Dribble Diaries

Juan Mata, a former Manchester United and Chelsea player, has joined the ownership group of Major League Soccer club San Diego FC. The 36-year-old is still active in football, now playing for Western Sydney Wanderers in Australia's A League. Mata, like David Beckham, is a former Premier League player who owns a percentage of an MLS club, but he is the first active player to do so. The midfielder has never played in the MLS, although he did spend time in Japan's J1 league before moving to Australia.

Pep Guardiola has signed a one-year contract extension with Manchester City. According to The Athletic, the contract contains an option for one additional year, potentially extending Guardiola's tenure at Manchester City to more than a decade. Guardiola's prospective departure at the end of the season has been put to rest, with a formal statement due shortly. Fans' concerns about the Spaniard leaving alongside director of football Txiki Begiristain are allayed by his commitment to City for the next year, if not two. For opposition supporters, the end of Guardiola's reign is no longer in sight. Manchester City struggled to start the season, losing four games in a row before the year's last international break. Still, no one should underestimate Guardiola's team, which has won four consecutive Premier League titles, including six of the previous seven, and a treble in 2022-23. The squad remains a favorite to win the trophy this year, as well as advance in the Cha...

An intriguing plot evolved during Spain's Nations League match against Switzerland on Monday. A little of history was on the line going into the match: no Canary Islands-born player had ever scored for the Spanish national team. So, when Spain was granted a penalty in the first half, the crowd screamed for Alvaro Morata to give Canary Islander Pedri the chance. However, the Barcelona star stepped up to the penalty spot and had his historic effort saved. Fortunately for Spain, after a lot of pinball in the box, Yeremy Pino blasted home to give his country the lead over Switzerland. Interestingly, he was the only other Canarian player on the field, and he created history. Pino and Pedri then celebrated their goal together. Quirky.

Northern Ireland's two-goal lead evaporated in three minutes, but a 2-2 Nations League tie with Luxembourg was enough to propel Michael O'Neill's team to promotion as Group 3C victors. Northern Ireland appeared to be in control after Isaac Price scored in the 19th minute and Conor Bradley increased their lead early in the second half, but Seid Korac pulled Luxembourg back into the game in the 72nd minute, and Gerson Rodrigues equalized moments later. It set up a nervous end at the Stade de Luxembourg, but Northern Ireland held on for a point, which, combined with Bulgaria and Belarus's 1-1 draw, gave them a two-point lead in the group. While Northern Ireland can celebrate promotion, O'Neill will be disappointed that his side squandered what appeared to be a comfortable lead as they sought their first competitive away win since defeating San Marino 2-0 in March last year - his first game back as manager. O'Neill made two changes from Friday's 2-0 success o...

On Monday, Scotland fans had to wait until the very end to find delight. A trip to Poland with their Nations League future on the line necessitated a total team effort, and one player came up at the right time. Andy Robertson, Liverpool's star and international captain, scored in the 93rd minute to startle the hosts 2-1 after a superb cross from John Souttar. It was his first international goal in five years, and he was making his 80th appearance for his country. Without it, Scotland would have been demoted, but they advanced to the League A/B playoffs instead.

San Marino won their second game in 20 years, coming from behind to defeat Liechtenstein 3-1 in the Nations League. The minnows went behind right before the break, but recovered after halftime to score three goals and secure a crucial victory. It was their second in two decades, coming only three months after their first against Liechtenstein. It is the first time San Marino has scored twice in their history, and they have never come from behind to win a game. Even better, they advanced from the Nations League's D tier to the C tier, where they will face Belarus and Estonia the next time out.

Scotland took an early lead against Poland in the Nations League on Monday, thanks in large part to midfield maestro John McGinn. The Scots needed a win to escape relegation from League A, and they got off to a great start when McGinn converted their first shot following a superb cut-back from Ben Doak. Surprisingly, the same duo united for the victory over Croatia last Friday. It was McGinn's 20th goal for his country, passing Ally McCoist on the all-time scoring record and making him only the sixth Scottish player to reach that milestone. Kenny Dalglish and Denis Law both lead the charts with 30 strikes each. Could McGinn catch them before he hangs up the boots?