Indy 11 plays Miami FC Sat 7 pm on 5 Game Unbeaten Streak
Look who has themselves back in the playoff picture. The Boys in Blue stay at home looking to extend their five game unbeaten streak in a match-up against The Miami FC this Sat night at 7 pm. The Eleven are coming off a 2-1 win vs Loudoun United FC and are 4-0-1 in their last five games. With a 10-9-8 record, Indy is sixth in the USLC Eastern Conference. Miami is 3-2-0 in its last five matches and is coming off a 2-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rowdies. MIA is 10th in the Eastern Conference at 7-11-8.
American’s Overseas
Captain America Christian Pulisic had a great second weekend at AC Milan as he scored this blistering goal (Italian Call) and the Italian fans are loving him. Yanus Musah also played the last 25 minutes or so and had some good moments. AC Milan will travel to defending league Champ Roma in a early season match-up at 2:45 pm on Paramount plus. Fulham American’s Tim Ream and Jedi Robinson had a solid tie last weekend with Arsenal and will travel to Man City Sat at 10 am on Peacock. Notingham Forest and American keeper Matt Turner almost stole a win last weekend in a 3-2 loss with a some great saves @ Man United before losing in ET – they will travel to Chelsea at 10 Sat on USA. Josh Sargent was off to a great start for Norwich scoring 3 goals in 3 games before this goal & Injury which might put him out for months. Loved this clip on young American GK Gaga into the stands to celebrate his clean sheet (see all the US players oversea’s games below)
MLS & Messi
Messi didn’t check in to his game in New York City vs the Red Bulls until the 60th minute – but he did not disappoint the majority Messi Crowd with this spectacular pass before his goal in Miami’s 2-0 win as seen here in Time’s Square. Here was the Messi cam from his visit to Cincy for the Open Cup win. Of course the 11 game winning streak did come to an end Wed night at home vs Nashville in a 0-0 tie. Sunday night its Miami @ LAFC 10 pm on Apple TV MLS Season Pass & Serius XM. (the Miami home radio crew is hilarious with their Spanglish coverage of the game). Another huge match this weekend has Seattle hosting Portland for the Cascadia Cup – at 10:30 pm Sat on Apple TV Free.
US Men Name Sept Friendly Camp & Team for Sept 9 & 12
Impressive roster for the Sept friendlies next weekend – as the US plays friendlies while Europe has Euro’s Qualications, Africa has the African Cup and South America does World Cup Quals starting Thursday – next Tues. Cool to see Paredes and Cardoso and Malik Tillman along with newcomers Drake Callender & Ben Cremaschi from Inter Miami.
GOALKEEPERS (3): Drake Callender (Inter Miami), Ethan Horvath (Nottingham Forest), Matt Turner (Nottingham Forest)
DEFENDERS (9): Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven), Kristoffer Lund (Palermo), Mark McKenzie (Genk), Kevin Paredes (Wolfsburg), Tim Ream (Fulham FC), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Antonee Robinson (Fulham FC), Miles Robinson (Atlanta United), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Johnny Cardoso (Internacional), Ben Cremaschi (Inter Miami), Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Yunus Musah (AC Milan), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven)
FORWARDS (6): Brenden Aaronson (Union Berlin), Folarin Balogun (Arsenal FC), Cade Cowell (San Jose Earthquakes), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Tim Weah (Juventus)
Games to Watch
Friday is the American must see game with Pulisic & Musah traveling to Roma at 2:45 on Para+ (why no CBSSN? Who knows). Sunday its Liverpool hosting Aston Villa at 9 am on USA Network, while the feature game is at 11:30 am Man United traveling to Arsenal. Spanish leagues Atletico Madrid vs Sevilla follows at 12:30 pm on ESPN+, while Philly hosting the NY Redbulls wraps up the evening on FS1 @ 7:30 pm.
Carmel Boys stay atop the Boys Soccer Poll for Indiana, while Hamilton SE edges Carmel for the top slot on the girls side.
GAMES ON TV
Fri, Sep 1
2:30 pm EPSN+ Dortmund vs Heidenheim
2:45 pm Para+ Roma vs AC Milan (Pulisic, Musah)
3 pm USA Luton Town vs West Ham
8 pm Para+ KC Current vs Angel City
Sat, Sept 2
7:30 am USA Sheffield vs Everton
10 am USA Chelsea vs Nothingham Forest (Turner)
10 am Peacock,SiriusXM Man City vs Fulham (Ream, Jedi)
12:30 pm NBC Brighton vs New Castle
12:30 pm ESPN+ MGladbach (Scaley) vs Bayern Munich
2:45 pm CBSSN Napoli vs Lazio
7 pm TV 8 Indy 11 vs Miami FC
10:30 pm Apple TV Free Seattle Sounders vs Portland Timbers
7:30 pm Para+, Galazo NC Courage vs NY/NJ Gothem NWSL
7:30 pm Para+ Racing Louisville vs Portland Thorns NWSL
Sun, Sept 3
9 am USA Liverpool vs Aston Villa
11:30 am USA,Serius Arsenal vs Man United
11:30 am ESPN+ Union Berlin (Aaronson, Pfuk) vs RB Leipzig
12:30 ESPN+, ESPND Atletico Madrid vs Sevilla
12:30 pm CBSSN Inter Milan vs Fiorentina
2:45 pm Para+ Empoli vs Juventus (Mckinney, Weah)
3 pm ESPN+ Osasuna vs Barcelona
5 pm CBSSN Washington Spirit vs Chicago Red Stars (Naher) NWSL
8 pm Para+ San Diego (Morgan) vs Houston Dash (Campbell) NWSL
7:30 pm FS1 Philly vs NYRB
10 pm Apple MLS,Serius LAFC vs Inter Miami (Messi)
Wed, Sep 6
8 pm Para+ KC Current vs NC Courage NWSL
10 pm CBSSN, Para+ OL Reign (Rapinoe) vs Racing Louisville NWSL
Thur, Sept 7 – Euro Qualifying
10 am FS2 Kazahhstan vs Finland
12 noon FS2 Lithuania vs Montenegro
12 noon beIN Sport Ghana vs Central Africa Rep African Cup
2:45 pm FS2 France vs Ireland
7 pm Colombia vs Venezuela
8 pm Argentina vs Ecudor
Fri, Sept 8 – Euro Qualifying
12 noon FS2 Georgia vs Spain
12 noon beIN sport Egypt vs Ethiopia African Cup
2:45 pm FS2 Turkey vs Armenia
7 pm Uraguay vs Chile
Sat, Sept 9 – Euro Qualifying
9 am FS2 Azerbaijan vs Belgium
12 noon FS2 Ukraine vs England
2:45 pm Fox Soccer+ Romania vs Israel
5:30 pm TNT, Telemundo USMNT vs Ezbekistan
7:30 pm MLS Pass ATV Inter Miami vs Sporting KC
8:45 pm Apple TV Minn United vs New England
10 pm TUDN Mexico vs Austraiia
10:30 pm Apple TV MLS Portland vs LAFC
Sun, Sept 10 – Euro Qualifying
9 am FS2 Kazahstan vs Norhern Ireland
12 noon FS2 Finland vs Denmark
2:45 pm FS2 Albania vs Poland
3 pm beIN sport Gambia vs Congo
10 pm El Salvador (Eric Zavaleta) vs T&T
8 pm Apple TV MLS LA Galaxy vs St Louis City
Mon, Sept 11 – Euro Qualifying
12 noon FS2 Armenia vs Croatia
2:45 pm FS2 Portugal vs Luxembourg
Tues, Sept 12 –
12 noon FS2 Spain vs Cyprus
2:45 pm FS2 Scotland vs England
8:30 pm TNT, Tele USMNT vs Oman
10 pm Peru vs Brazil
Fri, Sept 15
2:30 pm ESPN+ Bayern Munich vs Bayer Leverkusen
3 pm ESPN+ Champ Southampton vs Leicester city
7:30 pm Para+ Racing Louisville vs Houston Dash NWSL
9 pm ESPN+ New Mexico vs Indy 11
Sat, Sept 16
9 am Para+ Juve vs Lazio
12 noon Para+ Inter Milan vs AC Milan (Pulisic, Musah)
Indy 11
Quinn Named to USL Championship Team of the Week
Indy Eleven Acquire Goalkeeper Eric Walker on Loan
US Men friendlies Sept 9 & 12
3 takeaways from Gregg Berhalter’s first USMNT roster back as head coach
Pulisic Scores Again for AC Milan
Brenden Aaronson gets sent off for time wasting… in the 21st minute
US Women & World
USWNT to face Colombia in October pair of friendlies
Two-time World Cup champion Julie Ertz retires from professional soccer
USWNT Great Julie Ertz Announces Her Retirement From Soccer
USWNT star Julie Ertz announces retirement
Julie Ertz, a two-time World Cup champion, announces retirement from professional soccer
USWNT Announces Megan Rapinoe’s Final International Appearance
Megan Rapinoe to play final USWNT match on September 24th
Dunn Talks World Cup and Coach A
Luis Rubiales news LIVE: Spain manager Jorge Vilda set for sack as family turns on Spanish FA president
FIFA president finally breaks silence, says World Cup kiss ‘should never have happened’
Spain’s Aitana Bonmati Wins EUFAs Best Player Award
Champions League
Champions League predictions: Arsenal, Man Utd, Man City and Newcastle’s fates assessed
Champions League draw: Paris Saint-Germain in ‘group of death’ and Harry Kane to return to England
Champions League draw: Newcastle face Paris St-Germain, Borussia Dortmund & AC Milan in Group F
A lot to like about Group E – Analysis
Bayern to face Man Utd in Champions League group stage, Newcastle draw PSG
EPL & WORLD
England squad to face Ukraine and Scotland includes Jordan Henderson and Harry Maguire
Raheem Sterling misses out as Eddie Nketiah handed debut England squad call-up
Arsenal face Man Utd test as Nunez targets Liverpool start
Predictions for every PL match in Matchweek 4
10 things we learned from the Premier League – Week 3
Mancini eyes Asian Cup as he seals lucrative Saudi move
Haaland & Bonmati win Player of the Year UEFA Awards
MLS
FC Cincinnati has its playoff berth. Now, it’s closing in on MLS history.
