Wow Dos a Cero again !! The US Men dominated Mexico from start to finish leaving little doubt who the top team in CONCACAF is as the US has now won this competition for the 3rd straight time and it gets worse for Mexico each time. The US men were got fantastic goals from Tyler Adams in his return to play for his nation in over a year – this blast from distance. (Proper Spanish) Then Pulisic worked his magic and Gio Reyna finished on the rebound making it Dos a Cero. (Full Highlights) The US has better players and they are simply playing better. After obviously looking ahead against Jamaica needing a 95th minute goal to take it to ET and win easily 2-0 It was Gio Reyna who again was darn near the man of the Match for a second straight game for the US. You could argue he’s locked down the #10 slot no matter what is happening with his club Nottingham Forest (idiots). I for one am sick and tired of hearing the Gregg Berhalter bashing – this team seems to love him, plays for him – and excels for him. Do I love GB – no but lets see how he does in Copa America this summer before making further judgement. Certainly a final 4 birth should be expected at least this summer but we’ll see. (lots of stories below)
USWNT in She Believes Cup Next Sat 4/6 vs Japan 12:30 TNT & Tues 4/9 in ColumbusMallory Swanson and Catarina Macario will make their returns to the USWNT next week as part of the 23-player roster for the She Believes Cup, U.S. Soccer announced on Tuesday. Two new names are also joining the roster and earning their first senior national team call-ups, both playing for European clubs: 21-year-old Paris Saint-Germain defender Eva Gaetino and 16-year-old Ajax midfielder Lily Yohannes. These will be the final two matches for Twila Kilgore as USWNT interim coach. Permanent head coach Emma Hayes will take over beginning with the June window, with Kilgore remaining on the staff as an assistant. The USWNT will play in a reformatted She Believes Cup that has a semifinals and final as opposed to a round robin tournament. They will play Japan in the semifinals in Atlanta on Sat April 6th at 12:30 pm on TNT, and then will face either Brazil or Canada in either the 3rd place match at 5 pm or the final at 7 pm on April 9th in Columbus, Ohio ( tixstill available- the OBC is going over) on TBS. The USWNT defeated Canada and Brazil in the knockout stage on their way to claiming the inaugural W Gold Cup title.
Indy 11 face Detroit City Sat night 7 pm at the Mike
The Boys in Blue continue their homestand Saturday, hosting the first Eastern Conference foe of the season in Detroit City FC. Kick is slated for 7 p.m. ET and will air locally on WNDY, while streaming on ESPN+. 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.
Huge Game Weekend
Some huge games this weekend as Germany has Bayern Munich vs Dortmund on ESPN Saturday at 1:30 pm and Sunday gives us a massive EPL battle for 1st as Man City hosts Arsenal on Peacock of course at 11:30 am. Too bad NBC doesn’t give Crap about soccer in the US – that game on USA or NBC would really grab a nice viewership on Sunday. Great to see NWSL on ESPN at 3:30 pm KC vs Angel City right after the Bayern game. Fox gives us MLS Sunday Atlanta United vs Chicago Fire at 4 pm. So hard to watch MLS these days. Of course FS has the CCL Cup games Tues/Wed night. (See schedule below). Oh and Indy 11 @ Louisville City next Sat on CBS, with Champions League next Tues/Wed on CBS as well.
Champions League Elite 8 — starts April 9th & 10th on CBS
GAMES ON TV
Sat, MAr 30
7:30 am USA New Castle United vs West Ham
10:30 am ESPN+ Borrusia Mgladbach (Scally, ) vs Frieburg
11 am USA Nottingham Forest (Turner, Gio) vs Crystal Palace (Richards)
11 am Peacock_ Bournemouth (adams) vs Everton
11 am Peacock Sheffield United (Trusty) vs Fulham (Robinson, Ream)
1 pm para+ Lazio vs Juventus (Weah, McKinney)
1:30 pm ESPN Bayern Munich vs Dortmund
1:30 pm NBC Aston Villa vs Wolverhampton
3:30 pm ESPN KC Current vs Angel FC FC NWSL
3:45 pm Para+ Fiorentina vs AC Milan (Pulisic, Musah)
6:30 pm Ion Portland Thorns vs Racing Louisville NWSL
7 pm ESPN+ Indy 11 vs Detroit
Sun, Apr 1
9 am USA Liverpool vs Brighton
11:30 am Peacock Man City vs Arsenal
3 pm ESPN+ Real Madrid vs Atletic Club
2:30 pm ESPN+ Bayer Levekusen vs Wolfsburg
4 pm Fox Atlanta United vs Chicago Fire
Tues, Apr 2
2:30 pm USA New Castle United vs Everton
2:30 pm Peacock Notthingham Forest vs Fulham (Robinson, Ream)
3 pm Para+, CBSSN? Juventus (Weah, McKinney) vs Lazio
7 pm Fox Sport 1 Columbus Crew vs Tigres CCL
9 pm FS1 New England vs America CCL
Weds, Apr 3
2:30 pm USA Arsenal vs Luton Town
3:15 pm Peacock Man Vity vs Aston Villa
3 pm CBSSN? Forentina vs Atalanta
8 pm Fox Sport 1 Inter Miami (Messi) vs Monterrey CCL
10 pm FS1 Heredino vs Pachuca CCL
Thurs, Apr 4
2:30 pm USA Liverpool vs Sheffield United
3:15 pm Peacock Chelsea vs Man United
Sat, April 6
12:30 pm TNT, Max, Telemundo USA Women vs Japan
Tues, Apr 9
3 pm CBS Champions League
5 or 7 pm TBS, Universo, Peacock USWNT vs Brazil/Can winner Columbus, OH
USMNT’s Tyler Adams and Gio Reyna went from fitness doubts to Nations League game-winners
By Jon Arnold Mar 25, 2024 The Athletic
When Tyler Adams lined up a shot from nearly 30 yards out, both United States center backs, up for a corner kick, had the same thought: “Time to run back and defend.”“Usually, when Tyler shoots, you go ahead and get back into your position,” Chris Richards said.“Row Z,” added Tim Ream. “I thought, ‘OK, there’s a goal kick coming.’”Instead, the center backs’ runs were towards Adams, celebrating a goal unlike any he had scored before in a mob with a full group of jubilant teammates. The midfielder made his first start for the U.S. since the 2022 World Cup in Sunday’s 2-0 win over Mexico in the CONCACAF Nations League final following almost a whole year out through injury, as the USMNT captured the competition’s title for the third time in a row.
Adams had never scored a goal from outside the box in his professional career and rarely even shoots from distance, but felt the time was right to change that.“When the ball came to me and I felt like I had time on the ball, it was a no-brainer,” Adams said.Adams came off at halftime due to a minutes restriction agreed between the USMNT and Bournemouth, the Premier League club that was surely hoping Adams would return to England following this international break a bit fitter and much more confident.“Now I feel like I can shoot whenever I feel like,” Adams said, sporting his medal after the match. “I’ve been practicing that in my rehab recently. It was a good feeling scoring that one.”Adams and Gio Reyna both came into the game with rust: Adams having played 20 league minutes this season and Reyna 309 between Borussia Dortmund and Nottingham Forest. They were the two core pieces of the U.S. team that had the most question marks around their match fitness. Coach Gregg Berhalter opted to start both on Sunday and enjoyed the rewards, with Reyna adding the second goal.Once Ream got over the shock of seeing Adams’ long-range effort beat goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, he was able to reflect more deeply on Adams’ return to the field, coming back from a pair of hamstring injuries that required surgery and putting in a solid shift in the first half of a final.“To see him rewarded after the amount of work he’s had to put in to get back to where he is, I think that’s the most impressive part,” the defender said.
Adams was mobbed after his goal (Darren Carroll/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)
That Adams and Reyna scored the goals and had a huge influence on proceedings may be a return to normal instead of a big shock for the U.S. side. The 25-year-old Adams and 21-year-old Reyna have long been seen as some of the brightest stars of a promising generation of U.S. players who have raised expectations around this squad.The surprise may be just how much they contributed — and that they did so from the opening whistle.Mexico coach Jaime Lozano said after the match he and his coaching staff expected to see Reyna from the beginning but perhaps not Adams after the midfielder’s long night against Jamaica, in which he was brought on in the second half of Thursday’s semifinal, only to be taken off again in extra time due to that minutes restriction.Still, he said, they’ve watched Adams since he was a young player and are well aware of his skills.“Today, he had a great goal, which I think changed the course of the game,” Lozano said. “We know, despite the fact that they came in (out of rhythm), that they’re totally international-quality players.”
Reyna, meanwhile, was named player of the tournament after assisting two goals in extra time in the semifinal to go with Sunday night’s insurance score. His performances merited it, but after the drama that surrounded Reyna, his family and Berhalter following the 2022 World Cup, seeing the coach run down the touchline to celebrate the title-clinching goal with Reyna last night wasn’t what many might have imagined in the aftermath of that fiasco.Other national teams might have frozen Reyna out, but since returning as U.S. manager in June 2023 after a brief hiatus following that World Cup, Berhalter has worked slowly to reintegrate Reyna into the team.“I think when I took over the team again, I talked about needing time,” Berhalter said. “The more that we worked together and the more that he believed that intentions were true and our whole staff has his best interest in mind, I think we started to gain trust.”“If we didn’t put it in the past, it would’ve been affecting the team, and I think that was most important for both of us: to put it in the past and focus on the team,” Reyna said. “I think the last few camps since we’ve been back together, they’ve been pretty successful camps.”
Reyna was named player of the tournament (Darren Carroll/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)
Increasingly, it feels that when it’s a successful camp for Reyna, it’s a successful camp for the U.S. and vice versa. After a stingy Jamaica nearly denied the U.S. any scoring opportunities in 95 minutes of the semifinal, Reyna unlocked the Reggae Boyz and lifted the U.S. into the final.On Sunday, Reyna was there to finish a move just after the hour mark, surging into the box to apply a strong finish to an attempted clearance. His hit on the half-volley beat Ochoa to the near post and doubled the lead Adams had given the U.S.“I think both of us came in ready to perform,” Reyna said. “I don’t think the outside noise of maybe not getting enough minutes really affects us. The body of work we’ve shown in the first few days of training here, and the preparation, really shows what we’ve done and I’m just super-happy for him and also pumped up for me, to be honest.”
The hope for the U.S. now is that both players not only excel upon their return to their clubs in England but that they stay healthy and gather strength. While Berhalter was thrilled to have 45 minutes from Adams and 78 from Reyna last night, he’ll hope to soon have 90 from both.That will be especially important in the Copa America on home turf this summer, which the U.S. begins June 23 against Bolivia. The matches only get more difficult from there and Berhalter must have Reyna creating and Adams patrolling the midfield
USMNT’s Nations League win over Mexico was expected – that’s what made it important
That the opening goal of the CONCACAF Nations League final happened the way it did — a blistering shot uncorked 30 yards out — felt fitting for the environment around this U.S. men’s national team this week. The pressure had been building up in the days ahead of Sunday’s game and was bound to explode — positively or negatively.The U.S. was coming off of a less-than-decisive 3-1 win over Jamaica in the semifinal on Thursday that required a last-gasp own goal to take it to extra time — a performance significantly below expectations for a U.S. team that’s believed to be capable of more than any that came before, and with a U.S.-hosted Copa America just months away. U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter chuckled to himself on Saturday when asked by a media member whether it was true that they had more pressure on them than Mexico ahead of the big occasion. Berhalter tried to deflect, pointing out that Mexico was coming off of a dominant semifinal win (3-0 against Panama) and would be expected to continue that against their bigger rival. But Berhalter’s smile was also an acknowledgment of the truth: the U.S. — and Berhalter — had more to lose. Nothing but a win on Sunday would have been enough, and Tyler Adams’ goal late in the first half brke the pressure of expectation in the U.S.’s 2-0 win. “There’s always going to be talk,” said Gio Reyna, who scored the second goal on 63 minutes and was named player of the tournament. “And I think looking into Jamaica was a bit much. It obviously wasn’t our best performance, but it’s one game. Not every team can play well every game and we responded really well tonight.”While neither team dominated the final, the U.S. never looked overwhelmed, circulating the ball and probing Mexico for weak points. They gave up very little defensively. Mexico had to chase the result in the last half-hour after Reyna doubled the lead. While El Tri had some half-chances, they never truly threatened the U.S.he postgame press conference for Mexico coach Jaime Lozano had a clear tilt to it: El Tri were chasing the U.S. now. How could they catch their biggest rivals? There was no doubt which team was favored — a sign of how far the U.S. has come since Berhalter first took over.The U.S. was smashed by Mexico in September 2019, a 3-0 loss in Berhalter’s first year that altered the course for this group. After that loss, the U.S. became a more transitional, high-pressing and physical team. They learned the intensity it would take to win those big games against their rival. That result, six meetings ago now, is the last time Mexico beat the U.S.
The U.S. was able to limit Mexico’s chances throughout the final (Shaun Clark/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
But while Sunday’s win was a requirement, it will bring little relief ahead of the Copa America. If anything, a third straight regional crown will only ramp up the hopes that the U.S. can do something special against bigger opponents in a tournament that will include the likes of Lionel Messi’s World Cup champions Argentina and world power Brazil.“I would say that, as a federation, those teams (such as Argentina and Brazil) have proven something already; they’ve won everything there is to win,” Adams said. “That’s kind of the role model, so to speak, of what the U.S. wants to become and kind of: ‘How do we get there?’.“I would say that we’re making the right steps in order to get there. Obviously, people want us to be there tomorrow and win a World Cup, but that’s not an ideal situation. We need to go through a lot of ups and downs before we get there. But steps like this tonight, playing in finals, getting that experience now, winning three in a row, this means something… We’re learning how to win in pressure situations.”The Nations League tournaments have served as markers for this group.The first win, in June 2021, was crucial in that it was a validating moment for a young team asserting itself in the region. That they battled back twice from deficits to win, 3-2 after extra time, showed the character of a group that has shined through since on multiple stages, including at the following year’s World Cup in Qatar.Last year’s dominant 3-0 semifinal win over Mexico only reinforced the U.S.’s position atop CONCACAF but, more importantly, it showed off the growth of Reyna playing in a central role. After the off-field issues in and after Qatar, Reyna came back into the group in 2023 looking to show he could be the influential playmaker the U.S. fans hoped he would be, and he then assisted on both goals in a 2-0 win over Canada in the final before being substituted for the second half due to a leg injury.
Adams celebrates his long-range goal (Omar Vega/Getty Images)
Reyna continued that impact into this year’s tournament, setting up both goals in extra time against Jamaica and then scoring in Sunday’s final. He went through the mixed zone still holding his trophy as player of the tournament.This Nations League final was never going to be the same type of marker for this group — not with the Copa America just around the corner. Instead, it served as almost a checkpoint. The U.S. was supposed to win this game. And that, in itself, spoke to the difference of this cycle.The U.S. isn’t going to be considered a young team anymore. They are expected to get results. “I think it’s something that we do respond to,” Berhalter said. “When the guys feel like we’re pressured, then we come out and we play really good performances. In the last World Cup, as soon as they got to camp, it was like, focus, focus, focus, they were on it. And the same thing in this camp as the camp went on. So I know they’re focused.“For me, it’s about really taking advantage of every single opportunity we have because, before we know it, ’26 (the World Cup being co-hosted with Canada and Mexico) is gonna be here.”(Top photo: Shaun Clark/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
UNITED STATES
Gio Reyna has been ‘killing it’ for the USMNT. Can he now do it at the club level?
Published Mar. 25, 2024 3:52 p.m. ET
ARLINGTON, Texas — The look on Gregg Berhalter’s face was the epitome of glee. In the 63rd minute of the Concacaf Nations League final, Gio Reyna perfectly positioned his body over a bouncing ball at the top of the penalty box and struck a low volley past Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa. It was a spectacular and technical goal that gave the United States men’s national team a 2-0 lead over their rival.The score went unchanged for the remainder of the match, and the U.S. fought against a feisty and physical opponent to hold on and win its third straight CNL title.After Reyna scored — his second goal of the tournament — he ran to the right corner flag while pointing at the U.S. crest on his chest. His teammates — those on the field and on the bench — joined him in a jumping-up-and-down-in-a-circle celebration. Berhalter sprinted down the touchline to join the group with a joyous smile that took up his whole face. Despite playing outside of Dallas, the crowd was pro-Mexico and the opposing fans roared with boos after Reyna’s goal. As the American players celebrated, nearby fans threw cups of beer at them. Seeing this happen in real time, Berhalter made his way to Reyna and tried to shield him from any other flying objects.A little while later, Reyna was subbed off in the 75th minute. He was on a minutes restriction, was starting to cramp up, and the USMNT had the lead in hand, so it made sense. When he stepped off the pitch, Berhalter put his arms around the player for a second. They both seemed happy.
“[He said] something along the lines that he was proud of me,” Reyna, who was named the tournament’s best player, said after the match.
“It was a long night, a lot’s been happening since the game,” Reyna said smiling, a nod to the beer and goggles celebration the players had in the locker room after the win, “and I just couldn’t tell you word for word. But it was just something nice. It wasn’t anything too special, but it was nice.”This is all a testament to how far both Berhalter and Reyna have come since the drama that ensnared their relationship at the 2022 World Cup. After the Americans were eliminated in the round of 16 of that tournament 15 months ago, Berhalter revealed that he nearly sent an unnamed player home due to a poor attitude in training. It was eventually discovered that the player was Reyna. His parents – former USMNT captain Claudio Reyna and former USWNT player Danielle Egan – retaliated by bringing up a decades-old domestic violence incident between Berhalter and his now-wife to U.S. Soccer. Berhalter’s contract expired shortly thereafter, though he was re-hired a few months later.In the aftermath, there was a lot of interest in the relationship between Berhalter and Reyna. Would Reyna be called into camp? Would he start? How would the vibes be? How would it affect the team? Etc, etc.
Reyna was recalled to the USMNT last October, and started the final four matches of 2023. In the USMNT’s semifinal win over Jamaica on Thursday, he had two beautiful assists in extra time that helped the squad to a 3-1 win. Following that game, Reyna spoke with reporters for the first time since everything transpired after the World Cup.
“Obviously, what happened, happened,” Reyna said. “But I think both of us are so far past it, and just so focused on the group that it’s not even an issue at all anymore. We’re just so far past it.”
He essentially repeated those sentiments late Sunday night, adding that he felt like this was all water under the bridge after their first camp back together last year.
“If we didn’t put it in the past, it would have been affecting the team and I think that was most important for the both of us,” Reyna explained. “I think the last few camps that he’s been here and we’ve been back together, it’s been pretty successful. So yeah, like I said, it’s in the past. It’s pretty simple.”
Time heals. Even if it didn’t, there’s no way Berhalter could avoid Reyna, who, at just 21 years old, is establishing himself as one of the most valuable players in the team.
“The kid’s unbelievable, honestly,” said Tyler Adams, who also scored a banger of a goal to put the USMNT up 1-0 right before halftime. “So many people talk about the noise that surrounded him and everything that he went through. But at 21 years old, every single one of the players on our team has gone through a situation like that. Maybe not as extreme, of course, because it was surrounding a World Cup and we didn’t play in a World Cup at 21.
“He’s got that grit, he’s got that intensity, and when he plays like that every night, he’s gonna be playing at a big club very soon.”
Last month, Reyna joined Nottingham Forest on loan from Borussia Dortmund for the remainder of the season. Minutes have been sparse for Reyna, and there were questions about his fitness entering this camp. He played 75 minutes against Jamaica, coming on at halftime and playing through extra time; then 75 more in the final against Mexico.
“He was determined to grind through it and power through it and I thought he was doing really well,” Berhalter said.
Berhalter, who said he and Reyna “started to gain trust” and were patient in rebuilding their relationship after the World Cup fallout, gushed about the young player’s talent.
“He can unlock defenses and he just has these qualities that are really good,” Berhalter said. “I also believe, and I’ve said this before, that he can be a midfielder. I think that’s the next evolution for him because he can control the tempo so well and he can make final passes when he gets the ball in pockets in transition and he’s a good finisher.”
Berhalter and Reyna both hope that Reyna can use this momentum as a springboard to get more minutes with his club. And for the USMNT, it’s especially heartening to see a confident and healthy Reyna in form with Copa America looming this summer.
“He’s killing it here,” defender Chris Richards said of his teammate. “Hopefully he continues that form.”
Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of “Strong Like a Woman,” published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her at @LakenLitman.
USMNT late week viewing guide: Back to the grind
Haji Wright, perhaps Josh Sargent, and others re-start club season on Friday
Friday
Huddersfield vs Coventry, 11a: Haji Wright and Coventry (8th) meet relegation-zone Huddersfield (22nd of 24 in the Championship).
Norwich City vs Plymouth Argyle, 11a on ESPN+ (free trial): Josh Sargent and sixth-place Norwich look to maintain promotion playoff position against Plymouth (18th).
América vs San Luis, 10p: Alejandro Zendejas and América are second in the Liga MX Clausura with 12 games played; San Luis are 13th of 18.
Ukraine qualify for Euro 2024: ‘The world is going to watch and see we never give up’
More than 40 members of Ukraine’s national-team party were spread around the centre circle of Wroclaw’s Tarczynski Arena.Players, coaches and backroom staff locked their gaze on the 30,000 spectators sporting blue and yellow as they revved up their version of the Viking thunderclap. Iceland, the architects of that celebration during the 2016 European Championship, could only listen in despair having lost this Euro 2024 play-off final to a late strike from Chelsea forward Mykhailo Mudryk.Strangers embraced. Families posed for photographs draped in Ukraine flags. Others video-called, possibly home to war-torn Ukraine, sharing the moment with others unable to experience first-hand this release of emotion around 600 miles (1,000km) away in south-west Poland.kraine had done it.Ukraine’s players address the crowd (Sergei Gapon/AFP via Getty Images)
Despite enduring over two years of Russian invasion and indiscriminate bombing with millions of its citizens displaced, a weakened domestic league and home advantage for matches long since diluted, Serhiy Rebrov’s side had come through two tense play-off matches to qualify for this summer’s Euros — a mountain they had failed to climb two years ago when pursuing a World Cup spot, losing to Wales at this final stage.
