2 American’s in Champions League Final Sat 3 pm CBS – Chelsea (Pulisic) vs Man City (Steffan)

Wow, the superbowl of soccer in the world – the EUFA Champions League Final between Chelsea and Man City has 2 American’s facing off and one – Christian Pulisic (M/F) might just start.   Pulisic has started the last few games and he of course scored a goal and an Assist on the 3 goals scored in beating Real Madrid in the Semi-Finals.  Of course American Goalkeeper Zach Steffan will back up the EPL Champion Manchester City starter Edison (1 of top 3 GK in the world.)   Chelsea has beaten Man City in the League Cup Semi and in the regular season which makes it hard for me to pick them in this all important Champions League Final.  Man City will be full strength now and coach Pep Guardiola was hired to deliver this trophy 5 years ago.  Four EPL trophies later – this is the first time Man City have made it past the quarter finals – so its probably time.  I see a close game but with a misfiring offense lead by Timo Werner I just don’t see Chelsea being able to ourscore Man City.  In my dreams Pulisic provides the winning goal in a 3-2 thriller on CBS as millions in the USA watch our young starlet become a household name Worldwide.   But reality says 2 or 3 to 1 Man City to win their first Champions League Trophy.  CBS is scheduled to start pregame at 2 pm with a solid post game show to follow as well.  While I have not been thrilled with how you can’t rewind and FF on Paramount Plus – them moving the game to CBS where American’s (that’s YOU) Have to watch if we want to have huge games like this on the AIR.  The pregame crew will include former American National Team players Maurice Adu, Clint Dempsey along with Kate Abdo and the normal Champ League crew.  I am just hoping for an exciting, high scoring game with American GK Zack Steffan coming on for an injured Edison and then Pulisic playing well and scoring the winning goal is all.  (my luck he sits the bench and doesn’t come on until 75 minutes down 3-1).  Either way to imagine that American’s have a chance to have an impact on this the SUPERBOWL of Soccer in the World – the most watched club game in the world with over 400 Million expected to watch live (double the superbowl) –the Champions League Final – well it brings a tear to my eye.  Please convince your kids to sit down and watch this Saturday 3 pm CBS !  American’s talk about the impact of Pulisic for the US this weekend.

Champions League Anthem – one of the Best Anthem’s in Sports

The story behind the  Champions League Anthem  sung in 3 official languages – English, French and German.   Good version of 2021 Intro  I can’t wait to see the official opening for the the Game on CBS !!   Here’s a good commercial

The full words, as well as an English translation, can be found below and it can be seen and listened to here

US Men vs Switzerland Sun 2 pm ESPN2

The US Men have a good game lined up vs the Swiss on Sunday at 2 pm on ESPN2 as they prepare for the Nations League semi’s vs Honduras on Thursday at 7:30 pm on CBS Sports Network and hopefully Mexico on Sunday 9 pm on CBSSN and Paramount plus.  Of course Pulisic and Steffan will not be there in Switzerland but but will fly back with them to the US for the Nations League Finals.  Questions for this week

Expected Starters Sunday

Aaronson or Leggett/Sargent / Reyna

McKennie/Musah

Adams or Jackson Yueill (if Adams still injured)

Dest/Brooks/McKenzie/Cannon

Ethan Horvath

US Women’s Team Announced for Summer Sendoff Tour June 10, June 13, June 16

The roster has been announced for the USWNT Sendoff Tour in Texas starting June 10.  The games will start with the US playing Portugal at 8:30 pm ET on FS1 on Thurs June 10, followed by US vs Jamaica at 10 pm on Sunday June 13^th on FS 1 and finally Wed night at 9 pm on ESPN2 vs Nigeria live from Austin.  The 3 game series features most the usuals except Tobin Heath – still recovering from injury (though she is training and will be at camp) and Julie Ertz (MCL expected back for Olympics) and Mallory Pugh.

Thur, June 10

8:30 PM ET FS1  USA WNT vs Portugal,

Sun, June 13

10 PM ET, FS1     USWNT  vs Jamaica ,

Wed, June 16

9 PM ET, ESPN2   USWNT  vs Nigeria

GOALKEEPERS (3): Jane Campbell (Houston Dash), Adrianna Franch (Portland Thorns FC), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)

DEFENDERS (8): Alana Cook (Paris Saint-Germain, FRA), Abby Dahlkemper (Manchester City, ENG), Tierna Davidson (Chicago Red Stars), Crystal Dunn (Portland Thorns FC), Kelley O’Hara (Washington Spirit), Margaret Purce (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Becky Sauerbrunn (Portland Thorns FC), Emily Sonnett (Washington Spirit)

MIDFIELDERS (6): Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns FC), Rose Lavelle (OL Reign), Catarina Macario (Olympique Lyonnais, FRA), Kristie Mewis (Houston Dash), Samantha Mewis (North Carolina Courage), Andi Sullivan (Washington Spirit)

Indy 11 home Wed/Sat next week

The Indy 11 travels to rival Louisville this Saturday night at 7:30 pm before reurning to the Mike with big matchups vs OKC Wednesday night at 7:30 pm on My Indy TV and ESPN+ and Saturday night 7 pm  vs Memphis 901.  Limited Tickets are still available visit here !!  Official Indy Eleven Watch Party Locations: Ellison Brewing Co. | Union Jack Pub

Carmel FC become Nike Premier Club for 2021 Season

Carmel FC is proud to announce that we have secured a multi-year deal with Nike Soccer USA! Carmel FC is now a Nike Premier Club going into the 2021/2022 season.Nike is the 1 Brand in SOCCER. Nike brings partnerships with US Soccer – National Teams, NWSL Teams, Coaching Education, Tournaments and International travel opportunities.Soccer Village – local retail partner relationship, will handle all our uniform and spirit wear needs here in Carmel. CFC Uniform items will be available at Soccer Village – FREE store delivery.

CARMEL FC  2021 Tryout and Evaluation Information

All evaluations and tryouts will be held at Shelborne Fields. 3451 W 126th St, Carmel, IN 46032.

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June 8, 2021 – Players 10u, 9u and 8u (Birth Years 2012 to 2015)

Check-in starts 1/2 hour before evaluations begin.

Evaluations for all age groups: 6pm to 7:30pm

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June 14, 2021- Players 11u and older (Birth Years 2003 to 2011)

Check-in starts 1/2 hour before tryouts.

Tryouts for 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011: 5:45pm to 7:15pm

Tryouts for 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007: 7:30pm to 9pm.
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Registration Link: Click Here To Register  Please email  info@cdccarmelfc.com. with any questions. 

Congrats to the 4 of the Carmel FC teams for advancing to next weekend’s President Cup and Challenge Cup Finals games at Grand Park 2009 Gold Girls, 2010 Boys Gold, 2008 Gold Boys, 2007 Gold Boys.    

Also good luck to former Carmel FC and Carmel High School Goalkeeper Erin Baker and forward Brooke Bailey as they play in the High School All American Game at 12 noon this Saturday.  Current Carmel FC Coach Tom Baker and former Carmel FC coach Carla Baker will be on hand to watch and you can see the game on the link here https://team1sports.com/prepcasts.

2021 Alumni/College Age Soccer League

High School graduates, college students, young professionals come join our soccer league this summer!

Who can play? ages 18-30, experienced, new to the sport and anyone wanting to be active and meet new people. 
When does it start/end? Mid- June through early August  Where? Shelborne Soccer Fields 3451 W. 126th Street
Cost? 105.00 (no annual fee or volunteer fee apply to this league).  Do I have to be a Carmel resident? There is no residency requirement for this program. 
Please click here to register for this league.  Registration is open now- June 12   Jerseys and socks are provided  Questions please contact the office 317-846-1663 or email info@carmeldadsclub.org

Summer of Soccer 

European Championships  June 11 – July 7  ESPN

Copa America  June 13 to July 10 FS1, FS2, Univision

Olympics US Ladies July 21-Aug 5  NBC

Gold Cup July 10 –  Aug 1 FS1, FS2

 GAMES ON TV

Weds, May 26

3 pm CBSSN                Villarreal va Man United   Europa League Final

7 pm Paramount+             Orlando Pride (Morgan) vs Portland Thorns NWSL

8 pm CBSSN                        KC vs Chicago Red Stars  NWSL  

Sat, May 29

10 am ESPN+                     Brentford vs Swansea City  Championship Playoff – Winner to EPL               

3 pm CBS + Para+        Chelsea (Pulisic) vs Man City (Steffan)  Champions League Final 

5 pm Univision                  LAFC vs NYCFC

7:30 pm ESPN+           Louisville City vs Indy Eleven

8:30 pm CBSSN                 Houston Dash vs Chicago Red Stars

9 pm Univision                  Mexico vs Iceland

Sun, May 30

12 beIN Sport                     Nantes vs Toulouse French Promotion Playoff

2 pm ESPN                  USA vs Switzerland

3 pm Para+                         NY/NJ Gotham FC vs Portland Thorns NWSL

6 pm Para+                         Orlando Pride vs KC NWSL

7 pm FS1                             Philly Union vs Portland Timbers 

Mon, May 31

12 pm ESPNU                     U21 Netherlands vs France U21 Euros

3 pm ESPNU                       U21 Denmark vs U21 Germany  Euros

Weds, June 2 

7:30 pm ESPN+           Indy Eleven vs OKC Energy

Thurs, June 3 

7:30 pm Univ+CBSSN USA vs Honduras  Nations League Semis

10 pm Para+                      Mexico vs Costa Rica

Sat, June 5

7 pm ESPN+                Indy Eleven vs Memphis 901

7 pm Para+                         NY/NJ Gotham FC vs OL Reign  NWSL

Sun, June 6

2 pm Para+                         KC vs Houston Dash NWSL

6:30 pm Para+            3^rd place game Nations League 

9 pm Para+CBSSN      Finals – Nations League 

Wed, June 9

7 pm ESPN2                US Men vs Costa Rica

Thur, June 10

8:30 PM ET FS1           US Women vs Portugal

MLS Schedule

NWSL Season TV Schedule

Euro’s TV Schedule

Copa Schedule

EUROS + COPA America 2021

(all times ET; coverage starts about 30 minutes before kickoff; all games also stream on ESPN+)

Friday, June 11

Group A – Turkey vs. Italy, 2:30 p.m. ET (ESPN, Univision, TUDN)

Saturday, June 12

Group A – Wales vs. Switzerland, 8:30 a.m. (ESPN)
Group B – Denmark vs. Finland, 11:30 a.m. (ESPN)
Group B – Belgium vs. Russia, 2:30 p.m. (ABC)

Sunday, June 13

Group D – England vs. Croatia, 8:30 a.m. (ESPN)
Group C – Austria vs. North Macedonia, 11:30 a.m. (ESPN)
Group C – Netherlands vs. Ukraine, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN)

COPA   Argentina vs Chile  5 pm  FS2, Univision

COPA   Paraguay vs Bolivia 8 pm  FS2, Univision

USA Women vs Jamaica  10 pm (FS1)

Monday, June 14

Group D – Scotland vs. Czech Republic, 8:30 a.m. (ESPN)
Group E – Poland vs. Slovakia, 11:30 a.m. (ESPN)
Group E – Spain vs. Sweden, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN)

COPA   Brazil vs Venezuela 7 pm FS , Unimas

COPA   Colombia vs Ecuador 10 pm FS1, Univision

Tuesday, June 15

Group F – Hungary vs. Portugal, 11:30 a.m. (ESPN)
Group F – France vs. Germany, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN, Univision, TUDN)

Wednesday, June 16

Group B – Finland vs. Russia, 8:30 a.m. (ESPN)
Group A – Turkey vs. Wales, 11:30 a.m. (ESPN)
Group A – Italy vs. Switzerland, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN)

USA Women vs Nigeria 9 pm (ESPN2)

Thursday, June 17

Group C – Ukraine vs. North Macedonia, 8:30 a.m. (ESPN)
Group B – Denmark vs. Belgium, 11:30 a.m. (ESPN)
Group C – Netherlands vs. Austria, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Copa   Chile vs Bolivia 5 pm  FS 1

Copa   Argentina vs Uruguay 8 pm FS 1, Unimas

Friday, June 18

Group E – Sweden vs. Slovakia, 8:30 a.m. (ESPN)
Group D – Croatia vs. Czech Republic, 11:30 a.m. (ESPN)
Group D – England vs. Scotland, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN)

COPA   Colombia vs Venezuela 7 pm FS 2

COPA   Peru vs Brazil 10 pm FS2, Univision

Saturday, June 19

Group F – Hungary vs. France, 8:30 a.m. (ESPN)
Group F – Portugal vs. Germany, 11:30 a.m. (ESPN, Univ, TUDN)
Group E – Spain vs. Poland, 2:30 a.m. (ABC)

Sunday, June 20

Group A – Switzerland vs. Turkey, 11:30 a.m. (ESPN)
Group A – Italy vs. Wales, 11:30 a.m. (ESPN2)

Copa   Uruguay vs Chile 4 pm FS1, Univision

Copa   Argentina vs Paraguay 7 pm FS1, Univision

Monday, June 21

Group C – North Macedonia vs. Netherlands, 11:30 a.m. (ESPN)
Group C – Ukraine vs. Austria, 11:30 a.m. (ESPN2)
Group B – Russia vs. Denmark, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Group B – Finland vs. Belgium, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN2)

Tuesday, June 22

Group D – Croatia vs. Scotland, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Group D – Czech Republic vs. England, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN2)

Wednesday, June 23

Group E – Slovakia vs. Spain, 11:30 a.m. (ESPN)
Group E – Sweden vs. Poland, 11:30 a.m. (ESPN2)
Group F – Portugal vs. France, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN, Univision, TUDN)
Group F – Germany vs. Hungary, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN2)

Saturday, June 26

Round of 16 (Amsterdam) – 2A vs. 2B, 11:30 a.m. (ESPN)
Round of 16 (London) – 1A vs. 2C, 2:30 p.m., London (ABC)

Sunday, June 27

Round of 16 (Budapest) – 1C vs. 3DEF, 11:30 a.m. (ESPN)
Round of 16 (Saville) – 1B vs. 3ADEF, 2:30 p.m. (ABC, Univision, TUDN)

Monday, June 28

Round of 16 (Copenhagen) – 2D vs. 2E, 11:30 a.m. (ESPN)
Round of 16 (Bucharest) – 1F vs. 3ABC, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Tuesday, June 29

Round of 16 (London) – 1D vs. 2F, 11:30 a.m. (ESPN)
Round of 16 (Glasgow) – 1E vs. 3ABCD, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN, Univision, TUDN)

Friday, July 2

Quarterfinal I (St. Petersburg) – 11:30 a.m. (ESPN)
Quarterfinal II (Munich) – 2:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Saturday, July 3

Quarterfinal III (Baku) – 11:30 a.m. (ESPN, Univision, TUDN)
Quarterfinal IV (Rome) – 2:30 p.m. (ABC, Univision, TUDN)

Tuesday, July 6

Semifinal I (London) – 2:30 p.m. (ESPN, ESPN+, Univision, TUDN)

Wednesday, July 7

Semifinal II (London) – 2:30 p.m. (ESPN, ESPN+, Univision, TUDN)

Saturday, July 10

GOLD CUP STARTS

Sunday, July 11

Final (London) – 2:30 p.m. (ESPN, ESPN+, Univision, TUDN)

MLS Schedule

NWSL Season TV Schedule

Euro’s TV Schedule

Copa Schedule

Champions League Final Sat 3 pm CBS

Pulisic, Steffen making UCL final a fitting end to a great season for U.S. Jeff Carlisle  ESPNFC

Pulisic exclusive: U.S. star, Chelsea ‘excited to get redemption’ in FA Cup final
Ultimate Champions League preview: Storylines for Man City vs. Chelsea ESPN

How Chelsea, Man City dominated English football and why that will continue dMark Ogden

Soccer-Five key battles in the Champions League final
Europe’s Championship Offers U.S. Soccer Hope as Pulisic Leads Way
Manchester City – Chelsea: How to watch, odds, injury news, start time, prediction
Portuguese police prepare ‘complex’ plan for arrival of Champions League fans
Tuchel earns second crack at Champions League glory with immediate impact on Chelsea
Chelsea given final boost as Kante, Mendy return to training
Guardiola on the brink of exorcising Champions League demons
‘Amazing’ Guardiola the key to Man City’s Euro run: Silva

EUROPA LEAGUE FINAL ENDS WITH 11 Penalties Taken
VIDEO: Epic penalty drama in full, as Villarreal shocks Manchester United
Villarreal edge Man Utd in epic shootout to win Europa League
Villarreal bask in ‘special’ triumph as Emery reveals penalties not practiced

Three things we learned as Villarreal beats Manchester United in UEL Final
Solskjaer bemoans fine margins after United’s Europa League loss
Manchester United player ratings v. Villarreal in Europa League final
Rebel Super League clubs won’t accept UEFA ‘coercion’

US Men

USMNT’s Pulisic, Steffen in for Nations League

McKennie, Dest lead USMNT vs. Switzerland

• Creditor: Highs and Lows of Season-Ending Drama for U.S. Players Abroad
• Straus: USA’s Berhalter Tabs His Top Team for Nations League
• 4 Big Questions – for Nations League Roster thoughts – MLS.com Gregg Doyle. 