Pat Noonan, two FC Cincinnati players named to MLS Team of Week following Atlanta win
Inter Miami CF Breaks Ground on New Stadium Amid Messi Madness
Watching Messi’s latest goal in slow motion is the most satisfying thing ever
Messi’s perfect start with Miami comes to an end
Lionel Messi will miss one Inter Miami game in September for 2026 World Cup qualifying
Goal Keeping
Matt Turner Great Save vs Arsenal
Jacen Russell-Rowe Crew GK Assist
Save of the Week USL
Palace sign England goalkeeper Henderson from Manchester United
Florida’s GK Alexa Goldberg is SEC Defensive Soccer Player of the Week
Golden generation Dutch keeper Jongbloed dies aged 82
Reffing
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US Men
USMNT to play Nations League quarterfinal home leg in Austin on November 16th By Donald Wine II
Champions League group draw 2023-24: Man Utd vs Bayern, Newcastle face PSG
By The Athletic Staff6h ago
Manchester United will face Harry Kane’s new Bayern Munich side in the group stage of the 2023-24 Champions League, while Newcastle United will meet Paris Saint-Germain.United, who memorably beat Bayern in the 1999 final, will also take on Copenhagen and Galatasaray in Group A, while champions Manchester City will face RB Leipzig, Red Star Belgrade and Young Boys in Group G.PSG, Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan have been drawn in a heavyweight Group F, alongside Newcastle United — returning to the competition for the first time in two decades.
- Man United, Arsenal, Newcastle and City Champions League draw takeaways
- Champions League draw analysed: Best games, breakout stars, tough groups
The 32 teams were drawn from four pots into eight groups at a ceremony in Monaco, with sides from the same country unable to face each other until the knockout rounds.Real Madrid, 14-time winners, will take on Napoli, Braga and Union Berlin, while Barcelona have been drawn against Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk and Antwerp.The group stage runs from September to December, with UEFA set to confirm the full fixture list and kick-off times by Saturday morning at the latest.Wembley Stadium in London will host the final on June 1, 2024.
Champions League groups in full
Group A: Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Copenhagen, Galatasaray
Group B: Sevilla, Arsenal, PSV, Lens
Group C: Napoli, Real Madrid, Braga, Union Berlin
Group D: Benfica, Inter Milan, Red Bull Salzburg, Real Sociedad
Group E: Feyenoord, Atletico Madrid, Lazio, Celtic
Group F: Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan, Newcastle United
Group G: Manchester City, RB Leipzig, Red Star Belgrade, Young Boys
Group H: Barcelona, Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk, Antwerp
When are the Champions League group games?
The full fixture schedule will confirmed in due course.
- Fixture 1: September 19/20, 2023
- Fixture 2: October 3/4, 2023
- Fixture 3: October 24/25, 2023
- Fixture 4: November 7/8, 2023
- Fixture 5: November 28/29, 2023
- Fixture 6: December 12/13, 2023
How does the Champions League group stage work?
Teams in each group play each other twice, home and away, with the top two advancing to the round of 16.The third-placed sides in each group transfer to the Europa League knockout round play-offs, where they will face the Europa League group runners-up for a place in the last 16 of that competition.
Other key 2023-24 Champions League dates
Wembley will host the 2023-24 Champions League final (Justin Tallis/Getty Images)
- Round of 16 draw: December 18, 2023
- Round of 16 first leg: February 13, 14, 20 & 21, 2024
- Round of 16 second leg: March 5, 6, 12 & 13, 2024
- Quarter-final and semi-final draw: March 15, 2024
- Quarter-final first leg: April 9 & 10, 2024
- Quarter-final second leg: April 16 & 17, 2024
- Semi-final first leg: April 30, 2024 & May 1, 2024
- Semi-final second leg: May 7, 2024 & May 8, 2024
- Final: June 1, 2024
USMNT analysis
Red Hot Pulisic & Weah highlight USMNT roster. Cremsachi earns big callup
The new USMNT roster is out and ASN’s Brian Sciaretta breaks it down for you. Gregg Berhalter will make his return to the team and his roster includes many mainstays, some big dual national news, and some surprises.
BY BRIAN SCIARETTAPOSTED AUGUST 30, 2023 12:10 PM
IN HIS RETURN AS THE head coach of the United States national team, Gregg Berhalter today announced his 24 player roster for the upcoming camp that will include friendlies against Uzbekistan (September 9 in St. Louis) and Oman (September 12 in Minnesota). The roster contains surprise inclusions and a long list of players who are missing due to injury.
Specifically, the following players are listed as out due to injury
- Tyler Adams
- Taylor Booth
- Cameron Carter-Vickers
- Sean Johnson
- Gio Reyna
- Josh Sargent
- Zack Steffen
- Walker Zimmerman
Here is the roster along with some thoughts.
DETAILED ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB/COUNTRY; CAPS/GOALS)
GOALKEEPERS (3): Drake Callender (Inter Miami; 0/0), Ethan Horvath (Nottingham Forest/ENG; 8/0), Matt Turner (Nottingham Forest/ENG; 32/0)
DEFENDERS (9): Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 26/2), Kristoffer Lund (Palermo/ITA; 0/0), Mark McKenzie (Genk/BEL; 11/0), Kevin Paredes (Wolfsburg/GER; 0/0), Tim Ream (Fulham/ENG; 51/1), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG; 10/1), Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG; 36/2), Miles Robinson (Atlanta United; 25/3), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 6/0)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Johnny Cardoso (Internacional/BRA; 7/0), Ben Cremaschi (Inter Miami; 0/0), Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo/ESP; 16/0), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 44/11), Yunus Musah (AC Milan/ITA; 27/0), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 4/0)
FORWARDS (6): Brenden Aaronson (Union Berlin/GER; 32/7), Folarin Balogun (Arsenal/ENG; 2/1), Cade Cowell (San Jose Earthquakes; 8/1), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 16/7), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan/ITA; 60/25), Tim Weah (Juventus/ITA; 31/4)
FORM WATCH
In terms of form, the players will arrive at a mixed level.
