Indy 11 face Final home Game Sat 7 pm vs Tulsa on TV 23
Indy Eleven played one of their better games as home last weekend as they took down Louisville 1-0 behind USL Player of the Week Indy 11 Goalkeeper Jordan Farr’s 5 saves. Jordan Farr Won USL Save of the Week. The 11 took the series title for the first time in years. Indy Eleven will finish out its home campaign at Carroll Stadium this Saturday, Oct. 23, with the club’s annual Fan Appreciation Night contest against FC Tulsa, presented by your Central Indiana Honda Dealers. Tickets for the 7:00 p.m. ET kickoff can be secured by visiting indyeleven.com/tickets or by calling 317-685-1100 during regular business hours, while fans who cannot make it to “The Mike” can follow the action live on MyINDY-TV 23, ESPN+, Exitos Radio 94.3 FM / exitos943.com (in Spanish. GK – Jordan Farr, Indy Eleven: Jordan Farr recorded a five-save shutout and a -1.90 Expected Goals Differential to keep Indy in the game against Louisville City FC before a late goal earned the hosts a 1-0 victory and the season series in the LIPAFC against their biggest rivals at Michael A. Carroll Stadium.
High School – CHS Boys & Girls Advance to Semi-States in Nashville Sat
The #3 Ranked Carmel High Girls defeated East Central 1-0 last weekend at home behind Megan Hamm’s goal to the Semi State Semi-State Finals Saturday in Seymore vs Bloomington South at 5 pm. The Carmel Boys defeated Cathedral 3-0 at home to advance to the Semi-State Championships at 3 pm on Saturday at Seymore vs Castle. Tickets for the games are $10 and available here. Tickets must be purchased online as they will not be on sale at the gate. Good luck to both Carmel teams, our former Carmel FC players and coach Shane Schmidt and Coach Frank Dixon.
The Ole Ballcoach is desperately looking for Mexico vs USA tickets next month in Cincy – if you have a line on tickets please let me know. 1, 2, 3, 4 tickets – willing to pay over price.
Champions League Theatrics
Man Champions League never ceases to deliver – when the best clubs in the world match up – the best in the world step up. The best game of Matchday 4 was Liverpool’s thrilling 3-2 win at Atletico Madrid as Mo Salah scored a brace for Liverpool in the controversial win. Meanwhile Man United needed the Champions League’s leading scorer Christian Renaldo’s late dramatics to cap a thrilling 3-2 comeback win over Atalanta at Old Trafford. PSG outlasted Tyler Adams and RB Leipzig as they got some questionable PK calls to help them to a 3-2 comeback win at home. Finally Brendan Aaronson and Salzburg outlasted Wolfsburg and US Centerback John Brooks – 3-1.
US Ladies Tied Korea 0-0 Play again Tues Night 8 pm on FS1 – Carli Lloyd’s Last Game
Interesting so there were some really exciting moments on Thurs night as the US failed to win on home soil for the first time as they tied South Korea 0-0 in Kansas City. Korea is a top 20 unilike the crap teams the US ladies tend to schedule for home friendlies. Nice to see an actual game for a change – funny when we don’t play patsy’s we look just ok. The US had a boatload of shots but none of them really good as the Korean GK had little trouble keeping the clean sheet vs a mix of young and old for the US. Interesting that the starters went with Morgan up front with Heath and Rapinoe on the wings – the combo while they had shots – could not muster a goal in the 1st half. The final 30 minutes had Carli Lloyd enter along with the impressive Smith and Mallory Pugh on the wings. Again the youngsters provided some of the finest moments but they could not provide the winner as the US tied at home for the first time in 22 games. The ladies will have a replay on Tuesday night at 8 pm on FS1 – on Carli Lloyd’s final game in a US Jersey. I look for her to start and score as the US will certainly return with a win on Tuesday.
US Ladies Roster
GOALKEEPERS (2): Jane Campbell (Houston Dash; 6), Adrianna Franch (Kansas City NWSL; 9)
FORWARDS (7): Tobin Heath (Arsenal, ENG; 179/36), Carli Lloyd (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 314/134), Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride; 188/114), Mallory Pugh (Chicago Red Stars; 65/18), Megan Rapinoe (OL Reign; 185/61), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns FC; 8/1), Lynn Williams (North Carolina Courage; 42/13)
Big Games
El Classico will be played on ESPN Sunday at 10:15 am ESPN plus of course – as Barcelona and American Sergino Dest host Real Madrid. Over 100 million are expected to watch. Following el Classico is the English equivalent as Liverpool will travel to Old Trafford at 11:30 am on Sunday on NBCSN to play Manchester United and Christiano Renaldo fresh of their come from behind Champions League win Wed. Later Sunday Inter will travel to Juventus as Weston McKinney looks to help the old lady win on the road at the Italian leaders at 2:45 pm on ESPN+.
Next Friday Tim Weah and Lille will travel to PSG to face Messi and crew at 3 pm on beIN Sport.
BIG GAMES TO WATCH
Sat 10/23 (American’s in Parenthesis)
7:30 am NBCSN Chelsea vs Norwich City (Stewart)
930 am ESPN+ Bayern Munich vs Hoffenhiem
9:30 am ESPN+ RB Liepzig (Adams) vs Furth
10 am NBCSN Leeds vs Wolverhampton
12:30 NBC Brighton vs Man City
3:30 pm TDUN Seattle Sounders vs Sporting KC
7 pm ESPN+ TV23 Indy II vs Tulsa
10:30 pm Univision LA Galaxy vs Dallas
Sun 10/24
9 am NBCSN West Ham vs NewCastle United
10:15 am ESPN+ Barcelona (Dest) vs Real Madrid EL CLASSICO
11:30 am Telemundo Man United vs Liverpool
12 noon CBSSN Roma vs Napoli
2:45 pm CBSSN, P+ + Inter vs Juventus (McKennie)
2:45 pm beIn Sport Marseille vs PSG
5 pm ESPN Austin vs Houston
7:30 pm FS1 Orlando City vs New England
Tues 10/26
2:45 pm EPSN + Chelsea vs Southampton League Cup
8 pm FS1 USA Women (Carli Lloyd last game) vs Korea KC
10:30 pm ESPN LAFC vs Seattle Sounders
Weds 10/27
2:45 pm ESPN+ Stoke City vs Brentford League Cup
2:45 pm ESPN+ Westham vs Man City (Steffan GK) League Cup
8:30 pm FS1 Sporting KC vs LA Galaxy MLS #2 vs #3
Thurs 10/28
7:30 pm Paramount + Racing Louisville vs NY/NJ Gotham FC NWSL
Fri 10/29
3 pm beIN Sport PSG vs Lille (Weah)
Sat 10/30
7:30 am NBCSN Leicester City vs Arsenal
7:30 am NBCSN? Tottenham vs Man United
8 pm ESPN+ Indy 11 @ Memphis Last Game
PARAMOUNT PLUS Live TV, Soccer & Originals Starting price: $4.99/mo.
Features Champions League, US Men’s National Team, CONCACAF WORLD CUP Qualifying, , Serie A, Europa League Free Trial
International Friendly: USWNT, South Korea draw 0-0 in Kansas City
Alex Azzi
Thu, October 21, 2021, 11:03 PMThe opportunities were there, but the goals were not.On Thursday night in Kansas City, the U.S. women’s national soccer team (USWNT) and South Korea played to a 1-1 draw. It marked the third game in the USWNT’s post-Olympic victory tour and the penultimate game of Carli Lloyd‘s USWNT career.The U.S. controlled the game, outshooting South Korea 19-8 and maintaining possession for nearly two-thirds of the game.South Korean goalie Yoon Young-Geul had an excellent showing, which included multiple clutch saves in the dying minutes of the match.“Today she was their best player,” U.S. head coach Vlatko Andonovski said. “It was good for us that we created those opportunities. If it takes something like the saves she had in the game, so be it. That’s all we can do.”The draw snapped a 22-match home soil win streak for the U.S. The Americans were one win away from matching the longest home streak in team history, set from April 1993 to February 1996. They are still unbeaten in their last 61 matches at home, which includes 55 wins and six draws.
One drought also nearly came to an end in Kansas City. In the 46th minute, Becky Sauerbrunn came close to scoring the first goal of her USWNT career. Currently at 196 caps, Sauerbrunn is nearing the USWNT record for most caps without scoring. (The current record, 202, is held by goalkeeper Hope Solo.)
U.S. Women’s National Team draws 0-0 against Korea in Carli Lloyd’s Kansas City sendoff
U.S. Women’s National Team draws 0-0 against Korea in Carli Lloyd’s Kansas City sendoff
Shaun Goodwin
Thu, October 21, 2021, 10:27 PM
Diving to her right, A.D. Franch pushed away a screaming half-volley toward the bottom corner of her goal. The shot initially deflected, she sprang back up and cradled the bobbling ball.The Kansas City chapter of the American Outlaws roared approval from the north stand of Children’s Mercy Park — territory usually occupied by Sporting KC’s supporters’ section, the Cauldron.For the American Outlaws, the avid supporters group that follows the U.S. national soccer teams to matches around the country, it was a chance to cheer their keeper’s save — for Franch, her first official save in her first hometown start for the U.S. Women’s National Team.- Franch, who hails from Salina, Kansas, and plays for the KC NWSL club, earned the start and drew cheers throughout her performance as the USWNT tied the Korea Republic 0-0 Thursday night.“KC showed up as I expected them to, and hopefully that continues for the women’s game and KC WoSo right now,” Franch said. “That’s what we want in this city as we’re continuing to try to get a (World Cup) bid here in the city. I think it’s important to recognize that the fans are here and this city is something special to play for and I’m excited to be here to do that.”The tie extended a 61-game unbeaten home streak for the U.S.Franch made just the one save, in the 35th minute on a shot by Sel-Gi Jang, but it was the only one required of her. Korea never mounted much of an attack on the American goal.The game also marked a special first for USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovski, who directed a national team game in his hometown of Kansas City for the first time.“I feel like anywhere I turned, I knew someone,” Andonovski said. “It was good and I’m glad I put up a good show. I just wish that we paid this wonderful crowd back with a good win, but I promise next time we come back here we’ll score a few goals.”The final score was no doubt closer than he would’ve liked against an opponent ranked 18th in the world. But a USWNT starting front line that featured such U.S. heroes as Megan Rapinoe, Tobin Heath and Alex Morgan was unable to break down the stout Korean defense.“These are the type of opponents and games that we’re looking forward to playing because they create different challenges and multiple challenges throughout the game,” Andonovski said. “It will take the best of us to solve the challenges and overcome them.”Most of the Americans’ pressure on Korea’ came from the U.S. midfield, especially from Lindsey Horan, who was honored for making her 100th national team appearance before the game.. At one point she sent a 20-yard curler off the left post; six minutes later her close-range header was saved by goalkeeper Young-Guel Yoon.Both Heath and Rapinoe were replaced at halftime by the USWNT “new guard” of Sophia Smith and Mallory Pugh. Fifteen minutes into the second half, Morgan, too, was subbed out in favor of Carli Lloyd, who played in her penultimate game for the U.S. She has announced that she’ll retire at season’s end.
The decision to take Rapinoe and Heath out of the game was pre-planned, Andonovski said. Heath was coming off a weekend game with her club team, Arsenal, while Rapinoe is still working her way back from an injury.Smith added an exciting dimension to the U.S. front line with an aggressive and attack-minded edge.“She’s a lot more offensive-minded and more direct with her runs, and more specific with her runs, and we’ve seen that ever since she came in,” Andonovski said.While Andonovski treated the game as more than just a retirement tour for Lloyd, many among the sellout crowd of 18,467 came to see Lloyd play here one last time. That much was evident in the roar that arose when she entered the game and every time she touched the ball near the Korea box.
The 39-year-old forward had an excellent chance in the 76th minute, but it was saved by Yoon.The USWNT’s second-half trio of attackers — Smith and Pugh, in particular — looked more creative than their first-half predecessors. But they were no more successful in manufacturing a winning goal for the KC crowd.“Our final product was poor and I think we could have done better,” Horan said. “My header was crap. But still, credit to her (Yoon, the Korea Republic keeper).“I kind of look at our team and think that there were some final passes that we could have gotten on the end on, but she did a great job today.”The USWNT can make amends Tuesday against Korea in St. Paul, Minnesota. That game will be Lloyd’s 316th and final game for her country.
USMNT weekend viewing guide: major matchups
el Classico is a headliner and we have American matchups throughout Europe
By jcksnftsn Oct 22, 2021, 8:33am PDT It’s a fantastically full weekend with matchups around Europe that include Americans going head to head, or making appearances in major European clashes such as Inter Milan v Juventus and Barcelona meeting Real Madrid in the latest edition of El Clasico. Let’s jump straight to Saturday which is when the action begins.
Saturday
RB Leipzig v Greuther Furth – 9:30a on ESPN+
Tyler Adams and RB Leipzig will look to bounce back from a painful loss to PSG in mid-week Champions League play when they face Julian Green and a Greuther Furth team that looks destined for relegation.After giving up an early goal to Kylian Mbappe, Leipzig had pulled back and taken a 2-1 lead in Paris and looked on track for what could have been a signature with for Jesse Marsch’s club. However, they would see it slip away when Tyler Adams misplayed a ball while under pressure (possibly being fouled) and had it land right at the feet of Mbappe who would feed Messi for the tying goal. Minutes later PSG would take the lead on a Messi penalty.Things should be significantly easier for Leipzig this weekend as they face a Furth side with one draw and seven losses in their first eight matches. Obviously they don’t want to completely overlook them as dropped points to a team of that level would be devastating to a Leipzig currently tied for eighth place and hoping to compete for a top of the table position but this matchup might be an opportunity to rest some players who have already seen a high number of minutes across multiple competitions this season.
Julian Green has struggled to make an impact for Greuther Furth in their Bundesliga campaign and the club has seen any hopes of avoiding relegation slip away as quickly as imaginable. Green is still looking for his first goal contribution on the season and has just over 100’ in the teams past four matches, having failed to make it off the bench in two of those contests.
Other notes:
A potential matchup in the EPL will have to be put on hold as injury will keep Christian Pulisic out of Chelsea’s match with Norwich City and Josh Sargent. The clubs face off at 7:30a on NBCSN.
It’s an American matchup in Spain that can be seen on ESPN2 as Yunus Musah and Valencia face Matthew Hoppe’s Mallorca. Musah saw 15’ off the bench last weekend against Barcelona after starting the previous two matches for Valencia. However, the potential matchup could be ruined by Hoppe’s failure to appear, he has not seen the field in the past month and was not included in last weekends squad. The matchup will take place at 8a Saturday morning.
Zack Steffen received his first EPL start with Manchester City last weekend and looked solid in the teams 2-0 win over Burnley. However, Ederson was available for the clubs midweek thumping of Club Brugge and will resume his role barring injury. Man City face Brighton and Hove Albion at 12:30p on NBC.
The Seattle Sounders and Sporting Kansas City face off in a battle for the Western Conference. Currently Kansas City trail by six points but they have a game in hand so a head to head win over Seattle would give them the opportunity to pull even. The match will be at 2:30p on Univision and TUDN.
The LA Galaxy and FC Dallas meet at 10p on Univision and TUDN so get on board the night train.
Streaming overseas:
John Brooks and Wolfsburg will look to get back on track when they face Freiburg at 9:30a on ESPN+. Wolfsburg have lost three straight Bundesliga matches and fell midweek to RB Salzburg in Champions League play as well.
Chris Richards will have a change to make a first hand impression with his parent club when Hoffenheim face Bayern Munich at 9:30a on EPSN+.
Giovanni Reyna remains out amid concerns that he may be out through the November international window as well. Borussia Dortmund face Arminia Bielefeld at 9:30a on ESPN+.
Matt Miazga and Deportivo Alaves face Cadiz at 10:!5a on ESPN+. Miazga has started the last three matches for Alaves.
Gianlucca Busio and Venezia have pulled themselves up to 15th place on five points from their last three matches and now face fourteenth place Sassuolo. The club is still just two points out of the relegation zone but if they are able to build on this strong run they will be in good position.
Fightin’ Joe Scally and Borussia Monchengladbach face Hertha Berlin at 12:30p on ESPN+. After a slow start to the season Gladbach have pulled themselves up to 10th place and solidly middle of the table.
Timothy Weah and Lille take on Brest at 3p on Fanatiz USA and beIN Sports. Lille lost last weekend to Clermont Foot and are still trying to find their bearings in their campaign to defend last seasons title.
Cade Cowell and the San Jose Earthquakes finish the night against Vancouver at 10p.
Sunday
Barcelona v Real Madrid – 10:15a on ESPN+
It’s an El Clasico matchup between Barcelona and Real Madrid and everybody is asking one question: does Sergino Dest have a new position? The American right back has been starting on the wing for Barcelona, most recently in their 1-0 Champions League victory over Dynamo Kiev though he did shift back to his more traditional RB role midway through the game. Dest also started at RW last weekend in the teams 3-1 win over Valencia and picked up an assist on the final goal.
Barcelona come into their first meeting of the season with Real Madrid five points out of first place and two points behind a cluster of teams that are currently in second including Real and Atletico. The matchup has not been kind to Barcelona recently, they are looking for their first head-to-head win since 2019 and have lost three straight.
Other notes:
Bryan Reynolds finally made the field for Roma but it was in a 6-1 Europa Conference League play thumping at the hands of Bodo/Glimt and he has not sniffed the field regularly in league play so it seems unlikely we will see him Sunday when Roma face Napoli at Noon on CBSSN.
Weston McKennie looks to continue his solid form as Juventus face Inter Milan at 2:45p on CBSSN.
Nicolas Gioachinni at Montpellier face Monaco at 11a on Fanatiz USA and beIN Sports.
Timothy Chandler has suddenly started three straight matches for Eintracht Frankfurt who face Bochum at 1:30p on ESPN+.
Konrad de la Fuente and Olympique Marseille will get a shot at PSG at 2:45p on Fanatiz USA and beIN Sports. Marseille currently sit in third place, although already 10 points back of league leading PSG.
Champions League talking points: Liverpool make a statement; Barcelona, Real Madrid win ahead of Clasico
Oct 21, 2021ESPN
Matchday 3 of the Champions League group stage has been and gone, and there is plenty to discuss, from important wins for Barcelona and Real Madrid ahead of El Clasico, to an epic Manchester United comeback and struggles for several German teams.
We asked Rob Dawson, Alex Kirkland and Derek Rae to answer some big questions.
What caught your attention on Matchday 3?
Dawson: Liverpool‘s 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid was fantastic entertainment and put a dent in the argument that the Champions League group stages are dull. To go to the champions of Spain and win was a huge statement from Liverpool and they should be considered one of the favourites to lift the trophy.Kirkland: There were other eye-catching results for Spanish teams — Real Madrid’s 5-0 demolition of Shakhtar, Villarreal‘s 4-1 win at Young Boys — but yes, it’s hard to avoid Atletico’s perplexing loss to Liverpool. What do you make of a game where Atletico were dreadful for 20 minutes, unplayable for a long spell after that, and finally undone by a red card and a penalty? It was simultaneously encouraging and disappointing, and it feels like we’re still no closer to finding out exactly what they’re capable of this season.
Rae: As someone who focuses heavily on the Bundesliga, this was a bitterly disappointing midweek for German clubs. (Thank goodness for Bayern Munich, whose opener in the 4-0 win at Benfica from man-of-the-match Leroy Sane evoked Arjen Robben memories.)
I expected a hard game for Dortmund at Ajax, but could not have foreseen such an emphatic 4-0 clobbering. Meanwhile, Leipzig had good phases in the 3-2 defeat at Paris Saint-Germain, but they were undone by individual mistakes from which Tyler Adams and Mohamed Simakan must learn. Wolfsburg under Mark van Bommel are just a mess; after being outplayed by a youthful, vibrant Salzburg for a 3-1 defeat, they have gone seven without a win in all competitions.
Real Madrid and Barcelona won; which of the two gives you more optimism?
Kirkland: In terms of being Champions League contenders: neither. Madrid are stronger right now, but they’re still way off the likes of Bayern, Man City, Chelsea or Liverpool. The defence is significantly weaker without Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane, and Carlo Ancelotti doesn’t feel like a coach for a rebuild.
Ronald Koeman’s Barcelona, meanwhile, are a zombie team: lurching on with a coach who should have been sacked by now, and would have been if an affordable replacement had been available. Barca’s kids are very exciting, but it’s much too soon to hope they can bring European success in the short term.
Rae: In the short term, Madrid have the greater upside. The squad is more seasoned and deeper, while the attack, with Karim Benzema playing some of his best football for years, is better than what Barca can muster. Meanwhile, Vinicius Jr.’s development is fascinating to watch and there is just a firmer base about Real.
But Barcelona might be a very different proposition in the coming years. The shoots of recovery are visible, especially with teenagers Gavi, Pedri and a fit-again Ansu Fati. Barca are behind their rivals in most areas, but the La Masia academy represents the club’s biggest source of hope.
Dawson: Both are teams in transition but Real Madrid seem to be dealing with it far better than Barcelona. In Benzema they have got one of the best strikers in the world and they have the benefit of Ancelotti, who has seen it all before. This is not a vintage Madrid side by any stretch but they will fancy their chances of being in the hunt for trophies at the end of the season. Barcelona, meanwhile, look like they’re in survival mode and Koeman will be lucky to survive the season, never mind lift any silverware.
What do you think about technology use in the Champions League?
Rae: I do not see a huge difference regarding VAR use and that is probably not a surprise, given the leagues I cover most closely — Bundesliga and LaLiga — do not deviate much, if at all, from UEFA standards. England may be different.
What I would say is that hand signals after VAR decisions could do with work from some UEFA refs. For example, Romania’s Ovidiu Hategan managed to fool many a commentator and fan on the first disallowed Bayern goal against Benfica by apparently pointing to the centre spot. His signal for second disallowed goal was not significantly clearer!
Dawson: The implementation of VAR in the Premier League was bumpy to say the least but, in general, it has been a lot smoother this season. Purely from a spectator’s view, it has not seemed as streamlined in the Champions League this season. Fans don’t like delays to a game which should be free-flowing and the quicker VAR decisions are reached, the better for everyone.
Kirkland: There’s been endless VAR talk in Spain recently, with frustration over Kylian Mbappe‘s winning goal for France in the UEFA Nations League final. There was frustration here too at the role VAR played on Tuesday in denying Atletico a penalty and chance for an equaliser for Diogo Jota‘s challenge on Jose Maria Gimenez and how long the decision took, regardless of the merits. Overall though, the way VAR is used in Europe feels faster, more transparent and less intrusive than it does in LaLiga.
What is the best Champions League goal you have seen live?
Dawson: Nothing will top the drama of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s winner against Bayern Munich in the 1999 final but the atmosphere inside Old Trafford after Cristiano Ronaldo scored the winner in injury time against Villarreal on Sept. 29 was a moment to make the hairs on your neck stand up. Fans have been locked out of stadiums for too long because of the COVID-19 pandemic and a lot of pent up emotion seemed to come flooding out when Ronaldo’s shot hit the net.
Kirkland: So many to choose from. Gabriel Batistuta’s rocket for Fiorentina at Wembley in October 1999 was special and Thierry Henry’s solo run at the Bernabeu in 2006 is hard to beat, given the circumstances. The other that has always stuck in my mind was Lionel Messi‘s first against Arsenal in March 2011. What he did — scooping the ball over hapless goalkeeper Manuel Almunia before finishing — was so good that you couldn’t tell what he’d done in real time. (The replays on the big screens at Camp Nou were greeted by awed ‘oooohs’ from the crowd).
Rae: I was not in Glasgow for Zinedine Zidane’s masterpiece in the 2002 final, so will go for a final goal I did see in the flesh. It is a strange one in some ways but I picked it because Messi says it is one of his all-time favourites and that is good enough for me.
The image of it stays in my mind to this day: With Barcelona 1-0 up in the 2009 final against Manchester United in Rome, Xavi’s superb ball was whipped in from the right and the 5-foot-7 superstar, then 22, jumped as high as I have ever seen him jump, before flinging himself at the ball, which looped over the helpless Edwin van der
In battle over biennial World Cups, FIFA isn’t the villain you think it is
Let’s begin with the obvious. FIFA, as full of it as ever, with customary disregard for women’s soccer, has launched a ruthless campaign to increase the frequency of World Cups. Its origins, supposedly, are a Saudi Arabian proposal, which led to a “feasibility study,” which has been dreadfully opaque. It’s clear, though, that no matter the feasibility, FIFA has decided that biennial World Cups would be desirable.So it enlisted soccer legends to shill for a plan woefully short on detail. They met resistance every step of the way, from players and FIFPro, the global players’ union; from managers and massive clubs; from many in the women’s game, who feel their World Cups would be overshadowed; and most of all, from the European soccer governing body, UEFA.UEFA, in a statement last week, blasted the plans yet again, saying they would “damage all forms of football, devalue the [World Cup] itself, disadvantage fans financially and stunt the development of women’s and youth football around the world.” It cited player health. It said that “any perceived attraction is shallow.” More tan a dozen European nations have reportedly considered splitting with FIFA, or boycotting the World Cup, if FIFA tries to force the changes through.Fans and Western media have largely sided with the Europeans, framing this intensifying fight as good vs. evil, as nobility vs. FIFA greed. And they have a point. The chief motive here is money. FIFA rakes in billions from the men’s World Cup. Playing it twice as often might devalue it long-term, but would immediately boost FIFA’s bottom line.This fight, though, is not good vs. evil. It’s a battle for control. It’s a global organization that represents the interests of global soccer vs. a European organization that represents the interests of European soccer. And the Europeans are winning. They’re tightening their grip on power. The biennial World Cup is FIFA’s desperate attempt to wrest some back.
FIFA vs. UEFA, greed vs. more greed
FIFA and UEFA are driven by a singular force. Each wants to organize games and tournaments between the world’s most popular soccer players. They want to sell sponsorships and broadcast rights to those games, and distribute profits among their members, who use the handouts to buy or develop more popular soccer players, whom FIFA or UEFA will eventually monetize too.And for a while now, UEFA has done this more often and more profitably than FIFA has. The global governing body reported $5.7 billion in revenue from 2015-2018. The European governing body, over that same period, made roughly $14.3 billion.UEFA is winning because its premier competition, the Champions League, runs annually, four times as frequently as FIFA’s. And because, although the entire world supplies the Champions League, only European clubs and associations benefit from it. All the best players from Asia, Africa and the Americas play for a handful of elite Western European teams. So the biggest companies from Asia, Africa and the Americas want to sponsor those teams, their games and the tournaments they contest.So the money flows, and the Europeans consolidate their power. Argentina, Senegal and South Korea develop players. European leagues, European clubs and European soccer federations (via UEFA) profit off those players. They turn profits into infrastructure that ensures future profits for themselves. Club owners — American billionaires, Russian oligarchs, Arab sheiks — pocket cash or goodwill along the way. The pattern, which reinforces itself, is backward at best, colonialist at worst, and the organization best positioned to disrupt it is … FIFA.
What FIFA posits, essentially, is that players developed by Argentina, Senegal and South Korea — or by Guatemala, Tanzania and Oman — should play more often in competitions organized by a governing body that represents those countries. And FIFA, for all its corruption, sleaziness and incompetence, still does that. It shares its revenue with all 211 member associations. Yes, it pays president Gianni Infantino and other privileged executives millions of dollars, and constantly undermines its own credibility. But it does funnel revenue from World Cups to Sri Lanka, and Uganda, and Dominica, funding soccer in countries where the resources of Western European life do not exist.Many of those countries crave a biennial World Cup because if FIFA’s revenue soars, theirs will too. FIFA’s solidarity payments are their main source of income, their youth players’ main source of opportunity. One-hundred sixty-six of them supported the “feasibility study.” If all or most of them were to vote in favor of the biennial plan at a special congress or the regularly scheduled FIFA Congress on March 31, the plan would become reality.European media have rued FIFA’s democratic structure, rightly pointing out that it gives no say to players. They’ve whined that it gives as much say to a country that wins World Cups as it does to one that will never sniff a prestigious tournament. But the latter isn’t inferior by choice. Many developing countries adore soccer. They simply struggle to build professional leagues or competitive national teams because countless decks have been stacked against them. Historical forces have diverted resources elsewhere. And now, a European-centric soccer system has left them behind.What UEFA posits is that the powerful men who rule that system should remain powerful. That the system produces entertaining soccer as is. That fans enjoy it, and players tolerate it, and money keeps rolling in. That the status quo is fine, and preferable to FIFA’s flawed plan.And in some ways, UEFA is right. Much of the pushback is legitimate. FIFA’s initial focus on the men’s game and neglect for the women’s game has, in some eyes, left the biennial concept doomed from the start.But UEFA’s mission here isn’t altruistic. It isn’t a soccer savior fighting a corrupt villain. It’s a four-letter acronym representing an establishment and fighting on behalf of its own members’ interests. You know, just like FIFA so often is.
Why the biennial World Cup battle will end in compromise
FIFA’s problem is that it can’t make this argument because the argument frames players as products rather than humans, and feeds suspicions that the fuel behind the plan is financial. Instead, FIFA has relied on empty logic and pleas about “the future of football,” because without more regular World Cups, apparently, according to Infantino, “football is risking to lose its appeal” among Gen Z. It also attempted to attach the biennial World Cup proposal to a rejiggering of the international match calendar, which is necessary and rational but mostly unrelated.The arguments were easy to rebut. And European powerbrokers have, relentlessly. Even the International Olympic Committee joined the resistance last weekend. This week, with the narrative largely controlled by European media, FIFA’s resolve began wavering. Rather than push for a vote in December, Infantino announced Wednesday that FIFA would hold a virtual “global summit” on Dec. 20 and “try to reach a consensus.”A consensus, of course, will never form around a biennial World Cup. CONMEBOL, the South American confederation, has also opposed the plan. And while it could technically be voted into bylaw without any European or South American support, the Europeans and South Americans could just as easily jump ship, arrange their own lucrative tournament, and detonate the World Cup’s appeal.All of which is why Infantino’s words at a 45-minute news conference Wednesday hinted at eventual compromise. “I’m here to unite,” he said, after acknowledging vehement criticism. “I’m not here to divide.”The path to common ground could be rocky. Collisions along the way could be explosive. They often are when two powerful, self-interested bodies clash. The result could be a global nations league, or a second, diluted quadrennial competition. UEFA’s power, though, which in some ways outweighs FIFA’s, should prevent a true biennial World Cup from materializing.That isn’t cause for celebration. It isn’t a win for the everyman over the powerful elite. In fact, if you squint, you could see it as the opposite. You could see FIFA, despite its sinful past and seedy present, as a voice of the voiceless, fighting to reclaim the world’s game on behalf of the world.“They all must be listened to,” Infantino said Wednesday of his 211 member associations. “And my role is exactly to listen to everyone, to listen to every side, to give a voice to those who are never heard.”
10/22/21 Indy 11 Final Home Game Sat 7 pm, CHS teams advance to Semi-State in Nashville Sat, Carli Lloyd’s Final Game Tues FS1, Champions League Theatrics
Indy 11 face Final home Game Sat 7 pm vs Tulsa on TV 23
Indy Eleven played one of their better games as home last weekend as they took down Louisville 1-0 behind USL Player of the Week Indy 11 Goalkeeper Jordan Farr’s 5 saves. Jordan Farr Won USL Save of the Week. The 11 took the series title for the first time in years. Indy Eleven will finish out its home campaign at Carroll Stadium this Saturday, Oct. 23, with the club’s annual Fan Appreciation Night contest against FC Tulsa, presented by your Central Indiana Honda Dealers. Tickets for the 7:00 p.m. ET kickoff can be secured by visiting indyeleven.com/tickets or by calling 317-685-1100 during regular business hours, while fans who cannot make it to “The Mike” can follow the action live on MyINDY-TV 23, ESPN+, Exitos Radio 94.3 FM / exitos943.com (in Spanish. GK – Jordan Farr, Indy Eleven: Jordan Farr recorded a five-save shutout and a -1.90 Expected Goals Differential to keep Indy in the game against Louisville City FC before a late goal earned the hosts a 1-0 victory and the season series in the LIPAFC against their biggest rivals at Michael A. Carroll Stadium.
High School – CHS Boys & Girls Advance to Semi-States in Nashville Sat
The #3 Ranked Carmel High Girls defeated East Central 1-0 last weekend at home behind Megan Hamm’s goal to the Semi State Semi-State Finals Saturday in Seymore vs Bloomington South at 5 pm. The Carmel Boys defeated Cathedral 3-0 at home to advance to the Semi-State Championships at 3 pm on Saturday at Seymore vs Castle. Tickets for the games are $10 and available here. Tickets must be purchased online as they will not be on sale at the gate. Good luck to both Carmel teams, our former Carmel FC players and coach Shane Schmidt and Coach Frank Dixon.