Scouting the Swiss

USMNT Big Board: Pulisic first on the plane to Qatar
Philly’s American Midfielder Brendan Aaronson – could be next
Zack Steffen celebrates Manchester City’s Premier League title
USMNT’s Weah and Lille hold on to win Ligue 1 by one point over PSG
USMNT’s Green scores, Fürth and Bochum promoted to Bundesliga
US Soccer Brings Marketing In-House After 20-Year Run With SUM

U.S. Soccer parting ways with MLS-owned SUM

US Women

US Team Set for Summer Sendoff Series

Ertz and Heath Injuries Weigh over US as they prepare for Olympics SI

• Creditor: USWNT Will Take Trip Down Memory Road in Olympic Group
• Court Order Allows Moultrie, 15, to Temporarily Play in NWSL

 

EPL

Report: Pochettino in talks over shock Tottenham return
Leicester blow Champions League chance as Kane signs off with Golden Boot
Harry Kane does Golden Boot, Playmaker of the Season double
Chelsea secure Champions League spot despite Villa defeat
Aguero ends Man City career in style before title party
Klopp delighted by Liverpool’s ‘incredible’ third-place finish
Mane makes sure of top-four finish for Liverpool

Schmeichel Own Goal is Tough
Bale ‘knows’ where future lies but decision will ’cause chaos’

WORLD

Zidane, Conte and the Coaching Carousel That’ll Reshape Europe’s Top Tier
Antonio Conte to leave Inter Milan; Tottenham next?
Soccer-Zidane restored success to Real but seemed unwilling to rebuild
Zidane resigns as Real Madrid coach for second time
Soccer-Irresistible Inter, Juventus decline: How the Serie A season unfolded
Serie A: Ronaldo benched as Juventus sneak into UCL on final day
Ronaldo top Serie A scorer after England and Spain
Aguero close to Barcelona deal, says Man City boss Guardiola
Lille enjoy French title win but maintaining success may be impossible

INDY 11 home next Wed/Sat

PREVIEW | INDY ELEVEN HEADS TO LOUISVILLE FOR FIRST LIPAFC FIXTURE OF

·      INDY ELEVEN FORWARD GORDON WILD NAMED TO USL CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM OF THE WEEK FOR WEEK 5

·      USL CHAMPIONSHIP RECAP: INDY ELEVEN 2 : 0 SPORTING KANSAS CITY II

·      INDY ELEVEN ROSTERS READY FOR 2021 USL ACADEMY CUP, PRESENTED BY PUMA

 

Champions League Anthem lyrics

Ce sont les meilleures équipes
Es sind die allerbesten Mannschaften
The main event

Die Meister
Die Besten
Les grandes équipes
The champions

Une grande réunion
Eine grosse sportliche Veranstaltung
The main event

Die Meister
Die Besten
Les grandes équipes
The champions

Ils sont les meilleurs
Sie sind die Besten
These are the champions

Die Meister
Die Besten
Les grandes équipes
The champions

Champions League Anthem lyrics (English)

They are the best teams
They are the best teams
The main event
 
The master
The best
The great teams
The champions
 
A big meeting
A great sporting event
The main event

The master
The best
The great teams
The champions
 
They are the best
They are the best
These are the champions
 
The master
The best
The champions

USNT weekend viewing guide: The Chaaampions

A weekend with little European action but one of incredible significance.By jcksnftsn  May 28, 2021, 12:34pm PDT

Manchester City v Chelsea FC – 3p on CBS

There will be USMNT players on both sides of this one, but let’s start with Chelsea and Christian Pulisic ,as the attacker is the more likely of the two players to actually see the field. After a smashing start to the Thomas Tuchel era, the team stumbled a bit down the stretch, losing two of their last three league matches. Still, they backed into next year’s Champions League thanks to Leicester City’s loss on the final day. Pulisic started the last four league matches for Chelsea and nine of their last ten, the exception being the club’s 2-0 win over Fulham that was sandwiched by their semifinal matchups with Real Madrid in Champions League play.  Speaking of which, Pulisic started the first leg and scored the club’s only goal as they drew in the first leg, and then he came on as a sub in the second leg and provided the assist that put the dagger in Real Madrid’s Champions League hopes. Let’s repeat that because it will never get old: Christian Pulisic tallied a goal and an assist in the Champions League semifinals as Chelsea put away Real Madrid.

Chelsea have defeated Manchester City in two of three games this season, including a semifinal win in the FA Cup in April, and most recently a 2-1 win in Manchester. But, it is City that come into the match as heavy favorites, which is not surprising given their dominance of the EPL table this season. City have lost two of their last four, including that match with Chelsea, but were already running away with the league title that they ended up taking by 12 points.  The Champions League trophy would be the third trophy for Man City this season, as they captured the league title and the EFL Cup with American Zack Steffen starting throughout. Clearly, something drastic would have to happen for Steffen to see time in the match on Saturday, but his presence on the sideline guarantees that you should be able to stick around for the post game festivities to see an American hoisting the most coveted club trophy.

Christian Pulisic, Zack Steffen in Champions League final is fitting end to great season for U.S. in Europe

• FacThe Champions League final serves as one last celebration of the European club season. And the soon-to-be-concluded campaign has been one like no other for American players.

U.S. performers have dotted some of the biggest clubs in Europe, be it Weston McKennie at Juventus, Tyler Adams at RB Leipzig or Giovanni Reyna at Borussia Dortmund. Americans have been hoisting plenty of silverware too, be it Timothy Weah at Ligue 1 champions Lille, Brenden Aaronson claiming a league and cup double with FC Salzburg, McKennie raising the Coppa Italia or Reyna hoisting the DFB-Pokal. All told, nine different players helped win a total of 12 trophies.

ADVERTISEMENT

Which brings us to Saturday’s Champions League final. On one side will be Chelsea and U.S. attacker Christian Pulisic; on the other will be Manchester City, which includes U.S. keeper Zack Steffen, who has already become the first American to be part of a Premier League-winning side.

– Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
– ESPN+ viewer’s guide: Bundesliga, Serie A, MLS, FA Cup and more

They’re not isolated examples of Americans in the competition, either. Ten such players were on Champions League rosters when the group stage began in October. Beyond Pulisic and Steffen, that group included Adams, McKennie, Reyna, Club Brugge goalkeeper Ethan Horvath, Ajax attacker Alex Mendez, Bayern Munich defender Chris Richards (although he was subsequently loaned to TSG Hoffenheim) and the Barcelona duo of Sergino Dest and Konrad de la Fuente.

All of this highlights that in the 24 years since Jovan Kirovski became the first — and to date only — American man to win a Champions League medal, just about everything about American soccer has gotten bigger. There’s barely a professional game on the planet that isn’t watchable, somehow, over U.S. airwaves. On the domestic level, Major League Soccer (MLS) is up to 27 teams, while the women’s league, courtesy of the work done by the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), is looking more sustainable than ever. If one zeroes in on the men’s side, one can’t help but notice the players that the United States is producing.

– Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
– ESPN+ viewer’s guide: Bundesliga, Serie A, MLS, FA Cup and more

They’re not isolated examples of Americans in the competition, either. Ten such players were on Champions League rosters when the group stage began in October. Beyond Pulisic and Steffen, that group included Adams, McKennie, Reyna, Club Brugge goalkeeper Ethan Horvath, Ajax attacker Alex Mendez, Bayern Munich defender Chris Richards (although he was subsequently loaned to TSG Hoffenheim) and the Barcelona duo of Sergino Dest and Konrad de la Fuente.

All of this highlights that in the 24 years since Jovan Kirovski became the first — and to date only — American man to win a Champions League medal, just about everything about American soccer has gotten bigger. There’s barely a professional game on the planet that isn’t watchable, somehow, over U.S. airwaves. On the domestic level, Major League Soccer (MLS) is up to 27 teams, while the women’s league, courtesy of the work done by the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), is looking more sustainable than ever. If one zeroes in on the men’s side, one can’t help but notice the players that the United States is producing.

“I think that our players have grown,” said Kirovski, now the LA Galaxy‘s technical director. “There are players who were there before, whether it’s myself or former players that were in Europe. I think MLS has really provided a platform for some of these other kids to perform. And, really, we’ve grown. Those kids that are at big clubs? They have opportunities.”Sunday’s Champions League final marks the latest manifestation of that growth, but it’s been a long slog. U.S. players have been making their way to European climes since the late 1980s. Usually that meant heading to one of the continent’s relative backwaters; if an American latched on with a club in one of the big leagues in England, France, Germany, Italy or Spain, it was usually at a team in the bottom half of the table. Then there was the age of American players. The vast majority were well into their 20s by the time they moved across the Atlantic. (Kirovski, who joined Dortmund from Manchester United‘s youth system as a 20-year-old, was an exception on both counts.)

There’s been a steady, albeit sawtooth climb ever since, though Pulisic joining Dortmund in 2016 proved to be a quantum leap. He made the move with the help of what is known in U.S. soccer circles as the “Golden Ticket” (a Croatian passport that allowed him to qualify as a European citizen), which facilitated his move when he was 16 instead of 18. That allowed Pulisic to continue his development at an age that has historically been when American players would start falling behind their global counterparts. He was soon setting league records for young players, including the youngest non-German to score in the Bundesliga and the youngest to score twice in a league match.

EDITOR’S PICKS

When Pulisic was transferred to Chelsea in 2019, it was for a whopping $73.3 million. He’s endured his share of ups and downs since, with injuries proving to be a considerable obstacle. So did the competition for places. And yet Pulisic has proved that he’s a valued member of the Blues squad, even if he doesn’t always start.teffen’s path was more traditional. After progressing through the youth ranks, including a season in the Philadelphia Union academy, he spent two years at the University of Maryland. He then spent a difficult 19 months in the reserves of German side SC Freiburg before making the move back to MLS with the Columbus Crew.Such a move was once viewed as a death knell for a player’s European ambitions. That proved not to be the case for Steffen, who built up his game again over parts of four seasons in Columbus, delivering some playoff heroics along the way. He then parlayed those performances into a move to City with a loan back in Germany with Fortuna Dusseldorf along the way.Of the two, Steffen’s path is the more encouraging for U.S. players. There can be stumbles and setbacks, tough periods to build upon one’s game, yet none of that prevents a player from ultimately succeeding in Europe. There’s more patience, and it helps too that the potential payoff is bigger. Kirovski notes that he’s getting calls from big clubs regarding prospects, a development that would have been unthinkable 10 years ago.”It’s case by case, but I think you’re going to take a risk and a gamble [on U.S. players] as a club because the talent is there,” said Kirovski. “And you’re going to miss probably more than you hit. But we’ve had success. I mean, you look at Pulisic. He’s been at Dortmund, he’s been successful. He was bought by Chelsea for a reason, because he’s developed and done well. He’s given opportunities because of his performance, nothing more.”As Kirovski looks back on his experience with Dortmund, he thinks of the team’s stars like Andreas Moller and Karl-Heinz Riedle, and how players like midfielder Paulo Sousa and defender Julio Cesar took him under their collective wing. He recalls that as he collected his winner’s medal, he “just took it all in.” He also thinks of how much time has passed.”My god, I’m really old now,” he said with a laugh.That thought is balanced by where he thinks the U.S. is heading. And come Sunday, he’ll have some company on the list of American Champions League winners.

Champions League final betting: Best plays for Chelsea vs. Manchester City

Joey GulinoThu, May 27, 2021, 5:50 PMIn this article:

Soccer finals are volatile. They’re high-stakes. Constants are hard to come by.One of the few is Pep Guardiola, and in betting Saturday’s Champions League final in Porto between Manchester City and Chelsea, that’s as good a place as any to start.

Manchester City to win (-250 with BetMGM)

Guardiola is a staggering 14-1 in his managerial career in cup finals, including a 5-0 mark with Manchester City. Granted, those prior City triumphs came in domestic cups and not the Champions League. But Guardiola has won the competition twice before, and he hasn’t lost a cup final in over a decade. When he gets to a winner-take-all scenario, he takes all.Moreover, while Chelsea has beaten City in two of their three meetings this season, their Premier League match on January 4 is the closest approximation to the striker-less City lineup we’re likely to see on Saturday, and City wiped the floor with Chelsea. It’s tricky to attach too much value to City’s defeats as well, since their loss in the FA Cup semifinals was their fifth game in 15 days at that point in the calendar, and the other loss came with Chelsea desperate for a win and City’s league title all but mathematically assured.City is probably going to win, and the result is priced as such. If you’re hesitant about backing a team but want similarly strong odds, the game being decided in regular time is -350. Nine of the last 12 Champions League finals have been decided without extra time, including the past four.

Over 2.5 goals (+115 with BetMGM)

Christian Pulisic (right) and Chelsea will try to upset Manchester City in Saturday’s Champions League final. (Photo by Andy Rain – Pool/Getty Images) Champions League finals tend to be cagey affairs, and that’s reflected in the odds. But the Champions League final has never seen Manchester City (literally).City has scored multiple goals a staggering 29 times already this calendar year, and if they don’t bag three themselves, Chelsea’s adventurousness ought to help. Manager Thomas Tuchel primarily plays with three defenders, choosing instead to throw numbers into the attack, and he’s promised a “positive” approach heading into Saturday’s final.It may take awhile for the first goal to come, but once it does, two more isn’t too much to ask.

Christian Pulisic to score in both halves (+3300 with BetMGM) 

Not feeling a City win? Lean into your national pride. No matter what, an American is going to win the Champions League on Saturday. One is more likely to play than the other, and while Christian Pulisic has struggled with injuries at Chelsea, he’s healthy now and has starred in big moments. He scored in the first Champions League semifinal leg against Real Madrid, and his assist in the second helped punch Chelsea’s ticket to the final. He also scored a critical goal against Manchester City last summer, and while we’re 11 months removed from that moment, it very much represents the kind of counterattacking brilliance Chelsea will likely require to score on City.The odds of Pulisic scoring in both halves are long, but that’s where the big payout lies. If you’re backing Chelsea, a safer play would be Hakim Ziyech to outscore City at +1300. He’s scored a goal in each of the last two games against City, and if Chelsea wins, a shutout thanks to its much-improved defense is arguably the most direct path.

Then again, Ziyech’s record is exactly why City could be extra mindful of him. Your call.

Riyad Mahrez to score more goals than Timo Werner (+310 with BetMGM)

Timo Werner has a reputation for missing chances. But this is more about Mahrez.

