Sorry folks having computer issues this week – so abbreviated version of the Ole BallCoach on this cold Friday. Of course the US C team with take the field this Saturday 3 pm on TNT vs Slovenia in a friendly. It will be good to see Miles Robinson on the backline as he looks to make a statement he belongs on the squad this summer for Copa. With Ream having lost his starting gig at Fulham the door is open to join probably Chris Richards or Celtic’s Carter Vickers in the middle but we will see. Sands will probably get the nod at the Dmid 6 slot with Tillman and Morris along side. I would be happy to see Miami’s Callender in between the pipes with Moore and Jones on the outside back slots. No idea who starts up front from this mostly MLS squad. I will be interesting to see if our C team can hang with a European squad at home in San Antonio. (see stories below)
Pulisic ties Donovan with his 4th U.S. male POTY award at just 25 years old. This week Pulisic was given his award as Series A’s player of the month for Dec after he scored six goals and recorded five assists to help AC Milan (13-3-4) to third in the standings. Cool stories below about Pulisic, and American keepers Matt Turner & Zach Steffan below along with the story on USWNT star Sam Mewis retiring from soccer. Also interesting to see Reyna is trying to get out of Dortmund in the Jan window – he needs to get playing time somewhere new.
USMNT ROSTER for SAT Game 3 pm on TNT
GOALKEEPERS (3): Drake Callender (Inter Miami), Roman Celentano (FC Cincinnati), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew)
DEFENDERS (10): Nathan Harriel (Philadelphia Union), DeJuan Jones (New England Revolution), Shaq Moore (Nashville SC), Ian Murphy (FC Cincinnati), Jackson Ragen (Seattle Sounders), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), James Sands (New York City FC), Nkosi Tafari (FC Dallas), John Tolkin (New York Red Bulls), Caleb Wiley (Atlanta United)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Joshua Atencio (Seattle Sounders), Aziel Jackson (St. Louis City), Jack McGlynn (Philadelphia Union), Aidan Morris (Columbus Crew), Timmy Tillman (LAFC), Sean Zawadzki (Columbus Crew)
FORWARDS (6): Esmir Bajraktarevic (New England Revolution), Cade Cowell (San Jose Earthquakes), Bernard Kamungo (FC Dallas), Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake), Duncan McGuire (Orlando City), Brian White (Vancouver Whitecaps/CAN)
I will attempt to add the weekly viewing calendar thru next weekend — sometime tomorrow or Sun. Most of the big games this weekend involve American’s and are below. Also this reminder Carmel FC Goalkeepers we are back to training indoors on Thursdays 5 to 6:30 pm at Atletto Fieldhouse at Badger Field come join Coach Carla Baker and I in some training.
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USMNT weekend viewing guide: Appreciate the view
Folarin Balogun and Matt Turner lead the way on network television this weekend.
By jcksnftsn Jan 19, 2024, 10:32am PST
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Unique opportunity sounds like a bad sales pitch or the start to some spam emails, but there really is another rare chance to watch Folarin Balogun in action on network television this weekend. You can also catch Matt Turner over the air, as well as a plethora of the usual streaming options to see some of your favorite USMNT players. Here’s what we are watching this weekend:
Friday
Mainz v Union Berlin – 2:30p on ESPN+
Brenden Aaronson received his first start in over two months last weekend as Union Berlin visited seventh place SC Freiburg and held them to a scoreless draw. The result leaves Union Berlin in fifteenth place heading into this weekends match against sixteenth place Mainz, again on the road. Mainz is just three points behind Berlin so this is a vital six point match in the race to avoid relegation.
Saturday
Arsenal v Crystal Palace – 7:30a on USA Network
Chris Richards and Crystal Palace will have their hands full with Arsenal this weekend. Richards played 90 minutes again last weekend in Palace’s 3-1 win over Brentford to snap an eight match winless streak but midweek the team fell 1-0 to Everton in FA Cup action. They’ll now face an Arsenal side that are in fourth place, just five points back of league leading Liverpool.
Freiburg v Hoffenheim – 9:30a on ESPN+
John Brooks did not appear for Hoffenheim last weekend in the teams 3-0 loss to Bayern Munich. Brooks had started three straight matches for his club heading into the Winter break but was unused in their return. The team is now in eighth place and face a Freiburg side just one points ahead of them in the table.
Koln v Borussia Dortmund – 9:30a on ESPN+
Giovanni Reyna saw just two minutes off the bench last weekend in Borussia Dortmund’s 3-0 win over Darmstadt, though it was enough time to pick up a yellow card. Amidst growing rumors that Reyna will be departing Dortmund, perhaps as soon as this January, it seems like Reyna’s minutes will continue to be limited while he remains with the club.
Heidenheim v Wolfsburg – 9:30a on ESPN+
Lennard Maloney has started every match this season for a Heidenheim side that has ten points from their last four matches and have played themselves into ninth place in the Bundesliga table. Meanwhile, Kevin Paredes is struggling with a thigh injury that kept him out of the squad last weekend for eleventh place Wolfsburg.
Darmstadt v Eintracht Frankfurt – 9:30a on ESPN+
Paxten Aaronson was an unused substitute last weekend and has not appeared in Eintracht Frankfurt’s last four matches. The team currently sits in sixth place heading into their matchup against last place Darmstadt.
Rodez v Monaco – 11:30a on FS2
Folarin Balogun and Monaco will take on second tier Rodez AF on Saturday morning in a rare opportunity for most fans to watch the American forward. The match will be aired on FS2 in America as Balogun looks to break a scoreless drought dating back to late November.
Brentford v Nottingham Forest – 12:30p on NBC
Fans will also have a potential opportunity to watch Matt Turner on broadcast television as Nottingham Forest’s match with Brentford will be aired on NBC. Turner was an unused substitute in Forest’s midweek 3-2 win over Blackpool but he has started his teams last five league matches including two straight wins over Newcastle and Manchester United. The six points have pulled Forest out of the relegation zone and into fifteenth place but a pending Financial Fair Play investigation could see them docked points that will drop them right back into the relegation zone. They face a Brentford side this weekend that currently sit one point behind them in the table.
