Indy 11 Advance in US Open Cup, Host Phoenix Sat @ Home
Indy Eleven is on to the Quarterfinals of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup for the first time in club history after a 3-0 defeat of USL Championship rival Detroit City FC on Wednesday night at Carroll Stadium they will travel to face Atlanta United July 9 or 10. The 11 return home this Sat at 7 pm @ the Mike vs Phoenix for Racing Indy Night. *Eleventh Anniversary Ticket Special Available While Supplies Last – Tickets Start At $5.25 (Offer valid online only.) or watch on CBS Sports Galazo Network.
Roster Set for US Men’s Friendlies
U.S. Soccer announced the 27-man roster for the United States Men’s National Team ahead of two friendlies to prepare for Copa América. The team will report to Washington, DC on May 28th. The roster will come together for friendlies against Colombia on June 8th in the DC area and on June 12th against Brazil in Orlando. For the most part, it will be the pool that USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter selects the final roster for Copa América, which is due June 15th. The final Copa América roster must be a minimum of 23 players but can have up to 26 players.
GOALKEEPERS (3): Ethan Horvath (Cardiff City), Sean Johnson (Toronto FC), Matt Turner (Nottingham Forest)
DEFENDERS (9): Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic FC), Kristoffer Lund (Palermo), Mark McKenzie (Genk), Shaq Moore (Nashville SC), Tim Ream (Fulham FC), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Antonee Robinson (Fulham FC), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Tyler Adams (Bournemouth), Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis), Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Yunus Musah (AC Milan), Gio Reyna (Nottingham Forest), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven), Timmy Tillman (LAFC)
FORWARDS (7): Brenden Aaronson (Union Berlin), Folarin Balogun (Monaco), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Josh Sargent (Norwich City), Tim Weah (Juventus), Haji Wright (Coventry City)
Roster for US Women’s Friendlies
The United States Women’s National Team has a roster for Emma Hayes’ first matches in charge. Today, U.S. Soccer announced the 23-player roster for two friendlies against South Korea on June 1st in Colorado and June 4th in Minnesota.
GOALKEEPERS (3): Jane Campbell (Houston Dash), Aubrey Kingsbury (Washington Spirit), Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage)
DEFENDERS (7): Tierna Davidson (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Emily Fox (Arsenal FC, ENG), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave FC), Casey Krueger (Washington Spirit), Jenna Nighswonger (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Emily Sonnett (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Sam Staab (Chicago Red Stars)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Korbin Albert (Paris Saint-Germain), Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns FC), Hal Hershfelt (Washington Spirit), Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyon), Rose Lavelle (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Lily Yohannes (Ajax)
FORWARDS (7): Crystal Dunn (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Catarina Macario (Chelsea FC), Alex Morgan (San Diego Wave FC), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), Jaedyn Shaw (San Diego Wave FC), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns FC), Mallory Swanson (Chicago Red Stars)
TRAINING ROSTER (3): Croix Bethune (Washington Spirit), Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns), Kate Wiesner (Washington Spirit)
2024/2025 Tryout and Evaluation Information
Carmel FC will be hosting tryouts for new and existing players on the following dates:
- Tuesday, June 4th @ Badger Soccer Complex (46033) @ 5:00PM – 7:00PM → Age groups: 8U, 9U & 10U (2018/2017, 2016, 2015)
- Monday, June 10th @ Badger Soccer Complex (46033) @ 5:00PM – 7:00PM → Age groups: 11U and above (2014+)
For registration: https://system.gotsport.com/programs/1360T6715?reg_role=player
Games on TV
Fri 5/24
8 pm Amazon Prime Bay FC vs NY/NJ Gothem (Williams, Mewis) NWSL
Sat, May 25
10 am ESPN+ FA Cup Final Man City vs Man United
12 para+ Juventus (Mckinney, Weah) vs Monza
2 pm ESPNU Kaiserslautern vs Bayer Leverkusen German Cup
2:45 pm Para+ AC Milan (Pulisic, Musah) vs Salernitana
3 pm ESPN Des, ESPN+ Real Madrid vs Real Betis
7 pm CBS Galazo Indy 11 vs Phoenix Rising @ the Mike
8:30 pm ESPN+ Memphis 901 vs Pittsburgh (Eric Dick GK)
10 pm Ion Utah Royals vs KC Current NWSL
Sun, May 26 Final Day Spain/Italy
9 am ESPN+ Getafe vs Mallorca
12 Para+ Atalanta vs Torino
12 CBSSN Napoli vs Lecce
3 pm ESPN Des, + Sevilla vs Barcelona
1 pm CBS Houston Dash (Campbell) vs KC Current NWSL
Wed, 5/29
730 pm CBS Galazo Louisville City vs Detriot City USL
10:45 pm FS1 LAFC vs Minn United
Sat, June 1
3 pm CBS Champ League Final Real Madrid vs Dortmund
5 pm TBS US Women vs Korea
7 pm ESPN+ Pittsburgh (Eric Dick) vs Indy 11
10 pm ESPN+ Sacramento vs Tampa Bay Rowdies (Jordan Farr GK)
Sat, June 1
3 pm CBS Champ League Final Real Madrid vs Dortmund
5 pm TBS US Women vs Korea
Tues, June 4
8 pm Tru TV, Max, PC US Women vs Korea
Sat, June 8
5:30 pm TNT, Tele US Men vs Colombia
Tues, June 11
8 pm ??? US Men U23 Olympic Team vs Japan
Wed, June 12
7 pm TNT, Tele US Men vs Brazil
Fri, June 14 Euro 2024 Begins
3 pm Fox Germany vs Scotland
Sat, June 15
9 am Hungary vs Switzerland
12 pm Fox Spain vs Croatia