The Ole Ballcoach is desperately looking for Mexico vs USA tickets next month in Cincy – if you have a line on tickets please let me know. 1, 2, 3, 4 tickets – willing to pay over price.
Champions League Theatrics
Man Champions League never ceases to deliver – when the best clubs in the world match up – the best in the world step up. The best game of Matchday 4 was Liverpool’s thrilling 3-2 win at Atletico Madrid as Mo Salah scored a brace for Liverpool in the controversial win. Meanwhile Man United needed the Champions League’s leading scorer Christian Renaldo’s late dramatics to cap a thrilling 3-2 comeback win over Atalanta at Old Trafford. PSG outlasted Tyler Adams and RB Leipzig as they got some questionable PK calls to help them to a 3-2 comeback win at home. Finally Brendan Aaronson and Salzburg outlasted Wolfsburg and US Centerback John Brooks – 3-1.
US Ladies Tied Korea 0-0 Play again Tues Night 8 pm on FS1 – Carli Lloyd’s Last Game
Interesting so there were some really exciting moments on Thurs night as the US failed to win on home soil for the first time as they tied South Korea 0-0 in Kansas City. Korea is a top 20 unilike the crap teams the US ladies tend to schedule for home friendlies. Nice to see an actual game for a change – funny when we don’t play patsy’s we look just ok. The US had a boatload of shots but none of them really good as the Korean GK had little trouble keeping the clean sheet vs a mix of young and old for the US. Interesting that the starters went with Morgan up front with Heath and Rapinoe on the wings – the combo while they had shots – could not muster a goal in the 1st half. The final 30 minutes had Carli Lloyd enter along with the impressive Smith and Mallory Pugh on the wings. Again the youngsters provided some of the finest moments but they could not provide the winner as the US tied at home for the first time in 22 games. The ladies will have a replay on Tuesday night at 8 pm on FS1 – on Carli Lloyd’s final game in a US Jersey. I look for her to start and score as the US will certainly return with a win on Tuesday.
US Ladies Roster
GOALKEEPERS (2): Jane Campbell (Houston Dash; 6), Adrianna Franch (Kansas City NWSL; 9)
FORWARDS (7): Tobin Heath (Arsenal, ENG; 179/36), Carli Lloyd (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 314/134), Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride; 188/114), Mallory Pugh (Chicago Red Stars; 65/18), Megan Rapinoe (OL Reign; 185/61), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns FC; 8/1), Lynn Williams (North Carolina Courage; 42/13)
Big Games
El Classico will be played on ESPN Sunday at 10:15 am ESPN plus of course – as Barcelona and American Sergino Dest host Real Madrid. Over 100 million are expected to watch. Following el Classico is the English equivalent as Liverpool will travel to Old Trafford at 11:30 am on Sunday on NBCSN to play Manchester United and Christiano Renaldo fresh of their come from behind Champions League win Wed. Later Sunday Inter will travel to Juventus as Weston McKinney looks to help the old lady win on the road at the Italian leaders at 2:45 pm on ESPN+.
Next Friday Tim Weah and Lille will travel to PSG to face Messi and crew at 3 pm on beIN Sport.
BIG GAMES TO WATCH
Sat 10/23 (American’s in Parenthesis)
7:30 am NBCSN Chelsea vs Norwich City (Stewart)
930 am ESPN+ Bayern Munich vs Hoffenhiem
9:30 am ESPN+ RB Liepzig (Adams) vs Furth
10 am NBCSN Leeds vs Wolverhampton
12:30 NBC Brighton vs Man City
3:30 pm TDUN Seattle Sounders vs Sporting KC
7 pm ESPN+ TV23 Indy II vs Tulsa
10:30 pm Univision LA Galaxy vs Dallas
Sun 10/24
9 am NBCSN West Ham vs NewCastle United
10:15 am ESPN+ Barcelona (Dest) vs Real Madrid EL CLASSICO
11:30 am Telemundo Man United vs Liverpool
12 noon CBSSN Roma vs Napoli
2:45 pm CBSSN, P+ + Inter vs Juventus (McKennie)
2:45 pm beIn Sport Marseille vs PSG
5 pm ESPN Austin vs Houston
7:30 pm FS1 Orlando City vs New England
Tues 10/26
2:45 pm EPSN + Chelsea vs Southampton League Cup
8 pm FS1 USA Women (Carli Lloyd last game) vs Korea KC
10:30 pm ESPN LAFC vs Seattle Sounders
Weds 10/27
2:45 pm ESPN+ Stoke City vs Brentford League Cup
2:45 pm ESPN+ Westham vs Man City (Steffan GK) League Cup
8:30 pm FS1 Sporting KC vs LA Galaxy MLS #2 vs #3
Thurs 10/28
7:30 pm Paramount + Racing Louisville vs NY/NJ Gotham FC NWSL
Fri 10/29
3 pm beIN Sport PSG vs Lille (Weah)
Sat 10/30
7:30 am NBCSN Leicester City vs Arsenal
7:30 am NBCSN? Tottenham vs Man United
8 pm ESPN+ Indy 11 @ Memphis Last Game
PARAMOUNT PLUS Live TV, Soccer & Originals Starting price: $4.99/mo.
Features Champions League, US Men’s National Team, CONCACAF WORLD CUP Qualifying, , Serie A, Europa League Free Trial
International Friendly: USWNT, South Korea draw 0-0 in Kansas City
Alex Azzi
Thu, October 21, 2021, 11:03 PMThe opportunities were there, but the goals were not.On Thursday night in Kansas City, the U.S. women’s national soccer team (USWNT) and South Korea played to a 1-1 draw. It marked the third game in the USWNT’s post-Olympic victory tour and the penultimate game of Carli Lloyd‘s USWNT career.The U.S. controlled the game, outshooting South Korea 19-8 and maintaining possession for nearly two-thirds of the game.South Korean goalie Yoon Young-Geul had an excellent showing, which included multiple clutch saves in the dying minutes of the match.“Today she was their best player,” U.S. head coach Vlatko Andonovski said. “It was good for us that we created those opportunities. If it takes something like the saves she had in the game, so be it. That’s all we can do.”The draw snapped a 22-match home soil win streak for the U.S. The Americans were one win away from matching the longest home streak in team history, set from April 1993 to February 1996. They are still unbeaten in their last 61 matches at home, which includes 55 wins and six draws.
One drought also nearly came to an end in Kansas City. In the 46th minute, Becky Sauerbrunn came close to scoring the first goal of her USWNT career. Currently at 196 caps, Sauerbrunn is nearing the USWNT record for most caps without scoring. (The current record, 202, is held by goalkeeper Hope Solo.)
U.S. Women’s National Team draws 0-0 against Korea in Carli Lloyd’s Kansas City sendoff
U.S. Women’s National Team draws 0-0 against Korea in Carli Lloyd’s Kansas City sendoff
Shaun Goodwin
Thu, October 21, 2021, 10:27 PM
Diving to her right, A.D. Franch pushed away a screaming half-volley toward the bottom corner of her goal. The shot initially deflected, she sprang back up and cradled the bobbling ball.The Kansas City chapter of the American Outlaws roared approval from the north stand of Children’s Mercy Park — territory usually occupied by Sporting KC’s supporters’ section, the Cauldron.For the American Outlaws, the avid supporters group that follows the U.S. national soccer teams to matches around the country, it was a chance to cheer their keeper’s save — for Franch, her first official save in her first hometown start for the U.S. Women’s National Team.- Franch, who hails from Salina, Kansas, and plays for the KC NWSL club, earned the start and drew cheers throughout her performance as the USWNT tied the Korea Republic 0-0 Thursday night.“KC showed up as I expected them to, and hopefully that continues for the women’s game and KC WoSo right now,” Franch said. “That’s what we want in this city as we’re continuing to try to get a (World Cup) bid here in the city. I think it’s important to recognize that the fans are here and this city is something special to play for and I’m excited to be here to do that.”The tie extended a 61-game unbeaten home streak for the U.S.Franch made just the one save, in the 35th minute on a shot by Sel-Gi Jang, but it was the only one required of her. Korea never mounted much of an attack on the American goal.The game also marked a special first for USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovski, who directed a national team game in his hometown of Kansas City for the first time.“I feel like anywhere I turned, I knew someone,” Andonovski said. “It was good and I’m glad I put up a good show. I just wish that we paid this wonderful crowd back with a good win, but I promise next time we come back here we’ll score a few goals.”The final score was no doubt closer than he would’ve liked against an opponent ranked 18th in the world. But a USWNT starting front line that featured such U.S. heroes as Megan Rapinoe, Tobin Heath and Alex Morgan was unable to break down the stout Korean defense.“These are the type of opponents and games that we’re looking forward to playing because they create different challenges and multiple challenges throughout the game,” Andonovski said. “It will take the best of us to solve the challenges and overcome them.”Most of the Americans’ pressure on Korea’ came from the U.S. midfield, especially from Lindsey Horan, who was honored for making her 100th national team appearance before the game.. At one point she sent a 20-yard curler off the left post; six minutes later her close-range header was saved by goalkeeper Young-Guel Yoon.Both Heath and Rapinoe were replaced at halftime by the USWNT “new guard” of Sophia Smith and Mallory Pugh. Fifteen minutes into the second half, Morgan, too, was subbed out in favor of Carli Lloyd, who played in her penultimate game for the U.S. She has announced that she’ll retire at season’s end.
The decision to take Rapinoe and Heath out of the game was pre-planned, Andonovski said. Heath was coming off a weekend game with her club team, Arsenal, while Rapinoe is still working her way back from an injury.Smith added an exciting dimension to the U.S. front line with an aggressive and attack-minded edge.“She’s a lot more offensive-minded and more direct with her runs, and more specific with her runs, and we’ve seen that ever since she came in,” Andonovski said.While Andonovski treated the game as more than just a retirement tour for Lloyd, many among the sellout crowd of 18,467 came to see Lloyd play here one last time. That much was evident in the roar that arose when she entered the game and every time she touched the ball near the Korea box.
The 39-year-old forward had an excellent chance in the 76th minute, but it was saved by Yoon.The USWNT’s second-half trio of attackers — Smith and Pugh, in particular — looked more creative than their first-half predecessors. But they were no more successful in manufacturing a winning goal for the KC crowd.“Our final product was poor and I think we could have done better,” Horan said. “My header was crap. But still, credit to her (Yoon, the Korea Republic keeper).“I kind of look at our team and think that there were some final passes that we could have gotten on the end on, but she did a great job today.”The USWNT can make amends Tuesday against Korea in St. Paul, Minnesota. That game will be Lloyd’s 316th and final game for her country.
USMNT weekend viewing guide: major matchups
el Classico is a headliner and we have American matchups throughout Europe
By jcksnftsn Oct 22, 2021, 8:33am PDT It’s a fantastically full weekend with matchups around Europe that include Americans going head to head, or making appearances in major European clashes such as Inter Milan v Juventus and Barcelona meeting Real Madrid in the latest edition of El Clasico. Let’s jump straight to Saturday which is when the action begins.
Saturday
RB Leipzig v Greuther Furth – 9:30a on ESPN+
Tyler Adams and RB Leipzig will look to bounce back from a painful loss to PSG in mid-week Champions League play when they face Julian Green and a Greuther Furth team that looks destined for relegation.After giving up an early goal to Kylian Mbappe, Leipzig had pulled back and taken a 2-1 lead in Paris and looked on track for what could have been a signature with for Jesse Marsch’s club. However, they would see it slip away when Tyler Adams misplayed a ball while under pressure (possibly being fouled) and had it land right at the feet of Mbappe who would feed Messi for the tying goal. Minutes later PSG would take the lead on a Messi penalty.Things should be significantly easier for Leipzig this weekend as they face a Furth side with one draw and seven losses in their first eight matches. Obviously they don’t want to completely overlook them as dropped points to a team of that level would be devastating to a Leipzig currently tied for eighth place and hoping to compete for a top of the table position but this matchup might be an opportunity to rest some players who have already seen a high number of minutes across multiple competitions this season.
Julian Green has struggled to make an impact for Greuther Furth in their Bundesliga campaign and the club has seen any hopes of avoiding relegation slip away as quickly as imaginable. Green is still looking for his first goal contribution on the season and has just over 100’ in the teams past four matches, having failed to make it off the bench in two of those contests.
Other notes:
A potential matchup in the EPL will have to be put on hold as injury will keep Christian Pulisic out of Chelsea’s match with Norwich City and Josh Sargent. The clubs face off at 7:30a on NBCSN.
It’s an American matchup in Spain that can be seen on ESPN2 as Yunus Musah and Valencia face Matthew Hoppe’s Mallorca. Musah saw 15’ off the bench last weekend against Barcelona after starting the previous two matches for Valencia. However, the potential matchup could be ruined by Hoppe’s failure to appear, he has not seen the field in the past month and was not included in last weekends squad. The matchup will take place at 8a Saturday morning.
Zack Steffen received his first EPL start with Manchester City last weekend and looked solid in the teams 2-0 win over Burnley. However, Ederson was available for the clubs midweek thumping of Club Brugge and will resume his role barring injury. Man City face Brighton and Hove Albion at 12:30p on NBC.
The Seattle Sounders and Sporting Kansas City face off in a battle for the Western Conference. Currently Kansas City trail by six points but they have a game in hand so a head to head win over Seattle would give them the opportunity to pull even. The match will be at 2:30p on Univision and TUDN.
The LA Galaxy and FC Dallas meet at 10p on Univision and TUDN so get on board the night train.
Streaming overseas:
John Brooks and Wolfsburg will look to get back on track when they face Freiburg at 9:30a on ESPN+. Wolfsburg have lost three straight Bundesliga matches and fell midweek to RB Salzburg in Champions League play as well.
Chris Richards will have a change to make a first hand impression with his parent club when Hoffenheim face Bayern Munich at 9:30a on EPSN+.
Giovanni Reyna remains out amid concerns that he may be out through the November international window as well. Borussia Dortmund face Arminia Bielefeld at 9:30a on ESPN+.
Matt Miazga and Deportivo Alaves face Cadiz at 10:!5a on ESPN+. Miazga has started the last three matches for Alaves.
Gianlucca Busio and Venezia have pulled themselves up to 15th place on five points from their last three matches and now face fourteenth place Sassuolo. The club is still just two points out of the relegation zone but if they are able to build on this strong run they will be in good position.
Fightin’ Joe Scally and Borussia Monchengladbach face Hertha Berlin at 12:30p on ESPN+. After a slow start to the season Gladbach have pulled themselves up to 10th place and solidly middle of the table.
Timothy Weah and Lille take on Brest at 3p on Fanatiz USA and beIN Sports. Lille lost last weekend to Clermont Foot and are still trying to find their bearings in their campaign to defend last seasons title.
Cade Cowell and the San Jose Earthquakes finish the night against Vancouver at 10p.
Sunday
Barcelona v Real Madrid – 10:15a on ESPN+
It’s an El Clasico matchup between Barcelona and Real Madrid and everybody is asking one question: does Sergino Dest have a new position? The American right back has been starting on the wing for Barcelona, most recently in their 1-0 Champions League victory over Dynamo Kiev though he did shift back to his more traditional RB role midway through the game. Dest also started at RW last weekend in the teams 3-1 win over Valencia and picked up an assist on the final goal.
Barcelona come into their first meeting of the season with Real Madrid five points out of first place and two points behind a cluster of teams that are currently in second including Real and Atletico. The matchup has not been kind to Barcelona recently, they are looking for their first head-to-head win since 2019 and have lost three straight.
Other notes:
Bryan Reynolds finally made the field for Roma but it was in a 6-1 Europa Conference League play thumping at the hands of Bodo/Glimt and he has not sniffed the field regularly in league play so it seems unlikely we will see him Sunday when Roma face Napoli at Noon on CBSSN.
Weston McKennie looks to continue his solid form as Juventus face Inter Milan at 2:45p on CBSSN.
Nicolas Gioachinni at Montpellier face Monaco at 11a on Fanatiz USA and beIN Sports.
Timothy Chandler has suddenly started three straight matches for Eintracht Frankfurt who face Bochum at 1:30p on ESPN+.
Konrad de la Fuente and Olympique Marseille will get a shot at PSG at 2:45p on Fanatiz USA and beIN Sports. Marseille currently sit in third place, although already 10 points back of league leading PSG.
Champions League talking points: Liverpool make a statement; Barcelona, Real Madrid win ahead of Clasico
Oct 21, 2021ESPN
Matchday 3 of the Champions League group stage has been and gone, and there is plenty to discuss, from important wins for Barcelona and Real Madrid ahead of El Clasico, to an epic Manchester United comeback and struggles for several German teams.
We asked Rob Dawson, Alex Kirkland and Derek Rae to answer some big questions.
What caught your attention on Matchday 3?
Dawson: Liverpool‘s 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid was fantastic entertainment and put a dent in the argument that the Champions League group stages are dull. To go to the champions of Spain and win was a huge statement from Liverpool and they should be considered one of the favourites to lift the trophy.Kirkland: There were other eye-catching results for Spanish teams — Real Madrid’s 5-0 demolition of Shakhtar, Villarreal‘s 4-1 win at Young Boys — but yes, it’s hard to avoid Atletico’s perplexing loss to Liverpool. What do you make of a game where Atletico were dreadful for 20 minutes, unplayable for a long spell after that, and finally undone by a red card and a penalty? It was simultaneously encouraging and disappointing, and it feels like we’re still no closer to finding out exactly what they’re capable of this season.
Rae: As someone who focuses heavily on the Bundesliga, this was a bitterly disappointing midweek for German clubs. (Thank goodness for Bayern Munich, whose opener in the 4-0 win at Benfica from man-of-the-match Leroy Sane evoked Arjen Robben memories.)
I expected a hard game for Dortmund at Ajax, but could not have foreseen such an emphatic 4-0 clobbering. Meanwhile, Leipzig had good phases in the 3-2 defeat at Paris Saint-Germain, but they were undone by individual mistakes from which Tyler Adams and Mohamed Simakan must learn. Wolfsburg under Mark van Bommel are just a mess; after being outplayed by a youthful, vibrant Salzburg for a 3-1 defeat, they have gone seven without a win in all competitions.
Real Madrid and Barcelona won; which of the two gives you more optimism?
Kirkland: In terms of being Champions League contenders: neither. Madrid are stronger right now, but they’re still way off the likes of Bayern, Man City, Chelsea or Liverpool. The defence is significantly weaker without Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane, and Carlo Ancelotti doesn’t feel like a coach for a rebuild.
Ronald Koeman’s Barcelona, meanwhile, are a zombie team: lurching on with a coach who should have been sacked by now, and would have been if an affordable replacement had been available. Barca’s kids are very exciting, but it’s much too soon to hope they can bring European success in the short term.
Rae: In the short term, Madrid have the greater upside. The squad is more seasoned and deeper, while the attack, with Karim Benzema playing some of his best football for years, is better than what Barca can muster. Meanwhile, Vinicius Jr.’s development is fascinating to watch and there is just a firmer base about Real.
But Barcelona might be a very different proposition in the coming years. The shoots of recovery are visible, especially with teenagers Gavi, Pedri and a fit-again Ansu Fati. Barca are behind their rivals in most areas, but the La Masia academy represents the club’s biggest source of hope.
Dawson: Both are teams in transition but Real Madrid seem to be dealing with it far better than Barcelona. In Benzema they have got one of the best strikers in the world and they have the benefit of Ancelotti, who has seen it all before. This is not a vintage Madrid side by any stretch but they will fancy their chances of being in the hunt for trophies at the end of the season. Barcelona, meanwhile, look like they’re in survival mode and Koeman will be lucky to survive the season, never mind lift any silverware.
What do you think about technology use in the Champions League?
Rae: I do not see a huge difference regarding VAR use and that is probably not a surprise, given the leagues I cover most closely — Bundesliga and LaLiga — do not deviate much, if at all, from UEFA standards. England may be different.
What I would say is that hand signals after VAR decisions could do with work from some UEFA refs. For example, Romania’s Ovidiu Hategan managed to fool many a commentator and fan on the first disallowed Bayern goal against Benfica by apparently pointing to the centre spot. His signal for second disallowed goal was not significantly clearer!
Dawson: The implementation of VAR in the Premier League was bumpy to say the least but, in general, it has been a lot smoother this season. Purely from a spectator’s view, it has not seemed as streamlined in the Champions League this season. Fans don’t like delays to a game which should be free-flowing and the quicker VAR decisions are reached, the better for everyone.
Kirkland: There’s been endless VAR talk in Spain recently, with frustration over Kylian Mbappe‘s winning goal for France in the UEFA Nations League final. There was frustration here too at the role VAR played on Tuesday in denying Atletico a penalty and chance for an equaliser for Diogo Jota‘s challenge on Jose Maria Gimenez and how long the decision took, regardless of the merits. Overall though, the way VAR is used in Europe feels faster, more transparent and less intrusive than it does in LaLiga.
What is the best Champions League goal you have seen live?
Dawson: Nothing will top the drama of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s winner against Bayern Munich in the 1999 final but the atmosphere inside Old Trafford after Cristiano Ronaldo scored the winner in injury time against Villarreal on Sept. 29 was a moment to make the hairs on your neck stand up. Fans have been locked out of stadiums for too long because of the COVID-19 pandemic and a lot of pent up emotion seemed to come flooding out when Ronaldo’s shot hit the net.
Kirkland: So many to choose from. Gabriel Batistuta’s rocket for Fiorentina at Wembley in October 1999 was special and Thierry Henry’s solo run at the Bernabeu in 2006 is hard to beat, given the circumstances. The other that has always stuck in my mind was Lionel Messi‘s first against Arsenal in March 2011. What he did — scooping the ball over hapless goalkeeper Manuel Almunia before finishing — was so good that you couldn’t tell what he’d done in real time. (The replays on the big screens at Camp Nou were greeted by awed ‘oooohs’ from the crowd).
Rae: I was not in Glasgow for Zinedine Zidane’s masterpiece in the 2002 final, so will go for a final goal I did see in the flesh. It is a strange one in some ways but I picked it because Messi says it is one of his all-time favourites and that is good enough for me.
The image of it stays in my mind to this day: With Barcelona 1-0 up in the 2009 final against Manchester United in Rome, Xavi’s superb ball was whipped in from the right and the 5-foot-7 superstar, then 22, jumped as high as I have ever seen him jump, before flinging himself at the ball, which looped over the helpless Edwin van der
In battle over biennial World Cups, FIFA isn’t the villain you think it is
Let’s begin with the obvious. FIFA, as full of it as ever, with customary disregard for women’s soccer, has launched a ruthless campaign to increase the frequency of World Cups. Its origins, supposedly, are a Saudi Arabian proposal, which led to a “feasibility study,” which has been dreadfully opaque. It’s clear, though, that no matter the feasibility, FIFA has decided that biennial World Cups would be desirable.So it enlisted soccer legends to shill for a plan woefully short on detail. They met resistance every step of the way, from players and FIFPro, the global players’ union; from managers and massive clubs; from many in the women’s game, who feel their World Cups would be overshadowed; and most of all, from the European soccer governing body, UEFA.UEFA, in a statement last week, blasted the plans yet again, saying they would “damage all forms of football, devalue the [World Cup] itself, disadvantage fans financially and stunt the development of women’s and youth football around the world.” It cited player health. It said that “any perceived attraction is shallow.” More tan a dozen European nations have reportedly considered splitting with FIFA, or boycotting the World Cup, if FIFA tries to force the changes through.Fans and Western media have largely sided with the Europeans, framing this intensifying fight as good vs. evil, as nobility vs. FIFA greed. And they have a point. The chief motive here is money. FIFA rakes in billions from the men’s World Cup. Playing it twice as often might devalue it long-term, but would immediately boost FIFA’s bottom line.This fight, though, is not good vs. evil. It’s a battle for control. It’s a global organization that represents the interests of global soccer vs. a European organization that represents the interests of European soccer. And the Europeans are winning. They’re tightening their grip on power. The biennial World Cup is FIFA’s desperate attempt to wrest some back.
FIFA vs. UEFA, greed vs. more greed
FIFA and UEFA are driven by a singular force. Each wants to organize games and tournaments between the world’s most popular soccer players. They want to sell sponsorships and broadcast rights to those games, and distribute profits among their members, who use the handouts to buy or develop more popular soccer players, whom FIFA or UEFA will eventually monetize too.And for a while now, UEFA has done this more often and more profitably than FIFA has. The global governing body reported $5.7 billion in revenue from 2015-2018. The European governing body, over that same period, made roughly $14.3 billion.UEFA is winning because its premier competition, the Champions League, runs annually, four times as frequently as FIFA’s. And because, although the entire world supplies the Champions League, only European clubs and associations benefit from it. All the best players from Asia, Africa and the Americas play for a handful of elite Western European teams. So the biggest companies from Asia, Africa and the Americas want to sponsor those teams, their games and the tournaments they contest.So the money flows, and the Europeans consolidate their power. Argentina, Senegal and South Korea develop players. European leagues, European clubs and European soccer federations (via UEFA) profit off those players. They turn profits into infrastructure that ensures future profits for themselves. Club owners — American billionaires, Russian oligarchs, Arab sheiks — pocket cash or goodwill along the way. The pattern, which reinforces itself, is backward at best, colonialist at worst, and the organization best positioned to disrupt it is … FIFA.
What FIFA posits, essentially, is that players developed by Argentina, Senegal and South Korea — or by Guatemala, Tanzania and Oman — should play more often in competitions organized by a governing body that represents those countries. And FIFA, for all its corruption, sleaziness and incompetence, still does that. It shares its revenue with all 211 member associations. Yes, it pays president Gianni Infantino and other privileged executives millions of dollars, and constantly undermines its own credibility. But it does funnel revenue from World Cups to Sri Lanka, and Uganda, and Dominica, funding soccer in countries where the resources of Western European life do not exist.Many of those countries crave a biennial World Cup because if FIFA’s revenue soars, theirs will too. FIFA’s solidarity payments are their main source of income, their youth players’ main source of opportunity. One-hundred sixty-six of them supported the “feasibility study.” If all or most of them were to vote in favor of the biennial plan at a special congress or the regularly scheduled FIFA Congress on March 31, the plan would become reality.European media have rued FIFA’s democratic structure, rightly pointing out that it gives no say to players. They’ve whined that it gives as much say to a country that wins World Cups as it does to one that will never sniff a prestigious tournament. But the latter isn’t inferior by choice. Many developing countries adore soccer. They simply struggle to build professional leagues or competitive national teams because countless decks have been stacked against them. Historical forces have diverted resources elsewhere. And now, a European-centric soccer system has left them behind.What UEFA posits is that the powerful men who rule that system should remain powerful. That the system produces entertaining soccer as is. That fans enjoy it, and players tolerate it, and money keeps rolling in. That the status quo is fine, and preferable to FIFA’s flawed plan.And in some ways, UEFA is right. Much of the pushback is legitimate. FIFA’s initial focus on the men’s game and neglect for the women’s game has, in some eyes, left the biennial concept doomed from the start.But UEFA’s mission here isn’t altruistic. It isn’t a soccer savior fighting a corrupt villain. It’s a four-letter acronym representing an establishment and fighting on behalf of its own members’ interests. You know, just like FIFA so often is.
Why the biennial World Cup battle will end in compromise
FIFA’s problem is that it can’t make this argument because the argument frames players as products rather than humans, and feeds suspicions that the fuel behind the plan is financial. Instead, FIFA has relied on empty logic and pleas about “the future of football,” because without more regular World Cups, apparently, according to Infantino, “football is risking to lose its appeal” among Gen Z. It also attempted to attach the biennial World Cup proposal to a rejiggering of the international match calendar, which is necessary and rational but mostly unrelated.The arguments were easy to rebut. And European powerbrokers have, relentlessly. Even the International Olympic Committee joined the resistance last weekend. This week, with the narrative largely controlled by European media, FIFA’s resolve began wavering. Rather than push for a vote in December, Infantino announced Wednesday that FIFA would hold a virtual “global summit” on Dec. 20 and “try to reach a consensus.”A consensus, of course, will never form around a biennial World Cup. CONMEBOL, the South American confederation, has also opposed the plan. And while it could technically be voted into bylaw without any European or South American support, the Europeans and South Americans could just as easily jump ship, arrange their own lucrative tournament, and detonate the World Cup’s appeal.All of which is why Infantino’s words at a 45-minute news conference Wednesday hinted at eventual compromise. “I’m here to unite,” he said, after acknowledging vehement criticism. “I’m not here to divide.”The path to common ground could be rocky. Collisions along the way could be explosive. They often are when two powerful, self-interested bodies clash. The result could be a global nations league, or a second, diluted quadrennial competition. UEFA’s power, though, which in some ways outweighs FIFA’s, should prevent a true biennial World Cup from materializing.That isn’t cause for celebration. It isn’t a win for the everyman over the powerful elite. In fact, if you squint, you could see it as the opposite. You could see FIFA, despite its sinful past and seedy present, as a voice of the voiceless, fighting to reclaim the world’s game on behalf of the world.“They all must be listened to,” Infantino said Wednesday of his 211 member associations. “And my role is exactly to listen to everyone, to listen to every side, to give a voice to those who are never heard.”
High School Regional Finals CHS Boys & Girls at Home Murray Stadium this Saturday
The #3 Ranked Carmel High Girls defeated Brownsburg 3-0 on the road Wed with a couple of Assists by former Carmel FC star Emily Roper to advance to the Regional Finals Saturday at Murray Stadium where they will face East Central at 3:30 pm. #2 Homestead downed #1 Noblesville 4-2 to advance to the Finals at Kokomo. The Carmel Boys defeated Avon 3-1 at Avon to advance to the Regional Championships at 1 pm on Saturday at Murray Stadium. Tickets for the games are $8 and available here. The Cathedral girls face Brebeuf Sat at 4 pm at Bishop Chatard.
US Wins 2-1 in Columbus – stands in 2nd in Concacaf standings 6 games in
The Youngest ever group to start a US Qualifier rallied from an early goal down to win 2-1 in front of a wild crowd at the Fabulous new Columbus Crew Lower.com Field. I was part of that crowd along with my neighbors Partha and Ed – check out the pics.
Barcelona Defender Sergino Dest scored a screamer to tie the game up in the first half before Lille’s Tim Weah’s 2nd half goal to put the US ahead for good. Coach Berhalter returned home to the place he once coached the MLS Crew and started his former Goalkeeper Zach Steffan in net for the first time in the Qualifiers. Listen I had no issue with Steffan in goal here and he played fine overall. The backline was solid with the return of Dest and Robinson on the edges and Miles Robison in the middle along with surprise starter Hoffenheim centerback Chris Richards. Richards definitely had issues with turnovers at times – and showed why he’s probably 4th in the pecking order of Center Backs – while Miles Robinson again proved why he should NEVER not be on the Field at Centerback for the US again for the next 15 years – he was a rock back there. Dest of course gave up the first cross that led to the Costa Rica goal before showing his offensive swerve with his game tying goal. He is honestly the flashiest player (check this rebono from Wed Destinho) the US has produced – can tell he plays for Barcelona. Meanwhile Antonee Robinson showed he is far and away our best left back option with his continued runs into the offense with solid cover on defense.
Speaking of cover – is there any doubt who the MVP and true Captain of this team is – Tyler Adams controls the game from his Dmid #6 slot and continues to prove we are simply not the same team without him. In the middle I thought Weston McKinney was solid if not unspectacular-he still disappears for entire portions of the game – and needs to press his will on the game more in my opinion. One of the biggest finds this year by Berhalter to me is Yanus Musah. The 18 year-old Valencia man is simply made to play in our midfield when McKinney and Adams are on the field too. Musah’s ability to move the dang ball forward instead of backwards (Roldan, Bradley, ) is what sets him apart. He really runs at the defense and breaks them down – and even though he hasn’t mastered the perfect pass yet – you can see he’s thinking it – the kid is 18 – and he really makes this US team better!
Speaking of making us better – Brenden Aaronson is the next coming of Landon Donovan – period. He’s going to be that good – and at just 20 years old he’s only going to get better. He runs forever – with a constant motor – and already you can tell he’s reading the game better after just a few months at Champs League side Salzberg. Honestly seeing as Pulisic is always injured – having Aaronson to fill in the 5 out of 10 games that Christian doesn’t play is a nice safety net – and if Christian is healthy – Aaronson is a super 2nd half sub on the opposite side. The opposite side (right wing) was the key position in my mind this game as Tim Weah (subbing for late scratch Paul Arriola) turned in a man of the match performance. His lightning quick bursts down the line were impressive finally leading to the 2nd half winning goal. Thank goodness fate stepped in and kept Berhalter from screwing this up!!