The winger has been arguably City’s best player this spring, and he’s scored in each of his last three Champions League games. He’s creative and strong on the ball, and also a tricky matchup since he plays on the right side but is left-footed. 

If Chelsea chooses to sit back, Mahrez can help unlock them with his skill, and if they frequently foray forward, he can pray upon the space left behind.

And don’t forget: You only need him to score one more goal than Werner. Just hope that Werner doesn’t pick Saturday to change his narrative.

Kevin de Bruyne to score from outside the box (+650 with BetMGM)

This might be the most tempting of all bets. De Bruyne is a masterclass free kick taker, and City scored 17 times on set pieces in the Premier League this season, while Chelsea conceded 14 times. So if the game is more open and City is fouled in an advantageous position, expect de Bruyne to get a couple good looks.

All eight goals between the two teams this season have come from inside the box, so that’s why this is priced to the nines. But this would be solid value even in the neighborhood of 3-to-1. At +650, take that chance all day.

Christian Pulisic exclusive: U.S. star, Chelsea ‘excited to get redemption’ in FA Cup final

May 14, 2021  James Olley Senior Writer, ESPN FC

There’s a word Christian Pulisic reaches for instinctively when contemplating Saturday’s FA Cup final: redemption.

Chelsea will contest the Wembley showpiece against Leicester City (Saturday, 12:30 p.m. ET, stream LIVE on ESPN+) a little over nine months on from losing last season’s rescheduled final to Arsenal, a match in which Pulisic scored, got injured and wound up with a runners-up medal as the Gunners won 2-1.

ADVERTISEMENT”I’ve watched a bit of [that final again], yes,” he tells ESPN in this exclusive interview. “It was a game where we obviously started strong, we were able to get ahead, but unfortunately it wasn’t our day in the end.”Obviously the injury was very tough for me. But I am feeling good. I’m excited to kind of get some redemption and win it this year.”Going one step further and winning the competition would represent a landmark moment in the U.S. international’s career, making him only the third American of the modern era — after Carli Lloyd (Manchester City, 2017) and Tim Howard (Manchester United, 2004) — to win the world’s oldest club cup competition, which was first contested in 1872. (You have to go back to 1873 for the very first American: Julian Sturgis, a poet and novelist who claimed the trophy when amateur side Wanderers FC defeated Oxford University 2-0.) It would also help provide a positive conclusion to a difficult campaign featuring more than the usual amount of turbulence, even at Stamford Bridge, and one for Pulisic with roots dating back to last season’s final.Pulisic had put Chelsea in front with a smartly taken goal before suffering a painful hamstring injury while racing towards Arsenal’s penalty area in search of another. His cry of pain was there for all to hear, but he continued on a couple of strides before trying in vain to shoot.”I knew pretty much that I’d done my hamstring as I was running, but I did everything I could to try to do to get a shot off. In the end I just couldn’t physically do it,” he explained. “It was a big game, so I had to give it everything.”Pulisic was carried off, and although that moment marked the end of his final, it was merely the beginning of his problems. Last season’s game had been moved to Aug. 1 as a result of delays arising from the first wave of the coronavirus across the United Kingdom. A condensed summer break followed, but Pulisic was denied even the shorter break his teammates were afforded.”I was doing rehab the whole time. I was able to get away for a couple of days, but it was a quick turnaround because the season was delayed a bit,” he said.The 2020-21 season began on Sept. 12, but it was almost a month before Pulisic made his first appearance of the campaign, with head coach Frank Lampard admitting the club were still searching for the right training regimen to ensure the winger could be available on a consistent basis.Medical reports around Pulisic were often mixed during that span. The forward had not suffered a fresh injury, but he felt muscular tightness on more than one occasion, with doctors advising he was at risk of aggravating the original hamstring issue. The man himself admits he was pushing too hard.”I was battling. I wanted to be ready as soon as possible at the start of the season,” he said. “I wanted to go right away. In hindsight, I guess I could have taken my time a little bit more, but that’s just kind of the attitude I always have: I want to be playing.”I always want to get myself into a position where I am fit and ready to go in every game.”That battle took on a different dimension when Lampard was sacked in January, with Chelsea languishing in ninth place in the Premier League. Within 24 hours, Thomas Tuchel arrived on an 18-month contract to become the club’s 13th different permanent manager since owner Roman Abramovich acquired the Blues in 2003.Pulisic appeared to have something of an advantage, given he worked under Tuchel as a teenager; they won the DFB-Pokal together in 2016. He was an unused substitute as Dortmund beat Bayern Munich on penalties, but Pulisic had already signposted his potential: in April that year, he scored his first Bundesliga goal in a 3-0 win over Hamburg, becoming the fourth-youngest goal scorer (aged 17 years and 212 days) in the competition’s history.Tuchel left Dortmund a year later and spent two years in charge of Paris Saint-Germain before being reunited with Pulisic, who joined Chelsea in 2019 for £57.6 million.”There’s a lot of things I’ve learned, a lot of experiences I have taken from that time, so I think he has come in and probably seen a much different player, hopefully much improved,” Pulisic said.”I’ve worked on everything. Physically I’ve grown, I’m a bit stronger. I work on that a lot and all in all, decision-making, attacking-wise, everything — finishing, passing — all the skills that help me dribble past opponents and things ike that.”Obviously it’s nice that [Tuchel] knows me from beforehand. [But] I wouldn’t say it was a massive advantage.”If anything, Pulisic had to prove himself all over again. Tuchel has been in charge for 26 games, with Pulisic starting 11 of them. In a rare show of verbal emotion, he admitted to feeling “very frustrated” at being dropped for the Champions League semifinal, second leg clash against Real Madrid, having scored in the reverse fixture to give the Blues a precious away goal.Yet Pulisic insisted he has no desire to seek a move, as has been speculated in some quarters, vowing “I’m always up for a challenge. I love competing, I love the position I’m in, and I’m enjoying my time here,” but it is fair to point out that Tuchel’s system has raised fresh questions about his role. Predominantly used as a winger under Lampard — and in that guise, one of the Premier League’s top performers during Project Restart, the coda to the 2019-20 season — Pulisic now plays a more central role in Tuchel’s 3-4-2-1 system.Christian Pulisic sits down with ESPN to discuss how things have changed at Chelsea since Thomas Tuchel replaced Frank Lampard.”It is a different position, but I’m used to it,” he said. “It is a bit of a different system, different lineup, the way the attacking midfielders are slightly more central with the wing-backs getting forward. But similar ideas, attacking, there’s no exact way to say ‘you have to do this.’ You have to instinctively make decisions and be creative and change things up. That’s always the same.”And, of course, all this has taken place against the backdrop of a nationwide lockdown, the third of its kind in the UK. Pulisic lives alone in Wimbledon, away from his family and his hometown of Hershey, Pennsylvania. He talks regularly to his friends using the Houseparty app, listens to music ranging from rap to country and seeks solace in religion — a cross given to him by his mother ranks among his prized possessions — but it’s perhaps easy to forget the highly unusual circumstances in which Pulisic has had to try to settle in a new country. Earlier this season, he was found to still have American dollars in his wallet.”It has been very tough,” he said. “With COVID-19, being in a foreign country by myself, it is never easy, but luckily I have my teammates that I get to see every day, of course. I am good friends with them. But I’m definitely excited for things to slowly improve, and I can maybe get out and actually enjoy London for once. I feel like ever since I’ve been here, most of it has been in lockdown or with some restrictions.”It has been a while [since I’ve seen family]. My mum has been able to visit. My parents try to visit when they can, when everything is possible. I am really excited for this summer to get to see most of my family for the first time for a while.”

Although he’s coy over the details, Pulisic is hopeful at least one family member will be able to attend the final, with Wembley set to host 21,000 fans as the world returns to normal. Leicester beat Chelsea 2-0 on Jan. 19 — the penultimate game before Lampard was axed — but Chelsea will start this weekend as favourites, having won 17 of their 26 matches under Tuchel, a run that also includes a remarkable 18 clean sheets.”He has brought a lot of structure to our team, defensively especially,” said Pulisic of Tuchel. “We are definitely very solid. I think that’s been our main thing. Offensively as well, we have a lot of options. We kind of understand the system and the positions we are all supposed to play, and that’s really the difference.”They have a Champions League final against Manchester City and a scramble to stay in the Premier League’s top four to come, but first there is the chance to right the FA Cup wrongs of last year.Pulisic puts it like this: “Any time you’re in a final, you want to win it regardless of what’s happened before, but I definitely want to finish on the right end this year.”

Champions League winner: Man City or Chelsea? Guardiola vs. Tuchel, Foden vs. Mount, expert predictions

1:55 PM ETESPN

The final game of the 2020-21 season is upon us, as the UEFA Champions League will be decided this Saturday in Portugal. Will it be the all-conquering superteam that is Manchester City, as they finally win the one trophy they’ve never held? (It would also break a 10-year drought for Pep Guardiola, who last won it with Lionel Messi and Barcelona in 2010-11.) Or will it be Chelsea, who’ve beaten City twice in recent weeks (once in the FA Cup semifinal, and again in their Premier League fixture) but are enduring a horrendous run of form? (Thomas Tuchel, a losing finalist last season with Paris Saint-Germain, will also be eager to erase the sadness of defeat vs. Bayern.)

There are storylines galore as the Premier League sides prepare to do battle, but we’ve got you covered before the season finale.

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Jump to: Man City’s attack | Can Tuchel win? | Foden vs. Mount | Ruben Dias the X-Factor? | Predictions

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Chelsea‘s defense vs. Man City’s attack

Defensive reliability has been the bedrock of both Chelsea’s and Manchester City‘s progression to the final, with the two clubs conceding a competition-best four goals on their way to Porto. City conceded just one goal in six games during the group stage — in the opening fixture against FC Porto in October — while Chelsea shipped just two goals under Frank Lampard’s management in their group.

Ironically, the only team to blemish the records of City and Chelsea in this season’s competition has been Porto, the resident club at Estadio do Dragao, where Saturday’s final will be played. The Portuguese team are the only side to beat Chelsea in the Champions League this season, winning their quarterfinal second leg 1-0 in neutral Seville in April, and Sergio Conceicao’s side are the sole team to have denied City a victory this term when they held Pep Guardiola’s team 0-0 at home in December.In terms of goals, City have scored 25 on their way to the final with Chelsea managing 22, but Thomas Tuchel’s team may have the psychological advantage of winning their last two domestic encounters with City.

A 1-0 victory in the FA Cup semifinal at Wembley last month preceded a 2-1 win at the Etihad, when Chelsea fought back from being 1-0 down to claim all three points. On both occasions, Chelsea’s pace on the counterattack proved decisive, with Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech and Mason Mount all exploiting spaces in the City defence to leave Guardiola with a tactical problem to solve in Porto.

Chelsea’s prospects depend on a positive turn after fitness worries surrounding goalkeeper Edouard Mendy and midfielder N’Golo Kante. Both have been crucial in Chelsea’s run to the final and Kante’s availability, in particular, will be key to protecting the back three and stifling City’s attacking players.

While City’s defence, particularly the centre-back pairing of Ruben Dias and John Stones, is a strong point, it is the array of attacking outlets that make them so dangerous. Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva, Gabriel Jesus and Ferran Torres could all play a significant role on Saturday, with club record scorer Sergio Aguero always capable of deciding the game from the bench.

But the final will come down to whether Chelsea can repel City’s waves of attacks long enough to hit them on the counter, as they have done twice in the past six weeks. — Mark Ogden

Can Tuchel shake off last year’s pain and win with his new team?

Steve Nicol wonders where Chelsea’s spark will come from vs. Manchester City in the Champions League final.

If you watched Tuchel in the technical area during Chelsea’s last two games, against Leicester and Aston Villa, you would have seen him looking tense, frustrated and stressed; he seemed angry and on the edge, which made sense given how much was at stake for him personally and for the team.Chelsea’s season hinged upon finishing fourth in the Premier League. It was Tuchel’s objective when he joined the club in January, the Blues languishing in ninth at the time. On the other hand, the Champions League was not one of his targets. He wanted to do as well as possible, obviously, but the priority was to improve and to climb up the league table. Yet, this European campaign has been a fantastic ride and the German made history this year in becoming the first manager ever to reach two Champions League finals in a row with different teams.Dan Thomas is joined by Craig Burley, Shaka Hislop and others to bring you the latest highlights and debate the biggest storylines. Stream on ESPN+ (U.S. only).This week, there is no frustration or stress. He has been more chilled-out than ever before since joining the club. Smiles were present in training — plenty of laughter, too — and he has tried all week to transmit this renewed calmness and serenity to his players. He knows all too well, after his experience last season with Paris Saint-Germain, that you can’t approach such a big game in a state of tension. Players cannot stress before such an incredible match. They have to enjoy the occasion, make the most of it and be themselves.

That’s the message Tuchel has passed on to his players. He’s still been applying pressure, of course, but positive pressure. In essence, You are 90 minutes (or a bit more) away from winning the biggest prize in club football. You have already beaten Manchester City twice in the last few weeks, in the FA Cup (1-0) at Wembley and away at the Etihad in the league (2-1) with a superb collective performance in the second half.

Since the Premier League ended on Sunday, the communication has been so positive and confident from Tuchel towards his squad. He learned a lot from losing to Bayern Munich with PSG last season, a game for which Tuchel prepared perfectly and where his team was the best over the 90 minutes, only to lose it with their lack of composure: Bayern were clinical when Paris were wasteful.

In the two games Tuchel won against Pep Guardiola and City since his arrival at Chelsea, his team was very clinical. They will have to be again on Saturday.

Apart from him, only Thiago Silva and Mateo Kovacic have been in this position before. Silva lost his Champions League final with Tuchel, while Kovacic won it three times at Real Madrid under Zinedine Zidane! They have also led by example this week to make sure that everyone in this Chelsea squad is ready to go with the right mindset. — Julien Laurens

Foden vs. Mount

There are plenty of obvious similarities that tie Mason Mount and Phil Foden, a pair of playmakers who could star against one another this weekend but play alongside one another at the Euros. They are both brilliant English midfielders still years from their potential peak. They both play primarily on the left. They both are both tasked with creating some of their respective teams’ more dangerous attacking moments.

Their differences say a lot about Manchester City and Chelsea: this table shows the pair in Premier League and Champions League play in 2020-21 (per 90 minutes).

Foden Vs. Mount

STAT	FODEN	MOUNT
Touches	64.9	72.8
Pass attempts	44.3	50.5
Chances created	1.9	2.4
Goals	0.4	0.2
xG+xA	0.5	0.43
Def. interventions	7.2	8.6
Ground duels	8.5	10.1
Ground duel win %	58	48
Carries	36.4	38.9
Yards per carry	4.8	5.1

Foden’s job is pretty simple to describe. In possession play, he hugs the touchline and links up with the left-back (increasingly, Oleksandr Zinchenko), midfielders Ilkay Gundogan and Rodri, plus Joao Cancelo in whatever position he’s playing from minute to minute. When there’s a “fast-break” opportunity, he becomes the Magic Johnson to Riyad Mahrez‘s James Worthy, serving the killer pass that allows Mahrez to dunk it home or, if given enough space, scoring himself with his scythe of a right leg. He attempts fewer one-on-ones than Mount, but wins a far greater percentage of them.

Since the start of 2021, City began to find form in part by allowing Foden to do a little more in the attacking department. He’s averaged 2.1 chances created and 0.54 xG+xA per 90 since Jan. 1, and the adjusted role has looked great on him.

Mount, on the other hand, creates less in the defensive box, but does more to help Chelsea get there. Since Tuchel’s appointment, Mount has created more than twice as many chances as anyone else on the team in the Premier League and Champions League — he’s got 45, while Reece James is second with 27 — and his expected assist total (which measures the likelihood that a given pass will become a goal assist, per Stats Perform) is 4.5, far higher than second-place Christian Pulisic (3.1).