3 pm Fox Italy vs Alabania
Sun, June 16
9 am FS1 Poland vs Netherlands
12 noon FS1 Slovenia vs Denmark
3 pm Fox Serbia vs England
Thur, June 20 COPA America Starts
8 pm Fox Argentina vs Canada COPA
Sat, June 22
6 pm Fox Ecuador vs Venezuela
9 pm Fox Mexico vs Jamaica COPA
Sun, June 23
6 pm Fox, Univision USMNT vs Bolivia COPA America
9 pm FS1 Uruguay vs Panama COPA
Thur, June 27
6 pm Fox USMNT vs Panama COPA
Mon, July 1
9 pm Fox, Univision USMNT vs Uraguay
Sat July 13
3 pm TNT, Tele US Women vs Mexico
Tues, July 16
7:30 pm TNT, Universo US Women vs Costa Rica
July 24 starts US U23 Men & US Women In Olympics
(American’s in Parenthesis)
How to Watch Indy Eleven USL Championship Action
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(Photo: Brad Smith/Getty Images for USSF)
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US Men
Sargent returns for USMNT’s pre-Copa tuneups Jeff Kassouf
Berhalter names 27 players for USMNT pre Copa Training camp
Jesse Marsch named Canada Men’s National Team head coach
Marsch: Wasn’t treated well in USMNT coach hunt ESPN
US Women
USWNT coach Emma Hayes arrives in America with her work cut out ahead of Paris Olympics
Emma Hayes aims to replicate her Chelsea success with U.S. women’s soccer
What USWNT fans can learn from Hayes’ final season at Chelsea
Exclusive with USWNT coach Emma Hayes: ‘I’m ready for the adventure of a lifetime’ David Hirshey & Roger Director, special to ESPN
Who is the best young player in the NWSL? Ranking every player 19 and younger Jeff Kassouf
Indy 11
2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinals to Stream on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Recap – IND 3:0 DET
Stanley Named to USL Championship Team of the Week
USL W League Recap – IND 10:0 STC
USL W League Recap – IND 3:3 KHR
USL W League Recap LOU 1:3 IND
World
Leverkusen completes historic unbeaten season
Beaten Leverkusen hope to ‘find themselves’ in German Cup final
Three La Liga talking points ahead of final weekend
Pink slip: Copa coaches get 6th sub for concussion
EPL
How important is FA Cup final for Ten Hag’s future?
FA Cup final preview: Man City v. Man United
Pochettino’s Chelsea exit sealed over ‘last supper’
Why Pochettino left Chelsea, and what it reveals about the club
Source: Bayern close to Kompany agreement Rob Dawson
Why do Bayern Munich want Vincent Kompany? The relegated manager might make more sense than you think
Goalkeeping
The Effort Every Goalkeeper would like in front of him
Reffing
PK Hits the Post – You Make the Call
Yellow / Red or nothing – You Make the Call
Lucas Paqueta: West Ham midfielder charged over four allegations he got deliberate yellow cards
Boys in Blue move on to U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinals against Atlanta United
INDIANAPOLIS (Wednesday, May 22, 2024) – Indy Eleven is on to the Quarterfinals of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup for the first time in club history after a 3-0 defeat of USL Championship rival Detroit City FC on Wednesday night at Carroll Stadium.Indy Eleven opened the scoring by way of a Detroit City own goal off a Benjamin Ofeimu cross from the right side. The Boys in Blue have scored their first goal in the 14th minute or earlier in each of their three U.S. Open Cup matches this season (CHI 4’, SA 2’).
The home team would tack on two more in the first half with Douglas Martinez finding Augi Williams (33’) for the tally and Aedan Stanley connecting on a corner to Ofeimu (36’). Williams now has a pair of Open Cup goals for Indy this season, while Stanley has a team-best two assists.
Indy Eleven continues the streak and is unbeaten in its last eight matches, dating back to the Third Round win over Chicago Fire FC II on April 17. The Boys in Blue also become the second Indiana club in the history of the tournament to reach the Quarterfinals (Indianapolis Inferno 1992).
The Boys in Blue will play out of the East Division in the Quarterfinals on the road against Atlanta United (MLS) July 9 or 10.
2024
Third Round | April 17, 2024 | Chicago Fire FC II (MLS NEXT Pro) 0:1 Indy Eleven (USLC)
Round of 32 | May 8, 2024 | Indy Eleven 2:0 San Antonio FC (USLC)
Round of 16 | May 22, 2024 | Indy Eleven (USLC) 3:0 Detroit City FC (USLC)
Remaining U.S. Open Cup Schedule
Quarterfinal | Tuesday, July 9 – Wednesday, July 10
Semifinal | Tuesday, Aug. 27 – Wednesday, Aug. 28
Final | Wednesday, Sept. 25
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup | Round of 32
Indy Eleven 3:0 Detroit City FC
Wednesday, May 22, 2024 – 7 p.m. ET
Carroll Stadium | Indianapolis
Scoring Summary
IND – Own Goal 14’
IND – Augi Williams (Douglas Martinez) 33’
IND – Ben Ofeimu (Aedan Stanley) 36’
Discipline Summary
IND – Ben Ofeimu (caution) 7’
DET – Devon Amoo-Mensah (caution) 61’
IND – Jack Blake (caution) 65’
IND – Max Schneider (caution) 90+1’
Ian Darke’s Premier League team-by-team season grades
Ian Darke, ESPN.com writerMay 21, 2024, 01:00 PM ET
Manchester City and manager Pep Guardiola are insatiable. Six out of the last seven Premier League titles, including an unprecedented four in succession, and you know that by August, they will be hungry for more. How does Pep do it? Not even he can explain it.But City did not have things all their own way in what was a thrilling season featuring a record number of goals. So how did your team rate? Here are my end-of-season grades.
MANCHESTER CITY
First place, 91 points
Manchester City can lay claim to being the greatest Premier League team ever after winning four in a row.
