Champions League

Champions League was up and down for the American’s McKinney scored a Wonder goal from midfield to help Juventus carry a 2-1 lead back home over PSV and fellow American. While Pulisic was ineffective in just 55 minutes before being pulled in a 0-1 loss. I’m ticked off that Pulisic was the 1st of the strikers taken off – he’s Milan’s top player and not getting the respect he should by this new manager. Nice to see the CB pairing of Trusty and CVB hold up pretty well in a 2-1 loss at home for Celtic to Bayern. Don’t see them advancing but hope for another good showing. Reyna DNP for Dortmund as he continues his slide. Wow on Real Madrid scoring in extra time over Man City to take a 3-2 lead back home this Wed. Huge games this week especially for AC Milan !!

Tues Feb 18 Champions League

12:45 pm Para+          AC Milan (Pulisic, Musah) 0 vs 1 Feyenoord

3 pm Para+                 Bayern Munich 2 vs 1 Celtic (CCV + Trusty)

3 pm Para+, CBSSN   Atalanta 1 vs 2 Club Brugge

3  pm Para +               Monaco 0 vs 1 Benefica  

Weds, Feb 19              

12:45 pm Par+            Dortmund (Reyna) 3 vs Sporting 0

3 pm Para+,TUDN      Real Madrid 3 vs Man City 2

3 pm Para+                 Juventus (Weah, McKinney) 2 vs PSV 1 (Ledezma)

3 pm Para+                 PSG  3 vs Brest 0

Crazy Scenes from Goodison Park in the final derby played there – as Everton tied Liverpool In Extra Time Amazing stuff. Here’s a Shot of Roger Bennet from Men in Blazer’s. I got a chance to visit the old ballpark a couple of years back cool place. Cool spot after the superbowl MLS Returns Feb 22.

Huge Congrats to Head Coach John Simmonds and longtime Carmel FC Coach Carla Baker (Asst) who will be taking over the Carmel High School Girls Program from illustrious coach Frank Dixon.

Carmel Hires Park Tudor’s John Simmonds to replace Frank Dixon as Girls Soccer Coach

She Believes Cup USWNT– Thur vs Col 8 pm, Sun vs Aus 5 pm TBS, Wed 2/26 10:30 pm vs Japan TBS

The U.S. women’s national team, ranked No. 1 in FIFA’s women’s soccer rankings, will host eighth-ranked Japan, 15th-ranked Australia and Colombia, ranked 21st. The roster has a youthful look, and includes 12 players from the 22-player squad that won the 2024 Olympics but just 4 players who started 5 or more games in the tournament. Ten players on the current roster have four or fewer caps & Triple Expresso will be missing along with Girma who just transferred to Europe, and midfield standouts Horan and Rose.  The excitement is Catarina Macario is expected to play for the first time in over a year. The USWNT will open the competition this Thurs, Feb. 20 8 pm on TBS against Colombia in Houston, followed on Sunday at 5 pm later with a match against Australia in Glendale on TBS. The final day of the competition is Wed Feb. 26 vs Japan at 10:30 pm on TBS @ Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, Calif.

U.S. Women’s National Team Roster by Position (Club; Caps/Goals) – 2025 SheBelieves Cup

GOALKEEPERS (2): Jane Campbell (Houston Dash; 8), Mandy McGlynn (Utah Royals; 1)

DEFENDERS (8): Tierna Davidson (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 65/3), Crystal Dunn (Paris Saint-Germain, FRA; 155/25), Emily Fox (Arsenal FC, ENG; 62/1), Tara McKeown (Washington Spirit; 0/0), Jenna Nighswonger (Arsenal FC, ENG; 18/2), Emily Sams (Orlando Pride; 2/0), Emily Sonnett (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 103/2), Gisele Thompson (Angel City FC; 0/0)

