The US Men get a golden chance to face the toughest teams they will face other than in Copa American this summer when they face Germany Saturday afternoon at 3 pm on TNT and again Tuesday night at 7 pm vs Ghana on TNT. For the US a chance to see how our inform group of European players can compete against a Germany team who needs to win with new manager Nagelsmann in charge.
Shane’s Starters for Saturday
US Roster for Germany & Ghana Games
GOALKEEPERS (2): Ethan Horvath (Nottingham Forest/ENG; 9/0), Matt Turner (Nottingham Forest/ENG; 33/0)
DEFENDERS (8): Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic/SCO; 12/0),Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 28/2), DeJuan Jones (New England Revolution; 7/0), Kristoffer Lund (Palermo/ITA; 2/0), Tim Ream (Fulham/ENG; 52/1), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG; 12/1), Miles Robinson (Atlanta United; 26/3), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 6/0)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Johnny Cardoso (Internacional/BRA; 7/0), Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo/ESP; 17/0), Lennard Maloney (Heidenheim/GER; 0/0), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 46/11), Yunus Musah (AC Milan/ITA; 29/0), Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund/GER; 20/4), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 6/0)
FORWARDS (6): Brenden Aaronson (Union Berlin/GER; 34/8), Folarin Balogun (Monaco/FRA; 4/2), Kevin Paredes (Wolfsburg/GER; 1/0), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 18/9), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan/ITA; 62/26), Tim Weah (Juventus/ITA; 33/5)
Indy 11 Wrap Up Season Sat @ San Antonio & former GK Jordan Farr on WNDY TV
Indy Eleven scored a pair of second half goals to come from behind and defeat FC Tulsa, 2-1, on the road Saturday evening. The win improved the Boys in Blue to 13-11-9 on the season, while Tulsa fell to 9-15-9 and was officially eliminated from playoff contention. Next up, The Boys in Blue close out the regular season at San Antonio on Oct. 14. Kick is slated for 8:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. CT and will air locally on WNDY and on ESPN+. Indy has already clinched a USL Championship playoff spot, its third since joining the league in 2018.
CHS Girls are at Brownsburg Thursday night with the Regional Finals Sat night at Carmel’s Murray Stadium. The #1 Ranked CHS Boys defeated Pike in OT 1-1 (PK 4-1) in OT @ Pike. They play Sat afternoon at Murray Stadium. Head on out to watch some good play.
UEFA European Championship TV schedule
The European Championship TV schedule highlights games throughout qualifying, too. With so many teams fighting for qualification, games happen in bunches during the international breaks, even though most nations only play two or three times during those breaks.
- Thursday, October 12
- 12:00 PM ETLatvia vs. Armenia (UEFA Euro Qualifying)
- FOX Soccer Plus,
- Fubo
- 02:30 PM ETCroatia vs. Turkey (UEFA Euro Qualifying)
- FS2,
- Fubo,
- DirecTV Stream
- 02:30 PM ETAlbania vs. Czech Republic (UEFA Euro Qualifying)
- FOX Soccer Plus,
- Fubo
- 02:45 PM ETSpain vs. Scotland (UEFA Euro Qualifying)
- 02:45 PM ETCyprus vs. Norway (UEFA Euro Qualifying)
- 02:45 PM ETFaroe Islands vs. Poland (UEFA Euro Qualifying)
- 02:45 PM ETAndorra vs. Kosovo (UEFA Euro Qualifying)
- 02:45 PM ETBelarus vs. Romania (UEFA Euro Qualifying)
- 12:00 PM ETLatvia vs. Armenia (UEFA Euro Qualifying)
- Friday, October 13
- 02:30 PM ET Netherlands vs. France (UEFA Euro Qualifying)
- FS2,
- 02:45 PM ETRepublic of Ireland vs. Greece (UEFA Euro Qualifying)
- 02:45 PM ETAustria vs. Belarus (UEFA Euro Qualifying)
- 02:45 PM ETIceland vs. Luxembourg (UEFA Euro Qualifying)
- 02:45 PM ETLiechtenstein vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina (UEFA Euro Qualifying)
- 02:45 PM ETPortugal vs. Slovakia (UEFA Euro Qualifying)
- 02:30 PM ET Netherlands vs. France (UEFA Euro Qualifying)
- Saturday, October 14
- 09:00 AM ET North Macedonia vs. Ukraine (UEFA Euro Qualifying)
- FS2,
- 12:00 PM ET Slovenia vs. Finland (UEFA Euro Qualifying)
- FS2,
- 02:30 PM ET Hungary vs. Serbia (UEFA Euro Qualifying)
- FS2,
- 02:45 PM ET Italy vs. Malta (UEFA Euro Qualifying)
- 09:00 AM ET North Macedonia vs. Ukraine (UEFA Euro Qualifying)
- 3 pm TNT USA vs Germany
-
- Sunday, October 15
- SUNDAY OCT 16
- 09:00 AM ET Georgia vs. Cyprus (UEFA Euro Qualifying)
- FS2,
- 12:00 PM ET Switzerland vs. Belarus (UEFA Euro Qualifying)
- FS2,
- 02:45 PM ETTurkey vs. Latvia (UEFA Euro Qualifying)
- 02:45 PM ETWales vs. Croatia (UEFA Euro Qualifying)
- 02:45 PM ETPoland vs. Moldova (UEFA Euro Qualifying)
- 02:45 PM ETKosovo vs. Israel (UEFA Euro Qualifying)
- 02:45 PM ETRomania vs. Andorra (UEFA Euro Qualifying)
- 09:00 AM ET Georgia vs. Cyprus (UEFA Euro Qualifying)
- Monday, October 16
- 12:00 PM ET Azerbaijan vs. Austria (UEFA Euro Qualifying)
- FS2,
- 02:30 PM ET Greece vs. Netherlands (UEFA Euro Qualifying)
- FS2,
- 02:45 PM ETGibraltar vs. Republic of Ireland (UEFA Euro Qualifying)
- 02:45 PM ETBelgium vs. Sweden (UEFA Euro Qualifying)
- 02:45 PM ETBosnia and Herzegovina vs. Portugal (UEFA Euro Qualifying)
- 02:45 PM ET Iceland vs. Liechtenstein (UEFA Euro Qualifying)
- 12:00 PM ET Azerbaijan vs. Austria (UEFA Euro Qualifying)
- Tuesday, October 17
- 02:45 PM ET Lithuania vs. Hungary (UEFA Euro Qualifying)
- 02:45 PM ET Malta vs. Ukraine (UEFA Euro Qualifying)
- 02:45 PM ET Northern Ireland vs. Slovenia (UEFA Euro Qualifying)
- 02:45 PM ET San Marino vs. Denmark (UEFA Euro Qualifying)
- 02:45 PM ET England vs. Italy (UEFA Euro Qualifying)
- FS1,
- 8:30 pm USA vs Ghana TNT, PEacock
USA
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Pulisic, Scally, and Balogun lead big weekend for Yanks in Europe
Thoughts on Mitrovic’s first U-23 roster as the team starts Olympic preparations Olympic team news
This could be awkward: Reyna, Berhalter to reunite
USWNT to face China in December friendlies
EUROS
Who has qualified for EURO 2024?
Spain can test De la Fuente project against Scotland
Euro 2028: Michael O’Neill ‘has one eye’ on developing young squad for tournament
Paraguay restart under new coach, but can they succeed against Messi’s Argentina? im Vickery
Blatter: ‘Absurd’ to host World Cup in 6 nations Reuters
WORLD
‘An absolute baller’: Soccer world reacts to Hazard’s retirement
Tom Brady’s soccer team hires Wayne Rooney as manager
Wayne Rooney appointed new Birmingham boss and teams up with ex-England team-mate
MLS
Why Wayne Rooney’s exit from D.C. United is a wake-up call for the club Jeff Carlisle
MLS Power Rankings: Crew find form as Red Bulls eye late playoff push Ryan Rosenblatt
Power Rankings Going into Decision Day
Report: Lionel Messi will not go on loan from Inter Miami this winter
‘Messi Meets America’ docuseries shows in-depth look at his move to Miami
No magical ending: Messi can’t save Miami Armchair Analyst: Matt Doyle What the 2023 MLS season meant for Inter Miami CF Which Frontrunners Might Slip up in the Playoffs What now? One big question for teams out of Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs
Reffing
Referees are blocking live Var in stadiums and on TV despite FA call for transparency
Premier League: Referees’ chief Howard Webb says ‘steps taken’ to avoid repeat of Luis Diaz VAR error
Michael Oliver was wrong not to show Mateo Kovacic a red card, admits referees chief Howard Webb
Goalkeeping
Gio Reyna returns to the USMNT for big October games vs. Germany and Ghana
It’s the first time Reyna is available to play for Gregg Berhalter since the post-World Cup scandal that rocked not just those men, but their families. Brenden Aaronson also is on the squad.