Udinese v AC Milan – 2:45p on Paramount+
Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah and AC Milan handled AS Roma 3-1 last weekend as Pulisic started the match and went eighty minutes while Musah came on late and helped his side see out the victory. Milan remain in third place, nine points back of league leading Inter Milan, heading into this weekends matchup with 16th place Udinese.
Celta Vigo v Real Sociedad – 3p on ESPN+
Luca de la Torre was a substitute again last weekend as Celta Vigo drew 1-1 with Mallorca but he got the start midweek in Copa del Ray round of sixteen play and picked up an assist and a stunning backheel goal in the clubs 3-1 win over Valencia. It was Luca’s first goal across all competitions this season and his fourth assist. Perhaps the result will get him a boost of confidence or eyed for additional playing time as Celta Vigo look to separate themselves from the relegation pack. Currently the team are just two points out of the relegation zone and they face sixth place Real Sociedad this weekend.
Sunday
Utrecht v PSV – 6:15a on ESPN+
Sergino Dest, Malik Tillman and Ricardo Pepi look to continue PSV’s perfect run through the Eredivisie as they visit Utrecht early Sunday. Dest picked up an assist last weekend in the team’s 3-1 win over Excelsior, Tillman also started and played the first 76’, while Pepi came on for the final 14’ in relief of hat-trick scoring Luuk de Jong to help his side see out the win.
Sheffield United v West Ham United – 9a on USA Network
Auston Trusty hast started 13 straight matches for Sheffield United though the team has just eight points over that period and currently sit bottom of the table with nine points total. They face sixth place West Ham this weekend.
Borussia Monchengladbach v Augsburg – 11:30a on ESPN+
Jordan Pefok returned from injury to see 24 minutes off the bench and pick up a goal in Borussia Monchengladbach’s 3-1 win over third place Stuttgart last weekend. Joe Scally started the match for Gladbach and went the full 90 at right back. Gladbach currently sit in tenth place and face an Augsburg side just two points below them in the table.
Real Betis v Barcelona – 12:30p on ESPN Deportes and ESPN+
Johnny Cardoso is apparently dealing with an ankle injury but did make the bench for Real Betis for the first time last weekend in the teams 1-0 win over Granada though he didn’t see the field. Seventh place Betis will now face Barcelona who are currently in fourth place, eight points behind league leading Girona, and seven back of Real Madrid.
Lecce v Juventus – 2:45p on Paramount+
Weston McKennie missed Juventus’ 3-0 win over Sassuolo on Tuesday as he was serving a yellow card suspension but Timothy Weah came on and played 33 minutes in the second half for the club as they maintained their second place position, two points back of Inter Milan. They will face thirteenth place Lecce this weekend who have just 21 points on the season and though they are currently in thirteenth place they are just four points ahead of Hellas Verona in eighteenth, the final relegation position.
USA vs. Slovenia, 2024 Friendly: What to watch for
We’re back!
By Donald Wine II@blazindw Jan 19, 2024, 7:00am PST Stars and Stripes
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The United States Men’s National Team begin their 2024 slate when they take on Slovenia tomorrow afternoon in San Antonio. The USMNT enter this year with the Concacaf Nations League Finals and 2024 Copa América, while the U-23s will compete in the 2024 Olympics. As this January Camp is comprised of several Olympic-eligible players, the theme has been getting them integrated into the national team system while they compete for a chance to be on the squad that heads to Paris.
January Camp also marks the start of a new year, a fresh reboot for the program as they get ready for another busy 12 months. They take on Slovenia, the 54th ranked team in the world that is bringing squad mostly based in their domestic league. However, Slovenia has been a formidable opponent for the USMNT the other times they have played. The USMNT hope to earn a win to set the tone for the year.
Latest Form
USA
L (1-2) – Trinidad & Tobago – Concacaf Nations League Quarterfinals
W (3-0) – Trinidad & Tobago – Concacaf Nations League Quarterfinals
W (4-0) – Ghana – Friendly
L (1-3) – Germany – Friendly
W (4-0) – Oman – Friendly
Slovenia
W (2-1) – Kazakhstan – Euro 2024 Qualifying
L (1-2) – Denmark – Euro 2024 Qualifying
W (1-0) – Northern Ireland – Euro 2024 Qualifying
W (3-0) – Finland – Euro 2024 Qualifying
W (4-0) – San Marino – Euro 2024 Qualifying
What To Watch For
Set the tone. The team doesn’t need to do everything right, and there will be some nerves. But, they have the task of setting the tone for the year. They should come out with fight and bring the game to Slovenia instead of playing on their heels.
Lead by example. There are some veterans in this camp that have seen action before, like Miles Robinson and Shaq Moore. They both have experience in major tournaments, with Shaq Moore playing in a couple of World Cup matches. They need to lead by example in a match with a group that largely is in their first national team camp.
Don’t try to do too much. For much of this roster, it’s the first chance to leave a lasting impression upon Gregg Berhalter and the rest of the coaching staff. However, while it’s important to stand out, they need to do that while not trying to do too much. They should remember what got them to this point and lean on that training and get into the flow of the match.
Lineup Prediction
The USMNT have a ton of new faces, but we’ll see some familiar ones in the starting XI:
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Drake Callender gets the start in goal, while the back line is DeJuan Jones, Miles Robinson, Ian Murphy, and Shaq Moore. James Sands slots in at defensive midfielder, with Aidan Morris and Timmy Tillman in central midfield.
Diego Luna will operate as an attacking midfielder, with Duncan McGuire and Esmir Bajraktarević starting as the forwards.
Prediction
The USMNT get a late goal to win their first match of 2024 by a 1-0 score.