MIDFIELDERS (6): Korbin Albert (Paris Saint-Germain, FRA; 22/1), Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns FC; 28/1), Lindsey Heaps (Lyon, FRA; 161/36), Claire Hutton (Kansas City Current; 0/0), Jaedyn Shaw (North Carolina Courage; 21/8), Lily Yohannes (Ajax, NED; 2/1)

FORWARDS (7): Lynn Biyendolo (Seattle Reign FC; 75/21), Michelle Cooper (Kansas City Current; 0/0), Catarina Macario (Chelsea FC, ENG; 19/8), Yazmeen Ryan (Houston Dash; 4/0), Emma Sears (Racing Louisville FC; 3/1), Ally Sentnor (Utah Royals; 2/0), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City FC; 13/1)

USL & INDY 11 to BATTLE MLS ?

Interesting news that United Soccer Leagues announced they would launch first tier division in 2027 – I assume that would include the Indy 11. Not 100% sure that this makes sense quite yet – but if USL were to go to Promotion/Relegation – perhaps. I still think this push for MLS or any US Soccer league to match the world schedule is instant death. No one will watch soccer head to head with football. NO ONE. Plus games here Dec-March in the Northeast or midwest? Heck no one watches MLS on APPLE TV now.

GAMES ON TV

Sat, Feb 15                 

7:30 am USA               Leicester City vs Arsenal

9:30 am ESPN+            Bochum vs Dortmund (Reyna)

10 am USA                  Fulham (Robinson) vs Nottingham Forest

10 am Peacock           Man City vs New Castle United

12:30 ESPN+               Leverkusen vs Bayern Munich

2:45 pm  Para+           AC Milan (Pulisic, Musah) vs Verona

3 pm ESPN+                 Villarreal vs Valencia  

Sun, Feb 6

9 am CBSSN                Empoli vs Udinese  

9 am USA                    Liverpool vs Wolverhampton

11:30 pm PK                Tottenham vs Man United

2:45 pm CBSSN          Juventus (Weah, McKinney)  vs Inter Milan

3 pm ESPN+                 Sevilla vs Barcelona

Tues Feb 18          Champions League

12:45 pm Para+          AC Milan (Pulisic, Musah) 0 vs 1 Feyenoord

3 pm Para+                 Bayern Munich 2 vs 1 Celtic (CCV + Trusty)

3 pm Para+, CBSSN Atalanta 1 vs 2 Club Brugge

3  pm Para +               Monaco 0 vs 1 Benefica  

Weds, Feb 19              

12:45 pm Par+            Dortmund (Reyna) 3 vs Sporting 0

3 pm Para+,TUDN     Real Madrid 3 vs Man City 2

3 pm Para+                 Juventus (Weah, McKinney) 2 vs PSV 1 (Ledezma)

3 pm Para+                 PSG  3 vs Brest 0

Thur, Feb 20

12:45 pm CBSSN         Roma vs Porto

8 pm TBS, Max                  USWNT vs Colombia – She Believes Cup

Sun, Mar 1

5 pm TBS, Max                  USWNT vs Australia

Wed, Mar 5

10:30 pm TBS, Max          USWNT vs Japan

USA

‘Lucky’ McKennie shrugs off spectacular UCL goal|
Goal-Driven: How Christian Pulisic Found Himself at AC Milan
Thoughts on McKennie, Champions League, MLS moves, USL D1, U-17 qualifying, & More
Christian Pulisic in Dreamland as he models new AC Milan kit ESPN
USMNT REWIND: Sargent’s scoring streak, super sub Pulisic, and more from last week’s club action
After a strong start with St. Pauli, Sands discusses move to Germany & USMNT ambitions
Americans abroad rundown, McGlynn moves, Cucho leaves Crew, U-17 roster, & much more
Soma holds ambitious goals in 2025 with both Barcelona and the U.S. U-20 World Cup team
U-17 MNT Takes Down St. Kitts and Nevis 7-0 in Second Match at Concacaf U-17 Qualifiers

USWNT SheBelieves Cup roster released
SheBelieves Cup: Macario returns to U.S. roster  Jeff Carlisle
USWNT & Portland superstar Sophia Wilson featured in Nike’s 1st Super Bowl commercial in 27 years

