US Women Set to Face WC QF South Africa Sun on TNT
The US ladies sent off Julie Ertz in style with a solid 3-0 win at Cincy and have a chance to do the same for Megan Rapinoe today at 5;30 pm in Chicago on TNT. Both of the ladies were instrumental in both the Championships and the Growth of women’s soccer in the US. The US will look to regain their footing as they prepare for the Olympics in France next summer.
US Ladies Roster for South Africa Series
GOALKEEPERS (3): Aubrey Kingsbury (Washington Spirit), Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)
DEFENDERS (9): Alana Cook (OL Reign), Tierna Davidson (Chicago Red Stars), Crystal Dunn (Portland Thorns FC), Emily Fox (North Carolina Courage), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave FC), Sofia Huerta (OL Reign), Casey Krueger (Chicago Red Stars), Kelley O’Hara (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Emily Sonnett (OL Reign)
FORWARDS (8): Mia Fishel (Chelsea FC, ENG), Ashley Hatch (Washington Spirit), Alex Morgan (San Diego Wave FC), Megan Rapinoe (OL Reign), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), Jaedyn Shaw (San Diego Wave FC), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City FC), Lynn Williams (NJ/NY Gotham FC)
GAMES ON TV SCHEDULE
Sun, Sept 24
9am peacock Arsenal vs Tottenham
11:30 am USA Sheffield U vs Newcastle
12 noon CBSSN Bologna vs Napoli
3:30 pm ESPN+ Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid
5:30 pm TNT, Uni, Cock USWNT vs South Africa Chicago Rapinoe last game
7:30 pm FS1 Orlando City vs Inter Miami
9:30 pm FS1 Austin vs LA Galaxy
Mon, Sept 25
3:30 pm ESPN+ Man United vs Crystal Palace
Megan Rapinoe talks legacy, future of USWNT, women’s sports: ‘It feels very much like a beginning’
By Steph Yang and The Athletic StaffSep 23, 202333
Megan Rapinoe took her place in front of a crowd of media members Saturday ahead of her last game for the U.S. women’s national team. While she’s closing the door on a two-decade-long career — which includes two World Cup trophies, an Olympic gold medal and a Ballon d’Or Féminin — Rapinoe is looking at the new beginning rather than an end.
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“I obviously know that this is an ending of one chapter but it feels very much like a beginning,” she said. “I’m really excited about what’s to come and love where the game is now and where the sport is now. I think women’s sports in general, the landscape around it, is in such an exciting place, and I hope to continue to be a part of that in a really big way, just on the other side of things.”
She didn’t get into the specifics, but the soccer player-turned-global icon made clear she wants to continue working in women’s sports, something she feels especially qualified to do. Rapinoe mentioned the growth of women’s soccer, the WNBA, the new Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) and the dominance of tennis star Coco Gauff among things that excite her about the landscape.
“I feel like I’m uniquely suited and very much know how to talk about women’s sports,” Rapinoe said. “I hope to be a big part of that business building and marketing and branding of women’s sports and I don’t really necessarily want to be tied to one thing or one organization but looking to use my platform and the leverage that I have pretty similar to how I do now. I just will have a lot more free time to do so. ”
Rapinoe answered each question at length as she reflected on her long career, drifting toward her work off the field as standing out, particularly her and the team’s advocacy for issues around gender equity, social justice and trans rights.
“I think we’ve been a big part of pushing, talking about — whether it’s gay rights or racial justice or trans rights — more into every conversation around sports and particularly around women’s sports,” Rapinoe said. “We’ve been such a driver of that and made that just as important as what we are doing on the field. I think we really believe it is just as important.
“We understand what it means to not have to sacrifice who you are and what that means for your playing the field. So I’m incredibly proud of everything that we’ve done on the field. Obviously, we’ve been a really special generation of players, but I think it says a lot about us that everything on the field I feel like kind of pales in comparison to what we’ve achieved off the field.
“And where we’ve chosen to sort of throw our weight and the way that we have used what is our greatest gift and all of our talent, and something that’s really special that we were all born with to try to make the world a better place and to try to leave the game in a much better place than where we found it.”
On the field, Rapinoe said she feels that part of the reason she has so much peace retiring is that players like Sophia Smith, Naomi Girma and Trinity Rodman are stepping up and continuing to move the team forward — including the important lessons learned during the early exit from this summer’s World Cup.
She spoke to the pressure that has been on the field and the joy that was also a legacy she feels she will leave.
“I think, particularly for this team, there was so much pressure on it all the time, certainly on the field. But especially for us during the last seven years. So much pressure about everything that we said, everything that we did, whether we were kneeling or talking about equal pay or talking about trans rights, there’s so much pressure,” Rapinoe said. “I was like we have the right to enjoy what we’re doing as well. And I think a lot of times my joy, expressions of joy, was absolutely an act of resistance or a big glaring sort of middle finger to everyone. Like this is my life and this is my career, and I get to do with it what I want to do with it.”
Rapinoe will take the field for the 203rd time on Sunday at Soldier Field in Chicago. It will be her last wearing the crest. There might be a 64th or 65th goal. There will be tears, but there will also be joy. And after a final run in the NWSL next month, there will also be a much-needed break.
Elite athletes don’t always have the power to end their careers on their terms, but no one could have predicted how Julie Ertz’s time as a professional soccer player would close. She made a surprise return to the U.S. women’s national team for the 2023 World Cup following a long injury layoff and the birth of her son. She then essentially announced her intent to retire following the USWNT’s early exit in the round of 16 on live television after playing every single minute as a center back — a position she hadn’t played in years. Then came her formal announcement in August and a send-off match in Cincinnati on Thursday.
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https://cf351683b5e28a4a38e8f78b8b736eba.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.htmlErtz said in her final press conference that sports take sacrifice, and now time with her family has become irreplaceable.“I learned that after every tournament, very successful or not, it’s always like: ‘What’s next?’ You always want to get better; there’s always the next opportunity,” she said, noting that she never wanted to have regrets about her career but that she had gotten to a point where she felt she could choose to step away.“It’s not because mama can’t play, mama can play,” Ertz said, leaning into her microphone to emphasize her point and earning a good round of laughs. “(I’ve) just adapted my priorities. That just comes with age. I’ve been so blessed to have the career that I’ve had.
She spoke at length on Wednesday about that career, about the sacrifice of playing in the early days of the NWSL, about her World Cup experience this summer and about the generation following in her footsteps. But her answer about what she’ll remember most of everything off the field reflected the culture of the team best.
“If you ever wear the crest, you are part of a family that nobody really understands, except for the players that have played here with the team,” Ertz replied. That connection, that solidarity, that shared desire to make things better, that’s the thing that Ertz said made the USWNT family special.
“You grow up here. Talking about memories, I think that’s the emotional part that I’m at right now when I step away with a player that I played with for a really long time and you start talking about memories and history and just things that you have together.”
Her time with the USWNT showed her firsthand, the power of the team’s platform. She said it had directly impacted her decision to start the Ertz Family Foundation with her husband Zach.
“I think that it’s just been an incredible space to grow up in, to make you not just a better soccer player, but a better person,” she said.
The emotions on Wednesday in Cincinnati were certainly present, especially for Ertz’s teammates, but from the other side of the press conference room, there was a noticeable comfort around her decision. Five months ago in Austin, when she made her return to the USWNT environment, those emotions — especially around her 100th cap celebration — had been much closer to the surface. Before her return to the team, she had gone over 600 days without appearing in a high-level match, the Bronze medal game in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Ertz had earned her 100th cap in March 2020, but the actual celebration of that was a moment she wasn’t entirely sure she would have. In the mixed zone in Austin before the game, Ertz got unexpectedly emotional — surprising even herself a bit, before managing to hold back her tears for the most part.
“The 100th cap was super emotional in its own way,” she said on Wednesday. This time, she’s had more time to reflect, in fact, “all I’ve been able to do is reflect,” she said.Going through those memories has been hard. “Maybe it’s like an ‘Office’ quote, ‘I wish you knew you’re in the good times when you’re in the good times,’” she said.“You remember all the hardest times of this sport. And in the moment you’re like, ‘This sucks. I want this to be gone.’ Now when you’re older, you’re like, ‘Gosh, I’m so grateful for that time.’ If I just knew at that moment that I was actually in such an incredible time,” she said. “You’re just like, ‘Dang, it goes by so fast.’”Later in the mixed zone, captain Lindsey Horan admitted that she had popped out of the locker room to do media and started crying as soon as she spotted Ertz doing an interview with the broadcast crew for no reason.
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“I’m not gonna cry,” she promised reporters (a promise she did keep, though it got close), but Horan stressed just how much she respects Ertz as a player, not just for giving her all every single time she stepped onto the field, but for her work she does on and off the field.It’s the small moments Horan’s trying to hang on to this week. They spent plenty of time next to each other in the locker room over the years when Horan wore the No. 9.“Little moments in camp,” Horan said, “like even last night we were just sitting around our little snack room, just talking about random things. Julie was talking about TikTok and I’m just like, ‘I can’t believe it, Julie’s on TikTok.’”
Lindsey Horan held off tears when talking about teammate Julie Ertz. (Photo by Brad Smith/Getty Images).
It was even something as simple as Ertz’s laugh for her. “It always makes me laugh. I don’t even have to be in the conversation, but it always makes me smile and it makes me happy.”
Horan expected tomorrow night’s game to be meaningful and wanted Ertz to enjoy those final moments at TQL Stadium.
Ertz will be missed on the field too, of course. Her partnership alongside Naomi Girma as the team’s center back pairing was the highlight of the USWNT’s World Cup performance this summer — especially considering how quickly that chemistry had to be developed following Ertz’s return in April.“Julie has been such a leader on this team,” Crystal Dunn said on Wednesday. “She’s so tenacious on the field. Everyone who watches her play knows that she is that go-getter, that ball-winner kind of player. Her intensity is going to be greatly missed on the field, just her ability to dominate the zone that she plays in.”
The next generation is ready to step up as Ertz steps away, though. She spoke of Andi Sullivan and Sam Coffey and their readiness to take over the defensive midfielder role for the USWNT. Girma showed this summer that she is the present and future of leadership on the team’s backline — and was a player that Megan Rapinoe (whose final USWNT game is this weekend) had directly compared to Ertz as immediately irreplaceable for the senior national team.
Plenty of players have had plenty of praise for Naomi Girma, but Megan Rapinoe really laid out why she thinks Girma is a generational player for the #USWNT today here in Frisco. pic.twitter.com/EnFfLDF6SB
With one final cap still to earn, Ertz currently has 122 appearances to her USWNT career with a record of 100 wins, 17 draws and only five losses. Seventeen of those games were World Cup matches, all of which she started. While her career stats don’t always reflect the contributions she made on the field for the U.S., her 20 career goals do stand out as one of the team’s favorite set-piece targets. She scored half of those with her head and 16 of the 20 were on set pieces (half from free kicks, half from corner kicks), plus eight were game-winners.
“There’s so much to learn from her, but I feel like her professionalism and attention to detail are (some) of the top that I’ve seen,” Girma said. “How she’ll break down every play and be like, ‘We could have been one step higher, or we’re one step off.’ Looking at every little detail, and the fact that she’s doing that in one of her last games for us, having that commitment throughout her career. Obviously, I wasn’t part of it for a long time, but seeing a glimpse of it is something that I’ll definitely take away and something that I hope I can continue doing throughout my career.”
For her part though, Ertz didn’t want to name an heir apparent; “comparison is the thief of joy,” she cited on Wednesday.
“Everyone brings their own thing. Having the expectation that someone’s just going to fill in the way someone (else does) takes away from what they have,” she said. “There’s tremendous space for players to grow into, and I think as I’ve been here for, what, 11, 12 years, whatever it’s been, you grow into that position off of adversity, off of experience. So I think every individual player needs to go through their own journey for what that is.”
As Ertz had said herself, she grew up within the USWNT environment. She won a couple of World Cups along the way. On Thursday night in Cincinnati, she’ll close this chapter of her life, and start another, hoping that she did her part to raise the next generation, showing them the DNA of the USWNT team, on and off the field.
(Photo: Meg Linehan/The Athletic)
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Meg Linehan is a senior writer for The Athletic who covers the U.S. women’s national team, the National Women’s Soccer League and more. She also hosts the weekly podcast “Full Time with Meg Linehan.” Follow Meg on Twitter @itsmeglinehan
How to watch the friendlies
Thursday’s game in Cincinnati will air at 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT, Universo and Peacock. Action from Soldier Field will air at 4:30 p.m. CT Sunday on TNT, Universo and Peacock.
USWNT schedule
OPPONENT
DATE
TIME
HOW TO WATCH
South Africa
Sept. 21
7:30 p.m. ET
TNT, Universo and Peacock
South Africa
Sept. 24
5:30 p.m. ET
TNT, Universo and Peacock
Colombia
Oct. 26
9 p.m. ET
TNT, Universo and Peacock
Colombia
Oct. 29
5:30 p.m. ET
TNT, Telemundo, Universo and Peacock
What’s up with the coaching search?
U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker shed light on the USWNT coaching search after one of the men’s team’s friendlies earlier this month, saying “in an ideal world” the federation hopes to have the position filled by the start of December camp.
Crocker said Kilgore will remain in the interim role through the team’s October friendlies. Crocker added that the federation is looking to hire a coach who “has got the ability to make in-game changes in key moments to improve the performance of the team.”
Andonovski resigned as USWNT coach after a disappointing World Cup campaign that saw his roster and playing time decisions called into question.
Asked what attributes he’s looking for in the next USWNT coach, Crocker said: “If you look tactically, we already know that we’ve got a great group of athletic women and a huge pool to pick from, so things like our ability to transition quickly is a key strength, defensively we’ve been really strong.
“I guess what we’d like to do is maybe develop more in a possession-based style and to have maybe a Plan B and a coach that has got the ability to make in-game changes in key moments to improve the performance of the team is going to be key, and obviously a coach that is a development coach, so a coach that can integrate young players into the team is going to be important. But then probably the final attribute is going to be the human skills, the leadership skills, so a strong communicator, someone that can build fantastic relationships, someone that can drive the program forward is all gonna be key.”
What else is new?
U.S. Soccer announced last week that it will build a national training facility in the Atlanta metropolitan area funded in part by a $50 million donation from Atlanta United owner Arthur Blank.
The federation has not yet finalized an exact location for the facility, but it hopes that construction will begin next year. U.S. Soccer CEO JT Batson is currently leading the search for the site, which will be selected in January 2024.
The organization has also not set a target opening date for the facility, which will serve as headquarters for U.S. Soccer, currently based in Chicago. It will include training fields, facilities for coaching and referee education, recovery and performance analysis and other infrastructure. It will also host youth tournaments and soccer conferences.
“We’re not just erecting a building or facility. This is a once-in-a-generation moment for soccer in the U.S.,” Blank said at an event commemorating the facility announcement Saturday.
Atlanta mayor Andre Dickens said his city is now “the capital of soccer in this nation,” while MLS commissioner Don Garber called the facility “one of the most important projects in the history of soccer in America.”
Megan Rapinoe from those who know her: ‘She makes the tough times easier for everybody’
To have crossed paths with Megan Rapinoe is to have a Megan Rapinoe story.
Back in 2019, following a second World Cup trophy, The Pose, and her breakout into the mainstream, I wrote a long feature about how Rapinoe was one of our Athletes of the Year at The Athletic — it was a collection of short stories about Rapinoe, the human and the player.
So when my colleague Steph Yang and I started asking teammates, coaches and staff (who have known her for years) for their Rapinoe stories ahead of her final U.S. game on Sunday, the answers didn’t surprise us. Of course they have them. There’s just one small challenge: can they be shared?
When I asked U.S. women’s national team forward Midge Purce in Cincinnati last week for her best story, she stared back at me for a second. “That’s fit for public consumption,” I clarified.
“Yeah, that’s the key!” She laughed, staring off and rummaging through what must be a pretty good mental file of options.
“I’m thinking about Cabo,” she starts, before a long pause. “No.” Definitely nothing for publication there. What about the White House, when the U.S. teammates appeared with President Joe Biden on Equal Pay Day?
“Oh, that was fantastic,” Purce said. “Pinoe has been one of the most welcoming icons from the very beginning, she’s always been super, super down to earth. It was crazy to go to the White House, and she’s been there before. I mean, I’ve been there, but she’s been there for sports reasons. She was just a friend, walking through the White House with me. But honestly, I don’t have an appropriate story even when I think about the White House. The things that went on behind the scenes, I can not share.”
Purce laughed all over again. There’s probably been a lot of that over the past few days, and there will be a little bit more on Sunday as Rapinoe takes the field one final time for the U.S. at Soldier Field in Chicago. There will be tears too. Taking the field while wearing the U.S. crest for the 203rd time, Rapinoe’s USWNT chapter will come to a close, but the stories are going to live on.
Here are a few of the ones we could get on the record.
– Meg Linehan
Lori Lindsey – USWNT teammate from 2006-2013
This is a story that reminds me of Megan a lot. It makes me laugh periodically and also, whenever we’re together, we reference it and make jokes. It was back in the Algarve (Cup) days when we used to play the championship and then we’d most likely stay up through the middle of the night, or only get a few hours of sleep because we’d have an early, like 2 or 3 a.m. bus ride back to Lisbon from the Algarve to catch an early flight.
Most of us would go to our favorite Indian food place or (get) pizzas and this random year, for some reason, there were all these pizzas delivered and one was like shrimp alfredo or something. To say the least, it didn’t sit well with some people, in particular Aaron Heifetz, our press officer.
(Ed.note: Aaron Heifetz could neither confirm nor deny the cuisine from this story to The Athletic, but was firm that it could not have been shrimp, as he does not consume shrimp.)
Megan and I were on the bus, (Heifetz) was always diagonal from us where we usually sat on the bus. And so all of a sudden we hear this kind of like, ‘blech, blech.’ Heif says, ‘Stop the bus, stop the bus,’ and then vomits everywhere. I mean, it’s a bit of hyperbole, but it did feel like the barf scene from the movie ‘Stand By Me’ because there were other people that were sick as well. Anyway, they did have to stop the bus. They pulled over. (Heif) obviously changes into other windbreaker pants — listen, it was just f—ing hilarious, but also disgusting. Also, everyone felt terrible because people had food poisoning. It wasn’t great. And we were about to go on a transatlantic flight.
Megan and I, per usual, are just full of jokes and shenanigans, and we turned it into a song. I mean, the song isn’t great, but here it goes.
It’s like (rhythmically) ‘Blech blech, stop the bus, stop the bus, too late, too late.’ Heifetz was I think so embarrassed, but he was like, ‘too late, too late’ after barf was everywhere. And so Megan and I, to this day, still sing the song. It makes us laugh. We crack up, we reference it to Heif all the time.
It reminds me of Megan because as you would know, the environment can be really competitive. It can be mundane, it can be repetitive, and Megan and I were always up for shenanigans. But Megan in particular, I think one of the reasons why she’s been able to have the career that she has is because, yes, she takes the craft seriously; yes, she takes her platform and her voice incredibly seriously; but it’s the shenanigans, these laughs, that she doesn’t take seriously. And that story just makes me laugh. It makes me think of Megan and why she has been so popular amongst teammates, but also just successful within the sport.
Megan Rapinoe addressing the media at the 2019 World Cup. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
Aaron Heifetz — USWNT press officer for more than two decades
In 2019, everyone thought that the stuff with Megan and our former President was so huge. Of course, it was outside the team and in the world, but inside the team, it really wasn’t. So the tweets hit, and I’m like, “What is going on here?” You never panic, I’m not going to go rushing to Megan. We actually went to training and we’re coming back and pulling into the hotel, and Megan finds me and is like, ‘Yeah, I think we need to talk.’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, we need to talk.’
We had her set to do the FIFA press conference the next day. We weren’t even thinking about pulling her from this press conference, and she was also like, ‘No way, I want to do it.’
She just goes, simply, “I’ve thought about it, this is what I want to say. What do you think?” I told her maybe you should say that the swearing was inappropriate. She said, “Yeah, maybe I’ll do that.” Of course, being Megan Rapinoe, she did not apologize for the swearing; she did eventually. But she just went there the next day and was amazing.
But that’s Megan. She makes the tough times easier for everybody. Just because she has such a high level of intelligence, emotional intelligence. She was great.
I have to give P so much credit for me really diving into my sexuality. I went to Seattle when I was in my formative 20s. I got there, I was like 25. And I walked in there being like the straight, straight, straight girlie from Birmingham, Alabama and very quickly became friends with P. All of a sudden I’m like looking around. I’m like, listen, all my friends are gay. I’m not gay. Couldn’t be me.
I was there for a year and Sue (Bird) and P had just started dating. I spent a lot of time at their house and they were like, “Listen, please be a lesbian. Like you’re just gonna absolutely love it. Your life is just gonna be so much better. Just embrace it.” I have to thank P for my coming out story. So thank you for that. I love her. She will never be able to like, take that away, but I will literally never forget them being like, ‘Please, please, just be a lesbian.’
Stephanie Cox – Long-time youth and professional teammate
I grew up playing club soccer with Megan and her twin sister Rachael. I remember long road trips down to Southern California and going to regionals in Hawaii and nationals in Georgia. Prior to our games in Hawaii, we got to tour and visit some beaches which was very exciting because that was my first time in Hawaii. Those were sweet and simple times for us and our youth teammates.
Megan had quite an impact on the field at (the University of Portland) as well as off the field. She had a hard time assimilating to all of the team rules and it impacted one of our road trips to BYU and her involvement. Her strong viewpoint would not be stifled. At the time this was difficult with all of the norms and unity that were stressed in college to create a cohesive team with so many individuals from different backgrounds. I honestly don’t remember the particulars, I would just stress that she wasn’t into conformity.
But over the course of Megan’s career, she has shown a new way of celebrating everyone’s unique personalities and traits that can make a team shine. I can’t help but think that this adversity only served to further galvanize Megan’s resolve into the dominant spokesperson she is today.
So the backstory to both of these stories: it’s the early days of the Reign, early days of the league. Whenever we would go to new cities on away games, because of how far we would travel, we’d always end up there early. So if you’re in New Jersey, people would want to go into Manhattan for the afternoon. Going to play Western New York, if the players wanted to go, someone would drive them to Niagara Falls. In year one, a couple of us did it. In year two, a couple of us did it. So it’s 2015, Sam (Laity) the assistant coach takes a group of about five to Niagara Falls, and the rest of us stay back. The plan is to meet for team dinner at six. Around 6:15, our phones just started blowing up in the group chat.
There are these photos of Kim (Little) and Sam, and it looks like they’ve been arrested. And we’re all like, “What the f— is going on, you were supposed to be at team dinner 15 minutes ago.” They were like, “Sam and Kim went beyond the fence, the police arrested them, and they’re just getting a court citation.” And I’m like, “If Sam Laity gets Kim Little deported, I’m gonna kill him.”
One of those photos had Kim and Sam literally on rocks in the Falls. And Sam’s doing this stance where he’s got his thumb up sideways. (Rapinoe) and all those guys are at the World Cup (in 2015), and they’re all like, ‘What the hell is going on?’
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So fast-forward to the 2021 Olympics. Pinoe scores an olimpico, top corner, there’s no one in the stands. Except me. I’m the coach in the stand. So when she scores, obviously, I’m yelling and she just turned, stands, two feet spread — you’ll have to find the photo — and massive sidewards thumb. And I’m just like, ‘How freaking cool is that?’ This has been going on since 2015, it’s the funniest, dumbest story that just lasted and she took it global. That s— went global, everyone knew about it! I’m texting Sam, ‘You’re in USA Today,’ and he’s like, ‘What do you mean?’ Sidewards thumb. Who does that? She’s got no concept that what she’s done is so funny and so impactful to everyone around her. She just took something that was so Seattle Reign and made it global.
Rapinoe celebrates after scoring at the 2021 Summer Olympics. (Photo by Jack Gruber/USA TODAY Sports)
Sidewards thumb again. Pregame, we’re in the locker room, we’re in Washington, D.C., Maryland, wherever it is. It’s a massive game, I think we needed to win it, it was towards the end of the season. I was really getting into them, ‘We’re setting the tone for playoffs,’ that sort of thing. I’m not really aggressive, that’s not just who I am, but I’m trying to do this motivational speech.
So I’m like, ‘We need to make sure that we win every tackle, that we complete every pass, and we get into it in the final third and all that.’ Then, ‘You need to do it for yourself! You need to do it for the people around you!’ Then I sort of lose track of what I’m saying. ‘You need to do it… do it for… your country!’
And Pinoe just stands up, in the middle of the group, and just gradually brings the sidewards thumb up over her head. And everyone just bursts out laughing. So my aim was to give this really good, motivational, rah-rah, we’re going to go out there and smash them speech, and it ended with everyone absolutely rolling around laughing because I lost my train of thought and Pinoe just… and that’s what sidewards thumb became. This thing that whenever it was a little bit awkward, a little bit funny, but no one was quite sure if you should laugh or not, just raise the sidewards thumb.
Oh my god, I have so many stories. And all of them, I’m like, should I tell that one?
LAFC, Union exemplify why it’s so hard to excel after making it to MLS Cup
In 2015, MLS commissioner Don Garber made headlines across the pond by suggesting the league he runs is more competitive than the Premier League. His reasoning: That while just a handful of teams in the Premier League can realistically win the title in any given season, just about every team in MLS begins the season believing they have a chance of winning MLS Cup.
“We see some of the challenges of competing in the Premier League,” he said at a Soccerex conference in Manchester. “We have wealthy owners, but we are very committed to the idea that at the start of every season, every fan can think their team can win a championship. We want someone in Kansas City, even though they are smaller than New York City, to think they can win the title.”
Since 2012, there have been five winners of the Premier League: Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Leicester City and Manchester United. In Spain’s La Liga, there have been three winners in the same span; in France, PSG has dominated the past decade, winning eight of the last 10 league titles; in Italy, Juventus won nine in a row during the 2010s and in the Bundesliga, the least “competitive” of Europe’s top five leagues at the top end, Bayern Munich have swept every league title since 2013.
By contrast, it’s extremely difficult to repeat as champion in MLS, even once. The 2023 regular season performance of last year’s MLS Cup finalists LAFC and Philadelphia Union, who meet this weekend in league play, proves as much.
Since a team last had repeat success, there have been nine MLS Cup winners. LAFC collected both the Supporters’ Shield (given to the team with the best regular season record) and MLS Cup in 2022, but this year it’s St. Louis City, playing their first season in MLS, that is leading the Western Conference despite many pundits (including most of The Athletic’s writers) predicting they would finish dead last.
For better or worse, it’s by design: MLS is supposed to have an equal playing field. The league sits in the awkward position of aspiring to grow while also making the most of its place in the food chain. When a side wins MLS Cup, for example, they will now almost invariably inevitably spend the winter preparing for bids for their best talent from abroad, and often from Europe’s top five leagues.
After their MLS Cup triumph in 2018, Atlanta United sold star forward Miguel Almiron to Newcastle United in the Premier League, and while they responded with a solid year – finishing second in the Eastern Conference and the semifinals of the playoffs – they have failed to qualify for the postseason in two out of the three seasons since.
More recently, after New York City’s title-winning season in 2021, Valentin “Taty” Castellanos departed for La Liga with Girona. After their 2022 triumph, LAFC has since lost Gareth Bale to retirement, top goalscorer Cristian “Chicho” Arango to Liga MX (only later to return to MLS with Real Salt Lake) and Jose Cifuentes, an important cog of the title-winning midfield, to Rangers in the Scottish Premiership. MLS clubs will naturally find it very challenging to create dynasties if it is more financially viable for them to sell their best players – though in most cases, the clubs do not even receive the full transfer fee.
“We want to develop young players, have them be successful here and then move them on,” Houston Dynamo general manager Pat Onstad told The Athletic. “I think when you do that, everybody in the club benefits. Not just ownership or our salary cap but the players training with that player. When I was in Columbus, and Zack Steffen moved on to Manchester City, the guys in that locker room felt honored to play with the guy that went on to play a bit in the Premier League and now the Championship. I think everybody’s desire is to play in a top-five league, so that’s something we’d like to do.”
That’s not to say LAFC has struggled mightily since winning the title last year. No club has posted a more impressive start to the season in over a decade, and only the 2020 Seattle Sounders can match LAFC’s 28 points through the opening 15 games of the regular season. LAFC’s issues have surfaced later on in the year, with performances dropping significantly following their CONCACAF Champions League final defeat to Club Leon.