EDITOR’S PICKS
- Assessing Man City’s four-peat, Liverpool’s goodbye to Klopp, more: Marcotti recaps the weekend Gabriele Marcotti
- Small margins: The story of Arsenal’s season, and where they can still improve4dJames Olley
- Here’s how Liverpool arrived at Arne Slot as the choice to replace Jurgen Klopp4dRyan O’Hanlon
Erling Haaland won the Golden Boot again despite missing two months with injury, Phil Foden was Footballer of the Year, and Rodri has gone 50 league matches unbeaten. But the clincher in City’s faultless final stretch was the return to fitness of pass-master Kevin De Bruyne.
City are in line for more history on Saturday if they defeat Manchester United and complete a league and FA Cup double. However, the 115 financial charges issued to the club by the Premier League in February 2023 remain as the elephant in the room. GRADE: A
ARSENAL
Second place, 89 points
A magnificent effort to total 89 points — their best since Arsene Wenger’s “Invincibles” 20 years ago. Declan Rice‘s signing from West Ham United was inspired, and Kai Havertz silenced his doubters. However, not even a run of six straight wins at the end of the season was quite enough. GRADE: A-
LIVERPOOL
Third place, 82 points
The bombshell news on Jan. 26 that Jurgen Klopp would be leaving at the end of the season came with Liverpool five points clear at the top of the table. But while winning the League Cup and always looking dangerous in attack, the Reds’ defending was often less convincing. Despite an initial boost in form following Klopp’s announcement, Liverpool seemed to run out of stream in costly defeats by Crystal Palace and Everton. GRADE: B+
How Slot can use Ten Hag’s struggles to adapt to the Premier League
Mario Melchiot shares his advice for Arne Slot ahead of his first season in the Premier League as Liverpool manager.
ASTON VILLA
Fourth place, 68 points
Aston Villa will be deliriously happy at a top-four finish and a place in next season’s UEFA Champions League. Unai Emery’s team was lethal at times at Villa Park, with Ollie Watkins developing into an elite striker with 19 goals and 13 assists. The Villans were less convincing on the road, however, and the 6-2 aggregate loss to Olympiacos in the Europa Conference League semifinals was a reality check. GRADE: A-
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
Fifth place, 66 points
Fifth place in a first year without Harry Kane, the team’s talisman who left for Bayern Munich, was no calamity, but disappointing in the context of their early-season charge to the top with 26 points from the first 10 games. Manager Ange Postecoglou’s adventurous and attractive style of play made him an instant hit with supporters, but the apparent absence of a Plan B means the honeymoon is probably over. GRADE: B-
CHELSEA
Sixth place, 63 points
Assessing Man United’s worst-ever Premier League finish
The ESPN FC Live team grade a Premier League season to forget for Manchester United, who finish way outside a Champions League spot in eighth.
Mauricio Pochettino’s departure by “mutual consent” comes as a big surprise after the club’s excellent finish to the season. It looked like he had found a winning blend after months of erratic form, but his exit — apparently amicable — suggests either he and owner Todd Boehly see the future rather differently. Or Pochettino has other plans. GRADE: B-
NEWCASTLE UNITED
Seventh place, 60 points
Eddie Howe’s side finished strongly to claim seventh place, but they need Man City to win the FA Cup on Saturday in order to clinch a European place. A long injury list and a less-than-watertight defence away from home meant the Magpies could never hit last season’s heights despite 21 goals from Alexander Isak, third-top scorer in the league. GRADE: C+
MANCHESTER UNITED
Eighth place, 60 points
It was Manchester United’s worst finish of the Premier League era, and as a result, the Red Devils will need to beat Man City in the FA Cup Final to salvage a berth in continental competition next season. Injuries in defence certainly played a role in the team’s lackluster performances, but United lacked shape or identity with opponents storming through a vacant midfield. Head coach Erik ten Hag will do well to survive the winds of change sent blowing through Old Trafford by new minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe. GRADE: F
Pickford: Everton kept fighting as a team after the points deductions
Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford explains how his team kept a positive attitude even after getting hit with a points deduction from the Premier League.
WEST HAM UNITED
Ninth place, 52 points
Eye-catching wins as at Arsenal and Spurs coupled with fearful beatings in four other London derbies meant this was a topsy-turvy season for West Ham. Manager David Moyes leaves memories of some great European nights and lofty finishes in the league. But despite the menace of Mohammed Kudus, Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta, the Hammers’ form was patchy, with no clean sheets since Jan. 2. GRADE: C+
CRYSTAL PALACE
10th place, 49 points
New boss Oliver Glasner inspired an electric finish to the season, guiding Palace to six wins in their final seven games to sneak into the top half of the table. The Eagles were a different side after gifted duo Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise finally got fit and firing, while Jean-Philippe Mateta was a revelation with 16 goals. Can they keep these stars together at Selhurst Park for another go next season? Given the interest from bigger clubs, it will be a challenge. GRADE: B+
BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION
11th place, 48 points
Roberto De Zerbi’s reign ended with one win in his final 10 games. Injuries did not help, but there is no hiding from the fact that a talented team regressed this season — having finished sixth in 2022-23 — and the restless De Zerbi tinkered too much with his starting XI, which ultimately cost them. GRADE: C-
AFC BOURNEMOUTH
12th place, 48 points
A triumph for Spanish tactician Andoni Iraola in his debut season, especially after a poor start that had observers wondering if the Cherries had made a mistake bringing him in to replace Gary O’Neil. Pleasing football, 48 points, a comfortable midtable finish and 19 goals for Dominic Solanke. GRADE: B+
FULHAM
13th place, 47 points
You feared for them after losing top scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic to the Saudi Pro League but, despite fading into 13th place, Marco Silva’s team was never in trouble. The emergence of Rodrigo Muniz to fill the boots of Mitrovic was important. Some top displays included a 2-1 win at Arsenal.