WORLD

Madrid stun Man City again, Fafa Picault chats being Messi’s teammate & USL makes shock announce
Report: Surprise six-pointer – Milan playing for ‘everything’ starting with Verona
Nico Gonzalez Is In The XI | 4-2-3-1 Manchester City Predicted Lineup vs Newcastle United
Finally Some Rest–Inter Go Into Juventus Clash Without Playing Midweek For First Time In Three Months
Liverpool boss Slot charged after Everton red card
Moyes ‘feels’ for Slot: Young manager’s mistake
Brady’s B’ham, Wrexham drive record spending

Champions League

Man City and Real Madrid break UK streaming record for live sporting event in Champ League clash
Real Madrid set for triple injury boost for Manchester City encounter
Ancelotti will ask Real Madrid squad to avoid complacency in Man City decider
Carlo Ancelotti makes Real Madrid history during Champions League victory over Manchester City
Champions League Team of the Week – Olise, Guirassy, Dembele
Monaco’s alarming slide dims the high expectations early in the season
Tuttosport: ‘Back on the rollercoaster’ – Feyenoord loss proves Milan are ‘going nowhere’
Feyenoord 1-0 AC Milan: Five things we learned – ghosting on the frontline
CorSport: Milan Musah to ‘play immediately’ after serving suspension – the changes in mind
CorSport: Conceicao exit possible with Champions League or not – the reasoning
TMW: Hopes of Champions League place fade as Atalanta, Roma and Milan fail to win
Italy fall behind Spain in UEFA ranking for 5th Champions League spot
‘It’s game on in Munich’ – says US player Carter-Vickers
Celtic’s unforgivable error leaves them requiring a Champions League miracle
The battle for extra Champions League places: Premier League now firm favourites
Stones: Latest City loss brings anger, frustration
Monaco manager believes PSG are capable of winning the Champions League

Goalkeeping

USMNT’s Ethan Horvath lifts Cardiff in shootout win vs. Stoke  
Indy Eleven brings back goalkeeper Hunter Sulte on loan from Portland Timbers
GdS: Maignan loses his magic – Milan goalkeeper guilty of another ‘huge mistake’
Great Saves Champions League Wed
Great Saves Tues

Reffing

CdS: Atalanta penalty incident highlights need to rethink VAR protocol
Liverpool boss Slot charged after Everton red card
New Ref Abuse Prevention Policy
Reffing for Carmel Dad’s Club this Spring
Become a Licensed Ref with Indiana Soccer – must be over 13

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Emma Hayes names USWNT squad for SheBelieves Cup: Triple Espresso remains out of action

By Meg Linehan The Athletic Feb 11, 2025

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Emma Hayes named her 23-player roster for the 2025 SheBelieves Cup on Tuesday and once again she emphasized opportunities across the depth of the playing pool.Hayes named four uncapped players to this roster, with three of those players earning the senior team nod through the January Futures camp for under-23 players.Once again, it is a roster shaped by injuries and the Triple Espresso forward line remains out of action for another camp. The release states that Trinity Rodman is still regaining fitness while rehabbing her back injury, Mallory Swanson has personal commitments (she is also yet to report to NWSL preseason for the Chicago Stars) and Sophia Wilson (formerly Smith) is “not physically ready for national team competition.”Those three are not the only ones hurt, with midfielder Rose Lavelle recovering from ankle surgery, and centerback Naomi Girma is in the process of regaining fitness after a calf injury that also kept her out of January camp.

Rodman, Swanson and Wilson have not been selected (Brad Smith/ISI/Getty Images)

In better news, the USWNT is finally getting a long-awaited return from injury from one of its players. Cat Macario was forced to withdraw from the 2024 Olympics roster due to irritation in her knee from an injury after being named to Hayes’s first major tournament roster. She has not appeared for the U.S. since June 2024 — but she has been a more consistent starter with Chelsea since returning. She has scored five goals in 13 appearances this season.