As Oleksandr Zinchenko, the captain, led his team around the pitch to celebrate a second comeback victory in five days, the 2-1 win over Iceland following a similar late success by the same scoreline away against Bosnia & Herzegovina, a guttural chant reverberated around the arena.
“Z-S-U! Z-S-U! Z-S-U!”
The acronym stands for ‘Zbronyi Syly Ukrainy’ — the Armed Forces of Ukraine. These Ukrainian supporters — almost all draped in the nation’s blue and yellow flag — were reminding the world of why this victory was not just a footballing triumph.
This was not so much a lap of honour as a vignette of how conflicting it is to be Ukrainian today; jubilant at a second major finals qualification via play-offs from seven attempts, yet acutely aware of how small sport seems in the shadow of war. United in a foreign city, but separated from loved ones across the border; grateful for international support, yet fearing that their struggle is fading from the public consciousness.
“I’m all emotioned out — it’s one of the most important, if not the most important, win for Ukraine in its history,” says British-Ukrainian journalist Andrew Todos, founder of Ukrainian football website Zorya Londonsk.
“It is the context of having to make the tournament to give the country a massive important platform. People are going to see the country and hear about the war carrying on during the build-up and the weeks that they are in the tournament.”
English-born drummer Andriy Buniak (bottom) of Ukrainian folk band Cov Kozaks with Andrew Todos (third right) and Myron Huzan (right) (Jordan Campbell/The Athletic)
The Ukraine FA, drawn as the hosts, chose Wroclaw for this play-off final because they knew it would be their best chance of approximating a home advantage. The 1-1 group-phase draw with England here in September attracted a crowd of 39,000 and Wroclaw has been one of the main cities to which Ukrainians have fled over the past two years.In 2018, there were already suggestions that one in every 10 Wroclaw residents was Ukrainian. The city’s university status means family reunions have driven that number up to around a third of the population. It would have been slightly higher again on Tuesday, with the city transformed into a ‘Little Kyiv’.
Drummers dressed in traditional attire beat a rhythm for jolly sing-alongs and heartfelt rallies in the market square. Every act of joy from the Ukrainian contingent quickly felt like an expression of defiance.
The constant was a sense of unity, captured by the charity match played earlier in the day between a team of former players and the ‘potato soldiers’, a nickname coined by organiser Mykola Vasylkov for the amount of food his team have delivered to the front line thanks to fundraising assistance from national-team players.
“‘No Football Euro without Ukraine’ has been our message — now we’ve done it, ” says Vasylkov, who was part of Andriy Shevchenko’s setup during his five years as Ukraine manager.
Vasylkov helped then manager Shevchenko in the Ukraine setup (Jordan Campbell/The Athletic)
The majority of the Ukrainians in attendance at last night’s play-off had lived elsewhere in Europe for some years before the conflict. Unless they receive special dispensation, males between the ages of 18 and 60 are banned from leaving the country.
Unable to fight for the cause in the conventional sense, this was the day when the diaspora played their part. Goalscorers Viktor Tsygankov and Mudryk, who play for clubs in Spain and England, and an eclectic fanbase combined to put their country on the map at this summer’s tournament in Germany.
“There were amazing emotions and atmosphere in the dressing room — these days wearing the Ukrainian badge on our chest is something special,” says Zinchenko. “The feelings inside are so hard to describe as, today, every Ukrainian was watching our game.
“All the video messages we received before the game from Ukrainians, in the country and abroad, from the military who are staying on the front line fighting for our independence and freedom… they were all supporting us. It was extra motivation for us.”
Zinchenko applauds the fans after Ukraine’s win (Andrzej Iwanczuk/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
It was only last summer that Zinchenko used Arsenal’s pre-season tour in the United States to call for American F-15 fighter jets to be given to Ukrainian forces. He did not want the world to become fatigued and forget his compatriots’ suffering.“It (Euro 2024) will be so important,” he says. “We all understand that. All the world is going to watch this competition as it’s one of the biggest in the sport. It’s an unreal opportunity to show how good we are as a team and how good it is to be Ukrainian.“Our people are about never giving up and fighting until the end.”
Iceland’s population of 375,000 is dwarfed by Ukraine’s estimated 34million and their FIFA ranking of 73rd is well below their opponents’ 24th, so Zinchenko and his team-mates were hardly underdogs last night — but Ukraine’s players still have to cope with the mental toil of having family members enduring life in a war zone.
When Ukraine missed out on a place at the most recent World Cup in its June 2022 play-offs, winning 3-1 away to Scotland in their semi-final but then being beaten 1-0 in Cardiff by a Gareth Bale shot that took a big deflection, their domestic-based players had only been able to feature in friendlies against club sides for the previous seven months. That was not the case this time, but four of the starting XI and 11 of the 23-man squad are based in Ukraine.
The domestic league resumed in that summer of 2022 but it has dropped in quality as most of its top foreign players have left, and only in the last month have small crowds been allowed into top-flight games again. They are only able to do so with the provision of air-raid sirens, and with bunkers to shelter in readily available.
Ukrainian fans celebrate qualification (Andrzej Iwanczuk/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
During that play-off final, footage appeared of Ukrainian soldiers in the trenches watching the match on their phones. That connection to home was strong in Wrocław on Tuesday.
“I work in the army and brought a flag that Ukrainian soldiers signed,” says Artem Genne, a London-based fan, holding up the message “Keep up the good work for peace and prosperity in Ukraine”, sporting the signatures of different regiments. “We went to visit the team the day before the game and we got a picture of them with the flag to send back to the troops and boost morale.
“Some family members live near some military facilities and they have been witnessing lots of attacks. Many of my friends live in Kyiv (the capital) and they were sending me footage from their balconies of windows being smashed. It goes on every day and, even though we are not there, it still affects you knowing your friends are in underground shelters.”
Artem Genne and a friend hold up their flag signed by Ukrainian soldiers (Jordan Campbell/The Athletic)
Roman Labunski travelled from Berlin in West Germany, over 200 miles, with his wife and two sons to be at the game.
His eldest son Nathan, 13, has only ever been to Ukraine twice, but was on his father’s shoulders during the 2014 Maidan revolution. He witnessed something en route to the stadium that served as a wake-up call.
“We saw lorries carrying tanks to the border,” Roman says. “It reminded us that we’re still able to do something safe and fun. I sometimes feel guilty that I am not living it, as my cousins came to stay with us after the invasion but went back after they thought it was safe. Now they are facing rockets again.
“It is not just football that we wanted to win for, and the team know that. It is no longer that they are up here and the fans are down there. We feel together with them now. The Euros will bring everyone back home some hope and happiness.”
Aron, Natan and Roman Lanunski travelled to Wroclaw from Berlin (Jordan Campbell/The Athletic)
Although most at the game had moved away from Ukraine years earlier, there are those who only narrowly avoided life on the front line.
Serhii was a 16-year-old living in a village 5km from Kyiv when a column of Russian tanks started moving towards the capital.
“It was the last town not to be occupied. If that had happened, it would have been a big problem for Kyiv,” he says. “Once the war started, I moved west; then to Germany for seven months before going home.
“Now I have been living in Chelm (just over the border from Ukraine in eastern Poland).”
Fedir (centre) and Serhii (right) in Wroclaw’s market square (Jordan Campbell/The Athletic)
His friend Fedir is from Vinnytsia, a city south-west of Kyiv.
“The Polish people have been very kind and welcoming to us,” Fedir says. “We appreciate this support from them, but it is lower than it was two years ago. This war is making everyone tired. Ukrainians, Polish. People are starting to forget about it. We are not.”
Vitaliy is part of the select group of fighting age who has permission to cross the border, due to his work in Denmark dating back to 2010.
“I grew up with the stories of my grandparents not being able to read Ukrainian books, so it was not a surprise to me when war came,” he says.
Vitaliy (left) with his family outside the stadium (Jordan Campbell/The Athletic)
“They try to tell us that western Ukraine is not the same as the east — whether it’s language, culture, history.
“That is why football is so important. Since we got independence, we are more able, as a people, to resist and see things for ourselves. We have our own identity and this summer is our chance to show that to the world.”
(Top photo: Sergei Gapon/AFP)
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US Men Defend Nations League Title vs Mexico Sun 9:15pm on Para+, Univision
The US Men look to defend their 2 Time Nations League Crown tonight as they face Mexico at 9:15 pm. The US needed a miracle goal in the 95th minute to take the game to ET where they pulled off the 3-1 win on two goals by Haji Wright off beautiful passes by Gio Reyna. Reyna certainly proved he belongs as he unlocked the tight Jamaican D over and over again. Jamaica scored 40 seconds in and parked the buss with 10 players behind the ball and in the box. The US struggled to unlock things until Reyna came in with Haji Wright. Obviously Dest will be back in at right back as Joe Scally had a tough game coming off at half time as the US looked for more attack. Otherwise not sure what changes GB might pull. I still kind of like Gio coming in at half time -but we will see. This game should be more wide open which should help the US as honestly we are a better fast break team rather than 75% possession team.
Great to see Tyler Adams back on the field and healthy for the US Men !
Indy 11 tie Home Opener Sat night 7 pm at the Mike
Indy Eleven and Sacramento Republic FC played to a 1-1 draw in the Boys in Blue’s home opener on Saturday night at Carroll Stadium. The Eleven found themselves on the wrong side of an own goal in the 31st minute, but answered back almost immediately when Augi Williams found the back of the net for the first time this season off and assist from Max Schneider. The Boys in Blue continue their homestand next Saturday, hosting the first Eastern Conference foe of the season in Detroit City FC. Kick is slated for 7 p.m. ET and will air locally on WNDY, while streaming on ESPN+. 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.
Former Carmel FC Players Doing Well
Congrats to former Carmel FC player Rosie Martin daughter of former Carmel FC coach Andy Martin and Lisa Martin has signed with University of Illinois Chicago to play D1 soccer.
Congrats to former Carmel FC player, Sophomore Maverick McCoy son of former FC coach Wade McCoy as they won the 20U Academy Cup last weekend. Center back Maverick also got to join the Indy 11 in some preseason friendlies and was on the bench last night for the home opener !!
Maverick was on the bench last night for the Indy 11 home opener !! Here with his dad Wade – Congrats ! The New US kits for Copa American & The Olympics have dropped – what do you think? Champions League Quarterfinals – Draw -A who’s who of Euro soccer – Real Madrid vs Man City – wow.
GAMES ON TV
Thurs, Mar 21
3:45 pm Fox Sports 2 Wales vs Finland Euro Qualifying
7 pm FS1 US Men vs Jamaica — Nations League Semis
9 pm FS1? Mexico vs Canada – Nations League Semis
Friday, Mar 22
1 pm FS2 Norway vs Czech Republic
3:45 pm FS2 Netherlands vs Scotland
8 pm Amazon Prime Orlando Pride vs Angel City NWSL
Sat, Mar 23
1 pm FS2 Ireland vs Belgium
2 pm Apple MLS NY Red Bulls vs Miami (Messi)
3 pm FOX England vs Brazil
4 pm CBSSN Canada vs T&T Copa Qualifier
7 pm TV 8? Indy 11 vs Sacramento
7:30 pm Apple MLS Cincy vs NYCFC
7:30 pm Ion Washington Spirit vs Bay FC NWSL
10 pm San Diego Wave (Morgan) vs KC Current NWSL
Sun, March 24
6 pm Para+ TUDN Concacaf 3rd place game
7 pm ESPN2 Portland Thorns vs NY/NJ Gothem NWSL
9 pm Para+ TUDN CONCACAF Finals – USA vs Mexico
Mon, Mar 25
4 pm Golazo US Men U23s vs France U23s
Tues, Mar 26th
3:45 pm FS2 Germany vs Netherlands
10:50 pm CBSSN Argentina vs Costa Rica
Sat, April 6
12:30 pm TNT, Max, Telemundo USA Women vs Japan
Tues, Apr 9
5 or 7 pm TBS, Universo, Peacock USWNT vs Brazil/Can winner Columbus, OH
Former U.S. men’s national team forward Herculez Gomez has said Gregg Berhalter isn’t the right coach to lead the USMNT to the 2026 World Cup.Gomez made his comments in the aftermath of the USMNT’s wild 3-1 extra-time win over Jamaica in the Nations League semifinal.The U.S. was just seconds away from a stunning defeat, but a Jamaica own goal with the last kick of the match sent the game into extra time. From there, Gio Reyna assisted Haji Wright for two goals to seal a spot in the final.Ahead of the USMNT’s match against Mexico on Sunday, Gomez voiced his concerns over Berhalter. “There are going to be many people out here who say, ‘Well, they made it to the final.’ Gregg Berhalter was two seconds away, was a play away from everybody calling for his head, from everybody saying this isn’t the man to lead this team,” Gomez said on ESPN’s “Futbol Americas.”“And I don’t think I feel too much differently today after this game as I did before it. Gregg Berhalter may be a good coach at a certain level. He’s not the coach for the U.S. men’s national team at this level, not the coach to lead the U.S. men’s national team to the World Cup in 2026.”
Berhalter led the USMNT to Gold Cup and Nations League titles, and a World Cup knockout round spot in his first stint as head coach, but his second go-round hasn’t been convincing as of yet. The coach returned to his position after last summer’s Gold Cup, producing expected wins against the likes of Oman, Uzbekistan and Ghana. Meanwhile, the USMNT has underwhelmed in defeats against Germany and Trinidad and Tobago, as well as during Thursday’s win over the Reggae Boyz.The pressure will be ramped up ahead of Sunday’s final against Mexico, and especially heading into this summer’s Copa América on home soil.
The USMNT needed an answered prayer to beat Jamaica. What was the problem?
By Jon Arnold Mar 22, 2024
When the goalkeeper ran into the opposing penalty area and the tactics had become unimportant, Gregg Berhalter did the last thing he possibly could.“You prepare, you work hard, you move everybody up in the penalty box and you pray,” the United States manager said Thursday night. Where set pieces and schemes didn’t work, petitioning a higher power did: The U.S. equalized Jamaica in the final moment of regulation on a flukey own goal and sent their CONCACAF Nations League semifinal to extra time.Given the gift of an extra 30 minutes to set things right, the U.S. took advantage. A double by Haji Wright in the added period propelled the Americans to the victory, but it was clear that the 3-1 final score was makeup on the pig of an ugly performance, one that required a stunning late own goal Berhalter called ‘miraculous’.How did the U.S. get to this point? The Jamaica team that gave it so much trouble was depleted by injuries and suspensions, most notably keeping the likes of Premier Leaguers Leon Bailey and Michail Antonio off the pitch. The U.S. still needed desperate prayer answered in the form of a goal off the head of its center back and then an opposing forward.The team conceded a goal it shouldn’t have conceded after just 34 seconds, forgot the attitude it needed to have in a region where every match promises to be feisty and needed a boost from reinforcements like Gio Reyna and Tyler Adams, who weren’t able to put in a full 90-minute shift Thursday.Jamaica always intended to come out in a defensive posture, and the early goal played right into the plan. “We have to improve – especially against a 5-4-1,” Berhalter said. “To me, it’s about speed of ball movement, combinations particularly in wide areas to get behind them and hurt the defense. We didn’t do that enough. When we did, we created chances. I think the expected goals was 2.6, so we had enough there but it wasn’t consistent enough.“You can see this team hasn’t played together for four months. It’s clear.”
Berhalter made numerous adjustments in the second half (Stephen Nadler/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)
After allowing that first-minute goal to fullback Gregory Leigh, who popped up at the back post without a defender anywhere near and headed in a cross from Bobby De Cordova-Reid, the U.S. had to make immediate adjustments. Jamaica was able to rely on its strengths, snuffing out potential opportunities for the U.S. to break in transition and muscling players off the ball often when the U.S. did make forays into its attacking third.“You can’t give up the first goal in 45 seconds. That can’t happen,” Berhalter said. “Then it’s patience, perseverance. We had 940 passes in the game, so we had enough but to me it’s all about what you’re doing in the wide areas. You’ve got to draw them out of position…It’s all stuff we need to keep learning from.”
The late goal wasn’t the United States’ only bit of fortune – it was lucky to not be down by more than a goal as it chased the game. While Jamaica was happy to defend its lead and let the U.S. dominate possession of the ball, it had a few scoring chances it should have finished. None will be more frustrating for Jamaica than the chance just after the hour mark when forward Renaldo Cephas was alone in front of Matt Turner, only to send a weak effort into the U.S. goalkeeper’s arms.“We should’ve killed the game off in these 90 minutes, but it really, really hurts and I feel for the guys doing so well in the 90 minutes and then conceding a goal with the last touch of the game,” Jamaica manager Heimir Hallgrimsson said. “Psychologically, it was a blow to concede this goal at the end. You kind of saw it mentally and physically in (extra time) that we were missing the power we had in the 95 minutes.”Cephas got the starting nod Thursday as the Reggae Boyz dealt with a number of key absences. Aston Villa star Bailey was kept out of the camp because of disciplinary reasons, and West Ham United forward Antonio was a late scratch with a shoulder injury. Fellow attackers Demarai Gray and Shamar Nicholson missed the contest with suspensions.
Haji Wright scored both of the United States’ extra-time goals (Shaun Clark/Getty Images)
With all those absences, Berhalter felt his U.S. team forgot an important lesson about playing in this part of the world: The opponent will be open to muddying things up and giving one of the region’s traditional powers everything they can handle.“The pregame talk is the normal CONCACAF speech: It’s not going to be easy, guys. It’s going to be a very difficult game,” the manager said. “I think somewhere along the line it goes in one of their ears and out the other. They don’t really understand it. Because this was a typical CONCACAF game. We’ve all been a part of a ton of these games”Though typical in some ways, the Jamaican game plan was not without its quirks. Among the most impactful to the U.S. was the usage of Philadelphia Union center back Damion Lowe as a roaming destroyer in the midfield, which made it tough for the U.S. to pursue their best lines of attack. The team slogged through the first half, looking for a response to the first-minute goal that never truly came.“Obviously not our best day. Obviously not my best day,” U.S. winger Christian Pulisic said after. “But on days like that when you find a way to win, it says something about the team spirit. We just kept pushing and pushing and it came right at the end.”
That continued push in the second half came in part thanks to Berhalter’s addition of Reyna to the attack and Adams’ return to the midfield after more than a year away from the national team with a hamstring injury. Both players were on minutes restrictions and will have their fitness monitored ahead of Sunday’s title decider, Berhalter said.Reyna said he was looking to “just affect the game. It was pretty simple. Not our best performance today, and I just try to bring a bit of life to the team and luckily was able to do that.”Adams showed frustration coming out of the contest, which Berhalter attempted to assuage as best he could, with a hint of amusement. After subbing on the midfielder in the 63rd minute, Berhalter took him off in the 100th. Beyond the minutes cap, the motive was clear: The U.S. now has a final to prepare for and lots of work to do.
Against Mexico in that final, they may not be as lucky, but they may need it more.
Is Gregg Berhalter a good coach for the USMNT?
Ryan O’Hanlon Jeff Carlisle ESPN+ mar 18, 2024, 09:35 AM
Gregg Berhalter’s tenure as manager of the U.S. men’s national team has divided opinion from the start.
Yes, he’d helped the Columbus Crew punch above its weight as the Designated Player era in MLS entered its second decade. But he was hired while his brother was the chief commercial officer at the U.S. Soccer Federation, raising questions about a potential conflict of interest.
On top of that, his hiring seemed to some like a retrenchment back to the relatively small and insular community of U.S. Soccer. After the disastrous reign of Jurgen Klinsmann — the ultimate outsider and a critic of U.S. Soccer — no more outsiders would be leading the way.
Despite such concerns, Berhalter then went on to lead the U.S. through a successful 2022 World Cup qualification campaign, which helped erase memories of the USMNT crashing out four years earlier thanks to a hole Klinsmann dug early on in qualifiers. Once in Qatar, the Americans under Berhalter reached the round of 16, which was neither a high nor low mark for the USMNT. Some felt Berhalter met expectations at the World Cup, but others questioned whether the team should’ve done better with a group of players widely viewed as the best U.S. generation ever.
Just over five years since Berhalter was first hired, opinion remains divided among players, coaches and fans: Is Berhalter actually a good coach?
ESPN analyst Ryan O’Hanlon will delve into the numbers to see how Berhalter stacks against his USMNT predecessors. Has there been discernible progress on the field? Is the team winning more often than it used to? Has Berhalter been able to institute the kind of cohesive attacking style that USMNT fans have been calling out for? And most importantly, does he have the team performing at, above, or below the level of its talent?
But there are also aspects beyond the numbers to consider. Can Berhalter manage the egos of these players and get them pointed in the same direction? Do the players in the USMNT locker room trust him? And is his tactics-heavy approach the right fit at the international level? ESPN national reporter Jeff Carlisle spoke to former players and colleagues to get answers.
“I thought he was an excellent coach — very, very good tactically,” former Columbus Crew and U.S. international defender Michael Parkhurst told ESPN. “And just understanding the game, no detail went unnoticed.”
Former U.S. international forward and “Fútbol Americas” host Herculez Gomez takes a different view: “I don’t think he’s the best coach for the U.S. men’s national team. That doesn’t mean he can’t be a good coach. I just think he’s a very inexperienced coach.”