Overall, there will be no complaints at Craven Cottage. GRADE: B
WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS
14th place, 46 points
One of the few teams to beat Manchester City, Wolves might have finished higher in the table if the speedy Pedro Neto played more often alongside Hwang Hee-Chan and Matheus Cunha. Manager Gary O’Neil kept them well clear of the relegation zone, but one win from the last nine games rather spoiled the upbeat mood. GRADE: C+
EVERTON
15th place, 40 points
Three home wins in a week — including a terrific display in the Merseyside derby — clinched the Toffees’ survival in the Premier League. That was quite an achievement for Everton boss Sean Dyche in the face of a points deduction after an independent commission found the club had breached Profit and Sustainability Rules, a dearth of goals, and ongoing doubts about Everton’s alleged takeover. The blue half of Liverpool desperately needs some calmer times. GRADE: B-
BRENTFORD
16th place, 39 points
You know Brentford and their supporters are happy the club stayed up after a difficult season blighted by a long injury list and the suspension that ruled out top striker Ivan Toney until January. He will likely move to another club during the summer transfer window, giving likeable manager Thomas Frank a chance to refresh his squad. GRADE: C
NOTTINGHAM FOREST
17th place, 32 points
One stat above all others sums up Forest’s struggles: They kept only one clean sheet in the last six months of the season. But they kept their heads just above the relegation zone thanks to a trifecta of attacking talent, Chris Wood, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Morgan Gibbs-White. They were just enough to compensate for a bloated squad, VAR rows, and a change of manager from Steve Cooper to Nuno Espirito Santo. GRADE: C-
LUTON TOWN
18th place, 26 points
A fairytale with an unhappy ending as the Hatters return to the English Championship. Head coach Rob Edwards and his team won lots of friends, but not enough points, and ran out of road with only one win after January. GRADE: C
BURNLEY
19th place, 24 points
Teams like to copy Pep Guardiola’s tactic of playing out of the defense, but it isn’t easy — unless you have City’s caliber of players — which is exactly what Burnley discovered this season. Indeed, it all looked a little naive from manager Vincent Kompany and his players. After winning the Championship at a canter in 2022-23, the Clarets were expected to do better but went straight back down. GRADE: D
SHEFFIELD UNITED
20th place, 16 points
A shadow of the team who were promoted, Sheffield United conceded a whopping 104 goals this season. One of the weakest teams in Premier League history, the Blades need a major reset. GRADE: F
USMNT roster questions: How to replace Dest and who will make Copa America cut?
By Paul Tenorio and Tom Bogert
May 21, 2024
Yesterday, we took your questions right after the USMNT squad was announced for the training camp and friendlies that will precede the 2024 Copa America. The squad contains 27 players and the final group of 26 that will play in the Copa America will likely come from this list.Nturally, you all had questions. We tried our best to answer them based on what we’ve reported about this team over the years. Here are some of the bits from that session.
In case you missed it…
- The USMNT training camp squad
- How Americans abroad are doing
- Sargent in doubt for Copa America with ankle injury
Quintin R. asked: What is the reasoning for calling 27 into camp? Expecting injury or someone not to be fully fit come June 23? Seems odd to leave one guy at home.
Paul Tenorio: My guess is that it’s about getting a closer look at Tillman considering the central midfield depth chart is stacked for the Olympics, too. Plus it provides some insurance as the U.S. evaluates the health and availability of Tyler Adams and Josh Sargent.
“Timmy made a good impression on us in January,” Berhalter told us earlier today. “When we’re looking at this roster versus the Olympic roster, there are some other guys that were in contention as well, but we felt like the balance of it would be better to keep them with the Olympic group and move Timmy to the senior team,”
Adam F. asked: Why is Shaq Moore on this roster?
Paul Tenorio: Bryan Reynolds is going to be on the Olympic squad and Berhalter said that of the right back options, he valued Moore’s ability to defend in one-on-one situations.
“We know he’s getting back to his form right now,” Berhalter said. “He has been out for a while, but he’s been able to get on the field now and get some more minutes and he’s a guy when we were looking at our matchups this summer, a lot of these wingers are very good one-v-one and we think that’s a strength of his, so there’s something we took into consideration.”
Berhalter also said they are looking at Weah, McKennie, Musah and center backs as potential right back depth options.
Who replaces Sergiño Dest for the USMNT?
Henry K asked: Could we potentially see Pulisic slide over to the right wing position and have Weah stand in as a right back to replace Dest?
Tom Bogert: It definitely feels like a possibility, right? It’ll probably depend on the matchup, but it seems like an option.
It’s worth noting that Christian Pulisic played the majority of his minutes on the right for AC Milan this year and was excellent. Obviously, he has different responsibilities with the national team (and he’ll be playing in a different system,) but he’d be plenty comfortable on that side.
The most ultra-attacking lineup from this roster has Weah at right back, Pulisic right wing, Gio Reyna at the No 10 and Wright at left wing.
Pulisic has played well at right wing for AC Milan this season (Getty Images)
Paul Tenorio: Berhalter said one of the main tasks of the training camp ahead of the Copa America is figuring out what they want to do at right back.
“Obviously with Sergiño going down, we have to figure out the right back situation and there’s a couple of different options we can look at,” Berhalter said. “We have like-for-like with Joe Scally and Shaq Moore. We have a winger that can play there with Timothy Weah, who’s played that for his club. We have center midfielders who can play there with Weston and Yunus, and then we have center backs that we’re looking at, can they play there? So, we just wanted the ability in this training camp to have options, to have flexibility. Some of it may revolve around a back three. But the first objective is to see how we’re going to fill that right back position because we know we’re going to be missing Sergiño.”