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Update: On Oct. 9, Malik Tillman had to withdraw because of an injury. Alejandro Zendejas replaced him.
The U.S. men’s soccer team has played 14 games since departing the World Cup last December. Some of them have been exhibitions; some of them have been official. Some have had the big-name stars; some have had prospects. But none has really mattered all that much.Now that changes, and it will stay changed. The countdown to the 2026 World Cup, which the U.S. will co-host with Canada and Mexico, officially began Thursday when manager Gregg Berhalter named his squad for marquee friendlies this month against Germany and Ghana.The biggest headline is Gio Reyna’s inclusion for the first time since Berhalter returned to the job last month. Although Reyna took part in U.S. teams earlier this year, this is the first time he’ll be available to play for Berhalter since the post-World Cup scandal that rocked not just those two men, but their families.
erhalter said he and Reyna met over Zoom a few weeks ago to clear the air.“The conversation was positive,” he said, though he didn’t offer much detail. “There is a difference between a Zoom call and being in person, but I think that both intentions are positive. And the idea is that, you know, we work together for the team to be successful. And I think we’re both prepared to do that.”Berhalter further said that “although it may take some time, we’re both aligned with what we want to accomplish.”Though Reyna will command the spotlight, the questions directed at him won’t just be about Berhalter. Reyna, 20, hasn’t played all season for his club team, Germany’s Borussia Dortmund because of the latest in a series of annoying injuries. He’s been on the bench for Dortmund’s last four games amid hints that he’d get on the field, but he did not.“How many minutes can we give him on the field, that he can build up in a safe way, and then go back to Dortmund and really propel him to make a big impact for his club?” Berhalter said. “We’re going to be creative with the minutes — we want to certainly get him on the field.”
» READ MORE: Medford’s Brenden Aaronson is enjoying his new home with Union Berlin
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Who’s in and who’s out
As for local representation, Medford’s Brenden Aaronson and Hershey’s Christian Pulisic made the cut, but Bear, Del.’s Mark McKenzie and Media’s Auston Trusty did not. Berhalter noted that McKenzie had a broken toe that cost him four games for his club, Belgium’s Genk, before a return to action Thursday.But even if he was healthy, he might not have made this squad. Cameron Carter-Vickers’ return from a nearly-two-month injury absence allowed him to join a quartet with Chris Richards, Tim Ream, and Miles Robinson that might just be the top of the depth chart. McKenzie, Walker Zimmerman (who likely will visit the Union with Nashville SC on Saturday), Trusty, and veteran John Brooks are in the next “You have four guys that could easily make the case to be on the roster that aren’t on it, and that’s just the depth of our player pool right now,” Berhalter said.The biggest absences overall are midfielder and captain Tyler Adams, who’s got a hamstring injury; and Antonee “Jedi” Robinson, who’s dealing with a groin injury that’s threatening to become a sports hernia.“He got injections before the last national team break, and he’s still struggling with that a little bit, and we want to get ahead of it,” Berhalter said. “I think this was an opportunity where he needs to cool this down because he does have inflammation in that area, and he’s in some pain.”
» READ MORE: Expect the 2026 World Cup schedule to be announced by the end of the year, FIFA says
True tests on deck
Berhalter’s first games back in charge of the program were last month, but a booked-up global calendar left the team only able to schedule relative lightweights Uzbekistan and Oman. Germany’s visit was set a long time ago, and drew headlines as soon as it was announced. The same with Ghana, a longtime nemesis of the Americans at past World Cups and a fine sparring partner anytime.It so happens that Germany and the U.S. are in similar boats right now because Germany is co-hosting next year’s European Championship. So it has room in its calendar that its star-studded continental brethren do not. Die Mannschaft, as the program is nicknamed, will play the Americans on Oct. 14 in East Hartford, Conn. (3 p.m., TNT, Telemundo 62, Universo, Peacock), then travel south to Philadelphia to face Mexico at Lincoln Financial Field on Oct. 17 (broadcast TBD).Ghana will travel the other way: a meeting with Mexico on Oct. 13 in Charlotte, N.C. (broadcast TBD), then to Nashville to face the U.S. on Oct. 17 (8:30 p.m., TNT, Universo, Peacock).Germany has a local tie: Its new manager, Julian Nagelsmann, is a former protégé of Union sporting director Ernst Tanner. Thirteen years ago, Tanner brought Nagelsmann into the coaching world at TSG Hoffenheim. Nagelsmann, now 36 (and still quite young by coaching standards), has since led Hoffenheim, RB Lepizig, and Germany’s biggest team of all, Bayern Munich.
» READ MORE: Spain, Portugal, and Morocco to host 2030 men’s World Cup
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The U.S. team’s next games (and Mexico’s) will be against lesser opponents, but with huge stakes: a home-and-away quarterfinal series in the Concacaf Nations League next month that will double as qualifying for next year’s Copa América. The U.S. is guest-hosting another special expanded version of South America’s continental championship, with that region’s 10 teams plus six from this one. But because the U.S. is a guest host of someone else’s event, it has to qualify.The quarterfinal opponent will be known after a quick group stage featuring lesser Concacaf teams finishes this month. Though the quarterfinal losers get a second chance in subsequent playoffs, the Americans won’t want to suffer that embarrassment.
USMNT roster vs. Germany and Ghana
Goalkeepers (2): Ethan Horvath (Nottingham Forest, England), Matt Turner (Nottingham Forest, England)
Defenders (8): Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic, Scotland),Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven, Netherlands), DeJuan Jones (New England Revolution), Kristoffer Lund (Palermo, Italy), Tim Ream (Fulham, England), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace, England), Miles Robinson (Atlanta United), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach, Germany)
Midfielders (7): Johnny Cardoso (Internacional, Brazil), Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo, Spain), Lennard Maloney (Heidenheim, Germany), Weston McKennie (Juventus, Italy), Yunus Musah (AC Milan, Italy), Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund, Germany), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven, Netherlads)
FORWARDS (6): Brenden Aaronson (Union Berlin, Germany), Folarin Balogun (AS Monaco, France), Kevin Paredes (Wolfsburg, Germany), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven, Netherlands), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan, Italy), Tim Weah (Juventus, Italy)
» READ MORE: The U.S. men’s futsal team brings the world’s version of indoor soccer to Downingtow
United States have ‘most respect’ for struggling Germany
- Jeff Carlisle, U.S. soccer correspondentOct 9, 2023, 04:56 PM ET
Crystal Palace and United States defender Chris Richards said that the Americans retain the utmost respect for Germany ahead of Saturday’s friendly, despite the Euro 2024 hosts’ recent struggles.Germany has a record of 2-4-1 so far in 2023, with a recent 2-1 friendly victory over France ending a run of three straight losses — including a 4-1 humbling at the hands of Japan. That last defeat cost manager Hansi Flick his job, with Julian Nagelsmann taking his place.ichards, who spent parts of four seasons with Bayern Munich and on loan at TSG Hoffenheim said Germany’s talent requires the U.S. to believe that the four-time World Cup champions will bring their best on Saturday.I think regardless of recent results, we have the most respect for Germany and I don’t think anybody looks at the schedule and sees Germany and thinks it’s going to be an easy win,” Richards said on a conference call with reporters. “I think regardless of what team Germany puts out there, regardless of what’s going on in the background, we know they’re going to field a strong team.”And having played in Germany for four-ish years, you kind of tend to learn the German mentality and they’re all work, no play. So we expect a game like that this weekend and really looking forward to winning.”The match amounts to a rare test for the U.S. against European opposition. The last time the U.S. played a European side with at least most of its first-choice roster was in May of 2021, when the Americans lost 2-1 to Switzerland.With the U.S. co-hosting the 2026 World Cup with Canada and Mexico, there will be no qualification process to go through. Therefore, it will be important for Gregg Berhalter’s team to get the most out Saturday’s match, as well as a second friendly three days later against Ghana in Nashville, Tennessee.”I think us as a national team, we try not to focus too much on the opponents, but focus on ourselves and getting better leading up to the World Cup,” Richards said. “So we’re really going to use this game to just continue to grow and to continue to push forward.”U.S. assistant coach B.J. Callaghan confirmed that PSV Eindhoven attacker Malik Tillman will miss both matches due to an unspecified injury he picked up in last weekend’s 4-0 win over Sparta Rotterdam, a match in which he scored PSV’s opener.”It’s an unfortunate injury for Malik,” Callaghan said. “He’s been in really good form somebody that we’re looking forward to having in and we certainly wish him a speedy recovery.”
