It's been a bad stretch for the Brazilian national team, having lost three in a row and fall to sixth place in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying. I mean this news only gets worse--star forward Neymar Jr. will miss next summer's 2024 Copa America scheduled for American shores. Brazilian sensation The Al-Hilal forward has been out with a knee injury since September of 2023, and team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar commented on Neymar's recovery while the knock takes about nine months to recover from. In an interview with Radio 98 FM, Lasmar says: “It's too soon now; from one extreme to another is wrong. Why would we hurry things and risk unnecessary harm? We hope that he can return as early as the beginning of next season (August) in Europe." Given the ligament damage Neymar suffered and his own injury history, it's difficult to force a 31-year-old back into action as soon he becomes available. It doesn't help matters that Brazil have been struggling without him in successive World Cup qualifiers against Bolivia and Peru either. This news increases the pressure on Real Madrid`s Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo, two players who Brazil will have to depend upon in future when Neymar finally hangs his cleats up. Their latest blow still has them coached by the interim manager Fernando Diniz, who also happens to be head coach of Brazilian club Fluminense. With no competitive matches before June 2024-a date set only on May 7 this year when they lost their first international match since October in a World Cup warm-up against Panama), there may not even have time The Neymar era is over: If Brazil is to avoid wasting another generation of talent, the 2026 World Cup must be planned without star-struck Al-Hilal. It would be foolish to count on the old Selecao attacker, who is now just a physical wreck. Brazil's 2-0 World Cup qualifying defeat to Uruguay offered a depressingly familiar sight of Neymar being carted off the pitch in tears. Al-Hilal later announced that the 31 year old had sustained a tear to his anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his knee, penciling him for surgery. Thankfully Neymar's operation went well, but there is still a long period of rehabilitation ahead. The seasoned striker is unlikely to return to action in Saudi Pro League this term, and experts believe he has no chance of making Brazil's squad for the 2024 Copa America starting June 20. So worries about his physical condition led Paris Saint-Germain to sell Neymar in the summer. He found the back of the net 118 times in his 178 games for Le Parc, winning five Ligue I titles along with three French Cups and one Champions Trophy. But Mbappe also missed more than 60 matches through injury during this time. 🤩 @neymarjr is happy with the win 🫶🏻#AlHilal 💙 pic.twitter.com/4yZd72RMRR — AlHilal Saudi Club (@Alhilal_EN) November 3, 2023 With that dismal fitness record, Fernando Diniz still insists that Neymar has an important role to play for Brazil in the next few years. Speaking at a press conference last week, the interim Selecao boss said: "We hope he makes speedy recovery and gets back into action better than ever." " I believe that he has still not written his most beautiful pages. This incident hasn't made it impossible, just more difficult; but using this injury as a springboard to come back tougher will make him even stronger." When the next World Cup swings around in Canada, Mexico and the United States, Neymar will be 34. That exquisite trophy of solid gold is one missing from an otherwise gleaming CV, and Brazil won't be able to hold high their sixth world crown if Scolari remains in his starting XI by then. If Brazil were lacking in attacking firepower, it would make sense to help create an atmosphere conducive for Neymar's international career. Unfortunately they are enjoying a golden age of strikers at the moment and have more young talent than even the most wildly optimistic minds can imagine. The full potential of the former Barcelona superstar will never be realized, but plenty others promise success where he failed. It's time for a cold-blooded choice to stay or go. Brazil is still far from leaving the past behind, but continously holding on to an iconic figure whose time has clearly passed can only hamper their chances of becoming world's best team again. Neymar has contributed so much to his country, and he boasts an incredible return in international football of 79 goals from 128. He netted the fastest ever goal by a Brazilian, and in doing so passed Pele to become Selecao all-time top scorer with 74 (it should be enough just for that reason alone -- he's already mentioned as one of the great legends). For one thing, glory in the World Cup and Copa America has proved elusive for Neymar. But he hasn't slacked off either bit around here! At these big tournaments he has netted 13 times and eight assists from a total of 25 outings. Some of the recollections from those performances will live forever. His goal in Brazil's World Cup quarter-final against Croatia in 2014 is not only one of the great ones on that stage but also goes down as a second masterpiece among his own creations. Since the time he first appeared on our screens against America's as an 18-year old way back in November, 2010 Brazilian fans have been blessed to see Neymar do so many things that make you feel good. If you were to turn and run, they would cheer. Even so, Neymar has been a good servant-he doesn't want to risk damaging the legacy that his willpower and determination have helped him earn for Brazilian football by continuing make himself available. The time is ripe for Neymar to put an end to his Brazil career and give way for a new generation capable of greater achievement than any team he has been involved with previously.