Speaking of Berhalter – I take my shots at him – and yes he seems to make some INTERESTING decisions sometime – but folks saying this was a do or die game for him are just flat stupid! All the guy has done is win 2 straight trophies using 2 completely different teams while beating our archrivals Mexico each time in the process. He’s invited more players – young players into camp than the 3 previous coaches combined – while only losing 3 games in the process. Yes Berhalter is trying to change the way the US plays – he’s trying to get this young talented team to possess the ball and control the tempo – something NO OTHER US TEAM – has ever done even against the Minnows of CONCACAF. We should absolutely control the possession against every team in CONCACAF except perhaps Mexico. But switching to this style of play takes talented players who can pass and control the ball – something the young guys seem to have. He just started the youngest ever team to play a qualifier and won. This team is the Golden Generation – and I for one think Berhalter is doing a fine job bringing this young team along. I can honestly say that every player who started tonight – could well be on the squad in Qatar and 4 years later in the US – in fact in 2026 many of them will really be hitting the prime of their careers. This team is building for the future – just like Berhalter is. He’s learning on the job- he makes mistakes along with way – but overall this team is trending up. We are the highest we have been ranked in forever – and this team will qualify for the World Cup in Qatar. Oh and Cudos to ESPN on Wed night – solid ½ pregame showing and decent 15 minute postgame –in wasn’t Paramount plus’s fantastic coverage with a 1 hr lead in and outtro- but it was better than normal.
The Ole Ballcoach is desperately looking for Mexico vs USA tickets next month in Cincy – if you have a line on tickets please let me know. 1, 2, 3, 4 tickets – willing to pay over price.
Champions League is Back Tues/Wed –Paramount+ US Players Abound
Looking ahead to Champions League this week finds Americans in darn near half the games which are on Paramount – with the Golazo Show covering all the games on CBS Sports Network at 3 pm Tues/Wed. (See full schedule on the OBC) Wednesday 6 of the 7 games have American’s headed by Salzburg and American winger Brendan Aaronson vs Wolfsburg and Centerback John Brooks at 12:45 pm. Tuesday the big Game is PSG vs RB Leipzig with American coach Jesse Marsch and Tyler Adams on Paramount+ at 3 pm along with Liverpool traveling to Atletico Madrid also at 3. You have to see this Trick Shot by Dortmund’s Haaland.
US Ladies Play Thurs Night ESPN– Carli Lloyd’s Last Games
The US 2nd Leading Scorer of All time will lace them up for the USWNT just 2 more times as they play South Korea Thurs night on ESPN then Tues night on FS1.
US Ladies Roster
GOALKEEPERS (2): Jane Campbell (Houston Dash; 6), Adrianna Franch (Kansas City NWSL; 9)
FORWARDS (7): Tobin Heath (Arsenal, ENG; 179/36), Carli Lloyd (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 314/134), Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride; 188/114), Mallory Pugh (Chicago Red Stars; 65/18), Megan Rapinoe (OL Reign; 185/61), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns FC; 8/1), Lynn Williams (North Carolina Courage; 42/13)
Indy 11 face Louisville at Home Sat 7 pm My TV 23
Indy Eleven could put a nice little feather in its 2021 cap by taking the season series against Louisville outright for the first time with a win on Saturday at 7 pm. Tickets are still available. Playoff chances are slim to none for the 11 so this might be the last real chance to salvage something out of the season by knocking off their heated rival Louisville. Sat night is Breast Cancer Awareness Night – Real Men Wear Pink !! – In conjunction with Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a limited amount player worn and signed warm up jerseys will be available for purchase at the game (while supplies last). Portions of the proceeds will support American Cancer Society and Indy Eleven Foundation. Pink Tshirts and Scarfs will also be available.
The BYB is Hosting the Annual ChILI COOK-OFF will be from 4:00 PM 6:00 PM before the game in the BYB Lot.
BIG GAMES TO WATCH
Sat 10/16 (American’s in Parenthesis)
9:30 am ESPN+ Freiburg vs RB Leipzig (Adams)
9:30 am ESPN+ Union Berlin vs Wolfsburg (Brooks)
10 am USA Leicester City vs Man United
11 am beIN Sport Lille (Weah) vs Clermont
12 Noon NBC Brentford vs Chelsea (Pulisic)
High School Regional Finals CHS Boys 1 pm & Girls 2:30 pm at Home Murray Stadium this Saturday
7 pm ESPN+ TV23 Indy II vs Louisville
10:30 pm EPSN+ LA Galaxy vs Portland Timbers
Sun 10/17
9 am NBCSN Everton vs West Ham
930 am ESPN+ Bayer Leverkusen vs Bayern Munich
11:30 am NBCSN NewCastle United vs Tottenham
1 pm ESPN NY Red Bulls vs NYCFC
2 pm CBSSN NC Courage vs NY/NJ Gotham FC NWSL
2:45 pm Paromout+ Juventus (McKennie) vs Roma
3 pm ESPN+ Barcelona (Dest) vs Valencia (Musah)
7 pm Paramount+ Houston Dash vs Portland Thorns
Tues 10/19 – Champions League
10 am Paramount+ Celtic vs Ferencaros (Europa)
12:45 Paramount+ Beziktas vs Sporting CP
3 pm Paramount+ PSG vs RB Leipzig (Adams)
3 pm Paramount+ Atletico Madrid vs Liverpool
3 pm Paramount+ Porto vs Milan
3 pm Paramount+ Brugge vs Man City (Stefan)
Wed 10/20 – Champions League
10:30 am Paramount+ Spartak vs Leicester City (Europa)
12:45 Paramount+ Salzburg (Aaronson) vs Wolfsburg (Brooks)
12:45 Paramount+ Barcelona (Dest) vs Dynamo Kyiv
3 pm Paramount+ Lille (Weah) vs Sevilla
3 pm Paramount+ Chelsea (Pulisic) vs Malmo
3 pm Paramount+ Young Boys (Pfuk) vs Villareal
3 pm Paramount+ Man United vs Atalanta
3 pm Paramount+ Zenit vs Juventus (McKinney)
Thurs 10/21
12:45 Paramount+ Vitesse vs Tottenham
8 pm ESPN USA Women vs Korea KC
Tues 10/26
8 pm FS1 USA Women (Carli Lloyd last game) vs Korea KC
PARAMOUNT PLUS Live TV, Soccer & Originals Starting price: $4.99/mo. Features Champions League, US Men’s National Team, CONCACAF WORLD CUP Qualifying, , Serie A, Europa League Free Trial
Soccer on TV: Leicester City-Manchester United and a Bundesliga first-place battle bring European club soccer back to action
Plus, find all the info you need to watch the big games in Italy, Spain, MLS and the NWSL.Oct 14, 2021 The Philly Union – The Goalkeeper
Leicester City vs. Manchester United
Saturday, 10 a.m. (USA Network, Universo)
Leicester has endured a wobbly start to the Premier League season, with recent ties against lowly Crystal Palace (owned by the Sixers’ Josh Harris) and Burnley. The Foxes have the talent to get back on track in $33 million striker Patson Daka (a former teammate of Brenden Aaronson at Red Bull Salzburg) and midfielders Harvey Barnes, James Maddison, and Youri Tielemans Philly
Manchester United, of course, has Cristiano Ronaldo and Paul Pogba. The Red Devils are two points out of first, and probably won’t top the table after this weekend because the other top teams all have winnable games. But they have the look of title contenders.
Bayer Leverkusen vs. Bayern Munich
Sunday, 9:30 a.m. (ESPN+)
At just 18 years old, Florian Wirtz has fired Leverkusen into a first-place tie atop the Bundesliga with Bayern. Can the challengers dethrone the nine-time reigning champions and win their first German league title since 1979? This game will tell us if they’re for real.
Newcastle United vs. Tottenham Hotspur
Sunday, 11:30 a.m. (NBCSN, Telemundo)
Newcastle plays its first game since the club was bought by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which everyone involved — including the Premier League — insists isn’t the same thing as the Saudi government. But PIF chair Mohammed bin Salman is the country’s crown prince, deputy prime minister, and minister of defense.Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International were among many vocal critics of the deal. Amnesty accused the Premier League of “allowing those implicated in serious human rights violations to walk into English football simply because they have deep pockets.”Bin Salman has long been accused of ordering the killing of journalist Jamal Khasoggi, though he denies it; and the country’s government has a reputation for abusing rights activists and quashing dissent.For many Newcastle fans, though, all that seems to not matter. On the day the deal was sealed, a big crowd celebrated outside the Magpies’ St. James’ Park Stadium. Some fans chanted “We’ve got our club back!” after longtime owner Mike Ashley, whose reign had Newcastle as one of England’s most glaring underachievers, departed.
New York Red Bulls vs. New York City FC
Sunday, 1 p.m. (ESPN, ESPN Deportes)
A few weeks ago, the Red Bulls were presumed to be too far out of the playoff race to make a serious run. They’ve since proven that presumption wrong, charging up the standings with a six-game unbeaten run. Two of those games were against NYCFC. A win or tie here would make this year the first since 2015, the Pigeons’ debut season, that the Red Bulls haven’t lost against their Hudson River Derby rivals.
Thanks to having two games in hand, Gotham has not just a shot at a playoff berth, but an outside chance at a first-round bye if it can win out. On paper, this is the hardest of the four remaining games for Carli Lloyd, Margaret Purce and company. The remaining three include a visit to last-place Kansas City and a home-and-home set against next-to-last Louisville.
Juventus vs. Roma
Sunday, 2:45 p.m. (Paramount+)
Juventus seems to finally be up off the mat in Serie A, in seventh place with four straight wins after starting the season with two losses and two ties. Roma is in fourth place thanks in part to English forward Tammy Abraham, formerly of Chelsea. This will be a measuring-stick game for both teams.
Barcelona vs. Valencia
Sunday, 3 p.m. (ESPN+)
Barcelona’s Sergiño Dest and Valencia’s Yunus Musah starred for the U.S. men’s national team in Wednesday’s 2-1 World Cup qualifying win over Costa Rica. They might get this game off to rest, but Barcelona can’t take it too lightly. Archrival Real Madrid comes to town next weekend.
Though Gianluca Busio only got limited playing time in the U.S.’ recent World Cup qualifiers, he looked great when given the chance. Now he returns to Italy to help Venezia continue its quest to avoid going back down to Serie B in its first top-flight season for 19 years.
By the way, if you’re a soccer fashionista, Venezia’s viral-sensation jerseys are coming back in stock. You’ll have to fork over $127, including all the shipping fees, you can’t get customization, and you might also have to gamble on getting the size right. But the jerseys are really sharp.
United States comes back to beat Costa Rica as Sergino Dest strikes
The United States came from behind in impressive fashion to beat Costa Rica in its CONCACAF World Cup qualifier at the new home of Columbus Crew on Wednesday night.
U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter changed his lineup significantly, inserting goalkeeper Zack Steffen among nine changes to the starting 11 following Sunday’s 1-0 loss away to Panama as his team looked to pick up a needed three points against a veteran Costa Rica team. The Americans gave up a first-minute goal to Costa Rica’s Keysher Fuller, but drew level in the 26th when Sergino Dest buried a gorgeous shot from distance on the counter-attack to beat Keylor Navas.”I was like, I have to shoot it,” Dest said. “I was just so happy We needed that goal. It was a really important goal. Right now we are on track.”The home side continued to pile on the pressure after conceding early, but Costa Rica did not go away and saw a penalty shot waved off as half-time approached when Chris Richards appeared to trip up Johan Venegas in the area after a poor giveaway by the U.S. defense.A Costa Rica own goal saw the U.S. take the lead after the hour mark, when Timothy Weah‘s well-struck shot from a tight angle came back off the post and bounced off backup keeper Leonel Moreira, who came on for the injured Navas, before trickling into the net.Paris Saint-Germain keeper Navas injured his right adductor muscle and was replaced by Moreira at half-time.The U.S. had Costa Rica scrambling after it took the lead and saw several near chances go before seeing out the victory to move up to 11 points from six matches in the team’s quest to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.The three points was all the more impressive given the Americans fielded their youngest lineup ever in a World Cup qualifier, averaging 22 years, 61 daysNext up for Berhalter and the Americans is a huge Octagonal match against Mexico on Nov. 12 in Cincinnati (watch live on ESPN2 at 9:10 p.m. ET). The U.S. will visit Jamaica four days later.Over its final six matches, the U.S. must travel to Canada, Mexico and Costa Rica.
USMNT Is Positioned Well for Mexico, World Cup Qualification After Roller-Coaster Week
Two home wins sandwiched a dreadful road defeat, but the key moments tilted in the favor of the U.S., which is left with a positive World Cup qualifying outlook.
n such an intense, fast-moving period, it’s easy to become prisoner of the moment.As it relates to the U.S. men’s national team and its quest to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, that means, for those on the outside, contemplating a roller coaster of what-ifs, worst-case scenarios and knee-jerk reactions that may either be lacking the context of the bigger picture or may not entirely be rooted in reality—at least not with the full complement of evidence required to come to such conclusions. For those on the inside, it means tuning all of that out as much as possible and keeping one eye on the big picture and the other on what’s right in front of you.“What I try to avoid, especially with the team, is putting pressure on them because of external forces. We have enough internal pressure that we want to play a certain way. We want to play well and we want to win games,” U.S. manager Gregg Berhalter said following Wednesday night’s 2–1 win over Costa Rica. “But all of World Cup qualifying is difficult. All of World Cup qualifying is challenging. And sometimes I feel like people forget that and people think it’s a cakewalk and we’re going to play the youngest team in the history of U.S. Soccer in a game, and we’re just going to breeze through these games. It’s not realistic.”The U.S. most certainly did not breeze through this October window, but on the surface, a six-point haul after home wins vs. Jamaica and Costa Rica and a lifeless road defeat to Panama represents another satisfactory effort in the grand scheme. Somewhat ironically, though, it was a series of individual moments that allowed the U.S. to emerge from the October window in good shape. The victory over Costa Rica was defined by a number of instants that went the U.S.’s way (after the first-minute calamity, that is). There was the 13-pass sequence that led to Sergiño Dest’s goal (and yes, the sequence nearly broke down after the first few passes, and you could argue that Tim Weah should’ve hit an early, first-time cross to Dest, but the play wound up with Dest’s banger of a goal, so all of that is moot).There was the potential-PK-that-wasn’t on Chris Richards’s sliding challenge on Jonathan Moya (Berhalter may wind up grateful after all that Concacaf does not have VAR available in this competition). There was Miles Robinson’s awful giveaway and heroic recovery tackle (he’s fortunate that was Bryan Ruiz who made the steal and not someone with the pace of, say, Alphonso Davies). There was the injury to Costa Rica star goalkeeper Keylor Navas that at least raises the idea that perhaps Weah’s shot that resulted in the game-winning own goal could have had a different fate. And there was the pregame injury to Paul Arriola that resulted in Weah’s starting to begin with. There’s no telling what Arriola could have or would have done in that place, but Weah wound up as one of the U.S.’s top performers on the night. Often, a complex picture boils down to the fine margins, and on Wednesday, the majority fell in favor of the Americans.So the U.S. moves forward as part of a trio of teams beginning to separate from the pack. The Concacaf Octagonal isn’t halfway done just yet, but the three 2026 World Cup hosts—Mexico, the U.S. and Canada—are positioned best to secure the region’s three automatic berths for the 2022 showcase. For the U.S., there’s a five-point buffer between its current standing and not making it to Qatar, though with road matches at Canada, Mexico and Costa Rica still to come, the hard part hasn’t yet hit.Since this is the first eight-team final round of Concacaf qualifying, there’s no previous data to draw upon to determine what would be a target number of points for the U.S. to hit to secure a top-three berth, but through six games, the U.S. is likely and roughly halfway to glory slightly less than halfway through the fixture list.There’s little time to rest on laurels, though. The home Mexico game is on tap next, and full focus will be on Cincinnati, where the U.S. can either pull even on points with El Tri atop the table or find itself dragged back closer to the middle of the pack, allowing the external doubts to creep back in ahead of a trip to Jamaica. Barring injuries, the U.S. will have a full deck for the Mexico match. It was imperative that Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie, the indispensable midfielders they are, avoided picking up second yellow cards in qualifying Wednesday that would have rendered them suspended (Adams looked to be close to receiving one for dissent after Costa Rica’s opening goal, with the referee going to his pocket before ultimately not doling one out). If Christian Pulisic and Gio Reyna are fit to rejoin the team—and take a second to consider that the U.S. has secured 11 points from six games by getting just one match out of Reyna, just over one and a half from Pulisic and one and a half from imposing center back John Brooks—then Berhalter may actually have a full complement of top talent for his first time as U.S. coach. Given that November’s is a more traditional two-game window and not a three-game one, squad rotation will be less of a requirement as well.All eyes will also be on the U.S. goal. Zack Steffen was handed the start in Columbus, and the first-minute fiasco made for a clinic of second-guessing. Did Berhalter need to make a change in the back and open himself up to the potential for criticism when Matt Turner had been so steady? In the long run, it may prove that getting Steffen that game has tremendous value, and while it’s nice that on one hand the U.S. feels it has two goalkeepers it can turn to in big spots and feel equally at peace, it helps when there’s consistency at the back. Steffen lost the No. 1 job due to injury and COVID-19, so in one sense it’s unfair to take it from him permanently, but Turner had deputized well in the previous five games, coming up with pivotal moments that are likely to be overlooked when qualifying is through, and, unlike Steffen, he plays regularly for his club. The scrutiny over the decision in goal doesn’t look to be ending anytime soon.But that’s a question to be sorted in a few weeks’ time. For now, the U.S. has emerged from another grind of a week in a position of strength. It’s sandwiched in the table between Mexico and Canada, who remain the only unbeaten sides left in the region. Elsewhere, Panama remains equally capable of stifling top foes at home while struggling on the road. Costa Rica looks old and severely limited. Jamaica got the win it needed to remain alive and will hope that the likes of Michail Antonio and Leon Bailey come back next month to fortify the squad before it becomes too late. El Salvador is still a tough foe that has little to show for its efforts in the points column. Honduras is in last place and onto a new coach, its hopes of qualifying for a third World Cup in four cycles dwindling by the game.All things considered, the U.S. remains right where it needs to be to achieve its ultimate goal, and after all the angst, worry and hypothesizing over the last few days, that’s a fine place to reside.
United States reliance on youth pays off in comeback win over Costa Rica
Jeff CarlisleU.S. soccer correspondent
COLUMBUS, Ohio — As Sergino Dest and Tim Weah were making their way back to the United States bench after being substituted, the two offensive heroes pumped up the home crowd at Lower.com Field. Dest high-fived teammates, as well as a few fans. Weah found time to give his jersey to someone in the crowd. Even though there were about 17 minutes left in Wednesday’s World Cup qualifier against Costa Rica, they both showed their exuberance and confidence that the U.S. could see out the rest of the match.
That the U.S. did, prevailing 2-1 over the Ticos to grab a vital three points in its World Cup qualifying quest. The energy displayed by Dest and Weah was fitting in that this was a match where youth triumphed over experience. The U.S. starting lineup, averaging 22 years and 61 days, was the youngest it had ever fielded in a World Cup qualifier. Costa Rica, meanwhile, put out a starting XI with six players over 30. And its youngest player, 27-year-old Keysher Fuller, was older than the U.S.’s oldest player, 26-year-old goalkeeper Zack Steffen. The difference became even more pronounced later in the game when 39-year-old forward Alvaro Saborio, 37-year-old midfielder Christian Bolanos and 33-year-old defender Kendall Waston all entered the match.The U.S. certainly showed its inexperience at times, not the least of which was falling behind with less than a minute elapsed on the clock. But the U.S. showed plenty of resilience in recording a win that likely puts it second in the Octagonal standings.”For us to be navigating through this CONCACAF qualifying — which is a bear, a monster — with this group, and the amount of poise they showed on the field today, particularly going down a goal, and then the second half being up a goal and managing the game really well,” said United States coach Gregg Berhalter after the match. “I mean, Gianluca Busio comes on, and he looks like he’s 30 years old. So I’m proud of the effort. The guys showed a lot of poise and they’re growing. They’re growing as a team.”The start couldn’t have been more inauspicious. Less than a minute into the match, Steffen — something of a surprise starter after Matt Turner had started the first five matches — came off his line to clear a through ball with his head, but it didn’t eliminate the danger. With the U.S. defense scrambling to get back in shape, Ronald Matarrita found a wide open Fuller at the far post to sidestep past Steffen.Yet this youthful U.S. team didn’t crumble. In fact, it immediately seized the initiative, and even as the U.S. looked overeager with some of its passing, it was first to a lot of second balls and put consistent pressure on the Costa Rica goal.
“We weren’t nervous at all,” Weah said. “Obviously it was a bummer to take the goal pretty early in the game. But we knew what our game plan was, and it was to expose their backline and I feel like we did that. The outside backs played a huge role today. The wingers played great. Everyone played great so it was us coming together and just staying focused and adding that intensity.”The fear was that with all-world goalkeeper Keylor Navas in net for the Ticos, it was going to take something otherworldly to get on the scoreboard. Dest delivered precisely that, taking a pass from Yunus Musah near the corner of the box, moving the ball to his supposedly weaker left foot and unleashing a rocket into the top corner that left Navas with no chance. Not even the fact that his shoelace was untied could stop him.”I think it was [Weston McKennie], he made the run in behind and the guy follows him, so there was space for me,” Dest said. “I just got put inside and I thought like the only thing I could do at the moment was just shoot it, because we had to score. We are 1-0 down, so I felt like you know, we needed this point so I was just trying to show it and it was an amazing goal.”A critical point in the match came at halftime when it was revealed that Navas had suffered an adductor injury and would have to be substituted for by Leonel Moreira. Without its talisman in net, the game was there for the taking.The U.S. eventually took advantage in the 66th minute, as Dest turned provider for Weah, whose tight-angled drive went off Moreira, hit the post and trickled in. It officially went down as an own goal, though Berhalter said he would try to get that changed.Still, it was a big moment for Weah, who only found out five minutes before game time that he would be starting after Paul Arriola was injured during the warm-up. And just prior to the goal he noticed he was about to be subbed out.”I saw [Matthew] Hoppe and DeAndre [Yedlin] on the sideline getting ready to come in, so I kind of had the idea that I was gonna get subbed out,” he said. “But my goal was just to stay focused on till then and it just so happened at the ball came out wide to Serge and I saw the run and I just hit it one time and it happened to go in. It’s just being focused in those moments.”It was a redemptive performance for the U.S. following last Sunday’s loss to Panama, but especially for Dest. Much has been expected of the defender, he of the Ajax and now Barcelona pedigree, yet he has endured a rollercoaster ride in qualifying, struggling during the last window, especially when playing on the left side of the U.S. defense. In this window, Dest succeeded in raising his level, and in this match, he was the difference-maker that fans and teammates alike expected.”It’s almost like the sky’s the limit for [Dest]. He could be as good as he wants to be,” said Berhalter. “You saw today with his attacking play, it’s unreal. For Serge it’s just hanging in there mentally, really pushing himself to be to be the best when he’s on the field.”Dest admitted that qualifying games in CONCACAF are “an eye-opener” and a different world from what he’s used to in Europe. He noted that the intensity is high, and the opponents are hardworking.”And it’s just physical,” he added.But Dest and his teammates are learning they can play that card as well. And they needed to use their physical attributes — and brains too – to get past the Ticos. One moment that crystallized the task facing the U.S. was when defender Miles Robinson gave the ball away in the second half, sparking Costa Rica captain Bryan Ruiz on an apparent breakaway. But Robinson ate up the yards in ravenous fashion and snuffed out the threat. Costa Rica just didn’t have the legs.In the process, the U.S. banished some ghosts too. It was the Ticos who sent the U.S. team’s qualifying effort during the 2018 cycle into a tailspin with a 2-0 road victory. Four years later, this Costa Rica team is clearly one that is in transition. But it’s a foe that still needs to be vanquished, and the U.S. this time protected its home turf.The win puts the U.S. second in the Octagonal standings, but the six points in this window are a smidgen less than what was expected, given that a draw in Panama was doable. And the road is going to get tougher. A Nov. 12 home encounter with bitter rivals Mexico looms, as does a road tilt against Jamaica, which looked revived in a 2-0 road win against Honduras. The U.S. will need to play with more consistency. But so far youth has served the U.S. well, and at least for the moment, the qualifying campaign is back on track.
The USMNT and Balancing Momentum, Changes and the Big Picture
Wholesale lineup swaps led to a disjointed effort in Panama, but it’s all part of a long-term strategy. Whether it proves worthwhile is the lingering question.
quick glance at travel options from Chicago, where U.S. Soccer is headquartered, to Qatar, the host of the 2022 World Cup, reveals that, as of Monday, there are very few nonstop flights. The vast majority of routes come with stops along the way, some that may not be the most direct or convenient. This is not meant to be a travel advisory for those looking to book plans for next November, but more so a roundabout, metaphorical way at stating that for the U.S. men’s national team, making it to Qatar quite clearly won’t be achieved via the most direct and desirable means.In theory, having a top-choice team available for every World Cup qualifying match would be great. In theory, having to confront schedule compression that jeopardizes the wellbeing and ability of players more than it has in the past wouldn’t be a factor. And in theory, the quest to sustain momentum would not be in direct conflict with what’s realistically required over the span of such a hectic week.That’s how the U.S. wound up arriving at Sunday night’s approach, where the impact of seven lineup changes became a prevailing theme following a 1–0 defeat in Panama that, again, has the spotlight squarely on the U.S. to respond in its next match. With Weston McKennie (muscle strain) and Antonee Robinson (COVID-19 travel protocol due to his club being based in the U.K.) not making the trip, two changes were already guaranteed, but taking it a significant step further wound up throwing off the balance of the team. As manager Gregg Berhalter said, the U.S. was not great in duels vs. Panama, and its spacing was all off. The Americans didn’t manage a single shot on goal, and their expected goals total, something Berhalter has used as a data point to defend previous results where the final scoreboard hasn’t been fully flattering, was a paltry 0.22. As Berhalter succinctly and accurately said amid more detailed and self-reflecting remarks, “We were poor.”“Looking at the game [vs. Jamaica] on Thursday in Austin and then the travel and then what we’re going to be dealing with here, the conditions, we wanted to be able to get fresh guys on the field,” Berhalter said. “You saw some of the guys that played in the game in Austin had a difficult time bringing the intensity that we needed. So we were hoping with this lineup that we were going to get that, get mobility, and we didn’t play our best. We had a number of guys that performed below expectations, and that’s part of it. It’s a young group. It’s about learning, regrouping and going from here.”Winning the Nations League and Gold Cup this summer with different squads perhaps instituted a false level of expectation that the U.S. could effectively swap out lineups on a wholesale level and have little to no drop-off. But there’s nuance that gets lost in that. Not every player can step in and replicate to the same effect, and the number of the switches isn’t necessarily as important as the specifics of who wound up starting. Beyond that, the stakes are significantly higher here, and it’s become clear (if it wasn’t already) that Tyler Adams’s presence on the field can have a domino effect on everyone else. Trotting him out for the entirety of all three games this month, as was the case last month, was untenable, though, Berhalter said.“Prior to this camp, Tyler hasn’t been playing regularly for his team,” Berhalter said. “He had a little bit of injury, he was in and out of the lineup, so now to ask a player who has not had any load or much load in the last three weeks, to go play three 90s, I wasn’t comfortable with it, and I’ll take responsibility for that. The good thing is he’ll be ready to go against Costa Rica, and he should have full power for that game.”The number of changes was significantly higher compared with some of the U.S.’s chief competitors. It’s not apples to apples given the number of variables in play, but Mexico, playing with the luxury of having two straight home games with no travel in between matches, made three lineup changes from its first match of this window to the second. Perhaps more appropriate as it relates to the U.S., Mexico made five swaps last month between matches at Costa Rica and at Panama, and Los Canaleros held El Tri to a 1–1 draw—and would’ve taken all three points if not for a late Tecatito Corona equalizer.Canada, facedwith the difficulty of playing two straight road games before heading home, made five lineup swaps Sunday night. Costa Rica, the U.S.’s next opponent, played on the road and returned home, making just three changes in between games and knowing full well that a flight to Columbus beckoned.Los Ticos were in a considerably more desperate position, though, carrying only three points into their fifth game and knowing that defeat to El Salvador on Sunday would have spelled early doom. As much of a greater margin for error as there may be in a round that features 14 matches instead of the previous 10, there is still a giant match-to-match swing when it comes to comfort level in the table, considering the stakes.The level of comfort for the U.S., which hasn’t had the services of the injured Christian Pulisic and Gio Reyna for this full window, was different. Perhaps sitting atop the table entering Sunday’s game and having a slightly larger margin for error based on its most recent results, it felt able to take a calculated risk and make more sweeping changes, thinking that if it could steal a point or even all three in Panama that it’d be sitting pretty three days later vs. Costa Rica—and that even if it didn’t, it’d still be set up to succeed in its next match with a more full-strength squad. There’s a big picture to take into account, even if a quick-trigger fan base demands excellence on a game-to-game basis. The U.S. demands that of itself, too, but the practicality of executing that given all the constraints and long-term planning is not always considered. There’s no doubt that Berhalter and the U.S. got it horribly wrong Sunday night, but there’s little time to dwell on it when the next match and next chance to spin the narrative is less than 72 hours away.“I think the way to look at it—and this is how I looked at it—now it obviously doesn’t look like the best choice, but I think we have to wait until Thursday,” Berhalter said. “Because if we would’ve played the same players from the last game—first of all, two of them weren’t even here, so that was going to be impossible—but if we would’ve played the same players in this game, I’m not sure we would position ourselves in the best way to win again on Wednesday. The conditions that we’re dealing with here, the travel, with the weather, made it complicated. And we had to make I guess a somewhat risky decision, and the good thing is we’re still in second place.”He’s right about being in second place, but in such a congested table over a third of the way through the qualifying competition, the sixth-place team is only three points behind. And the problem with enduring such a self-inflicted stumble and coming up on the wrong end of that calculated risk is that the U.S. has put itself into a similar position as it did last window. It needs a win in its final match to stabilize its table standing and enter the next window feeling good about the big picture and its overall itinerary on what it hopes is a winding road that ultimately leads to Doha.“Our goal is to go into Wednesday’s game and get three points,” Berhalter said. “We take every game as it comes, and Wednesday is another opportunity to get three points and further establish our position in the group.”
Lot of Fight, a Little Fate and a Course Correction for USMNT
The U.S. men’s national team’s World Cup qualifying campaign has proven to be about a young group’s capacity to respond, and that was on display in a second window-salvaging win in as many months.
OLUMBUS, Ohio — The tifo hoisted by the American Outlaws behind the north goal of Lower.com Field was still fluttering in the evening breeze when disaster struck.“Our Future Is Now,” the massive banner read. But just 60 seconds into Wednesday’s World Cup qualifier against Costa Rica, the U.S. men’s national team’s future appeared imperiled. A short clearance by goalkeeper Zack Steffen, a somewhat surprising choice to start in place of workhorse Matt Turner, helped spark a Tico attack that ended with a slow, seeing-eye shot from defender Keysher Fuller bouncing in to Steffen’s right. And with that, the U.S. was losing this mostly must-win match before the smoke from the pre-game pyrotechnics had finished drifting into the Columbus night.This month’s three-game qualifying window was about responses. The U.S. had to respond to the absence of its two most dangerous attacking players, the injured Christian Pulisic and Gio Reyna. It had to respond to Sunday’s loss in Panama, which was probably its worst performance under coach Gregg Berhalter. And it had to respond following that stunning first-minute breakdown. That’s a test for any team. And it represents an especially intriguing challenge for one so inexperienced and young. The starting lineup Berhalter chose to face Costa Rica was the youngest in the program’s World Cup qualifying history. It averaged 22 years and 61 days.“That’s basically unheard of in international football,” Berhalter said.