Revs teenager Bajraktarevic pushing for USMNT debut and Olympic spot
Esmir Bajraktarevic is the youngest player in the current USMNT camp and has featured in the first two U-23 camps in the lead up to the Olympics. ASN’s Brian Sciaretta has spoken with the Wisconsin-born teenager about his camp, the New England Revolution changes, and his future goals.
BY BRIAN SCIARETTAPOSTED
JANUARY 19, 2024 1:05 PM
THE USMNT January camp is often a time to give young players an opportunity and for the program to build depth. But 2024 is an Olympic year and getting young players involved becomes especially important. On the current roster, Esmir Bajraktarevic stands out because he is the team’s youngest player who is not only eligible for the Olympics this summer, but he’s also eligible for the U-20 World Cup in 2025, and the U.S. U-23 Olympic team in 2028 as well.
Bajraktarevic, 18, has been rated highly by U.S. youth coaches for several years. While he did not make the U-20 World Cup team last summer, he was involved with the team throughout the cycle while playing up an age group. He would then go on to thrive with the U.S. U-19 team. In October and November, Bajraktarevic was involved with the first two U-23 Olympic camps playing up a cycle. In the U.S. U-23 team’s first friendly, Bajraktarevic scored a wonderful goal in a 2-1 victory over Mexico.
With U.S. U-23 head coach Marko Mitrovic on Gregg Berhalter’s staff for January camp, it wasn’t surprising to see Bajraktarevic get call-up.
“Everybody kind of looks at that – being the youngest guy,” Bajraktarevic told American Soccer Now from January camp. “But talking to Gregg and Marko, they’ve been telling me this – if you’re good enough, you’re old enough. I try not to really think about my age that much. I still have a lot of growing to do, but I think that I can compete no matter what. It doesn’t matter how young I am.”
But just like the U-23 team, Bajraktarevic is making the most of his chances this camp and last weekend he was one of the goal scorers in a 2-2 friendly draw with River Plate. Naturally a left footer, Bajraktarevic has been playing on the right wing where he can effectively cut centrally. In the goal against River Plate, he got behind the backline with a through-ball and beat the keeper with his right foot.
“Obviously, River plate is a very big club,” Bajraktarevic said. “A lot of great players have come from River Plate. So, I think it was good. And they’re obviously a very physical team. The Argentinian league is like that. I think it was a good test for us. I think it was a really good experience.”
Camp will conclude on Saturday with a friendly against Slovenia and Bajraktarevic will hope to earn his first cap in the game. But overall, the experience has been a positive one for Bajraktarevic.
“It’s been going really well so far,” Bajraktarevic said. “The group is really coming together well. The coaching staff have been doing a really good job guiding me and giving me feedback. It’s been good so far. It’s been good playing around players who are at a high level and everything. It’s been making me better. Obviously, we’re all here, they’re all very good players and they’re all really nice guys.”
But Bajraktarevic has also made a positive impression on his USMNT teammates as well.
“This is the first time I got to meet him and play with him,” said veteran USMNT defender Miles Robinson. “He’s a great player, very dynamic. He likes to get forward. He’s also mature and seems wise beyond his years.”
“I’ve really enjoyed seeing Esmir play up close,” added forward Brian White. “His dribbling is actually really fun to watch. I can see he’s got a really bright future. It’s been awesome watching him up close and personal.”
Following this tournament, Bajraktarevic will join the New England Revolution for preseason. Last season was a tumultuous period for the organization which saw the team never regain its footing after parting ways with head coach Bruce Arena. Last season, Bajraktarevic made 13 appearances and five starts for the Revolution with his highlight coming in a goal against Queretaro in the Leagues Cup. He also made nine appearances for the Revolution II in MLS Next Pro and scored eight goals.
Earlier this month, the Revolution announced Caleb Porter as the new head coach and Porter arrives having won MLS Cup with the Portland Timbers and the Columbus Crew. For Bajraktarevic, he knows that much of his future is predicated on him succeeding in New England.
“I’ve heard a lot of good things about him,” Bajraktarevic said. “He gave me a call a couple weeks ago. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to meet him in person yet because obviously I went straight to camp from off season. But I’m really looking forward to getting back to the club and preseason and I’ve heard a lot of good things about him, especially from players that played at the clubs he used to be at. I’m excited for the next season.”
Of course, internationally, the short-term goal for Bajraktarevic is his push to make the Olympic team this summer. Even with him being eligible for the U-20 World Cup and the following Olympics, Bajraktarevic says he is focused on the short term to “avoid being so overwhelmed.” But the 2024 Olympics remain a distinct possibility given his involvement the first two camps and now January camp.
“Obviously the Olympics are a huge thing,” Bajraktarevic said. “So many people watch it. It’s a big platform. I was very I’m very happy to be a part of that group for the last two camps… I think we can go very far. I think we have a really good group. Obviously, the style, as we can see from the games against Mexico and Japan, Iraq and Morocco, I think it was the four friendlies that we had. You can tell that we like to play a very, very attacking style. We like to play forward. Marko encourages, especially players like me, to be creative and to let loose and play our game.”
“Marko’s a great coach. I like the style that he likes to play with. With the U-23s. I, I really enjoy it. Obviously, kind of coming from the same background – he’s Serbian, I’m Bosnian and so I can kind of understand the mindset and everything that he has. I enjoy playing under him a lot. He’s a great coach, great person.”
For Bajraktarevic, another big question for his international future is whether he will represent the United States or Bosnia and he does have options. In addition to playing for the U.S. U-23, U.S. U-20, and even possibly the USMNT this weekend, he is also on the radar for Bosnia’s U-21 team. Bajraktarevic was born in Appleton, Wisconsin and his parents moved there during amid the Bosnian war and the breakup of Yugoslavia. But his and his family’s ties to Bosnia are strong and he is still uncertain where his future will be.
“I haven’t made my final decision yet on who I want to play for,” Bajraktarevic said. “I’m obviously still young. I want to keep my options open. But right now, I’m just focused on this camp and focused on playing with the U.S right now. But no final decision has been made for who I want to play for.”