Pulisic and Weah are playing terrific soccer right now to start the season. It will be very interesting to see both arrive in camp again under Berhalter as both players publicly expressed support for him. Robinson also played well at Fulham and Turner has been strong to start his time at Nottingham Forest.
What is interesting too is that 12 players on this roster are with different clubs than where they were at the start of 2023. The player pool is largely in flux. Many players such as Brenden Aaronnson at Union Berlin or Weston McKennie at his return to Juventus are still getting their feet wet. Ricardo Pepi is also transitioning to a backup role but one where PSV will want to bring him along gradually.
DUAL NATIONAL NEWS
But the roster also includes significant dual national news is that Inter Miami’s Benja Cremaschi has been selected as he has emerged as one of the most impressive teenagers in MLS and is also a dual national with options. Last winter, he was playing with Argentina’s U-20 team and lately has stood out playing alongside Lionel Messi. In recent interviews (including to ASN in March), he has said that he is in contact with both federations.
Kristoff Lund, meanwhile, is in the process of making his one-time switch from Denmark. He has been playing with Denmark’s youth teams as a left back but has fallen out of the picture there. Recently he sealed a transfer from Hacken in Sweden to Palermo of Serie B. He is Olympic eligible.
Lund appears to be more of a wild card pick. Last season he helped guide Hacken to the Allsvenskan title and now he is in Serie B with Palermo (but he has yet to play). But the U.S. team has several players competing for the backup left back spot behind Robinson – including Caleb Wiley, Jonathan Tolkin, DeJuan Jones – and even youth options like Noah Allen. Did Lund quickly surpass these players?
YOUTH IS SERVED
Of the 24 players on the roster, nine would be age-eligible for the U.S. U-23 Olympic next year with the birth year cutoff of 2001 and younger (Lund, Paredes, Scally, Cardoso, Cremaschi, Tillman, Musah, Cowell, Pepi).
Not every player will make the Olympic team. Some will play with the full national team next year instead and some have eligibility issues for the Olympics given that they played with another country in Olympic qualifying. But nine players being born in 2001 or later shows a youthful twist.
PAREDES & CALLENDER
Aside from Lund, two players who are looking for their first national team caps are Kevin Paredes and Drake Callender. Both have earned their way here.
Paredes is coming off the U-20 World Cup and last season was a regular off the bench for Wolfsburg. He is listed as a defender but typically he plays more left wing than left back. But he has been among the most exciting players of the 2003/04 birth years. His national team inclusion always seemed as if it was a matter of time.Callender, meanwhile, has raised his game in 2023 with Miami. Even before Messi’s arrival he was making inroads into the U.S. team. But with Zack Steffen no-man’s land with his club situation and Ethan Horvath also no playing, it is important to have a goalkeeper who is playing.
REYNA/BERHALTER REUNION ON PAUSE
Gio Reyna was not expected to be part of this roster. While he just returned to training at Borussia Dortmund, he has still not played a game since the Nations League Final.We know through Vanity Fair that Gregg Berhalter is still yet to sit down and speak with Reyna and he has sought the advice of mediators. But that reunion will be a huge story and one that will still have to wait.
NOTABLE OMISSIONS
There is an interesting list of players who are healthy and not on this list.Caleb Wiley, John Tolkin, and DeJuan Jones have all been important left backs for the U.S. team and youth national teams over the past year. Tolkin and Wiley, in particular, are eligible for the U.S. Olympic team. But Berhalter instead went with Lund.
Gaga Slonina is also expected to be an Olympic option but for this camp, Berhalter went with Callender and Horvath as backup options. Slonina has made three starts with Eupen in Belgium since arriving on loan from Chelsea.
Brandon Vazquez is one of the top center forwards in MLS and is poised to make a move abroad. With Josh Sargent suffering a serious injury, it might have opened the door but Berhalter has instead kept with two center forwards in Pepi and Balogun.
Brenden Aaronson called up, Mark McKenzie returns to the USMNT for September friendlies
McKenzie got his first call-up since late March, after being left out of the Nations League final four and Gold Cup rosters. by Jonathan Tannenwald Philly Published Aug. 30, 2023, 11:34 a.m. ET
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Though the opponents are relatively minor, U.S. men’s soccer team manager Gregg Berhalter has called in his major players for his first games back in charge of the program.Hershey’s Christian Pulisic, Medford’s Brenden Aaronson, and fellow attacking stars Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah, Tim Weah, and Folarin Balogun are among the 24 players on the squad for games against Uzbekistan on Sept. 9 and Oman on Sept. 12.The defense includes Antonee Robinson and Bear, Del.’s Mark McKenzie, who got his first call-up since late March. McKenzie was left out of the Nations League final four and Gold Cup rosters, the marquee events of the year so far. Starting goalkeeper Matt Turner also is on the roster.“He’s always been playing at a top level in Belgium,” Berhalter said of McKenzie. “For us, when we’re looking at this centerback pool in particular, with a couple guys out, we think this is a great opportunity for him. It was a decision we made between him and Auston Trusty, and we felt like this is a good moment for Mark, a good opportunity for Mark to show that he belongs with this group.”Trusty, a Media native and fellow Union alumnus, recently joined England’s Sheffield United after it was promoted back to the Premier League.
» READ MORE: Gregg Berhalter’s return as USMNT manager is official
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The roster features two notable newcomers. The highest-profile is midfielder Benjamin Cremaschi, an Inter Miami academy product, now a teammate of Lionel Messi, and the son of Argentine parents. Cremaschi, 18, has been part of the U.S. under-19 team and Argentina’s under-20 team. Messi has joined the latter’s recruiting effort, and the senior U.S. invitation is a loud countermove.Playing in these games wouldn’t tie him to the U.S., because they’re just friendlies. But if he does play, it will be notable.“We’re excited about the prospect of bringing him into camp; we’re excited to see what he can bring to our team and to our formation because we believe in him and we think he’s an excellent player,” Berhalter said. “And then it’s just going to be about the environment and him feeling comfortable with everyone.”
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The second newcomer is left back Kristoffer Lund. He was born to a Danish father and American mother, grew up playing for Denmark’s youth teams, and has filed a change of nationality application to play for the United States. The 21-year-old plays for Italian second-division club Palermo, and if he’s good enough to stick, he’ll be welcome depth.A long list of injured absentees includes captain Tyler Adams, Downingtown’s Zack Steffen, Gio Reyna, Josh Sargent, and Walker Zimmerman.
Lower-ranked opponents
Why are Uzbekistan, ranked No. 74 by FIFA, and No. 71 Oman the opponents? Because there were barely any better options. Europe’s nations have qualifiers for next summer’s European Championship, Africa has qualifying for this winter’s Cup of Nations, and South America has the start of its qualifying marathon for the 2026 World Cup. Traditional Asian powers Japan and South Korea are playing friendlies in Europe, and Australia is playing Mexico at the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium on the same night as U.S.-Uzbekistan. Canada was available, but the U.S., currently ranked 11, has seen enough of Canada for a while — and the Canadian federation is in turmoil.
» READ MORE: For Zack Steffen, coming home to Downingtown still means a lot to the USMNT goalkeeper
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This year’s biggest games are yet to come. In October, the Americans will host two big-time opponents: Germany in East Hartford, Conn., and Ghana in Nashville. November will bring a Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal series that also will serve as qualifying for next year’s Copa América tournament that the U.S. is hosting. (Though it’s the host, it agreed to qualify because it’s officially guest-hosting South America’s event.)The Nations League opponent will be determined by qualifying games played this month and next month. The U.S. earned a bye to the quarterfinals by reaching the previous tournament’s semis.
Same as the old boss?
Berhalter hasn’t been on the U.S. bench since last fall’s World Cup. His contract expired at the end of the year, and the final months of his tenure were consumed by the scandal over his broken relationship with Reyna and parents Claudio and Danielle. He officially was rehired in June.In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Berhalter admitted that while he has spoken with many U.S. players since regaining the job, he hasn’t spoken with Gio Reyna yet. And when asked whether he could repair ties with the parents, who’d been close with Berhalter and his wife for decades, he answered after a long pause: “I don’t think that’s a subject I’m comfortable talking about.”