Austen B. asks: Out of attacking, midfield, and defense, where is the USMNT most likely to challenge the contenders and mostly likely to struggle? I know the USMNT has not had great success scoring against top competition (at least in the World Cup), yet to me their midfield and attacking was still a “strength” in that they have been able to keep possession and put pressure on opponents, whereas the defense seems to lack lock down defenders and at times show lapses against dangerous attacks.
Paul Tenorio: I think yours is a fair assessment. The area where the U.S. has been best against top opponents is in midfield. MMA was the clear winner at the World Cup in its ability to match up against England, especially. The U.S. was quite dangerous at times in transition, they got into the right spaces, but the final pass (and sometimes the pass before the pass) was lacking. I’m thinking of against Wales specifically and I wrote about it then.
Re-watching USMNT vs. Wales reveals a better performance than initially thought
Can the U.S. be more dangerous in the Copa America? Can they be more deadly with chances in the final third? We’ll see. And I definitely have concerns with defending on the right side of this lineup.
Seth R. asks: Does this roster give you any hints as to what overage players will be selected for the Olympics squad?
Paul Tenorio: I think it gives hints not just at overage players, but also some of the younger players who could play a role.
Berhalter mentioned Kevin Paredes, Aidan Morris and Bryan Reynolds as players who they see as getting more minutes at the Olympics than they would here. I think all three would have probably made this team if there was no Olympic tournament.
Overage players I think are under consideration: Zimmerman, Auston Trusty and Brandon Vazquez, among others.
Zendejas has played well for Club America but misses out on the USMNT roster (Alfredo Moya/Jam Media/Getty Images)
Collin J. asks: With Alejandro Zendejas playing well for Club America, why is he off the roster while a struggling Brenden Aaronson is on it?
Tom Bogert: It’s definitely a tough omission for Zendejas and probably disheartening on a personal level — what more could he have done? Zendejas has 14 goals and eight assists in 3,176 minutes this season for Club America and will play in the Clausura final.
Unfortunately for him, the winger position is loaded and now has a new, versatile entrant in Haji Wright (who had spent his time with USMNT at the No 9 before excelling at left wing with Coventry this year).
It’s tough for Zendejas that, if he had stuck to his original international allegiance with Mexico, he might have been a starter at the Copa America for them rather than fighting to make the U.S. roster.
Jody R. asks: If both Adams and Sargent are unable to go, who do you think the next man up would be? Pefok?
Paul Tenorio: If Sargent can’t go, I doubt there’d be a like-for-like sub there. You’d probably just roll with Pepi-Balogun-Wright as your No 9 options and carry an extra midfielder or add a winger.
I think if Adams goes down, there is probably just a plan to keep Tillman on the squad as a midfielder who can provide depth at several spots.
Dest, Tillman and Pepi: The USMNT trio who became league champions at PSV
Adam T. asked: Why is Gregg Berhalter obsessed with MLS players?
Paul Tenorio: There are four MLS players on the 27-man roster, one of which I would expect not to make the Copa roster (Tillman), the other of which is an injury replacement for the injured Sergiño Dest (Shaq Moore) and probably would not have been on the squad if not for the Olympics taking a Euro-based right back (Bryan Reynolds), the third of which is the third goalkeeper.
Miles Robinson is basically the top MLS player on this squad and judging him off the league he plays in probably is more of a you problem than a Berhalter problem.
Harry P asks: Any insight into (reigning MLS MVP) Luciano Acosta potentially switching allegiances and joining the USMNT?
Tom Bogert: Acosta remains in the process of becoming a United States citizen (and thus eligible to represent the USMNT), but it’s taking a bit longer than they hoped because when Lucho left the D.C. United to sign with Atlas, he left the country and would not have qualified as a resident at that time. Acosta has argued he couldn’t come back because of COVID-19 (Lucho signed with Atlas in December 2019), but the government didn’t see it that way. TBD on timing, but this is definitely still in the works.
ADVERTISEMENT
One key reason Acosta is getting citizenship is the hope to play for the USMNT.
“Obviously (I would accept a USMNT call-up), if it came,” Acosta told us last year when we revealed he was in the citizenship process. “It’s one reason I started the process.”
(Top photo: Stephen Nadler/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)
USWNT head coach Emma Hayes talks Olympic roster preparations and the role of NWSL
By Meg Linehan7h ago
On Wednesday, U.S. women’s national team head coach Emma Hayes arrived at Newark airport just outside New York City following a fifth-consecutive successful title run with Chelsea in the Women’s Super League. She was only in New York — a place she considers home, previously spending seven years in the U.S. developing as a young coach — for a short time.“I’m lucky to be born in England, but made in America,” Hayes said on Thursday to the Today Show.On Tuesday, she named the roster for her first USWNT camp, causing some excitement by listing Crystal Dunn as a forward. She’ll have two chances to stand on the U.S. sideline next month with a set of friendlies against South Korea in Denver and Saint Paul.“I want to focus on the performance. I want to get to know the players. I want to make sure that, in the limited time we have together, we make the most of it,” she said from a tall stool inside Studio A at Rockefeller Center. “And for me, pressure is a huge privilege.”By Thursday morning, Hayes was making the rounds with American media, confident as she sat for half a dozen television interviews before settling in front of a round table of USWNT coverage regulars.Hayes spoke for nearly an hour with three things becoming clear: the transition process has been slowly happening since November, she sees NWSL and USL Super League as crucial parts of the USWNT’s development, and nothing is set in stone — especially not the Olympic roster.