If you ask LAFC manager Steve Cherundolo, the straightforward reason for his side struggling to maintain that electric early season form is the inability of smaller MLS rosters, limited to 20 senior players along with up to 10 supplemental players (usually draft picks, homegrown products, and other young or developing prospects) to cope with the schedule that qualifying for continental competition brings. By the end of this season, with a deep playoff run, LAFC could have played close to 60 games.
“In tournaments like this, if you want to consistently compete in finals and win them, you have to rethink your roster rules and regulations,” Cherundolo said after losing the two-legged Champions League final 3-1 on aggregate.
“We are at a big disadvantage… money in this game buys quality players. We have a good enough team to win this tournament, but with our scheduling and all of the competitions this year, we had a lot going on. We ended up in the final not at our best moment. Roster building is about that. Having deeper rosters, more players, and more quality players on your team will allow you to extend those periods of play. Every MLS team is at a disadvantage now.”
For the 2023 season, the MLS salary cap is $5.2 million per team, excluding designated players and allocation money that can be used to buy down players’ cap hits. These constraints were once essential to ensure the league remained financially secure. But with clubs like LAFC, Toronto FC and Inter Miami, who have signed Lionel Messi to a monster deal worth over $50 million annually, demonstrating they have the ambition to build rosters with the capabilities to compete consistently in MLS and continental competition, Cherundolo argues the league is directly hurting its team’s chances of success.
Last year, for example, the Seattle Sounders became the first club to win CONCACAF’s premier club competition since 2000. Subsequently, they collapsed to a historically poor 11th-placed finish in the West, the first time the club failed to qualify for the playoffs since joining MLS. It is not the first time a team has experienced success in a continental club competition and was unable to replicate it in the league, but the persistent underperformance for American clubs (who arguably possess more star quality than their Liga MX counterparts) after MLS Cup success is at least partly influenced by the league’s restrictions on building a roster with strength in depth.
Despite losing their primary goalscorer and Bale, whose primary contribution came in the MLS Cup final, LAFC has retained the core of their squad while using the summer transfer window to strengthen their team with versatile players capable of contributing in several positions. As defending champions in this iteration of MLS go, they are about as well placed as possible to fight deep into the playoffs. Well, about as well-placed as you can be in a format that relies on hitting form at precisely the right time.
But a front office should not have to prioritize jack-of-all-trades to compete for silverware. Messi’s arrival brings millions of eyeballs worldwide to a league desperate for coverage in a saturated U.S. sports market. Competitiveness is great within reason, but it should not hinder the franchises that aspire for sustained success.
(Photo: Rob Ericson/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
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Quite a performance for the USMNT in 4-0 win over Oman. Yes Oman is 74th in the world – but this was the type of dominance expected by a young but talented US team. Plenty of goals – as Balogun scored early on a follow, Aaronson scored on a free kick, an Pepi scored his 6th goal in 6 US games with this beauty. (full highlights). I thought the centerback play was exceptional – Miles Robinson definitely threw his name back into the mix here as he teamed with Chris Richards in a darn near perfect performance albeit against lower ranked competition. I thought Kristoffer Lund was also super steady on the left outside back spot where he might have just secured the #2 spot behind Jedi Robinson. Dest was strong again as normal and his ability to get into the attack – man he’s the perfect Barcelona player – I wish he could have made that go. Musah was also super strong in the back – man you could argue he actually controls the Dmid better than Captain Adams back there. He is just so smooth in moving the ball forward. Of course on this night it was the Weston McKennie show – he was electric with his pinpoint passing and complete control of the middle of the field. Moving forward I thought Pepi honestly outplayed Balogun again in this game – for the 2nd straight game – he got off 3 really good shots and I thought was the better target than Balogun most of the night. Listen Christian Pulisic needs to stop taking corner kicks – period – I have 13 year olds that consistently serve better balls in that he does. PLEASE STOP NOW! Speaking of Stop Now – Another half empty stadium when the US Men’s A team is playing at 7:30 pm. Listen bring these games back to the TRUE Heartland. If St Louis and Minnesota can’t fill MLS stadiums for these games. No problem – we’ll take the games to real soccer cities like Cincy and Columbus. Funny Mexico filed 75K into Atlanta last night to tie the team we beat 3-0 , 3 to 1. Is disgust me that Mexico is the True home team in America for Soccer. The US plays within 3 hours of me – I am there. PERIOD!
Sorry to see that American Goalkeeper Ethan Horvath has been left out to dry again – this time by Nottingham Forest. They have cut him from their EPL roster behind the Starter Matt Turner and now 2 other new guys. All he did was get them to the EPL – same for Luton Town and they didn’t want to keep him either. I feel like he is really getting the shaft. Hopefully he lands a last second trade out somewhere.
US Women Set to Face WC QF South Africa next Thur/Sun on TNT
The US ladies return to action with a new interim coach, old asst coach Twila Kilgore She chose a pretty familiar squad adding just 2 player from the squad that had the worse ever showing for a women’s US team in a World Cup. Replacing Sophia Smith with uncapped forwards Mia Fishel and Jaedyn Shaw
I will say anyone who can should head on over and pay their respects and watch American superstar Midfielder/Defender Julie Johnston Ertz in her last game in the Red, White and Blue – heck her last game playing professionally at all. Read below about all the accolades she has accomplished included player of the year, 2 World Cups and an Olympic Gold Medal. Tickets are as low as $25 and available here for Cincy’s TQL Stadium- which is a great place to watch a game with ample parking and lots of restaurants and bars near by. Same goes for Megan Rapinoe’s last game next Sunday at 5:30 pm in Chicago. Both of the ladies were instrumental in both the Championships and the Growth of women’s soccer in the US. The US will look to regain their footing as they prepare for the Olympics in France next summer.
US Ladies Roster for South Africa Series
GOALKEEPERS (3): Aubrey Kingsbury (Washington Spirit), Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)
DEFENDERS (9): Alana Cook (OL Reign), Tierna Davidson (Chicago Red Stars), Crystal Dunn (Portland Thorns FC), Emily Fox (North Carolina Courage), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave FC), Sofia Huerta (OL Reign), Casey Krueger (Chicago Red Stars), Kelley O’Hara (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Emily Sonnett (OL Reign)
FORWARDS (8): Mia Fishel (Chelsea FC, ENG), Ashley Hatch (Washington Spirit), Alex Morgan (San Diego Wave FC), Megan Rapinoe (OL Reign), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), Jaedyn Shaw (San Diego Wave FC), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City FC), Lynn Williams (NJ/NY Gotham FC)
Champions League Tues/Wed
Sure is nice to see American’s in Champions League next week as Pulisic & Musah face New Castle on Tuesday on Paramount plus at 12:45 followed by Union Berlin with Jordan Pfuk + Brendan Aaronson traveling to Real Madrid Wed at 12:45 pm on para+.
GAMES ON TV SCHEDULE
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
7:30 am USA Wolverhampton vs Liverpool
9 am CBSSN Juve (Weah, McKinney) vs Lazio
9:30 am ESPN+ Wolfsburg vs Union Berlin (Pfuk, Aaronson)
10 am USA West Ham United vs Man City
10 am Peacock Fullham (Ream, Jedi) vs Luton Town
12 noon Para+ Inter Milan vs AC Milan (Pulisic, Musah)
12:30 pm NBC New Castle vs Brentford
7:30 pm Apple MLS Philly Union vs Cincy
10 pm Apple free LAFC vs LA Galaxy (el Trafico)
Sun, Sept 17
9 am USA Bournemouth vs Chelsea
11:30 am NBC Everton vs Arsenal
245 pm Para+ Roma vs Empoli
8:30 pm FS1 Austin vs Portland
Mon, Sept 18
2:45 USA Nottingham Forest (Turner) vs Burnley
Tues Sept 19 – Champions League
12:45 pm Para+ AC Milan (Pulisic, Musah) vs New Castle United
3 pm Para+ PSG vs Dortmund
3 pm Para+ Man City vs Crvena Zvezda
3 pm para+ Lazio vs Atletico Madrid
Weds Sept 20 – Champions League
12:45 pm Para+ Real Madrid vs Union Berlin (Pfuk, Aaronson)
3 pm Para+ Bayern Munic vs Man United
3 pm Para+ real Sociadad vs Inter Milan
3 pm para+ Arsenal vs PSV
7”30 pm Apple MLS Miami (Messi) vs Toronto
7:30 pm Apple Montreal vs Cincy
Thur, Sept 21
12:45 pm para+ Lask Linz vs Liverpool
12:45 pm Lergia vs Aston villa
3 pm Para+ West Ham United vs Backa Topolo
3:30 pm Para+ Brighton vs AEL Athens
7:30 pm TNT, Uni, Cock USWNT vs South Africa Cincy Ertz Last Game
Sun, Sept 24
5:30 pm TNT, Uni, Cock USWNT vs South Africa Chicago Rapinoe last game
Analysis, thoughts, & player ratings: The USMNT caps September with 4-0 win over Oman
As he does after every game, ASN’s Brian Sciaretta rewatches the performance and offers up his thougths, analysis, and player ratings. For this game, the U.S. received an improved performance to end its September window with a 4-0 win over Oman.
BY BRIAN SCIARETTAPOSTEDSEPTEMBER 13, 2023 9:05 AM
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THE UNITED STATES national team defeated Oman 4-0 in Minnesota to complete its September international window with two friendly wins over Asian opponents. For 90 minutes, the outing was a significant improvement from the 3-0 win over Uzbekistan on Saturday.
The U.S. took control of the game early and immediately began to create chances. In the 13th minute, the team broke through with some excellent ball-movement. Weston McKennie recovered the ball after Christian Pulisic slipped. McKennie sent a long and accurate pass into the box on the right side to Tim Weah. With his first touch, he teed up Sergino Dest for a shot. His shot was saved by Ibrahim Almukhaini, but the rebound fell to Folarin Balogun for a tap-in.
For the remainder of the half, the U.S. team controlled the game but couldn’t find a second. Eventually the goals started to come. In the second half, the U.S. team put the game with three goals in 21 minutes via the substitutes. It started with a Brenden Aaronson free-kick that featured a number of mistakes from Oman – from the wall to the goalkeeper. Then Ricardo Pepi had the goal of the night in the 79th minute when he took a pass from DeJuan Jones and hit a low driving shot from just outside the box that found the back of the net. The final goal was an own goal when Kevin Pardes broke down the right side and sent a low cross towards Pepi. Before Pepi could tap it in, Oman’s Khalid Al Braiki turned it into his own net.
The U.S. team finished the window with two wins and a combined 7-0 scoreline. Meanwhile, Mexico struggled against Uzbekistan in Atlanta and conceded a late equalizer in a 3-3 draw.
Here are some thoughts on the win.
VERY FEW MISTAKES
Following the U.S. team’s 3-0 win over Uzbekistan that left many underwhelmed, Gregg Berhalter said that the biggest area of concern for him was the careless turnovers. Those turnovers sprung many counter attacks for Uzbekistan which were only bailed out by either missed shots, blocked shots, or saves.
In this game, the U.S. team made a complete reversal and made no dangerous turnovers. Oman had very few chances to spring counter attacks. In particular, the midfield trio of Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah, and Malik Tillman moved the ball around with easy and any missed passes were not costly in terms of gifting Oman anything the other way.
In terms of improvement, this was huge.
CENTRAL DEFENSE IN TRANSITION
Berhalter said after the game that he gave the “game ball” (equivalent of the team’s MOTM) to both central defender – Miles Robinson and Chris Richards – because he felt the defended very well whenever Oman would try to aggressively attack or counterattack. He believed they helped eliminate Oman’s possessions early, and long before they ever amounted to anything dangerous. But there was a lot of talk about transitional defense in this window – both in how it wasn’t great against Uzbekistan and how it was improved against Oman. But moving forward, this will continue to be an important topic and next month the quality of opponents will be significantly raised in Germany and Ghana, so it will be important that positive momentum from this game continue.
Central defense is completely up in the air with this team right now and the truth is that there really aren’t many young options knocking at the door (that’s the topic of a separate article but there is a huge generational gap developing at that position with few 2001-born and younger options). The pool of players in central defense is set but there is a lot of parity and some concerns with this group which include Richards, Robinson, Tim Ream, Mark McKenzie, Walker Zimmerman, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty, Matt Miazga, and Erik Palmer-Brown. Those players comprise of the player pool for central defense. There are opportunities and concerns over each of them.
In this game, Richards played well and had a nice window. But the concern will be over his lack of minutes at Crystal Palace. Good outings for the national team are certainly possible if a player is on the bench for the club, but consistency is another issue.
Similarly, Robinson had a nice game as well, but he looks set to leave Atlanta United after the season. Mark McKenzie replaced Richards and he is in a good situation at Genk for his minutes, but can he transition that over to consistently playing well for the national team? Then you have Tim Ream. He will soon turn 36 but has been playing incredible soccer over the past year. At some point, his level will drop. He’s doing a great job staying at a top level, but it’s always “proceed with caution” with him.
Leaving this camp, we still don’t have a set order with central defenders.
WEARING OMAN OUT
Another factor that went into the U.S. team winning this game was simply wearing Oman out. The team’s passing was so efficient, and it was equally distributed from the right and left sides of the field.
Here is an interesting statistic. Left back Kristoffer Lund had 85 touches over 90 minutes. The two right backs (Sergino Dest and DeJuan Jones) combined for 88 touches. That presents a clear picture that the U.S. team was comfortable going down either side of the field. Top teams will still defend that well, but against opponents where the U.S. team has a big edge in talent, it will help the U.S. team pick opponents apart throughout the 90 minutes.
It also shouldn’t be discounted that this was a big reason why the U.S. team was so strong in the second half and why the substitutes performed so well. The U.S. was moving the ball from side to side and Oman was chasing. When the fresh legs came into the game, Oman had been chasing for a long time and was both tired, and thrown off its game.
MCKENNIE’S DISTRIBUTION
While Berhalter gave the team ball to central defense, there was a great case that Weston McKennie was the MOTM. His diagonal passing was deadly accurate and he was a huge reason why the U.S. team was able to get the ball from side to side. In total, he was 15/18 in his long range passing (35+ yards) and that was how the U.S. was able to go from side to side.
Weston McKennie was 15/18 in long balls tonight #USMNT— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) September 13, 2023
That passing clearly gave the U.S. an edge and it directly resulted in the opening goal in the 13th minute.
McKennie was the best U.S. player over the entire window. Against Uzbekistan, he made some turnovers but was also creating chances. In this game, he was putting it all together.
GETTING BALOGUN ON THE SAME PAGE
The center forward hierarchy has always been a big question mark for this team. Every window, there is serious discussion over it. Heading into the World Cup, it was always talked about.
Now there is a little more comfort in the position. Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi are good options for now, but nothing is written in stone either. Pepi has delivered for the team in 2023 but he is likely only going to see limited minutes at PSV if Luuk de Jong is fit.
For Balogun, the issue with this team is chemistry. Most of this core group of the national team has been together for so long that the chemistry is steady. But Balogun is still a step behind in being on the same page as his teammates – or visa versa. As Berhalter noted in the press conference, Balogun made several important runs that were not picked up. It’s still a work in progress but having Balogun fully integrated will stabilize the front six of the national team’s starting XI.
WINDOW’S WINNERS
This is not the same thing as saying who were the team’s best players. McKennie was the best player for the U.S. team this window. But McKennie is a starter for the team as long as he’s healthy.
The winners of the window were those who improved their standing within the team.
Ricardo Pepi: Was the team’s most effective forward this window beyond Balogun. But Pepi will not be playing much at PSV and he will have national team competition inside of the coming year when Sargent and Dike are healthy, or if Haji Wright or Jesus Ferreira get hot, or if Brandon Vazquez continues his form now and after he moves, or if Jordan Pefok finds his groove again. But if Pepi continues to produce for the national team, he’s going to continue to get the call.
Brenden Aaronson: hybrid attacking player might have had some luck in his free kick goal against Oman, but he was very good off the bench in both games. There will be young players pushing for him, including his brother, in the years ahead. But he has a big edge.
Kristoffer Lund: The team’s new left back from Palermo made a “good first step” (according to Berhalter) in claiming the role as the team’s backup left back spot behind Antonee Robinson. In this window he played over 100 minutes and showed some qualities while also making few mistakes.
Miles Robinson and Chris Richards: When there is not a lot of clarity in central defense, these two played well together using their athleticism. Both missed the World Cup due to injury and both are in the team now. But when the central defense pool has a lot of parity, good performances are always important. Richards needed this because there were so many questions about his lack of playing time at Crystal Palace.
PLAYER RATINGS
THE STARTING XI
Ethan Horvath: Horvath had very little to do in this game. What he did do, he did well enough: Rating 5.5
Kristoffer Lund: It was a decent first start for Lund who was eager to get forward, although he wasn’t very successful. Defensively, he did his part and limited his mistakes in possession: Rating 5.5
Miles Robinson: Aside from an early foul which gave Oman a free kick from 30 yards, Robinson did well defensively and stopped Oman when it attempted to push forward. He won 10/14 of his aerials, 4/7 of his ground duels, and 3/4 of his tackles as evidence of his strong defense: Rating 7.0
Chris Richards: like Robinson, he was effective in the backline to break up Oman’s plays before they became dangerous. In his 71 minutes, he won 8/9 of his aerials to limit Oman’s ability to create with balls into the box. Rating 7.0
Sergino Dest: the PSV right back was effective in the attack in the first half. His shot created the first goal. Unfortunately for Dest, in the second half he missed two very good chances. But overall, he was tough for Oman to stop. Rating 6.5
Yunus Musah: Playing a deeper position, Musah was very comfortable on both sides of the ball – winning possession, dribbling, getting the ball forward. He helped the U.S. command possession and the pace of play: Rating 6.5
Weston McKennie: The Juventus man was the best player on the field. His long-ball accuracy gave the U.S. team multiple points of attack, and he made Oman chase the game for long stretches. He opened up the game for his teammates in an impressive outing: Rating: 8.0
Malik Tillman: Getting the opportunity to start in place of Luca de la Torre, Tillman was smooth with the ball in the attack and helped to facilitate for others: Rating 6.0
Christian Pulisic: It was forgettable game for the U.S. team’s best player, who is reliably good in big games but hit or miss in friendlies. Nothing much came from Pulisic from the run of play and he was taken out at the half ahead of the big Milan derby: Rating 5.0
Tim Weah: The Juventus wingback was at his usual wing position for the U.S. team and he had a good game. He set up Dest’s shot on the first goal. He played the ball to Jones on Pepi’s goal. He set up a chance for Dest, who simply missed. But Weah had a good game and a good window: Rating 7.5
Folarin Balogun: Playing just the first half, Balogun was in the right place at the right time to score the opener. He also was dangerous with his runs, many of which were not picked up by his teammates: Rating 6.5
THE SUBSTITUTES
Ricardo Pepi: The PSV forward missed two chances soon after coming on, but grew into the game nicely. He scored a very nice goal in the 73rd minute and he certainly would have scored the team’s fourth goal had it not been turned into the goal by a defender for an own goal: Rating 7.0
Brenden Aaronson: The Union Berlin winger was a step up from Pulisic in this game. Sure, his free kick was lucky but Aaronson brought intensity to the attack and allowed the U.S. team to pull away: Rating 7.0
Benja Cremaschi: The Inter Miami teenager looked a little nervous initially in his first cap but he nearly picked up an assist when he set up Dest, whose shot in the box went wide to the left. He then played a nice ball to Kevin Paredes on the fourth goal, an own goal. Rating 6.0
Mark McKenzie: When McKenzie came into the game in the 71st minute, Oman was tired and chasing leaving McKenzie with little to do defensively. He completed 8/10 of his passes: Rating 5.5
DeJuan Jones: The New England Revolution fullback played the final 14 minutes, completed 16/17 of his passes, with one being an assist on Pepi’s goal: Rating 6.5
Mark McKenzie: When McKenzie came into the game in the 76th minute, Oman was tired and chasing leaving McKenzie with little to do defensively. He completed 8/10 of his passes: Rating 5.5
Kevin Pardes: The Wolfsburg winger made the most of his debut when his attacking run set him up for a final ball in the box that was either going to be an assist to Pepi or an own goal, and it was an own goal: Rating 6.0
USMNT player ratings: Weston McKennie 8/10 in win over Oman
Kyle Bonagura, ESPN Staff WriterSep 12, 2023, 11:25 PM ET
The United States wrapped up coach Gregg Berhalter’s first window back as head coach with a dominant 4-0 win against Oman at Allianz Field in Minnesota on Tuesday.Folarin Balogun got the U.S. off to a flying start with a 13th minute goal, before Brenden Aaronson (who replaced Christian Pulisic at half-time), Ricardo Pepi and an Oman own goal rounded out the scoring in the second half.
It was clear early on that Oman, ranked No. 73 in the FIFA world rankings, would be completely overmatched by the U.S., which came in at No. 11 in the last version released in July.
Manager rating (scale of 1-10)
Gregg Berhalter, 7 — There’s not much to be overly critical of here. The U.S. won comfortably and mixed in some new faces. It was a good night for the team. From a pure results standpoint, a pair of wins by a combined 7-0 score made this a successful first window back for Berhalter, but considering the level of competition this was, more or less, expected. A much more interesting test will come next month against Germany and Ghana.
USMNT Player ratings (0-10; 10 = best; 5 = average)
GK Ethan Horvath, 6 — Was required to make just one save.
DF Kristoffer Lund, 4 — After making his U.S. debut on Saturday, Lund got his first start and, at times, his lack of familiarity with his teammates showed. He didn’t have to do much defending with the U.S. dominant in possession.
DF Miles Robinson, 7 — It was a quiet night for Robinson, who was largely untested.
DF Chris Richards, 7 — As was the case with Robinson, there was not much defending to do in this game.
DF Sergiño Dest, 7 — A ripped shot led to the first goal and he was consistently involved in the attack until getting subbed off late.
MF Weston McKennie 8 — A fully engaged McKennie is a difference-maker for the U.S. and that’s the version that showed up Tuesday night. A missed chance late was just about all that went wrong.
MF Malik Tillman, 5 — Without Tyler Adams and Gio Reyna involved this window, it opened up an opportunity for him to start in central midfield, but he didn’t threaten in the attacking third like might have been expected against a team of Oman’s caliber.
MF Yunus Musah, 7 — Sat much deeper than he usually does for the U.S. and looked comfortable in the role.
FW Christian Pulisic, 6 — It wasn’t a memorable game — or window — for Pulisic, who didn’t come close to impacting the game like he’s able to. Came off for Aaronson at the half, by design.
FW Folarin Balogun 7 — Right place, right time for Balogun in the 13th minute, when he calmly hammered home a rebound off a strike from Dest to make it 1-0. Was also a planned half-time sub.
FW Tim Weah, 7 — Pushed the game forward and was generally good in possession.
Substitutes (players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
FW Ricardo Pepi, 7 — Another goal off the bench for Pepi, who seems destined to make it an interesting competition with Balogun for the starting striker role.
MF Brenden Aaronson, 6 — Good things can happen when you put the ball on frame. Aaronson’s free-kick goal should have been easily stopped by the Oman wall, but it parted just after the ball was delivered and snuck by the goalkeeper.
DF Mark McKenzie — Not much was required of him after coming on the 71st minute,
MF Benjamin Cremaschi — From playing with Lionel Messi in Miami to making his U.S. national team debut. What a year for the 18-year-old. He nearly got an assist after coming on in the 71st minute.
DF DeJuan Jones — Jones assisted on Pepi’s goal shortly after coming on.
FW Kevin Paredes — Straight after coming on in his debut, his cross came off an Oman player for an own goal.
Ricardo Pepi continues hot streak as USMNT routs Oman: What we learned in this international window
The United States men’s national team defeated Oman 4-0 in a friendly Tuesday at Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minn. Here’s what you need to know:
U.S. striker Folarin Balogun opened the scoring in the 13th minute, marking his second international goal for the Americans since switching allegiances from England earlier this year.
Brenden Aaronson and Ricardo Pepi replaced Balogun and Christian Pulisic at the half, with both subs later scoring. Aaronson’s goal came off a free kick in the 60th minute while Pepi’s was his sixth goal in his last six international games.
Ethan Horvath started in goal for the USMNT in place of Matt Turner. Ben Cremaschi, the 18-year-old Inter Miami midfielder, and 20-year-old forward Kevin Paredes made their U.S. debuts; the latter sent in a cross that Oman knocked in as an own goal.
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
The first window back under Berhalter
After last coaching the team at the 2022 World Cup before being rehired by new sporting director Matt Crocker after his contract expired, Gregg Berhalter completed his first window back in charge of the national team. It was a pair of overmatched opponents, but with a 4-0 win over Oman following the 3-0 win over Uzbekistan, the road to the 2026 World Cup is underway.
The USMNT dominated Oman and didn’t let up after scoring the first goal early, a critique of their performance against Uzbekistan. Balogun opened the scoring in the 13th minute and the U.S. kept attacking with urgency, finding joy particularly via big switches from Weston McKennie on the left to Tim Weah and the right flank. Kristoffer Lund provided balance on the left, constantly overlapping and allowing Pulisic to drift centrally. Balogun and Pulisic subbed off at halftime to return to their clubs in the best possible fitness.
The Americans added to the lead with three goals in the second half, a better reflection on the scoreline to their dominance.
Cremaschi’s debut in the 71st minute was also a notable moment.
Oman and Uzbekistan are ranked 73rd and 74th, respectively, in the latest FIFA world rankings. The Americans dominated weaker opponents and did their job, but the task wasn’t arduous. More can be learned and analyzed against Germany and Ghana in October. — Bogert
Standouts
McKennie: A stellar performance for McKennie, particularly encouraging in how he dictated the game with passing. That’s not typically the recipe for McKennie’s big impact on games.
Lund: A name few national team fans had on their radar before his surprise inclusion in the camp, Lund had a consistent and strong night at left back. A like-for-like replacement for Antonee Robinson — that is, a left-footed, athletic, overlapping left back — has failed to establish over the last few years, with natural right backs Sergiño Dest and Joe Scally the de facto backup left backs. Lund has firmly entered his name in the conversation now.
Pepi: Another goal off the bench for Pepi, who now has nine goals in 18 caps. Great return for the 20-year-old, including six goals in six appearances this year — all but two of those goals off the bench. — Bogert
Highlight of the game
Key stat
Pepi has scored four goals off the bench for the USMNT this year, equaling the most substitute goals by a player in a single year in team history, per OptaJack.
Why did the U.S. play Uzbekistan and Oman in this window?
As The Athleticfirst reported back in February, U.S. Soccer was looking to line up friendlies against teams like Argentina and Brazil for the final three international windows of 2023, but when it was announced at the FIFA Congress in March that CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers would be played at these times, the U.S. federation had to change course and find other opponents. With European teams engaged in Euro 2024 qualifiers and African teams doing Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, that essentially left Asian sides among the few remaining.
The USWNT’s first roster after the World Cup ends two eras and starts a new one
I’m the Inquirer’s soccer reporter, covering the Union, MLS, the NWSL, the U.S. men’s and women’s national teams, and Philadelphia’s place in the world’s game. I also pitch in with coverage of college basketball and the WNBA.
As Julie Ertz and Megan Rapinoe depart, young phenoms Jaedyn Shaw and Mia Fishel could make their top-level national team debuts this month. Sam Coffey and Tierna Davidson also return.
The final U.S. national team game for Julie Ertz (left) could be the first for 18-year-old rising star Jaedyn Shaw (right).Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images
When the U.S. women’s soccer team gathers next week for its first games since its disappointing exit from the World Cup, many eyes will be on retiring stars Julie Ertz and Megan Rapinoe as they play their final games for their country.
But a lot of people also will be paying attention to the players set to take over the mantle going forward — especially two youngsters with the potential to become superstars soon.
Forwards Jaedyn Shaw, 18, and Mia Fishel, 22, stand out on interim U.S. manager Twila Kilgore’s 27-player roster just as much as the big-name veterans. Fans, scouts, and media have been waiting to see the duo reach the big stage, and here they are.
“We’re really excited to have both Jaedyn and Mia in the squad,” Kilgore said in a news conference Tuesday. “They have a lot of talent. We view them as high potentials, but the idea with bringing them into the environment — Mia for her just her second camp and Jaedyn for her first — is just to expose them to the current environment. Help with their onboarding, get them used to what the expectations are, and make sure they have a pathway for the future.”
It’s Fishel’s second career senior-team call-up, the first having come in October 2020, and Shaw’s first. Fishel was a prolific scorer for U.S. youth teams and turned heads when she turned down being drafted by the NWSL’s Orlando Pride to go pro in Mexico at the start of 2022.
