Is another star headed to Hollywood?
Ibrahimovic breaks with Manchester United and sources say L.A. Galaxy is his next stop
Rumours have been buzzing for years that striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic could be on his way to Major League Soccer to play for the L.A. Galaxy. That day could be here.
On Thursday, Ibrahimovic and Manchester United agreed to an early termination of his contract. Sources say a deal with the Galaxy is imminent.
After injuring his knee last April, Ibrahimovic has played only a handful of games, and his relationship with United manager Jose Mourinho soured. This week, Ibrahimovic had a new personal sponsorship deal scuttled by English FA rules, giving him one more reason to get out of England.
Ibrahimovic is one of those rare larger-than-life players, and his addition to MLS would be huge. It would be the league’s biggest signing since David Beckham.
The Galaxy are in town Saturday to play Whitecaps FC at B.C. Place Stadium. I’m not saying Zlatan will be there this time, but we are a step closer to that day arriving.
Big friendlies for big teams
It’s an international break with a lot of big friendlies, as teams prepare for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Defending champion Germany hosts Spain today then Brazil on Tuesday. It’s the first meeting with Brazil since Germany’s 7-1 win in the final of the last World Cup.
Tournament host Russia also plays Brazil today, and France on Tuesday. This is a big test for Russia, a team that has been in poor form for years.
Another side with poor form lately is Argentina. Ranked No. 1 in the world not long ago, the South American giants struggled in qualifying and just barely made it through.
Despite having a wealth of attacking options, including Lionel Messi, Argentina couldn’t score and dropped points regularly. Coach Jorge Sampaoli is one of the best in the business, but his high-energy pressing style isn’t a good fit for several of Argentina’s veterans.
Argentina plays Italy today in Manchester, then faces Spain in Madrid on Tuesday.
New start for Canada
It’s a new start for Canada’s national men’s team as this country takes on New Zealand in a friendly on Saturday in Spain. It’s the team’s first game and camp under new head coach John Herdman, who moved into the position in January after years of success with the Canadian national women’s team.
I met with Herdman shortly after he took over the men’s program, and was impressed with his due diligence. He’s very thorough in his preparation and I think Canada has every chance to succeed under his leadership. The 2022 World Cup is a ways away, but it is by no means out of reach.
For this camp, Herdman has brought in three young players who are getting their first taste at the senior level. Winger Liam Millar is 18, while defenders Derek Cornelius and Marcus Godinho are both 20.
All three are with European sides, with Millar on the books at Liverpool, Godinho in Scotland with Heart of Midlothian, and Cornelius playing in Serbia.
Saturday’s game will be streamed live at CanadaSoccer.com at 6 a.m. PDT.
Mo minutes
Mobile phone company Vodafone Egypt has launched an unusual giveaway. Every time Mo Salah scores a goal for Liverpool, Vodafone users in his native Egypt will get 11 free minutes of talk time.
Vodafone is the largest cellular provider in Egypt, so this could get expensive for them, especially the way Salah is scoring.
Salah wasn’t even considered a goal scorer when Liverpool signed him from Roma last summer. He was a speedy playmaker. But combined with an unselfish striker in Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino, suddenly we can see what Salah can do in front of goal.
Salah now has 28 league goals and 36 in all competitions. He is close to breaking the Premier League record of 31 goals in the modern 38-game season, and could hit the 34-goal record from when the season was four games longer.
Setting Liverpool’s single-season all-competitions record is not out of the question for Salah. That is 47 goals set by Ian Rush in 1984.
Phones will be ringing off the hook in Egypt if Salah can match that.