US Women Lose to Mexico for 1^st time Ever on US Soil 2-0, play Colombia Sun 8:15 pm ESPN+

The US Women lost 2-0 to Mexico in the final group stage game in Los Angeles – in a lost that honestly should have been worse.  Mexico hit the post twice and American Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher made some great saves to keep this game from being a 3 or 4 goal loss.  The US also hit the post 2 times but not once did they truly test the Mexican keeper despite having 60-40 in possession time.  The backline was EXPOSED as Sauebrunn and Dahlkemper proved THEY CAN NOT BE PAIRED on the Backline EVER Again.  This backline without Girma to cover simply had zero speed and not enough energy to stay with the young exciting Mexican front line.  Is this the passing of the torch from the US to Mexico – who has a  young, exciting group and lets be real thoroughly outcoached a US team that made adjustments that did not work at all. There is a reason our Asst coach who is in charge is an assistant.  This was a clueless lineup that was VERY Poorly organized.  Assuming Girma is back in the next game – the US should still advance to the Semi-Finals where they will now probably have to face undefeated Canada to get to the final.  

I was surprised to see Alex Morgan get the call down 1-0 at the half as she came in for Lynn Williams at center forward and proved again – she is too slow, and has lost too many steps to make a difference.  I could see her in the last few minutes of a game but her days of 30+ minutes are done.  The US Missed Shaw as center forward – the US played an inverted approach and simply NEVER adjusted.  They were too tight and did not at all – spread things out to the wings the way they needed.  Mexico came out in a 4-3-3 and Mexico simply outcoached the US on the night.  M Pelayo-Bernal from the University of Florida scored the door closer for Mexico in extra time. 

Stats

Shots 8  USA   12 Mexico

Corners 1 USA 9 Mexico

Possession 63% Mexico 37%

Here’s the full Gold Cup roster:

GOALKEEPERS: Jane Campbell (Houston Dash), Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars).

DEFENDERS: Abby Dahlkemper (San Diego Wave FC), Crystal Dunn (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Tierna Davidson (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Emily Fox (Arsenal FC), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave FC), Casey Krueger (Washington Spirit), Jenna Nighswonger (NY/NJ Gotham FC), Becky Sauerbrunn (Portland Thorns)

MIDFIELDERS: Korbin Albert (Paris Saint-Germain), Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns FC), Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyon), Rose Lavelle (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns FC), Emily Sonnett (NJ/NY Gotham FC)

FORWARDS: Mia Fishel (Chelsea FC), Midge Purce (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), Jaedyn Shaw (San Diego Wave FC), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns FC), Lynn Williams (NJ/NY Gotham FC)

Give US Soccer credit – we are spending huge money – to get the best coach in the world to come coach this team – but the bottom line is the world has caught up and possibly passed the US in the sport of soccer.  Before it was Europe and now Mexico and Canada have beaten us in North America –not only are we not the Queens of the World – we are going to have dig to come back and be Queen’s of CONCACAF.  Hopefully our million dollar coach napping at Chelsea will call our asst coach and put things straight for our next match-up this weekend in the knockout stage. 

• No. 1 Canada vs. No. 8 Costa Rica Sat March 2 at 7pm ESPN+, Para+
• No. 2 Brazil vs. No. 7 Argentina Sat March 2 at 10:15pm ESPN+, Para+
• No. 3 Mexico vs. No. 6 Paraguay on March 3 at 5pm ESPN+, Para+
• No. 4 USWNT vs. No. 5 Colombia on March 3 at 8:15pm ESPN+, Para+

Indy 11 to Play Louisville on CBS TV, New GK added from Portland

Indy 11 released their new jersey’s this week along with the CBS announcement of USL games that will feature The Boy’s in Blue battle with Louisville on Apr 6 at 4 pm.  It will be the first time Indy 11 has played on national TV.  Indy 11 added a new GK on loan from the Portland Timbers this week Hunter Sulte.  Meanwhile former Indy 11 GK Jordan Farr is battling for a starting spot in Tampa for the Rowdies, while former Carmel Dad’s Club/Carmel High & Butler GK Eric Dick has landed with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds this season. 

Complete Preseason Schedule
Tuesday, Feb. 6 at Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | D, 0-0
Saturday, Feb. 10 vs Chicago Fire FC II | W, 2-0
Tuesday, Feb. 13 vs. Indiana Wesleyan University | W, 5-0
Sunday, Feb. 18 vs. Columbus Crew 2 | W, 7-1
Saturday, Feb. 24 at Lexington SC | Closed to the public
Thursday, Feb. 29 vs. Detroit City FC | Closed to the public
Friday, March 1 vs. Forward Madison FC | Closed to the public

Indy opens the 2024 slate on a two-match road swing beginning at non-conference foe Oakland Roots SC on March 9 before returning home to host 2023 Western Conference Champion Sacramento Republic FC at Michael A. Carroll Stadium on March 23. Single-game tickets are available now for all matches via Ticketmaster. Season Ticket Packages can also be purchased, as well as tickets for groups and hospitality areas. For more information on these options click here.  The Defending USL WLeague Champion Indy 11 Women announced their summer schedule this week with 5 matches at Grand Park.

MLS week 1 got off to a good start – too bad only 1 game was on TV – funny to see the USL is signing deals with CBS and ESPN that will put close to 40 games on TV this summer while MLS struggles to show 1 game a week on network TV – despite having the biggest star in the game Messi. I think MLS is downright stupid for not at least negotiating to have more TV partners along with Apple but MLS has rarely made the right decisions in my mind so what’s new. Anyway good to see more soccer on TV with USL and NWSL making new deals with ESPN, CBS and more. MLS is doing well in the Concacaf Champions Cup with all of their teams advancing to the Final 16. Those games on Fox Sports 2 – with 5 games this week – see schedule below.

It was awesome being back on the fields Reffing for the Girls Showcase last weekend at Grand Park. Back out this weekend for the Boys Showcase. Reminder CDC Ref Training is this Sat March 2nd. Reffing Classes at Carmel Dad’s Club

Reffing Classes at Carmel Dad’s Club

GAMES ON TV

Sat, Mar 2

9:30 am ESPN+  Union Berlin (Aaronson) vs Dortmund  

10 am USA                          Everton vs West Ham  

10 am Peacock_                Fulham (Robinson) vs Brighton

10 am Peacock                 Tottenham vs Crystal Palace (Richards)

12:30 pm ESPN+               Wolfsburg vs Stuttgart

12:30 pm USA                    Luton Town vs Aston Villa

3 pm ESPN+                        Valencia vs Real Madrid

4:30 pm FOX                       Inter Miami vs Orlando

7 pm ESPN+                        Canada vs Costa Rica WCC

8:30 pm Apple Free FC Dallas vs Montreal

8:30 pm Apple Free Sporting KC vs Philly Union

9:30 pm Apple Free Colorado vs Nashville SC

10 pm ESPN+                     Brazil vs Argentina WCC

Sun, Mar 3

9 am USA                             Burnley vs Bournemouth  

10:30 am Peacock            Man United vs Man City

2:45 pm Para+                   Napoli vs Juventus (Mckinney)

3 pm ESPN+                        Athletic Club vs Barcelona

5 pm CBSSN, ESPN+        Mexico vs. Paraguay

8:15pm ESPN+, Para+     USWNT vs. Colombia

Mon, Mar 4

3 pm USA                    Sheffield United (Trusty) vs Arsenal  

Tues, Mar 5

3 pm CBS                             Real Sociedad vs PSG  UCL

3 pm Para+                         Bayern Munich vs Lazio UCL

6 pm Fox Sport 2              Philly Union vs Pachuca  CCL

8 pm FS2                              Orlando City vs Tigres UNAL CCL

Weds, Mar 6

12:45 pm CBSSN               Sporting CP vs Atalanta

3 pm CBS                             Man City vs Kabenhavn UCL

3pm Para+                          Real Madrid vs RB Leipzig UCL   

7 pm Para+, ESPN+ Mexico vs Brazil Gold Cup Semis Ladies

8 pm FS2                     Houston vs Columbus Crew CCL

10 pm Para+, ESPN+ USWNT vs Canada Gold Cup Semi

10 pm FS2                   Guadalajara vs America (curly) CCL

Thur, Mar 7

12:45 pm Para                    Sparta Prah vs Liverpool

12:45 pm CBSSN               Roma vs Brighton  

3 pm CBSSN                        AC Milan (Pulisic, Musah) vs Slavia Praha

3 pm Para+                         Freiburg vs West Ham United

3 pm Para+                         Benefica vs Rangers (Carter Vickers)

7 pm FS2?                            Cincy vs Monterrey

9 pm FS2, TUDN                Nashville vs Inter Miami (Messi)

(American’s in Parenthesis)

https://www.uslchampionship.com/cbs   CBS Schedule

https://www.uslchampionship.com/espn  ESPN

US Women

USWNT player ratings: Morgan, Naeher star in savvy win over Colombia

USWNT’s shock loss to Mexico is more alarming evidence of a program in decline Yahoo Bushnell

Former players and soccer media share their reactions to the USWNT loss to Mexico Sports·USA TODAY Sports
The mighty have fallen: USWNT is in a spiral

SWNT set to play Colombia in Concacaf Gold Cup Quarterfinals  Emma HrubyFeb 29, 2024

Alex Morgan says ‘Whole world raising its level’ after Mexico loss

Three takeaways on the USWNT surviving the W Gold Cup group stage

US Men

CONMEBOL Copa America 2024: Group Stage schedule and where to buy tickets  

Historic weekend as Yanks score or assist in Europe’s top 7 leagues
Meet the man who brought the World Cup to the U.S.

 EPL

Premier League Picks: PST’s predictions for Week 27 of 2023-24 season
Manchester City v Manchester United: Pick of the stats

‘Ultimate statement of what Klopp’s achieved over eight years at Liverpool’

Jurgen Klopp’s kids secure one of his greatest achievements – and true Liverpool legacy Sports·The Telegraph

 Jurgen Klopp hits out at referee after Ryan Gravenberch injury Sports·The Independent
Inside the power battles at the heart of the new Manchester United
How Arsenal are ‘raising the bar’ in Premier League title race
Tottenham in Champions League driving seat – barring any dodgy lasagne
Inside story of how Shilen Patel’s £60m takeover has brought hope back to West Brom

MLS

Commentary: MLS can’t afford to fumble its Messi moment and must make bold changes now Sports·LA Times
As Messi-mania resumes, MLS foes maneuver to capitalize on his star power
Messi brought a superteam to Miami, and with him a problem
MLS is squandering golden Messi opportunities
MLS quickly realizing: You can’t stop Lionel Messi, you can only hope to contain him

Inside Inter Miami: Observations on Messi, Busquets, Callender after 1-1 tie with Galaxy Sports·Miami Herald
Messi and Miami face Florida MLS derby test

MLS Western Conference preview & predictions: LAFC & Seattle once again top choices

MLS Eastern Conference preview & predictions: Atlanta, Columbus top but woe is Canada

 WORLD

How will Paul Pogba’s legacy be affected by four-year doping ban?  
Paul Pogba doping ban: The end for Juventus and France star and what should have been?
Athletic Bilbao 3-0 Atletico Madrid (4-0 on aggregate): Athletic to face Mallorca in Copa del Rey final

Indy 11

Indy Eleven, Louisville City FC Rivalry to Air on CBS -LIPAFC

Indy Eleven Announces Acquisition of Portland Timbers’ Hunter Sulte on Loan GK

Indy Eleven Reveals 2024 Under Armour Home and Away Kits

Boys in Blue Remain Unbeaten in Preseason Action with 7-1 Win

Indy 11 Women Schedule Announced

Indy Eleven Announces 2024 Promotional Schedule – Tickets on Sale NOW!

https://www.uslchampionship.com/cbs   CBS Schedule

https://www.uslchampionship.com/espn  ESPN

Reffing

Blue card in danger of being scrapped after backlash

Become a Licensed High School Ref

Become a Licensed Ref with Indiana Soccer – must be over 13

Reffing Classes at Carmel Dad’s Club

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USWNT beats Colombia 3-0 in grueling match to advance to Gold Cup semifinal

By Jeff Rueter, Meg Linehan, and Steph Yang THe Athletichttps://theathletic.com/5314106/2024/03/03/uswnt-colombia-gold-cup/?source=dailyemail&campaign=601983&userId=10480832 Mar 3, 2024

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The U.S. women’s national team survived a grueling test against Colombia in the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF W Gold Cup on Sunday, winning 3-0 with goals from Lindsey Horan, Jenna Nighswonger and Jaedyn Shaw.While both teams tried to make their mark early, the USWNT was able to weather both Colombia’s attacks, which often relied solely on Linda Caicedo, and a bevy of yellow cards from physical challenges. The result was also further evidence that Naomi Girma and Shaw are must-have USWNT starters.

Early penalty sets the tone

In the 11th minute, Colombia center back Jorelyn Carabali shoulder-checked Alex Morgan, resulting in a penalty kick for the U.S. and a yellow card for Carabali. The foul was only the beginning of the spiciness. If nothing else, it was a reminder that Morgan has had her body on the line for this team for a long while.In the box, Morgan claimed the ball, and for a long two minutes, withstood most of the attempts from Colombia to delay the penalty kick before Trinity Rodman and Sam Coffey eventually headed over as well.The USWNT favored the usual handoff for this one. As Horan got the ball from Morgan, there was one last-ditch attempt from Colombia for a little PK distraction (which did not result in a card). Horan cleanly converted the penalty to give the USWNT the 1-0 lead, a big moment from the team’s captain to set the tone on Sunday night in Los Angeles. It also provided to be a bit of a buffer from what would ensue over the next phase of the match.

Mind games

The U.S. responded after the penalty chaos with its own specific brand of mind games with intense counter-pressing high on the field and forcing turnovers around the box, perhaps trying to take advantage of the moment tactically and emotionally.Morgan earned a yellow card in the 18th minute for some posturing in Colombia’s box, and Rodman followed suit in the 20th minute as she had some choice words after being vigorously defended. Horan could be seen trying to impose herself between the feuding players; with four cumulative yellow cards out already and a referee who was prone to missing or simply refusing to notice calls, it was incumbent on her to keep everyone levelheaded. Horan herself got a yellow in the 67th minute for raising her leg in the path of a player who had just pushed her down.Honestly, it was the kind of tension that midfielder Emily Sonnett could have flipped into Colombia getting the yellows. If the ability to troll other teams were the only consideration, Sonnett would be an unquestioned starter.Jenna Nighswonger’s goal in the 22nd minute calmed things down, but it remained a highly contentious and physical game. It was a strong test of the team’s ability to keep executing against an opponent that could not only provoke them but had the technical ability to instantly punish any slip in focus. The astute, firmly upright response from Shaw on the third goal in particular was a fantastic example of the kind of ruthless mentality that can help carry this team forward.U.S. goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher noted the mental aspect when asked what she thought had stood out for the team: “I think just the intensity that we started from minute one, all the way through the 90th minute,” she said.

Nighswonger goal, press and reward

Since the Tokyo Olympics, many have been waiting for the next wave of young players to have chances to establish themselves in the USWNT picture. That process may not have happened soon enough to help the team’s chances in last summer’s World Cup, but Sunday’s lineup gave plenty of these rising talents a test in a tournament knockout match.Throughout the first half, Shaw was dangerous with her front-line defending and had a very well-taken shot narrowly fly over the crossbar in the opening 20 minutes. On the right wing, Rodman recognized the stakes of the game and made her presence known to Colombia. However, it was a veteran’s flick-on pass by Morgan that provided another top prospect, Nighswonger, with her second senior international goal.Last year was a banner year for Nighswonger, winning NWSL rookie of the year as part of Gotham’s run to the NWSL title. She’s already provided a couple of highlights to her follow-up, including her first international goal via a penalty against the Dominican Republic in the group stage. Sunday gave her a chance to score during the run of play, as she crashed the box perfectly to glide onto Morgan’s headed ball and place a shot off the far post and into the net.The USWNT’s youth and determination helped keep Colombia from regaining a foothold as it relied on its chippy defending. Rather than unsettling the U.S., the constant attempts at mind games seemed to light the more productive kind of spark in the team’s younger players. That proved particularly vital in stifling Colombia’s build-up out of the back, forcing sloppy touches out of opponents and rushed passes that lead to promising turnovers.It was the kind of drive that so often seemed missing in this team over the last two years of Vlatko Andonovski’s tenure.

Shaw shines again

Heading into this summer’s Olympics, one of the biggest early decisions future U.S. coach Emma Hayes will have to make is which players from a promising group of attackers will make the trip to Paris. Some seem locked in, while others will depend on form and health: a seemingly revitalized Morgan and a returning Mallory Swanson. The Gotham duo of Lynn Williams and Midge Purce will have plenty to say in their cases for inclusion, too.Don’t forget to count San Diego Wave’s Shaw among the contenders. In truth, she may be closer to joining the “sure thing” crowd than some estimate.The winner of U.S. Soccer’s young female player of the year award in 2022, Shaw has been nothing short of electric with San Diego. Having only just turned 19 in November, she was ever-present in all phases as the starting left winger on Sunday. Her pressing was instrumental to unsettling the Colombian defense, while her movement in sync with Morgan and Rodman was rewarded with a well-placed finish at the end of the first half.

Of particular help for her Olympic case is her versatility, capable of lining up on either wing as well as in a central attacking midfield role. That latter feature could come in handy depending on Catarina Macario and Rose Lavelle’s health as the summer approaches, particularly after a lackluster shift by Korbin Albert on Sunday. Each fan will have their own hierarchy of preference, but the totality of Shaw’s game would make her a major snub if she missed the Olympic squad.

Naeher’s momentum swing

In her 100th U.S. appearance, Naeher made two massive saves that helped preserve the team’s clean sheet against Colombia, but more importantly, helped settle down the rest of her team and provided an emotional momentum swing. While the first (above) was already an impressive reminder of Naeher’s abilities, the second on Ilana Izquierda’s shot required a diving save to cover the far corner of the goal.

We’ve seen both Naeher and Casey Murphy so far in this tournament for the USWNT, but on Sunday night, Naeher reminded everyone of her shot-stopping capabilities. She had other aggressive moments, willing to play outside of the box to shut down single runners from Colombia as well. As the team moves into the semifinals against Canada on Wednesday, it might be hard to go back to any planned rotation in the goalkeeper position to keep Naeher’s momentum rolling through the rest of the Gold Cup.(Photo: Brad Smith/Getty Images for USSF))

We’ve seen both Naeher and Casey Murphy so far in this tournament for the USWNT, but on Sunday night, Naeher reminded everyone of her shot-stopping capabilities. She had other aggressive moments, willing to play outside of the box to shut down single runners from Colombia as well. As the team moves into the semifinals against Canada on Wednesday, it might be hard to go back to any planned rotation in the goalkeeper position to keep Naeher’s momentum rolling through the rest of the Gold Cup.

(Photo: Brad Smith/Getty Images for USSF))

USWNT set to play Colombia in Concacaf Gold Cup Quarterfinals

Emma Hruby February 29, 2024

(Photo by Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)

The Concacaf W Gold Cup quarterfinals are set.Canada beat Costa Rica 3-0 on Wednesday to take the No. 1 seed, while Paraguay beat El Salvador on a late comeback 3-2. El Salvador went up 2-1 in the 83rd minute, but Jessica Martínez had two late goals – including one in stoppage time – to secure a hat trick and give Paraguay the win. The win pushed them past Costa Rica for second place in Group C. Due to the win, Costa Rica and Puerto Rico wound up tied on all of the tie-breaking criteria for the eighth spot. Thus, a “drawing of the lots” took place, with Costa Rica securing the final spot in the knockout rounds. That means they will once again play Canada in the quarterfinals. The USWNT enters the knockout rounds as the fourth seed, holding a tiebreaker over Colombia after the teams tied on points and goal differential. The USWNT scored nine goals in the group stages as opposed to Colombia’s eight to win the tiebreaker. They’ll now play Colombia in the quarterfinals.

The full schedule:

• No. 1 Canada vs. No. 8 Costa Rica on March 2 at 7pm
• No. 2 Brazil vs. No. 7 Argentina on March 2 at 10:15pm
• No. 3 Mexico vs. No. 6 Paraguay on March 3 at 5pm
• No. 4 USWNT vs. No. 5 Colombia on March 3 at 8:15pm

USWNT’s loss to Mexico was a jarring reminder that the team’s mystique is gone

By Meg Linehan The Athletic

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For those who weren’t following along during the 2011 World Cup qualifying cycle — in which the U.S. lost to Mexico in the CONCACAF semifinals before Alex Morgan finally sent the U.S. through in a playoff series against Italy — matches against Mexico might have felt like a rivalry in name only.The U.S. women’s national team had not lost to Mexico since that moment in 2010, and hadn’t lost to any CONCACAF opponent at home since 2000.Monday night threw that narrative out the window.The USWNT was outplayed in a 2-0 loss in front of a boisterous crowd in Carson, Ca., and while it didn’t match the low of that 0-0 draw against Portugal in the World Cup group stage last summer, the team’s final group stage match of this Gold Cup was (hopefully) a helpful reminder that the team hasn’t found their new, cohesive identity just yet.The thing that should worry fans the most is how Monday’s performance was a reflection of the listless USWNT we’ve seen before.But how much should we read into the 270 minutes played this year? How much does a loss change what needs to happen ahead of the Olympics? And why is cohesion still such a massive problem?

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Mexico provided a necessary test — and a reminder

Mexico deserves full credit and nothing but praise for executing on Monday night in all the places that matter. But by the same token, the USWNT failed in many of those areas.

That failure can be helpful if used correctly (see: losses to France in friendlies at the start of 2015 and 2019, both of which were followed by World Cup titles). However, that’s been the takeaway for this U.S. team for a while now. At some point, the players and coaching staff either step up or they don’t.

What did the U.S. hierarchy want to get out of these games? If there was ever a time to let the team’s young players problem-solve in a difficult situation, it was on Monday night, down 1-0 to Mexico after the first half and with plenty of unproven talent on the field. Let them be tested. Let them fail, even! Instead, 34-year-old, 217-capped Morgan came on after the break. That doesn’t tell interim head coach Twila Kilgore or the incoming Emma Hayes anything about this team right now.

Morgan came on against Mexico (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

The USWNT mystique is gone, and the rising level of the rest of the world is only part of the story. The players used to wield their collective reputation and mentality as both sword and shield — it told them something about themselves, and something about every other team they faced. Without it, they have lost a weapon and something more symbolic.Leaning into an old-fashioned underdog mentality might be the play, as ridiculous as it may sound considering the U.S. is still ranked No. 2 in the world by world governing body FIFA. There has been plenty written on the USWNT’s lack of joy since those very strange Tokyo Olympics, but less focus on a possible flip side: harnessing the anger for good as it sits in joy’s place.With a generational shift underway, younger players who are hungry for recognition and results should take any emotional advantage they can find. First though, they have to get onto the field.

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Why is cohesion still such a massive problem?

It’s worth remembering that this Gold Cup is the USWNT’s first camp of the year, and that it’s still preseason for the large chunk of this roster that plays domestically in the NWSL. That’s not necessarily an excuse for the cohesion issues that plagued the USWNT on Monday, but it is at least helpful context, along with the massive rotation in personnel that’s happened through the group stage. Center back Naomi Girma feels like the key to solving this problem, immediately and in the long term. Though it’s understandable to want to manage her load, Girma has already ascended to the tier of player that you need on the field at all times. She’s been through a World Cup now too — and was the USWNT’s best player in New Zealand and Australia by a very comfortable margin.

Girma facing Argentina (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

“Something tonight that was missing was just a bit of bravery from the center backs and willingness to play forward,” Kilgore said postgame. “Regardless of how many numbers we have in front of the backline, the expectation is that we look to play forward passes, that we keep the ball moving, and of course that sometimes requires a balance and it comes back, but we do want to play forward.”

If the team’s identity is built upon playing out of the back, it feels like having your best defender — a 23-year-old who the team will build around for the next decade — on the field for the toughest group-stage match would have been a more effective use of Girma than pairing her with Tierna Davidson against Argentina.USWNT defender Kelley O’Hara said on Monday that the team had sometimes been “stuck” within certain formations and tactics over the past couple of years, and the performance against Mexico had the same feel as some of the team’s more frustrating recent performances. On a night like Monday, it feels like the USWNT is clinging to the very identity they need to shed, and some beautiful principles of play that are great in theory and sometimes need to go out the window when a game calls for it.It’s impossible to know from the outside if the coaching situation is playing a role here — everything coming from the team (publicly, at least) is that communication from Hayes and Kilgore has been excellent and everyone understands the plan until Hayes arrives from Chelsea in May.Hayes not being present until then isn’t ideal on a number of fronts, but it’s simply a fact the USWNT must deal with. The federation made this agreement, and now the team is dealing with the ramifications of playing under an interim head coach stationed a continent away a few months before a major tournament. It’s not ideal and it’s not something that can be changed.

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How much can we read into starting XIs and playing time?

The answer for me is still: “Not much at all.” But so you can see the three games side-by-side, here are the line-ups…

Rotation was promised by Kilgore, and she delivered. With the media after Monday’s game, she bristled a bit at a question about whether that rotation had backfired.“The whole group is prepared to play,” she answered. “The whole group was prepared to play tonight. We could have gone with several options, and this was the group that we chose. I’m very confident that the group is capable of executing.”Kilgore said that it was important for all players to have opportunities in this tournament, but also important for the team to execute. “It’s not just about partnerships, it’s about systems, roles and responsibilities,” she said.

From my vantage point outside the privileged bubble of the USWNT technical staff, the Gold Cup still feels like the right place for experimentation, evaluation and rotation. But if you’re going to do it, you have to actually commit.(Top photo: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Meg Linehan is a senior writer for The Athletic who covers the U.S. women’s national team, the National Women’s Soccer League and more. She also hosts the weekly podcast “Full Time with Meg Linehan.” Follow Meg on Twitter @itsmeglinehan

USWNT 0 Mexico 2: U.S. stumbles as Ovalle leads Mexico’s attack

By Steph Yang and Meg LinehanFeb 27, 2024

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Mexico held the United States to a 2-0 loss with a confident performance in its third group game of the CONCACAF W Gold Cup, winning Group A. The goals were the first that the USWNT had conceded to Mexico since 2010, also during a regional tournament. For the U.S., it was a game riddled with errors from a sub-optimal lineup that couldn’t figure out how to break Mexico’s pressure.

“We just didn’t play nearly our best,” forward Alex Morgan said after the match on Paramount+. “We found some pockets here and there, but not nearly enough. Didn’t execute on the chances we had. I don’t think we tested the goalkeeper, I think we got broken down way too easily.”

Mexico’s quick start and USWNT’s errors

Mexico converted its relentless pressure on the U.S. into the first goal of the match, taking advantage of yet another defensive error in the 38th minute with a fast transition that ultimately bamboozled veterans Becky Sauerbrunn and Alyssa Naeher. Sauerbrunn succumbed to the pressure of having Lizbeth Ovalle on her shoulder in a two-on-two situation and botched her attempted clearance. Naeher was too late to commit to going after Ovalle in the box and was chipped.It was a beautiful goal and a well-deserved reward for a Mexico side that had been forcing cumulative errors out of the U.S. all half long, particularly from a slow defensive unit between Sauerbrunn, Abby Dahlkemper, and Sam Coffey. Even Crystal Dunn had issues with Mexico’s speed, to be expected at 31-years-old against the 24-year-old Ovalle. Only defender Emily Fox pushed the tempo out of the back, bursting into the midfield when she could and generating one of the team’s better chance at goal in the first half with a shot low and away at range that forced a corner kick.

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Of those three players, Coffey in particular has the most to lose as a younger midfielder in a team that is still looking for a more cohesive identity. Sauerbrunn and Dahlkemper have both had excellent years with the U.S., and the center back unit has already begun transitioning definitively to the Naomi Girma era. But Coffey is still in the hunt for more minutes, let alone a starting position, and she looked slightly overwhelmed for most of the first half. Although, to be fair, her decision-making was no worse than many of the other errors all over the field.

“We play forward, we break lines. Now we’re running through their backline, don’t execute the final pass,” interim head coach Twila Kilgore said after the match. “They recover, we get the ball back, we don’t execute the final pass again, then they get a goal kick. It’s two to three moments, back-to-back, that are fixable. We just go right back to basics. … You just can’t afford to have those moments back-to-back in a game.”

Adjustments at halftime

Kilgore made two substitutions at halftime: Morgan on for Sophia Smith and Emily Sonnett on for Lynn Williams. With the team in a 4-2-3-1 formation, Sonnett was clearly there to bolster Coffey’s presence and to try to stop Mexico from disrupting the midfield. It did seem to stop some of the bleeding but then there was the matter of converting more midfield possession into more entries into the final third.