» READ MORE: A timeline of the Reyna-Berhalter scandal that rocked U.S. soccer
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There undoubtedly will be a lot of noise around Berhalter’s return, whether from scandal-seekers or fans who didn’t want him back for on-the-field reasons. But it’s no longer questionable that a lot of players backed his return, and that might help the diplomatic side of Reyna’s return.“I look forward to having conversations with him, I look forward to watching his progress, and hopefully him getting back on the field,” Berhalter said. “And then for us, hopefully being able to include him in the October camp against two good opponents.”
USMNT roster for September games
Goalkeepers (3): Drake Callender (Inter Miami),Ethan Horvath (Nottingham Forest, England), Matt Turner (Nottingham Forest)
Defenders (9): Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven, Netherlands), Kristoffer Lund (Palermo, Italy), Mark McKenzie (Genk, Belgium), Kevin Paredes (Wolfsburg, Germany), Tim Ream (Fulham, England), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace, England), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (Atlanta United), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach, Germany)
Midfielders (6): Johnny Cardoso (Internacional, Brazil), Benjamin Cremaschi (Inter Miami), Luca de la Torre (Celta de Vigo, Spain), Weston McKennie (Juventus, Italy), Yunus Musah (AC Milan, Italy), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven, Netherlands)
Forwards (6): Brenden Aaronson (Union Berlin, Germany), Folarin Balogun (AS Monaco, France), Cade Cowell (San Jose Earthquakes), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Tim Weah (Juventus)
» READ MORE: Medford’s Brenden Aaronson is enjoying his new home with Union Berlin
The USMNT’s autumn schedule
Saturday, Sept. 9: vs. Uzbekistan at St. Louis, 5:30 p.m. (TNT, Telemundo 62, Universo, Peacock)
Tuesday, Sept. 12: vs. Oman at St. Paul, Minn., 8:30 p.m. (TNT, Universo, Peacock)
Saturday, Oct. 14: vs. Germany at East Hartford, Conn., 3 p.m. (Telemundo 62, Peacock, English broadcast TBD)
Tuesday, Oct. 17: vs. Ghana at Nashville, 8:30 p.m. (Universo, Peacock, English broadcast TBD)
Thursday, Nov. 16: vs. opponent TBD at Austin, Texas, Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal first leg, 8:30 p.m. (TNT, Universo, Peacock)
Monday, Nov. 20 or Tuesday, Nov. 21: at opponent TBD, Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal second leg, time TBD (broadcast TBD)
How Miles Robinson and Cade Cowell can maximize USMNT call-ups for future transfers
By Jeff RueterAug 31, 202323
On Wednesday, Gregg Berhalter announced the first roster of his second tenure as manager of the United States men’s national team. Among the 24 players selected, only four ply their trade in Major League Soccer. While uncapped Inter Miami duo Drake Callender and Ben Cremaschi have stayed in the headlines thanks to their new iconic club teammates, the other two, Cade Cowell and Miles Robinson, enter with something to prove as many European transfer windows close on Friday until January.When Cowell made his MLS debut in 2020 as a 16-year-old, the conversation was about his potential. The discussion remains the same today. The San Jose Earthquakes homegrown broke through two years ago, notching five goals and six assists across 1,663 MLS minutes, an impressive return for a teenage winger. At the time, head coach Matías Almeyda praised his breakout season but pointed to specific areas Cowell needed to improve to make the professional leap.“We can’t settle on his power,” Almeyda told The Athletic in 2021 amidst a solid stretch for Cowell. “We can’t settle on his pace. He has to aspire to play in Europe, and we’ve talked about this. And for that, one needs to have so many small technical skills. He still has to learn those. He’s young.”Almeyda highlighted a need for greater precision with both feet, sharper movement off the ball and development into more of an aerial threat. However, it was the coach and not the teenage sensation who first made his debut for a European side. Almeyda led AEK Athens to a 2022-23 Super League Greece title before getting the club to the brink of UEFA Champions League inclusion — Athens fell in the final playoff round against Royal Antwerp on Wednesday.In Atlanta, Robinson plays a very different role than Cowell and is at a very different stage of his career, but the center back is also waiting for a career-changing move abroad. Robinson was a staple of Berhalter’s rosters throughout World Cup qualifying, starting 11 of the team’s 14 qualifiers and forming a steady partnership with Walker Zimmerman. However, he suffered a torn Achilles tendon playing on Atlanta United’s turf, ending his hopes of a World Cup debut and opening the door for Tim Ream’s reintegration into the team sheet.
“It was definitely tough at some moments, more mentally than physically,” Robinson told MLSsoccer.com in March regarding his recovery. “Watching the World Cup was also mentally pretty tough. I use it for motivation at this point.”Although he watched the team’s run to the round of 16 from his sofa, he returned in time for Atlanta’s season opener — ironically enough, against Cowell’s Earthquakes.Diving into the data, here’s what the two players, at crucial moments in their careers, bring to the USMNT and what they can show to prospective teams.
Cowell looks to push past potential
In Almeyda’s San Jose stead came head coach Luchi Gonzalez, who played a key role in developing several FC Dallas homegrown players who turned into U.S. internationals, including Ricardo Pepi, Reggie Cannon, Bryan Reynolds and Tanner Tessman. Each earned moves abroad after debuting with the MLS side, giving plenty of reasons why Gonzalez could similarly impact Cowell’s development.
But that potential hasn’t come to fruition in the box scores. Cowell has not scored a goal this year and has three assists in 1,347 minutes of play across the regular season and Leagues Cup. Of the 19 U.S.-eligible wingers who have played at least 500 minutes for an MLS team this year, none have a lower rate of combined shots on target and chances created per 90 than Cowell’s 0.71 output. He has remained in his usual post on the left wing for Gonzalez, whose Quakes most often play as a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1. Of the 188 U.S.-eligible players of any position who have logged 500 minutes or more, only two have a worse xG performance than Cowell’s -3.53 return (Tom Barlow and Teal Bunbury, at -3.81 and -3.65, respectively).
He hasn’t been any less willing to play with the ball at his feet, though. Cowell has averaged 58.1 take-ons per 90 minutes, an impressive rate considering his average of 38.3 touches per 90. On ten occasions across the regular season and Leagues Cup, he has collected the ball and dribbled at least 13 feet before taking a shot. None of those resulted in a goal.
“Cade is a physical specimen,” Gonzalez told The Athletic during San Jose’s preseason in Coachella Valley. “He’s one of the fastest and most explosive players in the league. It’s about him evolving and growing in terms of his timing, in terms of his decision-making, in terms of his pressing, in terms of his crossing and his finishing, his combination. He’s got such a high ceiling, and he’s had a great attitude and openness to learn and get better. His training habits have been very good.”
It may not be a great sign that, 18 months after Almeyda’s observation, Gonzalez had a similar prognosis for Cowell’s prospects. Nonetheless, the winger did garner genuine interest from Serie A side Bologna during this summer window. According to the Athletic’s Tom Bogert, the Italian club put forward a loan with a purchase proposal. The purchase option involved “an automatic trigger that was very likely to be met” and was set at $3 million before possibly rising to $5.5 million with add-ons.
Cowell was keen on the move, but San Jose countered by asking for more. Bologna said it was their final offer, instead signing Swedish left winger Jesper Karlsson from AZ Alkmaar. Cowell is now expected to finish the year with the Earthquakes, who dropped to eighth in the West after Wednesday night’s MLS slate and added fellow U.S. prospect Matthew Hoppe on loan earlier this month.
That said, it makes sense why Cowell is in this U.S. camp. The pool of wingers is relatively thin for this specific group. Gio Reyna and Taylor Booth are missing due to injury, while Alejandro Zendejas has left much to be desired from his first seven U.S. caps. The main alternatives are two veterans whose roles in Berhalter’s system aren’t in question, namely Jordan Morris and Paul Arriola.
Instead, 19-year-old Cowell will get a chance to train with the United States’ top attackers after his previous call-ups came among a heavily rotated roster. Perhaps taking reps alongside Christian Pulisic, Tim Weah and Folarin Balogun will give him another chance to reflect on his approach and find room for improvement. Now, it’s a matter of turning this opportunity into further progress towards garnering another European suitor.
