ZWF: Uniting the Americas
Zander's Weekend Facts #51: Sunday, January 29, 2023
The U.S. Men’s National Team just got a major boost in the tune-up to the 2026 World Cup, another major tournament to participate in
Inside this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts, recapping the major soccer news that unites the Western hemisphere, and a look at what Zander’s been reading this past week (WARNING: There’s a test.) Plus, a compilation of the top headlines from the last seven days.
Also, go listen to the latest episode of the Zander’s Facts podcast! Episode 91 features an explanation of what exactly an economic recession is, what can cause it to happen, and whether or not we’ll see one in 2023. Go download the Zander’s Facts podcast wherever you get your podcasts!
Here are Zander’s Weekend Facts for Sunday, January 29, 2023:
Copa América 2024 in the USA is a go
Some big news dropped this week concerning soccer in the Americas.
Concacaf, the governing body of soccer in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean, and CONMEBOL, the governing body of soccer in South America, announced a new strategic partnership this week.
Among the snippets included the confirmation of a widely known rumor, the 2024 edition of Copa América will be held in the United States. Copa América is a men’s soccer tournament run by CONMEBOL for the national teams in South America. Typically, 12 teams participate, with the 10 CONMEBOL members and two guest countries. Think the EUROs, but for South America.
The last edition in 2021 was held in Brazil, with Argentina winning the tournament for the first time since Lionel Messi joined the squad. The 2016 edition, known as Copa América Centenario because of the tournament’s 100-year anniversary, was hosted in the U.S., and turned out to be a major financial boost for Concacaf, CONMEBOL, and U.S. Soccer. So much so that we’re gonna do it again.
Copa América 2024 is a great opportunity for all parties. The U.S., Canada, and Mexico will be able to play in highly competitive matches against top sides before hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup, while South American powerhouses like Argentina and Brazil will be able to get a lay of the land by playing in the main World Cup host country two years ahead of time.
Not to mention the greatest influence of all…
In Copa América 2024, 16 teams will participate, just like in Copa América Centenario, with the 10 CONMEBOL countries and six guest Concacaf nations. All six Concacaf nations will qualify through the 2023-2024 Concacaf Nations League, so the U.S. does not get an auto-bid despite hosting. However, barring a collapse of epic proportions (we’re talking worse than missing the 2018 World Cup) then the U.S., along with Canada and Mexico, should be a shoo-in.
But that’s not all that was announced this week in the strategic partnership.
CONMEBOL and Concacaf announced an expanded Concacaf W Gold Cup, which will take place in the U.S. in 2024, presumably just before the 2024 Olympics. The top eight women’s national teams from Concacaf and four guest sides from CONMEBOL will participate.
Additionally, a new club soccer competition was announced that will pit the top soccer clubs in the confederations. Two clubs from Concacaf and CONMEBOL each will play in a final four style tournament that will also begin in 2024.
Obviously, the big news is that the USMNT will be participating in Copa América. It’ll be a great way for the young U.S. core to gain experience playing top talent before 2026, and it will have some great exposure, being the third-most watched soccer tournament on the planet.
But beyond Copa América, it’s a test run for the integration of soccer between North and South America. It only helps to continue the growth of the game in the United States, at the club and country levels. And even that’s something CONMEBOL and FIFA can get behind, because for them, it means more…
To learn more about this week’s top facts, check out this article from ESPN - USA to host 16-team 2024 Copa America with 6 CONCACAF teams
What Zander’s been reading this week
It’s always a good idea to form your stance on an issue after you have all the facts. Which makes it just a little concerning that a new NPR/Ipsos poll found that many Americans don’t know some basic facts about abortion, one of the hot-button topics over the past year. So if you think you know your facts, maybe take the test below:
Check out this week’s featured article on NPR - Many Americans don't know basic abortion facts. Test your knowledge
Rapid-fire Facts
These are top news headlines from the past week in rapid-fire fashion:
Tyre Nichols: Memphis, Tennessee police released police body cam footage of the arrest and killing of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols on Friday night. Nichols was pulled over by police on January 7 for reckless driving, then was beaten by police after he attempted to flee. The graphic videos show police repeatedly beating, kicking, and punching Nichols while he was on the ground. Each of the five officers involved were fired from the Memphis Police Department and have been charged with a variety of crimes, including second-degree murder and aggravated assault. On Saturday, Memphis police announced that it has shut down its SCORPION unit, of which the officers involved were part of.