Gio Reyna’s USMNT return raises questions for Berhalter
Jeff Carlisle, U.S. soccer correspondentOct 5, 2023, 03:07 PM ET
he rapprochement between U.S. men’s national team manager Gregg Berhalter and talented attacker Gio Reyna has finally taken place.
Now what?
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Reyna is included in the latest U.S. roster, which was announced on Thursday for games against Germany on Oct. 14 and Ghana three days later. The matches will mark Reyna’s first action with the USMNT since fracturing his right leg in the Concacaf Nations League final against Canada last June.More critically, Reyna and Berhalter will be working together for the first time since the 2022 World Cup, when tensions between the pair led to the families of both men being engulfed by a very public feud.There are still plenty of questions about what the future holds for Reyna at international level. Foremost among these is the extent to which Reyna and Berhalter’s relationship is really mended.There was a roughly eight-month period in which the two didn’t talk following a maelstrom of incidents that stemmed from Reyna’s limited playing time at the 2022 World Cup. Berhalter afterward contributed to the subsequent outing of Reyna’s poor attitude, and in response Reyna’s family told U.S. Soccer officials about a decades-old domestic violence incident involving Berhalter.
Suffice it to say, there was considerable healing that needed to take place.
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On a conference call with reporters after Thursday’s roster announcement, Berhalter confirmed that the first step took place “weeks ago” with the two conversing over a Zoom call. He didn’t provide much in the way of details beyond that, except for saying that he and Reyna are in a “good spot” and that it was a “positive conversation.”
Berhalter did acknowledge that the process of mending the relationship is ongoing.
“I think it will take time,” Berhalter said. “It is a difference between a Zoom call and being in person. But I think that both intentions are positive, and the idea is that we work together for the team to be successful, and I think we’re both prepared to do that.”
Time will reveal the extent to which that actually happens. There are ups and downs in any coach-player relationship, and what took place over those eight months isn’t just going to wash away.
But the two have to begin somewhere, and the upcoming camp is the place to start. Reyna’s return to the national team camp raises its own set of on-field questions, though.
Reyna hasn’t played for club or country since sustaining the aforementioned right leg fracture. He has been healthy enough to be on the bench for Borussia Dortmund of late, so how much could he see the field for the U.S. team?
Berhalter indicated his approach to using Reyna in the upcoming games will be similar to his handling of Folarin Balogun during the September window. On that occasion, with Balogun working his way back to full fitness following his move to AS Monaco, Berhalter limited the forward to 45-minute stints against Uzbekistan and Oman.
Does Gio Reyna have a USMNT future after Berhalter talks?
Herc Gomez reacts to U.S. soccer sporting director Matt Crocker saying there’s “a way forward” for Gio Reyna and Gregg Berhalter.
Berhalter said on Thursday that his goal is to build up Reyna’s fitness “in a safe way” and send him back to Dortmund in a position to make a greater impact for his club.
“We’re going to be creative with the minutes,” Berhalter said in relation to Reyna. “We want to certainly get him on the field and work through both the Germany game, and seeing what position he plays. And then in the Ghana game, same thing, seeing how we can get him in different positions throughout the camp on the field.”
Where Reyna is deployed may just be the biggest question of all. During the 2022 cycle, Reyna played almost exclusively on the wing. But against better teams, the U.S. has struggled to create chances on a consistent basis and, in response, Berhalter could look at putting the creative Reyna in a position to get on the ball more.
At the 2022 World Cup — in which Reyna played a mere 52 minutes due in part to disciplinary issues — the USMNT’s xG, or expected goals, per 90 minutes of actual playing time (which includes stoppage time) was 0.91. That xG, which measures chance creation, ranked 22nd in the tournament among all 32 teams, and 12th out of the 16 teams that reached the knockout stages. Yes, that’s a small sample size, but it still points to how the U.S. could use more creativity.
One possible solution was on display last June, when the USMNT, under interim manager B.J. Callaghan, trotted out a 4-2-3-1 with Reyna in a central attacking role. Against World Cup qualifiers Mexico and Canada, the U.S. attack looked much more fluid and the attack also benefited from Reyna handling set piece duties.
STREAM FUTBOL AMERICAS ON ESPN+
Herculez Gomez and Sebastian Salazar debate the biggest storylines and break down the best highlights that soccer in the Americas has to offer. Stream on ESPN+ (U.S. only)Berhalter didn’t rule out Reyna reprising that central attacking role, but he didn’t completely commit to it either.”In terms of Gio, we see him being able to play three positions: center midfielder, attacking midfielder and winger,” Berhalter said. “And we use wingers in different ways. Sometimes the wingers are wide against the line, and sometimes they’re in between the lines, and we see him as more of an in-between-the-lines winger.”The continued absence of defensive midfielder Tyler Adams due to a hamstring injury means the U.S. manager has some other questions about his midfield to solve. Does he play with a single holding midfielder or resort to a double pivot? But in the past, Berhalter has lauded how the midfield trio of Adams, Yunus Musah and Weston McKennie played togeter, hinting that he would continue with that group if all were healthy.During the Nations League, Callaghan noted that Reyna’s ability to defend is an area where the U.S. coaching staff have asked for improvement, and the 20-year-old responded well to that challenge. If that continues to be the case, the benefits of playing Reyna centrally seem to outweigh his defensive shortcomings, especially if he has two out of Musah, McKennie and (hopefully) Adams playing behind him. It seems the time has arrived to gather more data about Reyna’s ability to operate in that midfield role.Either way, the games against Germany and Ghana will certainly provide a stern test to see if the U.S. attack — as well as Berhalter and Reyna — can move forward.
Gregg Berhalter reveals ‘positive conversation’ with Gio Reyna ahead of USMNT reunion
By Paul Tenorioct 5, 2023
U.S. men’s national team coach Gregg Berhalter said he and Gio Reyna spoke over Zoom “weeks ago” and called it a “positive conversation” ahead of Reyna’s return to the U.S. team from injury — and his first camp since Berhalter was re-hired.
It will be the first time the manager and player have been together since controversy unfolded after the World Cup. The issues began with Reyna’s behavior at the tournament in Qatar and Berhalter alluding to those problems during comments at a leadership conference, albeit without mentioning Reyna by name. That eventually led to Reyna’s parents, U.S. Soccer veterans Claudio and Danielle Reyna, providing information to then-U.S. Soccer sporting director Earnie Stewart about an incident 30 years ago in which Berhalter kicked his then-girlfriend, now-wife when they were freshmen at the University of North Carolina. That prompted an investigation into Berhalter that stretched for months. Berhalter was cleared for employment at U.S. Soccer in March and eventually re-hired as manager of the national team in June.
How did we get here? A timeline of the Berhalter and Reyna family’s rift
“First of all, the conversation was a positive conversation,” Berhalter said. “Appreciative of him taking time and being able to connect and really, for us, it’s about aligning on how we’re moving forward. And I think we did that. The exact contents of the conversation I’m gonna leave private, but we’re in a good spot to prepare for this camp and to really, in my opinion, treating this very similar to how we did with (Folarin Balogun) in last camp, is build him up, build his minutes up so that he goes back to Dortmund in a better place and using him on the field in a way that he can return to Dortmund ready to go. So that’s going to be important for this camp.”