In matches Mount’s played under Tuchel, Chelsea have averaged 2.4 points per game when he creates at least two chances, and 1.4 when he doesn’t. The Chelsea attack is also at its best when he’s touching the ball all over the pitch, not just along the left side. (See the below heat map from his season.)

Foden is perhaps a more dangerous player than Mount and allows City to create more vertical, high-percentage scoring opportunities. But Mount is Chelsea’s engine: if the Blues score or defeat City this weekend, he likely had a key role in it. — Bill Connelly

The rise of Ruben Dias: is he the X factor for Man City?

Just over two years ago, Guardiola was reflecting on the departure of talismanic captain and defender Vincent Kompany. “It will be so difficult to replace Vinnie,” he said. They were in essence losing the heartbeat of their defence, but in Ruben Dias, City have a new-look leader in his stead.

Guardiola has long searched for the right combinations at the back, spending in excess of £400m on defenders, with Dias, 24, the most expensive — coming in at £62m from Benfica last September. The hefty price tag raised eyebrows, especially in the midst of financial constraints due to the coronavirus pandemic, but Dias’ debut season in the Premier League has impressed to the extent he was named FWA Player of the Year and has already been mentioned by Guardiola as a future City captain.

Whether Guardiola pairs him with John Stones or Aymeric Laporte at the weekend, expect to see and hear plenty from Dias.In City’s 2-0 win over PSG in the semifinal second leg, Dias made three of City’s nine blocks — the most in any match under Guardiola — with two shots clattering straight into his nose. City’s charge to the Premier League title was built on a watertight defence that conceded the fewest goals in the top flight (32), while Dias’ transitional play also paid dividends: his pass completion rate of 93.2% is made even more remarkable by the fact he attempted more passes (2,713) than any other defender in the Premier League.

But it’s the intangible qualities that have appealed to Guardiola. When he described Dias as “undroppable” in February, he pointed to the impact the Portuguese defender has had on his teammates. “He’s not just a player who plays good, he’s a player who makes the other guys play good too,” Guardiola said. “It’s 90 minutes talking, 90 minutes communicating, 90 minutes saying what they have to do in every single action.”Guardiola also recently hailed Dias’ generosity with how he sees the game, constantly advising and filling in for his defensive partners, wingers or fullbacks. “He is a guy who in the bad moments is always ready to help and he’s a man of communication on and off the pitch,” Guardiola said of Dias in May. “He’s a leader. To be a leader is not to be given to you by the club; it comes from inside, it’s natural.

“He is always thinking what he can do better. That is why he will have success.”City have their new Kompany and with it, they have their dreams of European footballing immortality, built on the rock at the back. — Tom Hamilton

Predictions

Man City 2, Chelsea 0: City have the best team, squad and manager. Their recent defeats against Chelsea will ensure an element of doubt in the players’ minds, but they will have learned their lessons and should win this game comfortably. — Ogden

Man City 0, Chelsea 1: I think the Blues have a game suited to play against Manchester City and will cause them problems with their defensive shape and build-up play. — Laurens

Man City 2, Chelsea 0: City’s the only thing that has made sense this year. It’s their time. (It’s either this, or Chelsea winning on an extra-time, fast-break from Werner.) — Connelly

Man City 2, Chelsea 0: Two weeks ago, I’d have gone with Chelsea springing a Tuchel-inspired surprise. But following their recent dip in form, Manchester City should complete a treble on Saturday. — Hamilton

USA Prepares for Nations League Finals

Jeff CarlisleU.S. soccer correspondent

Chelsea midfielder Christian Pulisic and Manchester City goalkeeper Zack Steffen headline the United States men’s national team 23-player roster for the upcoming CONCACAF Nations League Finals in Denver.

The Premier League pair will take part in the Saturday’s UEFA Champions League final for their respective clubs, but will both miss the USMNT’s friendly against Switzerland in St. Gallen on Sunday as a result.

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– U.S. Soccer parting ways with MLS-owned SUM

The U.S. will then travel home to face Honduras on June 3 at Empower Field at Mile High, and if it prevails in that match, it will move on to the final set for June 6. If the U.S. falls to the Catrachos, it will take part in a third-place game that same day. Mexico and Costa Rica square off in the other semifinal matchup.

U.S. Men’s Soccer Key Dates

Friendly vs. Switzerland	May 30
Nations League	June 3-6
Friendly vs. Costa Rica	June 9
Gold Cup	July 2-Aug. 1
World Cup qualifying	Sept.-March ’22
2022 World Cup	Nov. 21-Dec. 18 ’22

“We are excited to gather this group together as we compete to win the Nations League trophy,” USMNT manager Gregg Berhalter said. “It’s been a great year for our player pool and the unprecedented successes of winning multiple league and cup championships. Our focus now becomes continuing this success with the national team.”

Tyler Adams was among the players named to the roster despite missing the last part of RB Leipzig’s season. On a Zoom call with reporters, Berhalter said the U.S. staff has been monitoring Adams’ situation closely, but the player is so important to the team that including him was “a risk worth taking.” A player can be replaced up to 24 hours before a team’s first Nations League game.

With New York Red Bulls defender Aaron Long recuperating from surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon, plenty of eyes are on the complement of center backs. In addition to Wolfsburg’s John Brooks, Anderlecht’s Matt Miazga, Genk‘s Mark McKenzie and Fulham‘s Tim Ream have been called in, leaving Nashville SC‘s Walker Zimmerman as the odd player out.

“There is a deep pool, and we’re looking forward to seeing what these guys can do in this camp,” Berhalter said.

Also not included is forward Daryl Dike, who will eventually return to Orlando City SC after completing his loan at English Championship side Barnsley. MLS players will get an opportunity to impress later this summer at the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Berhalter said that Dike will remain with the U.S. for the duration of this camp and will play in the June 9 friendly against Costa Rica. For now, Joshua Sargent and Jordan Siebatcheu will be the forward options in the Nations League.

“We based it on current form,” Berhalter said. “Jordan had an outstanding year playing for Young Boys. They won the title running away. He scored a lot of goals. We thought that his movement inside the penalty box is really good, and getting on the end of crosses is really good. And Josh is playing at a really high level. He’s playing in the Bundesliga every week, is competing, his minutes this year were off the charts.”

The roster is heavily weighted toward Europe-based players, with only four of the 23 based in Major League Soccer. Of those overseas players, nine made at least 30 appearances in a European top-flight league this season.

In terms of trophies won, nine players won a total of 12 trophies this season, a group that includes: Brenden Aaronson (Austrian League and Cup), Sergino Dest (Spanish Copa del Rey), Ethan Horvath (Belgian First Division A), Weston McKennie (Supercoppa Italiana, Coppa Italia), McKenzie (Belgian Cup), Giovanni Reyna (German DFB-Pokal), Jordan Siebatcheu (Swiss Super League), Steffen (English Premier League, English League Cup) and Tim Weah (French Ligue 1).

Detailed roster by position (club/country; caps/goals):

GOALKEEPERS (3): Ethan Horvath (Club Brugge/BEL; 4/0), David Ochoa (Real Salt Lake; 0/0), Zack Steffen (Manchester City/ENG; 21/0)

DEFENDERS (8): John Brooks (Wolfsburg/GER; 40/3), Reggie Cannon (Boavista/POR; 14/0), Sergino Dest (Barcelona/ESP; 7/1), Mark McKenzie (Genk/BEL; 2/0), Matt Miazga (Anderlecht/BEL; 21/1), Tim Ream (Fulham/ENG; 42/1), Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG; 10/0), DeAndre Yedlin (Galatasaray/TUR; 62/0)

MIDFIELDERS (6): Kellyn Acosta (Colorado Rapids; 27/2), Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig/GER; 12/1), Sebastian Lletget (LA Galaxy; 20/6), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 21/6), Yunus Musah (Valencia/ESP; 4/0), Jackson Yueill (San Jose Earthquakes; 9/0)

FORWARDS: (6): Brenden Aaronson (Red Bull Salzburg/AUT; 4/2), Christian Pulisic (Chelsea/ENG; 36/15), Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund/GER; 4/2), Josh Sargent (Werder Bremen/GER; 13/5), Jordan Siebatcheu (Young Boys/SUI; 2/0), Tim Weah (Lille/FRA; 10/1)

Ertz, Heath Injury Statuses Hang Over USWNT as Olympics Approach

Cutting the USWNT player pool down for the Olympics is a challenge in itself, but so is preparing for the possibility that key players won’t be available.

AVI CREDITORMAY 25, 2021  SI 

For months, the biggest problem facing the U.S. women’s national team ahead of the Olympics was the kind any manager around the world would welcome. With so much talent, how do you only pick 18 players?And while that’s still the case in many ways for Vlatko Andonovski, he and the U.S. are faced with another pressing issue now, one that’s less of an enviable proposition.What if the team’s most indispensable player isn’t healthy?

Julie Ertz’s injury status is now item No. 1 on the docket as the days tick down to this summer’s Olympics in Tokyo. Ertz suffered a right MCL sprain in the Chicago Red Stars’ NWSL season-opening loss to the Portland Thorns on May 16, an injury that, all things considered, was not a worst-case scenario—at least for the national team. Ertz looks unlikely to play again for her club until after the Olympics, but she’s now in a race against time to get in game shape for a major international competition.She’s expectedly not part of the squad gathering for the “Summer Series” trio of friendlies in Texas next month, the roster for which was unveiled Tuesday. Another veteran, Tobin Heath, is also not included due to her long-term injury. Heath hurt her ankle with Manchester United in January and was supposed to be out for 10–12 weeks, but she suffered a knee injury during her rehabilitation that prolonged her recovery.Andonovski told reporters in Louisville recently that Heath was still on track for Tokyo, and while she’s not technically on the upcoming camp’s 23-player roster, she will be present as a “training player,” which suggests that she’s both close to getting back to the field and is still very much in the mix for the Olympic squad.”Because of her recovery and how well she is recovered, she was invited to come into camp as a training player, because the next step is a team environment and training with the team,” said Andonovski, who added that Heath has been doing on-field work with U.S. U-20 coach Laura Harvey. “It’s basically day by day. As she’s progressing she’ll get more and more.”While Heath brings so much to the table in terms of attacking quality, unpredictability and veteran know-how, there are like-for-like replacements that would allow the U.S. to not miss much of a step at all in her absence. In Ertz’s case, however, she’s more of a unique asset.No player in the U.S. pool can replicate the job she does in covering the space in the midfield and neutralizing opponents’ attacks while also serving as a link between the defense and attack. The aerial threat she brings on set pieces and center back cover she can provide are both qualities that are also so useful in tournament play—especially when roster versatility becomes more valuable with limited squad size. If the U.S. is a well-oiled machine, then Ertz is the engine. Andonovski allayed worst fears Tuesday, saying that when all is said and done, Ertz should be ready to go.”MCL injuries usually take time to heal, but she’ll be good and ready to play in our send-off series,” Andonovski said. “Right now, her progression is going well. She started back jogging, but we’re going to be very careful in terms of how we approach her recovery and make sure she’s 100% by the Olympics.”The upcoming games against Portugal (29th in FIFA’s world ranking), Nigeria (38th) and Jamaica (51st) are all about fine-tuning and shouldn’t realistically challenge the U.S., but then again, perhaps they come at the perfect time. With the U.S.’s needing to prepare for all scenarios, including one in which its midfield linchpin is not available, the ability to find some alternative solutions will otherwise be limited to the pair of send-off matches Andonovski alluded to, which will take place once the Olympic squad is set. Whether it’s a tactical tweak, a lineup swap or a reassessment of player responsibility, there’s suddenly another problem to solve aside from cutting what’s effectively become a 25-player pool (the Summer Series squad plus the two injured stars) to 18. “These games and the few training sessions we’ll have are just more tests, more challenges and more learning opportunities, for the players and coaches,” Andonovski said. “The three matches will certainly be important in the selection of the Olympic team, but we are also focused on the big picture and the overall body of work the players have put together over the past year or so for the national team and their clubs. During these games we’ll also focus on preparing for the Olympic group matches, so we need to balance all of that, as well as manage the overall physical load on the players.”

CBS takes its soccer coverage to a new level with the UEFA Champions League and Concacaf Nations League

The network will be bumping golf off its flagship broadcast channel Saturday and giving both events the kind of production it does for NFL playoff games.by Jonathan Tannenwald  Published   May 28, 2021

On most spring Saturdays, sports fans who turn on CBS at 3 p.m. want to watch golf. This Saturday, they won’t be able to.Instead, the longtime home of the Masters, the Super Bowl, and the NCAA men’s basketball tournament will televise the UEFA men’s Champions League final for the first time. A four-hour programming block starts at 1:30 p.m., 90 minutes before Manchester City vs. Chelsea kicks off at 3. There will also be a half-hour postgame show.If you’re looking for the PGA Tour’s Charles Schwab Challenge, Phil Mickelson’s first tournament since winning the PGA Championship, you’ll have to go elsewhere — or watch soccer until at least 5:30 p.m., when the golf broadcast is scheduled to start.That’s a big statement about how committed CBS is to soccer.“We’re all about big, marquee, prestigious events, and these soccer events certainly fall into that category,” CBS Sports’ longtime chairman Sean McManus said.The scale of the production isn’t just shown by the hours given to it. CBS will have broadcast teams at its London studio (Kate Abdo, Jamie Carragher, Roberto Martínez, and Micah Richards) and at the Estádio do Dragao in Porto, Portugal, where the game will be played (Peter Schmeichel, Guillem Balagué, and reporters Nico Cantor and Jenny Chiu). Peter Drury and Rob Green will call the action.At the helm behind the scenes will be lead producer Pete Radovich, Jr. He’s a lifelong soccer fan who worked on CBS’ other flagship sports for nearly 20 years, especially the NFL. So he is well-versed in the network’s high standards.“We wanted to do what we do as CBS Sports: treat it as we would an NFL playoff game,” he said. “All the producers that do our Masters coverage, NFL coverage, Final Four coverage, that’s what we’re looking to.”

CBS’ Champions League producer lives a soccer dream, and wins fans’ praise for his broadcasts

Radovich is joined in the production room by two soccer-mad colleagues with NFL experience, Jonathan Segal and Jelani Rooks. Segal is one of CBS’ top NFL producers — he did Greg Gumbel’s games last year — and Rooks has worked on Super Bowl broadcasts.“Jonathan Segal’s a full-time producer on NFL games, calls me day one and says, ‘Whatever you need, I’m here. If I have a free minute, I’ll help you,’” Radovich said. “We had people in place that were doing the production at a super-high level and knew the sport coming in.”

Coming up next

After the weekend, Radovich, Segal, Abdo, Cantor, and Chiu will fly to Denver to debut the next big piece of CBS’ soccer portfolio: the Concacaf Nations League final four.It will be the first time the network delivers a soccer production this big on American soil, after sharing NWSL production duties with crews hired by the league. And it will be the first time the U.S. team’s top squad plays together before World Cup qualifying starts this fall.AAbdo will host studio coverage on site at the Broncos’ Empower Field at Mile High with former U.S. players Charlie Davies, Clint Dempsey and Oguchi Onyewu, and current Mexican player Janelly Farias.Andres Cordero and Maurice Edu will call the U.S.-Honduras semifinal at 6:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Network), and Adrian Garcia Marquez and Marcelo Balboa will call Mexico-Costa Rica at 10 p.m. (Paramount+). Cantor and Chiu will be the sideline reporters. The third-place game and final are Sunday at 6:30 p.m. (Paramount+) and 9 p.m. (CBSSN) respectively.(Yes, that’s three Union alumni on the broadcast team — Davies, Onyewu and Edu — for U.S. games that could feature up to four area natives: Downingtown’s Zack Steffen, Hershey’s Christian Pulisic, Medford’s Brenden Aaronson, and Bear, Del.,’s Mark McKenzie.)» READ MORE: Brenden Aaronson’s U.S. soccer star is on the rise as he elevates his game in AustriaBut that’s just one piece of CBS’ soccer offering this summer. There are NWSL games on CBS Sports Network and Paramount+, the debut of Brazil’s league on Paramount+, and the return of Argentina’s league from a pandemic-enforced stoppage.Later this year, Paramount+ will add Italy’s Serie A (with games on TV, too) and Coppa Italia; the Asian Football Confederation’s continental club and national team competitions, including World Cup qualifying; and the new UEFA Europa Conference League for men’s clubs.ADVERTISEMENTThere will also be the next stages of Concacaf men’s World Cup qualifying, including six U.S. national team road games.

