Jon Arnold

Jon Arnold

@jonarnoldfc.bsky.social

Soccer writer @usatodaysports.usatoday.com. Eternally Getting CONCACAFed. TikTok/IG/YouTube: jonarnoldfc https://getconcacafed.substack.com/

4K followers139 following3K posts

Jon Arnold
@jonarnoldfc.bsky.social

(Frantically digging through dusty book with SPORTSWRITER CODE written in the front to see if I'm required to complain about musical acts at Ballon d'Or ceremony or if it's only opening matches & finals)

Jon Arnold reposted

Tom
@tomvictor.bsky.social

Mourinho was once asked to come up with the saddest five-a-side team ever. This is what he wrote: Forssell, Bebe, Schuurs, Neville, Warne

Charles Boehm ⚽️@cboehm.bsky.social

I see Jose Mourinho has entered his Hemingway era, then

Jon Arnold
@jonarnoldfc.bsky.social

El Clásico airs on ABC today, with a one-hour pregame show serving as the led-in. I spoke with ESPN talent & production team to understand what they're hoping to do with the space & how to balance reaching casual fans while keeping the hardcores engaged: www.usatoday.com/story/sports...

usatoday.comWhy ESPN is broadcasting El Clásico, soccer's biggest club rivalry, on ABCWith an hour-long pre-match show and an immersive broadcast, the broadcaster hopes to give the crucial game a showcase in the U.S.
Jon Arnold
@jonarnoldfc.bsky.social

HEARTWARMING: This poster has made a plea for hard work to be recognized - even when it can be easy to follow stealing aggregators. (H/T @tombogert.bsky.social)

Tom Bogert@tombogert.bsky.social

twitter is a lost cause obviously because it's a septic tank but i am begging the good people of bluesky to discern original work from empty aggregation accounts and spend your attention and time on the former, not the latter

Jon Arnold
@jonarnoldfc.bsky.social

Haiti has long had the idea of hosting in South Florida, but an exception "to play its designated home matches in Concacaf-sanctioned competitions in the territory of its opponents, rather than being limited to the Caribbean region" allows it to take its match against the #USMNT to Nu Stadium.

Jon Arnold
@jonarnoldfc.bsky.social

The rule, which said "such venue must be located within the same region as the HMA and must be inspected and approved by Concacaf" was intended to keep teams from trying to make a quick buck by shifting to a U.S. venue. Haiti is, unfortunately, in an extraordinary situation & the change is needed.

Jon Arnold
@jonarnoldfc.bsky.social

Toluca's match with the Copa Libertadores winner will be December 9 in Qatar, the Bureau of the FIFA Council confirmed. If Toluca makes the Liga MX final, it will take place December 24 and 27. If not, the dates will be December 10 & 13.

Jon Arnold
@jonarnoldfc.bsky.social

Other decisions announced include: 🇺🇸 The USA will host the first FIFA Women’s Club World Cup from Jan 5-Jan 30, 2028 🤑 2027 WWC financial model finalized, with MA in the Women's World Cup getting $2.5M & player comp matching men 🇳🇬 Normalization committee for Nigeria until May 31, 2027

Jon Arnold reposted

Justin Horneker
@hornekerjustin.bsky.social

From Columbus, St. Louis CITY SC lifted the first trophy in club history. Success in a tournament that established St. Louis as a quintessential American soccer city: "That's the spirit of St. Louis" #Allforcity New in Talkin' Soccer. www.talkinsoccer.com/thats-the-sp...

talkinsoccer.com"That's the spirit of St. Louis." CITY SC win the US Open Cup.St. Louis CITY SC won the 2026 US Open Cup after 120 scoreless minutes. Once again, Ben Lundt stood tall as USOC hero.
Jon Arnold
@jonarnoldfc.bsky.social

(I don't know why all my link previews are now nerfed on Bluesky, especially when a lot of its strength is that actual people are here & click on the stuff you make)

Jon Arnold
@jonarnoldfc.bsky.social

He literally told the ref that the goal was so good it needed to stand for the sake of soccer.