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Berhalter coached his first camp back in the job last month in friendlies against Uzbekistan and Oman, but Reyna was out with a hairline fracture in his right leg that he suffered in the CONCACAF Nations League final on June 18. Reyna still has not played for club or country since suffering that injury, however he has been on the bench for Borussia Dortmund.
While he reiterated multiple times that the conversation was positive, Berhalter acknowledged that it “will take time” to mend the relationship.
“There’s a difference between a Zoom call and being in person, but I think that both intentions are positive,” Berhalter said. “And the idea is that we work together for the team to be successful. And I think we’re both prepared to do that. So I think that although it may take some time, we’re both aligned with what we want to accomplish.”
Considering the fact that Reyna has not played any minutes since June, Berhalter reiterated that this camp will be used to find him minutes and “build up in a safe way (so that he can) go back to Dortmund and really propel him to make a big impact for his club.”
The question is what position Reyna plays, though the roster announcement may have hinted at the plans. In the previous cycle, Reyna played as a winger in Berhalter’s 4-3-3 system. He slid inside to a No. 10 role under interim managers Anthony Hudson and B.J. Callaghan, and looked comfortable in that spot. He was listed as a midfielder in this latest roster announcement.
Reyna returns to USMNT roster for friendlies
Berhalter said Reyna is capable of playing as, “a midfielder, attacking midfield and winger” and that he can be used in any of those spots with the U.S.
“We’re going to be creative with the minutes we want to certainly get him on the field and work through both the Germany game and seeing what position he plays and then in the Ghana game, same thing, seeing how we can get him in different positions throughout the camp on the field.”
(Photo: ANP via Getty Images)Paul Tenorio is a senior writer for The Athletic who covers soccer. He has previously written for the Washington Post, the Orlando Sentinel, FourFourTwo, ESPN and MLSsoccer.com. Follow Paul on Twitter @PaulTenorio
Tim Ream, the USMNT defender who is relatable, resilient and a rock for Fulham
By Peter RutzlerOct 10, 2023
In their Premier League years, Fulham have welcomed American representation. From the first in Marcus Hahnemann in 1999 to the exploits of Brian McBride and Clint Dempsey in the Mohamed Al Fayed years, there has been a USMNT connection.Tim Ream stands among the modern greats. The Missouri nativemade his 300th appearance for the club on Saturday, a milestone nine seasons in the making. After taking time to at last celebrate his birthday — he was 36 last week — he will link up with the USMNT for international fixtures, having left the door open for the home World Cup in 2026.You would not bet against him, after becoming a cult hero at Craven Cottage. Ream is the first player to make 300 appearances for the club since Simon Morgan 26 years ago. Morgan played for the club in the 1990s, adapting and thriving to play for the club across difficult years and then kept his place as the team rose through the leagues.Ream typically plays the numbers down. “It’s a great personal achievement but it’s all for nothing if you don’t come away with a good result,” he said after the 3-1 win over Sheffield United. “It just tells me that I’ve been here for a very long time. And still able to play at a good level.”
Ream represented the U.S. at last year’s World Cup (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
This is a milestone that reflects his journey, and the connection he has with Fulham.Ream has spoken about how a player wants to make a mark when they sign for a new club, without necessarily thinking about time or accumulating appearances. The central defender has not always been a first choice but that has not changed his character and that sticks with supporters. He has enjoyed standout moments — the two play-off finals, a Championship title under Marco Silva and then his Premier League rejuvenation.But other things resonate, too. Like his time spent with then 13-year-old Rhys Porter, the supporter with cerebral palsy who raised more than £10,000 ($12,200) for the charity Scope after suffering online abuse. Or moments like on Saturday afternoon when, as opponent Chris Basham lay on the pitch in pain and most looked away from his leg injury, it was Ream who went over to him, held his hand and, in his own words, just told him it will be OK. “My first thought was to go over there and grab his hand so he didn’t try to get up, didn’t try to look at anything,” he says.There was a perfect symmetry to Ream’s 300th appearance. He made his debut for Fulham against Sheffield United in the EFL Cup in 2015. Fulham were coached by Kit Symons and were in the middle of their rudderless Championship years. Ream struggled to retain his place. Yet, eight years on, only he and club captain Tom Cairney remain on the books.
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“A lot has changed, I’ve changed, he’s changed,” says Ream. “There are guys that come and go and somehow Tom and I are still here. It says a lot that we could adapt to different styles and coaches.”
There is something relatable about Ream’s resilience over his time at Fulham too, a story of proving people wrong. It conveys respect and he has done it repeatedly. After the appointment of Slavisa Jokanovic in December 2015, the new coach told him that he had no future. “You can take it one of two ways,” Ream told the Fulham Fix podcast.
“You can move on and run away, or you can face up and make it a challenge. Jokanovic made it a challenge for me. To his credit, after that next pre-season, he stopped me in the airport after the tour and told me that I’m not going anywhere, that I’ll have an impact.”
The same mentality has applied on the international stage. He earned 26 caps between 2010 to 2017, before spending time outside of the squad after the failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. He returned in 2019 but then, during World Cup qualifying, he was omitted once more. Last year, his relentless consistency meant that USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter was left with no choice but to select him for Qatar.
Ream has needed to adapt. For his club, he has served five different managers and partnered more than 20 central defenders. Now, he is admired and respected as a Premier League centre-back, one whose virtues in possession were not properly sung before. With Fulham, he has ridden the waves of Symons and Jokanovic, of Claudio Ranieri and Scott Parker, and has found his best form under Silva. There have been ups and downs but the reality of a footballer is that some coaches and styles fit better.“That’s exactly it,” he says. “There are managers where you think, ‘I’m playing but not enjoying it’, or, ‘I’m playing but not being put in positions of strength’. When you have the flip side of the coin and you get to play for a manager, in Marco, who wants to play a certain style and you fit that style, you want to keep it.”
At 36, he is still fighting to evolve and that leaves an imprint.
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“I overanalyse the mistakes more than I would have in the past,” he says. “Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing, I’ll let everyone else be the judge. It bugs the hell out of me when I make mistakes. That would be the one thing that has changed — before I could just go, ‘There’s tomorrow’. Now, it is, ‘OK, there is tomorrow, but you still have to learn, to adapt, to do well to continue to play’.”Ream comes across as unassuming and polite. His manager says that he is not a vocal leader, but one who leads by example. But you cannot survive at the top level without drive, an inner steel that sits behind his manager’s praise concerning his professionalism and commitment.Regardless of the path he has ahead, Ream has 300 appearances under his belt, and deserves the love he receives at Fulham. He does not need to prove anything to anyone now.
Lennard Maloney’s USMNT call-up inspired by FC Heidenheim’s unlikely success
By Sebastian Stafford-Bloorct 6, 2023
What a 2023 it has been for Lennard Maloney. On Thursday, the 23-year-old midfield received his first call-up to Gregg Berhalter’s U.S. men’s national team.“Playing for the United States is one of my biggest dreams,” he told AmericanSoccerNow in 2018. “If Germany is possible, I will play for Germany. But somewhere in my heart, I want to play for the United States. I don’t know what it is. It’s just there.”So, an ambition has been realised, but this is just the latest highpoint in a six months full of peaks.Back in June, he was part of FC Heidenheim’s miracle promotion to the German Bundesliga. Since this season began, he has also been ever-present in a team manfully punching above its weight.Heidenheim is just a speck on the map. It is a town deep in south Germany, just north of Munich, that is home to 50,000 people. Its football team is no bigger. They play in a stadium that holds 15,000 and were playing at the fourth level of German football just 15 years ago. To emphasise just how far out of their weight class they currently are, Maloney is actually the first player in club history to be called up to a senior international squad.But this has been a season of firsts. They have never played in the Bundesliga before, but have taken to it well and have begun to bruise some egos. At the beginning of September, Maloney and Heidenheim mounted a stirring comeback against Borussia Dortmund, retrieving a 2-2 draw in the Westfalenstadion. Victory over Werder Bremen followed two weeks later and, most recently, FCH beat Union Berlin 1-0, in a defiant performance against a team who are playing in this season’s Champions League. Union had the better of the chances at Voith Arena, but Maloney was arguably Heidenheim’s best player, as they survived heavy pressure and a siege of crosses.