Trust between player and USMNT coach must be “unbreakable”
Part of what makes answering some of these questions difficult is that Berhalter does some of these things well for the most part, only to get tripped up enough to cast some doubt. Man-management is a primary example for his critics.
Gomez feels there are other times when Berhalter has broken trust with some players, like when he left Zack Steffen off the World Cup roster.
“If I’m a player and I see what he did to Steffen, I think that could happen to me,” he said. “Steffen was one of his guys. There are things that you don’t do as a coach to break trust for the player. And I think he’s done a few of those things.”
Steffen, who played under Berhalter in Columbus, said Berhalter hadn’t communicated his plan going into the World Cup, which the coach later said was focused on having an undisputed No. 1 in goal rather than goalkeepers battling for position. “I didn’t hear about that until a couple of months later,” Steffen told ESPN last year. “I heard someone say that, but I thought it was a rumor. He and I have a long history and, yeah, I thought it was a little bit different than it was.”
When a team is going through difficult periods, Gomez added, trust with players is all a coach has, and “that should be unbreakable.”
There have also been moments when Berhalter has shown a deft hand in managing players. The incident in World Cup qualifying when midfielder Weston McKennie was sent home for violating COVID-19 protocols was a delicate moment for the team. But Berhalter was firm in his discipline, gradually brought McKennie back into the fold, and the player was a key contributor during qualifying and at the World Cup.
Tim Ream was largely on the outside of the U.S. national team during World Cup qualifying, but Berhalter maintained communication with the Fulham defender, and when injury struck the likes of Miles Robinson and Chris Richards, he reached out to Ream from a position of strength rather than desperation.
Berhalter also seeks to connect with his players beyond what happens on the field, and his ability to recruit dual nationals such as Sergiño Dest and Yunus Musah has been impressive.
“I just think he’s someone who lives, sleeps, dreams… I mean, everything about the game is what Gregg cares about, but he also cares about people,” said current Minnesota United midfielder Wil Trapp, who played for Berhalter both with Columbus and the USMNT. “And I think that’s something that sometimes maybe isn’t always seen from the outside. But being on the inside, and knowing him for as long as I’ve known him, I mean, he cares deeply about his players, about their families, about them just beyond the soccer players.”
Former U.S. assistant coach Luchi Gonzalez lauded Berhalter’s ability to give honest feedback. The strain on Berhalter’s relationship with Reyna was due in part of just such an exchange when the manager informed the player of what his role would be prior to the World Cup — although Gonzalez admitted “no one’s perfect,” he’s convinced that in most situations, Berhalter has navigated communicating with players well.
“Berhalter was the best that I’ve ever experienced in terms of just honesty,” Gonzalez said. “Like feedback, critical, demanding, simple, concise, but yet supportive. Like, ‘Hey, you have the opportunity to respond and improve the situation or, or continue the situation.’ But with the staff and players, he was just always honest. And I think people, whether they liked what they heard or not, they respected it, and they wanted to respond to it.”
De la Torre: Doing ‘everything I can’ for a USMNT spot
Celta Vigo’s American midfielder Luca de la Torre discusses his hopes of securing a USMNT spot in the future.
That approach appeared to carry the day during the last World Cup cycle. The USMNT looked bought-in during the tournament, and that vibe has continued as Berhalter has continued this cycle. “The relationship is good,” said U.S. midfielder Luca de la Torre during an appearance on Fútbol Americas. “I think what I like about Gregg is that he’s a coach who players can be honest with, and he doesn’t seem to hold it against them.”
The team’s top player and captain, Christian Pulisic, is firmly in Berhalter’s camp as well, and he voiced support for Berhalter to continue as USMNT manager after the World Cup.
“Berhalter is someone who has grown on me a lot over the years. I’ve learned a lot from him and have grown so much as a player,” Pulisic said during a 2023 interview with ESPN. “It’s underappreciated what he’s done to create that environment, which was so special within that [World Cup] team. He’s helped a lot of players improve in a lot of ways.”
How tactical is too tactical for the international game?
Berhalter’s reputation is that of a tactics obsessive. His Columbus teams were heavy on possession, and this required countless hours spent on the practice field in a bid to fine-tune his system. He carried that approach with him to the USMNT. No detail was too small there, either.
Trapp recalled how Berhalter would stop training if a player strayed two to three meters out of position. “He’s showing you, ‘No, I can’t have you doing that and here’s why,'” Trapp said.
There is near universal agreement, even among Berhalter’s admirers, that the approach isn’t for everyone. There comes a point where the tactical detail morphs into information overload.
“For some players, they eat every ounce of it up and they love it,” said current Houston Dynamo general manager Pat Onstad, who was on Berhalter’s staff in Columbus. “And then for other players, after 30 seconds, they zone out and they’re off on their own. But that doesn’t mean, as a coach, that you sit there and say, ‘OK, well I’ll just cater to the 32nd guy, and that’s it.’ I think his passion and eye for detail, and the organizational part of it is infectious within the group.”
But can a system that requires so much repetition work at an international level, where time on the training field can be limited? Trapp, who made the bulk of his 20 international appearances under Berhalter, recalled how the manager would send video clips out to players in advance in a bid to spoon-feed them information, which would help players hit the ground running once camp begins.
Berhalter has admitted that he has at times simplified his approach. Following the last international window before the World Cup — which included a blowout loss to Japan — Berhalter stated that he piled on too much information to a group that he hadn’t seen in three months.
Joe Scally, during the six-month period in 2023 where it was uncertain Berhalter would return as manager, made it clear he wasn’t a fan of the approach, calling Berhalter’s tactics “confusing,” adding that the U.S. needed a manager “that definitely understands we’re not a club team. We need to just understand simple tactics, simple system that we can all apply that brings out the best in all the players. Not something to where it’s too complicated and you’re overthinking on the field.”
That said, Scally did feel the U.S. played well during the World Cup, though even there Berhalter’s system had its drawbacks. “As a player, when you’re on the field and you’re overthinking things it leads to silly mistakes and silly things where you’re not yourself and you can’t express yourself,” he said. “I think that was one of the things that didn’t work out.”
But Berhalter is now five years into his tenure. The tactical foundation has been — or at least should be — established. “Now that the team’s been together for a while and things are expected, I think it’s a little bit easier — it should be this time versus the first go around,” Parkhurst said.
Berhalter, the idealist vs. Berhalter, the pragmatist
There have been times during Berhalter’s tenure with the USMNT when he has stubbornly clung to his approach, sometimes to the team’s detriment.
During his first 20 months, Berhalter was adamant that the U.S. play out of the back. in September 2019, the USMNT hit its nadir in a 3-0 defeat to Mexico, a match in which El Tri pressed the U.S. into oblivion. What followed was an evolution in which the U.S. mixed in more direct play with possession and the USMNT defense stabilized as a result — but it also left many wondering what took Berhalter so long?
That stubborn streak showed itself at club level, too. Parkhurst, who indicated he loved playing under Berhalter’s intricate system, said that if he had one critique of Berhalter, it would be “understanding when to adapt.”
There have, however, been moments when he would relent. Parkhurst recalls conversations during the run-up to the 2015 MLS Cup final about how to handle the New York Red Bulls‘ high-press. The Crew’s tendency to play out of the back played right into the Red Bulls’ hands, so when the Eastern Conference final came around, Berhalter at last decided to take a more direct approach, using the aerial skills of Kei Kamara.
“That was the first time in two years that we were like, ‘Hey, forget it. Let’s just kick the ball long and play for seconds up there. We’re the better soccer team, and we can win as long as we don’t turn the ball over 20 yards from our goal,'” said Parkhurst.
The move paid off as Columbus prevailed 2-1 over two legs to reach that year’s MLS Cup final.
How Berhalter is hoping to build the USMNT towards the 2026 World Cup
Gregg Berhalter explains how the USMNT are working towards the 2026 World Cup in North America.
That is by no means the last battle between Berhalter, the idealist, and Berhalter, the pragmatist. Onstad recalls that following another encounter with the Red Bulls, one in which Columbus again prevailed by being more direct, Berhalter said, “We’re never doing that again. That’s not who we are.”
Throughout World Cup qualifying, Berhalter the pragmatist had the edge. This was especially evident in the road win at Honduras, when a trio of halftime substitutions sparked a come-from-behind, 4-1 win.
The push and pull of Berhalter’s instincts was evident at the World Cup as well. The Americans’ inability to deal with and adapt to Wales‘ insertion of target forward Kieffer Moore cost the team two points in a disappointing 1-1 draw. The U.S. played more within itself in the 0-0 draw with England, but in the round of 16, Berhalter appeared to play right into the tactical hands of Dutch counterpart Louis van Gaal, having the U.S. push forward and leaving far too much room on the counter.
“He sticks to it, and you think your team can do it,” said Parkhurst. “On the one hand, he’s got good confidence in guys. But I do think there’s times to mix it up a little bit. Otherwise it just becomes too easy sometimes.”
Do the stats say the USMNT is doing better under Berhalter?
To answer the question of “Is Gregg Berhalter actually a good coach?” we have to ask ourselves two smaller questions.
The first: “How good has the USMNT been with Gregg Berhalter as the manager?” Although that gets conflated with the question of whether or not Berhalter is a good coach, it’s a different question focused purely on the USMNT’s results. And in short, the answer is, the USMNT has done pretty damn good.
Across the history of the USMNT, 10 men have coached the team for at least 15 games. Here’s how their longevity stacks up:
Given that soccer wasn’t truly professionalized in the United States until the early 1990s, we just don’t have the same kind of historical record for the national team that, say, England or Brazil might have. Fourteen different men have managed at least 15 games for England, while 17 have done so for Brazil.
Bruce Arena, then, sort of brought the USMNT into the modern era. He also brought the USMNT further than they’ve ever gone in a modern World Cup: to the quarterfinals, where they lost 1-0 to eventual runners-up Germany. And the USMNT really outplayed Germany in a number of ways: more touches in the penalty area, controlling nearly two-thirds of final third possession, and creating more chances.
The bigger the circle, the higher the expected-goal value of the attempt:
Across his tenure, Arena’s team scored 1.64 goals per game and conceded 0.75 — respectively the fourth- and second-best marks among the 10 qualifying USMNT coaches. However, another coach ranks first in both goals scored (2.02) and goals conceded (0.65) per game.
It’s Gregg Berhalter:
Now, this doesn’t adjust for the quality of the opponent or the type of match. And the tricky thing about assessing international managers is that they don’t coach many games that matter. Friendlies are games where neither team is trying to optimize to win the match: Both sides want to win, but the personnel decisions both before and during the match aren’t totally aligned with getting three points. Plus, it’s never clear how hard the players themselves are playing in friendlies.
So, then, performances in friendlies don’t really matter all that much. But then when you eliminate friendlies, you’re left with the Gold Cup, World Cup qualifying, the World Cup, and possibly the Copa America and/or Confederations Cup. That’s maybe 20 games, total.
In other words, no two USMNT managers manage against the same schedules of opponents, and they all manage too few competitive matches to really put too much weight into those games, either. To start to get around that, though, we can look at the Elo rating of the team.
Initially developed for chess, the Elo system adjusts a competitor’s rating after every match. If you win, your rating goes up; lose, and it goes down. As the World Football Elo Ratings describe their own methodology, they apply “the Elo rating system to international football, by adding a weighting for the kind of match, an adjustment for the home team advantage, and an adjustment for goal difference in the match result.”
Since the system is based only on results, and results are quite random over a short sample, we’re only going to look at the USMNT managerial stints that have lasted for 50 games or more. Here’s how they stack up, based on where the team’s Elo rating was at the start of the tenure and where it was by the end:
• Bora Milutinovic (April 1, 1991-April 14, 1995): 1601 to 1619, up 18 points • Steve Sampson (Aug. 1, 1995-July 30, 1998): 1708 to 1697, down 11 points • Bruce Arena (Oct. 1, 1998-July 31, 2006): 1696 to 1775, up 79 points • Bob Bradley (Dec. 1, 2006-July 31, 2011): 1775 to 1738, down 37 points • Jurgen Klinsmann (July 29, 2011-Nov. 21, 2016): 1738 to 1735, down 3 points • Gregg Berhalter (Dec. 2, 2018-Dec. 31, 2022): 1743 to 1819, up 76 points
Despite experiencing the biggest start-to-finish decline, Bradley’s team also reached the high-water Elo mark for the program after their victory against Spain in the semifinals of the 2009 Confederations Cup. But Bradley’s tenure aside, these ratings check out: Milutinovic stabilized the program for the 1994 World Cup, Sampson was a disaster, Arena guided the team to a new level, and Klinsmann was supposed to “Europeanize” Bradley’s squad, but ultimately made it worse.
With Berhalter, though, what we’re left with is a coach whose team scores more goals than any U.S. manager ever, concedes fewer goals than any U.S. manager ever, and improved by a good degree over his first four-year stretch as coach.
If you’re wondering why the team’s rating jumped so much under Berhalter: The two cup-final wins over Mexico were worth massive points, and then the World Cup was an overall success, too. In Qatar, the rating dipped by a point after a draw with slightly lower-ranked Wales. It jumped by 13 with the draw with England, then a further 30 with the win over similarly ranked Iran, before dipping by 20 after the 3-1 loss to the Netherlands, who were ranked third in the world at the time. All in all, these World Cup performances bumped the USMNT’s rating up by 22 points.
How much of the USMNT’s success can be attributed to Berhalter?
All of that now brings us to the second question: “How much of this is due to Gregg Berhalter vs. the players he has?”
To his credit, Berhalter has changed the way the team plays. TruMedia doesn’t have advanced data for every USMNT manager, so unfortunately we can only compare him to Klinsmann’s full tenure and Arena’s second tenure. In competitive matches under those two, the team averaged about 3.1 possessions won in the attacking third per game, and they moved upfield at about 1.8 meters per second.
Under Berhalter, the pressing has increased — massively. The number of possessions won in the attacking third per game has leapt up to 5.8. And that’s been paired with a much more measured approach in possession — the ball has moved upfield at a rate of 1.4 meters per second under Berhalter. The current USMNT coach is clearly attuned to the tactical ideas at the highest levels of the game, and we’ve seen this show up in how his team plays. He deserves credit for implementing some kind of stylistic shift in the international game, where stylistic shifts are quite difficult because of how little game and practice time a national team coach gets with his players.
At the same time, wouldn’t we just expect some of this to happen naturally since the majority of the USMNT roster is made up of players who are playing their club ball at the highest levels of the game? These are players who are exposed to advanced pressing and possession approaches, day in and day out under their club coaches.
While it’s difficult to compare the quality of USMNT talent across eras in any kind of objective way, there’s seemingly a new stat about record contributions from Americans in the Champions League every week at this point. Previous USMNT managers weren’t as fortunate, and in fact Klinsmann frequently butted heads with the commissioner of MLS over his very public criticism of the U.S.-based league and his expectation that Americans challenge themselves in Europe. Klinsmann, for all his pushing — which included creating a Europe-based technical advisor position to scout and recruit players abroad — never enjoyed the European-based player pool that Berhalter has.
So, of course the team is better — the players are better!
It may be that 2023 was a wasted year by the program and one where Elo ratings don’t provide much value, but at the end of 2022, the USMNT was the 23rd-best team in the world, per the Elo ratings. That might seem like a disappointment relative to the talent level, but in 2022, it’s not like American soccer players were tearing it up across Europe. They were in Europe, but most of the USMNT’s best players had the worst seasons of their careers in the 2022-23 season. On top of that, the U.S. had the youngest team at the World Cup weighted by minutes played.
Per the transfer-value estimates from the site Transfermarkt, the USMNT has roughly the 21st most-valuable squad in the world — and that’s right around the level they’ve played at under Berhalter. He hasn’t made the team better, and he hasn’t made the team worse.
A ringing endorsement, huh?
Yes, Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp would do a better job managing the USMNT than Berhalter has. But they’re not going to manage the USMNT any time soon. The reality is that most of the top managers in the world do not want to manage national teams for an extended period of time. The quality of play is nowhere near as high as the club game, the pay isn’t as good, there’s barely any time to train, and you don’t really get to pick your players. Despite every big-name unemployed manager getting linked with the team, the USMNT just isn’t choosing from the same coaching pool as Premier League teams.
A couple weeks ago, I proposed a theory of managerial value to someone who used to work for one of the biggest clubs in Europe. In short: There are a couple managers who are guaranteed to make your team better, a ton of managers whose long-term impact will be indistinguishable from each other, and then a couple managers who will actively make your team worse.
This person agreed with the first two parts but then corrected that final categorization. No, they said, there are a ton of coaches out there who will make your team worse, too.
And so, the USMNT really does seem to have a coach who will get the American players to play roughly to the level of their collective talent. That level of talent is somewhere within the range of No. 15 to No. 30 among all national teams, which means that with a favorable draw, some luck, and perhaps some home-field advantage, it’s plausible the U.S. men can make a run at the next World Cup.
The U.S. Soccer Federation could take a swing for that tiny first group of coaches who will make the USMNT better, despite an even tinier number being available for national-team employment. What’s the harm in taking a shot to vault away from that second group of coaches who don’t make much of a difference?
Well, there’s always a chance you end up with someone from the third group: a coach who actively makes the team worse. Remember what happened before the 2018 World Cup? The USMNT didn’t even qualify.
Awaiting a signature USMNT win
There is a school of thought that the experienced crop of USMNT players has outgrown Berhalter as a manager. The U.S. player pool is at a point where you don’t have to look hard to find Americans in the top five leagues of Europe.
“I think we talk about this generation and how young they are and how green they are, coming into their own,” said Gomez. “We’re talking about this team being green and these players getting minutes at Juventus, at Chelsea, at Milan, at Leipzig, etcetera. Well, our coach is probably the greenest one in this program then, because he had Hammarby [in Sweden] and had the Columbus Crew. So, I just don’t think he is at the level of the pool.”
There is also a bit of a fantasy that the likes of Guardiola, Klopp or Jose Mourinho will be intrigued enough by what the U.S. has to offer as a country that they might be willing to take the plunge with the USMNT. That ignores some economic realities. Coaches like that are well outside of the U.S. Soccer Federation’s price range, yet the dream of hiring a foreign coach exists.
Part of the reason why those dreams persist is that Berhalter’s record works against him here. According to ESPN Stats & Information, his record against teams above the U.S. in FIFA’s rankings is 3-4-6. All three of those wins have come against a Mexico side that is widely regarded as the worst El Tri side in a generation.
Granted, when the U.S. beat Mexico in extra time at the 2021 Concacaf Nations League, it initially was counted as a signature win given that it was the first U.S. victory over their fierce rivals in a competitive fixture since qualifying for the 2014 World Cup. It was a big step forward for this generation of players.
But now, the stakes have been raised. It is no longer enough just to beat Mexico. There needs to be a win — preferably more than one — against a top side. The 3-1 defeat against Germany last October was sobering to say the least. How much of that is on the players is another one of those endless debates.
“I do understand that we have a super talented team that are playing in big games over in Europe, so it’s just fantastic,” said Parkhurst. “But shoot, we’re still far away from the top, top teams in the world.”
Berhalter is on record as wanting to change how the USMNT is perceived. In that sense, this summer’s Copa America will be revealing, especially as it relates to the question of whether Gregg Berhalter is a good coach.
Picking the USMNT’s 23-man roster 100 days out from the 2024 Copa America
By The Athletic StaffMar 13, 2024
Should USMNT call up a Burnley winger to stop him from representing Italy, Canada or Nigeria?How much should the Olympics be a factor in who Gregg Berhalter picks for the Copa America?Does Mark McKenzie deserve a call-up after his impressive season at Genk?The Copa America is just 100 days away, so six of our writers have done the hard work for Berhalter and chosen the 23 players they would pick for this summer’s tournament on home soil…
My split looks odd because of the small number of “forwards” listed here, but dropping from a 26-man to a roster of 23 means versatility is going to be crucial in how Berhalter thinks about his squad. There are multiple players here who provide that sort of positional flexibility and protection.
Kevin Paredes is listed as a defender because that’s how he was registered on the USMNT’s 60-man preliminary roster for the Nations League, but he is capable — and has mostly played — as a left winger for his country. Joe Scally can play as both a left and right back, as can Sergiño Dest. Gio Reyna and Malik Tillman are both listed here as midfielders, but both can play as a winger and have for the USMNT in the past.
Realistically for a 23-man roster, it isn’t sensible to bring three No. 9s, but I’m not sure there’s a winger who deserves a roster spot over any of the three strikers. If Berhalter opts to take just two strikers, it makes the most sense to play Ricardo Pepi or Folarin Balogun in the Olympics because they’re age-eligible (The Olympics are a U-23 tournament on the men’s side). Neither striker has lit up their respective leagues (the Eredivisie in the Netherlands and Ligue 1 in France), while Josh Sargent has been very good for Norwich City in England’s second tier since returning from injury in December. Pepi was the final cut from the 2022 World Cup roster and that was a mistake. You wonder whether that decision will weigh into the Copa choices, as well.
For now, I’ll cop out by bringing all three strikers and one fewer winger because Paredes, Reyna and Tillman give plenty of cover.
(Broer van den Boom/BSR Agency/Getty Images)
The rest of the squad essentially picks itself. I took Drake Callender over Patrick Schulte as the third goalkeeper, Paredes over Kristoffer Lund due to his ability to play on the wing and Luca de la Torre over Brenden Aaronson due to form and function.
Jeff Rueter’s USMNT squad for Copa America
Generally, this roster is built to have minimal overlap with the Olympic squad playing later in the summer — if any at all.