Mike Pence: Former Vice President Mike Pence became the third high-ranking U.S. public official to get swept up in a classified documents scandal this week. Classified documents were found at Pence’s Indiana home after a search and were immediately recovered by the National Archives. After the discovery earlier this week, the National Archives asked every representative of former U.S. presidents and vice presidents dating back to the Reagan administration to check their personal records for any classified documents.
Capitol Riot Sentencings: Several individuals involved in the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol learned their fates in court this week. Among them, a man who assaulted Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick with chemical spray was sentenced to 80 months in federal prison. Another rioter who put his feet on the desk of then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi was found guilty on all eight counts against him.
Tanks to Ukraine: The United States announced this week that it will begin sending M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. The decision is months in the making, with Ukraine repeatedly asking the west to send the powerful military equipment to assist in their fight against Russia. The U.S. will be sending 31 tanks, while Germany announced hours earlier it would be sending 14 of its Leopard 2 tanks. In total, Ukraine’s ambassador to France claimed that the country has been promised 321 heavy tanks.
AP African American Studies: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ administration blocked a proposed Advanced Placement African American Studies course for high school students. DeSantis claimed that the course “is a Trojan horse for "indoctrinating" students with a left-wing ideology.” Backlash ensued from many, including the White House and Democratic governors, who urged College Board, the overseer of AP courses, not to bow to political pressure. The first link below includes the framework for the course straight from College Board.
Zander’s Facts Sporting Club
Here are the top headlines from the sports world in the ZF Sporting Club:
NFL Conference Championships: The penultimate weekend of the NFL season kicks off later today with the Conference Championships. As the postseason continues, two spots in next month’s Super Bowl are up for grabs this afternoon. At 3:00 pm et, the 49ers face the Eagles in the NFC Championship game on Fox. In the AFC Championship game, the Bengals take on the Chiefs at 6:30 pm et on CBS. The winners of the two matchups will meet in Arizona for Super Bowl LVII on Sunday, February 12.
NBA Scoring Record: LeBron James is now just a few games away from breaking the all-time NBA scoring record. James is only 117 points behind a fellow Los Angeles Laker, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, on the all-time leading scorer list. Abdul-Jabbar broke the record previously set by Wilt Chamberlain in 1984, and retired in 1989 with 38,387 points. Coincidentally, James was announced as a participant in his 19th NBA All-Star game earlier this week, tying Abdul-Jabbar for most in league history.
NBA All-Star Selections: The starters for the 2023 NBA All-Star game were announced this week. After garnering the most votes in their respective conferences, LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo will be the captains of the two teams in the game. James and Antetokounmpo will participate in a draft, where they will select the players they want on their teams for the All-Star game. While the remaining starters for the game were revealed, the reserve players selected will be announced at a later date. The 2023 NBA All-Star game concludes All-Star weekend, which takes place in Salt Lake City, Utah from Friday, February 17 to Sunday, February 19.
Soccer Transfer Window: Soccer’s winter transfer window is set to wrap up this week, with several big storylines still developing. Chelsea have emerged as the month’s biggest spenders, dolling out the dough for Mykhailo Mudryk, Joao Felix, David Datro Fofana, and others. At one point earlier this month, Chelsea had spent more money on transfers than every club in the top leagues in Germany, Italy, and Spain combined. Additionally, Leeds United are reportedly adding another American to the roster. According to reporting from Fabrizio Romano, Juventus and USMNT midfielder Weston McKennie is set to join Leeds on loan.
Baseball Hall of Fame: Scott Rolen was selected by the Baseball Writers Association of America as the next member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, it was announced on Tuesday. Rolen is just the 18th third baseman to be selected for the Hall of Fame. Rolen played in MLB for 17 years and for four teams, most notably the Cardinals and Phillies. Rolen was the sole name on the 28-person ballot to get selected, receiving five votes over the minimum 75% needed. Joining Rolen in the hall will be Fred McGriff, who was voted in by the Contemporary Era Committee in December.
Wrapping up the Facts
Before this edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts wraps up, here’s another reminder to check out the latest episodes of the Zander’s Facts podcast. Download and listen to the latest episode of the podcast, along with every episode of Zander’s Facts, wherever you get your podcasts.
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You can also listen to every episode of the podcast on this very website. All Zander’s Facts podcast episodes are now available on zandersfacts.substack.com under the “Zander’s Facts” tab for your enjoyment. That includes the next episode of the Zander’s Facts podcast, which comes out this Wednesday!
That’s a wrap on this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts. The Facts in print return next Sunday, February 5, 2023.