Maloney’s part in that characterised both who he is as a player and the spirit with which he plays. Nominally a midfielder, he has the build, temperament and awareness to play deeper. As Union attacked the penalty box, he operated as an extra centre-back, dropping into Heidenheim’s defensive line to win header upon header, and help to block up whatever space appeared. The victory was their second of the season and it took them above Werder Bremen, above Borussia Monchengladbach and level on points with Eintracht Frankfurt. It is territory that Heidenheim should not even be in.Maloney has had a circuitous journey to reach this point. He was born in Berlin, to a German mother and a U.S. Air Force veteran father, and joined Union Berlin’s academy when he was 13. He moved to Borussia Dortmund in 2020 but, despite making a Bundesliga appearance — as a substitute for Mats Hummels in the late autumn of 2021 — he would spend those two years with the club’s u23 side, who play in the 3.Liga, Germany’s third tier. Then, in 2022, he joined Heidenheim on a free transfer.Promotion would follow immediately and in scarcely believable fashion. Heidenheim scored a 100th-minute goal in their final game of the 2022-23 season to leapfrog Hamburg and win the 2.Bundesliga. At full time, goalkeeper Kevin Muller held his infant son in his arms and wept. Frank Schmidt, who has coached the team since 2007 and is the longest serving manager in German football history, led a wild and uninhibited celebration as the rest of Germany looked on, rubbing its eyes in disbelief. Almost immediately — universally and not without good cause — they were written off. They would enjoy their time in the top flight, everyone wrote and predicted, but would be no match for the teams within it.That has so far not been the case – and that is the context in which to place Maloney. As a younger player, he was described in progressive terms — as a defensive player who could carry the ball forward and use it well. But he is no artisan at Heidenheim. He is an underdog and a fighter — a fortifying player for whatever needs to be toughened. He does not provide much of an attacking contribution, but that is not his job. Nor will it be why Berhalter has selected him. Instead, he will have watched Maloney function as part of a deep-lying side who defend in numbers, who play quickly and directly up the pitch, and who are developing a reputation for being far harder to beat than they logically should be.Berhalter is seeking players who may be able to fill the shoes of the injured Tyler Adams, who is known for his world-class defensive actions if not for his attacking contributions. Adams, who captained the U.S. in Qatar, did not miss a qualifier in the last World Cup cycle and was considered maybe the most irreplaceable player in the squad, but a hamstring has sidelined him for some time now and a recent setback looks set to keep him out longer.“It gives us an opportunity to have a Plan B when and if Tyler isn’t available,” Berhalter said Thursday.The depth chart behind Adams is hardly set in stone. The only natural No. 6 is 22-year-old Johnny Cardoso, who starts for Internacional in Brazil. Berhalter has deputized Celta de Vigo midfielder Luca de la Torre in the role, but he is more comfortable further up the field. On Thursday, Berhalter acknowledged he may drop Yunus Musah into the deeper No. 6 spot, a role he has played recently at AC Milan, and insert an attacking midfielder like Gio Reyna or Malik Tillman as a more traditional No. 10. But Maloney now gives him another option. Berhalter mentioned that Maloney has the most distance covered in the Bundesliga as a central midfielder, but its the way he embodies Heidenheim’s fight that stuck out.Distilling Maloney’s individual virtues from that team identity is difficult. But that is precisely the point. He is what they need him to be, regardless of what his broader capabilities are. He is a ball-winner and stealer, and a formidable opponent in the air. A brick in their wall.“What really attracted the staff to him is how he plays the game with really a lot of emotion, with a lot of passion,” Berhalter said. “You see him clapping for his teammates, you see him going into tackles, a really committed player, really team-orientated player, and we’re excited to have him into camp and see what he can do.”
USMNT captain Tyler Adams could face surgery on hamstring injury
By Ben Burrows Oct 6, 2023
Bournemouth and USMNT midfielder Tyler Adams could be set for surgery on a hamstring injury.The 24-year-old only made his debut for the Premier League side late last month following his summer move from Leeds United.A hamstring injury had kept him sidelined since March before he came on for his first appearance from the bench against Stoke City in the Carabao Cup on September 27.However, he missed the Premier League game with Arsenal on Saturday with the fear he will now be absent for an extended period with surgery a possibility.The USMNT are next in action against Germany and Ghana later this month and also have a two-legged CONCACAF Nations League quarter-final in November.“Tyler, we don’t expect him soon again with us,” Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola said on Friday. “I think the medical staff are analysing the situation. They are asking different specialists to take the best route we have.“We still haven’t decided. But whatever the solution he takes or we take, we don’t expect him soon on the pitch. It’s the same hamstring.“He’s not feeling well. He played some minutes because he wanted to give it a try, but he didn’t have good sensations. Now, we stop because something is not going well.“Because you’ve done all the previous things, so you should be ready to perform now and things are not going well. We have to think of another solution yet. I think even surgery is not out of the question.“It’s a possibility because we have to make sure that once we have him, we have him without any issue. 100 per cent. And I think they are analysing everything now. We have to take a decision.”Bournemouth return to action on Saturday when they face Everton in the Premier League.
Here’s how Andoni Iraola will use Tyler Adams in the Premier League
U.S. will need to start considering long-term plans without Adams
Analysis from senior soccer writer Paul Tenorio
Losing Tyler Adams is obviously a huge blow for the U.S., which does not have a natural No. 6 behind him on the depth chart capable of anywhere near the sort of contributions that the Bournemouth midfielder brings.U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter prefers the trio of Adams, Weston McKennie and Yunus Musah in midfield, but this now opens up the potential for more change in midfield.Berhalter could start Musah as a deeper midfielder and slide Gio Reyna into the starting lineup as a No. 10, but Reyna has also been out for an extended period of time and has yet to play in the Bundesliga this season for Dortmund. Tanner Tessmann and Luca de la Torre are also options to start in midfield, or Malik Tillman could start in an advanced role.Either way, the U.S. will have to start thinking of long-term plans without Adams as they prepare for the 2024 Copa America and 2026 World Cup.(Photo: Robin Jones – AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images)
Leon Goretzka and Thomas Tuchel question Germany friendlies against USMNT and Mexico
By Sebastian Stafford-Bloor Oct 9, 2023
Germany midfielder Leon Goretzka and his Bayern Munich head coach Thomas Tuchel have criticised the decision for their national side to play international friendlies in North America just days before returning to Bundesliga action.Julian Nagelsmann will take charge of his first games as the Germany men’s national team coach during the upcoming international break and while his appointment promises an upswing in form, the scheduling is controversial in light of concerns about football’s schedule and the risks of player burnout.
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The game against the USMNT will take place in Connecticut on Saturday at 9pm European time (8pm BST, 3pm ET). Nagelsmann’s Germany will then face Mexico in Philadelphia the following Wednesday at 2am European time (1am BST, Tuesday 8pm ET) two days before the Bundesliga is set to resume when Borussia Dortmund play Werder Bremen on Friday evening.Dortmund trio Mats Hummels, Niklas Sule, and Niclas Fullkrug have all been selected by Nagelsmann and all three will likely be involved in that fixture, less than 48 hours after Germany’s return home.The heaviest criticism, though, has come from Bayern, with Tuchel questioning the Deutscher Fussball Bund’s (DFB, German FA) wisdom in scheduling a trip, with Germany preparing for a home European Championship next summer.“I don’t know if I’d be interested in playing against Mexico in America before a (tournament) in Germany,” Tuchel said. “I don’t know if anyone can explain this in a way that I can understand. I don’t know who decided it, but it has been decided.
“There is a difference between a busy schedule and everything away from home and in different time zones. This is at the end of the endurance. No coach in the world at this level will say otherwise.”
Plans for the trip were first reported on in January 2023, in the aftermath of Germany’s group stage elimination from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The two games were then confirmed in July 2023. During that time, Germany have won just two of their seven games, a run which led to the dismissal of Hansi Flick, who was the first manager to be sacked in the DFB’s history.