The roster also has a decidedly more European presence compared to January’s training camp, thanks to the games falling in a FIFA window and following the winter off-season of the NWSL. Seven players of the 23 play in Europe, eight if you count Manchester United goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce who will be attending as a training player.

“With many players at the beginning of their club preseasons, we’ll be patient with them but at the same time, we’re going to maximize the time we have together,” Hayes said in the USWNT press release. “We are facing three excellent teams with three very different styles and the tournament will be a great test to see who can perform against world-class players, but to see that, we need to give them opportunities. We have put in a lot of thought on how best to accomplish that while continuing to evolve and putting out a team that can win, so every game should be a lot of fun for the staff, the players and the fans.”

Emma Hayes outlines long-term strategy for U.S. women’s national team

USWNT SheBelieves Cup roster

Goalkeepers (2): Jane Campbell (Houston Dash), Mandy McGlynn (Utah Royals).

Defenders (8): Tierna Davidson (Gotham FC), Crystal Dunn (Paris Saint-Germain), Emily Fox (Arsenal), Tara McKeown (Washington Spirit), Jenna Nighswonger (Arsenal FC), Emily Sams (Orlando Pride), Emily Sonnett (Gotham FC), Gisele Thompson (Angel City FC).

Midfielders (6): Korbin Albert (Paris Saint-Germain), Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns FC), Lindsey Heaps (Lyon)*, Claire Hutton (KC Current), Jaedyn Shaw (NC Courage), Lily Yohannes (Ajax)

Forwards (7): Lynn Biyendolo (Seattle Reign FC)*, Michelle Cooper (KC Current), Catarina Macario (Chelsea FC), Yazmeen Ryan (Houston Dash), Emma Sears (Racing Louisville FC), Ally Sentnor (Utah Royals), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City FC).

*Lynn Biyendolo (formerly Williams) and Lindsey Heaps (formerly Horan) will be playing under their married names for the first time with the USWNT.

Hayes has also named three training players, all of whom are uncapped, goalkeeper Tullis-Joyce (Manchester United), defender Savy King (Angel City FC) and midfielder Hannah Bebar (Bay FC). They will train with the team for the duration of the camp and friendly tournament.

2025 remains an evaluation year

Just like January’s training camp, Hayes is using the SheBelieves Cup to figure out her pool as the team inches closer to World Cup qualifiers in 2026 and the 2027 World Cup. Ten players on this roster have four or fewer caps.

While injuries have continued to force her hand in some areas, especially the forward line, Hayes has continued to embrace those opportunities to bring new players in — or provide additional call-ups to those that might have otherwise been on the outside looking in of the depth chart.

Goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn is the only holdover from January’s camp from her positional group, this time with Jane Campbell of the Houston Dash back into camp. Combined, the two have nine caps between them. While McGlynn is the holder of only a single USWNT appearance, she has been making rosters pretty consistently and SheBelieves Cup will provide a higher-level test than a 3-0 victory against Argentina.As expected, there was turnover in the roster from the more exploratory January senior team camp, with only 12 players returning from that roster. Three players impressed at the concurrent Futures camp (for under-23 players) to get the nod for SheBelieves Cup, though none of the three names are particularly surprising considering their NWSL performances: defender Gisele Thompson of Angel City and defensive midfielder Claire Hutton and forward Michelle Cooper of the KC Current.

Looking ahead to SheBelieves Cup

The SheBelieves Cup turns 10 this year. Emily Sonnett is the only player remaining on the roster who has played all 10 editions (she has won seven). On the other end of the spectrum, 10 USWNT players will be making their SheBelieves Cup debuts in 2025.The tournament format goes back to its normal, more extended form this year. Last year, U.S. Soccer had to settle for only four games across two game days due to a more limited window with the 2024 Olympics; this year it returns to six total matches across three game days. The winner will be determined by total points, with goal differential being the first tie-breaker.