These are the three most in-form goalkeepers, with Patrick Schulte being better in line for the Olympics.
Mark McKenzie is quietly putting together a very strong season with Genk in Belgium, and could offer a more mobile and long-range passing alternative at the back.
I’m using two roster slots on midfield cover given Tyler Adams’ lack of playing time over the past year; Johnny Cardoso has played himself into must-select status with Spain’s Real Betis, while Lennard Maloney has been dependable for German club Heidenheim. Malik Tillman could factor for minutes along the forward line, while Reyna (who I almost talked myself into making the Olympic roster headliner) could tuck into an advanced midfield role.
(Howard Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)
Players I left off with an eye on the latter tournament include Pepi, Taylor Booth, Diego Luna, Schulte, Paredes, and Jordan Morris, who I’d tap for an over-age slot.
John Muller’s USMNT squad for Copa America
For the first time in the Berhalter era, the USMNT squad feels set — we pretty much know who’s in, who’s out and who’s a starter when fit. So let’s have a little fun with the depth spots, yeah?
Luca Koleosho is not a USMNT player, but he’s also not yet cap-tied to Italy, Canada or Nigeria, all of which would very much like to have the gifted young Burnley winger. Berhalter has been talking to Koleosho for a while about bringing him into the fold and a Copa America invite is the best recruiting tool he’s got.
(James Gill/Getty Images)
Same deal with the highly touted 17-year-old Barcelona goalkeeper Diego Kochen, who’s being courted by several countries. Callender hasn’t shown many signs that he is America’s goalkeeper of the future. Schulte can start in the Olympics. Berhalter should use the third goalkeeper spot at the Copa — which never really matters anyway — to make Kochen an offer he can’t refuse.
Of the other picks here, only Jesus Ferreira is controversial. He shouldn’t be. The USMNT’s 13th-highest goalscorer of all time remains weirdly underappreciated despite years of being one of the most consistent strikers in MLS and for the national team. He’s also got a different profile than Balogun, which gives Berhalter the flexibility to switch up his striker tactics or even play both guys together.
Elias Burke’s USMNT squad for Copa America
It will be interesting to see who Berhalter opts for in goal against Jamaica this month, given Matt Turner’s loss of form at Nottingham Forest of the Premier League and Ethan Horvath’s strong displays for Cardiff City since joining the Championship club on loan in January. Cardiff is on a four-match winning streak at the time of writing, with Horvath a significant contributor. Could he displace the previously undisputed No. 1 between now and the start of the tournament? Probably not, but it’s worth keeping an eye on.
Six of the eight defenders pick themselves, but I’ve gone with Auston Trusty and Paredes to round out the selection. Trusty can play as an outside center back and Paredes is comfortable at wingback, giving Berhalter the option to play five in defense against more formidable opponents.
Of the seven midfielders selected, only four may expect to start. You’d imagine Berhalter to be pragmatic with an Adams-Yunus Musah-Weston McKennie trio for the final group game against Uruguay, but Reyna’s creativity may be called upon for games against Bolivia and Panama, in which the USMNT is favored. Watch out for Cardoso, who has adapted to life in La Liga with Real Betis well and can play as a No. 6 or further forward, and could deputize for Adams if his fitness struggles continue. His excellent side-footed finish from outside the box in a 3-1 win over Athletic Bilbao last month exemplifies his quality.
(DAX Images/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
In attack, you’d expect Tim Weah and Christian Pulisic to flank one of Balogun, Pepi and Sargent, who all have decent claims to the starting role. Pepi has fared best in a USMNT shirt of late, and Balogun has the most pedigree, but Sargent is in the best form with 12 goals in 17 appearances in this season’s Championship. Malik Tillman and Reyna can cover in wide positions if Weah and Pulisic struggle.
Tom Bogert’s USMNT squad for Copa America
With the Olympics on the back of Copa, many younger players who could challenge for bottom of the roster squad spots should prioritize playing time in Paris. The likes of John Tolkin, Gabriel Slonina, Diego Luna, Chris Brady, Cade Cowell and others come to mind as players who maybe could make the squad but wouldn’t get much game time.
It probably would make the most sense to suggest Pepi is better served playing every minute at the Olympics instead of being maybe third-choice at the Copa America, but that would take convincing both Pepi to skip the Copa and also PSV Eindhoven to release the forward for the Olympics, with the tournament ending on the same August the new Dutch league season starts. I don’t think that will happen.
One of the forwards who miss out on Copa (likely one of Brandon Vazquez and Haji Wright) should be an over-age addition to the Olympic squad.
The toughest overage omissions from this group are Cameron Carter-Vickers, Trusty and Brenden Aaronson. Berhalter has almost seemed to prefer Miles Robinson and Walker Zimmerman when available, hence my lean there.
Greg O’Keeffe’s USMNT squad for Copa America
The first two goalkeepers pick themselves but it was tough deciding between Slonina, who has been building hard experience at KAS Eupen in Belgium, and Callender. Ultimately the latter gets the nod because of his performances and the level of training he’ll have been experiencing with the Lionel Messi/Luis Suarez super-charged Inter Miami.
My defense leans on Premier League performers but Bundesliga duo Scally and Paredes, who has performed well since winning the USMNT young player of the year for 2023, offer versatility. In midfield, I wanted to find room for Maloney but in the end de la Torre’s extra creativity pushed me his way, with the more defensive roles well covered.
The attacking options are solid. Pepi can be a real game-changer from the bench, and Sargent’s injury-truncated season may be peaking by July. Pulisic walks into the team and can provide mastery out wide, Weah’s impact is clear and it’s the gifted Balogun who surprisingly has the most to prove in order to get more minutes than Sargent or Pepi.
(Top photos: Getty Images)
Tyler Adams returns for Bournemouth just in time for USMNT: ‘It felt natural’
One long year and two long days after his last Premier League match, Tyler Adams is finally back where he belongs.The 25-year-old came on from the substitutes’ bench on Wednesday evening as Bournemouth fought back from three goals down at the Vitality Stadium to beat Luton Town 4-3. Though it took head coach Andoni Iraola 71 minutes to call his number, he was in game mode well before kick-off.“It felt natural,” Adams told The Athletic. “I’ve had an amazing rehab process. I played a reserve game last week and only played 30 minutes but still, just to get in the chaos of the game, look around, check your shoulder, know where you are on the field, and adapt to new team-mates; it’s been really good and it was easy to come into that game with the boys flying as soon as we got those three goals back.“You could see the confidence in the team. I was so excited to be out there.”While his team-mates conducted their pre-match warm-ups in puffer coats and jogging bottoms, Adams braved the nine-degree (48 degrees Fahrenheit) cold in a light zip-up top and shorts. As the other substitutes watched their side close the deficit from the bench, Adams ran intensely on the sideline and gestured for every foul. Though he had never played a Premier League minute as a Bournemouth player, he looked every inch a leading figure.He entered the field with the scores level and slotted into the No 6 midfield position just ahead of the defence. His first touch was calm and assured, as was almost every touch after. He completed 10 of 13 passes, a 77 per cent success rate.
Twelve minutes later, Antoine Semenyo scored the winning goal. It was only the third time in Premier League history a team had come back to win after trailing by three goals at half-time.Once Bournemouth went ahead, he provided a calming influence. He took the responsibility of talking his midfield partners through the game and gesturing with a pointed finger to his head that his team-mates remain focused.“It’s just instinct,” Adams said. “I’ve been a leader my entire life. It’s a role I don’t shy away from taking, especially on this team where there is a lot of chaos in the game. I just wanted to try to come in and have a calming presence in the game.“You can see immediately — once you start communicating, it makes everything around you go dull. We wanted to slow the game down when we had the opportunity to.”While it was all smiles from Adams post-match, he has had to draw on his reserves of resilience over a difficult year in England.
Adams last saw Premier League action last season with Leeds United (George Wood/Getty Images)
The initial hamstring injury he suffered a year ago was one of the many factors in Leeds’ eventual fall to the Championship last season and may ultimately have damaged his prospects of a move to Chelsea last summer.It did not deter several suitors from trying to prise him away from Elland Road, with Leeds battling to keep a player they viewed as a strong leader, quality midfielder and a potentially positive influence on a dressing room trying to win promotion.But before a key summer for the USMNT, he wanted to play in one of Europe’s top leagues and when a move to Stamford Bridge fizzled out, Bournemouth’s interest was a chance to do that.
Bournemouth did not share what Leeds perceived as Chelsea’s doubts over the timeframe of his recovery and were keen to activate his relegation release clause before it ran out last August, allowing them to get on with a complicated medical for a player who, back then, had already been absent from full training for more than four months.
Bournemouth’s California-based owner Bill Foley is trying to ramp up the club’s commercial performance, widen its fanbase and replicate elements of the success he has achieved in ice hockey’s NHL with the Vegas Golden Knights. In Adams, he was landing the USMNT’s captain, one of the pin-ups of soccer in the States.
So it was with high hopes that he headed to the Vitality Stadium, hoping to become an integral part of an upwardly mobile club, stabilised in the top flight and with owners who appreciate his worth in every sense.
Bournemouth have remained true to that criteria but much to Adams’ frustration up to now, he has been unable to play his part — on the pitch at least.
A return of the hamstring problem that plagued his time in Yorkshire meant that until Wednesday, he had appeared just once: as a 70th-minute substitute in a Carabao Cup win against Stoke City in September.
Adams’ attitude, despite his disappointment and frustration, has been exemplary.
He was understandably down when he had to start over again but recovered to become an upbeat presence around the club, settling in quickly despite being injured. He has been out running on the grass, although not always with the team as his return was carefully managed, for a while now.It helped Adams’ recovery that he had a friend in fellow midfielder Alex Scott, who was also in similarly trying circumstances.
Adams has become close with Scott, who also joined in the middle of a rehab process after sustaining a serious knee problem at former club Bristol City.
It also helped that Adams has also been made to feel part of the club, featuring regularly in club content despite not being as involved on the pitch.
After his low-key return to the pitch for the club’s development squad last week, under-21s manager Alan Connell was glowing in his appraisal
“Tyler is a lovely lad,” Connell told the club website afterwards. “Just from seeing him around the building every day, he’s very humble and very hard-working.“Obviously, he was probably our marquee signing last summer, so it was great to have him train with us and you could just tell straight away he wanted to train well, get back and play some competitive football.”The New Yorker was then on the bench for the senior squad and even if he didn’t make it onto the pitch for the 2-2 draw with Sheffield United, it was another psychological step forward.
Adams’ last appearance for the U.S. was at the 2022 World Cup (Danielle Parhizkaran/USA TODAY Sports)
After returning to action in the Premier League, Adams now turns his attention to international duty.
Despite remaining a key player, he has not represented the USMNT since the World Cup. Understandably, U.S. head coach Gregg Berhalter is eager to get him back in the squad with this summer’s Copa America on the horizon.“Once we heard (he was fit enough to play), we jumped at the idea (of recalling him) because he means so much to the team both on and off the field,” Berhalter said after announcing his squad for the Nations League match against Jamaica. “It’ll be nice to get him back.“
It’s hard to imagine there’s anybody on the roster who will be looking forward to the international break more than Adams, who wears the armband with pride. Still, while his return was a goal short of a fairytale, he will not get ahead of himself. Between now and Copa America, it is about playing as much as possible to ensure his place at the base of Berhalter’s midfield.“It’s exciting, man. Really, really exciting,” Adams said. “The past year has been really difficult, but those are some of my closest friends on that team.“You can’t rush the process. I figured that out the hard way through being injured a bunch of times. (USMNT) has a good run of games and a lot of good competition, and I want to have a big role within the team. Obviously, Copa America is something to look forward to. It’s another big opportunity to play in a tournament.
“It’s one that we want to pursue and possibly win on home soil. One hundred per cent.”
(Top photo: Robin Jones – AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images)
USMNT Olympics draw: U-23 team will play host nation France in opening game
By Jeff Rueter and The Athletic Staff Mar 20, 2024
The U.S. men’s under-23 national team was drawn into Group A in the 2024 Olympics, where it will face the host nation France, New Zealand and the winner of an intercontinental playoff between a team from the Asian Football Confederation and Guinea in the group stage.The draw offers the U.S. a marquee occasion with a place in the opening game of the tournament, where it will meet a familiar face on the sideline. Legendary striker Thierry Henry, who played and coached in MLS after a successful European career, will lead France’s team as head coach at the tournament. Henry also appears on CBS Sports’ coverage of the UEFA Champions League.Unlike the FIFA World Cup, the men’s Olympic soccer tournament functions as a U-23 competition, through three over-age players are allowed on each 18-man squad.The U.S. appearance in the men’s soccer tournament at the Olympics will be its first since 2008.
How was the draw done?
Rather than using FIFA’s rankings as is tradition in World Cups and continental tournaments, the pots used for the Olympic draw were determined by nations’ past performances in the Games. The ranking system is based on the total number of points obtained in the last five editions of the men’s Olympic football tournament (three points for a win, one point for a draw, no points for a loss) covering the 2020, 2016, 2012, 2008 and 2004 Olympics. As a result, the United States’ fourth-place finish in 2000 — the best in program history — had no impact on where the team fell in the ranking.
The United States was in Pot 3 for the draw, alongside Egypt, Mali, and the third-ranked qualifier from Asia (to be determined in May). The draw presented some potentially tricky opponents: namely, France and Argentina in Pot 1, and Spain and Morocco (won CAF) in Pot 2.As the draw for Pot 3 began, the United States caught a break when the first-drawn side, an as-yet undetermined third-place finisher in AFC’s qualifying, was unable to be drawn into Group A. As a result, that team was assigned to Group B — the strongest group through the first two rounds boasting Argentina and Morocco. Rather than facing a pair of programs coming off of top-four finishes at the 2022 World Cup, the USA was drawn into Group A. Along with host nation France, the United States joined New Zealand — which reached the quarterfinal in the Tokyo Olympics — and whichever side wins an intercontinental playoff between Guinea and the fourth-place finisher in AFC qualifying.
Who are the USMNT’s opponents?
New Zealand breezed through Oceania qualifying in August and September. They won their opener over Papua New Guinea after their opponent forfeited, then beat Fiji, Vanuatu, and Fiji (a second time) by a combined 20-1 margin. Many players on their roster play in their domestic league, although 21-year-old forward Jesse Randall lines up for USL Championship side Charleston Battery.
France boasts one of the best youth development pipelines in the world these days, and should field plenty of promising players under Henry’s management. Among them are Nice midfielder Khéphren Thuram, Lyon forward Rayan Cherki, PSG forward Bradley Barcola and Chelsea wing back Malo Gusto.
The United States has a pool of players playing regular minutes for senior clubs, both in MLS and abroad. Among the most likely players to be included are former FC Dallas homegrown Bryan Reynolds, New York Red Bulls defender John Tolkin, Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Paxten Aaronson (on loan with Vitesse), and Real Salt Lake playmaker Diego Luna.
Full Olympic men’s tournament draw results:
Group A
France
USA
ICP AFC-CAF
New Zealand (pot 2)
Group B
Argentina
Morocco
AFC 3
Ukraine
Group C
AFC 2
Spain
Egypt
Dominican Republic
Group D
AFC 1
Paraguay
Mali
Israel
This story will be updated.
USWNT drops to a record low in FIFA rankings: What it means and why it happened
The USWNT has dropped to No. 4 in the latest FIFA rankings released on Friday, marking the first time the program has fallen out of the top three since the establishment of the rankings in 2003.
In its announcement, FIFA said the USWNT drop is thanks to the team’s 2-0 loss to Mexico in the group stage of the CONCACAF W Gold Cup, though the team later went on to win the tournament.
Spain retained the top spot in the rankings, with England moving up two spots to No. 2, France staying at No. 3, and the U.S. dropping two spots to fourth.
How did recent results impact rankings?
The formula used to compute FIFA rankings is weighted to bias recent results, and the impact of that formula can be seen throughout the top spots.
Spain benefited from their UEFA Nations League win over France in February. France, on the other side of that final, did not lose any ground despite the loss to Spain. England’s 5-1 win over Italy and 7-2 victory over Austria in February provided the momentum to send the Lionesses to second place on the rankings for this edition.
The USWNT had never dropped below third place on the FIFA rankings in the team’s history, which in itself was a new low following the 2023 World Cup. Since the establishment of the women’s rankings in 2003 and until August 2023, the U.S. had never been outside of the top two.
While the loss to Mexico may have been costly on the rankings, ultimately it may have served as a necessary gut punch for the USWNT as it entered the knockout stages of the Gold Cup, defeating Colombia, Canada and Brazil en route to the trophy.
Why do these rankings matter?
The FIFA rankings are often used to determine seeding or pots for international events. Notably, this includes the Olympics, which the USWNT will participate in this summer.
Still, the U.S. drop may not have much of an effect on the upcoming 2024 draw — England/Great Britain did not qualify for the tournament, and France will be serving as host, so the USWNT’s drop to fourth may not actually have too much impact.
USMNT forward Haji Wright settled a cup classic – like Coventry City, he is on the up
Perhaps the biggest compliment you could pay to Coventry City in the wake of their FA Cup quarter-final success against Wolverhampton Wanderers is that it did not feel like a shock.Sure, this was a Premier League side getting knocked out by one from the division below. The nature of the 3-2 victory — Coventry were behind after 90 minutes but scored two stoppage-time goals — also conferred smash-and-grab credentials. But no one who has watched City this season, whether quietly clawing their way up the Championship standings or racking up the goals in earlier rounds of this competition, will have had them pegged as no-hopers before kick-off.
No one who has been listening to the mood music coming from the club, either.
Exhibit A: “The club feels in such a good place. It’s ready to take off.”
Exhibit B: “We’re on the cusp of doing something great. It’s close.”
These quotes were given some eight months apart. The first was manager Mark Robins’ assessment of the mood at the club in May 2023, before the Championship play-off final against Luton. The second dates back to the start of February, when a 12-game unbeaten streak in all competitions had filled record signing Haji Wright with optimism.
Wright celebrates his last-gasp winner (Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
Both referred primarily to Coventry’s hopes of returning to the Premier League — painfully thwarted last season but now very much alive again. The FA Cup was a fun diversion, a little extra-curricular adventure — at least, it was until Saturday lunchtime, when it became part of the A-plot, simultaneously a gift to the fans and proof of concept.
“The players will take that confidence into the rest of the season,” said Robins at Molineux. “There’s a Wembley trip for everyone to get excited about. This is just another reward for all the hard work that they do.”
To say that it has been a long journey to this point would be to undersell it by an order of magnitude. After being relegated from the Premier League in 2001, Coventry stumbled into football’s shadowlands. They became a middling second-division team, then a struggling one. In 2012, they sunk to League One; five years later came the ignominy of demotion to League Two. This would have been grim for any club — for one that had spent 34 consecutive years in the top flight from 1967, it was hell.
When Robins took over as manager in March 2017, he found a club on its knees. The fans were alienated, morale among players and staff was non-existent. “It was done,” Robins said last year. “It was done. You could that feel everybody had given up. It was as bad as any club I’d ever worked at. Terrible.”
The way they reset after last year’s play-off disappointment was typical. Coventry sold their two best players, Viktor Gyokeres and Gustavo Hamer, but used the income smartly. In came a host of capable — and cheap — defenders, plus Japan winger Tatsuhiro Sakamoto, Everton striker Ellis Simms and Wright, a seven-cap United States international signed from Turkish club Antalyaspor for £7.7million ($10m at today’s rates).
That was a sizeable investment but one that is paying off handsomely: the 25-year-old’s winner against Wolves, guided delicately into the far corner, was his 15th goal of the season in all competitions. Continued form like this has put him back in Gregg Berhalter’s thinking – he was overlooked for the recent Nations League squad but has now joined as an injury replacement for Norwich City striker Josh Sargent.
Wright enters the Nations League window with more World Cup appearances (four) than senior U.S. appearances of any other type (three).
Wright played four times in the World Cup in Qatar (Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Five of the players who started on Saturday arrived in the summer — it would likely have been six were Sakamoto not injured — and it was perhaps inevitable that all of the new faces would take time to gel. As recently as November, Coventry were in the Championship relegation zone. Instead of panicking, however, they just knuckled down, confident in the methods that had dragged them back from the brink.
Some credit is due to Doug King, the local businessman who completed a full takeover of City in January 2023, ending the club’s association with the deeply divisive Sisu Capital. The deal he signed to keep Coventry at the CBS Arena — their on-off home since 2005, formerly known as the Ricoh Arena — for five seasons was a popular move, as was the restoration of the company name to Coventry City Football Club Limited. Under SISA, they had been operating under the crushingly corporate Otium Entertainment Group Limited.
But the star of this story is, of course, Robins. There is real intensity behind the unassuming exterior, which might explain his knack for unlocking untapped potential and his apology for celebrating in front of a ballboy at Molineux.
Witness the form of Kasey Palmer, who has blossomed since arriving from Bristol City two years ago, or that of Callum O’Hare, a kind of hall-of-mirrors Jack Grealish, now one of the Championship’s most watchable players.
Simms, the two-goal hero against Wolves, could also be put in that category, as could Wright, who cited Robins’ faith as a major factor in his and Simms’ recent uptick in form.
“Ellis and I didn’t have amazing starts here but he believed in us,” Wright said after his winner. “Now we are in a spot where we can show ourselves.”
The same is true of the club as a whole. Coventry are through to their first FA Cup semi-final since 1987, when they went on to win it. It will be a tough ask to repeat that feat, but it is impossible to ignore the momentum building behind Robins and his men. It could take them further in this competition — and, who knows, all the way back to the Premier League.