For now, Bajraktarevic is playing for the United States and his experiences with the USMNT at this camp and the U.S. U-23 team have been positive. Ahead of Saturday’s game against Slovenia, Berhalter acknowledged that Bajraktarevic has had a very good first camp and was not lost in the moment despite being the youngest player in camp.
“In terms of Esmir, the coaching staff has been really impressed with him,” Berhalter said. “We’re impressed with his skillset. He’s 18 years old, but he’s got a strong mentality, very competitive, very aggressive on the ball, willing to do the work defensively, and had just really coped well with the environment. You would think that a young player, 18 years old, comes in shy and is afraid to impose himself on the field. But it is the exact opposite with Esmir. He’s got a great future ahead of him.”
Christian Pulisic interview: ‘I want to show the world what the U.S. can do’
James Horncastle The Athletic
Jan 15, 2024
Christian Pulisic is perched on a bar stool in the old clubhouse overlooking the first-team training pitch at Milanello, AC Milan’s training ground.
He makes a hand gesture, one he didn’t need the past six months living in Italy to learn. Pulisic is talking about himself as one of the “older guys” on the USMNT and, as he does so, he is sure to put air quotes around it.Nearby is a portrait of Milan legend Paolo Maldini lifting a trophy, a player who retired in his forties. Pulisic isn’t that age yet. He turned 25 shortly after joining Milan from Chelsea in August. But as the United States get ready to host the Copa America as a guest competing nation this summer, the first newly-expanded 32-team Club World Cup the following year and then the biggest men’s World Cup finals yet, with 48 countries taking part, in 2026, he is already beginning to think about his legacy.
“I remember watching World Cups as a kid and watching (Clint) Dempsey scoring goals in the World Cup,” he says, “(Landon) Donovan scoring the winning goal (against Algeria in South Africa in 2010). It’s moments like that, that stick in kids’ minds and can really inspire a generation, which is what those moments did for me.”
Pulisic, though, is hoping to provide some of his own.
There’s a monotone zeal when he speaks. For all the curiosity about his hobbies outside of football, notably golf and chess — the board game with which Italy’s top-flight Serie A, a league renowned for its tactics and strategy, often gets compared — his focus on his own game is unflinching; his self-awareness of his influence acute.
“Watching someone that’s from where you’re from and playing at the highest level and showing the world we can compete and be the best; you know, compete with the best,” he explains. “For me, that’s what it’s all about. If I can inspire kids, especially back home in the U.S. but hopefully all over the world. There’s nothing… there’s no greater prize for me.”
Pulisic recognises he has a platform. He is the most expensive American player of all time. He captained his country for the first time at 20 and was the first American to play in the Champions League final. A decade since he moved to Europe, he has only played for big clubs — Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea and now Milan. This is what, relatively speaking, makes him a veteran in football terms. Through the experience he has accumulated he hopes to emerge as a leader who is authentic to himself.
Pulisic celebrates winning the Champions League with Chelsea, alongside father Mark and mother Kelley in 2021 (Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
Publicly, he lacks the loquaciousness and affability of current national-team skipper Tyler Adams — “I’m not the most vocal person,” Pulisic concedes — but there are other ways to affect a group and a country.
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To Pulisic, that means action as much as words and being an example “in just doing what I do every day”. It means “when I’m with the (national) team, when I’m at club level, I’m just continuing to show people, like, ‘OK, he’s pushing the boundaries. He’s performing to a high level.’ Hopefully, I can lead that way as well.”
The player who, in a meme, was framed as the LeBron James of soccer, is quite the introvert. He is the polar opposite, for instance, of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the transcendent Milan icon, who has returned to Milanello very quickly after his retirement as a player to take up a new role created by Milan’s owners RedBird Capital Partners as an operating partner for the group’s media and entertainment portfolio and as a senior adviser to Milan’s ownership and senior management. How then does Pulisic square his self-effacing character with the expectation his profile and ability generates?
“I’ve had my difficulties with it,” he accepts. “It’s not something that affects my day-to-day life. I think I’m quite a simple guy. I’m not out in public all the time, so it doesn’t affect me. I’m in training every day. I come home and I can relax and speak to the people close to me and the people that I love, so it’s not something that bothers me in any way. It’s just some getting used to and I’m really grateful I have the platform to do what I want to do.”
(Sportinfoto/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
Our interview takes place by the exit of the clubhouse at Milanello, where a member of Milan’s backroom team sits at a desk waiting to catch the players as they leave training to sign jerseys for one of the club’s commercial partners. Pulisic’s shirt instantly became the best seller following his move from Chelsea for €20million (now $21.9m, £17.2m).
There was a 75 per cent increase in the number of Milan jerseys sold compared to a standard equivalent period. In the U.S. the sales uplift was 713 per cent, and Milan shirt sales in the U.S. increased from nine per cent of the total sold to 43 per cent. Personalised Pulisic jerseys represented 45 per cent of all match jerseys sold in his first month with them, according to the club.
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Americans are flocking to San Siro, the iconic stadium Milan share with city rivals Inter, like never before. The number is up 148 per cent on this stage last season.
Pulisic is performing well in Milan (Alessandro Belussi and Pietro Vai)
A commercial phenomenon, Pulisic is helping Milan, and Serie A, build their profiles in North America. The club made sure to sign him in time to participate to make full use of his pull and draw fans to games against Real Madrid at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena and Juventus at MLS side LA Galaxy’s Dignity Health Sports Park.
“I think that’s just a win-win. That’s an extra thing,” Pulisic says of his impact off the pitch. “That’s not what I focus on. I focus on the sporting aspect, performing and winning games.”
The old clubhouse at Milanello, arguably the most bucolic training facility in European football, was, in harder financial times, rented out as a wedding venue. Pulisic and his new team are still in the honeymoon stage. “I’m enjoying it a lot,” he smiles. “I’ve been given a great opportunity here.” That’s all he was looking for after Chelsea, where he became surplus to requirements: “A fair opportunity.”