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Fishel signed with Tigres UANL, and scored 38 goals in 48 games in a year and a half. Though the Mexican women’s league isn’t as good as the NWSL or top European leagues, former U.S. manager Vlatko Andonovski drew heat for not inviting her to a U.S. camp to see how she’d stack up. She moved to English power Chelsea this summer for a reported $250,000 transfer fee.
Shaw has turned heads repeatedly since turning pro as a 17-year-old with the San Diego Wave last summer, a move that forced the NWSL to change its rules to accommodate a minor. She wasn’t the first player under 18 to join the league, but her arrival launched a leaguewide youth movement. Wave president Jill Ellis, previously a two-time World Cup-winning U.S. coach, led the charge for change and continues to lead it.
Twenty-one of the Americans’ 23 World Cup players will reunite in Cincinnati, Rose Lavelle’s hometown, where the Americans will start a two-game friendly series against South Africa on Sept. 21 (7:30 p.m., TNT, Universo, Peacock). That game will serve as Ertz’s finale. Then it will be off to Chicago for Rapinoe’s finale on Sept. 24 (5:30 p.m., TNT, Universo, Peacock).
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The two World Cup squad absentees, midfielder Kristie Mewis and forward Sophia Smith, are injured. Mewis has a seemingly minor leg injury that hasn’t been detailed yet, while Smith suffered a sprained medial collateral ligament on Aug. 27 — on a play that left everyone fearing much worse.
Also on this squad are four players who effectively were the last cuts from the plane to New Zealand: centerback Tierna Davidson, outside back Casey Krueger, midfielder Sam Coffey, and striker Ashley Hatch. All four join the race to make next year’s Olympic team, and there will be extra attention on Davidson and Coffey.
Davidson perhaps was the most notable omission from the World Cup, and 38-year-old Becky Sauerbrunn is still sidelined by a foot injury. Coffey, a Penn State grad, is a leading candidate to Ertz’s throne in defensive midfield. She has strong passing skills to complement her tackling, with seven assists and 38 chances created in 22 games this year for the Portland Thorns.
Unlike past eras, there was no collectively bargained obligation to call in the World Cup squad for the first games after the tournament. There’s little time before next summer, though, and urgency to redeem the round-of-16 departure from Australia. And no one believes the players are individually as bad as one World Cup showed. So it’s no surprise that the door remains open for the incumbents while new challengers arrive.
South Africa should provide good tests — in fact, better tests than some fans might have expected when the series was set up. Banyana Banyana, as the team is nicknamed, reached the World Cup’s round of 16 this year for the first time. The again team will be led by forward Thembi Kgatlana of Racing Louisville, whose two goals in the World Cup included a 92nd-minute group stage finale game-winner vs. Italy.
Goalkeepers (3): Aubrey Kingsbury (Washington Spirit), Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)
Defenders 9): Alana Cook (OL Reign), Tierna Davidson (Chicago Red Stars), Crystal Dunn (Portland Thorns), Emily Fox (North Carolina Courage), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave), Sofia Huerta (OL Reign), Casey Krueger (Chicago Red Stars), Kelley O’Hara (Gotham FC), Emily Sonnett (OL Reign)
Forwards (8): Mia Fishel (Chelsea, England), Ashley Hatch (Washington Spirit), Alex Morgan (San Diego Wave), Megan Rapinoe (OL Reign), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), Jaedyn Shaw (San Diego Wave), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City FC), Lynn Williams (Gotham FC)
Tierna Davidson, Casey Krueger, more return to USWNT after being left off World Cup roster
The latest U.S. women’s national team training camp roster marked the return of Tierna Davidson, Casey Krueger, Ashley Hatch and Sam Coffey after they were left off the 2023 World Cup squad. Interim coach Twila Kilgore announced the 27-player roster ahead of this month’s friendlies against South Africa. Here’s what you need to know:
This will be the first camp for Kilgore after the resignation of Vlatko Andonovski.
Midfielder Kristie Mewis and forward Sophia Smith were the only members of the World Cup roster not called in for the games against South Africa as they recover from injuries.
This roster included two uncapped players, Jaedyn Shaw and Mia Fishel, who recently transferred from Tigres to Chelsea
The USWNT will play against South Africa twice — on Sept. 21 at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati and on Sept. 24 at Soldier Field in Chicago.
Full USWNT roster vs. South Africa
Goalkeepers (3): Aubrey Kingsbury (Washington Spirit), Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)
Defenders (9): Alana Cook (OL Reign), Tierna Davidson (Chicago Red Stars), Crystal Dunn (Portland Thorns FC), Emily Fox (North Carolina Courage), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave FC), Sofia Huerta (OL Reign), Casey Krueger (Chicago Red Stars), Kelley O’Hara (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Emily Sonnett (OL Reign)
Forwards (8): Mia Fishel (Chelsea FC, ENG), Ashley Hatch (Washington Spirit), Alex Morgan (San Diego Wave FC), Megan Rapinoe (OL Reign), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), Jaedyn Shaw (San Diego Wave FC), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City FC), Lynn Williams (NJ/NY Gotham FC)
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
Are there any roster surprises?
While this isn’t a total “wave of the future” roster, one eyebrow-raiser is Fishel, a player who had a hard time getting a look under Andonovski. Fishel has also taken a slightly unconventional route, declining to play in NWSL after the Orlando Pride drafted her in 2022, plying her trade at Liga MX club Tigres for about a year and a half, and then leveraging a move to Chelsea, all the while making it clear that her ambitions are aimed at the U.S. national team.
Kilgore may feel more free to start tweaking the player pool in advance of the next four years now that the World Cup is past, a sentiment that could also encompass Shaw, who at 18 years old has been more than ready for primetime at the San Diego Wave. — Yang
While a lot of focus in these two friendlies will, of course, be on saying goodbye to Ertz and Rapinoe, there are also some good indicators that Kilgore has begun the process of evaluating her options, or at least leaving more data in place for her eventual successor.
The returns of Davidson, Krueger, Coffey and Hatch, and even the continued appearance of DeMelo, say that we could see quite a different Olympic roster from the World Cup as the women’s national team tries to truly transition away from the last generation of stalwarts. — Yang
Julie Ertz to play final USWNT match Sept. 21 vs. South Africa: What’s her legacy?
U.S. women’s national team legend Julie Ertz will play her final international match with the squad against South Africa on Sept. 21 at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, U.S. Soccer announced Thursday. Here’s what you need to know:
Defensive midfielders don’t always get a lot of credit, but Ertz made sure everyone realized how important the role was during the 2019 World Cup. Her shift from center back to DM to center back again for this World Cup showed just how crucial she was to this era of the USWNT, and provided one of the bright spots for the team in New Zealand and Australia alongside Naomi Girma.
Her legacy goes beyond the senior team though, as one of a few players who also won a youth World Cup with the under-20s in 2012. Best known for her physicality, her ability to shut down opposing players with a perfect tackle and her raging competitiveness, Ertz reflects this closing era of the USWNT’s dominance and ruthlessness — in all the best ways. While her return for the 2023 World Cup was a surprise one, her retirement had felt more imminent than most following the last Olympics. — Linehan
What Ertz said
“I expected to just walk away after retirement, but to have the opportunity to say goodbye to my teammates and the fans one last time is something special that many players dream of,” Ertz said in a statement. “I wasn’t expecting this honor so I’m very thankful to (interim head coach) Twila (Kilgore) and to U.S. Soccer for giving me the chance to close this chapter of my life with those who have made this journey so memorable.”
Backstory
Ertz, 31, has recorded 20 goals in her career with Team USA. She was named U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year in 2017 and 2019, and helped lead the USWNT to World Cup titles in 2015 and 2019. She also spent eight seasons in the NWSL, playing seven years with the Chicago Red Stars and most recently appearing with Angel City FC in 2023.
Ertz was sidelined for 18 months following the 2021 Olympics due to injuries and the birth of her son, but came back in time to play in the 2023 Women’s World Cup. She was named to the USWNT roster for April camp, less than a year after giving birth, and played every minute of the Americans’ four matches in New Zealand and Australia over the summer.
Following captain Becky Sauerbrunn’s injury that kept her off the World Cup squad, Ertz, known as a world-class midfielder, was tasked with playing center back for the Americans. After the team’s loss to Sweden in the round of 16, Ertz alluded to her impending retirement.
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“I think for me it’s just emotional because it’s probably my last game ever being to able to have the honor to wear this crest, so I think it’s just … it’s just tough,” Ertz said. “I feel like it’s just an emotional time. It absolutely sucks. Penalties are the worst. But it’s an honor to represent this team, and I’m excited for the future of the girls.”
U.S. Soccer hopes to have new USWNT coach in place by December camp, Matt Crocker says
By The Athletic StaffSep 12, 202
U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker shed light on the U.S. women’s national team coaching search Tuesday night, saying “in an ideal world” the federation hopes to have the position filled by the start of December camp. Here’s what you need to know:
In an interview with TNT following the USMNT’s 4-0 friendly win over Oman, Crocker said USWNT interim coach Twila Kilgore will remain in the role through the team’s October friendlies.
Crocker added that the federation is looking to hire a coach who “has got the ability to make in-game changes in key moments to improve the performance of the team.”
Asked what attributes he’s looking for in the next USWNT coach, Crocker said: “If you look tactically, we already know that we’ve got a great group of athletic women and a huge pool to pick from, so things like our ability to transition quickly is a key strength, defensively we’ve been really strong.
“I guess what we’d like to do is maybe develop more in a possession-based style and to have maybe a Plan B and a coach that has got the ability to make in-game changes in key moments to improve the performance of the team is going to be key, and obviously a coach that is a development coach, so a coach that can integrate young players into the team is going to be important. But then probably the final attribute is going to be the human skills, the leadership skills, so a strong communicator, someone that can build fantastic relationships, someone that can drive the program forward is all gonna be key.”
Crocker added that the role will be based in Chicago.
“(USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter) views his (role) in terms of supporting the overall pathway in the style of play, supporting the youth national coaches. And we want to do exactly the same on the women’s side,” Crocker said. “This is very much a Chicago-based role, someone that’s in and around the office environment 365. We want the men’s teams, the youth teams, the women’s teams and the youth and extended national teams. It’s 27 national teams. You want all of them to feel part of something special.”
U.S. Soccer clarified that there is no requirement for a potential USWNT head coach to live in Chicago. Crocker and the federation are looking for someone who will take a full-time approach to the role, which means they are expecting that person would spend a considerable amount of time in the federation’s offices located in Chicago. A federation employee also clarified that U.S. Soccer has, in general, shifted to a more flexible model on staff members’ locations.
Backstory
Andonovski’s resignation came less than two weeks after the U.S. was knocked out of the World Cup at the last-16 stage by Sweden with a 5-4 defeat on penalties. It was the earliest the USWNT had ever been knocked out of a World Cup and Andonovski’s decisions throughout the tournament had been called into question.Former U.S. women’s national team general manager Kate Markgraf — who oversaw the head-coaching search that brought on Andonovski — also left her role after her contract expired last month.
Kilgore’s first matches as interim coach will come later this month when the U.S. women have two friendlies against South Africa on Sept. 21 and 24. The team is also slated for a pair of friendlies against Colombia on Oct. 26 and 29.
Earlier this year, former U.S. Soccer sporting director Earnie Stewart, as well as men’s national team general manager Brian McBride, departed the federation. U.S. Soccer hired Crocker, the former Southampton director of football operations, to replace Stewart in April, and he oversaw the search for the next USMNT coach that ultimately brought Berhalter back to the team.
The USWNT’s salvation lies in youth development. Will the status quo stop it?
In most big-time women’s soccer countries, elite prospects get pro coaching as teens. The NWSL and U.S. Soccer face pressure to make that happen here. But will old-minded youth clubs block progress?
Alyssa Thompson (center) is a too-rare example of an elite American women’s soccer prospect who was able to turn pro as a teenager.Abbie Parr / AP
SYDNEY, Australia — Though Spain’s women’s World Cup triumph was the nation’s first, it was far from a one-off. It was years in the making, thanks to major investments in youth player development.There’s a lesson in that for the U.S. women, and it has nothing to do with the dreams of those fans who obsess about the team’s playing style.Spain’s most important push in women’s soccer came not from its national governing body, but from its pro teams. Their youth academy setups, especially Barcelona’s, have created a pipeline of players that America currently can’t match.If you’re the parent of a youth or college soccer player, or a coach or administrator of a league, you might have just done a double-take. How is it that a country as big as the United States, with so many players and teams and leagues and scholarships, isn’t producing enough quality?he answer is actually quite simple. In Spain, England, France, Germany and other big-time women’s soccer countries, elite prospects get coaching worthy of their pro potential starting as teenagers. In the U.S., only a tiny handful of players can dream of that.
Most of them play through their high school years for youth clubs that focus on their own interests, then hope to get to an elite-level college team that can launch them to the pros in their early 20s.
No wonder the U.S. under-20 team hasn’t won its age-group World Cup in a decade, and the under-17s never have won theirs. Meanwhile, Spain won last year’s under-20 women’s World Cup and is a two-time under-17 reigning champion.
Some players from those squads were on the field at Stadium Australia on Sunday, including 19-year-old phenom Salma Paralluelo, who won the World Cup’s top young player award.
Pressure on the NWSL
For years, close observers of the National Women’s Soccer League have complained about its lack of a homegrown player rule akin to Major League Soccer’s — a way for young players to sign directly with teams instead of going through a draft. And for years, the NWSL has promised a rule would come.
But the wait has dragged on for so long that it took a lawsuit from then-15-year-old Portland Thorns prospect Olivia Moultrie in 2021 to force the NWSL to drop a ban on all players younger than 18. And it took another year after that for the league to allow its teams to sign two under-18 players to their squads without having to petition the league for special permission.
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In the NWSL’s early years, some teams didn’t have the internal infrastructure to handle having minors in their squads. But those days are in the past as ever more investment comes to clubs and the league as a whole. Now people who’ve been pushing for bigger change are done waiting, including some of the biggest names in the game.
“I think there’s conversations that are going to happen,” said San Diego Wave president Jill Ellis, the former two-time World Cup-winning U.S. manager who chaired FIFA’s technical committee at this tournament. “I know there’s some fantastic talent. … I think there are opportunities to grow in certain areas, and pull certain levers to continue to accelerate.”
“I do think allowing the minors to sign now has been a big step,” Ellis said. “We’ve got to make ourselves so attractive [that] people don’t want to go anywhere else. And we’ve got to also commit to the development process.”
On the other end of the Pacific coast in Portland, Thorns general manager Karina LeBlanc is also pushing for reform. The former Philadelphia Independence and Canadian national team goalkeeper joined the club after the Moultrie lawsuit, and ensures no guessing is needed of her opinion.
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“What [the] Portland Thorns did and Olivia Moultrie did broke a barrier,” LeBlanc said. “I think the pathway of what it was, is going to be different from what it is in the future. And it’s about us sitting at the table and having those honest discussions of, what do we need to do differently?”
She revealed that some meetings have already taken place, with “honest conversations” about focusing on youth development.
“Everything was discussed,” she said, followed by an admission she wasn’t allowed to say what everything meant. “It was an open discussion. And I think it was important because we had owners, GMs, we had across the board — other stakeholders that are not within the league. … We all understand that the game is growing, and we have to grow with the game.”
So the ideas are there, which is a good sign. Now they need executing.
It will take a lot of money, and not every NWSL team has the funds to run its own youth academy. Some already do, and there’s a growing sense they should be allowed to reap the rewards. Those without the resources could be allowed to partner with a local youth club of choice to build a pipeline there, as some MLS teams did before they could fund their own full-fledged academies.
‘Meaningful impact on the pitch’
Proof that the matter has reached NWSL team owners’ suites came from a conversation with Julie Uhrman, president of Angel City FC. The Los Angeles-based team doesn’t just have piles of money, Hollywood fame and a willingness to push boundaries, it has Alyssa Thompson: the 18-year old winger who debuted for the senior U.S. team at England’s Wembley Stadium as a high schooler last fall, was the NWSL’s No. 1 draft pick this past winter, and charged on to the World Cup squad.
“You’re seeing younger and younger players not only enter the NWSL, but have meaningful impact on the pitch.” Uhrman told The Inquirer, name-checking Moultrie, Shaw and Thompson unprompted.
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“How do we develop the best program for young players to come in, develop and grow, learn the game, mature and have the support necessary to be successful on and off the pitch?” she continued. “We’ve started with Alyssa Thompson, and I think you’re seeing some exceptional players at a younger age. We just have to create a system that can really support them.”
The other big stumbling block isn’t about money. It’s about emotions. It took almost a decade for MLS to overcome youth clubs that complained about the pro teams taking “their players.” In some cities, there’s still ample ill will. (Fortunately, Philadelphia isn’t one of them, thanks to the savvy of the Union academy’s leaders.)
How can that status quo be beaten? Former U.S. women’s team and Orlando Pride manager Tom Sermanni has seen a lot of ruffled feathers in his years around the American game, and didn’t hesitate to ruffle a few more.
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“It is hard to beat that,” he told The Inquirer. “I would say there’s two things. One is that you’re not taking all of your players, you’re only taking a few. The second thing I would say is that from a club perspective, would it not be a big advantage to say that we’ve actually produced players who are getting identified on a level?”
Common sense to an outsider’s ear, but a stick in the chest of the youth soccer-industrial complex.
‘The ideal vehicle’
“For me, it’s selling it to the club in the sense of saying that it’s showing that your club is actually doing a very good job,” Sermanni said. “But ultimately, the state associations, probably in conjunction with the national association, have just got to sort of bite the bullet.”
His vision is state- or regional-level hubs giving players elite training under U.S. Soccer’s supervision. Sermanni added the carrot of allowing players to go back to their local clubs part-time.
Tom Sermanni coached the U.S. women in 2013 and ’14. His most recent full-time job was as New Zealand’s manager from 2018-21.Martin Mejia / AP
“If those programs are run well, players will want to go there and play,” he said. And if those programs are free, some players will want to go there and play. The other thing is that you don’t necessarily then have to take the player all the time — you might take the player in a training program, but they can go back and play for the club.”
The biggest challenge of a U.S. Soccer-run structure, even more than the nature of top-down rule, is the country’s vast size. It’s easier to scout everyone in a European or South American country with a smaller land mass.
That’s where the NWSL comes in, and the new women’s league planned by the USL to join its second- and third-tier men’s leagues. Sermanni called on the pros to lead the way.
“They’re the ideal vehicle to be that elite pathway, if it’s too challenging for it to come through the governing body and the state bodies,” he said.
For decades, the U.S. women’s team’s most prized skill has been its been its decisiveness in big moments. As a consensus forms that change is needed, one can only hope the people in charge act the same way.
There’s a dream tour of Europe’s elite for Newcastle, an easier return to the competition for Arsenal after six years away, a mixed group for United involving difficult away games and holders City were handed a section they should progress from.
Opposition: Bayern Munich, FC Copenhagen, Galatasaray
What looks like the key game and why?
Bayern Munich loom above the others. Top spot in this group really should come down to a shootout between two of European football’s biggest beasts. There is so much history too. Bayern knocked United out of the competition at the quarter-finals in 2000-01, 2009-10 and 2013-14, and drew both games when they met at this stage in 2001-02. Their only other meetings came in 1998-99, when they couldn’t be separated in the group, and it required Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s toe to do so very late on in the final.
Which opposition player are you most looking forward to seeing?
It might seem strange to suggest someone whose whole career previously has been in the Premier League, but seeing how Harry Kane fares against United for new club Bayern will be fascinating. Kane was Erik ten Hag’s No 1 choice as a centre-forward recruit this summer before changing to pursue (and sign) Rasmus Hojlund — in part due to that deal’s greater feasibility. Seeing Kane performing for one of the competition’s favourites will be fascinating. Hojlund, you imagine, will look forward to facing Copenhagen, the club where he came through and made his senior debut.
Which game are you most looking forward to?
The famous “Welcome to Hell” banner draped by Galatasaray fans as a greeting to United in Istanbul 30 years ago is part of Old Trafford folklore, and though they have been back twice since there remains a mysticism about that fixture. United are yet to score in three away meetings, so seeing if they can break that streak will be interesting. Istanbul is a brilliant city too, so vibrant and cultural, a real treat to visit.
What should the rest of the group expect from your club?
After a slow start, Ten Hag turned United into a solid team in last season’s Europa League, and Barcelona were vanquished in the first knockout round on a special night at Old Trafford. That should give United confidence against Bayern, but they can have a soft underbelly and unravelled badly away to Sevilla in the second leg of their quarter-final. Those trips to Copenhagen and Istanbul could prove tricky.
Laurie Whitwell
Manchester City
Opposition: RB Leipzig, Red Star Belgrade, Young Boys
First impressions of the draw
City would have expected to get through pretty much any group they were drawn in, even a group of death, so obviously this one does not look especially taxing. Guardiola will be especially concerned by Leipzig’s counter-attacks, but an 8-1 aggregate scoreline against them in the round of 16 last season suggests City should be alright.
What looks like the key game and why?
There is not really one that should stand out more than the others because City will be expected to win all six matches, although it is more likely that they will win their games at the Etihad and keep things tight away from home. If there is a key one then it will probably be Leipzig away, as a victory there could help set them up for an early qualification providing everything else goes as planned at home (and as long as Leipzig away is not the group finale!).
(Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images)
Which opposition player are you most looking forward to seeing?
Given Matheus Nunes and Josko Gvardiol are joining or have joined City this summer having played against them in the Champions League, there is a decent chance that somebody else will be a member of that club soon. It is not a very adventurous suggestion but they might be a couple of midfield injuries away from signing Dani Olmo from Leipzig in January!
Which game are you most looking forward to?
The game in Belgrade, purely for the opportunity to see a new place and for the fan culture. City were in Leipzig earlier this year and have also played in Switzerland during the Guardiola era so a trip to Serbia is something new for fans and players (and journalists).
What should the rest of the group expect from your club?
Possession and goals. More of the latter at the Etihad and more of the former away. That’s been their blueprint for a few years now and was certainly the winning formula last season, so it would take some wild swings in form for something different.
Sam Lee
Arsenal
Opposition: Sevilla, PSV Eindhoven, Lens
First impressions of the draw?
Arsenal have a very decent group. It is by no means an easy draw, but considering the teams who were in Pot 1, Sevilla are fairly favourable. There should be a fair amount of confidence in north London ahead of the group stage now.
What looks like the key game and why?
The meetings with PSV seem like they will be the deciders, but also matches to gauge how far Arsenal have come. When they faced the Dutch side in the Europe League groups last season, particularly away, it demonstrated just how far a gap there was between their first-choice starting XI and their second string. This will be a good opportunity to test the squad as a whole and understand how good their depth really is.
Which opposition player are you most looking forward to seeing?
From an attacking standpoint, it will be interesting to see how electric Noa Lang is. The winger was highly rated as a youngster at Ajax and is now back in his native Netherlands at age 24 after three years with Belgium’s Club Bruges. Whether or not PSV are the right fit is the most intriguing thing about him. Wuilker Farinez of Lens has also been well-regarded for some time. The goalkeeper will now have a chance to prove himself among Europe’s elite, which could put him in the spotlight before the 25-year-old reaches his prime years.
Which game are you most looking forward to?
The trip to Seville may be the one Arsenal are anticipating most as they will truly be back in historic European stadia. Before we find out when the fixtures will be played, however, that first home matchday will be something to behold. It will be a moment Arsenal have been waiting for since last kicking a ball in the competition in the 2016-17 season’s round of 16, and there will definitely be a moment taken to bask in the Champions League glory back at the Emirates Stadium.
What should the rest of the group expect from your club?
Mikel Arteta has purposely muddied what teams will expect when facing Arsenal this season. Last term, they quickly settled into a way of playing and looked to perfect it. Many of the themes from that campaign have continued into this year, but the Spaniard has aimed to make his side more flexible.
Their Community Shield win over Manchester City at the start of this month may be a good barometer for what to expect from them against Europe’s elite, however. Arsenal’s approach was more combative than usual, with a midfield of Martin Odegaard, Thomas Partey and Declan Rice.
Asked whether that setup may be replicated in the tougher Champions League fixtures, Arteta said: “Yes, for sure. Every game is going to have different demands and require different things from us. That’s why we have top players, to try to accommodate them in the right roles and spaces in relation to the game we play.”
BLOODY HELL! I think that probably sums it up, doesn’t it? After 20 years away from the Champions League, this could hardly be a more scintillating, high-profile, glamorous, demanding set of fixtures. Tough yes, but wow, just wow. This is a club that expects to be dining at the top table for years to come — and what a feast to kick things off with.
What looks like the key game and why?
Where to start? Perhaps other teams in other groups could look at individual fixtures and hope to attack a weaker link, but come on. Look at who they’re playing. PSG, whose superstars yearn to win the thing. Dortmund, who should have ended Bayern Munich’s 10-year run of Bundesliga titles in May. AC Milan, fresh from making last season’s semi-finals. Sandro Tonali immediately returning to his old club? Sign me up.
Which opposition player are you most looking forward to seeing?
I could be smart-arse and hipster here, but truly the thought of seeing Kylian Mbappe being shut out by Dan Burn, who watched Newcastle play in this competition as a kid, over two titanic matches is too much to bear. And to be honest, don’t we want all opposition players to have stinkers anyway?
(Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Which game are you most looking forward to?
That first one at St James’ Park. Yes, there are some incredible trips in the offing, but whoever they got in the draw and whatever the circumstances, Tyneside will be alive and abuzz for that opening match on home territory. There isn’t a better atmosphere anywhere in Europe than at Newcastle on matchdays right now — tell me I’m wrong, I dare you.
What should the rest of the group expect from your club?
Black and white mayhem. Geordies travelling in their thousands upon thousands to be part of something special. On the pitch? A front-footed, adventurous and aggressive team who will press and press, who will keep on running, who have guile and cunning in Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes and who are desperate to make their mark. Newcastle may have been among the fourth seeds, but everybody would have wanted to avoid them.
George Caulkin
Mark Carey’s data takeaways
How good was Onana in last season’s Champions League?
To succeed in any cup competition, you need a degree of overperformance along the way, and Andre Onana’s “goals prevented” rate for eventual runners-up Inter Milan was the highest of any goalkeeper in the 2022-23 Champions League, saving 7.8 goals above expectation based on the quality of shots he faced.
As shown by the graphic above, Onana was particularly strong with reaching low to his right side — most memorably making a crucial double save during the last-16 tie with Porto, keeping a clean sheet to help his side progress when the margins were tight.
Inter had a lot to thank Onana for as they came so close to landing their first Champions League title in over a decade. If Manchester United are to have a strong campaign in Europe themselves this season, they will be hoping that new signing Onana can have an equally exceptional campaign in 2023-24.
What is Haaland’s trajectory towards the Champions League goal record?
Quite simply, Erling Haaland has been an absolute machine on Europe’s biggest stage. The Manchester City striker currently holds the Champions League records for being the quickest to 15 (12 games), 20 (14), 30 (25) and 35 goals (27).
By contrast, overall top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo had to wait until his 27th game until he netted his first goal in the competition, although he did not waste any time from there with a final (unless he comes back from Saudi Arabia to get some more) all-time leading tally of 140.
The nearest player to his record who is currently competing in the Champions League is Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski with 91 — so it’s safe to say the record won’t be broken anytime soon. Nevertheless, if you look at the sharp trajectory that Haaland is on, it won’t be too long until Ronaldo starts to look over his shoulder.
Who will be Newcastle’s most important player?
Within a squad that doesn’t have too much Champions League experience, you naturally look towards those who have been there and done it before. Kieran Trippier is one with Tottenham Hotspur and then Atletico Madrid, and a more notable example is Sandro Tonali, who helped Milan to the semi-finals as recently as last season.
Not only that but Tonali was the most creative player for that Milan team, with his 22 chances created being comfortably more than anyone else in Stefan Pioli’s squad.
Sure, there were some set pieces thrown in there, but Tonali’s delivery must not be underestimated as Newcastle return to Europe’s top competition after two decades.
Champions League fixtures
(All games kick-off at 8pm GMT unless otherwise stated)
After six seasons without Champions League football, there are only two types of draw that Arsenal fans would have been longing for this afternoon: a group full of legacy clubs and mega-rich teams (the kind Newcastle got) or a favourable one that positions you as one of the favourites to progress into the knockout phase early next year.
Arsenal landed very much the latter by drawing Lens, PSV Eindhoven and Sevilla. On paper, it looks more like a Europa League group, but there are fewer pushovers in UEFA’s elite club competition, and Arsenal are unlikely to rotate as much as they did in its second-tier cousin last season.