SickosFC@sickosfc.bsky.social

First thing I saw when I opened reddit was this and I think you need to see it too.

Jon Arnold
@jonarnoldfc.bsky.social

As Arman mentions in this interesting investigation, I've long advocated for teams to post a 'matchday roster' a certain amount of hours (24?) before a game.

Arman Kafai@armankafai.bsky.social

Injury reports are key information, not only for fans and media, but for opposing teams. Most soccer leagues in the world don’t have these reports, but MLS operates in the US, where these reports exist across every sport. We dig into the evolution of these reports by team for FAM:

footyanalyticmusings.substack.comThe Evolution of MLS Injury ReportsHow teams in MLS are looking to keep their lineups a mystery in the evolving age of data availability
Jon Arnold
@jonarnoldfc.bsky.social

When I covered FCD day-to-day, I'd often be in a spot of having injury info the coaching staff wanted to keep quiet... And why should a team be punished for having good beat writers while they're in the dark on a team that doesn't have that coverage? Standardize it.

Jon Arnold reposted

Nicholas Murray
@njemurray.bsky.social

NEWS - The #USL today unveiled a new brand identity built around United for Soccer, reflecting the strength of the connected soccer system it has built and its ambition for the future of the game. www.uslsoccer.com/news_article...

uslsoccer.comUnited Soccer League Unveils New Brand Identity, Reflecting its Vision for the Future of American SoccerNew “United for Soccer” identity reflects the organization's growth and ambition, introduces the first official USL Premier logo and looks ahead to promotion and relegation in 2028
Jon Arnold
@jonarnoldfc.bsky.social

Could we see a Liga MX debut tonight for 16-year-old Paxon Ruffin? The midfielder, eligible for the #USMNT, Mexico & Cuba, is on the bench for Rayados, who lead Pachuca 2-0 in the first half.

Jon Arnold
@jonarnoldfc.bsky.social

Interesting... Haitian club Violette was set to host Portmore United in the DR on October 20 in a Caribbean Cup semifinal but that has now been postponed without additional details - other than that it will involve a new date & venue

Jon Arnold
@jonarnoldfc.bsky.social

While the DR has often been good hosts to Haitian clubs (& there are many soccer links) the huge crowd of Haiti fans at the DR's home Nations League match infuriated many politicians. A Dominican ultranationalist group had announced plans to attend the game, apparently to menace fans.

Jon Arnold
@jonarnoldfc.bsky.social

Something that would help the cause is announcing the punishments loudly & clearly rather than reporters having to dig around & run it as a scoop or FAs doing the announcements. Name and shame.

Jon Arnold reposted

SaÑdra💙💯⚽️
@sandraherrera.bsky.social

The October window is over, and now it's on to World Cup qualifiers for the Concacaf region. The #USWNT will face El Salvador, whose head coach just threatened to drop players and ban coffee breaks after losses against Paraguay. More on his unnecessary crash out ⬇️ www.cbssports.com/soccer/news/...

cbssports.comEl Salvador coach threatens to remove players from squad, strips perks a month before facing USWNTEric Acuna called out his own squad and revoked privileges after back-to-back friendly losses, putting La Selecta in turmoil ahead of a Concacaf W Championship quarterfinal with the USWNT
Jon Arnold
@jonarnoldfc.bsky.social

Jamaica women with an impressive win in Mexico tonight. Ran out to a 3-1 lead & earned the 4-3 victory. Tuesday’s rematch in Queretaro will be worth tuning in for.

Jon Arnold
@jonarnoldfc.bsky.social

Great ending to Pumas-Cruz Azul with La Máquina finding a much-needed equalizer, then Keylor Navas keeping them from getting a win & making sure Pumas got a point down a man. Pumas still not in great shape in the table, but a loss would’ve been catastrophic.

Jon Arnold
@jonarnoldfc.bsky.social

Confirmed: Haiti will host the #USMNT in Jamaica at Sabina Park on November 14 for the first leg of the Nations League semifinals. Jamaica hosts Mexico at the national stadium the same day, a few hours later.