goalkeeper frozen as the ball was buried in the bottom left corner. After that, the Saints appeared to lose hope in the game.

Jordan Henderson added a goal for Liverpool in the 60th minute, receiving an assist from Roberto Firmino on a cheeky backwards pass in between two defenders. Mohamed Salah, a talented forward from Egypt, added two goals in the 71st and 90th minutes of the match to seal the win for the Mighty Red. This marks the Reds’ 16th consecutive victory over league opponents. They now have a 22 point lead over Manchester City, which is in second place. 19 was the biggest point differential at the end of a season in 2018 when Man City racked up 100 points, but right now it looks like Liverpool has the ability to easily best that mark.

International Soccer: United States

Also on the 2nd of February, the United States Men’s National Team was able to pull out a 1-0 victory over Costa Rica in a friendly match played at Dignity Health Sports Park in Los Angeles, CA. This marks the first victory for the U.S. Men in 2020, after winning four matches straight, beating Canada and Cuba both twice in CONCACAF play during the last few months of 2019.

The red, white, and blue dominated the match, winning possession by 22% over Costa Rica. However, it was hard for them to find a goal, with no luck in the first half. Five minutes into the second half, Reggie Cannon, a 21-year-old defender from Texas, drew a foul while moving towards the end line inside the penalty box. Ulysses Llanez Jr. then set the ball down for the penalty shot, and calmly buried the ball into the bottom right corner of the net.

It is evident the USMNT is getting better. Unfortunately, many have given up supporting these lads after they failed to qualify for the World Cup in 2018, but five victories in a row this season gives us momentum in the early stages of qualification matches for the 2022 World Cup. It is amazing how much success our Women’s National Team has had in the last decade, winning two World Cup titles. They have won four since the female world tournament began in 1991. There are many other controversies dealing with how our Women’s Team is treated compared to our Men’s Team, specifically salary wages. However, when it comes down to purely speaking about soccer, the U.S. Men need to have urgency for success so they can reach prominence on an international level like our Women’s Team has.