Under Arsene Wenger, Arsenal qualified for the Champions League for 17 years in a row between 2000 and 2017. The closest they came to winning it was in 2005-06 when they lost 2-1 to Barcelona in the final, after an early red card for goalkeeper Jens Lehmann. In the last seven years of that run of getting to the party, they failed to get beyond the last 16.
That was a period when Arsenal were fading. Mikel Arteta’s current side, on the other hand, are building, and they will fancy their chances of not just making it through from Group B but finishing top of it.
This is what to expect from the teams Arsenal will face…
Lens
Arsenal are going back to the start when they travel to northern France to face Lens. In 1998, their very first Champions League match was away to the French club, a 1-1 draw in which a Marc Overmars goal was cancelled out by an equaliser in the final minute. Arsenal lost the home game, 1-0. Two years later it was a bigger occasion when they met in a UEFA Cup semi-final. Arsenal won both legs, but were then beaten by Galatasaray as the final went to penalties.Having spent five years in Ligue 2, Lens won promotion in 2019-20 under current manager Frank Haise. The Frenchman, who had only been a youth coach at Rennes and Lorient before being promoted from Lens B to their senior side, oversaw two seventh-place finishes and then last season’s runners-up spot, a single point behind a team boasting Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar.
Lens’ head coach Franck Haise giving instructions this season (Francois Lo Presti/AFP via Getty Images)
Since then, however, they have lost two key players in striker Lois Openda, who has joined RB Leipzig, and midfielder Seko Fofana, who joined the Saudi Arabian exodus with a move to Al Nassr. Openda scored 20 league goals last term to equal Roger Boli’s record goal tally in a season so he is a miss, but Lens have reinvested the money in quality young players, spending around €40million on 20-year-old Elye Wahi from Montpellier and Andy Diouf, also 20, from Switzerland’s Basel.This may be Lens’ first appearance in the competition in 21 years, but their 3-4-2-1 formation provided them with the best defence in Ligue 1 last season.
Elye Wahi is presented to Lens fans earlier this season (Francois Lo Presti/AFP via Getty Images)
PSV Eindhoven
Arsenal do not need much introduction to the Dutch side, having met them in the Europa League group stage last season. PSV proved that they were a force at home by beating visitors Arsenal 2-0 in October. It made the head-to-head one apiece as Granit Xhaka had got the only goal a week earlier at the Emirates, but just as Arsenal have changed, including Xhaka no longer being at the club, the PSV team that Arteta’s men take on will also look different.
Former Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy led PSV to a second-place finish in the Eredivisie but then stepped down and was replaced by ex-Ajax and Borussia Dortmund boss Peter Bosz this summer. There has also been a sizeable squad turnover, with potentially more outgoings coming on deadline day tomorrow, too.
The biggest exits from last season’s team are Cody Gakpo, who signed for Liverpool in January, PSG loanee Xavi Simons, who moved on to Leipzig this term, and Thorgan Hazard, who returned to his parent club, Dortmund. Six other 2022-23 first-team players are no longer there. They could also be without two of their star players in playmaker Ibrahim Sangare and right winger Johan Bakayoko, who are in talks over last-minute moves to Nottingham Forest and Brentford respectively at time of writing.
PSV are not without other attacking talent, though. In 33-year-old Luuk de Jong, they have a throwback striker who gives them immense physicality and aerial ability. When they overcame Scotland’s Rangers 7-3 on aggregate in the play-off round to decide who qualified for the group stage, they were a force from set plays, scoring two across both legs.Bosz is known for a fluid, possession-based style, which is pleasing to the eye but has faced the common criticism at all his most recent clubs (also including Bayer Leverkusen and Lyon) that it can leave his defence exposed. Against Rangers, it was clear that elite opponents can get at the heart of PSV’s defence and that pace will cause them problems on the break.Offensively, 22-year-old midfielder Ismael Saibari was the standout. He has just received his first call-up to the senior Morocco squad and it looks inevitable that he will go on to play at a bigger club than PSV, given he combines a stocky build and powerful running with tremendous dribbling ability.
Ismael Saibari earlier this season (Maurice van Steen/ANP/AFP via Getty Images)
Sevilla
If Real Madrid are Europe’s Champions League specialists with a record 14 titles then fellow Spaniards Sevilla are their little sister, with seven UEFA Cup/Europa League trophies under their belt since 2006, the latest coming in May when they beat Jose Mourinho’s Roma on penalties.This won’t be a knockout tie, though, and the last two times Sevilla have been in the Champions League group stage they have failed to progress to the round of 16.Manager Jose Luis Mendilibar replaced Jorge Sampaoli in March when the team were flirting with La Liga’s relegation zone. He immediately improved results, losing only one of his first 10 league games. In Europe, they defeated PSV, Fenerbache, Manchester United and Juventus on the road to the final.They showed again how resilient a team they can be when they took treble winners Manchester City to penalties in this month’s Super Cup, on a night when the aerial ability of striker Youssef En-Nesyri was a major threat.
Youssef En-Nesyri scores against Manchester City in the Super Cup (Photo: Milos Bicanski via Getty Images)
Elsewhere, there are some names that will be familiar to Arsenal fans, with a 37-year-old Jesus Navas at right-back, fellow veteran Ivan Rakitic, 35, in midfield and Tottenham old boy Erik Lamela on the wing.However, Morocco international goalkeeper Yassine Bounou moved to Saudi’s Al Hilal this summer and they have started their domestic season poorly, losing all three games at a cost of eight goals (though they scored five in reply) to sit bottom of La Liga.
Jordan Campbell reports on Arsenal and the Scotland national team for The Athletic. He spent four seasons covering Rangers where he was twice nominated for Young Journalist of the Year at the Scottish Press Awards. He previously worked at Sky Sports News and has experience in performance analysis. Follow Jordan on Twitter @JordanC1107
USMNT goalkeeper Ethan Horvath left out of Nottingham Forest’s 25-man Premier League squad
USMNT goalkeeper Ethan Horvath has been left out of Nottingham Forest’s 25-man Premier League squad.England’s top-flight clubs are required to submit their squad lists for the first half of the season following the end of the summer transfer window. Each team is allowed no more than 17 players who do not fulfil the homegrown category. Under-21 players do not count towards the total.Horvath’s exclusion from Forest’s list means that he is ineligible to play in the Premier League for Steve Cooper’s side until at least the January transfer window.His absence now ensures that he faces several months without domestic football, unless a late transfer to another club materialises.Horvath joined Forest in 2021 from Club Brugge but has only made 11 appearances. He spent last season on loan at Luton Town, featuring 44 times in the Championship as they secured promotion to the Premier League. The Athletic reported in July that Luton declined their option to sign Horvath permanently following his spell on loan with them.The 28-year-old is a regular in the USMNT squad, although more often than not as a reserve goalkeeper. He has only played nine times for his country since making his senior debut in 2016.Forest, meanwhile, are next in action on Monday, September 18 when they face Burnley at the City Ground.
Noel Buck is the new kid in the England U-19 locker room. As is typically the language of love in these environments, he’s been welcomed into the group with jokes aplenty. Born and raised just outside of Boston, with a soft accent to constantly remind you of that, Buck knew he was going to be ribbed for sounding different.
“Obviously they make fun of me for being American. It’s been good,” Buck told The Athletic with a laugh. “We play some games, eat meals together. A lot of good lads there. I knew I was going to be made fun of for being American and my American lingo, even though I’ve been trying to not say too much of it.”
Buck is one of only two players in the group not currently based in England. The other, Adrian Blake, only left England this summer to sign for Utrecht in the Netherlands. The squad is filled with players from Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Tottenham, and now… the New England Revolution.
It didn’t take long to fit into the England group and it didn’t take long for him to stand out on the pitch. Buck started and scored in England’s 4-2 over Switzerland on Saturday after debuting with 24 minutes off the bench in a loss to Germany on Wednesday.
The 18-year-old breakout midfielder is eligible for England through his father, who was born in London and raised in Cambridgeshire. He moved to the United States a couple years before Noel’s older brother was born. Noel is also eligible for Wales through his grandmother. Buck and his family routinely return to England and the family are well immersed in English culture, even in Massachusetts.
“I feel connected (to England),” Buck said. “I have family over there I visit very frequently and my dad brings the culture in the house. Though I grew up in America, I still have parts of English culture.”
Buck was identified by English scouts this spring, who came to visit with him and his family during the summer. Although Buck was left out of the current USMNT senior squad, he had been part of the U.S. youth national teams recently. Buck was last involved with the U.S. youth national team via a U-19 camp in the summer of 2022 and wasn’t included in the U.S. squad at the U-20 World Cup this spring, though Buck is eligible for the next U-20 World Cup in 2025.
“It was great, a nice bit of support and confidence boost,” Buck said of England taking an interest in him. “It means a lot to me. To put in the effort and show I’m valued is an important thing, it really helps.”
Buck made waves last weekend by wearing a retro England kit to the stadium ahead of his final club game with New England before joining up with the England U-19 squad.I didn’t mean to throw off the U.S., it’s just that I was proud to be called into England,” Buck said. “England is a football nation, it’s a big honor to play for the national team. This is a great experience for me, it’s different. Change of pace, change of culture, change of people. I can use all of these experiences to grow as a player. Obviously I didn’t get called into the (U.S.) senior team. Maybe I should have, maybe I shouldn’t have. I don’t know. I’m just here trying to get better.”
USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter recently said Buck is still very much in the picture for the U.S. long-term, though.
“He’s been great. He’s been really strong,” said Berhalter. “I have spoken to him. There has been interest from England, which I think is great. Great achievement, when you have a country like England looking at you.
“I’ve communicated with him, told him that we see him as a player that can compete to make the World Cup team in 2026, based on what he’s doing now.”
With England, Buck linked up with a group of players that boasts a wealth of midfield talent, most notably 17-year-old Jobe Bellingham, the younger brother of England and Real Madrid sensation Jude Bellingham.
The younger Bellingham followed his brother’s career path by leaving boyhood club Birmingham City this summer, although instead of moving abroad — Jude honed his immense talent in the Bundesliga at Borussia Dortmund — Jobe joined English second-tier outfit Sunderland.
Like Buck, Bellingham is flexible and can play a conventional midfield role or further forward; the latter played up front in Sunderland’s 5-0 thrashing of Southampton on September 2. On his debut for England U-19 earlier this month, he was in a three man midfield for a 1-0 defeat by Germany.
If edging into the England U-19 team ahead of Bellingham proves difficult, Buck can try to supplant either Brighton’s Jack Hinshelwood, who made his first Premier League appearance last season in a brief cameo against Aston Villa on the final day of the campaign, or Southampton’s Kamari Doyle, who also made one Premier League appearance last season and is adept at taking free kicks with either foot. He can play as a No. 6, No. 8 or behind a striker.
Bellingham, Hinshelwood, and Doyle started against Germany, but with three games in six days next month (England U-19 play Montenegro on October 10, Wales on October 13 and Austria on October 16), manager Simon Rusk may shuffle his midfield pack to give everyone minutes.
Buck is one of nine players capable of operating in central midfield, making it a well-stocked position for the team — other talents include Liverpool’s Bobby Clark and Newcastle’s Lewis Miley — but the boy with the Boston accent is likely to get a chance to show he can mix it.
Buck is calm and confident on the ball — qualities in demand in the England youth setup, as exemplified by the U-21s European Championship success in July.
Buck looked comfortable in the games, even though his introduction to training wasn’t easy.
“Well, I was severely jet-lagged with no sleep for the first session,” Buck said. “It was a bit rough, to be honest. But on Tuesday, without jet lag, I had a hold of the timing. It’s intense and competitive. Being able to integrate into this group, it’s been really good.”
Buck’s international future is still very much undecided. The United States made it clear he’s still in their plans and he is likely to receive more calls from them. Now integrated with England, he’ll firmly be on their radar, as well. Buck is eligible for the 2024 Summer Olympics, a U-23 national tournament, and may have a decision to make by then.
“I’m just taking it as it comes,” Buck said. “I just don’t know. Who knows what I will get called into, who knows what I won’t get called into. I’ll have to make these decisions when they come.”
Tata Martino on what he tells Lionel Messi, working for David Beckham and his love for Atlanta
“I’m watching Argentina on mute,” Inter Miami head coach Tata Martino said over the phone on Tuesday afternoon. “There’s no need to hear the broadcast to enjoy it.”
Martino lived at a hotel near Inter Miami’s training complex in Fort Lauderdale for over a month after joining the club in late June and stayed there at the start of their remarkable 11-game unbeaten run. The move to a new apartment has been a welcome change. Martino is now more settled in the city, living with his wife and son Gerardo, 27, who’s also an assistant on the Inter Miami coaching staff.
Before Argentina kicked off their World Cup qualifier against Bolivia, Martino and his son watched Inter Miami central defender Sergii Kryvtsov start against Italy in a Euro 2024 qualifier. They then became fans and turned their attention to the current world champions as they outclassed a listless Bolivia side in La Paz.
Lionel Messi, Argentina and Inter Miami’s captain, was on the bench for the Albiceleste, but not part of the match-day squad. The 36-year-old was a game-time decision leading up to the game after admitting that he was fatigued after Argentina’s 1-0 win over Ecuador on September 7. He’s been very busy since he started playing for Miami in late July.
Messi and Martino will travel together to Atlanta this Saturday for a pivotal Eastern Conference clash with Martino’s former club, Atlanta United. It’s been a year of reunions for Martino. In Miami, he was reunited with Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, three players who he managed at FC Barcelona from 2013-2014. He last worked with Messi in 2016 as Argentina manager during the Copa América Centenario that was held in the United States.
Martino also reconnected with former MLS MVP and Atlanta United star Josef Martínez at Miami, and now the two leaders of Atlanta United’s 2018 MLS Cup success will return to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in rival colors.
Martino spoke to The Athletic about his emotions ahead of the match, Messi’s availability against Atlanta United, the stadium’s artificial turf field, and what Messi, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and other sporting greats have in common.
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
Did you have a conversation with (Argentina manager) Lionel Scaloni about Messi’s fitness? Was there a plan in place for him during this FIFA window?
There wasn’t a plan for Leo. The last time Scaloni and I spoke was after we won (Leagues Cup). This is the start of Argentina’s World Cup qualifying campaign and we had a series of important games to play and I didn’t think it was wise to have any type of conversations (with Scaloni). It was best to let Argentina begin qualifying calmly. Surely Leo and (Scaloni) have spoken about the situations that they were in and what’s the most convenient outcome. We’ll do the same thing once (Messi) is back here, but obviously with all of the information about what occurred over the week.
So you’ll wait before deciding how much Messi plays against Atlanta United and whether he starts the match?
Yes because regardless of anything, there’s nothing more important than the health of the players. In this case it’s Leo. It could be another player, too. Regardless of how important a match is, we have to make sure that all of the players are fit, not take risks with them or make an injury worse. We’ll evaluate him as soon as he arrives and decide what is the best course of action for our upcoming games.
You’re obviously familiar with the turf at Mercedes Benz Stadium. Knowing the surface is usually a competitive advantage for Atlanta United. But surely you saw NFL star Aaron Rodgers tear his Achilles tendon playing on turf on Monday night. Are you concerned about risking Messi’s health on Saturday?
Yes, (Rodgers) suffered that Achilles injury. My experience with Atlanta’s turf has always been positive. From the time that we made our debut with Atlanta (United) on that field, the way our players adapted to the surface. They adapted immediately and we didn’t have to continue to train on grass. And the same thing happened when we played in Atlanta with Mexico. The players adapted quickly.
It’s a very cushioned type of artificial surface. Up until now I haven’t heard any negative opinions about the surface from players that I’ve coached. That doesn’t mean that we’re not addressing the fact that we’ll play on artificial turf but it isn’t anything that’s driving us crazy. We hope to play a good game no matter what.
What’s it been like for you to have your son Gerardo as part of your Inter Miami staff?
He left home just six months ago so it hasn’t been too long since we’ve lived under the same roof. Because of the nature of our job now we spend a lot more time together talking about football, our training sessions and our opponents. It’s been good. I’m very happy to be able to work with him and share this experience together.
What’s Gerardo’s role on the staff? During games the camera often catches him next to you with a tablet in front of him.
He’s our third assistant behind me and Jorge (Theiler). He provides scouting on our opponents and compiles reports on our squad. We take advantage of his language skills during training sessions whether he runs the session himself or as a translator. Every staff member has a corresponding role to play.
A lot has been said about Messi finding happiness in MLS and in Miami, but you look a lot happier these days, as well.
Yes, yes. Six years ago I confirmed what it was like to work in MLS. I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed that project. It was different (than Inter Miami) because in Atlanta we had to build an entire squad and we started with plenty of lead time. That dynamic of building a team, from talking and convincing players to come, leaning on (former Atlanta United vice president) Paul (McDonough) for knowledge about the American players. He knew them much better than me. In that sense, we really enjoyed all of that. We enjoyed the process once we began competing and we liked living in Atlanta. Those were two wonderful years. With the opportunity to come to Miami, yes it’s a different city, and the exposure is greater now with Leo, Busquets, Jordi and the tremendous careers that they’ve had.
It’s a league that we like and we like living in the United States. We adapt right away. And now the results have come right away. That always helps. We work calmly here. The players’ reception towards us was positive and we have a very good relationship with the club’s owners and front office. There’s no reason why this moment shouldn’t be one that we enjoy.
I ask because we saw images of you and Messi embrace rather emotionally after some of Inter Miami’s cup victories. What does that say about your relationship with him after reuniting, and about the culture of the club?
I like that he’s enjoying himself. But more so that he hasn’t lost that will to compete. That’s the most important aspect. There are many ways that one can enjoy playing. But without a doubt, when there’s a will to compete, when there’s a will to continue to prove that he’s the best in the world, to help the team and earn results, well, it’s all much more valuable. His happiness is contagious and we end up demonstrating that. His will to work, to improve and to have a closer relationship with his teammates… that says everything about his state of mind.
Martino and Messi embrace after winning Leagues Cup on August 19. (Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports)
The impact of Messi, Busquets and Alba on this team has been incredible. The players are much more confident and the 11-game unbeaten streak proves that. But Messi has also said that your philosophy of play has been a big part of the turnaround. How would you describe the team’s evolution?
Something that’s very important to note is how the team has responded to the arrival of these three players. Because the outcome could’ve been completely different. It could’ve become an enormous responsibility for the other players and affected their production. Or they could’ve felt supported and confident enough to show the best versions of themselves, which is what I believe has happened. That makes all of us better. The group understands that the more experienced players, and those with longer career paths, take on more responsibility. They’ve understood their role and how to move forward. They’ve all adapted very well.
And from my position, I have three exceptional footballers. We’ve added pieces around them sensibly and based on a way of playing. We’ve realized that our style of play is still a work in progress. There’s a lot that we can improve. We needed results. That’s what this moment in time demanded from us.
Right now we’re not training our way of playing and then going home to rest. Training isn’t the only thing that we’re doing. We have to play games and we have to win. That requires a greater commitment from everyone because if the results aren’t there, there’s a risk that people will lose confidence in the tactics. We’re getting results so it’s been easier to refine our tactics.
There are eight games to play and clearly qualifying for the playoffs is the priority. But ahead of 2024 you’ll have a full offseason with this team. You must be thinking about making improvements.
We knew that our first task was to solve what was in front of us and to compete well in the tournaments that were upcoming. Even though our immediate priorities are short term, it’s also true that we cannot forget what’s coming in the mid-term. We have ideas. When these players arrived we had conversations with (Miami sporting director) Chris (Henderson) and (director of soccer operations) Niki (Budalic) about the future, and the future is next season. Now that this season’s transfer windows are closed, we’re focused on playing with an eye on next season. Everything falls within the scope of the league’s (roster) rules and how we can continue to improve our team.
Player recruitment and finding the right talent for your system was a big part of your success at Atlanta United. What has working with Chris Henderson and his team been like?
I have to say that it’s been very, very good. Like I’ve said before, and I’m not talking about Leo, Busquets and Jordi, but Diego (Gómez), Tomás (Avilés) and Facundo (Farías) are players who we wanted to sign. They were our names that we put on the table from the beginning. There’s a lot of communication (with the sporting office) and we all participate. That’s the best way to work. There’s a lot of respect. We listen to each other. No one is the owner of the truth. And we’re all responsible for the good and the bad.
After Diego Alonso was fired as Inter Miami coach in 2021, David Beckham told reporters that he would oversee every single player acquisition. That came during a time of turmoil at the club. What’s Beckham’s involvement now?
In our first month at the club, David was at our side the entire time. He was at every training session. He was at every game. He was very close to the team. He’s very friendly and respectful. And there’s a really nice dynamic between him, the players and the staff. I can’t comment on his involvement regarding player signings because I typically had those conversations with Chris and Niki. They kept David abreast of those conversations. But because of who he is and what he represents, he commands a lot of respect, he’s approachable and polite with the entire group.
Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas is hands on, too.
Jorge and Jose (Mas) are different from one another, but they’re both very involved. They’re always supporting us. They embody the commitment and hope that runs through the club. They’re very happy with everything that’s occurred thus far. They’ve backed us. That’s why I’ve said that we work calmly here. We all listen to each other. It’s a very pleasant place to work. It’s not just about the results and whether the team is playing well or not. In the day to day, they make it all worthwhile.
I’ve seen you have a word or two with Messi mid-game or off to the side during a stoppage in play. What does a coach say to the best player in the world?
The types of conversations we have center on the opponent and their characteristics. And how we’re going to approach a match. The aspects of the game in which we’d like to be more polished, the way we’ll try to get him the ball. But we never talk about his individual role. What I believe we need is for him to have the freedom to move into the spaces where he can find the right conditions to play. What we have to do as a team is adapt to his movements, not limit his movements. I think that’s been part of Argentina’s secret to success. Have the right pieces in place as he moves about the pitch. That’s what a lot of our conversations focus on.
When we were in Rosario we spoke extensively about the league and the types of situations I faced in Atlanta, the league’s characteristics, the teams we’d face, the cities we’d visit, the amount of travel, the cold, the heat, the snow, storms and matches that are postponed until the weather clears. Flights that may or may not get off the ground, the physicality of the opponents. That’s what we discussed at that time and now it’s much more specific about who we’re playing and how we’ll approach the game.
The greatest players across sports mature and change their game later in their careers. Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Zinedine Zidane all remained top players into their 30s. Would you say that Messi has evolved similarly?
I think so because all of those athletes have a similar mentality. It’s a mentality that he hasn’t changed since he was 17 years old up to this stage of his sporting career. So in that sense that’s what these athletes all have in common. The way they compete. The way that they’re always trying to be the best. In some cases it’s individual sports and also team sports. But they’re always trying to be the best, to make their teams better and to make their teammates better.
Then there’s their intellectual capacity to interpret each stage of their life and give their best in those moments. They notice how they can maximize those facets because one isn’t the same player at 20, 25, 30 or 35 years of age. No one reaches these privileged heights without having top-level intellectual capacities. They realize on their own where they are, how they can contribute, what they need to do to be the best. They do that easily throughout their careers.
Those types of athletes, like Messi, also have an unquenchable thirst for winning.
Leo was visibly frustrated after our scoreless draw against Nashville. I had to tell him “relax, we’re not going to win every game. We can’t allow draws but we have to continue to find ways to grow.” He was very bitter. It was as if we had lost the game. We’re still trying to find ourselves (as a team), but he’s on a permanent quest to win and it’s very difficult to change that mentality. I would never want to change that mentality either. That’s what makes him better.
You’ll return to Atlanta for the first time this weekend as an MLS head coach. You’ll likely receive a warm welcome from the fans. Describe your emotions.
I spent two great years of my life in Atlanta. We all enjoyed it. I felt comfortable at the club and I had a group of players that I truly valued, and I still do in a very special way. I have a different type of relationship with them.
The Latino players, the American players, the players from other nationalities. When I run into Jeff (Larentowicz), when Parky (Michael Parkhurst) texts me, when Kevin Kratz updates us on his career as a youth coach in Atlanta. Leandro (González Pírez), Tito (Villalba), Miguel (Almirón), Josef (Martínez), all of them. That marked an important part of my life. I’m very grateful for it.
No matter what happens on Saturday, Atlanta will want to continue to win. And all of our games are important for our playoff qualification, but that won’t diminish the love that I have for the club, for the city and for those two wonderful years.
It’s a completely different Atlanta United team from when you were the manager in 2017 and 2018. What do you like about Gonzalo Pineda’s side?
I’ve noticed that this Atlanta team is evolving. The new players are adapting well. I may mispronounce their names, but the French player (Tristan Muyumba) in the middle has settled in well. (Luis) Abram is now more comfortable as a center back. The Greek center forward (Giorgos Giakoumakis) is very dangerous as is the Portuguese winger (Xande Silva), the new signing who typically plays on the left.
Thiago (Almada) remains their star player and their creator. Miles Robinson’s abilities, their fullbacks… honestly it’s a team that I really like. I see them as a team that’s going to make a run during the playoffs. I have a lot of respect for their continued evolution.
Will Sancho return? Are Spurs the real deal? Key questions as Premier League starts again
By The Athletic UK Staff Sep 14, 2023
When the Premier League resumes on Saturday after a two-week international break, there will be lots of fascinating stories to look out for.
Will Manchester United’s Jadon Sancho and Erik ten Hag put their public dispute behind them? Can Tottenham, who are unbeaten and second in the table, cement their exciting start and show they have the capacity to flourish this season as they adapt well to life without Harry Kane? There are subplots to watch at lots of the other clubs aspiring to qualify for the Champions League, too, with Liverpool appearing revitalised but Chelsea still searching for a winning formula under Mauricio Pochettino.Our writers address the key issues heading into the weekend.
Is there a way back for Sancho at Manchester United?
Sancho has struggled to reproduce his Dortmund form for United (Stu Forster/Getty Images)
In the aftermath of Manchester United’s 3-1 defeat by Arsenal in their final game before this international break, manager Erik ten Hag said Jadon Sancho had been left out of the squad owing to “his performances in training”. That Sunday evening, Sancho hit back.Posting on Twitter, he said: “Please don’t believe everything you read! I will not allow people saying things that is completely untrue, I have conducted myself in training very well this week. I believe there are other reasons for this matter that I won’t go into, I’ve been a scapegoat for a long time which isn’t fair!”This public falling-out raised questions about the player’s long-term future at the club, as well as the shorter-term issue of what happens next. Will he feature when Brighton & Hove Albion go to Old Trafford on Saturday?
Ten Hag’s current shortage of options in wide attacking areas means it is unlikely a door will be shut on Sancho returning to the matchday squad.United’s current manager has shown, most obviously with Cristiano Ronaldo, that you should cross him at your peril. But nearly a year on from the Ronaldo episode, the picture is somewhat different.Antony, the manager’s preferred option to play on the right, will not return to work “until further notice” as he continues to address allegations of assault, which he denies.
Spurs may be second in the table but after a couple of years of watching them play mostly pragmatic, underwhelming football, their fans are just delighted for the time being to “have our Tottenham back”, as they keep singing. Any apathy that developed under previous managers has gone.
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They certainly look the part — Tottenham are vibrant, clinical and fun going forward and new signing James Maddison has been a creative revelation. But they’re also better at the back. This isn’t just gung-ho football. Summer appointment Ange Postecoglou is an attack-minded head coach but he’s also a winning one, steering South Melbourne, Brisbane Roar, Australia, Yokohama F Marinos and Celtic to titles, and there is a defensive plan to complement the forward forays.
The squad looks a little light in parts, left-back Destiny Udogie and midfielder Pape Matar Sarr have made exceptional starts but are very young and will have dips in form for sure, plus Richarlison can’t score for toffee at the moment.
The much more evident deficiencies of some of their anticipated rivals for a top-six finish, though, offer hope that Spurs are in this season’s European spots to stay. Anything higher remains to be seen, but serial winner Postecoglou is their trump card.
The early form of Alexis Mac Allister suggests so, but it would be too soon to answer with a definitive “yes” or “no”.
Only Liverpool’s final Premier League standing next May 19 will tell us whether the decision to recruit multi-functional midfielders this summer rather than specific experts in individual roles has paid off.
With no Champions League football to divert attention and energy after last season’s fifth-place finish, the focus for the months ahead is very much on chasing the title.
Can that be achieved with the midfield players Liverpool have at their disposal?
Mac Allister has certainly impressed in the handful of games so far following his transfer from Brighton, showing both maturity and versatility. There was a clear need for a new No 6 following the exits of Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and Naby Keita from midfield over the close-season, and Argentina’s 2022 World Cup winner already looks the part. He may be used in a deeper role more often than first expected.
Mac Allister has joined on a five-year deal (Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
The surprise signing of Wataru Endo will also bring some resilience in games where Liverpool need to sit deeper and soak up pressure. Whether the Japan captain is good enough for the games that really matter will only be revealed in time.
