Nother CarGuy

The U.S., Canada and Mexico have submitted a joint bid to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The three nations confirmed the bid on Monday, per U.S. Soccer. U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati issued a statement in the release: "This is a milestone day for U.S. Soccer and for CONCACAF. We gave careful consideration to the prospect of bidding for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and ultimately feel strongly this is the right thing for our region and for our sport. Along with our partners from the Canadian Soccer Association and the Federacion Mexicana de Futbol, we are confident that we will submit an exemplary bid worthy of bringing the FIFA World Cup back to North America. The United States, Mexico and Canada have individually demonstrated their exceptional abilities to host world-class events. When our nations come together as one, as we will for 2026, there is no question the United States, Mexico and Canada will deliver an experience that will celebrate the game and serve players...

FIFA's mission to expand the World Cup has a major ally in the shape of "The Special One" -- Jose Mourinho. Currently manager of English Premier League team Manchester United, Mourinho has backed FIFA President Gianni Infantino's plan to increase the size of the tournament from 32 to 48 teams. The head of world soccer's governing body made the idea a key plank of his manifesto prior to his election in February 2016 and is adamant the game must be more inclusive. And now he has receiving the backing of Mourinho, a man who has won league titles in Portugal, England, Spain and Italy, and is a two-time winner of the European Champions League. "I'm totally in favor," Mourinho told FIFA's website. "As a club manager, if the expansion meant more games, less holidays and less pre-season for players, I would say no. "But it's important for critics to analyze and understand that expansion doesn't mean more matches. Play...

He may be his country's captain, all-time leading goalscorer and most capped outfield player, but that's no longer enough to guarantee Wayne Rooney a place in the England starting XI. The 30-year-old has been dropped by interim manager Gareth Southgate for Tuesday's World Cup qualifier against Slovenia, the first time he's been left out of the lineup since the final group game of Euro 2016. "It's a very straight forward decision," Southgate said at Monday's press conference in Ljubljana. "We've looked at the way Slovenia played last week and we knew the profile of midfield we wanted to play. "In no way is it a reflection of his performance on Saturday (against Malta), he played well and dictated play with discipline, but we felt it was the right decision." Rooney's recent performances have come under scrutiny from large sections of the media, as well as Manchester United and England fans. The United captain has...

France continued on its road to Euro 2016 redemption with victory over the Netherlands in Amsterdam, as the  Oranje's  recent revival looks in danger of becoming a false dawn. Paul Pogba's 30th minute missile was enough to give Didier Deschamps' side victory and maintain its unbeaten run since that painful final defeat against Portugal on home soil. While neither side set the Amsterdam Arena alight, few would argue France was undeserving of the three points as the Netherlands, a flurry of late chances aside, rarely looked like threatening. "This is an important victory, it is deserved," Deschamps told French television. "We could have scored more goals. In the second half we had less possession, less control but coming to win here is good knowing we did not have the desired result in the first game (0-0 vs. Belarus). "Winning here is solid and having more opportunities than them is very satisfying." The tone of the night was set i...