The Americans controlled the contest, pinned Costa Rica back and deserved the good fortune to come. Sergiño Dest, the 20-year-old outside back, brought the U.S. level with a stunning 25th-minute equalizer. The hosts survived a couple nail-biting defensive errors on either side of halftime and then in the 66th, Tim Weah—a last-minute addition to the U.S. lineup—fired home the game-winner. The 2–1 victory and three points lifted the second-place Americans to a 3-1-2 record, strengthened their hold on one of Concacaf’s three direct berths to the 2022 World Cup and helped boost morale ahead of the November showdown with Mexico.Trevor Ruszkowski/USA TODAY Sports Both three-game windows have been a grind. The U.S. didn’t hit its stride in September until the second half of the third game. There was a steep learning curve for a team of qualifying debutants, injuries and the sensational suspension of midfield anchor Weston McKennie. This month, a relatively easy opening win over Jamaica was followed by the faceplant against Panama, which generated considerable conversation and concern about Berhalter’s faith in the depth of his player pool and the team’s mental fortitude. Fuller’s goal provided one more symbolic hurdle. The Americans cleared it with aplomb. https://41be34960ab1bd05b2b76c8ba5ee64ce.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html “What I try to avoid, especially with the team, is putting pressure on them because of external forces. We have enough internal pressure that we want to play a certain way. We want to play well and we want to win games,” the manager said. “But all of World Cup qualifying is difficult. All of World Cup qualifying is challenging. And sometimes I feel like people forget that and people think it’s a cakewalk and we’re going to play the youngest team in the history of U.S. Soccer in a game, and we’re just going to breeze through these games. It’s not realistic.”They’re young enough that seven players on the current squad, six of whom saw action on Wednesday, weren’t born when Columbus hosted its first World Cup qualifier back in the fall of 2000. The old Crew Stadium had become a symbolic and spiritual home for a national team lacking an official one, a fortress where the Americans routinely challenged Mexico for regional supremacy and lost only once. The venue is now different and far more modern. But if Columbus really is the national team’s spiritual home, then the ghosts delivered for the Americans on Wednesday.Winger Paul Arriola pulled up injured during warm-ups, and Weah found out five minutes before kickoff that he was going to start. The 21-year-old Lille attacker struggled in Panama but got an unexpected chance to make amends in Columbus. Moments before he was set to be replaced in the second half, he made a smart run between the Costa Rican left and center backs, positioned himself over a short pass from Dest and hammered a shot off the post and goalkeeper Leonel Moreira. It was scored as an own goal, which seemed unfair to Weah and rankled Berhalter.“I don’t think it’s an own goal. I think we gotta get that changed,” Berhalter declared. “I think it’s Tim’s goal. So we’ll talk to FIFA about that or whoever we need to and see if we can get that reversed.”Weah was just glad he started and was still on the field, and he made the most of that twist of fate. “I saw [Matthew] Hoppe and DeAndre [Yedlin] on the sideline getting ready to come in so I kind of had the idea that I was going to get subbed out,” he said. “My goal was just to stay focused until then, and it just so happened that the ball came out wide to [Dest], and I saw the run and I just hit it one time and it happened to go in. It was just being focused in those moments.”Moreira’s inability to corral Weah’s bid also represented a bit of good fortune for the hosts. Costa Rican legend Keylor Navas, a three-time UEFA Champions League winner, started the match but departed after the first half with a muscle injury. Perhaps he parries Weah’s shot. Perhaps that’s the difference between one point and three.But the U.S. earned its luck. Its response to the early deficit was confident and emphatic. All the movement, proactivity and dynamism that was missing in Panama was on display in Columbus, where Berhalter deployed nine new starters (Weah and Yunus Musah were the only holdovers). The Americans didn’t buckle after Costa Rica’s goal. Rather, they soon imposed their will in midfield and carried the play. By the time a quarter hour had passed, the U.S. was clearly in the ascendancy. Dest’s goal was a thing of beauty—a 13-pass move that included nine players and which finished with a brilliant, space-creating decoy run by McKennie and then an emphatic left-footed blast by the Barcelona back.He was responding too. Dest had a miserable night in the Octagonal opener in El Salvador and was lifted early. He then got hurt in the subsequent game against Canada. Wednesday was a welcome boost, and Dest acknowledged his return to form with animated exhortations to the crowd as he exited the match in the 73rd minute.“Obviously I grew up in Holland and the Concacaf teams, they play a little bit different,” Dest said. “The intensity is high. They work a lot. They work really hard and it’s just physical. It’s physical. But, I mean, we can also do that, you know? And I think if you just work as a team we can beat every team.”Nobody has ever doubted this squad’s potential. It’s loaded with players who are on the books at the sport’s top clubs and others who are attracting their attention. Putting that potential into practice, however, hasn’t been seamless. Berhalter has argued that ups and downs should be expected. That’s a function of youth and of trying to qualify from a region whose teams have a habit of nullifying edges in talent or pedigree. Conditions are tough, the travel is a grind and the opposition is desperate and savvy. Any point is a good one. Rebounding from a poor performance with a come-from-behind win is a sign that the composure and confidence required is developing. “The beginning we weren’t sharp enough,” Dest said. “After a couple minutes we came into the game and created more chances, and we were in their half. The mentality of this group is still right, you know? We work together. We do it together.”Berhalter didn’t have to stretch to draw a link between the Sunday’s loss and Fuller’s early goal.“My initial thought was, ‘Here we go. We’ve got to respond.’ We challenged the guys to respond after a poor performance in Panama, and this was going to be another element that we needed to respond to,” he said.“If you go look at the Germanys, Frances, Brazils, they’re basically playing 28-year-old, 29-year-old teams. So for us to be navigating through this Concacaf qualifying, which is a bear—a monster—with this group, and the amount of poise they showed on the field, particularly going down a goal, and then the second half being up a goal and managing the game really well. … I’m proud of the effort,” Berhalter added. “The guys showed a lot of poise and they’re growing. They’re growing as a team.”
Three Takeaways from the USMNT’s World Cup Qualifying rally past Costa Rica
By Charles Boehm @cboehm Wednesday, Oct 13, 2021, 11:15 PM
COLUMBUS, Ohio – By any means necessary, right?
Ws are the bottom line during World Cup qualifying, and while the US men’s national team took the long cut to get there at Lower.com Field – longer than the Olentangy and Scioto Rivers’ meandering paths past this lovely new venue, I reckon – they did indeed reach their goal, digging out a 2-1 comeback win over Costa Rica to put their Concacaf Octagonal campaign back on course.
Here are three observations from a massive, stomach-churning but ultimately quite encouraging victory.
1
Nightmare start, thumping response
Gregg Berhalter made nine changes from the XI that stumbled so badly in Panama last Sunday, most of which were understandable. But the one in goal was perhaps a bit more of a head-turner, so to speak: handing Zack Steffen his first World Cup qualifying cap and dropping Matt Turner after 11 consecutive starts across Gold Cup and qualifying action.
It’s not that Steffen hasn’t accrued both caps and credibility with this team, it was more a question of his sharpness – having played just two matches for Manchester City so far this season – and whether a change at this particular moment was necessary, from both a team and individual standpoint.
It looked like even more of a talking point when Steffen showed some hesitancy as Los Ticos surged forward and slipped a scruffy goal past him a mere 60 seconds after the opening whistle, a brutal punch to the gut on a night where an inspiring start had been a clear priority for the USMNT.
“My initial thought was, ‘Here we go, we got to respond,’” said Berhalter postgame. “We challenged the guys to respond after a poor performance in Panama, and this was going to be another element that we needed to respond to.”
And indeed they did, pushing through some obvious jitters and gradually connecting passes to build a rhythm. While they probably didn’t expect to see such a proactive early approach from Costa Rica, the energy, movement and bite of that rangy Tyler Adams-Weston McKennie-Yunus Musah midfield trio steadily tilted the field in the Yanks’ favor.
Marauding fullbacks are a core element in Berhalter’s ideal way of playing and Sergino Dest and Antonee Robinson filled the role to a T here, crafting crisp passing triangles along the channels and stretching the Ticos with their constant availability on big, booming switches. And then Dest calmed just about every US nerve in the building with this weaker-foot thunderbolt of an equalizer:
“It was early enough in the game, if we stayed calm and stuck to the game plan, I thought we’d be OK,” said Berhalter of the early setback. “It briefly flashed in my mind, Costa Rica just going into a really really low block. Thankfully they didn’t do that. So credit to the guys for staying calm, hanging in there and playing our game.”
2
Joy and rhythm
With an average age of 22 years and 229 days old, the USMNT starting XI was the youngest World Cup qualifying lineup in program history, breaking the record set just a month ago in the Honduras win. There’s reason to fear the downsides of that inexperience against a bunch of savvy vets like these Ticos – yet there are also major advantages, too.The young Yanks finally asserted control over the balance of a match, bossing the possession battle by a 64-36 ratio and forcing their much older adversaries to chase, shift and scrap. The visitors tired visibly down the stretch and while it was to their credit that they hung around until the very end, they looked a beaten, broken bunch as they limped off the pitch.Meanwhile, there was some entertainment on offer for the home faithful in addition to the vital three points. The US are playing this freakishly young lineup because they’re damn good, and with Dest, Tim Weah, Brenden Aaronson & Co., there’s skill and daring aplenty. The run of play was downright vibrant at times.Dest even made a point of thrilling the crowd not only with his golazo, flicks and backheels but also by being an impromptu cheerleader after exiting the match, which can only further endear him to the supporters:
“The crowd is amazing,” Dest said. “I love the fans, I was trying to get them hyped up, also for the other players. We can feel that the fans have our backs, so hopefully they continue like that.”
A third, clinching goal seemed close at hand, but when it didn’t materialize, the USMNT had to keep their focus and salt away the result – and it spoke volumes when Gianluca Busio, a 19-year-old WCQ debutant, was called upon to help do so, successfully.
“That’s basically unheard of in international football,” said Berhalter of his fresh-faced side. “If you go and look at the Germanys, Frances, the Brazils, they’re basically playing 28-year-old, 29-year-old teams.
“So for us to be navigating through this Concacaf qualifying, which is a bear, a monster, with this group, and the amount of poise they showed on the field today, particularly going down a goal and then the second half being up a goal, managing the game really well – Gianluca Busio comes on and he was playing like he’s 30 years old. So I’m proud of the effort, the guys showed a lot of poise and they’re growing, they’re growing as a team.”
3
Sturdy spine
As mentioned above, the concept of control has been a recurring thread in this USMNT’s journey to date – the ability to put a thumb on a match’s metronome to slow it down it or goose it up as needed.
That trait was woefully lacking in Panama, and it burned them. Something similar can be said of the disappointing draw against Canada last month, and for significant stretches, the away tie in El Salvador as well.
On Wednesday the group put it all together, getting stuck in, knitting together passing combinations, coordinating their movements and turning the screw minute by minute. Costa Rica did tug open a few seams here and there and it took a jaw-dropping display of Miles Robinson‘s recovery speed to shut down a sudden Bryan Ruiz breakaway in the second half.
But on the whole, the Yanks remained protagonists, undergirded by the engine-room steel and athleticism of “MMA”: Adams – who remains irreplaceable – McKennie (an influencer who needed to step up here) and Musah.
If those three can stay healthy, build their chemistry and keep a focus on both the short-term work and the long-term rewards ahead, they have a real prospect of growing into a force to be reckoned with down the Octagonal stretch, and eventually in Qatar 2022.
“We know his talent,” said Berhalter of the excellent Musah. “The talent is off the charts, and I know it’s easy to talk really highly about a guy after he plays well in a win and everyone’s happy. But I’m telling you, the kid is a player.
“Regarding Weston, he’s another one that his physicality, his desire alone can carry him, and just can push the team. He plays with a lot of momentum, he plays with a lot of energy, in transition moments he’s explosive, he sees passes. For me, he’s really a quality player.”
Sergiño Dest (left) scored on a left-footed rocket past Keylor Navas (Photo by Omar Vega/Getty Images)
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COLUMBUS, Ohio — Here are my three thoughts on the USMNT’s 2-1 win against Costa Rica in Wednesday’s World Cup qualifier, bringing the U.S. to 11 points after six games in the CONCACAF Octagonal:
• The U.S. midfield was hugely improved over the Panama loss. After going down 1-0 in the first minute in the worst start imaginable, the U.S. deserved to come back and win this game, not least because the midfield was dominant. Tyler Adams should start every game in the central midfield, period. He’s a game-changer in how much space he controls, and he makes players like Yunus Musah and Weston McKennie around him better. The U.S. had 63 percent possession in the game and was far smoother in its passing than the jumbled mess we saw in Panama Sunday. That central midfield completed just 11 passes to each other in the first half; Adams, McKennie and Musah completed three times as many in the first 45 on Wednesday, as noted by TruMedia’s Paul Carr. While Costa Rica’s aging players were exhausted in the second half of their third game in seven days, the U.S.’s midfielders kept ticking and the Ticos rarely looked threatening. The one time they did, when Bryan Ruiz had a breakaway thanks to a botched U.S. pass, Miles Robinson reeled Ruiz in like you might expect a 24-year-old to track down a 36-year-old.
• The USMNT scored one of its best goals in a long time. Sergiño Dest has a knack for producing highlight-reel goals, and he added a glorious one to the list by blasting a rocket with his left (weaker) foot—with his shoelaces untied!—past Costa Rican goalkeeper Keylor Navas to tie the score at 1-1. But I wish highlight packages would also show the other reason why it was such a great goal: The majestic U.S. buildup involving 13 passes among nine players over 35 seconds. That’s the kind of soccer this U.S. team is capable of playing, and when they do it’s something to behold. It was also the first time in nine games that the U.S. scored a goal in the first half. On Tuesday, Antonee Robinson said the U.S. players needed to remind themselves that they’re a good team and can be ruthless in the attack, that it was time to be less conservative. The result of that approach was one of the best U.S. goals—and build-ups—that we’ve seen.
• It’s hard to exaggerate the importance of the U.S. comeback. This was a pivotal match in the 14-game Octagonal. Had Costa Rica kept its lead, the Ticos would have overtaken the U.S. in the standings by a point, the U.S. could have fallen as low as fifth place and U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter would have been on a very hot seat. Instead, the U.S. finds itself in no worse than second place by the end of the night (and first if Mexico loses at El Salvador). That’s a much better place to be in heading into the next qualifier, a huge rivalry game next month against Mexico down the road in Cincinnati. Getting at least six points out of this window was crucial for the USMNT, and that job got done, even if the loss in Panama was ugly. At this rate, the U.S. is doing what it takes to get to the World Cup next year. The path getting there might be bumpier than U.S. fans want—that was certainly the case against Costa Rica—but they’re on track for Qatar.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The great ones do it with their shoes untied. Remember when Usain Bolt won the 100 meters at the 2008 Olympics? He set a world record, and the laces on his left spikes were undone. Or remember when Diego Maradona did the most memorable warmup of all time, dropping outrageous ball skills before a 1989 UEFA Cup semifinal to the Opus song “Live Is Life”? Both of Maradona’s cleats were untied. The U.S.’s Sergiño Dest is not in the Mount Olympus realm of Bolt and Maradona—the Barcelona fullback is just 20 years old—but the equalizing goal he scored in the U.S.’s 2-1 win over Costa Rica on Wednesday was something special, a left-footed jolt of kinetic energy that felt like it could launch all of Lower.com Field into orbit. That Dest struck the ball with his weaker foot at the end of a 13-pass, 35-second buildup involving nine U.S. players was breathtaking. That his left shoe was untied the whole time made it preposterous. When coaches tell you to strike the ball with your laces, they presume that you’ll knot them first. Dest, however, is an unconventional character. When Lionel Messi held his tearful farewell press conference at Barcelona, Messi wore a suit and tie, and most of his teammates dressed for the momentous occasion. The Dutch-born Dest wore a red Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls full kit, shorts and all. “I never really think what I’m going to do,” Dest said after Wednesday’s game, referring to his goal, not the Bulls kit. “Weston [McKennie] made the run in behind, and the guy followed him, so there was space for me. I just cut it inside, and I thought the only thing I could do in that moment was just shoot it. Because we had to score, we were 1-0 down. I felt like we needed these points. So I was just trying to shoot, and it was an amazing goal.”Dest’s play so far In the Octagonal has explored the full spectrum of the Sergiño Experience. He was out of his element on Matchday 1 in El Salvador, his first game ever in Central America, leaving his teammates exposed while he dribbled into dead ends. Bringing a Barcelona starter to Estadio Cuscatlán felt like taking a bottle of Mouton Rothschild to a Jägermeister-drenched freshman dorm party. Last month’s window became a wash when Dest got injured against Canada. But he came back strong against Jamaica in Austin last week, serving a delicate cross for Ricardo Pepi’s first goal, and after sitting out the loss in Panama he brought the goods against Costa Rica.“Sergiño is an interesting player because it’s almost like the sky’s the limit for him,” U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter said on Wednesday night. “He could be as good as he wants to be. And you saw today with his attacking play, it’s unreal. … For Serge, it’s just hanging in there mentally, really pushing himself to be the best when he’s on the field. And I think we’re forgetting how young he is. Defenders rely on experience, and he just needs to gain experience. He’s doing a great job now. He’s played over 60 games for Barcelona already. That’s a really impressive record, and he just needs to keep working.”
Truth be told, Dest hadn’t covered himself in glory defensively on the strange goal that Costa Rica scored in the first minute of the game, silencing the crowd as the American Outlaws were still lowering their tifo. Dest couldn’t keep up with Ronald Matarrita, whose cross found Keysher Fuller open in the box. Fuller’s shot beat an oddly rooted Zack Steffen, who was starting in the U.S. goal in place of Matt Turner. Dest, who was all the way over on the right side, kept the Costa Ricans onside despite U.S. protests, and suddenly the Yanks were down a goal and staring at a fate similar to the devastating home qualifying fixture loss to Costa Rica four years ago.
“My initial thought was here we go,” said Berhalter. “We challenged the guys to respond after a poor performance in Panama. And this was going to be another element that we needed to respond to. It was early enough in the game. If we stayed calm and stuck to the game plan, I thought we’d be okay. It briefly flashed in my mind, Costa Rica could just go into a really, really low block. Thankfully they didn’t do that. But credit to the guys for staying calm, hanging in there and playing our game.”
The U.S. had some luck along the way. After McKennie and Yunus Musah combined to gift-wrap a first-half scoring chance for Costa Rica, Chris Richards—making his World Cup qualifying debut—dove in for a tackle at the last moment and avoided what could have been a penalty and red card. Then in the second half, a bad pass in the back from Miles Robinson sprang 36-year-old Bryan Ruiz on a slow-motion breakaway, only for the 24-year-old Robinson to reel in Ruiz like a Bassmaster and prevent him from even releasing a shot. (Had it been anyone other than Ruiz, the Ticos could have equalized.)…
USMNT legend Landon Donovan will join me and Chris Wittyngham for podcast episodes after every USMNT World Cup qualifier to break down the game and share insights from his vast experience. Those podcasts, in partnership with Meadowlark and Le Batard and Friends, will post on the night of or the day after every qualifier. Every audio episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is available for free in the archives on my Substack site, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and elsewhere.
For paying subscribers to this newsletter, we’re going to make the written versions of these podcasts available as well. Some people just prefer to consume written content over audio content. You can sign up for a subscription (free or paid) here.
Grant Wahl:
Hey there. Welcome to Fútbol with Grant Wahl. Thank you so much for joining me. We’ve got another special episode today in partnership with Meadowlark and Le Batard & Friends with reaction from Landon Donovan, Chris Wittyngham, and me to the U.S. men’s national team’s 2-1 win over Costa Rica on World Cup qualifying Matchday 6. Landon is in San Diego, where he coaches San Diego Loyal. Chris is in South Florida, and I am in Columbus, Ohio, where I’m writing for my Substack newsletter, which you should subscribe to, free or paid, at grantwahl.com. Guys, it’s good to see you. How are you?
Landon Donovan:
What’s going on, guys?
Chris Wittyngham:
I feel like in that intro two things stay the same and one thing changes. And I feel like it’s just a reminder you that you’re at every World Cup qualifier.
Landon Donovan:
That you travel a lot.
Do you think if Keylor Navas is in the game that he makes the save [on the U.S. game-winner]? “Yes. And when he came out at halftime, again, I was with my buddies in the bar and I said, “I have no idea what happened, but that is the biggest blessing for us.” 100% he makes the save. 100% he makes the save on Weah’s shot. And then who knows what happens after that? Maybe the U.S. do score again, but there’s no doubt in my mind. And so, that was a gift.” — Landon Donovan
Grant Wahl:
I travel a lot, man. I am looking forward to getting home for a few days, but I love covering these things onsite. I love the travel, the away games, the home games too. Loved being in that stadium tonight in Columbus, brand new stadium, it’s absolutely gorgeous and just great location, great atmosphere. And the U.S. gets three points after a disastrous start going down 1-0 in the first minute on a truly strange goal by Costa Rica. Let’s start with Landon. What were you thinking at that point?
Landon Donovan:
All right. So full disclosure, I was driving home. I was three minutes late to this bar with my buddies, and I get there and I see the screen and I’m like, “Guys, what the hell happened?” Last time we sat at that bar, we beat Jamaica 2-0. So they’re like, “It’s all your fault. You weren’t here in time. Blah, blah, blah.” So I actually had to see it on the screen of his phone.
And my thought was what everyone thought is, a little bit of a haphazard clearance by Zack [Steffen], but then just a sort of series of, I guess, mistakes, but also a bit of misfortune too. And then on first glance, you think, “Well, the player in front of Zack has to be offside.” And then when you watch the replay, you see Sergiño [Dest] is kind of back in the play. Maybe he’s off the field and that’s like sort of this gray area too. So it was a bit of just a weird play, but a horrible start.
Grant Wahl:
Yeah. I can’t imagine a worse one. And Zack Steffen is involved in that play, but I want to ask you both, like how much was Zack Steffen at fault, and how did you feel about him getting his first start in qualifying ahead of Matt Turner?
“I am fascinated by this game. I think it’s going to be probably the most hyped U.S.-Mexico game ever.” — Landon Donovan
Chris Wittyngham:
I wasn’t particularly bothered by it. I think there’s a segment of the U.S. men’s national team fan base that was kind of annoyed that this is another bit of tinkering that Gregg Berhalter did that felt unnecessary. I didn’t think that Matt Turner was particularly good in Panama, particularly from a distribution point of view. And so, I wonder if Gregg Berhalter was kind of looking to improve in that area with Zack Steffen coming in.
I was incredibly defensive of the decision. I thought that Zack Steffen has kind of been unfairly maligned now because of how well Matt Turner has played. I don’t think these are two things that are at odds. I still think Zack Steffen is an incredibly talented goalkeeper who has been chosen by Pep Guardiola to be a part of Manchester City. And also Matt Turner has had an incredible couple of years in Major League Soccer.
So I think that both are well capable of starting. But then in the first minute, he’s kind of involved in a moment where you almost see the lack of game experience that he has in recent times, because he is shielded by a defender. It is an awkward situation, he comes racing off his line, which he’s become comfortable with doing, playing for Pep and playing with Ederson.
And so he’s way out of his goal, but then he comes back in, and I think he’s kind of unnerved by this movement that happens in front of him, immediately goes to appeal for offside. And I think is kind of undone by circumstances that maybe if you were playing every week, wouldn’t feel as bothersome or as new to him. So I do think that he is unlucky, but I think the bottom line is that’s probably a save that he should be making, and probably would have made if he was playing regular games for his club.
Landon Donovan:
But I would say, Witty, I can’t really tell, but I’m not sure he saw the ball. I thought maybe he might’ve been double-blinded by his own player and then by the Costa Rican player too. So it’s hard to know if he saw it because it looked like he just reacted late. The first part is, it’s exactly what you said. It’s just not being game sharp and making a little bit of a crazy play flying out of his goal like that.
But that being said, there was plenty of time for the U.S. to settle, defend the cross, block the cross, defend the cross when it came in and then make a play. And they just didn’t. So it was sort of a series of errors. But to the U S ‘s credit, the response was excellent. And what I’ve said over and over to you guys is, mounting pressure on teams, and they just did that over and over and over. And the last 20 minutes were basically a cakewalk because Costa Rica were so worn out.
Grant Wahl:
We talked after the third game in the window last month about how exhausted Honduras was. And you could just see it on the field in the second half. And the U.S. has more players that they use. They have, I think, the advantage of more infrastructural support, they fly charters. They have this whole recovery arsenal that Gregg Berhalter described a little bit when I asked him about it yesterday. And the advantage I think becomes very clear in the third game. And Costa Rica is an old team. I think Costa Rica has players that are older than you, Landon.
Landon Donovan:
[Laughs] That’s saying a lot.
Grant Wahl:
And so, when Bryan Ruiz has the one great chance of the second half, a bad pass in the back by Miles Robinson, and then Miles Robinson catches up to Bryan Ruiz, who should’ve had a breakaway, and Robinson makes a great recovery run and the shot doesn’t even really get off. But you felt like this is an old Costa Rica team. It’s a lot of the guys from the 2014 World Cup team that got to the quarterfinals. And it’s frankly not as good a Costa Rica team as we’ve seen in recent cycles.
So I do want to ask you a little bit about the goal that the U.S. gets because you talked about the U.S. recovery. They didn’t panic after giving up the goal and kind of dominated, I thought, even in the first half. Hadn’t scored a first half goal in nine games. Finally did here. It’s a terrific goal by Sergiño Dest who can make special plays like this happen. But also it was a sequence of buildup that lasted 35 seconds, 13 passes involving nine of the 11 U.S. players. For me, one of the best U.S. team goals we’ve seen in a long time. What were your thoughts on seeing that one?
Landon Donovan:
Phenomenal. It was a phenomenal goal. So when they started building, there is a part of me that was like, “This is dangerous. This is dangerous. This is Do you think if Navas is in the game that he makes the save?
Landon Donovan:
Yes. And when he came out at halftime, again, I was with my buddies in the bar and I said, “I have no idea what happened, but that is the biggest blessing for us.” 100% he makes the save. 100% he makes the save on Weah’s shot. And then who knows what happens after that? Maybe the U.S. do score again, but there’s no doubt in my mind. And so, that was a gift.,” but they made the next pass and the next pass and the next pass and they broke pressure. And then it gets to [Yunus] Musah finally. And when he gave it to Sergiño, I was talking to my teammates about the value of Musah.
And there are so few players in the modern game that will take the ball and just advance it on their own. It’s always a pass, a pass, breaking lines, a pass, but players who can just take the ball and advance the ball on their own are so valuable. So when it gets to Sergiño Dest, I’m saying to them, “Just go, put them under pressure.” And then he went to his left foot and you’re kind of like, “Ah, the chance is gone.” And then he unleashes the shot.
My buddy said something about goals with his left foot. And I said, “There’s a decent chance he never scores another goal with his left foot. And certainly not like that. He’ll probably score a lot with his right foot,” but it was a phenomenal strike. Just the way it moved, it looked like he was left-footed and it was a phenomenal strike. We were just in awe.
Chris Wittyngham:
To have it curling away from the keeper with your weaker foot, it’s crazy. And the fear is, when you go 1-0 down so early is Costa Rica are very used to playing in a low block, and they have Keylor Navas. So you’re going to have to beat him with something special. And that’s exactly what Sergiño Dest summoned. And I love the way that he has looked in the two home games in this window.
Because in the game script, when you’re going into teams that are defending, you see him with freedom, you see him in space getting forward, having the ability to cut inside. I thought that Jon Champion and Taylor Twellman were talking about the notion of him and [Tim] Weah perhaps having redundant skillsets, given that they both like to go outside, but Dest actually likes to cut inside, a way of keeping a fullback honest affords him that space.
Almost kind of wonder going forward, because there’s been so much conversation about how much he struggles away from home and how you can’t really play him as the right back in a four when you’re away from home and you’re going to be under pressure, and that’s not the environment for him. I almost wonder if given how good he is going forward and how much he enjoys that freedom, if playing him in a winger role might not be the craziest thing.
And putting him in an attacking position so that okay, away from home, we still have a little bit of a player who understands defensive responsibilities, but has the creativity, and you can kind of run your attack through him. And that’s something I thought that the U.S. missed when they made all those changes in the game against Panama away from home, is they didn’t have anyone that can run their attack through. And so I do think that Dest can represent a player who can do that and also put in a defensive shift.
Landon Donovan:
That’s a great point. And I think if the U.S. are comfortable playing in a back three, at least when they build, when they have the ball, he’s perfect as sort of a right wingback, right winger and right back all in one, he can do all of it. And I think away from home, your point is perfect. I think using him to help defensively away from home as a right winger, and then he’s clearly good enough with the ball to make plays. So I think that as Gregg and the staff assess these first two rounds, I think that’s a very effective way to use him…
Yunus Musah’s Wait Was Worth it—and He’s Worth the Wait
The 18-year-old Valencia midfielder has had to be patient to make his contribution in competitive play for the U.S., but after being cap-tied vs. Jamaica, his time has come.
PANAMA CITY, Panama — After the courtship, the trial run, the anticipation ad then the decision, there was an uncomfortable and unexpected wait.That doesn’t seem like the way this sort of story typically plays out. The presentation of record should follow the fanfare. But in the case of Yunus Musah, his March commitment to the U.S. men’s national team didn’t lead directly to his competitive debut. Months went by. He was benched. He was injured. And the squad Musah was so excited to join, and to which so many were eager to welcome him, progressed in his absence.orld Cup qualifying forces players to adapt to strange rhythms. They have to maintain a strong sense of internal equilibrium as they cross borders and time zones, adapt to different teammates and opponents and, now, in Concacaf’s Octagonal, play games in new countries on only two days rest. You may have to play a match that means everything on fumes. Or, in Musah’s case, you may be thrust into the spotlight after months of disappointment and delay.It’s still early for Musah. He’s 18. But there was a lot of hype over the New York City-born and Arsenal-bred midfielder two years ago, when U.S. men’s national team coach Gregg Berhalter and assist Nico Estévez started reaching out to the teenager. Musah, a veteran of England’s junior national teams, had left North London for Valencia in the summer of 2019. Estévez had previously coached in the Spanish club’s academy. “It felt like the manager really wanted me to be here—be part of the group, be part of his plans, and that makes me feel kind of special,” Musah said here in the Panamanian capital, where the U.S. is preparing for Sunday’s World Cup qualifier against the hosts. “To be asked to be a part of that is a great feeling.”Musah started in a couple of friendlies that November and formed a tantalizing trio with Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie. Musah’s ability to surge through midfield with the ball at his feet and to unbalance defenses with his acceleration, agility and vision stood out. He was an asset. And he was just getting started. But he was also eligible to play for Italy, where he lived as a child; England, to which he moved as a nine-year-old; and Ghana, his parents’ homeland. Those are all pretty good options.Berhalter and Estévez coaxed him into the U.S. fold, where a slew of young, talented and ambitious players were focused on launching a new international era. In March, Musah committed his international future to the U.S.
“It was a lot of conversations about what this young group could do and the potential of this young team and the players we have in the pool,” Berhalter said. “How we saw him fitting into our team, talking about America and what we want to do as a group, and I think that’s what really got him excited about the project.”Musah still hadn’t spent much time in the U.S., but he was sold on the idea of representing the country of his birth and on getting an early senior start with so many peers. There was considerable attention paid to the announcement of his commitment. But his competitive debut would have to wait. After appearing in three more friendlies, Musah was called in but didn’t play a minute in the two Concacaf Nations League games in June. Excitement morphed into concern. Did he not fit Berhalter’s system as well as many hoped? Would Musah reconsider his decision because he still wasn’t cap-tied?“I talk to all the guys about understanding that they’d be disappointed if they’re not on the field, not in the starting 11. And that’s just part of it. But part of building a strong team is to have everyone engaged and everyone pulling in the same direction,” Berhalter said Saturday.“In Yunus’s case, coming into the Nations League, playing at altitude [in Denver], he wasn’t playing regularly for his club and we didn’t feel like it was the right time.”Musah admitted here that missing out on Nations League minutes was “annoying,” but he said that he understood Berhalter’s decisions. And it didn’t weaken his allegiance. If anything, his connection to the U.S. was strengthened this summer by his time with the team (he started a subsequent friendly against Costa Rica) and then an extended holiday in NYC. Now a U.S. international, Musah finally had the chance to reconnect with his hometown and really tap in to the American inside him. He spent time with an uncle who lives in the Bronx and had the ideal guide in U.S. teammate Tim Weah, who was home for the summer after winning the French title with Lille.“We kind of just had a little experience together, went out to eat and stuff like that,” Weah said. “The bond that we have with this group is amazing and the bond I have with Yunus, he’s like my little brother obviously. I showed him around. He was with me and my family, just chilling and enjoying everything that New York has to offer. He even went around by himself and just kind of took everything in. Seeing that he wants to connect a lot more with American culture is great for him and it’s great NYC offered “a nice vibe,” Musah said.“I always love coming back to the U.S. and being with the national team,” he added. “It makes me connect with this part of myself and I love being here.”But Musah would have to remain patient as an ankle injury ruled him out of the Octagonal’s opening window in September. Those three games proved to be a vital learning experience for this young U.S. team as 16 men made their World Cup qualifying debuts. The Americans went 1-0-2.Finally, after returning to Valencia’s starting lineup toward the end of September (albeit on the flank), Musah was ready for International duty. Berhalter said that he and Estévez remained in constant contact with the player and his club. Musah was called up for this month’s qualifiers and he was on the field as the U.S. kicked off against Jamaica on Thursday in Austin, Texas. At that moment, his bond with the U.S. national team was sealed technically, even though it already had been cemented in his heart. Starting again alongside Adams and McKennie, Musah showed multiple flashes of the player who can bomb his way through midfield, and he played a key role in setting up Ricardo Pepi’s opening goal. The Americans went on to win, 2-0, and are 2-0-2 and in first place heading into Sunday’s meeting with Los Canaleros (1-1-2).“I thought he had an excellent game,” Berhalter said in Austin. “We talked about his quality of driving at the defense and unsettling the defense and he did that constantly. And it’s difficult, man, when you have someone dribbling at you who’s that agile and that mobile and that keeps the ball that close to them. It becomes challenging for the defense. We’ll look at some defensive work, but overall, I thought he had a good performance.” gonizingly, Musah’s participation in Austin was in doubt the day before thanks to an inconclusive COVID-19 test. He trained apart from the team and didn’t know until just before dinner on Wednesday that he was negative and able to play. He was understandably thrilled to make his bow in a meaningful game.“After being involved in the Nations League and not playing in the Nations League, thinking that was possible again due to COVID was really annoying. But I’m glad it was a quick process and they realized it was nothing, so I was happy about that,” Musah said. “It was a big moment for me, you know? In my mind I just wanted to win in my first competitive game and I’m happy we got a win.”Now after all that waiting, Musah may have to turn around and do it again less than 72 hours later. It’s a lot to ask, but the stakes are high and that’s the rhythm and resilience that qualifying demands. Berhalter is comfortable rotating men in and out of the lineup—he used 22 across the three games last month—but McKennie’s absence due to muscle soreness means there’s already going to be at least one new starter among the midfield three.Berhalter can turn to the experienced Kellyn Acosta, Sebastian Lletget or Cristian Roldan. But if he wants a player who can unlock the opposition and force a defense into tough decisions, Musah probably will be the choice. Panama is a rugged side coming off a loss suffered on a sodden field in El Salvador. While it may be tempted to approach Sunday’s vital home game on a more offensive footing, defense remains Los Canaleros’ strength. A fan of advanced stats, Berhalter said that Panama leads the Octagonal in expected goals allowed. The Americans are second.“Panama’s definitely a very physical team, an aggressive team. We’ve got to be able to match that right away,” Acosta said. “Now coming back home they’re looking from the first minute to kind of take it to us, so we need to be ready for that and match their intensity.”If called upon, Musah will most certainly been ready. After months of hurry-up and wait, he’s now living his ambition. This is what he signed up for.“Since I joined the U.S., I’ve always had this in mind,” he said. “Trying to be able to participate in a World Cup has always been a dream of mine. We’re on our way to doing that, and we’re trying our best to be able to go to the World Cup.”