Liverpool have plenty of other options and look well-equipped to create and cause problems going forward. Young players Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott have talent in abundance, while Dominik Szoboszlai is already turning into a star following his big-money move from RB Leipzig. The late addition of Ryan Gravenberch, a player Jurgen Klopp has tracked for some time, will bring both guts and guile to a midfield blessed with so many qualities.
A quick, tough-tackling, tall midfielder who can sit and protect the defence while also playing out comfortably from the back may still be missing, but those players are few and far between, and very expensive.
Liverpool might not even need one, though. They already looked well stocked.
Gregg Evans
Do Newcastle have issues or was it just a particularly tough start?
All looked rosy for Newcastle after the opening weekend’s 5-1 win over Aston Villa. The subsequent three games have quelled that optimism — but this is not a case of them turning bad again overnight after finishing fourth in May. Their start to the season was more difficult than any other side in the league — facing Villa (seventh last season), Manchester City (champions), Liverpool (fifth) and Brighton (sixth).
A new-look midfield is still gelling as head coach Eddie Howe attempts to tweak his style of play. Summer signing Sandro Tonali has been asked to subtly change his role in each game, but with team-mates Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton out of form, there has been plenty of space left in midfield. Given the quality of Newcastle’s opposition in the fixtures so far, this is asking for trouble.
They were also without centre-back Sven Botman for the 3-1 defeat in Brighton — the poorest performance of the campaign so far — while goalkeeper Nick Pope is going through a slump of his own. When Botman returns, Pope gets back to his usual standards and the midfield begins to hum, this is still a side who should be able to compete for European football again come the spring.
Gregg Evans
How long will it take Pochettino to turn Chelsea into a winning team?
There are signs that Chelsea 2023-24 should be a winning team already; according to FBref.com data, they have the fourth-best expected goal difference in the Premier League after their first four matches, rank fifth in the division for expected goals (xG) and are third behind only Manchester City and Arsenal, last season’s title winners and runners-up, in expected goals against (xGA).
The problem is they have scored 3.3 fewer goals than expected, while conceding one more than the analytics suggest they should have. Enzo Fernandez’s saved penalty away to West Ham United contributes to that, as well as Nicolas Jackson’s gilt-edged miss at home to Nottingham Forest — Chelsea lost both games.
It may be tempting to look at last season’s scoring problems and conclude this is simply who Chelsea are, but summer appointment Mauricio Pochettino is building his team from virtually a brand-new squad. His attacking options do look a little thin without injured forwards Christopher Nkunku and Armando Broja but newcomer Jackson is a livewire presence and Raheem Sterlinghas started the season well.
Despite the injury issues, there does appear to be scope for Chelsea’s finishing to improve enough for Pochettino to make them a winning team soon.
Liam Twomey
Can anyone stop Manchester City?
Teams can definitely beat Manchester City this season, but it’s probably not advisable to play them at their own game in trying to do so.
Sheffield United showed it is possible to bunker in and hang on, even if they did need seven saves from Wes Foderingham to keep them in the game, and ultimately lost out to a thumping finish from Rodri. City will struggle to break down low blocks if they are solid enough, particularly without the incision of the departed Ilkay Gundogan and injury victim Kevin De Bruyne in these early months.
Teams such as Brentford and West Ham — so geared towards efficient, counter-attacking play and able to squeeze every last drop out of set pieces — can certainly cause a threat if they hold out for long enough.
In terms of the title, it’s more a question of another side keeping up an 85-point pace. Only three other teams have broken that threshold since Pep Guardiola came to Manchester in the summer of 2016 — City have done it in all but one of his past six seasons in charge.
Marginally, yes. Against Fulham and Wolves, two home fixtures where they lost 1-0, Everton should have taken more.
Despite injuries and (before signing Beto three games into the season) having no proven striker, they managed to create enough chances to win those matches.
Ifs and buts will not prevent another dismal season of looking over their shoulders at the trapdoor to the Championship, yet the Portuguese striker’s arrival from Udinese has had a galvanising effect.
At Sheffield United, the only league game Beto has been involved in so far, Everton took their first point of the campaign, scoring their first league goals too, and the big centre-forward’s presence was pivotal in that 2-2 draw.
They must still erase the flashes of defensive fragility that let opponents such as Wolves take full advantage and, against better teams, as seen away to Aston Villa, there is still a tendency to implode. But Sean Dyche and the long-suffering fanbase will cling to the dual positives of a return to fitness of last season’s top scorer Dwight McNeil, along with Beto’s bright start.
If another new signing, Jack Harrison, can hit the ground running when he is fit, they can claim their poor start was not reflective of their overall quality.
Greg O’Keeffe
Played 10, won none — are the promoted clubs out of their depth?
It has been an ominous start for the three newcomers, with Burnley, Sheffield United and Luton Town all yet to win.
There are extenuating circumstances for Luton, with work on Kenilworth Road meaning they have only played three games and just one at home.
After losing 4-1 to Brighton and 3-0 away to Chelsea — there were glimpses of hope at Stamford Bridge, particularly in the performance of former Manchester United midfielder Tahith Chong — manager Rob Edwards then watched his side put in their best shift to date, against West Ham. Their 2-1 loss felt inevitable, which is problematic, but when Mads Andersen brought it back to 2-1 with four minutes of stoppage time to play, there was a mood shift. Maybe Luton can pick up points. Had James Ward-Prowse’s late handball given them a penalty, they might have got off the ground. It does feel like their biggest chance of picking up points will be at home.
Given the fashion in which Burnley stomped back into the Premier League at the first time of asking, it seemed like they would have the best chance of staying up of the three promoted teams. But a tough start, with games against champions Manchester City, European qualifiers Aston Villa and second-placed Tottenham, has left them pointless and looking vulnerable at the back.
Burnley have already lost as many times in the league this season as they did across the 46 games of the previous one, but manager Vincent Kompany is sticking to his principles.
As for Sheffield United, they at least have something to show for their return to the top flight, a single point earned in their most recent game against Everton. It could, and probably should, have been more but they came up against some Jordan Pickford heroism in the dying seconds.
United have come close to more too. After a narrow 1-0 opening-weekend defeat to Crystal Palace, the unlucky theme of losing by a single goal continued. Chris Wood scored a Nottingham Forest winner in the last minute of normal time and then, just as United clutched at a point against imperious Manchester City, Rodri struck in the 88th minute to quickly cancel out Jayden Bogle’s equaliser.
They are getting closer and will hope for an upturn in fortunes at Spurs on Saturday. No easy feat.
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So the USMNT won but it wasn’t very convincing as they needed extra time to add insurance goals 2&3 on the afternoon. The US dominated possession scoring in the first couple of minutes on this fantastic goal from McKinney to Weah. Then it took this series of great saves – from Turner who was named Man of the Match – he’ll be headed home to see the birth of his second child. It took some late subs and Uzebecstan going down to 10 men late to score our 2nd and 3rd goals as Pulisic converted a penalty, then Pepi scored his 5th in 5 games. Full highlights I am excited to see some of the new guys in the mix for this next game – Horvath will be in goal, and I am hoping Mark Mckensie in at CB for Tim Ream. Luca de la Torre broke his nose, so I would assume Malik Tlllman will get some time at the Dmid spot and hopefully at least some sub time for the Miami man Cremaschi, Johnny Cardoso, Cade Cowell, and Lund.
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),
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)
Indy 11 Unbeaten Streak Extends to 6 games @ New Mexico United 9 pm ESPN+
Indy Eleven defeated The Miami FC, 1-0, on Saturday night at home to extend their unbeaten streak to six games. The Indy win moves the team to 11W-9L-8D, and moves them clearly into playoff contention. Next, Indy Eleven will travel to New Mexico United for a 9:00 p.m. ET kickoff on Friday, September 15 on ESPN+ for the first game of their two-game road trip. The next home game for Indy Eleven is Sunday, September 24 against Rio Grande Valley Toros FC.
Huge congrats to the 2013 Boys White team Pike Fest Semi-Finalist – Coach William Graff.
GAMES ON TV
Tues, Sept 12 –
12 noon FS2 Spain vs Cyprus
2:45 pm FS2 Scotland vs England
2:45 pm ?? Italy vs Ukraine
4 Tele, UNIVERSO TUDN Argentina vs Bolivar
7:30 pm TUDN, Univision Mexico vs Uzbekistan
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
7:30 am USA Wolverhampton vs Liverpool
9 am CBSSN Juve (Weah, McKinney) vs Lazio
9:30 am ESPN+ Wolfsburg vs Union Berlin (Pfuk, Aaronson)
10 am USA West Ham United vs Man City
10 am Peacock Fullham (Ream, Jedi) vs Luton Town
12 noon Para+ Inter Milan vs AC Milan (Pulisic, Musah)
12:30 pm NBC New Castle vs Brentford
7:30 pm Apple MLS Philly Union vs Cincy
10 pm Apple free LAFC vs LA Galaxy (el Trafico)
Sun, Sept 17
9 am USA Bournemouth vs Chelsea
11:30 am NBC Everton vs Arsenal
245 pm Para+ Roma vs Empoli
8:30 pm FS1 Austin vs Portland
Mon, Sept 18
2:45 USA Nottingham Forest (Turner) vs Burnley
Tues Sept 19 – Champions League
12:45 pm Para+ AC Milan (Pulisic, Musah) vs New Castle United
3 pm Para+ PSG vs Dortmund
3 pm Para+ Man City vs Crvena Zvezda
3 pm para+ Lazio vs Atletico Madrid
Weds Sept 20 – Champions League
12:45 pm Para+ Real Madrid vs Union Berlin (Pfuk, Aaronson)
3 pm Para+ Bayern Munic vs Man United
3 pm Para+ real Sociadad vs Inter Milan
3 pm para+ Arsenal vs PSV
7”30 pm Apple MLS Miami (Messi) vs Toronto
7:30 pm Apple Montreal vs Cincy
Thur, Sept 21
12:45 pm para+ Lask Linz vs Liverpool
12:45 pm Lergia vs Aston villa
3 pm Para+ West Ham United vs Backa Topolo
3:30 pm Para+ Brighton vs AEL Athens
7:30 pm TNT, Uni, Cock USWNT vs South Africa Cincy Ertz Last Game
Sun, Sept 24
5:30 pm TNT, Uni, Cock USWNT vs South Africa Chicago Rapinoe last game
Dan Degnan and HS ref newbie Jesicca Smith with me at University High for a girls game Sat. Love this from weekend Charity game in England the player shows a Uno Reverse card to being shown a yellow card. 😛
Check out this Spread from Nate BARBQ Sinders from last weekend’s Puma Cup. Best Brisket around.
Who Knew Landon Donovan was the #1 Assist guy of all time world Wide?
Ethan Horvath to start for USMNT vs. Oman; Berhalter talks Tillman, Cremaschi
Ethan Horvath will start in goal for the United States men’s national team on Tuesday against Oman, head coach Gregg Berhalter said at a press conference at Allianz Field in Saint Paul, Minn. After naming ten of his eleven starters ahead of last week’s friendly against Uzbekistan, Berhalter stopped short of naming his lineup aside from Horvath.“Ethan’s gonna play in goal tomorrow,” Berhalter said. “That’s pretty clear. We’re gonna mix up some players, but it will be a very similar lineup to what we saw last time.”The United States played to a 3-0 win over Uzbekistan in a friendly on Saturday, a scoreline that flattered the hosts as they struggled to consistently break lines and create chances in front of goal in the first game of Berhalter’s second cycle at the helm. There has been some minor adjustment to the roster since that match in St. Louis, as goalkeeper Matt Turner and defender Joe Scally departed, both for family reasons. They were replaced on the roster by Inter Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender and New England Revolution left back DeJuan Jones, who was already in Minnesota thanks to the Revolution’s 1-1 draw against Minnesota United at Allianz Field on Saturday. Jones played all 90 minutes of that match.
Tillman, Cremaschi in the picture
Although he stopped short of naming a lineup, Berhalter did single out midfielder Malik Tillman for praise when asked how the new PSV signing fits into his plans.“I think he’s a fantastic player, I really do,” Berhalter said. “That’s why we were so keen to have him commit to the United States a couple years ago. He’s a dynamic player, sees the game ahead of time. He can speed up the game, make final actions. He’s calm in the penalty box. He’s got a lot of strong attributes. For us, it’s, okay: how does he take all those qualities to the next level when he gets opportunities? I think the other day, he did a good job. He’ll get an opportunity tomorrow, so we’ll see how he can do, but the coaches are high on him.”Berhalter added separately that he hopes to give Miami midfielder Benjamin Cremaschi a senior national team debut off the bench on Tuesday, depending on game state and what substitutions prove necessary throughout the match. Cremaschi is eligible for both the United States and Argentina, and has seen his stock soar in the wake of Lionel Messi joining the 18-year-old’s boyhood Inter Miami this summer. “He fits in really well, Benja,” Berhalter said. “He’s a great kid. He learns really quickly, adapting well to the speed of the game. It’s been great having him in camp. He’s not going to start the game. We’d love to get him a debut; we just have to see how the substitutions work. You have six subs in the game, so it becomes challenging to get everybody on the field even though you’d like to.”
Berhalter also addressed the USMNT’s struggles to create against Uzbekistan, citing the opposition’s low defensive block as preventing clear passing lanes into the area. While Oman is ranked just above Uzbekistan in the current FIFA ratings (73 and 74, respectively), Berhalter projected a different kind of challenge ahead of Tuesday’s match.“Oman is completely different than Uzbekistan,” Berhalter said. “Uzbekistan was a 5-3-1, at times a 5-2-3, but a very difficult block to break down. Defending with four players on the wing, very compact. Oman has played a 4-4-2 diamond and they have a very, very dynamic counterattack. Part of the emphasis in this camp was finishing attacks against the low block of Uzbekistan, and now preventing transitions against Oman.”Berhalter specifically praised Oman for a tough match it gave Germany last fall ahead of the 2022 World Cup. In the final days before the tournament, Germany struggled to pull off a 1-0 win with an 80th minute goal despite largely playing a first-choice lineup. Oman managed to take seven shots — although none were on-target — despite seeing just 28% of possession, with the majority of chances coming through Salaah Al-Yahyaei at the top of midfield.Oman has played seven games in 2023, reaching the final of the Gulf Cup with a campaign that included a 2-1 win over a Saudi Arabia side that won its World Cup opener against eventual champion Argentina. Oman notched a 2-1 win over Palestine on Wednesday in a match played at their national stadium in the capital city, Muscat. “It’s going to be a great test for us,” Berhalter said. “We watched the game against Germany where Germany won 1-0, but (Oman) absolutely battered Germany with their transition moments. They were all over (Germany) in that game, so it’s gonna be important for us.”
In Gregg Berhalter’s first game back, USMNT starts another new era with higher expectations
Throughout his first cycle as manager of the U.S. men’s national team, Gregg Berhalter opened camps by showing a timeline of what the team had in front of them to get to the World Cup.With each camp, the timeline got shorter and shorter. It hammered home the idea of how close the team was to its ultimate goal, the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, but it was also a reminder of what the team had already accomplished together.th delay, during which U.S. Soccer investigated Berhalter and the U.S. men played under two interim managers, the team is moving forward under Berhalter, who was re-hired as manager in June. The new three-year timeline has fewer roadblocks — as co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup the destination is already secured — but the expectations around this team going into that tournament have them racing toward a new finish line.“For us, it’s continuing to build on the foundation of what we’ve had in the last four years,” Berhalter said on Friday. “Keep improving, and really target 2026 as an opportunity to change soccer in America forever.”The foundation was, for the most part, on the field on Saturday against Uzbekistan in Berhalter’s first game back on the sideline. The starting lineup included eight starters from last November’s World Cup. The U.S. played in a familiar 4-3-3 formation, but there were also signs of how this group is changing.
Folarin Balogun, who recently committed to the program, started up top. Chris Richards, who was out injured ahead of Qatar, started in the backline. Ricardo Pepi, one of the final cuts from the 2022 World Cup team, scored to give the U.S. the cushion it needed to see out the game. The U.S. needed just four minutes to score its first goal and, despite a sleepy pace to the game, pulled away from a 3-0 win.
It was an imperfect performance, for sure, and one that emphasized how this U.S. team still has plenty of room to grow. Players said after the game that they were working out new ways to build out. Defender Tim Ream described it as players using different movements and changing positions to alter the team’s shape and trying to pull the opponent out of position.“It’s a learning process for sure, but one that we’re working on every day,” Ream said, “and going to try to perfect and get it to where we want it to be.”The game on Saturday was a chance to tinker. It was also a sign that the process of evolving is already underway.“I think we use this game as a learning tool,” Berhalter said postgame.The team’s overall dissatisfaction with the performance, however, is also a sign of the increasing expectations around this group. The aim Berhalter laid out at the start of camp was to advance in the World Cup to a round the U.S. men have never played in before — at least in the modern history of the game. That means surpassing the quarterfinal appearance in 2002 and playing in a semifinal or World Cup final. It’s a lofty objective, but one befitting of a group many have labeled a “golden generation” for this national team. If they are to live up to that moniker, they have to set new standards.
The team that went to Qatar was the second-youngest in the tournament. That won’t be the case in three years. The key leaders of this team must mature into star players. During training last week, Berhalter said the team broke into three teams of seven — old, medium and young. Christian Pulisic, 24, and Weston McKennie, 25, were on the old team. There is still plenty of youth in the group, but a core of players — led by Pulisic, McKennie, Tim Weah, 23, and Tyler Adams, 24 — will be in its prime when the World Cup kicks off in 2026.Their individual growth, along with that of the team, is paramount.“For us, it’s really the work we can do the next three years to build a group that when we go to the World Cup, we’re confident that we can beat the elite of international soccer because that’s what it’s going to take to do what we’re talking about doing,” Berhalter said. “If we want to go to rounds that we’ve never been to before, we have to beat those teams. And we’ll use the next three years to build the team up, to gain experiences (so) that we’re confident that we can actually do that.”
(Photo by John Dorton/Getty Images for USSF)
The efforts to improve will come on several different levels within the program. First, Berhalter must find a way to build a working relationship with Gio Reyna. That is a complicated task after the events of the last year, which included Reyna nearly being sent home from Qatar, Berhalter’s comments about those events at a leadership conference being published, and Reyna’s parents, Claudio and Danielle, eventually reporting a three-decade-old incident involving Berhalter and his then-girlfriend, now wife, Rosalind, to U.S. Soccer leadership. Berhalter has not yet spoken to Gio Reyna, and the Dortmund attacker is not in this camp as he regains fitness following a leg injury he suffered in the CONCACAF Nations League final, but that task will be a vital one in maximizing a talented young prospect.
As far as the team is concerned, Berhalter said he met with sporting director Matt Crocker over three days to evaluate every part of the program to see what worked well and what didn’t and to make changes accordingly. They put every aspect of the program into “buckets,” Berhalter said and evaluated how they could be successful in those areas. He also evaluated every phase of the game with the team to search for improvements, from set pieces to mid-block defending to efficiency in the final third.“It’s literally everything,” Berhalter said. “Every aspect. … We want to be in the state of evolving because we know it’s going to lead to improvement.”Saturday night’s result showed some hints at that evolution. When it worked, the subs who came on late in the second half played with the right level of aggression and broke Uzbekistan down, it was effective. When it didn’t, the game felt too slow. But evolution isn’t about a singular performance, and Saturday was only the very first step in the process.Change is coming. The last cycle taught us as much when losses to Mexico early in Berhalter’s tenure helped shape the identity of a team that now hasn’t lost to Mexico in its last six games. This U.S. team must show consistency and that it can be aggressive and assertive in the right moments.“We like what’s been built, but we want to keep getting better,” Berhalter said. “Then it was, ‘OK, we have three years to keep improving. What phases do we need to improve and what wrinkles do we need to put in that are going to help us get there? How do we need to sort of support the players in a way that they can keep improving with their clubs?’ But overall, for us, it’s just how do we keep moving forward and not being happy with where we were.”
USMNT Player Ratings: Weah, McKennie & Robinson impress vs. Uzbekistan
Against an opponent who put up a much tougher fight than their 74th FIFA world ranking would suggest, the USMNT lacked sharpness in Gregg Berhalter’s first game back in charge, looking wobbly until two goals in second-half stoppage time put the game to bed.
The Yanks close out the September window against Oman Tuesday at Allianz Field, home of Minnesota United FC.
Turner made more saves than he probably expected coming into the match. The Nottingham Forest shot-stopper had a pair of saves to bail out his teammates after really sloppy first-half turnovers and made another key one in the second half to keep Uzbekistan off the board.
Robinson dealt well with the brunt of Uzbekistan’s attack, as well as providing plenty of output at the other end of the pitch. It was the type of showing we’ve become accustomed to from the Fulham man despite getting cut short in the 80th minute with a knock.
Ream was typically solid in his return to St. Louis. He was strong defensively and generally composed in possession, although he did have an uncharacteristically sloppy giveaway towards the end of the first half that nearly gave Uzbekistan a goal.
Richards was fine overall. He picked off a few dangerous passes and was positionally solid. He was composed, albeit unambitious, in possession, but showed moments of rust after going as an unused substitute for Crystal Palace’s first four matches of the English Premier League season.
Dest improved significantly as the match went on, growing in influence in the final third. The PSV man was involved in the buildup play for the US’s second goal and nearly had one of his own, freezing his defender with a stepover before his shot was blocked at the last second.
Musah was generally composed in possession and carried the ball through pressure well, but he wasn’t consistently able to find the breakthrough pass the US needed. At just 20 years old, though, he’s already such an integral part of how this team plays.
The Celta de Vigo midfielder was energetic from the start, playing at the base of midfield in the Tyler Adams role. He completed 39 of his 40 attempted passes, and mixed things up with a couple of marauding runs through the White Wolves‘ defense. He was unfortunate to come off with a broken nose after half an hour, cutting a standout performance cruelly short. His withdrawal coincided with a noticeable drop in form from the home side.
McKennie was sharp in midfield throughout the afternoon, especially on Weah’s opening goal. He took down a cross from Pulisic with a world-class touch before laying it off to Weah, and he continued to find cracks in Uzbekistan’s armor throughout the night.
It was by no means a vintage showing for Pulisic, who couldn’t translate his sparking club form with AC Milan to the international level. He struggled to connect effectively in the final third and his delivery from set pieces was subpar. However, he did have a hand in the opening goal and scored from the penalty spot deep in second-half stoppage time to make it three.
The newly-signed Monaco forward had a few flashes, showing good close control around the box and hitting the post with a header that could have put the US 2-0 up. He still doesn’t look quite on the same page with the rest of the attack, though, and struggled to make a consistent impact. He was taken off at the half in a pre-planned sub.
Weah was the biggest bright spot of the afternoon for the Americans. He was direct and dynamic every time he got on the ball, combined well with Dest and McKennie in particular, and had a couple dangerous looks at goal. The Juventus man also scored what proved to be the winner after just four minutes, absolutely thumping the ball into the far corner.
5.0
Gregg Berhalter
Head Coach
It wasn’t the statement win Berhalter would have liked in his first game back in charge of the USMNT since their World Cup Round-of-16 loss to the Netherlands 280 days ago. Uzbekistan were surprisingly stout defensively and threatened the home side on the break on multiple occasions. Berhalter tweaked a few things in possession, including shifting from a 4-3-3 to a 4-2-3-1 in the second half, but, as a whole, his side looked rusty and ponderous. No reason to panic after one game, but the team could use a bounce-back performance on Tuesday against Oman.
It was a mixed bag for Tessmann, who came on in the 35th minute to replace de la Torre. He had good ideas in the final third and probed Uzbekistan’s defense, but had a pair of really poor giveaways in his own half that nearly resulted in goals for the visitors.
Pepi was overall less involved in the match than Balogun, who he replaced at halftime. However, the FC Dallas product capped off his 45-minute shift with a well-taken goal, coolly finishing to the near post to give the Yanks a bit of breathing room.
The Union Berlin attacker brought a spark of energy off the bench, picking up good spots to receive the ball and asking questions of Uzbekistan’s backline. He notched the assist for Pepi’s goal with a tidy little pass on the edge of the box.
Came on too late to receive a rating, but got immediately involved in the final third and drew a penalty in second-half stoppage time to make it three for the US.
N/A
Kristoffer Lund
Defender
The Palermo left back didn’t really have time to make an impact on proceedings, but earned his first minutes for the US after filing a one-time switch from Denmark.
Berhalter admits USMNT has much to improve after friendly win
Jeff Carlisle, U.S. soccer correspondentSep 9, 2023, 10:00 PM ET
ST. LOUIS — Gregg Berhalter praised the mindset of his U.S. men’s national team in the last 10 minutes of the 3-0 win over Uzbekistan, but admitted that there was plenty of room for improvement after his first game back as head coach.The U.S. jumped on top in the fourth minute thanks to Tim Weah‘s goal, but then labored for much of the match, as Uzbekistan’s five-man backline proved difficult to break down.
It took a goal in the first minute of second-half stoppage time from substitute Ricardo Pepi to make the game safe, before Christian Pulisic scored from the penalty spot four minutes later to complete the scoring. Both of the late goals came with Uzbekistan reduced to 10 men after Khojiakbar Alidzhanov was forced to leave the match with an injury, and with the visitors out of substitutes.
“I think we use this game as a learning tool,” Berhalter said. “We can improve and we need to improve and we will.”
“I really, really liked the mindset in the last 10 minutes of the game,” he added. “You could see the guys still wanted to push. It wasn’t about holding onto the 1-0. It was about getting aggressive. As they moved to a back four, we had more space and I liked that the guys wanted to attack it.
“I think that it’s a good baseline for us to start and say this is what international competition from other regions looks like and so that we use as we go.”
The U.S. was made to work hard for its victory. Both Alijonov and Eldor Shomurodov had some clear chances to pull Uzbekistan level, but both were undone by the combination of wayward finishing as well as some stellar goalkeeping from Matt Turner.
Berhalter explained that he instituted a tactical wrinkle to try and draw Uzbekistan out of its low block, but that his team didn’t play quickly enough once the first line of pressure was broken.
“We gave the ball away in some tough spots. That was the first thing,” he said. “The second thing is when we were building, we were methodical about our buildup trying to attract the opponent. I thought then we lacked the speeding up the attack once we broke through that front five and that could have been better.
“A back five is always difficult to break down. You saw that they just dropped and we wanted to get behind ’em. We didn’t do that often enough.
“And then the other thing I’d note is that our press after [losing possession], defensive transition, needs to get better. I think we gave them too many opportunities to get behind us when we could have been positioned better to win the ball immediately after we lost it.”
Berhalter added that he didn’t mind his side playing with a slower rhythm as long as it’s accompanied by a change of pace.
“If we had to take our time to draw out their defense, and then find someone once we break their top five, then we need to speed up the attack,” he said. “We need to have numbers getting forward, we need numbers entering the penalty box, we need runs behind the backline and I thought that’s what we lacked at times.”
Saturday’s match was the first for Berhalter since last December’s World Cup in Qatar. Shortly after the tournament, a public feud with the family of midfielder Gio Reyna resulted in the revealing of a domestic violence incident from 1992 that involved Berhalter and his now wife Rosalind. An investigation by an outside law firm largely cleared Berhalter, allowing him to still be a candidate to manage the USMNT. He re-signed with U.S. Soccer in June.
Berhalter said that he only allowed himself a brief moment to reflect on all that transpired over the last nine months.
“At the anthem you reflect on it a little bit that you’re back, he said. “And then it’s back to work, and you’re on the sidelines and you’re coaching, trying to help the team win a game.”
Ben Cremaschi’s rise: Starring with Messi, a USMNT call-up and Argentina interest
Benjamín Cremaschi is living a dream. The 18-year-old Miami native has earned valuable minutes at club level with Inter Miami of MLS, playing alongside Messi since the superstar’s arrival in July. In doing so, the promising youngster has become an integral part of Inter Miami head coach Tata Martino’s tactics.Last week, things got even better: Cremaschi earned a call-up to the senior U.S. men’s national team for U.S. manager Gregg Berhalter’s first camp back in charge. The U.S. plays a friendly against Uzbekistan this Saturday in St. Louis, then plays Oman in Minnesota on Tuesday.hough he’s been seen for some time as a promising youth prospect, Cremaschi’s call-up was still something of a surprise. He’s still a teenager who has only played in 20 official MLS matches, though he has proven capable of playing at the MLS level. Cremaschi has developed important chemistry with Messi in the final third, evidenced by his assist during Inter Miami’s 2-0 win over Red Bull New York. Messi created the chance on his own, but Cremaschi’s quick decision-making in a tight space was impressive.
