Great to see Weston McKinney win the US Player of the Year this year.  What a year for McKinney as he gambled on himself on loan to Juventus and has become a starter and full out star with the Old Lady!  Gio Reyna is a worthy winner of the Young Player of the Year – with his breakout year at Dortmund this year.  I truly think he has the chance to be better than Pulisic as he doesn’t get hurt. 

Sam Mewis wins the USWNT Player of the year – after her big year – especially overseas for Man City.

Huge news that Dortmund fired their coach and American Jessie Marsh might be on the shortlist of candidates.  Marsh has does wonderous things as head man at Redbull Saltzburg as part of the Red Bull organization.  Two great runs in the Group Stages the last two years where he scared the pants off huge clubs and almost qualified for the Sweet 16 Knockout stages each time despite a huge difference in quality of player.  Dortmund would be smart to give the American coach a chance.  Wow would that be awesome. 

Not much time this week – except to say I hope you have a Wonderful and Safe Holiday and Best Wishes for the New Year.  I have updated the TV game schedule in case you have time to mix in some soccer watching with your Holiday festivities.  Pulisic should be on Boxing Day – Sat for Chelsea at Arsenal at 12:30 pm on NBC. 

GAMES ON TV

(American’s in parenthesis)

Sat Dec 26 – Boxing Day

7:30 am NBCSN                   Leiester City vs Man United

10 am NBCSN                      Aston Villa vs Cyrstal Palace

12:30 NBC                   Arsenal vs Chelsea (Pulisic)

3 pm  NBCSN                       Man City vs New Castle

Sun, Dec 27

11:30  pm NBCSN                                Liverpoool vs West brom

2:!5 pm NBCSN                   Woverhampton vs Tottenham

Mon, Dec 28 

10 am NBCSN                      Crytsal Palace vs Leicester

12:30 pm NBCSN                Chelsea (Pulisic) vs Aston Villa

3 pm Peacock                       Everton vs Man City

Tues, Dec 29

1 pm NBCSN                        Brighton vs Arsenal 

1:15 pm beIn Sport                              Barcelona (Dest) vvs Eibar

3 pm NBCSN                        Man United vs Wolverhampton

Weds, Dec 30

1 pm NBCSN                        Tottenham vs Fulham (Robinson)

3:30 pm beIn Sport                              Elche vs Real Madrid

3 pm NBCSN                        New Castle vs Liverpool

Fri,  Jan 1

1 pm Peacock                       Everton vs West Ham

3 pm Peacock                       Man City vs Aston Villa 

Sat, Jan 2 

7:30 am Peacock                  Tottenham vs Leeds

12:30 pm NBCSN                           Everton vs Arsenal

12:30 ESPN+                                    Hertha Berlin vs Schalke 

3 pm NBCSN ?                     West Brom vs Arsenal

2:30 pm ESPN+                    RB Leipzig (Adams)  vs Stuttgart

Sun, Jan 3

6:30 amESPN2                                Inter vs Crotone

7 am NBCSN                                   Burnley vs Fulham (Robinson)

9:15  am NBCSN                            New Castle vs Leicester

9:30 am ESPN+                   Dortmund (Reyna) vs Wolfsburg (Brooks) 

11;30 am NBCSN         Chelsea (Pulisic) vs Man City 

2:45 ESPN+                          Udinese vs Juve (McKinney)

3 pm beIN Sport                   Huesca vs Barcelona (Dest) 

Mon, Jan 4

3 pm NBCSN                       Southampton vs Liverpool

USA

Mueller shows Berhalter’s USMNT options run deep

US Weston McKennie Wins Player of the Year for US –  SI  
Reyna voted U.S.’s Young Male Player of Year

Man City’s Mewis named U.S. top women’s player   Jeff Carlisle

USWNT’s support for racial justice ‘a long time coming’ – Becky Sauerbrunn

Dec 22, 2020ESPN

United States defender Becky Sauerbrunn said the USWNT had failed its Black players by not taking a stand against racial injustice sooner.The U.S. women displayed their support before a 2-0 friendly defeat of the Netherlands in late November, with the players wearing warmup jackets with the words “Black Lives Matter” emblazoned on the front, and nearly every member of the team took a knee during the playing of the national anthem.Accompanying the pregame show of solidarity was a statement posted to team members’ social media accounts.peaking on USWNT teammate Kelley O’Hara’s podcast called “Just Women’s Sports” on Tuesday, Sauerbrunn said she regretted the team’s lack of awareness for so long.