While Nagelsmann’s arrival marks the beginning of a new era, however, the negativity surrounding these upcoming games has continued. Following his head coach’s lead, Bayern midfielder Goretzka was similarly critical.
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“It’s not optimal in terms of travel and, above all, I personally find it extremely unfortunate that the second game is at 2 a.m. German time. I can’t really understand that,” he told DAZN.
“As players, we are in a situation where we do what we are told. Of course, we can be critical, but at the end of the day, we are there to perform and accept it in the best possible way.”
Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann admitted he would likely have been similarly critical of the tour if he was still in club management, but called on his team to “deal with it in a positive way”.
“From the club coaches’ point of view, since we don’t need to lie around, it’s normal to be critical of the tour,” Nagelsmann said. “I would probably have the same opinion if I was still at the club. It’s a longer flight, but the boys know the stress. Our staff will be determined to ensure that the players come back as fit and healthy as possible. All of us are responsible for the team playing the best football for Germany. So we should use the time we have and deal with it in a positive way.”
Nagelsmann is a coup for Germany but Klopp still looms large
(Photo: Getty Images)
World Cup 2026 host cities: Where things stand with all 11 in the U.S.
Melanie Anzidei Oct 6, 2023
It was a curious pairing that raised some eyebrows: FIFA president Gianni Infantino rubbing shoulders with Jerry Jones, the powerful owner of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, on a Sunday afternoon inside AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.Infantino had been invited by the Texas billionaire to watch his team take on the New York Jets, and it resulted in a rare sighting of the FIFA head in the United States, where 11 cities are preparing to host the World Cup in 2026.It was also a precursor to something more widespread: an operational planning tour to those host cities. The tour was split over two periods, with the first kicking off on Sept. 20 and lasting nine days, during which time a FIFA delegation of “operational experts” visited Miami, Houston, Kansas City, Boston, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia and Toronto. The second leg will begin next month in Dallas, reaching the remaining host cities, and conclude in Vancouver, Canada, by early November, FIFA has said.After initially communicating to local organizers that they should anticipate a September reveal for the sites of the opening match, the final, and other key dates, sources now expect an announcement by FIFA no later than year’s end.The schedule is likely a necessary first step for local organizers, who currently face an impossible task: preparing for the largest World Cup ever, while not knowing how many or which games they’ll be hosting.The 2026 final, which will be played on July 19, remains up for grabs, with several reports alluding to Dallas and New York/New Jersey as favorites to secure the coveted match. Meanwhile in Los Angeles, once a top contender for the final, is apparently at risk of its entire hosting agreement going up in flames.In the interim, here’s a summary on the 11 U.S. host cities and where things may stand with each.Capacity and stadium notes from FIFA.
New York / New Jersey
Stadium: MetLife Stadium
Capacity: 82,500
Previous World Cups: 1994, 1999
New Jersey is no stranger to hosting World Cups.
The small town of East Rutherford, N.J., where MetLife Stadium sits, has welcomed football greats like Pele and Diego Maradona, and was once the home of the New York Cosmos. It hosted games in 1994 and 1999 at the old Giants Stadium, which was demolished in 2010. MetLife was built on an adjacent lot that same year and has since been the site of some major games, like the Copa America Centenario final in 2016, when Lionel Messi infamously quit his national team after falling to Chile in penalties for a second year in a row.
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This past summer, the stadium broke its attendance record for a soccer match with 82,262 fans at a Manchester United vs. Arsenal friendly in July. There’s support for soccer at the state government level: New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and his wife Tammy are longtime part-owners of the NWSL’s Gotham FC.The region has long been expected to be a top contender to host the final given its proximity to New York City and its stadium, which has the third-largest capacity of all 16 venues bookmarked for 2026.
AT&T Stadium is reportedly a candidate to host the final (Omar Vega/Getty Images)
Dallas
Stadium: AT&T Stadium
Capacity: 94,000
Previous World Cups: 1994
Dallas has one thing that no other host city can offer – the largest capacity for games.
AT&T Stadium has a capacity of 80,000, but can expand to host an estimated 105,000 spectators. This has set the stage for record-setting crowds since it opened in 2009. That year, the stadium set an NFL attendance record with 105,121 fans. In 2010, the venue set an NBA record for the largest All-Star Game attendance with a crowd of 108,713.
Jerry Jones and the Cowboys are planning an estimated $350 million in upgrades over the next several years – a price tag that includes, among other things, converting the world’s largest center-hung HDTV video board to 4K.
Dallas hosted six World Cup games in 1994, but that was at the Cotton Bowl in Fair Park. AT&T Stadium has hosted soccer, though, including some Gold Cup games this past summer.
SoFi Stadium’s status could be in jeopardy (Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Los Angeles
Stadium: So-Fi Stadium
Capacity: 70,000
Previous World Cups: 1994, 1999, 2003
Los Angeles has long been the popular choice for FIFA when it comes to marquee World Cup games in the United States. The iconic Rose Bowl stadium, which seats upwards of 92,000 fans, was the site of the 1994 and 1999 World Cup finals.
In 2026, matches will be played at SoFi Stadium, which opened in September 2020, making it the newest of all the World Cup venues. However, tensions have risen between FIFA and the Kroenke family (the stadium’s owners), over terms of the agreement to be a host venue as recently as September.
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Multiple sources familiar with the discussions have told The Athletic KSE is unhappy with the terms of the deal with respect to how revenue will be shared between FIFA, the cities and the stadiums. Meanwhile, Los Angeles has already been a key fixture of 2026, with FIFA using the City of Angels as the backdrop for the brand reveal for host cities this past May.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium draws big crowds for Atlanta United and other soccer events (Alex Slitz/Getty Images for Premier League)
Atlanta
Stadium: Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Capacity: 75,000
Previous World Cups: 0
He may be biased, but Atlanta mayor Andre Dickens calls his city “the capital of soccer in this nation.” That was after U.S. Soccer announced last month plans to build a national training facility and HQ in the Atlanta area funded in part by a $50 million donation from Atlanta United owner Arthur Blank.
The city’s downtown has several major development projects underway as the 2026 World Cup approaches, with local news organizations describing the boom as the largest concentrated investment in Atlanta’s history. The largest project in that wave is closest to Mercedes-Benz Stadium, called Centennial Yards, and will feature a “mini-city” of hotels, offices, retail and apartments across 50 acres, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has reported.
NRG Stadium hosting Manchester United (Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)
Houston
Stadium: NRG Stadium
Capacity: 72,220
Previous World Cups: 0
Houston has become a regular site for international soccer matches, including a friendly between Real Madrid and Manchester United in July and three CONCACAF Gold Cup matches just weeks before that. NRG Stadium was also host to Copa America Centenario games in 2016 and has hosted two Super Bowls in 2004 and 2017.
In December, Houston’s host city committee sent representatives to the World Cup in Qatar, where they took part in an observation program. The goal was to learn more about the operational demands of organizing a World Cup.
Houston is one of the largest cities in America by population – larger than nearby Dallas by about one million. That population is also a diverse one with an appetite for soccer. Census data as of July 1, 2022, estimates the Houston area is 22.6% Black, 6.8% Asian, 44.5% Hispanic or Latino and 24.1% White (alone, not Hispanic or Latino). About 10.8% of the population identified as two or more races. The city’s diverse population has prompted the city to invest in international games, fueling a vibrant soccer culture, organizers said. It’s also why their focus now is on what happens after the World Cup is over.
Seattle Sounders have called Lumen Field home since joining MLS (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Seattle
Stadium: Lumen Field
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Capacity: 69,000
Previous World Cups: 0
Seattle welcomed fans to a Copa America Centenario match in 2016 and has long had one of the most well-attended and vibrant games in MLS when the Seattle Sounders play at Lumen Field.
The city has been particularly transparent about its actions in preparing for the 2026 World Cup. City officials have posted their agreement with FIFA online, shedding a small light onto the usually obscure negotiations between the governing body and host cities. The city’s organizing committee this week also appointed Lisa Chin as its Chief Legacy Officer –a position that, so far, no other host city has invested in.
