Tag: Paul Arriola

Steffen, Pefok headline USMNT snubs for World Cup roster

Gregg Berhalter had some tough choices to make

The U.S. men’s national team roster for the World Cup is out, and Gregg Berhalter had some tough choices to make.

While the most stunning news comes in goal, Berhalter left at least one strong candidate out in every position group. The USMNT boss had to deliver bad news to center backs, wingers, strikers, fullbacks, and attacking midfielders.

Some choices came down to injuries, while others may relate to tactical preferences. In at least one case, Berhalter openly stated that the choice boiled down to form.

Here are the six most notable snubs in the squad heading to Qatar.

Jesús Ferreira and Paul Arriola caught LAFC asleep at the wheel

A heads-up play turned the tide of a high-profile MLS matchup

Saturday night’s high-profile showdown between FC Dallas and LAFC was turned on a heads-up play from FCD that made the visitors look a bit foolish.

Dallas trailed 1-0 late in the match despite a 13th-minute red card for LAFC defender Ryan Hollingshead, with Chicho Arango’s goal the difference for the first-place visitors.

But everything turned in the 78th minute when LAFC’s Franco Escobar was whistled for a foul on Marco Farfan on the edge of the box. Escobar vociferously protested the call, which prompted his teammate Jesús Murillo to come over and try to calm him down.

In the meantime, Paul Arriola made quick eye contact with Jesús Ferreira, who slowly began drifting into the pocket of empty space that Murillo had vacated.

The result? A quick free kick, an opportunistic finish, and the game’s tying goal. Minutes later, Ferreira would score again to give the home side a 2-1 win. The USMNT forward reached 18 goals on the season, which tied a franchise record.

“We have that chemistry inside the field and outside the field,” Ferreira said of Arriola in a postgame interview on FCD’s local broadcast. “Whenever we can see each other and sense each other, we know that something’s going to come. So once I saw him pick up the ball, I knew that there was going to be a play and then I got on the end of it.”

Watch Ferreira’s opportunistic goal vs. LAFC

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Arriola dedicates goal to ailing mother-in-law: This could be the last time she sees me play

The forward was emotional after the game, saying that his mother-in-law is dying of cancer

FC Dallas star Paul Arriola dedicated his goal against the LA Galaxy to his cancer-stricken mother-in-law, saying after the game that it could have been the last time she ever sees him play.

Arriola revealed a shirt that said “F––– CANCER” after his goal and, in an emotional interview after the game, said his mother-in-law is dying of the disease.

“My mother-in-law is dying of cancer,” Arriola told reporters. “Today could be the last time she ever sees me play. For me, it was tough but I wanted to send a message. Not only to her, but to everybody, to just keep fighting.”

Arriola scored the second goal for FC Dallas in a 3-1 away win, with his fellow USMNT forward Jesus Ferreira getting the other two goals.

The win pushed FC Dallas into second place in the Western Conference, with the club having six wins, four draws and one loss in its opening 11 matches.

MLS Picks: DC United vs. New England odds and best bets

Previewing Friday’s DC United vs. New England Revolution sports betting odds and lines, with MLS betting picks, tips and best bets.

DC United (0-0-1) squares off against the New England Revolution (1-0-0) Friday at 8 p.m. ET in a key Eastern Conference battle in the MLS is Back Tournament in the bubble at the Wide World of Sports complex at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla. We analyze the DC-New England sports betting odds and lines at BetMGM, while providing MLS betting tips and picks around this matchup.

DC United vs. New England: Key injuries

DC United

  • M Paul Arriola (knee) out
  • M Emmanuel Boateng (hamstring) out
  • M Junior Moreno (suspension – red card) out
  • GK Chris Seitz (calf) out

New England

  • MF Luis Caicedo (knee) out
  • D Andrew Farrell (quadriceps) available

Place legal sports bets on MLS action in CO, IN, NJ and WV through BetMGM. Sign up and bet at BetMGM now!

DC United vs. New England: MLS odds, betting lines and picks

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 6:15 a.m. ET.

Prediction

New England 3, DC United 1

Moneyline (ML)

NEW ENGLAND (+110) took care of Montreal 1-0 in the opening match, while DC United (+225) and Toronto FC played to a 2-2 draw in their opener. DC is a bit nicked up, missing some key contributors. That’s not good against a Revs side that is nearly whole. While United has posted a 2-1-2 mark in the previous five head-to-head meetings, you can expect the Revs to return the favor in this one.

A winning $10 wager on New England (+110) fetches a net profit of $11.

Over/Under (O/U)

OVER 2.5 (-150) is worth a small-unit play, as DC’s defense was a bit shaky in its 2-2 draw in the opening match. Look for New England to take advantage, and potentially take care of the Over all by itself.

Want some action in this one? Place a bet with BetMGM today. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI on Twitter, and follow @SportsbookWire on Twitter and Facebook.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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