“I’m actually conflicted that it took us thing long as a national team to get to this point because we for so long we have fought for so many things,” she said. “For gender equality, for pay equality. We wear jerseys for LGBTQ, for military, and we’ve never as a group come together to fight for social justice and racial inequality.”It has been a long time coming and in a way I feel we’ve failed the Black women on our team, on our program and our Black supporters by not being more aware to this fight. I’m glad we came together and I’m glad we got all the Black women together and as a team and a small group decided what we could do to bring more awareness to BLM [Black Lives Matter].”It’s amazing that we got to do that but it’s also, I feel like, it’s been too long for this to finally come to fruition and hopefully it’s just the first of many things we do to continue this fight.”Nine out of the 11 starters knelt for the anthem against the Netherlands. O’Hara, a defender, and midfielder Julie Ertz were the two who stood. Sauerbrunn said the team understood their reasons not to participate.”As you know, it was the first time as a team that we ever had a conversation about race. And it was awkward at times and there was tension and it was emotional, but I think people really got to speak their truths for the first time in that group setting. So, I’m proud about that, and even though people decided to participate in the anthem the way that they did, at least it was done with an understanding for one another’s motives.”Still work to be done, but it was a really big step for the group,” she said.ue to a pause in international play caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the match in November was the first for the USWNT since the death of George Floyd — a Black man who was killed while in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25 — sparked worldwide protests and calls for racial justice and an end to police brutality.Earlier in the month, the United States men’s team wore messages calling for justice on its tracksuits prior to its 0-0 friendly draw with Wales in the team’s first match back since Floyd’s death.

USWNT stars Morgan, Heath, Lavelle went to Europe due to the pandemic, but don’t expect a larger movement

play

Manchester City’s Alex Greenwood describes how Rose Lavelle and Sam Mewis have benefitted the team this year. (1:10)

Dec 22, 2020ESPN

When whispers began circulating at the end of the summer that a number of high-profile United States women’s national team players would be making their way to England, there was curiosity on both sides of the Atlantic as to what this might mean for the global game.

Several players had done stints in Europe before, of course, but the arrival of five of the 2019 World Cup winners’ top stars — Alex Morgan, Tobin Heath, Rose Lavelle, Christen Press, and Sam Mewis — to England was a marked difference to previous moves that had drawn criticism and even seen national team careers threatened.

Jump to: A few minutes with Matthew Hoppe | Stock watch | Scouting report: Chris Richards

In 2018, Portland Thorns and USWNT star Crystal Dunn cut her time at Chelsea short over fears her national career would suffer, while Morgan (Lyon) and Carli Lloyd (Manchester City) also previously faced criticism after leaving for opportunities abroad.

Former United States manager Jill Ellis was a strong advocate of players remaining in the USA and the USWNT’s existing pay structure makes playing outside of the U.S. quite complicated for players, especially if they don’t have the support of U.S. Soccer. The federation pays the players’ international salaries and game bonuses, as well as the club salaries for USWNT players who play in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). While teams own the league, U.S. Soccer are employed through a contract to manage aspects of the league. This includes paying national team salaries for some players as well as salaries for at least 22 other players. In exchange for these salaries, the teams and the league limit the amount of players who can go overseas, though this contract is revisited periodically and the next review is due at the end of 2021. It all means that the USSF has an extra interest in its big stars staying home and playing in the States.

Americans in Europe

ESPN highlights the biggest stories around United States stars plying their trade overseas, bringing inside information to their successes and struggles, sitting down with some of the national team’s top players, and scouting the next generation of Americans breaking through across Europe.

However, these controls have been loosening in the last year due to a number of internal and external factors. The league has been looking to lessen the control U.S. Soccer has on its players while Ellis’ successor as USWNT coach, Vlatko Andonovski, has said he sees the benefits of players getting experience abroad.

“Every player that is Europe-based, if they’re healthy and performing well, they’re going to be in our plans and will be called for upcoming camps,” Andonovski said when asked about the Europe-based members of his squad.

However, one factor undoubtedly pushed the balance for the players this year: the COVID-19 pandemic. Even though the NWSL was the first professional sports league to return to play in the United States after the initial pandemic-enforced shutdown, uncertainty led to Press and Heath opting out of the league’s Challenge Cup, while Morgan’s club side, the Orlando Pride, were forced to withdraw from the tournament entirely due to a spate of COVID-19 tests.”It was a really impossible situation,” Heath told ESPN. “I haven’t played a real game of football since March, and it was a long time to press pause on my career. It was a very tough decision because I have given so much of my career and my heart there.

Alex Morgan leaving Spurs for Orlando in 2021

“The NWSL is a great league. It’s so competitive from every single team and every single game. They have the right people and they are invested in it. It’s unfortunate that the outcome right now isn’t players staying.”Man City’s Mewis (North Carolina Courage) and Lavelle (OL Reign) did compete in the tournament, but the chance for regular football ahead of an Olympic year was a massive draw.”I think the NWSL did such a good job with the Challenge Cup,” Mewis told ESPN. “I think it is such an individual decision to switch teams or change leagues, and the opportunity is so great that I personally was like this is a chance for me to add some depth to my game and continue to evolve as a player.”

Not only was the certainty of England’s FA Women’s Super League (WSL) season a draw for the players, but their coaches also backed them for pursuing regular game time and continuing their development. “Most important for Sam right now are competitive games, especially leading into an Olympic year, and she will be able to play 20 games over the next six to seven months, which is hugely valuable,” North Carolina Courage coach Paul Riley said when her transfer was announced.While the winds may be slightly changing for the USWNT, it is unlikely — especially with the return of the NWSL and several new expansion teams coming soon, like Racing Louisville FC and Angel City FC in Los Angeles — that these moves will herald a mass exodus to Europe. The role of COVID-19 and subsequently a lack of domestic options for players also cannot be understated, with Morgan announcing on Monday she will be leaving Spurs to return to Orlando in January.