Easing into the role
“Everything, to be honest,” Hayes said when detailing what U.S. interim head coach Twila Kilgore shared with her during the transition process. She rattled off a list of lessons from the 2023 World Cup, team personnel, and the collective bargaining agreement with the USWNT Players Association. “Culture, traditions, I want to maintain and uphold the right things.”Hayes’ conversation with Kilgore also touched on the games the USWNT has played so far this year and the finer details like the timeline of a roster selection process.“We’ve been on many long calls late at night,” she said, referencing the time difference between the U.S. and England. “Certainly been to bed quite late in the last few months, but she’s been a humongous help.“I feel like I’ve been able to quietly get to know the job without being in the job, and I think that’s really helped every little detail, whether it’s processes on game day to how they operate in the hotel to which kit they wear. When I go into camp, I know all of these things.”Her brief trip to the U.S. last November helped too, and most of the time between now and the Olympics has already been planned thanks to Kilgore’s information and what Hayes saw firsthand.“All the May camp preparation is done, all the sessions are planned,” she said. “All of the June schedule is planned out in terms of our meetings, our meeting points. July is planned. Everybody is clear on what’s going on — now it’s about getting the players.”
The American women’s soccer ecosystem
Before taking the USWNT gig, Hayes had provided an outside assessment of the team’s 2023 World Cup performance in a column, focusing primarily on player development and the fact that the team was “massively short of creative talent.” Asked if she would continue to be critical of the program, Hayes expressed that she, like any coach, wants more for the team and federation.
“That’s clear for everyone to see,” she said, gesturing widely. “I don’t always view that as a negative thing. Sometimes you need something like that in life to serve as a reminder if you don’t grow. I always say all the time, what got you here won’t get you there. It’s an opportunity now to evolve.”Hayes said the focus needs to be on improving day in and day out, which isn’t limited to U.S. Soccer.“We need our league, the NWSL, to be hugely competitive. We need the USL (Super League) for lots of reasons, a development pathway for players that don’t necessarily make the NWSL to come in and to be given a place to play,” she said. “That in itself will create competition. Competition is healthy.”That synergy was apparent Thursday as Hayes’ media availability took place at NWSL’s offices. (The league made sure she had access to NWSL+, the league’s streaming platform.) While she watches and will continue to games across the league, it’s a feat she admitted she can’t do on her own.“Across the breadth and depth of this country, that cannot be covered solely by me,” she said. “There will be a coaching and analytics team that will be scattered across the country.”Hayes added that she has seen a noticeable tactical improvement across the league this season.“We have to compete with what’s going on in Europe, and I see lots of good developments in the (NWSL). I’ve seen good international players come into the league. All of these things have to happen in order for the U.S. team to compete at the top level,” Hayes said. “My job is to make sure that I work together with all of those stakeholders so that together, we have got the experience of what’s been done in Europe to be able to say look, we have to drive to the next space.”
Assessing all options, including forward Crystal Dunn
Hayes spoke about the roster for her first camp but did not touch on too many individual players that did or did not make the cut. Crystal Dunn’s name came up a couple of times, however, thanks to the fact that Dunn is joining the forward pool in Colorado and Minnesota.
“I don’t publish the order,” Hayes said, smiling. “I had nothing to do that with.” She paused, holding the joke as long as she could before finishing, “I’m being cheeky.”
Hayes coached Dunn at Chelsea during the 2017-2018 season, but she said she’s seen the conversations about Dunn’s position over the years as well. Hayes knows how important it is for Dunn to “find a home” on the field.“For me, it’s less about, ‘Is she going to play in that position?’” Hayes said. “I would like to see her a little bit further forward this time around knowing I already know what she can do at left back.”
Dunn isn’t the only player Hayes is evaluating. She said the 18-player roster for the Olympics is not decided, and what she sees in camp will take her a step closer to knowing that final list. It’s part of why she didn’t want to comment on any individual player.
“I have to analyze players and analyze which players are closest to making that roster,” Hayes said. “I need to see it, feel it, be around it to get a sense of the tactical understanding of everyone — see where everybody is at.”
Hayes will focus on the process and the performance. She’s learned to focus on that over her years of coaching. She’s less worried about where a team is today; it’s where a team is at the end that counts.
“Are the USA at their best possible position today?” She rhetorically asked the group of reporters. “No, but it’s about where we finish when we need to that matters to me. So I want to focus on that instead of where we are in the world rankings, where we are in comparison to Spain”
Even though she’s been watching the team from a distance since she got the job in November, the time with players in June will show her how much of a gap between the team today and the team at the Olympics can be closed. She wants to be realistic about it.“I’ve come from a club level and what I have learned is the best development is done at club level,” she said addressing prospective USWNT players via the reporters in the room. “So go back to your clubs, play, compete, get healthy, and put yourself in the best possible place.(Photo: USSF/Getty Images for USSF)
Emma Hayes, the long goodbye and the legacy
Katie Whyatt May 19, 2024
It was, after about half an hour, feeling like an office party at a karaoke bar. Chelsea’s travelling support were rolling through all the hits and by the end, Emma Hayes was taking requests. “We want five!” they said. Duly it arrived. “We want Fran!” came the calls, and on went Fran Kirby for her final game in a Chelsea shirt. When she scored Chelsea’s last goal, on 85 minutes, it felt like Chelsea were bending the world to their will. “What’s the score?” the fans asked Hayes repeatedly, and gladly she held up her fingers in immediate reply. It took her a little longer for goal six, probably from the extra effort of taking both hands from her pockets.
Emma Hayes’ side won 6-0 at Old Trafford on the final day of the season (Alex Livesey – The FA via Getty Images)
The only omission from their setlist was a chorus of oles. Had it been against a bigger rival, they might have whipped those out after the second goal arrived inside nine minutes but, as it was, Chelsea were too focused to break off for that kind of interlude.It helps when Manchester United barely showed up, let alone with the energy to gatecrash. Hayes’ leaving party was exactly that, and the force of it all was such that United’s decision to parade their FA Cup trophy at full time to fans unable to travel to last week’s Wembley final felt like witnessing a proposal at somebody else’s wedding. It had all the hallmarks of one: the Hayes kids flinging confetti at each other, Sam Kerr and Erin Cuthbert striking comedy poses in front of the trophy as if in a photo booth.Even Hayes seemed a touch delirious, at one point turning to her bench and mouthing: “Who scored?” and shrugging towards her players during one particularly rampant patch. Certainly, she was taken aback by the ludicrous nature of it all, the ease with which, on its final day, it all fell into place. To emerge from this season with a fifth successive league title is, to put it one way, a bit of a leap in plot terms, given where we were a month ago, and rich with irony given it was her nemesis, Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall, who opened the door for her to write her ending with a 2-1 win over runners-up Manchester City this month, a match that tilted the title race in Chelsea’s favour.
