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Backheel Breakfast: The USWNT look bad, as expected
They’re the most talented team in the world, and they might win the World Cup, but they have so much work to do.
USA TODAY Sports Images
The consensus is in: The United States women did not play well on Monday night. They beat Australia 3-1, sure, but they played poorly for most of the game. They know it, and they said it themselves.
Those who have been following along know that this is par for the course. This wasn’t a phantom poor performance, but longtime issues persisting into the World Cup. And while they’re accepting of the fact that they got deservedly beaten by moments of individual brilliance, Australia are confident in saying that the USWNT just aren’t that good right now.
A win is a win, but the U.S. are a broken team. Will Jill Ellis fix them?
In the news
Barcelona have announced the renewal of Dani Alves’ contract. What a bunch of drama that was. (FC Barcelona)
Sami Khedira is officially a Juventus player. (Juventus)
Jurgen Klinsmann is trolling MLS again, saying he thinks they need pro/rel. (ESPN FC)
Celtic are going to introduce safe standing. (Celtic FC)
West Ham have hired Slaven Bilic. (West Ham United FC)
Jack Wilshere is surprised he got punished for bantering off Tottenham. (Guardian)
Bayer Leverkusen have signed Kyriakos Papadopoulos permanently. (Bundesliga)
Vero Boquete: “This is not women’s football, this is football.” (AS)
DC United and the District have finalized their stadium plan. (MLS)
You should be reading
Kade Krichko on Ecuador’s 26-year-old coach. (Vice)
Swiss Rambler on Watford’s finances. (Swiss Ramble)
Louise Taylor on what’s at stake for England at the World Cup. (Guardian)
Fun with transfer rumors
The section in which nothing should be taken seriously. It’s rumor season, so this section will be expanded, and as the summer rolls on, it will probably be bigger than the actual news section.
Atletico Madrid and PSG are battling it out for Carlos Tevez. (AS)
Juve could replace him with Robin van Persie. (Star)
Arsenal will only move for Jackson Martinez if they can sell their deadwood. (Mirror)
If anyone wants Patrick Bamford, they’ll have to pay Chelsea £10m. (Express)
Filipe Luis won’t sign for Real Madrid. (Marca)
Monday’s games
Meet Ramona Bachmann, the greatest bad player of all time.
Nigeria proved they can play with anyone in their wild draw against Sweden.
Cameroon absolutely bulldozed Ecuador. (Guardian)
What to watch on Tuesday (click for listings, all times ET)
France vs. England (1 p.m.) - A rematch from Euro 2013, where Les Bleus won big.
Spain vs. Costa Rica (4 p.m.) - Spain are big favorites but watch for Las Ticas’ Shirley Cruz.
Colombia vs. Mexico (4 p.m.) - Both sides need to win to have a chance to advance.
Brazil vs. South Korea (7 p.m.) - This could be our first big upset of the tournament if Marta isn’t at her best.
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