Did he feel he was no longer getting one at the London club? “I’m not here to talk about whether it was fair or not back then. I’m just happy to be where I am now, for sure. The first couple of years (at Chelsea) were fantastic,” he reflects. Pulisic was a member of their Champions League-winning squad in May 2021. “The last couple of years… I think a lot of things in the club changed. A lot of people also left this summer, got new opportunities and have done well.”
Some of them are now at Milan, too. Pulisic followed Ruben Loftus-Cheek to San Siro and the pair of them have reconnected with former Chelsea team-mates Fikayo Tomori and Olivier Giroud, who had already made the move. “That made it a lot easier,” Pulisic says.
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His debut goal against Bologna in August, a screamer from outside of the box, came from a neat one-two with striker Giroud. “I know a lot of his tendencies, he knows mine. It’s been great to play off him. Things like that are only going to help with the chemistry within the team and get me accustomed to a new team, a new league.”
The same goes for Yunus Musah, the USMNT midfielder, whom Milan signed from Spain’s Valencia in the same transfer window they acquired Pulisic.
Pulisic and Musah at the 2022 World Cup (Marvin Ibo Guengoer – GES Sportfoto/Getty Images)
Musah was born in New York City but raised in Castelfranco Veneto near Venice and speaks fluent Italian. “He’s an incredible kid,” Pulisic beams. “I love playing with him in the national team. It’s great now to see him day-to-day. If I don’t understand something, he’s there to help me out. He’s teaching me a bit of everything. Mostly the footballing stuff I need to know.”
Why Christian Pulisic’s dream move to Chelsea took a turn for the worse
Pulisic’s debut away to Bologna could not have gone better. In addition to scoring himself, he was instrumental to the other goal in a 2-0 Milan win, picking out Tijjani Reijnders at the far post to cut the ball back for a Giroud tap-in. A week later, in his first appearance at San Siro, he scored again. Milan won seven of their first eight games in the league.
Playing in a different position from the one he tends to occupy for the USMNT, Pulisic believes the experience of playing on the right rather than the left has made him a better player.
“I’ve learned a lot, especially playing off the right side. I’ve learned a lot about finding the right times to come inside. I’ve improved with my weaker foot as well and in finding the right solutions, the right times to run in behind, when to show to feet. I’ve really improved tactically about the game in that sense.
“From a defensive point of view as well, I think I’ve improved and I feel good about helping the team defensively whether it’s pressing or covering the right spaces. Some things I’ve definitely seen a change in in coming to Italy.”
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It gives Gregg Berhalter, the USMNT coach and a frequent visitor to Italy this season, a more complete player ahead of the Copa America, where the hosts face group games against Bolivia, Panama and Uruguay.
Pulisic finished 2023 strongly. He is already in double figures for combined goals and assists and is set to have the most prolific campaign of his career.
Before Sunday’s 3-1 home win against Roma, Pulisic was presented with the Serie A Player of the Month award for December. A quiet confidence simmers within.
Celebrating a goal for Milan against Sassuolo last month (Piero Cruciatti/AFP via Getty Images)
Milan are out of this season’s Champions League, finishing third in their group to drop down into the second-tier Europa League’s straight-knockout phase, and were eliminated from the Coppa Italia by Atalanta last week. They are third in Serie A, nine points behind first-placed rivals Inter who beat them four times in 2023, including in both legs of last season’s Champions League semi-final and, infamously, 5-1 in September in Pulisic’s first Derby della Madonnina in the league. But he does not accept Milan are out of the title race. That’s not in his mentality.
“There’s still half a season to go, so that doesn’t seem fair,” he bites back. “We’re still going to push on and do our best. We still have lots to play for. We’re still in the Europa League (they have a two-leg play-off next month against French club Rennes over a place in that competition’s last 16). There are many games left in the league this season, so we’re not at all discouraged by what’s going on. We’re going to continue to push and win games and hopefully make our fans proud.”
Injury-resistant at a club mired in an injury crisis and consistently decisive on the pitch, he has proved some of the Puli-sceptics wrong and hopes to take his form into the Copa America.
Pulisic was still a teenager when he played in the centenary edition of that tournament eight years ago. The U.S., playing then as they will this year as hosts and invited guests in what is the South American championship, made the semi-finals on that occasion before losing to Argentina. Can they do even better this time?
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“There’s no measure to say exactly, ‘If we get this far, that’s success’,” Pulisic muses. “We’re going in with the mentality (of) taking it game by game and, of course, the goal is to win the tournament — always when you go into a tournament — so that’s how we look at things. We have a good young team and this is a great opportunity for us to play against the world’s best and hopefully show the world what we can do.”
To win it, the USMNT will have to get past reigning World Cup and Copa America champions Argentina and their captain Lionel Messi, whose impact since joining MLS club Inter Miami last summer has been electric.
“I can’t say it’s not expected,” Pulisic says. “He (Messi) is, of course, the best to really ever do it. After having the (2022) World Cup he did and then obviously being back in MLS, it’s been fantastic for the league. The buzz around the league, around Miami whenever they play… it seems like a big televised game. Players like that are going to bring in fans, new fans to watch the league, and for me it’s only a positive thing.”
Would it bring Pulisic back to the U.S. in the future? An old head on a 25-year-old’s body still feels he has much more to give Milan before then.
“Obviously, I’m not an old player,” he says. “I hopefully have some great years in Europe ahead of me. I’m loving my time here, so of course MLS is not in my head at the moment. But, yeah. At the end of my career? Absolutely.
“I will say, it’s come a long, long way from when I first started even… almost, what, 10 years (ago) when I moved to Europe. Where the game has come in the US from then, even MLS to where it is now, I’ve seen a massive change just as far as the support in the US; you know, getting behind the national team and even the clubs now seeing Messi in Miami, things like that.
“There’s just so much buzz around the sport and I think it’s only going to get better in the next few years.”
Analysing the USMNT’s Matt Turner: ‘Useless with his feet’ or unfairly maligned?
By Greg O’Keeffe and Jeff Rueter
Jan 9, 2024
85
Matt Turner put his gloved hands on his head, grimaced and, for a moment, stood stock-still as if in a daze.
In the previous six seconds, his underhit pass towards team-mate Danilo had been intercepted by Alejandro Garnacho and then tucked into the corner of the Nottingham Forest net with one swish of Marcus Rashford’s right foot.
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It had not been Turner’s first unconvincing moment when it came to his passing in that game against Manchester United, or the preceding fixtures; something UK broadcaster Sky Sports’ commentary team, the world of social media and perhaps his new head coach noted in different ways.
“Useless with his feet,” was former United and England defender Gary Neville’s brutal assessment on Sky.
Turner, though, is nothing if not resilient. While his error saw United score to make it 1-1 just over a week ago, a subsequent strong save he made was the catalyst for an attack that helped Forest recapture their lead. Like the USMNT international in their goal, Forest did not wilt from there and saw out a 2-1 win in Nuno Espirito Santo’s third game in charge.
It meant they finished a tumultuous 2023 on a high and five points clear of the Premier League’s three relegation places, but the happy ending did not completely dim the noise about Turner’s suitability for a move towards the possession football both his previous and new manager at the club want them to play.
It also ensured the contest between Turner and fellow summer signing Odysseas Vlachodimos to retain Forest’s goalkeeper jersey continues.
Turner and Vlachodimos are competing to be Forest’s first-choice goalkeeper (Nick Potts/PA Images via Getty Images)
But how do the pair match up when it comes to those key metrics? And how has Turner — who has started 15 of Forest’s Premier League games this season, to five for the Greece international — performed in comparison to the rest of the top flight’s goalkeepers?
The first thing to note is that, despite the attention and strong criticism of his recent errors, Turner is not among the worst Premier League goalkeepers this season when ranked on failed passes in their own half per 90 minutes. Indeed, among the players to have appeared in goal for the 20 top-flight sides so far in 2023-24, he is as close to first place as to last — 12th of 24, with his rate of 1.93 matching the league average.
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His fiercest critics may imagine him among the worst offenders, but the top three on that failed pass metric are Chelsea’s Robert Sanchez, Guglielmo Vicario of Tottenham Hotspur and Burnley’s James Trafford. Instead, Turner is nestled around many mid-table teams’ distributive goalkeepers. Vlachodimos, albeit based on a much smaller sample size of only five games, fares better in 24th — playing fewer failed passes in his own half than any other top-flight keeper.
On a separate note, Turner has made four mistakes in possession that have led to opposition shots in the next 12 seconds of play, with those attempts worth 0.62 xG — the eighth-highest among Premier League goalkeepers this season.
It has not helped Turner that his errors have happened in quick succession, drawing more attention to the issue.
While that mistake against United did not ultimately prove too costly, three matches earlier, in the home game against Tottenham, he had also been left looking to the heavens with frustration following his own mishap. In what proved the final game before Steve Cooper was sacked and replaced with Nuno, the American cost his side a goal with another rushed, sloppy pass.
First, Neco Williams over-elaborates in possession and, under pressure, passes back to Turner. The goalkeeper’s hurried clearance is a) short and b) straight to Dejan Kulusevski.
The Spurs forward bears down on goal and, to compound his initial mistake, Turner is then beaten at his near post by the resulting shot.
Vlachodimos certainly fares better in any comparison with the ball at his feet.
But it is Turner’s superior shot-stopping that presumably prompted Cooper and Nuno to select him ahead of the Greek in recent weeks despite those passing errors.
Against Bournemouth on December 23, in Nuno’s first game in charge, Forest — having been reduced to 10 men after defender Willy Boly’s first-half red card — suffered a 3-2 home defeat but none of the goals were the result of a glaring howler from Turner. Nuno then stuck with him for the next game against Newcastle United, and was rewarded with an improved performance that saw Turner complete five of seven attempted saves and record an 80 per cent passing completion in Forest’s 3-1 away win.
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As detailed above, his copybook was mixed in the next victory, over Manchester United, but, unless Forest move to sign another goalkeeper in the currently open winter transfer window, they may look to alter the way they build play from the back to limit the requirement for Turner to do something he is not adept at.
Whether he can improve his passing remains to be seen but it is not a new problem, according to The Athletic’s goalkeeping analyst, and former professional keeper, Matt Pyzdrowski.
“I recall wondering if his (Turner’s) issues with distribution with his feet were affecting his chances of overhauling Zack Steffen to become No 1 with the national team,” Pyzdrowski says. “But then, Zach had his own period of low form and Matt got in.
“At Arsenal (Turner’s club last season, before his summer move to Forest), if you look at the games he played, they tended to be when the opponents didn’t press high. Dealing with the ball at his feet when under pressure is definitely an area he can improve. When he has time, he can actually play a nice range of short and long passes.”
Pyzdrowski believes there are various stressors that might be undermining his compatriot’s recent form, stretching back to the summer signing of Vlachodimos for £7.7million ($9.8m) three weeks after Turner had arrived in Nottingham hoping finally to secure regular Premier League football following his season as second-string to Aaron Ramsdale at Arsenal.
“With Forest bringing in another goalkeeper who is also seen as a number one, it has added a psychological element to it as well,” Pyzdrowski says. “The team has been up and down, which doesn’t help.
“I think Gary Neville was harsh in commentary (during the United match). Matt is certainly not ‘awful’ with the ball at his feet, but clearly he can be better. One thing that might help is being more proactive and knowing what he is going to do with the ball before he gets it. The longer he gets to work with the new manager, that could improve.
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“It will be interesting to see how both of them (Turner and Vlachodimos) adapt to the demand to pass it more, because it’s probably not a strength for either of them.
“With a new demand like that, you can overthink it and try too much to impress, which can lead to mistakes. As a former keeper, Nuno may have more sympathy to the pressures of being the goalie, but he will be under pressure himself to get results, and that often leads to scrutiny on key positions like goalkeeper.
“I can imagine there are some people at Forest who value Matt, and others who value Vlachodimos.”
On the international front, the 37-cap Turner has more job security than at club level. He has become coach Gregg Berhalter’s obvious No 1, playing in all four games in the World Cup finals just over a year ago, and being selected for all the USMNT’s important fixtures.
“In some of the national team’s fixtures, like the CONCACAF Nations League and World Cup qualifiers, the opposition are probably not going to press them high and aggressively, so he won’t be under as much pressure,” says Pyzdrowski. “It is usually only Mexico or Canada who will challenge them consistently and press.
“Against traditionally better national teams, Berhalter tends to simplify it, and that’s suited Matt. They will adapt and mix it from playing short or long, or just go direct.
“Matt also seems to have more confidence with the USMNT because he is the clear first choice.”
Turner is the established first choice for the USA (Howard Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)
The resilience which saw Turner rise from being the third keeper at New England Revolution in MLS to playing for one of the Premier League’s top clubs will stand him in good stead to respond to his latest setbacks.“He has had a lot going on lately,” Pyzdrowski says. “Matt’s been adapting to a new club, living in a new area, and has just become a father. If you’re at a stable club that may be easier, but Forest have sacked the manager who signed him. I understand fans mainly think about results and, after the mistake against United looked like it may cost them, there was a lot of social-media criticism. But he actually responded well, made some strong saves and was confident in the air.
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“One thing you can’t deny is the odds he has overcome to get where he is. He started late in football (at age 14) and has always had people who doubted whether he was good enough to play at the highest level. I had my own concerns. But every time he has had his back against the wall, he has built himself back.”
That may be the 29-year-old New Jersey native’s mindset now, and his New Year social media message suggests Turner is ready for the challenge.https://www.instagram.com/p/C1hMmXqIstI/embed/captioned/?
“Learning so much week in and week out about life on and off the pitch,” he wrote on Instagram. “New city, new team, new member of the family all at once! Looking forward to more memories in 2024, maybe a bit less chaotic eh?”till finding his feet then, in every sense.
Additional reporting: John Muller
(Top photo: Ami Ford/NFFC via Getty Images)
Downingtown’s Zack Steffen opens up about why he returned to MLS
Steffen recently signed to be the starting goalkeeper for the Colorado Rapids.
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As he began the fourth year of his second stint in Europe, Zack Steffen decided that he’d had enough of the instability that defined his time abroad.
The goalkeeper from Downingtown still hadn’t made it with Manchester City, the English powerhouse that paid $7 million to buy him from the Columbus Crew in 2019. Though Steffen won two Premier League titles and a League Cup with City, he played just 21 games for the club, mostly in domestic cups. His actual playing time overseas came during loans to the German Bundesliga’s Fortuna Düsseldorf and the English second division’s Middlesbrough.
Steffen dealt with a series of brutal injuries along the way, the latest being a major knee issue that’s had him out of action since May. He also became a father, welcoming a daughter in October.
» READ MORE: Downingtown’s Zack Steffen returns to MLS, joining the Colorado Rapids
So it was time to return, he decided. When the Colorado Rapids offered him a cornerstone place with a team under new management, he said yes.
“Just to be back in the States, closer to family, closer to friends, have them part of my career, just gives me a lot of energy and passion and motivation to come back here,” Steffen said at a news conference Monday.
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“And now I’m 28, getting up there a little bit, so I want some stability. … And to win some games, lift some trophies, and just bring this club to a winning culture, a winning mentality. And I think we can do that.”
Steffen said he liked the Rapids’ sales pitch, especially from goalkeeper coach Chris Sharpe and new manager Chris Armas.
“The situation, the city, the people, the club, the new coaches, and then Chris Sharpe,” Steffen said. The conversations that we’ve had really excited me and gave me motivation, gave me confidence that we’re all on the same page on where we want to go individually and then collectively.”
» READ MORE: Union trade Andrés Perea to NYCFC, ending his short and disappointing tenure in Philly
Familiar faces at work and home
He made it clear that being a new father matters, too, not surprising for a player who has long been close with his family.
“Fatherhood is amazing,” he said. “Wanting to be closer to family and be part of her life as well, and her journey. Yeah, man, fatherhood is the best thing ever.”
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Steffen found some familiar faces when he arrived in Denver, especially veteran Rapids right back Keegan Rosenberry. The Ronks, Pa., native played with Steffen on Union-run youth teams in the club’s early years, before the academy was fully built out.
Rosenberry played his first three years as a pro with the Union. He could have been teammates with Steffen in MLS back then, had the Union signed Steffen to a homegrown player contract while he was at the University of Maryland. But when Germany’s Freiburg offered Steffen his first chance to go to Europe, he took it, with the Union unable to match the money involved. (Whether they tried to has been lost to history.)
Nine years later, they will line up together again.
» READ MORE: Julián Carranza is still a Union player, but might not be for much longer
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“We’ve always gotten along really well, kind of stayed in touch through all the moves in our career,” Rosenberry said. “There’s always a little bit more of a close relationship with defenders and goalkeepers, so I’m hoping we can build each other up and help each other succeed.”
Armas might be the happiest of anyone outside the Steffen family. His hiring wasn’t entirely well-received, because previous jobs were underwhelming spells with the New York Red Bulls and Toronto FC, and disastrously short times as an assistant at England’s Manchester United and Leeds United. (His bosses there were close friends, Red Bull global veteran Ralf Rangnick in Manchester and American Jesse Marsch in Leeds.)
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Armas has now started his Rapids tenure with the arrivals of Steffen and Djordje Mihailovic, a 25-year-old playmaker who not long ago was a U.S. national team prospect. They reportedly will soon add left back Sam Vines, a former Rapids player who’s been at Belgium’s Royal Antwerp for 2½ years.
