Tag: AFCON

One U21 Player To Look Out For in Each of Africa’s Ten Best Leagues (Part One)

August 10, 2022August 11, 2022 Charles Erb 2 Comments

Recently, Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis made headlines after declaring he wouldn’t sign any more African players. The Italian, seemingly forgetting that many of his best players in recent years are African, stated that it was ridiculous that he paid their wages and they left in the middle of the season. De Laurentiis further stated…

Scout, Soccer, U21

How They Got Here: Burkina Faso vs. Senegal

February 1, 2022March 13, 2022 Charles Erb No Comments

After almost a month of action, we have reached the semifinals of the 2021 African Cup of Nations. This tournament has had everything: red cards and goals, controversy and upsets, underdogs and powerhouses. Defending champions Algeria were stunningly eliminated in the group stage alongside traditional favorites Ghana, whilst the likes of Comoros and Gambia were…

Soccer

Preview & Predictions for the AFCON Round of 16

January 22, 2022March 13, 2022 Charles Erb 1 Comment

The African Cup of Nations (AFCON) group stages ended in dramatic fashion, with defending champions Algeria dumped out and favorites Ghana among the teams shockingly eliminated. These two of Africa’s eight highest ranked teams failed to make it out of the group stage, alongside Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, and Mauritania. This leaves sixteen…

Soccer

Four Players Whose Stock Rose After Round Two of AFCON

January 17, 2022March 13, 2022 Charles Erb No Comments

The action continues to pick up at the African Cup of Nations, with new stars emerging every match. Several of Africa’s top teams were unable to find victories, with Ghana, Algeria, and Senegal among the teams who failed to find wins the second match day. This saw some of the players with the highest rise…

Soccer

Four Players Whose Stock Rose After Round One of AFCON

January 13, 2022March 13, 2022 Charles Erb 1 Comment

The first round of the African Cup of Nations had it all: drama, penalties, referee errors, goals, saves, upsets, and more. However, whilst superstars such as Sadio Mane stole the show, many lesser known players put in performances that could well see them move onto bigger teams. In the AFCON Preview, I mentioned multiple players…

Soccer

Key MLS Players to Watch at the AFCON Tournament

January 8, 2022March 13, 2022 Charles Erb No Comments

In case you haven’t noticed, Major League Soccer—the MLS—has been making waves recently. Transfers have made headlines of late, with former FC Dallas star Ricardo Pepi and Orlando striker Daryl Dike both heading abroad. However, the league is also now spending the money they earn: Italy and Napoli winger Lorenzo Insigne has agreed to contract…

Soccer

A Look Ahead at the African Cup of Nations

December 30, 2021March 13, 2022 Charles Erb 2 Comments

After two postponements, the not-really-2021 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) is finally set to take place in early January. Originally postponed due to concerns about the rainy summer season in Cameroon, the tournament was then pushed back for another year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Despite further worries about the coronavirus pandemic, the Confederation of…

Soccer

Underrated Leagues: The Egyptian Premier League

January 1, 2021January 1, 2021 Charles Erb 2 Comments

Recently, many of Europe’s traditional top leagues have come under fire. Leagues in France, Italy, and Germany have been called non-competitive, being dominated by PSG, Juventus, and Bayern Munich respectively. In Spain, La Liga is also considered not very competitive, usually just a two-horse race between Barcelona and Real Madrid. Because of this, fans have…

Soccer

Analysis: African World Cup Qualifiers (Part 2 of 2)

July 19, 2020July 19, 2020 Charles Erb 3 Comments

Despite the fact that Africa is a huge continent, the national teams have yet to shine on a world stage. No African nation has ever reached the World Cup semifinals, with Ghana coming the closest in 2010 with a quarter-final penalty shootout loss. However, Africa has enough successful soccer teams to have ten groups of…

Soccer

Analysis: African World Cup Qualifiers (Part 1 of 2)

July 18, 2020July 18, 2020 Charles Erb 1 Comment

FIFA has officially announced the 2022 FIFA World Cup’s start date, which will be November 21, 2022. The tournament will take place in late fall to early winter, since the tournament will take place in the heat of Qatar. This means that World Cup Qualifiers need to get underway quickly, and qualifiers all around the…

Soccer