Emma Hayes: Victorious, elated, tired
Still, a sunny stroll was a nice change for Hayes given the pace of the past few months, and how quickly it looked like her final season at Chelsea would fall apart. Hayes had been hoping for a quadruple until losing the Continental Cup to Arsenal in March — the game that ended with her shoving Eidevall at full time in response to the “male aggression” she said he had exhibited on the touchline — and her decision to recite a poem in lieu of an apology at her subsequent press conference seemed to precipitate a wider unravelling and betray a more muddled line of thinking.Within a fortnight, the quadruple had halved to a double after a defeat to Manchester United in the FA Cup. To attend Hayes’ post-match press conference was to see a more guarded, circumspect figure, one visibly wary about saying the wrong thing. In the end, she did: her remarks that “nobody died” and that the goal for the end of the season was for everybody to get out alive did not play well with a fanbase anxious given recent events.These were rare missteps for Hayes, a manager who, if anything, has given the impression over the years of being frustrated by too much good press rather than the reverse (the title of her audiobook, To Kill the Unicorn, is about curing the delusion of the manager as a mythical being who has all the answers). So came the backlash. This season has been the most bruising of Hayes’ career from a PR perspective and the stakes have been so much higher given the number of eyeballs on her since it was announced in November she would take over as manager of the U.S. women’s national team this summer.“Sometimes I wish I was in the old, old days where maybe it was a small press pack,” Hayes said in her final press conference before playing United. “I actually did that early on. You could sit and have little off-the-record conversations, but also share good things. Now, it’s just an exercise of not tripping up. You say too much and get whacked for it. You don’t say enough then it’s just something dull, a repetitive function that we have to serve.”She continued the theme after the match. “If I wasn’t a football manager or had to do a press conference every three days, I’m that person in the social group who sits in the corner. I’m not front and centre in my life. I don’t live like that. So I find some of this job really, really hard because I just want a quiet life. That’s what I’m most looking forward to — being out of the British media, having a different life and being in a situation where I only have to do this and games every six weeks.”Hayes will know it has been a slog for the women’s game to reach this point in the public consciousness. The sport has exploded over the past two years in particular and with the publicity has come scrutiny that Hayes probably felt underprepared for.As the face of the WSL and the sport’s loudest advocate, she has felt it more than most managers. Opposition fans grow weary at the focus on Hayes and Chelsea and the woman at the centre finds being used as a rent-a-quote burdensome, for all she understands the need to keep pushing for more. There is, though, no obvious heir to her role as a mouthpiece for the sport as a whole. Aston Villa’s Carla Ward is taking a career break for similar reasons to Hayes’ desire for a break. City’s Gareth Taylor feels too guarded, United’s Marc Skinner too emotional and Eidevall too explosive on the field. Someone shaping a club to the extent Hayes has feels less likely in the era where women’s teams continue to move in-house. Maybe they won’t make them like her anymore.Not that Hayes could be persuaded to stay. “I categorically cannot carry on,” Hayes said on Saturday. “I don’t have another drop to give, whatever it is. When you deal with people, I have such high standards for myself that maintaining that has become impossible. I can’t keep up with the demands from players on a daily basis in terms of their emotional needs, in terms of everything. I found that to be gruelling this year.”
The moment Chelsea were confirmed as WSL champions (Darren Staples/AFP via Getty Images)
She detailed discussions with Chelsea’s sporting directors over improving player care and performance psychology. For those who want to find something deeper in Hayes’ departure, maybe there is a lesson here: after Chelsea’s 8-0 win over Bristol City on May 5, she had warned that female coaches would continue to leave the game if football did not appreciate their wellbeing. “If you’re a parent, forget about it,” she said. She would love to see a duo of two mothers or co-head coaches. “You have to give up a lot in this job,” she went on. “I don’t wish it on anyone.”In time, maybe the game will reflect that it failed one of its greatest managers; maybe this is just the reality of management, at this point in the WSL’s life. Maybe it just has to be that consuming. Maybe it’s different for women. In any case, the next generation will benefit from Hayes’ wisdom, even if Hayes has been burned out by it all.“Staying on top of emotion is something I’m really good at,” she said at her final press conference. “Sometimes, I really hate that. You have to do that a lot as a manager, which is probably one of the reasons I’m leaving this job. I miss Emma, and feeling like I don’t have to watch every word I say or worry about what my body language looks like in every situation because the camera’s on me.”Her final few weeks at Chelsea engendered a kind of ‘grieving’ among her family members who had taken the club to heart. Often, Hayes declined to talk about it with any finality “because I don’t want to cry because I have to do my job”. She had learned to “kick the emotions in the back of my head” but imagined “sobbing my heart out” at some point on Sunday, once it was all over and after she had hosted a barbeque for her son Harry’s birthday.
That has been the odd dichotomy of Hayes’ tenure: a winning machine but always with the disclaimers — maybe even anchors — that she is human, too. After exiting the Champions League at the hands of Barcelona in April, Hayes’ eyes brimmed with tears; her press officer mouthed: “You OK?” before they plunged into a short press conference where Hayes took only six questions. At the Football Writers’ Association dinner to honour Hayes, she teared up while thanking her late father, Sid, the one who had told her to go out and make the English game into what had been built in the United States. An underappreciated facet of this season is that Hayes has trundled through it all while grieving for her father. The menopause, Hayes has said on more than one occasion, has also presented unique challenges.