The question is whether Cremaschi has shown enough to be called into a senior national team camp, or whether that’s even necessary. Youth and inexperience are often overlooked in international football, especially for dual-national players. Spain, for example, included 16-year-old Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal in its squad for two European Championship qualifiers versus Georgia and Cyprus. Yamal could become Spain’s youngest-ever international, but he is also eligible to represent MoroccoFor Cremaschi, the other nation in the picture is Argentina – a fact that has made his name well-known far beyond Fort Lauderdale. He has done several interviews with Argentina’s biggest news outlets, saying plenty about Messi and the whirlwind experience that he’s currently living. “This has all been crazy for me,” Cremaschi told ESPN Argentina on August 13.In that interview, Cremaschi revealed that he has had conversations with both the U.S. and Argentine federations.“Obviously, I’m going to have to make a decision later,” he said. “Having Messi can influence a bit. But there’s time.”
Indeed, even if Cremaschi appears for the U.S. in this upcoming window, he could still choose to represent Argentina if they call him – appearances in friendlies like the ones upcoming for the U.S. do not cap-tie a player to a certain nation.For now, if only from a media perspective, having Cremaschi in camp is a good play by Berhalter and U.S. Soccer. It’s an opportunity to hear Cremaschi talk about representing the U.S. across all of the program’s social media channels while wearing USMNT gear.“All we try to do is put our best foot forward,” Berhalter said in regards to recruiting Cremaschi as a dual-national. “We try to let the environment speak for itself. We try to let the staffing and the player pool speak for itself and what we can offer the player. We talked to Ben about being able to come into the group and fit into what we’re doing to represent the United States of America, which is a wonderful honor.”
The reality on pitch is quite clear. Cremaschi has plenty of work to do in order to be seriously considered by any of Argentina’s men’s teams. He was part of an Argentina U-20 training camp in 2022 as a 17-year-old, but he didn’t make the final roster for the South American U-20 Championships or the U-20 World Cup. He reportedly turned down a chance to join the U.S. U-20 World Cup team in that same time, according to Apple TV’s Taylor Twellman.Cremaschi was also not in the squad selected by Argentina U-23 coach Javier Mascherano for an upcoming friendly against Bolivia on Sept. 9. He faced stiff competition. The players on Mascherano’s U-23 list who also train under World Cup-winning manager Lionel Scaloni during the upcoming FIFA window include Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho, FC Dallas’Alan Velasco, Thiago Almada of Atlanta United, Facundo Buonaotte of Brighton, newly signed Fiorentina striker Lucas Beltrán and Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez, who became a starter under Scaloni since the World Cup group stage in Qatar.All that said, Cremaschi’s place in the Argentina pecking order could change if he performs well under Berhalter. His most sensible pathway should include meaningful games at the U-23 level, since he is age-eligible for the 2024 Summer Olympics, where men’s soccer is run as a U-23 tournament. Perhaps that will be the competition that forces him to make his first serious decision about his national team loyalties.Regardless of where he ends up, Cremaschi will have truly arrived when coverage in Argentina and elsewhere becomes more about his ability and less about his international future, or his relationship with Messi.
Cremaschi is a confident player who has improved over this season, benefiting from the swagger that Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba have brought to Inter Miami. With his age and profile, he is trending towards an opportunity to eventually play abroad. The Athletic asked Cremaschi in July if playing with Messi trumped a move to Europe.“It’s a good question,” Cremaschi said following Inter Miami’s 2-1 win over Cruz Azul. “For now I’m focused on my day-to-day and I’m really involved with the club. If an opportunity arises to go to Europe I’ll obviously consider it. I’ll think about it, but for now I’m enjoying playing with our No. 10.”Cremaschi likens his profile to that of Argentina and Atletico Madrid midfielder Rodrigo De Paul. “He’s a player who I really admire because of the way he plays,” Cremaschi told ESPN Argentina.De Paul is one of the world’s most tenacious midfielders. He has also been dubbed as Messi’s personal chaperone on the pitch. Cremaschi told ESPN that he wants to help Inter Miami and protect Messi like De Paul. He sounded like a starstruck Messi fan when he said that, but the sentiment was genuine.Cremaschi is a selfless player with incredible stamina. He also occupies a lot of the same areas on the field as De Paul, but that’s where the comparison with De Paul should end. The 29-year-old De Paul is valued at €40 million ($42.7 million) according to a June report on Transfermarkt. While both players are box-to-box midfielders, Cremaschi excels as an advanced playmaker in a central role, where he usually plays for Miami under Martino.
In Martino’s 4-3-3, Busquets and Dixon Arroyo hold their positions, while Cremaschi, when he starts centrally, has the freedom to find the ball and attack vertically. In fact, it’s more accurate to compare Cremaschi to the type of player that Martino was at Newell’s in the 1980s and ‘90s. Martino was a midfield playmaker who was constantly around the ball. He would likely admit that he didn’t run nearly as much as Cremaschi, however, Martino’s experience in that role bodes well for his young starlet.
Cremaschi is comfortable playing between the lines and in half-spaces. He’s also confident in his passing ability close to the opponent’s goal. He has four regular season assists this season and two more in cup play. He has also scored the winning penalty in two shootouts. First against FC Dallas in Leagues Cup round of 16 and again to defeat FC Cincinnati in the U.S. Open Cup semifinal.Furthermore, Cremaschi grew up playing rugby which explains why he doesn’t shy away from physical challenges. He can press, defend in open space and play in transition. During his first MLS season, Cremaschi has proven to be highly versatile, too. He has played on both wings and as a right fullback when Inter Miami suffered a rash of injuries earlier in the year – that much is clear from his touch map from this season involving every Miami game pre-Messi as well.
On a call with reporters on Wednesday, Berhalter said that Cremaschi’s “tenacity” and “relentless” caught his attention during a pre-World Cup camp last October. Berhalter, like Martino, plays in a preferred 4-3-3 setup.
“He was playing out of position during that camp,” said Berhalter. “As a winger sometimes as a forward, but he never quit. He never gave up, he kept running. I mean, he was running himself silly. It really showed me what his mindset was like and I was really impressed with that. And now watching his progress with Inter Miami. He’s done a great job and this it’s not only post-Messi. I think it’s even pre-Messi. I think he’s a very talented player.”
No matter what his future holds, at present, Cremaschi is in dreamland. Few players of age are given opportunities like the one that he has taken full advantage of. To coexist with Messi, Busquets and Alba in a competitive environment is simply too good to be true.
“This is the best thing that could’ve happened to me,” said Cremaschi last month. “Having Tata and those three players, people with a lot of experience who have been at elite levels. To absorb everything from them is great not just for me but for every young player at the club.”
(Photo: John Dorton/ISI Photos/Getty Images for USSF)
Bruce Arena’s outspoken MLS coaching career ends, for now, with an apology
On Saturday night, in the moments after the New England Revolution’s 1-1 draw against Minnesota United, the club announced the resignation of Bruce Arena, its decorated, embattled and now-former head coach and sporting director.Arena, a two-time former USMNT coach, had been on administrative leave and under league investigation for over a month for alleged inappropriate remarks. The Athletic reported on Saturday that complaints lodged by his longtime assistant Richie Williams were part of the investigation. In a statement that accompanied Arena’s resignation, MLS said that “certain” allegations had been confirmed.In announcing his resignation, Arena spoke publicly for the first time about the investigation and what drove him to call time on his spell with the Revs – and perhaps in MLS as a whole (the league said the 71-year-old will need to submit a petition to the commissioner to be employed in MLS again).“I know that I have made some mistakes,” Arena said, “and moving forward, I plan to spend some time reflecting on this situation and taking corrective steps to address what has transpired. And while this has not been an easy decision, I am confident that it is in the best interest of both the New England Revolution organization and my family that we part ways at this time.”In a sense, Arena’s conciliatory tone feels familiar; a common approach in statements where a powerful person is forced to step away. But the words also feel alien coming out of Arena’s mouth. The 71-year-old may be American soccer’s bluntest and most defiant major figure, known as much for his brash, no-nonsense nature as he is for his lengthy list of honors and accomplishments. He is not a man known for apologizing, even after major failures.Arena was at the helm on the day the U.S. men’s national team failed to qualify for the World Cup in 2018, probably the highest-profile fiasco in the program’s history. He had taken over during the latter stages of a tumultuous qualifying campaign, and a year after the U.S. failure he balked at the idea that his next job as head coach of the Revolution might help redeem him in the eyes of American soccer fans.“I’ve had a very good career. If somebody wants to surpass it, they’re welcome to,” he told The Athletic. “We fell short (with the U.S.). No excuses there. That’s the way it is. I don’t know if you follow sports, but at the end of the day, not everyone wins. It’s unfortunate, certainly, but I feel really good about what we did.”Arena’s accurate self-assessment (“I’ve had a very good career”) combined with an unveiled disdain for those who question him (“I don’t know if you follow sports,” said to a sports reporter) more or less sums up his place in the American soccer landscape.
Many consider Arena the greatest coach in the history of the American men’s game. His 81 wins as U.S. men’s national team coach are easily the most in program history. He won five MLS Cups, four Supporters’ Shields, a U.S. Open Cup and a CONCACAF Championship over 17 seasons as an MLS head coach. A four-time MLS coach of the year, Arena helped craft two of MLS’ most legendary sides — D.C. United and the LA Galaxy.Before joining MLS, Arena was a dominant college coach, leading the University of Virginia to five NCAA College Cups and six ACC championships in an 18-year college coaching career. During that span he helped raise some of the most influential American players of the 90s and early 00s, including Claudio Reyna, John Harkes, Jeff Agoos, Tony Meola and Ben Olsen. A former college and professional goalkeeper himself who earned a single cap with the USMNT, Arena got his first college coaching gig in a far humbler setting: The University of Puget Sound, in 1977.Hired as D.C. United’s first head coach in MLS’s inaugural season, Arena helped assemble and coach a collection of talent that dominated the league in its infancy. They played with a flair and finesse uncommon to the league’s early teams and quickly established themselves as the league’s first dynasty. They won the league’s inaugural championship in 1996 and won the U.S. Open Cup that same year, then repeated as MLS Cup champs in 1997, then made it to the final again in 1998 while becoming the first team to win the CONCACAF Champions Cup.Yet even as Arena rose in prominence, he continually unleashed the brash, arrogant side of his persona that so many within the game eventually came to recognize as standard-issue Bruce.“The way our league is operating, this is the worst coaching job in the world,” he told the Washington Post in 1997 of his position at D.C. United, one of many criticisms of MLS commissioners over the course of his career. In 1996, when coaching the U.S. at the Atlanta Olympics, he famously said the U.S. Olympic officials were “too stupid to fix a draw” after his team was matched up against Argentina. A Sports Illustrated article from around that time described him as “amazingly graceless,” and quotes Williams, then a D.C. United midfielder, as saying “Yeah, he’s arrogant.”“The perception is that he’s a bastard,” longtime Arena assistant Dave Sarachan told Sports Illustrated for that piece. “If you talk to almost anyone in our business, they will say that.”
Arena took over the U.S. in 1998. (JORGE SILVA/AFP via Getty Images)
Arena left United in 1998 to join the USMNT, which had just finished dead last at the World Cup in France. In 2002, Arena’s no-nonsense approach helped earn the USMNT its best World Cup finish since 1930, a memorable run to the quarterfinals of the tournament that included upsets over Portugal and Mexico and a near-upset of eventual finalists Germany. He coached the team again in the 2006 cycle and through a disappointing appearance at that year’s tournament. Arena also led the USMNT to three continental championships during his national team career. He joined the LA Galaxy in 2008, arriving in Los Angeles not long after English legend David Beckham in 2007 and inheriting a roster in shambles and a divided locker room. Arena eventually led that club to glory as well, winning three MLS Cups in a four-year span. Several of Arena’s Galaxy sides were among MLS’ greatest-ever teams, squads built around Beckham, USMNT legend Landon Donovan and Irish international Robbie Keane. Flying high, Arena’s continued to push MLS officials into uncomfortable water. Long before criticisms of the league’s single-entity structure became commonplace, Arena was lobbing grenades at the league office over what he perceived to be a potential overreach. In 2014, when the Galaxy tried and failed to sign USMNT midfielder Sacha Klestjan, Arena raged at the league office in an interview with the Washington Post, calling them “children.” The comments drew a fine from MLS commissioner Don Garber. “Bruce has the opportunity to be our Tom Landry,” Garber told SI.com at the time, referring to the legendary Dallas Cowboys coach. “Or our Pat Riley. And he continually puts himself in a position where he acts unprofessionally and he emotionally misstates the facts. And I think that’s a shame.” Though his gruffness had become well-known by this point, Arena had simultaneously earned a reputation as an excellent man-manager who is largely beloved by his players – many of whom spoke out on his behalf during his absence and investigation. He had a shrewd eye for role players at the Galaxy and helped foster the careers of MLS stalwarts like Omar Gonzalez, Mike Magee, A.J. DeLaGarza and many more. He was usually fiercely protective of his players’ individual and collective performances, except in those instances where they were very clearly not up to snuff. And player after player who worked under him will say that they could count on Arena for a straighforward, honest assessment.“Bruce lets you know where you stand,” said then-U.S. striker Clint Mathis in 2002. He was, and is, also the last of a dying breed. As the game has progressed and more focus has been laid on tactical details, film study and analytics, Arena has often balked at those changes — sometimes to the chagrin of certain players and, more recently, assistant coaches.“Actually, analytics in soccer, if no one here has figured it out, doesn’t mean a whole lot,” he said in a postgame press conference in 2016. “Analytics and statistics are used for people who don’t know how to analyze the game. I’ll be very honest with you; this isn’t baseball or football or basketball. We have a very important analytic, and that’s the score. That distorts all the other statistics.”Occasionally, Arena’s barbs betrayed a kind of old-school conservatism that was mostly out of line with prevailing sentiment among American soccer fans. Perhaps nothing revealed that more than his controversial comments about the direction of the U.S. men’s national team under German head coach Jurgen Klinsmann.“I believe an American should be coaching the national team,” Arena said in 2014. “I think the majority of the national team should come out of Major League Soccer. The people that run our governing body think we need to copy what everyone else does, when in reality, our solutions will ultimately come from our culture.”He espoused a similar philosophy on foreign-born players for the national team, during the very time that many were being recruited to play for the U.S.“Players on the national team should be — and this is my own feeling — they should be Americans,” Arena said in 2013. “If they’re all born in other countries, I don’t think we can say we are making progress.”Arena walked back these comments when he took the reins of the U.S. again in 2016 and was suddenly faced with the prospect of having to coach some of those players. But notably, he didn’t apologize.“If I made those comments, I certainly don’t believe that that’s my attitude,” Arena said in 2016.
Arena and Beckham at MLS Cup 2009 (Harry How/Getty Images)
Even after the U.S.’s disastrous qualifying campaign in 2018, Arena continued to throw elbows. In 2018, Arena hit out at U.S. Soccer and a host of others in “What’s Wrong With Us?,” a book he co-authored with commentator and author Steve Kettmann.“Basically, the same people have remained in control of the sport over the past twenty years,” wrote Arena. “This should not happen. The landscape of the sport has changed drastically, and there is a need for new leaders with technical experience who can bring fresh ideas to the table. There need to be some new blood and new ways of doing things.”Arena seemed to contradict his own words by taking the Revolution job a year later, but by the same token, the list of current and former MLS coaches who played for or coached under Arena is long and distinguished. Among them: former LAFC, Chicago Fire, Toronto FC and U.S. head coach Bob Bradley was one of Arena’s original assistants at D.C. United. Current USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter played for and coached with Arena in LA. Houston Dynamo head coach Ben Olsen was a player for Arena at Virginia and again in D.C..Arena took over New England during the 2019 season and guided the team to the playoffs after inheriting a poor start. The club then set a new single-season points record en route to winning the Supporters’ Shield in 2021. Arena was named 2021’s MLS Coach of the Year.The combativeness remained. Arena served a three-game suspension during the “MLS is Back” tournament during the COVID-19 pandemic for using abusive language against a match official. He initially received a red card and a standard one-game suspension but Garber extended that penalty by an additional two games.Earlier this season, he was issued a fine for criticizing VAR and calling the fourth official in a match “pretty useless for the entire game, and for some reason, she then voiced her opinion 98-and-a-half minutes into the game.”Amid it all, Arena continued to win. This year, New England is among the best teams in the Eastern Conference. They will be among the favorites to make it to MLS Cup. Behind the scenes, though, the tension Arena brought to outsiders had found its way into his circle. On Saturday, that tension led to Arena, so often the victor in the world of American soccer, issuing an unusual apology as he made an abrupt exit.(Top photo: Ira L. Black – Corbis/Getty Images)
Howard Webb: ‘Decision to let Manchester City goal against Fulham stand was an error’
Marco Silva said afterwards it had been a “huge mistake” to let Ake’s goal stand and he now has sympathy of Webb, who admits it should have been disallowed.Webb, the chief refereeing officer for PGMOL, admitted the lapse from his team this weekend during an appearance on “Match Officials: Mic’d Up”, the first in a regular series of programmes this season that will dissect VAR calls and replay the audio of discussions between the officials.Ake’s goal was reviewed by the video assistant referee Tony Harrington, who concluded that Akanji had not impeded Leno. Oliver, as a result, was not sent to the pitchside monitor to review the decision.“From the outset I want to say I think this should have been disallowed, this goal,” Webb told Mic’d Up, a half-hour show hosted by Michael Owen.“It certainly appears that Akanji has an impact on Bernd Leno who seems to hesitate.“The officials on the field gave the goal. They didn’t see an obvious action that impacted Leno’s ability to play the ball. They see Akanji moving slightly away from the ball to let it past him. There’s a flick out of the foot but that’s after the ball has passed.“They didn’t feel that that was clearly impactful on Leno’s ability to play the ball. But you can see that hesitation by the goalkeeper, who is waiting to see if the ball makes contact with Akanji, which would have deflected the ball.“So we think it’s a clear situation of offside. Unfortunately, it wasn’t identified on the day, and, of course, the learning from this one will also be shared amongst all of our group because we’re always looking to do better each and every week, and this was an error.”
That ought to have given Wolves the opportunity to equalise from the penalty spot and Webb accepted it was a “clear error” missed. Again it was a decision not recommended for a VAR review and brought an apology to Wolves from Webb.
Six incidents from the opening four weekends of the Premier League season were reviewed in all during the new programme designed to increase transparency among the PGMOL, with Webb highlighting that VAR had helped reach the correct decisions elsewhere, including an overturned penalty in Arsenal’s 3-1 over Manchester United on Sunday when Kai Havertz fell in the box.
“It was a good use of VAR,” said Webb, who saw onfield referee Anthony Taylor overturn his original decision upon advice from the VAR. “The referee believed that Wan-Bissaka had tripped Havertz, but the video shows something quite different that there’s no actual contact initially.
“Another step by Havertz, his leg goes into Wan-Bissaka. The VAR, really calm and concise, recognises all of that, thinks it’s a clear and obvious error. I agree. Recommends a review. We get to the right decision.”
Webb also took a thinly-veiled swipe at Manchester United Erik Ten Hag following his post-match comments that questioned the offside decision to rule out Alejandro Garnacho’s late strike that briefly appeared set to give United a victory.
Lines drawn on to the pitch showed Garnacho to be narrowly offside yet Ten Hag had claimed the “wrong angle” had been used.
“I was surprised by some of the comments,” added Webb. “It was a clear offside decision. The technology was used quite rightly. The calibrated cameras showed Garnacho to be ahead of Gabriel and it was quite rightly disallowed after initially being awarded incorrectly.”
Champions League group stage draw analysed: Best games, breakout stars and tough groups
By The Athletic Staff
Aug 31, 2023
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Europe’s elite sides now know who they will face at the first hurdle as they look to capture the continent’s most prestigious prize this season.
The draw for the group stage of the competition took place on Thursday, allowing fans to start getting excited for the start of the competition. And clubs can now make plans as they look to take the trophy away from Manchester City.
The Athletic asked our European experts James Horncastle, Raphael Honigstein, Mario Cortegana, Pol Ballus and Peter Rutzler to analyse the draw and give us their key takeaways.
James Horncastle: Group F should be fun. Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Gigio Donnarumma will face AC Milan, the club he supported as a boy and ditched for the lucre of Ligue 1. It’s a reunion tour as Sandro Tonali, who claimed he wanted to captain and finish his career at Milan, faces his old team too. Then the Dortmund game pits Pulisic against USMNT teammate Gio Reyna with the backdrop of the Yellow Wall paling in comparison with everything that went down at the World Cup in Qatar. As geopolitics goes, the Saudi v Qatar angle to Newcastle against PSG is hotter than a summer’s day in Riyadh or Doha.
Raphael Honigstein: It has to be Group F, of course. But don’t sleep on Group E, with one of the best up-and-coming coaches in Feyenoord’s Arne Slot, Maurizio Sarri’s Lazio, a more attacking-minded(?) Diego Simeone at Atletico and Brendan Rodgers back in the saddle at Celtic. Not the biggest quality line-up but it should be lots of fun.
Pol Ballus: Group F, by a mile. There is an outstanding ’90s football vibe in this group, apart from it being clearly the only one in which you can see all four teams being real options to go through.
Mario Cortegana: I’m not going to be original: F is the group I’m going to pay most attention to, after C, Real Madrid’s group. It would be a surprise for them to go out because they are building a more balanced and hungry team, but I am very curious about what would happen if PSG were knocked out in the group stage of the Champions League. This would follow two editions in which they were eliminated in the round of 16. They have been unlucky this year at the first stage of reaching their eternal goal, winning the Champions League. Dortmund always offer spectacle, Milan are a giant awakening in recent years and Newcastle are a nouveau riche club that is doing things very well: they have not just got money, but also intelligence.
Peter Rutzler: Group F obviously catches the eye. Historic stadiums, famous clubs, and it really does feel like an open group. PSG are still a little bit of an unknown entity following so much change during the summer. It may feel despairing for Newcastle fans on the face of it but opportunities may knock…
Which big teams might struggle?
Horncastle: Arsenal are back in the competition after what feels like ages. The group feels like a trap. Lens 1-0 at the Emirates, the ghosts of ’98 suddenly apparate.
Honigstein: All of the teams in Group F will have a hard time qualifying, for obvious reasons. Beyond that, it’s a relatively benign draw for the big guns, who should all qualify with a degree of ease.
Ballus: I’d say PSG. The group is tough and Luis Enrique’s project is still at an early stage of development. Plus, there’s always in pressure in Paris when it comes to the Champions League… this is going to be fun to watch.
Cortegana: Following on from my previous answer, the biggest club that I sense may struggle the most is PSG. Although there are always surprises, the rest should have it under control.
Rutzler: This will not be a walk in the park for PSG, nor anyone else in Group F. The rest of the ‘elite’ sides seem to have safe draws, though. Arsenal might find a few potholes in the way of progress with Lens and PSV eager to bloody some noses. But they should come through that relatively unscathed.
If you could have a ticket to one match, which would it be?
Horncastle: Napoli against Real Madrid. I believe this fixture is why the European Cup became the Champions League. A group stage was introduced precisely because Madrid knocked out Maradona’s Napoli so early. Another reason to buy a ticket is the narrative around Ancelotti. Rarely for him, a player mutiny at Napoli led to his dismissal and appointment by Everton. He was supposed to be finished. He then won the Champions League with Madrid. Legend
Honigstein: Napoli vs Real Madrid at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona would be a dream to go to. All of Newcastle United’s home matches should be sensational as well.
Ballus:Manchester United vs Bayern Munich. A big European night at Old Trafford, the Harry Kane narrative and Thomas Tuchel expected to go to the next level in Europe after investment in the summer. It’s a similar thing for Erik ten Hag too. There’s loads of pressure on that game.
Rutzler: Lens’ first home game at the Stade Bollaert-Denis. The Ligue 1 side had a fantastic record at home last year, winning 18 of their 19 matches. But the atmosphere will be electric. Franck Haise has his team channeling the spirit of this old mining town, with a high-tempo style of play, and after 21 years without Champions League football, the blood will be pumping on opening night. A very tough away day for anyone.
(Enrico Locci/Getty Images)
Which group doesn’t seem glamorous but will be good to watch?
Horncastle: Group C feels novel. The Champions League group stages serve up the same old same old (City-Leipzig! Again!) So the idea of Madrid going to Braga and playing in the quarry is great. I also can’t wait to see Leonardo Bonucci’s Union Berlin take on Napoli at the Olympia Stadion. Bonucci has trash-talked Napoli in the past. He must now face Osimhen. Get the popcorn out.
Honigstein: There’s a slight lack of glamour — it’s all been hoovered up by Group F — but both Groups D and E promise plenty of entertaining football between evenly-matched opponents. Roger Schmidt’s Benfica taking on his former club Red Bull Salzburg will deliver fireworks.
Ballus: I’d go for Group D. Last year’s finalists Inter Milan will face three teams full of young exciting talent. I think Real Sociedad have a chance to go through. Keep an eye on Japanese winger Takefusa Kubo, who is some footballer.
Cortegana: It would be Group D. Benfica always play to win and try to be the protagonist in the Champions League; Inter showed what they can do in last season’s final; Salzburg are one of those teams that try to entertain and, although perhaps in Europe they are not so well known; in Spain we know how beautifully Real Sociedad play.
Rutzler: Group E should be interesting. A cool mix of styles, with Slot’s Feyenoord and Simeone’s Atletico and Sarri’s Lazio all on show. Not enough groups look competitive enough on paper — hopefully a few shock results avoid too many soulless processions.
What makes you feel happy when you look at this draw?
Horncastle: Manchester United being welcomed back to hell by Galatasaray, like in 1993. What a time to be alive that was.
Honigstein: Seeing Union Berlin take on Real Madrid and Napoli in the Champions League will never not be a wonderful thing. The east Berlin club have made it to Europe’s elite competition from the fourth division without a sugar daddy or state ownership, and they serve as an important reminder that for all the talk about football becoming a close shop, the system is still permeable enough to allow minnows to become heroes.
Ballus:Barcelona being the absolute favorites of their group — and at the same time having no excuses for failing to qualify for the knock-out stages. It’s the moment for them to start leaving past traumas behind.
Cortegana: In addition to Real Madrid’s manageable group, the competitiveness of the aforementioned Group D. We are going to see matches involving perhaps lesser names but very entertaining ones.
Rutzler: An English coach in the Champions League is a rare thing. So it’s pleasing to see Eddie Howe deservedly on the European stage. His work at Bournemouth was outstanding and didn’t always receive the plaudits it deserved. From Boscombe to Milan. Not bad.
(THOMAS COEX/AFP via Getty Images)
Which player could break through and become a star of the group stage?
Horncastle: Milan have finally balanced out their attack. It is no longer so left-sided and dependent on Rafael Leao. The impact of Pulisic has been instant but I can’t wait to see Samuel Chukwueze skate past players on the right. Tijjani Reinjders, the silky midfielder signed from AZ, is another player to follow closely.
Honigstein: It almost feels too easy to pick a Red Bull Salzburg or RB Leipzig player considering their great success in developing stars such as Erling Haaland, Sadio Mane, Christopher Nkunku and countless others. But I’ll pick one anyway. Belgian forward Lois Openda, Leipzig’s €38.5m signing from Lens, has already made a big impression in the early weeks of the Bundesliga. Watching him take on Europe’s best defences will be hugely exciting.
Ballus:Lamine Yamal. A 16-year-old winger who is not just capable of earning a spot in Barcelona’s starting line-up, but to be named MVP of La Liga games. Yamal has this kind of personality that makes him thrive in big stages, so welcome to the Champions League.
Cortegana: Harry Kane. He had several suitors this summer, but the team who really bet on him was Bayern and he will prove from the group stage that the Germans were not wrong. There is also the added bonus of him playing against Manchester United, who are long-time admirers of the striker.
Rutzler: This feels like the breakthrough season for PSG’s Warren Zaire-Emery. The 17-year-old looks to be a key part of Luis Enrique’s plans this year, regularly starting games since pre-season. He is a complete midfielder who can do a bit of everything and will impress on a European stage. Forward Elye Wahi, 20, was also excellent for Montpellier last season and should stand out for Lens, too.
Name the last 16 qualifiers
Horncastle: Man City, Real Madrid, Bayern, Lens, Arsenal, PSG, Lazio, Man United, Napoli, Inter, Benfica, Milan, Leipzig, Barcelona, Porto, Atletico.
Honigstein: Bayern, Man Utd, Sevilla, Arsenal, Napoli, Real Madrid, Benfica, Inter, Lazio, Atletico, PSG, Newcastle, Man City, Leipzig, Barcelona, Porto.