The unstoppable dreams of USMNT prodigy Ricardo Pepi
IN THE TUNNEL of Toyota Stadium, Ricardo Pepi poses during a photo shoot. The late morning feels perfect. The sun casts a shadow over a good part of the grass, which looks as green as anything that’s ever been. The cool breeze rippling through the flags of Texas, the United States and FC Dallas makes it feel like the season is finally changing after another hot summer.
“Do something with your hands,” the photographer tells Ricardo. His voice echoes through the tunnel, as does the sound of the camera.Ricardo spreads his long arms to his side. His palms, near his waist, face out with fingers almost extended. His chin high, he looks straight into the lens.”The Zen pose,” is what the phoographer calls whatever Ricardo’s doing.”You’re a natural,” the photographer says.Ricardo smiles the grin of the rare teenager full of confidence.”I try to be,” says the 18-year-old.His voice lacks any hint of hesitation, as if he understands something no one else knows. Just weeks ago, Pepi made the momentous choice between two countries and joined the USMNT, a team trying to shake off its failure to qualify for the last World Cup. He has proved to be a revelation, scoring a crucial goal in the USA’s win over Honduras on Sept. 8, fulfilling the promise he makes to his family before each game: “I’m gonna score. I’m gonna score. I’m gonna score.”changing, even as he prepares for another round of games this week that will hopefully take him and his teammates to Qatar 2022, he seems so calm, peaceful. It’s like he’s always known it was just a matter of time and hard work before the attention would come. That his and his family’s sacrifices would eventually lead them out of El Paso to here. And that from here, he, and maybe they too, will go somewhere else.Somewhere farther than the 10-hour drive between this place and home.
EL PASO IS about 83% Latino, most of that of Mexican descent. But decades ago, the city was a lot whiter. And back in those days, Alameda Avenue was a sort of dividing line. If you were white, you likely lived north of that street. If Mexican, you stayed south. Between that avenue and the Rio Grande, on the eastern part of El Paso County where land is cheaper and it becomes clear that this is life deep in the Chihuahuan Desert, is San Elizario.San Eli is what everyone here calls it. That’s where Ricardo’s childhood home stands about a mile south of Alameda Avenue and double that distance north of the Rio Grande and the rust-colored border wall that scars the soul of this place. The overgrown weeds, the still-hanging Christmas lights, the empty rooms and the white car with deflating tires parked in the back, make it feel like the home was hastily abandoned. As if an opportunity came up that couldn’t be passed.Like many houses in this neighborhood, the Pepis’ former home looks like it’s still in the process of being constructed. Good enough to live in — the doors and windows lock, the water and electricity work, the roof doesn’t leak — but still unfinished.”I built it,” Daniel, Ricardo’s father, says in Spanish. Whenever extra money came in, it went to the house. Little by little, working on the weekends and after long weekdays doing construction, Daniel built this with his hands.”When Ricardo was growing up, the conditions weren’t the best for us,” Daniel says. “That was part of the reason we lived in San Eli. It wasn’t because we wanted to. I didn’t grow up in a rural area where the roosters wake you up, where the neighbors have cows.”From this house, Daniel and his wife, Annette, raised their young family. It was a life common to many El Pasoans. Monday through Friday, while working or at school, they stayed on the north side of the Rio Grande. On weekends and the random weeknight, the Pepis returned to the south side of the river to spend time with family still living in Juárez, Mexico.”We consider it one city, one community,” Daniel says of El Paso and Juárez. “It doesn’t really matter if you live in El Paso or live in Juárez, you cross that bridge as much as you can.”From this house, Ricardo — the oldest of the three Pepi children — started playing soccer at 4 years old. He’d grown up watching his father play, and Daniel coached him for a few years. Apart from practice, they’d sometimes do drills on a field in the shadow of a church that traces its roots as far back as the U.S. Constitution.Daniel put his son in leagues a year or two above Ricardo’s age. Yes, he did it to push him. To challenge him. But he also did it because Ricardo was always bigger than his peers. His family nickname had once been Gordo. Outside of El Paso, Daniel had to carry his son’s birth certificate to show that he wasn’t older than the competition, he was actually younger.
Ricardo had, what Daniel says in Spanish, “el olfato de gol.” Some words or phrases lose their beauty in translation. This is an example. But the idea is that even at a young age, Ricardo had a nose for goal. Like he could smell it. Like he could feel it. Like he could seemingly score at will — which he often did — even when his father had him playing defense. And as he did that, the opponent’s parents doubted Ricardo’s age again.”QUINCEAÑERO!” those parents screamed, implying the young boy was 15.”¿CUÁNDO ES LA BODA?” they yelled, sarcastically asking when he was getting married.Daniel laughs when he remembers those days. But he turns serious when asked if he feels like he pushed his son too hard. Like during those games when Ricardo didn’t feel like running because sometimes that’s the last thing 7-year-olds want to do. When that happened Daniel would take Ricardo out the game, then drive him home. It’s a long, lonely drive out to San Eli. It’s a perfect stretch of road for a proud man to brood in silence.”Yes, I was hard on him,” Daniel admits.”I’d make him take his uniform and cleats off and put them in the trash. I’d tell him, ‘Look, if you don’t want to play, that’s fine. Don’t play. But you’re not going to be wasting my time and much less, my money.'”
WHEN YOU’RE THE child of immigrant parents, you often feel as if you’ve got to make their struggles and sacrifices count for something. Calling it a burden is too much. Call it that feeling you get when you look at your father or mother and wonder what dreams they had before life shook them awake.Because sometimes your mother is 16 years old when she had you. And sometimes your father pawns the family car and borrows money because those can become tomorrow’s problems if it means everyone’s eating today. And sometimes, you live in a place like El Paso and Juárez that are often neglected by their governments, and it feels like you must escape.Like the rest of the communities, largely of Mexican descent, along the north side of the Texas-Mexico border, El Paso County has a substantially higher poverty rate than the rest of the country. Its per capita income is over $12,400 lower than the national average. It has lower levels of educational attainment. It has more than twice the national percentage rate of uninsured residents under 65.It’s why when you come from the El Paso-Juárez borderland — as I do — it’s easy to feel an urgency. It’s disquieting to notice how few things grow here. The barren surroundings don’t help. Out in the wide-open spaces of West Texas and Northern Mexico, it’s easy to get lost.To live here is to feel the questions that are as omnipresent as the mountains surrounding the region and as persistent as the winds racing down from them. On the worst of days that wind howls. It makes the desert floor dance until the sand blocks the sun and turns the sky from a hue of blue to a reddish-brown.That wind can rip the roof off buildings and tear doors from hinges. It can choke and blind you, sometimes worse. It’s on those days when it feels like we should all run away from this desert. Run away from this separate world between two countries. On those days when it sounds like some invisible hand is continually throwing dirt against locked doors and windows, it’s like the wind carries the existential questions that most here wrestle with.If I stay, will being around family and all that I know be enough to make me content?
If I leave, will the things I hope to gain be worth the hurt of missing what I’m about to lose?
“IT WAS LIKE they took a piece of my heart,” Annette says, in Spanish, of Ricardo moving to Dallas. It was 2016. Ricardo was 13 years old. FC Dallas offered him a place in their academy. Ricardo said yes. And he left.”The only thing I could do was support my son,” Annette remembers. “It was very difficult. Very difficult.”Those first few weeks when her baby was away from home, Annette cried herself to sleep. In the mornings in between phone calls to her son, asking how his host family was treating him and if he’d already eaten, she’d cry some more.”I can’t be without him,” she’d tell Daniel. “I can’t.”Daniel would try to comfort her, telling her it was what Ricardo wanted. That the only thing they could do is support him. But even for Daniel, that distance became too much.About a year after Ricardo left, his family drove to Dallas for a tournament. Twice a month they’d make that 10-hour, 635-mile drive. Coaches told Daniel that Ricardo was doing very well, and he had a bright future. During the visit, Ricardo told his father he wanted them all to move to Dallas so they could be together again.”Son,” Daniel told Ricardo. “I’m not moving here. We’re not coming.”If that wasn’t deflating enough, Daniel turned the question on Ricardo.”I want to know if you’re ready to come back?”As soon as Daniel asked the question, Ricardo started to cry. Whatever dreams he imagined himself pursuing were suddenly in doubt. To be 13 years old and to say no to the person who’s given you so much feels like the most difficult answer you’ll ever give.In between tears, Ricardo said he understood how hard the distance between them had been, because he felt it too. He missed his family the most, but he also missed El Paso and Juárez. He missed the friends and family on both sides of that river that separates everyone there.”I love you all,” Ricardo told his father. “But this is my dream and I’m going to stay. I’ll miss all of you.”As soon as he heard that, Daniel felt chills. He began to cry. If you’ve seen the tears of a stoic Mexican man hardened by life, it stays with you. They hugged and kissed. Daniel told Annette what was happening, and she told him she was ready to move. “I don’t want to be without him,” she said.Four years ago, the entire Pepi family — father, mother, brother and sister — moved to a suburb north of Dallas. Ricardo left his host family and moved in too. And just like it had in their old house in San Eli, their life revolved around soccer. When they weren’t at games, or at school, or Daniel at some construction site, or Annette cleaning another office, they’d watch Liga MX. And, as always, because the Pepis are “Américanistas de corazón,” they’d cheer for Club América, just like they’d always done.”I was raised watching Mexican soccer,” Daniel says. “And that’s how I raised my children.”So much Mexican soccer — the league, yes, but also El Tri — that as a young boy, Ricardo said something his father still remembers.”Hey dad,” Ricardo told Daniel while watching El Tri play.Maybe they were playing at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. Or maybe the Mexican national team was playing in the United States, where they’re this country’s most popular team. Who knows?”Imagine when I’m playing there,” Ricardo said.
“I WAS 99 percent sure he was going to pick Mexico,” Manny Ruiz says.Ruiz, an FC Dallas season-ticket owner, is also a member of El Matador. They’re a bilingual group of FC Dallas supporters who during tailgates, play salsa and rap, and talk to each other in some combination of English and Spanish. Ruiz first watched Ricardo play in 2019, back when the precocious teen was a member of North Texas SC and scored a hat trick in his first professional game. Born and raised in Dallas, Ruiz is also a fan of El Tri.And so, after a summer of watching Ricardo score at an increasing pace with FC Dallas — including becoming the youngest player in MLS history to notch a hat trick — Ruiz figured the dual national kid from El Paso would choose Mexico. Yes, Ricardo had attended international youth camps with both countries and was a member of the United States’ 2019 U-17 World Cup squad. Still, there has long been a perception that players coming from the U.S.’s Latino communities, playing in city leagues and not expensive suburban academies, get taken for granted, at best. At worst, the system ignores them. About two weeks before Ricardo decided, Mexican American player David Ochoa said he was playing for Mexico.
Then in late August, a day after Ricardo scored the game-winning penalty for the MLS All-Stars to beat the Liga MX All Stars, the USMNT announced its roster for World Cup qualifying. They’d called up Ricardo and he said yes. When he announced his decision, Ricardo said that even though he’d chosen the United States, he was proud of being a Mexican American and that “will never be taken away from me, no matter what national team I play for.””I was pretty devastated,” Ruiz says of Ricardo’s decision. As soon as it became public, the USMNT fans within El Matador called Ruiz to taunt him. It hardly mattered that they too were surprised.”I was in shock,” Miguel Villalpando says. Villalpando, born and raised in Oak Cliff — a predominantly Latino neighborhood in Dallas — first heard about Ricardo when he played in the FC Dallas Academy. Villalpando says he immediately started paying attention to him because of their similarities. “He’s pretty much a Chicano,” he says, a term that describes someone of Mexican heritage born in the United States.”He’s from here and his parents are from Mexico. You have to take pride in that, especially him being with FC Dallas along with me being a U.S. fan.”To hear Villalpando tell how he, of Mexican descent, became a fan of the USMNT, it almost sounds like the origin story of a comic book villain. He was about 11, and the United States was about to play Mexico. “My dad was like, ‘a quién le vas? A Estados Unidos o México?‘” Which team did he want to win: United States or Mexico?But before he could say anything, his father — from Irapuato, Guanajuato — answered for him. “Ah, tú eres Chicanito, you have to go for the USA.”Villalpando, who laughs while telling the story and sprinkles Spanish words in every few sentences of conversation, admits it was his father’s way of being playful. But still, not every game is fun.”He was trying to insult me,” Villalpando says. “But I took it as I’m going to embrace this. Ever since that, I’ve always been a U.S. fan because my dad did that to me.”Friends and family — often playfully — call him a traitor. They tell him he should remember where he and his parents came from. And before each United States versus Mexico game, they tell him to get ready to lose. “I’m used to that,” Villalpando says, “it’s happened ever since I was a little kid. To me, it’s nothing.”During this long, scorching summer, the United States beat Mexico twice in the final of two different tournaments.Ruiz says that hurt. He says if Ricardo ever scores against Mexico, that’ll hurt too.Villalpando says that felt great. He says he’ll soon buy Ricardo’s USMNT jersey.
BETWEEN PHOTOSHOOT LOCATIONS, Ricardo says choosing to play for the United States was one of the toughest decisions of his life. “I talked to my parents about it,” he says, standing a few feet from the pitch so unlike the ones he grew up playing on in El Paso. Those were full of rocks and weeds with thorns that’d get stuck to his shoes, laces and socks.”I got the call-up from the national team,” Ricardo says. “I asked my dad for his opinion, and he didn’t really say much. He said wherever I wanted to play, he would support me.”Like Daniel, the rest of the Pepi family, immediate and extended, have supported Ricardo’s decision, even if some still ask about it. Ricardo’s friends back in El Paso have been supportive too. They’ve even bought their USMNT jerseys with “Pepi” on the back.Still, Ricardo says he knows there are a lot of people and even media who think he should have chosen Mexico. Explaining only that it was a better opportunity, he says he made the right choice.Whenever he talks of that decision — he’s asked the same question in each of his increasing number of interviews — there’s zero doubt in his voice. He’s calm and at peace just like he is before every game, when he sits in silence and meditates. “This all has a lot to do with the mind,” he says. “If you’re prepared for it, if you expect it, then it’s going to come.”But just because he’s at peace with the decision doesn’t mean he can ignore what’s about to come. On Nov. 12, the United States plays Mexico and there isn’t a Zen with an energy strong enough for Ricardo to pretend it’ll be just another game. To not feel any type of emotion when he hears the Mexican national anthem play, and he’s not singing along. Maybe even cry, since members of El Tri and their fans have been known to do just that.Ricardo says that game will be different. He knows two countries will be watching and the line between who cheers for whom isn’t always clear. He knows he could become the first Mexican American superstar on the USMNT, and that there will always be those who think he made the wrong choice.He knows his father’s dream was once to have a son play for El Tri. But now, Ricardo knows he has his father’s full support.”With all due respect,” Daniel says, “I’m still Mexican, and continue to love my country, but right now, my jersey is that of the United States.” I DON’T QUITE remember when I figured out that even if I wasn’t physically there, I could never escape living in a borderland. That away from this place between the United States and Mexico, I’d always feel a barrier between me and whatever place I lived. That while here, I’d feel the closest sense to belonging in the middle of the river that both divides and unites El Paso and Juárez. That’s the thing about this place. It’s a lot of things and some of them are contradictory.It sometimes feels like the most beautiful place in the world. Other times, it feels like living in the middle of the desert was always going to end with an escape. That same rugged beauty can inspire the wildest of dreams: a young boy playing soccer in Europe’s biggest leagues, a former construction worker writing this. But it’s also the type of place that can suffocate you.
So, you leave because there’s no other choice. But sometimes running away creates a sense of guilt.Leaving can cause irreparable damages to bonds once so strong you would have bet they could withstand any distance. Leaving makes you understand that the farther away you are, the less likely you’ll ever feel at home.”Whenever I get a chance, I try to make it over there,” Ricardo says of the borderland. He misses the culture, how everyone’s friendly and humble and how Spanish is what you most often hear on both sides of the Rio Grande. He misses his family. The season is long, so it’s harder to return. But, he says, when he’s back, on Saturday mornings he likes to eat barbacoa in Juárez at a place called El Chivo Brincon.
“You ever eat there?” Ricardo asks me.When I tell him I’ve never been, he responds with an incredulous “nooooo” that goes on for at least two seconds. I tell him the place we used to eat was a simple cart next to a gas station that, if it had a name, was ignored.”Everyone called it ‘el güey de la gasolinera,'” I tell him. The f—ing guy at the gas station.We laugh and the people around us don’t even know why.Unless you’re from here, you’ll never know how comforting it feels to meet an El Pasoan or a Juárense away from this place. It’s difficult to describe but it’s in the way they talk, especially when the conversation turns to Spanish. It’s in the music they listen to and the food that they eat. It’s in the shared memories of this place.It’s in the interaction. Because, if nothing else, for once, you don’t have to explain where you come from. No need to explain how much you miss i. Or the struggle to stay or leave.No need to explain how the border wall never looks as jarring as it does when you leave and go back.Or that, because it feels like it has always been there, sometimes that goddamned wall becomes just another part of the desert.
“IT’S IMPOSSIBLE,” DANIEL says when asked to describe his emotions when he heard Ricardo was starting the World Cup qualifier against Honduras.The game before, against Canada, the Pepi family traveled to Nashville. Since the USMNT played a scoreless tie in El Salvador, a game in which Ricardo didn’t get any playing time, Daniel figured his son would get 10 or 15 minutes in Tennessee.”We traveled there with that hope,” Daniel says. “Unfortunately, he didn’t play. And to be honest, the U.S. only got two points in two games, I figured he wasn’t going to play much, if at all, against Honduras.”Two games into qualifying for the 2022 World Cup, and the USMNT looked lost. The team had been expected to win both games and managed only draws. For fans, those results awoke dark memories of the team’s failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.That’s why the game against Honduras mattered. And why Daniel figured Ricardo wouldn’t play, since he was unproven. Of course, look at it from the opposite angle and it becomes clear that whatever USMNT had done wasn’t working. And so, on the plane to Honduras, Gregg Berhalter — maybe coaching for his job — told Ricardo he was starting.Daniel was driving around Waco, Texas, where he works Monday through Friday, when he heard the news.”Are you playing with me?” he asked Ricardo, the surprise so great that Daniel had pulled off the road.”No,” Ricardo answered.At halftime, losing 1-0, and again, thoughts that everything might be coming apart for the USMNT — maybe even thoughts that they’d chosen the wrong country — Daniel worried Ricardo would get replaced. Not because he was playing badly, but because it was his first start.”I see him starting the second half,” Daniel says, “and how he’s playing. I tell my wife, ‘A goal’s coming, a goal’s coming, a goal’s coming.’ And then it comes.”In the 75th minute, Ricardo’s header broke the tie, 2-1. And as he — the second youngest player to play for the United States in a World Cup qualifier, after teammate Christian Pulisic — ran and screamed and jumped in celebration with his teammates, his family did the same at home. All celebrating the euphoria of what Ricardo calls “a goal that changed the game completely.” A goal that, at least for one game, broke the USMNT free from the panic and doubt and insecurity that had surrounded them.”There wasn’t enough room in our hearts to fit such emotion,” Daniel says. Sitting beside him, Annette also jumped and screamed. She cried. Because that’s what she always does when Ricardo scores.”My son has always said that he was going to be a professional. That he was going to play on a European club. And always, always, always, when he scores, I get tears of happiness and joy,” Annette says. As she talks, her voice begins to crack.”I know this is his dream,” she says of her son, who finished his USMNT debut with a goal and two assists to beat Honduras 4-1.”That game was special,” says the teenager from the edge of two countries.
RICARDO STANDS BY his Camaro. It’s the last photoshoot location of the day.His car, a symbol of American muscle, looks as red and shiny as a candy apple. He got it about a month ago. It’s the first car he has ever bought for himself. And when he parks it, he’s careful not to touch the windows when closing the door. He doesn’t want his fingertips staining the tinted glass.”It’s been crazy,” Ricardo says about the past few months. He says he gets recognized lots more. Fans approach him and ask him for an autograph, and some — more than before — tell him they’re from El Paso too.Watching him play against men, it’s easy to forget how young Ricardo is. That, somewhere in the middle of his life-changing season, he graduated from high school. That he still lives at home with his parents. That when he’s not scoring goals, he takes out the trash, walks the dog and occasionally washes dishes.Ricardo misses home. But he has no second thoughts about the choices he has made. He says he understands how much his family has risked. They left the comfort and familiarity of El Paso and Juárez for Dallas, a giant of a city. Four years of living there, and they still use GPS to get around.This place is where they live now. For how much longer? No one knows. Soccer rumors mention Ricardo’s name along with some of the world’s biggest clubs in Germany, Italy, England and the Netherlands. Daniel says the family thinks about that every day.”But we don’t think of it as wondering what comes next,” Daniel says. “We know what comes next. He’s long visualized his path. He knows where he wants to go, and the path to get there.”But no matter where he, or they, as a family, live, they speak as if they too know you can’t escape the El Paso-Juárez borderland. They still own that unfinished house in San Eli. They talk about visiting as much as they can, crossing that bridge that divides and connects home. They say it never feels like enough. Because even if Ricardo chooses to play for the United States instead of Mexico, they all seem more comfortable in that place between those two countries.It’s like the last thing they want to do is forget where they come from. It’s why even if Ricardo and his magical right foot play for the United States, they only speak Spanish at home.Roberto José Andrade Franco is a fronterizo from the El Paso-Juárez borderland. Follow him @R_AndradeFranco to read more of his work.
The USWNT October friendlies roster has been released
A few new(er) faces join the roster for the upcoming friendlies
With a few more months left in 2021, Vlatko Andonovski continues to let those who played in the Tokyo Olympics be celebrated and still bring in some new faces in his USWNT roster.
There are a lot familiar faces as expected and with everything going on within the NWSL, Andonovski was keen to point out that his selection was based on the “well-being of our players”. Andonovski wants to the team to keep developing with each game while also entertaining the fans that will come out to see the team. Finally, the USWNT head coach noted that as this signals the last time Carli Lloyd will be playing in front of the home fans, he want to give Lloyd the “send-off she deserves.”
Emily Fox comes in once again
With Crystal Dunn choosing to opt out of these friendlies, Racing Louisville’s Emily Fox has been called up. Her form during the league has been deserving of another call up to the national team and she has been a bright spot for the new team to the league, despite their league position right now. Fox is definitely one for the future and if she continues to develop as quickly as she has, I wouldn’t put it past her to be on the World Cup roster in two years time. She, and those who want to see her on the team will certainly hope that is the case in 2023.
Injuries remain with key players
Alyssa Naeher, Sam Mewis and Julie Ertz will be at the training camp for these friendlies but all three are still a long way out from playing with the national team again. Those three names are probably three names that will be guaranteed starters had they been fit but instead, they will be watching from the sidelines as the likes of Andi Sullivan and Jane Campbell try to make a name for themselves with the team in their place.
Opt-outs provide opportunities for younger players
As already noted Emily Fox has been named to the team in this roster. She will be taking the place of Crystal Dunn who has opted out of these October friendlies. We can never fault a player for deciding to take some time out for their own mental health and given the importance of Dunn to the team, it looks like Andonovski has no problem giving her the time to do so. Christen Press also continues to be on sabbatical which allows the likes of Sophia Smith to be given another chance to impress. There’s no guarantee that some of these newer names will become mainstays on the team but if someone like Smith shows out like she did in the September friendlies, given her age, she could easily become another permanent fixture with the USWNT.
The full 21-player roster is listed below:
Goalkeepers (2): Jane Campbell (Houston Dash), Adrianna Franch (KC NSWL).
#INDvLOU Gameday Preview Indy Eleven vs. Louisville City FC Saturday, October 16, 2021 – 7:00 P.M. ET IUPUI Michael A. Carroll Stadium – Indianapolis, Ind.
Indy Eleven: 8W-14L-7D (-13 GD), 31 pts.; 7th in Central Division
Louisville City FC: 16W-6L-7D (+22 GD), 55 pts.; 2nd in Central Division
Yes, there are deep playoff implications for both Louisville-Indianapolis Proximity Association Football Contest combatants surrounding their affair Saturday night at “The Mike”, but we’ll get to that later. Judging from the passion of players and fans alike in their three previous meetings this season, the motivation to capture this year’s LIPAFC series crown will be more than enough stakes for the evening – with the Boys in Blue perhaps having a little more “oomph” in order to play spoiler against their archrival.Another impetus for Indiana’s Team is to simply end the season on a positive note, playoff situation regardless. Louisville’s 2-0 win at Carroll Stadium on Sept. 18 marked the start of the Eleven’s current six-game winless streak (0W-4L-2D), and the Boys in Blue would love nothing more than to get their groove back starting with a rivalry triumph that could springboard to a solid finish.Help on that front could come with the possible returns of key contributors from injury, as defenders Neveal Hackshaw and A.J. Cochran and midfielder Rece Buckmaster all returned to full training earlier in the week, potentially giving Interim Head Coach Max Rogers more options to dampen the Eastern Conference’s highest-scoring attack (57 goals). On the offensive side of the ball for Indy, early returns from Emmanuel Ledesma’s much-anticipated debut last Sunday in Birmingham were positive, as the Argentine playmaker earned the “hockey assist” on the squad’s 41st minute equalizer in an eventual 1-3 defeat. The chemistry between he, fellow “Manu” Manuel Arteaga, and whomever else Rogers deploys on the squad’s top line will be one of the more intriguing developments down the stretch for a goal-hungry squad that has failed to score multiple times in nine consecutive contests.On the opposite side, Louisville enters the LIPAFC rubber match stinging from a 1-2 defeat at Memphis 901 FC on Wednesday night, a result that snapped LouCity’s seven-game unbeaten run (four wins, three draws) and allowed a red-hot Birmingham Legion FC side to claim the Central Division’s top spot by a mere point.That match came in the middle of a three-game week, but the Indy faithful shouldn’t expect to see a sluggish squad come Saturday as newly-minted full-time Head Coach Danny Cruz managed the minutes of one of the deepest rosters in the Championship to allow for plenty of fresh legs on the weekend. While that may or may not include the league’s third leading scorer, Cameron Lancaster (17 goals), who went the full 90 in both contests, we can expect to see a heavy dose of the Championship’s assist-leader, Brian Ownby (10 assists, 4 goals), starlet winger Jonathan Gomez, and perennial thorn-in-the-side of the Boys in Blue, Antoine Hoppenot (3 goals, 4 assists).
SCOREBOARD WATCH CENTRAL (DIVISION)
When it comes to possible postseason inclusion, “The Math” has finally caught up to Indiana’s Team, which knows it must win Saturday – and over the following two weekends – in order to keep its slim USL Championship Playoff hopes alive.
Alas, here’s all that needs to happen for the Boys in Blue to make a mind-bendingly complicated run to the postseason come to fruition:
Indy wins its final three games (would earn maximum of 40 points)
Tulsa (currently on 39 pts.) loses their final five matches
Tulsa would end on 39 points
TUL owns fourth tiebreaker – regular season wins vs. in-division opponents – over IND (would be 10 vs. 11)
OKC Energy (currently on 36 pts.) loses their next two matches AND defeats TUL in season finale
OKC would end on 39 points
OKC owns second tiebreaker – goal differential in head-to-head meetings (5 to 4) – over IND
Atlanta United 2 (currently on 34 pts.) ties or loses to its next match to Memphis AND defeats Tulsa in its season finale
ATL could end on 37 or 38 points
ATL owns first tiebreaker – head-to-head regular season record – over IND
Indy Eleven could put a nice little feather in its 2021 cap by taking the season series against Louisville outright for the first time with a win on Saturday. Indiana’s Team turned the LIPAFC series on its head back on May 22 with a 2-1 comeback win at Lynn Family Stadium, which snapped Indy’s 10-game winless streak in the rivalry and gave Indiana’s Team its first win in the series since their first USL Championship regular season affair on May 5, 2018. The second meeting also came on the wrong side of the river on June 26 and was no less entertaining, starting with Cammy Smith (9’) and Neveal Hackshaw (20’) equalizing within the first 20 minutes and followed by Manuel Arteaga’s go-ahead goal just prior to halftime. However, Corben Bone’s 78th minute strike helped Louisville share the spoils from a 3-3 draw. The first meeting at Carroll Stadium on September 18 was all LouCity, which us
IND PLAYER TO WATCH: DF/MF JARED TIMMER
Timmer’s versatility has been amplified in recent weeks as Indy continues to recover from an injury bug that has kept several defensive players from the team sheet. The Butler University alumnus’ athleticism paid huge dividends through the busiest stretch of the season, and he enters the final slate of games as one of only three Boys in Blue to have played more than 2,000 minutes. Onlookers have seen the 24-year-old primarily in the midfield, but he has since cemented his role as a center back while defender A.J. Cochran recovered from an injury sustained in August.
Despite falling 3-1 at Birmingham Legion FC last Sunday, Timmer had a standout defensive performance, leading his teammates in clearances (4), interceptions (3) and passes/successful passes (51-41). The tandem effort between Timmer and new in blue Tobi Adewole saw the pair nearly paint the heatmap in Indy’s defending half entirely green. The efforts between the two could’ve seen end the night at least with a draw, had it not been for a dipping shot from distance by Legion FC’s Eli Crognale that put the hosts up late in the game. Continued stout defending around the 18-yard box and shutting down Louisville’s crossing plays into the area, such as forward Cameron Lancaster’s stoppage time game-winner against Sporting Kansas City II on October 9, will be a top priority from Timmer and company.
LOU PLAYER TO WATCH: MF OSCAR JIMENEZ
After spending majority of the year sidelined by injury, Jimenez’s reintroduction to the lineup has added a late-season depth boost for Louisville. Though the fifth-year boy in purple has been readjusting to consistent minutes since returning on August 22 in LouCity’s away draw at OKC Energy FC, he has finally started to pick up where he left off in the first two months of the 2021 campaign after registering a goal, two assists and eight chances created in his last three appearances. The remaining three games for the Kentuckian side provide an optimal chance for Jimenez to continue building match fitness before entering the postseason.