Memphis, Tenn. (Saturday, March 16, 2024) – Indy Eleven leaves Memphis victorious, 2-1, against Western Conference opponent Memphis 901 FC in the second game of the season-opening road swing. The Boys in Blue improve to 1-1-0 in 2024 and Memphis 901 FC drops to 1-1-0.
Preseason hero Jack Blake drew a well-earned penalty and converted that penalty into an early 1-0 lead in the 26th minute. Later, a cross from Aedan Stanley would lead to chaos in front of the net where Douglas Martinez would rainbow the ball over the keeper and head the ball into the back of the net, doubling the lead for Indy in the 42nd minute. The Boys in Blue looked stout on defense in the first half keeping Memphis to zero shots on goal. In the 46th minute, Memphis 901 FC defender Oscar Jiménez was awarded his second yellow of the day leaving his team a man down for the rest of the match. The second half began less eventful for both squads, with both teams making a handful of subs and lots of back-and-forth soccer. Finally, in the 91st minute, Memphis cut the lead in half as defender Abdoulaye Cissoko scored off a bicycle kick. The goal increased pressure on the Boys in Blue in the final minutes but they ultimately held strong to win the match 2-1.
Scoring Summary IND – Jack Blake 26’ IND – Douglas Martinez (Aedan Stanley) 42’ MEM – Abdoulaye Cissoko 91’
Discipline Summary IND – Callum Chapman-Page (caution) 8’ MEM – Oscar Jiménez (caution) 15’ MEM – Tulu (caution) 25’ IND – Daniel Barbir (caution) 35’ MEM – Oscar Jiménez (Second Yellow, election) 46 IND – Douglas Martinez (caution) 57’ IND – Ethan O’Brien (caution) 90 +3’ MEM – Abdoulaye Cissoko (caution) 90 + 4’ MEM – Akeem Ward (ejection) 90 + 7’
Indy Eleven line-up (4-3-3): Yannik Oettl, Aedan Stanley, Danny Barbir, Callum Chapman-Page (Macca King 72’), Josh O’Brien, Tyler Gibson (Captain) (Ethan O’Brien 90+3’), Cam Lindley, Jack Blake, Sebastián Guenzatti (Elliot Collier 72’), Augustine Williams, Douglas Martinez (Karsen Henderlong 63’)
Indy Subs: Jay Klein, Roberto Molina, Hunter Sulte
Memphis 901 FC line-up: Tyler Deric, Akeem Ward, Carson Vom Steeg, Tulu, Oscar Jiménez, Emerson Hyndman (Lucas Turci 45’), Zach Duncan, Samuel Careaga, Bruno Lapa (Dylan Borczak 72’), Luiz Fernando (Marlon 45’), Nighte Pickering (Neco Brett 72’)
How can NWSL fans watch every match this season? What to know about broadcast, schedule changes
By The Athletic Soccer staffMar 15, 2024
By Jeff Rueter, Meg Linehan, Melanie Anzidei and Steph Yang
Welcome to the 2024 season of the National Women’s Soccer League. This season, which kicks off with four matches on Saturday, is different from its predecessors in a few ways — primarily with the addition of two expansion teams, and the league’s biggest broadcast deal to date. The Olympics are also happening, which has prompted the league to take a midseason break and host an international club tournament while the U.S. women’s national team competes in Paris.
How you can watch the NWSL is changing in a major way this season, too. So we’ve put together this preview with everything you’ll need ahead of the regular season kickoff (and Friday night’s Challenge Cup match) from how to watch to major storylines, plus the USWNT and international connections across the 14 teams.
To keep following The Athletic’s NWSL coverage, don’t forget to follow the league and your team(s) of choice by managing your feed. And to make sure you don’t miss any of our coverage, subscribe to our women’s soccer newsletter Full Time. It’s our biggest stories paired with Full Time exclusive insights delivered straight to your inbox every week. With the season starting, we’ll be sending out each edition on Monday to make sure you’re all caught up from every NWSL weekend.
How to watch
121 of the 189 total NWSL regular season games this year have been spread out across four different partners as part of its new four-year broadcast deal: CBS, ESPN, Amazon Prime Video, and Scripps’ ION (Fun fact: ION was originally launched as PAX TV, which was the original TV network for WUSA broadcasts). Each partner has their own slate of games, and the remainder of the games will stream on the league’s NWSL+ service.
We’ve laid out what you need to know to watch all the games below if you are a viewer in the United States; we’re still waiting on international broadcast information.
Prime Video
Amazon will broadcast Friday night matches.
You do not need an Amazon Prime membership to use Prime Video, although Amazon clearly wants you to get a full Prime subscription based on how difficult it is to only subscribe to Prime Video or even dig up the information that you can subscribe to Prime Video on its own.
If you do not have an Amazon Prime account, you can currently still sign up for Prime Video on its own as a regular Amazon member. If you do have Amazon Prime, then Prime Video should be included as a service, although going ad free will cost an additional $2.99/month.
Cost: $8.99 per month
To watch, log in to your Amazon account, open the drop down menu that lists all of Amazon’s services, look under “Digital Content & Devices,” and choose Prime Video. Once on the Prime Video page, under the “Home” drop down tab, and choose “Sports.”
ION will air Saturday night doubleheader games at 7:30 and 10:30 PM ET.
You can either check to see if ION is on linear television in your area, or you can sign in with select existing streaming services.
Cost: If you use a TV antenna and can find ION’s broadcast signal in your area, you can watch for free.
CBS
CBS will air games on the CBS television channel or CBS Sports Network. CBS games will also stream on Paramount+, but CBSSN games will not.
Cost: $5.99 per month or $59.99 per year for the basic Paramount+ Essential plan.
ESPN
Games will be spread across ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN2, while also streaming on ESPN+. Crucially, if the game is on an ESPN channel, it will also stream on ESPN+, which isn’t the case for CBS Sports Network and Paramount+.
Cost: $10.99 per month or $109.99 per year for an ESPN+ subscription.
NWSL+
The league will stream the remainder of their games on NWSL+. The app can be used on iOS and Android devices, and can be added to Apple TV, Fire TV, and Roku.
The season kicks off with the Challenge Cup, which has been reformatted from a season-long tournament to a one-off game between the 2023 champions, Gotham FC, and the 2023 shield winners, San Diego Wave. It’s a smart move to decongest the schedule and create a more meaningful game for players and fans, as well as to hopefully set the tone for the rest of the season by beginning with a bang.
For the rest of the season, everything will obviously be influenced by having two new expansion teams. They have historically done poorly in the NWSL by virtue of being so new and needing to work out the kinks. There are exceptions of course; the aforementioned shield winners, the Wave, played their way to the semifinals in their inaugural season and came third overall in the regular season under the stellar coaching of Casey Stoney. And with several teams having retooled themselves under new ownership, there’s a lot of hunger out there to see what they can be with a clean slate. Whether it’s the Portland Thorns, who were just one win shy of the shield, or the dead-last Chicago Red Stars, there are exciting storylines anywhere you look up and down the table.
Mid-summer Olympic tournament
The NWSL announced that they will host an international club tournament while the league takes a break from July 15 to August 18 for the Olympics. There’s no word yet on which clubs might be involved, although based on other tournaments like the International Champions’ Cup and The Women’s Cup, it’s a strong bet that the NWSL will look to clubs from England, France, and Germany. Some NWSL teams also have relationships with Liga MX Femenil clubs, potentially bringing Mexico into the running, too.
Expanded postseason
With two more teams entering the fold this season, the NWSL Playoffs will have an additional two qualifiers. The top eight teams from the regular season will advance to the postseason, playing a single-elimination knockout bracket from November 9 to November 23. In recent seasons, the top two teams enjoyed a first-round bye, but there will be no earned respite in the new format. This makes for a cleaner bracket and an increased chance for the kind of chaotic upsets we’ve all come to love.
Championship
Of course, there is a championship trophy (a very nice, upgraded one, in fact) ultimately on the line. Defending champs Gotham FC don’t have a worst-in-the-league chip on their shoulder to motivate them anymore, while heavy hitters in the Wave and Portland Thorns will be seeking dominance again. There’s also the North Carolina Courage, who seemed to be just on the cusp of becoming that team to be feared when they got knocked out of playoffs.
Big storylines
Gotham FC superteam
The reigning NWSL champions had a busy offseason. In a span of five days, and after weeks of reports, Gotham FC announced a flurry of blockbuster signings that brought national team stars Crystal Dunn, Tierna Davidson, Emily Sonnett and Rose Lavelle to NJ/NY. The USWNT regulars joined an already-stacked roster that included Lynn Williams, Midge Purce, Kelley O’Hara and World Cup winner Esther Gonzalez. Rightfully, many are calling Gotham FC the NWSL’s newest “super team” — and it’s a title the franchise is ready to defend. In a crowded room welcoming the Class of ‘24, GM Yael Averbuch West told reporters: “We enjoy that type of pressure. I think it’s a more enjoyable pressure than trying to climb from the bottom to the top.”
But stacking your roster with high-demand internationals is a gamble in an Olympic year. Already we’re seeing the double-edged sword: head coach Juan Carlos Amorós told media during the team’s preseason tournament in Colombia, “It’s no secret. We’ve got a lot of players that are not here. At the moment, we have 12 (out of) 30 players available for the team. We’ve completed the team with 10 trialists and that’s how we are operating, so we know we are doing the best we can. And I’m very, very proud and I’m very happy with how the team is developing (and) doing, despite only 50% of the player base over here.”
Expansion team performance
Two years after Angel City and San Diego furthered the NWSL’s westward expansion, the league’s geographic reach continues to grow with the debuts of Bay FC and Utah Royals FC. Both sides are beginning a coach who is untested at this level: Albertin Montoya for Bay and former USWNT forward Amy Rodriguez for Utah. Given Bay’s extreme spending on the top of its roster (more on that below), Utah following previous conventional wisdom of building around players made available by NWSL rivals and top draft selections feels modest by comparison. The NWSL is hard to predict at the start of a year, of course, and Utah will hope the lack of acclimation needed for its players can allow them to start the year strong.
There’s been some hand-wringing about the NWSL’s ability to keep up with the Joneses in the global market, but this flurry of offseason deals is strong evidence for the continuing ambition to keep the NWSL entertaining and competitive, as well as a signal about (some) clubs’ willingness to spend — especially with the coming salary cap increase and the ongoing injection of cash from wealthier and wealthier investors. Of course there’s an entire season to see if these clubs can turn ambition into on-field results, but if any of them manage to find the right formula of personnel, coaches, and tactics with their marquee names, it’ll push other teams across the board to keep searching for competitive advantages.
New owners, new ambitions
In addition to expansion teams, two teams will also enter the 2024 season under new ownership: Portland Thorns FC and the Chicago Red Stars. For both of these teams, it’s the long-awaited fresh start following the abuse scandal that came to light in 2021, with Merritt Paulson and Arnim Whisler first stepping back, then eventually selling their respective clubs.
In Portland, Lisa Bhathal Merage leads the new ownership group (one that also owns the NBA’s Sacramento Kings), which has promised to keep the Thorns in Portland and build a new training facility. In Chicago, Laura Ricketts’ takeover got over the line before the close of the 2023 season, but following her first offseason in charge and with new head coach Lorne Donaldson and a healthy Mal Swanson, righting the Red Stars ship is a project that is finally, truly underway.
The majority of the USWNT plays in the NWSL — and as mentioned above, Gotham FC is now the team stacked with a ton of both U.S. national team talent and some big international names too. While this isn’t a complete list by any stretch, watching the NWSL is essential to understanding the USWNT.
Plenty of teams carry both veteran and youth talent — just look at the San Diego Wave, with Alex Morgan leading the front line, joined by center back Naomi Girma (expected to be the heart of the USWNT’s defense for the next few cycles) and Jaedyn Shaw (who impressed at the W Gold Cup and can’t stop scoring).
Expect plenty of focus on Mal Swanson’s return to the field in Chicago, but Alyssa Naeher’s performance in goal for the Red Stars could be instrumental in her bid to stay the No. 1 option for the U.S. Over at North Carolina, Casey Murphy will be getting her own reps in goal, and Ashley Sanchez gets a fresh start with the Courage after a surprise trade from the Washington Spirit.
If you want to keep an eye on players fighting for spots for the 18-player roster for the Olympics, the Portland Thorns might be one of your better options. Sophia Smith is part of a deep forward pool, but it’s midfielders Sam Coffey and Olivia Moultrie who are still building their cases ahead of Emma Hayes’ USWNT arrival later this spring.
The NWSL is also home to some of the most notable stars in women’s soccer globally, like Brazilian icon Marta and Canada’s longtime captain Christine Sinclair, who both recently retired from the international stage. There’s a high chance this coming season could be their last at the club level too, paving the way for some emotional farewells.
In addition to the record-breaking international signings already mentioned, other players who shined on last summer’s world stage also recently found their way to the NWSL — like South Korea’s Casey Phair, who, at 16, became the youngest player to ever play in a World Cup and recently signed with Angel City, and Gotham FC’s Esther, who was part of Spain’s World Cup-winning team. A record 16 World Cup teams featured talent from the NWSL player pool, according to the league.
Our Power Rankings are derived from a combination of key season statistics (points per game, goal differential, expected goal (xG) differential), recent performance, the Opta computer ratings, and the observations of our writers.
So, who’s climbing the table? Who’s in free fall? We’ve ranked all 29 clubs in the league after Matchday 4. Let’s dive in.
The Crew were free flowing, gorgeous every time they went forward and Cucho Hernández was cooking. Basically, it was a pretty normal game for Columbus as they made the vaunted RBNY press look pedestrian en route to a 3-0 win.<img alt=”
It’s easy to say that Inter is Team Lionel Messi, and when the greatest player of all time is on the pitch Miami will rightly be Messi-centric, but they fared pretty well without him in the second half of last season. Their first match without their maestro this season went well too, as Luis Suárez scored twice to win 3-1, in D.C. There’s more to this team than Messi, still.
Cincy didn’t look so hot in the first half, but they got Lucho Acosta on at halftime and suddenly, they were well on their way to a 2-1 win in New England. Shockingly, playing the MVP makes a big difference.<img alt=”
Everyone knows Giorgos Giakoumakis is a heck of a goal scorer, but he flashed his creativity with a great pass to set up Saba Lobjanidze‘s goal as Atlanta rolled to a 2-0 win over Orlando.
RBNY’s typically excellent press was ripped apart by the Crew in a 3-0 loss. The Red Bulls have looked good this season, but there’s still a gap between them and the league’s top teams.<img alt=”
There’s nothing more reliable than Dániel Gazdag from the penalty spot. He’s converted every spot kick he’s taken for the Union, but his latest wasn’t enough to deliver victory as Philly had to settle for a 2-2 draw in Austin.
Eric Ramsey made a good first impression in Minnesota with a 2-0 win over LAFC. It’s too early to get a read on the Loons’ new boss, but he has so much talent at his disposal and Emanuel Reynoso made his return from injury over the weekend. With him in the fold, Minnesota has every reason to believe the MLS Cup could head north.
Joseph Paintsil has only played four MLS matches, but he’s already making his case as one of the best players in the league. If the rest of the Galaxy could give him a little more help, they wouldn’t be settling for a 3-3 draw against St. Louis when they should have eased to victory.
Laurent Courtois will spend a lot of time in the video room figuring out how to tighten up the CFM defense, but there’s nothing anyone could have done about the Fire’s windswept 99th-minute winner that beat Montréal 4-3.
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The USWNT definitely righted the ship in capturing the first ever Women’s Gold Cup Trophy on Sunday night in San Diego. After losing to Mexico in the group stage, they recovered to blast Colombia before surviving swamp like conditions to outlast Canada in the rain in a shootout 2-2. Finally against Brazil – Horan’s first half header was enough to give the US the championship. I thought the games were good in that a lot of players including youngster and 19 year-old Golden Boot winner Jaedyn Shaw got to show their wares. Veterans like Alex Morgan, GK Alyssa Naeher and others however showed they might still belong on the team that goes to the Olympics this summer. The She Believe’s Cup coming up the first week in April should be exciting as Canada & Brazil will be looking to avenge their Gold Cup losses along with top 10 ranked Japan. Who the US brings should be telling as these are the last competitive games before the Olympics. Tix are available in Columbus for the Finals Tuesday, Apr 9th.
Indy 11 loses season opener, back home 3/23
Indy Eleven fell, 2-1, to USL Championship Western Conference opponent Oakland Roots SC to open the season on the road. The Boys in Blue registered 20 shots in the match, equaling their single-match high in 2023. Blake had a match-high six, while Augi Williams added four. Indy continues its road swing next Saturday at Memphis 901 FC at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN+ before returning home March 23 for its home opener against Sacramento Republic FC. 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. Cool segment on former Indy 11 GK and Carmel FC GK Coach Jordan Farr, you can watch him play for Tampa Bay this Sat at 7:30 pm for Free on CBS Golazo Network. USL Season Previews and Power Rankings below.
Coaches – Can you please help one of our CFC GK’s Kevin Russo with a Senior class project. He is investigating injuries for soccer players U14-U18. Here’s the link if you wouldn’t mind sharing with your team’s players before this Friday it would be really helpful.
Man I love Champions League – Tues Arsenal goes thru on PKs over Porto and Wed both games down to the last second – with my Atletico winning at home on PKs, while Dortmund knocked out our only American’s left at PSV – in the 94th minute. (Dest, & Tilman started and played a good 94 minutes while Pepi came on in the last 20 minutes leaving a perfect ball for DeJong that went over to lose it.) Going thru to the round of 8 – Spain’s Real & Atletico Madrid & Barcelona, England’s Man City & Arsenal, Germany’s Bayern Munich & Dortmund & PSG of France. (see PK & Great saves & Stories below). Pulisic, Musah starting for AC Milan on CBS Golazo Network wrap-around show for Free- Europa League Thurs 2 pm or on para+ subscription. Pulisic scores
GAMES ON TV
Tues, Mar 12
4 pm Para+ Arsenal 0 vs Porto 1 UCL
4 pm Para+ Barelona 1 vs Napoli 1 UCL
6 pm Fox Sport 2 Columbus Crew vs Houston CCL
8 pm FS1 Pachuca vs Philly CCL
10:30 pm FS1 Tigres vs Orlando City CCL
Weds, Mar 13
3 pm Para+ Atletico Madrid 0 vs Inter Milan 1 UCL
3 pm Para+ Dortmund vs PSV UCL
8 pm FS2 Inter Miami vs Nashville CCL
Thur, Mar 14
1:45 pm Para+, CBS Golazo Slavia Praha 2 vs 4 AC Milan (Pulisic, Musah)
1:45 pm Para+ West Ham United vs Freiburg
1:45 pm Para+ Benefica vs Rangers (Carter Vickers)
4 pm Para+ Liverpool vs Sparta Praha
4 pm Para+ Brighton vs Roma
4 pm Para+ Aston Villa vs Ajax
8 pm FS2 Alajuenlense vs New England Revs
10:15 pm FS2 Cincy vs Monterrey
Fri, Mar 15
8 pm Amazon NY/NJ Gothem vs San Diego Wave
Sat, Mar16
8:15 am ESPN+ Wolverhampton vs Coventry City (League Cup)
10:30 am ESPN+ Heidienheim vs Borrusia Mgladbach (Scally, )
10 am Peacock Crystal Palace (Richards) vs Luton Town
12:30 pm ESPN+ Werder Bremen vs Dortmund
1:30 pm USA Fulham (Robinson, Ream)vs Tottenham
1:30 pm ESPN+ Man City vs New Castle United (Cup)
2 pm Apple MLS DC United vs Miami
3:30 pm FOX Seattle Sounders vs Colorado Rapids MLS
7:30 pm CBS Galazo Tampa Bay Rowdies (Jordan Farr) vs San Antonio
7:30 pm Apple MLS Columbus Crew vs NY Red Bulls
8:30 pm Apple MLS Nashville vs Charlotte
Sun, Mar 17
7:30 am CBSSSN Juventus (Mckinney) vs Genoa
8:15 am ESPN+ Chelsea vs Leicester City (FA Cup)
10 am CBS Galazo Hellas Verona vs AC Milan (Pulisic, Musah)
USWNT ‘just getting started’ after Gold Cup win over Brazil
Cesar Hernandez
Mar 11, 2024, 12:53 AM ETShareLikeOpen Extended Reactions362
United States interim coach Twila Kilgore said the women’s national soccer team is “just getting started” after winning the inaugural Concacaf W Gold Cup with a 1-0 decision over Brazil in Sunday’s final.”This is a group that’s moving forward together, that still wants more time together. It’s time to go back to club [seasons] for them and do those things, but we genuinely enjoy being together and feel like we’re just getting started,” Kilgore said after clinching the title at San Diego’s Snapdragon Stadium.”This is a group that’s just getting started.”Played in front of a crowd 31,528 — a record for a Concacaf women’s game — the U.S. squad was able to sneak past Brazil thanks to a 46th-minute winner from captain Lindsey Horan.With the trophy in hand, the Americans have bounced back after an underwhelming round-of-16 finish in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Following last summer’s early exit by the four-time World Cup champions, former coach Vlatko Andonovski resigned from his position, thereby leaving Kilgore as interim coach.”This is a team and a program that will always have attention and expectations on it, and we say that pressure is a privilege,” Kilgore said. “We’ve regrouped, we’ve set new goals, we’ve set a new style of play. We’re working towards something together, and it’s a very public process, and that’s just not easy. I’m just so proud of them, and I’m just so happy.” Regarding Sunday’s final, she noted the impact of Horan’s goal. “We were pinned in for quite a bit of the first half, and it took us some time to work our way out of that,” Kilgore said. “Then the timing of our goal was really critical, just before half, [it] means we come back with a slightly different strategy in the second half.”