When the hire was announced, Chin compared the World Cup’s arrival in Seattle to the historic World’s Fair in 1962. The iconic Space Needle was built in the Seattle Center for the fair and has since become a symbol synonymous with the city. Seattle hopes to replicate a similar impact in 2026 – partly by investing in programs like the RAVE Foundation’s “26 by 2026” initiative, which aims to build 26 fields by 2026 in areas where access to free play may be limited.
Hard Rock Stadium has hosted many soccer events (Angel Martinez/Real Madrid via Getty Images)
Miami
Stadium: Hard Rock Stadium
Capacity: 65,000
Previous World Cups: 0
Lionel Messi sent shock waves through the international soccer world when he announced plans to play for Inter Miami in MLS, but it was just the latest in a trend that has seen Miami become a hotbed for global soccer.
The Argentine Football Federation (AFA) is preparing to build its own Miami training facility as it targets a major U.S. expansion. FIFA also has its eyes set on South Florida; the sport’s global governing body had already begun filling its newest U.S. outpost in Coral Gables, near Miami, in preparations for World Cup 2026. Jobs have been posted on LinkedIn at the new location. Then, news broke that FIFA would be relocating more than 100 jobs to Florida from Zurich, mostly its legal department.
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It’s clear that Miami will be a significant stop for FIFA operations in 2026, despite not having the stadium capacity for a final match. The city has bid for the World Cup International Broadcast Center, Media Center and FanFest, according to the Miami Herald.
“The Linc” hosted the Premier League Summer Series in 2023 (Scott Taetsch/Getty Images for Premier League)
Philadelphia
Stadium: Lincoln Financial Field
Capacity: 69,000
Previous World Cups: 2003
Philadelphia only hosted World Cup games in 2003, when the women’s tournament was relocated to the United States from China at the eleventh hour following a SARS outbreak in the original host nation. Philadelphia hosted that year’s opening game between North Korea and Nigeria, as well as several other matches.
The greater Pennsylvania region lays claim to some big soccer names, like Christian Pulisic of the U.S. men’s national team. Hailing from southern New Jersey, Carli Lloyd played her farewell match as a local inside Subaru Park, where the Philadelphia Union plays.
Local organizers say they are aware their infrastructure is limited compared to larger cities like New Jersey and New York or even Dallas. That’s why, they said, they’ve been working closely with their host city neighbors along the East Coast corridor to ensure a seamless transition of fans between games.
Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Ca. (Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
San Francisco / Bay Area
Stadium: Levi’s Stadium
Capacity: 71,000
Previous World Cups: 1994, 1999
The Bay Area will have a very busy 2026 as Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara will host World Cup games and a Super Bowl that same year. The San Francisco 49ers, who call that venue home, are planning to borrow $120 million from the NFL’s stadium fund to upgrade seating and scoreboards ahead of the World Cup games.
The Bay Area has a rich soccer culture and is currently preparing the launch of Bay FC, an NWSL expansion team slated to begin play in 2024. During the World Cups in 2023 and 2024, city officials organized a World Cup Village in San Francisco’s downtown to host public screenings of tournament matches. The event, according to officials, drew more than 12,000 spectators for the men’s tournament in 2022.
Watch parties and activities, like fan festivals, are common in host cities while games are going on. During the 2023 women’s tournament, watch parties in Australia and New Zealand attracted standing-room-only crowds inside FIFA-designated spaces.
Gillette Stadium was built adjacent to old Foxboro Stadium (Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports)
Boston
Stadium: Gillette Stadium
Capacity: 65,000
Previous World Cups: 1994, 1999, 2003
Boston is one of two cities – Los Angeles being the other – that has hosted World Cup games each time the tournament has been played on U.S. soil. The now-demolished Foxboro Stadium was the last place Diego Maradona scored a World Cup goal, and the venue where he was infamously walked off the pitch hand-in-hand with a nurse before failing a drug test.
Though most of the focus has been on 2026, there remains an active bid by U.S. Soccer to host the 2027 women’s tournament jointly with Mexico. A successful run-up to 2026 could be enough to convince FIFA to continue investing in the North American game in places like Boston.
Arrowhead last hosted international soccer in a 2015 Mexico vs. Paraguay friendly (Omar Vega/LatinContent via Getty Images)
Kansas City
Stadium: Arrowhead Stadium
Capacity: 73,000
Previous World Cups: 0
The foundation for soccer in Kansas City is solid. Sporting Kansas City was one of the founding clubs of Major League Soccer and has invested hundreds of millions of dollars into the local soccer scene since. On the women’s side, the Kansas City Current has pushed the envelope on what a professional women’s club can do. Last year, the franchise opened an $18 million training facility. Next year, they plan to open a $120 million riverfront stadium where the team will play – calling it the first sports stadium in the world dedicated solely to a women’s professional sports team.
The city is also known for its loyal – and loud – fandom. Arrowhead Stadium, where World Cup games will be played, is believed to be one of the loudest stadiums in the entire world.
NWSL seeking new media rights deal: What the league should expect
By Meg Linehanct 3, 202352
The NWSL is at a crossroads. The league’s three-year media rights deal with CBS wraps up at the end of the year, and commissioner Jessica Berman expects a new deal to be in place by the end of 2023 season.
The stakes of that next deal are significant. Get it right, and the league gets a cash influx, greater connection with fans, and a resulting boost in team valuations and expansion fees. Get it wrong, and not only could games be more inaccessible than they are now, but the NWSL will continue to lag behind other leagues in building a solid financial foundation.
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There are lots of questions to address. What’s a fair valuation for the NWSL to expect, especially when we’ve seen MLS and U.S. Soccer command large fees? Should the league prioritize the financials over exposure, or the other way around? What’s the long-term play here?
With the clock winding down on the league’s self-imposed deadline, here’s what we know so far about the decisions the NWSL and its board of governors will have to make in selecting the right media partner (or partners), and what the league’s history of media deals and the overall landscape could indicate.
What we know
Potential rightsholders
CBS, the NWSL’s current English-language partner in the U.S., had an exclusive negotiation period with the league that ended in January, according to NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman. The NWSL has not shared any other rights-holders they may be engaged with.
Sportico reported on Wednesday that ESPN is in the mix for the next deal for the “bulk” of games, with the network’s linear channels and ESPN+ streaming platform as options for distribution, plus the potential of carve-outs for another streaming or linear partner. Sportico didn’t have an estimate of a potential valuation for ESPN or the combination with another broadcast partner, but expected that “the league will likely secure at least 10x its CBS deal,” which would mean at least $15 million a season.
A deal by the end of the season
Earlier this month Berman said the goal was to “be in a position to finalize our media deal in conjunction with the playoffs and the conclusion of our season.” The hope is that viewership numbers spike again for the NWSL Championship — maybe cracking one million for the first time — which would be the league’s best shot to advertise how to watch next season’s games.
Endeavor is involved
Berman and the NWSL front office are working with Endeavor (and subsidiary IMG), which distributes the league’s global media rights. Endeavor is a major player in the sports world — the company has partnerships with the NFL and NHL, owns the professional bullriding league and is the majority owner of WWE and UFC under TKO Group Holdings.
Endeavor also signed a deal earlier this year to become the NWSL’s data and streaming provider, which includes running the streaming platform for the league’s international viewers on the NWSL website.
Media industry issues impacting talks
Before the Challenge Cup final, Berman answered a question about how the current state of the media industry could impact the deal
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“It is a tough time for the media industry, it’s extremely fragmented, and there’s cost-cutting measures happening in almost every media property,” Berman said. “That being said, although that dynamic exists and we’re certainly aware of it, we feel really proud of how far we’ve come in the negotiations and we expect to have a great deal that isn’t really inhibited by those external factors.”
Players could benefit
The league’s collective bargaining agreement with the NWSL Players Association says that, if the league becomes profitable for the final three years of the CBA’s term, 10% of any media rights deals will go to player compensation (detailed more thoroughly in section 8.13). That’s a big “if” right now, but it remains a solid win for the PA from a long-term perspective.