Robinson working on his comeback
Robinson has logged 1,917 minutes across the regular season and Leagues Cup, also making a trio of starts for the U.S. during the Gold Cup and another in the Nations League semifinal against Mexico. Fortunately for club and country, he has recovered remarkably well from his pre-World Cup injury and is getting back to his previous form.
Be it in the air or against an opponent with a ball at their feet, Robinson has been difficult to get past. Of the MLS center backs ranked near or ahead of him in terms of winning tackles or stopping opponents on the dribble, none come close to his imperious aerial ability.obinson played one of his old hits this past weekend, rising to head a corner kick home for his first goal since November 7, 2021.Robinson is in the final months of his contract with Atlanta. PSV is considering signing a pre-contract agreement with the defender to bring him over at the start of the January window. Clubs in Germany and England are also weighing that option, according to Bogert. As he has less than half a year remaining on his pact, Robinson can legally discuss a possible free transfer at this stage.His salary could make it tricky for Atlanta or another MLS team to sign him as a free agent this winter without using a designated player slot. Robinson is currently the third highest-paid center back in the league, with his $1.4 million base salary trailing only Zimmerman and Matt Miazga of FC Cincinnati. At 26 years old, he may feel pressure to earn a move to Europe before those opportunities begin to close.Whatever comes next, both he and Cowell will hope their inclusion on Berhalter’s first roster of 2023 alerts another team or two to their quality and potential.
Berhalter ‘looking forward’ to conversations with Gio Reyna; more USMNT notes
By Paul TenorioAug 30, 2023
Though Gio Reyna’s recovery from injury has prevented him from joining the U.S. men’s national team for its upcoming camp, coach Gregg Berhalter said he hopes to be able to bring Reyna along in October for friendlies against Germany and Ghana, and that he expects to speak with him ahead of that camp.
“Those are conversations that I look forward to and it’s just understanding sensitivities around it,” Berhalter said. “I mean, he’s a young player, I think for everyone involved it’s been a lot for the last six months. And we just want to do it in the best possible way to put him in position to help the team in a way that we know he can. And unfortunately, he was ruled out for this camp, but I look forward to continuing to monitor his progress at Dortmund and hopefully getting him back into camp in October.”Reyna was one of several players held out of this camp due to injury or fitness concerns as they work back from injury. Reyna has not played since picking up a calf injury in the CONCACAF Nations League final on June 18 and only started full-team training with Borussia Dortmund this week.
More from The Athletic…
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- Folarin Balogun completes transfer to AS Monaco
In a Wednesday press conference, Berhalter was asked if he felt he needed to explain to the team why he made comments at a leadership conference about issues within the locker room during the World Cup. In those comments, which were expected to be off the record under Chatham House rules and were an answer to a question after his presentation, Berhalter spoke about how he nearly sent a player home from the World Cup, but that the team culture overcame the issues at the tournament. The Athletic later reported the player in question was Reyna and detailed the issues with Reyna’s effort in training ahead of the opening game against Wales.Berhalter said he “immediately” communicated with team members after his comments were published by the Charter newsletter.“I sent a note to each and every one, every player and apologized for this getting out in the way that it did,” Berhalter said. “It was never about names, it’s more about an example of our strong team culture, and I felt that if it hurt one player, then it’s worth apologizing to the entire group. And that’s what I did.”Berhalter seemed to imply that the federation has been in touch with Reyna since Berhalter’s appointment — Reyna was a part of the team that played in the CONCACAF Nations League final shortly after Berhalter was officially reintroduced as manager of the team — and that Reyna has been “responding” but that they are being measured in when the coach and player sit down to talk.“For us, it’s understanding the sensitivity around the issues, understanding the right time, in the right way,” Berhalter said. “We’re committed to every single player in this player pool. And for us, it’s about how do we maximize communication with them and target it in a way that we’re getting the most out of each and every player. So for this, it’s just being a little bit more thoughtful, a little bit more sensitive to the past. And I look forward to having conversations with him. I look forward to watching his progress and hopefully him getting back on the field, and then for us hopefully being able to include him in the October camp against two good opponents.”Berhalter touched on several topics ahead of his first camp back with the national team for September friendlies against Uzbekistan in St. Louis on Sept. 9 and Oman in St. Paul, Minnesota on Sept. 12. Berhalter noted that the two countries rank ninth and tenth in the Asian Football Confederation and could be opponents in the 2026 World Cup, for which eight AFC teams will qualify.Berhalter also spoke about Lionel Messi’s impact on MLS and the busy transfer window involving Christian Pulisic, Folarin Balogun, and several other USMNT players.Here are some other topics Berhalter covered on Wednesday:
Crocker started in his role full-time on Aug. 2 (Brad Smith/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)
Working with Matt Crocker
Berhalter was named manager of the national team in between the Nations League semifinals and final in June, but he did not coach the Nations League final nor in the Gold Cup after that. Instead, he has been working with new U.S. soccer sporting director Matt Crocker to establish a staff and a “strategic plan” within the program and federation working toward the 2026 World Cup.“We spent three days together and really dissected every area of the USMNT, whether it’s scheduling, player pool, programs they want to implement,” Berhalter said. “Basically working on creating a strategic plan on working back from what we want to achieve, and then saying, ‘OK, here are some buckets that we’re gonna look to exploit and let’s think of programs in each of these buckets and let’s work on how we’re going to be successful in all these areas.’ So it was a really good time and I think productive, especially when now I can start and we can start unveiling this to the staff and to the players.”Asked about approaching a second cycle with the team, Berhalter said there is a freshness that the national team allows that’s different from the “boredom” that can occur with club soccer just because the team isn’t together all the time.He said the focus has been on building off the foundation of the 2022 cycle.“There’s been a lot of good work in building our identity both on and off the field,” Berhalter said. “And we want to continue that. … We want to basically acknowledge that, ‘OK, there’s been good work, but now we can take it to a different level. And here’s how we’re going to take it to a different level.’ And part of that is a player ownership model where they have more ownership in what’s happening. They are already empowered, and the leadership council has been very effective in communicating the voice of the team, but really we’re guides here and we all — the player pool, the staff — we all want the same thing, to be successful in 2026. That’s what we’re trying to achieve. And it’s just working together to do that.”
(John Todd/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)
Formation changes?
Toward the end of the last cycle, Berhalter’s U.S. teams functioned mostly in a 4-3-3 formation that looked to emphasize the strengths of its midfield. In Qatar, it was a system clearly built around a midfield trio of Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie and Yunus Musah.Under the two interim managers, Hudson and Callaghan, that formation started to shift some, and in the Nations League it was Reyna who stood out as a No. 10 in front of two defensive midfielders. But notably, that roster was missing Adams (and, in the final, McKennie).On Wednesday, Berhalter was asked if he was looking to use wingbacks or if he had given thought to moving out of the 4-3-3.
“I have always thought that this team could play in a system with wing backs,” Berhalter said. “Especially Antonee Robinson is a guy that could definitely do that. Lund can do that as well. On the right side, you see there’s players that have the ability to do that. For us, I think it’s more about just the general philosophy of how we want to play and what we’re trying to do. We want to be aggressive. We want to be high-pressing. We want to be able to control the ball, and I won’t really get caught up on the formation.”
Berhalter said the time between international windows allows the team to plan for opponents and adjust tactically for those teams.“Ideally, I’d like to go into the next World Cup having a back-three system and a back-four system in place,” Berhalter said. “And we’ll see how that develops over these next couple of years. But I think the biggest difference has been what we’ve been able to do in midfield, with the dynamic players that we have in midfield. When you have guys like Tyler and Weston and Yunus, it’s a tremendous engine that we are able to take advantage of.”
Balance with the 2024 Olympic team
Berhalter said that the U.S. is close to announcing an Olympic team coach, who will come from outside the U.S. senior team staff. With the men’s Olympic soccer tournament functioning as U-23 competition, the U.S. Olympic team could feature significant overlap with the senior team — nine players on this September roster are eligible. The Olympic team will have camps in September and October, but clubs are not obligated to release their players for Olympic duty.“We know how important that international experience is in terms of building a successful group and we expect to be working hand in hand with the Olympic group, especially when we’re talking about rosters because there is a lot of overlap in the rosters,” Berhalter said. “So really trying to figure out okay, what does game time look like in the senior team versus the Olympic team and trying to coordinate those efforts.”