From zero to 2,000

Add everything up, and CBS will broadcast more than 2,000 games across 16 competitions this year, using two TV channels and a subscription streaming platform.“We’re using all of these platforms to promote, to program, and to showcase the world’s most popular game,” McManus said, a phrase that would have sent shockwaves around the industry in the past.» READ MORE: CBS lands Concacaf World Cup qualifying rights for 2022 men’s, 2023 women’s campaigns

He knows it, too. Because the story here isn’t just how much soccer CBS has acquired. It’s that for decades the network did nothing with the sport.When CBS’ flagship broadcast channel aired the first game of last summer’s NWSL Challenge Cup, it was the first outdoor soccer game there since the old North American Soccer League’s 1976 Soccer Bowl. Saturday’s game will be the ninth on the broadcast channel in 12 months. The only soccer on CBSSN before the NWSL arrived was a brief dalliance with the modern-day NASL in 2016.“It’s one of the great accomplishments that I can remember at CBS Sports, the way we ramped up as quickly as we did,” McManus said. “It’s been a really, really satisfying journey for us.”McManus has done his own share of ramping up. Long fluent in the ways of Augusta National and the NFL commissioner’s office, he has learned a lot about the world’s game.“The soccer fan is among the most discerning fans in the overall sports landscape,” McManus said. “If you had asked me a year ago whether CBS Sports was going to be a major force in the world of international soccer, I probably would have said I’m not sure. But, in less than a year, we have become a must-have destination for both casual soccer fans and the hardcore fans who follow the sport every single day.”

Brenden Aaronson’s U.S. soccer star is on the rise as he elevates his game in Austria

Aaronson’s seven goals and five assists in 25 games for Red Bull Salzburg helped win two trophies. Now he’s on the national team’s best-of-the-best squad for the Concacaf Nations League’s final four.Brenden Aaronson, right, helped Red Bull Salzburg win the Austrian Bundesliga and Cup titles in his first six months since moving there from the Union.Wolfgang Jannach / GEPA Pictures

by Jonathan TannenwaldUpdated May 26, 2021

Although Brenden Aaronson has been in Austria for only half a year, he has had years’ worth of development in his game.To watch the 20-year-old Medford native play for Red Bull Salzburg this spring was to watch him grow up in real time, adding quality and sharpness levels beyond what he showed with the Union.“In MLS, a lot of teams will sit back a little bit, but in the Austrian league you have teams that even though you’re the top team in the league, you have guys that are flying at you [in] no time,” Aaronson said. “I think the time that I’ve been here, my decision-making in the final third has just gotten quicker and faster … and I think it’s coming off really well, too.”It sure has. Aaronson registered seven goals and five assists in 25 games for Salzburg, and many of those plays were of real quality.He helped Salzburg win the Austrian league and domestic cups, and earned some shiny decorations for his new home. It also means he’s won three trophies across two countries in seven months, starting with the Supporters’ Shield with the Union. That kind of run is a rare feat for any American player.

“It’s been a whirlwind of six months for me, and it’s been a crazy time,” Aaronson said. “It’s not always easy to come over and get acclimated right away and get into the group — you’re meeting new friends and coming into a new system and all these kinds of things, and it was tough at first. … I think it was having the confidence of my teammates and my coaches, and that’s what kind of helped me push on.”Now Aaronson is set to take his talents to a new level with the U.S. national team. He’s one of 23 players on the best-of-the-best squad that will play in next week’s Concacaf Nations League final four in Denver, and before then visit Switzerland in a friendly on Sunday (2 p.m., ESPN, UniMás and TUDN).A istoric season for Americans

Also on the squad is Aaronson’s former Union teammate Mark McKenzie, who helped Belgium’s Genk win the Belgian Cup and finish second in the league — earning a berth in next season’s Champions League qualifying playoffs.So are Downingtown’s Zack Steffen, who with Manchester City this season became the first American man to ever win the English Premier League; and Hershey’s Christian Pulisic, the star of stars, who will likely play for Chelsea against Man City in Saturday’s UEFA Champions League final (3 p.m., CBS, Univision and TUDN).Steffen will be on the bench as City’s backup goalkeeper, but it’s still historic that an American man will be on each side of the field in the biggest game in world club soccer. And it’s guaranteed that an American man will lift a European trophy for the 14th time this season. If Chelsea wins Saturday, Pulisic will become the 10th player on the Nations League squad to earn a winner’s medal in the campaign.Aaronson called it “an unbelievable number.” Many people who’ve been watching American soccer since before he was born have said the same.“You’re seeing where they’re playing at, and they’re winning big trophies and it’s huge — it’s a really big step in U.S. football,” he said, showing another sign of how long he’s been abroad. “I’m really excited for the group of guys, and now it’s just pushing onto the Nations League and winning a trophy with this group of guys.”» READ MORE: USWNT star Sam Mewis carries herself like she’s still fighting for an Olympic roster spot

https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=PhillyInquirer&dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=eyJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2hvcml6b25fdHdlZXRfZW1iZWRfOTU1NSI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJodGUiLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3R3ZWV0X2VtYmVkX2NsaWNrYWJpbGl0eV8xMjEwMiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJjb250cm9sIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH19&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1396833980884955138&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.inquirer.com%2Fsoccer%2F&sessionId=df96085618c006948785eb1bd8d6a238a062c8f9&siteScreenName=PhillyInquirer&theme=light&widgetsVersion=82e1070%3A1619632193066&width=550px The Switzerland game is more than just a warm-up contest. It’s a chance for the U.S. team’s Europe-based players to play together, and to play at altitude before heading to Denver. St. Gallen is near the Alps, and while the city’s elevation is around 2,300 feet, the U.S. team has been training in the mountains.The quick travel time from Europe to America is also intentional: It replicates what the players will experience when they come home for World Cup qualifying games starting this fall. After the Nations League games — June 3 vs. Honduras, and June 6 vs. Mexico or Costa Rica — there will be another friendly, vs. Costa Rica in suburban Salt Lake City on June 9. Then the players will finally get a well-earned summer vacation.“A lot of us haven’t done it,” Aaronson said of the packed itinerary. “It’s really tough — it’s hard on the body because you’re traveling, what, eight hours back to the United States over a flight and then you have to get another flight and then get ready for a game in three days. It’s one of the toughest parts about football and playing for your national team.”But he would never turn it down. And he knows what the whole team knows: This is the first time the U.S. men’s program’s true A-team has been together in years. The fan base wants this team to make a statement and win a trophy.“It’s always an honor, and I think that you’re going to do whatever you can to get on the field no matter what,” Aaronson said. “It’s a good kind of test, and I think we’re going to do well with it.”» READ MORE: Philadelphia’s 2026 World Cup bid meets with FIFA to pitch Lincoln Financial Field

USMNT schedule

• Sunday, May 30: Friendly vs. Switzerland at Kybunpark, St. Gallen, Switzerland, 2 p.m. (ESPN, UniMás, TUDN)
• Thursday, June 3: Concacaf Nations League semifinal vs. Honduras at Empower Field at Mile High, Denver, 7:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Network, Paramount+, Univision, TUDN); Mexico vs. Costa Rica, 10 p.m. (Paramount+, Univision, TUDN)
• Sunday, June 6: Concacaf Nations League final or third-place game at Empower Field at Mile High, Denver, 9 p.m. (final; CBS Sports Network, Paramount+, Univision, TUDN) or 6:30 p.m. (third-place game; Paramount+, UniMás, TUDN)
• Wednesday, June 9: Friendly vs. Costa Rica at Rio Tinto Stadium, Sandy, Utah (ESPN2, UniMás, TUDN)

PREVIEW | INDY ELEVEN HEADS TO LOUISVILLE FOR FIRST LIPAFC FIXTURE OF 2021

By Indy Eleven Communications, 05/27/21, 6:15PM EDT size=1 width=”100%” align=center>

Indy Eleven at Louisville City FC  Saturday, May 29, 2021 – 7:30 P.M. ET    Lynn Family Stadium | Louisville, Ken.

Streaming Video: ESPN+ (click to subscribe)  

Official Indy Eleven Watch Party Locations: Ellison Brewing Co. | Union Jack Pub

2021 USL CHAMPIONSHIP REGULAR SEASON RECORDS  

Indy Eleven: 2W-1L-0D, 6 pts. (+1 GD), 5th in Central Division  

Louisville City FC: 2W-0L-1D, 7 pts. (+3 GD), 3rd in Central Division  

Take the history of Yankees-Red Sox, throw in some of the petty vitriol of Ohio State-Michigan, and finish with a splash of the begrudging respect of Balboa v. Drago (and perhaps some of the latter’s fictional leanings) and what do you get? The Louisville-Indianapolis Proximity Association Football Contest, of course, the 2021 edition of which kicks off Saturday night on the wrong side of the Ohio River.The first of four regular season LIPAFC installments should serve as a fair test for both rivals, each of which have registered two wins in their first three contests. Those results include home triumphs last Saturday that marked each squad’s best showing of 2021 so far – Indy Eleven a 2-0 victor over Sporting KC II at “The Mike”, and Lou City a 2-1 winner over San Diego Loyal SC at Lynn Family Stadium.Indy Eleven’s three run outs so far have followed pretty different scripts – an opening win at Birmingham Legion FC led by stout defense and an opportunistic finish, a home loss against FC Tulsa that saw the squad dominate possession but eventually chase the game after failing to convert on its chances, and the win over SKC II that was the most complete effort of the early season on both sides of the ball.Last Saturday’s affair saw Head Coach Martin Rennie trot out a new-look 3-4-3 formation that allowed the new forward trio of Jordan Hamilton (goal), Manuel Arteaga (goal), and Gordon Wild (two assists) shine throughout. With Hamilton and Wild at full health for the first time in the regular season, fans got their first look at the fruits of the Eleven’s offseason attacking overhaul – and the early results were more than favorable, resulting in eight shots on goal and myriad chances both from the run of play and set pieces. Meanwhile, a high-pressure defensive approach throughout the evening saw Indiana’s Team allow only three shots – and no attempts on target until the 75th minute – en route to a second clean sheet for the squad collectively and goalkeeper Jordan Farr individually.Meanwhile, while Lou City FC has thrown out three different formations in as many contests (and even switched head coaches on the fly after its season opener in late April), its overall philosophy has not seemed to change in the slightest – dominate possession and the chances will come. LCFC has hovered near 60% possession in each match and collectively outshot the opposition 57-23 (20-8 on goal), but even with those commanding figures Lou City registered a closer-than-it-appeared 2-0 win over Atlanta United 2 and a 1-1 draw against Birmingham before last weekend’s more comfortable breakthrough over San Diego.So, what will we see when the greatest rivalry known to mankind is rekindled Saturday in Kentucky? Will Rennie stand his charges down and look to absorb Lou City’s standard possessive approach? Or bolstered by last weekend’s performance, will he release the attacking hounds in an attempt to flip his side’s recent LIPAFC fortunes? Will recently installed LCFC sideline boss Danny Cruz have some new wrinkles to show Indy up his sleeve? Or does he stick with what has kept his side undefeated at home through three times out, looking to keep th Eleven on its heels? Only the next riveting 90 minutes of the fabled LIPAFC rivalry will answer those questions.

 SERIES HISTORY VS. LOUISVILLE CITY FC:

All official competitions: 2W-7L-4D (11 GF/22 GA)

All competitions away: 0W-3L-3D (5 GF/10 GA)

USL Championship regular season: 1W-4L-4D (7 GF/12 GA)

USLC regular season away: 0W-2L-3D (4 GF/6 GA)

Forgive Indy Eleven fans if they would rather forget the “modern era” of the LIPAFC rivalry, which Louisville City has controlled over the last three seasons. Since joining the USL Championship in 2018, Indiana’s Team has garnered just one win in nine regular season meetings – and that coming right out of the gates in May 2018 courtesy of an Ayoze PK-fueled 1-0 win at Lucas Oil Stadium. Throw on top of that postseason losses to LCFC in both 2018 & 2019 and you get a 10-game overall winless streak (4 draws, 6 losses) that Indy Eleven players, coaches, fans, mascots – anyone associated with the squad, really – is desperate to see snapped.

Despite the mostly forgettable results, Indy Eleven has actually managed to bring a point back across the river from three of its five regular season meetings in Louisville, including their first match at Lynn Family Stadium last August 8, a 1-1 draw that saw Tyler Pasher equalize near the hour mark. However, things went south for the Eleven from there, with LCFC collecting wins in their final three meetings, a 1-0 triumph in Kentucky followed by two disappointing results 11 days apart at Lucas Oil Stadium (1-3 L on Sept. 5 and 0-2 L on Sept. 16).

The 2021 series will continue back in Louisville on June 26 before again renewing late in the season in Indianapolis with games on Sept. 18 and Oct. 16 at Carroll Stadium.

 INDY PLAYER TO WATCH: FW MANUEL ARTEAGA

Much consideration was given to reigning USLC Team of the Week member Gordon Wild, but we instead favor Arteaga for this weekend’s affair because … energy.

When you’re trying to flip the script in a derby, you need someone who’s going to put forth a relentless amount of energy and display a real sense of passion – and perhaps a fair amount of “bite” as well.  Someone whose effort can spark his teammates to reach a little deeper in those pivotal moments, and maybe pull a little magic out of his hat. Enter the Venezuelan striker, who has displayed the willingness to keep up constant pressure on both sides of the ball – and has not been shy to try and pull off the magnificent during his short stint for the Boys in Blue.

Plus, the dude’s gonna shoot his shot(s). Arteaga’s 12 shots from just three games are the fourth most in the Championship thus far, and he’s probably unlucky to only have two goals from his four shots on target in 242 minutes. Bottom line, Arteaga is going to look to make stuff happen, and with two of the team’s three goals to this point under his belt, he’s a pretty good candidate to keep that trend going. He also might be the best bet to be the first player other than Pasher to hit the back of the net against LCFC since the 2018 campaign, a streak spanning seven matches in the series.

 LOU CITY PLAYER TO WATCH: CAMERON LANCASTER

Speaking of someone who’s not shy to shoot … enter last season’s reigning USL Championship shot-taker Mr. Lancaster, who paced the shortened 2020 season with 58 attempts towards goal and already has 10 shots this season through three games.

After placing third on last year’s Golden Boot chart with 12 tallies, the London native opened his 2021 scoring account with the opener in Lou City’s win over San Diego last Saturday. The brash 28-year-old striker’s three goals are the most for a Louisville City FC player in the LIPAFC’s modern era, and now that he’s off the scoring schneid this season you can bet he’s itching to add to that total on Saturday night.

Indy 11

The Indy 11 returns to the Mike with a huge matchup vs Kansas City II on Saturday night at  7 pm on My Indy TV and ESPN+ Limited Tickets are still available visit here !!  