Brazil coach Arthur Elias highlighted how well his roster had done in outshooting the Americans 12 to 7. “I believe that we had a great performance during the game, we had chances to score goals today,” Elias said. “They were very well prepared, as well, to play our team today, but we had more chances to score goals than the U.S.” With the U.S. side going through a transition of talent, Horan brought up the influence that up-and-coming players are beginning to have. “The team makes it a lot easier for me because you see on the field there’s a lot of leaders on there,” Horan told CBS Sports. “Even some of the younger ones, they stepped up in this tournament, and they showed their leadership. “Whatever I can do to help the team and get the best out of everyone, but also be a role model in what I do on the field, as well.” Of those young U.S. players, 19-year-old San Diego Wave forward Jaedyn Shaw was given the tournament’s Golden Ball award. U.S. goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher clinched the Golden Glove award. The Americans have now won every Concacaf tournament they have participated in, providing them with a total of 15 titles from the region. Looking ahead, the U.S. will take part in two She Believes Cup matches in April. Chelsea women’s manager Emma Hayes will soon take over as permanent coach for the U.S. team after the end of the Women’s Super League season.
Gold Cup gave USWNT chance to find answers, CONCACAF left with questions
Tamerra Griffin Mar 11, 2024 The CONCACAF W Gold Cup concluded Sunday evening with the U.S. women’s national team hoisting their rose-tinted trophy to the San Diego sky after defeating an imposing yet offensively subdued Brazilian side. The tournament provided clarity for the USWNT in a time of transition amongst a team still waiting for its head coach, Emma Hayes, to take charge. But the competition itself was multidimensional, demanding similarly urgent questions and answers from the confederation about the region it oversees, and the place it wants to occupy globally as women’s soccer continues to grow.
Multilayered competition, Olympic-like experience
Alex Morgan earned her first national team cap on March 31, 2010. There’s not much the veteran striker hasn’t experienced with the squad in nearly 14 years since, but on the eve of the final, she found herself navigating the first edition of a regional competition that she’d always yearned for.
“I definitely get jealous sometimes of the Euros and all the European tournaments that go on,” Morgan said. “We don’t get the opportunity to have as many tournaments as them, so having the first women’s Gold Cup is a great opportunity to do so and have two confederations (CONCACAF and CONMEBOL) come together to play for a trophy, and all we wanna do is play for a trophy.” The chance to compete for hardware was just part of the Gold Cup’s appeal. The tournament’s simulation of a grueling Olympic schedule — with a game every three days during the group stage, six days’ interim, and then a quarter, semi, and final within a week — provided a near-perfect atmosphere for players to make a case for a spot on the 18-player roster for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, with kickoff just four months away. In that sense, the timing of the W Gold Cup was advantageous for players like Morgan and goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, veterans attuned to the physical and mental demands of an intense tournament schedule who could anchor the team with their experience. Morgan had not initially been named to the tournament roster but was brought in to replace forward Mia Fishel, who suffered an ACL injury in national team camp on Feb. 19. The efficacy with which Morgan settled into her new role on the team proved critical to the U.S.’s success, particularly in its decisive quarterfinal victory over Colombia. It provided a pretty convincing answer to questions about her place on the team heading into this tournament. When asked whether she was actively vying for a ticket to Paris, she joked, “I hope so. I hope I’m fighting for a spot with my play.” Naeher knows that song well, too.
“I think this tournament has asked a lot of questions of this team,” said Naeher before the final. “I think it’s obviously a time of transition and a time of new coaches, new players, and I think there is this balance on the group right now, of the team, of: still we have a number of great veteran players, and we have a number of young players coming in as well and I think there’s a lot of questions coming in, and I think it’s our job as players to make it hard for coaches to make decisions.”
Alyssa Naeher made crucial saves against Colombia and Canada. (Photo by Carmen Mandato, Getty Images)Even if that evaluation rested solely on Naeher’s contributions to the U.S.’s extraordinary rain-soaked semifinal victory over Canada, in which she saved three penalties and converted one of her own, it would have been enough to afford her several more rounds of the benefit of the doubt. Now, there is hardly any doubt at all. She ended her W Gold Cup run with a golden glove.And for the players with fewer caps — not necessarily the younger ones, as interim head coach Twila Kilgore consistently points out, since several young players have years of national team experience at this point — it’s difficult to imagine a more comprehensive diagnostic of a tournament than this one. From adjusting to diverse competition to learning how to bounce back from a disappointing result to powering through unimaginable weather conditions, it was the kind of gauntlet that spurs a player’s maturity and whets their appetite for pressure and chaos.
It’s one of the key lessons Jaedyn Shaw will take with her from this tournament. The 19-year-old made a commanding statement, starting three games, netting four goals, and capping that off with a Best Player award. Shaw has said many times that she craves high-pressure moments — and her track record appears to back that up — but admitted after the final that the experience of playing for a title was a new one to adjust to.
“I’m not gonna say it was like the other games because it absolutely was not,” said Shaw, who did not start the match and subbed on for Sam Coffey in the 71st minute. “Brazil really brought it and it was a real battle, and I mean, watching it from the sideline, like, I was literally shaking for the girls out there. But we ultimately did all that we could to get this result, and it really paid off.”
Journeying across the peaks and valleys of a tournament can teach those still gaining experience a lot, though. The team’s loss to Mexico in the group stage finale might have been the most important lesson of the cup.
“I don’t think a lot of teams could lose the way we did against Mexico, which was super disappointing and unacceptable from us, but respond the way that we did,” Coffey said after the final. Firmly in the hunt for more minutes in big games, it was Coffey’s initiative to pluck a stray ball from the middle of the park and release it to Trinity Rodman that led to Lindsey Horan scoring the U.S. go-ahead, game-winning goal in the final.
“I’m not sure we get here without that loss,” Coffey continued, her arms full with a miniature can of Coke, another iced beverage, a Squishmallow, and her confetti-crusted cleats. “I think we’re a team that just takes all the good, all the bad, all the things we’re proud of, all the things we’re not, and use it together for our good and turn it into fuel and things we can learn from and so I just couldn’t be prouder of the team, I think we went through so many ups and downs and we came out on top, and that’s all you can ask for.”
Mexico (and Puerto Rico, and Argentina, and Costa Rica) would like a word
Victors and their deserved flowers aside, the Gold Cup also supplied vital tournament experience for teams on the come-up. In the ever-changing world of women’s soccer, it is less a matter of skill and more one of repetition, or lack thereof.
On the heels of a heartbreaking and short-lived quest to the 2023 World Cup, Mexico’s women’s national team is in the midst of a beautiful rebirth. Though their W Gold Cup ended at the hands of Brazil, their performances were filled with catharsis and determined joy, raising the ceiling even higher on what they can accomplish in the near future. This tournament’s success only adds to the talent spilling out of Mexico’s Liga MX Femenil, the cohesion of that talent on La Tri, and the team’s ability to churn out consistent victories and qualify for major tournaments.
Mexico shocked the USWNT, winning the final group stage game. (Photo by Jessica Alcheh, USA TODAY Sports)
“I believe that it has been a great idea to join the teams from CONCACAF and CONMEBOL,” said Mexico head coach Pedro López Ramos ahead of their semifinal game. “A lot of future soccer players, they’re seeing very incredible games, not just for men or women. It’s attractive soccer, and I believe it’s going to make soccer grow in each one of the countries.
“I can only be grateful for this tournament because it’s going to make soccer grow in all aspects.”
Mexico winger Maria Sánchez echoed those thoughts, underscoring the visibility a CONCACAF tournament affords local leagues and the quality soccer found there.
“A lot of teams around the world, a lot of coaches around the world, can turn and see the product that has been coming out of a league like the Mexican league that maybe before weren’t rated as high,” said Sánchez, who plays for the Houston Dash in the NWSL. “Being part of this and having that visibility really helps countries like Mexico, where we weren’t able to represent in the World Cup, but we can do it in a tournament like this, and a lot of my teammates and myself are able to have different eyes on us.”
But it’s not just the larger nations in the region who benefit. Though their Gold Cup run was short-lived, there’s much to be said about the attention Puerto Rico, who knocked Haiti out of the tournament in a play-in game and held Brazil to just one goal in the group stage; Argentina, who continued the momentum of their World Cup campaign with a hearty draw with high-flying Mexico and a sound defeat of the Dominican Republic; and Costa Rica, who arguably earned the respect of every Canadian after forcing them to extra time in their eventual 1-0 win.
CONCACAF’s decision to implement a re-seeding mechanism to determine the quarterfinal matchups, instead of set paths, led to back-to-back games between Canada and Costa Rica. The Olympic champions won their first meeting handily, 3-0, but the pressure (and, surely, some sharp answers from Costa Rica) made the second meeting an entirely different game.
And that’s to say nothing of Colombia and Brazil, whose successes don’t require qualification. These teams have shown they have no desire to fade into the background, only emerging into the discourse during big tournament years. They’re here to stay, and the more opportunities they have to showcase their talent by going up against the best in the world, the greater their chances of growing the game domestically and stepping into even greater potential.
Now, CONCACAF must compete with the world
Regional tournaments will only expand from here as the level of competition in women’s soccer spreads more evenly around the world — and if CONCACAF wishes to remain on par with the likes of Europe with its precedential Euros in 2022, or Africa, which organized one of the best African Women’s Cup of Nations tournaments to date the same year, it will need to continue raising the bar or risk getting eclipsed and quickly left in the shadows.
That means giving each match the respect it deserves: minimizing (if not eliminating) weeknight matches to ensure higher attendance numbers, investing in sophisticated marketing for proper promotion of matches and other events surrounding them and perhaps most importantly, prioritizing players’ safety (and thus preserving the quality of competition) during unprecedented weather conditions.
Especially because others likely — and rightly — took notes from this tournament.
That Brazil, a CONMEBOL team, reached the finals of a CONCACAF tournament, begs the question of whether the South American soccer governing body might one day return the favor and host a few CONCACAF teams at the Copa America Feminina, similar to what CONCACAF has done in the Gold Cup. Brazil head coach Arthur Elias wouldn’t rule it out, given the strides he believes the confederation has made to advance women’s soccer in the region.
Brazil dominated the group stage and cruised to the final. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez, USA TODAY Sports)
“I didn’t participate in Copa América, but Copa Libertadores,” said Elias, who was the manager of the women’s team at Sport Club Corinthians Paulista, a legacy club in Brazil. Before the top job at Seleçãeo, Elias had won five league titles with Corinthians, plus two Copa Libertadores.
“I have always said that it is important for us to have Copa Libertadores in different venues, and that goes for Copa América, so they can bring more people, more fans to the stadiums,” Elias continued Sunday night following Brazil’s loss in the final. “This exchange is very positive for us to have more references. The U.S. has a great tradition for women’s soccer with great stadiums, pitches, great organization that contributed to us participating in this Gold Cup, and CONMEBOL is (also) in the right way to promote women’s soccer.”
USMNT midweek viewing guide: Champions League quarterfinals or bust
PSV trio have a do-or-die game in Dortmund; Pulisic and Musah look to advance past Slavia Prague in Europa League.
Saarbrücken vs Monchengladbach, 3:30p on ESPN+ (free trial): Jordan Pefok, Joe Scally, and Gladbach will be heavy favorites as they visit third-tier Saarbrücken in this DFB Pokal quarterfinal.
Tigres vs Orlando City, 10:30p on FS1, TUDN USA, FuboTV, Sling: Duncan McGuire and Orlando face a major test on the road against Tigres in Monterrey in the second leg of their Concacaf Champions Cup tie. The score is 0-0 on aggregate.
Also in action:
Columbus Crew vs Houston Dynamo, 6p on FS2, FuboTV, Sling: Aidan Morris, Patrick Schulte, and the Crew are trailing Houston 0-1 after the first leg in Concacaf Champions Cup.
Pachuca vs Philadelphia Union, 8:15p on FS1, FuboTV, Sling: Jack McGlynn, Quinn Sullivan, and the Union are tied 0-0 with Pachuca after the first leg in Concacaf Champions Cup.
Wednesday
Borussia Dortmund vs PSV, 4p on Paramount+, TUDN USA, Univision USA, FuboTV (free trial), ViX: Sergiño Dest, Malik Tillman, Ricardo Pepi, and PSV are tied 1-1 with Dortmund in the Champions League round of 16.
Inter Miami vs Nashville SC, 8:15p on FS2, FuboTV, Sling, ViX: Drake Callender, Julian Gressel, Noah Allen, and Inter Miami are tied 2-2 with Walker Zimmerman, Shaq Moore, and Nashville SC in Concacaf Champions Cup.
Also in action:
Bournemouth vs Luton, 3:30p: Tyler Adams was a surprise inclusion on Bournemouth’s bench this weekend, but didn’t play. The 13th-place Cherries host Luton, who are 18th in the Premier League.
El Paso Locomotive vs Monterey Bay FC, 9p on ESPN+: US U20 defender Brandan Craig played 90 minutes for El Paso in their 0-1 loss to Hartford Athletic on Saturday to begin the USL Championship season. Craig is on loan from the Philadelphia Union.
América vs Chivas, 10:30p on FS2, FuboTV, Sling: Alejandro Zendejas and América have a 3-0 lead over Cade Cowell and Chivas in Concacaf Champions Cup.
Thursday
Slavia Prague vs AC Milan, 1:45p on Paramount+, ViX: Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, and Milan hold a 4-2 lead over Slavia Prague in the Europa League round of 16.
Monterrey vs FC Cincinnati, 8:15p on FS2, FuboTV, Sling, ViX: Brandon Vázquez and Rayados host Miles Robinson, Lucho Acosta, Matt Miazga, Roman Celentano, new arrival DeAndre Yedlin, and FC CIncinnati in Concacaf Champions Cup. Monterrey lead 1-0 from the first leg.
Also in action:
Alajuelense vs New England Revolution, 6p on FS2, FuboTV, Sling: Esmir Bajraktarevic, DeJuan Jones, Noel Buck, and the Revs carry a 4-0 lead into the second leg as they travel to Costa Rica in Concacaf Champions Cup.
Friday
Köln vs RB Leipzig, 3:30p on ESPN+: 19-year-old German-American forward Damion Downs scored his first Bundesliga goal for Köln last weekend. 16th-place Köln (in the relegation zone) host Leipzig, who are 5th in the Bundesliga.
Palermo vs Venezia, 3:30p: It’s an American showdown in Serie B! Kristoffer Lund and 5th-place Palermo meet Tanner Tessmann, Gianluca Busio, and 3rd-place Venezia.
Also in action:
SC Paderborn vs Braunschweig, 1:30p: Johan Gómez and 17th-place Braunschweig host 6th-place Paderborn in the 2. Bundesliga.
Rapid Wien vs LASK Linz, 2:30p: George Bello and 3rd-place LASK host 6th-place Rapid Vienna in Austria’s top tier.
Telstar vs ADO Den Haag, 3p: Justin Che and 3rd-place Den Haag visit 17th-place Telstar (Sebastian Soto’s old club, remember?) in the Eerste Divisie.
USWNT’s Sophia Smith, Alyssa Naeher vanquished World Cup demons en route to Gold Cup final
If Sophia Smith sounded especially reflective after the U.S. women’s national team’s penalty shootout win against Canada in the W Gold Cup semifinal on Wednesday, it was with good reason. Her interim coach Twila Kilgore shared that the striker teared up at the end of the game, which saw her score a goal in extra time and bury a penalty kick in the shootout.“It was an emotional goal,” Smith said. “I haven’t scored in a while and have just been kind of on an emotional rollercoaster since the World Cup, so that was a big relief and it just felt really good.”
Seven months prior and an ocean away, the USWNT was on the other end of penalty kick fortunes, exiting the 2023 World Cup in the round of 16 against Sweden. The United States had advanced from Group E by the narrowest of margins, with Smith’s struggles in front of goal a major talking point.
The knockout round provided little respite, with Smith sending her shootout attempt sailing over the crossbar.
“To miss a PK in the World Cup takes a toll on you mentally and then I feel like since then I’ve just been trying to work my way back,” Smith said. “So I think that goal was just a relief of a lot of emotions. “
Smith’s goal in extra time looked like it would be the winner (Photo: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports)
In the same shootout, Alyssa Naeher had tried her best to keep her team in contention for a third consecutive title. The goalkeeper managed one big save, a diving stop to her right to give the United States a chance to take control. So, too, did she dive to her right on the final kick of the sequence, tapping the ball off the bar before goal-line technology ruled it a conversion to seal the United States’ fate.On Wednesday, Naeher was again between the posts to face an opponent’s spot-kick shooters. Again, she was particularly tough to beat to her right, as Canada learned the hard way. As she had last summer, she converted a chance of her own, to boot.
The culmination of the sequence was a far cry from Smith’s painful tears that fell last year. For a goalkeeper who’s often emotionless, Naeher’s wry celebratory smile was equally powerful.So often, a team’s tournament performance is remembered for the performances of their striker and goalkeeper. In this Gold Cup, the U.S. women’s national team program is no exception.
(Ray Acevedo-USA TODAY Sports)
The inaugural W Gold Cup, a regional competition between women’s teams from federations in North America, Central America and the Caribbean, is notably less ballyhooed than a World Cup, or the impending Olympics this summer, but a continental tournament is still a high-stakes situation — especially in the business end, when foes range from spirited upstart Colombia, regional rival Canada, or world powers Brazil – the United States’ opponent in Sunday’s final. Quite a few USWNT players have had Gold Cups to remember. Among them is Jaedyn Shaw, another young attacker with precocious spatial reading, tenacity around goal and a keen sense of when to pass and when to shoot. On Wednesday, the 19-year-old scored for the fourth time in as many games.But one player who wouldn’t be satisfied with their showings through the quarterfinal was Smith. For the better part of a year, something seemed off when you watched her play. She was effective, no doubt, but the infectious verve that she carried in every section of her bubble braid wasn’t there. She appeared to be a striker playing against her thoughts, rather than one playing free of them. Smith entered the Gold Cup as the projected starter up top, but a failure to score in the group stage saw Morgan start as the striker in the quarterfinal and semifinal despite only being on the squad as an injury replacement for Mia Fishel.
When Smith finally did take the field against Canada, the game being played did not resemble soccer in any conventional sense. “It’s just hard to even call it a game of soccer tonight, especially the first half,” Morgan said afterward. “Your instincts are to dribble, and then you can’t dribble, you’ll lose the ball.”With Smith on the field, another of CONCACAF’s young star strikers, Jordyn Huitema, broke her own post-World Cup malaise with a goal to draw Canada level eight minutes from full time. She fell on her back with a smile wide enough to light the San Diegan night. It was the exact kind of relief that Smith – and the United States – needed.Smith finally got her chance off of a Rose Lavelle header from 25 yards out in the ninth minute of extra time, with the ball looped over Canada defender Vanessa Gilles and into Smith’s stride. From there, it looked like the Smith we’d expected to see in Australia and New Zealand. She created a step of separation from her nearest defender, had her head up to assess what the goalkeeper was offering her, and placed a cool finish in the side of the net. Usually one to run to the corner flag for her celebrations, the striker instead fell to her knees.
(Ray Acevedo-USA TODAY Sports)
As the fourth official raised her board, it appeared that the task was complete: just one more minute atop the previous 120 to go. Just then, however, Canada went back to the aerial route, and Naeher started to step into the spotlight. The U.S. goalkeeper met Gilles in a battle for an aerial ball, catching Gilles in the head in an attempt to punch the ball away. VAR determined it was enough contact to warrant a last-second penalty kick, which tournament top scorer Adrianna Leon converted. Once again, the United States would have its tournament fate decided from the spot. Of the three U.S. players to miss spot kicks against Sweden last summer, only Smith remained on the team for the Gold Cup. Against Canada, she stepped up first, and coolly placed her shot to the bottom-left corner past a diving Kailen Sheridan.
(Ray Acevedo-USA TODAY Sports)
Now, it was Naeher’s turn to live up to the moment.The hero just ten minutes prior, Leon’s shootout attempt veered just left of Naeher’s base position, giving the USWNT goalkeeper a (relatively) easy save at torso level. Huitema placed a penalty in the exact same spot as Leon’s, another easy save for the United States goalkeeper. Not content with stymying Canada, Naeher then took to the spot herself, powering a shot to her right to give the U.S. a 3-1 advantage.tAt 4-2, Canada captain Jessie Fleming needed a conversion to save Canada’s hopes. Rather than rippling the net, however, she fired another shot just to Naeher’s right, giving her a third save in four attempts and spelling an end to Canada’s hopes of winning the inaugural W Gold Cup.Naeher is one of the program’s most stoic members. She seldom smiles for the pre-game team photo, barely mustering even a nod when interacting with opponents in the handshake line before kickoff. At 35 and having come off a poor season with the Chicago Red Stars, she’s been rotated in and out of the lineup at this tournament with Casey Murphy, eight years her junior.
Against Colombia and (especially) Canada, however, she reminded everyone why she has a firm grip on the No. 1 shirt heading into this summer’s Olympics. In the biggest international moments, she seldom lets her team down. “Honestly when Alyssa saved that first one I was just like, okay, she is in the zone,” Morgan said after the game. “We got this. Then she stepped up. She scored her penalty and then did not celebrate and then got back on the line and then continued to save that penalty and the next one. It’s…I have never witnessed something so remarkable as I did tonight with Alyssa. “I don’t even know why you guys are talking to me. You probably just want to talk to Alyssa.”