All the opponents are familiar ones: Japan (no. 8 in the FIFA rankings) on February 20, Australia (no. 15) on February 23 and Colombia (no. 21) on February 26.

Required reading

• An active global transfer market for USWNT stars is not sign to panic for NWSL
• Emma Hayes’ plan for USWNT looks to reframe approach through lens of women and girls
• USWNT defender Naomi Girma as $1m transfer pioneer should surprise nobody

(Top photo: Pau Barrena/Getty Images)

AC Milan, Pulisic will need comeback to continue Champions League quest

By Jeff Rueter The Athletic Feb 12, 2025

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AC Milan’s mixed bag of a winter continued on Wednesday, with the club suffering a 1-0 defeat at Feyenoord in the first leg of their Champions League knockout playoff tie. An exit prior to the round of 16 would mark a disappointingly abrupt end to Milan’s continental campaign, having entered the final day of the league phase with the chance to skip this initial round altogether before losing to Dinamo Zagreb and tumbling into the playoff.The Dutch hosts scored early Wednesday, with Brazilian winger Igor Paixão tucking a shot past Mike Maignan at the near point in the game’s third minute.Feyenoord did well to contain Christian Pulisic, who came off the bench on Saturday to provide two assists against Empoli. The U.S. international was industrious in his attempts to impact the game, but saw his teammates’ passing lanes toward him cut down quickly to limit his touches. Pulisic exited the match in the 60th minute, having completed 18 of 22 passes and failed to attempt a single shot. He did manage to create one chance in the third minute, mere seconds before Paixão’s goal.

While Pulisic was neutralized, his Concacaf-rival-turned-club-teammate Santiago Giménez struggled mightily in his first appearance against his former club. The Mexico international, who joined Milan from Feyenoord just nine days ago, took 24 touches — just seven in Feyenoord’s box — and failed to convert any of his five dribbles. His sole attempted shot was blocked, while he drew two whistles for running into offside positions. Giménez exited in the 83rd minute to little noteworthy ovation or jeers.

McKennie hands Juventus Champions League edge with spectacular strike

The defeat continues a difficult stretch for Milan, which replaced manager Paulo Fonseca with Sérgio Conceição in late December. Now three years removed from their last Scudetto, Milan sits seventh in the Serie A table, four points behind Fiorentina for the final European position but having played one fewer game than all teams above them. Pulisic has remained arguably their most impactful attacker in his second season, but has scored twice in his eight most recent appearances across all competitions.

The tie will conclude on Tuesday in the early Champions League time slot (12:45 pm Eastern) at the San Siro. Milan will see another U.S. international, Yunus Musah, return from his one-match suspension, as the midfielder drew a red card in the club’s league phase finale against Dinamo Zagreb.With fellow esteemed Americans Weston McKennie and Tim Weah (Juventus, up 2-1 on PSV Eindhoven) and Gio Reyna (Dortmund, up 3-0 on Sporting CP) having their clubs in the driver’s seat after their respective knockout playoff first legs, Pulisic and Musah will have work to do to get a leg up on the hurdle standing between them and a last-16 date against either Inter Milan or Arsenal.

(Top photo: Marcel ter Bals/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images)

Weston McKennie hands Juventus Champions League advantage with spectacular strike

By Jeff Rueter The Athletic Feb 11, 2025

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Weston McKennie’s spectacular first-half strike helped Juventus clinch a crucial 2-1 victory in the first leg of its Champions League playoff against PSV on Tuesday.

The USMNT midfielder smashed the ball home from the edge of the penalty area in the 34th minute to put his team in front as it bids to reach the round of 16 for the first time in three seasons.

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The goal was McKennie’s third in his last eight games, as well as his seventh career goal in the Champions League (six with Juventus, one with Schalke). It was also his third goal of the current competition, having previously scored in the league phase against PSV in September and, memorably, against Manchester City in December.

Weston McKennie’s player dashboard

McKennie made a late run onto a headed cross at the top of the box, connecting with a crisp low volley that sent the ball rising all the way into the net.

