Did you miss the days when the battles between the United States and Mexico transcended the actual game?
Worry no more.
This week, the U.S.-Mexico rivalry was reignited on and off the pitch, Spain made another statement against a World Cup semifinalist and Europe announced plans for more club competition.
This and much more in the latest midweek edition of 90 Minutes’ Top Five.
1. Rivalry renewed
The Mexico-United States rivalry has been void of chippiness and tension for many years. That is until Tuesday.
The American side notched a 1-0 victory over their its neighbors to the south in a game featuring two very young sides, but one in which the result became secondary to an exchange between two of the rivalry’s brightest stars.
In the 65th minute of play, Matt Miazga and Diego Lainez got face to face after a short tussle by the U.S. touchline. After exchanging words and looks, Miazga made a gesture alluding to the height difference between him and Lainez which sparked tension between the two sides.
Say what you will about the gesture, this new generation of American and Mexican players got themselves the first piece of bulletin-board material for the next many years’ worth of matchups between these two groups of players.
2. Resurrected Roja
The biggest winner of the first couple of UEFA Nations League matchdays is, undoubtedly, Luis Enrique’s Spain.
The 2010 FIFA World Cup champions finished out their FIFA break with a 6-0 destruction of 2018 World Cup finalists Croatia, following an impressive 2-1 victory at Wembley against World Cup semifinalists England.
Pundits and fans alike called for a change in the style from the traditional slow, possession-based approach to something with more verticality and directness offensively. Luis Enrique brought about that change during this break and the results showed.
The elimination from Russia 2018 in the Round of 16 is still a sore spot for Spain, but the first two games of the new era have to be an encouraging sign towards Euro 2020 and Qatar 2022.
3. Tournamentpalooza
For those for whom the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League is simply not enough, the European Club Association has something special for you.
The organization, headed by Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli, announced plans to form a third European club tournament to complement the already-established Champions and Europa Leagues, starting in 2021.
The new tournament would focus on Europe’s weaker federations by subtracting from the other two tournaments instead of adding a new batch of mid-table teams. All three tournament would feature a 32-team group stage, reducing the number of teams for Champions and Europa and thus bolstering the attractiveness of the latter.
However, it also means that more of the top money prizes would go to the elite teams, an issue discussed publicly for years.
More Top Picks Ninja Foodi Deluxe Xl
2021 is still a way away, but the ball is already rolling for a new age of European competition.
4. Time for a change?
Major League Soccer announced Orlando as host of the 2019 All-Star Game, but could be host to a new All-Start Game format?
Back in August, the question was raised about the future of the current MLS vs. European club format and whether an all-MLS game could work in 2019 and beyond.
With the number of renowned names in MLS today like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Wayne Rooney and David Villa, the All-Star Game may no longer need the attraction of an elite European side to attract an audience.
Given the announcement of next year’s host city, the debate about the format of the All-Star Game could resurface and result in a return to the original days of the game, but with much more luster in terms of names.
5. Goal of the week
As was the case on last weekend’s edition of the Top Five, the lower divisions of the UEFA Nations League provided the entertainment in terms of goals.
This time, Hungary’s Laszlo Kleinheisler connected with this one-time rocket after a sweet individual set-up by Istvan Kovacs for the Hungarians to clinch a valuable 2-1 victory against Greece on Tuesday in Budapest.