Jimenez is as versatile as it gets – he can play forward, he can distribute passes, he can play box-to-box, he can create chances, and has been instrumental in a Louisville attack that has tallied eight goals in the last three outings, including his assist on Paolo DelPiccolo’s game-winner against New Mexico United on October 3 and his 88th-minute equalizer in City’s 4-3 win against Sporting KC II. In the last three matches, Jimenez has been seen marshaling both flanks (starting along the left twice and right once), taking the bulk of his touches along the touch line on either side of the pitch. Though he hasn’t put up the highest passing stats in that time (73.8% average passing accuracy), his possession along the edge of the field has been successful in pulling opposing players out of position, opening channels for his fellow midfielders to play forward, especially in Louisville’s defending half. Shutting down passing lanes through the center of the pitch will be key for the Indy Eleven midfield come Saturday evening.
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
The Ole Ballcoach is desperately looking for Mexico vs USA tickets next month in Cincy – if you have a line on tickets please let me know. 1, 2, 3, 4 tickets – willing to pay over price.
US Loses First Qualifier 1-0 to Panama – Hosts Costa Rica in Columbus Wed 7 pm on ESPN2
Not 100% sure what Coach Berhalter was thinking Sunday night as sent 7 new players out on the field vs a Panama team that stands in 3rd in the Hex. The massive, wholesale changes from the huge 2-0 win over Jamaica – came back to haunt the American’s as we looked disjointed, confused and downright disinterested at times. The US tallied O – yes Zero shots on goal as Panama peppered the US defense. Four corners in the 1st half finally led to a rightful Panama goal off a bad header by Zardes – essentially knocking the ball away from US GK Matt Turner – allowing it to slip in. The US started
Weah/Zardes/Arriola up top along with Musah, Legette and unbelievably Acosta at the #6 in front of 3 new starters in the back with /Zimmermann/McKensie/Bello
Yes our new #9 the top scorer in CONCACAF goals after only 2 of 4 games Ricardo Pepi – sat on the bench until the 70th minute. Yes the only guy who can stop the World sensation Pepi from scoring – BERHALTER. Listen I have defended our foolish young coach many a time – heck he has beaten Mexico twice and lifted Nations League and Gold Cup Trophies with 2 different squads this summer. But man I have to question the wisdom on his starting 11 for this one?? Now Panama is good – they have not lost at home since we beat them 4 years ago. At the same time the US has NEVER lost to Panama – EVER – at home or away. How could Berhalter not take this game seriously? Did he really think we would march into Panama and tie or win the game with our C team? Hell we are already missing Pulisic (ankle), Reyna (knee), Robinson (England Quaranteen Issues) and Weston McKinney (knee). First off – no US Defense should be missing Miles Robinson – EVER AGAIN – unless he is hurt. He’s proven this summer and fall – he is indispensible. As good as GK Matt Turner has played – Centerback Miles Robinson has played better – and he’s honestly the reason teams are not scoring on the US. Without him – well you see what happened. 2nd – when Pulisic and Reyna are not healthy – Aaronson has to start on a wing – PERIOD! He’s the closest thing we have to Landon Donovan – his relentless energy bounds his runs unrivaled on this team. Please don’t tell me he was tired after only playing 60 minutes vs Jamaica. 3rd Unless he is hurt Captain Tyler Adams should start every game the US plays in at the #6. He controls the game and protects the defense as well as anyone in the world right now. Acosta is a decent substitute at the #6 only if Adams is hurt. And Finally – until otherwise noted – Ricardo Pepi – MUST START every game for the US until he doesn’t score a goal or 2 per game. I still can’t believe he didn’t start Pepi – yes he brought him in – during the 75th minute – but by then it was too late. Who the hell does Berhalter think he is Dean Smith? You know the only coach to keep Michael Jordan under 20pts per game in college. Not starting Pepi was a bone-head move by Berhalter and I think signified either he didn’t have faith his team could win in Panama or he thought his scrum 3rd string boys could win it instead. Either mark show’s his stupidity on this one.
Well the loss along with a tie on the road –shows just how shitty the US is playing in other countries right now. How could Berhalter – a student of the game not take into account the momentus day that Sunday was – Oct 10 – yes the same Oct 10 when the US loss on the road to Trinidad and Tobego to knock us out of the last world cup – USMNT’s darkest day in modern history. Hell start your starters and win that game in Panama – if for no other reason than to CLENSE the US Soccer fan’s disdain for that day OCT 10TH . To prove – hey US soccer fans – you don’t have to worry – we are going to qualify for the world cup. Right now – I am not sure how many of us feel we are. I still believe this is our Golden Generation – and this team is going to do special things. I hope it is with an American Coach in Berhalter. But unless he straightens things out vs Costa Rica on Wed night or then vs Mexico in November his job status could become dicey.
Now on to Costa Rica
So since I am going to the game with buddies – I have to pick us to win the game – I am thinking 2-0 – or Dos a Cero – just for old time’s sake – sense the Columbus Fortress should be hosting the US vs Mexico match in Nov (not Cincy) – PS – still begging for Mexico tickets if anyone has an extra – I can drive/buy the beers/and pay extra for my ticket – I have not missed a US vs Mexico game since 2004 within driving distance of Indy. But I degress – I completely disagree with Berhalter’s thought that he needs his rested starters to beat a Costa Rica team at home that is 1-3-1 and stands in 5th in the hex. Its Panama that is/was more dangerous – not having lost at home vs Mexico or Canada and currently tied for 2nd at 2-2-1 just like the US. The standings still find the US in 2nd place but we lost to Panama currently in 3rd and we tied Canada (2nd), so there is literally no room for error at home over the next 2 games vs Costa Rica and Mexico. Its time to go back to the starters –
Shane’s Roster for Wed night –
Pepi
Aaronson/Weah
Musah/McKennie
Adams
Robinson/Mark McKenzie/Miles Robinson/Dest
Steffan
Back to a starting line-up in the back 4 + Adams – along with McKennie and Musah in the middle – Pepi along with Aaronson on one side and Weah on the other. Berhalter has yet to play Weah with Pepi up front – Weah has to be licking his chops to actually play with a real #9 – this starting 3 might give Pulisic/Reyna a run for their money up top. If we want to score early and take control – this is the line-up. Not Roldan who’s too old to go more than 30 minutes/not MLSers Leggette or Arriola – though I like them off the bench possibly. Finally its time for Steffan to get a start in the net – it sucks it comes after a loss for Turner – who I still think starts vs Mexico in No- but Steffan deserves a run at GK at home – otherwise why bring him all the way over here from England. I am excited for the game and will be shocked if we lose at home – but heaven knows I have been shocked before, Game starts at 7 pm on ESPN 2 – why not ESPN – who knows? Lets be real – ESPN doesn’t really care about soccer- so no real pre game or postgame shows like Paramount plus does so well. Still looking for a great game ! Go USA !!
UEFA Nations League – France Wins 2-1
Despite France being illegally awarded the winning goal in the final vs Spain to win it 2-1 overall – I thought the Nations League Finals were fantastic. The Semi’s were both fantastic games and the finals and the 3rd place game was also good theatre. Too bad Martinez didn’t play his Belgium stars after Belgium chocked again in the Semi’s of a major tourney. Can we please stop ranking Belgium king of BS wins #1 in the World – they have NEVER WON a major tournament of any kind – EVER. And even this GOLDEN GENERATION of Belgium stars can’t seem to round the corner. FIFA please ranked them 9th like they should be. They are not Germany or France or Italy or Germany or even England (who hasn’t brought it home since 1950). Belgium has never won any tournament – until they do – lets rank them where they below at like 9 or something. Ok enough of my rant on the Overrated ness of Belgium. I for one think the Nations League is pretty cool – it beats the heck out of useless friendlies where good players aren’t even playing for 60 minutes. The good teams seem to have taken this seriously – and any tourney that gives me Spain vs Italy and France vs Belgium sounds good to me – almost as good as our Nations League US vs Mexico. I for one am not a fan of a World Cup every 2 years – so I hope Nations League and the European Cup and COPA America all still stay around with a World Cup every 4th year. Heck I loved the Year before the cup Tourney – it made winning the Gold Cup a necessity.
Nations League – Blown Call
I’m interested to hear what my my fellow reffing friends out there think about the blown offsides call not called on Mbappe’s 2nd goal? The explanation incorrectly rendered by VAR was since a defender accidently deflected it in a desperate attempt to keep the ball from reaching Mbappe – that the French Forward should be deemed onsides. That’s absolute BS – it has to be an intentional pass back by the defender – not a desperation deflection – to deem the offensive player onsides. I thought it was ok it was missed on the field – but when VAR missed it too? Are you kidding me? In a Nations League Friggin Final Match? Seriously !!! BAD CALL – OFFSIDES – NO Go Ahead Goal for France in the waning moments. Fellow Refs – what are your thoughts?
High School Regionals this week
Both the Carmel High Girls and Boys teams advanced to the Regionals with huge overtime wins on Saturday vs Zionsville. The boys beat Zionsville 2-1 in a PK shootout as the Carmel keeper made 3 PK saves- they will travel to Avon on Thurs with a birth in Saturday’s Regional Finals to be held at CHS at 4 pm on the line. The Girls travel to Brownsburg Wed at 6 pm with the winner returning to CHS for Sat’s Regional Championship at Murray Field at 2 pm. Cathedral girls hosts South Dearborn at 6 pm Wed with the winner facing probably Brebeuf Sat at 4 pm at Bishop Chatard.
BIG GAMES TO WATCH
TUES 10/12 WCQ
2 pm EPSN2 Denmark vs Austria
3 pm ESPN+ England vs Hungary
5 pm FUBO Colombia vs Brazil
Weds 10/13 WCQ
7 pm ESPN2 USA vs Costa Rica
7 pm Univision, P+ Canada vs Panama
10 pm CBS SN El Salvador (Eric Zavaleta) vs Mexico
USMNT’s Weston McKennie, Antonee Robinson to be assessed ahead of Costa
2:09 PM ET
Jeff CarlisleU.S. soccer correspondent
COLUMBUS, Ohio – United States coach Gregg Berhalter said that both midfielder Weston McKennie and left-back Antonee Robinson will undergo fitness tests later on Tuesday to see if they will be able to play in Wednesday’s World Cup qualifier against Costa Rica.McKennie didn’t even travel to Panama for Sunday’s 1-0 loss to the Canaleros due to a quadricep injury he picked up in the previous match against Jamaica. He instead traveled ahead to Columbus to get further treatment.
“He pushed it a little bit yesterday, and the signs are he’s making progress,” said Berhalter about McKennie. “But we’ll have to see today in training.”Robinson joined McKennie in traveling early to Columbus as well. Initially Robinson’s absence was explained as a desire to minimize the effects of quarantine rules in the U.K., where Panama remains a red-list country.But during Tuesday’s call, Robinson mentioned that he has also been dealing with “a little issue with my knee” and that he’s been receiving treatment for it since the Jamaica game. He sounded optimistic about his recovery.”I’ve had the chance to recover and get myself back in shape for the next game,” he said.The U.S. will face a Costa Rica side that heavy in experience, with goalkeeper Keylor Navas, midfielder Celso Borges and midfielder Bryan Ruiz all on the roster. And yesterday it was announced that 39-year-old striker Alvaro Saborio and 37-year-old midfielder Christian Bolaños would be added to the roster. Forward Joel Campbell will miss due to a sprained right ankle. Costa Rica has earned six points from their first five games, putting them in fifth place, but just two points behind the U.S.”This is a group that’s been together for a long time, and there’s certainly strengthen in that, and there’s certainly an advantage to that,” said Berhalter about Costa Rica. “For us, it’s just the opposite. We’re a young, up-and-coming team, and we have to use that to our advantage.”The U.S. will attempt to bounce back from the woeful performance against Panama, one in which the U.S. failed to register a single shot on goal.”We missed an opportunity to get, at minimum, a point in that game. And that’s something that we regret and we’re disappointed with,” he said. “For us, it’s about getting back to what we do well, and that’s movement off the ball. Everything we talked about pre-Jamaica game is exactly what’s back on the stage now.”That said, Berhalter made clear he didn’t regret his choice of lineup, one that featured seven changes from the Jamaica game, and overall failed to offer much threat going forward.”We believe in every single player in this squad, and I don’t regret in any moment playing that lineup,” he said. “I regret more our performance, and some of the attacking adjustments we could have made in that game to be more mobile, to be moving more, but not personnel.”
USMNT’s loss to Panama is a tough, necessary reminder for World Cup qualifying
Andy DeossaSun, October 10, 2021, 8:25 PMIn this article:
Waiting for the United States to announce its starting lineup has become a tumultuous experience. Your projected eleven might be spot on or completely wrong, then it’s released and dissected in the moments leading up to the match.
Sunday was no different. In fact, the lineup head coach Gregg Berhalter went with was more shocking than predictable. It featured seven changes from Thursday’s squad against Jamaica. It was as close to a “B team” as you can get on this stage for World Cup qualifiers, and it showed as the USMNT suffered a 1-0 loss in Panama.
The lone score was credited to Anibal Godoy but might’ve been an own goal by Gyasi Zardes, who got the start over Ricardo Pepi, who is in incredible form right now. Besides the fact they gave up seven corner kicks and defended terribly on the set piece leading to the goal, the loss goes far beyond just dropping points on the road.
“You don’t want to make an excuse, but I think the [weather] was a factor,” said Berhalter after the loss “The other team had to play in it also, that can’t be the starting point for why we didn’t play well in this game.”
Use all the excuses you want about having to travel on short notice to play in tough road environments. One thing is — and always has been — clear: There are no easy games in World Cup qualifying, regardless of conditions or location. The USMNT know that very well. Exactly four years ago today was an infamous night they’d like to forget in Couva, Trinidad & Tobago, where they lost 2-1 and failed to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1986.
That day and result launched the hysteria surrounding the USMNT to the moon. A lot of those players have since been replaced with younger, more promising kids. Some still remain. In between there have been bad moments (none to that extent) along with great ones, too. For example, entering Sunday’s contest the USMNT was on a 13-match unbeaten streak, the third-longest in the country’s history. They hadn’t lost a game since May 30 in Switzerland. In between they snagged a few trophies over bitter rival Mexico.
But that run came to a screeching halt and those trophies don’t mean anything when trying to qualify for a World Cup.
Gregg Berhalter got too cute in tinkering with his lineup against Panama, and it cost the USMNT in World Cup qualifying. (REUTERS/Erick Marciscano)
Berhalter trying to rest certain players is respectable considering there’s a game in a few days against Costa Rica in Columbus, but he might’ve been a little too naive with the group he chose to start. The halftime subs of Tyler Adams and Brenden Aaronson for Yunus Musah and Paul Arriola spoke volumes. Whatever idea he had planned didn’t work. By the time Pepi, DeAndre Yedlin and Cristian Roldan entered in the 68th minute to chase the match, it was too late.
“It wasn’t through a lack of trying,” Berhalter said. “We just didn’t have that 100% today. We were really poor with our passing and some of our movement.
“Overall we performed below the expectations that we have for ourselves,” he added.
Sometimes, especially in these type of games, all it takes is a goal. The United States were frankly never close to that.
Nobody qualified or failed to on Sunday, but the loss needs to serve as a major lesson for Berhalter and company. Don’t get too cute when tinkering with the lineup because it could end up costing you. Instead of going into Wednesday’s game against Costa Rica with confidence, they will now enter it under more added pressure.
How they deal with it will tell us a lot about this team, despite being without crucial pieces like Christian Pulisic and Giovanni Reyna.
Regardless, the four-year anniversary of one of the worst days in U.S. Soccer sent perhaps the most important and necessary message for this young group: don’t let history repeat itself.
U.S. shocked by Panama: Berhalter takes blame for selection gamble
Berhalter changed seven starters from Thursday’s 2-0 home win over Jamaica, leaving a lineup already missing injured Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna and Weston McKennie having to go without Brenden Aaronson and Tyler Adams during the first half. In addition, Antonee Robinson remained in the U.S. due to British COVID restrictions that would have impacted him upon his return to the UK.
Berhalter took into account which players he wanted to be fresh for Wednesday night’s qualifier against Costa Rica in Columbus, Ohio, the third match in a seven-game span under a schedule revamped due to the pandemic.
And after Anibal Godoy scored in the 54th minute to settle the match, Berhalter was asked about his lineup.
“Now it obviously doesn’t look like the best choice,” he said. “We know we’re playing in extreme heat, extreme humidity, we’re know traveling for 4 1/2 hours, and we know that we have another game on Wednesday and we wanted to rotate players. And if it didn’t work, then it’s on me, and it’s my responsibility, or our responsility as a staff.”During the final hectic minutes, the game was interrupted twice when fans ran onto the field. Ball boys at times threw multiple balls onto the field after one went out of bounds.”I had like two or three,” Matt Turner said. “I was just trying to get them off the field as quickly as I could. I didn’t want the game to stop anymore. People running on the field – the ball boys were throwing, kicking the balls onto the field as high as they could. And I was just trying to keep the chaos off the field as much as I could and keep our momentum going.”The match was played on the fourth anniversary of a 2-1 loss at Trinidad that ended a streak of seven World Cup appearances for the U.S., a defeat that enabled Panama to reach the World Cup for the first time. On Sunday, Panama outshot the U.S. 8-5, including a 4-0 advantage in shots on target, and ended a 13-game unbeaten streak for the Americans that included 11 wins. Quite a turnaround for a nation that had one win and 16 defeats in 23 previous games against the U.S., including no wins and six defeats in eight qualifiers.Through five of 14 matches, Mexico leads with 11 points following a 3-0 win over visiting Honduras, and the U.S. is second with eight, ahead of Panama on goal difference. Canada has seven after a 0-0 draw at Jamaica, and Costa Rica has six following a 2-1 victory at El Salvador, which has five. Honduras trails with three and Jamaica two.The top three nations qualify, and the No. 4 team advances to a playoff.”The good thing,” Berhalter said, “is we’re still in second place.”
How did Columbus become the USMNT’s spiritual home, and will it continue to be?
1:14 PM ET Jeff Carlisle U.S. soccer correspondent
In the U.S. soccer ecosystem, there are no shortage of cities claiming to be the “home” of the sport in this country. Portland dubs itself “Soccer City, U.S.A.,” for starters. Washington, D.C., has held its share of memorable matches at the soon-to-be-demolished RFK Stadium, while fans in Seattle; Kansas City, Missouri; and elsewhere have done their bit to evolve the sport’s fan culture.Yet when one thinks of the spiritual home for the U.S. men’s national team, it’s hard to argue against Columbus, Ohio. The USMNT has played a total of 12 matches in Ohio’s capital city. Ten of those have been World Cup qualifiers — no city has been home to more qualifying wins that the seven in Columbus — with five of them against bitter rivals Mexico. And yes, from those matches against El Tri came the birth of “Dos a Cero,” the fixture’s uncanny ability — for a time, anyway — to crank out 2-0 score lines in favor of the U.S. Along the way, some of the most iconic moments in U.S. soccer history took place.On Wednesday, Columbus will once again host a World Cup qualifier, this time against Costa Rica at newly minted Lower.com Field (coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN2). For adopted son Frankie Hejduk, the city’s love for the sport started out as a slow burn but is now in full flame.
“When I moved to Columbus, it was my dream to make this city a soccer town,” the former Columbus Crew and U.S. international defender said. “I knew it was a [college] football town. I thought, ‘Let’s make this a soccer town.’ Now with the players getting what they have, the stadium that we have, downtown, right in the buzz of things, I’m in a happy place. Hopefully we get another victory here in Columbus.”
“The catalyst was to win the game”
Just how World Cup qualifiers ended up in Columbus was down to a seemingly intractable problem: How to create a home-field advantage in a country where expats tended to outnumber — or at least shout down — U.S. fans. Fan culture in the sport during the late 1990s was still in its infancy, with Sam’s Army, a precursor to the American Outlaws, just 6 years old. MLS had been around for only five years.That reality was reinforced in 1997, when the World Cup qualifier between the U.S. and Mexico was played at Foxboro Stadium, just outside of Boston. The attendance of 57,407 amounted to a hefty payday for the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF), though opinions vary as to the breakdown of crowd support. USSF director of events Paul Marstellar estimated it at 75-25 in favor of the U.S, though then USSF vice-president Sunil Gulati put it closer to 50-50. The match ended 2-2, but there’s little doubt as to which team had the more passionate support.”It was a different atmosphere. It was a little more laid back,” said Monty Rodrigues, 46, a financial analyst from Nashua, New Hampshire, who attended both the match in Foxborough and later in Columbus. “The Sam’s Army section was obviously loud and proud. [Around] the rest of the stadium, you had some people that cared, but mostly it was, ‘Hey, cool, it’s a World Cup qualifier.'”When it came time for the USSF to pick a venue for the 2001 qualifier, a different focus had set in for then-U.S. manager Bruce Arena.
“The catalyst was to try to win the game,” Arena noted dryly. “U.S. Soccer wanted to play the game in the L.A. Coliseum, because they’d get 90,000 people at the game, and they get a big bump, obviously financially. I convinced them that the priority had to be trying to beat Mexico.”Arena added that “it took a little while” to persuade the powers that be to look for alternatives. Gulati recalls that he’d long tempted his counterparts at the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) with an offer of playing in Los Angeles if Mexico would play its home game in either L.A. or Monterrey — at sea level, away from the lung-searing altitude and smog of the famed Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. As he suspected, the FMF never took him up on the offer and the USSF soon narrowed its focus to Crew Stadium.
At the time, it was the lone soccer-specific venue in the country and had already hosted a World Cup qualifier against Costa Rica in the previous round. Not only would the capacity (24,624 at the time) allow the USSF to have tighter control of ticket sales, but the location in America’s heartland made it more difficult for Mexico fans to attend. The fact that the game would be played in February didn’t hurt either.
“With a large stadium and resale and everything else, a home-field advantage was impossible,” said Gulati. “We learned that lesson in Boston. So that became Columbus, where we could go to the Crew season ticket-holders first, and so on and so forth and try to get a pro-U.S. crowd. I guess you could say having a temperature being cold was a bonus.”
The relative scarcity of tickets seemed to have the desired effect as well. Gulati recalled how FMF executive Hugo Kiese complained that he couldn’t get a ticket to the match. “I told him, ‘There’s no problem. I can get you a ticket, but you’re going to feel very alone in the stands.'”
“It was insane”
Prior to the game, there was a sense among some fans that something memorable was brewing. The team had been revamped under Arena and was beginning to put together some results. The night before, Sam Pierron, a 46-year-old IT consultant from Kansas City, was putting up banners in Crew Stadium for Sam’s Army. He’d been to his share of qualifiers, but the vibe ahead of this match was different.”There was some serious anticipation,” he recalled. “It was unlike anything we’ve ever really felt.”Rodrigues added, “There was almost a cockiness among the U.S. fans. It was just one of those games where you just felt something special was going on, even before the game started. That team was young and talented, and it was just an excitement that was building through the supporters’ section. And we just kind of went with that.”What followed was one of the more memorable matches in U.S. men’s history. With temperatures hovering around freezing, Mexico didn’t even bother coming out for pregame warm-ups, handing the U.S. a huge psychological advantage.”That was the coldest I’ve ever been at a soccer game,” said Hejduk, an unused substitute that day. “But because they didn’t come out for warm-ups, we already knew — I knew — we’re going to win. They were already, psychologically, a little bit distracted.”Yet the match didn’t go entirely the U.S. team’s way. Brian McBride was forced off in the 15th minute after a collision with Mexico defender Rafa Marquez left the U.S. forward with an eye that was swollen shut. Claudio Reyna departed just before halftime with a groin injury, leaving the U.S. without arguably its two most important attackers. But despite those setbacks, the crowd was spurring the U.S. on, providing precisely the kind of home-field advantage that Arena & Co. had envisioned.Columbus native Kristina Balevska, now 37, was a junior in high school at the time and had attended the 1994 World Cup with her family seven years earlier. Yet the crowd that night — perhaps due in part to the cold — was like nothing she had ever experienced.”I turned to my dad and said, ‘This is insane,'” she recalled. “No one was sitting down in their seats. Nobody. Everybody was on their feet. I mean, elbow to elbow, basically. And every time we would get possession, the crowd was just cheering and screaming.”It was shortly after halftime that McBride’s and Reyna’s replacements, Josh Wolff and Clint Mathis, teamed up to score the first U.S. goal as Wolff raced onto Mathis’ through-ball, beat the well-off-his-line challenge of Mexico keeper Jorge Campos, and scored into an empty net.Balevska was soon after the recipient of her first beer shower, though there were other tangible signs of an emerging U.S. fandom as well.”I looked down on the row where we were, and I saw this grown man crying because we had just scored,” she said. With three minutes left, Earnie Stewart cemented the win after stellar work on the wing by Wolff. “Dos a Cero” was born, and Columbus was at the heart of it.”All of a sudden, you’re hearing that crowd, man, like more than ever, more than I’ve ever heard any stadium that we played Mexico in,” Hejduk said. “And it feels good as a player, that energy you feed off of, and now you’re feeding off the crowd. That was the first time we really felt that aura and energy of Crew Stadium.”It made an impression on the denizens of Columbus, too, creating new soccer converts. “It actually opened up the eyes of our city like, ‘Hey, we are a legit little soccer town here,'” said Balevska. “We might be hidden in the Midwest, but it put us on a map.”
“It’s not a pipe dream”
The 2-0 result meant a critical three points in the Hexagonal standings and got the U.S. off to a perfect start in qualifying. But for those who were there or even watched it on television, it was an inspirational moment, one that echoed down the years. Columbus Crew defender Josh Williams made the trek that night from his hometown of Copley Township, near Akron, and the game opened his eyes to what the sport meant and could be.”That match was what made me kind of fall in love with American soccer, truly fall in love with it,” he said. “I’d always supported it, but until you experienced that, I feel like that’s when the romantic side of things started to come out, and I was hooked from there on.”
For fans like Pierron, who had been beating the soccer drum for years, the game went even deeper. Soccer had perpetually been touted as the sport of the future only to fall drastically short of such prognostications. Now those hopes came into clearer focus. They were within reach. “That game was a reminder that everything you always dreamed of can happen, it can come true. That’s what that night felt like in a lot of ways,” Pierron said. “Everything you’ve always thought of, or hoped U.S. soccer culture could be … it’s not a pipe dream.”It was by no means the only seed planted in terms of supporters’ culture. Those have been sprinkled across the country, and at different times, but the Columbus offshoot has proved more fertile than most, continuing to germinate year after year.Following that chilly night, there was considerable momentum to keep drinking from the Crew Stadium well. The reality is that even in subsequent years, there weren’t many other venue options for the USSF. What is now Dignity Health Sports Park came online in 2003, while Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, was built a couple of years later. But in terms of creating a home-field advantage, Columbus simply had too much going for it to play a World Cup qualifier involving the U.S. and Mexico anywhere else.
“Then it’s easy,” Gulati said. “I remember saying, ‘I’m sure at some point, we will lose in Columbus or we won’t play in Columbus, but I’m not going to be the idiot that makes that decision.'”
It certainly helped that as the World Cup cycles rolled by, the legend of Columbus and Crew Stadium kept growing for the USMNT. There was the epic Oguchi Onyewu stare-down of Mexico striker Jared Borgetti in 2005. There was the wind storm in 2009 that created wild conditions, but not enough to stop Michael Bradley from scoring both goals. After that second Bradley goal, Hejduk let out a “F— yeah!” right in front of the Mexico bench, which afterward earned him a slap by Mexico assistant Paco Ramirez in the tunnel to the locker rooms. It didn’t come close to killing Hejduk’s buzz.
“I laughed at it. We were happy. They were sad and mad, and we got the best of them, and now of course they’re going to be pissed,” Hejduk said. “But it was more of a laughable situation because I went out and had a bunch of beers that night, enjoyed myself.”In 2013, the U.S. got word after the match that it had qualified for the 2014 World Cup, leading to a champagne celebration on the field. Granted, the Crew Stadium mojo could last only so long and in 2016, the run finally ended. Mexico claimed a 2-1 win, with old villain Marquez netting the game-winner.By then, the USSF had additional venue options as more and more MLS stadiums were built; next month’s match against Mexico will even be held down the road at Cincinnati’s TQL Stadium. Its capacity of 26,000 is roughly 6,000 more than what Lower.com Field possesses, so in a sense, the USSF is getting the best of both worlds: a slightly bigger stadium, but one still small enough to control most of the ticketing.Of course, none of that dampens the legend that is Columbus and the games that have been played there. The state of Ohio continues to make contributions to the U.S. men’s national team as well, with seven Ohio natives, including Brad Friedel, the goalkeeper for that game in 2001, playing for the U.S. The Save The Crew movement also crystallized the love of the game in the city, though it’s the national team games that remain seared into the memory.”Columbus is an incredible market that has played host to many memorable USSF matches over the years,” said David Wright, USSF chief commercial officer. “With a world-class stadium and passionate fans, we couldn’t be more excited to return.”Will the city remain in the USSF’s World Cup qualification rotation? History counts obviously, but with more options, there is a sense that the city will have to prove itself again. Wednesday’s match against Costa Rica certainly counts as a test run.
“I still think Columbus gets a little bit of the short end of the stick with just how passionate some of these people are, and how much they care about soccer,” Williams said. “Now there’s clothing lines around the city that have those ‘Dos a Cero‘ t-shirts. Everybody around Columbus knows that scoreline because of these games.”
Crew Stadium is still standing, mind you; the site has become the Crew’s training facility. But for game days, it has been replaced by shiny, new Lower.com Field, which has drawn rave reviews from players, coaches and fans alike. The hope, especially in the wake of Sunday’s shocking 1-0 road defeat to Panama, is that some new memories will be etched into USMNT history.
“It was a good ride and now we just start over again, dude,” Hejduk said. “You’ve got these qualifiers coming up here and in Cincy. Ohio loves soccer here, and it’s really a cool thing to see.”
US Men vs Jamaica @ Panama Sunday 6 pm Paramount +
The US moves to Top of CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying Standings with 2-0 over Jamaica
Wow – it might just be time to hop on the Pepi Train! Ricardo Pepi at just 18 years old became the youngest US player to score in back to back qualifiers. The two goals were classic #9 goals and Pepi is showing he might just be the answer for the US moving forward. The other 18 year old who was magnificent was Yanus Musah – the Valencia winger starting at the #8 midfield slot and was downright fantastic as he started the attack on the first goal and he just continuously attacks the goal. He does what a #8 is supposed to do – I would argue he might be better than McKinney who completely disappeared last night. Musah always goes forward and does a great job of transitioning the ball from offense to defense. Really, really impressive. Of course Aaronson and Tim Weah were both lightening fast on the right wing and were really dangerous. Aaronson with an assist to Pepi and a couple of great shots. Weah came on in the 2nd half and provided good service (that Zardes missed /Pepi would have bagged it) and he too had some great shots on goal. MLS Goalkeeping standout Blake for Jamaica stood on his head or this would have been 4-0. In the back Sergio Dest was a start on the right side – often the most dangerous and entertaining player on the ball and the centerback pairing of Robinson and Zimmermann was fine. Of course GK Matt Turner made 2 saves in the first half – 1 of them world class to hold another clean sheet. Again this game is not on regular TV because CBS Paramount Plus bought the rights to the CONCACAF World Cup and Nations Cup games.
Looking ahead – Stefan/Robinson and a slightly injured McKinney will not travel to Panama but should be available in Columbus for Costa Rica. I like the US in a close 2-1 win at Panama. I picked the 2-0 result vs Jamaica –we’ll see for Sunday night vs Panama. I will be headed to Columbus for the US vs Costa Rica game Wednesday Oct 13th – let me know if you are going and we can hoopkup downtown before the game. Also I am desperately looking for US vs Mexico Tickets in November – (willing to pay over cost for 1 or 2 or 4 tickets) please let me know if you have extras.
USMNT roster for October World Cup qualifiers
GOALKEEPERS (3): Sean Johnson (New York City FC), Zack Steffen (Manchester City), Matt Turner (New England Revolution)
DEFENDERS (10): George Bello (Atlanta United), Sergiño Dest (Barcelona), Mark McKenzie (Genk), Shaq Moore (Tenerife), Walker Zimmermann (Nashville), Chris Richards (Hoffenheim), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (Atlanta United), DeAndre Yedlin (Galatasaray)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Kellyn Acosta (Colorado Rapids), Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig), Gianluca Busio (Venezia), Luca de la Torre (Heracles), Sebastian Lletget (LA Galaxy), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Yunus Musah (Valencia), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders)
FORWARDS (6): Brenden Aaronson (Red Bull Salzburg), Paul Arriola (D.C. United), Matthew Hoppe (Mallorca), Ricardo Pepi (FC Dallas), Tim Weah (Lille), Gyasi Zardes (Columbus Crew)
Here’s the schedule (all times ET):
Thursday, Oct. 7 — vs. Jamaica 2-0
Sunday, Oct. 10 — at Panama (6 p.m., Paramount+, Universo)
Wednesday, Oct. 13 — vs. Costa Rica (7 p.m., ESPN2, UniMás, TUDN) Columbus
Tickets are still available for the USWNT’s last two home matches of 2021 – and the Legendary Carli Lloyd’s last two matches in U.S. jersey: October 21 in Mercy Park in Kansas City and October 26 in St. Paul’s Allianz Field. Games
The US #9 Ricardo Pepi Hype Train Chugs Right Along
Success at a high level is coming fast for the 18-year-old U.S. men’s national team striker, whose contributions in World Cup qualifying have proven invaluable.