New coaches and absentees
Berhalter announced his coaching staff would include his longtime assistant and former interim manager B.J. Callaghan, who guided the U.S. to the Nations League title, as well as U.S. under-20 coach Mike Varas. Berhalter said the team also hired Borussia Monchengladbach goalkeeper coach Fabian Otte and was finalizing a deal to hire Isaac Guerrero, who worked with Barcelona and Venezia.
Berhalter also noted that several players were not included due to injury, including Tyler Adams, Reyna, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Zack Steffen, Taylor Booth, Walker Zimmerman, Sean Johnson, Josh Sargent, DeJuan Jones and Erik Palmer-Brown.
Paul Tenorio is a senior writer for The Athletic who covers soccer. He has previously written for the Washington Post, the Orlando Sentinel, FourFourTwo, ESPN and MLSsoccer.com. Follow Paul on Twitter @PaulTenorio
The USMNT’s Folarin Balogun on swapping Arsenal for Monaco: ‘I expect to produce here’
Greg O’Keeffe and Matt Slater Aug 31, 2023
He arrived hungry in every sense.Folarin Balogun had been unable to eat for hours due to medical blood tests ahead of a transfer he hopes will take his career to the next level. Once they were out of the way, he tucked into a plate of salmon and rice in the plush first-team dining room of his new club, Monaco.Earlier, on a whistle-stop tour of his new home, he visited the Jardin Exotique de Monaco — the best spot for views of the principality’s famously glittering harbour.“It’s like a painting,” he told the club staff accompanying him on the journey.The move is another bold stroke on the canvas for a 22-year-old who is no stranger to bold decisions. Having switched international allegiance from England to the USMNT in May, he has now chosen a permanent shift from the Premier League to France’s Ligue 1 after last season’s impressive loan spell there with Stade de Reims.“I believe that you get the best results in life when you’re not comfortable,” he told The Athletic at his unveiling on Thursday. “So that’s why I’ve taken myself out of my comfort zone, away from my family and friends, to improve as a player.”
Balogun takes in his new home (AS Monaco)
What does the €40million (£34.4m; $43.4m) move mean for the striker? Why have Monaco compromised their new policy of transfer austerity to bankroll his move? And what could it mean for his future with club and country?The Athletic examines the next step for one of European football’s, and the USMNT’s, most exciting young prospects.
Balogun joins an unusual club, in exotic surroundings, which is bidding to once again challenge Paris Saint-Germain’s supremacy in the French top flight.There are some links with his former team, Arsenal — Arsene Wenger led Monaco to the title in 1988 and another Arsenal legend, Thierry Henry, also played for and coached the club that play in red and white.Yet, in some notable ways, north London and Monaco are very different. For starters, Arsenal are a club from England’s capital that play in the English Premier League. The principality of Monaco is the world’s second smallest sovereign state, an enclave on the northern coast of the Mediterranean, sharing its land borders with France. It has its own royal family, dialect (Monegasque) and has become a major global banking hub and tax haven.Monaco have always played in the French football league, though, where they have enjoyed historic success, even if their games do not attract the same significant following as those of PSG, Marseille, Lyon and Lille.It is little wonder Balogun was impressed by his first views of the opulent harbour — luxury mega-yachts are regularly moored outside Monaco’s Stade Louis II ground — but it may take him time to adjust to the small crowds that attend matches.According to statistics site Transfermarkt, the stadium’s capacity is 18,523, but average attendances last season were just 7,095 — fewer than any other Ligue 1 club. By comparison, Stade de Reims’ was 13,602 and Marseille’s 62,623.Monaco’s owner, Dmitry Rybolovlev — the Russian oligarch and billionaire who arrived in 2011 and funds the club via a trust under his daughter Ekaterina’s name — wants to change that, although Balogun’s high-profile arrival is no longer typical of the way he wants to do it. In 2013, Monaco were one of Europe’s biggest spenders, signing James Rodriguez for €45million and paying even more for Radamel Falcao. But they also have a reputation for elite recruitment.This is the club that lured Kylian Mbappe from Paris to southern France and offered him his first taste of senior football. Monaco have leaned more heavily on their fine-tuned recruitment model over the past few seasons as the big fees have made way for even smarter value buys.
Inside Monaco: Paul Mitchell, their revamped talent factory and a team that runs and runs
At the end of last season, Englishman Paul Mitchell signalled his intention to stand down as the club’s sporting director (he remains in post for now) and Thiago Scuro, formerly of the Red Bull group, was named as the new director of football. Although Balogun had been on the club’s radar for some time, landing his signature was a major aim of the new man and his staff, along with head coach Adi Hutter, who replaced Philippe Clement in July.
Monaco’s sparkling new training centre (Matt Slater/The Athletic)
Monaco’s training ground is at the end of a twisting road in the mountains, back over the border in France, in a small village called La Turbie. If you thought places like Manchester United’s Carrington training ground were off the beaten track, this is on another level.There were still three fans sitting on the wall outside the modern six-floor facility when The Athletic arrived on Friday for the new signing’s first press conference as a Monaco player.Twelve camera operators and reporters waited for Balogun to arrive and, when he did, the forward was man-marked by the Brazilian Scuro. Scuro and Balogun spoke mainly in English (a quick “merci” from the player to his audience aside), translated for the French journalists present, and the New York-born player was relaxed, polite and thoughtful with his responses.In his opening remarks, Scuro conceded that Monaco had been “chasing Balogun for a while — it’s a long story — but we’re delighted to have him now”.In fact, Monaco had been tracking Balogun since before last season, when he scored 22 goals in all competitions for Reims, a mid-table club based in the north east of Paris in France’s Grand Est region. Such was his fine form that they began to fear his value was inflating beyond their means.They are a club going through change, with the need for a new spearhead to their attack becoming more apparent. Despite scoring 25 goals in all competitions himself last term, their first-choice striker Wissam Ben Yedder is 33 and less able to do what the team demands.The France international is also beset with off-field problems. Last month, Ben Yedder was accused of rape, attempted rape, and sexual assault. He spent 48 hours in custody with his younger brother, who faced the same accusations, where they were questioned by police in the Mediterranean resort of Nice.On August 11, prosecutors in Nice said the brothers, who deny any wrongdoing, had been charged and the pair were now subject to a judicial inquiry. If the outcome of that inquiry concludes there is enough evidence against them, they will stand trial.ADVERTISEMENT
In April, a Spanish court also gave Ben Yedder a six-month suspended prison sentence and fined him €133,799 for tax offences during his time as a Sevilla player.
Ben Yedder playing against RC Strasbourg earlier this month (Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images)
Ben Yedder remains Monaco’s captain and scored again in their 3-3 draw at Nantes last week, but is also in the final year of his contract.Balogun is the future.The club’s recruitment team noted his prowess in a less attack-minded team last term and firmly believed he would flourish further under Hutter’s attacking, front-foot style, which requires a centre-forward to lead from the front. For them, that starts out of possession with a high-intensity press they no longer believe Ben Yedder can consistently perform.The latter will leave big shoes to fill. He is a fan favourite, but again, Monaco are confident Balogun can handle the expectations — as is the man himself.“There was competition at Arsenal and I wouldn’t expect to come to another top club and not face competition,” he said. “But for me, (Ben Yedder) is a legend and I’m looking forward to playing alongside him and learning from him.“I expect to produce here and a lot of the pressure is internal. Obviously, the price tag brings expectations, but I’m not afraid of that.”Over the last six transfer windows, Monaco’s most expensive signing was Dutch forward Myron Boadu, signed for €17million, so at nearly twice that fee, Balogun is a sign of renewed intent.It is also partly symbolic as well as practical. Next year is the club’s 100th anniversary and owner Rybolovlev wants the team back in the Champions League. Ligue 1’s top three clubs will qualify for that competition this season and, without any European football to detract focus from the league, the addition of Balogun is seen as the best way to achieve that return for 2024-25.“This is a statement signing,” said a club official, granted anonymity in order to protect their job. “We don’t spend this money anymore with this new management team. It’s not the Monaco of old.“But it’ll be a big year for the club and we want to get it right and have a quality team, so the signing of Denis Zakaria (the hugely experienced Swiss midfielder who spent last season on loan at Chelsea from Juventus) and Balogun are intent from the owner. Doing things right.“It’s us saying we know what Rennes and Marseille are spending so we need to be competitive.“Lens are giving it a go as well with their signing of Elye Wahi (from Montpellier) — a statement signing. It’s getting more crowded at the top of Ligue 1 with the other investment groups that have come in. Nice and Lyon want to be up there. This season, without Europe, we will be able to focus on the league and need strong performances, especially at the start of the season.”