Ballus: Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Arsenal, PSV, Real Madrid, Napoli, Inter, Real Sociedad, Atletico Madrid, Lazio, PSG, Milan, Manchester City, Leipzig, Barcelona and Porto.
Cortegana: Bayern, United, Arsenal, Lens, Real Madrid, Napoli, Inter, Benfica, Atletico, Lazio, PSG, Dortmund, City, Leipzig, Barcelona, Porto.
Rutzler: Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Arsenal, Lens, Napoli, Real Madrid, Benfica, Inter, Atletico, Feyenoord, PSG, Newcastle, Man City, Leipzig, Barcelona, Porto.
Mark Carey’s data takeaways
Which are the hardest and easiest groups based on team strength?
Using Opta’s Power Rankings, Group E looks to be the easiest group among the four teams, with Lazio, Atletico Madrid, Feyenoord and Celtic all vying for a place in the knockout stages.
Elsewhere, Group F looks to take the title of the annual “group of death” as PSG and Borussia Dortmund had a tough draw from Pots three and four — drawing AC Milan and Newcastle United.
Interestingly, according to Opta’s Power Rankings, it is Newcastle who come out with the highest team strength despite being the least experienced on the European stage in recent years.
Do not take your eyes off Group F.
Which team are the biggest stylistic outliers in this season’s Champions League?
Union Berlin enter into the Champions League group stages for the first time in their history, and their style of play might be a surprise to some teams.
Their low-block, counter-attacking style focuses on width from their wing-backs — with 115 open-play crosses into the penalty area more than any other Bundesliga side last season.
Elsewhere, Haise’s Lens will be an interesting watch, setting up in a 3-4-3 (or 3-5-2) with a strong defensive foundation last season. Their focus on deep circulation with good off-ball running and strength in wide areas will be interesting to see, although they have lost their most valuable attacker in the summer as Openda made the move to RB Leipzig.
Who’s an up-and-coming player to keep an eye on this season?
RB Leipzig have invested their money wisely with an influx of young talent including Openda, Benjamin Sesko, Castello Lukeba, and Christoph Baumgartner — with a shrewd loan move for PSG’s Xavi Simons also catching the eye.
Simons arrived in Germany off the back of a stellar campaign for PSV Eindhoven in 2022-23, with 27 goal contributions (19 goals and eight assists) only bettered by Ajax’s Dusan Tadic.
The 20-year-old has already hit the ground running this season, netting a goal and providing two assists as Leipzig thrashed Stuttgart 5-1 in their second game of the Bundesliga campaign. The early signs suggest that he, and Openda, can fill the attacking void vacated by Dominik Szoboszlai and Christopher Nkunku.
Milan, Mbappe, Dortmund: Newcastle’s Champions League famous rivals are flawed
As Newcastle’s group was revealed, some supporters experienced a sickening lurch. One day after being drawn against Manchester City in the Carabao Cup, they thought that Newcastle were now looking destined to exit two cups early. After waiting 20 years to return to the Champions League, this draw looked more like a kicking than a competition, with Newcastle the betting favourites for an early exit.
But let’s be frank. During last season’s run-in, it was the prospect of fixtures like these that meant players battled through injuries, staff pulled all-nighters, and fans rescheduled surgeries. When Joelinton screamed the Champions League anthem, it was not Serbian champions Crvena Zvezda who inhabited his waking dreams; when CEO Darren Eales repeated the chant, “Have you ever seen a Mackem in Milan”, it is not solely for alliterative reasons that the lyrics are not, “Have you ever seen a Mackem in Antwerp”.
But that is not to write off their chances on the pitch. The club has a record of making it through tough groups — back in their last campaign in 2002-03, under Sir Bobby Robson, they emerged from their pool with three consecutive wins after losing their first three games.
This Newcastle side have to believe they could do it again. Just as they have been guilty of dropping their levels against weaker opposition — such as cup exits to Cambridge United and Sheffield Wednesday under Eddie Howe — they have also raised it against the ‘Big Six’. Think of last season’s 3-3 draw over Manchester City, the win over Manchester United at St James’ Park, the demolition of Tottenham Hotspur with the top four at stake.
And while these are three excellent teams, Newcastle have the capability to hurt them.
Milan are possibly the greatest enigma, making eight additions to a much-changed squad from last season — headlined by Tonali’s shock departure. With Newcastle having beaten Milan to Botman’s signing, as well as signing the Italian giants’ captain, this is a sign of the Premier League’s power, and the new footballing order. They were overrun in midfield at times last season, even with Tonali, and much depends on how new additions Yunus Musah, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and Tijjani Reijnders settle — this part of the pitch is Newcastle’s great strength.
Dortmund’s mental state after choking in last season’s Bundesliga race remains to be seen. They were insipid against Bochum at the weekend, outplayed by a team expected to be relegated and fortunate to draw 1-1. They will improve, but the sale of Jude Bellingham to Real Madrid means their squad got weaker over the summer. In the last 10 years, their squads have contained world-leading young talents — Bellingham, Erling Haaland, Ousmane Dembele and Jadon Sancho — but this side has no player of that ilk. There are worries over whether head coach Edin Terzic can create an attacking structure rather than rely on counter-attacking football.
PSG appear the strongest side in Group F, and given the resources they have thrown at this competition, it is almost remarkable that the competition has eluded them. But they laboured to last season’s French title, pushed by a surprise challenge from Lens, and have lost Lionel Messi and Neymar this summer, two of this generation’s outstanding players. Having drawn their first two league matches, head coach Luis Enrique is trying to impose structure on an individualistic culture — the starkest contrast to Howe and Newcastle.
Make no mistake, this is not saying Newcastle should be expected to progress — it is still an exceptionally strong group. When the takeover happened, the lines about Kylian Mbappe walking out at St James’ Park were only partially made in jest — instead, the world’s best player will now be Newcastle’s opponent. Dortmund are filled with top-level European experience. If Milan’s squad gels, they have a higher ceiling than last season’s semi-finalists.
But it is pointing out that, just like Newcastle, these teams do have flaws and are beatable.
The main disadvantage that Howe’s side face is their lack of European experience. This is not in terms of quality of opposition — Newcastle have shown they can compete with the top Premier League sides — but in terms of scheduling, how to balance league matches with continental commitments while remaining both focused and competitive in both.
But aside from that, the strength of Newcastle’s group should not be used as an opportunity to make excuses. With the possible exception of PSG, at least for now, Newcastle are their financial equals. Their tactical system is arguably more deeply embedded by their opponents, and recruitment over the summer has provided squad-wide depth. This is a team who named a stronger bench than Manchester City when they played last month.
Newcastle earned their place in the Champions League in Europe’s toughest league, and do not need to rely on an underdog narrative. Any semblance of an inferiority complex should be swept away on the breaths of St James’ Park.
There is an oft-quoted line, originally written by Marianne Williamson, that appears in the 2005 basketball film Coach Carter as student Timo Cruz stands behind his convictions. It risks saccharine sweetness, maybe, but it also encapsulates Newcastle’s new reality.
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate,” he says. “Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.”
Newcastle need to take the same attitude into the Champions League. This is a side who wanted an opportunity, who wanted to be tested. These are the brightest and most exposing of lights. They cannot be afraid.
(Top photo: Marcio Machado/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
A statement from German FA (DFB) president Bernd Neuendorf read: “The committees agreed that the senior men’s national team needs a new impulse after the recent disappointing results. We need a spirit of optimism and confidence with a view to the European Championship in our own country.
“For me personally, it is one of the most difficult decisions in my tenure so far because I value Hansi Flick and his co-coaches as football experts and people. However, sporting success has top priority for the DFB. Therefore, the decision was inevitable.”
Germany were heavily defeated in Wolfsburg on Saturday (Photo: Getty Images)
Flick’s assistants, coaches Marcus Sorg and Danny Rohl, have also been relieved of their duties with immediate affect.
Rudi Voller, Hannes Wolf and Sandro Wagner will take charge of Germany’s match against France in Dortmund on Tuesday. They are aiming to find a replacement for Flick as soon as possible.
Flick underwent training with the national team on Sunday morning.
He was appointed Germany coach in August 2021 after replacing Joachim Low following the 2021 European Championships, where they were knocked out by England. He had previously enjoyed a hugely successful spell at Bayern Munich, where he won the treble in 2019-20.
The 58-year-old’s position, however, had come under scrutiny following a desperate run that stretches back to before the World Cup last year.
Germany have won just four of their last 16 matches, a run which included a group stage exit in Qatar, the second consecutive World Cup in which they had been eliminated at that period. They have also conceded 11 goals in their last five matches to leave them in crisis less than a year before they host the European Championships.
What comes next for Germany?
Analysis by Sebastian Stafford-Bloor
The first objective is to get through the game against France without suffering any more damage to the collective ego; Germany are fragile and were completely humiliated by Japan in Wolfsburg. They have the players to attain respectability and Rudi Voller remains popular with the public, so – short term – that should be achievable.
Beyond that, Germany need to settle on a new direction. One of the great flaws of Hansi Flick’s time was their inability to adopt any sort of identity. Nearly every game featured an experiment of sorts and nearly all of those failed to produce any sort of dividend. Playing Nico Schlotterbeck as a left-sided full-back was the latest and last on Saturday night.
Maybe what Germany need more than anything else is conviction. They must settle on a way of playing and find a reliable means of creating chances and preventing goals being scored against them. Flick never knew how to cure either of those issues and, eventually, that seems to have had impacted the players and corroded their self-belief.
A good change now – a start at least – would be the appointment of someone who stands for something. Nobody can immediately solve some of the technical shortcomings within this generation – no No 9, the dearth of outstanding centre-backs or full-backs – but meaningful philosophical change would help restore an identity and recapture the hearts of a country disillusioned with its football team.
Ukraine 1 England 1: Tedious tempo, quarterback Kane, Henderson fails to spark
The game — which was staged in Wroclaw, Poland due to the ongoing war in Ukraine — felt like a missed opportunity as Southgate tries to regenerate momentum after England’s fine finish to last season.
Our experts debate the big talking points from the 1-1 draw.
England’s pedestrian pace
England are moving in quite a troubling direction. Ever so slightly, they are regaining the characteristics that made previous eras such a slog.
The pitch in Poland was not a good one. It is only fair to acknowledge that. But this was still a stale performance that depended on individual quality to retain its modesty and lacked support from a cohesive system. The European Championship is still almost a year away, but disjointed England away games that follow a week of grumbling about selection patterns feels very familiar and not in a welcome way.
There is plenty of merit to Southgate’s stance regarding the players he picks. Tactical familiarity matters in international football and not everything within it should be dictated by who has and who has not had a good six weeks in the Premier League. At the same time, those ends have to justify the means; there has to be evidence that players afforded special status within this squad are worth their hall pass.
(Maja Hitij/Getty Images)
On this evidence, the critics have it right. England’s terrifying lack of confidence in defence mirrored the struggles of its centrepiece, Harry Maguire, and their physical difficulties in midfield were suggestive of the fact that one of its key components, Jordan Henderson, is an ageing player intent on seeing out his career in a second, or third-tier league.
Yes, there was more to this than that; clearly so. But in the abstract, what made people buy-in to this team was the meritocratic basis of its construction. That seems to be ebbing away.
The window to achieve something is closing all the time. At the moment, England’s biggest impediment to crossing that threshold appears to be their inability to recognise their own flaws.
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor
Kane the Quarterback is back
Once more, England reaped the benefit of Harry Kane’s vision and his long-range passing.
Kane attracts so much defensive attention and causes such defensive displacement, that it seems almost unfair that he should also have that kind of ball in his armoury.
The pass from which Kyle Walker equalised was the most vivid example of just how much value there is to that part of Kane’s game. It was not just a looping ball pass over the top, nor one knocked into an obvious space. Instead, it was well-timed enough to survive VAR inspection, but also disguised in a way that gave Vitalli Mykolenko little hope of covering Walker’s run.
This is how it broke down:
Walker signals where he wants the ball played…
Kane spots him and times the pass to perfection as Walker stays (just) onside…
Mykolenko knows he is in trouble as he realises Walker is behind him…
Too late, he is stranded as Walker curves his run to collect the ball and now just needs a good first touch…
… and that is exactly what he gets, allowing him to finish with ease.
Condensed and turned into a YouTube compilation, you could make the case that Kane is a world-class player without even featuring one of his goals; his quarterback-style playmaking is really that good.
This evening it was also timely. England looked a little lost at 1-0 down and their equaliser owed everything to attacking diversity and an element of surprise. Particularly so on a bad pitch, and against a team who were proving a physical and technical match for them, and who were enlivened by an emotional crowd.
Nevertheless, whenever Kane drops deep, complaints follow. Even now. Even when it is obvious that the trait is a response to the state of a game and his willingness to adapt to become relevant within it.
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor
Henderson’s ho-hum night
All eyes were on Jordan Henderson after his controversial move to Saudi Arabia and the, in many people’s eyes, inflammatory interview he gave The Athletic earlier this week.
It was a distraction Gareth Southgate, who was asked more questions on Henderson in the build-up than any other subject, could have done without, but a man as intelligent as him will have surely have anticipated a reaction when he called Henderson up.
There was no booing of Henderson from the away end and no obvious protests either, but Jill Scott reflected the feelings of many when she said on Channel 4 before the match: “In terms of the morals and values, I’m a really big Jordan Henderson fan, he’s a Sunderland lad and really hard-working. But for me, the fact that I couldn’t go and watch him represent his team, that’s what doesn’t sit well for me. Football for me is for everyone and the fact that I don’t feel like I would be welcome (to watch him play), that’s a very sad situation.”
(Eddie Keogh – The FA/The FA via Getty Images)
After all the talk, what of the football? How did Henderson play? Well, he was typically busy and aggressive, he made a couple of important clearances in his own box and he popped up sporadically in the Ukraine third without doing anything of real note, with one shot comfortably clearing the bar. His fitness levels — which will come under scrutiny in the coming months depending on the pace of the Saudi Arabian league — were fine, and he was still darting around in the closing stages.
Like the team, it was all a bit meh, very safe, nothing to really write home about.
Basically, leaving the Saudi argument aside, whatever you thought of Henderson before the match (i.e. a good team player doing the dirty work for others to thrive, or a bit of a jack-of-all trades, master of none), you won’t have changed your mind after this.
Tim Spiers
Bellingham-Maddison axis didn’t work – but was worth a go
As is being shown by Real Madrid’s early season displays, the key to extracting the most from Jude Bellingham is to allow him freedom. He has to able to roam and interpret within a game and Carlo Ancelotti’s privilege is to have midfielders who allow that to happen — and without the team’s structure suffering.
For England the quality is not the same, but the selection of James Maddison did help to create a similar dynamic. By playing Maddison on the left of midfield and Bellingham ahead of him in the attacking line — and then allowing them to switch throughout the game — England always possessed quality of distribution in that area.
Bellingham is a superior player with broader ability, but Maddison has more similarities with him then, say, a wide midfielder or a more vertical, driving midfielder like Phil Foden.
Jude Bellingham (Maja Hitij/Getty Images)
Within the first 15 minutes, Bellingham had been spotted in central midfield, wide on the left, in the No 10 corridor behind Harry Kane and at the base of England’s midfield. Maddison rotated in much the same way and yet England always retained that precious ability on the ball in deep positions.
It was a good idea, it just did not work that well. Bellingham probably tried too hard to bend the game to his will. At times, Maddison seemed to have too many options around him and too often made the worst decision available. Both had trouble with their touch and with the pitch.
But that’s okay; nights like tonight are necessary. If England are to see the best of Bellingham, then they will have to suffer some risks of discovery.
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor
Nervous Guehi
With John Stones injured — and with Eric Dier, Conor Coady, Tyrone Mings and Ben White all unlikely to get back in the squad before the Euros for one reason or another — England’s defence needs new faces, especially if Harry Maguire is barely going to get a minute of football at Manchester United.
His passing was very safe and he didn’t drive forward in possession or show the calmness or composure he does at Palace. Guehi had a 98 per cent pass accuracy in the first half but only a couple of the 78 passes he made were forward, the rest were sideways or backwards and it was similar for Maguire, reflecting a tempo that was often far too sedate, albeit Ukraine defended deep and well.
As for the goal, this was the first shot on target England have conceded since they beat Italy 2-1 in March, let alone the first goal (2-0 v Ukraine, 4-0 at Malta and 7-0 v North Macedonia since then) and no one really escaped blame as Ukraine doubled up down the right and no one tracked Zinchenko’s burst into the box. Maguire and Guehi almost ended up colliding as they both got nowhere near cutting the ball out.
At least they were untroubled in the second period.
Tim Spiers
At least the occasion was memorable
For a game played at a neutral venue, this was some occasion. It is estimated that around 250,000 Ukrainians have settled in Wroclaw since the war started last year and many of them helped pack out the 45,000 capacity Tarczynski Arena.
There were, as ever, a few thousand travelling England fans, most of whom had set up camp in the city’s beautiful Market Square for the previous 24 hours, all in fine voice and with no trouble reported.
The stadium, a couple of miles out of town, was a sea of yellow and blue and to all intents and purposes this was a home game.
(Maja Hitij/Getty Images)
It was played in a respectable atmosphere (the Ukraine fans applauded the England players out for their warm-up and there was absolutely no booing of either anthem) which was no surprise given the UK’s support for Ukraine during the war and the emotional occasion these teams played out in March at Wembley. Southgate also spoke politely and courteously (not that you would expect anything less) about Ukraine before the match.
The ‘home’ fans generated a terrific, vociferous noise with an incessant chant of “Oo-kry-ee-naa” throughout and they almost lifted the roof of the place for Oleksandr Zinchenko’s goal.
Tim Spiers
(Top photo: Maja Hitij/Getty Images)
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US Men vs Esbekistan Sat 5:30 pm, Tues vs Oman 8:30 pm on TNT
Excited to see our US boys – as the US plays friendlies Sat and Tues while Europe has Euro’s Qualifications, Africa has the African Cup and South America does World Cup Quals over the next week. Can’t wait to see Paredes and Cardoso and Malik Tillman along with newcomers Drake Callender & Ben Cremaschi from Inter Miami. It will be interesting to see if GB starts the regulars or mixes in some of the kids in the starting line-up. I like Tillman or Johnny Cardoso to slide into the midfield while Adams is still out hurt, while I think Scally slides in on the right back slot as he’s starting in Germany. Here’s my line-up for Sat evening.
Of course Pulisic has been killing it for AC Milan since arriving – he has 2 goals and an assist and is a vital cog in the attack – Milan sits tied with Inter at the top of the table in Italy after their huge win over Roma and Mourino.
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)
US Ladies – Ertz & Rapinoe to Play last games Sept 21 in Cincy/Sept 24th in Chicago
Julie Ertz announces she will retire from soccer at the Sept 21st game in Cincy vs World Cup Quarterfinalist South Africa. Tix are still avail for that game down in Cincy on a Thursday night 7:30 pm.
Indy Eleven defeated The Miami FC, 1-0, on Saturday night at home to extend their unbeaten streak to six games. The Indy win moves the team to11W-9L-8D, and moves them clearly into playoff contention. Next, Indy Eleven will travel to New Mexico United for a 9:00 p.m. ET kickoff on Friday, September 15 on ESPN+ for the first game of their two-game road trip. The next home game for Indy Eleven is Sunday, September 24 against Rio Grande Valley Toros FC.
At 6-0-1 the Carmel Boys are up to #1 in the Nation now on Max Preps and tops in the state while the Carmel ladies are #2 in the state, #6 in the Nation at 8-0-2. The Boys host Pack the House night Friday night and all Carmel FC and Carmel Dad’s Club players get in free when you wear your jersey.
Congrats to the 2011 Girls Gold Team Premier Cup Tourney Champs. Great job ladies and coaches (Left Matt Sinex, Right Paul Cullington. Good luck to all the Carmel FC teams in Pike Fest this weekend – see you on the fields.
Former Carmel FC player Ellie Cirrincione after her 2nd assist of the season for Huntington University. Ellie, a sophomore, is the daughter of former longtime Carmel FC and Current Carmel High School Freshman Coach Jen Cirrincione.
GAMES ON TV
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)
Thur, Sept 21
7:30 pm TNT, Uni, Cock USWNT vs South Africa Cincy Ertz Last Game
Sun, Sept 24
5:30 pm TNT, Uni, Cock USWNT vs South Africa Chicago Rapinoe last game
Can Berhalter really lead the USMNT to its best World Cup?
Jeff Carlisle, U.S. soccer correspondentSep 6, 2023, 09:44 AM ET ESPN FC
In Gregg Berhalter’s first big interview since he was rehired as U.S. men’s national team manager, he put down a lofty marker for the 2026 World Cup. His goal, he told Vanity Fair, “is for us to go to a round that no U.S. team has ever gone to.”Wishing for it is one thing, but getting there will be a massive undertaking.Technically, reaching a new frontier at the World Cup would mean reaching the final, given that the U.S. made it to the semifinals of the inaugural edition of the tournament in 1930, where it was routed by Argentina 6-1. If one limits his statement to the modern era — loosely defined as starting in 1990, when the U.S. men qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 40 years — that means reaching the semifinals.For the sake of argument, let’s say that was what Berhalter meant, and reaching the semifinals is certainly possible for this U.S. team. It’s arguably as talented a group as the USMNT has ever had, and it’s not unheard of for a wild card to reach the semifinals of a World Cup. Turkey and South Korea did it in 2002. Morocco did it last December in Qatar. The U.S. will also benefit in 2026 from what will undoubtedly be some vociferous home support at American stadiums.
There is certainly nothing wrong with Berhalter stating such a lofty aim — it fits with the culture of the team and the country. But possible doesn’t mean likely. A number of things will have to line up for the U.S. to reach that goal, some of which Berhalter can’t control, such as player health and a favorable path through the tournament.So, the question remains: What can Berhalter do now to give the U.S. a better chance of getting there?
Berhalter said he has met with U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker to work on a plan to move the team forward. Yet this query is especially pertinent when it comes to the team’s attack.Reaching the round of 16 in Qatar, where the U.S. fell 3-1 to the Netherlands, was a respectable showing, but it was not a tournament in which the Americans showcased a sufficient level of attacking prowess. There was little to quibble about in terms of the U.S. team’s approach work — the U.S. averaged 187.75 touches in the attacking third per 90 minutes in the tournament, good for sixth place among World Cup teams — but in terms of creating quality chances, the U.S. was lacking.
The U.S. team’s xG, or expected goals, per 90 minutes of actual playing time (which includes stoppage time) was 0.91, a mark that ranked 22nd in the tournament among all 32 teams, and 12th out of the 16 teams that reached the knockout stages. The fact that the U.S. under-performed that mark by scoring just 0.67 goals per 90 minutes of actual playing time didn’t help. We’re talking about a small sample size against some of the world’s best teams, but even when the eye test is applied, the U.S. couldn’t be confused with an offensive powerhouse.
When asked how Berhalter and the staff will move the U.S. attack forward, assistant coach B.J. Callaghan said one way to do that is play a variety of opponents.
“I think each challenge that the opponent brings is going to dictate sort of how you can create chances,” he said on a conference call with reporters. “So the more experience that we can give these core group of players playing against a diverse schedule of opponents, I think will teach us and give us ideas on how to advance that attack against different types of setups.”
With no World Cup qualification for the U.S. during this cycle, the schedule is bound to be less Concacaf-heavy. That will be in stark contrast to the 2022 cycle — from the start of 2019 onward the U.S. played 43 of its 56 matches against Concacaf opponents. In particular, the U.S. team’s participation in next year’s Copa America, against the best of South America, will offer the kind of competition outside of the USMNT’s home region that it rarely sees.
But that will take the Americans only so far. Of greater benefit will be a couple of personnel switches — including some new players coming in and moving familiar names into new roles.The arrival of Folarin Balogun amounts to an immediate upgrade in the striker position. The expectation is that the threat provided by his mobility, and runs off the ball will open up space for the likes of Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah, and his 21 goals in Ligue 1 last year with Stade de Reims shows he’s capable of scoring in a highly competitive league (though he did underperform his xG last season of 27.2). A move to a bigger club in AS Monaco is the next step in his development.Jeff Carlisle reflects on the notable additions and absences to the USMNT roster heading into the September international window.That said, Balogun alone won’t solve the USMNT’s issue of creating quality chances. In the aftermath of the defeat to the Dutch at the World Cup, Berhalter said, “We don’t have a Memphis Depay right now, who is scoring goals in the Champions League, and playing at Barcelona and has been an international for years and years.” The U.S. also didn’t have a Denzel Dumfries, who had a goal and two assists on that night, either.
The U.S. still doesn’t, but there is upside to the attack by positioning Gio Reyna in a central attacking role, instead of out wide, where he was for almost the entirety of the 2022 cycle. It was a move that Callaghan made during the Concacaf Nations League last June, and the U.S. looked much more dynamic in attack.
The next step is to see how it works against higher quality opponents, but even that seemingly obvious move carries with it some uncertainty.
First, there is the thawing of the relationship between Berhalter and Reyna that needs to take place. It’s easy to think they’ll agree to put the past aside and move on, but what transpired, and as public as the fallout was, will leave scars for both individuals. The extent to which healing will take place is still an unknown at this point. Berhalter said recently he still hasn’t spoken to Reyna since the ordeal unfolded.
Then there is the question of whether Berhalter will actually move Reyna to a central attacking role once the latter is back to full fitness. During the past week’s conference call with reporters in which the current roster was announced, Berhalter called the midfield triumvirate of Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie and Yunus Musah “a tremendous engine that we were able to take advantage of” during the past cycle. Reading the tea leaves, it doesn’t sound like continuing with that trio in midfield — when they’re all healthy, it should be noted — is something that Berhalter has moved on from just yet.
Switching the team’s formation to a 3-5-2 could alleviate that issue in that it would allow Reyna to play as a second forward off Balogun. It suits some of the team’s other personnel as well. Antonee Robinson, Sergiño Dest and Weah have the skill-set to play as wing backs, and Chris Richards, Miles Robinson and Tim Ream are comfortable enough on the ball to play in a three-man back line.”For us, I think it’s more about just the general philosophy of how we want to be playing, and what we’re trying to do,” Berhalter said. “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. If it means that one can’t [play a certain way] because this is the personnel that we have, we need to play with three in the back, then we’ll do that.”I think that’s the beauty of the time between camps: you have the opportunity to plan what’s most effective for this given opponent. Ideally, I’d like to go into the next World Cup having a back three system and a back four system in place.”
Such an approach would require Reyna to enjoy something that’s has eluded him for much of his professional career: an extended period of durability and health. And even if he can, it might not be enough. Other players like Adams and Pulisic will need to stay healthy as well, all of which speaks to the small margins that separate success and failure at the international level.Progress is also rarely linear. Expectations were high back in 2006 coming off the U.S. run to the quarterfinals in 2002, but a difficult draw that saw the U.S. grouped with the Czech Republic, Ghana and eventual champions Italy — coupled with key players like DaMarcus Beasley, Landon Donovan and John O’Brien not reaching the heights of 2002 — saw the U.S. get eliminated in the group stage.This U.S. team is deeper now than that 2002 edition, but the rest of the world hasn’t been standing still either. So, while Berhalter’s stated goal is clear, the pathway isn’t. The onus will be on Berhalter to find a way.
U.S. Soccer names Marko Mitrović coach of U-23 men’s national team for 2024 Olympics
Marko Mitrović has been named coach of the U.S. under-23 men’s youth national team for the 2024 Olympics in Paris, U.S. Soccer announced Wednesday. Here’s what you need to know:
The 2024 Games will mark the American men’s first appearance at the Olympics since 2008 in Beijing.
Mitrović first joined U.S. Soccer in April 2022 as the under-19 men’s youth national team coach.
Michael Nsien, who has led the U-16 squad since November 2022, will replace Mitrović as the U-19 coach.
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
Who is Mitrović?
Finally back in the Olympics for the first time since 2008, the United States men’s soccer program has finally, officially, named a U-23 coach ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Mitrović will be well familiar with the player pool as he joined U.S. Soccer 15 months ago as the U-19 coach. His first U-23 camp will kick off next month during the October international break.
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The 45-year-old was an assistant for Serbia’s U-20 World Cup-winning side in 2015 and then spent four seasons as an assistant for the Chicago Fire under Veljko Panuovic. Mitrović also served as an assistant to interim USMNT coaches Anthony Hudson and B.J. Callaghan this spring and summer. — Bogert
Top players for the squad
Crafting an Olympic squad is tricky. Clubs aren’t mandated to release players and often the top age-eligible players have already graduated into the senior national team. Federations can also call three overage players to the roster. Senior USMNT regulars like Gio Reyna, Folarin Balogun, Yunus Musah, Ricardo Pepi and Joe Scally are all eligible, but it remains to be seen which (if any) will be called and released.