AUSTIN, Texas — The fans were showering him with love—full cups were literally flying—and so Ricardo Pepi took the opportunity to return it. The ball having bounced safely inside the left post, the 18-year-old striker jogged toward Q2 Stadium’s southwest corner and kissed the U.S. Soccer crest on his jersey.This relationship is in that early, delirious phase where everything seems perfect. But no matter how long it lasts, its impact is already significant. Pepi is the fresh face of this young U.S. men’s national team’s World Cup qualifying resurgence. After tallying a goal and two assists in his debut last month in Honduras, the FC Dallas star and El Paso native helped lift the Americans to first place in the Concacaf Octagonal with both goals in Thursday’s 2-0 defeat of Jamaica.The notable stats and facts are starting to pile up. Pepi has three goals in two senior U.S. starts. On Thursday, he become the second-youngest American man to score multiple goals in a match (Christian Pulisic has the record) and the youngest to find the net in back-to-back World Cup qualifiers. He’s now alone in first place atop the Octagonal leader board despite appearing in only two of the four games. The much-discussed Pepi hype train only recently departed, but it’s already reached dizzying speed. https://252a7e5c0ff64ebbf87f553cb552aea0.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html The U.S. struggled to find its attacking rhythm in its first two qualifiers. Since halftime of the Honduras game, however, the Americans (2-0-2) have been almost unstoppable. Pepi isn’t doing it alone, of course. But the scoreboard acknowledges only the finish, and U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter has been searching for a player who boasts the requisite technical ability, as well as a knack for nailing the runs and timing that complement the buildup fashioned by his attacking midfielders and wingers. Pepi’s ability to mesh with his teammates and bring Berhalter’s vision to life seems almost intuitive.“We’re all excited. For us, we’re just sitting there and we’re on the train,” Berhalter said Thursday night. “We’re just observing everything that’s happening. It’s amazing. I mean, an 18-year-old gets an opportunity and takes advantage of it. What you see, and what I really like, is that he has this instinct and it’s really hard to teach that to players. He has an instinct to score.”
Pepi really does make it look easy. Following a fallow first half against Jamaica, the quick and proactive U.S. started finding the precision it was missing on its crosses. In the 49th minute, he held up his run as Yunus Musah carried the ball through midfield, then subtly backed off a Jamaican defender to create the needed space to head home Sergiño Dest’s cross. In the 62nd minute, Pepi raced into the penalty area to meet Brenden Aaronson’s cross. Two touches, two goals, three points—it was a striker’s clinic. The Americans don’t need someone in that role who can create off the dribble or bomb away from distance. They’re looking for their Lewandowski—someone who can find the right run in a split second and then find the composure to finish off the play.“It’s about being patient,” Pepi said of his wait to make his mark against Jamaica. “I feel like if you ask any striker, whenever you don’t touch the ball or whenever you don’t get a lot of opportunities, you just have to stay ready for it when you do get a chance.”The sample size isn’t extensive. It’s been two games. But it’s hard to be more effective in so short a time, and the world is taking notice. Pepi has been a regular at FCD for only a season and a half, but it’s hard not to imagine him departing for Europe over the winter. Big clubs are circling. Ajax, Bayern Munich, Wolfsburg and Genoa are among the clubs that have been mentioned in recent reports.He has a big choice to make. But it won’t be his first. This summer, he made a career-defining decision by deciding to commit his international future to the U.S. The son of Mexican parents who was born and raised straddling both countries and cultures, Pepi almost certainly would’ve felt at home wearing either nation’s colors. But after spending time with the U.S. U-17s, he made his decision in August. In addition to playing for his native land, he was joining a team searching for what he offers. Berhalter has several strikers to choose from, but none had seized the starting role.“I am very proud to be Mexcian-American,” Pepi wrote in August. “At the same time, I was born and raised in the USA. This country has given me and my family a home, and endless possibilities to achieve my dreams. It has supported me, it has lifted me up, and it has shown me when you work hard you will be rewarded.”Pepi is already returning the favor. Berhalter expressed some concern following Thursday’s game about the minutes and miles that are already in his striker’s legs this season, but followed that with admiration for Pepi’s ability to power through. This month’s World Cup qualifying window will continue with Sunday’s game at Panama (1-1-2) and then conclude with a visit by Costa Rica (0-1-3) to Columbus, Ohio.”We knew that it was going to take a lot of mental courage for him to step up and really play with that relentless that we need, and he did it. So really proud of him,” Berhalter said.Aaronson, who’s just 20, said he was “really proud” of Pepi too. Aaronson, who’s already got 11 caps and a move to Red Bull Salzburg under his belt, is practically a veteran compared to Pepi. And he’s as thrilled as his manager and those beer-throwing U..S. fans about his young teammate’s start.
“He’s really grown into this striker that is just so deadly in the box. He’s someone that’s always around. I mean, for a midfielder-slash-winger, what I am, it’s a dream to play with a striker like him because you know he’s going to be in these spots,” Aaronson said after Thursday’s win. “His hold-up play is good. He plays simple. He doesn’t try to do too much and when he gets in the box he scores. I’m really proud of him. He’s an 18-year-old kid and it’s unbelievable what he’s doing, and the sky’s the limit for him.”Pepi doesn’t seem fazed by any of it yet. He’s succinct and soft spoken, and there seems to be no doubt about what he’s after. There’s been no distraction so far. He has scored 13 goals in MLS play for FC Dallas this season and he hit the clinching penalty kick in August’s All-Star win over a Liga MX select team. He’s now clearly the top striker on Berhalter’s depth chart. There are four more World Cup qualifiers this year, including the November showdown with Mexico in Cincinnati, and then a potential move abroad over the winter. The spotlight is going to brighten considerably. It could all be dizzying and daunting for this quiet kid from El Paso. But trains are built to stay on track.Pepi’s family was in the Q2 Stadium crowd on Thursday. They moved with him to Dallas, and they’re going to help keep him grounded as his profile soars.“Just being able to say calm, being able to just stay humble. I always talk to my family about a lot of things going on and they always tell me I’ve got to stay humble and I’ve got to keep working,” Pepi said Thursday.“I feel like it’s coming. I don’t know if it’s too fast or if it’s too slow. I feel like it’s coming. Whatever is going to come is going to come, and I feel like I have to be ready for it and be prepared.”
The unstoppable dreams of USMNT prodigy Ricardo Pepi
IN THE TUNNEL of Toyota Stadium, Ricardo Pepi poses during a photo shoot. The late morning feels perfect. The sun casts a shadow over a good part of the grass, which looks as green as anything that’s ever been. The cool breeze rippling through the flags of Texas, the United States and FC Dallas makes it feel like the season is finally changing after another hot summer.
“Do something with your hands,” the photographer tells Ricardo. His voice echoes through the tunnel, as does the sound of the camera. Ricardo spreads his long arms to his side. His palms, near his waist, face out with fingers almost extended. His chin high, he looks straight into the lens.”The Zen pose,” is what the phoographer calls whatever Ricardo’s doing.”You’re a natural,” the photographer says.Ricardo smiles the grin of the rare teenager full of confidence.”I try to be,” says the 18-year-old.His voice lacks any hint of hesitation, as if he understands something no one else knows. Just weeks ago, Pepi made the momentous choice between two countries and joined the USMNT, a team trying to shake off its failure to qualify for the last World Cup. He has proved to be a revelation, scoring a crucial goal in the USA’s win over Honduras on Sept. 8, fulfilling the promise he makes to his family before each game: “I’m gonna score. I’m gonna score. I’m gonna score.”changing, even as he prepares for another round of games this week that will hopefully take him and his teammates to Qatar 2022, he seems so calm, peaceful. It’s like he’s always known it was just a matter of time and hard work before the attention would come. That his and his family’s sacrifices would eventually lead them out of El Paso to here. And that from here, he, and maybe they too, will go somewhere else.Somewhere farther than the 10-hour drive between this place and home.
EL PASO IS about 83% Latino, most of that of Mexican descent. But decades ago, the city was a lot whiter. And back in those days, Alameda Avenue was a sort of dividing line. If you were white, you likely lived north of that street. If Mexican, you stayed south. Between that avenue and the Rio Grande, on the eastern part of El Paso County where land is cheaper and it becomes clear that this is life deep in the Chihuahuan Desert, is San Elizario.San Eli is what everyone here calls it. That’s where Ricardo’s childhood home stands about a mile south of Alameda Avenue and double that distance north of the Rio Grande and the rust-colored border wall that scars the soul of this place. The overgrown weeds, the still-hanging Christmas lights, the empty rooms and the white car with deflating tires parked in the back, make it feel like the home was hastily abandoned. As if an opportunity came up that couldn’t be passed.Like many houses in this neighborhood, the Pepis’ former home looks like it’s still in the process of being constructed. Good enough to live in — the doors and windows lock, the water and electricity work, the roof doesn’t leak — but still unfinished.”I built it,” Daniel, Ricardo’s father, says in Spanish. Whenever extra money came in, it went to the house. Little by little, working on the weekends and after long weekdays doing construction, Daniel built this with his hands.”When Ricardo was growing up, the conditions weren’t the best for us,” Daniel says. “That was part of the reason we lived in San Eli. It wasn’t because we wanted to. I didn’t grow up in a rural area where the roosters wake you up, where the neighbors have cows.”From this house, Daniel and his wife, Annette, raised their young family. It was a life common to many El Pasoans. Monday through Friday, while working or at school, they stayed on the north side of the Rio Grande. On weekends and the random weeknight, the Pepis returned to the south side of the river to spend time with family still living in Juárez, Mexico.”We consider it one city, one community,” Daniel says of El Paso and Juárez. “It doesn’t really matter if you live in El Paso or live in Juárez, you cross that bridge as much as you can.”From this house, Ricardo — the oldest of the three Pepi children — started playing soccer at 4 years old. He’d grown up watching his father play, and Daniel coached him for a few years. Apart from practice, they’d sometimes do drills on a field in the shadow of a church that traces its roots as far back as the U.S. Constitution.Daniel put his son in leagues a year or two above Ricardo’s age. Yes, he did it to push him. To challenge him. But he also did it because Ricardo was always bigger than his peers. His family nickname had once been Gordo. Outside of El Paso, Daniel had to carry his son’s birth certificate to show that he wasn’t older than the competition, he was actually younger.
Ricardo had, what Daniel says in Spanish, “el olfato de gol.” Some words or phrases lose their beauty in translation. This is an example. But the idea is that even at a young age, Ricardo had a nose for goal. Like he could smell it. Like he could feel it. Like he could seemingly score at will — which he often did — even when his father had him playing defense. And as he did that, the opponent’s parents doubted Ricardo’s age again.”QUINCEAÑERO!” those parents screamed, implying the young boy was 15.”¿CUÁNDO ES LA BODA?” they yelled, sarcastically asking when he was getting married.Daniel laughs when he remembers those days. But he turns serious when asked if he feels like he pushed his son too hard. Like during those games when Ricardo didn’t feel like running because sometimes that’s the last thing 7-year-olds want to do. When that happened Daniel would take Ricardo out the game, then drive him home. It’s a long, lonely drive out to San Eli. It’s a perfect stretch of road for a proud man to brood in silence.”Yes, I was hard on him,” Daniel admits.”I’d make him take his uniform and cleats off and put them in the trash. I’d tell him, ‘Look, if you don’t want to play, that’s fine. Don’t play. But you’re not going to be wasting my time and much less, my money.'”WHEN YOU’RE THE child of immigrant parents, you often feel as if you’ve got to make their struggles and sacrifices count for something. Calling it a burden is too much. Call it that feeling you get when you look at your father or mother and wonder what dreams they had before life shook them awake.Because sometimes your mother is 16 years old when she had you. And sometimes your father pawns the family car and borrows money because those can become tomorrow’s problems if it means everyone’s eating today. And sometimes, you live in a place like El Paso and Juárez that are often neglected by their governments, and it feels like you must escape.Like the rest of the communities, largely of Mexican descent, along the north side of the Texas-Mexico border, El Paso County has a substantially higher poverty rate than the rest of the country. Its per capita income is over $12,400 lower than the national average. It has lower levels of educational attainment. It has more than twice the national percentage rate of uninsured residents under 65.It’s why when you come from the El Paso-Juárez borderland — as I do — it’s easy to feel an urgency. It’s disquieting to notice how few things grow here. The barren surroundings don’t help. Out in the wide-open spaces of West Texas and Northern Mexico, it’s easy to get lost.To live here is to feel the questions that are as omnipresent as the mountains surrounding the region and as persistent as the winds racing down from them. On the worst of days that wind howls. It makes the desert floor dance until the sand blocks the sun and turns the sky from a hue of blue to a reddish-brown.That wind can rip the roof off buildings and tear doors from hinges. It can choke and blind you, sometimes worse. It’s on those days when it feels like we should all run away from this desert. Run away from this separate world between two countries. On those days when it sounds like some invisible hand is continually throwing dirt against locked doors and windows, it’s like the wind carries the existential questions that most here wrestle with.If I stay, will being around family and all that I know be enough to make me content?
If I leave, will the things I hope to gain be worth the hurt of missing what I’m about to lose?“IT WAS LIKE they took a piece of my heart,” Annette says, in Spanish, of Ricardo moving to Dallas. It was 2016. Ricardo was 13 years old. FC Dallas offered him a place in their academy. Ricardo said yes. And he left.”The only thing I could do was support my son,” Annette remembers. “It was very difficult. Very difficult.”Those first few weeks when her baby was away from home, Annette cried herself to sleep. In the mornings in between phone calls to her son, asking how his host family was treating him and if he’d already eaten, she’d cry some more.”I can’t be without him,” she’d tell Daniel. “I can’t.”Daniel would try to comfort her, telling her it was what Ricardo wanted. That the only thing they could do is support him. But even for Daniel, that distance became too much.About a year after Ricardo left, his family drove to Dallas for a tournament. Twice a month they’d make that 10-hour, 635-mile drive. Coaches told Daniel that Ricardo was doing very well, and he had a bright future. During the visit, Ricardo told his father he wanted them all to move to Dallas so they could be together again.”Son,” Daniel told Ricardo. “I’m not moving here. We’re not coming.”If that wasn’t deflating enough, Daniel turned the question on Ricardo.”I want to know if you’re ready to come back?”As soon as Daniel asked the question, Ricardo started to cry. Whatever dreams he imagined himself pursuing were suddenly in doubt. To be 13 years old and to say no to the person who’s given you so much feels like the most difficult answer you’ll ever give.In between tears, Ricardo said he understood how hard the distance between them had been, because he felt it too. He missed his family the most, but he also missed El Paso and Juárez. He missed the friends and family on both sides of that river that separates everyone there.”I love you all,” Ricardo told his father. “But this is my dream and I’m going to stay. I’ll miss all of you.”As soon as he heard that, Daniel felt chills. He began to cry. If you’ve seen the tears of a stoic Mexican man hardened by life, it stays with you. They hugged and kissed. Daniel told Annette what was happening, and she told him she was ready to move. “I don’t want to be without him,” she said.Four years ago, the entire Pepi family — father, mother, brother and sister — moved to a suburb north of Dallas. Ricardo left his host family and moved in too. And just like it had in their old house in San Eli, their life revolved around soccer. When they weren’t at games, or at school, or Daniel at some construction site, or Annette cleaning another office, they’d watch Liga MX. And, as always, because the Pepis are “Américanistas de corazón,” they’d cheer for Club América, just like they’d always done.”I was raised watching Mexican soccer,” Daniel says. “And that’s how I raised my children.”So much Mexican soccer — the league, yes, but also El Tri — that as a young boy, Ricardo said something his father still remembers.”Hey dad,” Ricardo told Daniel while watching El Tri play.Maybe they were playing at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. Or maybe the Mexican national team was playing in the United States, where they’re this country’s most popular team. Who knows?”Imagine when I’m playing there,” Ricardo said. “I WAS 99 percent sure he was going to pick Mexico,” Manny Ruiz says.Ruiz, an FC Dallas season-ticket owner, is also a member of El Matador. They’re a bilingual group of FC Dallas supporters who during tailgates, play salsa and rap, and talk to each other in some combination of English and Spanish. Ruiz first watched Ricardo play in 2019, back when the precocious teen was a member of North Texas SC and scored a hat trick in his first professional game. Born and raised in Dallas, Ruiz is also a fan of El Tri.And so, after a summer of watching Ricardo score at an increasing pace with FC Dallas — including becoming the youngest player in MLS history to notch a hat trick — Ruiz figured the dual national kid from El Paso would choose Mexico. Yes, Ricardo had attended international youth camps with both countries and was a member of the United States’ 2019 U-17 World Cup squad. Still, there has long been a perception that players coming from the U.S.’s Latino communities, playing in city leagues and not expensive suburban academies, get taken for granted, at best. At worst, the system ignores them. About two weeks before Ricardo decided, Mexican American player David Ochoa said he was playing for Mexico.
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Then in late August, a day after Ricardo scored the game-winning penalty for the MLS All-Stars to beat the Liga MX All Stars, the USMNT announced its roster for World Cup qualifying. They’d called up Ricardo and he said yes. When he announced his decision, Ricardo said that even though he’d chosen the United States, he was proud of being a Mexican American and that “will never be taken away from me, no matter what national team I play for.””I was pretty devastated,” Ruiz says of Ricardo’s decision. As soon as it became public, the USMNT fans within El Matador called Ruiz to taunt him. It hardly mattered that they too were surprised.”I was in shock,” Miguel Villalpando says. Villalpando, born and raised in Oak Cliff — a predominantly Latino neighborhood in Dallas — first heard about Ricardo when he played in the FC Dallas Academy. Villalpando says he immediately started paying attention to him because of their similarities. “He’s pretty much a Chicano,” he says, a term that describes someone of Mexican heritage born in the United States.”He’s from here and his parents are from Mexico. You have to take pride in that, especially him being with FC Dallas along with me being a U.S. fan.”To hear Villalpando tell how he, of Mexican descent, became a fan of the USMNT, it almost sounds like the origin story of a comic book villain. He was about 11, and the United States was about to play Mexico. “My dad was like, ‘a quién le vas? A Estados Unidos o México?‘” Which team did he want to win: United States or Mexico?But before he could say anything, his father — from Irapuato, Guanajuato — answered for him. “Ah, tú eres Chicanito, you have to go for the USA.”Villalpando, who laughs while telling the story and sprinkles Spanish words in every few sentences of conversation, admits it was his father’s way of being playful. But still, not every game is fun.”He was trying to insult me,” Villalpando says. “But I took it as I’m going to embrace this. Ever since that, I’ve always been a U.S. fan because my dad did that to me.”Friends and family — often playfully — call him a traitor. They tell him he should remember where he and his parents came from. And before each United States versus Mexico game, they tell him to get ready to lose. “I’m used to that,” Villalpando says, “it’s happened ever since I was a little kid. To me, it’s nothing.”During this long, scorching summer, the United States beat Mexico twice in the final of two different tournaments.Ruiz says that hurt. He says if Ricardo ever scores against Mexico, that’ll hurt too.Villalpando says that felt great. He says he’ll soon buy Ricardo’s USMNT jersey.BETWEEN PHOTOSHOOT LOCATIONS, Ricardo says choosing to play for the United States was one of the toughest decisions of his life. “I talked to my parents about it,” he says, standing a few feet from the pitch so unlike the ones he grew up playing on in El Paso. Those were full of rocks and weeds with thorns that’d get stuck to his shoes, laces and socks.”I got the call-up from the national team,” Ricardo says. “I asked my dad for his opinion, and he didn’t really say much. He said wherever I wanted to play, he would support me.”Like Daniel, the rest of the Pepi family, immediate and extended, have supported Ricardo’s decision, even if some still ask about it. Ricardo’s friends back in El Paso have been supportive too. They’ve even bought their USMNT jerseys with “Pepi” on the back.Still, Ricardo says he knows there are a lot of people and even media who think he should have chosen Mexico. Explaining only that it was a better opportunity, he says he made the right choice.Whenever he talks of that decision — he’s asked the same question in each of his increasing number of interviews — there’s zero doubt in his voice. He’s calm and at peace just like he is before every game, when he sits in silence and meditates. “This all has a lot to do with the mind,” he says. “If you’re prepared for it, if you expect it, then it’s going to come.”But just because he’s at peace with the decision doesn’t mean he can ignore what’s about to come. On Nov. 12, the United States plays Mexico and there isn’t a Zen with an energy strong enough for Ricardo to pretend it’ll be just another game. To not feel any type of emotion when he hears the Mexican national anthem play, and he’s not singing along. Maybe even cry, since members of El Tri and their fans have been known to do just that.Ricardo says that game will be different. He knows two countries will be watching and the line between who cheers for whom isn’t always clear. He knows he could become the first Mexican American superstar on the USMNT, and that there will always be those who think he made the wrong choice.He knows his father’s dream was once to have a son play for El Tri. But now, Ricardo knows he has his father’s full support.”With all due respect,” Daniel says, “I’m still Mexican, and continue to love my country, but right now, my jersey is that of the United States.” I DON’T QUITE remember when I figured out that even if I wasn’t physically there, I could never escape living in a borderland. That away from this place between the United States and Mexico, I’d always feel a barrier between me and whatever place I lived. That while here, I’d feel the closest sense to belonging in the middle of the river that both divides and unites El Paso and Juárez. That’s the thing about this place. It’s a lot of things and some of them are contradictory.It sometimes feels like the most beautiful place in the world. Other times, it feels like living in the middle of the desert was always going to end with an escape. That same rugged beauty can inspire the wildest of dreams: a young boy playing soccer in Europe’s biggest leagues, a former construction worker writing this. But it’s also the type of place that can suffocate you.
So, you leave because there’s no other choice. But sometimes running away creates a sense of guilt.Leaving can cause irreparable damages to bonds once so strong you would have bet they could withstand any distance. Leaving makes you understand that the farther away you are, the less likely you’ll ever feel at home.”Whenever I get a chance, I try to make it over there,” Ricardo says of the borderland. He misses the culture, how everyone’s friendly and humble and how Spanish is what you most often hear on both sides of the Rio Grande. He misses his family. The season is long, so it’s harder to return. But, he says, when he’s back, on Saturday mornings he likes to eat barbacoa in Juárez at a place called El Chivo Brincon.
“You ever eat there?” Ricardo asks me.When I tell him I’ve never been, he responds with an incredulous “nooooo” that goes on for at least two seconds. I tell him the place we used to eat was a simple cart next to a gas station that, if it had a name, was ignored.”Everyone called it ‘el güey de la gasolinera,'” I tell him. The f—ing guy at the gas station.We laugh and the people around us don’t even know why.Unless you’re from here, you’ll never know how comforting it feels to meet an El Pasoan or a Juárense away from this place. It’s difficult to describe but it’s in the way they talk, especially when the conversation turns to Spanish. It’s in the music they listen to and the food that they eat. It’s in the shared memories of this place.It’s in the interaction. Because, if nothing else, for once, you don’t have to explain where you come from. No need to explain how much you miss i. Or the struggle to stay or leave.No need to explain how the border wall never looks as jarring as it does when you leave and go back.Or that, because it feels like it has always been there, sometimes that goddamned wall becomes just another part of the desert.
“IT’S IMPOSSIBLE,” DANIEL says when asked to describe his emotions when he heard Ricardo was starting the World Cup qualifier against Honduras.The game before, against Canada, the Pepi family traveled to Nashville. Since the USMNT played a scoreless tie in El Salvador, a game in which Ricardo didn’t get any playing time, Daniel figured his son would get 10 or 15 minutes in Tennessee.”We traveled there with that hope,” Daniel says. “Unfortunately, he didn’t play. And to be honest, the U.S. only got two points in two games, I figured he wasn’t going to play much, if at all, against Honduras.”Two games into qualifying for the 2022 World Cup, and the USMNT looked lost. The team had been expected to win both games and managed only draws. For fans, those results awoke dark memories of the team’s failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.That’s why the game against Honduras mattered. And why Daniel figured Ricardo wouldn’t play, since he was unproven. Of course, look at it from the opposite angle and it becomes clear that whatever USMNT had done wasn’t working. And so, on the plane to Honduras, Gregg Berhalter — maybe coaching for his job — told Ricardo he was starting.Daniel was driving around Waco, Texas, where he works Monday through Friday, when he heard the news.”Are you playing with me?” he asked Ricardo, the surprise so great that Daniel had pulled off the road.”No,” Ricardo answered.At halftime, losing 1-0, and again, thoughts that everything might be coming apart for the USMNT — maybe even thoughts that they’d chosen the wrong country — Daniel worried Ricardo would get replaced. Not because he was playing badly, but because it was his first start.”I see him starting the second half,” Daniel says, “and how he’s playing. I tell my wife, ‘A goal’s coming, a goal’s coming, a goal’s coming.’ And then it comes.”In the 75th minute, Ricardo’s header broke the tie, 2-1. And as he — the second youngest player to play for the United States in a World Cup qualifier, after teammate Christian Pulisic — ran and screamed and jumped in celebration with his teammates, his family did the same at home. All celebrating the euphoria of what Ricardo calls “a goal that changed the game completely.” A goal that, at least for one game, broke the USMNT free from the panic and doubt and insecurity that had surrounded them.”There wasn’t enough room in our hearts to fit such emotion,” Daniel says. Sitting beside him, Annette also jumped and screamed. She cried. Because that’s what she always does when Ricardo scores.”My son has always said that he was going to be a professional. That he was going to play on a European club. And always, always, always, when he scores, I get tears of happiness and joy,” Annette says. As she talks, her voice begins to crack.”I know this is his dream,” she says of her son, who finished his USMNT debut with a goal and two assists to beat Honduras 4-1.”That game was special,” says the teenager from the edge of two countries.RICARDO STANDS BY his Camaro. It’s the last photoshoot location of the day.His car, a symbol of American muscle, looks as red and shiny as a candy apple. He got it about a month ago. It’s the first car he has ever bought for himself. And when he parks it, he’s careful not to touch the windows when closing the door. He doesn’t want his fingertips staining the tinted glass.”It’s been crazy,” Ricardo says about the past few months. He says he gets recognized lots more. Fans approach him and ask him for an autograph, and some — more than before — tell him they’re from El Paso too.Watching him play against men, it’s easy to forget how young Ricardo is. That, somewhere in the middle of his life-changing season, he graduated from high school. That he still lives at home with his parents. That when he’s not scoring goals, he takes out the trash, walks the dog and occasionally washes dishes.Ricardo misses home. But he has no second thoughts about the choices he has made. He says he understands how much his family has risked. They left the comfort and familiarity of El Paso and Juárez for Dallas, a giant of a city. Four years of living there, and they still use GPS to get around.This place is where they live now. For how much longer? No one knows. Soccer rumors mention Ricardo’s name along with some of the world’s biggest clubs in Germany, Italy, England and the Netherlands. Daniel says the family thinks about that every day.”But we don’t think of it as wondering what comes next,” Daniel says. “We know what comes next. He’s long visualized his path. He knows where he wants to go, and the path to get there.”But no matter where he, or they, as a family, live, they speak as if they too know you can’t escape the El Paso-Juárez borderland. They still own that unfinished house in San Eli. They talk about visiting as much as they can, crossing that bridge that divides and connects home. They say it never feels like enough. Because even if Ricardo chooses to play for the United States instead of Mexico, they all seem more comfortable in that place between those two countries.It’s like the last thing they want to do is forget where they come from. It’s why even if Ricardo and his magical right foot play for the United States, they only speak Spanish at home.Roberto José Andrade Franco is a fronterizo from the El Paso-Juárez borderland. Follow him @R_AndradeFranco to read more of his work.
Pepi decision proving big for U.S. as goal scoring star
JIM VERTUNO Thu, October 7, 2021, 11:05 PM EDT·3 min read
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Just two months ago, Ricardo Pepi didn’t know which national team he wanted to play for.He ultimately picked the United States over Mexico, a choice that is paying off in a big way for the Americans.It likely will pay big for him personally as well, as every goal he scores will be driving up the price as clubs in Europe’s top leagues are reportedly interested in signing the 18-year-old marksman.Pepi scored both second-half goals for the U.S. in a 2-0 victory over Jamaica in a World Cup qualifier Thursday night. That gives him three goals in two qualifying matches — both key victories for the Americans in their quest to return to the World Cup next year — after deciding to play for the U.S., where he was born, instead of Mexico, where his parents are from.Pepi’s bouncing header early in the second half broke the deadlock and his one-touch shot past the Jamaican goalkeeper on a break sealed the victory. The goals made him youngest American ever to score in consecutive World Cup qualifiers and established him as the team’s offensive engine.“We’re all excited. We’re sitting here and we’re on the (Pepi) train,” U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter said. “What you see and what I really like, he has this instinct (to score). It’s really hard to teach that to players.”Major League Soccer already knows how lightning can strike off his feet or head. He has 13 goals for FC Dallas this season and scored twice in a 5-3 win in Austin in the same stadium as Thursday night’s match.Born in El Paso to parents who hail from just across the Rio Grande in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Pepi grew up in a home with strong cultural influences from both countries. That included watching the Mexican national team and Liga MX, the Mexican domestic league.
He had played or trained with both U.S. and Mexican youth teams, and scored three goals for the U.S. in qualifying for the 2019 Under-17 World Cup.Still, it was just in August when Pepi described his pending decision between the U.S. and Mexican national teams as “very hard” and one that could go “either way.” He had been in talks with representatives from both national teams during the Gold Cup tournament last summer.Mexico will rue its loss.“I feel like I worked just to be able to be on the squad, be able to represent my country. I feel like a made a big decision and like I said when I made my decision, I was going to give my all to the team and that’s what I’m doing,” Pepi said Thursday night.Pepe was called up to U.S. national team shortly after making his decision. He sat out a 0-0 draw at El Salvador and a 1-1 result against Canada. He then becoming the second-youngest player to ever start for the U.S. in a World Cup qualifier in a Sept. 8 match at Honduras.He made the most of his debut. The Americans trailed at halftime before storming back with four goals. Pepi assisted on one goal, then headed in another in the comeback.“An 18-year-old gets an opportunity and takes advantage of it,” Berhalter said.
The USMNT’s Next Big Thing secures another World Cup qualifying win
Ricardo Pepi is 18 years old and has tugged on a U.S. national team jersey just twice. He is also, as of Thursday night, the biggest reason the United States will likely qualify for the 2022 World Cup.Two months ago, he was a promising teen undecided on his international soccer future.
On Thursday at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas, Pepi scored his second consecutive winner in just his second U.S. game. His 49th-minute header beat Jamaica, and sent the U.S. to the top of North and Central America’s World Cup qualifying table.His second goal of the night, 13 minutes later, punctuated a 2-0 U.S. win. The Americans will head to Panama this weekend with eight points from four games, with growing confidence, and with a striker who could inspire more of it for years to come.”Pepi! Pepi!” the fans in his home state chanted. “Pepi! Pepi!”Pepi was born in El Paso, Texas, to Mexican-American parents, and could have represented either the country of his birth or that of his family’s heritage. He grew up “immersed” in that heritage, in Mexican culture, regularly crossing the border to Ciudad Juarez to visit relatives and friends.But for soccer, he moved to the Dallas suburbs. In late August, he chose the USMNT. In September, head coach Gregg Berhalter chose Pepi for the first time, and that decision changed the arc of the Americans’ World Cup qualifying journey.At halftime in Honduras, they were in a hole. Over 45 rousing second-half minutes, Pepi rose to the occasion, literally and figuratively. He powered home a header and clinched a comeback. He established himself as both the striker of the future and the striker of the now.
He entered October’s qualifying window as Berhalter’s clear choice to lead the line. And against Jamaica, he showed why.
He was quiet in the first half. But, as he said postgame, “it’s about being patient.” He was ruthless in the second. And he was the ideal frontman for a USMNT learning on the fly that, to unlock the potential of the world’s youngest roster, it must play fast.