Balogun and Scuro pose for the cameras (Matt Slater/The Athletic)
There is a lot riding on the deal.“But it’s not about gambling,” said Scuro. “It’s about trusting the character and skills of the player you’ve identified. I’ve often said that the signing is just one day. The development is just as important and it takes longer, but we have the people and the resources at Monaco to do that.”The skills they have identified were showcased at Reims last term, but less so during his previous loan spell in the English second tier with Middlesbrough in 2021-22, when Balogun scored just three goals in 21 appearances.“I was playing as the central striker at Reims last season, so it was easier for me as it was more familiar,” he explained. “At Middlesbrough, I played a different role, just behind the striker. It was a different focus but it was part of the plan to develop me as a player.”Monaco want to play to his strengths, which the club official identified as “running and attacking the depth very well”.Balogun’s impressive last-ditch counter-attack equaliser for Reims in a 1-1 draw with PSG last season is a case in point. The searing pace to burst through, round the goalkeeper and remain composed to hit the back of the net grabbed the attention of recruitment teams across Europe.For Monaco, he is not a one-dimensional sprinter, though. They see a player who can also come to the ball, link the play and allow team-mates to run in behind. In the 3-4-2-1 formation Hutter favours, Balogun’s presence should serve to liberate the likes of Takumi Minamino, Eliesse Ben Seghir and Breel Embolo.Where Ben Yedder’s physical decline means he only comes to the ball, Balogun is also expected to make clever runs off the back shoulder of defenders and find spaces with his movement.
Balogun’s stint on loan at Middlesbrough was part of his education (Alex Dodd – CameraSport via Getty Images)
Club staff are also excited by the potential of his link-up with their Brazil international full-backs Caio Henrique and Vanderson, who like to get forward and play strikers in but can also come inside and combine with Balogun if he drops to the ball.“We see him as a really good fit for our style; proactive on the front foot,” added the Monaco official. “We have 10 goals in three games already this season. He’ll be a really big part of scoring even more.“He scored against us here late in the season while a few of us were watching and it really emphasised how he can turn the game in an instant.”
‘It felt like we were going into a zombie apocalypse’ – Folarin Balogun’s lively Ligue 1 loan spell
If all this makes Balogun sound like a player Arsenal may have wanted to retain, then that does not reckon for Mikel Arteta’s singular vision and the club’s willingness to sell highly-rated academy graduates when they feel the time is right. Balogun joined Arsenal in 2012 as a 12-year-old and, come scholarship decision time, he was a winger who felt he was among the weakest players in his age group. “I told myself I only had two options: go hard or go home,” he said. “And, at 16, I had my best season ever. I was the top scorer in the team — I must have scored 40 goals. Even I was shocked at the transformation.”
Despite last season’s Ligue 1 heroics, the question of whether he could do it at the sharp end of the Premier League, or even be allowed the chance to demonstrate his quality, remained earlier this summer when he returned to Arsenal.Gabriel Jesus is first choice at the Emirates Stadium, while fellow academy graduate Eddie Nketiah had an impressive spell during the Brazilian’s absence last season in which he proved he had adapted his game to be the all-rounder Arteta desires. Nketiah’s progress was rewarded with a first call-up to the senior England squad on Thursday.Then there is Leandro Trossard, who performed a false nine role at times, and the arrival of Kai Havertz from Chelsea to add further competition in that area.Balogun made it clear he had no interest in another loan or reverting to life as a squad player.That left only two options: playing at Arsenal or leaving permanently. Arsenal accepted the latter provided they would be protected in the deal. Indeed, the influx of funds would help offset heavy spending earlier in the summer.
Balogun during Arsenal’s pre-season tour of the United States (Jose L Argueta/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
In the end, a fee of €30million was struck, with €10million in potential add-ons — payments that kick in if he achieves certain challenging milestones, whether that be scoring 35 goals or making a certain number of Champions League appearances. The two clubs have also negotiated a sell-on clause.In terms of the player’s future on the international stage, the move is seen as positive by USMNT head coch Gregg Berhalter.“He’s familiar with the French league, he’s already performed at a really high level with a French team and now he’s going to a bigger club in the French league — I think it’s a really strong move,” he said earlier this week.“They’re paying a lot of money for him and Monaco is a club that is really thoughtful and smart with who they bring in. I think it’s a fabulous move for him.“We expect him to be able to score goals and continue to score goals, like he’s done. And having met him and spoken to him, he’s a really humble guy. He’s a guy who’s focused on the process and continuing to improve and he sees this as the next step for him on his way as he climbs the ladder in European soccer.”Monaco checked in with Berhalter during the latter stages of their pursuit of the forward and were given similarly positive soundings. The USMNT manager told them he wanted the striker to get regular starts.If that gave their chances of landing him a boost, then so, too, did the intervention last season of Henry.Balogun said the France World Cup winner “planted the seed” of a move to Monaco in his head when they spoke last season.“After we (Reims) played here he contacted me to congratulate me on my game,” he said. “I knew he had played here and he told me a bit about the club and that it’s a beautiful place.“That was it, really. But even after my first training session here (yesterday), he texted to say congratulations on the move. It’s a good feeling to have the support of someone like him.”
Henry playing for Monaco against Marseille in 1998 (AFP via Getty Images)
For their part, Monaco are privately pragmatic about the deal. At his unveiling, he held up a shirt with 2028 — when his contract is due to expire — on the back under his name.But while they want him to provide short to mid-term success, they would be unlikely to keep him for five years if his rise exceeds French football. They are proven at buying from and selling to the biggest clubs in the world. Their sales pitch was to come to the principality and prove what he can do.If he stays hungry, and his appetite appears big, they could be celebrating a €30million bargain in one of the wealthiest corners of the world.
Julie Ertz retires from playing soccer after 10 years as a pro and two World Cup titles
“I got to live out a dream I wish for everyone,” Ertz said, “falling in love with a sport you have played your whole life and getting to share it with your son.”
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Julie Ertz announced her retirement from playing on Thursday, ending a 10-year pro career that included two World Cup titles and a return from injury and childbirth to make this year’s tournament.“With immense emotion and processing, I’ve decided it is time to hang up the boots,” she said in her announcement on social media. “These past 6 months have been a dream come true. After pregnancy, I never knew if I had a chance to play the beautiful game again, let alone another World Cup.”Ertz, 31, rose to prominence at the 2015 World Cup, three years after captaining the U.S. under-20 team to an age-group World Cup title. She was a centerback at the start of her career, and she was Julie Johnston before the Mesa, Ariz., native married former Eagles star Zach Ertz in 2017.They would go on to make Philadelphia a home, even though Julie never played for a team here. She famously played a game for the U.S. the night the Eagles won the NFC championship in 2018, and broke down in tears when informed of the news after the final whistle.
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By the 2019 World Cup, she had moved up to defensive midfield, where she became an all-time U.S. great. Her ferocious work ethic, snarling tackles, and big aerial presence on set pieces made her not just a written-in-ink starter, but just about irreplaceable. On a 2019 championship squad full of big-name stars, Ertz was as important as any of them.Though she never lost her tenacity, she lost a lot of the next quadrennial cycle. Ertz suffered a MCL tear in May 2021 and made it back just in time for the Olympics in August, but she wasn’t her full self. She didn’t play again for the rest of the year, for her club — the Chicago Red Stars — or country.The following April, she announced her pregnancy, and in August she gave birth to son Madden.
» READ MORE: Crystal Dunn looks forward to the USWNT’s next chapter as she returns to the NWSL
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‘You chase greatness every day’
By the start of this year, it was getting to the point where a return to playing made sense. But when the NWSL season started, she wasn’t on a team. So it was a surprise when Ertz got called up to the U.S. squad for a pair of April friendlies, some 600 days since her last game.And it was even more notable when then-manager Vlatko Andonovski made it clear that Ertz’s return wasn’t just because the U.S. women’s team’s collective bargaining agreement mandated that players return post-pregnancy if they or the coaches wanted it.