That’s a good helping of talent and stability, with Steffen at the root of it all in net.
“He’s been part of major success, big experiences … but most importantly has been part of good, strong cultures, winning cultures,” Armas said. “We expect him to be one of the leaders, one of the driving forces behind our push, and we’re delighted to have Zack.”
» READ MORE: Apple is still keeping secret how many — or few — people watch its MLS telecasts
Sam Mewis, World Cup winner with USWNT and NWSL champion, retires from professional soccer
By Meg Linehan
5h ago
44
Former U.S. women’s national team midfielder Sam Mewis — a key fixture on the team that won the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup — is retiring from professional soccer, she announced Friday.
Through her eight years with the USWNT, she earned 83 caps and scored 24 goals. During the 2019 World Cup win, Mewis played in six of the seven matches, starting in five, en route to the U.S.’s fourth victory in the tournament. She scored two goals in the team’s opening win against Thailand, including her debut World Cup goal.“Unfortunately, my knee can no longer tolerate the impact that elite soccer requires,” Mewis, 31, said in a statement. “Though this isn’t what I wanted, this is the only path forward for me.“I want to thank everyone who has been on my team throughout this journey. Soccer has put so many wonderful things in my life, but the most wonderful thing has been the people. To all my family, friends, teammates, and fans, I truly feel that we did this together and I’m extremely grateful.” Twelve of her caps came alongside her sister, Kristie, and they were the first sisters to feature on an Olympic USWNT together. Sam’s USWNT debut in 2014 at the Algarve Cup was alongside Kristie, when they both entered a match against Sweden as substitutes. Before going pro, she helped guide the UCLA Bruins to their first NCAA championship in 2013, and was part of the U-20 youth national team that won gold at the 2012 World Cup as well.
With Mewis’ lengthy battle with injuries keeping her off the field for months before Friday’s retirement announcement, it’s easy to forget how much of a role she played in the team’s success in 2019 — but also how she could dominate the field at her peak. Nicknamed “The Tower of Power” for her height, she was an obvious target for set pieces for club and country, but her skills went far beyond being in the right place at the right time for a goal.
B.J. Snow, formerly the talent identification director of U.S. Soccer, said in 2018 that Sam Mewis had taken a written soccer intelligence test, taken by thousands of pro players, men and women. Of all that had taken it, Mewis placed in the top one percent when she got her results. That IQ showed in craftiness and awareness on the field, both offensively and defensively. In 2019, it was Mewis’ two goals and four assists that helped the USWNT reach the podium; she was second on the team in defensive recoveries too (outside back Crystal Dunn was first, having played 74 more minutes than Mewis in the tournament).
Mewis’ NWSL accomplishments cannot be overlooked either. She won three NWSL championships, first with the Western New York Flash as underdogs in 2016, before the team relocated to North Carolina and the Courage became one of the league’s most dominant teams. The Courage won the NWSL Shield for three straight years in 2017, 2018 and 2019, and added championships in 2018 and 2019. Mewis made the NWSL Best XI in 2017.
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In 2020, she headed to Manchester City — and had a stellar run there too, scoring goals in league play, helping the team win the FA Cup, and netting a Champions League goal as well. Before the start of the pandemic, she had also proved a pivotal factor in CONCACAF Olympic qualifiers, and her performances throughout the year earned her the Player of the Year award for U.S. Soccer.
Mewis featured in the delayed Olympics for the USWNT, playing in all six matches and starting four. She also returned to the Courage in 2021, but the bronze medal match with the U.S. was her final one with the national team — as this is where her ongoing knee and ankle injuries took a much worse turn. Over the past couple of years, Mewis had multiple surgeries and posted clips from her rehab attempts
On Friday, she made her decision to retire public. She also announced her next step: serving as editor-in-chief for a new women’s soccer vertical at Men in Blazers.
“My goal started being: I want to walk my dog and not limp for a while,” she told the Wall Street Journal. “I recognized that I had other things to live for besides being good at soccer.”
FIFA Club World Cup 2025 set for U.S. east coast with Gold Cup on west
By Felipe Cardenas and Dan Sheldon Jan 18, 2024
The expanded 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the U.S. will be played primarily on the country’s east coast, multiple sources briefed on the tournament’s planning told The Athletic.
Putting Club World Cup games in the eastern time zone will benefit television audiences in Europe, home to many of the clubs that stand a good chance of winning the trophy.
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Organizers’ reasoning for limiting the tournament’s matches to the east coast was also influenced by the CONCACAF Gold Cup, which will take place simultaneously in the U.S. To avoid stadium and logistical issues between the two competitions, sources said that FIFA and CONCACAF have agreed to stage the Gold Cup on the U.S.’s west coast.
The Gold Cup, North America and the Caribbean’s biannual continental competition, will overlap with the Club World Cup from June 14 to July 6, 2025. One source said that CONCACAF and FIFA are collaborating to create “smart schedules” so that fans can easily enjoy both tournaments. The Club World Cup, meanwhile, will begin on June 15, and finish on July 13.
In July, CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani told reporters that the two tournaments could overlap, but that Club World Cup and Gold Cup matches would not share kick-off times.
“You might have some overlaps in the group stage,” Montagliani said. “(We have to) make sure our kickoff times are coordinated. If you do it right, it’ll work. It’s up to us and FIFA to make sure it works and our teams work well together and I have no issues. We’re in those discussions already.”
With regard to the Club World Cup, some exceptions could be made. For example, it would make sense for MLS side Seattle Sounders, winners of the CONCACAF Champions Cup in 2022, to play at least one match at home. Additionally, cities in Texas, which is located in the U.S.’ central time zone, could be named Gold Cup host cities.
As of now, 19 of 32 teams have already qualified for the 2025 Club World Cup, which will feature eight four-team groups. Each club will play each other once and the top two teams will advance to the knockout stages, which will be single-legged. In a December announcement, FIFA stated that the revamped Club World Cup will be held every four years.
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