The young, unheralded stars of the USMNT’s victory
In its first home qualifier last month, against Canada, the USMNT moved the ball painfully slow. It lacked urgency, lacked problem-solvers, lacked risk-takers. Toward the end of a scoreless first half against Jamaica on Thursday, those familiar problems reappeared. But early in the second half, goalkeeper Matt Turner started the move that spurred the turnaround. He claimed a tame Jamaica through-ball, then rushed to his feet and bowled the ball into the path of Sergiño Dest.Dest carried it over the halfway line, and found Yunus Musah. Musah propelled the U.S. forward, providing the ball progression that his team so often lacks. He charged at the penalty box, unsettling opponents. He fed Dest, who’d been freed by a clever out-to-in run from Paul Arriola. Dest crossed for Pepi, who broke the deadlock.The Jamaican defense, which bunkered and stymied the U.S for much of the first half, never got set.It was in those unscripted, unstable moments that the Americans were at their best. Then, with the lead, and with Jamaica forced to exit the comforts of its shell, space opened up. In the 62nd minute, the U.S. connected at least a dozen passes, pinging the ball side to side, pulling Jamaicans this way and that. Passing lanes widened.Tyler Adams found one, up the left flank to Antonee Robinson. Brenden Aaronson, who made a strong case for man of the match, sprinted in behind, set up Pepi’s second, and sealed the win.(Original video: ESPN) The caveat, of course, is that it’s only Jamaica, at home, the easiest of the 14 games that this qualifying gauntlet will offer. Panama won’t be as kind, nor will Costa Rica next week. Mexico, next month, will be tougher yet.“The trap is gonna be us thinking we’re great, and us thinking we’ve qualified for the World Cup,” Berhalter said. “And if we do that, we’ll get our ass kicked in Panama on Sunday.”But the hype is justified, because the players driving it are relative infants. Dest is 20. Aaronson is 20. Musah is 18. Adams, Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie, the so-called veterans, are 22, 23 and 23. Gio Reyna — who, like Pulisic, was unavailable due to injury — is 18.
And then there’s Pepi, also still a teen, playing his first World Cup qualifier in front of his parents, completely unfazed. Top European clubs are already circling. Pundits are already wondering whether this is all happening too fast.
But Pepi isn’t wondering. Nor are his teammates. Nor is Berhalter.
“We’re all excited. I mean, we’re just sittin’ there, and we’re on the train,” the coach said of his newfound star. “We’re just observing everything that’s happening. It’s amazing.”
Positives & negatives from the USMNT win vs. Jamaica – and what’s to come vs. Panama
By Matthew Doyle @MattDoyle76 Friday, Oct 8, 2021, 12:26 PM
The US men’s national team got it done again Thursday night, putting together a never-actually-in-doubt-if-occasionally-a-bit-frustrating 2-0 win over Jamaica in Austin during both teams’ fourth game of this final round of World Cup qualifying.
Thanks to the win — their second straight, and second straight by multiple goals — and some help elsewhere, the US now top the Octagonal standings on goal differential. A tepid and nervous and at times borderline calamitous start to World Cup qualifying has smoothed out into something closer to what we all hoped to see from this very talented, but still impossibly young bunch.
So, things are good right now. When I wrote this column a month ago it was hard to start with the positive takeaways and the list was short. Now, as I’m writing this, I feel like I’m about to go on for a bit.
Positive takeaways
The biggest, most important thing from this game was not the play of any one particular player or the execution of any one particular attacking sequence. The biggest, most important thing is that the US played a straightforward 4-3-3 with few bells and whistles, and every player was in their best, most comfortable position.
So a lot of the good things that happened out there — and there were a ton of good things, even if the scoreline didn’t indicate a blowout — just sort of flowed naturally from how the US were arranged by head coach Gregg Berhalter. Ditto for who was out there in key spots.
Let me phrase it this way: When I saw the USMNT’s starting XI come out and visualized what this team would look like on the field, what I saw in my mind looked very much like what I eventually saw on the pitch.
That kind of predictability is good. When you have superior talent (and in my opinion the US will have superior talent in literally every game they play in the Ocho, barring a cascade of injuries), that isn’t just good: It’s match-winning.
And it will get this program back to the World Cup.
• The entire second half was an expression of how comfortable the players were in this scheme, and it highlighted some of the outstanding skills of a few of them. Berhalter talked, on ESPN’s halftime interview, about the need to move the ball forward with a bit more speed and bravery, and then three minutes into the second half this happened:
The reason Jamaica never get set is because Matt Turner takes zero time with his distribution, collecting from one side and immediately rolling out to Sergino Dest for a transition opportunity. Dest then makes a simple play, sliding it inside to Yunus Musah, who drives forward at the Jamaica backline and forces them to make a play or just keep retreating forever.
When they decide to keep retreating forever, Musah himself makes the simple play, sliding back to Dest on the overlap. Dest has the whole wing to himself because of the hard, unselfish, dangerous run Paul Arriola made.
That goal ended up being an 18-year-old to a 20-year-old to an 18-year-old.
• When Berhalter talks about verticality (and he’s talked about verticality A LOT), he doesn’t just mean the likes of Arriola or Brenden Aaronson running in behind. He also means sequences like this, where the US push the ball forward against a scrambling defense, and where one of the central midfielders takes the responsibility to be brave on the ball and punish them.
Musah’s game is tailor-made for that. His first 45 minutes were kind of invisible, which is to be expected from an 18-year-old making his World Cup qualifying debut. But in the second half I thought he was the best US player, the one who most often turned those scrambled Jamaican moments into true danger for the US.
He finished the night 18-for-19 passing into the final third, just a godsend of a “pass before the pass” guy. Getting this kid was a recruiting coup by Berhalter. He is my favorite player in the pool.
• Back to the other type of verticality: Arriola set the tone within 25 seconds, getting behind the Jamaican backline and earning what should have been a red card on Kemar Lawrence. The D.C. United attacker was clean through. Lawrence was spared the sending-off by a timid ref, but by the end of the night he might’ve wished he saw red because Arriola ran him into the ground:
Fpositives-negatives-from-the-usmnt-win-vs-jamaica-and-what-s-to-come-vs-panama&sessionId=a87cbb5d761190aca214c6c0e468b3b65d97115d&theme=light&widgetsVersion=fcb1942%3A1632982954711&width=550px Lawrence is Jamaica’s safety valve, and easily their best at progressing the ball from back to front. When they run out of ideas they funnel play to him. But because of the energy Arriola expended, that Reggae Boyz strategy was useless. Lawrence was a non-factor and so they generated nothing up their left side all night, instead having to rely upon Alvas Powell and the aged (or should I call him “Timeless?”) Je-Vaughn Watson.
It didn’t work out well for them.
• As the tweet says, Arriola’s end product was lacking. But he earned what should’ve been a red card there, and hit the defense-splitting through-ball that put Aaronson through later in the half (and was again not given as a red card). He also made side-clearing runs like on the goal, which opened space for Dest to get forward.
The defense, though. Man. One of the scariest things about Jamaica is that any semi-accurate clearance can turn into a breakaway, so it’s incumbent upon the whole front line to close down hard and make those clearances rushed, hopeful and un-targeted.
Arriola, Aaronson and Ricardo Pepi took that to heart. No Jamaica defender ever had a chance to pick up his head and dime it into space for Shamar Nicholson (who I love, and who some MLS team should sign as a DP) or any of the wingers.
Defense starts at the front, and the entire frontline was excellent defensively.
• That excellent defensive performance from the wingers meant that both fullbacks could and did get forward often, and at pace. That’s exactly how you want a 4-3-3 to function against a low block.
• This was Musah’s World Cup qualifying debut, as well as Walker Zimmerman‘s in central defense. They were two of the three best US players (Zimmerman, who started over young Chris Richards and Mark McKenzie, was absolutely the correct call in order to battle Nicholson. Hat tip to Berhalter on that one).
Luca de la Torre and Tim Weah came off the bench to make their World Cup qualifying debuts in the second half and they looked very, very good — Weah was a constant menace, and de la Torre really loves to drive the game forward with the ball, a la Musah. Never forget that this man posted his way into a World Cup qualifier.
Shaq Moore also made his WCQ debut, coming in for Dest over the final 15 minutes and putting in an unremarkable (I mean that in a good way) shift.
• Weston McKennie was back and put in what Berhalter deemed a “professional” performance. I think that was an apt description.
• I can think of no greater compliment to Aaronson, Tyler Adams, Miles Robinson and Matt Turner than “I was supremely confident each would put forth the exact type of performance we ended up seeing.” Those four guys have all managed a high level of quality and consistency to the point where it’s kinda boring to talk about them, isn’t it?
Though I will note it was fun to see Adams dropping deep to split the center backs occasionally in build-up play. He seems to relish those moments.
• The subs were sensible and point toward a smarter approach to squad rotation this window, I thought. Berhalter did a poor job of keeping the roster balanced and his players fresh last window, but he looks to have learned his lesson and took the chance to get rest for crucial players. Everything seems positioned to lean on a mix of veteran starters and backups — guys like Kellyn Acosta, Sebastian Lletget and George Bello are likely to see big minutes down in Panama, and guys like Aaronson and Pepi were spared playing the full 90 so should have something left in the tank — over the next two games, which means that the US should stay fresh throughout the full 270 minutes.
• One more Berhalter-related positive: When he was coaching the Columbus Crew, his teams were best known for attacking patterns of play that ended up with whoever happened to be his center forward getting a one-touch finish in the box. Gyasi Zardes, Ola Kamara and Kei Kamara all had their very best years playing in Berhalter’s system.
When he was named national team head coach, I assumed that’s what we were going to get. Maybe the US would be a little too naive defensively at times or too rigid about playing out of the back, but dammit, they’d create chances!
It’s been the opposite of that. The US, under Berhalter, have strangled the hell out of almost everyone defensively, and haven’t really been punished for playing out of the back since 2019.
At the same time, they have done a poor job of creating repeatable, high-level chances.
Until last night. Last night, in the second half, the US suddenly looked like the 2018 Crew:
Those are goals and chances off of repeatable sequences of play.
That second half was dominant. It was a version of the US I’d been hoping to see for a long, long time.
And now for the negative
Hopefully on Sunday in Panama (6 pm ET | Paramount+, Universo) they’re able to execute from the jump.
• The end product from Arriola and Gyasi needs to be better. I am a big “process” guy and the process was really, really good for the US. But these two guys are fighting for minutes and while I sang Arriola’s praises (you should, too) and Gyasi constantly put pressure on Jamaica’s backline, eventually those roles require more than great defense and precise runs. The ball has to hit the back of the net.
• The lack of 1-v-1 ability from the wingers was telling at times, at least until Weah came in. Aaronson and Arriola are both much more about stretching the field off the ball and quick combination play, and aren’t great off the dribble even when they’ve got a defender backpedaling.
• US set-piece delivery was generally really, really really poor. Really poor. Bad, even.
• Dest, who had his best game for the US (only one true defensive lapse that I noted), limped off injured. It didn’t look bad but that’s now two games in a row he’s had to come off with a knock.
I didn’t expect Dest to play against Panama anyway — he’s really not made for road qualifiers — but it’s a mild concern going forward.
What it means at Panama
Win at home, draw on the road is the path to Qatar. A point in Panama City would be fine.
That said, even if Berhalter opts for heavy squad rotation (which I suspect will be the case), the US will have a pronounced talent advantage in this game. Thomas Christiansen’s men played well in the September window, including a 3-0 evisceration of Jamaica in Jamaica, but they started October with a listless 1-0 loss at El Salvador on Thursday night.
Panama, like so many of the other tough Central American teams of the past decade, are in a bit of generational flux right now and haven’t been able to backfill as the golden generation of guys like Blas Perez, Jaime Penedo and Roman Torres have aged out.
So expect to see a lot of familiar 30-somethings — Nashville‘s Anibal Godoy, former TFC man Armando Cooper, former Rapid Gabriel Torres and former ‘Quake Harold Cummings (he’s 29, but still) — throughout Christiansen’s 4-4-2 formation.
I don’t think they’ll sit back; home teams rarely do. El Salvador didn’t, and Honduras didn’t. But thus far they haven’t really shown the ability to create danger via possession, and any midfield turnover should present an opportunity for the US to go at pace directly at the Panamanian goal.
USMNT analysis
Analysis: Pepi & Aaronson lead the U.S. past Jamaica 2-0 in Austin
The United States turned in its most complete performance of World Cup qualifying on Thursday in a 2-0 win over Jamaica in Austin. The Ricardo Pepi train continued to roll on scoring both goals, but the FC Dallas teenager was far from the only positive in this game. ASN’s Brian Sciaretta watched the
The US men return to action with the 2nd leg of World Cup Qualifiers on Thurs night vs Jamaica at 7:30 pm on ESPN2. Of course Pulisic and Reyna are both missing as they are both still injured from the last round of qualifiers, also missing in John Brooks (back) and Tim Ream (personal reasons). Returning to the fold is midfielder Weston McKinney, along with phenom forward Ricardo Pepi along with the return of Gyasi Zardes. Obviously the US needs to win the home qualifying games especially and hopefully get at least 7 of 9 points out of this round of play. I will be headed to Columbus for the US vs Costa Rica game next Wednesday Oct 13th – let me know if you are going and we can hoop up downtown before the game. Also I am desperately looking for US vs Mexico Tickets in November – (willing to pay over cost for 1 or 2 or 4 tickets) please let me know if you have extras.
USMNT roster for October World Cup qualifiers
GOALKEEPERS (3): Sean Johnson (New York City FC), Zack Steffen (Manchester City), Matt Turner (New England Revolution)
DEFENDERS (10): George Bello (Atlanta United), Sergiño Dest (Barcelona), Mark McKenzie (Genk), Shaq Moore (Tenerife), Walker Zimmermann (Nashville), Chris Richards (Hoffenheim), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (Atlanta United), DeAndre Yedlin (Galatasaray)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Kellyn Acosta (Colorado Rapids), Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig), Gianluca Busio (Venezia), Luca de la Torre (Heracles), Sebastian Lletget (LA Galaxy), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Yunus Musah (Valencia), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders)
FORWARDS (6): Brenden Aaronson (Red Bull Salzburg), Paul Arriola (D.C. United), Matthew Hoppe (Mallorca), Ricardo Pepi (FC Dallas), Tim Weah (Lille), Gyasi Zardes (Columbus Crew)
Sunday, Oct. 10 — at Panama (6 p.m., Paramount+, Universo)
Wednesday, Oct. 13 — vs. Costa Rica (7 p.m., ESPN2, UniMás, TUDN) Columbus
Who Shane likes to start vs Jamaica
Pepi
Aaronson/Weah
McKennie/Lletget or Musah
Adams
Robinson/Mark McKenzie/Miles Robinson/Dest
Steffan
High School Sectionals Continue
Please send prayers for Guerin Men’s Coach Chris McGrath as he is battling Covid 19 and has been in the hospital since mid-September. Ranked No. 3 in Class 2A by the Indiana Soccer Coaches Association, the Guerin Golden Eagles (8-4) are scheduled to host Cardinal Ritter in the Sectional 26 semifinals (7:30 p.m.) tonight at Guerin. The Carmel Boys defeated Guerin 3-0 last week as they head to sectionals at Westfield High ranked 10th in the state. The CHS Boys will be at the Westfield sectional starting tonight, Oct 6th with Pike as the first matchup on Wednesday night at 7:30 pm tickets avail for $6 per session or $10 for the entire tourney – they follow Zionsville at North Central at 5:30 pm. Three of the teams are in the top 12 of the state. Good luck to our local teams !
8. Hamilton Southeastern (6): Anderson, #20 Fishers, #4 Hamilton Southeastern, Muncie Central, #1 Noblesville, Pendleton Heights 9. Ben Davis (7): Avon, Ben Davis, Brownsburg, Decatur Central, Indianapolis Shortridge, Mooresville, Plainfield 10. Carmel (7): #10 Carmel, #13 Guerin Catholic, Indianapolis Arsenal Technical, #6 North Central (Indianapolis), Pike, Westfield, #10 Zionsville
Westfield Boys SECTIONAL $6/session, $10/entire sectional
Wednesday
M3: Zionsville vs. North Central, 5:30 p.m.
M4: Carmel vs. Pike, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
Championship: M3 vs. M4, 2 p.m.
GUERIN Boys SECTIONAL $6/session, $10/entire sectional
Wednesday
M3: Lebanon vs. Brebeuf Jesuit, 5:30 p.m.
M4: Guerin Catholic vs. Cardinal Ritter, 7:30 p.m.
10. Westfield (6): Carmel, Indianapolis Shortridge, North Central (Indianapolis), Pike, Westfield, Zionsville 11. Lawrence North (7): Franklin Central, Indianapolis Arsenal Technical, Indianapolis Cathedral, Indianapolis Crispus Attucks, Lawrence Central, Lawrence North, Warren Central
26. Guerin Catholic (7): Brebeuf, Guerin Catholic, Hamilton Heights, Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter, Lebanon, Western Boone
UEFA Nations League Finals Wed/Thur/Sat this week
The UEFA Nations League finals with a European Cup rematch between Italy and Spain gets underway today at 2:45 pm on ESPN. The winner will meet the winners of the #1 Ranked Team in the World Belgium and 5th Ranked France on Thursday at 2:45 pm on ESPN. The finals will be Sunday at 2:45 pm on ESPN with coverage starting at 2 pm. The 3rd place game is at 9 am on ESPNU. I like Italy and Belgium with Belgium and coach Roberto Martinez winning it before he leaves to take the Barcelona job a few weeks from now.
2:45 pm ESPN Belgium vs France (Nations League Semi)
7:45 pm Paramount+ USA vs Jamaica
9:40 pm Univision, P+ Mexico vs Canada
FRIDAY WCQ
2:45 pm ESPN2 Cech Republic vs Wales
2”45 pm ESPN + Turkey vs Norway
2:45 pm ESPN+ Germany vs Romania
SAT WCQ
2:45 pm ESPN+ Androra vs England
2:45 pm ESPN + Switzerland vs Northern Ireland
2:45 pm ESPN+ Poland vs San Marino
6 pm Univision NYRB vs Inter Miami
9 pm ESPN+ Seattle vs Vancouver
SUN WCQ
9 am ESPNU UEFA Nations League 3rd place
2:45 pm ESPN UEFA Nations League FINALS
3 pm ESPN+ Minn vs Colorado
5 pm FUBO Colombia vs Brazil
5pm Paramount+ USA Pregame Show
6 pm Paramount+ USA @ Panama
7 pm Univision, P+ Mexico vs Honduras
7:30 pm fubo Argentina vs Uruguay
MON 10/12 WCQ
2:45 pm ESPN2 Denmark vs Austria
2:45 pm ESPN + England vs Hungary
2:45 pm ESPN+ Poland vs Albania
TUES 10/13 WCQ
9 am ESPNU UEFA Nations League 3rd place
3 pm ESPN+ Minn vs Colorado
5 pm FUBO Colombia vs Brazil
5pm Paramount+ USA Pregame Show
6 pm Paramount+ USA @ Panama
7 pm Univision, P+ Mexico vs Honduras
7:30 pm fubo Argentina vs Uruguay
ednesday, 2:45 p.m. (ESPN2, UniMás, TUDN) Italy vs. Spain
On the men’s side of things in Europe, this month’s FIFA window starts with the Nations League’s final four. The first semifinal pits the reigning European champion against the team it beat in this summer’s semifinals to win the crown.yBoth teams bring glittering arrays of young talent to this game at Milan’s famed San Siro stadium: Gianluigi Donnarumma, Nicolò Barella and Manuel Locatelli for Italy, and Bryan Gil, Gavi, and Ferran Torres for Spain.
THURSDAY
Thursday, 2:45 p.m. (ESPN2, UniMás, TUDN) Belgium vs. France
Belgium is the No. 1 team in FIFA’s global rankings and France is No. 4. Both teams are stacked with some of global soccer’s biggest stars, including Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku and France’s Kylian Mbappé. But the game’s brightest spotlight likely won’t be on the players in the second Nations League semifinal, which will be played in Turn, Italy.Belgium manager Roberto Martínez has been linked pretty loudly with Barcelona in recent weeks, as the Spanish club considered firing Ronald Koeman. Barcelona president Joan Laporta said Saturday that Koeman’s job is safe, but some of the Spanish media — to say nothing of fans worldwide — don’t believe it.
United States vs. Jamaica
Thursday, 7:45 p.m. (ESPN2, Univision 65, TUDN; Univision’s pregame coverage starts at 7 p.m., ESPN2′s starts at 7:30)
Though Andre Blake has been in red-hot form for the Union lately, Jamaica is off to a terrible start in World Cup qualifying. The Reggae Boyz got just one point from last month’s three-game set, sit in last place in the standings, and now begin another three-game set by facing a U.S. team that’s full of confidence.
There will also be a lot of attention on Yunus Musah, an 18-year-old midfielder with prodigious talent but little international experience. Though he has six caps, he isn’t technically cap-tied to the U.S. yet because he hasn’t played in an official competition.
Musah is also part of a key U.S. tactical storyline to watch. We know McKennie likes to roam free in central midfield. We also know Tyler Adams can cover a lot of ground defensively to help make up for that. But if McKennie roams too much, will Musah have to help behind him? If so, how much will that take away from Musah’s attacking contributions?
Thursday, 8 p.m. (Universo, Paramount+) Honduras vs. Costa Rica
Both of these teams underwhelmed in last month’s qualifiers, each registering a tie and two losses. There’s still time to get back on track, but by the time this month’s qualifiers end, Concacaf’s 14-game tournament will have played just shy of half its rounds.Costa Rica has the bigger pedigree, but stars Joel Campbell and Bryan Ruiz are getting old and there aren’t yet top youngsters to replace them. Honduras has the better attack on paper in forwards Romell Quioto and Alberth Elis, but Quioto has been sidelined by a muscle injury.
Thursday, 9:40 p.m. (Univision 65, TUDN, Paramount+) Mexico vs. Canada
It surprised no one that Mexico stood atop the standings after September’s qualifiers, and it surprised few people that Canada stood in third.This will be a massive test for Alphonso Davies, Jonathan David and the Canucks. Raúl Jiménez has returned to El Tri’s attack to join Jesús Corona, and fans have returned to Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca after being barred last month for a homophobic chant.
For as promisingly energetic as El Salvador looked in its home games last month, both games ended in scoreless ties. Panama was a pleasant surprise, winning at Jamaica and tying Mexico and Costa Rica at home. The Canaleros start this month’s contests in fourth place.
Deschamps, World Cup holders France must use Nations League to rediscover their best form.
USA vs. Jamaica, 2022 World Cup qualifying: What to watch for
The United States Men’s National Team is back in action for World Cup qualifying as they take on Jamaica tomorrow at Q2 Stadium in Austin. The United States are hoping to start this window out in a big way against a Jamaica team that entered the Octagonal with high expectations but only took 1 point from their first 3 matches. The USMNT, in 2nd place in the standings, hope to make it a big October to solidly maintain their place in the top 3.The USMNT are short a couple of their star players, including Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna, and John Brooks. Still, they need to take care of business against a team that will have in almost all of their main players.
Fight the physicality. The last time the USMNT played Jamaica was the quarterfinals of the Gold Cup. In that match, the Reggae Boyz really brought the pressure and intensity as they had the Americans flat-footed for most of the match. These matches between the two teams are always physical, and Gregg Berhalter will have to make sure his guys are prepared to withstand that physicality. In March, they did just that in a 4-1 friendly victory over Jamaica. They did a poorer job of it during the Gold Cup, so they’ll need to learn from that and be stronger on the ball.
Utilize the flanks. The successes that the USMNT have had in both matches this year against Jamaica have come from the flanks. Those advantages continue to be there, and if they can use that to feed balls into the box and create offense, Jamaica will have a tough time with it. It will also tire out the Jamaican defense, which will lead to more holes down the stretch.
Midfield needs to have a good day. The midfield has to not only be the engine, it has to be the brick wall. They also have to be the heartbeat of the team, making sure the link between defense and offense remains constant. That was missing last window for vast stretches, so it should be a key focus during this match.
Lineup Prediction
There are a few ways that Gregg Berhalter can go for his lineup, especially with some key players not in camp due to injury. Still, there are some options that he can call upon, but he likely goes with this lineup:
Predicted Lineup vs. Jamaica
The biggest story will be who starts in goal for the USMNT. Zack Steffen and Matt Turner both have staked claims to the job, but Steffen has not sat in a competitive match when healthy under Gregg Berhalter. Because he also will not be able to play in Panama, he gets the start here over the hot Turner.The back line is a little more composed, with Antonee Robinson and Sergiño Dest occupying the fullback positions. At the centerback spots, the Walker Zimmerman-Miles Robinson combo worked during the group stage of the Gold Cup, and it’s likely we see that duo start.In the middle, Weston McKennie is back and will once again start in that box-to-box role, with Tyler Adams continuing his role at the 6 (where he belongs). Sebastian Lletget is the 3rd midfielder, as he’s done a great job of combating the physicality a USA-Jamaica match brings.Up front, Ricardo Pepi gets the start at the 9, with Gyasi Zardes coming in to relieve him at some point. Brenden Aaronson and Tim Weah take the wings, but don’t be surprised to see Paul Arriola on the field instead of one of Aaronson and Weah (likely Weah) if Berhalter wants another worker on the wings.
Prediction
This is a match that will have a great atmosphere, a lot of emotion, and will be a battle on the field. The USMNT don’t struggle, but Jamaica makes it a match until a USMNT goal in the middle of the 2nd half opens things up. They add another one before the final whistle blows to make it a 2-0 USA victory.
The 3rd ranked CHS Varsity girls host Sectionals starting next week at Murray Stadium. Coming off a tough 0-2 loss at home to Noblesville last week – the CHS Girls will look to rebound during sectionals and hope for a rematch down the road. The Carmel Boys defeated Guerin 3-0 last week as they head to sectionals at Westfield High ranked 10th in the state. State Rankings going into sectionals.
8. Hamilton Southeastern (6): Anderson, #20 Fishers, #4 Hamilton Southeastern, Muncie Central, #1 Noblesville, Pendleton Heights 9. Ben Davis (7): Avon, Ben Davis, Brownsburg, Decatur Central, Indianapolis Shortridge, Mooresville, Plainfield 10. Carmel (7): #10 Carmel, #13 Guerin Catholic, Indianapolis Arsenal Technical, #6 North Central (Indianapolis), Pike, Westfield, #10 Zionsville
The CHS Boys will be at the Westfield sectional starting Oct 6th with Pike as the first matchup on Wednesday night at 7:30 pm tickets avail for $6 per session or $10 for the entire tourney. Three of the teams are in the top 12 of the state. Guerin is hosting and will start with a match-up with Cardinal Ritter Wed night at 7:30 pm.
10. Westfield (6): Carmel, Indianapolis Shortridge, North Central (Indianapolis), Pike, Westfield, Zionsville 11. Lawrence North (7): Franklin Central, Indianapolis Arsenal Technical, Indianapolis Cathedral, Indianapolis Crispus Attucks, Lawrence Central, Lawrence North, Warren Central
26. Guerin Catholic (7): Brebeuf, Guerin Catholic, Hamilton Heights, Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter, Lebanon, Western Boone
Indy 11 Returns home Sat vs Atlanta United 2 –7 pm & MyIndy TV 23, ESPN+
The 11 have a chance to move up the rankings with a home match vs Atlanta United 2 this Sat at 7 pm. It will be Spanish Heritage Night at the Mike.
US Men Roster for Oct Qualifiers Announced No Pulisic, Reyna
The US men return to action next Thursday with the 2nd leg of World Cup Qualifiers on Thurs night vs Jamaica at 7:45 pm on ESPN2. Of course Pulisic and Reyna are both missing as they are both still injured from the last round of qualifiers. Returning to the fold is midfielder Weston McKinney, along with phenom forward Ricardo Pepi along with the return of Gyasi Zardes. I will be headed to Columbus for the Costa Rica game on Oct 13th!
See the full roster below..
USMNT roster for October World Cup qualifiers
GOALKEEPERS (3): Sean Johnson (New York City FC), Zack Steffen (Manchester City), Matt Turner (New England Revolution)
DEFENDERS (10): George Bello (Atlanta United), John Brooks (Wolfsburg), Sergiño Dest (Barcelona), Mark McKenzie (Genk), Shaq Moore (Tenerife), Tim Ream (Fulham), Chris Richards (Hoffenheim), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (Atlanta United), DeAndre Yedlin (Galatasaray)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Kellyn Acosta (Colorado Rapids), Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig), Gianluca Busio (Venezia), Luca de la Torre (Heracles), Sebastian Lletget (LA Galaxy), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Yunus Musah (Valencia), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders)
FORWARDS (6): Brenden Aaronson (Red Bull Salzburg), Paul Arriola (D.C. United), Matthew Hoppe (Mallorca), Ricardo Pepi (FC Dallas), Tim Weah (Lille), Gyasi Zardes (Columbus Crew)
Sunday, Oct. 10 — at Panama (6 p.m., Paramount+, Universo)
Wednesday, Oct. 13 — vs. Costa Rica (7 p.m., ESPN2, UniMás, TUDN) Columbus
Who Shane likes to start vs Jamaica
Pepi
Aaronson/Weah
McKennie/Musah
Adams
Robinson/John Brooks/Miles Robinson/Dest
Steffan
Champions League Punishes American’s
To say our American’s did poorly in this second stage of Champions League would be an understatement – every team with American’s lost except Juventus (McKinney played last 20 min) in 2-1 win over Chelsea (Pulisic is injured) and RB Salzburg with Aaronson beating Tim Weah and Lille 2-1. Dest and Barcelona lost 3-0 (Dest had a hand ball) @ Benefica, Adams and RB Leipzig lost to Club Brugge at home 2-1, Dortmund did win 1-0 but Reyna has not returned from his knee injury suffered in his last US game. Brooks and Wolfsburg tied
Of course the huge news of the 2nd legs was Man United’s come from behind last second goal from Ronaldo to beat Villarreal 2-1, and PSG getting Messi’s 1st goal to beat Man City 2-1 at home. Of course Barcelona’s 2nd 3-0 loss in Champions League will certainly be the end for Barca Coach Ronald Koeman – look for Belgium’s Roberto Martinez to be at the top of the list of coach options. And of course the biggest upset in Champions League history – Real Madrid losing 2-1 to Sheriff Triaspol at home. For Chelsea – they are certainly struggling now without Pulisic – the offense that started so strong with Lukaku has gone stale
Games this Weekend
Liverpool vs Man City leads the game weekend Sunday at 11:30 am on NBCSN followed by El Traffico LA Galaxy hosting LAFC at 8 pm on ESPN. Sat gives us Man United vs Everton at 7 am on NBCSN, then Atletico Madrid host the reeling Barcelona on ESPN+ at 3 pm.
BIG GAMES TO WATCH THIS WEEKEND
Atlético Madrid vs. Barcelona
Saturday, 3 p.m. (ESPN+)
The wheels officially fell off Barcelona on Wednesday in an abysmal 3-0 Champions League loss at Benfica. Manager Ronald Koeman surely has to go now. Guillem Balagué, the Spanish journalist who reports for CBS Sports, the BBC, and other outlets reported Thursday that Barcelona’s brass met when the team returned from Lisbon to figure out an action plan.
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Belgium manager Roberto Martínez is the leading candidate to replace Koeman, if he’s willing to leave the Red Devils before next year’s World Cup — where the team will be a title favorite. The rumor around Europe is Martinez would say yes if the call comes.
In the meantime, Barcelona has to go to the defending La Liga champions, whose tenacious defense and smart counter-attacks have long given the Blaugrana fits. Oh, and Atlético’s squad is now led by former Barcelona stars Luis Suárez and Antoine Griezmann. You can be sure they’ll be up for this.
CF Montréal vs. Atlanta United (Saturday, 7 p.m., ESPN+)& Orlando City vs. D.C. United (Saturday, 7:30 p.m., ESPN+)
With the Union not playing until Sunday this weekend, take the opportunity Saturday night to watch these games between Eastern Conference playoff rivals. D.C. enters the weekend in third place, the Union in fifth, Atlanta in sixth, Orlando in seventh and Montréal in eighth.
Fresh off earning a return to the U.S. squad, Lille’s Tim Weah squares off with one of the players who didn’t make the cut, Marseille’s Konrad de la Fuente.
» RE
Liverpool vs. Manchester City
Sunday, 11:30 a.m. (NBCSN, Telemundo)
This is always a big game in the Premier League, and this time the teams come in as the top two in the standings. Liverpool has a one-point lead over City, which lost at Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Fortunately for City, Liverpool doesn’t have Lionel Messi. But the Reds do have a league-best 15 goals scored this season, with five coming from Mo Salah.
Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Los Angeles FC
Sunday, 8 p.m. (ESPN, ESPN Deportes)
It seems hard to believe that both star-studded L.A. teams could miss the playoffs. But the Galaxy are sixth in the West and LAFC is ninth. If Minnesota, Vancouver and perhaps San Jose can box them out, it might just happen.
The Ole BallCoach 