Welcome back to another episode of the most must listen Liverpool FC podcast on the e-streets, you are of course locked into Kop End Fracas (Brought to you by Touchline Media Group). This week Fahi is joined by Glam and Manny to discuss all things LFC. In this episode they cover: Victory against Palace Diaz and Nunez struggles Predictions for the big game vs United Premier League expectations And much more! TLF Discord Lives are back this week, covering a tonne of matches! Sign up today - https://discord.gg/pDyhEjkj Be sure to follow us on Twitter to keep up to date with all the latest LFC and KEF news - https://www.twitter.com/kopendfracas Love what you hear? Want more Kop End Fracas content? Then gain exclusive content and perks by subscribing to our Patreon, today! - https://www.patreon.com/kopendfracas Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

FRENCH SUPERSTAR ANTOINE GRIEZMANN IS ACTUALLY...URUGUAYAN?? Atletico Madrid's man of 1000 haircuts is also a man of seemingly more nationalities. The flashy forward was born in France to German and Portuguese parents before coming of footballing age in Spain. But on this episode of European Nights with Rory Smith, Rog and Rory explain how it may be Uruguay that Griezmann is most culturally connected to... Then, Rog and Rory deep dive into the incredible, harrowing story of Ukrainian giants Shakhtar Donetsk, a team that has been in exile since the 2014 invasion of its home city by Russian separatists. Now, due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, the team is playing its Champions League home games 10 hours away in Hamburg, Germany. And despite it all, the Miners are only one win away from punching their ticket to the knockout stage... All this and more on the latest European Nights with Rory Smith, presented by New Balance. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On the latest State of the Union podcast, Alexi Lalas, David Mosse, and guest Stu Holden methodically react to Thursday's Copa América tournament group draw. Group A, featuring Messi's Argentina, Peru, Chile, and the winner of Canada vs. Trinidad and Tobago, underwent analysis regarding Argentina's potential to defend their title and Canada's dark horse status. (1:34) Group B, housing Mexico, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Jamaica, sparked discussions about Mexico's expected performance and the unpredictable battle for second place among the mix-bag of teams. (6:25) Shifting to Group C, with the United States, Uruguay, Panama, and Bolivia, the trio discussed if USMNT can place first ahead of a recently dominant Uruguay team and the pressure on USMNT and Gregg Berhalter to meet expectations this summer. (11:40) Lastly, Alexi, Mosse, and Stu broke down Group D headlined by Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay, and the victor between Honduras vs. Costa Rica. They discussed Brazil's lackluster performances as of late, and what their potential path to the finals might be and they highlighted Colombia's capacity to be a dark horse candidate. (21:43) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After Bielsa's Uruguay shocked Argentina in Buenos Aires, we look back on some other occasions when Marcelo triumphed in the famously rowdy stadium. 🎧 Listen ad-free & get bonus shows: sqbl.co/plus · 🏷 Get 10% off your legal fees: levisolicitors.co.uk/thesquareball Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Álvaro "Chino" Recoba recently took over as the head coach of Uruguay's Nacional football club. In his first press conference, Recoba committed to an aggres

Alexi Lalas and David Mosse discuss the FIFA World Cup announcing the 2030 host locations for the FIFA World Cup: Portugal, Spain, and Morocco. But what really grabs our attention is the special twist for the 100th anniversary of the World Cup; Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay will each host a singular game to give their respective national teams and fans a home game experience. Shifting gears, since the 2022 Men's World Cup, Brenden Aaronson has struggled to find his form that we once saw glimpses of during his time at Leeds United. Now with Union Berlin, we break down his recent struggles and explore the possibilities of him returning. We then turn our attention to the MLS MVP race. Alexi Lalas shares his personal criteria for ranking the players in contention for the MVP title. We also delve into the implications of Messi's