UK readers can see it here:

U.S. readers can see it here:

Ivan Perisic drew things level 10 minutes into the second half, nestling a low strike under Juventus goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio. Juventus substitute Samuel Mbangula put the game away in the 82nd minute to give the hosts a narrow advantage ahead of next week’s conclusion.

McKennie exited the match after 68 minutes, likely for a rest ahead of a crucial visit from Inter in Serie A on Sunday.

Two other players in Tuesday’s first leg are USMNT eligible and each started for their team at right-back. Tim Weah got the nod for Juventus, threatening the PSV defense with frequent crosses and capable dribbling up the flank. Weah made the game’s first real scoring threat in the opening minutes, forcing PSV goalkeeper Walter Benítez to parry the ball away.

Weston McKennie exclusive: ‘Everyone doubted me… but look at me now’

Weah also provided the first clear chance of the second half, eluding multiple PSV defenders as he dribbled through the attacking half and looped a cross to Mbangula that forced Benítez into a save. Weah took a speculative strike of his own a few minutes later, nestling an attempt between a couple of PSV defenders but hardly making Benítez work.

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His opposite number, Richy Ledezma, made his third start of PSV’s Champions League campaign, having also been in the lineup when these two sides kicked off their league phase against one another. Both teams prioritized operating down the opposite flank from Ledezma, leaving the once-capped United States international to put together a more nondescript shift.

Still, both men’s continued run-out at right-back could give Mauricio Pochettino alternatives to consider as the USMNT and PSV await the return of Sergiño Dest. The 24-year-old hasn’t played since tearing his ACL in April 2024, leaving the United States particularly thin in that position. Weah has customarily started for the USMNT at right wing, but he could be a timely alternative if Dest cannot play in March’s resumption of the Concacaf Nations League.

PSV was also without two of its other star Americans. Malik Tillman (ankle) and Ricardo Pepi (knee) are both out long-term, with the latter recently ruled out for the remainder of the season amid a scorching run of form.

(Top photo: Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

The spats, the scraps, the bedlam at Goodison Park: This is what we want to see, right?

By Tim Spiers Feb 13, 2025

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Celebrate, but don’t celebrate too much. Enjoy the moment, but enjoy it in the way we tell you to.

The celebration police exist and they are coming for our game. They even have a name; Tony Scholes, the Premier League’s chief football officer, who last week reiterated the body’s stance on celebrations, which currently approves pretending to fire a gun into the crowd (Phil Foden) but condemns seagull impersonations (Iliman Ndiaye).Yep, no idea.To be fair, Scholes was helpful when he said: “I think we all like to see celebrations.” Good to clear that up.Essentially, he outlined that anything that “crosses over into mockery or criticism” would cause the league to “deal with it”, which sounded pretty ominous in a George Orwell kinda way.To Goodison Park yesterday, then, and Abdoulaye Doucoure sparking a melee (well, flicking a switch in Curtis Jones’ head) by celebrating Everton’s last-gasp equaliser against Liverpool in front of the away fans, shushing them and stuff.Doucoure was booked and sent off. So was Jones. So was Arne Slot, Liverpool’s head coach, and his assistant Sipke Hulshoff. And the whole spectacle was absolutely glorious.

The bedlam after the final whistle on Wednesday night (Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)

In this correspondent’s home, a housemate came literally running with news of the ongoing feral scenes. He was wide-eyed and giddy, and he had no skin in that game whatsoever, being a fan of a lower-league club.

This is football. The whole point of the damn sport is that one team competes against another to win — and with that comes, well, competitiveness.

Throw in a local rivalry that dates back to the Victorian age, it being the final-ever Merseyside derby at Goodison Park, a stoppage-time equaliser for the home side and a ridiculously highly-charged atmosphere and, yes, you are going to get rowdy.

That’s why it was disappointing to see both players sent off: given the off-the-chart emotions at that precise moment, and the fact no punches were thrown (Jones pushed Doucoure in the back, then grabbed him by the shirt) or faces touched.