(Carmen Mandato/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)
In a game that was more a series of stand-alone moments than actual soccer, it was a rare match fitting of the skills-challenge nature of penalties. Even in miserable conditions, the night ended in undeniable drama that saw the U.S. book its place in the Gold Cup final. But this isn’t a tournament played in bygone years when a USWNT first-place finish was the expectation. Brazil easily dispatched a Mexico team that had shocked the United States in the group stage and boasts as deep a pool of dangerous attackers as any nation in the world. This United States team, meanwhile, is still under interim management, with their upcoming boss unable to watch the late-night games live from her current residence in London. This is a team playing for each other. Through a statement win over Colombia and fending off a determined Canada side — not once, but twice, and from the same shootout scenario that sunk them last summer — they’ve exorcized many of their demons .They might win it all on Sunday. They also might lose to a deserving opponent. One thing is for certain, though: this is a team that’s no longer sleepwalking in their post-elimination nightmare.(Top photos: Carmen Mandato/USSF/Getty Images for USSF; Ben Nichols/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)
HAYWARD, Calif. (Saturday, March 9, 2024) – Indy Eleven fell, 2-1, to USL Championship Western Conference opponent Oakland Roots SC to open the season on the road. It was the lone matchup of the 2024 season for the clubs.
It was Oakland that got on the board first in the match as Jeciel Cedeno found the back of the net in just the third minute of action for the early lead.
The remainder of the first half saw offensive dominance by Indy Eleven with a 13-2 edge in shots, including 4-1 in shots on target, and the equalizer form Indy’s preseason goal leader Jack Blake in the 43rd minute, by way of a cross in from Younes Boudadi.
Oakland scored early again in the second frame as Bryan Tamacas found himself alone inside the 18 with an opportunity in front of goal in what would be the match winner.
The Boys in Blue registered 20 shots in the match, equaling their single-match high in 2023. Blake had a match-high six, while Augi Williams added four.
With the loss, the Boys in Blue fall to 3-3-1 in USL Championship season openers, with all matches coming on the road.
Indy continues its road swing next Saturday at Memphis 901 FC at 4 p.m. ET before returning home March 23 for its home opener against Sacramento Republic FC.
USL Championship Regular Season Oakland Roots SC 2:1 Indy Eleven Saturday, March 9, 2024 – 10 p.m. ET Pioneer Stadium – Hayward, Calif.
Scoring Summary OAK – Jeciel Cedeno 3’ IND – Jack Blake (Younes Boudadi) 43’ OAK – Bryan Tamacas (Irakoze Donasiyano) 51’
Discipline Summary IND – Jack Blake (caution) 24’ IND – Sebastian Guenzatti (caution) 24′ IND – Karsen Henderlong (caution) 25’ IND – Callum Chapman-Page (caution) 41’ IND – Elliot Collier (caution) 70’ OAK – Baboucarr Njie (caution) 89’ IND – Cam Lindley (caution) 90+8’ OAK – Irakoze Donasiyano (caution) 90+8’
Indy Eleven line-up (4-3-3): Yannik Oettl, Aedan Stanley, Adrian Diz Pe, Callum Chapman-Page, Younes Boudadi (Josh O’Brien 75’), Jack Blake, Tyler Gibson (Captain) (Roberto Molina 86’), Cam Lindley, Sebastian Guenzatti, Augi Williams, Karsen Henderlong (Elliot Collier 66’)
Indy Subs: Hunter Sulte, Ethan O’Brien, Diego Sanchez
HARTFORD ATHLETIC DELIVERS ON THE ROAD TO START ITS NEW ERA; AMANN LOOKS AT HOME IN SACRAMENTO, NEW MEXICO DELIGHTS BUZZING CROWD
Hartford Athletic’s players celebrate Romario Williams’ first-half penalty kick in their victory against El Paso Locomotive FC at Southwest University Park. | Photo courtesy Ivan Pierre Aguirre / El Paso Locomotive FC
The opening weekend of the 2024 USL Championship season delivered some expected results, some surprises, and a fair amount of late drama capped off by Orange County SC’s Colin Shutler becoming only the third goalkeeper to score in the league’s history.
Here are eight key storylines we took away from the action, and some other thoughts on what transpired.
As much optimism as Hartford Athletic had that this season would be different with Head Coach Brendan Burke at the helm and an almost-entirely new squad at his disposal, you could never quite be certain how it might come together until the season kicked off.
At first glance, Hartford is ready, and looks very similar to what we were expecting.
Romario Williams was impressive as the central striker, Michee Ngalina, Marcus Epps and Deshane Beckford provided the attacking support, and the visitors were able to ride out an early penalty kick by Williams to earn a 1-0 victory against El Paso Locomotive FC at Southwest University Park.
Hartford imposed itself early in the game as Williams drew the penalty he converted against Jamaica teammate Jahmali Waite, and the speed the side possesses arguably should have led to a second inside the opening 15 minutes when Ngalina’s half-volleyed finish went over the crossbar.
At the other end of the field, as much as El Paso pushed, Hartford’s defense led by veterans Joe Farrell and Thomas Vancaeyezeele held firm. While Locomotive had chances, they were often placed under defensive pressure, resulting in only two of the 10 second-half shots the hosts produced landing on target.
As debuts go, Hartford likely couldn’t be happier.
In a squad as strong on paper as Sacramento Republic FC’s appears, there was a little bit of pressure on newcomer and 2023 USL League One Player of the Year Trevor Amann to quickly prove he belonged.
And while Republic FC’s home opener was spoiled in stoppage time by Orange County SC goalkeeper Colin Shutler scoring a dramatic stoppage-time equalizer to earn the visitors a 2-2 draw at a sold-out Heart Health Park, Amann’s performance was the biggest takeaway of the night’s proceedings. Scoring both goals for the hosts in contrasting manners, the 25-year-old showed off why Sacramento had made him a key target to sign last offseason.
“He’s a goalscorer. He’s a striker,” said Sacramento Head Coach Mark Briggs. “I think you saw his desire with the first goal to sprint into the box, to get on the end of the cross. And then his second goal – what can you say? It’s just a top goal. And he’s going to score lots and lots of those goals this year, but to do it on his debut, we’re just really pleased for him and really pleased that we’ve got him on our team.”
Amann’s fit in the Republic FC lineup was evident, as was his nose for goal. His five shots were a game-high – which matched his total of completed passes – and gave Sacramento a central point to build its attacks around. With Russell Cicerone set to be available after his one-game suspension next weekend against Miami FC, how the two team up could be a treat to watch.
There’s been a history of positive home openers for New Mexico United, and in front of a buzzing crowd of 11,347 fans at Isotopes Park on Saturday afternoon the new-look hosts delivered against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC with a rousing first-half performance that paved the way to a 1-0 win.
With Marco Micaletto serving as a deep-lying playmaker, there was a confidence to the passing and movement for United that allowed them to dictate play to the reigning Championship Players’ Shield title holders. New Mexico Head Coach Eric Quill said in the first half he felt like the Hounds were chasing shadows, and after some near-misses – including a brilliantly-denied close-range chance for Harry Swartz, the pressure United was able to build paid off in a nicely take goal by Greg Hurst just before halftime.
The second half produced similar for United in terms of possession, but not in terms of chances, and that’s where Quill sees the potential for improvement in the coming weeks. Defensively, New Mexico held firm at the end, but as we saw elsewhere this weekend, that’s not always guaranteed.
“We’re so good with the ball when we want to be,” said Quill. “We’ve got to make sure that we commit to it, because the philosophy of the game for us is that we want to dominate the ball. We want to move the opponent around. We want to wear them out. But we need to be killers in front of goal and not let teams hang around. Because we’ve seen in this league a lot where if you let them hang around long enough, you get punished in the end, and they may grab a goal.”
There’s a reason why Birmingham Legion FC’s shutouts are sponsored by Hero Donuts – on the next day of training, goalkeeper Matt VanOekel treats his teammates.
After claiming victory against defending Championship title-holder Phoenix Rising FC on Saturday night, those might taste a little bit sweeter than normal, but VanOekel is likely the player who deserves the most credit. The veteran’s eight-save performance helped Birmingham to a 1-0 victory on the road, keeping a good performance by the hosts at bay at Phoenix Rising Stadium.
“It was a very important match for us as the first one of the season, away at the defending champions, and we wanted to see progression in our shape and style and we felt that was the case this evening,” said VanOekel. “Everyone put in a ton of hard work, and we can be proud on the evening.”
VanOekel is one of Legion’s originals and is now tied for third in league history overall with 43 shutouts alongside Brandon Miller. With key saves to deny Edgardo Rito in the first half and Remi Cabral late on between Diba Nwegbo’s deflected shot putting the visitors ahead, he looked ready for a Birmingham side aiming for more consistency defensively this campaign.
San Antonio FC was clear about its change in philosophy this offseason and in its season-opener was true to its word. Against Loudoun United FC on Saturday night at Toyota Field, it attempted (623) and completed (519) more passes in a single game, and Mitchell Taintor (99), Kendall Burks (95), and Carter Manley (91) attempted more passes in a single game by a San Antonio player since the USL Championship partnered with Opta in 2017.
What that manifested into was a showcase for Jorge Hernández as the reigning Golden Playmaker showed off his chemistry with the club’s new arrivals in Lucas Silva and Juan Agudelo, providing each assists on their goals in their SAFC debuts.
“Since I’ve been here in preseason, he’s impressed me,” said Agudelo of Hernández. “I’ve played with very good 10s. Jorge’s left foot is actually a dream to play with actually as a 9 and as soon as I scored, I said, “First of many, bro,” because I know he’s going to put it in. I’m very hopeful he stays healthy because when he’s on the field, I’m going to get chances, or whoever’s up there is going to get chances.”
And yet, in a throwback to a season ago, San Antonio wasn’t able to seal the deal. Despite playing for an hour with a man-advantage after Christiano Francois’ red card for Loudoun and holding the lead for most of the second half, SAFC didn’t press home its advantage. That kept United in the game, and when Florian Valot got a second-chance opportunity off a late clearance 25 yards from goal, his powerful low shot caromed in off a defender and earned the visitors a 2-2 draw.
San Antonio dropped 10 points from winning positions a season ago, having been almost watertight in their title-winning 2022 campaign. On a night of dramatic changes on the field this was a throwback that spoiled the night.
Early on, there was the danger that Miami FC could get overwhelmed by visiting Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC – the visitors went close on multiple occasions, including Jairo Henriquez hitting the post inside the opening 10 minutes – and even after Miami took the lead in the 16th minute through a fine second-effort finish by Andrew Booth the visitors remained on top.
Miami saw out a 2-0 victory after Manuel Botta added a late penalty kick, however, and felt like a side for which the offseason of change led by new Head Coach Antonio Nocerino had created the desired environment. Miami had to defend stoutly throughout – only 15.4 percent of the play was in Colorado Springs’ defensive third, compared to 40.9 percent in Miami’s – but it battled through.
Will Miami need to improve to keep securing results? Probably – the majority of its big chances came after the Switchbacks through caution to the wind in the last 20 minutes in search of an equalizer – but the enthusiasm and togetherness the side showed can go a long way.
“I am very happy for the players because tonight was an incredible performance,” said Nocerino. “I like the mentality, the physicality, the personality, because for me, it’s important. This, today, playing against a good team, with the good players, the good quality, so I’m very happy for my players. My players tonight played very well. I am happy for the players, because players, this is your moment. If my players are happy, I’m happy.”
Memphis 901 FC hasn’t had the best history in its opening games of the season – you need only look back to last year’s home defeat to Loudoun United FC for evidence of that – so when Las Vegas Lights FC scored on its first shot on Saturday afternoon at AutoZone Park there could have been a sinking feeling of déjà vu sinking in.
But 901 FC responded in ideal fashion. A 10-minute spell of attacking pressure resulted in a close-range equalizer from Samuel Careaga, and then moments before halftime 19-year-old U.S. youth international Nighte Pickering delivered a piledriver of a finish from 25 yards that dipped under the crossbar and set the side on the way to its first opening-day victory in club history.
“I think we were mostly in control of the game,” said 901 FC Head Coach Stephen Glass. “We ended up falling behind with one break up the field. The more important thing was the response from the group of lads to come back and get in front before halftime. It’s a difficult thing to do and be able to hang on. First game is never easy. I don’t think the club has won one at home so it’s nice to get that monkey off our back and push on.”
Memphis was comfortably good value for its win. Aside from Valentin Nöel’s opening goal for Las Vegas the hosts allowed only one other shot inside the penalty area. With another home opportunity up next against Indy Eleven, there’s something to build on here.
Oakland Roots SC scored the fastest goal of any side in the Championship on Saturday night as Jeciel Cedeño struck in just the third minute against Indy Eleven, but then the hosts were pinned back for much of the first half by Indy Eleven’s midfield trio of Cam Lindley, Tyler Gibson and Jack Blake.
The visitors at Pioneer Stadium might have considered themselves unlucky to not have been rewarded with more than Blake’s goal late in the first half to level on a sharp move and finish, but having got to the break level, Oakland took advantage of the chance to reset and introduced Daniel Gomez in favor of forward Miche-Naider Chéry, and it paid major dividends.
“We talked at halftime, we made some tactical changes, and obviously a sub at half,” said Roots Head Coach Noah Delgado. “We got another player [Gomez] into the midfield and more of a possession base forward with Jesse [Cedeno] as a 9. So, [Gomez] coming in there and finding some gaps and giving good pressure, because I had four in the midfield, that tactical change I think worked out.”
Did it ever.
After quickly regaining the lead early in the second half on an enterprising piece of play by El Salvador international Bryan Tamacas, Oakland’s overload of the center of the park helped stifle Indy’s attacking threat. The visitors only recorded four shots in the second half, none of which tested Roots goalkeeper Paul Blanchette, to see out an impressive opening victory.
And now some other thoughts on what we saw this weekend…
– As if there was any doubt as to how Aaron Molloy is going to get the chance to cook for the Charleston Battery this season, his role as the central pivot all over the field in his debut against North Carolina FC on Saturday drove that home.
– Shoutout to North Carolina FC’s Rafael Mentzingen, who might be known better for his attacking play but did sterling work defensively against the Battery to help NCFC earn a point in its return to the Championship.
– Las Vegas Lights FC had a clear identity in their playing style, and it should get more refined as they get more time together. The commitment to being in possession should pay off, and Valentin Nöel looked a shrewd pickup with his play in midfield.
– Opening day setbacks are never fun, but there was a lot to like about the way Phoenix Rising FC, Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC and Indy Eleven set up and played. Stick with the process and it should turn into results soon enough.
– Orange County SC’s two goals and three best chances against Sacramento came off corner kicks. There’s talent here, but it’s going to need to be more incisive in open play.
– Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC Head Coach Bob Lilley wasn’t happy with his team’s application in the first half against New Mexico United. “With any technical team, if you can’t disrupt them, they’re going to run you,” he said. “When we got players around the ball, they were able to escape with the dribble, and there should be cover.”
Welcome to The Rondo, our weekly look around the USL Championship and beyond. I’m Nicholas Murray.This Rondo sounds like: Now I’m Here by Queen
1. One Big Thing – A hard-earned path to glory
When Trevor Amann’s college soccer career came to an end at Midwestern State University in 2021, a career in the professional game was not front of mind.Fast forward two-and-a-half years to this past Saturday night, and the 6-foot-1 forward was lapping up the applause from a sellout 11,569 crowd at Heart Health Park after scoring twice on his Sacramento Republic FC debut in the USL Championship.So, what happened?Well, let’s start with Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC and Head Coach Éamon Zayed.Building a squad in Windsor, Colo. for the club’s inaugural League One season in 2022, the Irish coach – and former prolific goalscorer in the professional ranks himself – found out about a kid from the Denver suburbs he should look up.“When I first was contacted about it, it was kind of surprising,” said Amann this preseason. “I didn’t expect it. I was kind of shocked, but at the same time I’m very, very grateful and thankful to Éamon and that whole organization for giving me that opportunity.”Amann’s growth accelerated rapidly.EARLY PROGRESS: Zayed was a regular for the Hailstorm in their inaugural season, and with better luck could have scored more than the five goals he bagged in 25 games. His 8.93 percent shot conversion rate indicated a little bit of bad luck in his 1,497 minutes of action.
BREAKOUT CAMPAIGN: His fortunes changed dramatically for the better in the 2023 season. With shot conversion rate at 22.4 percent and a larger workload alongside playmaking ace Arthur Rogers, Amann set a League One record with 23 regular season goals and the first postseason hat trick in Hailstorm history.
HIGHER LEVEL: That brought Sacramento into the picture. Head Coach Mark Briggs and his staff tracked Amann from early in the 2023 season, liked what they saw, and signed him as a free agent this offseason. Amann’s brace against Orange County SC was just the second two-goal debut for a Republic FC player in club history after Thomas Enevoldsen in 2019.The qualities Amann had shown at Hailstorm were once again on display in Sacramento. His first goal was the result of a smart piece of connecting play in midfield and purposeful run to the top of the penalty area, where Cristian Parano’s cross was met by a powerful header. His second was a beautiful piece of individual creation, creating enough shape away from his defender to roof a shot in at the near post.HE SAID IT: “He’s a goalscorer. He’s a striker. I think you saw his desire with the first goal to sprint into the box, to get on the end of the cross. And then his second goal – what can you say? It’s just a top goal. And he’s going to score lots and lots of those goals this year, but to do it on his debut, we’re just really pleased for him and really pleased that we’ve got him on our team.” – Briggs after Saturday night’s game.Amann was already being tipped to be a contender for the Championship’s Golden Boot in preseason by Backheeled.com and USLTactics.com’s John Morrissey (a noted friend of The Rondo). Given the service he’ll receive – let alone the potential he’ll have to combine with Russell Cicerone, who was absent on Saturday due to a one-game suspension – there’s no question that could be in sight.But Amann’s story is also one that shows how important USL League One and its clubs, like the Hailstorm, are in offering opportunity to players who might otherwise not get their shot at the professional ranks.Last month, Conner Antley completed a remarkable rise from USL League Two with South Georgia Tormenta FC – with which he moved into the professional ranks in League One in 2019 – to make his MLS debut for D.C. United after a transfer from the Tampa Bay Rowdies.This offseason, we’ve seen more players make the jump from League One to the Championship than ever before. On Saturday, players like Miami FC’s Allen Gavilanes – formerly of Greenville Triumph SC – were integral in their club’s opening night victories. It all goes to show how the USL’s pathway is growing, not only bringing clubs to fans that they can get behind in their own communities but offering players the chance to achieve their professional aspirations.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“I laid in bed last night just wanting so badly to just send these fans away happy. We knew it was going to be a big crowd. We want them to come back, and we want them to enjoy the product on the field. We hope they did. They were electric all day long.”New Mexico United Head Coach Eric Quill after his side’s 1-0 victory against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC at Isotopes Park. The home opener crowd of 11,347 was the second-highest in the USL Championship’s opening weekend.
2. San Antonio’s got a brand new bag
This offseason, San Antonio FC Head Coach Alen Marcina said his side was going to be making a major change in its stylistic approach.On Saturday night, his side was true to his word.KNOCK IT AROUND: San Antonio’s 619 passes and 514 successful passes were the most the club had recorded in a USL Championship season since the league partnered with Opta prior to the 2017 season.
BUILD FROM THE BACK: Center backs Mitchell Taintor (99) and Kendall Burks (95) recorded the two highest individual passing totals for the club over the same span.
COMPARE AND CONTRAST: In the club’s 2022 USL Championship title-winning season, the most passes the side made in a single game was 373 – incidentally, also against Loudoun United FC – and the fewest was 183. It’s a new direction for the side that had been the most direct in the Championship in recent years. There will be bumps in the road – SAFC was held to a 2-2 draw by Loudoun United FC on Saturday, with United’s opening goal coming directly off a turnover of possession in the hosts’ defensive third – but while a point at home wasn’t the desired result, the way the team performed had far more positives than negatives.PLAYMAKERS UNLOCKED: In becoming more possession-heavy, San Antonio is likely to offer more opportunities for its talented midfield and forward group to pull opponents apart with their skill. Last year’s Golden Playmaker Jorge Hernández (pictured) notched assists on both goals against Loudoun as his close control and vision set up premium opportunities for Lucas Silva and Juan Agudelo.
AGUDELO AT THE POINT: We had wondered how Agudelo, a former United States international that joined SAFC this offseason, would fit into the side’s former aggressive style. Well, turns out he’s the ideal fit for the new philosophy Marcina and new SAFC Sporting Director Marco Ferruzzi are aiming for. He had one goal, three shots and two chances created while leading the line.
HE SAID IT: “I’ve played with very good 10s. Jorge’s left foot is actually a dream to play with as a 9 and soon as I scored, I said, “First of many, bro,” because I know he’s going to put it in. I’m very hopeful he stays healthy because when he’s on the field, I’m going to get chances, or whoever’s up there is going to get chances.” – Agudelo on HernándezSan Antonio will get a great test of its new philosophy this Saturday night when it visits the Tampa Bay Rowdies at Al Lang Stadium (7:30 p.m. ET | CBS Sports Golazo Network). With the Rowdies’ commitment to pressing high defensively – as evidenced in preseason against Club de Foot Montreal – the contrast should make for a fascinating battle between two sides expected to be in title contention this season.Make no mistake, however, this new model of San Antonio is here to stay.
Former San Antonio FC star Jose Gallegos delivered a game-winning performance for current club Sonderjyske on Saturday, bagging a tremendous opening goal in a 4-1 win against AC Horsens. Sonderjyske is closing in on promotion to Denmark’s top flight with 11 games to go in the season.
US Women Dominate Colombia 3-0 setting up showdown with Canada in Semis Wed 10 pm ESPN+, Paramount plus.