fluctuating status and how teams are beginning to address the ticketing issue associated with his absence. In #AskAlexi Alexi is asked about the current VAR issues occurring in the EPL and is also asked about Fiorentina owner, Rocco Commisso’s comments in 2018 regarding the state of US soccer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Following a late comeback at St James' Park, Gary Neville discusses why Newcastle weren't able to kill off the game against 10-man Liverpool. He also dissects Darwin Nunez's incredible contribution to their 2-1 win, and says that if he can finish like he did today, he could be a very important player for Liverpool. The Gary Neville Podcast is a Sky Sports podcast. Listen to every episode here: skysports.com/the-gary-neville-podcast You can listen to The Gary Neville Podcast on your smart speaker by saying "ask Global Player to play The Gary Neville Podcast". Watch every episode of The Gary Neville Podcast on YouTube here: The Gary Neville Podcast on YouTube For all the latest Premier League news, head to skysports.com/premier-league For advertising opportunities email: [email protected]

Alexi Lalas and David Mosse are ready to recap all the soccer action from the weekend as they got you covered with all the soccer content that you need! The duo first analyze the preliminary Gold Cup roster for USMNT and touch on USYNT losing to Uruguay during the quarterfinals of the U-20 FIFA World Cup. They debate whether the World Cup was a success or failure. They also make sure to discuss the CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship match between Mexico and the United States and why the USA weren't able to place the final touches necessary to pick up the victory. Continuing with the American theme, Lalas and Mosse recap the MLS games from the weekend such as FC Cincinnati's impressive victory over Chicago Fire and also congratulate Leon's victory in the CONCACAF Champions League final over LAFC . Moving over to Europe, they break down top matches such as the FA Cup between Manchester United and Manchester City while also reacting to Zlatan Ibrahimović retiring from soccer. Was Ibrahimović the GREATEST designated player in MLS history? To wrap up the show, Lalas and Mosse talk about the Saudi League making moves and Lalas touches on José Mourinho's behavior following the conclusion of the Europa League final. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With summer moves expected for the likes of Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Folarin Balogun, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano joins the show to discuss USMNT-related transfer news. Plus, Jimmy Conrad, Charlie Davies and Heath Pearce react to the heartbreaking defeats in the U20 World Cup, CCL and TST, and a look ahead to the week's U.S. Open Cup Elite Eight! (01:55) -- Jimmy recaps playing in The Soccer Tournament (10:17) -- Fabrizio Romano joins to talk potential USMNT players on the move (20:17) -- U20 World Cup reaction to U.S. losing to Uruguay (34:30) -- Any players from U20 W.C. roster make Gold Cup for USA? (40:40) -- CONCACAF Champions League recap In Soccer We Trust is available for free on the Audacy app as well as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and wherever else you listen to podcasts. Follow the In Soccer We Trust team on Twitter: @ISWTPod, @JimmyConrad, @heathpearce, @CharlieDavies9, @PartidoPooper Watch In Soccer We Trust on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh4tni-ICN9z0eMIPcf2r2g Subscribe to the In Soccer We Trust podcast: https://link.chtbl.com/InSoccerWeTrust For more soccer coverage from CBS Sports, visit https://www.cbssports.com/soccer/ To hear more from the CBS Sports Podcast Network, visit https://www.cbssports.com/podcasts/ Watch UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Europa Conference League, Serie A, Coppa Italia, CONCACAF, NWSL, Scottish Premiership, the Brasileiro, Argentine Primera División by subscribing Paramount Plus: https://www.paramountplus.com/home/ Get 20% off In Soccer We Trust merch, using the code SOCCER20: https://https://store.cbssports.com/collections/in-soccer-we-trust Sign up to the new Golazo newsletter, your ultimate guide to the Beautiful Game as our experts take you beyond the pitch and around the globe with news that matters. https://www.cbssports.com/newsletters/golazo-starting-xi/ To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices