The Ole BallCoach

5 things to Know – USA vs Mexico Send off Series

USA

USA vs Mexico W2W4 S&S

Women’s soccer Olympic squad to tune up against Mexico at Rentschler Field – The Collinsville Press

Winning gold, not developing young players, is the USWNT’s objective at Tokyo Olympics

Rose Lavelle on Tokyo Olympics: ‘Women’s soccer is starting to get the attention it deserves’

For Carli Lloyd, winning Gold in Tokyo would be “the best feeling in the entirety of my career”

Carli Lloyd history as US Soccer Player – Philly Inquirer – Jonathan Tannenwald

USWNT vet Harris reacts to being left off roster

USSF blasts USWNT ‘equal pay’ doc portrayal

USWNT Documentary ‘LFG’ Shows Players’ Fight For Equal Pay

Mia Hamm rookie card sells for more than $34K, breaking record for female athlete
Angel City FC reveals crest celebrating the team’s values, Southern California roots

Men

Looking for Depth from MLS for the Gold Cup? SS
USMNT teen De La Fuente leaves Barcelona for Marseille

Caden Clark transfers to RB Leipzig

Pulisic Gives Back

EUROS

Who is going to win Euro 2020? Our experts make their predictions

England the New Betting Favorite – yahoo soccer
Eight things we learned from EURO 2020’s Round of 16

England begin to heal their inferiority complex by beating Germany
Euros’ wild 24 hours continued with Harry Kane’s special Wembley goal for England
‘No, it wasn’t a dream’ – How the papers reacted to England’s win over Germany at Euro 2020
England defeat ‘hugely disappointing’ for Loew as Germany bow out
England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford is spiky, courageous, demanding – and now winning the nation’s hearts

Southgate warns England are in ‘dangerous moment’ 4hReuters
Player ratings: England v. Germany

France blows 3-1 lead, stunned by Switzerland in Euro 2020 on penalty kicks
Kylian Mbappe the fall-guy as France lose penalty shootout to Switzerland and exit Euro 2020
3 things we learned from France v. Switzerland
France’s shocking Euro loss to Switzerland falls on manager Deschamps ulien Laurens

Switzerland’s upset of France caps wild day at the Euros: How social media reacted
Belgium prove vs. Ronaldo’s Portugal that they’re more than just goals 2dRob Dawson
Analysis: Soccer-Belgium show grit and discipline to beat Portugal at own game
Portugal talents stall to leave questions over style, approach

Hazard stunner enough for Belgium to oust Portugal and Ronaldo from Euro 2020

Tantrum tactics, cynical fouls and Ronaldo’s awful free-kicks: How Portugal crashed out of Euro 2020
Ukraine defeats 10-man Sweden deep in extra time stoppage
3 things we learned from Croatia v. Spain
Spain prevail in extra-time epic with Croatia to reach Euro 2020 last eight
Dutch coach Frank de Boer quits after Euro 2020 exit
Czechs upset 10-man Netherlands to reach Euro 2020 quarter-finals
3 things we learned from Netherlands v. Czech Republic
Chiesa takes the spotlight as Italy suffer to keep Euro 2020 dream alive
Analysis: Soccer-Super subs to the rescue as Italy draw strength from the collective

COPA

Copa Bracket
Messi at the double as Argentina trounce Bolivia in Copa America

Will Messi Finally win Copa? –

Messi sets Argentina’s all-time appearances mark

Brazil draw with Ecuador in Group B finale

Peru seal place in Copa last eight with 1-0 win over Venezuela

Colombia want ref suspended after loss to Brazil

Brazil’s Tite doubts Copa final pitch will improve

GOALKEEPING

Top Saves Round 3 Euro’s

Best Saves Euro 2021

Best Saves Round 2 Euro 2020

Top Saves Euros with Music

A Look Back at US GK Ethan Horvath vs Mexico
VIDEO: Spain score shocking long-range own goal
Spain’s astonishing own goal: Everything that was wrong with Pedri and Unai Simon’s calamity

Indy 11

·USL CHAMPIONSHIP RECAP: LOUISVILLE CITY FC 3 : 3 INDY ELEVEN

DEFENDER NEVEAL HACKSHAW NAMED TO USL CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM OF THE WEEK PRESENTED BY CLEER AUDIO

INDY ELEVEN ACQUIRES CARMEL NATIVE ERIC DICK ON LOAN FROM MLS SIDE COLUMBUS CREW SC
Indy Eleven and Head Coach Martin Rennie Mutually Agree to Part Ways

USA vs Mexico Ladies Thurs Night 8 pm FS1

GOALKEEPERS (2): Adrianna Franch (Portland Thorns), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)

DEFENDERS (6): Abby Dahlkemper (Manchester City), Tierna Davidson (Chicago Red Stars), Crystal Dunn (Portland Thorns), Kelley O’Hara (Washington Spirit), Becky Sauerbrunn (Portland Thorns), Emily Sonnett (Washington Spirit)

MIDFIELDERS (5): Julie Ertz (Chicago Red Stars), Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns), Rose Lavelle (OL Reign), Kristie Mewis (Houston Dash), Samantha Mewis (North Carolina Courage)

FORWARDS (5): Tobin Heath (Unattached), Carli Lloyd (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride), Christen Press (Unattached), Megan Rapinoe (OL Reign)

ALTERNATES: Jane Campbell (Houston Dash), Casey Krueger (Chicago Red Stars), Catarina Macario (Lyon), Lynn Williams (North Carolina Courage)

What To Watch For

How much will Tobin Heath play? Julie Ertz is not expected to appear tomorrow as she recovers from injury, but we will likely see the first of Tobin Heath in a USWNT jersey in 2021. Heath, who also has been recovering from an ankle injury sustained at Manchester United, looks to be ready to get some minutes as she dials up her fitness for the Olympics. Will we see her for an extended period of time, or will any appearance from her be just a cameo?

How aggressive will the high press be? Storms are forecast for Thursday, so the high press could be tricky should the weather indeed be wet. Still, Andonovski will want to see how his high press will work against a team that is aggressive on the ball and who wants to quickly possess the ball and move it downfield. With 18 players in the Olympics, he’ll look to see how often he can turn up the intensity and when he has to dial it back.

Keep focus. Eyes on the prize. The USWNT needs to work on the things they know they will need to improve if they are going to win the gold medal, and that should be their focus. Keep up the intensity and the stellar play that has carried them this far, but continue to hone in on the details and don’t lose sight of the goal: winning gold in Tokyo.

Prediction

The wet weather will keep the fireworks on the field at bay, and it will be a slow affair. However, the USWNT break through with a couple of goals to beat Mexico by a familiar scoreline: 2-0.

Winning gold, not developing young players, is the USWNT’s objective at Tokyo Olympics

WRITTEN BYMIKE DECOURCY @TSNMike

This may seem surprising or disconcerting, but in the past two years, the average age of the United States Women’s National team has advanced two years.If you need a moment to get over the shock, it’s understandable.After the USWNT reached for the stars Wednesday to announce the roster for the upcoming Olympic Games – “Ted Lasso” leads Jason Sudekis and Brandon Hunt on Twitter, decorated striker Alex Morgan joining Robin Roberts on ABC’s Good Morning America – there was plenty of criticism regarding the dearth of young players and the advancing age of those who made the team.Forward Carli Lloyd (below) will be 39 at the Olympics. Defender Becky Sauerbrunn will be 36. There are more players over 30 than not. However, every player included save one was part of the 2019 World Cup championship squad.y “No huge surprises in the USWNT squad which, I think, is quietly disappointing. The likes of Midge Purce, Catarina Macario, Casey Short etc. are all names more than worthy of a spot in the 18-player squad,” wrote Olympic journalist Courtney Hill, “but, as is the theme with (national teams), age and experience prevails once again.”“Could we please get younger players experience? The whole front line is over 32,” was the comment from Twitter account maizenblu52.Here’s the thing: The task at the Olympic Games is not to gain experience. It’s to win. Vlatko Andonovski’s objective in assembling his first major tournament roster as USWNT head coach was to select the 18 players best suited to winning the games necessary to claim the gold medal. One can debate whether he achieved this with the players chosen, although those lining up on the side opposite the coach should be aware that squads fielded for his first 20 games won 19 and drew once. He’s undefeated in actual competition, so he’s probably winning any argument with you.

MORE: USWNT vet Harris reacts to being left off roster

“I was very happy with a lot of those players that didn’t make it. I was very thankful for everything they did, for the effort they put in, and in some ways they helped this team grow and develop and prepare for the tournament,” Andonovski told Sporting News. “We still believe those players are good players; just in evaluating them and analyzing them and comparing them with some of the other players we have on the roster, we believe the ones that made it are slightly ahead and give us the best chance to win the tournament.

“But with that being said, we keep an eye on all of the players that didn’t make it, especially the young ones, to have them back as soon as the Olympics are over and start preparing them for the World Cup and beyond that.”With Olympic rosters accommodating only 18 players, there is not a lot of room for experimentation, for the luxury of including a young player who is unlikely to appear but would benefit from the experience of being in camp.The fair question is how particular veterans might hold up to such a compacted schedule: three games in six days at the group stage, a total of six over 17 days for those teams that reach the gold medal match. Among the healthy players, that is particularly a concern involving Megan Rapinoe (above), who’ll be 36 when the Tokyo Games start. Even at the 2019 World Cup, she did not demonstrate great speed covering the left flank and often could be seen abandoning still-promising movements if there was some possibility they could fail, allowing her to conserve energy. It’s a pattern repeated through several appearances in this calendar year. However, at the World Cup, Rapinoe scored six times and earned the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player. And in 2021, she has scored seven goals in nine appearances, including three from open play during the SheBelieves Cup.What coach would leave home that player?(Yes, the obvious answer is Jurgen Klinsmann. It was a test).“I don’t look at players by age, because there’s so many other things we look at,” Andonovski said. “The most important thing is whether they perform or not, whether they’re going to be able to help us win the Olympics or not.“We do look at data, and every data we get from a physical perspective, they’re hitting all the numbers that they need in order to fulfill the tests that we believe are going to be given to them. On top of that, you can look at the statistical data, you’ll see that Megan Rapinoe has scored the most goals in 2021, and Carli Lloyd has the most assists.”The greatest risk Andonovski has taken with his roster is with Julie Ertz and, more to the point, forward Tobin Heath.

MORE: USWNT makes big bet by taking Heath, Ertz to Tokyo

Although Andonovski said Heath is closer to regaining full health than Ertz and could play in pre-Olympic friendlies against Mexico on July 1 and July 5, Ertz was an easy choice because of the absence of an experienced replacement at the defensive midfield position. They’ll wait as long as necessary for her, even if she can’t open the tournament.Heath has played only nine times in 15 months because of pandemic cancellations, her decision to opt out of the NWSL Challenge Cup in June 2020 and knee and ankle injuries that ended her season at Manchester United and kept her from any recent national team involvement. But the substitute rules are such the USWNT could withdraw her, for legitimate injury reasons, even after the Olympics began and bring in a replacement such as 28-year-old Lynn Williams or 21-year-old Catarina Macario (below).ettys

“Catarina is an exceptional player … a player with exceptional potential,” Andonovski said. “She’s not quite ready, I think, right now, at this moment. I wouldn’t say she’s not ready, but other players were more ready than her to be at the Olympics. We believe she has the potential to be on this team for a long time.”To this point, it hasn’t made much difference to Mallory Pugh’s career to have been included on the 2016 Olympics roster at age 18, except, possibly, to frame her past five years as a disappointment. She was a part of the 2019 World Cup roster and scored six goals in 19 total appearances that year, but Pugh has earned only one cap since.At 19, when a deep reserve for Bundesliga titan Bayern Munich, Julian Green was included on the 2014 USMNT squad at the World Cup in Brazil – some viewed his as the spot that should have belonged to Landon Donovan – and Green even scored an extra-time goal against Belgium. But he has spent most of his club career since playing in Germany’s second division and hasn’t earned a cap since 2018.Playing a young player on a major-tournament roster can have its benefits, but it is not a magical device for conjuring future superstardom. No sport is conquered so easily. Were the USWNT to be forced to field a less-prepared player because youth was valued over, well, value, that could cost a game that costs a gold medal. The U.S. women have won 67 percent of all golds ever awarded in women’s soccer. Andonovski knew the standard he was expected to maintain when he accepted the job.

WHO’s Gonna Win the Euro’s

Below, our writers select the team they believe will be lifting the trophy on July 11.

– ADVERTISEMENT –

https://s.yimg.com/rq/darla/4-6-0/html/r-sf-flx.html Sam Wallace – Italy

The tournament just seems made for Italy. Euro 2020 has doused the talent of so many individual greats, with injury or fatigue or poor form, and venerated the team. Italy are greater than the sum of their parts, and some of those parts are players who come from the likes of Atalanta, of Sassuolo, and with whom Mancini has persisted throughout their 30-game unbeaten run. They really seem to know what they are as a side and have faith in that. They are on a scorching run which they only need to extend by three games.

Jason Burt – England

There is nothing to fear and they have as much chance as Belgium, Italy or anyone else. Their half of the draw has opened up and – hopefully – there is a realisation now that Gareth Southgate has mapped out this campaign and is not going to be affected by outside noise. England will draw even more belief from beating Germany.

England vs Germany player ratings: Raheem Sterling delivers again, Harry Kane struggles despite goal

Oliver Brown – Italy

If England can conquer one 55-year hex by knocking out Germany, they can banish another by reaching the final. But I am yet to be convinced they have enough options in attack to trouble Italy. To watch the poise with which Federico Chiesa and Matteo Pessina took their late goals against Austria was to be reminded that Roberto Mancini’s players remain the outstanding team of this tournament.

Jeremy Wilson – England

It is not blind optimism or myopic patriotism that now makes England the tournament favourites. It is the logic of the best draw, their performances, the depth of their squad and home advantage. Knockout football can always still be defined by one freak incident – and Belgium would represent especially formidable opponents – but a wonderful opportunity awaits.

James Ducker – Italy

Italy to pip England in the final. Roberto Mancini’s side are in the toughest half of the draw and were given a scare by Austria but they are on an incredible unbeaten run and, collectively, look the best of a bunch of quarter-finalists who all have their flaws or problems; in Belgium’s case the likely absence of two of their stars, Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard.

Thom Gibbs – Italy

England winning a final feels a bridge too far, a wrong to be avenged in Qatar next December? Italy look the strongest team in the draw’s other half, in a tournament where collective might keeps besting stellar groups of individuals.

Chris Bascombe – Belgium

They are the number one international side so logic dictates they should win it from here. Roberto Martinez’s team also have an excellent record against England, who they will meet in the Wembley final…

Matt Law – England

Yes, I might have woken up slightly heady after the victory over Germany at Wembley. And, yes, I know Gareth Southgate has warned this is a dangerous moment as the nation expects England to stroll their way into the final. But we’ve never had a better chance and it’s time to trust Southgate and his players. It’s coming home!

Luke Edwards – Belgium

I want to say England with all my heart and they could do it. They really could. But Belgium, on paper, are the best team left in the competition and beat England twice in 2018 with relative ease. But Hazard and De Bruyne will miss their quarter-final…

Euro 2020 talking points: England-Belgium final? Highlights of an epic round of 16? What’s with all the own goals?

ESPN

What were your round-of-16 highlights?

Gab Marcotti: The sheer drama of most of the games: Croatia‘s comeback against Spain, Switzerland‘s comeback against France, Ukraine‘s winner against Sweden, the scares that both Belgium and Italy got. And there was a ton of breathtaking skill as well, though I think I liked Paul Pogba‘s goal (and celebration) best. Overshadowed in all this is one of the best storylines of the tournament in my opinion, Denmark‘s run to the quarterfinals. And while the England vs. Germany game was a bit of a dud, sometimes football is all about the outcome and that’s OK, too.

Mark Ogden: The day that gave us Spain vs. Croatia and France vs. Switzerland will go down as one of the most memorable and exhilarating at any tournament. But my highlight was being at Wembley for England’s 2-0 victory against Germany to witness, and hear, the explosion of joy and relief that greeted Harry Kane‘s goal — England’s second — which confirmed the win. England hadn’t beaten Germany in a knockout game at a tournament since 1966, and it has weighed heavily on previous teams. But this victory was a cathartic one, and it seemed as though 55 years of pent-up frustration was released at the final whistle.

James Olley: Being at Wembley to witness England beat Germany in a tournament knockout match for the first time in 55 years. The stadium may only have been half-full, but it has never been louder for an international fixture. There was a real sense that anything could be possible, in part created by results elsewhere in what is surely one of the most entertaining knockout rounds there has ever been. Spain’s victory over Croatia will take some beating as the game of the tournament, but Switzerland’s comeback against France was more dramatic given they were 3-1 down with nine minutes left.

Julien Laurens: In terms of pure drama, and even if it broke my heart, France vs. Switzerland was just exceptional. It will forever be a classic in Euros history. There was everything: the upset, the penalties, Karim Benzema‘s control for his equaliser, the Swiss comeback, Didier Deschamps’ tactical shambles, the belief. Another highlight was Raheem Sterling feeling at home at Wembley again and kicking the Germans out of London. Spain vs. Croatia was mad, too, another classic. Credit to Alvaro Morata and Luis Enrique for never giving up and believing in themselves and their team — it paid off.

Rob Dawson: Spain vs. Croatia and France vs. Switzerland were both thrilling games. If you’re a neutral, you can’t beat a late fightback from nowhere. In terms of individual moments, it’s hard to look past England’s win over Germany. In his postmatch interview, Gareth Southgate spoke about seeing his old teammate David Seaman smiling on the big screen at Wembley and that he hoped he had managed to ease some of memories from Euro ’96, when he missed in the shootout against Germany in the semifinal and England went out. You could tell something had lifted from his shoulders, and it was mirrored all over the country.

Tom Hamilton: We’ve been overindulged with this round of matches. Each was fascinating and exhilarating in its own way, with Spain’s 5-3 win over Croatia an astonishing seesaw of a game, and then later matched by Switzerland’s penalty shootout win over France. Pogba’s goal was fantastic, as was Thorgan Hazard‘s winner for Belgium against Portugal. Also, spare a thought for Benzema’s Dennis Bergkamp-esque first goal against the Swiss, while will fall into the haze of France’s exit. And it’s been impossible not to get caught up with Denmark’s journey through these Euros with Kasper Dolberg their latest hero. But after everything he’s weathered in this tournament, you had to smile when Morata scored against Switzerland. He’s been near the headlines the whole way through this championship — for better for worse — and he deserved his goal.

Do you need to revise the final match-up you predicted before the last 16?

Olley: Er, just a little. France were my clear pre-tournament favourites, even in the tough half of the draw, and Switzerland looked the perfect springboard into the latter stages. To make it worse, I thought Netherlands would push on after three Group C wins. Italy against Belgium is too close to call, but Austria caused the Italians problems and Belgium’s greater firepower can win the day. England have it in their hands to reach the final from the other half.

Laurens: I do need to revise my final match-up because I predicted a France vs. Germany final and they have both been eliminated! One side of the draw is easy to call now: England will go to the final because no one in that bracket can stop them. The other side of the draw is tougher to predict. I will go this time for a place in the final for Belgium. They have learnt a lot from the 2018 World Cup and their semifinal defeat against France. Now this group of players are ready for their first final and for a first trophy in a big tournament.

Dawson: My prediction was France vs. England, but that was before France bottled it against Switzerland after being 3-1 up with 10 minutes to go. England should make it out of a bracket containing Ukraine, Denmark and Czech Republic. Even though Belgium have got the toughest quarterfinal against Italy, they have the players to get to Wembley on July 11, too.

Hamilton: Well my shout of France reaching the final and winning the whole thing now looks a little foolish, so let’s go for an Italy-England match-up on July 11 at Wembley. I tipped Denmark to go far in the tournament from the outset and they could yet surprise us all and win the championship, while Belgium are ticking along nicely, but I fear injuries could derail their bid. Italy are brilliantly coached by Roberto Mancini, and with England riding the crest of the wave after their win over Germany, that could be a very tasty match-up in the final.

Marcotti: I had Belgium vs. Germany, so obviously I need to revise Germany since they lost. Logic suggests England at this point, but I still want to believe in the Danish fairy tale, so I’ll go with them. I’m less confident about Belgium following Kevin De Bruyne‘s injury, but feel I should stick with them.

Ogden: I predicted a France vs. England final prior to the round of 16, but wouldn’t have been surprised if England had succumbed to Germany. France losing to Switzerland was never in the equation, though, and the world champions’ defeat has blown Euro 2020 wide open. With Les Bleus out, I am going for Belgium to reach the final instead — but it all depends on the fitness of De Bruyne and Eden Hazard for their quarterfinal against Italy.

Which coaches have impressed you, and who has struggled?

Dawson: Luis Enrique showed how strong a character he is by sticking with Alvaro Morata when the easy decision would have been to bow to outside pressure and pick someone else. It paid off, and not only because Morata scored Spain’s fourth goal in their 5-3 win over Croatia. His all-round performance was fantastic, especially the way he held the ball up and brought others into the game. Kylian Mbappe missed the decisive penalty for France against Switzerland, but Deschamps should take most of the blame for the result. There was no need to change his system, and it put France on the back foot from the first whistle.

Hamilton: Denmark’s Kasper Hjulmand has been my star of the tournament. He’s managed to navigate everything that’s been thrown at his side, and still they play wonderful football and have a real shot at winning this tournament. Luis Enrique has stayed true to his coaching philosophy and that’s finally paid off, while England’s Southgate and Italy’s Mancini have both made bold choices which have paid off. But for those who have struggled, look no further than the managers already back home, in France’s Deschamps and Germany’s Joachim Low. Both teams have been far poorer than the sum of their parts.Marcotti: Mancini, tactically, has been hugely impressive in the way he reinvented Italy and this group of players. Luis Enrique, too, is very good, though his personnel choices leave me scratching my head sometimes. And I have to give a shout out to Hjulmand, just from a man-management perspective, given what Denmark have been through. On the flipside, Frank de Boer lived down to expectations I guess. I knew Low was going to struggle, I didn’t expect it to be to this degree. As for Deschamps, I’ve long been a critic, so I can’t say I’m surprised, but switching to a back three was such an extreme choice (and an extremely bad one), I can’t let it go without mention.

Ogden: Vladimir Petkovic has been in charge of Switzerland since 2014, but he rarely earns headlines or receives plaudits. Perhaps Deschamps and France underestimated him ahead of their meeting in Bucharest because Petkovic inspired the Swiss to a famous victory with a tactical game plan and smart use of substitutions. Switzerland are well organised, but they also have flair, and that is down to Petkovic’s astute coaching. As for strugglers, Low looked like a man out of ideas during Germany’s brief stay at the tournament. He has overseen a period of success during his 15-year reign, but he should have left after their group-stage exit at the last World Cup.

Olley: Southgate deserves credit for tackling this tournament with a clear plan. It has caused consternation among some England fans, chiefly because it isn’t what anyone expected: A squad brimming with attacking potential has prioritised safety-first football and defensive stability. It isn’t pretty — and there remains a suspicion the balance could tip too far the other way — but it is highly effective. Contrast that with Germany’s Low, who had talented players at his disposal but never moulded them into an effective unit during the tournament, albeit still finding a way to put four goals past Portugal. Equally, Deschamps’ decision to change system and personnel against Switzerland clearly contributed to France’s surprising exit given how much they improved when going back to a more trusted 4-4-2 shape in the second half, only to then fail to tighten things up to close the game out.

Laurens: Let’s start with the disappointments. France’ failure is on Deschamps. He picked the wrong tactics and the wrong players against Switzerland. Fernando Santos’ choices for Portugal were as bad against Belgium, while De Boer failed as soon as the level of Netherlands’ opponents rose, and it was still only Czech Republic. But well done to Luis Enrique for always believing and not changing anything for Spain, to Mancini and Hjulmand for giving Italy and Denmark a real identity and to Roberto Martinez and Southgate for having dealt well so far with extreme pressure.

We have seen nine own goals; any theories as to why?

Ogden: When you consider the individual own goals, it can be nothing more than a bizarre coincidence that so many have been scored. There is no direct comparison, for instance, between Martin Dubravka‘s own goal for Slovakia against Spain and Spanish goalkeeper Unai Simon‘s failure to connect with Pedri‘s back-pass against Croatia. A lack of familiarity with the tournament ball may be a small factor, but a ball is a ball — it’s round and it moves, so blaming the ball would be looking for excuses.

Marcotti: I think it’s just sample size and randomness. Two of the goalkeeper own goals were freak mistakes. I don’t think there’s much to read into it other than domestic leagues seem to be a bit happier awarding goals even with big deflections, possibly because it suits both the attacker and the defender. UEFA seem a bit more rational in that regard.

Olley: A cynic might argue it is the consequence of a dilution in quality arising from an increase to 24 participants given the second-highest number of own goals (three) occurred at Euro 2016, when the format changed for the first time. But the elite nations have been heavily involved. And the two Portugal ‘scored’ came from overloads in wide areas and defenders left with little alternative. The same is true, to a lesser extent, of Germany’s Mats Hummels against France. That can happen anywhere — Dubravka is unlikely to make the same mistake he did against Spain for the rest of his career. Ditto Simon’s error for Spain against Croatia.

Laurens: Is there a rational explanation? Not really; more bad luck and bad plays. There were moments of pure madness, from Dubravka smashing the ball into his own net or Simon thinking about his pass before even controlling the ball. And moments of pure mediocrity like when Hummels and Juraj Kucka couldn’t get their feet right. Merih Demiral, Ruben Dias and Raphael Guerreiro are all really good players but they were victims of great crosses. Wojciech Szczesny and Lukas Hradecky were unlucky with the ball bouncing off the woodwork onto them.

Dawson: It’s an anomaly. You can’t account for mistakes like Dubravka’s or Simon’s. Play the same tournament another nine times and you wouldn’t get the same number of own goals. It’s just one of those things that can happen in football.

Hamilton: A large swathe of players in this tournament will no doubt be suffering from mental fatigue after this never-ending season, and so this may have impacted some of the decision making at key moments. A couple of own goals — Demiral’s and Hummels in their respective openers — can be accounted for by poor positioning. Some have just been plain unlucky: Szczesny could have done nothing about his own goal against Slovakia when the ball rebounded off his post to hit him and go in. Then you had Croatia’s farcical opener against Spain, as Pedri’s back-pass slipped past Simon. There doesn’t seem to be any uniting factor between the nine, other than football’s staples of misfortune: bad luck and pressure.

6/25/21 Euro’s Sweet 16 Sat-Tues, US Ladies Olympics team announced, COPA Round of 16 next week, Indy 11 @Louisville Sat on MyIndyTV

June 26, 2021June 26, 2021 gatorbest

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS Sat-Tues Knockout Round of 16

Sorry soccer fans – been on the road traveling some last week and this – but man has the soccer at the Euro’s been spectacular. What a final 2 days of Group Stage games as Hungary was just 10 minutes from knocking out Germany and defending Euro champs Portugal and Renaldo were on the ropes two as they needed a tie vs France in the group of death to advance. In the end 3 powerhouses of France, Portugal and Germany all 3 did advance but things were touch and go their as Hungary gave it a go at home. Tuesday gave us the battle royal as Sweden edged Poland despite the world’s leading goalscorer Lewandowski’s 2 spectacular goals to tie it up late. Sweden would advance as Poland lay exposed trying to get the go ahead goal needed to advance. It made for some super exciting futbol as I am sure the knockout Rounds will provide us as well. Some huge games with Sunday’s Netherlands vs Czech Rep at noon and #1 Belgium vs Portugal at 3 pm. Portugal’s Renaldo looking to become the leading scorer in international games his 107 goals tied for 1^st. I picked Italy as my surprise team of the tourney and they have come thru – with 3 shutouts and goals galore – we’ll see if they can keep it up vs Austria on Sat at 3 pm. Of course the Biggest game of the Sweet 16 is Tuesday’s Germany vs England game at Wembley at noon – tons of stories below as England looks to quiet the ghosts of past international losses to Germany. Of course I am almost forgetting the biggest moment so far of the Euro’s was of course Denmark great Erickson having a heart attack on the field and actually needed a shock to revive him on the field. Huge news that the 29 year old father of 2 is fine and will survive a normal life moving forward without playing again. I for one will be rooting for Denmark to make a run past Wales and Garreth Bale on Sat at noon. I like Denmark, Italy, Dutch, Belgium, Croatia, France, England and Sweden to advance – should be fun – all the games on ESPN, where the coverage has been fantastic – nice 30 minute lead ins – good announcers and solid analysis overall.

SATURDAY, JUNE 26
• Wales vs. Denmark (11:50 a.m. ET)
• Italy vs. Austria (2:50 p.m. ET)
SUNDAY, JUNE 27
• Netherlands vs. Czech Rep (11:50 a.m. ET)
• Belgium vs. Portugal (2:50 p.m. ET)
MONDAY, JUNE 28
• Croatia vs. Spain (11:50 a.m. ET)
• France vs. Switzerland (2:50 p.m. ET)

TUESDAY, JUNE 29
• England vs. Germany (11:50 a.m. ET)
• Sweden vs. Ukraine (2:50 p.m. ET)

US Ladies Roster Announced for Olympics

I haven’t had much time to dive into the roster – not surprised to see Llyod, Rapino and of course Heath assuming she’s healthy on the roster – these are 3 difference making forwards – and while you would like to start grooming some youth up front – I am not sure who in that group I would leave home. I was a little surprised to see both Mewis – as Kristie at 30 earned her way back on the team with her performances this year. I would have probably taken her as an alternate and given Macario the nod. On the back line – no issues here – except I might have considered taking right back/right winger Margaret Purge over Emily Sonnett. Especially since I think Horan showed she can cover for our #6 superstar Julie Ertz in case she has lingering issues with her knee. This team’s average age is the oldest at the Olympics – almost 30, obviously coach decided it is more important to win now – A World Cup Winner has never won the Olympics the following year, as opposed to building for the next world cup. I certainly can’t argue with Coach A’s result so far – and an Olympic Win would be huge – can’t wait till July 23^rd !!

GOALKEEPERS (2): Adrianna Franch (Portland Thorns FC), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)

MIDFIELDERS (6): Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns FC), Rose Lavelle (OL Reign), Kristie Mewis (Houston Dash), Samantha Mewis (North Carolina Courage), Julie Ertz (Philly)

FORWARDS (6): Carli Lloyd (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride), Christen Press (Manchester United, ENG), Megan Rapinoe (OL Reign), Tobin Heath

Alternates – Travel but only play if players get hurt — Catarina Macario (Olympique Lyonnais, FRA),

Thursday, July 1 USA Women vs Mexico 8 pm (Fox Sport 1)

Monday, July 5 USA Women vs Mexico 5pm (ESPN2)

Indy 11 take on Louisville Sat 7:30 pm ESPN+, My Indy TV

So since I left my friend and our starting keeper Jordan Farr has gone out with a broken hand and we fired our coach Martin Rennie. Get well soon Jordan !! To fill in as backup which he’s down a former Carmel High School, Carmel Dad’s Club, and Butler University Alum Eric Dick has been loaned from Columbus in MLS. Welcome home Eric!! Of course back-up goalie Bobby Edwards played great in his first start with 9 saves as his man of the match performance helped or Indy 11 take one on the road at KC last week. Not surprised to see Rennie out – as that has been mumbled for weeks now – honestly I am happy to see what we look like under a new head man to close the season. The 11 are just one game back of Louisville and beat them at their place earlier this month – hopefully the boys in blue can repeat the performance before their July 3^rd home game with Birmingham at the Mike. Hopefully Jordan Farr can return in a month and continue his stellar season.

COPA on Fox

Fox takes over some Copa big boys this weekend as Sunday gives us Neymar and Brazil vs Ecuador at 5 pm on Fox, and Monday evening Argentina and Messi (who’s staying at Barcelona) take on Boliva at 8 pm on Fox. The knockout rounds start next Sat July 3.

GAMES ON TV

EUROS + COPA America 2021

(Euro’s all times ET; coverage starts about 30 minutes before kickoff; all games also stream on ESPN+, Copa on Fox, FS1, FS2

Friday, June 25

MLS Inter Miami vs Orlando City 8 pm (FS1)

Saturday, June 26

• Wales vs. Denmark (11:50 a.m. ET)
• Italy vs. Austria (2:50 p.m. ET)

MLS Sporting KC vs LAFC 5 pm (ESPN)

Indy 11 @ Louisville, 7:30 pm ESPN, My Indy TV

Sunday, June 27

Netherlands vs. Czech Rep (11:50 a.m. ET) ESPN Round of 16 (Budapest) –
• Belgium vs. Portugal (2:50 p.m. ET) ESPN Round of 16 (Saville)

Copa Brazil vs Ecuador 5 pm Fox, Univision

Copa Venezuela vs Peru 5 pm FS2, Univision

MLS Austin vs Columbus Crew 8 pm (FS1)

Monday, June 28

• Croatia vs. Spain (11:50 a.m. ET) ESPN
• France vs. Switzerland (2:50 p.m. ET) ESPN

Copa Uruguay vs Paraguay 8 pm FS2, Univision

Copa Argentina vs Boliva 8 pm FOX, Univision

Tuesday, June 29

• England vs. Germany (11:50 a.m. ET)
• Sweden vs. Ukraine (2:50 p.m. ET)

Thursday, July 1

USA Women vs Mexico 8 pm (Fox Sport 1)

Austin vs Portland Timbers 9:30 pm (FS1)

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)

Columbus Crew vs New England 5 pm (ESPN)

Racing Louisville vs Portland Thorns NWSL 7:30 pm (Paramount +)

COPA QuarterFinal 6 pm (FS1)

Indy 11 vs Birmingham, 7:30 pm ESPN+, TV 8

COPA QuarterFinal 9 pm (FS1)

Mexico vs Nigeria 11 pm ?

Monday, July 5

USA Women vs Mexico 5pm (ESPN2)

COPA SemiFinal 7pm (FS1)

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)

Friday, July 9

COPA Semi-Final 8 pm (FS1)

Saturday, July 10 GOLD CUP STARTS

Gold Cup – Mexico vs ?? 10 pm (FS1)

COPA Final 8 pm (FS1)

Sunday, July 11

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

Gold Cup Canada vs Martinique 6:30 pm (FS1)

Gold Cup USA vs ??? 8:30 pm (FS1)

Monday, July 12

Gold Cup Jamaica vs Surinam 6:30 pm (FS1)

Gold Cup Costa Rica vs ???? 8:30 pm (FS1)

MLS Schedule

Euro 2020 round of 16 preview: Form, key players, predictions and everything you need to know

Predictions

Who’ll make it through to the final eight? Our experts make their picks.

Hamilton: Belgium vs. Italy, France vs. Spain, England vs. Sweden, Netherlands vs. Denmark

Ogden: Belgium vs. Italy; France vs. Croatia; England vs. Sweden; Czech Republic vs. Wales

Olley: Belgium vs. Italy, France vs. Croatia, Germany vs. Ukraine, Netherlands vs. Denmark

Dawson: Belgium vs. Italy, France vs. Spain, England vs. Sweden, Netherlands vs. Wales

Marcotti: Belgium vs. Italy, France vs. Spain, Germany vs. Sweden, Netherlands vs. Denmark

Laurens: Belgium vs. Italy, France vs. Spain, Germany vs. Sweden, Netherlands vs. Wales

First there were 24 teams and now, after a wild two-week group stage, just 16 teams remain as the Euro 2020 knockout rounds begin Saturday. Will France add Euro glory to their World Cup from 2018, or will Portugal become just the second team ever to defend a Euro title after Spain did it in 2008 and 2012?England and Germany have looked far from their best so far: which of them will be left standing after they meet at Wembley on Tuesday? And how about Spain or Italy, both flying slightly under the radar, given low expectations, but with more than enough talent to make a deep run?Let ESPN FC get you ready for the round of 16 with a comprehensive look at every fixture, all of them streaming LIVE on ESPN and ESPN+ over the next four days, and our experts pick the eight teams they think will advance to the quarterfinals.

Wales vs. Denmark

Saturday: Noon ET/6 p.m. CET, ESPN/ESPN+

Form guide: Wales got through Group A after drawing 1-1 with Switzerland and then producing a remarkable performance to beat Turkey 2-0 thanks to goals from Aaron Ramsey and Connor Roberts. They finished with a spirited 1-0 defeat to Italy in Rome and ended up second in Group A.

Denmark’s campaign began with the traumatic events in Copenhagen as Christian Eriksen collapsed against Finland. Despite the midfielder suffering a cardiac arrest, Denmark restarted the match later that night and lost 1-0. They rallied against Belgium in the next match but lost out 2-1. They then knew they had to beat Russia in the final match, and they hammered them 4-1 to go through in third place in Group B.

Key players: It’s impossible to look past Gareth Bale for Wales. He’s been the heartbeat of this side through their Euro 2020 journey but they are more than a one-man side. Ramsey is showing signs of being back to his best, while Kieffer Moore is a real handful up front. Danny Ward has also been magnificent in goal, despite having played more matches for Wales in the Euros than he did for Leicester City this season. Daniel James will also cause Denmark‘s right side all manner of difficulty.

For Denmark, Yussuf Poulsen and Martin Braithwaite are a danger up front, while they have a neat spine to the team with Andreas Christensen, Simon Kjaer, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Thomas Delaney. But keep an eye on 20-year-old Mikkel Damsgaard. He had the unenviable task of filling Eriksen’s spot in the team, and he played well against Belgium and then scored a wonderful goal against Russia.

How they stack up: Wales will try to operate on the counterattack, looking to soak up the pressure and then hit them on the flanks through James and Bale, and then trying to find Moore to cause havoc in the penalty area. They’re happy to operate a low block but are most effective when they’re pressing higher up the field, looking to pounce on any opportunities. Much of their attacking play goes through Bale, and he’s happy to play on the wings or through the middle. Denmark will be mindful of Wales’ first goal against Turkey: Bale dropped deep like a quarterback and floated a beautiful pass into the path of Ramsey, who slotted it home. Also expect plenty of energy from the bench.

Denmark are a neat passing team and will play a 3-4-3, looking to get balls in to Braithwaite and Poulsen. Damsgaard and the tricky Joakim Maehle are their other main threats, but they are also happy to have a go from anywhere: they had the most shots in the group stages out of any team (61). Beware the hammer-shot of defender Christensen after he smashed one in from distance against Russia, while Damsgaard’s ability to come in off the left and play through the middle of the park is also a threat.

Hojbjerg and Delaney are canny operators in midfield and will try to lock up that middle third; Ramsey and Joe Morrell will need to unpick that.

This match will be played back at Eriksen’s old Ajax home in Amsterdam, so expect the bulk of the support to be in Denmark’s favour. We think they’ll continue their Euro 2020 journey with a win against Rob Page’s spirited Wales. — Tom Hamilton

Italy vs. Austria

Saturday: 3 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CET, ABC/ESPN+

Form guide: Italy sailed through their group with three wins and was able to rest eight players for the third and final match against Wales. Austria finished second, performing as expected in the first two games — beating up on North Macedonia and losing to the Dutch — before winning the de facto playoff for second against Ukraine.

Key players: Jorginho isn’t the only Italian midfielder who can pass, but he’s the “point guard” for this team, setting the tempo and controlling the play. Fellow midfielders Manuel Locatelli and Nicolo Barella are equally important, setting the pressing triggers, supporting the attack and sharing the creative load.

David Alaba is Austria’s biggest name and most gifted player. He might be lining up at center-back for Real Madrid next season, but he has played three different positions (none of them in central defence) thus far at Euro 2020. Martin Hinteregger is a defensive stalwart, and Marcel Sabitzer and Christoph Baumgartner are dynamic midfielders who can get in the box and shoot.

How they stack up: This isn’t like the Italy sides of old. Roberto Mancini’s teams play an up-tempo, press-and-pass game that sees them dominate possession and commit plenty of men forward. Austria like to build play from the back as well — certainly more than any of the teams Italy faced in the group stage — and it’ll be interesting to see how they cope with the Italian press. Up front, Marko Arnautovic is a physical, edgy striker (Sasa Kalajdzic off the bench is even bigger), which in some ways should suit Italy’s veteran central defenders.

Italy will need to deal with the threat of Sabitzer and Baumgartner running into the box, whereas Austria’s main concern defensively will come on the flanks. Both wide forwards Domenico Berardi and Lorenzo Insigne (not to mention Federico Chiesa, if he starts) love to take on fullbacks, and they should get plenty of support, particularly down the left, from Leonardo Spinazzola. Ciro Immobile is a very busy forward who’s useful even when he’s not scoring (which he has done freely at club level, less so with the national team) and he’ll be looking to stretch the expert (but not overly mobile) defensive partnership of Hinteregger and Aleksandar Dragovic.

Italy are coming off a 30-game unbeaten streak and haven’t conceded in 10 matches, so despite their front-foot approach, they’ve coped well defensively. It’s hard to see that run coming to an end against Austria.— Gab Marcotti

Netherlands vs. Czech Republic

Sunday: Noon ET/6 p.m. CET, ESPN/ESPN+

Form guide: Playing in their first major tournament since the 2014 World Cup, the Netherlands coasted through Group C with a 100% record and eight goals scored in three games. The Dutch played all those games in Amsterdam, however, so they’ll be playing away from home for the first time in the tournament when they face the Czechs in Budapest. Despite finishing third in Group D, the Czech Republic had secured qualification before losing 1-0 to England in their final group game, with a win against Scotland and draw against Croatia highlighting their ability to get results in the competition.

Key players: Georginio Wijnaldum is the man who makes the Dutch tick. While much of the focus is on Memphis Depay, who has just completed a move from Lyon to Barcelona, former Liverpool midfielder Wijnaldum has been the star man to date by excelling in a more advanced role than he played under Jurgen Klopp at Anfield. He has hit three goals in three games so far and will be crucial if the Netherlands are to progress to the latter stages.

Patrik Schick has been the outstanding performer for the Czechs so far, with the Bayer Leverkusen forward also netting three goals in three games. His long-distance strike in the 2-0 win against Scotland is the leading contender for goal of the tournament and, while defenders Tomas Kalas and Vladimir Coufal have been impressive at the back, Schick is the man who is carrying Czech hopes on his shoulders because he is most likely to score the goals to get them beyond the Dutch.

LIVE ON ESPN

The beautiful game lives here. Unlock world-class coverage of top leagues, tournaments and teams. Sign up now to stream soccer on ESPN+

SATURDAY, JUNE 26
• Wales vs. Denmark (11:50 a.m. ET)
• Italy vs. Austria (2:50 p.m. ET)
• Chicago vs. Philadelphia (8 p.m. ET)
• Portland vs. Minnesota (11 p.m. ET)

SUNDAY, JUNE 27
• Netherlands vs. Czech Rep (11:50 a.m. ET)
• Belgium vs. Portugal (2:50 p.m. ET)
• NYCFC vs. D.C. United (6 p.m. ET)
• Dallas vs. New England (9 p.m. ET)

MONDAY, JUNE 28
• Croatia vs. Spain (11:50 a.m. ET)
• France vs. Switzerland (2:50 p.m. ET)

TUESDAY, JUNE 29
• England vs. Germany (11:50 a.m. ET)
• Sweden vs. Ukraine (2:50 p.m. ET)

How they stack up: The Czechs are a well-drilled and disciplined outfit, but they also have players capable of hurting the Dutch, including Schick, Tomas Soucek and 18-year-old Adam Hlozek. They will be happy to sit deep and soak up pressure before attempting to strike on the counterattack, and they are likely to be the biggest test faced by the Netherlands so far.

Having already faced England and Croatia, two of the strongest teams in the tournament, the Czechs may be more match ready for this one than the Dutch, who emerged from a weak group with Ukraine, Austria and North Macedonia. And although they beat Ukraine in a five-goal thriller in their opening game, the Netherlands’ defensive shortcomings were exposed in that match and could be punished by the Czechs.

But while the Czech Republic should not be underestimated, it is clear that momentum is with the Dutch after their winning start to the tournament. The absence of injured Virgil van Dijk has not been an issue as yet, with Daley Blind, Matthijs de Ligt and Stefan de Vrij forming a three-man defensive partnership.

The Dutch do lack a cutting edge, though, and might may prove their downfall, if not against the Czechs then against a more formidable later opponent. Denzel Dumfries has brought pace and goals out wide, but centre-forward Wout Weghorst is a workhorse rather than a thoroughbred in the mould of previous Dutch strikers such as Marco van Basten, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Robin van Persie.

Both teams have their limitations, yet both are capable of producing a big performance to get through this tie. It will be tight and an example that group results count for nothing in the knockout stages. — Mark Ogden

Belgium vs. Portugal

Sunday: 3 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CET, ABC/ESPN+

Form guide: Except for 45 minutes against Denmark, Belgium were comfortable in Group B, finishing top with a perfect record and scoring seven goals. Portugal‘s path out of Group F was more complicated. They looked good in some spells and awful in others, conceded goals but scored them too, and eventually finished third to sneak through.

Key players: Portugal have got enough attacking talent in Cristiano Ronaldo, Diogo Jota and Bruno Fernandes to cause Belgium problems, but they gave up too many chances in the group stage, and they will need Ruben Dias in top form if they are going to stop Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku in Seville on Sunday. He has had a fantastic first season at Manchester City but will need to be at his best against Lukaku, who has looked sharp.

Belgium’s key man is De Bruyne. His link-up play with Lukaku was devastating in their last group game, against Finland, and if he can find the same space against Portugal, he will create enough chances for Roberto Martinez’s side to win the game.

How they stack up: Belgium and Portugal prefer to attack than defend, so there should be goals. Both teams scored seven in the group stages with at least two in each game. Belgium will look to get De Bruyne on the ball in little pockets around the penalty area as much as possible so he can flick passes in to Lukaku, something that worked well against Finland. To stop it, Portugal will have to cramp De Bruyne for space, and it might come down to Renato Sanches to be the man to try to smother the Manchester City midfielder.

If fitness is an issue after such a long season, Belgium should have the edge. Martinez was able to make eight changes for the last group game, with Youri Tielemans and Leander Dendoncker given the night off, while Portugal needed a full team to earn a 2-2 draw with France to make sure they didn’t go home early. At one stage, trailing France and with Hungary beating Germany, they were going out. Belgium are the No. 1-ranked team in the world and have shown enough in the group stage to be considered favourites against Portugal, who were dismantled by Germany, but with Ronaldo in form with five goals already, you never know. — Rob Dawson

Croatia vs. Spain

Monday: Noon ET/6 p.m. CET, ESPN/ESPN+

Form guide: Spain started slowly with two draws but punished a very poor Slovakia performance to win 5-0 and ensure they finished second in Group E behind Sweden. Croatia also needed a big win against Scotland in their last group game to finish second in Group D after losing to England and being held by Czech Republic.

Key players: Spain were struggling for goals until they came up against a Slovakia side seemingly determined to concede as many as possible. Despite finding the net against Poland, Alvaro Morata has looked short of confidence, and he will need to be more clinical if Spain are going to make it through to the later rounds. For Croatia, Luka Modric reminded everyone how good he is during the win over Scotland. Even at 35 years old, he can keep a midfield ticking over with his movement and ability on the ball. His goal against Scotland — bent into the top corner from the edge of the penalty area — wasn’t bad either.

How they stack up: Spain will go into the game as favourites because they’re, well, Spain. But Croatia won’t have seen a lot in their group-stage performances to scare them. Croatia have won two out of the past three meetings, one at the last Euros and again in the Nations League in November 2018.

Spain will need the experience of Sergio Busquets to help win the midfield battle against Modric, and the pair should know each other well after their many clashes playing for Barcelona and Real Madrid. It’s likely Croatia will have to withstand a lot of pressure, but if they can keep Spain playing in front of them rather than getting in behind, they will be hard to break down. It might end up being a game of few clear-cut chances and could come down to which team is most clinical on the day. — Rob Dawson

France vs. Switzerland

Monday: 3 p.m ET/9 p.m. CET, ESPN/ESPN+

Form guide: France topped the group of death with an impressive win against Germany (1-0), a laborious performance against Hungary (1-1) and two big mistakes resulting in two penalties for a draw against Portugal despite a commanding second half (2-2). Switzerland qualified only as one of the best third-place finishers in the group stage. They managed only a draw with Wales (1-1), then were given a lesson by Italy (3-0), only to react well against Turkey (3-1) with a convincing victory. https://thepodium.espncreativeworks.com/poll/60c21f1a41dd37005a7aca32/60c221eb3e2dac002fe1d61d Key players:Paul Pogba has been the most consistent French player in the group stage. He was superb against Germany and Portugal with the quality of his passing and his work rate. He will be one of the keys again in Monday’s game. If the Swiss can’t cope with him, he’ll be able to dictate the pace of the game and will be able to find his front three. Kylian Mbappe, Karim Benzema and Antoine Griezmann will have a big impact on this tie too. Mbappe is the only one yet to score in this competition so far among the three, something he’ll want to change in the round of 16.

For Switzerland, the leaders have been disappointed so far. Xherdan Shaqiri scored twice against Turkey, but was poor in their first two games. Simply put, Switzerland cannot win if the Liverpool forward is not leading the way. Granit Xhaka also needs to have a bigger impact in midfield. His battle with Pogba will be interesting.

How they stack up: These two teams know each other so well after meeting at Euro 2016 as well as in the 2006 and 2014 World Cups. However, it will be the first time Switzerland play them with a three-man defense and a 3-4-1-2 formation. Could this change the dynamics?

That said, Les Bleus are big favourites regardless of how the Swiss play. We saw France deal really well with Germany’s 3-4-3 formation in the group stages, meaning the key to this game will be Pogba and N’Golo Kante: they’ve never lost when starting together and have yet to find an opponent capable of causing them problems. Switzerland struggle without the ball and could really struggle to prevent the French from developing their attacks. If Didier Deschamps’ side gets control of the ball and can set the tempo of the game, there will be no way back for the Swiss even with the extra rest since the end of the group stage. And even if Vladimir Petkovic’s men have the ball, they will have to be really creative and good in the last 30 yards to put the French defence under pressure.

Psychologically, France’s dominance vs. Switzerland in the past 20 years could have an impact too. The last time the Swiss beat their neighbours was in 1992 — seven encounters ago! — Julien Laurens

England vs. Germany

Tuesday: Noon ET/6 p.m CET, ESPN/ESPN+

Form guide: England were one of only two teams to keep three clean sheets during the group stage (along with Italy), beating Croatia and the Czech Republic either side of drawing against Scotland. Germany were six minutes from going out of the tournament but snatched a late equaliser against Hungary to finish second in a tough group during which they lost to France but beat Portugal 4-2.

Key players: Harry Kane hasn’t scored yet at these finals, but he remains the England player most feared by other countries. Manager Gareth Southgate has rotated the supporting cast behind Kane to generate the movement in advanced areas that can give him the space to thrive, but it looks as if Raheem Sterling and one other from Jack Grealish, Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford or Jadon Sancho will form England’s forward line. None of them can finish like Kane, however, who won the Golden Boot at the last World Cup, and if England are to continue creating only a limited number of chances, they’ll need the Tottenham Hotspur striker in top form to take what comes his way.

There is consternation in Germany over Joachim Low’s use of Joshua Kimmich, given he has established himself as an excellent defensive midfielder only to be often used as a right wing-back in this tournament. Wherever he plays, however, the 26-year-old can still use his excellent range of passing to good effect. Kimmich is precisely the kind of midfield metronome England lack, and any rhythm the Germans find at Wembley will likely come through him.

How they stack up: Southgate adopted a cautious, disciplined approach during the group phase, content to take what England had as they entered the final phase of a game and see that result out. That is due to a combination of factors: fatigue in the squad, England’s historically suspect game management in tournament football and concerns over the robustness of his defence. England almost always struggle to retain possession in Euros and World Cups. Arguably his biggest decision is how much risk he is willing to inject into England’s setup. There is pressure on him to do so from fans excited by the attacking talent contained within the squad, and there are big decisions ahead, not least whether he switches to a back three to match up with Germany as he has often done against top sides.

There is a sense of structure to England that, surprisingly, Germany have lacked so far at these finals. Their chaotic qualification points to an unusually porous back line and a lack of cohesion in attack, relying on individual brilliance to a significant extent even in their win against Portugal. Doubts remain over the 3-4-2-1 shape with Serge Gnabry as a false nine, but the Bayern Munich winger performed well there before Euro 2020 and the individual quality Germany possess make it eminently possible they could begin peaking at the right time, as they have so often done in past tournaments.

Southgate has rotated his full-backs, and whoever is asked to stifle Kimmich, assuming he plays on the right again, will have a key role to play. The presence of two No. 10s could tempt England into playing two defensive-minded midfielders again, but with that comes pressure to use the ball more inventively than Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips have largely done to date. There will also be the majority of 45,000 fans willing them on.— James Olley

Sweden vs. Ukraine

Tuesday: 3 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CET, ESPN/ESPN+

Form guide: Sweden started with a hard-fought 0-0 draw with Spain in their opener, then edged past Slovakia 1-0 thanks to Emil Forsberg‘s 77th-minute penalty. That was their first goal in 365 minutes of Euros action, dating back to their opener in Euro 2016, so they have found goals hard to come by. They finished with a 3-2 win over Poland, thanks to a double from Forsberg and Viktor Claesson‘s late winner, to top Group E.

Ukraine managed to get through as one of the best third-place teams despite losing two of their three Group C matches. In their opener against the Dutch, they came back from two goals down to level the match, only to lose 3-2 thanks to Denzel Dumfries‘ 85th-minute winner. Next up they managed to get past North Macedonia 2-1 thanks to strikes from Andriy Yarmolenko and Roman Yaremchuk. But they finished the group with a disappointing 1-0 defeat against Austria in Bucharest.

Key players: Sweden’s 21-year-old striker Alexander Isak is one of the players of the tournament so far. Although he hasn’t yet scored, he’s been outstanding for Sweden and is usually not far removed from whatever they’re doing well. Forsberg will get plenty of headlines for his three goals in as many matches, and he has been outstanding, but Isak is a wonderful player who has delightfully tricky feet and a tendency to drop deep and fashion his own chances. With several of Europe’s top teams hunting a new striker, you can imagine plenty will be casting envious eyes at Real Sociedad for having Isak. Also beware Dejan Kulusevski, who’s waiting to be unleashed. The Juventus maestro has played just 35 minutes in the tournament so far, having missed the Swedes’ opener due to testing positive for COVID-19. But in that 35-minute cameo against Poland, he teed up Forsberg’s second and Claesson’s winner.

For Ukraine, they’ve been reliant on West Ham United‘s Yarmolenko. He has scored twice for Andriy Shevchenko’s side. His first was a delightful arching, curled effort against the Dutch, and his other, against North Macedonia, was more straightforward as he tapped in at the far post to help his side to that key win. Oleksandr Zinchenko offers a threat down the left, while keep an eye on Shakhtar Donetsk‘s centre-back Mykola Matviyenko, who’s been linked with Arsenal. They’re likely to target set pieces, but expect the front three of Yarmolenko, Yaremchuk and Ruslan Malinovskyi to knock the ball about. Teams won’t have it easy to dwell on possession against Ukraine, as they have three players (Matviyenko, Oleksandr Karavaev and Illia Zabarnyi) in the top five for ball recoveries in the group stage.

How they stack up: Sweden can play a variety of ways, but their style will likely be a hybrid of how they tackled their second and third group matches rather than their opener against Spain, in which they had just 15% possession. They’ll likely employ a 4-4-2 and look to funnel the ball through the brilliant Forsberg, who’ll play off the left or through the middle. Isak and Robin Quaison offer a threat up front, but this Sweden team is built on belligerence, durability and work ethic. They are a tricky team to break down — with Victor Lindelof, Marcus Danielsson and Robin Olsen their defensive rocks — but have that dab of class up front to grab the necessary goals.

Emil Forsberg has been sensational at Euro 2020, and another fine performance vs. Ukraine could propel Sweden to the quarterfinals. KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Ukraine will play a mix of 3-4-1-2 and 4-3-3 and know they have it in their locker to frustrate big teams, having drawn with France earlier this year. They’ll be underdogs for this match, but it’ll be fascinating to see where Shevchenko plays Zinchenko. The Manchester City man has been used on the left wing by Ukraine, but he looked more effective when operating slightly deeper, giving him license to overlap the winger and get in behind the back. Their options up front are dangerous, with Yarmolenko dovetailing neatly with Yaremchuk and Malinovskyi, so there are zero concerns there, but they must find a way to improve their transitional play and service to the front men. Their defence has given up chances — conceding five goals to date — but still have class in Matviyenko. Also expect Viktor Tsygankov to make an impact from the bench, if he fails to make the starting XI.

With the outstanding Isak one of the players of the tournament so far, expect Sweden to get through to the quarterfinals, but this will be a match where there will be plenty of shadow boxing before we get a knockout blow. — Tom Hamilton

Predictions

Who’ll make it through to the final eight? Our experts make their picks.

Hamilton: Belgium vs. Italy, France vs. Spain, England vs. Sweden, Netherlands vs. Denmark

Ogden: Belgium vs. Italy; France vs. Croatia; England vs. Sweden; Czech Republic vs. Wales

Olley: Belgium vs. Italy, France vs. Croatia, Germany vs. Ukraine, Netherlands vs. Denmark

Dawson: Belgium vs. Italy, France vs. Spain, England vs. Sweden, Netherlands vs. Wales

Marcotti: Belgium vs. Italy, France vs. Spain, Germany vs. Sweden, Netherlands vs. Denmark

Laurens: Belgium vs. Italy, France vs. Spain, Germany vs. Sweden, Netherlands vs. Wales

6/11/ 21 Euro’s Start Today on ESPN, Copa Starts Sun on Fox, US Ladies beat Portugal 1-0, play Jamaica Sun 10 pm FS1, Carmel FC Tryouts Mon – June 14

June 11, 2021June 12, 2021 gatorbest

US Men Wrap up Winning week with 4-0 win over Costa Rica

So lets start with the US wrapped up a fantastic week of CONCACAF Soccer with a solid 4-0 win over a Costa Rica team that tied Mexico 0-0 just 1 week earlier and lost on PKs. Right after winning the most significant game and Championship vs Mexico in a decade for this young US team. The US changed out 8 starters from Sunday night – and didn’t miss a step. Twenty-Year-old Brendan Aaronson looked dangerous all night long as he scored the first goal of the game and had huge darting runs behind the backline. Adams started at the #6 and showed why he might be the most important player on this team – he simply protects that backline like no other in the US player pool – always in the right spot to cover for centerbacks and outside backs alike. Dike got his goal late in the first half after occupying the middle of Costa Rica’s defense for most of it. He should had another probably – but overall he adds his name to that look for starting #9 for the US. Tim Weah looked dangerous on right wing and just missed his shot on goal while Musah also looked solid and teamed really well with Weah on the right side. McKensie started Centerback with Tim Ream and showed the 2 could cover against 2^nd class CONCACAF competition. I still think Ream is just too old at 33 to not be replaced by a younger Centerback for the US – good to see Walker Zimmerman provide a solid half after his last call-up for injured Brooks last night. We should see some new guys battle for those Centerback spots in the Gold Cup I would think. Horvath started in goal on his 26^th birthday and solidified his spot as he barely faced a shot with his clean sheet. Horvath will now hopefully get some looks from other European teams as his backup contract with Club Brugge in Belgium has run out. Overall another great night in front of a nearly full Rio Tinto Stadium in Salt Lake and a great week of soccer. Oh Musah is cap tied – I learned during the broadcast. Hope to see him on the Gold Cup roster along perhaps Reggie Cannon, Lletget, Zimmerman, Dike, and GK Ochoa.

US Ladies Beat Portugal 1-0 – Play Sun 10 pm FS1

So the US ladies played last night without their legendary #6 D Mid Julie Ertz as she is injured until next month. That allowed the US ladies to play Lindsay Horan at the 6 spot and she really handled it well. The top US midfield of Lavell and Mewis usually shares time with Horan – but this allowed all 3 to play featuring all 3 of the best US mids on the field at the same time. The question was could Horan defend that back line like Ertz does – the answer well yes. Portugal barely got past midfield much less registered many shots – the shot chart was like 24-3 overall for the US. Good to see going into the Olympics in case Ertz is still struggling – either way nice to have a solid backup plan and perhaps be able to give Ertz a break now and then during the Olympics this summer. I will be interesting to see if coach plugs in the youngster Davidson into the 6 slot for Sunday’s game to see how she fills that role as well. Already we saw her on the left side for 20 minuutes and she play centerback for club – so she might also cover 3 spots with her inclusion. Overall it was a frustrating game for the US – as Portugal sat back and their Goalkeeper had some spectacular saves to keep the game at 1-0 after facing 24 shots on her goal. I thought Christen Press was Woman of the match – as she was dangerous on both the left and right sides all game. She provided the corner to Mewis who headed home the winner in the 75^th minutes or so. Not a bad game for the US – but they are going to need to finish chances better in the final 3^rd in Japan this summer. The US plays again 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. The US has added the Send off Series vs Mexico in July just before the Olympics as well.

This 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)

European Cup Starts today

The European Cup kicks off the Summer of Soccer today with Turkey facing one of the darkhorse favorites Italy in Rome at 3 pm on ESPN. They will play almost daily as many as 3 games a day on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC until July 7^th. France come in as the favorites but defending champs Portugal, #1 Ranked Belgium, England, Germany or Spain may have something to say about that. Also on Sunday the Copa America – which has been moved to Brazil– will kick off – giving us day games evening starts (5 and 8 pm) to watch nearly every day in June. Sunday’s game features Brazil and Neymar hosting Venezuela on Fox at 5 pm. While the featured games for the European Cup this weekend include Wales and Bale vs Switzerland at 9 am on Saturday on ESPN, followed by #1 Belgium vs Russia at 3 pm on ABC, and Sunday has England vs Croatia on ESPN at 9 am from Wimbley, followed at 3 pm by Netherlands vs Ukraine on ESPN.

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, Fox

CARMEL FC 2021 Tryouts Monday June 14^th

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

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.
—————————————————————————————————————————
Registration Link: Click Here To Register Please email info@cdccarmelfc.com. with any questions.

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

GAMES ON TV

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 Brazil vs Venezuela 7 pm FS , Unimas

COPA Colombia vs Ecuador 10 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 Argentina vs Chile 5 pm FS1, Univision

COPA Paraguay vs Bolivia 8 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)

Indy 11 vs Pittsburgh 8 pm (ESPN+/ESPN Desp)

Gold Cup Qualifying Canada vs Haiti 9 pm (Paramount +)

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)

NWSL North Carolina Courage vs OL Reign (NY/NJ) 4 pm (CBS)

Sunday, June 20

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

MLS Atlanta United s Philly Union 2 pm (ESPN)

NWSL Portland Thorns (Rapino) vs KC 4 pm (CBS)

Copa Uruguay vs Chile 4 pm FS1, Univision

Sporting KC 2 vs Indy 11 5 pm (ESPN+)

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. (ESPN)

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)

Copa Brazil vs Colombia 8 pm FS1, Univision

Copa Ecaador vs Peru 5 pm FS2, Univision

Friday, June 25

MLS Inter Miami vs Orlando City 8 pm (FS1)

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)

MLS Sporting KC vs LAFC 5 pm (ESPN)

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)

Copa Brazil vs Ecuador 5 pm Fox, Univision

Copa Venezuela vs Peru 5 pm FS2, Univision

MLS Austin vs Columbus Crew 8 pm (FS1)

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)

Copa Uruguay vs Paraguay 8 pm FS2, Univision

Copa Argentina vs Boliva 8 pm FOX, Univision

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)

Thursday, July 1

USA Women vs Mexico 8 pm (Fox Sport 1)

Austin vs Portland Timbers 9:30 pm (FS1)

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)

Columbus Crew vs New England 5 pm (ESPN)

Racing Louisville vs Portland Thorns NWSL 7:30 pm (Paramount +)

COPA QuarterFinal 6 pm (FS1)

COPA QuarterFinal 9 pm (FS1)

Mexico vs Nigeria 11 pm ?

Monday, July 5

USA Women vs Mexico 5pm (ESPN2)

COPA SemiFinal 7pm (FS1)

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)

Friday, July 9

COPA Semi-Final 8 pm (FS1)

Saturday, July 10 GOLD CUP STARTS

Gold Cup – Mexico vs ?? 10 pm (FS1)

COPA Final 8 pm (FS1)

Sunday, July 11

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

Gold Cup Canada vs Martinique 6:30 pm (FS1)

Gold Cup USA vs ??? 8:30 pm (FS1)

Monday, July 12

Gold Cup Jamaica vs Surinam 6:30 pm (FS1)

Gold Cup Costa Rica vs ???? 8:30 pm (FS1)

MLS Schedule

What you need to know about the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament
Euro 2020 betting: Picks for all of Saturday’s group stage games
De Bruyne ruled out of Belgium’s EURO 2020 opener; Hazard update
Italy raring to go at Euro 2020 after World Cup failure – Chiellini
England boss Southgate speaks of ‘pride’ on eve of Euro 2020
Benzema exits early as France beat Bulgaria in final pre-Euro friendly
‘Career highlight’ for captain Bale ahead of Wales’ Euro return
Kroos ready to prove Germany’s doubters wrong against France
Euro 2020 betting: The money keeps pouring in on France to win

Euro’s

USA Ladies

USWNT breaks through late as Mewis powers win over Portugal
Mewis on target as US extend unbeaten streak
Sam Mewis scores in U.S. women’s 1-0 win over Portugal

Which 18 players will make the U.S. Olympic women’s soccer roster?

Indy 11

· USL CHAMPIONSHIP RECAP: EL PASO LOCOMOTIVE FC 2 : 0 INDY ELEVEN

· Neveal Hackshaw to Represent Trinidad & Tobago National Team in World Cup Qualifiers

· RECAP | Indy Comes Back for 2-1 LIPAFC Win

· Indy Eleven Forward Jordan Hamilton Named to USL Championship Team of the Week for Week 6

· USL Championship Recap: Indy Eleven 1 : 1 OKC Energy FC

Single Game Tickets as low at $13 each

Attention INDY 11 FANS Discounted Tix: Opportunity to purchase Discount Tickets for home INDY ELEVEN games at Carroll Stadium.

Please order on Link Below “Friends of Indy Eleven” https://fevo.me/indyelevenmh

Ian Darke’s take on Euro 2020: Why France and Italy are my favourites, but watch out for Denmark

Jun 9, 2021Ian DarkeESPN.com writer

Euro 2020 might be a European Championship that defies prediction. Spread across 11 cities in the midst of a pandemic, who can know what fate has in store? One COVID-19 outbreak could derail even the most gifted of teams and even the schedule. Mix in the fatigue factor for players who have had an even more congested and hectic season than normal, and the tournament could develop into a survival of the fittest and freshest.

The peculiar, 24-team format also can produce tales of the unexpected. Portugal lifted the trophy in 2016 after finishing third in their group and only winning one game in 90 minutes throughout the whole tournament. Remember, the Euros have given us shocks before: Denmark got off the beach as late replacements for Yugoslavia and won the whole thing in 1992, and then there was the barely believable 150-1 triumph of Greece in 2004.

England have never won the competition or even made the final, but they’re among the favourites to do so this time. Drawn in Group D, they also have the added advantage of potentially playing all but the quarterfinal at their Wembley Stadium home, though no hosts have won since France in 1984.

Led by World Cup Golden Boot winner Harry Kane, Gareth Southgate’s squad is full of exciting young attacking talent like Mason Mount, Phil Foden and Jadon Sancho. But key defender Harry Maguire is in a race to be fit, and without him, the defence looks vulnerable against the top teams.

There are also worries over the form of Marcus Rashford and Raheem Sterling. Jack Grealish, though, could be one of the players of the tournament if his shin injury is managed successfully and Southgate has faith enough to pick him. As in 1996, when England reached the semifinals and the nation sang “Football’s coming home” (it didn’t, as it turned out), Wembley will be a factor.

France are also fancied, as they still have nine of the 11 players who won the World Cup final three summers ago. Add in the return of Real Madrid‘s in-form striker Karim Benzema from his six-year international absence and the team looks more formidable than ever.

A front three of Kylian Mbappe, Benzema and Antoine Griezmann is frightening, and there is quality everywhere, though goalkeeper Hugo Lloris has not had his most convincing year at Tottenham Hotspur. France, though, are in arguably the hardest group — Group F — with Germany, Portugal and Hungary, who must be wondering what they did to deserve such awful luck in the draw.

Led by Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann and the recently recalled Karim Benzema, France’s front three is more dangerous than ever. Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images

Germany hope to give their long-serving coach Joachim Low a winning farewell, but confidence in this team does not seem high after a 6-0 humiliation against Spain and a shock 2-1 defeat against North Macedonia in the past nine months. Low has recalled veterans Thomas Muller and Mats Hummels to a squad that still possesses enough quality to be dangerous. The first match, at home to France in Munich, could be a barometer of their mood and form.

Portugal have a stronger squad than the one that triumphed rather freakishly in 2016. Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes and Ruben Dias lead a star-studded cast list, and if ultra-conservative coach Fernando Santos loosens his restraints, they are capable of retaining their crown. He probably won’t though.

Hungary look like cannon fodder against such powerhouses, especially after losing their star player Dominik Szoboszlai to injury on the eve of the tournament. But home advantage in a rocking Puskas Arena in Budapest might just help them pull off a surprise or two.

Belgium, ranked No. 1 in the world, will be strongly fancied for another long run like they had at the World Cup in 2018, when they reached the semifinals. They have more or less the same group of players, but talisman Eden Hazard has struggled for form and fitness, while the wonderful PFA Player of the Year, Kevin De Bruyne, has had eye surgery, which will at least mean he can avoid playing with a face mask. It will surely affect him, though. There’s also an ageing defence, which might get found out in the latter stages.

Denmark are in Group B with Belgium, as well as unpredictable Russia and debutants Finland, who will rely on the goals of Norwich City’s promotion hero, Teemu Pukki. The Danes look lively outsiders; with Kasper Schmeichel in goal, a tough defence that shut out England at Wembley, bags of experience and the clever promptings of Christian Eriksen, they are capable of giving anyone a hard time.

With Christian Eriksen leading the way, could Denmark pull a surprise or two at Euro 2020? Photo by Jan Christensen / FrontzoneSport via Getty Images

Italy are less cautious than in years past and on a long unbeaten run under Roberto Mancini. Ciro Immobile can bang in the goals with help from wide men Federico Chiesa and Lorenzo Insigne, while the Azzurri also feature a classy midfield, grizzled veterans Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci in defence and flying full-backs in Alessandro Florenzi and Leonardo Spinazzola. A doubt over the fitness of key midfielder Marco Verratti is a concern, however.

The Italians kick off the tournament in Rome on Friday with a Group A clash against a Turkey team boasting their best-ever defence, which let in just three goals in qualifying and took four points off France. This is a tough group that also includes Switzerland, tournament last-16 regulars, and Wales, for whom Gareth Bale might not be the force he was in their surprise run to the semis in 2016. Italy should top the group, but it looks tight after that.

What about Spain, who won three big tournaments in a row from 2008 to 2012 with a vintage team? That 6-0 win over Germany, in which Ferran Torres scored a hat trick, served notice of their talent, but there are questions to be answered.

Spain’s preparations have already been severely hit by positive COVID-19 tests for Sergio Busquets and Diego Llorente, forcing others in the squad to train alone and Spain to hand debuts to 16 players in Tuesday’s 4-0 win over Lithuania. Only an optimist would believe that other teams can dodge similar trouble, and there’s a feeling that this is an unpredictable team doomed to fall short unless Alvaro Morata or Gerard Moreno deliver plenty of goals.

Spain should have too much for Group E rivals Sweden (what a pity Zlatan Ibrahimovic is not fit), Marek Hamsik‘s Slovakia and Poland, who could nick second place in that group if Robert Lewandowski can maintain his record 41-goal Bundesliga form and avoid the nearly invisible showing he endured at the prior World Cup.

In England’s group, World Cup finalists Croatia still have 35-year-old Luka Modric pulling the strings, and while results this season have been modest, there is new talent in the likes of strikers Bruno Petkovic and Nikola Vlasic. Regardless of recent form, they still have enough good players (including Ivan Perisic, Marcelo Brozovic, Mateo Kovacic) to give England a tough opening game at Wembley.

The Czech Republic, finalists in 1996, are hard to read; but West Ham’s Tomas Soucek was one of the players of the season in the Premier League, and they’ll hope to recreate the exciting 2-1 win they had over England in Prague during qualifying, rather than repeat the 5-0 pasting they took at Wembley.

Also in that group are improving Scotland, who qualified for their first major tournament in 23 years. Led by Liverpool‘s Andy Robertson and shrewdly managed by Steve Clarke, a 2-2 draw away to Netherlands in a recent tuneup game served notice that the Tartan Army are likely to be very competitive. Clarke has cleverly downplayed the hype surrounding the clash with England, reasoning that games against Croatia and Czech Republic at Hampden Park represent their best chances of getting the necessary points to advance.

Netherlands themselves have missed the past two tournaments, and not everyone is sure Frank de Boer is the man to usher them into a more successful era. With no Virgil van Dijk to lead the defence, it’s hard to fancy them as possible winners. That said, with home-field advantage in all three games of a kind Group C that contains North Macedonia, Ukraine and Austria, the Netherlands look sure to advance to the knockout stages.

North Macedonia’s presence in their first-ever Euros comes via the Nations League D4 route, and it sparked a nationwide party. Veteran Goran Pandev, 37, is their torchbearer, and that amazing win over Germany in March will encourage them to believe they are not just making up the numbers. Could they be this year’s Iceland?

Forced to make a call at this range, France would be my pick to win it, with Portugal and Italy in contention and Denmark as a lively long shot.

Euro 2020 preview: Picks, scouting reports, must-see games, biggest ‘upset’ teams and much more

Jun 9, 2021ESPN The Euros are here! Get ready for Euro 2020 with our comprehensive preview. Will England dazzle? Will France dominate? Can Ronaldo lead Portugal to a second consecutive Euro title? ESPN Illustration

FRANCE: Can they make history with a second ‘double-double’?

Germany is dangerous, but they’re the most unpredictable of the big nations at the Euros. Will they rise to the challenge or crumble under the pressure? Getty Images

The double-double of World Cup and European Championships: they did it in 1998 and 2000… but can they do it in 2018 and 2020?France could be the first country to achieve this twice. None of their biggest rivals — Germany, Spain, Italy — has been able, but France will never have a better opportunity to do it than this summer. The Zinedine Zidane and Didier Deschamps generation in 1998 was great, a team built around collective spirit over individual stars, and they won the World Cup with no prolific striker and an incredible defence. In 2000, however, they were at their peak and added individual brilliance to their strength; with Thierry Henry, Nicolas Anelka, Youri Djorkaeff and David Trezeguet, they finally had a wonderful attacking line.

There are many similarities with the team of 1998/2000 and this group, anchored by Antoine Griezmann, Paul Pogba and, beyond them, the Kylian Mbappe generation. Deschamps is the common thread and Les Bleus have never looked so strong.

This team has the DNA of its head coach, like 1998 had with Aime Jacquet, one of Deschamps’ mentors. Deschamps is first and foremost a pragmatic, conservative manager. His team will defend well and be well-drilled. He is also astute. After five years and 237 days without Karim Benzema since their falling-out over the Mathieu Valbuena scandal, the France boss eventually called him back in May to make this squad even stronger. At 33, the Real Madrid striker is in the best form of his life. He’s coming off another great season in Spain (23 goals, 9 assists in La Liga) and he’s hungrier than ever after missing on the success of 2018 and the near-success of 2016.

No other team at the Euros has this much talent up front. There’s a bit of everything: pace, efficiency, power, skills, strength, height, intelligence, nous. Mbappe is this team’s Henry. Benzema plays like Anelka, a goal scorer who liked to drop deep and organise the play. Antoine Griezmann is a bit of everyone. Olivier Giroud is like Trezeguet, a poacher and a box player. Ousmane Dembele, Kingsley Coman and Wissam Ben Yedder can start or come off the bench, bringing speed, close control and more goals.

PREDICTIONS: So who’s winning this thing?

Belgium. The window is closing for the Golden Generation, but Euro history is filled with guys who didn’t play much or perform during the season, only to excel for four weeks in the summer. I’m counting on you, Eden Hazard and Axel Witsel… — Marcotti

Deschamps’ squad is head and shoulders above every other nation in the tournament. France have so much quality and depth that it’s virtually impossible to see the world champions failing to win this. – Ogden

Engl… I’m only kidding. France, France and France. Deschamps could have fielded two 23-man squads, and they’d end up meeting in the final. The strongest XI has everything, and Benzema now, which will be too tough for any opponent. – Laurens

France. The World Cup winners boast the strongest squad, and teams are able to make five substitutions in each game. Only a relatively tough draw has stopped France being shorter in the betting markets. – Olley

It’s France‘s to lose. When you can sleep easy after losing Aymeric Laporte to Spain, you know they’ve got incredible strength in depth. If you’re after a surprise package, though, keep an eye on Denmark. – Hamilton

France. Generally speaking, it seems pretty smart to bet on whichever team has a healthy Kante in it, especially when you can team him with Pogba and Mbappe. — Connelly

Portugal: They’re good from front to back and are stacked with players who are coming off impressive seasons with their clubs. If they can get through their group, they’ll fancy their chances against anyone. – Rob Dawson

I think it’s going to be a France vs. Turkey final, but whether that’s right or not, there will need to be a stewards’ enquiry if France don’t win this tournament. Blessed with abundant talent, they also demonstrably possess a tough ‘winning’ mentality. Plus ça change… – Graham Hunter

Runners-up in 2016 and winners in 2018, they already had Griezmann, Mbappe, Pogba and Kante and the rest. Now they’ve got Benzema, too, which is just cheating. France, of course. – Sid Lowe

Clear your calendar! The must-see games

From a plot perspective, the Euro schedule is nicely drawn. You begin with a couple of days of new-tournament honeymoon vibes and excitement, then you get to the good stuff. Here are the 10 group-stage matches that pack either the most intrigue or the most importance.

– June 13: Croatia at England. Per Caesars, England is the No. 2 favorite to win behind France. Their first match is a doozy, however, against a Croatia squad that is advancing in age but still features a lot of the talent that brought them to the World Cup finals — and past England in the semifinals — three years ago.

– June 13: Ukraine at Netherlands. We’ll find out a lot of what we need to know about the Dutch against a Ukraine squad made up primarily of Dynamo Kyiv and Shakhtar Donetsk players, plus a couple of Premier Leaguers (Man City defender Oleksandr Zinchenko, West Ham forward Andriy Yarmolenko) for good measure.

– June 15: France at Germany. Group F is the Group of Chaos, featuring both the past two World Cup champions (France and Germany) and the defending Euros champ (Portugal). Germany have been the shakiest of the three, but they get to play all their matches in Munich’s Allianz Arena.

– June 16: Switzerland at Italy. Switzerland is loaded with talent from Europe’s elite leagues. If this turns out to be a bumpy road for the Italians, favorites in Group A, this is about when things might go awry.

– June 17: Belgium at Denmark. Belgium might be the best team in Group B, but the home team here could be the second best. Might home-field advantage and a sturdy midfield give the Danes an unexpected edge?

– June 17: Austria at Netherlands. Austria’s squad is loaded with talent from Europe’s best clubs. If Ukraine can’t get to the Dutch, it’s possible that Alaba, Sabitzer, Baumgartner & Co. still could.

– June 18: Scotland at England. English fans know exactly how talented their team is, but the sense of “waiting for the other shoe to drop” paranoia could be at a high approaching this rivalry match against Robertson, Tierney and the neighbors up north.

– June 19: Portugal at Germany. If we assume that France advances from Group F — not a given, but they are the overall favorites — then this becomes maybe the biggest match of the group stage, an eliminator between two of the most talented teams in the entire world.

– June 23: Sweden vs. Poland. Spain got what appears to be an easy draw in Group E, but this match could be another eliminator for second place, not to mention a showcase game for Poland’s Robert Lewandowski and Sweden’s burgeoning stars (Dejan Kulusevski, Alexander Isak) in attack.

– June 23: France vs. Portugal. Few international matches are capable of fielding more pure talent among its 22 competitors than this one. We don’t yet know the stakes — Group F might be all sewn up, and it very much might not — but this one will please the eye regardless. — Connelly

NOVIS GUIDE TO THE EUROS

The UEFA European Football Championship, a mouthful better known as the Euros, brings together Europe’s top men’s national soccer teams once every four years to duke it out for continental glory (and a lot of money, naturally).

After two years of qualification rounds, Europe’s 55 eligible teams are whittled down to 24 nations that move on to month-long Euros, which begins today.

The tournament consists of two stages: First, the three-game round robin group stage, which splits the 24 teams into six groups (more on them in a bit). The top two teams from each, along with the next four best teams overall, based on points during the round robin — three for a win, one for a draw — advance to the knockout stage.

The knockout stage includes the round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals and final that’s set for July 11th.
While most Euros are hosted in one or two countries, this year’s tournament is pan-European, with 11 countries playing host during the group stage and first two knockout rounds before London takes over for the semis and final. Jolly good.

Second only to the FIFA World Cup, the Euros are an international BFD, even for us North Americans. So if you don’t have a nation to cheer for yet, here’s “the gist” on every group to help you pick.

Group A – Turkey, Italy, Wales, Switzerland

The favorite: Italy. Riding a 27-game unbeaten streak, the Azzurri, as they’re known, are playing all three of their group stage matches in front of a home crowd in Rome. The world-ranked No. 7 team won’t have an easy run, but with one of the tournament’s best defenses, they have what it takes to go far.

The dark horse: Turkey could give Italy a run for their money, but to be fair, any of the three in the group could. We’ll get a good sense of things right off the bat though, when Italy and Turkey kick off the whole tournament today at 3 p.m. ET. We’re calling it: the winner of today’s match will win the group.

Who to watch: Gareth Bale, Wales. He’s the best thing to come out of the country since singer Tom Jones, but this tournament will show if the 31-year-old superstar still has it. If he sets the right tone, the rest of his team should follow, and they could surprise us all.

Group B – Denmark, Finland, Belgium, Russia

The favorite: Belgium. They’re calling this the golden generation of Belgian soccer. The roster is strong, experienced, and like Daphne Bridgerton and the Duke of Hastings, has undeniable chemistry. This tourney is the moment of truth for stars like Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku and Kevin de Bruyne to finally seal the deal.

The dark horse: Denmark. They may not have a ton of starpower, but their midfield is reliable, their defense is solid, and their goalie Kasper Schmeichel (whose father Peter, also a goaltender, led Denmark to their 1992 Euro win) is one of the top in the tournament.

Who to watch: As previously mentioned, Lukaku, Belgium. An early prediction for “Player of the Tournament,” Lukaku is Belgium’s all-time highest goal-scorer and is only expected to add to his record and grow his lead, especially if Belgium can make it all the way.

#SPONSORED

🩳 Run it back

The GIST: Before you can fight for equity in all industries, you need water to survive and thrive. And the unfortunate reality is that 2.1 billion people do not have reliable access to clean water. That’s why we want to introduce you to Janji.

The who: Janji is a fellow mission-driven company that creates athletic apparel with two percent of all sales going to organizations striving to provide clean water worldwide.

With each new collection twice a year, Janji partners with an artist whose home community has difficulty accessing clean water and the results are beautiful.

The what: From bold prints to award-winning quality, Janji is not your basic running gear — the Spring ’21 Collection is inspired by Chennai, India and features vibrant pops of color (catch us in these shorts 24/7).

But style isn’t just the name of the game. Janji’s apparel is durable, breathable and comes with a 5-year guarantee. Clutch. Janji’s commitment to “Run For Clean Water” and use code GIST15 for 15% off your first order today.

Group C – Netherlands, Ukraine, Austria, North Macedonia

The favorite: Netherlands. This shouldn’t be too hard for them. Though the Dutch team missed the last Euros, they have a light schedule, a solid squad and a new-but-knowledgeable coach in Frank de Boer this time. They’ll also play all of their group stage matches at home, which helps.

The dark horse: Though we heavily debated Ukraine, we’re going with Austria, final answer. They’ve played in two Euros before but never made it past the group stage. We think third time’s a charm for the world’s 23rd ranked team. Time to make the von Trapp family proud.

Who to watch: Memphis Depay, Netherlands. Aside from having a burgeoning music career, he’s also a pretty great soccer player. He’ll likely be the main Dutch goal scorer during the Euros, and given the relatively easy matchups he’ll be facing, could be a top contender for the Golden Boot (awarded to the tournament’s highest goal scorer).

Group D – England, Croatia, Scotland, Czech Republic

The favorite: England. The team that consistently underperforms has one of its strongest rosters in decades, and they have a lot to prove. They’ll face their longtime rivals Scotland and the team who ousted them from the last FIFA World Cup, Croatia, in the group stage; the quest for revenge should help boost their gameplay.

The dark horse: Croatia. They surprised many as the runners-up in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and though they’ve lost a few big names since then, they’re still scrappy contenders. The Czech team will be their biggest challenge, though.

Who to watch: Harry Kane, England. He’s the biggest name in English soccer these days, and as the captain, all eyes will be on him to lead The Three Lions (Lannister vibes, anyone?) to their first national championship since the 1966 World Cup, and their first ever Euros win.

🇪 Group E – Spain, Sweden, Poland, Slovakia

The favorite: Spain. A perennial favorite who won back-to-back Euros in 2008 and 2012. And though the roster has changed from that experienced squad to a fresher, younger group of top talent, high expectations remain. The only problem? Two players, including captain Sergio Busquets, just tested positive for COVID-19.

The dark horse: Poland, but we’re going out on a limb here. Sweden might be everyone’s second favorite Group E team, but Poland has one of the all-time best goal scorers in their arsenal: captain Robert Lewandowski. He’s the reigning UEFA Men’s Player of the Year, and we think his leadership is powerful enough to get Poland through to the round of 16.

Who to watch: Alexander Isak, Sweden. With Swedish superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic (pronounced ee-brah-HEE-moh-vich) out of the Euros, Isak is the next big thing. He scored 17 goals in 34 games for his Spanish league team Real Sociedad, and he’s the youngest-ever goal scorer for his national team.

🇭 Group F – Hungary, Portugal, France, Germany

SOURCE: ARMANDO FRANCA/AP

The favorite: Portugal. The reigning champs are looking for a second Euros title, and with top talent like Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes and up-and-comer Nuno Mendes, they have most of the tools on hand to repeat their 2016 success.

The dark horse: Not Hungary. In this “Group of Death,” three teams are powerhouses in international soccer, with Germany co-leading alongside Spain for most Euros titles (three), and France, the most recent FIFA World Cup winners. Sorry, Hungary.

Who to watch: Kylian Mbappé (pronounced mm-BAP-eh), France. At the age of 19 (and during his first senior international tournament with France, no less), he became the second-youngest goal scorer in a FIFA World Cup final, and is often compared to the GOAT Pelé. Now 22, he’s quick, controlled, experienced, and ready to win again.

How to watch

SOURCE: UEFA

Buckle up, we’re in for a heck of a month. The group stage starts today and continues until June 23rd, then two rest days before the knockout stage begins. Check out the full schedule here, download the UEFA EURO 2020 app to keep up-to-date and watch all the games live on TSN in Canada and ESPN in the U.S. Olé!

THE GIST’S PICKS

HOW TO PLAN LIKE A PRO:

Ahh…the group trip! In theory, it’s very fun and easy. In practice, it’s a lot of planning. That’s where BACH comes in. Perfect for Bachelorette parties, the free app is your go-to for coordinating schedules, splitting bills and even booking group experiences (did someone say bar crawl?).

So when it’s safe to get the squad back together, don’t forget to bring the most important guest — download BACH today!*

WHAT TO SING ALONG TO:

The Azzurri, Italy’s national soccer team, usually has a theme song to celebrate big soccer events (not joking). And while most of them are painful to listen to, this rendition of “Azzurro”, featuring the 2004 Euro squad, is particularly comical.

WHAT TO READ:

The English team always has a lot of pressure heading into international tournaments, facing intense backlash when they couldn’t perform. Manager Gareth Southland wrote an open letter to his country, reminding English fans to be proud, gregarious and excited, but most of all, respectful.

WHAT TO LISTEN TO:

Speaking of English fans, they’ve been in the news lately for booing as the England team takes a knee before games. Check out this episode of The GIST of It for all the details on this awful act of racism.

WHAT TO WEAR:

Now that you have the info on all the best teams, it’s time to pick your favorite and grab some national gear from the UEFA Euros online shop to show your support.

June 9, 2021 gatorbest

6/9/21 US Men face Costa Rica 7 pm ESPN 2 fresh off Mexico win, US Ladies start 3 game series tomorrow vs Portugal 8:30 pm FS1, Carmel FC Tryouts Mon – June 14

US Men win thriller over Mexico 3-2 in OT

If you had a chance to stay up and watch the US vs Mexico game on Sunday night congrats – you saw one of the best and wildest US vs Mexico games ever. The thrilling 3-2 win in OT – the 124^th minute in front of a majority Mexican crowd In Denver. The Drama was intense- 2 PKs on 2 VAR Reviews, 5 goals scored, Mexico’s Manager tossed for hugging the ref – Mexico takes the lead on a horrific giveaway by McKensie deep and then Mexico has a goal called back by VAR for offsides, then the US scores, the Mexico, then the US in the 85^th minute. The drama and excitement just oozing on the screen. Finally Pulisic finally delivers late after he is taken down in the box in the 115^th minute. He calmly steps up and delivers the dagger and the win for this young US team as the US wins its first game in tourney competition a game that really mattered in a long time. Is this the first for this new Golden Generation of American players raised in DA – now playing in Europe? Only time will tell – but McKinney, Reyna and Pulisic scoring the biggest goals in the biggest game of their young US careers is certainly a huge step !! Honestly one of the most exciting US vs Mexico games I have seen! The USA is back !!

Now what to expect tonight is unknown – I expect some rotation of players tonight – the big work done. I expect Dike to start up top with Musah stepping in for McKinney perhaps along with maybe Acosta in the #8 roles and Yueill back in the #6 role. I assume Adams will not play tonight. Not sure on the back line – but perhaps Ochoa in the net tonight after Horvath more than proved his worth vs Mexico. I do expect the US to try to win vs Costa Rica – we’ll see how they match up as well. Definitely worth the watch tonight at 7 pm on ESPN2!!

Expected Line-up

Aaronson DIKE Weah

Musah/Acosta

Adams

Robinson/Brooks or McKensie/Zimmerman/ Cannon

The Ole Ballcoach – PLAYER RATINGS

THE STARTING LINEUP

Zack Steffen: Rating: 6.0

DeAndre Yedlin: Rating: 5.0

Mark McKenzie: Rating: 4.5

John Brooks: Rating: 7.0

Tim Ream: Rating: 4

Sergino Dest: Rating: 5.0

Kellyn Acosta: Rating: 6

Weston McKennie: Rating: 7.5

Gio Reyna: Rating: 7.5

Christian Pulisic: Rating: 7.0

Josh Sargent: Rating: 5.5

THE SUBSTITUTES

Tim Weah: Rating: 6.5

Jordan Siebatcheu: Rating: 5.5

Ethan Horvath: Rating: 9.0 (MAN OF THE MATCH)

Sebastian Lletget: Rating: 5.5

Tyler Adams: Rating: 6.0

Reggie Cannon: Rating: 5.5

US Women play Portugal Thurs, June 10 8:30 pm FS1, June 13, June 16

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. The US has added the Send off Series vs Mexico in July just before the Olympics as well.

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)

European Cup Starts this Friday

The European Cup kicks off the Summer of Soccer next Friday as they will play almost daily as many as 3 games a day on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC until July 7^th. The games start with Turkey vs Italy in Rome as for the first time multiple nations will host the Euros with the finals in London July 7^th. France come in as the favorites but defending champs Portugal, #1 Ranked Belgium, England, Germany or Spain may have something to say about that. Also this weekend the Copa America – which has been moved to Brazil– will kick off – giving us day games (9 am, noon and 3 pm) and night games (5 and 8 pm) to watch nearly every day in June.

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, Fox

CARMEL FC 2021 Tryouts Start Mon June 14^th

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

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.
———————————————————————————————————————————–
Registration Link: Click Here To Register Please email info@cdccarmelfc.com. with any questions.

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

2021 Alumni/College Age Soccer League
High School graduates, college students, young professionals come join our soccer league this summer!

US Ladies
The three biggest questions facing the USWNT in its upcoming friendlies

Nigerian Coach Weary of US ahead of next week’s game

USWNT’s Heath, Ertz ‘on schedule’ for Olympics ESPNFC

Ellis to lead NWSL expansion team in San Diego
NWSL Power Rankings: Pride on top going into break

US Men

USMNT-Mexico rivalry, post-Nations League classic: What’s next? – Jeff Carlisle ESPNFC

USMNT inspired by expected, and unexpected, heroes in “classic” Nations League win – Charles Boehm MLS
USMNT’s epic Nations League triumph over Mexico provided plenty of lessons ESPNFC jeff Carlisle

Three takeaways from the USMNT’s Nations League win over Mexico ARMCHAIR ANALYST: MATT DOYLE

U.S.-Mexico marred by anti-gay chants, thrown objects
USMNT tops Mexico 3-2 in extra time amid controversy, goalkeeping heroics, madness

Horvath and Pulisic lift the USMNT to a gutsy and signature win over Mexico
USMNT ‘golden generation’ revels in glorious, crazy win v. Mexico
USMNT wins CONCACAF Nations League in illogical extra time affair

The Kids Came Thru – Ratings Greg Seltzer MLS
USMNT player ratings from trophy-claiming ET win over Mexico

US Beats Mexico

Angry fans shower USMNT with objects from stands

USA tops Mexico in absurd Nations League final

USMNT-Mexico rivalry, post-Nations League classic: What’s next? 5hJeff Carlisle and Eric Gomez

CONCACAF Stretcher Girls Steal The Show From USA-Honduras Nations League Clash

Euro’s Start Fri-ESPN

Ranking the EURO 2020 teams
Euro 2020 stars entering red zone: How fresh are Europe’s top players? ESPNFC Bill Connelly
England ‘more determined than ever’ to take the knee in defiance of boos
Ranking the top 20 players at EURO 2020
From Kane to Benzema: Six strikers to watch at Euro 2020
Euro 2021: ranking the 50 best players you will see this summer, part one – 50-41
Buoyed by Champions League winning goal, Havertz eyes Germany
Sweden to face Euros without Ibra but still have aces up sleeve
Euro 2020 betting: Belgium and Denmark should both move on out of Group B
EURO 2020: Pragmatism the key to success in pandemic soccer
Euro 2020 Group E: Spain’s new era

GAMES ON TV

Wed, June 9

7 pm ESPN2 US Men vs Costa Rica

9 pm ESPN+ El Paso vs Indy Eleven

Thur, June 10

8:30 PM ET FS1 US Women vs Portugal

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)

Indy 11 vs Pittsburg Riverhounds home 8 pm TV 8 and ESPN Desportes, ESPN+

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)

MLS Schedule

Attention INDY 11 FANS Discounted Tix: Opportunity to purchase Discount Tickets for home INDY ELEVEN ga

mes at Carroll Stadium.Please order on Link Below “Friends of Indy Eleven”https://fevo.me/indyelevenmh

Injured USWNT stars Tobin Heath, Julie Ertz ‘on schedule’ for Olympics – coach

5:36 PM E Jeff Carlisle U.S. soccer correspondent

U.S women’s national team manager Vlatko Andonovski says that attacker Tobin Heath and midfielder Julie Ertz are both “on schedule” to recover from their respective injuries in time to play in the Tokyo Olympics.Heath suffered an ankle injury with club side Manchester United last January, and later sustained a knee injury during her recovery. Ertz suffered an MCL sprain in the season-opening 5-0 defeat to the Portland Thorns back on May 16. Heath is back training with the U.S. ahead of friendlies against Portugal, Jamaica and Nigeria, but isn’t on the roster for the matches.”Tobin is a little bit ahead of Julie in her progression,” said Andonovski. “She’s in camp here and training every day, and she’s medically, pretty much ready. The only thing now for Tobin is physically we’ve got to prepare her and build her stamina on the field.”Andonovski added that the U.S. team medical staff will check in on Ertz in the coming days, though he’s liked what he sees so far in terms of the player’s recovery.”We’re excited [with] where she’s at right now,” Andonovski said about Ertz. “But we’re going to have to be very careful with our approach, and make sure that she’s fully recovered before she plays a game.”That Heath isn’t on the roster for Thursday’s game, as well as subsequent friendlies against Jamaica on June 13 and versus Nigeria three days later, means by the time Andonovski names his roster he will not have seen Heath play in a match for the U.S. since last November. Andonovski said that while the circumstances are less than ideal, and “makes us think a little bit,” he likes Heath’s chances of making the squad.”If she’s 100%, or if we know that she’s going to be close to 100% by the Olympic camp, her chances to make the team are pretty good.”

The three biggest questions facing the USWNT in its upcoming friendlies

Clare Brennan Wed, June 9, 2021, 8:00 AM

ANP Sport/Getty ImagesThe United States women’s national team’s Summer Series kicks off Thursday with an international friendly against Portugal, followed by games against Jamaica and Nigeria. The Houston-based series will serve as an inflection point for the USWNT ahead of this summer’s Olympics. While certain roster spots, like back line pillars Becky Sauerbrunn and Abby Dahlkemper, feel locked in, others are still up in the air.Only 18 players will make the Olympic roster, with the series providing a final opportunity for athletes to state their case.Here are the biggest unanswered questions heading into the USWNT’s June friendlies.

Can Kristie Mewis make the team?

Kristie Mewis’s career has undergone a renaissance over the last two years. The Dash midfielder received her first national team call-up under coach Vlatko Andonovski in 2019 when the midfielder was named to a 24-player identification training camp. Mewis went on to lead the Houston Dash to the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup championship, earning herself subsequent USWNT call-ups.After six years away from the team, Mewis logged her first USWNT cap with Andonovski in a November 2020 friendly against the Netherlands. Mewis put an exclamation point on her return to the pitch, scoring a goal in the game’s 70^th minute, a record 2,722 days after her first goal with the national team.Welcome back! Kristie Mewis scores in her first game with @USWNT in 6 years“It was truly such a rewarding thing. I had wanted to be back on that field with that team for so long. It was definitely really special,” Mewis told JWS back in February when asked about the goal.Battling back from an ACL injury and making her triumphant return to the USWNT would’ve been an extraordinary comeback story in its own right, but Mewis has continued to shine for club and country. In the 2021 NWSL season, Mewis has appeared in four games for the Dash, netting one goal and two assists. Mewis wasn’t awarded much playing time in the national team’s April friendlies, however, making her recent NWSL dominance all the more consequential.Fighting for a spot in a stacked midfield which includes Rose Lavelle, sister Sam Mewis, Lindsey Horan and Julie Ertz, Mewis has the likes of Lyon-phenom Catarina Macario and the Spirit’s Andi Sullivan to contend with. With Ertz out on injury, the Summer Series could provide Mewis the extended minutes necessary to stamp her ticket to Tokyo.

Who is the backup goalkeeper?

Alyssa Naeher has secured her role as the starting goalkeeper for the national team following a dominant 2019 World Cup performance.Andonovski’s attention now turns to Naeher’s backup. Adrianna Franch and Jane Campbell have both been called into the national team’s June camp. Franch was previously on the 2019 World Cup roster, while Campbell has been receiving consistent USWNT call-ups as of late.Both keepers have started the NWSL season strong, Franch for the Thorns and Campbell for the Dash. In her five regular-season games with Houston, Campbell has one clean sheet and a 68.4 percent successful save rate. Franch executed a notable penalty save to win the Thorns the 2021 Challenge Cup and has three clean sheets in Portland’s five regular-season games. If one or both of the keepers get minutes in the upcoming slate of friendlies, that may indicate who Andonovski is learning toward as second in line to Naeher.

What’s going on with Julie Ertz and Tobin Heath?

The term “indispensable” can be carelessly thrown around, but in the case of Julie Ertz and Tobin Heath, it’s hard to think of two more critical players. Both USWNT veterans, however, will miss the June friendlies due to injury.Heath has been off the pitch since the beginning of 2021 after incurring a knee injury while playing with Manchester United. Ertz has been missing from action after suffering an MCL injury during a May 16 Red Stars game against the Thorns.Heath seems to be a bit further along on her road to recovery and will at least participate in the USWNT June training camp. Andonovski has stated that he expects Ertz to join in the team’s send-off series in July.As the team’s holding midfielder, Ertz plays a crucial role on both sides of the ball, connecting the back line to the midfield. Outside of being one of the most dangerous players with the ball at her feet, Heath also fills an essential role in Andonovski’s high press. If Health and Ertz’s rehab timetables don’t allow for a trip to Tokyo, the door could open for rising stars like Sophia Smith, Catarina Macario or Andi Sullivan to make their Olympic debut.Tune in: USWNT vs Portugal, June 10 at 8:30 p.m. on FS1.

USA vs. Costa Rica, 2021 friendly: What to watch for

We end the window with a match against another Concacaf foe. By Donald Wine II @blazindw Jun 8, 2021, 9:00am PDT

The United States Men’s National Team will take the field tomorrow for the first time as Concacaf Nations League champions. However, they will want to make sure they don’t bring a hangover onto the field as they finish out their international window with a friendly against Costa Rica. The USMNT have used this window to prepare for World Cup qualifying in the fall, and they will want to end the window with a win against a team they will certainly need to be

USA

W (3-2) – Mexico – Concacaf Nations League Final

W (1-0) – Honduras – Concacaf Nations League Semifinals

L (1-2) – Switzerland – Friendly

W (2-1) – Northern Ireland – Friendly

W (7-0) – Trinidad and Tobago – Friendly

Costa Rica

D (2-2) – Honduras – Concacaf Nations League 3rd Place*

D (0-0) – Mexico – Concacaf Nations League Semifinals*

L (0-1) – Mexico – Friendly

D (0-0) – Bosnia & Herzegovina – Friendly

*Lost both matches 5-4 on penalties

What To Watch For

Rotations. With the Nations League finished, expect to see a lot of rotations with players who didn’t get to play during the tournament seeing the field. This is also a chance for head coach Gregg Berhalter to evaluate how he would make this rotations should this be a World Cup qualifier to keep guys fresh but also field a solid lineup.

Emphasis on defense. The defense hasn’t had terrific outings as a whole the past 3 matches, so against the Ticos, we should expect to see the team focus on getting a clean sheet and doing so aggressively.

Who will step up? Which of the bench guys will assert themselves into this match? Sure, we can expect to see a fe of the big stars, but this will be a chance for those players not locked into the starting lineup to show that they can be dependable when their number is called.

Lineup Prediction

Given some of the heavy minutes our stars have produced, Gregg Berhalter will likely look to shake it up and give minutes to other guys on the roster. Accordingly, we may see a lineup that looks like this:

Aaronson DIKE Weah

Musah/Lletget

Adams

Robinson/Brooks/McKensie/Zimmerman/ Cannon The hero of the Mexico match, Ethan Horvath, gets the start at goal. Mostly as a reward, but also due to the knee injury that was suffered by Zack Steffen that prompted Horvath’s entry into the Mexico match and his heroics. The back line will still feature John Brooks, but Matt Miazga gets the nod alongside him, with Antonee Robinson and Reggie Cannon getting the start at left and right back.Tyler Adams gets the start at the 6, getting his chance to see how long he can go with his back, while Yunus Musah finally gets to appear in a match at midfield. Sebastian Lletget also gets the start at midfield to provide some work rate and allow Musah to be more creative on the attack.Up front, Brenden Aaronson gets the start at left wing, with Tim Weah in the lineup at right wing. Daryl Dike, who was not on the Nations League roster but traveled with the team to Denver, gets the start at the 9. Expect Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, and Sergiño Dest to get some action as 2nd half subs.

Prediction

The USMNT will be motivated after their win in Nations League to finish out the window in strong fashion. It won’t be a pretty match, but they’ll do enough to secure a 2-0 victory over Costa Rica.

The USMNT’s thrilling victory over Mexico meant as much as we wanted it to

Joey GulinoMon, June 7, 2021, 2:19 AM

It’s been a long few years. The fateful October 2017 night in Trinidad stands out, when the United States men’s national team was officially eliminated from the World Cup for the first time since we started caring to field a competitive national team, but there have been plenty of other lows.A couple of them have come against Mexico, from the Gold Cup final two summers ago to one of the worst collective USMNT performances ever a few months after that.The losses sting more because it was Mexico, because it was the USMNT’s chief rival in the region. Games against El Tri are hard to win, and they mean more. Even when they don’t mean anything.That was pretty much the case for the CONCACAF Nations League final. What, exactly, was at stake this tournament? World Cup qualifying and Gold Cup positioning, both of which the USMNT and Mexico would’ve almost certainly gained anyway. It was hard to see how the competition would do much beyond further stratify the haves and have-nots in North and Central America and the Caribbean. Plus, this inaugural edition of it stretched all the way back to the fall of 2019 thanks to the pandemic.

So for as fierce as the rivalry is, you’d be excused for struggling to muster enthusiasm. Except the USMNT’s 3-2 comeback victory over Mexico in extra time was much more fun and compelling and bats*** than it had any right to be. And more importantly, fans of not only soccer but sports in general have been waiting for exhalations like this for a long time.The pandemic scrambled every sports league across the planet — not that they were really that important in its context — and major events were either delayed, canceled outright or held in zombified fashion. Fans weren’t allowed at stadiums across the globe, either, draining whatever spectacle and energy the grim reality of the situation hadn’t already eradicated.

As fans have slowly resumed packing stadiums, the returns have been partly concerning but broadly well-received. That neatly coordinates with Sunday’s crucible, with some idiots acting dangerously but most of them gassing up a game that was thrilling enough on its own merit.Everyone was tweeting about it. Everyone was lauding it. Everyone was getting mad about it. Mexico scores a minute into the game? Same old USMNT. Weston McKennie equalizes late in regular time? That’s new.

Was this a penalty that Christian Pulisic drew against Mexico? Ehhh.Did backup keeper Ethan Horvath really save Mexico’s own penalty shortly after? Yes!How was Hector Herrera not shown a red card multiple times? Don’t get us started.The tension was elevated as ever, even if the stakes were not. Both nations realized what kind of opportunity it was, and that’s one of the few credits to the Nations League. If CONCACAF and soccer’s other governing bodies are going to continue to shamelessly cash-grab, might as well set things up so its best national teams have the chance to square off more often. That’s how the USMNT and Mexico treated this game. In a vacuum, neither side had its first-choice lineup out there, but they were close. Besides, international soccer doesn’t take place in a vacuum. It’s all about how your program can pick up and put down shifting rosters and tactics during an already-packed calendar at the club level. Starting your best XI in any given match is a privilege, not an ordained right.

So both the teams and the fans lent the game weight. How much weight will it carry going forward?That’s perhaps the most important question. For one night, it was a big thing on people’s radars. It can become a bigger thing if it serves a springboard for this generation of American men’s soccer players, which has been dubbed “golden” for deserved reasons.This is the first time this group — which on Sunday included a Champions League winner, a Premier League winner, a Ligue 1 winner, and key cogs at scores of big clubs across Europe — came together to win something at the international level. Fans hope it won’t be the last, with this group hoping to qualify for the World Cup in 2022 before hosting the event (along with Mexico and Canada) in 2026.There will be other opportunities to win trophies in the interim. This triumph over Mexico, the first in a so-called “competitive” match in nearly eight years, can become iconic in U.S. soccer lore if the USMNT wants it to be.Don’t undersell that desire. It’s what made Sunday so special, when it had plenty of reasons not to be. We didn’t need to attach import. We just decided to.

Three takeaways from the USMNT’s Nations League win over Mexico

By Matthew Doyle @MattDoyle76 Monday, Jun 7, 2021, 11:38 AM

I’m going to borrow my own line from last weekend following the USMNT’s friendly loss to Switzerland: Friendlies are friendlies, and good teams know how to work their way through them and find good stuff to learn and take away from them, then apply them for real when the whistle blows in official competitions.

But history is littered with teams who did only part of that and were just never able to flip that switch, get out of third gear and get into “must-win” mode.

This is especially true of young teams. Veteran sides have, by definition, been there before and more often than not know where to find the switch and how to turn it on. Young teams? Well, it’s a journey.

This is a point I’ve made repeatedly over the past few years, but especially in the past week. I was not sure if this team even knew how to begin looking for the switch, and was worried they’d become somewhat complacent.

That worry was unfounded. The biggest takeaway I will have from the initial Concacaf Nations League is that this almost impossibly young US men’s national team collectively found that switch and, after a good deal of effort, figured out how to turn it on. They navigated the distance between “friendly” and “this game has stakes.”

We saw the beginnings of it in the 1-0 win over Honduras. They at least located the switch, and a few of the players on the team — most notably John Brooks — flipped it on.

“We needed this kind of game,” said US head coach Gregg Berhalter afterwards, and he has never been more correct. Without suffering through the win over the Catrachos there is no momentous, wild-as-all-hell 3-2 win over Mexico Sunday night, a game in which, after 25 minutes, the US finally, collectively found the switch and met the urgency of both the moment and their opponents.

So before you read anything that I or anyone else writes about tactics, remember the very simple foundation of what we just saw from the US is that good things happen when you play really hard, and play with confidence. If you don’t do that, you can suffer the most ignominious of defeats (cough *Couva* cough cough) no matter how weak the competition.

If you do the above and have lots of talent? If that’s the case, then great things are possible. And coming from behind twice against a veteran Mexican side that has dominated this rivalry for a decade qualifies as great.

The players knew it. You could see it in how they carried themselves even after being rocked back by an early uppercut. You could see it in their goal celebrations, and you could see it in the way they matched or exceeded Mexico’s energy not just on the field, but in the extracurriculars that are very much part of this rivalry.

I’m not going to go so far as to say nothing matters beyond achieving that level of urgency. But I will say if the US hit, as a baseline, the level of urgency we saw from minute 25 onwards Sunday night, then this group will qualify for the World Cup with ease no matter what the tactics are.

That said, the tactics did indeed help! Let’s take a quick look:

1 The shape change

There was talk of a massive formation switch from the US in the hours before the game, and when the lineups came out that seemed to be confirmed: The US would play in a 3-4-2-1. And they did, except for a lot of times when they didn’t.

The US played what Berhalter called “an adaptive shape,” one that often looked as much like an unbalanced 4-4-2 with the right back (DeAndre Yedlin) and right midfielder (Gio Reyna) pushing higher and tucking in a bit compared to the left side, where Tim Ream as a stay-at-home left back and Sergino Dest was an old-fashioned wide left midfielder.

You could see it early both in simple possession (of which there wasn’t much), as well as in regular defensive sequences:

Berhalter explained it afterwards in fine detail.“We started with a five in the back. But if you think about this shape, it was an adaptive shape. So any time they went to build with two, we would move to press with two; any time they built with three, we would move to press with three,” Berhalter said. “And then our wingbacks fluctuated between Sergino being a left midfielder and being a left wing back … and then Gio being a high winger or a right midfielder, basically.”

This is weird! We’ve seen a lot of different looks from the US before under Berhalter, but not this one. It’s a huge gamble to go with something so different in a game of this magnitude.

But I would say it worked. The front line did a good job of closing Mexico down out of the mid-block and the backline won a ton of the long-balls El Tri were forced into. The US got forward a good amount in transition, and since they were essentially playing with two up top, they almost always had numbers to put the Mexican backline under pressure and force them to scramble.

2 A game of transition

One of the things Berhalter has talked about a ton in his two-and-a-half years in charge is the concept of disorganizing the opponents without the ball. The US are going to face a lot of bunkers in Concacaf; they always have. And they’ve often struggled against those bunkers, while Mexico — who have long been more comfortable breaking teams down with the ball — have a habit of taking the smaller Concacaf sides apart.

So the coach has seen it as his mandate, from Day 1, to get the US to play better in those situations, and at times (including and especially in the most recent meeting with Mexico, a 3-0 friendly loss in which the US repeatedly tried to play through the Mexican press and couldn’t) it felt like they were doing it to their detriment. There has been a sense in certain corners of USMNT fandom that when the time came, Berhalter would instruct the team to go out on their shield instead of being a little bit more pragmatic.Those fears turned out to be unfounded. Playing more of a mid-block and using a double pivot of Weston McKennie and Kellyn Acosta gummed up central midfield — Mexico created almost nothing up the gut — and turned it into a game of second balls and transition momentsThe US got into a lot of good spots in those transition moments. As was the case vs. Honduras, they simply were not sharp in the final third:

El Tri, meanwhile, were forced to just repeatedly play into the channels.

There are always trade-offs in any gameplan. The US were never going to completely dominate this game, and I think Berhalter got the trade-offs correct here. Yes, Mexico were dangerous playing into those channels, but pushing Yedlin up high dulled a lot of Jesus “Tecatito” Corona’s influence in the build-up, while Brooks was almost flawless in his reads and rotations to contain Hirving “Chucky” Lozano playing as a false 9.

So the gamble was to try to limit those guys and force Uriel Antuna to make plays, or force Carlos Rodriguez to win the game bursting out of central midfield.

They could not. Berhalter gambled well.

3 The adjustment

When Tim Weah came on for Dest at the hour mark I’d argue the “adaptive back five that can, and did often, look like a back four” ended up becoming an adaptive back four that can and sometimes did look like a back five. That is the nature of the game, though: formations are supposed to be liquid.

The hard-and-fast change, though, came late when Tyler Adams came on, Tim Ream came off and Acosta went to left back. That became a real 4-3-3 with Adams destroying everything through central midfield and Acosta tasked with shutting down Diego Lainez, who’d created more danger in two touches than Antuna could’ve in two hours.

The adjustment obviously came a bit too late. Lainez got on the field in the 78th minute and scored in the 79th, while Adams didn’t get onto the field until three minutes after that. But it was the right adjustment, and I would argue it gave the US a little more control over the game down the stretch and then throughout all of the extra time festivities.

If you go back and watch those final 40 minutes (50 minutes when stoppage time is factored in) you’ll see that Mexico were limited to long-range blasts or set pieces, while the US ended up becoming more and more dangerous via possession. They didn’t turn the game on its head, precisely, but they did change the way it was played — and eventually they reaped the rewards of that.

A few bullet-points:

McKennie was a one-man wrecking crew on set pieces. Tata Martino is taking a beating for a lot of things in the Mexican press this morning, but the one they should really be going after him for is the inability to contain the US on restarts when the US lineup really only had two good targets in McKennie and Brooks.
When the ball was live, Christian Pulisic was poor right up until he made what turned out to be the match-winning play. I kind of wonder if, now that he has this wonderful moment vs. Mexico under his belt, he’ll stop trying to recreate Maradona’s World Cup goal on every touch and become more willing to play within the framework of the game.
Dest looked completely out of gas and I think part of Berhalter’s “adaptive shape” was a concession that Sergino is not ready to play as a true fullback in a back four against a team as good as Mexico.
As demonstrated by the performances of Ream and Mark McKenzie, the race to be Brooks’ partner in central defense is wide open. I hope we’ll see a lot of Miles Robinson and Walker Zimmerman at the Gold Cup, and Chris Richards as well.
I don’t think anyone helped himself more with regard to where he stands in the pool than Acosta, who put in a more-than-credible shift at two spots.

The US play Costa Rica on Wednesday (7 pm ET | ESPN2, UniMás, TUDN) in a friendly, a game added to the schedule in order to replicate the conditions of the three-game windows that are going to be a feature of the upcoming run through World Cup qualifying. Somehow harnessing the fortitude to recover from such an emotional win and summon the energy necessary to beat the Ticos, even in a friendly… well, Berhalter scheduled this game for a reason. It’s another big test, and another switch this young US team needs to flip. It’ll be fascinating to see if they can manage it once again.

USMNT analysis

Horvath and Pulisic lift the USMNT to a gutsy and signature win over Mexico

The USMNT, with its current generation of players, finally delivered a signature win under Gregg Berhalter with an epic 3-2 victory over Mexico in the final of the 2021 Nations League tournament. It was a performance that showcased grit, hard work, and determination – which are the needed traits in World Cup qualifying. ASN’s Brian Sciaretta is here with this thoughts on the game.

BY BRIAN SCIARETTA JUNE 07, 202112:25 AM

WHEN THE WHOLE concept of the CONCACAF Nations League was introduced, it generated little enthusiasm and it’s easy to understand why. In a four year cycle, this region was set to be saturated with two Gold Cups, two Nations Leagues, and an octagonal World Cup qualifying tournament. For most people, that’s just too much CONCACAF.If you were to go back in time and tell these people that one of the region’s most riveting and entertaining games in recent years would take place in the 2021 Nations League final, most would laugh. After all, how could the final of a tournament which was viewed skeptically from its onset produce a game so compelling?The answer is simply that the United States – Mexico rivalry is always capable of producing something compelling and emotional. When both teams want to beat each other and both teams are emotionally invested in the game, it doesn’t matter the stage or the trophy attached. It’s just winning for the sake of beating your archrival.On Sunday night, both the United States and Mexico were all-in and for over 120 minutes – wanted to beat each other badly. In the end, it wasn’t really about the Nations League. It was just the regions top rivals doing whatever it took to beat each other in something that was more than a friendly.

THE GAME

The game itself wasn’t necessarily well played by either team. The United States started off very poorly – making mistakes and conceding the opening goal in the opening minute on a series of errors from DeAndre Yedlin, Kellyn Acosta, Weston McKennie, and most of all Mark McKenzie. Just like the U.S. Olympic team, the senior team was caught making a brutal mistake out of the back as opposed to making a basic clearance and regrouping when the press was intense after the errors.The United States responded in the 27^th minute when Weston McKennie headed a corner kick from Christian Pulisic off the post. The ball subsequently fell to Gio Reyna who easily slotted home the equalizer to make it 1-1.The team continued to trade blows into the second half. Zack Steffen had to be removed due to a knee injury in the 69^th minute. But Diego Lainez put Mexico up in the 79^th minute when he exploited space left by Tim Ream and beat Horvath to the low near corner of the game. But Horvath responded making two acrobatic saves soon afterward.Weston McKennie once again responded for the United States. After having three dangerous opportunities on corner kicks earlier in this game, he skied above four defenders and beat Guillermo Ochoa inside the post with a header to make it 2-2.Extra time turned out to be wild with both teams fighting and scrapping their ways for opportunities. In the 114^th minute, Pulisic was awarded a penalty on VAR after it was judged that he was taken down on the box. He promptly took the penalty himself and put the U.S. team up with an unstoppable shot into the top of the goal.he dramatics were then saved for the 120^th minute when VAR confirmed a handball on Mark McKenzie. Andrews Guardado stepped up for the penalty but again Horvath was up to the task with a perfect save outstretched to his right side.Minutes later, the final whistled sounded on one of the most emotional games in this storied rivalry.Here are some thoughts.

USMNT PLAYED HARD & TOUGH

This game was very reminiscent of the old-school U.S – Mexico games where the game would often devolve from the beautiful game and into a slugfest of grit. It’s best to accept that, as much as fans sometimes want to see a classic, well-played game, it is probably always going to be a very rare occurrence when these two teams meet.But that’s okay. The most important takeaway is that this generation of players answered the call of the rivalry in this game. It’s more important and more positive that the team played so hard and so gritty than it is that they played well. If they’re as talented as a group as they showed with their clubs, they can play well.But in this game, they showed they are willing to suffer for results, stand up for each other, and not cave when things don’t go their way. While not everyone on the U.S. team played well, everyone played hard. This was reminiscent of the U.S. – Mexico games in the past that featured Donovan, Beasley, McBride, and Claudio Reyna – among many others.When the Mexican team resulted in chippy and shoving play, the U.S. team responded in a manner where they didn’t get a red card, but sent a message.This was also a game about the U.S. being able to respond.It was very easy to let the game get out of control after conceding in the first minute. But the team adjusted, kept it at 1-0, and then scored the equalizer. From then, the game was even.The U.S. team responded losing its starting keeper. Horvath conceded with his first shot but then responded making save after save.When Lainez put Mexico ahead, the lead lasted less than three minutes.In extra-time, VAR correctly awarded each team a penalty but the U.S. was able to make its play.This was a game where the U.S. team seemingly willed itself to victory and this was the type of game that should give the players a huge boost in momentum heading into World Cup qualifying – where it will rarely be pretty and it will come down to find a way, anyway, to emerge with the upper hand after a 90-minute slog.

HORVATH MOTM

Ethan Horvath was the MOTM for this game – and it’s a great story. The seldom used backup goalkeeper has rarely played for club or country the past two years and is now searching for a new club. In this game, he put on a fantastic performance that saved the U.S. team. It will also surely impress any scout who was watching.After conceding a goal soon after coming on (on a shot Horvath had no chance of saving), he made a series of very difficult saves that essentially won the game for the U.S. team. It completely redefined him as a keeper and clearly gave him the edge to be Zack Steffen’s backup.It was also a great story that such an important moment in his career came near his hometown of Highlands Ranch, Colorado. When he wanted to move abroad at an early age, his family sacrificed just about everything to make it happen – moving to Norway so that Horvath could join Molde.After three excellent saves from the run of play, Horvath was playing so well that it seemed like he was up to the task to stop Guardado on the penalty – even as he was taking his line to prepare for the shot.It was an absolutely special performance from Horvath.

THE 3-4-3 FORMATION

When the starting lineup was announced, the big takeaway is that Berhalter was rolling with a 3-4-3 formation with three central defenders and two wingbacks. Part of this was to get more width in the attack – which would ideally create more space up the middle.By design, the wingbacks would have an opportunity to move forward into the attack better with defensive coverage. On the flip side, this would leave just two central midfielders ( as opposed to three in a 4-3-3) and it would be quite burdensome on Weston McKennie and Kellyn Acosta.It took the U.S. team awhile to really adjust to the formation. For long stretches the 3-4-3 showed some promise but it was eventually abandoned late once the subs came into the game with extra time approaching.This formation, unfortunately, came at a time when too many in the backline were having rough games. Sergino Dest has been at his best for Barcelona once the team adopted a 3-4-3 formtion in Manchestr City. Dest, however, hasn’t been up to his high-level form for the U.S. team since camp opened in Switzerland. In this game, he really wasn’t able to get his offense going. Yedlin as well was only rarely pushed into the attack.Tim Ream and Mark McKenzie both also had some tough moments. Ream struggled with the pace from Mexican attackers and McKenzie seemed to struggle with confidence, particularly with the opening goal.So, was it a case of the formation not working, or the players having off-nights and not optimizing the benefits of the formation? It’s too early to say for certain, but Berhalter should keep this formation as a possible approach in games. If Dest is in better form (which is realistic to expect) and the U.S. has three central defenders playing well, it might work well.

REYNA, PULISIC, MCKENNIE, & BROOKS SHOW QUALITY

In this game, the U.S. team got special moments from four of its top players.Christian Pulisic was invisible early on but came a live in the second half and injury time to be the difference maker. While opponents can focus in on stopping him, he is of such quality that stopping him over 90 or even 120 minutes is impossible. He will eventually get really good chances.Gio Reyna, meanwhile, has simply had a great week. Ever since camp opened in Switzerland, Reyna has been the best and most consistent field player for the U.S. team. The son of the former U.S. national team captain has had an interesting year.He began the season with Borussia Dortmund playing extremely well but then struggled for several months after Lucien Favre was fired. From late December through the start of March, Reyna simply was in poor form. Starting in March, however, Reyna has completely reversed course where he has re-emerged as a key player for both Borussia Dortmund and the United States. He was key to helping Dortmund making a magnificent run to end the season and improbably qualify for the Champions League.That momentum clearly carried over into this camp with the U.S. team and Reyna has been so smooth with the ball, and his vision in connecting with his attacking teammates has been first-rate.McKennie, meanwhile, was asked to do a lot in the 3-4-3 as one of just two central midfielders. In terms of being a disruptive presence, he was big. His aerial ability on set pieces has been special the past week. Against Honduras, he was in position several times. In this game, he scored but also forced saves and headed one off the post which resulted in the opening goal.As for Brooks, it was a huge outing in central defense and it was made more difficult with Ream and McKenize struggling at times with the game. Brooks seemed to enjoy the hostile nature of the U.S. – Mexico game even if he has only limited experience in the rivalry. The question now with Brooks is for him to find a partner (or partners in a three central defender set) that can consistently play well. McKenzie had a rough game, but he will and should remain in the mix.

ACOSTA GREW INTO THE GAME

While Tyler Adams came into the game in the 82^nd minute, it is clear he was rusty and not at his normal level. When the U.S. team is without Adams, it is always a question who should start in that role. Berhalter has explored a lot of options and in this game went with Kellyn Acosta along with Weston Mckennie in the two-man central defender set-up.Like it was with McKennie, it was taxing on both players as the wingbacks weren’t able to get deep into the attack and everything was geared up the middle.
Acosta didn’t have a good first 15-20 minutes but grew into the game nicely and worked well with McKennie – especially when the game got intense and physical in the later stages.Acosta’s versatility was also a help in the later stages when he shifted to play left back to help with defense and move out of the 3-4-3. Mexico had a tougher time going down his side of the field late in the game.Overall, Acosta made a strong statement to be in the rosters for World Cup qualifying and a player who is a serious option for playing time if there are injuries or suspensions to Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie.

PLAYER RATINGS

THE STARTING LINEUP

Zack Steffen: Rating: 6.0

DeAndre Yedlin: Rating: 5.0

Mark McKenzie: Rating: 4.5

John Brooks: Rating: 7.0

Tim Ream: Rating: 4.5

Sergino Dest: Rating: 5.0

Kellyn Acosta: Rating: 6.5

Weston McKennie: Rating: 7.5

Gio Reyna: Rating: 7.5

Christian Pulisic: Rating: 8.0

Josh Sargent: Rating: 5.5

THE SUBSTITUTES

Tim Weah: Rating: 5.5

Jordan Siebatcheu: Rating: 5.5

Ethan Horvath: Rating: 9.0 (MAN OF THE MATCH)

Sebastian Lletget: Rating: 6.0

Tyler Adams: Rating: 6.0

Reggie Cannon: Rating: 5.5

USMNT player ratings from trophy-claiming ET win over Mexico

Nicholas Mendola Mon, June 7, 2021, 12:25 AM

The United States men’s national team won the CONCACAF Nations League in a non-descript match versus rivals Mexico that betrayed the nations’ usual rancor.Only part of that is true, as Gregg Berhalter’s USMNT scored him a statement 3-2 win in extra time that included a penalty made, another saved, two American equalizer, a surprising red card for Mexican coach Tata Martino, a surprising non-red card for Mexican star Hector Herrera, a pause in the game after a homophobic crowd chant, and a pitch invasion.Oh, and the Americans allowed a first-minute goal that would lead any neutral fan to believe the score was going to be 300-0 for the Mexicans.What say you we rate the USMNT players?

USMNT – Mexico player ratings

Zack Steffen (Off 69′): 7 — The non-contact injury will be a concern for Pep Guardiola and Gregg Berhalter alike and came after he was hung out to dry for Mexico’s opening goal. We’re giving him an extra point because if he stayed in the game it wouldn’t have played out like it did. Butterfly effect.

DeAndre Yedlin: 5 — Looked unfamiliar with his surroundings, which is odd for a 64-times capped back before you remember that he’s played all of nine minutes for the USMNT since the calendar hit 2020, and that those were the only nine minutes he’s ever played next to Mark McKenzie. Risky and unnecessary error on the first-minut goal.

Mark McKenzie: 3 — Nightmare start as the ringleader of a series of first-minute mistakes that put Mexico ahead. Nearly made amends for extremely shaky play at the back with a header off a corner that was collected by Ochoa with 15 minutes left to play. Then saw the second goal go through his legs on its way past Ethan Horvath. The good news is that he’ll know one of his worst nights — McKenzie is a pretty darn good young back — still wound up with a winner’s medal.

John Brooks: 7 — A mistake early in the buildup to the Mexico opener and another bad giveaway but otherwise another exceptional performance from the excellent-passing, physical leader of the back line. Still adventures more than necessary but there’s no one in the player pool anywhere near his skill set as a center back.

Tim Ream: 4 — He’s not a left back and we’d say, “but don’t tell Gregg Berhalter” if we weren’t positive that dozens of people have told Gregg Berhalter just that. The Fulham center back that started at left back for the USMNT over the man that Fulham coach Scott Parker usually chose at left back at Craven Cottage was exposed for pace. But really, that’s not Ream’s fault. At all.

Sergino Dest (Off 60′): 4 — The good news for Dest is that two-fold. No. 1: He’s really good so it’ll be easy to bounce back from a poor performance. No. 2: So much wacky stuff happened that few will remember said poor performance.

Kellyn Acosta: 5 — The penalty wasn’t his fault, as no one should call a handball when a cross turns off a head from super short range, and — again — it’s not his fault that Berhalter keeps putting him out there fro a player pool that includes a load of options including but not limited to Julian Green, Jackson Yueill, and – yes – even Michael Bradley. Bad touch on the opening Mexican goal, out to lunch but with a great view of the second.

Weston McKennie: 9 — He nearly scored with his header of Pulisic’s corner that became Reyna’s goal, then scored anyway off another set piece. He is the embodiment of what most USMNT fans want their team to be, and his massive long throw to set up the corner on Reyna’s goal was weighted like a through ball. Incredible stuff.

Giovanni Reyna (Off 86′): 9 — Why he was lifted before full-time, I have no idea. The son of Claudio Reyna showed the big game mettle of his dad in getting a goal and an assist and finding space more often than not as Tata Martino tried to shut down Christian Pulisic.

Christian Pulisic: 7 — Delivered the corner for the opener and won the decisive penalty, one he dispatched with vicious accuracy into the camera in the upper 90. When the USMNT captain eventually lifted the CONCACAF Nations League trophy, weeks after holding the European Cup, you had a feeling he’d transitioned from USMNT star to all-time great. He’s 22 and has 16 USMNT goals on 37 caps, one away from the program’s all-time top ten.

Josh Sargent (Off 68′): 5 — Slipped twice in the first few minutes and both were huge. One led to Mexico’s opener (though his slip was merely the catalyst for bigger errors by others) and the second came on a great run that could’ve made it 1-1 if he didn’t slip. Still, he’d find his real and proverbial footing before the end of his short shift.

Timothy Weah (On 60′ for Dest): 8 — Pace to burn and he did just that, solidifying the right side. Made a quick pass that should’ve left Mexico with 10 men when Herrera scythed down the three-time Ligue 1 champion.

Jordan Siebatcheu (On 68′ for Sargent): 6 — No super sub day, but still okay.

Ethan Horvath (On 69′ for Steffen): 9 — Save after save after save after … oh yeah, one of those was a penalty save on Andres Guardado up 3-2 in the second period of extra time. Can’t give a 10 due to the wrong-footing on Mexico’s second goal, though he was far from a culprit. Pretty good, guy.

Sebastian Lletget (On 86′ for Reyna): 6 — Not bad, not great, and kinda weird to see him out there for an 18-year-old Reyna boasting a goal and an assist through 86 minutes.

Tyler Adams (On 86′ for Ream): 6 — Please get fit and stay healthy, Tyler. The USMNT is much better with you in the fold.

USMNT player ratings: The kids are alright in wild Nations League Final win vs. Mexico

By Greg Seltzer Monday, Jun 7, 2021, 09:59 AM

The US national team had to dig deep multiple times in order to celebrate a 3-2 comeback triumph over Mexico in the inaugural Concacaf Nations League championship match on Sunday night.

In a chaotic, contentious game, the home side had to battle individual mistakes, the familiar El Tri swarm, unfamiliar tactics, injuries and some debated officiating that featured three VAR decisions. In the end, Weston McKennie led the way to victory with a comprehensive display that included an 89th minute rescue goal to send the game to extra time.

United States Men’s National Team Player Ratings

7 Zack Steffen

Goalkeeper · USA

The US netminder might like another shot at stopping Jesus Corona’s fast opener, but the danger was upon him so suddenly it would be harsh to fault him on it. Before leaving with an injury, Steffen was solid, with a monster 43rd minute save his top highlight.

3.5 Mark McKenzie

Defender · USA

I did not ding the Genk defender for his late penalty foul, as the ball skimmed off his hand from mere inches away. There were much bigger problems caused by McKenzie’s shaky work on the ball. His errant pass gifted Mexico the first goal only a minute in, and he was later bailed out on similar giveaways. The youngster did make some strong clearances and blocks, and he possesses the talent to mean this performance could very well prove a valuable learning experience.

5.0 John Brooks

Defender · USA

Perhaps thrown off by the formation change, Brooks made a string of tentative errors that put the team in trouble. The Wolfsburg center back did not have his usual passing lanes, so his incisive distribution game was mostly offline. He did do well to play the last 110 minutes carrying a yellow card, and made a few important interventions along the way, but the overall showing wasn’t up to his expected standard.

4.5 Tim Ream

Defender · USA

The veteran center back pitched in by offering plenty of possession support, but was simply pulled out and beaten by pace far too often for comfort.

5.5 DeAndre Yedlin

Defender · USA

With so much of the play away from his flank, Yedlin didn’t take part in many instances of note during regulation. The Galatasaray right-sider did fit in a couple of timely defensive stops during extras before departing with a knock, though.

5.5 Kellyn Acosta

Midfielder · USA

The first half hour of the game was pretty rough on the Colorado Rapids midfielder, but he grew into it and started helping McKennie run things. Acosta found ways to play the team out of the back and added some heady defensive work when shifted over to left back in the late going, but picked up one more sizable demerit for being among the guilty that didn’t properly close down Diego Lainez on his goal.

9.0 Weston McKennie

Midfielder · USA

For all those wondering if McKennie could develop into a guy who’d put on a do-it-all star show in the big game, you now have the answer. The Juventus midfielder was everywhere, doing a little bit of everything and he had a hand in nearly every positive development for the US on this night. One restart header put the team’s first equalizer on a tee and another one bagged its second in the nick of time. Long story short, McKennie was the best player on the field by a mile.

4.5 Sergino Dest

Defender · USA

The Barcelona talent got loose for an impressive early scamper, and you thought that might be an omen. However, Dest just could not shake Luis Rodriguez after that, and he also came up short defensively on various occasions.

7.0 Giovanni Reyna

Winger · USA

The Borussia Dortmund kid definitely disappeared from the match for stretches, but was present in the big moments. Reyna was on the spot to tap home the first US goal, and picked out McKennie with a fine corner kick delivery for the second equalizer. He also tracked back well to contribute some needed defensive interventions.

5.5 Josh Sargent

Forward · USA

Though not served by the team’s lethargy for much of the first half, Sargent managed some link play and one decent attempt on goal. That was about it for the Werder Bremen forward.

7.0 Christian Pulisic

Forward · USA

The newest Captain America’s oddly loose touch hampered several rushes in a poor first half, but he atoned for it with a few terrific corner serves, one of which pulled the US level the first time. After the break, Pulisic pulled it together to initiate some dangerous rushes with great turns in between the lines. And with everything on the line, he made the winning penalty conversion look easy.

Head coach

6.5 Gregg Berhalter

I’m still not convinced the shape change to a 3-4-3 was wise, and the same can be said about some of the personnel decisions for this game. That said, the boys never dropped their heads when mistakes happened and never packed it in when they were trailing. There’s a certain team atmosphere that allows them to pull off a double rally against an archrival that has typically foiled them in recent years, and Berhalter gets due props for that.

Subs

6.0 Timothy Weah

Forward

The Ligue 1 champ put the team on the front foot a few times with bursts up field, but could not turn those rushes into chances.

10.0 Ethan Horvath

Goalkeeper · USA

Well, gosh, I’m not sure one could ask any more of a injury replacement goalie in a title match. Horvath had little chance at stopping the Lainez strike that temporarily put Mexico ahead, and shook it off to save the USMNT’s bacon after they’d tied the game near the end of regulation. Of course, he capped off the win with a dutiful chips-down penalty save on Andres Guardado.

5.5 Jordan Siebatcheu

Forward · USA

The substitute striker did a bit of road plowing, but was never able to threaten the Mexico defense.

6.5 Tyler Adams

Midfielder · USA

The first thing Adams did upon entering the fray was make a big tackle. He kept his intensity high at the back until the job was done.

6.0 Sebastian Lletget

Midfielder · USA

The LA Galaxy man was largely invisible for the majority of his 38 minutes, but picked up his two-way play over the decisive waning moments of overtime.

6.0 Reggie Cannon

Defender · USA

USMNT’s epic Nations League triumph over Mexico provided plenty of lessons

Jun 7, 2021Jeff CarlisleU.S. soccer correspondent

DENVER — The United States men’s national team headed into Sunday’s CONCACAF Nations League final against Mexico as a side heavy on potential but light on experience. Yet in an engrossing contest that lasted almost three hours, this young U.S. team grew before the collective eyes of those in attendance, prevailing 3-2 after extra time to claim the inaugural edition of the trophy.It was a match in which the U.S. navigated myriad twists and turns, rallying twice, converting a pressure-packed penalty through Christian Pulisic in extra time, and then surviving a penalty against it with substitute keeper Ethan Horvath saving brilliantly from Andres Guardado.There was also the usual venom that accompanies this rivalry. Pulisic and his teammates were showered with debris (and Giovanni Reyna being hit in the face with an object) after his penalty conversion. There were heavy challenges, more than a few scuffles — including a hand around the neck of midfielder Weston McKennie — and even fans invading the field.And in the end, the U.S. prevailed over El Tri in a competitive fixture for the first time in eight years. And while the game carried extra importance with a trophy on the line, the actual prize seemed almost secondary to the events that transpired throughout the evening.”For this group, it’s really important,” U.S. manager Gregg Berhalter said about the victory. “We’re a young side and we need to learn how to win. These games are very difficult, and for us it was about having a game plan and executing the game plan, but then it’s also about the fight in the spirit.”The future will determine just how much this victory will galvanize the U.S. team. World Cup qualifying starts in a mere three months, and qualification remains by far the most important prize for this side. To a degree, the U.S. men’s program is still smarting from its failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. But this win means plenty for the players in that it provides a massive boost of confidence that its potential is being translated into results in big moments. It also gives Berhalter the kind of signature win that increases belief in his methods.At minimum, this is a game that these U.S. players will remember for the rest of their lives, especially given the wild swings in momentum. And none more so than Horvath, who struggled for playing time with Club Brugge this season and was penciled in as the backup to Zack Steffen. Yet when Steffen was forced off with a knee injury in the 69th minute, Horvath stepped in and made a series of game-changing plays to the delight of the more than 20 friends and family who were in attendance to see the Colorado native.”Just thinking about how difficult it is for goalkeepers to come into the game, in that stage of the game, and then to make the impact that he made was remarkable,” Berhalter said. “It’s been a tough season for him and to come and have a performance like that in his hometown was, you know it’s stuff that storybooks write about.”The talking point in the run-up to kickoff was Berhalter’s decision to go with a three-man backline, presumably in a bid to free up Sergino Dest from his defensive responsibilities and get more into the attack.

But before the U.S. could even settle into any kind of rhythm, disaster struck as a too-casual pass from defender Mark McKenzie was picked off by Jesus Corona, allowing him to advance toward goal and rifle his shot past Steffen. The game was a mere 63 seconds old.The U.S. struggled to settle in during the ensuing minutes, unable to connect passes and looking suspect in defense, especially with Tim Ream often left isolated to defend Uriel Antuna one-on-one.But a critical sequence around the 27th minute highlighted that as much as the U.S. labored at times both individually and as a team, it showed near-endless reservoirs of resolve and revealed an ability to learn on the fly. One moment, Hector Moreno nodded home Hector Herrera‘s cross, only for VAR to come to the U.S. team’s rescue and disallow the tally. Then, in a flash, they were level, as Reyna cleaned up a rebound after McKennie’s header hit the post. In between, Reyna was everywhere, getting into the attack but also contributing on the defensive end. McKennie began to impose himself all over the field, and John Brooks put in an immense performance to help stabilize the U.S. defense.There were still warning signs, however. Pulisic was ineffective for most of the night. The back line was wobbly. Dest, thought to be a key component in the U.S. breaking down Mexico’s defense, looked completely out of sorts and unsure of what he was supposed to do and where he needed to be.The second half saw the U.S. play with more composure and on more level terms, even if it wasn’t completely in full flow. McKennie forced a trio of saves from Mexico keeper Guillermo Ochoa as he consistently shook free on set pieces.

And yet it was a substitution from Mexico manager Gerardo “Tata” Martino — the introduction of attacker Diego Lainez — that nearly turned the tide. The Mexican side had been attacking Ream relentlessly all game, and Lainez’s shiftiness and fresh legs gave him a decided advantage. It paid off in the 79th minute as Lainez cut inside and unleashed a shot that beat Horvath.At that point, it seemed as though all Mexico had to do was see the game out, yet McKennie wouldn’t be denied, finally getting the better of Ochoa with his header from Reyna’s corner just creeping into the goal.

The regional heavyweights continued to land haymakers, and Horvath needed to be at his sharpest to deny Lozano in the 90th minute. And if the first 90 minutes delivered drama, extra time took matters beyond the red line. Pulisic won a penalty in the 109th minute after being felled by Mexico defender Carlos Salcedo, one that required a five-minute VAR review, and also saw Martino red-carded for placing his hands on the referee. Brooks couldn’t stand to watch, facing toward his own goal. He missed seeing Pulisic convert a cold-blooded penalty, and he celebrated by taking off his shirt and shushing the crowd, at which point the U.S. players were pelted with debris. Reyna appeared to take a projectile to the head, though Berhalter said he thinks the attacker “is going to be OK.”Of course, there was one more dose of drama. McKenzie was adjudged to have handled Luis Romo‘s shot in the box, requiring another lengthy VAR review. Guardado stepped up to take the spot kick, and while his shot lacked placement, it had plenty of power, forcing a spectacular save from Horvath. The keeper said he, Steffen and David Ochoa spent 30-40 minutes with goalkeeper coach David Hyde studying the tendencies of the opposition.”It’s down to us doing our homework,” Horvath said.The U.S. then smartly ran out the clock, even as more projectiles rained down on them. At the final whistle, players collapsed to the ground and were soon celebrating with the U.S. fans behind Horvath’s goal.For the U.S., the tournament has been a rousing success. Yes, the team showed its inexperience in managing big occasions. But it also revealed an adaptability and a mental toughness, even in the face of incidents like one in the second half when Hector Herrera grabbed McKennie.

“I don’t know what it is, but they seem to like to grab my neck,” McKennie said. “It’s a rivalry that’s been there for generations and it’s rivalry that will still carry on. We just got the upper hand this time, and hopefully it stays that way.”The younger generation is growing up.

USMNT-Mexico rivalry, post-Nations League classic: What’s next?

10:24 AM ET ESPN FC Jeff Carlisle Eric Gomez

Following Sunday’s instant classic between the United States and Mexico in the Nations League final, there’s still plenty to break down from the USMNT’s 3-2 win over El Tri.

Did the USMNT live up to the potential promised by its young stars like Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie? Is Mexico still considered the best team in CONCACAF despite the heartbreaking loss? And while Gregg Berhalter won his first trophy as USMNT manager, Gerardo “Tata” Martino may start to feel the pressure that comes with being in charge of Mexico.ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle and Eric Gomez look back at the epic match in Denver, while assessing both the state of both teams with CONCACAF Gold Cup and World Cup qualifying looming ahead.

What did we learn about both teams (the good, the bad and the ugly)?

Carlisle: The biggest takeaway from the CNL triumph is that the increase in talent the U.S. has brought through in the past 18 months is beginning to translate into results, all while getting a taste of what competitive fixtures in CONCACAF will be like.

Sure, players like John Brooks and Pulisic are well-versed in the kind of gamesmanship and shenanigans that go on in CONCACAF, be it subpar field conditions, crazy weather or provocations of any kind. But these past two games were a baptism of sorts for some of the younger elements in the squad like Giovanni Reyna, Josh Sargent and Sergino Dest. And while some individuals coped better than others — you can count Reyna among those who really impressed — the U.S. did enough collectively to get two victories, including a massive confidence-booster against rivals Mexico.Even better is that players like McKennie, Brooks and Pulisic have started to take on more of a leadership role, stepping up in big moments. McKennie took the U.S. team on his back in the Mexico game, and Pulisic, while quiet overall, delivered in a clutch moment with his penalty. These are all vital developments for this side.Much is made about the continued barren spell in front of goal for Sargent. The good news is that the U.S. is scoring goals without him, but he has to break out at some point. How much patience will U.S. manager Berhalter have on this front?

Outside of Brooks, the defense remains very much a work in progress. Berhalter used a four-man backline against Honduras, and then a three-man setup (or five-man, depending on how you look at) at the start against Mexico before returning to four at the back later. Weaknesses were exposed in both systems. Against Honduras, the U.S. looked vulnerable in transition. Against Mexico, the U.S. struggled at times to build out of the back — including a giveaway by Mark McKenzie that led to Jesus Corona‘s opener — and was vulnerable on balls over the top. The system clearly asked too much of Tim Ream, who was repeatedly isolated in one-on-one situations against Mexico and struggled.And what of Dest? The move to a three-back system was supposed to free the Barcelona man up to get more into the attack; not only did he fall short in that regard, he gave Ream little help defensively.

It leaves Berhalter with a conundrum of sorts, one that might be solved if Tyler Adams can stay healthy. The team’s defensive shape solidified when he came onto the field against Mexico, providing help out wide when needed. But getting Dest back on track, and finding a defensive system that can work even if Adams isn’t available, is his biggest task at the moment.

Gomez: Mexico’s night in Denver started about as well as it could possibly script it: Corona barreled through the left side of the pitch, leaving American defenders behind, and after losing the ball, he got it back after an errant pass from McKenzie left him one-on-one against keeper Zack Steffen. Corona’s goal set the tone for most of the first half: El Tri took advantage of a high defensive line by lofting long balls to its wingers, often setting up chances against backpedaling opponents.

As subsequent attacks from Mexico in the first half showed, El Tri’s strength on offense comes from its speedy wingers who can stretch out the field, creating opportunities either by the strength of their own ability or by forcing mistakes from overwhelmed defenders. However, after the United States shored up its defensive alignment in the second half to better prepare for wide attacks, Mexico’s cracks began to show.

Without Raul Jimenez to shoulder the load up front, Gerardo Martino and Olympic team manager Jaime Lozano have a shallow pool of center-forwards to choose from this summer. In the Nations League final four, Mexico got by mostly through flashes of brilliance from individual performers. It’s hard to fathom seeing this team even making the final if not for goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa. On Sunday, Ochoa, Corona and second-half sub Diego Lainez undoubtedly kept the team afloat in key stretches.

Moving forward, Martino’s focus needs to be on two key issues. Mexico gave up two goals off corner kicks against the United States, and nearly every other dead ball posed a threat. In previous years, under Juan Carlos Osorio, special attention was focused on this part of the game and became less of an issue. In addition, while Martino can’t do much about the player pool to shore up his team’s areas of need, his confidence in clearly out-of-form players such as Uriel Antuna, Luis “Chaka” Rodriguez and Alan Pulido needs to come to an end.

Finally, as the game neared its close, the Mexican players were obviously affected by the mounting pressure, committing silly fouls and becoming embroiled in scrums with the Americans even before Pulisic scored the defining penalty kick. In recent years, El Tri seemed unburdened with playing the United States on the Americans’ home soil, grabbing key wins in the process. Sunday night, the ghosts of the dos a cero era seemed to roam among them.

Carlisle: Let’s just state up front that even if the U.S. had lost that game, Berhalter wasn’t going to get fired, nor should he have been. You don’t hire a coach, have him manage the team through all the difficulties created by the coronavirus pandemic, and then fire him three months before World Cup qualifying because of … some tactical quibbles?Up to Sunday’s match, he’d gotten the results that were expected. The win over Mexico now cements his position and gives him the signature win that his tenure needed in order to generate some momentum for the program. And while players have their own motivations for playing for the national team, it’s obvious that on Sunday this team went to the mat to get this win. That speaks well of the environment Berhalter has created, along with how well his message is getting through.That doesn’t mean some of Berhalter’s decisions can’t be questioned. The reliance on Ream at the expense of Matt Miazga is a head-scratcher. You have to wonder how many more opportunities Sargent is going to get, and Pulisic needs to get on the ball more. But the team is growing, and Berhalter deserves some credit for that.Now he has the luxury to experiment at the Gold Cup. World Cup qualifying then beckons, which will be the ultimate judge of his tenure.

Gomez: Early on in the Nations League final, it seemed as if Martino was dispensing a tactical masterclass to an overwhelmed Berhalter. Within the game’s first 30 minutes, Mexico was a VAR replay away from a 2-0 advantage. As we all know, however, the match was flipped on its head moments later when Reyna turned an American corner kick into an equalizer.From there, Mexico’s aforementioned tactical advantage dwindled slowly, as Martino was increasingly unable to rely on his speedy wingers to wreak havoc on his opponent as the game wore on. Though Berhalter’s use of substitutions can be rightfully critiqued on the winning side, Martino was equally baffling in his player selection and in-game formation rearrangements.El Tri seemed lost at times when it was not able to count on the likes of Corona, Lozano and Lainez to create instant offense. When Henry Martin subbed in for Corona (who was on a time limit due to a pre-existing injury), the Argentine manager’s gambit to balance his offense failed. As they did against Costa Rica a few days before, Mexico was far less dangerous up front with a true center-forward than without. Borrowing a page from Los Ticos, Berhalter dared El Tri to attack his team through the middle by stymieing the wingers — it worked.

On defense, against talented players with line breaking speed, it was borderline irresponsible to keep 33-year-old Hector Moreno in for exactly 100 minutes. Though Hector Herrera was gassed and in constant danger of picking up a red card when extra time rolled around, bringing in 34-year-old Andres Guardado to fill the role was a questionable move. Even with his fresh legs, Pulisic and McKennie tore into the Real Betis midfielder at will.

Yes, some of these poor decisions can be chalked up to Mexico’s looming generational switch and the aforementioned lack of depth, but Martino’s decision-making will be increasingly under the microscope from now on.

How does this project for the Gold Cup and World Cup qualifying?

Carlisle: The roster that Berhalter takes to the Gold Cup is bound to be completely different than the one that contested the Nations League. He wants and needs his Europe-based players to get a rest after long club seasons. The clubs will be grateful for his judicious use of those stars as well. Instead, Berhalter will go with a group derived mostly from MLS. That should help him get some answers as to who will comprise his depth pieces, and he even might uncover a player or two — Daryl Dike, perhaps? — who can become steady contributors.

World Cup qualifying is easily the biggest priority, and that is when the viewing public will next see the players who were on show Sunday night. While the CNL has no direct impact on that competition, the confidence boost gained from that competition should set the U.S. up well when qualifying commences in September with a triple-fixture window. Part of the reason the U.S. scheduled a pair of friendlies around the CNL was to mimic the cadence of such a window, and Berhalter is no doubt already gleaning data from the current camp.Included in the September window is an away game with Honduras, always a tricky encounter. The match at Honduras counts as a frontier that this group of U.S. players has yet to navigate, that being an away date in Central America. Recall that in the group stage of the CNL, the U.S. fell to Canada 2-0 in Toronto in an environment that, while not friendly, is far from the most inhospitable it will find in the region.The U.S. is riding a wave of momentum heading into World Cup qualifying. A poor result anywhere would put a stop to that, something Berhalter will be mindful of going forward.

Gomez: The next few months have the potential to saddle Mexico fans with plenty of disappointment, celebration, or a combination of both. Losing to the United States in any official capacity is unacceptable for El Tri, which means the team will now look to the Gold Cup to make up for missing out on the inaugural Nations League crown.However, Mexico will also field a team at the Olympics in Tokyo. Given the difficulty that stems from negotiating with European clubs to allow their players to participate (as it overlaps with the start of their season), it seems more likely El Tri will draw on Liga MX or MLS players to fill in the roster gaps, including the three overage players each country is allowed to bring. We’ve already mentioned the player pool limitations Martino has had to deal with for the senior team; those are only compounded when it comes to filling two full-strength sides.Mexican fans and media have lofty expectations for their Olympic squad since the 2012 team won gold against a heavily favored Brazilian side in London, and this group is no exception. Even with El Tri’s talent on display, getting past hosts Japan and medal favorites France in the group will be no easy task. This sets up a scenario where if Mexico fails to win the Gold Cup and say, does not make the quarterfinals in Tokyo, the program will roll into September’s World Cup qualifiers under abundant pressure.A quick look at newspapers and TV show pundits after the loss to the United States makes it clear: Martino’s extended honeymoon period with Mexico is over, and it can only get worse as time goes on. Thus, it’s critical for Mexico to have a good summer after this initial letdown at the Nations League.

Where does the rivalry go from here?

Carlisle: The rivalry between the U.S. and Mexico has suffered of late on two fronts. One is the fact that prior to Sunday night, Mexico had won the games that mattered in recent years. You had to go back to 2013 in a World Cup qualifier in Columbus, Ohio, to find the last time the U.S. won a game with something more than pride on the line.Another was the frequency with which the two teams had been meeting. Yes, the COVID-19 pandemic put that on hold to a degree, but prior to 2020, you had to go back to 2010 — a World Cup year — to find the last time the two teams did not square off in a given calendar year. Rather than being special occasions, these encounters were becoming commonplace, diluting the rivalry’s passion. Yes, the friendly games are money-spinners for both federations, but a “less is more” approach might help to maintain the intensity.The improvement of the U.S. squad will also play a part in ratcheting up the rivalry. It used to be a novelty to have a U.S. player taking part in the UEFA Champions League. Last year, 10 players alone were on Champions League rosters for the group stage, which was followed on by 13 players claiming 10 trophies over the course of the club season. That kind of experience will certainly help close the gap with Mexico, which has the stronger domestic league compared to the U.S.

Gomez: The United States had not beaten Mexico in an official match since 2013. It had not won a final against El Tri since 2007. Despite a few blood-pumping moments in some of the friendlies (Miazga vs. Lainez, anyone?), Mexico could claim a near-absolute dominance of its biggest rival in recent years. Factor in other big wins at other age groups on the men’s side, such as the win keeping the U.S. out of the Olympic Games last spring, and deeming the rivalry as one-sided was apropos.But Sunday’s intensity, aided by CONCACAF’s absolute incompetence (featuring horrible refereeing, a trophy that might or might not be made out of foam, and oh yeah, the VAR tent inexplicably placed between benches) yielded a game for the ages. This rivalry needs more of what made the Nations League final great. Frankly, it’s primed to do so given the Americans’ budding generation of stars coupled with Mexico’s willingness to couple its talent with top-tier coaches in recent years. It’s hard to argue against anyone predicting each game featuring these two teams will be fun in the near future. If both teams make it to the Gold Cup final, we’re looking at four direct matchups — counting World Cup qualifiers — in the next nine months.

Frankly, what does nothing to intensify the rivalry or make it better is some of the fan behavior observed in Denver. Authorities need to crack down on fans continuing to yell anti-gay slurs at games, and they most certainly need to figure out a way to protect players from those who launch projectiles from the stands, like the ones that could have injured Reyna and Martin. The half-hearted campaigns from the Mexican federation and the weak, almost laughable, enforcement of CONCACAF’s three-step protocol have done little to curb misbehavior.

These types of unfortunate actions fall under the purview of both federations and should lead them to come together in an effort to stop them once and for all.

6/4/21 US vs Mexico Sun 9 pm CBSSN, Indy 11 home vs Memphis Sat 7 pm Discounted Tix, Euro’s Start next Fri, CFC Tryouts 6/8, 6/14 + Cup Weekend

June 4, 2021 gatorbest

US MEN vs MEXICO – Sunday 7 pm on CBS SN

It was the first competitive game in over a year and a half for the US Men and it took them almost that long to finally score the 1-0 winner Thurs night as it was an 89^th minute goal by Siebatcheu off a header from McKennie on a long ball from Brooks that finally broke Honduras back. (9 min highlights video) The US definitely had the most shots especially in the first half – but Honduras should have scored on a 43^rd minute free kick when US GK Steffan misjudged the ball and needed a miraculous backheader by Forward Josh Sargent to keep the score at zeros. In the 2^nd half Honduras actually had 2 breakaway chances well saved by Steffan. Centerback Brooks was the man of the match with his defensive coverage against the dangerous Honduras forward and his hockey assist on the goal. Reyna looked great and had the best 2 chances in the first half and should have scored on his jittery run thru the middle before just hitting it wide of goal. Pulisic was dangerous at times but he often loss the ball trying to dribble one too many player. I am not sure Lletget was even in the game and Jackson Yueill reminded us he’s not ready for the bigtime in the #6 role. Hopefully Adams can play Sunday night vs Mexico. Overall I thought the front 3 needed more one touch passing to open things up rather than trying to dribble thru themselves. Of course Honduras fouled a plenty and had the stretcher come out 7 times as they faked being injured like all CONCACAF teams except the US does. Overall the US deserved the win – but it was not pretty – maybe a 6 overall for the team. Listen this US team is much better than they showed tonight. They couldn’t connect passes from Yueill to the midfield or the defense to the midfield very well. Lletget did not deliver 1 free ball delivery – out of 7 of them he connected on ZERO – ZERO of them. He better darn well not be taking Free kicks next game – good god we have Pulisic we have Reyna we have Aaronson – all MUCH better than Lletget he should not be taking these in the final – not sure he should start honestly. As for Berhalter – the jury is out – he really needs the team to play much better on Sunday night or it could get ugly. His subs were mighty late at 78 minutes – though credit for sending in Siebatcheu who scored the winner and Aaronson who was also involved in the play. Acosta in the 83^rd minute as a #6 was about 40 minutes too late in my mind. Cannon seemed to come on to send Dest to the left to see if he could combine with Pulisic – which didn’t really happen. Listen CONCACAF is not easy – Mexico had to go to penalties to beat an undermanned Costa Rica 0-0 full hightlights in English – 6-5 in PKs– shootout in Spanish Great Wall of Ochoa – just sounds better. So this Mexico team is not unbeatable. But 35K Mexican fans will become 50K on Sunday night – so the US Outlaws better start recruiting now to somehow counter with more than the 20K at our game. We made the finals – now’s the chance to prove this Golden US Generation can be special not in 4 years – but now! Winning trophies in Europe with your team is nice – winning a trophy on Sunday night as a US team in Denver will mean a whole lot more however for this young group of Americans.

Indy 11 home Saturday – Pride Game – Discounted Tix just $13

Our Indy 11 are back at the Mike fresh off a huge road victory 2-1 over Louisville and a hard fought 1-1 tie vs OKC. The game on TV 8 and ESPN+ on Saturday night 7 pm vs Memphis 901 will be Pride night with a special ticket and tshirt offer for fans. Tickets at a special Discounted Price are Available Here– Friends of Indy 11. The Indy Eleven are unbeaten in its last three times out (2W-0L-1D) and pushed Indiana’s Team back atop the Central Division standings, its 10 points even with Birmingham Legion FC. Weather looks to be great for a visit to the Mike to see our division leading Indy 11! I’ll be there Sat night rooting them on! Go Jordan in Goal !!

European Cup Starts Friday June 11

The European Cup kicks off the Summer of Soccer next Friday as they will play almost daily as many as 3 games a day on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC until July 7^th. The games start with Turkey vs Italy in Rome as for the first time multiple nations will host the Euros with the finals in London July 7^th. France come in as the favorites but defending champs Portugal, #1 Ranked Belgium, England, Germany or Spain may have something to say about that. Also next weekend the Copa America – which has been moved to Brazil from Argentina – will kick off – giving us day games (9 am, noon and 3 pm) and night games (5 and 8 pm) to watch nearly every day in June.

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, Fox

CARMEL FC 2021 Tryouts Start Next Tuesday- June 8 and June 14^th

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

——————————————————————————————————————————-

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

———————————————————————————————————————————

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.
——————————————————————————————————————————–
Registration Link: Click Here To Register Please email info@cdccarmelfc.com. with any questions.

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

2021 Alumni/College Age Soccer League
High School graduates, college students, young professionals come join our soccer league this summer!

GAMES ON TV

Fri, June 4

1:30 pm ESPN Spain vs Portugal Friendly

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

3 pm ESPN2 Euro U21 Finals Germany vs Portugal

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

9 pm Para+CBSSN USA vs Mexico Finals – Nations League

Wed, June 9

7 pm ESPN2 US Men vs Costa Rica

9 pm ESPN+ El Paso vs Indy Eleven

Thur, June 10

8:30 PM ET FS1 US Women vs Portugal

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)

Indy 11 vs Pittsburg Riverhounds home 8 pm TV 8 and ESPN Desportes, ESPN+

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)

MLS Schedule

US Wins Biggest Game in 2 Years on 89^th Min Header from Jordan Siebatcheu
Three things we learned from USMNT – Honduras

USA

Young United States gets CONCACAF lesson in narrow win over Honduras Jeff Carlisle WESPNFC

Berhalter – This is what we needed a scrappy win – Charles Boehm MLS.com

3 TakeAways USMNT over Honduras – Matt Doyle
USMNT player ratings v Honduras: Brooks, Siebatcheu deliver as stars slip

Meet the young stars of Mexican, U.S. men’s national soccer teams
What Nations League will tell us about the future of U.S. and Mexico soccer teams LA Times

CONCACAF Nations League Finals: Scouting Mexico

One last Look at Chelsea and Pulisic’s Champ League Win – Full hightlights

Pulisic’s almost Goal

EUROPEAN CUP

Euro 2020 betting: 25% of the money bet so far is on France
EURO 2020: Pragmatism the key to success in pandemic soccer
Euro 2020 Group A: Resurgent Italy’s to lose?
Euro 2020 betting: Italy is the favorite in Group A
‘Why not us?’ Schmeichel dreams of Denmark 1992 Euro repeat
Alexander-Arnold makes England’s Euro 2020 squad as Southgate gambles on Maguire
Giggs’ absence puts pressure on Bale to deliver for Wales at Euro 2020
Portugal Euro 2021 squad list, fixtures and latest team news
Germany Euro 2021 squad list, fixtures and latest team news
France Euro 2021 squad list, fixtures and latest team news

WORLD

Mbappé in Miami? Pulisic in Philly? Which US cities will host the 2026 World Cup?
Why N’Golo Kante deserves the Ballon d’Or in 2021 Julien Laurens
Brazil replaces Argentina as Copa America host

Claudio Bravo thwarts Lionel Messi as Argentina are frustrated

Indy 11

· PREVIEW | Indy Eleven Hosts Memphis 901 FC for Pride Night

· Neveal Hackshaw to Represent Trinidad & Tobago National Team in World Cup Qualifiers

· RECAP | Indy Comes Back for 2-1 LIPAFC Win

· Indy Eleven Forward Jordan Hamilton Named to USL Championship Team of the Week for Week 6

· USL Championship Recap: Indy Eleven 1 : 1 OKC Energy FC

Single Game Tickets as low at $13 each

Attention INDY 11 FANS Discounted Tix for Sat night Game : Opportunity to purchase Discount Tickets to tomorrow’s Saturday June 5 INDY ELEVEN game at 7pm at Carroll Stadium.

The gates open at 6pm. I want to show my appreciation of your support for INDY ELEVEN. Thank you!! Please order on Link Below “Friends of Indy Eleven”

https://fevo.me/indyelevenmh

The Factors at the Heart of USA, Mexico’s Nations League Final

The USMNT and Mexico will renew their rivalry Sunday night in Denver. Here are some of the key elements entering the match.

AVI CREDITOR SI

The Concacaf Nations League is left with the final two most expected to be there, but it certainly wasn’t a cakewalk.Both the U.S. men’s national team and Mexico labored Thursday night in the semifinals in their first competitive matches since group play in the tournament ended in November 2019. Whether it was the time away from meaningful matches, heavy legs due to the completion of a long yet compressed European club season and playing at altitude, opponents who were wrongfully overlooked or some combination of all of that, it came down to the wire for both regional powers to emerge from the semifinals.For the U.S., it was an 89th-minute goal from Jordan Siebatcheu that broke a deadlock and gave the Americans a 1–0 win over Honduras. For Mexico, a 0–0 draw vs. Costa Rica that went straight to penalty kicks was decided by the hands of Guillermo Ochoa, whose save on Allan Cruz in sudden death spot kicks sent El Tri through.So it’ll be the U.S. and Mexico sharing a field for the first time in 21 months, the first match of consequence between the two in almost two years and the only time the first-choice players will go head-to-head before World Cup qualifying starts in the fall (both are expected to bring squads of a different makeup to the Gold Cup this summer).

Here are three key elements entering Sunday night’s rivalry bout with a trophy on the line:Berhalter vs. Tata and Mexico’s recent domination

The USA-Mexico rivalry has had its ebbs and flows, but right now it’s El Tri that’s been carrying the upper hand. Mexico has gone 3-0-1 in competitive matches against the U.S. dating back to 2013, when the U.S. last enjoyed a win in a meaningful match in the series. Including friendlies, Mexico is 4-1-1 in the last six meetings, with the one defeat a 1-0 friendly result while Dave Sarachan was the USA’s interim manager. Ever since Paul Aguilar won the one-off Concacaf Cup in extra time and Rafa Márquez shattered the mystique of Columbus, the rivalry has belonged to Mexico.As for the managerial matchup, Gregg Berhalter has had some tough luck when matching wits with Tata Martino. With Berhalter as coach, the U.S. has lost its two games vs. Mexico, with both coming in a two-month span in 2019. The Gold Cup final—which could have broken differently had Jozy Altidore converted a clear early chance—was decided by Jonathan Dos Santos’s fantastic goal, while Mexico had its way in a 3–0 win in a subsequent friendly. In their time overlapping in MLS, Martino’s Atlanta United won the four regular-season matchups against Berhalter’s Columbus Crew, though the Crew did emerge from their one playoff matchup following a 0-0 draw and penalty shootout. Should Sunday’s match go to PKs (and in the event of a draw, extra time would be played in the final as opposed to in the semifinals, which went straight to spot kicks), Berhalter would have Zack Steffen on his side again, just as he did in that October 2017 showdown. https://d5d9debc9272753acd6a1160ac3f188f.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html Who will play in the U.S. midfield?

The U.S. midfield struggled to gain a stranglehold over Thursday’s match vs. Honduras, with Weston McKennie, Sebastian Lletget and Jackson Yueill comprising the three-man unit. While the U.S. did have 65% of the possession, it felt that on the balance of the night, things were a bit too haphazard and not under control.”Honduras was very compact, and they wanted us to play central and I think we did too often,” Berhalter said after the match. “We played central and got turnovers and [Honduras] started transitions. I think at times we lacked balance in the midfield. We could’ve been more stable and drawn them out a little bit more.”All eyes in the coming days will be on Tyler Adams, who is still recovering from a back injury that ended his RB Leipzig season early, and Yunus Musah, who was an unused substitute and will have fresh legs should Berhalter call on him. Adams and Musah would offer assistance in terms of covering ground effectively and advancing the ball in transition against a Mexico side that you would expect to come out more aggressively than Honduras and try to dictate the tempo of the final. While Adams does have experience against Mexico—he scored the winner in that lone recent U.S. triumph between the two—Musah, who would be cap-tied with an appearance, would be entering the rivalry cold and in a big spot. If Yueill isn’t trusted Sunday and Adams can’t go, then Kellyn Acosta, who did come on as a late sub Thursday, could get the call. If Musah is considered too green, then it’s likely Lletget would get another shot. Berhalter has a couple of days to assess his options (which include altering his tactical formation altogether), calculate the best combination to counter Mexico’s expected approach and decide.The Chant and The Protocol

Despite Concacaf and the Mexican federation’s best efforts, That Chant still reverberated through Empower Field at Mile High Thursday night during Mexico’s match vs. Costa Rica. It wasn’t until second-half stoppage time that the region’s new three-step protocol was fully put into effect, with the referees halting the match for up to three minutes while an announcement was made in the stadium, though some fans were ejected for using the anti-gay slur prior to that.The confederation has gone to great lengths to disseminate information on why the chant, that’s customarily shouted when the goalkeeper opposing Mexico launches a goal kick down the field, is offensive, and the effort has been going on for years. FIFA has even threatened sanctions in the past, to no avail.If the defiance was in full effect on Thursday night vs. Costa Rica, then you can likely expect it again with an impassioned crowd witnessing the next chapter of the USA-Mexico rivalry. Should the protocol go beyond the first step of temporarily halting the match, then the next steps are taking the teams off the field and stopping the match for even longer and then, if it gets to that point, abandoning the match altogether.”We are doing everything in our hands to never get to Step 3,” Mexico federation president Yon de Luisa recently said. “This will be a terrible decision to make; however, if it is needed, it will be done.”For reasons that go well beyond competitive stakes, let’s hope that the match is decided by the players on the field and not by unruly supporters compelling officials to act.

USMNT wins its biggest game in 2 years on late header from unlikely hero

Henry Bushnell

Thu, June 3, 2021, 9:38 PM

For 88 minutes, the U.S. men’s national team’s first competitive game in 562 days appeared to be petering out with a whimper.For 88 minutes, the USMNT’s performance in its most significant match since July 2019 was, in a word, underwhelming.Then a 25-year-old who’d never scored a national team goal came to the rescue.- Jordan Siebatcheu’s 89th-minute header beat Honduras in the CONCACAF Nations League semifinals, sent the U.S. to Sunday’s final, where it could meet Mexico.Siebatcheu was born in Washington, D.C., but spent much of his childhood and all of his youth career in France. He played for the French U21s and French clubs, before going on loan to Switzerland’s BSC Young Boys in 2020.But chose to play for the U.S. internationally, and debuted in a friendly earlier this year. Thursday’s match was his first competitive one with the Yanks. He came off the bench to replace Josh Sargent in the 78th minute. And not too long after setting foot on Denver’s Sports Authority Field, he pounced on a Weston McKennie knock-down, and powered his own header into the roof of the net.John Brooks, who was commanding as usual from his left center back position, played the delicate chip that unsettled the Honduran defense and sparked the sequence.The goal masked an underwhelming U.S. performance overall. The Americans were fluid and at times purposeful, but wasteful and unconvincing in the final third. They were, on several occasions, vulnerable on the counter and on set pieces. In both the first and second half, Honduras crafted glorious chances to take a lead of its own.But it squandered them, and Siebatcheu powered the U.S. to an energizing victory, a winning start to its ramp-up toward World Cup qualifying, which begins this fall.In Sunday’s inaugural CONCACAF Nations League final, which was delayed a year by the pandemic, the Americans will meet Mexico or Costa Rica. On the line will be their first senior trophy since 2017.

Berhalter on USMNT’s scrappy win over Honduras: “This game is exactly what we needed”

By Charles Boehm @cboehmFriday, Jun 4, 2021, 12:03 AM

Time-wasting. Jersey-tugging. Rugged challenges and ill-tempered exchanges. Lax refereeing. Deep-lying, organized ranks of defense. Soft-pedaling the tempo. Strategic usage of fouling, injury treatment and even the deployment of the medical stretcher crew.The US men’s national team might be in the midst of a golden generation of elite talent thriving in Europe’s top leagues. But as Honduras reminded them on Thursday in Denver, they’re going to have to navigate the same Concacaf odyssey as their predecessors if they are to fulfill their enormous potential.

“We’re happy, and this game is exactly what we needed when you think about the level of competition, the competitiveness of the game. Some of these guys have never seen that before,” said USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter after his team, the second-youngest every put out by the USMNT in a competitive international, advanced to the Concacaf Nations League final with a 1-0 slog of a win over Los Catrachos.

“So, really happy with how they dealt with it. I think the mental side of it to just keep grinding and wearing them down was really important. It wasn’t an easy game at all. We had chances in the first half that we didn’t finish. I think we got too open in the second half at times, not enough balance. But again, for the guys to have to compete and dig like that at altitude, in heat, they did a fantastic job.”Fullscren

No one in the winning team’s camp was particularly effusive about their overall performance. Despite marked possession dominance, their buildup was plodding and labored for long stretches, the midfield falling short of the fluidity their tactical outlook requires and the attack consistently wasteful in the final third until substitute Jordan Siebatcheu’s 89th-minute headed winner.“Yeah, we’ve got to find our rhythm,” said goalkeeper Zack Steffen, whose misjudgment of an early free kick was bailed out by a goal-line clearance from Josh Sargent. “It’s all about finding the pockets, finding the space on the field. And then we have to be smarter, we have to be more clever, we have to draw teams out and move the ball quicker. And we’ve got to play together and play as a team and communicate and help each other out. And I think that was lacking in this last game.”Nor did any of the Yanks need to be told that improvement will be necessary to win Sunday’s final. But the gauntlet of World Cup qualifying that awaits in the months ahead – an experience almost no one on the current roster has lived firsthand – will probably feature plenty more of trials like this, half of them under even more arduous conditions much further from home.

“For many of the guys, and then myself as well, for being our first experience, a real taste of what Concacaf is going to be like, I think we we handled it pretty well,” said midfielder Weston McKennie. “We could have easily lost our head. And the boys kept reiterating, and then I also kept reiterating to the guys, we have to stay focused, we have to do our job. We have to complete the tasks we set out to do, which was to score, to win the game. And as you saw the guys did it.“So I think it was very, very good for us to have a game like this, to test our mentality as well. But technically, tactically and just how we played, we know that it has to be better, and we know that we have to put these games away as soon as possible.”Siebatcheu is one of those with a scant track record of North American competition. His physicality and aerial ability made the vital difference, though, as the final minutes ticked away and the crapshoot of a penalty shootout – no extra time in the CNL rulebook in this situation – loomed large.“That’s why we put Jordan on, because we know he’s a force on crosses. We know he battles in the penalty box, good physicality. And he gave us the edge that we needed,” said Berhalter, who laughed when asked about the gamesmanship that had Honduras giving the stretcher crew a workout.“I think it was great,” said the former USMNT center back, himself a veteran of several qualifying campaigns. “It’s what this group needed, to see the urgency, the desperation, the importance of a team getting a result. They were doing everything they could to hang on and get a result. And that’s what this is about. When you get into the world qualifying it’s that times two.“It wasn’t going to be a pretty football match. Honduras is a strong team, a compact team and a transition team. And that never makes for a pretty football match.”

Young United States gets CONCACAF lesson in narrow win over Honduras

lay

Herculez Gomez reacts to the United States’ 1-0 win over Honduras in the CONCACAF Nations League semifinals. (2:04)

12:28 AM ET Jeff CarlisleU.S. soccer correspondent ESPNFC

The United States men’s national team, full of talent and confidence after a banner year from its Europe-based players, was given a valuable lesson on Thursday. Things like pedigree and reputation count for nothing when it comes to competitive fixtures in CONCACAF.The good news is that the U.S. managed to prevail over Honduras 1-0 in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Nations League courtesy of substitute Jordan Siebatcheu‘s 89th-minute winner. It’s infinitely more enjoyable to absorb lessons when you win. Now the U.S. will play Mexico in Sunday’s final after El Tri beat Costa Rica on penalties in the other semi. But this was a brutal slog of a match, full of the kind of gamesmanship that one would expect from a CONCACAF side like Honduras. There was physical play, tactical fouls and time wasting with liberal use of the stretcher by Honduras. For players like Christian Pulisic and John Brooks, this was more a refresher. Brooks knew exactly what he was in for in the first minute when he tangled with Honduran forward Alberth Elis, and they both got a talking-to from referee Oshane Nation. But for the likes of Giovanni Reyna, Josh Sargent and Sergino Dest it was a crash course in the kind of shenanigans they can expect in World Cup qualifying.

“This game is exactly what we needed when you think about the level of competition, the competitiveness of the game,” said U.S. manager Gregg Berhalter. “Some of these guys have never seen that before [in CONCACAF]. So really happy with how they dealt with it. I think the mental side of it to just keep grinding and wearing them down, was really important.”It started out brightly enough, with Reyna and Pulisic looking sharp in the attacking half. Yet as the game progressed, it was increasingly played on Honduras’ terms, even as the U.S. dominated possession by a near 2-to-1 margin. It took a goal-line clearance from Sargent of all people to keep the score level in the first half, when goalkeeper Zack Steffen misjudged a cross, allowing Elis to head toward goal. There were other near misses as well, with Honduras looking a consistent threat in transition.As the second half progressed, Honduras’ desire to kill the game’s rhythm was in full force, and the longer the U.S. went without a goal, the more frustrating it was to watch.The fact remains, however, that the U.S. didn’t do much to help itself in the face of Honduras’ tactics, mental and otherwise. Set pieces were squandered with poor service by Sebastian Lletget. Passes into the feet of attackers were cut out, though how much of that was on forward Sargent and how much was due to midfielders like Jackson Yueill is open to debate. Overall the U.S. midfield struggled to create chances, with Weston McKennie among those who had a quiet game. Pulisic also suffered through a subdued second half.McKennie spoke of trying to find “pockets” of space to exploit. But Berhalter acknowledged that too often the U.S. was shunted into parts of the field where Honduras had numbers.”Honduras was very compact, and they wanted us to play central, and I think we did,” said Berhalter. “Too often, we played central and got turnovers and [Honduras] started transitions. I think at times we lacked balance in the midfield. We could have been more stable and draw them out a little bit more and then play behind the back line.”With 10 minutes remaining, Berhalter finally made his first substitutions of the match, with Brenden Aaronson, Reggie Cannon and Siebatcheu coming in. It seemed long overdue given the extent of the U.S. struggles, but it did pay off. It took a clipped ball from Brooks to McKennie on the right side of the box, and his header across the ball allowed Siebatcheu to score with a header of his own.Now Berhalter has some decisions to make, among them: Can Yueill handle the defensive midfield duties on his own, especially when opponents are intent on attacking in transition? Based on Thursday’s match, the answer is no. And with Tyler Adams looking more and more like he’ll be unavailable for this competition due to a recurring back injury, the options are either Kellyn Acosta needs to be on from the start, or a player like McKennie needs to be at Yueill’s side. That of course would hobble the attack, but it figures to do more to achieve balance in the midfield. Yunus Musah needs to see more of the field as well.The forward position is an issue, too. Siebatcheu’s ability to gain separation from his marker on passes played into his feet was a noticeable improvement on what Sargent offered. And when he was presented with a chance, he put it away.”We know he’s a force on crosses,” said Berhalter about Siebatcheu. “We know he battles in the penalty box, good physicality, and he gave us the edge that we needed.”One positive is that the U.S. did keep its collective head. There were multiple moments when the match looked like it might boil over, but the U.S. didn’t cross the line into red card territory.Now the U.S. will prepare for the final on Sunday. It figures to be a more open game against Mexico. But there was recognition that the performancew asn’t good enough for a team with aspirations like the U.S.”Technically, tactically and just like how we played, we know that it has to be better and we know that we have to put these games away as soon as possible,” said McKennie.The experience gained on Thursday should help.

Three takeaways from the USMNT win over Honduras

By Matthew Doyle @MattDoyle76 Thursday, Jun 3, 2021, 11:34 PM

The US men’s national team beat Honduras 1-0 on Thursday night. You might’ve heard that they left it very late. You might’ve been one of the untold thousands (or at least hundreds) tweeting angrily about that at me, at the official USMNT handle, maybe at some of the players themselves — who can say, really.

If you were part of that group, then I’m here to tell you that you’re wrong. The US weren’t great and, I think, not even particularly good. But they weren’t bad, either, and they were able to put out the fires that they themselves started.

And that’ll be my first big takeaway:

Avoiding catastrophe

Honduras created nothing. They went out there with energy and intent, but every single good moment they had came from the US turning it over in a bad spot, or Sergino Dest failing to hold an offside line or Zack Steffen going on walkabout.

We have seen this game play out in Concacaf a million times. What we have not always seen — and in fact, what we have never seen with this very, very young group — is them survive those moments, gut out the 90 and get a win in a game with stakes.

This might not matter to you, but it does to me and I’m pretty sure it does to Gregg Berhalter and the players because this is the exact type of game they’re going to have to get used to winning if they’re going to qualify for the World Cup out of this region. These are the exact types of mistakes they’re going to have to be awake not not committing in the first place, or cleaning up on the occasions that they do commit them.

Make the brave pass

A lot of Berhalter’s tenure has served as a referendum on the notion of positional play and “having a system.” I feed into that in large part because I’m a pretty big believer in positional play and because I still have some level of PTSD from the days when the US system was “we want the players to express themselves.”

Berhalter’s system is a work in progress and it broke down at times throughout this match because the US were simply too timid to make the types of passes that can actually compromise an opponent’s defensive shape and put them into positions where they have to make difficult, do-or-die spots. And when the US were actually brave enough to hit those passes, they were often overcooked — a sign of nerves, I’d say. “I’d rather boot this over the endline rather than risk leaving it short and springing a counter in the other direction.”

Jackson Yueill, who’s been on a somewhat disappointing 140-minute audition to be the back-up No. 6, was particularly guilty of this. Yueill has had a number of good moments for the USMNT, including in the last game that mattered, which was the win over Canada in the previous round of the Nations League.

But the fundamental fact about Yueill is he’s out there to juice the attack with his ability to set tempo and distribute, and that is supposed to make up for his defensive shortcomings. If he’s not distributing at a high level, then it’s hard to make the argument he’s adding value. On this night he certainly wasn’t.

Mark McKenzie, Weston McKennie and Sebastian Lletget were all guilty of playing it too slow and safe as well, while Antonee Robinson just couldn’t pick a pass save for one delicious cross to Josh Sargent. And so US wide play was almost non-existent which goes directly to the timidity with which they progressed upfield, and then the timidity with which they chose their passing options. They looked scared to take the types of chances that can lead to turnovers.

Those are also the types of chances that can lead to goals.

When that many guys are struggling, the whole machine bogs down and the system is not going to look great against any decent side, which is what Honduras are.

Against Mexico, who the US will presumably meet in the final? Against Mexico playing with that level of timidity is suicide. Maybe using the ball like that against a team as good as El Tri is suicide anyway, but it’s a guaranteed loss if if the US are afraid to take advantage of the gaps they actually do create and fail to drive the game forward.

Make the extra pass

Let me show you two Sargent tap-ins: I can’t blame Gio Reyna and Christian Pulisic too much for failing to play the extra pass in these spots. They’re $50 million attackers for giant teams and you don’t get to that level if you’re not self-confident almost to a fault. Reyna even went on the postgame and said “I should’ve scored.” He didn’t say “I should’ve given Josh a tap-in.” But these are the exact types of chances “the system” is designed to create. I think a fair evaluation of whether or not it’s working focuses on whether or not moments like these exist in the film.They clearly do, just as they did in friendlies over the past year against weaker competition. Now, it didn’t happen enough, and barely at all in the second half. Much of that can be traced to the timidity of the passing (I’m gonna keep banging this drum), the slow problem solving from the entire team when Honduras had two forwards sit on Yueill (who’s supposed to be the primary ball-mover), an inability to progress the ball off the dribble and eventually a certain amount of impatience.But again: That’s what these games are for! There is valuable film in here for a young team both on what happened, and what didn’t. And I’ve yet to see a credible reason to assume this group is incapable of getting it.

A few bullet-points:

Sargent’s yet again taking a beating for not scoring, but he once again found chances and was in good spots. Still, I think it’s very likely the actual goalscorer, Jordan Siebatcheu, will be in the lineup on Sunday.
Siebatcheu didn’t just impress with the goal — he did a really nice job of checking back hard and being a sturdier focal point with his hold-up play than Sargent managed. Siebatcheu created some daylight, and with that daylight came a little bit more time and space to link play.
John Brooks played probably his best game ever for the US, or at least his best game since the 2016 Copa America Centenario. He still got done once by Alberth Elis in transition, though, and that is just something the US are going to have to be better about. No team in the world survives long by exposing their center backs against opposing wingers.
I don’t know why Yunus Musah didn’t play — his ability to win physical battles and progress the ball off the dribble would’ve been a welcome addition to the midfield. I’ll just point out that the same is true of Eryk Williamson and Paxton Pomykal, who I really hope we see in the Gold Cup.
Mark McKenzie was ok in his competitive USMNT debut, but the team missed Aaron Long’s active, front-foot defense. Long is masterful at reading outlet patterns and keeping the opponents pinned, and that’s not something either Brooks or McKenzie excel at. There were moments where a bit more aggression from the center backs could’ve created defense-to-offense transitions, which were few and far between for the US.

Jordan Siebatcheu’s late goal gives USMNT ugly 1-0 win over Honduras in Nations League semifinal

Zack Steffen and Mark McKenzie played big roles in a big game for the U.S. defense, but the attack sputtered for much of the night.

by Jonathan Tannenwald Philly Inquire – The Goalkeepers Union – Updated an hour ago

An 89th-minute goal by Jordan Siebatcheu in his first U.S. national team game on home soil gave the Americans a 1-0 win over Honduras in a slugfest of a semifinal in the Concacaf Nations League.Having come in as a substitute just over 10 minutes earlier, Siebatcheu powered in a header off a cross from Weston McKennie to spare the U.S. from a scoreless tie that would have produced a penalty kick shootout, in the program’s first major game since the 2019 Gold Cup final.It was the first national team goal for Siebatcheu, who was born in Washington, D.C., but grew up in France and has spent his whole pro career in Europe. The 6-foot-3 target man currently plays for Young Boys in Switzerland, and helped the team on a UEFA Europa League campaign this past season.“That’s why we put Jordan on,” U.S. coach Berhalter said. ”We know he’s a force on crosses, he battles in the penalty box, good physicality, and he gave us the edge that we needed.”The U.S. will play Mexico in Sunday night’s final at Denver’s Empower Field at Mile High (9 p.m., CBS Sports Network, Univision, TUDN, Paramount+). El Tri needed a penalty kick shootout to beat Costa Rica after being held to a scoreless tie in regulation.A crowd of 34,451 fans was on hand for Thursday’s semifinal doubleheader at the Broncos’ home. The Americans among them sweated though a hot, nervy night, but got to celebrate in the end.“We’d like to have scored more goals and won more comfortably, but that’s not reality,” Berhalter said. “It’s a great learning experience.”U.S. supporters probably won’t like hearing that, given the star power of this squad. But Berhalter also was blunt in noting how his lineup was the second-youngest ever for a U.S. men’s team in a game with official stakes. Many of the players had never played a Concacaf game with stakes before.“We needed it,” said Zack Steffen, the U.S.’ Downingtown-bred goalkeeper who wore the captain’s armband in the game. “These are the games that count, these are the games that matter — there’s pressure and there’s things on the line. We need more games like this.”There were times in the first half where the Americans looked sharp. Gio Reyna electrified the game’s early stages with a highlight-reel solo run past four defenders in the 10th minute, resulting in a shot that rolled just wide.There were also moments when the U.S. defense was woefully exposed, and Honduras could easily have scored multiple goals.The second half was ugly, with the U.S. holding the vast majority of possession but doing little with it.The game was still scoreless in the 78th minute when U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter finally made his first substitutions of the night, three at once: Medford’s Brenden Aaronson for Reyna on the wing, Reggie Cannon for Antonee Robinson at outside back, and Siebatcheu for Josh Sargent at striker.Honduras had already made all five of its available substitutions by then, and was savvy enough to try to drag the game to penalties.“What we were looking for was, what needs to be changed, who’s not performing up to expectations, and we felt that it [a goal] was going to come, so we didn’t want to change much,” Berhalter said. “Gio, when he got taken out, was still performing reasonably well. What we wanted was a little bit more energy, a little bit more speed, and a little bit more physicality on top.”Sargent’s lack of finishing led CBS analyst Charlie Davies, a former U.S. national team striker, to call for Siebatcheu to start in the final.But a U.S. defense led by Steffen’s three saves and former Union defender Mark McKenzie at centerback held firm and kept the Catrachos from finding the net.McKenzie made a good impression in his second consecutive start next to veteran John Brooks on the back line. It was a big call by Berhalter, with veterans Tim Ream and Matt Miazga also available, but it paid off. “I thought Mark was strong,” Berhalter said. “He dealt with a lot, he was able to win a lot of duels, and I think he did a great job.”

USMNT player ratings v Honduras: Brooks, Siebatcheu deliver as stars slip

Nicholas Mendola

Thu, June 3, 2021, 9:56 PM

It was a night of few stars for the United States men’s national team, who let a bright start fade into a halftime morass that extended deep into the second half.But Man of the Match John Brooks combined with team spirit animal Weston McKennie to cue up super sub Jordan Siebatcheu’s stoppage-time winner to save Gregg Berhalter the blushes of a tournament exit at the first time of asking.As for some of the other big names, it was not an ideal day for Christian Pulisic, Zack Steffen, and Sergino Dest.

USMNT player ratings v Honduras

Zack Steffen: 6 — Dealt with some dangerous counters and pressing, made an early save but then made a terrible decision that nearly gave Honduras an early lead. Recovered well enough to get back to average.

Antonee Robinson (Off 78′): 5 — Right now the Fulham man is starting to feel like this generation’s Timothy Chandler, pretty valuable for club but not quite finding the same level for country.

John Brooks: 8 — One bad giveaway but made up for it with numerous big tackles and the “hockey assist” on Siebatcheu’s goal. Most important player in the pool, given the lack of depth? And when can we see him with Walker Zimmerman (or at least until Chris Richards finds his footing)?

Mark McKenzie: 6 — Some very good moments and ultimately lived to earn another start.

Sergino Dest: 5 — Struggled with Alberth Elis, bailed out by Brooks on more than one occasion.

Weston McKennie: 7 — A couple of solid recovery tackles and the run and headed assist that provided the win.

Jackson Yueill: 6 — Steady enough, but some misadventures with the ball at potentially-costly times.

Sebastian Lletget: 5 — Essentially invisible, which is shocking given his steady and even starring roles in a USA shirt.

Christian Pulisic (Off 90′): 6 — Wanna know how respected the Chelsea man is going to be in CONCACAF? He wasn’t just battered at every turn by Honduras, he was magnetically marked and double teamed at times, struggling to assert himself on the contest.

Giovanni Reyna (Off 78′): 7 — He was very good and got chopped up by the Hondurans. Could’ve scored early and showed some outstanding range of passing.

Josh Sargent (Off 78′): 7 — As weird as it was to see Reyna yanked with 12 minutes in the first 90, Sargent didn’t look tired and had made key plays in both boxes. Without him staying with his mark and showing tremendous coordination with a goal line clearance, Honduras leads at halftime.

Subs

Reggie Cannon (On 78′): 6 — Just fine.
Brenden Aaronson (On 78′): 6 — Good industry and instincts to lay off a bid at the goal.
Jordan Siebatcheu (On 78′): 8 — Match-winning goals are how jobs are one.
Kellyn Acosta (On 83′): N/A
Matt Miazga (On 90′): N/A

Meet the young stars of Mexican, U.S. men’s national soccer teams

Kevin Baxter

Tue, June 1, 2021, 8:00 AM

The U.S. and Mexican soccer federations are loaded with young talent that could alter the future of the teams for years to come. Here is a look at the top 10 Under-24 players on the Mexico and U.S. rosters:

Mexico

Roberto Alvarado, 22, MF, Cruz Azul (Liga MX) … Has appeared in 20 games for Mexico, including all six of El Tri’s matches in the last Gold Cup. … Has three international goals. … Helped Mexico qualify for the 2021 Tokyo Games.

– ADVERTISEMENT –

Edson Alvarez, 23, D, Ajax (Eredivisie) … Has made 35 appearances with the senior national team. … Started three of Mexico’s four games in the 2018 World Cup and nine of Mexico’s last 10 Gold Cup matches. … Played on consecutive league champions with Ajax, for which he has made 10 Champions League appearances. … One of four under-24 players on the Nations League roster.

Uriel Antuna, 23, MF Guadalajara (Liga MX) … Former Galaxy midfielder… Has played 16 times for the national team, picking up three goals and an assist in his first competitive game in 2019. … Scored three times for Mexico in the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament, including the only goal in a 1-0 win over the U.S.

Mexico’s Uriel Antuna celebrates after scoring against Honduras from the penalty spot during the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying final in Guadalajara, Mexico, on March 30. (Fernando Llano / Associated Press)

Gerardo Arteaga, 22, D, Genk (Belgium) … Has played seven times for the senior national team. … Made his professional debut for Santos Laguna as a 16-year-old and appeared in 19 games in his first season in Belgium.

Sebastian Cordova, 23, MF, América (Liga MX) … Has played six times for the senior national team, scoring twice. … Led the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament with four goals, helping Mexico earn a berth in Tokyo.

Diego Lainez, 20, MF, Betis (La Liga) … Made his first international start against the U.S. in 2018, the second of nine international appearances. … His only international goal was a game-tying score in the final four minutes of a 2-2 draw with Algeria in 2020. … Made his professional debut for América at 16 and then jumped to Betis two years later on a $15.4-million transfer, becoming the youngest Mexican player to emigrate from Liga MX.

Jose Juan Macias, 21, F, Guadalajara (Liga MX) … Has four goals in five games with the national team. … Saved Mexico with a game-tying score in the final nine minutes of regulation in the championship game of the Olympic qualifying tournament. … Won the CONCACAF Champions League in Guadalajara in 2018.

Jorge Sanchez, 23, D, América (Liga MX) … Has 12 appearances with the national team. … Has won three leagues titles in Liga MX. … Played in both of Mexico’s first two games this season.

Johan Vásquez, 22, D, Tigres, (Liga MX) … His only international appearance was a 27-minute stint off the bench in a 2019 friendly with Trinidad & Tobago. … Won the CONCACAF Champions League with Monterrey in 2019. … Scored Mexico’s penultimate goal in the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying competition, making the all-tournament team.

Alexis Vega, 23, F, Guadalajara (Liga MX) … Made the first of seven appearances with the national team in 2019. … Scored his only senior international goal that summer against Cuba in the Gold Cup. … Converted the winning penalty kick in the championship of the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament, where he was named best player.

U.S.

Brenden Aaronson, 20, MF, Red Bull Salzburg (Austrian Bundesliga) … Made the first of four international appearances in 2020, scoring his first goal in his second game. … Made the jump from MLS to Salzburg in January, scoring the second goal in his team’s win over Wien in the Austrian Cup in May.

Tyler Adams, 22, MF, RB Leipzig (Bundesliga) … Played 35 times for U.S. youth national teams and made his senior debut in 2017 as an 18-year-old. … Has 12 senior international caps. … Scored the goal that sent Leipzig on to the Champions League semifinals last summer.

Reggie Cannon, 22, D, Boavista (Portuguese Liga) … Played the first of 14 games for the U.S. in 2018. … Spent one year at UCLA before signing with FC Dallas as a teen. … Moved to Portugal on a transfer last September.

The United States’ Reggie Cannon controls the ball against Cuba during a CONCACAF Nations League match on Oct. 11, 2019, in Washington. (Julio Cortez / Associated Press)

Sergiño Dest, 20, D, Barcelona (La Liga) … Has one goal in seven appearances with the national team. … Became the first American to play for Barcelona last fall, going on to make 30 appearances last season. … The son of an American father, he turned down his native Netherlands to play for the U.S.

Weston McKennie, 22, MF, Juventus (Serie A) … Has six goals in 21 games for the U.S. … The Texas native spent seven years in the FC Dallas youth system but never played in MLS, making his pro debut in Germany with Schalke. … Completed a $22.2-million transfer to Juventus last March. … Had the fastest hat trick in U.S. history in 2019, scoring three times against Cuba in the first 13 minutes of a Nations League rout.

Yunus Musah, 18, MF, Valencia (La Liga) … Played the first of four games with the senior national team last fall at 17. … Also made his first-team debut for Valencia last year. … Played for youth national teams in England and was eligible to play for Ghana and Italy as well before choosing the U.S.

Christian Pulisic, 22, F, Chelsea (EPL) … Turned down Croatia to play for the U.S. and made the first of 36 appearances with the national team in 2016, becoming, at 17, the youngest American to play in a World Cup qualifier. … Two months later, he notched the first of 15 international goals, making him the youngest goal scorer in U.S. history. … He is also the youngest American, at 20, to wear the captain’s armband. … Jumped from Borussia Dortmund to Chelsea in 2019 for a U.S.-record $73-million transfer fee.

Gio Reyna, left, celebrates with Sergino Dest after scoring for the U.S. during an international friendly with Northern Ireland at Windsor Park in Belfast on March 28. (Peter Morrison / Associated Press)

Gio Reyna, 18, F, Borussia Dortmund (Bundesliga) … Made his national team debut the day before his 18th birthday. … Has two goals in four games with the U.S. … Is the son of former national team player Claudio Reyna. … Passed up chances to play for Argentina, England and Portugal.

Josh Sargent, 21, F, Werder Bremen (Bundesliga) … Played 56 times for U.S. youth national teams. … Made his senior debut in 2017, becoming the only American to be called up by the U-17, U-20 and senior team in the same calendar year. … Made his senior debut in 2018 at 18, scoring in the second half of his first game.

Timothy Weah, 21, F, Lille (Ligue 1) … Made the first of 10 senior international appearances in 2018, a month after his 18th birthday. … Scored his first goal two months later. … Father George, the 1995 FIFA player of the year and widely regarded as the best African player of his generation, is the current president of Liberia. … Timothy, born in New York, was eligible to play for France, Jamaica and Liberia before declaring for the U.S.

EURO 2020: Pragmatism the key to success in pandemic soccer

Soccer EURO 2020 Tactics

FILE – In this Sunday, July 15, 2018 filer, France head coach Didier Deschamps lifts the trophy after France beat Croatia by 4-2 during the final match between France and Croatia at the 2018 soccer World Cup in the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia. France won the last major international soccer tournament — the World Cup in 2018 — by defending compactly, hitting teams on the break with clinical finishing, and being effective at set pieces. What will the winning approach be at the European Championship? (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, File)

STEVE DOUGLAS

Fri, June 4, 2021, 8:10 AM

The European Championship is the first major international soccer tournament to take place since the coronavirus outbreak and arrives at the end of the most condensed club season in history.Many players will be exhausted. Injuries are a bigger concern than ever. National teams had less time to refine and work on their tactics during the season and pre-tournament schedules are being adjusted at the last minute, given travel restrictions amid a pandemic and the ubiquitous threat of the virus.Pity, then, the coaches for the hand they’ve been dealt at Euro 2020.“I think a process which has been going on for probably 40 years — the complete divorce of international football from club football — has been accelerated by COVID,” said Jonathan Wilson, author of “Inverting The Pyramid: The History of Football Tactics.”“Top-level club football is incredibly sophisticated, based on detailed tactical and technical work on a daily basis over a period of months, if not years. In international football, you can’t do that. So the football you see at international level is, out of necessity, much simpler than club football.”And the team that has come closest to mastering the art of “simple” football? That’d be France, the defending World Cup champions.In Russia three years ago, France averaged 48% possession in matches, was 25th out of the 32 teams for penalty-area entries, had the fifth-lowest number of crosses, was fifth lowest for total distance covered, and averaged six shots on goal per match — the second lowest at the tournament.Put simply, the French defended compactly, hit teams on the break, and were clinical with their finishing. Oh, and they were incredibly effective at set pieces, too, with headed goals from center backs proving decisive in victories in the quarterfinals and semifinals.“From a tactical perspective, the brand of football was very measured,” noted Zvonimir Boban, who oversaw the report of FIFA’s technical study group about the 2018 World Cup.“Under the steady stewardship of Didier Deschamps, who had a clear and precise vision of how to the make the most of the players at his disposal and go all the way, they were most settled and assured performers,” Boban remarked about France.Pragmatism. Efficiency. And, of course, no shortage of quality with the likes of Kylian Mbappe and N’Golo Kante in the team. Given the pandemic-affected evolution of soccer over the past 15 months, France will be hard to stop at Euro 2020.Other teams who could thrive under the more “simple” conditions described by Wilson — and backed up by Boban’s analysis — are Denmark and Italy, who have had underwhelming major-tournament records in recent years but impressed in qualifying by being well-drilled and defensively compact.Indeed, under Roberto Mancini, Italy heads into the tournament unbeaten in 26 games and having conceded only four goals in qualifying.“You don’t win international football by playing attacking football,” Wilson said. “Keep the shackles very much on. The shackles win football competitions.”That was true of this season’s Champions League, when the teams with the competition’s two best defensive records — Chelsea and Manchester City — reached the final on the back of their innovative coaches adapting their game plans to a more cautious approach in the pandemic era. High-energy pressing was largely ditched during the compressed club season and is not expected to be prominent at the European Championship as teams look to manage their fatigued players through the tournament.Expect ball-playing goalkeepers — almost every team has them now — and attacking fullbacks whose forays forward are covered by defensive-minded midfielders. England, for example, has selected four right backs in its squad.There is no standard formation among the leading teams, with Belgium and maybe England set to start with a three-man defense, Spain typically favoring a 4-2-3-1, France expected to go with a 4-4-2 diamond formation now that Karim Benzema is back in the squad, and Italy, the Netherlands and defending champion Portugal all adopting a 4-3-3.The expansion of squads to 26 players — instead of the usual 23 — is another indication of a desire to lessen the load after busy club seasons. That change plays into the hands of the countries with the deepest resources, such as England but notably France, which has incredible strength in depth in almost every position.Indeed, given their record in recent major tournaments, their tactics, quality of players and squad depth, the French look in prime shape to benefit from soccer during a pandemic.

PREVIEW | INDY ELEVEN HOSTS MEMPHIS 901 FC FOR PRIDE NIGHT

#INDvMEM Gameday Preview

Indy Eleven vs. Memphis 901 FC Saturday, June 5, 2021 – 7:00 P.M. ET IUPUI Michael A. Carroll Stadium | Indianapolis, Ind. Local/National TV: WISH-TV 8

Streaming Video: ESPN+ (click to subscribe) Radio (Spanish): Exitos Radio 94.3 FM / exitos943.com

2021 USL CHAMPIONSHIP REGULAR SEASON RECORDS

Indy Eleven: 3W-1L-1D, 10 pts. (+2 GD), 1st in Central Division

Memphis 901 FC: 0W-1L-2D, 2 pts. (-1 GD), 8th in Central Division

For the second time in four days, Indy Eleven will play host to a scrappy squad hungry for points and looking for its first win of 2021, this time on Saturday evening when Memphis 901 FC comes to the Circle City for Pride Night at Carroll Stadium.While Indy Eleven leapt back to the top of the Central Division standings with Wednesday night’s 1-1 draw against OKC Energy FC, Indiana’s Team felt like it left points on the table after surrendering the lead in the 69th minute. In the second match of a four-game, 12-day gauntlet, Head Coach Martin Rennie slightly rotated his lineup, which charged out of the gates in the first half and was unlucky to be up only 1-0 at the half through Nick Moon’s 42nd minute header. Those missed opportunities to pad the lead piled up and eventually came back to the Boys in Blue, who stayed unbeaten for a third straight match (2W-0L-1D) despite being forced to share the spoils.Indy will be forced into more rotation with the departure of left back Neveal Hackshaw, who left the squad Thursday to report to the Trinidad & Tobago Men’s National Team ahead of the Soca Warriors’ upcoming FIFA World Cup Qualifying matches. With a third game in a week and the longest road trip of the season at El Paso ahead midweek, don’t be surprised to see more squad switches up Rennie’s sleeve in an attempt to keep his lads as fresh as possible on what is slated to be a steamy day in Central Indiana.While new Memphis Head Coach Ben Pirmann must worry about roster turnover of his own on Saturday, it’s not because of mileage on his squad’s legs, but rather a red card and more international call-ups. Forward Kadeem Dacres scored one of 901 FC’s goals and assisted on the other, and also leads or co-leads the squad in crosses (11), shots (7), and shots on goal (3), but after picking up a second yellow in the 89th minute at OKC last weekend, the veteran Championship striker will sit Saturday night out, putting even more of the attacking burden on his running mate up top, Laurent Kissiedou (1 goal, 7 shots, 2 shots on goal). Another 901 FC first XI fixture in midfielder Dre Fortune has joined Hackshaw with Trinidad & Tobago, while Memphis’ defensive depth will be limited with the absence of Raul Gonzalez as he continues national team duty with Puerto Rico.

SERIES HISTORY VS. MEMPHIS 901 FC:

USL Championship regular season: 3W-0L-0D (10 GF/2 GA)

USLC regular season home: 1W-0L-0D (3 GF/0 GA)

Indy Eleven enters Saturday’s match with a spotless record in the short history with Memphis dating back to the Tennessee side’s expansion season of 2019. That year, the Boys in Blue started the series with a 3-0 victory at AutoZone Park on June 8 before equaling that scoreline at Lucas Oil Stadium on October 5.

Last year, Indy Eleven began its regular season on March 7 by finishing the game’s final four goals past American soccer legend Tim Howard in a 4-2 win that marked the first time in the Eleven’s then seven-season history it had posted a victory after going behind multiple goals on the road. That game was the lone “pre-pandemic” match of the start-and-stop 2020 USL Championship season for the Boys in Blue.

Indy Eleven defender Rece Buckmaster will be suiting up against his former side on Saturday night (1G/1A in 14 GP in 2020), while midfielder Mitch Guitar will be going up against the side that loaned him to Memphis just prior to the start of this season (no appearances for Indy in 2020). Indy Eleven also acquired former Memphis striker Cal Jennings this past offseason, but he never saw time for Indiana’s Team after the squad transferred him to MLS’ Los Angeles FC in March.

INDY ELEVEN PLAYER TO WATCH: FW GORDON WILD

Wild has been off to nothing less than a, well, “Wild start” with Indiana’s Team. The Leonberg, Germany native and former LA Galaxy man has found early success up top with the Eleven, notching three assists in his first four appearances, including the corner kick service on Nick Moon’s goal against OKC in Wednesday’s 1-1 draw. Wild’s three assists are good enough to tie him for the USL Championship league lead in the category. Wild has yet to net for the Boys in Blue, but it has not been for a lack of effort as his six shots on target also leads the Eleven. Having scored 18 goals across the 2018 & 2019 seasons for Charleston Battery and Loudoun United FC, respectively, he knows how to score at this level, so look for the German to find the back of the net soon enough.

A big question mark in the offseason was who could replace the goal-scoring machine over the last two seasons that was Tyler Pasher. The transfer of the speedy scorer to Houston Dynamo FC of MLS this past offseason raised plenty of questions about where exactly Indy’s goals would come from, with Wild being just part of a handful of attacking players with good experience entering the prime of their careers. While Wild has yet to score, he is the only player to register any assists thus far for the Eleven, officially helping on three of Indy’s four goals from the run of play – and each to three different players as well. Wild has quickly become a stalwart as the right forward in Rennie’s 3-4-3 attack-minded formation, proving quick and dangerous with the ball at his feet and more than a little fearless, having won 22 duels so far this season. Whether part of the lineup or providing a spark off the bench, look for Wild to continue his swashbuckling ways into the heart of the Memphis defense come Saturday night.

MEMPHIS 901 FC PLAYER TO WATCH: DF MARK SEGBERS

Bright spots have been few and far between for Memphis so far this season, but they can find consistency in Mark Segbers. The University of Wisconsin alum has played every minute for Memphis while doing a little bit of everything so far this campaign. As part of his primary defensive duties, Segbers helped guide Memphis to their first clean sheet of 2021 against OKC last time out. However, don’t let the 25-year-old’s defender listing fool you, as his attacking chops are extremely polished as well – and in much more demand this season. After contributing two assists on five key passes and 23 crosses in 10 games in 2020, Segbers has already tallied one assist (on one of six crossing attempts) and notched a team-high eight key passes in 270 minutes of action.

That said, Segbers will primarily be tasked with containing Indy’s left-sided attacking players, a group likely containing some combination of Manuel Arteaga, Cammy Smith, Patrick Seagrist, or Ayoze – with perhaps a dash of Nicky Law and the afore-mentioned Gordon Wild in doses. Segbers will have to be ready to contain an Eleven attack looking to break out and score a bundle of goals to make up for Wednesday’s missed chances – and continue a torrid pace of 3.33 goals per game scored against Memphis in their brief history (including a four-spot against Segbers & Co. last year). Look for Segbers to be aggressive on defense and add to his eight interceptions while also giving the Indy backline some food for thought as he gets upfield to deliver one of his trademark crosses or a crucial pass to unlock the Eleven.

Attention INDY 11 FANS Discounted Tix for Sat night Game : Opportunity to purchase Discount Tickets to tomorrow’s Saturday June 5 INDY ELEVEN game at 7pm at Carroll Stadium.

The gates open at 6pm. I want to show my appreciation of your support for INDY ELEVEN. Thank you!! Please order on Link Below “Friends of Indy Eleven”

https://fevo.me/indyelevenmh

Please order on Link Below “Friends of Indy Eleven” https://fevo.me/indyelevenmh

Earn your Degree While You Watch Your Kids Soccer Practice – ½ the time and cost of Traditional Schools

Great 2,000 SF place in La Porte, IN just 20 min from both Notre Dame and the lakeshore. 3 Br/2 Ba Place 4 beds on Stone Lake – check it out: https://abnb.me/EVmg/KjWULabehK

Proud Member of Indy’s Brick Yard Battalion – http://www.brickyardbattalion.com – CLICK HERE FOR BYBTIX

Sam’s Army- http://www.sams-army.com , American Outlaws http://www.facebook.com/IndyAOUnite

6/3/21 US Men tonight 7 pm, Indy 11 home vs Memphis Sat 7:30 pm, Pulisic wins Champ League, CFC Tryouts + Cup Weekend

June 3, 2021June 3, 2021 gatorbest

US MEN vs HONDURAS TONIGHT 7 pm on CBS SN MUST WIN SCENARIO

For the first time in over a year – the US Men’s National team will take the field in a meaningful competition for CONCACAF bragging rights. The US faces Honduras Tonight at 7:30 pm on CBS Sports Network and Univision for the semi-finals of the Nations Cup. Mexico faces Costa Rica at 10 pm on Univision setting up what is expected to be another USA vs Mexico final on Sunday evening 9 pm on CBSSN. The US youthful squad collected 23 combined trophies over the last season – as the Golden Era of US Soccer appears to have arrived. The talent playing in Europe currently is the most of any group of US players on a team ever. Will that add up to must win victories over Honduras and set up another showdown which the US needs to win over Mexico is the question that must be answered starting tonight.

Looking back at the 2-1 loss to the Swiss on Sunday – remember the Swiss are Top 15 in the world with a very experienced squad that’s been together for 8-10 years. With its starters in the US dominated possession in the first half and had the best chances to score. Subs in the 2^nd half certainly helped the Swiss who added their 3 top mids/strikers while the US rotated out Brooks and Yueill in the center of the defense. I thought Dest struggled this game especially on defense leaving a flat footed Brooks on an island too many times early in the 2^nd half. Without the speedy Long to cover for Brooks the US defense struggled. McKensie played fine but he does not have the speed or instincts to cover for Brooks the way Aaron Long has the past couple of years. That will be a concern moving forward as Brooks is great in the air and a good organizer but not fleet of foot and gets exposed in 1 on 1 defending at times. I thought Jackson Yueill cemented his spot as the back-up #6 to Adams over Acosta (who’s really an #8 midfielder). It was Acosta and Tim Ream who gave up the 2^nd goal and multiple opportunities in the 2^nd half. GK Ethan Horvath was spectacular in goal and cemented his #2 slot behind Steffan with his man of the match performance and multiple spectacular saves. I thought Brendan Aaronson was dynamite on the left wing slot and if Pulisic or Reyna are ever hurt or need rest – he should be the first slotted on either wing. Of course all Lletget does is score so don’t be surprised to see him slotted as a starter in the midfield with Weston McKinney tonight. I could see Letget or Musah getting the nod as dual attacking mids.

Tonight this is what I see as the starting line-up barring injuries we don’t know about.

Sargent

Pulisic/Reyna

McKinney/Lletget or Musah

Adams or Yueill if Adams is hurt

Robinson/Brooks/McKensie/Dest

Steffan

I think Dest will move back to the right back and Robinson will plug in as a better actual defender vs Honduras tonight. Of course Berhalter could surprise us and go with 3 in the back tonight – but that would cost him Musah or Lletget in the midfield as #8s? I think that might be a move we make vs Mexico as opposed to the game tonight vs Honduras. HUGE GAME TONIGHT FOR US SOCCER in a MUST WIN SCENARIO. We are at home playing an inferior Honduras squad – we must win and convincingly for the US to show progress with our new young talent. Honestly the US needs to win tonight and again on Sunday vs Mexico to start to show the potential this group possesses and whether Burhalter is the right man to take us there.

Christian Pulisic becomes First US Man to Play in Champions League Win

Wow an American has actually won and lifted the Champions League trophy in a game that he played in and almost scored. I will admit I was teed off when Chelsea coach Tuchell did not start Pulisic on Saturday. I wanted to see an American lined up listening to the best anthem in sports – the Champions League anthem. But it was not to be as Pulisic didn’t come on until the 60^th minute or so. He did have an impact however as his hold up play and darting runs toward goal were impressive. He just missed the chance at a put away goal as his shot was just wide of the goal late. Still impressive to see an American have an impact on a Champions League final – great to see him with his USA hoody holding the trophy with his parents by his side.

I was not surprised to see Chelsea win the game when the GREAT Pep Guardiola posted his starting line-up with no defensive midfielder. Tuchell beat him at the mindgames again – with his 3^rd straight win over a superior and much more expensive Man City team. Chelsea’s defensive shape held thru and the quick counter attack was ripe for the taking with no defensive midfielder for City. Not sure why Pep is held in such high regard – while spending the most money in the world he’s managed to win league titles with Barcelona, Bayern Munich (not tough) and now Man City. His only real success in Champions League was with Barcelona with the perhaps the best ever player in Messi and certainly the best midfield with Messi, Insausti and Javi. He’s a very good coach – but he’s also had the most money to spend over the past few seasons and this is the first time he got City past the quarter finals. Anyway both shocking and Great to see Chelsea and especially Pulisic lift the Champions League trophy. Certainly wasn’t expected this season! Oh and 3.65 million watching on CBS was a 100% increase over 2019 when combined English CBS and Spanish Univision– and that’s without what is estimated over 300K watching on Paramount plus. Cool video on Christian’s hometown pride

2021 Champions League Final TV Ratings (Average Viewers)

CBS: 2.095 million
Univision: 1.55 million
Total: 3.65 million

Indy 11 home Saturday – Pride Game

Our Indy 11 are back at the Mike fresh off a huge road victory 2-1 over Louisville and a hard fought 1-1 tie vs OKC. The game on My Indy TV and ESPN+ on Saturday night 7 pm vs Memphis 901 will be Gay Pride night with a special ticket and tshirt offer for fans. Limited Tickets are still available visit here !! The Indy Eleven are unbeaten in its last three times out (2W-0L-1D) and pushed Indiana’s Team back atop the Central Division standings, its 10 points even with Birmingham Legion FC.

CARMEL FC 2021 Tryout and Evaluation Information

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

———————————————————————————————————————————-

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

———————————————————————————————————————————

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

2021 Alumni/College Age Soccer League
High School graduates, college students, young professionals come join our soccer league this summer!

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

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

Thurs, June 3

2:45 pm ESPN+ Belgium vs Greece Friendly

3 pm ESPNU U21 Euros Netherlands vs Germany

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

10 pm Para+ Mexico vs Costa Rica

Fri, June 4

1:30 pm ESPN Spain vs Portugal Friendly

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

3 pm ESPN2 Euro U21 Finals

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