Likely options behind the established stars include standouts from the previous U-20 World Cup cycle, including Chelsea’s Gaga Slonina, Frankfurt’s Paxten Aaronson, Philadelphia’s Jack McGlynn, Wolfburg’s Kevin Paredes, Atlanta’s Caleb Wiley, Salt Lake’s Diego Luna, LA Galaxy’s Jalen Neal, Benfica’s Josh Wynder and Hajduk Split’s Roksas Pukstas. Aaronson wasn’t released for the World Cup itself.
New York’s John Tolkin, though not eligible for the previous U-20 World Cup, is likely to be among the first-choice options for the Olympics. The same goes for Taylor Booth, Malik Tillman and Bryan Reynolds if released.
Other players have established themselves in the picture this year as well, like New England’s Noel Buck, Orlando City’s Duncan McGuire, Venezia’s Tanner Tessmann and Columbus’ Aidan Morris. — Bogert
What they’re saying
U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker said Mitrović “was instrumental in guiding our rising talents” during his time with the U-19s.“We’re looking forward to him now leading our Under-23 Men’s Youth National Team as this age group provides these players with an incredible opportunity to continue their development by facing elite opposition on the world stage and competing for an Olympic world title,” Crocker said. “We’re also confident that Michael is ready to lead our U-19 age group, a critical level for our young players aiming to take the next step in their careers for club and country.”
“It’s been an honor working for U.S. Soccer and I’m tremendously proud of the opportunity to lead the USA at the Olympics,” Mitrović said. “I’ve gotten to see first-hand the high-potential players rising through our development system and I’m excited for them to represent their country proudly on such an important stage. The Olympics will be a special platform for our players and I can’t wait to continue the preparations.”
Mitrovic hired to lead the Olympic team and faces inherent challenges building his team
U.S. Soccer has announced the head coach for the men’s 2024 Olympic team and it will go to Marko Mitrovic, who previously was the U.S. U-19 head coach. ASN’s Brian Sciaretta writes about the hire and the task at hand for the Serbian-American coach.
BY BRIAN SCIARETTAPOSTED SEPTEMBER 07, 2023 2:05 AM
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THE UNITED STATES U-23 Men’s Olympic head coaching vacancy has been filled as U.S. Soccer formally announced that it has hired Marko Mitrovic for the position. The Belgrade native previously served as the head coach of the U.S. U-19 team.
Mitrovic, 45, rose through the coaching ranks working extensively with Veljko Paunovic. He was Paunovic’s assistant in 2015 with the Serbian U-20 team when it won the U-20 World Cup (narrowly defeating the U.S. team on penalties in the quarterfinals). He then was Paunovic’s assistant with the Chicago Fire and then Reading. In April 2022, he was hired as the U.S. U-19 head coach.
This will be the team’s first time in the Olympics since 2008. The 2012 failed to qualify under Caleb Porter. The 2016 team failed to qualify under Andi Herzog, and the 2020 team failed to qualify under Jason Kreis. This team qualified by virtue of the U.S. U-20 team’s performance at the CONCACAF Championships in 2022, led by coach Mikey Varas who is now a USMNT assistant.
In addition, U.S. Soccer announced that U.S. U-16 coach Michael Nsien would be elevated to the U-19 head coaching position.
The age limit is for players born in 2001 or later. Essentially these will be players from the pool of the 2023 U-23 team and the 2021 U-20 team (which had its cycle canceled due to Covid).
Releases for players are completely voluntary.
Teams will be allowed to select three overage players, as has been historically allowed.
The roster size will be 22 players, including three goalkeepers. Historically it had been 18 but FIFA expanded it to 22 for the games in Tokyo and will continue with that in Paris.
The tournament will take place from July 24 through August 10.
Venues will be in Paris, Nantes, Bordeaux, Lyon, Saint Etienne, Nice and Marseille.
CLUB COORDINATION IS KEY
Mitrovic will have several challenging tasks ahead of him. For one, the Olympics is not a tournament where player releases are mandatory. Typically, releases are more difficult the older the age group because players assume bigger roles within clubs as they get older. As a result, U-23 releases are harder than U-20 releases, U-20 releases are harder than U-17 releases.Mitrovic will not have a lot of time with his group either. Gregg Berhalter said there are U-23 camps set for October and November. In 2024, there will likely be camps in January and March before final preparations in the summer.
Mitrovic will most likely have to be very proactive with engaging with clubs to see which players are in positions where they will be released. Are some players at clubs which won’t even consider a release? Are some players likely to move in January or next summer and it’s completely up in the air? Are some clubs taking a wait and see approach to releases?
USMNT COORDINATION
Then, Mitrovic will also have to coordinate his roster plans with USMNT manager Gregg Berhalter because there will be significant overlap in the player pools for both teams. The U.S. team, of course, hosts and plays in the Copa America earlier in summer 2024 and that takes priority. It is hard to see any overlap between the rosters for the Olympics and the Copa America.Age-eligible players like Giovanni Reyna and Yunus Musah will almost certainly be focused on the Copa America and not the Olympics because they are big players with the U.S. team when healthy. But there are a significant number of players who could play with the USMNT but would be backups. If they were with the U.S. U-23 team, however, they would be starters. Some of the many examples would be Joe Scally, Kevin Paredes, Paxten Aaronson, Tanner Tessman, Ben Cremaschi, Cade Cowell, Johnny Cardoso, Taylor Booth, or even Ricardo Pepi.
Mitrovic will have to coordinate with Berhalter as to which players are focused with the USMNT and which players are available for the U-23 team.As a side note, two top age-eligible American players are not allowed to participate – Malik Tillman and Folarin Balogun.
FIFA has a rule that states: “A player who receives a favorable change of association decision is ineligible to participate for their new [national team] in any competition (qualifiers or finals) in which they already represented their [former national team].” Tillman and Balogun represented Germany and England, respectively, in U-21 games that were part of UEFA Olympic qualifying. That prohibits them from playing for the United States in the 2024 Olympics.
OVERAGE PLAYERS
Once Mitrovic understands his player pool for players born 2001 and younger, he will have to decide on overage players based on where there are weaknesses from the age-eligible group. The overage players will also be looked to provide leadership. Release issues will be especially difficult for older players but typically this group is chosen from players who are established in their clubs and can miss preseason or midseason games.
Historically, the overage spots have been used on a goalkeeper, a central defender, and a striker. This team, however, could be in great shape for goalkeeping from young players. Central defense, however, is thin and two picks could be used there. Center forward is also a likely pick given the growing number of older options.
BOTTOM LINE
U.S. Soccer made a smart and pragmatic pick with Mitrovic. He is coming from within the organization, but he’s also done well with the U.S. U-19 team and was popular with the players. His teams generally achieved solid results and prepared players well for the U-20 team.
Given that the tournament is less than a year away and there will only be limited camps, Mitrovic has the benefit of knowing the player pool given his work with U.S. Soccer.But it’s a great opportunity for Mitrovic to lead the team in the Olympics for the first time in 16 years. Historically, the Olympics have been a very useful tournament for the men’s side of U.S. Soccer in terms of bridging the gap between youth and senior national team levels. Many players have used the Olympic cycle to springboard from being part-time USMNT players to becoming members of the team’s core.In 2000, Josh Wolff, Landon Donovan, and John O’Brien went from being occasionally used young USMNT players and into a core group for the 2022 World Cup. In 2008, Maurice Edu, Benny Feilhaber, Charlie Davies, Stuart Holden, Jozy Altidore, and Brad Guzan all took on bigger roles within the USMNT after the Olympics in Beijing.If Mitrovic is successful, we could see many players he works with in the coming months take on important roles with the USMNT as it prepares to host the World Cup in 2026.
Can Kristoffer Lund challenge Antonee Robinson for USMNT’s left-back role?
He is a Dane who played in Sweden before moving to Italy and becoming American.
Kristoffer Lund’s story sounds like a riddle. Now, he hopes he can be the answer to Gregg Berhalter’s search for competition in the USMNT left-back slot.
The 21-year-old formally switched international allegiance last week, having represented Denmark through the youth international ranks.
He has a Danish father and an American mother, allowing him to choose the U.S. as the country he wants to represent at senior level.
It is all change for Lund. He left Swedish club Hacken last month to join Palermo in Serie B and was included for the first time on the USMNT roster for the team’s forthcoming friendlies against Uzbekistan and Oman in St Louis and Minnesota this month.
“He’s been on our radar for the last two years,” Berhalter said. “We’ve been watching him play for his club, but before the last World Cup, I just didn’t think he was ready. Since then, he’s gone on to win a Swedish league, he’s got the transfer (to Palermo), and we think he could fill the void that we had at the left-back position, in terms of our depth.”
Lund, right, in action for new club Palermo (Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Ciancaphoto Studio/Getty Images)
Berhalter said that while Antonee Robinson has been the clear starter and a “fantastic player” for the U.S., “no one’s really grabbed that second position and we’re seeing what he can do and if he can challenge for that spot”.
Truly challenging Robinson, a regular in big USMNT games for the past five years, is no easy task.
With his surging runs down the left, impressive attacking output and growing defensive nous refined by the experience gained from Fulham’s assured return to the Premier League last season, he is Berhalter’s clear first choice.
But Lund will hope he can do enough to prove himself an able deputy for the man five years his senior.
According to the Total Football Analysis website, he is “an attack-minded full-back who looked eager to drive forward and played some excellent crosses into the opposition box”. It notes his strength during build-up play and ability to “do a decent job of carrying the ball forward”.
“Lund seemed fairly sound on the defensive front, although he does show some frailties now and then,” the site’s analysis (based on tracking since 2022) adds. “He can be a little sluggish to close down opponents in the vicinity of his box, while he also gave away some cheap fouls on the flank. Despite this, he was excellent during most of his one-on-one duels and looked to make the most of his challenge inside the opposition half, which negated the danger of conceding free kicks close to his box.”
Then there is The Athletic’s analysis, which further underlines Lund’s appetite for getting forward as an attacking threat — highlighted in the Smarterscout pizza chart below.
Smarterscout gives players’ games a series of ratings from zero and 99, a bit like the player ratings in the FIFA video games but powered by real data and advanced analytics. These ratings relate to how often a player performs a given stylistic action (for example, volume of shots per touch), or how effective they are at it (for example, how well they progress the ball upfield) compared with others playing in their position.
His standout numbers are his 99 score for receptions in the opponents’ box, showing how he likes to get forward compared to other full-backs (although, this is an exceptional jump on seasons before, when he scored 50 and 39), so a larger sample size of games for his new club Palermo would be required before assessing just how consistently attacking he is. Lund has played eight games this season – six European qualifying ties for Hacken and two Serie B fixtures.
In his two years in the Allsvenskan, Sweden’s top flight, Lund registered 12 assists in 59 games.
His numbers suggest he is quite involved in build-up play (link-up volume of 84). Defensively, he is moderately active for such an attacking full-back (defending intensity of 45) but the data suggests he could be exposed.
Lund is on record about how he hopes to bolster that aspect of his game through the move to Italy.
“I’m here to improve and become a better player,” he told Italy 24 at his official unveiling in Sicily, the Italian island on which Palermo play. “Italy is famous for tactics and for the defensive phase.
“I have strength and speed and Palermo will help me improve the tactical part. I’m ready, I feel I’ve played well in Sweden and I’m in good shape. It’s difficult to find space in such a competitive team, but I want to prove my worth.”
He could just as well have been referencing the task he faces at international level, too, with that surprise call-up offering the previously little-known defender a chance to carve a place in the squad before the Copa America next summer and a World Cup on home soil in three years.
But if there were any nerves or jet lag this week as Lund tried to acclimatise before training sessions with Berhalter’s squad, a calming nightcap would not have been on the agenda. His nickname at Hacken may have been Tuborg, after the Danish beer brand, but that is as far as it goes.
“I’m not a big beer person,” Lund said. “I think it’s for my Danish — and then we’re good at drinking beer in Denmark.”
At least, as he settles in with his new USMNT team-mates, he has a track record for good first impressions.
“An opportunity arose in a young and inexperienced left-back from Denmark who had just changed clubs,” Hacken’s sporting director Martin Ericsson, told the club’s official website.
“After a meeting with the player, we made the decision to make the transfer rather quickly.”
Lund will hope his early exchanges this week with his latest new coach have a similarly convincing effect.
Greg O’Keeffe is a senior writer for The Athletic covering US soccer players in the UK & Europe. Previously he spent a decade at the Liverpool Echo covering news and features before an eight-year stint as the paper’s Everton correspondent; giving readers the inside track on Goodison Park, a remit he later reprised at The Athletic. He has also worked as a news and sport journalist for the BBC and hosts a podcast in his spare time.
Inter Miami & Lionel Messi: Can they make MLS Cup Playoffs?
We’re talking about reaching the Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs, a feat that’s looking more likely by the day (though by no means is guaranteed) as the GOAT has North America by storm since his mid-July debut.
Whether you’re an MLS expert or experiencing MLS for the first time (welcome!), let’s break down perhaps the question shaping the stretch run.
What are the playoffs? How do they work?
While most professional soccer leagues crown their champion via the overall table/standings, MLS utilizes a postseason tournament called the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs.
The top nine teams in each conference – Eastern and Western – qualify for the playoffs. Seeds get locked in after Decision Day, aka the last regular-season matchday on Oct. 21.
Once the bracket is set, teams compete to make MLS Cup presented by Audi on December 9 at a to-be-determined stadium (highest remaining seed hosts).
What do Miami & Messi need to do?
IMCF must climb to ninth place (or higher) in the Eastern Conference table, which would see them compete in the Wild Card round (held Oct. 25-26).
Messi & Co. have nine games remaining to make up an eight-point gap, surpassing nine teams along the way.
Current projections indicate the club will need roughly 18 points (six wins) from the remaining 27 available.
Helping Miami, they have anywhere from one to three games in hand on teams above them. That affords them some room for error, but not much. Somewhere around 43 points is historically good enough for ninth place (a playoff spot in this year’s expanded field).
International breaks and the jampacked nature of the schedule could hurt Miami, though. Head coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino has noted Messi could miss up to three games as well, so depth will be tested.
Miami have gone 2W-0L-1D in league play with their new-look roster, a pace that may just see postseason dreams come true.
Of their nine remaining regular-season games, five are home at DRV PNK Stadium and four are away.
All but one match is against an Eastern Conference team, creating a bunch of so-called six-pointers (i.e. big swings in the standings).
Atlanta United away (Sept. 16), Orlando City SC away (Sept. 24) and FC Cincinnati home (Oct. 7) project as their hardest tests.
What happens if Miami & Messi qualify for playoffs?
They would likely slot into the Eastern Conference Wild Card matchup, either as a No. 8 or No. 9 seed. It would be a sensational turnaround, as Miami sat last (15th place) in the Eastern Conference before Messi joined and needed to make up a 12-point gap.
Check out the playoff schedule below, with a new Round One Best-of-3 series entering the mix in 2023.
Wild Card matches: October 25-26
Round One Best-of-3 series: October 28-November 12
Conference Semifinals and Conference Finals: November 25-December 3
After the 34-game regular season (17 home, 17 away), the team with the most points is awarded the Supporters’ Shield. Note: This is different from MLS Cup and rewards longevity rather than the tournament-style playoffs.
Both trophies – MLS Cup and the Supporters’ Shield – have their merits, but the league title tends to carry more weight historically and in fans’ eyes. It’s also quite difficult to complete a Supporters’ Shield-MLS Cup double; only eight squads in league history have accomplished that.
Messi Mania goes to Hollywood | Messi Rewind presented by adidas
Messi Rewind presented by adidas has all the sights and sounds from Messi’s two-assist performance in Los Angeles.
The odds aren’t in Miami’s favor – FiveThirtyEight, based on their statistical model, gives them a 4% chance of making the playoffs.
But the club’s transformational summer window – headlined by Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba – has turned them from looking destined for last place to storming up the table. Some stats that only bolster Miami’s case:
Record with Messi: 7W-0L-4D across all competitions in regulation time, with the four draws turning into PK wins
Messi’s production: 11 goals & 8 assists in 11 games
All that’s to say it’s a daunting task. But one or two losses, especially while players are away on international duty, wouldn’t be a death knell.
U.S. women’s national team legend Julie Ertz will play her final international match with the squad against South Africa on Sept. 21 at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, U.S. Soccer announced Thursday. Here’s what you need to know:
Defensive midfielders don’t always get a lot of credit, but Ertz made sure everyone realized how important the role was during the 2019 World Cup. Her shift from center back to DM to center back again for this World Cup showed just how crucial she was to this era of the USWNT, and provided one of the bright spots for the team in New Zealand and Australia alongside Naomi Girma.
Her legacy goes beyond the senior team though, as one of a few players who also won a youth World Cup with the under-20s in 2012. Best known for her physicality, her ability to shut down opposing players with a perfect tackle and her raging competitiveness, Ertz reflects this closing era of the USWNT’s dominance and ruthlessness — in all the best ways. While her return for the 2023 World Cup was a surprise one, her retirement had felt more imminent than most following the last Olympics. — Linehan
What Ertz said
“I expected to just walk away after retirement, but to have the opportunity to say goodbye to my teammates and the fans one last time is something special that many players dream of,” Ertz said in a statement. “I wasn’t expecting this honor so I’m very thankful to (interim head coach) Twila (Kilgore) and to U.S. Soccer for giving me the chance to close this chapter of my life with those who have made this journey so memorable.”
Backstory
Ertz, 31, has recorded 20 goals in her career with Team USA. She was named U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year in 2017 and 2019, and helped lead the USWNT to World Cup titles in 2015 and 2019. She also spent eight seasons in the NWSL, playing seven years with the Chicago Red Stars and most recently appearing with Angel City FC in 2023.
Ertz was sidelined for 18 months following the 2021 Olympics due to injuries and the birth of her son, but came back in time to play in the 2023 Women’s World Cup. She was named to the USWNT roster for April camp, less than a year after giving birth, and played every minute of the Americans’ four matches in New Zealand and Australia over the summer.
Following captain Becky Sauerbrunn’s injury that kept her off the World Cup squad, Ertz, known as a world-class midfielder, was tasked with playing center back for the Americans. After the team’s loss to Sweden in the round of 16, Ertz alluded to her impending retirement.
“I think for me it’s just emotional because it’s probably my last game ever being to able to have the honor to wear this crest, so I think it’s just … it’s just tough,” Ertz said. “I feel like it’s just an emotional time. It absolutely sucks. Penalties are the worst. But it’s an honor to represent this team, and I’m excited for the future of the girls.”
It’s a nervy time for USWNT supporters. Vlatko Andonovski is out as head coach, Kate Markgraf is out as general manager — and there’s not much else actually known about the strategic plan for the women’s program under the guidance of U.S. Soccer technical director Matt Crocker at this time. Last week, we asked for your thoughts and opinions around the team following their round of 16 exit in the World Cup and your level of concern about the NWSL, youth national teams and more. Over 2,000 of you voted, and plenty of you had even more to say when we asked for your thoughts in your words. Here are the results of our USWNT survey.
So who’s the next USWNT head coach? We’re probably not going to know the answer for at least a month or two. Unfortunately, the leading choice for most of you — Sarina Wiegman — is very unlikely to depart her role with the Lionesses. And despite the loss in the final, her name is being linked to plenty of roles.
“I’m staying out of it,” Wiegman said last week. “I’ve heard it (from the press officer) but no, I’m with England and I’m really happy with England, and I have a contract until 2025.”
Laura Harvey, who has U.S. Soccer experience and just signed a contract extension with OL Reign, earned 27.5% of the votes, and 21.7% of those who took the survey either left this one blank or wrote in a name. Write-ins obviously didn’t pick up a ton of consensus, but San Diego Wave FC head coach Casey Stoney led this category with 11 votes, followed by Nigeria WNT manager Randy Waldrum with seven.
Some of you also used the write-in to provide more specific plans, such as Laura Harvey coaching through the Olympics, then running a coaching search. It’s an interesting premise – figure out a short-term solution with a coach that most players know, considering the tight timeline until the next major tournament, then determine if it could also be a longer-term solution through the 2027 World Cup or if a fresh search is necessary. Is a plan like that fair to Harvey, who’d have to give up the Reign job for a far less secure role? Ultimately, a decision like that is up to her.
Our next question became a bit of a moot point by the time the survey went up, with general manager Kate Markgraf and U.S. Soccer announcing that she’ll depart her role at the end of the month. It’s clear from the survey results that most of you won’t mind that decision, with 73.8% of the respondents (1,945 for this question) voting that she should not remain as the head of the women’s national team program.
Markgraf’s departure is just another piece of the turnover across the federation’s sporting side. Crocker was hired earlier this year, following the departure of Earnie Stewart, but USMNT general manager Brian McBride also left the program. It should allow Crocker to design the sporting side in his vision, but one problem that this survey might reveal is that many of you have some questions about his ability to lead.
Now, we didn’t give folks the opportunity to write-in why that might be, but considering the number of strays USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter picked up in the final write-in question on the survey, there’s definitely some influence from the end result of the coaching search on the men’s side that appears to be carrying over.
Next up: the biggest problem for the USWNT right now — and while this was a write-in, there were three clear threads that you all agreed on: development, coaching and tactics. Many of you simply picked one of those three options and wrote it in as a single word. Injuries also got plenty of nods, but the big three came through time and time again, no matter if it was a single word or a whole paragraph of thoughts.
Many of you also focused on the idea of the team’s identity. Here’s a sample of some comments from this question:
“No team identity in how they play. No structure, no system.”
“Playing style vs. identity. Who are they trying to be on the field vs. who they truly are.”
“They’re rudderless.”
And there were the big-picture thinkers, too. One person wrote, “U.S. Soccer/infrastructure. It isn’t a talent issue.” Another: “Fractured youth landscape.”
But maybe this one sums it up best: “Oof. I think the biggest problem is that there isn’t one thing.”
When it comes to leadership voices you want in the mix, regardless of roles, of the 945 write-ins we received, the ‘99ers and other former players absolutely led the way. We’ve seen their influence start to grow within the NWSL, especially across the ownership ranks of teams like Angel City FC and Bay FC, but it’s clear that there’s some real trust there on their voices at every level of the game. Brandi Chastain was the most common name across the board, but Julie Foudy and Mia Hamm also got numerous name-checks. Of the more recent generation of players, everyone from Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan, Becky Sauerbrunn, Tobin Heath and so on earned at least 25+ write-ins, but Carli Lloyd proved another popular pick. Lloyd had a number of people specifically saying she should not be a former player in the mix, however, unlike most others.
In terms of coaches, Laura Harvey got the most write-ins here with over 70, followed by former USWNT head coach Jill Ellis with over 60.
Back to Carli Lloyd for a moment. Her comments on the USWNT turned out to be one of the biggest storylines of the tournament, for better or worse, and the team pushed back on them during the tournament itself. Over 2,000 of you voted on this one, and it was a close vote — but 55.3% decided that they did not agree with her assessment.
On the matter of U.S. players needing to play their club soccer abroad to better challenge themselves, it seems like the public sentiment is turning here — a majority of you think that they should be looking overseas. USWNT captain Lindsey Horan is staying in Lyon, and midfielder/forward Catarina Macario made the move to Chelsea, alongside forward Mia Fishel with her transfer from Tigres.
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The competition for top talent is only going to get more heated, but in reality, this won’t be a one-size-fits-all approach for the U.S. talent pool.
Onto the NWSL — and yes, there’s some concern here about the league following this World Cup. It’s more than just the USWNT exiting in the round of 16 that should be ringing some alarm bells: other NWSL-heavy national teams like Brazil and Canada also underperformed in this tournament. Germany crashing out in the group stage helps prove that it’s not just about a single league or a single root cause, but 69.1% of you think that the NWSL should be considering its global standing moving forward.
And if the NWSL should be worried, there’s even more concern about the state of the youth national teams.
As a reminder, here’s what I wrote about the U-17s and the U-20s following the 0-0 draw between the USWNT and Portugal in the group stage:
The last time the U-20s won their World Cup was in 2012. Over the next three tournaments, their final placement got worse with each successive tournament: fourth place in Papua New Guinea in 2016 (losing to Japan), ninth in France 2018, 11th in Costa Rica 2022. The last two times, the U.S. failed to advance from their group.
It’s even rougher for the U-17s. Their best performance in the World Cup was in the inaugural one for the age group, in 2008 — held in New Zealand. The U-17s finished second there, but failed to advance from their group in 2016 and 2018 (finishing 10th and 13th place, respectively), and in the most recent U-17 World Cup, they lost to Nigeria in the quarterfinal for a sixth place finish.
Finally, the big one: has the U.S. fallen behind other nations when it comes to the performance of the women’s program? A slim majority voted yes.
Is it as clear-cut as a yes/no question on a survey? No, probably not. But this is a clear reflection of some of the nervousness surrounding the USWNT right now, whether that’s the performance of the team, the coaching, the tactics, or the pathway of development. As we’ve been saying for a while, there’s a lot on the table when it comes to fallout and fixes, and with England and Spain making the final, there are some easy comparisons to be made.
And finally, we let you have the mic for any final thoughts, and most of you used it as a chance to push back on some of the yes/no nature of the questions, especially the last one.“The rest of the world is catching up AND the U.S. has fallen behind — it can be two things,” read one answer. On the same theme: “The rest of the world catching up is a good thing for the sport as a whole, and to me, that is much more important than the USWNT’s failure.” Another pushed back that this should even be considered a failure on that level: “USWNT dominated the world for 20 years. That’s DONE. Quit obsessing about it! This is NOT a failure. The women’s game is now just like the men’s — anyone can win. Good! This is sport.”
There were a number of comments here about youth development, particularly the pay-to-play model. “The system needs more openness,” one person wrote.
And some expressed frustrations with the lack of communication at this time from the federation. For instance: “Tired of the federation being invisible when the going gets tough… Crocker and (Cindy) Parlow Cone (U.S. Soccer president) should be doing a media tour right now talking about the ‘next stage’ for both the men’s and women’s program. Instead crickets.” As someone who wrote about the vacuum of information, timelines and process right now, I agree. And some of you left us with new questions to ponder. “The performances from 2011-2019 were the (outstanding) aberration here. The USWNT performed as expected this World Cup, and a loss in penalties is heartbreakingly normal for elite teams. The real question is: what took so long for the rest of the world (i.e. England, Spain), whose soccer institutions for men far out-date ours, to catch up to a country who mainstreamed soccer in the 1990s?”Over 2,000 votes later, we’re not any closer to knowing most of the true answers to these big-picture questions around the USWNT and the program as a whole, but the survey was revealing in showing how supporters and fans are thinking about the team in this moment, a few weeks out from the loss to Sweden.
(Photo: Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images)
Meg Linehan is a senior writer for The Athletic who covers the U.S. women’s national team, the National Women’s Soccer League and more. She also hosts the weekly podcast “Full Time with Meg Linehan.” Follow Meg on Twitter @itsmeglinehan
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Lindsey Horan held off tears when talking about teammate Julie Ertz. (Photo by Brad Smith/Getty Images).
Megan Rapinoe addressing the media at the 2019 World Cup. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
Rapinoe celebrates after scoring at the 2021 Summer Olympics. (Photo by Jack Gruber/USA TODAY Sports)
Kyle Bonagura, ESPN Staff WriterSep 12, 2023, 11:25 PM ET
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Lens’ head coach Franck Haise giving instructions this season (Francois Lo Presti/AFP via Getty Images)
Elye Wahi is presented to Lens fans earlier this season (Francois Lo Presti/AFP via Getty Images)
Ismael Saibari earlier this season (Maurice van Steen/ANP/AFP via Getty Images)
Youssef En-Nesyri scores against Manchester City in the Super Cup (Photo: Milos Bicanski via Getty Images)
Martino and Messi embrace after winning Leagues Cup on August 19. (Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports)
Sancho has struggled to reproduce his Dortmund form for United (Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Mac Allister has joined on a five-year deal (Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
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Jeff Carlisle, U.S. soccer correspondentSep 9, 2023, 10:00 PM ET
Arena took over the U.S. in 1998. (JORGE SILVA/AFP via Getty Images)
Arena and Beckham at MLS Cup 2009 (Harry How/Getty Images)
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Germany were heavily defeated in Wolfsburg on Saturday (Photo: Getty Images)
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Jude Bellingham (Maja Hitij/Getty Images)
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Lund, right, in action for new club Palermo (Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Ciancaphoto Studio/Getty Images)
The Ole BallCoach 