“Don’t think I’m not, like, feeling it,” she said after her final game at Kingsmeadow. “Today was really, really hard for me to coach. Really, really hard. There was a lot going on.”
Still, Chelsea did the job that night: fans ordered goals and Chelsea served them like they were waiting tables. Even when Guro Reiten managed a hat-trick on 77 minutes, Hayes was urging Chelsea back to the centre circle to rack up the goals that would put them in control on the final day. As the PA system reminded the crowd when the teams came back from the break that this would be the final 45 minutes at Kingsmeadow for Hayes, Kirby and Maren Mjelde, the evening bubbled with a sense of purpose, the mood music changed entirely after City’s 2-1 defeat by Arsenal in the earlier game.
The win put Chelsea in control of their own destiny, albeit not always convincingly, and half the time it was tricky to work out what Hayes was thinking. She conceded the title live on Sky, flanked by upcoming striker Aggie Beever-Jones, after a 4-3 defeat by Liverpool.
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She insisted later that the interview — which Sky pundit Karen Carney called “weird” — was not an attempt at a mind game. You half-believe Hayes, given the sincerity with which she later insisted she expected City to win, but initially, she conceded it was “the right tactic” for her to “take the pressure off” her own players before City played.
Over the past year, Hayes has pulled so many tricks that looking for the real meaning sometimes felt like untangling a cat’s cradle. At the least, she is adept at spinning situations to Chelsea’s advantage, and maybe all the strangeness served to take the spotlight from the players. She insisted it was her squad who spearheaded the title charge after City’s slip-up, but it’s hard to believe Hayes was truly willing to abandon all hope: “It all came from them. They never gave up that belief… I learned so much from them today. I really did. I learned a lot about the importance of belief.”
Hayes allowed herself some time to rest on Sunday, then will move to her new in-tray. She is exhausted, but the thought of going to an Olympics, she says, is “not tiring” and will re-energise her. She has USWNT player and staff calls on Monday, a call with U.S. leadership teams on Wednesday, a flight to New York and press obligations on Thursday in Denver, a meeting with staff on Friday, and a first meeting with the team on the following Monday.
https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/09jXgYu8smuJLQRuX7GNXQ?utm_source=generator
It is a full-circle moment given the call from Sid that started it all: when out in Atlanta and bowled over by the 1996 and 1999 U.S. teams, he told Hayes to get out there. When she finally does, it will be with the hope of a simpler life, and maybe a team already used to celebrity and fighting culture wars, with players who will be masters of the things that have most jaded Hayes in her final few years in England. Still, Hayes will likely prove unignorable: it is difficult to imagine how she will ever be less box office as long as she is herself.
It’s been equally difficult, over the past few weeks, to try to understand Hayes’ legacy. When she announced her departure, it was easy: an immeasurable impact on a sport and a club. May onwards made for a strange time to quantify it all given the events post-Continental Cup final, and the view among opposition fans that what happened there irreparably damaged her reputation. Hayes is no longer a universally-liked figure. Furthermore, she has never won the Champions League as a head coach, let alone built a European dynasty a la Lyon or Barcelona. To what extent those will exist as asterisks on her roll of honour might only become clear if an English team wins the Champions League in the coming years. Deeming a return to club management “unlikely”, Hayes seemed to pass up on ever doing so.
Emma Hayes: Victorious, elated, tired
You can’t believe it bothers her much. Knowing that she has nothing more to give is in itself closure. Hayes is simply too exhausted to summon regrets and what-ifs. Is she the greatest domestic manager the women’s game has known? Certainly in the WSL era; more broadly, her only rival is Vic Akers, Arsenal’s European Cup-winning manager for whom Hayes was assistant coach, and who pushed the game forward in a similarly visionary way. Hayes endured more scrutiny and greater competition at a more transformative time for the women’s game. It will take a while for anyone to catch up to seven league titles, five FA Cups and two League Cups.
Memory is a slippery thing. In five years, will anyone still read the footnotes at the bottom of title five? That they did it without Sam Kerr, that Arsenal and Stina Blackstenius half won the title for them, that the off-field sideshow threatened to consume it all?
More on Emma Hayes, the incoming USWNT head coach…
- A serial winner and a coach with unfinished business in the U.S.
- Self-preservation, poetry and a manager under the microscope like never before
- Dear Emma… with love, your sisters
This has been a gruelling season for a club beset by injuries and it feels like they’ve made it over the line by constant reinvention and sheer force of will since losing Kerr and her replacement, Mia Fishel, to anterior cruciate ligament injuries at the start of the year. Had Chelsea won the FA Cup this year, it would have been their fourth in a row. That underlines the breadth of their dominance.
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The Manchester United manager, Skinner, mused afterwards that the days of clubs winning five titles in a row are “gone”. He said: “I’ve seen the growth from no teams, not professional, all the way to teams that have had the advantage because they professionalised quicker. In the era when it has been professional, Chelsea still managed to deliver that situation. It leaves a space and hopefully, we can fill that space going forward.”
His point was probably that Hayes’ departure and the relentlessness of her dominance leave the door open for others as Chelsea transition but it seemed muddied by his concession that even in the professional era Chelsea stayed ahead of the pack and found a new edge. That constant reinvention gave the illusion that Hayes and Chelsea could go on forever. Hayes has pulled back the curtain on it all to show a coach and players barely limping over the line, and one not always given to enjoyment.
Still, a video of Hayes and son Harry, in a hotel room, singing about winning five titles in a row did the rounds on Saturday night. As with Hayes, there is always a point, a message. That one: I will enjoy this, and I don’t care what anyone else thinks.
(Top photo: Naomi Baker – The FA via Getty Images)
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