Sunday cup-o-American soccer: Left backs, Messi, and WNT players as TV hosts

Happy Sunday American soccer family. As you get ready for another week, it’s time to look back and reflect on the week that was and see some stories that you might have missed. This week we cover someone standing near Messi, if Jill Ellis was good actually (again), a TV show, Berhalter and Antonee Robinson.

World Cup champion, activist, TV host

Megan Rapinoe has achieved everything a soccer player could hope to on the field. Off of it, she’s also an activist advocating for social justice. Add to that resume TV host according to Yahoo. The USWNT star will host an HBO series with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Hasan Minhaj and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones. Yahoo notes that, “In the trailer, the star-studded guest panel discusses the upcoming presidential election, the challenges we face as a nation, and how we can move forward together.”

Is Jill Ellis bad actually?

Last summer we here at SSFC tried to settle the question of if Jill Ellis was good actually. I’m pretty sure we know who won that debate. Still, this conversation seems like it will be had through all of time. At least, Ali Krieger and Sydney Leroux needed to share their thoughts. The article includes Leroux noting that she was kept out of the national team in 2017 because Ellis didn’t think she had a good 2016... a year she took off entirely for the birth of her son. It also mentions that, “during her tenure with the team, Leroux said the players dictated the style of the game and how the team played. She suggested the Americans could have won the 2015 World Cup without a coach and the 2019 squad might have been able to do the same.” So... maybe we do have an answer to that question after all.

Gregg Berhalter talks World Cup qualifying, roster selection, and Covid-19 challenges

At the very least, this means that the depth in the player pool will be well established by the time 2021 rolls around. Berhalter also discussed Ayo Akinola who will have a chance to switch from the US and play for Canada if he so chooses. The US manager compared Akinola’s situation with Sergino Dest’s where he hopes the USMNT presents a situation that players want to come into.

An in-depth look at Antonee Robinson’s season and what’s ahead

Brian Sciaretta took the long view on the year that the American left back had with Wigan to preview what Robinson needs to succeed in his career. 2020 has been wild for a lot of reasons, but for Antonee Robinson, his professional and personal life has been a rollercoaster. Sciaretta goes into Robinsons’ heart problem, his recovery, and role as a key player during Wigan’s tumultuous season. The article also includes Robinson’s drive to win after years of playing on poorly performing teams and what Gregg Berhalter thinks of the defender.

I don’t want to get too excited, but he’s standing near Messi

I bet Lionel was like - hey, that’s KdlF.