Andonovski wanted her on the World Cup team and wasn’t shy about it. If it boxed out other players who’d been on the field more, so be it.
» READ MORE: Julie Ertz makes stunning return to USWNT in last games before World Cup roster is set
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“If she comes anywhere near her best, that she will certainly help us win a World Cup,” he said. “If somebody’s 80 or 90% is still better than somebody else’s best, then too bad.”In mid-April, Ertz signed with Angel City FC. She played seven games for the club before heading to the World Cup — where Andonovski had another big move up his sleeve. Instead of playing her in midfield, he returned her to centerback. This upended not just players who weren’t on the team, but some who were.Yet while Andonovski flunked his test, Ertz passed hers with flying colors. She was one of the Americans’ best players in their four games, marshaling a defense that allowed just one goal. It wasn’t her fault that the attack failed to finish at the other end of the field.“Representing this country on the national team has been the greatest honor,” she said. “To play for the USWNT means you chase greatness every day while you wear the crest. I hope that I was able to leave an impact that reflects that.”
» READ MORE: Julie Ertz was grateful for a chance to return to the USWNT, even if the timing is awkward
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‘A truly beautiful game’
Ertz admitted after the Americans’ early elimination that her national career was likely over. She hadn’t returned to the field for Angel City when she announced her full retirement, and now she won’t. But she made it clear that the club was “a huge reason” why she was able to do what she did this year.“The support from the staff and players can’t be put into words to help me get back,” Ertz said. “I’m crushed to not be able to continue the push to [the] playoffs and that made this decision incredibly difficult. The logistics of not living in an NWSL market is challenging, and I know the sacrifices it takes to be the best you can be.”Once the short-term frustrations of this World Cup recede, Ertz’s legacy will be clear: one of the U.S. team’s all-time greats, a surefire Hall of Famer, a champion and off the field, and the latest in a lineage of athlete mothers.“As I have gotten older and become a mom, it’s clear the sacrifices of time away from my family no longer seem doable with so many factors at play,” she said. “These girls gave me a gift I could never repay and I got to live out a dream I wish for everyone: falling in love with a sport you have played your whole life and getting to share it with your son.”
» READ MORE: Sinead Farrelly looks back at playing in the World Cup as she returns to Gotham FC
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She thanked the fans, and she knows there are a whole lot of them around here. Though Zach now plays for the Arizona Cardinals, the Ertzes still maintain a connection to Philadelphia through their vast and heartfelt charity work.
“To the fans, you have made this journey remarkable, life-changing and so fun,” she wrote. “When playing at the highest level you never truly think about retiring, and often that choice is forced upon you. However, it truly is a blessing to walk away from this game knowing l’ve given everything I possibly had to being the best player I could be. … Thank you for showing up, for buying our jerseys and making the atmosphere unbelievable.”
Ertz concluded by reflecting on the fleeting nature of life as an athlete. Age 31 is rather young to call it quits in soccer. But as she wrote, she has greater priorities in life now.
“It’s a sad thing to reflect and know the game just moves on without you,” she wrote. “The game doesn’t owe you anything but it has given me so much. What a truly beautiful game it is. I’m just grateful for the time we had.”
» READ MORE: The USWNT’s salvation lies in youth development. Will the status quo stop it?
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Indy riding five-game unbeaten streak into Saturday’s match
#INDvMIA Preview
Indy Eleven vs The Miami FC
Saturday, September 2, 2023 – 7:00 p.m. ET
Carroll Stadium – Indianapolis
Follow Live
WISH-TV
Streaming Video: ESPN+ (click to subscribe)
Spanish Radio: Exitos Radio 94.3 FM & exitos943.com
In-game updates: @IndyElevenLive Twitter feed
Stats: #INDvMIA MatchCenter at USLChampionship.com
2023 USL Championship Records
Indy Eleven: 10W-9L-8D (5), 38 pts; 6th in Eastern Conference
The Miami FC: 7W-11L-8D (-3) 29 pts; 10th in Eastern Conference
Community Health Network Sports Medicine Indy Eleven Injury Report
OUT: Y. Oettl (ankle)
SETTING THE SCENE
The Boys in Blue stay at home looking to extend their five game unbeaten streak in a match-up against The Miami FC.The Eleven are coming off a 2-1 win vs Loudoun United FC and are 4-0-1 in their last five games. With a 10-9-8 record, Indy is sixth in the USLC Eastern Conference. Miami is 3-2-0 in its last five matches and is coming off a 2-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rowdies. MIA is 10th in the Eastern Conference at 7-11-8.
| IND | MIA | |
| 27 | Games | 26 |
| 34 | Goals | 33 |
| 29 | Goals Conceded | 34 |
| 23 | Assists | 17 |
| 91 | SOT | 99 |
| 99 | Shots Faced | 111 |
| 9 | Clean Sheets | 6 |
SERIES VS. MIAMI
Saturday marks the fourth meeting between the two teams, with the series even 1-1-1 in USL Championship action. This is the second match up of the 2023 season with the Boys in Blue taking the first meeting 1-0 on the road.
IND: 1-1-1 | GF 2, GA 2
50/50 CLUB
Solomon Asante and Aodhan Quinn became the first two players in USL Championship history to reach both 50 regular season goals and 50 regular season assists. Asante (51G/53A) and Quinn (54G/50A) have combined for 104 goals/assists each, placing them in a tie for fourth on the USL Championship’s all-time list.
- Dane Kelly – 132 (106 goals & 26 assists)
- Enzo Martinez (BHM) – 113 (69 goals & 44 assists) *
- Jorge Herrera – 107 (72 goals & 35 assists)
- Aodhan Quinn (IND) – 104 (54 goals & 50 assists) *
Solomon Asante (IND) – 104 (51 goals & 53 assists) *
*Denotes active player
20,000 AND BEYOND…
Aodhan Quinn became the USL Championship’s leader in regular-season minutes played against Tampa Bay on July 22.
Minutes | 20,816 | 1st
Appearances | 250 | 6th
Assists | 50 | 4th
Quinn has 54 goals, and was the 24th player in USL Championship history to hit 50. He is one of only seven players to have a combined 100 career goals and assists with 54 goals and 50 assists, and is the second player to join the 50 goals/50 assists club.Quinn has recorded 25 penalty kick goals in 28 attempts in his career in the league, the most of any individual player on record in league history.
LAST TIME OUT
IND 2:1 LDN
AUGUST 26, 2023
After trailing early, Indy Eleven battled back for a 2-1 victory at home against Loudoun United FC.This win moves the Eleven to 10-9-8 extending their unbeaten streak to five games. Meanwhile, Loudoun’s record changes to 7-18-3.Starting quickly, Loudoun’s Tommy Williamson found the back of the net scoring in the match’s opening minute. Indy Eleven looked to answer back possessing most of the ball which created chances in their attacking third.Kicking off the second half, the Eleven fired back after an Aodhan Quinn penalty kick was slotted home to equalize the game at 1-1 in the 73rd minute. As a result of this penalty, Quinn adds to his USL career league lead with a 25th penalty kick goal.
Not long later in the 81st minute, Solomon Asante assisted Sebastian Guenzatti who scored to give Indy Eleven the winner at 2-1. This goal moved Guenzatti to sole possession of eighth in career goals rankings for the USL Championship. Asante’s assist gives him 53 across his career. As the final whistle sounded, the Eleven led possession with 53.6% and had the shot advantage with 13 to Loudoun’s six.
USL Championship Regular Season
Indy Eleven 2:1 Loudoun United FC
Saturday, August 26, 2023
Carroll Stadium, Indianapolis
Scoring Summary
LDN – Tommy Williamson (Cole Turner) 1’
IND – Aodhan Quinn (penalty) 73’
IND – Sebastian Guenzatti (Solomon Asante) 81’
Discipline Summary
IND – Jake Blake (caution) 22’
IND – Solomon Asante (caution) 42’
LDN – Houssou Landry (caution) 45’
IND – Stefano Pinho (caution) 90+4’
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