However, as women’s football becomes a more global game and the ties between U.S. Soccer and the league continue to loosen, it wouldn’t be surprising to see more of the USWNT’ stars make the move across the pond in the future. — Kathleen McNamee

A few minutes with … Matthew Hoppe

Schalke 04‘s Matthew Hoppe is the latest young American to break through in the German Bundesliga, the 19-year-old having recently made his Bundesliga debut against Borussia Monchengladbach.

Matthew Hoppe explains why he wanted to step out of his comfort zone and take his skills to the next level in Europe.

The Californian, who has made three appearances to date for Schalke, is hoping to make his USMNT debut soon and sat down with ESPN’s Sebastian Salazar to discuss the future of the USMNT, his unlikely rise at Schalke and which strikers he models his game after.

Stock watch: Assessing the ups and downs of Americans abroad

Tobin Heath, Manchester United — On the rise : Coach Casey Stoney’s work to secure the signatures of USWNT stars Tobin Heath and Christen Press at Manchester United was one of the biggest coups of the summer transfer window. Heath in particular has made her presence felt since her arrival at the club, with her distinctive and confident play helping United head into the Christmas break top of the WSL table. With United still a relatively young side, Heath’s four goals have been impressive, but her leadership and experience have undoubtedly been just as important to the Red Devils’ success so far this season.

– Gio Reyna voted U.S. Soccer’s young male player of the year

Tim Weah, Lille — On the rise : After a lost 2019-20 season due to multiple hamstring injuries, Weah is finally starting to make his mark in France. The American attacker has made the most of his appearances of late, scoring goals against Celtic and Dijon and adding an assist against Slavia Prague in the month of December. Weah has yet to start a game in Ligue 1, but it seems as if that is only a matter of time now.

“He has improved massively. He is getting better and better. We forget sometimes that he is only 20 and that he had a very serious injury last year. He is working really hard, and we have great hopes for him for this season,” a Lille source tells ESPN’s Julien Laurens. Healthy and confident again, Weah looks as if he is getting back to his best, which is great to see after an injury-marred 2020 for the ex-PSG man.Tyler Adams, RB Leipzig — Trending down: Adams remains a contributor for RB Leipzig, but some around the team worry about his form and his competition for the starting defensive midfield role. After scoring the goal that sent RB Leipzig into the Champions League semifinals in August, the 21-year-old has endured a mixed start to the season, marked by inconsistent playing time and a minor knee injury.

The American has started seven of Leipzig’s 13 games in the Bundesliga, six of those as a defensive midfielder, but faces competition from both Marcel Sabitzer and Kevin Kampl in the heart of the pitch. Ulli Kroemer of NTV rates him behind Sabitzer and Kampl in terms of ball control and adds that at the moment, Adams lacks the class and experience that the other two possess. Maybe more troubling is that Kroemer also says that Adams has struggled to win back balls of late, which is one of the attributes the former New York Red Bulls product typically hangs his hat on. Adams will need to turn it around soon or he could be the odd man out in Julian Nagelsmann’s constantly changing midfield.

Rose Lavelle, Manchester City — Trending down: Picked to the NWSL Challenge Cup’s Best XI, Lavelle’s arrival at Manchester City was met with real excitement. However, it feels like we’ve yet to see the best of the midfielder across the Atlantic. Manager Gareth Taylor has said that she arrived to the WSL with a different level of fitness to teammate Sam Mewis, which is why her game minutes have been somewhat limited. A goal against the Netherlands for the USWNT in November was a timely reminder of what she is capable of, however an injury soon after set her back again. Many will be hoping 2021 is the year she banishes any fitness doubts and establishes herself as a key cog in the Man City machine.

Scouting report: Chris Richards

The young American defender has enjoyed a fairytale 2020-21 season so far. In the space of a few eventful months, the Alabama-born center-back has gone from a talent to a proper pro, starting for Bayern in the Bundesliga and the Champions League and making his debut for the USMNT against Panama. The 20-year-old’s journey to the German champions hasn’t been the easiest — he had to undergo a trial and a loan move before his permanent €1.1 million move from FC Dallas — but he’s passed every exam along the way with flying colours.

Fielded mainly as a centre-back for Bayern’s second team in the third tier of German league football, Richards has alternated between his preferred position in the middle and as a right-back for the senior side. Despite being mobile, he doesn’t have the extreme pace of his teammate Alphonso Davies and at centre-back, but his obvious qualities — aerial power (he’s got a great leap), composure on the ball, and one-on-one defending — come to the fore much more readily.

While not quite yet ready to permanently replace Jerome Boateng or David Alaba (whose contracts expire at the end of the season) in the first team, the accumulated playing time and faith he’s been shown by Bayern head coach Hansi Flick will work wonders for his further development. With work on his positional and game-reading skills, he’ll have every right to envisage a future as a regular starter for the reigning Champions League holders. – Tor-Kristian Karlsen