Despite halftime changes, USWNT couldn’t find the back of the net. (Photo by Ronald Martinez, Getty Images)

That didn’t happen even when Kilgore made further substitutions, bringing on Midge Purce for Fox and Korbin Albert for Coffey in the 71st minute, then Jaedyn Shaw for Rose Lavelle in the 78th.Trinity Rodman did her best, and we saw more of the interesting evolution of Morgan from focal target of the attack into a provider for those around her. But it was ultimately for naught as Mexico sealed the team’s fate in stoppage time off a great long-range goal by Mayra Pelayo.

Pressure on Emma Hayes already

This is not yet Emma Hayes’ team, but it’d be foolish to assume she has no input on what Kilgore is doing. The longer this team takes to work out what issues it can before Hayes takes over the team in May, the less time Hayes has to get them into Olympic shape.Against weaker opponents, the USWNT looked quick, aggressive and somewhat creative. Against a tactically and technically proficient Mexico that had a good tournament thus far, they looked uncertain and slow, a repeat of many of the issues that plagued them in the World Cup.The decision to play a more veteran lineup against this Mexico team is certainly not wrong in a general sense, but playing such a slow central defensive unit and a goalkeeper who hasn’t looked at her peak for a while now against the toughest opponent in the group befuddles comprehension. Perhaps it was a matter of limited minutes even though it’s still NWSL preseason, but any one of Girma, Tierna Davidson, or Jenna Nighswonger needed to be inserted into this lineup to have a hope of not just containing Mexico, but being able to distribute out of the back and enable the team to quickly break one if not two lines of pressure right away.

Including so many younger or newer players in this roster is an encouraging sign — Shaw, Olivia Moultrie, Albert, et. al. But why not start trusting those players to carry more of the team in a situation that seems perfect in prepping them for a major tournament? These aren’t games of no consequence, but they’re not as weighty as an Olympics. By the third group game, the U.S. had already qualified to advance. Give the younger players a real test over 45, 60, or 90 minutes instead of falling back on the familiar and comfortable.

Mexico dictated the match

Mexico’s opener against Argentina wasn’t the most instructive match, but Mexico has grown into this group stage. Yes, execution errors were happening everywhere for the U.S., but Mexico could have actually won this match 4-0 if not for the crossbar and then a pair of strong saves from Alyssa Naeher late in the second half, though Pelayo’s incredible golazo in stoppage time put the perfect exclamation point on Monday night.Their wildly disappointing 2022 CONCACAF W Championship, when Mexico hosted and flamed out in the group stage, feels like ancient history now. Head coach Pedro López Ramos had the right game plan, and his side executed perfectly. They were able to defend their lead, they were able to discomfort the USWNT via a high press, they won corners, and they had excellent long-range looks. It was more than just Mexico playing to its potential, it was simply a great performance — and one that could provide some helpful motivation for further investment into the program.

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“There are always things to improve,” López Ramos said after the match, via an interpreter. “I would like to be in the final of a World Cup, for example. I enjoyed every single moment when we were attacking and when we were defending. I believe that the players went out without restrictions. They went out to enjoy the pitch, and you have seen the results. And I hope this is not isolated. I hope we can repeat this result.”

What’s next?

The U.S. qualified for the knockout rounds with its win against Argentina on Friday. Losing to Mexico means the USWNT finished second in Group A and will have to wait until Wednesday to see who they face in the quarterfinal at BMO Stadium.The final places for the quarterfinals will be decided Tuesday when Colombia faces Puerto Rico and Brazil faces Panama and then on Wednesday when Canada goes against Costa Rica and Paraguay takes on El Salvador. The top two teams from each group advance, plus the next highest third place teams. Canada and Brazil have qualified already, but Tuesday and Wednesday will determine their, and everyone else’s, places going into the next round as the tournament re-seeds.The USWNT now has almost a full week until they play again. “It’s important that we execute and learn from these moments moving forward, but I think with six days of training — which is more than we usually get — we’re very capable of getting a whole group ready, so we could call on anybody and know that they’d be prepared,” Kilgore said. (Photo: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

USWNT boss after rare Mexico defeat: No ‘easy games’ anymore

• Cesar Hernandez

Feb 27, 2024, 03:35 AM ETShareLikeOpen Extended Reactions

Interim United States women’s national team coach Twila Kilgore stated that her side faces “no easy games anymore” after a stunning 2-0 loss to rival Mexico in a Concacaf W Gold Cup group stage clash Monday.”It just shows how far the game is coming and there’s no easy games anymore,” Kilgore said after the USWNT’s first defeat to Mexico since 2010. “If we don’t take care of business and we don’t execute, this is to be expected. We’ll step up and take ownership of that.”

It was just the second time Mexico has beaten the USWNT, and it comes after the Americans’ disappointing run at last summer’s Women’s World Cup that resulted in a round-of-16 exit. Since Kilgore took over as interim coach after the World Cup, the USWNT was undefeated through eight games until the defeat to Mexico.Heading into the match, the U.S. had a lopsided lead in the Concacaf rivalry, with a 40-1-1 record. Monday’s result meant Mexico topped Group A with seven points, while the USWNT finished second with six points. Argentina finished third with four points, and the Dominican Republic was last with no points.”I think they had a good game plan, I think we had a good game plan. Simply, they just executed theirs better than ours,” Kilgore said. “Part of that does have to do with intensity but generally can be measured by things like tempo with the ball, but also defensive things like winning first tackles and winning second balls.”Both Mexico goals — scored by Lizbeth Ovalle and Mayra Pelayo — came from restart moments, an area Kilgore said her side must improve.”First goal came from a goal kick and [we] probably should have taken care of the first ball, should have taken care of the second ball, had an opportunity to end play and then didn’t, and then in the second goal it came from a throw-in,” Kilgore said.Mexico coach Pedro Lopez remains undefeated in all competitions since 2023. He said Monday’s result was the best he has accomplished since taking charge in September 2022.”I suppose yes because of the opponent,” Lopez said. “I loved the [8-0] Dominican Republic game, I liked it a lot, but of course doing it against the United States is special.”Describing his team as a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” before the tournament, Lopez said he still wants more. “Clearly that wolf was seen today,” he said. “But I insist that for us it would be of no use if in the next game we lose the [W Gold Cup] quarterfinals and we go down in history as the team that only beat the United States one day.” Both Mexico and the USWNT have qualified for the quarterfinal stage of the inaugural W Gold Cup but will need to wait on final results from Group B on Tuesday and Group C on Wednesday to find out their next opponents. After Wednesday, the top two teams from each group and two best third place teams will qualify for the knockout stages. Following the quarterfinals in Los Angeles’ BMO Stadium on Saturday and Sunday, the semifinals and final will be at San Diego’s Snapdragon Stadium on March 6 and 10. After the tournament and later this spring, Chelsea boss Emma Hayes will take charge of the USWNT.

USMNT weekend viewing guide: Marching on

Johnny’s making his mark in La Liga

Saturday

Union Berlin v Borussia Dortmund – 9:30a on ESPN+

Brenden Aaronson parlayed his goal two weeks ago into his first start in six weeks last weekend as Union Berlin drew with Heidenheim 2-2. Berlin will take on a Dortmund side that fell to Hoffenheim last weekend and are now just one point ahead of RB Leipzig for the final Champions League qualifying position.

Mainz v Borussia Mönchengladbach – 9:30a on ESPN+

Jordan Pefok scored last weekend in Borussia Mönchengladbach’s 5-2 drubbing of Bochum. The goal was Pefok’s fifth on the season, his third since returning from injury in January. Joe Scally also started last weekend’s match and went the full 90 minutes at left back. This Saturday, ‘Gladbach face relegation-threatened Mainz who are ten points from safety.

Heidenheim v Eintracht Frankfurt – 9:30a on ESPN+

Lennard Maloney started for Heidenheim last weekend in his team’s 2-2 draw with Union Berlin, while Timothy Chandler picked up his first minute of the Bundesliga season which was enough to pick up the assist as Frankfurt snatched a late draw with Wolfsburg.

Fulham v Brighton & Hove Albion – 10a on Peacock

Antonee Robinson started yet again but Tim Ream was an unused substitute last weekend in Fulham’s 2-1 win over Manchester United. They face 7th place Brighton this weekend, the team is coming off a midweek loss to Wolverhampton in the FA Cup and a 1-1 draw with Everton last weekend.

Nottingham Forest v Liverpool – 10a on Peacock

Matt Turner was in goal on Wednesday in FA Cup action but Forest fell to Manchester United 1-0 when they gave up a late goal off a set piece. Turner will likely be back to the bench this weekend as Selz seems to be the preferred keeper at this time for league matches though he did give up four goals last weekend to Aston Villa. Gio Reyna was a late sub in the match and has seen just 39 minutes of action in five matches since joining Forest. Forest have the unenviable task of going up against a Liverpool side looking to maintain their one point advantage for the league title.

Tottenham Hotspur v Crystal Palace – 10a on Peacock

Chris Richards picked up his first goal for Crystal Palace as the team defeated Burnley 3-0 to move into 13th place. Palace now face Tottenham who are currently in fifth place, five points back of Aston Villa for Champions League qualification though with a game in hand.

Wolfsburg v Stuttgart – 12:30p on ESPN+

Kevin Paredes has five straight starts for Wolfsburg, the last three coming in the midfield. However, Wolfsburg have settled for draws in six of their last seven, a streak broken only by their 1-0 loss to Union Berlin three weeks ago. This weekend Wolfsburg face a Stuttgart side that are in third place and six points ahead of fourth place Borussia Dortmund though they are coming off a draw with relegation threatened Koln.

Inter Miami v Orlando City SC – 4:30p on Fox

Inter Miami needed a late goal from Lionel Messi to salvage a 1-1 draw with ten man LA Galaxy last weekend while Orlando City settled for a scoreless draw with Montreal. Duncan McGuire did start the match for OCSC, returning to the starting lineup after his debacle of a transfer which Blackburn managed to botch in epic fashion.

MLS Free on Apple TV matches:

• FC Dallas take on Montreal at 8:30p
• Sporting Kansas City and the Philadelphia Union kick off at 8:30p
• The Colorado Rapids look to bounce back from a 4-1 loss to Portland when they take on Nashville SC at 9:30p

Sunday

PSV Eindhoven v Feyenoord – 8:30a on ESPN+

PSV embarrassed PEC Zwolle last weekend 7-1 as Sergino Dest picked up an assist on the opening goal and Malik Tillman assisted Ricardo Pepi on the last goal. Things should be a fair bit tougher for PSV this weekend as they take on second place Feynoord. PSV won their first matchup this season 2-1.

Atletico Madrid v Real Betis – 10:15a on ESPN+

Johnny Cardoso has made himself right at home as he had another man of the match level performance last weekend, including scoring his first goal for Real Betis, in a 3-2 win over Athletic Club. Betis are now in 6th place, though a full ten points back of this weekend’s opponent, 4th place Atletico Madrid.

Hoffenheim v Werder Bremen – 11:30a on ESPN+

John Brooks started again last weekend for Hoffenheim as they defeated Borussia Dortmund 3-2. Brooks picked up a late yellow in the match, the third straight match he’s played where he has received a yellow in the 89th minute or later. Hoffenheim are currently in 7th place, tied on points at 30 with this weekends opponent Werder Bremen.

Napoli v Juventus – 2:45p on Paramount+

Weston McKennie notched two more assists last weekend in Juventus’ 3-2 win over Frosinone but had to leave the match late and is expected to miss several weeks due to a separated shoulder, a recurrence of an injury that has previously sidelined McKennie for short stints. Tim Weah came on as a sub and played the final 28 minutes of the match. This weekend Juventus take on a Napoli side that are in ninth place but just eight points out of Champions League qualification.

Premier League title race: Liverpool, Man City or Arsenal?

• ESPN

Feb 29, 2024, 12:12 PM ETShareLikeOpen Extended Reactions29

It’s almost March and we’re heading into the business end of the 2023-24 European club season, with all major trophies (bar England‘s Carabao Cup) still in the balance. When it comes to the Premier League, we actually have a three-team title race, with Liverpool (last winners in 2019-20), Manchester City (winners in five of the past six seasons) and Arsenal (last winners in 2003-04) separated by just two points with 12 games to play.

All three teams are still active in Europe, too — Man City and Arsenal in the Champions League, Liverpool in the Europa League — and with injuries and fatigue kicking in as they compete on multiple fronts, this is as dramatic a race as we’ve had in years. So, with some huge games on the horizon in March and April, plus pros/cons for all three teams, we’re breaking down where the race goes from here.

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Liverpool | First place | 60 points (26 games)

What’s working

Liverpool’s greatest strength right now, the sense of purpose and unity that has been forged by the announcement of Jurgen Klopp’s summer exit as manager, could have been their biggest weakness. And it could yet turn out to be that.

Klopp has been a transformative figure at Anfield since arriving as manager in October of 2015. Nobody — player or manager — comes close to matching Klopp at Liverpool in the Premier League era, and the shock news of his plans to quit at the end of the season could have damaged morale at the club and led to a decline in results. But since Klopp’s decision became public at the end of January, Liverpool have won seven of their eight games (all competitions) and have won the first of a possible four trophies by lifting the Carabao Cup.

Liverpool are now on a “Klopp countdown” until his last day, and it has energised the players and fans to give that extra 1 percent — it could be the difference between a glorious departure and a disappointing one.

It is rare for a manager to be as popular on and off the pitch as Klopp is at Liverpool, and the performance of the three teenagers — Bobby Clark, Jayden Danns and James McConnell — during the Carabao Cup final win against Chelsea highlighted the trust between players and manager and the bond within the squad.

The pressure to give Klopp a winning send-off might yet become too intense, but it looks to have strengthened Liverpool at this point and helped them through a biting injury crisis that sees them without 11 first-team players. The Reds have a deep squad full of quality, but it has been tested to the limit in recent weeks and Klopp has had to rely on the likes of Clark, Danns and McConnell, as well as Conor Bradley and Jarell Quansah, to get them over the line in games.

With most of the big names due to return within the next two to three weeks, Liverpool will hope they have weathered the storm in order to be able to now surge to the title. What happens in the crunch clash against Manchester City at Anfield on March 10 will have a huge impact on the title race, but with the likes of Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai and Darwin Núñez likely to be fit for that game, Liverpool appear to be getting stronger at just the right time.

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Concerns on the horizon

Liverpool are on course to play 63 games in all competitions if they reach the finals of the FA Cup and Europa League having already won the Carabao Cup, just as they did when winning both domestic cups and reaching the Champions League final in 2021-22. During that season, Liverpool were relatively unscathed by injuries and almost achieved a quadruple, but Klopp’s squad has been much harder hit this time around.

The big question is whether they can cope with the potential fixture backlog.

To put it in context, Liverpool’s FA Cup fifth-round tie at home to Southampton on Wednesday was their 41st game this season. It has taken six months to reach that figure, but they will have to cram the remaining 22 games into the final three months, playing at least two fixtures a week until the FA Cup final on May 25. Virtually all of Klopp’s players also have international commitments between now and the end of the season, so it will be a test of endurance for them to retain fitness all the way until the end of the campaign.

Liverpool’s Remaining Fixtures

OPPONENT	VENUE	DATE
Nott’m Forest	A	March 2
Man City	H	March 10
Everton	A	March 17
Brighton	H	March 31
Sheffield Utd	A	April 4
Man United	A	April 7
Crystal Palace	H	April 14
Fulham	A	April 20
West Ham	A	April 27
Tottenham	H	May 4
Aston Villa	A	May 11
Wolves	H	May 19

At some point, Klopp might decide to prioritise competitions and make wholesale changes to keep players fresh for the Premier League. But the Liverpool manager is already deep into his reserves due to the injury crisis, so don’t expect him to field anything like a senior team in the Europa League round-of-16 first leg away to Sparta Prague next week.

If Klopp wants to bow out with the Premier League title, he might have to sacrifice the European competition and end hopes of a quadruple, but he is a manager who also places great value on momentum. It is a balancing act that he has to get right.

Saving his players from fatigue will be a big challenge in the weeks ahead.

Toughest games remaining

The home game against Manchester City on March 10 is the toughest fixture on Liverpool’s schedule between now and the end of the season, and its outcome will undoubtedly have a significant impact on the title race. City don’t have a good record at Anfield, so if Liverpool can maintain their home form against Pep Guardiola’s side, they will come out of that clash as title favourites.

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Mark Ogden explains why he is backing Liverpool in the Premier League title race.

But while that game is the obvious fork in the road, they face two particularly tough trips to Manchester United and Aston Villa that could derail their title hopes.

United have been rolled over in recent seasons at Anfield, but Liverpool have a mixed record at Old Trafford and their traditional rivals will need to beat Klopp’s side in April to keep alive their hopes of Champions League qualification. A trip to Aston Villa on May 11 in the penultimate game of the season will also have Champions League implications with Unai Emery’s side so far maintaining their push for a top-four finish.

Intangibles

The Klopp effect is Liverpool’s X factor. If the team is still in the hunt for the title during the run-in, the emotion of Anfield will be so intense that it could push the team either way. Everyone at the club is desperate for Klopp to leave as a winner, but will that desire be a positive or a negative? — Mark Ogden

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Manchester City | Second place | 59 points (26 games)

What’s working

Put simply, Manchester City are winning games, and players who weren’t available during the first half of the campaign are back to full fitness. Pep Guardiola’s team hasn’t lost since the 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa on Dec. 6, winning 15 of their past 17 games in all competitions, and in the Premier League, it’s eight wins from nine games and 25 points from an available 27 since Christmas.

Guardiola has had to deal with injuries to Kevin De Bruyne (out for five months), Erling Haaland (out for two months) and John Stones (out for close to three months), but all three are fit again heading into the run-in, and traditionally, this is where City excel. Guardiola’s message to his players during the opening months of a season is always to stay in touch with the leaders, and they’ve done it again.

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Over the past six seasons, they’ve shown they are more than capable of putting together long winning runs at the business end of the campaign, all of which makes it very hard for other challengers to stay in the race. Since the 2017-18 season and excluding the delayed 2019-20 COVID season, City have lost just six league games in the months of March, April and May. They dropped five points over the final three months of last season — a 1-1 draw with Brighton and a 1-0 defeat at Brentford — with both results coming after they had already been confirmed as champions.

The worry for Liverpool and Arsenal is that, as they’ve done so often before, City will just plough through their remaining games without dropping many more points. After long spells on the sidelines, De Bruyne, Haaland and Stones should be fresh, and there’s a strong argument that City will become the first English team to win the top-flight championship four times in a row.

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Rob Dawson looks ahead to Man City’s fixtures in March and debates whether they will win the Premier League.

Concerns on the horizon

There have been concerns that City have looked vulnerable defensively at times, but the stats suggest they’re performing at a similar level to last season. After 26 games, they’ve conceded 26 goals and kept eight clean sheets, compared to 25 goals in 26 games at the same stage last season. Liverpool and Arsenal have better defensive records, but City have shown their ability to grind out results, with narrow 1-0 wins over Brentford and Bournemouth in their past two games.

Their main area of weakness is when an opposing team is able to take advantage of City’s high defensive line. Newcastle did it with two almost identical goals at St James’ Park in January, and Chelsea had a number of similar chances in the 1-1 draw at the Etihad Stadium in February. It’s a high-risk but also high-reward approach, and Guardiola certainly isn’t going to change the way he plays after winning the title in five of the past six years.

Really, Guardiola’s biggest worry between now and the end of the season is having to do without Rodri. The Spanish midfielder has missed three league games this season, and City have lost all three (to Wolves, Arsenal and Aston Villa), which tells you exactly how important he has become.

Man City’s Remaining Fixtures

OPPONENT	VENUE	DATE
Man United	H	March 3
Liverpool	A	March 10
Brighton	A	March 17
Arsenal	H	March 31
Aston Villa	H	April 3
Crystal Palace	A	April 6
Luton Town	H	April 13
Tottenham	A	April 20
Nott’m Forest	A	April 27
Wolves	H	May 4
Fulham	A	May 11
West Ham	H	May 19

There’s competition for places all over the squad except for Rodri’s position at the base of the midfield, where any absence is compounded by the fact that there isn’t anyone else who can do the same job. Kalvin Phillips joined West Ham on loan in the summer — though Guardiola didn’t trust him anyway — while summer signings Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes are different kinds of midfielders, who are more comfortable playing higher up the pitch.

Deploying Stones (who also missed the defeats to Wolves and Arsenal) as a holding midfielder is one option, but there’s an argument that he’s too valuable in the hybrid centre-back/central midfielder role. Manuel Akanji tried it in the draw with Chelsea but was nowhere near as effective. Losing Rodri for any length of time would be a huge blow.

Toughest games remaining

You can make a case that March will make or break City’s title challenge. It begins with Manchester United’s visit to the Etihad on Sunday before away games at Liverpool (March 10) and Brighton (March 17) and then a home game against Arsenal (March 31). United are having a poor season, but anything can happen in a derby and Erik ten Hag’s team have already caused one surprise this season, earning a credible 0-0 draw at Anfield in December.

City don’t have a great record at Anfield, Brighton can beat anyone under Roberto De Zerbi and Arsenal beat City in October, so it’s going to be a tough month. Beyond that, there isn’t much to worry Guardiola — aside from a trip to Tottenham in April — in the final six weeks of the season.

If City come through March unscathed, there will be very few willing to bet against them. Guardiola doesn’t want to talk about an unprecedented double-treble, but by that point, his players will already be able to smell it.

Intangibles

It has seemed as though Haaland is experiencing a dip after last season, and his scoring rate is down — 17 goals in 1,741 Premier League minutes at 0.88 goals/90 this season, compared to 36 goals in 2,769 minutes, for 1.17 goals/90, in 2022-23. That said, he’s invaluable in tight games with few chances and his thirst for goals also means that City can afford to leak the odd goal because he’s capable of scoring three himself.

Haaland is so hard to stop because he can do everything — run in behind or use his size and strength to play as a hold-up man. He can pin defenders and has an almost unnatural ability to find the right space in the penalty area, as shown by his remarkable five-goal game against Luton Town in the FA Cup. Having such a prolific player can relieve a lot of the pressure in a tight title race. — Rob Dawson

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Arsenal | Third place | 58 points (26 games)

What’s working

Arsenal could not have started 2024 any better when it comes to the title race.

The Gunners have won six consecutive Premier League matches at the beginning of a calendar year for the first time in their history by a combined aggregate score of 25-3. They put six goals past West Ham, five past Burnley and bounced back from a disappointing Champions League round-of-16 first leg defeat to Porto by hitting Newcastle for four. They have the best defensive record in the division and the best goal difference, after a run fuelled in part by using past disappointments to motivate them so effectively.

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Sources have told ESPN that Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been the driving force behind a series of prematch hype videos designed to create a more intimidating atmosphere at Emirates Stadium. Arteta and members of his backroom staff shared the montages on social media, the latest of which previewed the visit of Newcastle, with whom they have developed a surprisingly intense rivalry in the past couple of seasons.

Last year’s 0-0 draw came amid accusations of excessive time-wasting as Arsenal lost 1-0 on Tyneside in November to a controversial Anthony Gordon goal that prompted Arsenal to complain to referees’ body PGMOL, triggering heated words between the two clubs. Arteta believes that repeatedly finding the intensity to fight these individual battles will add up to a first Premier League title since 2004.

The form of key players is also encouraging. Both Bukayo Saka and Martin Ødegaard had quiet spells earlier in the campaign but are now influencing matches on a regular basis again. At the back, Gabriel and William Saliba have formed arguably the best centre-back pairing in the Premier League this season. Declan Rice was acquired at great expense from West Ham last summer — in a deal that could be worth £105 million — but he is proving value for money by bringing composure and class to Arsenal’s engine room.

Concerns on the horizon

The biggest question Arsenal have to answer is whether they can hold their nerve this time around. The Gunners held an eight-point lead at the beginning of April, only to win three of their final nine matches as Manchester City overtook them. Perhaps the role of hunters rather than hunted — they are third — will suit better, but title run-ins are about executing game plans consistently under maximum pressure and they fell short a year ago.

Arsenal’s Remaining Fixtures

OPPONENT	VENUE	DATE
Sheffield United	A	March 4
Brentford	H	March 9
Chelsea	H	March 16
Man City	A	March 31
Luton Town	H	April 3
Brighton	A	April 6
Aston Villa	H	April 13
Wolves	A	April 20
Tottenham	A	April 27
Bournemouth	H	May 4
Man United	A	May 11
Everton	H	May 19

Saliba’s injury destabilized them defensively while Saka, Odegaard and Martinelli collectively lost form at a critical time, seemingly fatigued after putting so much into the first three-quarters of the campaign. Arteta has repeatedly spoken about the need to have a fully fit squad to help share the load and things are looking positive in that regard, with Thomas Partey and Fabio Vieira nearing returns from long-term injuries; there’s also optimism that summer signing Jurriën Timber, injured during preseason, could return this season.

Questions over their mentality grew after a Champions League defeat in Porto — the Gunners failed to have a shot on target for the first time in more than two years — and there remains a suspicion that despite scoring heavily of late, they might eventually pay the price for lacking a clinical goal scorer in the mould of Haaland or Salah. Only two players have reached double figures in goals for Arsenal this season — Saka on 16, Leandro Trossard on 10 — compared to three for City (Haaland, Phil Foden, Julián Álvarez) and five for Liverpool (Salah, Diogo Jota, Darwin Núñez, Cody Gakpo, Luis Díaz).

Gabriel Jesus‘ return from a lingering knee problem would be a significant boost, although some doubts persist whether, despite his obvious class, he can be the efficient finisher Arsenal need to the extent they don’t end up pursuing an expensive new signing in the summer.

Toughest games remaining

The game that obviously stands out is Manchester City away on March 31. Arsenal were overwhelmed by City in that fixture last season when the title was in their hands, as De Bruyne and Haaland put on a masterclass to beat the Gunners 4-1. Beyond that, the title could be won or lost on the road given they have fewer away games than City — six compared to City’s seven — but there are some tricky trips ahead.

After Sheffield United on Monday, they go to City, Brighton and Wolves before rounding off April with the north London derby. That was also a fixture that cost them dearly two years ago, when an insipid 3-0 defeat effectively cost them qualification for the Champions League. Spurs look like being in a scrap for a top-four finish this season themselves, and so the magnitude of that game for both sides is impossible to overstate.

Oh, and Arsenal’s final trip of the season? Manchester United. Erik ten Hag’s side is wildly unpredictable these days, but the Gunners have won only once in the Premier League at Old Trafford since 2006.

Intangibles

Arsenal will need to keep their key players fit and firing to win the title. Saliba’s injury cost them dearly last season, and their squad looks least able to cope with key absentees, especially when considering Liverpool are top despite losing Salah to the Africa Cup of Nations and Haaland has missed around two months of the season already, yet both are currently ahead of the Gunners.

There is an argument that the “over-celebrating” Arsenal have been accused of in recent weeks has been misinterpreted: Arteta and his players are trying to revel in key moments to engender the self-belief and team spirit that can take them to the title. We’re about to find out if they have enough. — James Olley

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Projections

When thinking retrospectively, it’s easy to see City as an inevitable behemoth that eliminates all doubt and uncertainty with perfect spring stretch runs. But they needed to score three goals in the final 15 minutes of the season, after suffering five blemishes in their last 16 matches, to outlast Liverpool in 2021-22. As late as April 5 last year, FiveThirtyEight’s since-discontinued Soccer Power Index gave Arsenal the slightest of edges (51% to 49%) over City in the title race, and after a particularly rickety winter, it took one of those perfect runs (they dropped two points in 15 matches) to get the job done.

After recording 100 points in 2017-18 and 98 in 2018-19, they’ve since averaged a great-but-imperfect 87.3 points, and they’re currently on pace for 86.2 in 2023-24.

So, are City the favorites again heading into March? Absolutely, but it’s basically a coin toss.

Opta’s power ratings give the Sky Blues a 51% chance over Liverpool (34%) and Arsenal (15%), while earlier this week, Twenty First Group gave them a plurality advantage: 42% to Liverpool’s 34% and Arsenal’s 24%. Granted, these systems don’t take current injury lists into account and therefore don’t know that nearly half of Liverpool’s first team is currently battling a short- or long-term injury and that four Arsenal regulars (or at least semi-regulars) are out.

Injuries slowed City down considerably during a rocky fall run that saw them win just four times in 12 league matches, but they’re as healthy as ever heading into March. That likely bumps the odds up a bit, but either way, there’s a lot of work to be done, and perhaps most interestingly, for the first time in Pep Guardiola’s title run, there are two contenders to fend off.