    PREVIEW | INDY ELEVEN HOSTS SPORTING KANSAS CITY II FOR RACING INDY NIGHT

GAMES to WATCH This Week

So we have reached the final weekend and final games of the season for England, Italy, Spain, Germany and France and Championships are still up for Grabs in Spain and top 4 Champions League and Top 6 Europa League spots are up for grabs in England, Italy, France and Germany.  Starting in the EPL For the American’s Pulisic and Chelsea must win their final road game at Aston Villa on Sunday at 11 am on USA Network to finish top 5.  Same for Liverpool hosting Crystal Palace at 11 am on NBC– win and they are in.  Leicester City need losses or ties by Chelsea or Liverpool to jump into the top 4 Champions League spots when they host Tottenham at 11 am on NBCSN.  The glorious day of win and stay in continues in Italy Sunday at US Mid Weston McKinney (fresh off having the Winning assist in the Italian Cup Final Wed) will need to help Renaldo, Buffon and Juventus win at Bologna at 2:45 pm and hope that AC Milan loses or ties at Atalanta or Napoli loses or ties at home to Verona (doubtful). All the games simultantanous on ESPN+ at 2:45 pm on Sunday.  Of course Saturday Spain gives us the battle for 1^st as Atletico Madrid travel to Real Valladolid at 12 noon – while Real Madrid hosts Villarreal.  Real Madrid will need to outdo Atletico so win and have Atletico draw or lose for them to take the title.  Finally Saturday at 1 pm on ESPN+ American Forward Daryll Dike of Orlando FC on loan to Barnsley needs to beat Swansea City on the road by 2 goals for a chance to make the EPL next season. The 100 Million dollar game !!

USMNT Team Announced for Switzerland Game Sun May 30 at 2 pm on ESPN

McKennie, Dest lead USMNT vs. Switzerland as Pulisic and Steffan will be in Porto for the Champions League Final – good problem to have eh?  Oh and congrats to Weston McKinney for becoming the first American to win an Italian Cup with Juve this Wed – his assist scored the game Winner!  Legendary GK Gigi Buffon, 43, earned his 28^th trophy in his last season with Juve. 

GOALKEEPERS (3): Ethan Horvath (Club Brugge/BEL; 4/0), Chituru Odunze (Leicester City/ENG; 0/0), David Ochoa (Real Salt Lake; 0/0)

DEFENDERS (10): John Brooks (Wolfsburg/GER; 40/3), Reggie Cannon (Boavista/POR; 14/0), Justin Che (Bayern Munich/GER; 0/0), Sergino Dest (Barcelona/ESP; 7/1), Mark McKenzie (Genk/BEL; 2/0), Matt Miazga (Anderlecht/BEL; 21/1), Tim Ream (Fulham/ENG; 42/1), Bryan Reynolds (Roma/ITA; 1/0), Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG; 10/0), DeAndre Yedlin (Galatasaray/TUR; 62/0)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Kellyn Acosta (Colorado Rapids; 27/2), Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig/GER; 12/1), Julian Green (Greuther Fürth/GER; 15/4), Sebastian Lletget (LA Galaxy; 20/6), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 21/6), Yunus Musah (Valencia/ESP; 4/0), Jackson Yueill (San Jose Earthquakes; 9/0)

FORWARDS: (7): Brenden Aaronson (Red Bull Salzburg/AUT; 4/2), Daryl Dike (Barnsley/ENG; 2/0), Matthew Hoppe (Schalke/GER; 0/0), Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund/GER; 4/2), Josh Sargent (Werder Bremen/GER; 13/5), Jordan Siebatcheu (Young Boys/SUI; 2/0), Tim Weah (Lille/FRA; 10/1)

Champions League – 2 Americans in Final –Saturday May 30^th 3 pm on CBS

So we will now have an American – in fact 2 American’s (Pulisic and Man City’s Backup goalie Zach Steffan) in a Champions Leaague final for the first time ever.  This is the Superbowl of Soccer – top 2 teams in the world – and we have a chance for an American to start and possibly score in the biggest club game in Soccer on May 29^th on CBS.  Oh and the job Tuechel has done at Chelsea (other than not starting Pulisic EVERY GAME) has been brilliant.  In 3 short months he has made Chelsea a defensive jugernaght and coaxed some semblance of offense out of team that was just average for former manager Frank Lampard.   Interesting match-up with Man City who will be playing for their first ever title.  Here’s a little history on the

Heartbreak city for The Indiana Hoosiers who got to the national Championship game before falling to Marshall in Overtime in the Final.    

GAMES ON TV

Sat, May 22

7:30 am ET ESPN+          Brentford 0 v Bournemouth  1 Championship Playoffs
9:30 am ESPN+           Dortmund (Reyna) vs Beyer Leverkusen

9:30 am ESPN+                  Bayern Munich vs Ausburg – Champ Celebration  

12 noon beIN Sport   Real Madrid vs Villarreal

12 noon beIN Sport+ Real Valladolid vs Atletico Madrid

1:30 pm ET ESPN+         Swansea City 1 v Barnsley (Dike) 0 — Championship Playoffs

3:30 pm ABC               LA Galaxy vs Portland

7  pm ESPN+, Myindy TV      Indy 11 vs Sporting KC

7 pm Paramount+             North Carolina Courage vs Orlando Pride (Morgan) NWSL

Sun, May 23

11 am USA Network  Aston Villa vs Chelsea (Pulisic) EPL battle for top 4

11 am NBC                 Liverpool vs Crystal Palace  EPL battle for top 4

11 am NBCSN             Leicester City vs Tottenham EPL battle for top 4

2:45 pm ESPN+                 Bologna vs Juventus (McKinney)  -Italy top 4

2:45 pm ESPN+                 Atalanta vs AC Milan  -Italy top 4

2:45 pm ESPN+                 Napoli vs Hellas Verona -Italy top 4

3 pm Fox                     Seattle Sounders vs Atlanta United

9:30 pm FS1                       Nashville FC vs Austin FC

Weds, May 26

3 pm CBSSN                Villarreal va Man United   Europa League Final

7 pm Paramount+             Orlando Pride (Morgan) vs Portland Thorns NWSL

8 pm CBSSN                        KC vs Chicago Red Stars  NWSL   

Sat, May 29

3 pm CBS                    Chelsea (Pulisic) vs Man City (Steffan)  Champions League Final  

Sun, May 30

2 pm ESPN                  USA vs Switzerland

6 pm Para+                         Orlando Pride vs KC NWSL

7 pm FS1                             Philly Union vs Portland Timbers  

Thurs, June 3  

7:30 pm Univ+Para+  USA vs Honduras  Nations League Semis

10 pm Para+                      Mexico vs Costa Rica

Sun, June 6

6:30 pm Para+            3^rd place game Nations League  

9 pm Para+                 Finals – Nations League  

MLS Schedule

NWSL Season TV Schedule

US Men

McKennie, Dest lead USMNT vs. Switzerland

USMNT: Tyler Adams returns to USA with back injury 

Pulisic Watch: How did USMNT star perform v. Leicester?

USMNT, New York Red Bulls mainstay Aaron Long tears Achilles tendon 
USMNT’s McKennie nabs assist, Kulusevski leads Juve to Coppa Italia

US Women
Soccer-Thorns beat Gotham FC on penalties to win Challenge Cup

Some Take-Aways from Challenge Cup Final – SI  

US soccer legend Carli Lloyd reflects on her club’s incredible transformation 
Chelsea wins FA Women’s Super League title

 

EPL

Chelsea vs Aston Villa Preview
Pulisic Watch: How did USMNT star perform for Chelsea v. Manchester City?
Player ratings: Manchester City – Chelsea
Tuchel: Good fortune for Chelsea v Man City as UCL final confidence high

 

WORLD
What is left to play for in Bundesliga, La Liga, and Serie A?
USMNT’s McKennie nabs assist, Kulusevski leads Juve to Coppa Italia
Buffon wins Italian Cup with two generations of Chiesa family
Soccer-Mbappe magic sets up PSG for French Cup victory

Zlatan injury update: Knee will cost Ibrahimovic season, EURO 
Bayern eye decade of dominance after ninth straight Bundesliga title
Five key players as Bayern Munich win ninth straight league title
Mueller hails Bayern Munich’s ‘phenomenal’ ninth league title in a row
Lewandowski eyes 49-year-old Mueller record after hat-trick heroics

Highest-paid athletes: Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar among

 

MLS

Galaxy Retake LA with win over LAFC
Jonathan dos Santos, ‘Chicharito’ Hernández lead Galaxy to earthshaking win over LAFC
Diego Valeri’s rare PK misses prove colossal in Timbers loss to Sounders
Inter Miami rally for draw with Atlanta but decry lack of late penalty 

INDY 11

·      PREVIEW | INDY ELEVEN HOSTS SPORTING KANSAS CITY II FOR RACING INDY NIGHT

·      DEFENDER AIDAN LIU CONTINUES PROFESSIONAL CAREER STATESIDE

·       USL CHAMPIONSHIP RECAP | INDY ELEVEN 0 : 2 FC TULSA

Serie A final day-ITALY

A Champions League without Juventus? It’s possible if The Old Lady fails to deliver on Saturday. Juve, who won the Coppa Italia Final on Wednesday versus Atalanta, opens the weekend in fifth place and could qualify for the UCL with a win and either AC Milan losing or drawing at Atalanta or Napoli losing or drawing at home to Verona. Juve could also make it with a draw and help, but they’ll be focusing on three points. The relegation picture will be decided by a high-stakes visit from Benevento to Torino, with the hosts holding a three-point lead over the visitors for 17th place.

Week 38 – May 22

Atalanta v AC Milan — 2:45pm ET Saturday  ESPN+
Bologna v Juventus — 2:45pm ET Saturday ESPN+
Napoli v Verona — 2:45pm ET Saturday ESPN+

La Liga final day-SPAIN

Atletico Madrid and Real Valladolid are desperate for two very different reasons when they meet on Saturday. Atleti can win La Liga with a win and a draw can also do the trick if Real Madrid fails to beat visiting Villarreal, while Real Valladolid will be relegated if it fails to beat the league leaders.  Real Madrid holds the tiebreaker on Atleti if it wins and their cross-city rivals draw, but their task of beating an in-form and top six-seeking Villarreal is not easy.  Villarreal needs to get a better result than Real Betis to go from Europa Conference League to the Europa League group stage. A Villarreal win and Real Sociedad draw or loss would also help.  Only Eibar has been relegated, meaning two of Huesca, Elche, and Valladolid will go to the Segunda division. Huesca controls its fate with 33 points, while Elche also has 33 and Valladolid has 31.

Matchday 38 – May 23

Real Valladolid v Atletico Madrid — Noon ET Saturday
Celta Vigo v Real Betis — Noon ET Saturday
Real Madrid v Villarreal — Noon ET Saturday

Weston McKennie, Sergino Dest headline USMNT squad for Switzerland friendly

May 20, 2021  Jeff CarlisleU.S. soccer correspondent

Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie, Barcelona defender Sergino Dest and Valencia midfielder Yunus Musah headline the 27-player roster for the U.S. men’s national team’s May 30 friendly against Switzerland, set to take place in St. Gallen (Live on ESPN at 2 p.m. ET).

The match, combined with the CONCACAF Nations League finals on June 3 and June 6, as well as a friendly against Costa Rica on June 9, is intended to mimic the cadence and travel challenges that the U.S. will face during World Cup qualifying, slated to start in September. The final 23-player CNL roster is due May 24.

U.S. Men’s Soccer Key Dates

Friendly vs. Switzerland	May 30
Nations League	June 3-6
Friendly vs. Costa Rica	June 9
Gold Cup	July 2-Aug. 1
World Cup qualifying	Sept.-March ’22
2022 World Cup	Nov. 21-Dec. 18 ’22

The U.S. will train at altitude to prepare for the run of matches, which include CNL games in the mile-high altitude of Denver. The U.S. will also face a stern test in Switzerland, which is ranked 13th in the world according to FIFA.

“The ability to play a top-20 team in the world is an opportunity that we didn’t want to miss on,” said U.S. manager Gregg Berhalter. “Switzerland is a very strong opponent, very talented players, and they’re preparing for the European Championship. So one of the goals is just to play a high level opponent, and we’re certainly achieving that with this camp.”

Berhalter had to juggle club commitments and injuries in naming his roster. Chelsea‘s Christian Pulisic and Manchester City‘s Zack Steffen will square off in the Champions League final on May 29, rendering them unavailable for the Switzerland match. Both are expected to join up with the U.S. squad for the CNL games.

Playoff matches could also impact the availability of Barnsley striker Daryl Dike, Werder Bremen striker Josh Sargent and Greuther Furth midfielder Julian Green.

In terms of injuries, New York Red Bulls defender Aaron Long is absent after undergoing surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon earlier this week.

“Aaron’s been a mainstay in our group, he’s a leader in the group, and a player that performs well on the field,” said Berhalter. “So it’s really tragic news for the US Soccer Federation, for our team. But having said that, it gives another player an opportunity to step up, and we have some young center backs who are going to need to get experience and this will give them the opportunity to do so.”

Hoffenheim‘s Chris Richards is also out with a hamstring ailment, but RB Leipzig‘s Tyler Adams is a surprise inclusion. He had been excused by his club to rehab a back injury, but is included in the U.S. side.

Two players making returns to the U.S. include Green and Galatasaray defender DeAndre Yedlin. For Green, this is his first call-up since Berhalter took over as manager. His last U.S. appearance came against England on Nov. 15, 2018. Yedlin, the most capped player on the roster with 62, is taking part in his first camp since November of 2019, when he played in a 4-0 victory over Cuba in the Concacaf Nations League. More importantly, Yedlin has made the most of his midseason move to Galatasaray from Newcastle United.

“What we’ve been observing is just DeAndre’s rise since he’s been to Galatasaray. He’s been playing consistently. He’s been performing well and it’s great to see him back on the field, getting that rhythm.”

The roster includes three players taking part in their first U.S. camp, those being Bayern Munich loanee Justin Che, Schalke forward Matthew Hoppe and Real Salt Lake goalkeeper David Ochoa.

“We like to integrate young players into it,” said Berhalter. “We feel like the program will benefit from giving these players young players experiences early on, and these are three players that fit this mold.”

The match against Switzerland represents the sixth time the U.S. will face a top-20 opponent since Berhalter became head coach in 2019. The Swiss are preparing for the European Championship, where they have been drawn into Group A with four-time World Cup champion Italy, Turkey and Wales. The tournament airs on ESPN networks from June 11-July 11.