The US Women pounded Colombia 3-0 with a very direct approach which had them absolutely dominating the first half especially where they scored all 3 of their goals. The US started with Alex Morgan up top with Shaw and Rodman on the edges. The result was shot after shot – including a PK by Horan after Morgan drew the foul. The US was rough and tumble and looked mad after the surprising upset to Mexico. Now the US must get by Canada to face the winner between Mexico and Brazil (tonight 7 pm) on Sunday night in San Diego. The U.S. will play two friendlies against South Korea on June 1 and 4, the team announced Tuesday, kicking off the official Emma Hayes head coaching era.
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)
Indy 11 Open Season on Sat night 10 pm on ESPN plus
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.
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How USWNT’s direct approach exposed Colombia, and what it means going forward
After allowing Mexico to dictate the terms of its final group stage match of the CONCACAF W Gold Cup, the United States issued a stark reminder of their potential in their 3-0 quarterfinal win over Colombia on Sunday night. The key, as usual, is controlling the tempo.
The USWNT opted for a much more direct approach on Sunday, which played a role in all three goals and helped the team endure the physicality and chippiness that disrupted any attempts at building a rhythm.“Overall it was a very professional performance from the team,” forward Alex Morgan said after the quarterfinal win. “Getting those goals just took the air out of Colombia, especially in the second half.”The tactical approach from interim head coach Twila Kilgore and the USWNT against Colombia proved that even during this time of transition, playing direct — or, as Kilgore said multiple times in her postgame press conference, “on the front foot” — is not just a powerful weapon in the USWNT’s arsenal, but maybe still their best one even as personnel changes.In fact, that changing of the guard may make it absolutely vital to making that approach work.
First, it’s worth considering why going direct worked so well against Colombia.“(It) nullifies a lot of what they do,” Kilgore said on Sunday night. “Some of those direct balls weren’t meant just to play direct, but to allow us to get into an area of the field where we could potentially settle the ball and play and move the ball higher up the pitch.”Take, for example, a sequence that took place eight minutes after Lindsey Horan’s opening goal from the penalty spot. Colombia had been relentless with its press through the opening 20 minutes in all phases — even as the United States set up a seemingly mundane restart at the edge of its defensive half.
Over the past couple of years, the USWNT has been steadfast in its commitment to possession-based soccer. At last summer’s World Cup, seemingly mindless recirculation (branded by Kim McCauley as the ‘Prayer Circle Formation’) made it easy for opponents to pick their moments to converge with peace of mind that the United States would look for an ideal passing lane rather than any lane on offer. With that in mind, the obvious recipient of Naomi Girma’s free kick would be midfielders Korbin Albert (3a in the graphic above) or Sam Coffey (5). As Girma (4) surveys her options, Albert is fastened to the center circle and taking note of the trio of converging defenders — four, if you count the most advanced defender who’s roaming between Albert and Tierna Davidson (1). Closer to the touchline, Coffey is between the ball and a lurking Linda Caicedo, eager to pick off a ball to the Portland midfielder to start a breakneck counter to pull a goal back. Half of the Colombian defense is in close proximity to Girma, and an aerial ball can eliminate all five players while getting the ball in a more dangerous area. She does exactly that.
At worst, this ball doubles as a low-risk clearance to force Colombia to recollect in a far less dangerous area than the shorter alternative. However, the pass instead helps justify Morgan’s selection as that night’s starting striker over Sophia Smith.At 34, Morgan is one of the pool’s most veteran players, a goal-scoring icon who fought into the starting lineup by putting her body on the line for aerial duels and aggressive ball recoveries.On this play, she needed every bit of that guile against Colombia defender Jorelyn Carabali, who leapt into Morgan to try and make contact on Girma’s service. Morgan stood her ground, allowing her greater control as she tried to either find a teammate or draw a foul. It might be thankless, but it’s honest work.
Morgan ultimately has optimal positioning to win the ball, and she has a few options for directing this header. The most obvious would be to knock it straight in front of her to either Horan or Jaedyn Shaw, both of whom are lurking just outside the eighteen-yard box, but defended by Colombia midfielder Lorena Bedoya.Morgan’s positioning also allows her to pick up an alternative that Colombia has not: an onrushing Jenna Nighswonger, unmarked and in a prime position to take a first-time shot.
Four seconds after Girma hit the long ball, the United States has doubled its lead. Another element of this goal was an intentional tactical decision from the USWNT technical staff: Nighswonger’s positioning on set pieces.“We asked her to get higher up the field, and actually, the goal she scored is indicative of that,” Kilgore said, noting that Nighswonger also stayed high up the field when the team was in possession.Of course, a team can’t win games on set pieces alone. The USWNT technical staff flagged Colombia’s tendency to press back passes, catering to their ability to attack in transition thanks to Caicedo’s exceptional ability on the break. Having now conceded twice, every Colombian challenge carries a little extra juice. Every decision skews a little more aggressively in hopes of pulling back a goal before halftime.
In first half stoppage time, Nighswonger collects a loose ball. Immediately, she’s converged from her left and straight-on by a pair of opponents. Coffey picks up the defending and points towards Davidson (out of picture) — a call to recirculate possession.Sending the ball backward plays right into Colombia’s hands – these backpasses actually help them progress the ball if they get their pressing right.Davidson is forced to narrowly prod the ball toward Coffey between two defenders. The ball again changes hands in Colombia’s favor, but is now much further from Alyssa Naeher’s goal. Rather than trying to get Caicedo the ball in open terrain, she’s come far deeper into Colombia’s defensive half to try building up more gradually.
At this point, most of the players on the field still anticipate that Caicedo will win the ball back. For the visitors to have a chance of coming back in this game, they need her to. However, Emily Fox is quicker to it, able to round Caicedo and turn a simple pass into a turnover.
Colombia has now over-committed to the attack, and five of their defenders are on the back foot scrambling to get back into their base shape. Fox isn’t giving them that time, opting to take the space available in front of her and setting the tempo for a short-field break toward goal.
Left with little help, defender Daniela Arias is forced into a decision: help Carabali with containing Morgan’s run, or to stick with Trinity Rodman.
That two-minded moment is all that Rodman needs to create ample separation, especially as left back Manuela Vanegas is behind the play. Fox plays a great ball into Rodman’s path, and Morgan begins another scrap with Carabali as she ventures toward the heart of the box.
Almost completely unmarked, Rodman bends a low cross beyond a sliding Arias and just in front of the six-yard box. It’s easy to say that Jaedyn Shaw “wanted” this more, but this goes back to catering to the players’s strengths. Shaw is a great reader of space, nimble with her movement and good at holding off defenders amidst contact.Thanks to Fox’s aggressive defending and a direct mentality, Morgan’s off-ball work and the speed and first-touch technical abilities of Rodman and Shaw, the USWNT has slammed the door on a potential Colombian comeback before the whistle blows for halftime.“She’s just a special player that sees the game,” Morgan said of Shaw, her teammate with the San Diego Wave. “It feels like, with Jae, the game slows down. With her touch, she can anticipate pressure. She can turn in the pocket. She has a wicked shot. There’s really not much lacking in Jae’s game, and you’re seeing that at the international level.”
Playing directly almost seems like too easy of a fix after how plodding the U.S. looked at times over the last few years. Surely, there must be more to remedy than just keeping the ball moving toward goal?Simply: yes. The push for a more direct approach on Sunday was a bit of sharp gameplanning by the technical staff. It was also a needed adjustment in response to one of the biggest issues that’s limited the USWNT’s upside dating back to last summer.In order to play a possession-oriented style that embraces controlling the ball in the defensive half, a team needs a few things. One of them is a stay-at-home facilitator at the base of midfield who can link the defense to the rest of the team. With Coffey, Andi Sullivan and Horan (at times), that profile of player is present.What’s lacking, however, is an even more fundamental bedrock. Playing out of the back requires a goalkeeper and their center backs to operate with one shared brain, knowing where each other will be at all times to ensure that an eagerly pressing opponent can’t throw off their best intentions with one prod of the ball or one closed passing lane.Naeher had an exceptional game against Colombia, possibly her best performance for the national team since the Tokyo Olympics. However, she spent the group stage alternating starts with Casey Murphy; either that’s an open competition moving forward, or the team is seeing a need to ease Naeher’s workload for an inevitable succession plan as Naeher turns 36 this year.Girma has quickly cemented herself a place among the world’s best center backs, an incredible boost for the program as she’ll only turn 24 in June. However, she does not have an equally established partner at the heart of defense. Going into the World Cup last summer, it seemed certain that Alana Cook would be ready to step in for the injured Becky Sauerbrunn. Once the tournament began, however, Cook was bypassed by a recently recovered Julie Ertz for what proved to be the latter player’s final professional games.
Those selection decisions were made in part out of necessity after Sauerbrunn’s injury, but the long-term cost was a failure to establish a new defensive hierarchy.One of the few admissions from Kilgore after the loss to Mexico in the group stage was that she felt the center backs had lacked “a bit of bravery” in their willingness to play forward, despite the expectations from the technical staff that it’s a fundamental responsibility of the position.
“The message to the team is, even if we’re getting jumped, we will have the opportunities to play forward and we missed some of those moments tonight,” Kilgore said after the loss. “But these things happen, and this is a process. The message to the group is when faced with those challenges, we’re gonna keep playing and we need to continue to try and find those passes.”That progressive play is a hallmark of Davidson’s game. After a strong showing against Colombia, she could easily be that no-doubt partner for Girma now that she’s fully recovered from her pre-World Cup ACL injury. If not, the spot alongside Girma will be one of the biggest open competitions in the lineup between now and this summer’s Olympics. While the direct approach on Sunday was in part informed by the opponent’s style of play, it may need to be more common given that uncertainty at the back. Thankfully, a player pool as deep as the USWNT’s can allow a coach to modify their strategy with some level of confidence. Given the fact that we’re well past the so-called “U.S. vs. the World” era of women’s international soccer, anything short of tactical flexibility will continue to keep this team from underperforming as they did throughout the 2023 World Cup cycle.
“The ultimate goal is to take what the opponent gives us,” Kilgore said. “We’re not limited to just one way of doing things, and I think that’s one of the keys that we identified against Mexico. Of course, we want to build and we can continue to try and do things, but if they give us an opportunity to play in behind and aren’t prepared to deal with that, we’re going to take that and wait for them to adjust. We’re capable of doing both, and that’s a big key.” (Photo: Harry How/Getty Images)
WNT beats Colombia 3-0 in grueling match to advance to Gold Cup semifinal
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 expecting ‘physical’ Canada semifinal – Alex Morgan
ESPN
Mar 5, 2024, 05:24 AM ET
The United States women’s national team are preparing for a “physical” matchup when it faces Canada in the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup semifinals on Wednesday, forward Alex Morgan has told ESPN.The USWNT bounced back from a shock defeat to Mexico and earned a 3-0 victory in a fiery contest with Colombia in the quarterfinals on Sunday, setting up the semifinal clash against Canada.”You guys saw that, right? It was very chippy. We expected it,” Morgan told ESPN’s Fútbol Americas on Monday.”I would say that Colombia is a very aggressive, very physical team. They’re always trying to slow the play down, foul, and we were ready to play. We stepped up to the challenge. Obviously after that defeat to Mexico, we were just ready for the battle, so I think you guys saw a pretty good professional win from this team.”She added: “It’s going to be a physical match [against Canada]…They had a tough test against Costa Rica, having played them in the group stage and pretty much dominating, and then Costa Rica coming to play and them having a tougher time trying to finish some chances. So for us, it’s just getting our bodies ready for this next game.”
Morgan was a last-minute call-up to the USWNT squad for the tournament after Mia Fishel suffered a torn ACL in training last month.She scored in each of the side’s opening two group games, bringing her to 123 international goals in 219 games, placing her fifth on the U.S. women’s all-time scorers list.”I had just gotten to Coachella tournament for our preseason tournament with San Diego. I literally had been there for an hour, so I had a carry-on suitcase assuming I was going to be gone for three days,” Morgan said.”I got the call and said, ‘Okay, now time to go to LA.’ I was there within two-and-a-half hours and then played the next night. So it was a little bit of a whirlwind, but at the same time, I understood that it was a long lead up to the Gold Cup. A lot of training sessions, anything could happen.”I wanted to stay ready in case of injury or anything, and that’s what I did. I worked hard, dug in with San Diego, did extra with Casey [Stoney], our coach at San Diego, and wanted to just use this preseason as an opportunity for myself to grow as a player and as a teammate, and was fortunate enough to get the call.”
Kane, Mbappe see Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain through to Champions League quarter-finals
Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain are through to the Champions League quarter-finals.
Bayern beat Serie A side Lazio 3-0 in Munich to qualify 3-1 on aggregate, having previously lost the first leg of their last-16 tie 1-0 in Italy three weeks ago.Harry Kane opened the scoring in the 39th minute with a flicked header that Lazio goalkeeper Ivan Provedel could only fumble into the net. Lazio captain Ciro Immobile had missed a huge chance for the away side only a few minutes before Kane’s goal.Thomas Muller then put Bayern ahead on aggregate with a clever header, following a fierce volley into the area from defender Matthijs de Ligt. Kane then converted from close range in the 66th minute after Provedel could only parry Leroy Sane’s low shot.Bayern head coach Thomas Tuchel revealed he may have suffered a broken toe after giving his pre-match speech ahead of the game. “In my last speech before the match, I kicked the door,” Tuchel told CBS Sports. “It was the wrong technique and I think I broke it.”
Harry Kane now has 33 goals in 33 matches for Bayern Munich this season (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
PSG, meanwhile, were 2-1 winners against Real Sociedad in San Sebastian, meaning they won their tie 4-1 on aggregate following last month’s 2-0 win in Paris. After being played in down the left by Ousmane Dembele, Kylian Mbappe whipped a shot into the far corner to open the scoring in the 15th minute of the match, his shot causing a minor delay to the game after it damaged the net, which came loose from the pole attachment and had to be repaired by the ground staff.Mbappe, captain in the absence of Marquinhos, scored his and PSG’s second of the night after being played through by Lee Kang-in, finishing at the near post past Real Sociedad goalkeeper Alex Remiro. Mikel Merino then grabbed a late consolation goal for La Real, who were much improved in the second half.
PSG impressive on the road
Analysis by PSG correspondent Peter Rutzler
This was PSG’s most impressive away performance of the season. Luis Enrique’s side had not won on the road in the Champions League this season and even domestically, they have often had to rely on some heroics from Gianluigi Donnarumma to give them an edge.But at a point in the season where they normally fall flat — they have been eliminated in the round of 16 in five of the past seven seasons — PSG instead stepped up gear. There would be no unforeseen disasters.A tactical surprise from Luis Enrique, placing Dembele in a central role as part of a midfield diamond, changed the dynamic of this tie and ensured there would be no way back for Real Sociedad. PSG controlled the game, while Mbappe channelled the noise about his future and recent matchday minutes into a top-level performance, with two excellent goals.
Luis Enrique said pre-match that he wanted to ensure his team left “nothing to chance” in Spain and his young side, the youngest PSG have ever fielded in the Champions League, ensured that did not happen. A professional night’s work that bodes well for the rest of the campaign.
When is the Champions League quarter-final draw?
The draw for the Champions League quarter-finals and semi-finals takes place on Friday, March 15 at 11am GMT (6am ET).
When do the quarter-final and semi-final games take place?
Quarter-final first legs: April 9-10
Quarter-final second legs: April 16-17
Semi-final first legs: April 30-May 1
Semi-final second legs: May 7-8
What is the state of play in the other last-16 ties?
On Wednesday, Real Madrid host RB Leipzig holding a 1-0 lead over their German opposition. Manchester City also host FC Copenhagen and are 3-1 up already.
Next Tuesday, Porto travel to Arsenal with a 1-0 advantage after their first-leg win in Portugal, while Barcelona welcome Napoli to the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium with that tie level at 1-1.
And next Wednesday, Borussia Dortmund then host PSV with those two sides also having played out a 1-1 draw in the first leg, while Inter Milan travel to Atletico Madrid with a 1-0 advantage.
(Top photo: David Ramos/Getty Images)
USMNT midweek viewing guide: Things are heating up
Pulisic and Musah in Europa League; PSV trio; Trusty vs Arsenal; lots of Concacaf Champions Cup round of 16. By Justin Moran@kickswish Mar 4, 2024, 7:58am PST Stars & Stripes
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Middlesbrough vs Norwich, 2:45p: Josh Sargent and 7th-place Norwich visit Middlesbrough, who are 14th in the Championship.
New England Revolution vs Alajuelense, 6p on ViX: DeJuan Jones, Noel Buck, Esmir Bajraktarevic, and the Revs host Costa Rican club Alajuelense in Concacaf Champions Cup.
Chivas vs América, 10p on FS2, FuboTV, Sling: A rare Liga MX showdown with USMNT players on both sides, as Cade Cowell and Chivas host Alejandro Zendejas and América in Concacaf Champions Cup. With 10 games played in the Liga MX season, América are 4th and Chivas 9th.
Also in action:
Cardiff vs Huddersfield, 2:45p: Ethan Horvath and Cardiff (11th) host Huddersfield (21st) in the Championship.
Houston Dynamo vs Columbus Crew, 8p on FS2, FuboTV, Sling, ViX: Aidan Morris, Patrick Schulte (Concacaf Champions Cup round of 16)
Thursday
AC Milan vs Slavia Prague, 3p on Paramount+, CBS Sports Network, TUDN USA, FuboTV (free trial), ViX: Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, and Milan host Slavia Prague in the Europa League round of 16.
FC Cincinnati vs Monterrey, 7p: Brandon Vázquez and Rayados travel to Cincinnati to play in Concacaf Champions Cup, where Vázquez scored 43 goals over the past four seasons. His homecoming will pit him against Miles Robinson, Lucho Acosta, Matt Miazga, and Roman Celentano.
Nashville SC vs Inter Miami, 9p on TUDN USA, FuboTV: Walker Zimmerman, Shaq Moore, Tyler Boyd, and Nashville will look to contain Lionel Messi and American sidekicks Drake Callender, Julian Gressel, Noah Allen, and DeAndre Yedlin as Inter Miami come into town for Concacaf Champions Cup.
Friday
Go Ahead Eagles vs PSV, 2p on ESPN+ (free trial): Sergiño Dest, Malik Tillman, Ricardo Pepi, and first-place PSV visit Go Ahead Eagles, who are 6th in the Eredivisie.
Also in action:
Braunschweig vs Hansa Rostock, 12:30p: It’s a 2. Bundesliga relegation battle as Johan Gómez and Braunschweig (16th of 18) host Hansa Rostock (17th).
Roda JC vs ADO Den Haag, 2p: Justin Che and 3rd-place Den Haag are looking for promotion to the Eredivisie, and they face challenger Roda JC, who are second, one point ahead of them.
VfB Stuttgart vs Union Berlin, 2:30p on ESPN+: Brenden Aaronson and 14th-place Union visit Stuttgart, who are third in the Bundesliga (4 points behind Bayern for second).
Mechelen vs Westerlo, 2:45p: Bryan Reynolds, Griffin Yow, and 11th-place Westerlo visit Mechelen, who are 8th in Belgium’s top tier.
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Adams was mobbed after his goal (Darren Carroll/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)
Reyna was named player of the tournament (Darren Carroll/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)
The U.S. was able to limit Mexico’s chances throughout the final (Shaun Clark/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
Adams celebrates his long-range goal (Omar Vega/Getty Images)
Ukraine’s players address the crowd (Sergei Gapon/AFP via Getty Images)
English-born drummer Andriy Buniak (bottom) of Ukrainian folk band Cov Kozaks with Andrew Todos (third right) and Myron Huzan (right) (Jordan Campbell/The Athletic)
Vasylkov helped then manager Shevchenko in the Ukraine setup (Jordan Campbell/The Athletic)
Zinchenko applauds the fans after Ukraine’s win (Andrzej Iwanczuk/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Ukrainian fans celebrate qualification (Andrzej Iwanczuk/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Artem Genne and a friend hold up their flag signed by Ukrainian soldiers (Jordan Campbell/The Athletic)
Aron, Natan and Roman Lanunski travelled to Wroclaw from Berlin (Jordan Campbell/The Athletic)
Fedir (centre) and Serhii (right) in Wroclaw’s market square (Jordan Campbell/The Athletic)
Vitaliy (left) with his family outside the stadium (Jordan Campbell/The Athletic)
Berhalter made numerous adjustments in the second half (Stephen Nadler/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)
Haji Wright scored both of the United States’ extra-time goals (Shaun Clark/Getty Images)
(Broer van den Boom/BSR Agency/Getty Images)
(Howard Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)
(James Gill/Getty Images)
(DAX Images/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Adams last saw Premier League action last season with Leeds United (George Wood/Getty Images)
Adams’ last appearance for the U.S. was at the 2022 World Cup (Danielle Parhizkaran/USA TODAY Sports)
Wright celebrates his last-gasp winner (Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
Wright played four times in the World Cup in Qatar (Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Alyssa Naeher made crucial saves against Colombia and Canada. (Photo by Carmen Mandato, Getty Images)Even if that evaluation rested solely on Naeher’s contributions to the 
Mexico shocked the USWNT, winning the final group stage game. (Photo by Jessica Alcheh, USA TODAY Sports)
Brazil dominated the group stage and cruised to the final. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez, USA TODAY Sports)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73198756/2018746248.0.jpg)
Smith’s goal in extra time looked like it would be the winner (Photo: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports)
(Ray Acevedo-USA TODAY Sports)
(Ray Acevedo-USA TODAY Sports)
(Ray Acevedo-USA TODAY Sports)
(Carmen Mandato/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)
Harry Kane now has 33 goals in 33 matches for Bayern Munich this season (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73181142/2048490509.0.jpg)
The Ole BallCoach 