City plays both of those contenders in March, too — at Liverpool on March 10, vs. Arsenal on March 31 — so there’s a solid chance that, one way or another, the odds look very different a month from now. Either City have once again moved comfortably into the driver’s seat, or they’ve left themselves with far more work than normal in April and May. — Bill Connelly

USWNT loses second-ever match to Mexico, 2-0

(OMAR VEGA/GETTY IMAGES) Mexico stunned the USWNT on Monday, in a 2-0 result that’s sending shockwaves through the soccer world. Here’s how it happened:Lizbeth Ovalle scored the opening goal in the 38th minute, ending a run of 33 straight shutouts for the USWNT in Concacaf competitions. Mayra Pelayo added the clincher in the 92nd minute, with an incredible long distance strike (see above). Here’s what it means: This is just the second time the USWNT has lost to Mexico, with the first coming in 2010. It’s also the USWNT’s first loss on home soil against Concacaf competition since 2000. Here’s what they’re saying: Alex Morgan: “Not only Concacaf, but the whole world is continuing to raise its level… Concacaf is not what it was 14 years ago when we had our last lost to Mexico.”USWNT interim coach Twila Kilgore: “There are no easy games anymore. And if we don’t take care of business and we don’t execute, this is to be expected.” Mexico coach Pedro López Ramos: “They went out and they were bold, they were brave with the dream of playing a good game against the United States.” Up next: The USWNT will advance to the quarterfinals after finishing in second place in Group A.

Does Mexico win over USWNT mark a new chapter of the rivalry?

• Cesar Hernandez ESPN

Feb 27, 2024, 09:01 AM ETShareLikeOpen Extended Reactions3

CARSON, Calif. — It took nearly 14 years and 16 consecutive defeats, but on Monday night, for the first time since 2010, the Mexico women’s national team defeated the U.S.Thanks to spectacular goals from Lizbeth Ovalle and Mayra Pelayo, El Tri Femenil topped their group in the inaugural Concacaf W Gold Cup with a stunning 2-0 win over their border rivals. Despite the rain at Dignity Health Sports Park and the U.S.’s psychological edge — they held a daunting 40-1-1 record in the series entering Monday night’s match — Mexico not only found a way to clinch the historic victory, but were also completely deserving of the result. Hungry, fearless and bold — Mexico coach Pedro Lopez described his roster as a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” before the tournament — the players were flawless as they shut down opposing attacks, pressed high and created danger going forward. Backed by a Southern California crowd of 11,612 that at times made the match feel like a home game for Mexico, it became very clear with every probing forward pass, every confident shot from distance and every crunching tackle that El Tri Femenil were determined to make a statement.”I think this time it’s a little bit different,” hinted Mexico’s María Sánchez before the W Gold Cup about the rivalry with the U.S. “We know that the history between both teams hasn’t been as competitive before, but I think the growth of women’s soccer in Mexico can hopefully take us closer.””The group is at a higher level than we’ve been in the past.”For U.S. interim coach Twila Kilgore, the result was clearly a warning sign. “It just shows how far the game is coming and there’s no easy games anymore,” Kilgore said. “If we don’t take care of business and we don’t execute, this is to be expected.”With the result in hand, is this the start of a new chapter in the Concacaf rivalry that has long been one-sided? Has the development of Liga MX Femenil been a significant factor? Or will this simply be a flash in the pan, like that win in 2010?

Learning to take the neighbors seriously

In order to better understand the trajectory of the rivalry and how it could change, we must first look back at the last chapter that included the only other loss for the USWNT against Mexico. It’s late 2010 and the U.S. are preparing for World Cup qualifiers south of the border in Cancun. According to one account, it was more of a preparation for a trip to the beach. “We assumed we would walk through that qualification and we allowed ourselves to lose focus. We were down in Mexico snorkeling and swimming with dolphins,” said Heather O’Reilly, a former USWNT player who won a World Cup title and three Olympic gold medals. “We didn’t expect Mexico to come out as hard as they did. A very harsh lesson.” In a semifinal match that would yield an invite to the 2011 Women’s World Cup, it took just three minutes for Mexico to take a 1-0 lead through Maribel Dominguez. Although the USWNT would equalize via Carli Lloyd in the 25th minute, Mexican striker Veronica Perez scored the eventual game-winner just 60 seconds later.” To be completely honest, in the moment, I didn’t realize how big of a goal that was and has been for Mexico,” said Perez, who before Monday was one of just two El Tri Femenil players to score in a win over the U.S. “Even afterwards it took me a while to grasp the importance of that goal.”The U.S. would later qualify for the World Cup through a playoff, but the lesson was undoubtedly learned for the group of players that would then pummel Mexico through 16 consecutive wins.”We have to know the target is always on our back. Everyone loves an underdog story and everyone loves to knock the top team off the pedestal,” said Amy Rodriguez, a former USWNT player who took part in the 2010 loss. “You just cannot count anyone out, and being the U.S. team and having that huge target on your back, no matter who the opponent is, you can never go step into any game lightly. Mexico for sure is one of those teams that you don’t want to take lightly.” Learning to respect your opponent is one thing, but what happens when they start to close the gap when it comes to talent and depth?

Liga MX Femenil helping sway momentum of the rivalry

Lopez should be given credit for instilling a new mentality for Mexico’s players. “If the things we are planning happen, we can beat anyone,” said the coach before the tournament. But if there’s one major factor that has truly elevated the national team in recent years, it’s Liga MX Femenil.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)“In 2010, Mexico didn’t have a pro or competitive league for women,” said Perez, who took part in Liga MX Femenil from 2019 to 2023. “[The league] has given a pathway and so many opportunities for Mexicans to develop as players. To have that stability, structure and organization to be able to train all year.”Since its inception in 2017, the league has shifted from signing only Mexican-born players to accepting dual-nationals and, most recently, to allowing foreigners who have continued to raise the profile of the nascent competition. Coupled with a growing number of talented NCAA players who are looking for prominent roles that the NWSL may not be able to provide, plus some eye-catching attendance numbers, the league is flourishing at an exciting pace. Although Mexico’s Liga MX Femenil-heavy roster in the 2022 Concacaf W Championship failed to earn qualification for last year’s World Cup, what’s often lost about the tournament was how difficult El Tri Femenil made it for the U.S. during the group stage. While it’s tough to say that a 16th consecutive loss was a step in the right direction, they were able to hold the Americans to a narrow and hard-fought 1-0 victory that needed an 89th-minute game winner. Previously losing their last seven games with at least a three-goal margin, 2022 was a step in the right direction for Mexico and an omen of better things to come. By 2024, and with 10 players in their XI representing Liga MX Femenil, Mexico were able to get the job done against the U.S. on Monday. Ovalle, arguably the best player on the field, demonstrated the same control of the ball and power behind her shots that has made her a fan favorite at Tigres. Reinforcing Mexico’s spine as their captain, Rebeca Bernal looked just as confident and imposing as she typically does in Monterrey. Pelayo found the back of the net from distance in the same manner that she has already done so twice this month with Club Tijuana.”The women’s game is becoming tighter where the U.S. team isn’t as dominant as they were before, so I just see an exciting kind of exponential growth among the women’s game and especially within the [Liga MX Femenil] teams in Mexico,” said Rodriguez.Add in a handful of NWSL players in the gameday roster, and you suddenly have a team that won’t fear the USWNT.”Now we have our own league in Mexico, we have more Mexican players in the NWSL,” said Sanchez, a current member of the Houston Dash who once played with Tigres. “There’s that growth that is obviously happening that’s helping us all around with the Mexican national team.”The U.S. will continue to be the heavy favorite in this series, and there’s no indication that it has now been upended, but as seen in a growing women’s game that is changing across Concacaf and the globe, teams are beginning to catch up.”It’s been competitive and it will remain competitive,” said Rodriguez about the U.S.’s rivalry with Mexico. “When you see the investment and the development of the women’s soccer game around the world progressing, it’s no exception that Mexico is going to obviously be a talented team.”If 2010 taught the Americans that Mexico should be taken more seriously, 2024 is a recognition that their regional dominance can no longer be taken for granted.

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So the Superbowl Commercials are starting to leak out and of course Messi is in them here he is with Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) & Dan Marino for Michelob.  Oh and speaking of Messi – people are freaking out that Miami is losing in pre-season – its preseason and Messi is barely playing.  The whole Messi vs Renaldo was hilarious as neither of them played basically – so yes Miami loss 6-0 but none of the Barca guys played.  Not sure that counts. 

Some big moves by US Players in Transfer Window

Of course the biggest news is US Mid Gio Reyna going on loan to Nottingham Forest joining fellow US player Matt Turner.  Unfortunately for Turner they also brought in a keeper who presumably will take the #1 slot after Turner has struggled of late.  Fellow American backstop Ethan Horvath – one of my favorites – did get his release to go to Coventry City where he should become the Championship team’s starting goalie.  Horvath has helped 2 straight teams advance from the Championship to the EPL- Nottingham Forest & then Luton Town last season.  Not sure he’s EPL material – but game-time should help him.  Stories about all the American Transfers and where all the American’s abroad play this weekend below along with some great saves and questionable calls in the GK and Ref sections. 

World Cup Tournament Schedule Announcement 3 pm Fox & Telemundo

The journey to the 2026 FIFA World Cup will see some long-awaited major progress on Sunday, when FIFA announces a framework of the tournament schedule. FIFA has also said we’ll learn where the U.S. and fellow home teams Canada and Mexico will play their group games, and where the final will be. The U.S. is expected to start out west and move east, while the final is expected to go to either East Rutherford, N.J., or Arlington, Texas. But all we really know right now is that the announcement will be made on a TV show at 3 p.m., with a national broadcast on Fox and Telemundo.

Huge Games this Weekend – Sunday

Some huge games on the docket this weekend – especially Sunday as Arsenal will host league leader Liverpool at 11:30 am on Peacock in a top 3 battle and the first big game since Liverpool’s Manager Klopp announced he would step down at season’s end.   12:45 has Juventus and American’s Mckinney & Weah headed to league leader Inter Milan on Paramount plus in a 1 vs 2 battle for Italian Supremacy.  3 pm gives us the Madrid Derby as Real Madrid host Atletico Madrid on ESPN+.  Earlier on Sunday – Nottingham Forest will face Bournemouth at 9 am on Peacock with Reyna’s first chance to play and will Turner be between the pipes in Goal or do they start their new signing? Oh Chelsea will host Wolverhampton on USA 9 am too while Man U hosts West Ham at 9 on Peacock.  (I can honestly say I am watching much less EPL now that all the good games are Peacock Streaming only – if I can watch I watch – but I used to tape the games and go back and watch many more games – now not really – stupid NBC!)

GAMES ON TV

Sat, Feb 3

6:30 am Para+            Iran vs Japan Asian Cup

7:30 am USA               Everton vs Tottenham  

9:30 am ESPN+            Bayern Munich vs. M’gladbach (Scally)

10 am USA                  Brighton vs Crystal Palace (  ) 

10 am Peacock_          Fulham (Robinson) vs Burnley

12 noon Para+,            Frosinone vs AC Milan (Pulisic)

12:30 pm ESPN+          Bayer Leverkusen s MGladbach (Scally)

12:30 pm Peacock       Sheffield United (Trusty) vs Aston Villa

12:50 pm ESPN+          Alavez vs Barcelona

1:55 pm ESPN+            Ajax vs PSV

Sun, Feb 4

9 am USA                    Chelsea vs Woverhampton

9 am peacock             Bournemouth vs Nottingham Forest (Turner, Reyna) EAr

9 am peacock              Man United vs West Ham United

11:30 am Peacock      Arsenal vs Liverpool

12:45 pm Para+          Inter Milan vs Juventus (Mckinney)

3 pm ESPN+                Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid

3 pm Fox      2026 World Cup Schedule Announcement

Mon, Feb 5

3 pm USA                    Brentford vs Man City           

Tues, Feb 6

2:45 pm ESPN+                  Plymouth Arglyle vs Leeds United FA Cup

2:45 pm ESPN+                  Coventry City vs Sheffield Wed  FA Cup

3 pm ESPN2                 Bayer Leverkusen vs Stuttgart German Cup

WEds, Feb 7

10 am Para +              Asian cup         Semi Final 2

2:30 pmESPN+             Nottingham Forest (Turner, Reyna) vs Bristol City FA Cup  

3 pm ESPN+                 Aston Villa vs Chelsea FA Cup 

2024 W Gold Cup, Feb. 20 – March 10

Concacaf Nations League Finals, March 21 – 24

2024 Copa America, June 20 – July 10

2024 Summer Olympics – Men & Women, July 24 – August 10

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US MEN & Women

Men’s January transfer grades: Forest get a B+ for Reyna loan Jon Molyneux-Carter
USMNT’s Reyna completes loan move to Forest

Gio Reyna is on the move, but the fit isn’t ideal – yahoo soccer  

USWNT captain has a gripe with American soccer fans

World

‘Devastated’ Australia failed to take chances in Asian Cup loss – coach
Jurgen Klopp insists Liverpool exit is not extra motivation to win Premier League
Jurgen Klopp is irreplaceable, but here’s who Liverpool should hire to take over Ryan O’Hanlon
Why Xavi stepped down as Barca coach, and who’s on the short list of replacements  hSam Marsden
Simeone: Easy to reach ‘breaking point’ as coach Alex Kirkland and Martin Ainstein
Marcus Rashford at a crossroads with Man United: Can England star get back on track? Rob Dawson
Why the secrecy around Man City’s FFP case with Premier League is so damaging Gabriele Marcotti

Inter Miami gets embarrassed in Saudi Arabia: Panic time?

Reffing

Why the VAR was powerless on Toney’s goal and Kluivert escaped a red vs. Liverpool Dale Johnson

Become a Licensed High School Ref

Become a Licensed Ref with Indiana Soccer – must be over 13

GK

US Goalkeeper Situation – Questions on the Top Choices Now

Ethan Horvath Transfers to Cardiff City in the Championship from Nottingham Forest

US GK – ESPN FC – video

US Keeper Matt Turner Great Save 2 weeks ago

This was Ivan Toney Cheating to score vs Turner and Nottingham Forest 2  weeks back

PK Tips  

Ballwork GK  

USMNT weekend viewing guide: Comings and goings

There are players on the move and titles to contend for this weekend.

By jcksnftsn  Feb 2, 2024, 9:12am PST  Stars & Stripes

There have been some significant shifts in the USMNT landscape leading into what could be a big weekend for club matchups as well. Paxten Aaronson has departed Eintracht Frankfurt and Gio Reyna is leaving behind the Bundesliga as well (at least for now). Meanwhile, Weston McKennie and Tim Weah need a result against league leading Inter Milan this weekend for Juventus to keep pace atop Serie A. Here’s where you can watch it all this weekend.

Saturday

Bayern Munich v Borussia Mönchengladbach – 9:30a on ESPN+

Joe Scally, Jordan Pefok and Borussia Mönchengladbach will take on second place Bayern Munich, who trail Beyer Levekusen by two points in the Bundesliga standings and are coming off a 3-2 win over Augsburg. ‘Gladbach held Leverkusen to a scoreless draw last weekend, allowing Bayern to close ground. They will now look for a result in their second straight match against a title contender.

Brighton & Hove Albion v Crystal Palace – 10a on USA Network

Chris Richards started at right back on Tuesday in Crystal Palace’s 3-2 win over Sheffield United and Auston Trusty, who started left back in a battle of American centerbacks playing out of position. With the result, Palace are in 14th place heading into their matchup with Brighton this weekend, who sit in 9th place, eight points ahead of Palace in the table.

Burnley v Fulham – 10a on Peacock

Just a point ahead of Crystal Palace sit Fulham, who have just one win and one draw in their past six matches. Antonee Robinson continues to go the full 90 minutes in nearly every match for Fulham, while Tim Ream started for the first time in nearly two months in last weekend’s FA Cup loss to Newcastle United and then came on for the final 15 minutes of Fulham’s midweek scoreless draw with Everton. Fulham’s opponent this weekend are relegation-threatened Burnley, who have just 12 points through 22 matches and sit 7 points back of safety.

Frosinone v AC Milan – Noon on Paramount+

Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah and AC Milan drew 2-2 with Bologna to fall back to eight points behind league-leading Inter Milan who also have a game in hand. Pulisic is on a three match stretch where he hasn’t recorded a goal scoring contribution. That’s notable because it’s tied for his longest period of the season, as he has six goals and five assists on the year. Yunus Musah has seen a dip in his playing time, as he’s yet to start a match since returning from injury at the start of the year. He has appeared in four straight, with his 31 minutes last weekend against Bologna being his longest outing since his return. Milan are safely in the Champions League positions as they have a 10 point lead on 4th place Atalanta, but the league title is also looking out of the picture as they would need both Inter and Juventus to suffer significant setbacks through the final three months of the season.

Sheffield United v Aston Villa – 12:30p on Peacock

Auston Trusty has started the last two matches, and three of the last four, at left back for Sheffield United as the last place team looks to find something positive from a season that will certainly end in relegation. Their opponent this weekend is fifth place Aston Villa, who are tied with Spurs on 43 points. They are coming off a 3-1 home loss to Newcastle United.

Ajax v PSV Eindhoven – 2p on ESPN+

Sergiño Dest and PSV Eindhoven bounced back from their Dutch Cup loss to pick up a 2-0 win over Almere City last weekend to keep their undefeated run in the Eredivisie alive. Dest picked up an assist on the opening goal in the match, while Malik Tillman was not in the squad due to illness and Ricardo Pepi came in for the final seven minutes to see out the victory. PSV’s opponent this weekend is league rival Ajax, who stumbled early in the season, losing five of their first ten matches in league play, culminating in a 5-2 loss to PSV the first time the teams played. Since then, Ajax have gone on a nine match undefeated streak of their own, including winning seven of the matches to pull themselves back up to fifth place. However, they are still 21 points behind PSV. Still, Ajax would love to put PSV’s run to an end to ensure that they remain the only team to win the Eredivisie in undefeated fashion.

Bournemouth v Nottingham Forest – 9a on Peacock

Nottingham Forest were quite busy during the winter transfer window in what looks likely to have mixed effects on USMNT players. The club signed a third keeper, which seems to indicate that Matt Turner’s days of starting are numbered if not over already. On the flip side, the club also made a move to bring in Gio Reyna from Borussia Dortmund. It’s going to be a big shift moving from a club that generally plays on the front foot in the Bundesliga to one which is more reactionary and a bottom quarter of the table in EPL, but if it means more consistent playing time for Reyna it should be a positive step. Forest are just two points clear of the relegation zone, with a looming Financial Fair Play ruling that could see them docked significant points. They face a Bournemouth team that are six points ahead of them in 12th place.

Wolfsburg v Hoffenheim – 9:30a on ESPN+

Kevin Paredes received his first start in over two months and rewarded his manager with a goal in Wolfsburg’s 1-1 draw with Köln last weekend. It was Paredes’s second goal of the season and the first time all year he has played the full 90. John Brooks also went the full 90 minutes last weekend for Hoffenheim, who played Heidenheim to a 1-1 draw as well.

Osasuna v Celta Vigo – 10:15a on ESPN+

Luca de la Torre has started two straight for Celta Vigo as they’ve lost a pair of tight matches 1-0 and now sit just a point out of the relegation zone. The team will face 12th place Osasuna on Saturday morning looking to pick up some vital points.

RB Leipzig v Union Berlin – 11:30a on ESPN+

Brenden Aaronson saw just seven minutes off the bench last weekend as Union Berlin defeated Darmstadt 1-0 to pick up their third win in six matches. The points pulled Union five clear of relegation as they look to continue to crawl out of the ridiculous hole they dug for themselves through the first half of the season.

Real Betis v Getafe – 12:30p on EPSN+

Johnny Cardoso has started two straight for Real Betis since settling in after joining the club in January. He played the full 90 minutes last weekend as Betis defeated Mallorca 1-0, a week after coming off with his team tied against Barcelona only to see them give up two more goals to fall 4-2. Betis are just two points behind Sociedad for Europa League Conference qualifying and this weekend they will face a Getafe side five points back in tenth place.

Inter Milan v Juventus – 2:45p on Paramount+

Weston McKennie, Tim Weah and Juventus dropped two crucial points last weekend to relegation-threatened Empoli in a 1-1 draw when they were forced to play three quarters of the match down a man after Arkadiusz Milik was shown a straight red 16 minutes into the match. McKennie started and went the full 90 minutes while Weah came on in the 60th minute. The dropped points saw Juventus fall a point behind this weekend’s opponent, Inter Milan, in the Serie A table with Milan also having the advantage of a game in hand. The teams played to a 1-1 draw in their first meeting this season and Juventus need to do no worse than that on the road to stay within striking distance of the league leaders.

Why Reyna chose Forest, whether he has a future in Dortmund

• ESPN Feb 1, 2024, 11:16 AM ET

Once a promising prospect at a club known for developing diamonds of footballers, Giovanni Reyna‘s time with Borussia Dortmund is up — for right now, anyway. The 21-year-old United States international joined Nottingham Forest on loan for the remainder of the season, the Premier League club announced on Wednesday.

There’s no option to make the move permanent, and in fact, Dortmund have extended Reyna’s contract through the end of the 2025-26 season in the process, so there’s every chance he could return to the Westfalenstadion. But there’s no doubting that his past six months in Germany have been underwhelming, and a change in scenery might be just the tonic Reyna needs to jump-start his career.

How, and why, Reyna ended up at Nottingham Forest

Heading into the January transfer window amid the uncertainty of which clubs would lead the race for Reyna, there was one constant thread: Reyna wanted and needed to leave Dortmund for first-team football. Agent Jorge Mendes and father Claudio Reyna — the ex-USMNT captain and Premier League midfielder — took the lead in these discussions and looked at multiple options for Gio including, according to sources: Marseille, AS Monaco and Lyon in France; Real Sociedad, Sevilla and Villarreal in Spain; as well as Portugal’s Benfica and then Wolverhampton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest in the Premier League. Of those, Forest, Marseille and Sevilla were the most eager.

Heading into the final days of the window, there was also interest from Italy’s Fiorentina, but it ended up either Marseille or Forest as the places Reyna would go. Marseille were in a strong position: Reyna could learn from the demanding Gennaro Gattuso and the French league suited his game, but Reyna had his heart set on a move to the Premier League. His father Claudio watched Forest’s matches to see how Gio would fit in, while Mendes’ good relationship with the club also helped. (He is also the agent for Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo.) The lack of a language barrier also contributed to the decision, and late on Jan. 31, Forest announced the loan agreement move through to the end of the 2023-24 season.

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At the same time as they confirmed the move, Dortmund announced they had extended Reyna’s contract through to 2026. They emphasised there wasn’t an option to make the move permanent, but also that it was Reyna’s wish to move on loan and try to get some more minutes, with Forest his chosen destination.

“We are happy that we have been able to extend the contract with Gio for a further year,” said Borussia Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl. “He is a player who has enormous skill and in whom we still see a lot of potential.”It won’t be an easy ride for Reyna at his new club. Nottingham Forest have a lot to juggle: they are 16th in the Premier League and Nuno has been there eight matches after being parachuted in to help stave off relegation. Then there are the potential sanctions hovering above their heads, with the Premier League charging the club — alongside Everton — for breaching the Profit and Sustainability rules (PSR).

It’s hardly a soft landing, but Reyna is committed and feels this is where he can get some much-needed game time.How and where will Reyna fit into Forest’s team? His versatility across the forward line will be a huge asset to Forest, but as Dortmund boss Edin Terzic said last month, Reyna wants to be regarded long term as a No. 10 or No. 8 option, which could be a problem if Nuno sticks with the current 4-2-3-1 formation. Forest’s typical front three (Chris Wood, Anthony Elanga, Nicolás Domínguez) are largely interchangeable, but getting the starting No. 10 spot at Forest will be tricky. It’s a position held down by the club’s record signing and outstanding player Morgan Gibbs-White, who captained the team against Arsenal last time out in the Premier League.

Gibbs-White has featured in every league match this term except their 3-2 defeat to Brentford on Jan. 20, which he missed through an abdominal injury. If they stick with this 4-2-3-1, then Reyna will likely start on the flanks. A switch in formation could work in Reyna’s favour. Forest have had a host of players on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations — Ibrahim Sangaré (Ivory Coast), Willy Boly (Ivory Coast), Ola Aina (Nigeria), Sèrge Aurier (Ivory Coast), Cheikhou Kouyaté (Senegal) and Moussa Niakhaté (Senegal) — while the impressive Elanga has been out injured. Once they return, it could see Nuno switch to formations he favoured during his Wolves tenure, where he preferred the 3-4-3, which switched to a 4-5-1, or the 3-4-2-1. Both could see Reyna deployed as one of a pair of No. 10s alongside Gibbs-White, the two working in tandem running off and with striker Taiwo Awoniyi.If Nuno opts for a midfield three, then Reyna could be their new No. 8. His versatility is king here, but the hope is he’ll get his time in his preferred No. 10 spot.If Reyna’s loan spell goes well, it could turn into a permanent move, but this is where things could get tricky. With no option in the deal, Reyna’s prospects of a long-term stay at Forest are already somewhat out of his hands. Failing to survive the drop would mean a summer of overhaul in order to reduce their wage bill. Even if they stay in the Premier League, and given their dalliances with PSR this season, signing Reyna to a full-time deal will not be cheap. Equally, Dortmund are under no pressure to move on from the player given they have that extra year’s buffer with his contract.If Reyna impresses, it’s a win-win for all involved. Dortmund would have a player back in form, and with Marco Reus‘s contract expiring in Germany in the summer, the U.S. international could yet be their next long-term No. 10. If he’s kept on the periphery, Reyna would be on the market, and aged just 21, he’d be viewed as a safe investment, with clubs knowing they could recruit a player whose value could skyrocket in coming years.Reyna’s debut could come as soon as Sunday at AFC Bournemouth. He’ll wear the No. 20 shirt, and judging by the message he sent to the Forest fans upon signing, he already feels at home in the Premier League.”I’m ready to work hard, I’m really for the challenge and I can’t wait to attack the Premier League with this amazing club. I’m Gio Reyna, and I’m a Red.” — Tom Hamilton

The Dortmund view: They’re not giving up on U.S. star

Late last year, Reyna, father Claudio, his new agency Gestifute and Dortmund’s sporting director Kehl met to discuss the 21-year-old American’s once-bright future at Borussia Dortmund. Not long before that meeting, Reyna had departed American agency Wasserman to join the Jorge Mendes-led Gestifute, believing that new representation was needed to bolster his options on the market.

After a disappointing spell in early 2023-24, Reyna wanted Dortmund’s opinion of him and his immediate future. Terzic wasn’t happy with Reyna’s defensive work rate; the manager expected his attacking midfielders to track back and aggressively block passing lanes in order to improve Dortmund’s questionable defensive stability. What also hurt Reyna’s standing in the team was that in their mind, he was showing limited improvement. All the while, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, an emerging 19-year-old English talent, took the spotlight with his one-on-one skills and entertaining style of play on the wing.Kehl assured Reyna that Dortmund wouldn’t prevent him from going elsewhere for more game time, while at the same time working to bring Jadon Sancho back from Manchester United for a six-month loan spell. Sources have confirmed that Reyna was then offered to Premier League clubs, but interest in England was initially lacking.As Dortmund toyed with the idea of parting ways with Reyna — either through a permanent transfer or a loan with an obligation to make the deal permanent — they made a pivotal decision. Rather than severing ties, ending a chapter that commenced in 2019 when the teenage prodigy made the transatlantic leap from the New York City FC academy to the Bundesliga powerhouse at the age of 16, BVB opted for an alternate course of action: extending Reyna’s contract until 2026 and orchestrating a loan arrangement with Nottingham Forest.

This January transfer is not a farewell from Dortmund. The club seemingly refuse to relinquish the hope that Reyna could blossom into the next American soccer star and develop substantial value in the years to come. It’s a vision reminiscent of Christian Pulisic, whose talents garnered a €64 million transfer to Chelsea in January 2019. Even though Terzic was to an extent dissatisfied with Reyna’s performances last term and early on this season, he praised Reyna’s showing in Dortmund’s 3-1 win over VfL Bochum last Saturday. “You could see that Gio is capable of influencing the game from the bench,” Terzic said after bringing him on for Youssoufa Moukoko after 66 minutes. “He was very confident on the ball, managed to create a few dangerous situations, but was a bit unlucky with his finishing in one or two situations.” After Reyna had established himself in Dortmund’s Bundesliga team, he carried himself like someone who was capable of leading the team at some point in the future. One of his best friends in that team was Jude Bellingham, who did exactly that at a young age. Injuries and lacklustre performances have derailed Reyna’s career to a degree, though, and trying to prove himself in a new environment while still staying connected to Dortmund might be the best move possible. — Constantin Eckner

Gio Reyna to Nottingham Forest isn’t an ideal transfer — it’s a superagent’s stopgap

Henry Bushnell

Senior soccer reporter Wed, Jan 31, 2024, 11:35 AM EST·5 min read

Gio Reyna has signed with Nottingham Forest on loan through the end of the English Premier League season. It’s the first step toward a potential transfer away from Borussia Dortmund, a transfer that Reyna has been angling for as his playing time waned at the German club. And it’s a necessary change, one that could reboot Reyna’s still-promising career.

But it’s not an ideal fit.

It is, rather, a stopgap solution engineered by a superagent, Jorge Mendes.

Reyna, 21 and long viewed as perhaps the most talented player the United States has ever produced, hired Mendes in December for this very reason. He’d previously been represented by a U.S.-based agency, Wasserman. But with his future at Dortmund increasingly dim, Reyna knew he’d soon need a new home — and Mendes, arguably European soccer’s most well-connected agent, was the perfect person to find him one.

Mendes doesn’t just field calls from potential suitors. He reportedly offered Reyna, proactively, to a variety of clubs in Spain, France and elsewhere. The middle-tier Spanish clubs — such as Real Sociedad, Villarreal and Sevilla — seemed like excellent options in a league where Reyna’s smooth playmaking style could thrive.

But some of those clubs reportedly weren’t interested. Some were, but never agreed to terms of a potential deal with Dortmund. Reyna, once valued well over $40 million at the height of his teenage stardom, is apparently no longer viewed as a can’t-miss prospect. Dortmund reportedly wanted around $15-20 million for a permanent transfer. None materialized.

So Mendes turned to an old reliable, Nottingham Forest, a volatile English club that currently sits two points above the Premier League’s relegation zone.

Mendes has used his connections and power to establish significant sway at Forest. The club’s Greek owner, Evangelos Marinakis, reportedly sought out Mendes around the time he bought Forest in 2016, and they’ve maintained an on-and-off working relationship ever since. And they are currently “on.” In December, Forest fired their coach and hired a Mendes client, Nuno Espirito Santo. The Athletic reported at the time that Mendes and Marinakis “are working closer together than ever before, practically as business partners.”

It’s unclear how, exactly, this relationship influenced Reyna’s impending move to Forest. The key questions, of course, are whether Espirito Santo truly wants Reyna and how much he’ll play.

Morgan Gibbs-White, a ball-carrying central midfielder, has established himself as Forest’s No. 10 — in Reyna’s preferred position. A rotating cast of wingers have completed the line of three in Forest’s 4-2-3-1, so perhaps Reyna could seize a role out wide. But he will have to compete for it, just as he had to at Dortmund. He will also have to prove that he can withstand the pace and physical brutality of the Premier League. Health and competition are what ultimately derailed Reyna’s burgeoning career at Dortmund. He was rising, rapidly, until a 2021 hamstring injury interrupted his ascent. As a 17- and 18-year-old in 2020-21, he played 46 games (30 starts) in the Bundesliga, Champions League and German cups. He has only started 17 games since.

He re-injured the hamstring shortly after returning in 2022. He reestablished himself in a substitute role throughout the following season. But in June 2023, while starring for the U.S. men’s national team in the CONCACAF Nations League final, a fluky tackle fractured his fibula. That latest injury kept him out until October. In his absence, at least four attacking midfielders or wingers solidified themselves on Dortmund’s depth chart ahead of him. Earlier this month, Dortmund brought in a fifth, Jadon Sancho — the very player Reyna was supposed to replace three years ago, when Dortmund sold Sancho to Manchester United. Sancho’s return was the clearest indicator yet that Reyna had to leave.

He remained a key figure for the USMNT even as he rode the bench, goalless and frustrated, at Dortmund. But he is still remarkably young, just two months past his 21st birthday. To grow, and to resume his rise to the top of the U.S. player pool, he has to play.He may or may not play extensively at Forest. He may or may not succeed in the heat of a high-stakes relegation battle. He may or may not adapt to the speed of the Premier League. All of those are reasons that this move is something less than optimal. But it’s better than a few spare minutes per week at Dortmund. And it isn’t permanent. After rumors and reports that the deal would include an option for Forest to buy Reyna outright, the latest reports from England and Germany suggest that there is not a purchase clause. Forest will simply pay his salary and a small loan fee. Reyna will extend his Dortmund contract through June 2026. So he will get a chance to prove his worth. Then he’ll either go back into Dortmund’s long-term plans or, more likely, back onto the market this summer. That will be the time to find a new home, a new hub to jumpstart his career.

Gio Reyna: What kind of player can he become? It’s time to find out

By John Muller Feb 1, 2024

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Gio Reyna’s story wasn’t supposed to go like this.The kid was American soccer royalty, the son of USMNT great Claudio Reyna, born with a ball duct-taped to his feet and top clubs’ scouts peeking over the backyard fence. Against all odds, he didn’t turn out to be as good as everyone expected — he was better.

While his friends were studying for the SAT, a teenage Reyna was snaking through Bundesliga defenders and curling home his first worldie for Borussia Dortmund. Some 18-year-olds are voted most likely to succeed in their high school’s yearbook; at the same age, in his first full professional season, Reyna made the Golden Boy shortlist — the award for the best young footballer in the world.You probably know how it’s gone wrong for him since: injuries, more injuries, then that whole World Cup melodrama between his parents and the USMNT coach, followed by — no points for guessing this one — another injury. For the past three seasons, Reyna has never been a consistent starter for club or country.

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This week’s loan move to Nottingham Forest of the Premier League from Dortmund, where he once ranked among football’s best prospects, is a chance to get the fairytale back on track.But before he can write his next chapter, Reyna has to grapple with a question he still hasn’t played regularly enough to answer: what kind of great player could he become?

Reyna in the early days with Dortmund in February 2020 (Max Maiwald/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)

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“I love him,” are the first words Rene Maric texts me when I ask about Reyna. Maric, now the head of coaching and playing style for Thomas Tuchel at Bayern Munich, was an assistant coach at Dortmund under Marco Rose in 2021-22, the season Reyna turned 19. He spent his days working with the player we’ve only gotten to see in glimpses. “He was considered our biggest talent besides Jude (Bellingham),” Maric says, “and ‘a taller version of (Andres) Iniesta’.”

(Edith Geuppert – GES Sportfoto/Getty Images)

Comparing a young player to Iniesta, even in scare quotes, is like comparing an art school student to Michelangelo. It’s just not done. That’s how far you have to reach sometimes, though, to describe the kind of things Reyna is capable of on the ball. Consider the dribble he pulled off for the U.S. against Mexico two years ago — 15 seconds of controlled demolition, one of the most preposterous runs you’ll ever see.

For a lot of young attackers, dribbling is destiny: if you can tie defenders in cherry-stem knots like that, chances are you’ll wind up playing on the wing, where there’s more room to go one-v-one.

That’s how Christian Pulisic blazed a path from American youth leagues to Dortmund’s first team and beyond, and for a while it looked like Reyna might follow in his countryman’s footsteps, right down to the position. By the spring of Edin Terzic’s first stint as Dortmund manager, in 2020-21, Reyna was the team’s starting right-winger — the same job Pulisic had held two years earlier.

Stylistically, though, they aren’t very similar. Reyna isn’t fast. He doesn’t knock the ball up the sideline to skip past a defender or stretch the game with off-ball runs into the box. He can put in a good cross when called upon but he’d rather not play that wide, nor is he really the inverted cut-and-shoot type, even when he lines up on the left. Long story short: your dad would absolutely refuse to recognise this guy as a winger.Reyna’s talent is more about weaving the attack together, or what one Dortmund scout called his ability to “play with many contacts”. His awareness of space and movement can sometimes verge on the uncanny.One of his favourite tricks is to receive a pass with one barely perceptible touch, almost but not quite a dummy, that redirects the ball past pressure and into the path of a team-mate behind him. No ordinary winger has eyes in the back of his head like that.

(Christof Koepsel/Getty Images)

Even Terzic, who for the last couple of seasons has persisted in playing Reyna on both wings as well as in midfield, knows he’s a winger in name only. “Like (Bundesliga team-mate Julian) Brandt, Gio is rarely found on the wings when he plays there,” the Dortmund coach explained in October last year. “They open the wings and always move into the half-spaces. Gio is definitely the most dangerous and can pose the most goal threat (inside).”On the rare occasions Reyna was fit enough to play for the USMNT in the last World Cup cycle, that’s how coach Gregg Berhalter used him, starting on the right wing but tucking inside when Sergino Dest pushed up from right-back to join the attack. The idea was to get Reyna on the ball between the lines, somewhere around the corner of the box, where he can create like very few players in the world his age.“He has quality,” Berhalter told The Athletic a few months before the 2022 World Cup finals. “The timing of his passing is very good, the weight of his passing is very good and he can receive the ball in any type of conditions. He can get it with his back to the goal, he can get it on the run, he can get it under tight pressure. That’s not a problem for him because of his quality. And then, when he gets faced up, he’s really good at making a final pass.”Most of these strengths — receiving in tight spaces, playing back-to-goal, combining with team-mates and facing goal to unlock the final pass — are things attacking midfielders do. Reyna ultimately proved to be an awkward fit on the wings, where he found himself slipping down the depth chart for club and country behind more conventional wide, vertical attackers.“I would deem his position on the wing as his worst,” says Maric. In his view, Reyna has the potential to become world-class in the “pocket position” — an attacking midfielder in the half-spaces, along the lines of Martin Odegaard of Arsenal or Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne.Like Odegaard, Reyna has the shiftiness and close control to turn in the pocket and slip a ball into the box, but he’s got De Bruyne’s restless sense of adventure, rarely staying in one place for long.A typical Reyna sequence starts with him dropping down the half-space in the build-up, then pulling wide to receive so he can face the defence and look to play a team-mate in behind with a through ball. He’ll often finish the move by returning to the top of the box to hunt for cutbacks or loose balls, arriving in space rather than holding his position.Not every system allows him that much freedom, though.“Tactically, there’s so much more structure here,” Reyna told The Athletic shortly after he got to Dortmund from New York City FC’s academy. “In New York, I was playing as a No 10 and could go wherever I wanted, but here in Germany, I learned how to cut down the (passing) angles here, see the link-up there.”

(John Dorton/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)

He still says his best position is “kind of a free-roaming No 10,” and he shone in that role for the USMNT when he finally got a chance towards the end of 2023. Berhalter appreciated Reyna’s attacking creativity but also made a point to praise his effort “off the ball, the relentless work rate defensively.”If he’s going to earn a licence to roam instead of being stuck on the wing, Reyna will have to keep showing coaches that he’s attentive to team structure, especially out of possession. He’s not a lazy defender — his ball-winning stats are better than you might expect and Maric is upbeat about his willingness to go into duels — but his timing and angles can be lax, opening holes in midfield that Germany gleefully exploited in their 3-1 friendly win in October.Terzic, who has rarely trusted Reyna in his preferred role, put it bluntly in December: “Gio still has many aspects to work on to become a more complete player.”

(Alexandre Simoes/Borussia Dortmund via Getty Images)

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A four-month loan to the Premier League isn’t much time for Reyna to prove himself. It’s not even clear where he’ll get on the pitch in Forest’s crowded squad. Coach Nuno Spirito Santos’s 4-2-3-1 offers a chance for him to earn playing time as a No 10 but that spot currently belongs to Forest’s best player, Morgan Gibbs-White. The good news for Reyna, maybe, is that he and Gibbs-White have very different profiles. In Forest’s counter-attacking game, Gibbs-White likes to run ahead of the play, often pulling wide to receive on the right wing. Reyna, who doesn’t have that kind of pace, would rather drop to the ball in transition and turn to look for runners. If you squint a little, you can see them complementing each other: Reyna pulling the strings from midfield, Gibbs-White leading the attack from the right. It’s a far cry from the possession game Reyna was used to at Dortmund, true, but his dribbling and vision can be lethal in transition.It’s also possible, though, that Reyna just won’t fit: not quick enough to play in Forest’s front line, not defensive or tactically disciplined enough for their midfield. It would be a shame if he finally managed to stay healthy only to see his enormous potential wasted out on loan, especially with the USMNT’s high-profile Copa America on home turf coming up in the summer.“He is so young and so talented in the right role,” Maric says, “that I hope his body and his choice of club won’t stop him from reaching what he could.”For a player who once looked like a prince, the long road back to a happy ending starts with figuring out who he is now.(Top photo: Howard Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)

Making sense of Pulisic’s stellar stats at AC Milan, USMNT

• Ryan O’Hanlon, ESPN.com writerFeb 2, 2024, 09:21 AM ET

There are only three players in Serie A this season who have scored at least five non-penalty goals and created at least five assists. The first two: Inter Milan’s Marcus Thuram and Roma’s Paulo Dybala.You know the third player because he is the most famous American soccer player of all time, and he’s playing for the club with the second-most Champions League titles of all time.Everyone is talking about Christian Pulisic. You can’t walk down the street without a random stranger bursting out of a door, grabbing you by the arm, and forcing you to watch grainy video of Pulisic’s assist to Ruben Loftus-Cheek against Bologna, or his goal against Sassuolo.Delis are naming sandwiches after him. Tattoo artists across the United States are quitting in protest over having to spend their days iterating on some version of a “CP10” design. Your grandmother figured out how to not only use her television, but how to download, sign up for and then navigate the Paramount+ app in order to watch Christian Pulisic play in Serie A.I kid, so as not to cry. Somehow, Pulisic is in the midst of the best season of his professional career, for one of the biggest clubs in the world, and it feels like it’s going under the radar. So, what has driven Pulisic’s reinvigoration? And, more importantly for Milan and U.S. men’s national team fans alike, will he be able to keep it up?Pulisic, the most productive winger in ItalyPut simply, Pulisic has been one of the most productive, ever-present attackers in Serie A so far this season. Among players to appear in at least 1,200 minutes of game time, he ranks fifth in the league in per-90-minute attacking contribution (non-penalty goals and assists):

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1) Lautaro Martínez, Inter Milan: 1.07
2) Dusan Vlahovic, Juventus: 0.95
3) Marcus Thuram, Inter Milan: 0.84
4) Olivier Giroud, AC Milan: 0.82
5) Christian Pulisic, AC Milan: 0.68

For context, here are some players outside of Italy who Pulisic has outperformed by this same metric so far this season: Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo, Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski, Manchester City’s Phil Foden, Julián Álvarez, and Bernardo Silva, Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka, and Gabriel Martinelli.

Inside of Italy, he’s been more productive than the both of star duo — Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia — that drove Napoli to a Serie A title just a year ago. Plus, unlike the four players ahead of him on the Serie A list, Pulisic is not a striker. Given that he’s starting deeper on the field and theoretically required to do more than just assist and score goals, those numbers look even more impressive.If we take a step back in the possession chain, Pulisic’s impact doesn’t dissipate, either. The site FBref created a stat called “goal-creating actions” that they define as such as the two offensive actions that lead to a goal, and “this includes live-ball passes, dead-ball passes, successful dribbles, shots which lead to another shot, and being fouled.” In other words, it’s a way of awarding players who were involved in a goal but might not have played the pass that led directly to the goal. The only Serie A players with more goal-creating actions than Pulisic’s 12 this season are Thuram (15) and his Inter Milan teammate Henrikh Mkhitaryan (13).To tie it all together, there are only 10 players across Europe’s “Big Five” top leagues so far this season who’ve scored at least six non-penalty goals and generated at least 12 goal-creating actions.In the Premier League, it’s Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Darwin Núñez, Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins, and Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon. There’s no one in Ligue 1, and just one in LaLiga: Villarreal’s Alexander Sorloth. In Germany, there are three: Bayern Munch’s Leroy Sané and the Bayer Leverkusen duo of Alex Grimaldo and Victor Boniface. In Serie A, there are only two: Thuram and Pulisic.

Pulisic’s goals and assists are up, but everything else is down

In soccer today, the modern winger needs to do two things: score goals and help his team generate the capacity to score goals. Each specific winger is tilted toward one pole or the other. Kylian Mbappé is on one end — mostly goals, goals, and more goals — while Bukayo Saka sits at the other. The best version of Pulisic is right around the middle: roughly equal parts goal-scoring and helping his teammates score goals. We’ve seen that version of Pulisic so far this season, but it’s unlikely to continue in this same form.

On the goal-scoring side, Pulisic has scored six goals from 3.7 expected goals, or xG. Despite his efficiency in front of goal this season, he’s scored 1.7 goals fewer than expected since the start of the 2017-18 season. He’s never been a standout finisher, and there’s little reason to believe he’s suddenly become one. This year, he’s attempted seven shots with an xG value of 0.14 or better, and he’s scored four of them.ere is a map of all of his shots this season — the larger the circle, the higher the xG the shot generated:

Not only has Pulisic turned his own shots into goals at a super high rate, but his teammates have converted his passes into goals just as efficiently. He’s generated 3.0 expected goals assisted, but his teammates have turned them into five goals.

As you can see, just two of his assists came from passes completed inside the penalty area:

The same thinking applies to his goal-creating actions. If we look at all shot-creating actions, Pulisic has helped generate 50 attempts for his teammates. That’s tied for 34th-most in the league despite those actions leading to 12 goals, third-most in the league. Pulisic’s involvement in play, then, has led to an unusually high number of goals this season. Otherwise, his general involvement in the game is down in just about every major way.

Here’s a selection of some of his top-line metrics at Chelsea, per 90 minutes, compared to his first season in Milan:

• Non-penalty xG+xA: 0.48 at Chelsea, 0.41 at Milan
• Shots: 2.5 at Chelsea, 1.9 at Milan
• Progressive passes: 3.5 at Chelsea, 2.8 at Milan
• Shot-creating actions: 3.5 at Chelsea, 3.1 at Milan
• Touches in the penalty area: 5.7 at Chelsea, 3.6 at Milan
• Successful take-ons: 3.3 at Chelsea, 2.7 at Milan

If Pulisic had one elite skill before coming to Milan, it was his off-ball movement. That showed up in all of his touches inside the box with Chelsea, and we all saw it on his winning goal against Iran at the World Cup, too:https://www.youtube.com/embed/PgqQSJMAfPU?wmode=transparent

His overall number of touches is about the same as they were at Chelsea — just slightly down from 50-per-90 minutes to 48.3-per-90 at Milan — but he just hasn’t been as involved in the most dangerous area of the field as often. He’s not pushing the ball forward as much, he’s not taking as many players on, and he’s not shooting as much as he used to.

In a backward way, Pulisic’s season has gone under the radar because all of the shots are going in. If his chances and his teammates’ chances were being converted at a normal rate, USMNT fans would be able to have their favorite kind of conversation: Do we need to worry about this American soccer star?

So, do we need to worry about Pulisic?

Normally, I’d say “yes.” Pulisic’s underlying production — the 0.41 non-penalty xG+xA per 90 — ranks tied for 198th among all players in Europe’s “Big Five” leagues who have appeared in at least one-third of their team’s minutes. In Serie A, he’s tied for 25th.

That’s… fine? But when you consider that he’s an attacker on one of the best teams in Italy, 25th feels like the bare minimum for a starter in his position.

Plus, it’s not like he’s seen a ton of touches around the goal that haven’t turned into shots or chances created. Twenty-six other players in Serie A have registered more touches inside the penalty area. And on top of all that, he’s 24. He’s supposed to be entering his prime, and he’s moved to a less competitive league — both factors that should theoretically boost his performance. Instead, it’s mostly gone in the opposite direction.

And yet, I don’t think it’s time to freak out. At Milan, he is receiving more progressive passes than he did at Chelsea (9.3 per 90 minutes, up from 8.6). That’s a signal that he’s still able to find dangerous space — windows for players to pass him the ball — even if it hasn’t been inside the penalty area as often as in the past.

On top of that, his general contribution to Milan’s possession play is being undersold by some of these more basic numbers. Back in December, I wrote about a statistic called “Expected Possession Value” or EPV. Essentially, it looks at every on-ball action over the course of a match and calculates how much it increases or decreases a team’s chances of scoring a goal within the next 10 seconds.

For Milan, Rafael Leão leads the way in EPV at 0.21 per 90 minutes. In other words, his actions are adding 21% goal probability across a 90-minute match. Pulisic isn’t far behind, ranking second on the team at 0.18 EPV per 90.

These are all of Pulisic’s open-play passes that have increased Milan’s goal probability by at least 5%:

Along with Leao and midfielder Tijjani Reijnders, Pulisic is one of Milan’s three most-important players in terms of generating dangerous possession. And this is for a team that’s second in the league in both non-penalty goals and expected goals. Plus, playing time was more important for Pulisic this season than performance. He hasn’t played more than 1,800 minutes in a league season since he was an 18-year-old with Borussia Dortmund in the 2017-18 season. He played 75% of the minutes that year, and he’s at 74% for Milan this season. In the five years in between, though, he never got beyond 51% of the minutes. Pulisic simply hasn’t been a full-time starter in European soccer in six years. For now, re-establishing himself as such matters more than his underlying output. And then, for USMNT fans in particular, Pulisic’s performances with the national team don’t really seem to have any kind of connection with his club form. In an up-and-mostly-down 2023 with his club situation, Pulisic scored six goals and added three assists in eight caps for his country. The year before that, 2022, was probably the worst single year of his professional career — and yet, at the World Cup, he was fantastic.

Based on a handful of advanced and basic stats, FBref calculates the 10 most similar players within a competition for every player. For Pulisic, at the World Cup, the third-most-similar player was Germany’s uber-prospect Jamal Musiala. Second was Brazil’s Vinicius Junior, perhaps the best left-winger in the world. And first? Kylian Mbappe, perhaps the best player in the world.After that, well… I guess I wouldn’t get too excited about a few goals and a few assists in Serie A, either.

USWNT captain Lindsey Horan says most American fans ‘aren’t smart’ about soccer

Steve Gardner, USA TODAY Thu, February 1, 2024 at 1:43 PM EST·2 min read

he U.S. Women’s National Soccer team is accustomed to being in the spotlight. And its players are no strangers to controversy.So it should come as no surprise that team captain Lindsey Horan could be in line for some criticism after her comments to The Athletic in a recent interview about American soccer fans.”Most of them aren’t smart,” Horan said. “They don’t know the game. They don’t understand. (But) it’s getting better and better.”The point she was trying to make was that soccer commentators on TV tend to shape public perception, especially of the USWNT.”We’re always in the magnifying glass on every single thing we do or anything we say,” Horan said.The U.S. team took plenty of heat for its poor showing at the 2023 Women’s World Cup − where Horan and Co. were bounced in the Round of 16 in a penalty-kick shootout against Sweden. The loss cost coach Vlatko Andonovski his job and put the USWNT into scramble mode in the run-up to the 2024 Olympics in Paris this summer.”We need to get back to the football. The football is the most important thing,” Horan said in the December interview. “We need to focus on the game. We need to focus on being the absolute best we can be.”

New coach Emma Hayes won’t take over officially until the European season ends in May, though she did meet with the team in December to help ease the transition.With the Olympics getting underway in late July, Horan, 29, will have a lot of responsibility on her shoulders in the meantime.”We need to change every bit of culture that we had prior to the last World Cup and going into this Olympics,” she said, “because we need to win.”This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USWNT’s Lindsey Horan: Most American fans ‘aren’t smart’ about soccer

2026 World Cup final: The pros and cons of Texas’ AT&T and New Jersey’s MetLife

Melanie AnzideiFeb 2, 2024

On Sunday from 3pm EST (8pm GMT, 1pm PT), the world will finally know the location of the 2026 World Cup final.Will it be played in Texas or New Jersey? Or will Los Angeles’ So-Fi Stadium be the dark horse that tops both favorites?The decision has been fiercely guarded. Officials in Texas and New Jersey declined to comment on reports last month that Dallas had secured the grand finale on Sunday, July 19, 2026. On Thursday, sources in host cities said FIFA, world soccer’s governing body, had yet to relay any information regarding venue selections. It seems they will find out with the rest of the world.The AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, offer very different experiences for the showpiece event in men’s global soccer and the location of the final will dictate so much about where the group and knockout matches are held, too.

World Cup venues — as with the Olympics — are not allowed to use branded names as it is viewed as a type of ambush marketing, but we will use MetLife and AT&T for now as these are the names with which fans are most familiar.With so much riding on landing the coveted fixture, here’s a closer look at the pros and cons of each venue…

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Open-air or covered?

MetLife Stadium and AT&T Stadium offer two very different stadium experiences.

The New Jersey venue opened in 2009. Though World Cup games have been played in the Meadowlands, those matches were hosted at Giants Stadium, which was torn down to make way for MetLife next door. MetLife successfully hosted the Copa America final between Chile and Argentina in 2016, a precursor to Messi Mania when tickets for a match were far more attainable than they likely will be this summer.

Messi’s Argentina were beaten 4-2 on penalties by Chile in 2016 (Xinhua/Qin Lang via Getty Images)

MetLife has a capacity of 82,500 and is an open-air stadium. It usually has a turf pitch for NFL matches but will be converted to grass for World Cup games to meet FIFA’s standards. For this summer’s Copa America games, the stadium will utilize $400,000 (£313,000) in funds from the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA), which holds the land lease where MetLife stands, to turn the field over to grass, an agency spokesperson told The Athletic.

Complete Copa America schedule

In September, the venue hit the headlines when Aaron Rodgers tore an Achilles tendon in his debut for the Jets just moments into their opening game, reigniting a debate on player safety.AT&T Stadium also has a similar base capacity of 80,000 but can be expanded to host up to 105,000 with standing room. Final capacity for a World Cup game is likely to sit somewhere between those figures, according to Dan Hunt, chairman of Dallas’ World Cup bid and FC Dallas president.“We’ll lose some seats at AT&T Stadium, but I envision it still being in the 90,000-seat range for World Cup matches there,” Hunt said in January. AT&T Stadium also features one of the largest video displays in the world, weighing 1.2 million pounds and measuring roughly 72 feet high and 160 feet wide.

The stadium’s retractable roof, though, is probably its most important accessory – especially when considering a final in Texas means players and supporters will face intense heat. The average temperature on July 19, 2023, in the Dallas Fort Worth region was 94F (34.4C), according to the National Weather Service. In September, England’s Rachel Daly, who played for the Houston Dash, said the heat and humidity could make it “unsafe” for players in the summer.

The LED scoreboard hanging from the stadium’s roof during the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup quarterfinal (Matthew Ashton – AMA/Getty Images)

If you ask The Athletic’s NFL writers, AT&T Stadium offers a far better stadium experience than MetLife, which has far fewer bells and whistles and offers less to do in the immediate surrounding area — unless you consider the American Dream mega-mall next door. AT&T is only likely to get better in Arlington, with $350 million in renovations expected at the stadium in time for the World Cup, as reported by the Dallas Morning News.

All stadiums will likely have to undergo renovations before the tournament, especially to meet FIFA’s pitch requirements, which call for a wider field than NFL-regulated fields and essentially require that any turf pitches be converted to grass. But few may have access to the resources the Dallas Cowboys’ venue has with an owner like Jerry Jones, whose estimated net worth is $12.4 billion, according to Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index.

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The World Cup epicenter or the center of the western world?

Both stadiums are just a short drive from their Big City neighbors, Dallas and New York City. Supporters of the New York/New Jersey bid have long argued New York City is the obvious choice because of the city’s global heritage, with landmarks like Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty nearby, as well as the city’s relative importance in the global market. New York City, which to some is still considered the financial capital of the world, offers fans a built-in tourist attraction and the final will take place just a few weeks after the country’s 250th celebration of July 4.

(Elsa/Getty Images)

Dallas is much smaller than New York City, with a population of 1.3 million versus 8.5 million. With Dallas, though, fans also have other Texan cities to travel to in the Mid-Cities region from Fort Worth to Dallas, which Arlington sits between. It’s also near Houston, which hopes to host several World Cup matches, although Jerry World, what some call AT&T Stadium, can be considered its own attraction in the heart of Arlington’s entertainment district. If you look at a map of the 16 host cities for 2026, Dallas is at the center of them all. New York is one of the cities furthest east – although it is arguably in the most important media market in the world. Both cities are also a roughly three-hour flight from Miami, where FIFA’s headquarters in 2026 will be.

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Getting there… and getting away

One of the biggest priorities for organizers has been preparing for avoidable transportation woes. Shuffling millions of people in and out of a region is no easy feat and local authorities have already started planning for ways to be best prepared.

If the assumption is that most fans will stay in Dallas or New York City and travel to games, like millions do every week for work in those areas, that means both cities need to set up a system that allows them to travel seamlessly. Though FIFA is tightlipped about what its agreements with host cities require, at past men’s World Cups, ticketed fans were offered free public transport to games. It’s safe to assume FIFA expects the same in 2026.Both Dallas and New York City are accustomed to temporarily increasing transport options at AT&T and MetLife stadiums for major events. Officials in both regions have also publicly backed plans for more buses, with other major infrastructure projects ongoing at various levels. (Though, if you’ve ever followed along with a major transportation initiative, they can be expensive and delays are common.)

In Dallas, some basic transit plans include increasing the Trinity Railway Express rail service during the tournament at an improved CentrePort Station, which is eight miles from AT&T Stadium, and adding dedicated bus lanes on area highways, as reported by Fort Worth Report. That hinges on pending funding and transit needs may increase depending on what FIFA announces this weekend. In July, Globe Life Field will host the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, providing a test run for some of these World Cup-related plans.In New Jersey, there are also calls for increased bus routes to the region, with officials in New Jersey racing to build a Transitway in time for the 2026 tournament. In July, the board of NJ Transit, the state’s public transportation system, approved $35million in spending to fully design a new corridor from Secaucus, where there is a regional transit hub called Secaucus Junction, to MetLife Stadium.During large events at MetLife, a special train service connects Secaucus Junction with the Meadowlands Rail Station at the stadium. Though easy to use, the service hasn’t always been perfect. Locals may remember some high-profile transit flops: during the 2014 Super Bowl, for instance, thousands of fans were stranded for hours trying to get home from the big game. A similar mess happened in 2019 with WrestleMania.

(Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

More recently, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour went off without a hitch for three performances over one holiday weekend. That may have been because the tour took place on a weekend in the summer, when most people in the New York metro area flock either to Long Island or the Jersey Shore to avoid the city heat – and, potentially, the expected traffic.

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Who is paying for it?

Hosting a World Cup is not cheap and tensions usually rise when it comes down to who will cover that bill. Organizers can tap into public funding, set up sponsorships, or rely on fundraising to get by. In the case of New Jersey and New York, this becomes even more complicated when deciphering whether one state is on the hook for more than the other.In Texas, organizers have what’s called the Major Events Reimbursement Program, or MERP — a resource likened to a Texas Trust Fund that provides reimbursement for major events brought to the state. It’s an incentive program, its supporters say, that uses taxpayers’ dollars to cover the costs of hosting major events. In 2017, the fund covered $25.4million in costs associated with holding the Super Bowl in Houston. Chris Canetti, who is leading World Cup 2026 planning in Houston, said the fund is a “huge advantage” for cities in Texas.“We all have significant financial risks that we’re taking in hosting these events and need to have a pathway for funding it,” Canetti told The Athletic. “To be able to say that we have this mechanism in place to be able to do it, I think was positive (in the bid process). We have huge costs that we have to cover through our contracts with FIFA and to know that we have this fund in place through this legislation that’s going to help us cover some of these costs is very helpful.”

(Matthew Ashton – AMA/Getty Images)

For MetLife Stadium, organizers can request funding distributed by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority. The money is allocated from $7.5million in funding appropriated from the state budget “for international events, improvements and sporting attractions,” according to a resolution approving the spending. The agency also recently approved $1.65million in funding for hosting the NHL Stadium Series, an outdoor hockey tournament, at MetLife.One potential benefit for New Jersey could also be the ability to work closely with other host cities along the East Coast. Meg Kane, the host city executive for Philadelphia 2026, told The Athletic that Philadelphia, New Jersey/New York, Boston and even Toronto have aligned to explore options around transportation, security and even cost sharing.“We view ourselves as a working group because there are such similarities in terms of location, as well as some of the additional events that each of the cities is managing and balancing,” Kane said in January.

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Opposite ends of the political spectrum

One topic that can’t be ignored is the varying political climates in New Jersey, New York and Texas. In short, two sides could not be more ideologically different or on opposite ends of the political spectrum.

In recent months, one of the biggest political tensions between New York and Texas has been the ongoing migrant crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border. Political tensions hit a high when Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, began bussing migrants to cities like New York, angering Democratic officials. By December and early January, about 1,000 migrants passed through New Jersey on their way to New York City to circumvent new city rules, as reported by New Jersey Monitor, prompting calls last week from Gov. Phil Murphy and other Democratic governors urging President Joe Biden to solve this “humanitarian crisis.”There are also differences when it comes to gun reform, reproductive rights and LGBTQ+ rights. New Jersey has some of the strictest gun laws in the nation. Texas is the largest state to ban nearly all abortions after the 2022 overturn of Roe v. Wade. There’s also the question of LGBTQ+ rights, with the Human Rights Campaign saying Texas is responsible for more than 20 percent of the more than 500 anti-LGTBQ+ bills last year across the country.

These issues may seem far removed from soccer, but human rights issues were widely debated and reported on during the 2022 men’s World Cup in Qatar and continue to be contentious topics as global investment in soccer continues to grow.Will these issues be a deal breaker for FIFA? Most likely not, but they surely will become topics for debate if Dallas does secure the final – and with it, the eyes of the world.(Top photos: Getty Images; design: John Bradford)

Champions League, Premier League, more: February viewing guide

• Bill Connelly, ESPN Staff WriterJan 31, 2024, 09:11 AM ET

Now is when the rubber meets the road. After a January loaded with (often delightful) cup ties, endless transfer rumors (most of which went nowhere), and lots of cold rain, February raises the stakes pretty significantly in Europe. The UEFA competitions return — the respective first legs of the Champions League round of 16 come in the middle of the month — and from England (first-place Liverpool at third-place Arsenal) to Germany (second-place Bayern Munich at first-place Bayer Leverkusen) to Spain (first-place Girona at second-place Real Madrid) to Italy (second-place Juventus at first-place Inter), we’ve got a lot of enormous league matches popping up in a short amount of time. And if that’s not enough, the chaotic-as-ever Africa Cup of Nations is reaching the final rounds as well.

It’s a lot, so let’s walk through five(ish) matches to track in each major country/competition.

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UEFA competitions

• Feb. 13: Real Madrid at RB Leipzig (Champions League)
• Feb. 14: Bayern Munich at Lazio (Champions League)
• Feb. 20: Atletico Madrid at Inter (Champions League)
• Feb. 21: Arsenal at Porto (Champions League)
• Feb. 21: Barcelona at Napoli (Champions League)

The Champions League indeed returns, and the round of 24 for the Europa League and the Europa Conference League get underway on Feb. 15 as well. Obviously, you should pay attention to all eight UCL round-of-16 matches, but some might be more interesting than others.

EDITOR’S PICKS

• In dramatic fashion, South Korea are somehow still alive in the Asian Cup — and headed for a duel with Australia3dJoey Lynch
• Jurgen Klopp is irreplaceable, but here’s who Liverpool should hire to take over1dRyan O’Hanlon
• Xavi, Klopp, Eriksson and the hypocritical treatment of managers5dGraham Hunter

Manchester City are the overall tournament favorites and should handle Copenhagen with relative ease, but two secondary favorites — Real Madrid and Bayern — could find things awkward with road tests. RB Leipzig have been all over the map in 2023-24 and need to recover from some dismal recent form but boast plenty of upside; Lazio, meanwhile, have taken 13 points from their past five league matches to rise to within two points of a top-four spot. Bayern haven’t really seen fifth gear in a while either.

The second set of Champions League matches, on Feb. 20 and 21, features maybe the most fascinating R16 ties — Atletico-Inter and Barca-Napoli — plus, in Porto, another chance for an underdog to make an early home statement. There’s plenty to track here, but you probably didn’t need me to tell you that.

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England

• Feb. 4: Liverpool at Arsenal
• Feb. 11: Manchester United at Aston Villa
• Feb. 24: Newcastle United at Arsenal
• Feb. 25: Liverpool vs. Chelsea (EFL Cup final, live on ESPN+)
• Feb. 28: Maidstone United at Sheffield Wednesday/Coventry City (FA Cup)

This coming Sunday comes one of the biggest remaining matches of the Premier League campaign. The computers and oddsmakers consider the EPL title race a two-teamer between Manchester City and Liverpool — Opta’s power ratings give the former a 59% chance at the title, the latter a 37% chance, and the other 18 teams in the league a combined 5% chance. Arsenal’s odds took a major nosedive with the Gunners’ back-to-back December losses to West Ham and Fulham, but they still trail Liverpool by only five points and have time to either insert themselves back into the race or, with matches against Liverpool and City (Mar. 30) remaining, decide who gets to win.

Liverpool enter February with a shot at lifting four trophies in Jürgen Klopp’s final four months as manager, but the picture could change significantly by March. The Feb. 4 trip to the Emirates Stadium will have a huge impact on the Reds’ EPL title odds, and in four days late in the month they’ll play in the EFL Cup final against Chelsea and in the FA Cup fifth round against Watford or Southampton. They’ll be favored in both matches, but this will be a pretty defining month in the final chapter of the Klopp-Liverpool story.

– O’Hanlon: Here’s who Liverpool should hire after Klopp (E+)

And of course, let’s not forget everyone’s new favorite club, Maidstone United. The Stones took down second-division Ipswich Town last weekend to become the first sixth-division club to reach the fifth round since the 1970s, and they’ll face another second-division side, either Wednesday or Coventry, at the end of the month.

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Germany

• Feb. 6: VfB Stuttgart at Bayer Leverkusen (DFB Pokal, live on ESPN+)
• Feb. 7: Borussia Monchengladbach at Saarbrucken (DFB Pokal, live on ESPN+)
• Feb. 9: Freiburg at Borussia Dortmund (Live on ESPN+)
• Feb. 10: Bayern Munich at Bayer Leverkusen (Live on ESPN+)
• Feb. 24: RB Leipzig at Bayern Munich (Live on ESPN+)

The first 10 days of the month are enormous in Deutschland. First, we’ve got the last two quarterfinals of what has been a truly chaotic DFB-Pokal. Two second-division teams – Fortuna Dusseldorf (which defeated St. Pauli via penalties on Tuesday) and either Kaiserslautern or Hertha Berlin (they play Wednesday, live on ESPN+) — are already guaranteed semifinal bids, and the only two top-of-the-first-division teams left in the field, first-place Leverkusen and third-place Stuttgart, play each other next week.

FRIDAY, FEB. 2 (all times ET)
• Heidenheim vs. Dortmund (2:30 p.m.)
• Athletic Club vs. Mallorca (3 p.m.)

SATURDAY, FEB. 3 (all times ET)
• Bayern Munich vs. M’gladbach (9:20 a.m.)
• Darmstadt vs. Leverkusen (9:20 a.m.)
• Alavés vs. FC Barcelona (12:50 p.m.)
• Ajax vs. PSV (1:55 p.m.)
• Girona vs. Real Sociedad (2:50 p.m.)

SUNDAY, FEB. 4 (all times ET)
• RB Leipzig vs. Union Berlin (11:20 a.m.)
• Real Madrid vs. Atletico Madrid (2:50 p.m.)

Meanwhile, third-division Saarbrucken, who have already taken down Bayern Munich and Eintracht Frankfurt, try to keep their miraculous run going against a Gladbach team that is worse than Bayern and Eintracht. Major “magic of the cup” vibes in Germany.

Just four days after hosting Stuttgart, Bayer Leverkusen will play an even bigger match, and it honestly might be the biggest remaining match of the Bundesliga campaign. Bayern come to town currently trailing the Werkself by just two points, and although the German giants do have to face bogey team Gladbach this coming weekend, it’s fair to say that if Leverkusen want to remain on the front foot in the title race, they need a result in this one pretty badly.

– Stream the Bundesliga on ESPN+ all season long

That means they’ll have to play better than they have since the league’s restart — they needed late magic to secure tight wins over Augsburg and RB Leipzig, and they came up empty in the magic department in a 0-0 draw with Gladbach last weekend. They’ve been just scraping by with several key players participating in the Africa Cup of Nations, and although that’s wrapping up, star scorer Victor Boniface is out for a few more weeks with injury. They missed him greatly last weekend.

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Spain

• Feb. 4: Atletico Madrid at Real Madrid (Live on ESPN+)
• Feb. 6 and 27: Mallorca vs. Real Sociedad (Copa del Rey) (Live on ESPN+)
• Feb. 7 and 29: Atletico Madrid vs. Athletic Club (Copa del Rey) (Live on ESPN+)
• Feb. 10: Girona at Real Madrid (Live on ESPN+)
• Feb. 19: Girona at Athletic Club (Live on ESPN+)

Granted, Barcelona and Real Madrid are always the primary focuses of attention in Spain, but February belongs to Girona and Atletico Madrid. Including a Feb. 3 match against Real Sociedad, Girona will face three of the top six teams in the LaLiga table this month. They are currently in first, a point ahead of Real Madrid (who have a game in hand), but Opta’s power ratings aren’t yet buying what the Gironistes are selling. They give Real Madrid a 93% chance of taking the title. But if Girona come up big this month, the odds will have no choice but to shift a decent amount toward the underdogs.

– Stream LaLiga all season long on ESPN+

Atleti, meanwhile, are in an interesting spot. They have lost to Barcelona, Athletic Club and Girona over the past two months, which has left them in a precarious position, clinging to a top-four position by just two points over Athletic (and tied with a flailing Barca). But a Copa del Rey win over Real Madrid has positioned them as the favorites in that competition — they have lifted that trophy just once since 1996, taking down Real Madrid in extra time in the 2013 final — and while they’re the underdogs in the Champions League round of 16 against Inter, it’s not the least manageable draw imaginable.

By the end of February, this season could be putting off either precarious or triumphant vibes.

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Italy

• Feb. 4: Juventus at Inter
• Feb. 4: Lazio at Atalanta
• Feb. 10: Inter at Roma
• Feb. 11: Napoli at AC Milan
• Feb. 28: Atalanta at Inter

Liverpool vs. Arsenal is huge, but it might not even be the biggest match this coming Sunday. Juventus, unbeaten since September and unburdened by European play, have climbed to within one point of Inter in the Serie A race, even though Inter also haven’t lost in league play since September. The Nerazzurri do have a game in hand, but a loss on Sunday could significantly change the calculus.

Meanwhile, the race for fourth place is almost equally gripping. Granted, Italy has solid odds of claiming a fifth bid in next year’s Champions League, but it’s still only four for now, and the gap between fourth-place Atalanta and 10th-place Torino is just five points. Lazio and Roma are both rebounding from poor starts; Fiorentina and Bologna still have time to bounce back after a poor January for both; and somehow Napoli, stuck in hangover mode for months, remain only five points outside the top four.

Look at it this way: Serie A might have more plot twists remaining than any other major European league.

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Elsewhere in Europe

• Feb. 3: PSV Eindhoven at Ajax (Eredivisie) (Live on ESPN+)
• Feb. 4: Marseille at Lyon (Ligue 1)
• Feb. 4: Gent at Anderlecht (Belgian Pro League)
• Feb. 9: Sturm Graz at RB Salzburg (Austrian Bundesliga)
• Feb. 11: Lille at PSG (Ligue 1)

We’re lacking for gripping title races outside of Europe’s four biggest leagues. PSG lead Nice by six points in France; PSV lead Feyenoord by 12 in the Netherlands; and, although they’ve failed to seal the deal before, Union Saint-Gilloise currently boast an eight-point lead over Anderlecht in Belgium.

Granted, PSG’s form remains an interesting topic because of how it might translate to Champions League play — a test against fifth-place Lille could be telling ahead of the round of 16 — but the most interesting February match in France might be between seventh-place Marseille and 16th-place Lyon. It’s one of the most heated derbies in Europe (too heated, actually), and it means even more than usual for both teams. Lyon are still struggling to get their head above water in their relegation scrap; after winning three straight in league play, they allowed three goals in losses to Le Havre and to Rennes. Marseille, meanwhile, sit five points outside of the top four after three consecutive league draws.

PSV play their own always-heated rivalry match this Saturday, visiting the Johan Cruyff Arena to face an Ajax team that finally has its act together. After a dreadful start, they’ve taken 29 points from their past 11 league matches to rise back to fifth in the Eredivisie, just four points behind third-place Twente. PSV’s league lead is safe, but they could hand Ajax a huge setback on Saturday.

We do have a couple of interesting league races to follow. Sporting CP lead Benfica by just one point in Portugal (and Porto by four), although none of the top three play each other in February. And in Austria, three-time defending champion RB Salzburg lead Sturm Graz by only two points. A loss on Feb. 9 would make things awfully interesting.

USMNT analysis

A look at the USMNT goalkeeping situation as questions surround the top choices

As everyone knows, the USMNT goalkeeping situation isn’t great as we approach two major tournaments in the Nations League final stages and the Copa America. ASN’s Brian Sciaretta looks at all the options and how things could shape up 

BY BRIAN SCIARETTAPOSTED EBRUARY 01, 2024 2:05 PM

IT’S THE TOUGHEST position right now to analyze on the U.S. national team because there are no easy answers, but goalkeeping is of critical importance as the depth chart is unstable at a point when the Nations League finals and Copa America are quickly approaching. Things can, and often do, change quickly but right now none of the options inspire a lot of confidence.

On thing we are seeing is that there is a lot of player movement and that always brings uncertainty about playing time and the ability to adjust into a new setting. We also have a time where others haven’t played in a long time while other options are very young. Both of these issues also create uncertainty about the immediate future.

Long term, it will probably sort itself out, but there are pressing demands in the short term and there are no good answers. Goalkeeping is important not simply for the demands of stopping shots, but goalkeeping also affects the confidence level of the entire team. When a team lacks confidence in its goalkeeper, it throws everything and everyone else off.

But let’s look at where things stand.

 THE CURRENT GROUP

Matt Turner: Things have not gone well for Turner since he arrived in England in the summer of 2022. It was expected he would be Arsenal’s backup but also that he would be given cup games. But eventually he lost his starting cup game role and then was glued to the bench. After a move to Nottingham Forest, he continued to struggle. The team initially brought in Odysseas Vlachodimos from Benfica and the Greek No. 1 replaced Turner. But after Vlachodimos had a terrible run, Turner regained the job. In January, Turner continued to not play well and on deadline day, the club acquired Matz Sels from Strasbourg.

What this means is that Turner is now either the No. 2 or No. 3 (which carries the risk of not being registered) depending on how Forest sees him compared with Vlachodimos. How long will Turner remain at the club if he is the backup?

For the U.S. national team, Turner will not be in a position to regain confidence heading into any of the upcoming tournaments.

Ethan Horvath: After leading Luton Town to promotion last season while on loan from Nottingham Forest, Horvath was given a raw deal. He was told he was in Luton Town’s plans but the club changed its mind late in the game and declined the option to buy on his loan. Upon returning to Forest, he fell to the No. 3 keeper and wasn’t even registered for the first half of the season.

At the end of the January window, Horvath sealed a move to Cardiff City which sits midtable at 14^th place in the Championship. There he should be able to push Jak Alnwick for the starting job as Alnwick has not been great this season. But how long will it take Horvath to compete? That remains to be seen.

The good news is that he’s done well in the Championship before – with Luton. But it’s hard to be completely optimistic as Horvath has seen all his recent clubs pass on him to be their No. 1. Club Brugge felt the need to spend a fortune on Mignolet. Then he lost his starting job at Forest to Brice Samba. Then at Luton, the club eventually passed on him after promotion. After returning to Forest, he lost his No. 2 job.

Will this be the time a club decides that Horvath is the No. 1 for good? Maybe, but that won’t be an immediate decision. Horvath will have to play well and it is unclear how rusty he will be after not even suiting up for a game since August.

This makes him an uncertain bet for the USMNT too. It’s clear that Gregg Berhalter likes Horvath as he was called-up throughout the fall despite not playing. Berhalter was clearly betting that Horvath’s problems were short term. But Horvath’s leash is not infinite either and if Horvath doesn’t fix his career at Cardiff, he’s in trouble.  

Zack Steffen: The former USMNT No. 1 moved to Colorado and this needed to happen after Middlesbrough passed on Steffen after his loan from Manchester City. But Steffen has been injured in his return to Manchester City and has not played. He now returns to Colorado as the team’s number one. But there are two issues for Steffen. He is coming off a very long layoff and it’s unclear how he’ll respond. The second is that injuries (mostly his knee) have been bothering him for years. Will that continue to be an issue?

If Steffen returns to top form, plays well in Colorado, and if has no problems with his injury, then he is in a good position. But those are big “ifs.”

Sean Johnson:  Is mostly an afterthought, and that is fair. But he did go to the World Cup after Steffen was dropped and he has the benefit of being healthy, having a starting job, having familiarity with the team, and being a known commodity. But Toronto is a bad team and Johnson wasn’t solid in 2023, but to be fair, it’s hard to play well on a dysfunctional team.

THE YOUNG/EMERGING OPTIONS

Gaga Slonina: Still just 19, Gaga Slonina is starting for Eupen in a relegation battle in Belgium. At times he has looked very good. At times, he looks very shaky and mistake prone. This is to be expected for a teenage goalkeeper. Between Chicago and now Eupen, he’s made nearly 60 first-team appearances. For the USMNT, it’s hard to see him as a current option to start no matter how high his ceiling is. He’s still a teenager and needs time to refine his skills and his consistency. For 2024, the Olympics should be his priority internationally.

Drake Callender: The Sacramento native has emerged as a good MLS goalkeeper with Inter Miami. With his size and athleticism, he can make tough game-changing saves. He’s been around the national team in 2023 but has yet to make his debut. He’s not perfect, but with his age, athleticism, and the uncertainty of the pool, he should stay around the program in 2024.

Patrick Schulte: While more mature at 22, Schulte has still only had a first team starting job for one season. It was a very good season and he won MLS Cup with Columbus. He’s an Olympic option and another player who needs time to develop without the rush.

Roman Celentano: A bit under the radar internationally, Celentano has the starting job for a good Cincinnati team and has steadily improved. He has been part of the last two January camps where the staff have had the chance to evaluate him. He’s not flashy, but he is generally consistent and steady. He should have a long career ahead of him at just age 23.

Chris Brady: has the benefit of having the starting job at Chicago at just 19 years old. For now, he’s probably behind Schulte and Slonina for an Olympic spot, but things can change very quickly for young goalkeepers. He’s probably not close to the USMNT right now, but Brady could have a high ceiling and is in a good position to develop.

Diego Kochen: at just 17, he has a long way to go. But he’s making the bench for Barcelona and should be one of the U.S. U-20 goalkeepers this cycle. He’s one for the long-term future, but certainly worth keeping an eye on for the U-20 cycle and the following Olympic cycle.

NATIONS LEAGUE/COPA AMERICA

But how about the team’s more pressing needs for the big tournaments inside the next five-six months? That is going to be a big challenge for Berhalter.

My guess is that it will be Turner, Steffen, Horvath for the Nations League. If the tournament were starting today, Turner would still be the No. 1, but there are so many moving parts that things will change quickly. Turner is still the incumbent.

If Steffen and Horvath play well out of the gate, Turner’s leash could be very short. It’s not inconceivable that Turner might not start the Nations League games depending on the other players.

If Horvath or Steffen don’t play well inside of the next month, it’s possible that Berhalter then dips into other options after Turner. But that will also likely be dictated by form.

Berhalter might feel the need to have a more stable backup option around the team in Callender or Celentano who are always healthy and who always start. He also might let Schulte and Slonina work with the Olympic team through the summer.

There are so many moving parts and the next six weeks will tell us a lot. Then with the Copa America, there will be a lot more known about each of the options by that point.

MOVING FORWARD

Over the long-term beyond the Copa America, things will probably be okay. There are enough options where some players will rise, others will fall, others will sort of stagnate. Most importantly, there will be clarity.

One thing that the team misses desperately from its goalkeeping pool is a No. 3 option who is older, better than average, a lock starter for years with his club, and is known/trusted by the entire pool. Nick Rimando was perfect for this role.

There are different philosophies on how to handle the third goalkeeping spot. One is to have the third best goalkeeper in the pool. The second is to have a young and experimental keeper to prepare for the future. The third is to have an older veteran who might not be the third best goalkeeper in the pool, but who is known and trusted by the entire pool of players, always has a starting job at his club, is competent, is a regular call-up to the USMNT, can be a calming presence in a tough situation if he is forced to play, and who is not a malcontent if he sits the bench for long stretches.

A keeper like that sets the floor of how bad things can get with a goalkeeping pool. It is good to have a several young and prime age goalkeepers pushing themselves, but behind them, it is reassuring to have a reliable and familiar hand in case of tough times. These players can then start for stretches as the rest of the pool works itself out.

We will see how the goalkeeper pool sorts itself out, but if the No. 3 goalkeeper was viewed this way, it would prevent a situation like now when every option has more questions than answers.

Apple is still keeping secret how many — or few — people watch its MLS telecasts

No matter how often fans and media complain, the league and its big-money broadcast partner still won’t reveal specific numbers. And unlike with traditional TV, there’s no independent way to get them.

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — The people in power at Major League Soccer and Apple will try to tell you that all was sunshine and roses in the TV partnership’s first year. “Every metric that we’ve had, we exceeded,” Seth Bacon, MLS’s executive vice president of media, said at the league’s media day festival on Thursday. “From a subscription standpoint, we blew by, more than doubled, what we thought would happen. And we met a lot of those goals even before [Lionel] Messi got here.”But ask how many roses there are in the garden, and the tune changes. MLS and Apple remain as stingy as ever about revealing any specifics about how many people watched games on their platform last year.“It’s something that we continue to work with Apple and all our partners [on], to make sure we understand them,” Bacon said. “But it’s a different language that we have to speak now than when you’re dealing with linear [TV] and Nielsen.”

Behind the scenes at Apple and MLS’ studios, where every Saturday is ‘like the Olympics’

That last sentence actually did reveal something, even if the language was industry-speak. Nielsen is the longstanding measurer of TV viewership, collecting data independently of the networks. But there’s no independent measurer of streaming viewership. Some platforms publish audience data themes, as NBC and ESPN long have. Amazon hired Nielsen to measure its Thursday night NFL audiences on Prime Video. Apple has kept silent.So it’s not possible for an outsider to prove Bacon’s assertions that “we got way younger as an audience,” and “we had people watching longer than they did on linear television.”The only thing resembling data that anyone had given out before Thursday came from Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of services. Cue said at last November’s Soccerex business conference that “we’ve had more than a million viewers to watch the biggest games this season.” Cue also notably said “nobody expected that,” which raised some eyebrows. The last MLS Cup final before Apple’s deal started, 2022′s Union-LAFC epic, drew 2.155 million viewers just in the United States. So one million viewers seems like a low bar for a global telecast on a big brand’s platform, even if it’s a subscription streaming package.

» READ MORE: In 2022, Philadelphia helped MLS Cup draw its biggest U.S. TV audience in 25 years

Bacon said something related to that Thursday that was accurate, even if it still came without any numbers attached.“It’s actual people that we know are watching, and have taken actions to be very deliberate with the way that they engage with our sport,” he said. “d that’s encouraging.”Now if someone would just say how many of those people there are.

TV updates

MLS hired a new executive producer, Ignacio Garcia, a former general manager of ESPN Deportes’ studio shows. Multiple sources also said that Shaw Brown, whom production giant IMG hired to be the Apple/MLS coordinating producer last year, is out of that job.Brown has long been one of the top soccer broadcast producers in the United States, with many years of experience at ESPN, NBC, Fox, and Telemundo. He’s the lead producer of U.S. men’s and women’s national team games on TNT and its sibling channels.Garcia is not a direct replacement for Brown, and IMG is still involved with much of the on-site production work for MLS games. But Brown’s absence will be noticed in the soccer media world.

» READ MORE: Former Union broadcaster Danny Higginbotham remains a familiar voice with Apple TV

As for on-camera matters, expect this year’s roster of telecasters to be announced in a few weeks. Bacon offered good news that all the English and Spanish crews will call games from stadiums this year, after rumors last year that some would work off monitors in studios.

“We have a huge production infrastructure and strategy that we put together, and we are not looking at how we scale back on that plan or investment,” he said. “We’re looking at how we make things better and build upon what we had in 2023.”There might be a scaling-back of French telecasts, though. Last year, MLS offered them for all three Canadian teams, and this year it might be for just CF Montréal. That was first reported Tuesday by Montreal-based outlet Dans Les Coulisses, and Bacon didn’t deny it.“We’re working through all the plans, we’re going to give you guys updates on all that, but Montreal for sure is going to have no change to the way that they’re covered,” he said.

New behind-the-scenes series

There was one other piece of concrete Apple news Thursday, and it was well-received. Box to Box, the production company that created Netflix’s big hit Drive to Survive series on Formula 1 racing, will spend this year doing an eight-part, behind-the-scenes series on MLS.

Even better, it won’t just be about Lionel Messi.“I think people really want to know more of the stories, and get to know the coaches, the players, the crop of young American players that’s coming through and going on to the world stage,” Box to Box co-founder Paul Martin said. “I think that there’s a real curiosity about the league and the sport here from the rest of the world. And I think our show can help take people on the inside, into the dressing rooms, into the airplanes as they go and travel around the country.”With the number of young Americans coming through the Union’s ranks, fans should hope the series visits Chester for a while.Fans should also hope Box to Box can keep up its track record of not shying away from tough coverage. Though MLS has editorial oversight of Apple’s game telecasts and studio shows, Bacon hinted — though he didn’t say outright — that Box to Box will have free reign.“Box to Box has had some of the most successful sports docuseries in the world, and our intention is not to mess with the formula that’s made those shows successful,” he said.

Downingtown’s Zack Steffen opens up about why he returned to MLS

Steffen recently signed to be the starting goalkeeper for the Colorado Rapids.

by Jonathan Tannenwald Published Jan. 15, 2024, 3:15 p.m. ET

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.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.“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.”

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

“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.)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.”

Jonathan Tannenwald

I’m the Inquirer’s soccer reporter, covering the Union, MLS, the NWSL, the U.S. men’s and women’s national teams, and Philadelphia’s place in the world’s game. I also pitch in with coverage of college basketball and the WNBA.

Copa America 2024 tickets to go on sale by end of February through stadium partners

By Felipe CardenasJan 30, 2024

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Tickets for this summer’s men’s Copa América in the United States should be available to the public by the end of February, a CONMEBOL spokesperson told The Athletic on Tuesday. An exact date for when tickets for the tournament will be on sale is yet to be determined, but it could also extend into early March.

CONMEBOL has also been finalizing how tickets will be sold. Two sources briefed on the tournament’s plans said that each Copa América venue will sell match tickets via their preferred ticket partners, rather than all tickets for the tournament going up for sale through a single system, as they do for FIFA World Cups. In effect, tickets for games would be available for purchase via either Ticketmaster or SeatGeek, depending on where the game is being held.

Where to buy Copa America 2024 tickets

CITY	STADIUM	TICKETING PARTNER
Arlington	AT&T Stadium	SeatGeek
Atlanta	Mercedes-Benz Stadium	Ticketmaster
Austin	Q2 Stadium	SeatGeek
Charlotte	Bank of America Stadium	Ticketmaster
NY/NJ area	MetLife Stadium	Ticketmaster
Houston	NRG Stadium	Ticketmaster
LA area	SoFi Stadium	Ticketmaster
Bay Area	Levi’s Stadium	Ticketmaster
Phoenix	State Farm Stadium	SeatGeek
Las Vegas	Allegiant Stadium	Ticketmaster
Kansas City, Mo.	Arrowhead Stadium	Ticketmaster
Kansas City, Kan.	Children’s Mercy Park	SeatGeek
Miami	Hard Rock Stadium	Ticketmaster
Orlando	Exploria Stadium	Ticketmaster

An official statement from CONMEBOL regarding ticket access is expected in the coming weeks.

Even though tickets are not yet available for purchase, they have already appeared on the secondary market. A search on StubHub for tickets to the Copa América opener in Atlanta between Argentina and either Canada or Trinidad & Tobago ranged from $563 to $66,537 at time of writing. On its checkout page, Stubhub lists the demand for Copa América tickets as “high.” With no official tickets available to anyone yet, these listings have been posted by third-party brokers, at prices that are likely to be significantly elevated from face value. These brokers do not have any match tickets in hand. After a consumer purchases tickets, the brokers would have to then acquire match tickets once they officially go on sale.

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More from The Athletic…

• Full Copa America schedule
• Analyzing the Copa America groups
• Argentina to play pre-Copa friendlies in Chicago, Maryland

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That said, securing tickets to see Copa America games this summer will likely be expensive no matter what, and a relatively short runway for fans to book hotels and make travel arrangements will only increase those costs. If tickets go on sale the day after the Super Bowl, for example, there will be just 130 days between then and the opening game.

A source briefed on CONMEBOL’s plans said the federation is in the process of evaluating its own market research and purchasing behaviors in order to target the U.S. consumer better, given that most of its operations have been in South America up to this point.

The 48th edition of the Copa América begins on June 20 and will feature all 10 CONMEBOL countries and six nations from CONCACAF. The tournament will be played in 14 U.S. cities, with the final coming on July 14 at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium. 2022 World Cup winner Argentina, led by Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi, is the defending champion.

The Copa América Centenario in 2016 was also held in the U.S. That tournament was a rousing success on the pitch and commercially. A total of 1.5 million people attended matches in 2016, with average attendance hovering around 46,000, per reports. The competition was televised in more than 160 countries, with television viewership for the Centenario in the U.S. surpassing 100 million.

(Photo: CARL DE SOUZA/AFP via Getty Images)

USMNT ambitions, learning from Vieira, and downtime with Reyna – Joe Scally exclusive

Greg O’Keeffe Feb 2, 2024

It is a good thing Joe Scally is used to dealing with high expectations.The defender became the second-youngest professional ever in Major League Soccer when he signed with NYCFC at age 15. Ever since, he has been no stranger to being flung in at the deep end – even after his transfer to Borussia Monchengladbach, where the right-footer’s full debut came against Bayern Munich as a left-back.This season, he is adjusting to the dual demands of being an attacking fullback capable of keeping up with international teammates like Sergino Dest — who has contributed five assists and counting so far for PSV Eindhoven — while helping his club keep clean sheets as a right-sided center back.

Football can be complicated, so when it all comes together, as it did for Scally in one moment in October, you can forgive him for his reaction.

Benched for two games after a defeat against RB Leipzig the previous month, he came on against Mainz with Monchengladbach trailing 2-1 to the Bundesliga’s bottom club. The club looked destined for its fourth consecutive loss, with disquiet mounting among the vast majority of the 51,000 fans present at Stadion Borussia-Park.

That was until Scally pushed forward and hit a thunderous strike to save the day.

Scally pummels his equaliser in from distance against Mainz (Christian Verheyen/Borussia Moenchengladbach via Getty Images)

“It was a special goal,” recalls Scally, who celebrated by putting his fingers to his lips as the home fans went wild. “I had been starting every game and then there’d been a few beforehand when I hadn’t. I read some things with people saying all this stuff about me not having a good season.“So just to score this goal to show them I still have this attacking spirit was important. I have tried to do it in training since and I’m like: ‘How did I get it to dip perfectly?’.“It was one of those moments when you’re not thinking.”The 21-year-old has remained a first-team regular in the period since, getting an assist in a 4-0 win against Wolfsburg as well. Scally is adjusting to life under Gerardo Seoane, his fourth manager in three seasons at Monchengladbach.The days of filling in as an emergency left back are behind him, but Scally learned a lot from his Bundesliga baptism of fire in that 1-1 draw with Bayern back in August 2021.“I had actually played left back the game before in the cup against Kaiserslautern when we were expected to win,” he explains. “But the next week our normal starting left back was still injured, so I knew (it was coming). I was nervous the whole week.“But when the whistle goes and you’re not thinking of anything, it is easier. That game was crazy. I had a moment when (Robert) Lewandowski was dribbling at me. I got the ball and he stepped on my foot and I was thinking: ‘S—, this is Lewandowski’. You never think you’ll be playing against him.

Scally, on Bundesliga debut, challenges Lewandowski (Federico Gambarini/picture alliance via Getty Images)

“It’s weird because sometimes playing on the wrong side isn’t too bad: you can go inside on your right foot and you see the whole field a bit easier. The pitch can open up. With the ball, you can be quite confident.

“The defending is the main difference because you’re used to your feet always facing one way. Then, suddenly, you’re facing the other. It’s that positioning that takes a bit of getting used to.”

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Scally is thoughtful and relaxed company — very different from the combative, fiery presence on the field; a youngster who has been toughened up by playing against men since his mid-teens.

He is also relishing the challenge of his differing responsibilities under Seoane.

“I only started playing (at right-sided center back in a defensive three) this season,” he says. “It’s different because the shaping is different and you’re not that last man in the back line on the right side, always checking your shoulder. You have more people around you and more help.

“But it’s something I need to get used to. I like bombing forward and that’s limited when you’re playing center back, even if it opens up different sides to my game.

“When you can play multiple positions, more teams like you and you get more playing time.”

Scally takes instruction from Seoane (Christian Verheyen/Borussia Moenchengladbach via Getty Images)

Game time is something he is looking forward to with the USMNT, too, even if he admits the competition at right-back, where Dest has become first choice, is tough.

Does the feeling that he needs to showcase similar flair to the PSV player, who is on loan from Barcelona, explain his desire to score and assist more?

“He’s probably the most attacking full-back we have,” he says. “The modern-day full-back has to do both — attack and defense — and I’m still young, so I have things to learn. If you look at my first season (at Monchengladbach) I was playing right wing-back and it was very attacking.

“Then, second year, it was more defensive and now it’s both; trying to recognize the right moment to get forward because it’s not every time. It’s about knowing when you might get caught out and have to sit and save your energy for the next time you bomb forward.

“That’s something I’m trying this year — picking my moments. It’s reading the situation before it happens, so if the ball is on the left side, I have to hold because you can’t have both full-backs bombing on. But when you see that ball is switching, it’s about that feeling: ‘OK, now I can go and catch them out of position.’”

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Scally said he enjoyed the ultimate experience in international football when he was part of the USMNT squad at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Although he did not get on to the pitch during the tournament, it left him desperate for more involvement at this summer’s Copa America before the focus turns to a World Cup on home soil.

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“I still remember when I got the call (about his Qatar 2022 selection),” he says. “I was alone in my apartment. My mom and dad had been over to Germany visiting, but they’d flown back that day so they were in the air and I couldn’t call them. My brother and sister were at home, though, so I had someone to share it with.

“Being over there was special and a different type of feeling. It’s hard to explain, but going to the stadium and seeing the American flags, singing the national anthem… Then, even on your off days, watching every single game from the game room in our hotel.

Scally, No 26, joins Tim Weah, Shaq Moore and Josh Sargent ahead of the group game against Wales (Maja Hitij – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

“If you can hold your own against teams like England, then you know one day you can do something special. With the group of guys we have — we were one of the youngest teams in Qatar — that experience will be really helpful. Given the next one is actually in the U.S., the team will have a lot of confidence.

“We had a really good half against Germany (in a friendly) two months ago. We were tied 1-1 and then made some changes and it didn’t work for us in the end, but we showed up.

“We’re all excited about the Copa America this summer. We have such a big opportunity before the World Cup to send a statement to the fans.”

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Scally has learned plenty over the past couple of years but, even from his formative spell at New York City FC, he has had top mentors: none more so than former manager Patrick Vieira.

The Arsenal and France legend was a big influence on Scally’s early career, signing him as a teenager before handing him his MLS debut. “I like his engine going forward and I like his strong personality,” Vieira said in a club statement announcing Scally’s signing.

The admiration was mutual.

“I’ve had seven different coaches in my career and, every year I’ve been in Europe, I’ve had a different coach,” Scally says. “But Vieira had a different respect from the players because he was the best. Every player in our team, even our best, was still not better than him.

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“He knew the feeling of being a player. In training, if someone was having a bad session, he would know if there was something else behind it just because he’d been there. He intuitively knew our feelings and he was a good tactician, too.

“When he came, we all watched YouTube clips in pre-season and were like: ‘We could never do the things he did’. He would join in training sometimes and he was still the best.”

Scally, in New York City colours, tracks Gustavo Bou of New England Revolution in September 2020 (Omar Rawlings/Getty Images)

Scally grew up enjoying basketball and soccer, but his talent was quickly recognized in the latter. An early growth spurt helped his progress into the NYCFC senior ranks.

“At 15, you’re still a kid but I was ready. Physically I was grown up already. I was tall. That definitely helped and was a big reason why I was ready to play. You’re still learning at that age, but I was able to train and keep up with them.

“At the time it wasn’t normal to be that young (he was second youngest only to Freddy Adu in breaking into MLS), but now it’s becoming more normal. I’m not even in the top 10 youngest anymore. They might sign now and then play in the academy for two more years but, for me, it was signing at 15 and straight into the first team.”

He was spotted by Monchengladbach scouts playing for U.S. youth sides at a Nike Friendlies tournament in Florida, alongside players who have gone on to become close friends, particularly Giovanni Reyna.

The pair have a special bond and Scally will miss him following the Borussia Dortmund midfielder as he heads on loan to Nottingham Forest.

“He lives 45 minutes away from my apartment in Dusseldorf,” he says. “We talk every day. I’ve started streaming on Twitch and, last night, it was me, Gio, Brendan and Paxten (the Aaronson brothers who play for Union Berlin and Eintracht Frankfurt respectively) playing Xbox.

“We were playing Fortnite. That’s mainly what the viewers like to watch, so we have a two versus two. It’s always me and Paxten versus Gio and Brenden, whether it’s Mario Kart or Fortnite.”

Scally and Brenden Aaronson ahead of Gladbach’s game against Union in December (Christian Verheyen/Borussia Moenchengladbach via Getty Images)

Does he feel frustrated on Reyna’s behalf at his lack of game time this season? “He’s my friend, so of course I think he should play,” he says. “I don’t want to get into any complex things, but when he plays for the national team he does good.

“Even when you see him get on as sub he shows his ability, so I agree, the more game time the better.”

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The only area he does not necessarily want Reyna to thrive is on the golf course, where their rivalry has occupied another major part of his downtime.

“We hope we’re playing for our clubs on Saturdays, so then on Sunday or Monday we can play together,” he says. “At the moment I’m playing off an 18 (handicap), but when I’m playing every day in the off-season, it’s between eight and 12.

“We’re both pretty even. It’s a fun match-up as I win one time and him the next, or we’ll even play a scramble and try to see what we can shoot together.”

Reyna and Scally confront each other on the pitch, as well as on the golf course (Christian Verheyen/Borussia Moenchengladbach via Getty Images)

Scally is loving life at Monchengladbach, especially playing at their impressive home stadium. “In warm-ups, you glance up and it’s like: ‘Holy crap, this is awesome’,” he says. “But then when the game starts, you switch off until maybe a goal happens and the place erupts.

“Even when the coach is talking, most of the time you can’t hear him.”

Eventually, though, he would like to follow Reyna’s path to the Premier League. “From a language and cultural side it’s probably most similar to the U.S.,” he says. “Right now it’s a level above every other league, so it’s the place I’d like to play one day at the right time.”

As a sports fan, Scally is not a glory hunter. In the NBA, he’s a Brooklyn Nets fan — “They’re not doing too well and my NFL team is the Giants, who have been bad this year, too” — but, in English football, the team he watches most closely, in part owing to his NYCFC roots, is their parent club Manchester City.

But for now, as he prepares to face Bayern Munich once again on Saturday, his sights are firmly on contributing in every way for Monchengladbach.

“My aim this season is to keep being stable defensively,” he says. “I’d also like maybe two more assists and another goal to beat my record from the first season.

“I think I can achieve it.”

(Top photo: Christian Verheyen/Borussia Moenchengladbach via Getty Images)

Greg O’Keeffe is a senior writer for The Athletic covering US soccer players in the UK & Europe. Previously he spent a decade at the Liverpool Echo covering news and features before an eight-year stint as the paper’s Everton correspondent; giving readers the inside track on Goodison Park, a remit he later reprised at The Athletic. He has also worked as a news and sport journalist for the BBC and hosts a podcast in his spare time.

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So the Superbowl Commercials are starting to leak out and of course Messi is in them here he is with Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis & Dan Marino for Michelob.  Oh and speaking of Messi – people are freaking out that Miami is losing in pre-season – its preseason and Messi is barely playing.  The whole Messi vs Renaldo was hiliarious as neither of them played basically – so yes Miami loss 6-0 but none of the Barca guys played.  Not sure that counts. 

World Cup Tournament Schedule Announcement 3 pm Fox & Telemundo

The journey to the 2026 FIFA World Cup will see some long-awaited major progress on Sunday, when FIFA announces a framework of the tournament schedule. In theory, the announcement will include which of the tournament’s 104 games Philadelphia will host, including rounds and dates, and which will go to the 15 other cities involved. FIFA has also said we’ll learn where the U.S. and fellow home teams Canada and Mexico will play their group games, and where the final will be. The U.S. is expected to start out west and move east, while the final is expected to go to either East Rutherford, N.J., or Arlington, Texas. But all we really know right now is that the announcement will be made on a TV show at 3 p.m., with a national broadcast on Fox and Telemundo.

Huge Games this Weekend – Sunday

Some huge games on the docket this weekend – especially Sunday as Arsenal will host league leader Liverpool at 11:30 am on Peacock in a top 3 battle and the first big game since Liverpool’s Manager Klopp announced he would step down at season’s end.   12:45 has Juventus and American’s Mckinney & Weah headed to league leader Inter Milan on Paramount plus in a 1 vs 2 battle for Italian Supremacy.  3 pm gives us the Madrid Derby as Real Madrid host Atletico Madrid on ESPN+.  Earlier on Sunday – Nottingham Forest will face Bournmouth at 9 am on Peacock with Reyna’s first chance to play and will Turner be between the pipes in Goal or do they start their new signing? Oh Chelsea will host Wolverhampton on USA 9 am too while Man U hosts West Ham at 9 on Peacock.  (I can honestly say I am watching much less EPL now that all the good games are Peacock Streaming only – if I can watch I watch – but I used to tape the games and go back and watch – now not really – stupid NBC!)

GAMES ON TV

Sat, Feb 3

6:30 am Para+            Iran vs Japan Asian Cup

7:30 am USA               Everton vs Tottenham  

9:30 am ESPN+            Bayern Munich vs. M’gladbach (Scally)

10 am USA                  Brighton vs Crystal Palace (  ) 

10 am Peacock_          Fulham (Robinson) vs Burnley

12 noon Para+,            Frosinone vs AC Milan (Pulisic)

12:30 pm ESPN+          Bayer Leverkusen s MGladbach (Scally)

12:30 pm Peacock       Sheffield United (Trusty) vs Aston Villa

12:50 pm ESPN+          Alavez vs Barcelona

1:55 pm ESPN+            Ajax vs PSV

Sun, Feb 4

9 am USA                    Chelsea vs Woverhampton

9 am peacock             Bournemouth vs Nottingham Forest (Turner, Reyna) EAr

9 am peacock              Man United vs West Ham United

11:30 am Peacock      Arsenal vs Liverpool

12:45 pm Para+          Inter Milan vs Juventus (Mckinney)

3 pm ESPN+                Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid

3 pm Fox      2026 World Cup Schedule Announcement

Mon, Feb 5

3 pm USA                    Brentford vs Man City           

Tues, Feb 6

2:45 pm ESPN+                  Plymouth Arglyle vs Leeds United FA Cup

2:45 pm ESPN+                  Coventry City vs Sheffield Wed  FA Cup

3 pm ESPN2                 Bayer Leverkusen vs Stuttgart German Cup

WEds, Feb 7

10 am Para +              Asian cup         Semi Final 2

2:30 pmESPN+             Nottingham Forest (Turner, Reyna) vs Bristol City FA Cup  

3 pm ESPN+                 Aston Villa vs Chelsea FA Cup 

2024 W Gold Cup, Feb. 20 – March 10

Concacaf Nations League Finals, March 21 – 24

2024 Copa America, June 20 – July 10

2024 Summer Olympics – Men & Women, July 24 – August 10

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US MEN & Women

Men’s January transfer grades: Forest get a B+ for Reyna loan Jon Molyneux-Carter
USMNT’s Reyna completes loan move to Forest

Gio Reyna is on the move, but the fit isn’t ideal – yahoo soccer  

USWNT captain has a gripe with American soccer fans

World

‘Devastated’ Australia failed to take chances in Asian Cup loss – coach
Jurgen Klopp insists Liverpool exit is not extra motivation to win Premier League
Jurgen Klopp is irreplaceable, but here’s who Liverpool should hire to take over Ryan O’Hanlon
Why Xavi stepped down as Barca coach, and who’s on the short list of replacements  hSam Marsden
Simeone: Easy to reach ‘breaking point’ as coach Alex Kirkland and Martin Ainstein
Marcus Rashford at a crossroads with Man United: Can England star get back on track? Rob Dawson
Why the secrecy around Man City’s FFP case with Premier League is so damaging Gabriele Marcotti

Inter Miami gets embarrassed in Saudi Arabia: Panic time?

Reffing

Why the VAR was powerless on Toney’s goal and Kluivert escaped a red vs. Liverpool Dale Johnson

Become a Licensed High School Ref

Become a Licensed Ref with Indiana Soccer – must be over 13

GK

US Goalkeeper Situation – Questions on the Top Choices Now

Ethan Horvath Transfers to Cardiff City in the Championship from Nottingham Forest

US GK – ESPN FC – video

US Keeper Matt Turner Great Save 2 weeks ago

This was Ivan Toney Cheating to score vs Turner and Nottingham Forest 2  weeks back

PK Tips  

Ballwork GK  

USMNT weekend viewing guide: Comings and goings

There are players on the move and titles to contend for this weekend.

By jcksnftsn  Feb 2, 2024, 9:12am PST  Stars & Stripes

There have been some significant shifts in the USMNT landscape leading into what could be a big weekend for club matchups as well. Paxten Aaronson has departed Eintracht Frankfurt and Gio Reyna is leaving behind the Bundesliga as well (at least for now). Meanwhile, Weston McKennie and Tim Weah need a result against league leading Inter Milan this weekend for Juventus to keep pace atop Serie A. Here’s where you can watch it all this weekend.

Friday

Heidenheim v Borussia Dortmund – 2:30p on ESPN+

Lennard Maloney and Heidenheim have drawn three straight matches and sit in 10th place, a strong position for a club newly promoted from 2 .Bundesliga. Their opponent this weekend is 4th place Borussia Dortmund, who suddenly, and for the first time in a long time, don’t have an American playing for them. More on that in a bit.

Saturday

Bayern Munich v Borussia Mönchengladbach – 9:30a on ESPN+

Joe Scally, Jordan Pefok and Borussia Mönchengladbach will take on second place Bayern Munich, who trail Beyer Levekusen by two points in the Bundesliga standings and are coming off a 3-2 win over Augsburg. ‘Gladbach held Leverkusen to a scoreless draw last weekend, allowing Bayern to close ground. They will now look for a result in their second straight match against a title contender.

Brighton & Hove Albion v Crystal Palace – 10a on USA Network

Chris Richards started at right back on Tuesday in Crystal Palace’s 3-2 win over Sheffield United and Auston Trusty, who started left back in a battle of American centerbacks playing out of position. With the result, Palace are in 14th place heading into their matchup with Brighton this weekend, who sit in 9th place, eight points ahead of Palace in the table.

Burnley v Fulham – 10a on Peacock

Just a point ahead of Crystal Palace sit Fulham, who have just one win and one draw in their past six matches. Antonee Robinson continues to go the full 90 minutes in nearly every match for Fulham, while Tim Ream started for the first time in nearly two months in last weekend’s FA Cup loss to Newcastle United and then came on for the final 15 minutes of Fulham’s midweek scoreless draw with Everton. Fulham’s opponent this weekend are relegation-threatened Burnley, who have just 12 points through 22 matches and sit 7 points back of safety.

Frosinone v AC Milan – Noon on Paramount+

Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah and AC Milan drew 2-2 with Bologna to fall back to eight points behind league-leading Inter Milan who also have a game in hand. Pulisic is on a three match stretch where he hasn’t recorded a goal scoring contribution. That’s notable because it’s tied for his longest period of the season, as he has six goals and five assists on the year. Yunus Musah has seen a dip in his playing time, as he’s yet to start a match since returning from injury at the start of the year. He has appeared in four straight, with his 31 minutes last weekend against Bologna being his longest outing since his return. Milan are safely in the Champions League positions as they have a 10 point lead on 4th place Atalanta, but the league title is also looking out of the picture as they would need both Inter and Juventus to suffer significant setbacks through the final three months of the season.

Sheffield United v Aston Villa – 12:30p on Peacock

Auston Trusty has started the last two matches, and three of the last four, at left back for Sheffield United as the last place team looks to find something positive from a season that will certainly end in relegation. Their opponent this weekend is fifth place Aston Villa, who are tied with Spurs on 43 points. They are coming off a 3-1 home loss to Newcastle United.

Ajax v PSV Eindhoven – 2p on ESPN+

Sergiño Dest and PSV Eindhoven bounced back from their Dutch Cup loss to pick up a 2-0 win over Almere City last weekend to keep their undefeated run in the Eredivisie alive. Dest picked up an assist on the opening goal in the match, while Malik Tillman was not in the squad due to illness and Ricardo Pepi came in for the final seven minutes to see out the victory. PSV’s opponent this weekend is league rival Ajax, who stumbled early in the season, losing five of their first ten matches in league play, culminating in a 5-2 loss to PSV the first time the teams played. Since then, Ajax have gone on a nine match undefeated streak of their own, including winning seven of the matches to pull themselves back up to fifth place. However, they are still 21 points behind PSV. Still, Ajax would love to put PSV’s run to an end to ensure that they remain the only team to win the Eredivisie in undefeated fashion.

Bournemouth v Nottingham Forest – 9a on Peacock

Nottingham Forest were quite busy during the winter transfer window in what looks likely to have mixed effects on USMNT players. The club signed a third keeper, which seems to indicate that Matt Turner’s days of starting are numbered if not over already. On the flip side, the club also made a move to bring in Gio Reyna from Borussia Dortmund. It’s going to be a big shift moving from a club that generally plays on the front foot in the Bundesliga to one which is more reactionary and a bottom quarter of the table in EPL, but if it means more consistent playing time for Reyna it should be a positive step. Forest are just two points clear of the relegation zone, with a looming Financial Fair Play ruling that could see them docked significant points. They face a Bournemouth team that are six points ahead of them in 12th place.

Wolfsburg v Hoffenheim – 9:30a on ESPN+

Kevin Paredes received his first start in over two months and rewarded his manager with a goal in Wolfsburg’s 1-1 draw with Köln last weekend. It was Paredes’s second goal of the season and the first time all year he has played the full 90. John Brooks also went the full 90 minutes last weekend for Hoffenheim, who played Heidenheim to a 1-1 draw as well.

Osasuna v Celta Vigo – 10:15a on ESPN+

Luca de la Torre has started two straight for Celta Vigo as they’ve lost a pair of tight matches 1-0 and now sit just a point out of the relegation zone. The team will face 12th place Osasuna on Saturday morning looking to pick up some vital points.

RB Leipzig v Union Berlin – 11:30a on ESPN+

Brenden Aaronson saw just seven minutes off the bench last weekend as Union Berlin defeated Darmstadt 1-0 to pick up their third win in six matches. The points pulled Union five clear of relegation as they look to continue to crawl out of the ridiculous hole they dug for themselves through the first half of the season.

Real Betis v Getafe – 12:30p on EPSN+

Johnny Cardoso has started two straight for Real Betis since settling in after joining the club in January. He played the full 90 minutes last weekend as Betis defeated Mallorca 1-0, a week after coming off with his team tied against Barcelona only to see them give up two more goals to fall 4-2. Betis are just two points behind Sociedad for Europa League Conference qualifying and this weekend they will face a Getafe side five points back in tenth place.

Inter Milan v Juventus – 2:45p on Paramount+

Weston McKennie, Tim Weah and Juventus dropped two crucial points last weekend to relegation-threatened Empoli in a 1-1 draw when they were forced to play three quarters of the match down a man after Arkadiusz Milik was shown a straight red 16 minutes into the match. McKennie started and went the full 90 minutes while Weah came on in the 60th minute. The dropped points saw Juventus fall a point behind this weekend’s opponent, Inter Milan, in the Serie A table with Milan also having the advantage of a game in hand. The teams played to a 1-1 draw in their first meeting this season and Juventus need to do no worse than that on the road to stay within striking distance of the league leaders.

Why Reyna chose Forest, whether he has a future in Dortmund

• ESPN

Feb 1, 2024, 11:16 AM ETShareLikeOpen Extended Reactions115

Once a promising prospect at a club known for developing diamonds of footballers, Giovanni Reyna‘s time with Borussia Dortmund is up — for right now, anyway. The 21-year-old United States international joined Nottingham Forest on loan for the remainder of the season, the Premier League club announced on Wednesday.

There’s no option to make the move permanent, and in fact, Dortmund have extended Reyna’s contract through the end of the 2025-26 season in the process, so there’s every chance he could return to the Westfalenstadion. But there’s no doubting that his past six months in Germany have been underwhelming, and a change in scenery might be just the tonic Reyna needs to jump-start his career.

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How did this move came to pass in the final days of the January window? And what does it mean for Reyna, Forest and Dortmund?

Additional reporting by Julien Laurens

– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

How, and why, Reyna ended up at Nottingham Forest

Heading into the January transfer window amid the uncertainty of which clubs would lead the race for Reyna, there was one constant thread: Reyna wanted and needed to leave Dortmund for first-team football. Agent Jorge Mendes and father Claudio Reyna — the ex-USMNT captain and Premier League midfielder — took the lead in these discussions and looked at multiple options for Gio including, according to sources: Marseille, AS Monaco and Lyon in France; Real Sociedad, Sevilla and Villarreal in Spain; as well as Portugal’s Benfica and then Wolverhampton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest in the Premier League. Of those, Forest, Marseille and Sevilla were the most eager.

Heading into the final days of the window, there was also interest from Italy’s Fiorentina, but it ended up either Marseille or Forest as the places Reyna would go.

Marseille were in a strong position: Reyna could learn from the demanding Gennaro Gattuso and the French league suited his game, but Reyna had his heart set on a move to the Premier League. His father Claudio watched Forest’s matches to see how Gio would fit in, while Mendes’ good relationship with the club also helped. (He is also the agent for Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo.)

The lack of a language barrier also contributed to the decision, and late on Jan. 31, Forest announced the loan agreement move through to the end of the 2023-24 season.

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At the same time as they confirmed the move, Dortmund announced they had extended Reyna’s contract through to 2026. They emphasised there wasn’t an option to make the move permanent, but also that it was Reyna’s wish to move on loan and try to get some more minutes, with Forest his chosen destination.

“We are happy that we have been able to extend the contract with Gio for a further year,” said Borussia Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl. “He is a player who has enormous skill and in whom we still see a lot of potential.”It won’t be an easy ride for Reyna at his new club. Nottingham Forest have a lot to juggle: they are 16th in the Premier League and Nuno has been there eight matches after being parachuted in to help stave off relegation. Then there are the potential sanctions hovering above their heads, with the Premier League charging the club — alongside Everton — for breaching the Profit and Sustainability rules (PSR).

It’s hardly a soft landing, but Reyna is committed and feels this is where he can get some much-needed game time.How and where will Reyna fit into Forest’s team? His versatility across the forward line will be a huge asset to Forest, but as Dortmund boss Edin Terzic said last month, Reyna wants to be regarded long term as a No. 10 or No. 8 option, which could be a problem if Nuno sticks with the current 4-2-3-1 formation. Forest’s typical front three (Chris Wood, Anthony Elanga, Nicolás Domínguez) are largely interchangeable, but getting the starting No. 10 spot at Forest will be tricky. It’s a position held down by the club’s record signing and outstanding player Morgan Gibbs-White, who captained the team against Arsenal last time out in the Premier League.

Gibbs-White has featured in every league match this term except their 3-2 defeat to Brentford on Jan. 20, which he missed through an abdominal injury. If they stick with this 4-2-3-1, then Reyna will likely start on the flanks.

A switch in formation could work in Reyna’s favour. Forest have had a host of players on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations — Ibrahim Sangaré (Ivory Coast), Willy Boly (Ivory Coast), Ola Aina (Nigeria), Sèrge Aurier (Ivory Coast), Cheikhou Kouyaté (Senegal) and Moussa Niakhaté (Senegal) — while the impressive Elanga has been out injured. Once they return, it could see Nuno switch to formations he favoured during his Wolves tenure, where he preferred the 3-4-3, which switched to a 4-5-1, or the 3-4-2-1. Both could see Reyna deployed as one of a pair of No. 10s alongside Gibbs-White, the two working in tandem running off and with striker Taiwo Awoniyi.If Nuno opts for a midfield three, then Reyna could be their new No. 8. His versatility is king here, but the hope is he’ll get his time in his preferred No. 10 spot.If Reyna’s loan spell goes well, it could turn into a permanent move, but this is where things could get tricky. With no option in the deal, Reyna’s prospects of a long-term stay at Forest are already somewhat out of his hands. Failing to survive the drop would mean a summer of overhaul in order to reduce their wage bill. Even if they stay in the Premier League, and given their dalliances with PSR this season, signing Reyna to a full-time deal will not be cheap. Equally, Dortmund are under no pressure to move on from the player given they have that extra year’s buffer with his contract.If Reyna impresses, it’s a win-win for all involved. Dortmund would have a player back in form, and with Marco Reus‘s contract expiring in Germany in the summer, the U.S. international could yet be their next long-term No. 10. If he’s kept on the periphery, Reyna would be on the market, and aged just 21, he’d be viewed as a safe investment, with clubs knowing they could recruit a player whose value could skyrocket in coming years.Reyna’s debut could come as soon as Sunday at AFC Bournemouth. He’ll wear the No. 20 shirt, and judging by the message he sent to the Forest fans upon signing, he already feels at home in the Premier League.”I’m ready to work hard, I’m really for the challenge and I can’t wait to attack the Premier League with this amazing club. I’m Gio Reyna, and I’m a Red.” — Tom Hamilton

The Dortmund view: They’re not giving up on U.S. star

Late last year, Reyna, father Claudio, his new agency Gestifute and Dortmund’s sporting director Kehl met to discuss the 21-year-old American’s once-bright future at Borussia Dortmund. Not long before that meeting, Reyna had departed American agency Wasserman to join the Jorge Mendes-led Gestifute, believing that new representation was needed to bolster his options on the market.

After a disappointing spell in early 2023-24, Reyna wanted Dortmund’s opinion of him and his immediate future. Terzic wasn’t happy with Reyna’s defensive work rate; the manager expected his attacking midfielders to track back and aggressively block passing lanes in order to improve Dortmund’s questionable defensive stability. What also hurt Reyna’s standing in the team was that in their mind, he was showing limited improvement. All the while, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, an emerging 19-year-old English talent, took the spotlight with his one-on-one skills and entertaining style of play on the wing.Kehl assured Reyna that Dortmund wouldn’t prevent him from going elsewhere for more game time, while at the same time working to bring Jadon Sancho back from Manchester United for a six-month loan spell. Sources have confirmed that Reyna was then offered to Premier League clubs, but interest in England was initially lacking.As Dortmund toyed with the idea of parting ways with Reyna — either through a permanent transfer or a loan with an obligation to make the deal permanent — they made a pivotal decision. Rather than severing ties, ending a chapter that commenced in 2019 when the teenage prodigy made the transatlantic leap from the New York City FC academy to the Bundesliga powerhouse at the age of 16, BVB opted for an alternate course of action: extending Reyna’s contract until 2026 and orchestrating a loan arrangement with Nottingham Forest.

This January transfer is not a farewell from Dortmund. The club seemingly refuse to relinquish the hope that Reyna could blossom into the next American soccer star and develop substantial value in the years to come. It’s a vision reminiscent of Christian Pulisic, whose talents garnered a €64 million transfer to Chelsea in January 2019. Even though Terzic was to an extent dissatisfied with Reyna’s performances last term and early on this season, he praised Reyna’s showing in Dortmund’s 3-1 win over VfL Bochum last Saturday. “You could see that Gio is capable of influencing the game from the bench,” Terzic said after bringing him on for Youssoufa Moukoko after 66 minutes. “He was very confident on the ball, managed to create a few dangerous situations, but was a bit unlucky with his finishing in one or two situations.” After Reyna had established himself in Dortmund’s Bundesliga team, he carried himself like someone who was capable of leading the team at some point in the future. One of his best friends in that team was Jude Bellingham, who did exactly that at a young age. Injuries and lacklustre performances have derailed Reyna’s career to a degree, though, and trying to prove himself in a new environment while still staying connected to Dortmund might be the best move possible. — Constantin Eckner

Gio Reyna to Nottingham Forest isn’t an ideal transfer — it’s a superagent’s stopgap

Henry Bushnell

Senior soccer reporter Wed, Jan 31, 2024, 11:35 AM EST·5 min read

Gio Reyna has signed with Nottingham Forest on loan through the end of the English Premier League season. It’s the first step toward a potential transfer away from Borussia Dortmund, a transfer that Reyna has been angling for as his playing time waned at the German club. And it’s a necessary change, one that could reboot Reyna’s still-promising career.

But it’s not an ideal fit.

It is, rather, a stopgap solution engineered by a superagent, Jorge Mendes.

Reyna, 21 and long viewed as perhaps the most talented player the United States has ever produced, hired Mendes in December for this very reason. He’d previously been represented by a U.S.-based agency, Wasserman. But with his future at Dortmund increasingly dim, Reyna knew he’d soon need a new home — and Mendes, arguably European soccer’s most well-connected agent, was the perfect person to find him one.

Mendes doesn’t just field calls from potential suitors. He reportedly offered Reyna, proactively, to a variety of clubs in Spain, France and elsewhere. The middle-tier Spanish clubs — such as Real Sociedad, Villarreal and Sevilla — seemed like excellent options in a league where Reyna’s smooth playmaking style could thrive.

But some of those clubs reportedly weren’t interested. Some were, but never agreed to terms of a potential deal with Dortmund. Reyna, once valued well over $40 million at the height of his teenage stardom, is apparently no longer viewed as a can’t-miss prospect. Dortmund reportedly wanted around $15-20 million for a permanent transfer. None materialized.

So Mendes turned to an old reliable, Nottingham Forest, a volatile English club that currently sits two points above the Premier League’s relegation zone.

Mendes has used his connections and power to establish significant sway at Forest. The club’s Greek owner, Evangelos Marinakis, reportedly sought out Mendes around the time he bought Forest in 2016, and they’ve maintained an on-and-off working relationship ever since. And they are currently “on.” In December, Forest fired their coach and hired a Mendes client, Nuno Espirito Santo. The Athletic reported at the time that Mendes and Marinakis “are working closer together than ever before, practically as business partners.”

It’s unclear how, exactly, this relationship influenced Reyna’s impending move to Forest. The key questions, of course, are whether Espirito Santo truly wants Reyna and how much he’ll play.

Morgan Gibbs-White, a ball-carrying central midfielder, has established himself as Forest’s No. 10 — in Reyna’s preferred position. A rotating cast of wingers have completed the line of three in Forest’s 4-2-3-1, so perhaps Reyna could seize a role out wide. But he will have to compete for it, just as he had to at Dortmund. He will also have to prove that he can withstand the pace and physical brutality of the Premier League.

Health and competition are what ultimately derailed Reyna’s burgeoning career at Dortmund. He was rising, rapidly, until a 2021 hamstring injury interrupted his ascent. As a 17- and 18-year-old in 2020-21, he played 46 games (30 starts) in the Bundesliga, Champions League and German cups. He has only started 17 games since.

He re-injured the hamstring shortly after returning in 2022. He reestablished himself in a substitute role throughout the following season. But in June 2023, while starring for the U.S. men’s national team in the CONCACAF Nations League final, a fluky tackle fractured his fibula. That latest injury kept him out until October. In his absence, at least four attacking midfielders or wingers solidified themselves on Dortmund’s depth chart ahead of him.

Earlier this month, Dortmund brought in a fifth, Jadon Sancho — the very player Reyna was supposed to replace three years ago, when Dortmund sold Sancho to Manchester United. Sancho’s return was the clearest indicator yet that Reyna had to leave.

He remained a key figure for the USMNT even as he rode the bench, goalless and frustrated, at Dortmund. But he is still remarkably young, just two months past his 21st birthday. To grow, and to resume his rise to the top of the U.S. player pool, he has to play.

He may or may not play extensively at Forest. He may or may not succeed in the heat of a high-stakes relegation battle. He may or may not adapt to the speed of the Premier League. All of those are reasons that this move is something less than optimal.

But it’s better than a few spare minutes per week at Dortmund. And it isn’t permanent. After rumors and reports that the deal would include an option for Forest to buy Reyna outright, the latest reports from England and Germany suggest that there is not a purchase clause. Forest will simply pay his salary and a small loan fee. Reyna will extend his Dortmund contract through June 2026.

So he will get a chance to prove his worth. Then he’ll either go back into Dortmund’s long-term plans or, more likely, back onto the market this summer. That will be the time to find a new home, a new hub to jumpstart his career.

Gio Reyna: What kind of player can he become? It’s time to find out

By John Muller Feb 1, 2024

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Gio Reyna’s story wasn’t supposed to go like this.

The kid was American soccer royalty, the son of USMNT great Claudio Reyna, born with a ball duct-taped to his feet and top clubs’ scouts peeking over the backyard fence. Against all odds, he didn’t turn out to be as good as everyone expected — he was better.

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While his friends were studying for the SAT, a teenage Reyna was snaking through Bundesliga defenders and curling home his first worldie for Borussia Dortmund. Some 18-year-olds are voted most likely to succeed in their high school’s yearbook; at the same age, in his first full professional season, Reyna made the Golden Boy shortlist — the award for the best young footballer in the world.

You probably know how it’s gone wrong for him since: injuries, more injuries, then that whole World Cup melodrama between his parents and the USMNT coach, followed by — no points for guessing this one — another injury. For the past three seasons, Reyna has never been a consistent starter for club or country.

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• Transfer deadline day live updates from the Premier League and beyond

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This week’s loan move to Nottingham Forest of the Premier League from Dortmund, where he once ranked among football’s best prospects, is a chance to get the fairytale back on track.

But before he can write his next chapter, Reyna has to grapple with a question he still hasn’t played regularly enough to answer: what kind of great player could he become?

Reyna in the early days with Dortmund in February 2020 (Max Maiwald/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)

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“I love him,” are the first words Rene Maric texts me when I ask about Reyna.

Maric, now the head of coaching and playing style for Thomas Tuchel at Bayern Munich, was an assistant coach at Dortmund under Marco Rose in 2021-22, the season Reyna turned 19. He spent his days working with the player we’ve only gotten to see in glimpses.

“He was considered our biggest talent besides Jude (Bellingham),” Maric says, “and ‘a taller version of (Andres) Iniesta’.”

(Edith Geuppert – GES Sportfoto/Getty Images)

Comparing a young player to Iniesta, even in scare quotes, is like comparing an art school student to Michelangelo. It’s just not done. That’s how far you have to reach sometimes, though, to describe the kind of things Reyna is capable of on the ball.

Consider the dribble he pulled off for the U.S. against Mexico two years ago — 15 seconds of controlled demolition, one of the most preposterous runs you’ll ever see.

For a lot of young attackers, dribbling is destiny: if you can tie defenders in cherry-stem knots like that, chances are you’ll wind up playing on the wing, where there’s more room to go one-v-one.

That’s how Christian Pulisic blazed a path from American youth leagues to Dortmund’s first team and beyond, and for a while it looked like Reyna might follow in his countryman’s footsteps, right down to the position. By the spring of Edin Terzic’s first stint as Dortmund manager, in 2020-21, Reyna was the team’s starting right-winger — the same job Pulisic had held two years earlier.

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Stylistically, though, they aren’t very similar. Reyna isn’t fast. He doesn’t knock the ball up the sideline to skip past a defender or stretch the game with off-ball runs into the box. He can put in a good cross when called upon but he’d rather not play that wide, nor is he really the inverted cut-and-shoot type, even when he lines up on the left. Long story short: your dad would absolutely refuse to recognise this guy as a winger.

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Reyna’s talent is more about weaving the attack together, or what one Dortmund scout called his ability to “play with many contacts”. His awareness of space and movement can sometimes verge on the uncanny.

One of his favourite tricks is to receive a pass with one barely perceptible touch, almost but not quite a dummy, that redirects the ball past pressure and into the path of a team-mate behind him. No ordinary winger has eyes in the back of his head like that.

(Christof Koepsel/Getty Images)

Even Terzic, who for the last couple of seasons has persisted in playing Reyna on both wings as well as in midfield, knows he’s a winger in name only. “Like (Bundesliga team-mate Julian) Brandt, Gio is rarely found on the wings when he plays there,” the Dortmund coach explained in October last year. “They open the wings and always move into the half-spaces. Gio is definitely the most dangerous and can pose the most goal threat (inside).”

On the rare occasions Reyna was fit enough to play for the USMNT in the last World Cup cycle, that’s how coach Gregg Berhalter used him, starting on the right wing but tucking inside when Sergino Dest pushed up from right-back to join the attack. The idea was to get Reyna on the ball between the lines, somewhere around the corner of the box, where he can create like very few players in the world his age.

“He has quality,” Berhalter told The Athletic a few months before the 2022 World Cup finals. “The timing of his passing is very good, the weight of his passing is very good and he can receive the ball in any type of conditions. He can get it with his back to the goal, he can get it on the run, he can get it under tight pressure. That’s not a problem for him because of his quality. And then, when he gets faced up, he’s really good at making a final pass.”

Most of these strengths — receiving in tight spaces, playing back-to-goal, combining with team-mates and facing goal to unlock the final pass — are things attacking midfielders do. Reyna ultimately proved to be an awkward fit on the wings, where he found himself slipping down the depth chart for club and country behind more conventional wide, vertical attackers.

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“I would deem his position on the wing as his worst,” says Maric. In his view, Reyna has the potential to become world-class in the “pocket position” — an attacking midfielder in the half-spaces, along the lines of Martin Odegaard of Arsenal or Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne.

Like Odegaard, Reyna has the shiftiness and close control to turn in the pocket and slip a ball into the box, but he’s got De Bruyne’s restless sense of adventure, rarely staying in one place for long.

A typical Reyna sequence starts with him dropping down the half-space in the build-up, then pulling wide to receive so he can face the defence and look to play a team-mate in behind with a through ball. He’ll often finish the move by returning to the top of the box to hunt for cutbacks or loose balls, arriving in space rather than holding his position.

Not every system allows him that much freedom, though.

“Tactically, there’s so much more structure here,” Reyna told The Athletic shortly after he got to Dortmund from New York City FC’s academy. “In New York, I was playing as a No 10 and could go wherever I wanted, but here in Germany, I learned how to cut down the (passing) angles here, see the link-up there.”

(John Dorton/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)

He still says his best position is “kind of a free-roaming No 10,” and he shone in that role for the USMNT when he finally got a chance towards the end of 2023. Berhalter appreciated Reyna’s attacking creativity but also made a point to praise his effort “off the ball, the relentless work rate defensively.”

If he’s going to earn a licence to roam instead of being stuck on the wing, Reyna will have to keep showing coaches that he’s attentive to team structure, especially out of possession. He’s not a lazy defender — his ball-winning stats are better than you might expect and Maric is upbeat about his willingness to go into duels — but his timing and angles can be lax, opening holes in midfield that Germany gleefully exploited in their 3-1 friendly win in October.

Terzic, who has rarely trusted Reyna in his preferred role, put it bluntly in December: “Gio still has many aspects to work on to become a more complete player.”

(Alexandre Simoes/Borussia Dortmund via Getty Images)

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A four-month loan to the Premier League isn’t much time for Reyna to prove himself. It’s not even clear where he’ll get on the pitch in Forest’s crowded squad. Coach Nuno Spirito Santos’s 4-2-3-1 offers a chance for him to earn playing time as a No 10 but that spot currently belongs to Forest’s best player, Morgan Gibbs-White.

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The good news for Reyna, maybe, is that he and Gibbs-White have very different profiles. In Forest’s counter-attacking game, Gibbs-White likes to run ahead of the play, often pulling wide to receive on the right wing. Reyna, who doesn’t have that kind of pace, would rather drop to the ball in transition and turn to look for runners.

If you squint a little, you can see them complementing each other: Reyna pulling the strings from midfield, Gibbs-White leading the attack from the right. It’s a far cry from the possession game Reyna was used to at Dortmund, true, but his dribbling and vision can be lethal in transition.

It’s also possible, though, that Reyna just won’t fit: not quick enough to play in Forest’s front line, not defensive or tactically disciplined enough for their midfield. It would be a shame if he finally managed to stay healthy only to see his enormous potential wasted out on loan, especially with the USMNT’s high-profile Copa America on home turf coming up in the summer.

“He is so young and so talented in the right role,” Maric says, “that I hope his body and his choice of club won’t stop him from reaching what he could.”

For a player who once looked like a prince, the long road back to a happy ending starts with figuring out who he is now.

(Top photo: Howard Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)

Making sense of Pulisic’s stellar stats at AC Milan, USMNT

• Ryan O’Hanlon, ESPN.com writerFeb 2, 2024, 09:21 AM ET

There are only three players in Serie A this season who have scored at least five non-penalty goals and created at least five assists. The first two: Inter Milan’s Marcus Thuram and Roma’s Paulo Dybala.You know the third player because he is the most famous American soccer player of all time, and he’s playing for the club with the second-most Champions League titles of all time.Everyone is talking about Christian Pulisic. You can’t walk down the street without a random stranger bursting out of a door, grabbing you by the arm, and forcing you to watch grainy video of Pulisic’s assist to Ruben Loftus-Cheek against Bologna, or his goal against Sassuolo.Delis are naming sandwiches after him. Tattoo artists across the United States are quitting in protest over having to spend their days iterating on some version of a “CP10” design. Your grandmother figured out how to not only use her television, but how to download, sign up for and then navigate the Paramount+ app in order to watch Christian Pulisic play in Serie A.I kid, so as not to cry. Somehow, Pulisic is in the midst of the best season of his professional career, for one of the biggest clubs in the world, and it feels like it’s going under the radar. So, what has driven Pulisic’s reinvigoration? And, more importantly for Milan and U.S. men’s national team fans alike, will he be able to keep it up?Pulisic, the most productive winger in ItalyPut simply, Pulisic has been one of the most productive, ever-present attackers in Serie A so far this season. Among players to appear in at least 1,200 minutes of game time, he ranks fifth in the league in per-90-minute attacking contribution (non-penalty goals and assists):

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1) Lautaro Martínez, Inter Milan: 1.07
2) Dusan Vlahovic, Juventus: 0.95
3) Marcus Thuram, Inter Milan: 0.84
4) Olivier Giroud, AC Milan: 0.82
5) Christian Pulisic, AC Milan: 0.68

For context, here are some players outside of Italy who Pulisic has outperformed by this same metric so far this season: Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo, Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski, Manchester City’s Phil Foden, Julián Álvarez, and Bernardo Silva, Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka, and Gabriel Martinelli.

Inside of Italy, he’s been more productive than the both of star duo — Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia — that drove Napoli to a Serie A title just a year ago. Plus, unlike the four players ahead of him on the Serie A list, Pulisic is not a striker. Given that he’s starting deeper on the field and theoretically required to do more than just assist and score goals, those numbers look even more impressive.

If we take a step back in the possession chain, Pulisic’s impact doesn’t dissipate, either. The site FBref created a stat called “goal-creating actions” that they define as such as the two offensive actions that lead to a goal, and “this includes live-ball passes, dead-ball passes, successful dribbles, shots which lead to another shot, and being fouled.” In other words, it’s a way of awarding players who were involved in a goal but might not have played the pass that led directly to the goal. The only Serie A players with more goal-creating actions than Pulisic’s 12 this season are Thuram (15) and his Inter Milan teammate Henrikh Mkhitaryan (13).

To tie it all together, there are only 10 players across Europe’s “Big Five” top leagues so far this season who’ve scored at least six non-penalty goals and generated at least 12 goal-creating actions.

In the Premier League, it’s Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Darwin Núñez, Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins, and Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon. There’s no one in Ligue 1, and just one in LaLiga: Villarreal’s Alexander Sorloth. In Germany, there are three: Bayern Munch’s Leroy Sané and the Bayer Leverkusen duo of Alex Grimaldo and Victor Boniface. In Serie A, there are only two: Thuram and Pulisic.

Pulisic’s goals and assists are up, but everything else is down

In soccer today, the modern winger needs to do two things: score goals and help his team generate the capacity to score goals. Each specific winger is tilted toward one pole or the other. Kylian Mbappé is on one end — mostly goals, goals, and more goals — while Bukayo Saka sits at the other. The best version of Pulisic is right around the middle: roughly equal parts goal-scoring and helping his teammates score goals. We’ve seen that version of Pulisic so far this season, but it’s unlikely to continue in this same form.

On the goal-scoring side, Pulisic has scored six goals from 3.7 expected goals, or xG. Despite his efficiency in front of goal this season, he’s scored 1.7 goals fewer than expected since the start of the 2017-18 season. He’s never been a standout finisher, and there’s little reason to believe he’s suddenly become one. This year, he’s attempted seven shots with an xG value of 0.14 or better, and he’s scored four of them.

Here is a map of all of his shots this season — the larger the circle, the higher the xG the shot generated:

Not only has Pulisic turned his own shots into goals at a super high rate, but his teammates have converted his passes into goals just as efficiently. He’s generated 3.0 expected goals assisted, but his teammates have turned them into five goals.

As you can see, just two of his assists came from passes completed inside the penalty area:

The same thinking applies to his goal-creating actions. If we look at all shot-creating actions, Pulisic has helped generate 50 attempts for his teammates. That’s tied for 34th-most in the league despite those actions leading to 12 goals, third-most in the league. Pulisic’s involvement in play, then, has led to an unusually high number of goals this season. Otherwise, his general involvement in the game is down in just about every major way.

Here’s a selection of some of his top-line metrics at Chelsea, per 90 minutes, compared to his first season in Milan:

• Non-penalty xG+xA: 0.48 at Chelsea, 0.41 at Milan
• Shots: 2.5 at Chelsea, 1.9 at Milan
• Progressive passes: 3.5 at Chelsea, 2.8 at Milan
• Shot-creating actions: 3.5 at Chelsea, 3.1 at Milan
• Touches in the penalty area: 5.7 at Chelsea, 3.6 at Milan
• Successful take-ons: 3.3 at Chelsea, 2.7 at Milan

If Pulisic had one elite skill before coming to Milan, it was his off-ball movement. That showed up in all of his touches inside the box with Chelsea, and we all saw it on his winning goal against Iran at the World Cup, too:https://www.youtube.com/embed/PgqQSJMAfPU?wmode=transparent

His overall number of touches is about the same as they were at Chelsea — just slightly down from 50-per-90 minutes to 48.3-per-90 at Milan — but he just hasn’t been as involved in the most dangerous area of the field as often. He’s not pushing the ball forward as much, he’s not taking as many players on, and he’s not shooting as much as he used to.

In a backward way, Pulisic’s season has gone under the radar because all of the shots are going in. If his chances and his teammates’ chances were being converted at a normal rate, USMNT fans would be able to have their favorite kind of conversation: Do we need to worry about this American soccer star?

So, do we need to worry about Pulisic?

Normally, I’d say “yes.” Pulisic’s underlying production — the 0.41 non-penalty xG+xA per 90 — ranks tied for 198th among all players in Europe’s “Big Five” leagues who have appeared in at least one-third of their team’s minutes. In Serie A, he’s tied for 25th.

That’s… fine? But when you consider that he’s an attacker on one of the best teams in Italy, 25th feels like the bare minimum for a starter in his position.

Plus, it’s not like he’s seen a ton of touches around the goal that haven’t turned into shots or chances created. Twenty-six other players in Serie A have registered more touches inside the penalty area. And on top of all that, he’s 24. He’s supposed to be entering his prime, and he’s moved to a less competitive league — both factors that should theoretically boost his performance. Instead, it’s mostly gone in the opposite direction.

And yet, I don’t think it’s time to freak out. At Milan, he is receiving more progressive passes than he did at Chelsea (9.3 per 90 minutes, up from 8.6). That’s a signal that he’s still able to find dangerous space — windows for players to pass him the ball — even if it hasn’t been inside the penalty area as often as in the past.

On top of that, his general contribution to Milan’s possession play is being undersold by some of these more basic numbers. Back in December, I wrote about a statistic called “Expected Possession Value” or EPV. Essentially, it looks at every on-ball action over the course of a match and calculates how much it increases or decreases a team’s chances of scoring a goal within the next 10 seconds.

For Milan, Rafael Leão leads the way in EPV at 0.21 per 90 minutes. In other words, his actions are adding 21% goal probability across a 90-minute match. Pulisic isn’t far behind, ranking second on the team at 0.18 EPV per 90.

These are all of Pulisic’s open-play passes that have increased Milan’s goal probability by at least 5%:

Along with Leao and midfielder Tijjani Reijnders, Pulisic is one of Milan’s three most-important players in terms of generating dangerous possession. And this is for a team that’s second in the league in both non-penalty goals and expected goals. Plus, playing time was more important for Pulisic this season than performance. He hasn’t played more than 1,800 minutes in a league season since he was an 18-year-old with Borussia Dortmund in the 2017-18 season. He played 75% of the minutes that year, and he’s at 74% for Milan this season. In the five years in between, though, he never got beyond 51% of the minutes. Pulisic simply hasn’t been a full-time starter in European soccer in six years. For now, re-establishing himself as such matters more than his underlying output. And then, for USMNT fans in particular, Pulisic’s performances with the national team don’t really seem to have any kind of connection with his club form. In an up-and-mostly-down 2023 with his club situation, Pulisic scored six goals and added three assists in eight caps for his country. The year before that, 2022, was probably the worst single year of his professional career — and yet, at the World Cup, he was fantastic.

Based on a handful of advanced and basic stats, FBref calculates the 10 most similar players within a competition for every player. For Pulisic, at the World Cup, the third-most-similar player was Germany’s uber-prospect Jamal Musiala. Second was Brazil’s Vinicius Junior, perhaps the best left-winger in the world. And first? Kylian Mbappe, perhaps the best player in the world.After that, well… I guess I wouldn’t get too excited about a few goals and a few assists in Serie A, either.

USWNT captain Lindsey Horan says most American fans ‘aren’t smart’ about soccer

Steve Gardner, USA TODAY Thu, February 1, 2024 at 1:43 PM EST·2 min read

he U.S. Women’s National Soccer team is accustomed to being in the spotlight. And its players are no strangers to controversy.So it should come as no surprise that team captain Lindsey Horan could be in line for some criticism after her comments to The Athletic in a recent interview about American soccer fans.”Most of them aren’t smart,” Horan said. “They don’t know the game. They don’t understand. (But) it’s getting better and better.”The point she was trying to make was that soccer commentators on TV tend to shape public perception, especially of the USWNT.”We’re always in the magnifying glass on every single thing we do or anything we say,” Horan said.The U.S. team took plenty of heat for its poor showing at the 2023 Women’s World Cup − where Horan and Co. were bounced in the Round of 16 in a penalty-kick shootout against Sweden. The loss cost coach Vlatko Andonovski his job and put the USWNT into scramble mode in the run-up to the 2024 Olympics in Paris this summer.”We need to get back to the football. The football is the most important thing,” Horan said in the December interview. “We need to focus on the game. We need to focus on being the absolute best we can be.”

New coach Emma Hayes won’t take over officially until the European season ends in May, though she did meet with the team in December to help ease the transition.With the Olympics getting underway in late July, Horan, 29, will have a lot of responsibility on her shoulders in the meantime.”We need to change every bit of culture that we had prior to the last World Cup and going into this Olympics,” she said, “because we need to win.”This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USWNT’s Lindsey Horan: Most American fans ‘aren’t smart’ about soccer

Champions League, Premier League, more: February viewing guide

• Bill Connelly, ESPN Staff WriterJan 31, 2024, 09:11 AM ET

Now is when the rubber meets the road. After a January loaded with (often delightful) cup ties, endless transfer rumors (most of which went nowhere), and lots of cold rain, February raises the stakes pretty significantly in Europe. The UEFA competitions return — the respective first legs of the Champions League round of 16 come in the middle of the month — and from England (first-place Liverpool at third-place Arsenal) to Germany (second-place Bayern Munich at first-place Bayer Leverkusen) to Spain (first-place Girona at second-place Real Madrid) to Italy (second-place Juventus at first-place Inter), we’ve got a lot of enormous league matches popping up in a short amount of time. And if that’s not enough, the chaotic-as-ever Africa Cup of Nations is reaching the final rounds as well.

It’s a lot, so let’s walk through five(ish) matches to track in each major country/competition.

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UEFA competitions

• Feb. 13: Real Madrid at RB Leipzig (Champions League)
• Feb. 14: Bayern Munich at Lazio (Champions League)
• Feb. 20: Atletico Madrid at Inter (Champions League)
• Feb. 21: Arsenal at Porto (Champions League)
• Feb. 21: Barcelona at Napoli (Champions League)

The Champions League indeed returns, and the round of 24 for the Europa League and the Europa Conference League get underway on Feb. 15 as well. Obviously, you should pay attention to all eight UCL round-of-16 matches, but some might be more interesting than others.

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Manchester City are the overall tournament favorites and should handle Copenhagen with relative ease, but two secondary favorites — Real Madrid and Bayern — could find things awkward with road tests. RB Leipzig have been all over the map in 2023-24 and need to recover from some dismal recent form but boast plenty of upside; Lazio, meanwhile, have taken 13 points from their past five league matches to rise to within two points of a top-four spot. Bayern haven’t really seen fifth gear in a while either.

The second set of Champions League matches, on Feb. 20 and 21, features maybe the most fascinating R16 ties — Atletico-Inter and Barca-Napoli — plus, in Porto, another chance for an underdog to make an early home statement. There’s plenty to track here, but you probably didn’t need me to tell you that.

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England

• Feb. 4: Liverpool at Arsenal
• Feb. 11: Manchester United at Aston Villa
• Feb. 24: Newcastle United at Arsenal
• Feb. 25: Liverpool vs. Chelsea (EFL Cup final, live on ESPN+)
• Feb. 28: Maidstone United at Sheffield Wednesday/Coventry City (FA Cup)

This coming Sunday comes one of the biggest remaining matches of the Premier League campaign. The computers and oddsmakers consider the EPL title race a two-teamer between Manchester City and Liverpool — Opta’s power ratings give the former a 59% chance at the title, the latter a 37% chance, and the other 18 teams in the league a combined 5% chance. Arsenal’s odds took a major nosedive with the Gunners’ back-to-back December losses to West Ham and Fulham, but they still trail Liverpool by only five points and have time to either insert themselves back into the race or, with matches against Liverpool and City (Mar. 30) remaining, decide who gets to win.

Liverpool enter February with a shot at lifting four trophies in Jürgen Klopp’s final four months as manager, but the picture could change significantly by March. The Feb. 4 trip to the Emirates Stadium will have a huge impact on the Reds’ EPL title odds, and in four days late in the month they’ll play in the EFL Cup final against Chelsea and in the FA Cup fifth round against Watford or Southampton. They’ll be favored in both matches, but this will be a pretty defining month in the final chapter of the Klopp-Liverpool story.

– O’Hanlon: Here’s who Liverpool should hire after Klopp (E+)

And of course, let’s not forget everyone’s new favorite club, Maidstone United. The Stones took down second-division Ipswich Town last weekend to become the first sixth-division club to reach the fifth round since the 1970s, and they’ll face another second-division side, either Wednesday or Coventry, at the end of the month.

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Germany

• Feb. 6: VfB Stuttgart at Bayer Leverkusen (DFB Pokal, live on ESPN+)
• Feb. 7: Borussia Monchengladbach at Saarbrucken (DFB Pokal, live on ESPN+)
• Feb. 9: Freiburg at Borussia Dortmund (Live on ESPN+)
• Feb. 10: Bayern Munich at Bayer Leverkusen (Live on ESPN+)
• Feb. 24: RB Leipzig at Bayern Munich (Live on ESPN+)

The first 10 days of the month are enormous in Deutschland. First, we’ve got the last two quarterfinals of what has been a truly chaotic DFB-Pokal. Two second-division teams – Fortuna Dusseldorf (which defeated St. Pauli via penalties on Tuesday) and either Kaiserslautern or Hertha Berlin (they play Wednesday, live on ESPN+) — are already guaranteed semifinal bids, and the only two top-of-the-first-division teams left in the field, first-place Leverkusen and third-place Stuttgart, play each other next week.

FRIDAY, FEB. 2 (all times ET)
• Heidenheim vs. Dortmund (2:30 p.m.)
• Athletic Club vs. Mallorca (3 p.m.)

SATURDAY, FEB. 3 (all times ET)
• Bayern Munich vs. M’gladbach (9:20 a.m.)
• Darmstadt vs. Leverkusen (9:20 a.m.)
• Alavés vs. FC Barcelona (12:50 p.m.)
• Ajax vs. PSV (1:55 p.m.)
• Girona vs. Real Sociedad (2:50 p.m.)

SUNDAY, FEB. 4 (all times ET)
• RB Leipzig vs. Union Berlin (11:20 a.m.)
• Real Madrid vs. Atletico Madrid (2:50 p.m.)

Meanwhile, third-division Saarbrucken, who have already taken down Bayern Munich and Eintracht Frankfurt, try to keep their miraculous run going against a Gladbach team that is worse than Bayern and Eintracht. Major “magic of the cup” vibes in Germany.

Just four days after hosting Stuttgart, Bayer Leverkusen will play an even bigger match, and it honestly might be the biggest remaining match of the Bundesliga campaign. Bayern come to town currently trailing the Werkself by just two points, and although the German giants do have to face bogey team Gladbach this coming weekend, it’s fair to say that if Leverkusen want to remain on the front foot in the title race, they need a result in this one pretty badly.

– Stream the Bundesliga on ESPN+ all season long

That means they’ll have to play better than they have since the league’s restart — they needed late magic to secure tight wins over Augsburg and RB Leipzig, and they came up empty in the magic department in a 0-0 draw with Gladbach last weekend. They’ve been just scraping by with several key players participating in the Africa Cup of Nations, and although that’s wrapping up, star scorer Victor Boniface is out for a few more weeks with injury. They missed him greatly last weekend.

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Spain

• Feb. 4: Atletico Madrid at Real Madrid (Live on ESPN+)
• Feb. 6 and 27: Mallorca vs. Real Sociedad (Copa del Rey) (Live on ESPN+)
• Feb. 7 and 29: Atletico Madrid vs. Athletic Club (Copa del Rey) (Live on ESPN+)
• Feb. 10: Girona at Real Madrid (Live on ESPN+)
• Feb. 19: Girona at Athletic Club (Live on ESPN+)

Granted, Barcelona and Real Madrid are always the primary focuses of attention in Spain, but February belongs to Girona and Atletico Madrid. Including a Feb. 3 match against Real Sociedad, Girona will face three of the top six teams in the LaLiga table this month. They are currently in first, a point ahead of Real Madrid (who have a game in hand), but Opta’s power ratings aren’t yet buying what the Gironistes are selling. They give Real Madrid a 93% chance of taking the title. But if Girona come up big this month, the odds will have no choice but to shift a decent amount toward the underdogs.

– Stream LaLiga all season long on ESPN+

Atleti, meanwhile, are in an interesting spot. They have lost to Barcelona, Athletic Club and Girona over the past two months, which has left them in a precarious position, clinging to a top-four position by just two points over Athletic (and tied with a flailing Barca). But a Copa del Rey win over Real Madrid has positioned them as the favorites in that competition — they have lifted that trophy just once since 1996, taking down Real Madrid in extra time in the 2013 final — and while they’re the underdogs in the Champions League round of 16 against Inter, it’s not the least manageable draw imaginable.

By the end of February, this season could be putting off either precarious or triumphant vibes.

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Italy

• Feb. 4: Juventus at Inter
• Feb. 4: Lazio at Atalanta
• Feb. 10: Inter at Roma
• Feb. 11: Napoli at AC Milan
• Feb. 28: Atalanta at Inter

Liverpool vs. Arsenal is huge, but it might not even be the biggest match this coming Sunday. Juventus, unbeaten since September and unburdened by European play, have climbed to within one point of Inter in the Serie A race, even though Inter also haven’t lost in league play since September. The Nerazzurri do have a game in hand, but a loss on Sunday could significantly change the calculus.

Meanwhile, the race for fourth place is almost equally gripping. Granted, Italy has solid odds of claiming a fifth bid in next year’s Champions League, but it’s still only four for now, and the gap between fourth-place Atalanta and 10th-place Torino is just five points. Lazio and Roma are both rebounding from poor starts; Fiorentina and Bologna still have time to bounce back after a poor January for both; and somehow Napoli, stuck in hangover mode for months, remain only five points outside the top four.

Look at it this way: Serie A might have more plot twists remaining than any other major European league.

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Elsewhere in Europe

• Feb. 3: PSV Eindhoven at Ajax (Eredivisie) (Live on ESPN+)
• Feb. 4: Marseille at Lyon (Ligue 1)
• Feb. 4: Gent at Anderlecht (Belgian Pro League)
• Feb. 9: Sturm Graz at RB Salzburg (Austrian Bundesliga)
• Feb. 11: Lille at PSG (Ligue 1)

We’re lacking for gripping title races outside of Europe’s four biggest leagues. PSG lead Nice by six points in France; PSV lead Feyenoord by 12 in the Netherlands; and, although they’ve failed to seal the deal before, Union Saint-Gilloise currently boast an eight-point lead over Anderlecht in Belgium.

Granted, PSG’s form remains an interesting topic because of how it might translate to Champions League play — a test against fifth-place Lille could be telling ahead of the round of 16 — but the most interesting February match in France might be between seventh-place Marseille and 16th-place Lyon. It’s one of the most heated derbies in Europe (too heated, actually), and it means even more than usual for both teams. Lyon are still struggling to get their head above water in their relegation scrap; after winning three straight in league play, they allowed three goals in losses to Le Havre and to Rennes. Marseille, meanwhile, sit five points outside of the top four after three consecutive league draws.

PSV play their own always-heated rivalry match this Saturday, visiting the Johan Cruyff Arena to face an Ajax team that finally has its act together. After a dreadful start, they’ve taken 29 points from their past 11 league matches to rise back to fifth in the Eredivisie, just four points behind third-place Twente. PSV’s league lead is safe, but they could hand Ajax a huge setback on Saturday.

We do have a couple of interesting league races to follow. Sporting CP lead Benfica by just one point in Portugal (and Porto by four), although none of the top three play each other in February. And in Austria, three-time defending champion RB Salzburg lead Sturm Graz by only two points. A loss on Feb. 9 would make things awfully interesting.

USMNT analysis

A look at the USMNT goalkeeping situation as questions surround the top choices

As everyone knows, the USMNT goalkeeping situation isn’t great as we approach two major tournaments in the Nations League final stages and the Copa America. ASN’s Brian Sciaretta looks at all the options and how things could shape up 

BY BRIAN SCIARETTAPOSTED EBRUARY 01, 2024 2:05 PM

IT’S THE TOUGHEST position right now to analyze on the U.S. national team because there are no easy answers, but goalkeeping is of critical importance as the depth chart is unstable at a point when the Nations League finals and Copa America are quickly approaching. Things can, and often do, change quickly but right now none of the options inspire a lot of confidence.

On thing we are seeing is that there is a lot of player movement and that always brings uncertainty about playing time and the ability to adjust into a new setting. We also have a time where others haven’t played in a long time while other options are very young. Both of these issues also create uncertainty about the immediate future.

Long term, it will probably sort itself out, but there are pressing demands in the short term and there are no good answers. Goalkeeping is important not simply for the demands of stopping shots, but goalkeeping also affects the confidence level of the entire team. When a team lacks confidence in its goalkeeper, it throws everything and everyone else off.

But let’s look at where things stand.

 THE CURRENT GROUP

Matt Turner: Things have not gone well for Turner since he arrived in England in the summer of 2022. It was expected he would be Arsenal’s backup but also that he would be given cup games. But eventually he lost his starting cup game role and then was glued to the bench. After a move to Nottingham Forest, he continued to struggle. The team initially brought in Odysseas Vlachodimos from Benfica and the Greek No. 1 replaced Turner. But after Vlachodimos had a terrible run, Turner regained the job. In January, Turner continued to not play well and on deadline day, the club acquired Matz Sels from Strasbourg.

What this means is that Turner is now either the No. 2 or No. 3 (which carries the risk of not being registered) depending on how Forest sees him compared with Vlachodimos. How long will Turner remain at the club if he is the backup?

For the U.S. national team, Turner will not be in a position to regain confidence heading into any of the upcoming tournaments.

Ethan Horvath: After leading Luton Town to promotion last season while on loan from Nottingham Forest, Horvath was given a raw deal. He was told he was in Luton Town’s plans but the club changed its mind late in the game and declined the option to buy on his loan. Upon returning to Forest, he fell to the No. 3 keeper and wasn’t even registered for the first half of the season.

At the end of the January window, Horvath sealed a move to Cardiff City which sits midtable at 14^th place in the Championship. There he should be able to push Jak Alnwick for the starting job as Alnwick has not been great this season. But how long will it take Horvath to compete? That remains to be seen.

The good news is that he’s done well in the Championship before – with Luton. But it’s hard to be completely optimistic as Horvath has seen all his recent clubs pass on him to be their No. 1. Club Brugge felt the need to spend a fortune on Mignolet. Then he lost his starting job at Forest to Brice Samba. Then at Luton, the club eventually passed on him after promotion. After returning to Forest, he lost his No. 2 job.

Will this be the time a club decides that Horvath is the No. 1 for good? Maybe, but that won’t be an immediate decision. Horvath will have to play well and it is unclear how rusty he will be after not even suiting up for a game since August.

This makes him an uncertain bet for the USMNT too. It’s clear that Gregg Berhalter likes Horvath as he was called-up throughout the fall despite not playing. Berhalter was clearly betting that Horvath’s problems were short term. But Horvath’s leash is not infinite either and if Horvath doesn’t fix his career at Cardiff, he’s in trouble.  

Zack Steffen: The former USMNT No. 1 moved to Colorado and this needed to happen after Middlesbrough passed on Steffen after his loan from Manchester City. But Steffen has been injured in his return to Manchester City and has not played. He now returns to Colorado as the team’s number one. But there are two issues for Steffen. He is coming off a very long layoff and it’s unclear how he’ll respond. The second is that injuries (mostly his knee) have been bothering him for years. Will that continue to be an issue?

If Steffen returns to top form, plays well in Colorado, and if has no problems with his injury, then he is in a good position. But those are big “ifs.”

Sean Johnson:  Is mostly an afterthought, and that is fair. But he did go to the World Cup after Steffen was dropped and he has the benefit of being healthy, having a starting job, having familiarity with the team, and being a known commodity. But Toronto is a bad team and Johnson wasn’t solid in 2023, but to be fair, it’s hard to play well on a dysfunctional team.

THE YOUNG/EMERGING OPTIONS

Gaga Slonina: Still just 19, Gaga Slonina is starting for Eupen in a relegation battle in Belgium. At times he has looked very good. At times, he looks very shaky and mistake prone. This is to be expected for a teenage goalkeeper. Between Chicago and now Eupen, he’s made nearly 60 first-team appearances. For the USMNT, it’s hard to see him as a current option to start no matter how high his ceiling is. He’s still a teenager and needs time to refine his skills and his consistency. For 2024, the Olympics should be his priority internationally.

Drake Callender: The Sacramento native has emerged as a good MLS goalkeeper with Inter Miami. With his size and athleticism, he can make tough game-changing saves. He’s been around the national team in 2023 but has yet to make his debut. He’s not perfect, but with his age, athleticism, and the uncertainty of the pool, he should stay around the program in 2024.

Patrick Schulte: While more mature at 22, Schulte has still only had a first team starting job for one season. It was a very good season and he won MLS Cup with Columbus. He’s an Olympic option and another player who needs time to develop without the rush.

Roman Celentano: A bit under the radar internationally, Celentano has the starting job for a good Cincinnati team and has steadily improved. He has been part of the last two January camps where the staff have had the chance to evaluate him. He’s not flashy, but he is generally consistent and steady. He should have a long career ahead of him at just age 23.

Chris Brady: has the benefit of having the starting job at Chicago at just 19 years old. For now, he’s probably behind Schulte and Slonina for an Olympic spot, but things can change very quickly for young goalkeepers. He’s probably not close to the USMNT right now, but Brady could have a high ceiling and is in a good position to develop.

Diego Kochen: at just 17, he has a long way to go. But he’s making the bench for Barcelona and should be one of the U.S. U-20 goalkeepers this cycle. He’s one for the long-term future, but certainly worth keeping an eye on for the U-20 cycle and the following Olympic cycle.

NATIONS LEAGUE/COPA AMERICA

But how about the team’s more pressing needs for the big tournaments inside the next five-six months? That is going to be a big challenge for Berhalter.

My guess is that it will be Turner, Steffen, Horvath for the Nations League. If the tournament were starting today, Turner would still be the No. 1, but there are so many moving parts that things will change quickly. Turner is still the incumbent.

If Steffen and Horvath play well out of the gate, Turner’s leash could be very short. It’s not inconceivable that Turner might not start the Nations League games depending on the other players.

If Horvath or Steffen don’t play well inside of the next month, it’s possible that Berhalter then dips into other options after Turner. But that will also likely be dictated by form.

Berhalter might feel the need to have a more stable backup option around the team in Callender or Celentano who are always healthy and who always start. He also might let Schulte and Slonina work with the Olympic team through the summer.

There are so many moving parts and the next six weeks will tell us a lot. Then with the Copa America, there will be a lot more known about each of the options by that point.

MOVING FORWARD

Over the long-term beyond the Copa America, things will probably be okay. There are enough options where some players will rise, others will fall, others will sort of stagnate. Most importantly, there will be clarity.

One thing that the team misses desperately from its goalkeeping pool is a No. 3 option who is older, better than average, a lock starter for years with his club, and is known/trusted by the entire pool. Nick Rimando was perfect for this role.

There are different philosophies on how to handle the third goalkeeping spot. One is to have the third best goalkeeper in the pool. The second is to have a young and experimental keeper to prepare for the future. The third is to have an older veteran who might not be the third best goalkeeper in the pool, but who is known and trusted by the entire pool of players, always has a starting job at his club, is competent, is a regular call-up to the USMNT, can be a calming presence in a tough situation if he is forced to play, and who is not a malcontent if he sits the bench for long stretches.

A keeper like that sets the floor of how bad things can get with a goalkeeping pool. It is good to have a several young and prime age goalkeepers pushing themselves, but behind them, it is reassuring to have a reliable and familiar hand in case of tough times. These players can then start for stretches as the rest of the pool works itself out.

We will see how the goalkeeper pool sorts itself out, but if the No. 3 goalkeeper was viewed this way, it would prevent a situation like now when every option has more questions than answers.

Apple is still keeping secret how many — or few — people watch its MLS telecasts

No matter how often fans and media complain, the league and its big-money broadcast partner still won’t reveal specific numbers. And unlike with traditional TV, there’s no independent way to get them.

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — The people in power at Major League Soccer and Apple will try to tell you that all was sunshine and roses in the TV partnership’s first year. “Every metric that we’ve had, we exceeded,” Seth Bacon, MLS’s executive vice president of media, said at the league’s media day festival on Thursday. “From a subscription standpoint, we blew by, more than doubled, what we thought would happen. And we met a lot of those goals even before [Lionel] Messi got here.”But ask how many roses there are in the garden, and the tune changes. MLS and Apple remain as stingy as ever about revealing any specifics about how many people watched games on their platform last year.“It’s something that we continue to work with Apple and all our partners [on], to make sure we understand them,” Bacon said. “But it’s a different language that we have to speak now than when you’re dealing with linear [TV] and Nielsen.”

Behind the scenes at Apple and MLS’ studios, where every Saturday is ‘like the Olympics’

That last sentence actually did reveal something, even if the language was industry-speak. Nielsen is the longstanding measurer of TV viewership, collecting data independently of the networks. But there’s no independent measurer of streaming viewership. Some platforms publish audience data themes, as NBC and ESPN long have. Amazon hired Nielsen to measure its Thursday night NFL audiences on Prime Video. Apple has kept silent.So it’s not possible for an outsider to prove Bacon’s assertions that “we got way younger as an audience,” and “we had people watching longer than they did on linear television.”The only thing resembling data that anyone had given out before Thursday came from Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of services. Cue said at last November’s Soccerex business conference that “we’ve had more than a million viewers to watch the biggest games this season.” Cue also notably said “nobody expected that,” which raised some eyebrows. The last MLS Cup final before Apple’s deal started, 2022′s Union-LAFC epic, drew 2.155 million viewers just in the United States. So one million viewers seems like a low bar for a global telecast on a big brand’s platform, even if it’s a subscription streaming package.

» READ MORE: In 2022, Philadelphia helped MLS Cup draw its biggest U.S. TV audience in 25 years

Bacon said something related to that Thursday that was accurate, even if it still came without any numbers attached.“It’s actual people that we know are watching, and have taken actions to be very deliberate with the way that they engage with our sport,” he said. “d that’s encouraging.”Now if someone would just say how many of those people there are.

TV updates

MLS hired a new executive producer, Ignacio Garcia, a former general manager of ESPN Deportes’ studio shows. Multiple sources also said that Shaw Brown, whom production giant IMG hired to be the Apple/MLS coordinating producer last year, is out of that job.Brown has long been one of the top soccer broadcast producers in the United States, with many years of experience at ESPN, NBC, Fox, and Telemundo. He’s the lead producer of U.S. men’s and women’s national team games on TNT and its sibling channels.Garcia is not a direct replacement for Brown, and IMG is still involved with much of the on-site production work for MLS games. But Brown’s absence will be noticed in the soccer media world.

» READ MORE: Former Union broadcaster Danny Higginbotham remains a familiar voice with Apple TV

As for on-camera matters, expect this year’s roster of telecasters to be announced in a few weeks. Bacon offered good news that all the English and Spanish crews will call games from stadiums this year, after rumors last year that some would work off monitors in studios.

“We have a huge production infrastructure and strategy that we put together, and we are not looking at how we scale back on that plan or investment,” he said. “We’re looking at how we make things better and build upon what we had in 2023.”There might be a scaling-back of French telecasts, though. Last year, MLS offered them for all three Canadian teams, and this year it might be for just CF Montréal. That was first reported Tuesday by Montreal-based outlet Dans Les Coulisses, and Bacon didn’t deny it.“We’re working through all the plans, we’re going to give you guys updates on all that, but Montreal for sure is going to have no change to the way that they’re covered,” he said.

New behind-the-scenes series

There was one other piece of concrete Apple news Thursday, and it was well-received. Box to Box, the production company that created Netflix’s big hit Drive to Survive series on Formula 1 racing, will spend this year doing an eight-part, behind-the-scenes series on MLS.

Even better, it won’t just be about Lionel Messi.“I think people really want to know more of the stories, and get to know the coaches, the players, the crop of young American players that’s coming through and going on to the world stage,” Box to Box co-founder Paul Martin said. “I think that there’s a real curiosity about the league and the sport here from the rest of the world. And I think our show can help take people on the inside, into the dressing rooms, into the airplanes as they go and travel around the country.”With the number of young Americans coming through the Union’s ranks, fans should hope the series visits Chester for a while.Fans should also hope Box to Box can keep up its track record of not shying away from tough coverage. Though MLS has editorial oversight of Apple’s game telecasts and studio shows, Bacon hinted — though he didn’t say outright — that Box to Box will have free reign.“Box to Box has had some of the most successful sports docuseries in the world, and our intention is not to mess with the formula that’s made those shows successful,” he said.

Downingtown’s Zack Steffen opens up about why he returned to MLS

Steffen recently signed to be the starting goalkeeper for the Colorado Rapids.

by Jonathan Tannenwald Published Jan. 15, 2024, 3:15 p.m. ET

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.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.“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.”

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

“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.)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.”

Jonathan Tannenwald

I’m the Inquirer’s soccer reporter, covering the Union, MLS, the NWSL, the U.S. men’s and women’s national teams, and Philadelphia’s place in the world’s game. I also pitch in with coverage of college basketball and the WNBA.

Copa America 2024 tickets to go on sale by end of February through stadium partners

By Felipe CardenasJan 30, 2024

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Tickets for this summer’s men’s Copa América in the United States should be available to the public by the end of February, a CONMEBOL spokesperson told The Athletic on Tuesday. An exact date for when tickets for the tournament will be on sale is yet to be determined, but it could also extend into early March.

CONMEBOL has also been finalizing how tickets will be sold. Two sources briefed on the tournament’s plans said that each Copa América venue will sell match tickets via their preferred ticket partners, rather than all tickets for the tournament going up for sale through a single system, as they do for FIFA World Cups. In effect, tickets for games would be available for purchase via either Ticketmaster or SeatGeek, depending on where the game is being held.

Where to buy Copa America 2024 tickets

CITY	STADIUM	TICKETING PARTNER
Arlington	AT&T Stadium	SeatGeek
Atlanta	Mercedes-Benz Stadium	Ticketmaster
Austin	Q2 Stadium	SeatGeek
Charlotte	Bank of America Stadium	Ticketmaster
NY/NJ area	MetLife Stadium	Ticketmaster
Houston	NRG Stadium	Ticketmaster
LA area	SoFi Stadium	Ticketmaster
Bay Area	Levi’s Stadium	Ticketmaster
Phoenix	State Farm Stadium	SeatGeek
Las Vegas	Allegiant Stadium	Ticketmaster
Kansas City, Mo.	Arrowhead Stadium	Ticketmaster
Kansas City, Kan.	Children’s Mercy Park	SeatGeek
Miami	Hard Rock Stadium	Ticketmaster
Orlando	Exploria Stadium	Ticketmaster

An official statement from CONMEBOL regarding ticket access is expected in the coming weeks.

Even though tickets are not yet available for purchase, they have already appeared on the secondary market. A search on StubHub for tickets to the Copa América opener in Atlanta between Argentina and either Canada or Trinidad & Tobago ranged from $563 to $66,537 at time of writing. On its checkout page, Stubhub lists the demand for Copa América tickets as “high.” With no official tickets available to anyone yet, these listings have been posted by third-party brokers, at prices that are likely to be significantly elevated from face value. These brokers do not have any match tickets in hand. After a consumer purchases tickets, the brokers would have to then acquire match tickets once they officially go on sale.

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More from The Athletic…

• Full Copa America schedule
• Analyzing the Copa America groups
• Argentina to play pre-Copa friendlies in Chicago, Maryland

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That said, securing tickets to see Copa America games this summer will likely be expensive no matter what, and a relatively short runway for fans to book hotels and make travel arrangements will only increase those costs. If tickets go on sale the day after the Super Bowl, for example, there will be just 130 days between then and the opening game.

A source briefed on CONMEBOL’s plans said the federation is in the process of evaluating its own market research and purchasing behaviors in order to target the U.S. consumer better, given that most of its operations have been in South America up to this point.

The 48th edition of the Copa América begins on June 20 and will feature all 10 CONMEBOL countries and six nations from CONCACAF. The tournament will be played in 14 U.S. cities, with the final coming on July 14 at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium. 2022 World Cup winner Argentina, led by Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi, is the defending champion.

The Copa América Centenario in 2016 was also held in the U.S. That tournament was a rousing success on the pitch and commercially. A total of 1.5 million people attended matches in 2016, with average attendance hovering around 46,000, per reports. The competition was televised in more than 160 countries, with television viewership for the Centenario in the U.S. surpassing 100 million.

(Photo: CARL DE SOUZA/AFP via Getty Images)

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