Detailed Roster by Position (Club/Country; Caps/Goals):

GOALKEEPERS (3): Ethan Horvath (Club Brugge/BEL; 4/0), Chituru Odunze (Leicester City/ENG; 0/0), David Ochoa (Real Salt Lake; 0/0)

DEFENDERS (10): John Brooks (Wolfsburg/GER; 40/3), Reggie Cannon (Boavista/POR; 14/0), Justin Che (Bayern Munich/GER; 0/0), Sergino Dest (Barcelona/ESP; 7/1), Mark McKenzie (Genk/BEL; 2/0), Matt Miazga (Anderlecht/BEL; 21/1), Tim Ream (Fulham/ENG; 42/1), Bryan Reynolds (Roma/ITA; 1/0), Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG; 10/0), DeAndre Yedlin (Galatasaray/TUR; 62/0)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Kellyn Acosta (Colorado Rapids; 27/2), Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig/GER; 12/1), Julian Green (Greuther Fürth/GER; 15/4), Sebastian Lletget (LA Galaxy; 20/6), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 21/6), Yunus Musah (Valencia/ESP; 4/0), Jackson Yueill (San Jose Earthquakes; 9/0)

FORWARDS: (7): Brenden Aaronson (Red Bull Salzburg/AUT; 4/2), Daryl Dike (Barnsley/ENG; 2/0), Matthew Hoppe (Schalke/GER; 0/0), Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund/GER; 4/2), Josh Sargent (Werder Bremen/GER; 13/5), Jordan Siebatcheu (Young Boys/SUI; 2/0), Tim Weah (Lille/FRA; 10/1)

Latest El Tráfico felt familiar, which is encouraging for the Galaxy and unsettling for LAFC

Andy DeossaMon, May 10, 2021, 11:11 AM

CARSON, Calif. — If you really want to understand the madness around El Tráfico matchups between the Los Angeles Galaxy and LAFC, look no further than Saturday. An earthquake hit Southern California during stoppage time of the Galaxy’s 2-1 win, yet coaches and players on the field didn’t even feel it. The intensity on the pitch in the moment outweighed the brief ripples. Then again, Dignity Health Sports Park was already shaking minutes before that when Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez sent a ball dragging through the area which found the feet of Jonathan dos Santos, and ended up in the back of the net for the eventual winner.The captain dos Santos ripped his shirt off as he sprinted toward the stands to celebrate with a portion of the 7,193 fans in limited capacity attendance. The last time he celebrated a goal with that much emotion was after netting Mexico’s winner in the 2019 Gold Cup final against the United States.“The atmosphere was incredible,” dos Santos said of the first of three matchups between the rivals this season. “To experience it and then score is priceless. I will remember this game for all my life.”His goal will be added to the long highlight reel of this rivalry, which has produced 50 goals in just 11 meetings. And while Saturday’s game didn’t include the marquee stars Carlos Vela or former Galaxy striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, whose chirping and goal-scoring helped define the fixture in its infancy, it did serve as a reminder: LAFC has still never won in Carson.“It’s tough coming here, and we know what kind of game we’re getting into,” said LAFC defender Tristan Blackmon. “A lot of us have been in these games before and we have to recognize the type of game it’s going to be and really step up as leaders.”Since the inception of this rivalry, the drive down the 110 freeway has been a nightmare for the Black and Gold. Not only have they never won a road game against the Galaxy, they’ve only managed one draw in five games. First it was Zlatan’s heroics doing most of the damage, and now Chicharito’s off and running with a goal and assist in his first crack at LAFCDespite having the most important El Tráfico win thus far, LAFC still doesn’t feel like it has the mental edge in the rivalry. Saturday’s game is one coach Bob Bradley’s group expected to win. Their core tactics yielded 61% possession and a relentless high press. In the one instance they found a way to connect the dots, it resulted in a picture-perfect equalizer courtesy of reigning Golden Boot winner Diego Rossi. “I thought at 1-1 we needed to really take control and finish them off, and we just didn’t find a way to do it,” Bradley said.The hosts remained sturdy behind the play of goalkeeper Johnathan Bond, and pounced on a defensive error to once again snatch bragging rights. It’s not necessarily that the Galaxy are the better team, but they show a different type of resilience when up against LAFC.New coach Greg Vanney and the culture he’s restored in a few short months has confidence high around the club, and Saturday’s win will continue to boost it. “We’re trying to establish a style,” said Bond, who has been arguably the Galaxy’s best offseason acquisition. “We’re a new team trying to gel. But in that learning process that we’re in at the moment, and will be in probably for some time, we’re grinding out results.”And that’s perhaps the scariest part for LAFC.“I think we played with a lot of heart, and that’s how you win these games,” dos Santos said. “Very happy to get the win and show that the Galaxy is still here.”He finished up his postgame media conference with a smile, wink and dose of truth. At least until LAFC does something about it.“Gracias, L.A. is ours.”

Indy 11

The Indy 11 kicks off their home schedule this Saturday night at 7 pm vs Tulsa at the Mike and on MyIndy TV 23. Due to stadium limitations only season ticket holders will be allowed in for the games in May –- with hopes that will change in June. I will be there !!  Season Tix start at just $10 per game and are still Available.   Indy 11 wins opener 1-0 at Birmingham as GK Jordan Farr slots clean sheet.

What’s New with Indy 11- Lots – Indy Star Kevin Johnson

MLS

Its Derby weekend as El Traffico LAFC vs LA Galaxy Sat at 8 pm on FOX and Seattle vs Portland 3 pm Sun on ABC – lead the way.  Just 2 weeks ago I bragged about MLS and how far they have come in the CCL – of course 3 Mexican teams knocked out Portland/Seattle/Columbus this week leaving just the Philly Union in the Final 4. Assuming Carlos Vela is healthly for LAFC – this should be a huge game as he matches up against the leading scorer in MLS – Chicarito for the LA Galaxy. 

NWSL Challenge Cup Final Sat 1 pm CBS

After four weeks of play, the Portland Thorns will host NJ/NY Gotham FC on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET on CBS in the second iteration of the NWSL Challenge Cup. And thanks to loosening COVID-19 restrictions in Oregon, the stadium will host around 3,800 fans, giving the Thorns an extra home-field advantage boost. Both teams enter the Cup final undefeated, but the Thorns are the stronger squad. In the group qualifying stage, they notched three wins and a draw (aka tie) to win the West division. On the other hand, Gotham FC won two and drew two on their way to the top of the East and haven’t scored since their second match. Portland has the upper hand, especially with legendary players like Lindsey Horan and Christine Sinclair on the roster. But if Gotham striker Midge Purce, who’s already scored twice, can find the net again, or Carli Lloyd hits paydirt they’ll have a good chance to stun the favorites.

Champions League – 2 Americans in Final

I will start by saying I was livid when American Christian Pulisic did not start for Chelsea vs Real Madrid.  Yes he had a yellow card – but he was clearly the best player on the field in the first leg scoring the only the away goal for Chelsea at Real Madrid.  So he starts him on the bench of course.  70 Minutes in Pulisic FINALLY entered and was the most electric player over the last 25 minutes.  He ran at the back line and finally connected with Mason Mount for the game clinching 2^nd goal to put the game away.  That’s 2 of the 3 goals Chelsea scored in about 90 minutes of play over 2 legs.  So we will now have an American – in fact 2 American’s (Pulisic and Man City’s Backup goalie Zach Steffan) in a EUFA Cup final for the first time ever.  This is the Superbowl of Soccer – top 2 teams in the world – and we have a chance for an American to start and possibly score in the biggest club game in Soccer on May 29^th on CBS.  Oh and the job Tuechel has done at Chelsea (other than not starting Pulisic EVERY GAME) has been brilliant.  In 3 short months he has made Chelsea a defensive jugernaght and coaxed some semblance of offense out of team that was just average for former manager Frank Lampard.   They were far the better team vs Real Madrid – 13 time champion – they dominated what was the best midfield in the world – and the #6 Nagolo Kante showed he’s the best #6 in the World again.  Kante was man of the match again – as he dominated the middle and launched the Chelsea counter attack time after time – after winning the ball deep.  Interesting match-up with Man City who will be playing their first ever title.  Chelsea becomes the first team ever to send their Men’s and Women’s teams to the European Club Finals. 

GAMES to WATCH This Weekend

Big news that Fox Sports added the Copa America Cup to its soccer TV line-up this summer and over the next 6 years along with South American Mens and Womens games – adding Argentina, Brazil and all the South American teams to the TV audience in the US will be cool – just when I had given up on Fox Sports and soccer. Bravo !

Games on Network TV galore this weekend !!  American’s Reyna for Dortmund and Adams for RB Leipzig square off at 9:30 am on Saturday on ESPN as Dortmund is desperately looking to climb back into the top 4 (just 2 points back).  Barcelona and Sergenio Dest will host Atletico Madrid at 10:15 am on beIN Sport looking to take the lead in La Liga as the top 2 teams battle with a few games left.  Chelsea and Pulisic will host Champions League Final opponent Man City at 12:30 on NBC and the Blues need the points to stay in 4^th and to keep Man City from winning the EPL at Stanford Bridge. The NWSL Challenge Cup Final follows at 1 pm on CBS Saturday with the Portland Thorns and a host of USWNT players hosting Carli Lloyd and NY/NJ Gotham FC.  MLS takes over at 6 pm with Orlando City vs NYCFC, and El Traffico – LAFC vs LA Galaxy at 8 pm of Fox.  Of course our Indy 11 play Tulsa at 7 pm on My IndyTV and ESPN+.  Sunday on ABC at 3 pm MLS’ best rivalry the Portland Timbers will host Seattle Sounders right after Inter Miami hosts Atlanta United at 1 pm.  Not sure why Juventus and American Weston McKinney hosting AC Milan with 4^th and Champions League at stake in Italy is not on ESPN at 2:45 pm – its on ESPN+ instead.  (ESPN is just clueless on Italian Serie A coverage – they never show good games on the networks – truly clueless.  American’s on TV this weekend

Congrats to The Indiana Hoosiers who won their first 2 NCAA tourney games and will play Seton Hall in the Quarter Finals Monday at 5 pm on ESPN3.   The No. 3-ranked Indiana men’s soccer program (9-1-1) earned the third overall seed and a first-round bye.  NCAA Bracket

Ed Sheeran – yes the Singer has signed on as shirt sponsor of his hometown club in England –Shape of You: Sheeran becomes Ipswich shirt sponsor

HUGE CONGRATS to Former Carmel FC and CHS Coach Carla Baker who was recently inducted into the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame!  Here’s a CHS profile on Carla from a few months back.   

GAMES ON TV

Sat, May 8

7:30 am NBCSN           Leeds United vs Tottenham

9:30 am ESPN             Dortmund (Reyna) vs RB Leipzig (Adams)

9:30 am ESPN+           Wolfsburg (Brooks) vs Union Berlin

10:15 am beIN Sport Barcelona vs Atletico

12:30 pm NBC               Man City vs Chelsea (Pulisic)

1 pm CBS                     Portland ThornsFC (Dunn, Horan, Sauerbrunn, Smith) vs NY/NJ Gothem FC NWSL Challenge Cup Champ

3:!5 pm Peacock                Liverpool vs Southampton

6 pm ESPN                          Orlando City vs New York City FC  

7  pm ESPN+, Myindy TV      Indy 11 vs FC Tulsa

8 pm Fox                     LA Galaxy vs LAFC – El Traffico

Sun, May 9

10:15 am Peacock             Aston Villa vs Man United 

11:30 am NBCSN              West Ham vs Everton 

1 pm ABC                            Inter Miami vs Atlanta United 

2 pm NBC                            Arsenal vs West Brom  

2:45 pm ESPN+           Juventus (McKinney) vs AC Milan (Zlatan)

3 pm ABC                    Portland Timbers vs Seattle Sounders

3 pm beIN Sport                 Real Madrid vs Sevilla 

7:30 pm FS1                       Sporting KC vs Austin FC

Tues, May 11 

1 pm NBCSN               Man United vs Leicester

4 pm beIN Sport                Levante v Barcelona (Dest)  

Weds, May 12

3:15 NBCSN                        Chelsea (Pulisic) vs Arsenal  

2:45 pm ESPN2                  Sassuolo vs Juventus (McKinney)

10:30 pm ESPN+                San Jose vs Seattle Sounders

Thurs, May 13

2:45 pm ESPN2                 RB Leipzig (Adams) vs Dortmund (Reyna) DFB Portal  

3:15 NBCSN                        Man United vs Liverpool

8 pm ESPN+                        DC United vs Chicago Fire  

Fri, May 14

3 NBCSN                              New Castle vs Man City  

Sat, May 15

7:30 am NBCSN                  Leeds United vs Burnley

10:00 am Peacock             Man United  vs Fulham (Robinson)

9:30 am ESPN+                  Wolfsburg (Brooks) vs Union Berlin

12 noon ESPN+           Juventus (McKinney) vs Inter Milan

12:30 pm ESPN+           Leicester vs Chelsea (Pulisic)  FA Cup Final

4  pm ESPN+                       LA Galaxy vs Austin FC

8 pm ESPN2                        Tampa Bay Rowies vs Phoenix Rising USL

Sun, May 16

6 am ESPN2                       Fiorentina vs Napoli

9 am NBCSN                      Tottenham vs Wolverhampton

11:30 am NBCSN              West Brom vs Liverpool                   

2:30 pm ESPN+                 RB Liepzig (Adams) vs Wolfsburg (Brooks)

4 pm Fox                     Cincy vs Inter Miami (stadium reveal)  

6 pm ESPN2                New England vs Columbus Crew

3 pm beIN Sport                 Real Madrid vs Sevilla 

9:30 pm FS                  Seattle Sounders vs LAFC

MLS Schedule

NWSL Season TV Schedule

 

Indy 11 home opener Sat Night 7 pm @ Mike

What’s New with Indy 11- Lots – Indy Star Kevin Johnson

·      INDY ELEVEN HOSTS FC TULSA FOR 2021 SEASON OPENER

·      RECAP | INDY ELEVEN CLAIMS VICTORY IN SEASON OPENER AT BIRMINGHAM LEGION

Gallery: Eleven fend off Legion in season opener for both clubs – Soctakes.com
INDY 11 BYB Spot

2021 New Roster

InDY ELEVEN SCORES “OFFICIAL SPORTS BETTING PARTNER” IN BETRIVERS

Season Tix Available

USL League Standings

NWSL Finals Sat 1 pm CBS

Final Preview

Behind the philosophical revolution of the Portland Thorns and Meghan Klingenberg
15-year-old soccer player sues NWSL over age restrictions

Report: NWSL expansion team to move from Sacramento to San Diego

WSL Chelsea can win Title Sunday at 9:30 on NBCSN

NWSL Season TV Schedule

MLS

El Trafico LA showdown, Portland Timbers-Seattle Sounders Cascadia Derby Highlight MLS Weekend
Portland Timbers fall to Club Amèrica, eliminated from CONCACAF Champions League
Club America, Monterrey advance in CONCACAF Champions League
Union’s Jim Curtin blasts Atlanta United’s Gabriel Heinze after CCL win

 

Champions League 2 US Players in Final

Pulisic adds American flavor to UCL final
Three things we learned from Chelsea – Real Madrid; Pulisic Watch
Pulisic admits frustration with coming off bench in Chelsea win (video)

UCL talking points: Will it be Man City or Chelsea to lift the trophy?

 Man City’s wild celebrations after reaching UCL final, as captured by Steffen
UEFA insist Istanbul to host Champions League final; Villa Park, Wembley mooted
Tuchel bullish, talks up Chelsea’s chances of Champions League glory
Tuchel transformation takes Chelsea to brink of Champions League glory
Chelsea’s Werner relieved by Champions League redemption
Real Madrid outclassed by Chelsea as defeat raises fresh doubts around old guard
Madrid’s Hazard ‘sorry’ for ‘offensive’ post-Champions League exit 
Man United – Villarreal set for Europa League final; Arsenal crash out
Three things we learned from Chelsea – Real Madrid; Pulisic Watch
Three things we learned from Chelsea v Real Madrid
PSG regret Mbappe absence and loss of discipline in latest Champions League exit
Three things we learned from Man City v Paris Saint-Germain

Cavani 9/10, Telles 3/10 as Man United reach Europa League final

EPL
Manchester City – Chelsea: How to watch, injury news, start time, 
Man Utd’s Liverpool clash rearranged after fan fury
Premier League fans to return for final two matchdays
Foreign money and coaching sees English clubs dominate in Europe again

WORLD

No longer the special one, Mourinho heads to Roma in search of revival

Ronaldo and Ibrahimovic face off in battle for Champions League spot
Crunch time for La Liga’s title race as contenders go head to head
Bayern renew bid to win league as Dortmund battle Leipzig
PSG left to chase Lille for Ligue 1 title after Champions League exit
UEFA allows 26-player squads for Euro 2020
Fox Sports Boosts Soccer Portfolio With Six-Year CONMEBOL Deal

 USA

USMNT to play Costa Rica in post-Nations League friendly

Man City’s wild celebrations after reaching UCL final, as captured by Steffen

USWNT summer series games announced in Texas
The Rush: Carli Lloyd on reuniting with her family, staying on top of her game and changing a few soccer rules

 

What’s new with Indy Eleven in 2021? A lot.