Current numbers
The league has shared some viewership metrics updates throughout the year with the public, but they don’t reveal anything about the actual quantity of regular viewership. The latest one of these came in June, stating that “regular season viewers on CBS have increased 21 percent, total unique viewers on Paramount+ has increased more than 50 percent.”
Without the full context, it’s hard to know if this will be enough to truly vault the NWSL into a more financially lucrative media rights deal moving forward.
Full Time: NWSL playoff race pandemonium
NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman (Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports)
What the NWSL should expect
There’s no true standard for a men’s or women’s sports media rights deal — each is structured differently. The split between linear and streaming broadcasts, which entity covers production costs, editorial support, ad sales…all these and more are up for negotiation.
John Kosner, president of Kosner Media, and Ed Desser, president of Desser Media, are two industry veterans — both worked on the review of the NCAA’s media and sponsorship rights as part of the overall gender equity review of women’s college basketball. They spoke with The Athletic about what, in their view, the NWSL can expect from its next deal.
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“You have to be a property that can generate, on average, a million people watching a broadcast if you want to be a true rights-fee sport,” Kosner said. “The traditional big-time deal that everybody wants would be a rights fee, with the (media) entity paying for production. For a variety of reasons having nothing to do with the NWSL, there are fewer and fewer of those to go around now.”
Right now, he said, there’s likely no network that considers the NWSL a “need to have,” but closer to a “nice to have,” and that’s entirely related to its audience size.
There is the reality, too, of a media ecosystem that has historically undervalued women’s sports.
“This traditional model relies on spreadsheets, and there’s circular logic in these spreadsheets right now,” said Colie Edison, the WNBA’s chief growth officer. She presented a hypothetical: a potential TV partner says they won’t give a women’s sports league broadcast windows because the league lacks advertisers. The advertisers won’t partner with the league without broadcast windows. Buyers tell the league that without the advertisers, they don’t get the windows. The cycle can be hard to escape (the good news here for the NWSL is that Ally has been a brand partner willing to step in on the league’s behalf with networks).
“We have to break the mold and introduce a new way to value women’s sports,” Edison continued. “That means pulling on levers around non-traditional aspects, such as who our audiences are, the diversity of our women who are playing, the strong stances they take on social justice, the community activism within our diverse audience spaces. That’s just a little bit of how we need to flip this narrative.”
In addition to the potential path the WNBA offers, there’s another sports property that could offer the NWSL a growth model according to Kosner: Formula 1.
When Liberty Media purchased F1 in 2017, the sport wasn’t pulling in a ton of U.S. viewers on a regular basis, and ESPN showed races without a traditional rights fee in their deal in 2018. However, Liberty was able to leverage the success of Netflix’s “Drive to Survive” series to increase viewership. When ESPN re-upped last year, they signed a three-year term that is worth $75-90 million annually.
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F1 and the NWSL aren’t a one-to-one comparison by any stretch, but there is certainly a lesson there — namely, that building an audience in creative ways might mean a bigger payday the next time the NWSL shops around.
“I would argue that the dollar number is less important,” Desser said. “I mean, it’s easy for me to say that getting money isn’t important to your business — of course it is.”
For Desser though, the NWSL is still in its infancy, and just putting games on TV doesn’t guarantee viewers.
“It’s a multi-pronged effort,” he said. “Just getting the shelf space alone doesn’t get it done.”
A cameraperson at an OL Reign game in 2019 (Joseph Weiser/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The history of NWSL media rights deals
The NWSL’s current $4.5 million deal with CBS was signed ahead of the pandemic (and extended an extra year after COVID-19 upended the season). The league has lost money on this deal because it bears the costs of production for matches.
The league simultaneously signed an agreement with Twitch for their international rights, though that deal ended as originally scheduled following the 2022 season. Both deals were negotiated with the help of sports marketing behemoth Octagon, via a partnership agreement that included media rights consulting and marketing strategy before the league started working with Endeavor.
The CBS deal calls for six games to air on the main linear channel, including the Challenge Cup final and the championship game in primetime. CBS Sports Network airs another 23, including the playoffs, but CBSSN isn’t Nielsen-rated. By 2019, it was available in about 50 million households, but that number has likely decreased since then following a greater trend of cord-cutting. The rest of the matches are on the CBS-owned Paramount+ streaming service, though some also air on CBS’s Golazo network, which is free to watch online.
With the conclusion of the Twitch deal, the league put together some smaller deals with Tigo Sports for free-to-watch Spanish language broadcasts, TSN for distribution of the league in Canada, and DAZN for “non-exclusive broadcasting rights” for some international markets including the UK, Brazil and Spain. In 2023, Endeavor has run free streams for international viewers on the league’s website.
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History will likely judge the Twitch partnership to be a bust, especially when the platform stopped promoting the league on its homepage.
CBS has had its pros and cons, but overall has felt underwhelming. If not for league sponsor Ally stepping in to force the issue, the NWSL never would have swung a primetime slot for the Championship. CBS has collected plenty of soccer rights, and they have built out some programming around the league (such as Attacking Third), but the NWSL has never been its marquee property by any stretch.
Before CBS, the NWSL had only managed a short-term deal with ESPN for the back half of its 2019 season. The league needed that short-term deal after ending its partnership with A+E, which included an equity stake, a year early (disclosure: I worked for A&E and the NWSL’s joint media venture during this partnership).
Before that partnership, which ran from 2017 to 2019, the NWSL had one-year agreements since the inaugural season of the league in 2013, either with FOX Sports or ESPN.
ESPN’s deal for the WNBA comes in addition to a deal with Ion Network (David Becker/NBAE via Getty Images)
The sports landscape
The MLS deal with Apple is huge ($2.5 billion, for 10 years), but it should not set expectations for the NWSL.
“It gave (MLS) an opportunity to leapfrog on revenues,” Desser said. “But they had to trade off exposure in the process.” Both experts said the NWSL still has to do the opposite in the interest of its long-term trajectory.
The NWSL could look to the WNBA as a benchmark, though Desser notes that “it’s been a long, hard road” for that league. Only after over 25 years has it reached a level where it’s “accepted in the pantheon of significant properties,” as Desser said.
Earlier this year, the WNBA signed a multi-year deal to air games on Ion Network for $13 million a year. Ratings have been up for the WNBA across the ESPN/ABC platforms, but Ion Network allows the league to build appointment viewership with its fans — and it will help the WNBA be in a stronger position to negotiate with ESPN when their current deal ends after the 2025 season.
“We understand that cable models are breaking down from declining subscribers,” Edison said about the Ion deal. “We took a bold move to go back to an over-the-air model with Ion. We’re in over 110 million homes on the fifth-largest network in the country. We’re seeing those numbers in viewership prove the point that you must reach your audience and your fans where they are.”
There are other women’s sports properties currently looking to upgrade or start their media rights deals, too, from the LPGA to the PWHL, the new women’s hockey league. Across the board though, the theme is that women’s sports viewers can be left frustrated by cost-cutting measures.
And above all of this? The NFL still rules all.
“Budgets are shrinking,” Desser said. “You’re trying to get a bigger drink of water out of a slowing flow. This is the reality, and this is at a time when the NFL just got a 40% raise. So talk about taking the water out of the pond.”
The NWSL will have to earn it
Viewership of women’s sports is on the rise across the board. According to Nielsen, the demand is there — the larger challenges are still access and lack of information. “To satisfy this demand, broadcasters need to prioritize women’s sports, make them more discoverable and promote them enthusiastically,” a 2023 report concludes.
“People look at the growth of women’s soccer, the excitement about the World Cup, and say, ‘Okay, it’s just gonna happen now for us.’ Our experience is that’s not the case,” Kosner said. “It doesn’t mean that it can’t be built, that it can’t be successful, but there’s a ton of hard work to do.”
That 915,000 viewer mark for last year’s Championship — up against the World Series and college football, to boot — is a strong data point for the NWSL, but it’s only a single data point. The NWSL does have to make some sort of financial jump in their rights fee, while hopefully keeping the term fairly short so they can go back out to the marketplace again in the next few years with an even stronger audience.
The NWSL is going to have to break through existing biases around women’s sports to show potential partners that there is a waiting, untapped market to watch the NWSL — and that they can be a part of growing that audience.
(Photo: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Spo
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