Kevin Johnston  Special for IndyStar 5/7/21

https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.455.0_en.html#goog_1254535317 INDIANAPOLIS – If the Indy Eleven need a campaign-style cliché for 2021, “change” certainly fits the bill.The Eleven switched venues in the offseason, departing Lucas Oil Stadium for their original home at IUPUI’s Carroll Stadium. They also vastly overhauled their roster while kickstarting a new trend of selling players to Major League Soccer. And results-wise, they’ll hope to improve upon a dismal 2020 season in which they collapsed down the stretch and missed the playoffs after a sizzling start.The chance to right the ship began with three points last weekend as the Eleven won 1-0 at Birmingham Legion FC in their season debut. Their home opener is 7 p.m., Saturday against FC Tulsa, with MyINDY-TV 23 and ESPN+ handling the respective local and national broadcasts.The return to Carroll Stadium comes at an especially interesting time as the team works to finalize the details — including the location — of its future home, Eleven Park. During a virtual town hall meeting Thursday, club president and CEO Greg Stremlaw provided an update on the sites in consideration.“There are three real bona fide locations,” he said. “They’re all unique in their own right. We do have kind of an alpha, if you will, but the other two are special as well.”Coach Martin Rennie is back this season, as are assistants Phil Presser and Andy Swift. Here’s how the 2021 Indy Eleven roster shakes out after ample offseason changes:Returnees: G Jordan Farr, D Neveal Hackshaw, D Karl Ouimette (vice captain), M Ayoze Garcia (captain), M Carl Haworth, F Nick Moon, F Matthew Roou

Additions: G Bobby Edwards, G Alex Svetanoff, D AJ Cochran, D Rece Buckmaster, D Nedeljko Malic, D Jared Timmer, D Matthew Senanou, D Aidan Liu, M Nicky Law, M Patrick Seagrist, M Aboubacar Sissoko, M Peter-Lee Vassell, M Jeremiah Gutjahr, M Gershon Koffie, M Patrick McDonald, F Jordan Hamilton, F Cammy Smith, F Manuel Arteaga, F Gordon Wild https://4ea0731402a770edb98a82eb05f7a7e9.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html Rennie has rostered 19 new players while retaining only seven from the 2020 squad. Indy will rely heavily on the incoming guys for improved results this season, as evidenced by the lineup Saturday in the season opener. Eight of the 11 in the starting group were newcomers.

Among them, central midfielder Nicky Law played a prominent role and figures to be a key cog in the center of the park all season for Indy. The 33-year-old Englishman stationed himself very high up the pitch against Birmingham, completing 89% of his passes and creating four chances.The average position chart from Indy’s season opener shows midfielder Nicky Law (No. 27) practically playing as a forward.Law explained that he was mostly a defensive midfielder earlier in his career, but eventually evolved his game to become more of a box-to-box midfielder or central attacking midfielder.

“As my career went on, I definitely found myself farther up the field, whether that be an eight or as a 10,” Law told IndyStar. “Obviously, last week I played as a 10. … I can also play deeper in one of the six or eight slots as well with the way that we try to play here.”Former Indy forwards Tyler Pasher and Josh Penn, along with goalkeeper Evan Newton, were transferred to MLS teams in the offseason. Receiving transfer fees for selling players to MLS marks a new revenue stream for Indy, one that frankly isn’t that common in the USL since several clubs already function as reserve sides for MLS teams. Having extra cash to operate would be a nice luxury for any lower-division club right now.Due to pandemic-related protocols, only Indy Eleven season ticket holders can attend home matches until further notice. Tailgating is also prohibited.“We continue to work with the Marion County Health Department, City of Indianapolis, Indiana University and other organizations on a venue plan for home games that will put the health and safety of players, staff and spectators at the forefront.“For the May 8 home opener versus FC Tulsa, Indy Eleven can confirm access will be limited to 2021 season ticket members only,” the club announced in a statement.FC Tulsa sits at 2-0-0 after beating OKC Energy FC and Sporting KC II to start the season, so look for Saturday’s match to be competitive in the Eastern Conference’s newly aligned Central Division.

NWSL 2021 Challenge Cup Final: Thorns vs. Gotham, Sat 1 pm CBS

Portland Thorns FC and Gotham FC battle it out for the NWSL 2021 Challenge Cup championship

By Sandra Herrera

The National Women’s Soccer League will close out the 2021 Challenge Cup on Saturday as Portland Thorns FC and Gotham FC square off for the championship at Providence Park in Portland, Oregon.

A new Challenge Cup champion will be crowned after the inaugural 2020 Challenge Cup winning Houston Dash were eliminated from contention in group play. Portland, winners of the 2013 and 2017 NWSL championship and 2016 NWSL shield are no strangers to big games, while Gotham FC, 2020 Challenge Cup semifinalist, now find themselves in the 2021 final.

Here’s how to watch and what to know about the big game this weekend:

Viewing information

• Date: Saturday, May 8
• Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
• Location: Providence Park — Portland, Oregon
• TV: CBS
• Streaming: Paramount+

Portland Thorns host another final

Portland Thorns FC will host the Challenge Cup final after closing out their group play with 10 points out the West Division. After opening last year’s NWSL Challenge Cup with a 2-1 loss to North Carolina, Portland have lost only one of their last 13 matches (W7 D5) in the Challenge Cup and Fall Series. 

The Thorns have outscored opponents 18-7 in those 13 matches, never conceding more than one goal in any match.  The club has a history of competing in big games, and have a roster with depth that have show they can compete at a high level. Nine different Thorns players have been involved in their six goals during this season’s Challenge Cup. Six different players have scored their six goals, while three other players have registered an assist.

Eyes will be on big name players like Linsdey Horan and Crystal Dunn, but look for Rocky Rodriguez and Simone Charley to have an impact during the match.

Gotham FC step into bright lights

Formerly Sky Blue FC, Gotham FC rebranded ahead of the 2021 Challenge Cup as NY/NJ Gotham FC. The east coast metropolis club have built off their 2020 Challenge Cup semifinal appearance, winning their first two matches in the East Division during the 2021 group stage. 

The team enters the Challenge Cup final off two consecutive scoreless draws, although Gotham kept clean sheets in three of their four NWSL Challenge Cup matches to reach the final. Those two shutouts were Gotham’s first consecutive clean sheets in a single season since a pair of 1-0 wins to close out the 2014 regular season. The team will now try to get back to scoring on the big stage. Gotham recorded assists on all five of their goals in the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup group stage, with Margaret Purce the only player to score twice and Ifeoma Onumonu the only player to record two assists. Look for striker Paige Monaghan to stay active on the top line for the club as well.

 

Can Mexican stars Carlos Vela and Chicharito deliver historic El Tráfico?

Kevin Baxter  LA Times  Fri, May 7, 2021, 4:11 PMLAFC’s Carlos Vela and Galaxy’s Javier Chicharito Hernandez help MLS strengthen connection with Mexican and Mexican American fanbase. Their two teams face off Saturday in another installment of El Tráfico. (Leopoldo Smith; Bob Levey / Getty Images) For most of its existence, Major League Soccer has struggled to tap into the passion, and especially the TV ratings, of the Mexican and Mexican American fan base.

The league imported Mexican stars such as Jorge Campos, Rafa Márquez, Cuauhtémoc Blanco and Claudio Suárez; created tournaments like the Leagues Cup, Campeones Cup and short-lived SuperLiga to compete against Mexican teams; and even played 10 seasons with a Liga MX-affiliated franchise in Chivas USA. None of that had the desired impact.

So MLS will try another approach Saturday when the Galaxy (2-1-0) and Javier “Chicharito” Hernández, Mexico’s all-time leading scorer, face off against LAFC (1-0-2) and Carlos Vela, the league’s single-season scoring leader, before a socially distanced crowed of 7,193 at Dignity Health Sports Park and a national TV audience on Fox.

If both men play, it will be the most significant meeting of Mexican stars in league history.

“Having iconic players like Carlos Vela, Javier Hernández and other Mexican national team standouts in the headlines throughout Mexico has a significant benefit toward increasing the fan base for Major League Soccer and deepening the engagement of our current fan base,” said Dan Courtemanche, MLS’ executive vice president of communications.“It’s a priority for Major League Soccer to showcase Saturday’s match and have it in prime time on the East Coast.”That showcase could lose much of its luster if Vela, whose 52 career MLS goals are most by a Mexican player, is unable to participate. Vela, who came out of LAFC’s opener with a quadriceps injury after 22 minutes, has only recently returned to training, and coach Bob Bradley said his status would be a game-time decision.

With or without Vela, MLS is making inroads with Latino viewers, especially those in the younger demographics who don’t remember the league’s halting early years. And they are drawn now not just by Mexican internationals like Vela and Hernández, but by young South Americans such as LAFC’s Diego Rossi and Atlanta United’s Ezequiel Barco, and the presence of former European stars like Inter Miami’s Gonzalo Higuain and Blaise Matuidi.But the league still has a lot of work to do.The most-watched MLS game in the season’s first three weeks — the Galaxy’s opener with Inter Miami — drew a combined 558,000 viewers on ABC and ESPN Deportes. Yet that was 155,000 less than Liga MX games are averaging in the U.S. on the Spanish-language Univision/TUDN network, according to Nielsen. And Saturday’s marquee matchup may not win over many more hearts and eyeballs since it will kick off at the same time as the Liga MX single-elimination playoff game between Atlas and Tigres on Univision/TUDN.“There’s still not a big fan base for MLS,” Alejandro Gómez, a veteran soccer journalist, said in Spanish from Mexico City. “It’s still not an event Mexicans follow, much less going up against the start of the Liga MX playoffs.”But, Gómez added, Vela and Hernández, whose league-high five goals in three games has been big news in Mexico, may be the exceptions to that rule.“They’re two players who define a generation. They’re players that people like,” he said.Those who do tune in could see history because the former teammates, who came up through the Chivas player-development system together, haven’t played against one another since a 2013 Champions League game, when Hernández was at Manchester United and Vela was with Real Sociedad.Hernández, who missed the Galaxy’s three games with LAFC last season, said Thursday that he hopes Vela plays.“I don’t know if Mexico is going to care about that or not,” he said. “[But] this one has more special meaning in a way. We grew up together in Guadalajara. We played together in two World Cups.“Obviously I always want to face the best teams, the best players. It’s always great when Vela and the best players in the MLS are available, are doing good. That elevates the level of this league. It will be amazing if he can play.”Galaxy coach Greg Vanney, who has watched MLS chase Mexican and Mexican American fans since its inception, agreed.

“It’s an important fanbase for the league and for our communities and even the players,” he said. “This is another great opportunity for two teams with two fantastic players who come from Mexico to compete and a rivalry for Los Angeles. Those are definitely prominent sort of headlines.”

RECAP | INDY ELEVEN CLAIMS VICTORY IN SEASON OPENER AT BIRMINGHAM LEGION

By Indy Eleven Communications, 05/02/21, 1:15AM EDT size=1 width=”100%” align=center>

Indiana’s Team Captures Three Points Via Debut Goal by Venezuelan Forward Manuel Arteaga

https://www.youtube.com/embed/MpK8Oxp0WXo BHMvIND Post-Match Quotes – May 1, 2021

BIRMINGHAM (Saturday, May 1, 2021) – Indy Eleven started its 2021 USL Championship season on a high note with a 1-0 win at Birmingham Legion FC after a 28th minute poacher’s goal from forward Manuel Arteaga in his team debut. The result raised Indy’s record against the Legion all-time to 2W-1L-0D, with tonight’s season opener marking the first competition between the two teams since Sept. 20, 2019 at BBVA Field.

The game’s lone goal came after one of many driving runs from recently acquired defender Patrick Seagrist’s cross to forward Cammy Smith. The Scotsman’s shot forced a point-blank save from Birmingham ‘keeper – and long-time Indy opponent – Matt Van Oekel, but the rebound was followed up and tapped in by the Venezuelan from near the penalty spot.“It feels great, it’s been seven months since we’ve played a game so it’s really nice to get the win. There were quite a few good performances from all of the players and everyone had to work hard and fight hard,” said Indy Eleven Head Coach Martin Rennie. “It was a really hard first game because Birmingham Legion (FC) are a really tough team and it was their home opener. It was quite a difficult field as well, but we got a great result.”The game’s first chance came in the 14th minute when Legion forward J.J. Williams was able to latch upon a loose ball after a short clearance fell near the top of Indy Eleven’s box, but he beamed his shot wide into the side netting.Legion FC’s Alex Crognale was on the delivering end of the home side’s next chance four minutes later, a corner kick from Bruno Lapa rebounding off the former Eleven defender’s head and towards ‘keeper Jordan Farr, who gathered the ball without issue.Though Legion was heavy-handed on the attack, it was Indy that managed to break the stalemate. In his USL Championship debut, it was the Inter Miami CF loanee Seagrist that unlocked the defense on the play, his well-weighted ball putting Nicky Law to the endline. Law’s centering pass found Smith inside the BHM penalty area, and while his initial shot was parried away into a crowd of players, Arteaga broke through the pack to find the scoresheet on his debut off the bounce.Farr was called into action again in the 36th minute after Nico Brett volleyed a shot from outside of the box, but the Salem, Ore.-native halted the last dangerous attempt of the first stanza. Though Birmingham led possession 54- 46, it was Indiana’s Team that led heading into the break.High tensions led to the start of scrappy affairs at the beginning of the second half began, with Birmingham’s Anderson Asiedu earning the first yellow card of the evening in the 61st minute.

Indy’s defense was on the back foot for most of the second half, and while the Legion FC sent in multiple crosses all were handled well by the Eleven’s back line. During one late barrage of crosses Williams made contact with Indy captain Karl Ouimette inside the area, and upon not drawing a point to the spot his lash-out reaction against the Canadian defender resulted in a straight red card for the forward in the 87th minute. The accumulation of events led to the fourth official signaling for five minutes of stoppage time, but neither side saw any additional looks at goal as Indy claimed all three points at the sound of the final whistle.  “They all did well. It was a good team performance defensively; we had a good shape. A.J. [Cochran] won a lot of good headers, and I also think that helps a lot if a team is playing long balls. They had J.J. Williams who is a threat. but A.J. won those battles and that helps us,” explained Rennie. “The players from the front worked very hard to that shut down the opportunities and in the end that was a good clean sheet. Not too many chances given up, but I thought Jordan Farr did well with all the things he had to do including kicking on a difficult surface.”Indy Eleven will look to start an early winning streak in its home opener at Michael A. Carroll Stadium against FC Tulsa, the team returning to its original home next Saturday, May 8. For the time being, the only way for fans to secure tickets to the 7:00 p.m. kickoff is by becoming an Indy Eleven Season Ticket Member, details for which can be found at IndyEleven.com. Fans that cannot make it to Carroll Stadium for the home opener can follow along live on MyINDY-TV 23, ESPN+, and Exitos Radio 94.3 FM/exitos943.com (Spanish audio broadcast).

USL Championship Regular Season – #BHMvIND
Birmingham Legion FC  0 : 1  Indy Eleven

Saturday, May 1, 2021 – 7:30 p.m. ETBBVA Park – Birmingham, Ala. 2021 USL Championship records

Indy Eleven (1W-0L-0D, 3 pts(T-2nd in Central Division)

Birmingham Legion FC (0W-1L-0D, 0 pts.) (T-5th in Central Division)

 Scoring Summary:
IND – Manuel Arteaga 28’

Disciplinary Summary:

BHM – Anderson Asiedu (yellow card) 61’

BHM – J.J. Williams (red card) 87’

IND – Jordan Hamilton (yellow card) 90 +5’

Indy Eleven lineup (3-4-3, L–>R): Jordan Farr; Neveal Hackshaw, A.J. Cochran, Karl Ouimette (Captain); Rece Buckmaster, Aboubacar Sissoko (Jeremiah Gutjahr 74’), Nicky Law (Jared Timmer 90+2’), Gerson Koffie, Patrick Seagrist; Manuel Arteaga (Jordan Hamilton 62’), Cammy Smith (Nick Moon 62’)

IND Substitutes: Robert Edwards (GK), Aidan Liu, Nedeljko Malic, Jared Timmer, Jeremiah Gutjahr, Jordan Hamilton, Nick Moon

IND Stats: Shots: 8, Shots on Goal: 2, Possession: 44%, Passing Accuracy: 77%, Fouls: 12, Corners: 2, Offsides: 2

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