It was also a little perplexing to hear former Manchester United and England international Rio Ferdinand,  on UK broadcaster TNT Sports’ coverage of the match, chastise some of what we all revelled in watching at home.

“You don’t want to see that,” Ferdinand said of Jones piling in, to which everyone collectively replied, “Yes, we do.”

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Ferdinand then regaled his colleagues and the audience at home with an anecdote of him doing exactly the same thing once when Manchester City’s Mario Balotelli celebrated in front of United supporters, before adding: “I can understand Curtis Jones there, you don’t want to see anyone creating a storm like that… but I understand his feelings.”

Understands it completely? Check. Doesn’t want to see it? Check.

Ferdinand was pitchside at Goodison Park last night (MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Ferdinand doubled down when joining fellow former pros Phil Jagielka and Steve McManaman and presenter Lynsey Hipgrave pitchside some 30 minutes after the end of the game, this time criticising Doucoure.

“I think going against the opposition fans, I don’t think it’s wrong,” he said. “The difference is, when it’s a local derby… you don’t like them (the opposition), I get that, but there’s a respect, almost, there and you know you’re lighting the touchpaper if you go over near them, and that’s what happened today.

“That’s where I think you draw the line. Other games you can do that, because it’s a bit of banter.”

A closer look at those full-time scenes at Goodison Park last night ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/vWWzNRURuK

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 13, 2025

McManaman echoed Ferdinand’s opinion, saying Doucoure should have celebrated in front of his own team’s fans instead of antagonising Liverpool’s. This was despite McManaman earlier appearing to fully endorse Doucoure’s actions as part of what was the perfect end to the final derby at Goodison.

“Wow, did it have passion, did it have fight, did it have energy,” McManaman said of the incredible climax. “The fact that there’s a number of sendings-off… people want to fight each other and people trying to antagonise the crowd… I think it was fitting that it’s ended like this — in absolute chaos.”

Absolute chaos was fitting? Check. But make sure you say later that Doucoure shouldn’t have antagonised the Liverpool fans? Check.

James Tarkowski’s stoppage-time equaliser sparks chaos (Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

Look, pulling apart every sentence the TNT Sports panel said in their assessment of those full-time scenes is a futile exercise, but there is a wider point about broadcasters or law-makers having little sense of what fans do and don’t want from their sport (with an emphasis on the word their) — and what we should deem acceptable or not.

When the league (via their social-media channels) or the broadcasters encourage the madness and ramp up and revel in the intensity, it’s a bit rich to then go all Neil Warnock and expect players and fans to only enjoy it by being disciplined.

The last Merseyside Derby at Goodison Park had to end like this ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/FuYRTwV0GE

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 12, 2025

As an example, before the game, the Premier League itself posted a 23-minute video titled ‘Iconic Merseyside derby moments that get more and more intense!’ (that’s its exclamation mark, not ours). It was an enjoyable compilation of classic derby goals and dramatic winners, but also scuffles, scraps, yellow cards and red ones. Duncan Ferguson featured prominently.

And then after the match, TNT posted all the drama in full with a video titled ‘CRAZY FULL TIME SCENES at Goodison Park’ (its capital letters, not oursAt the time of writing, that video had 2.6million views. By way of comparison, the channel’s post-match interview with Everton manager David Moyes had garnered 71,000.So yes, people want to see the crazy. Whether Doucoure, Jones or anyone crossed a line or not, whether they deserved to be sent off or not, we want it to happen and we want to watch it when it does.

GO DEEPER

Everton’s final Goodison Park derby was wild – a fitting end that will go down in folklore

With the greatest respect, if broadcasters knew what viewers wanted to see, their coverage of football would be markedly different.

In other words, we would have watched the scenes of Everton fans celebrating on the pitch and lighting blue flares after James Tarkowski’s thundering equaliser instead of switching to the VAR feed for two minutes and 20 seconds just as commentator Darren ‘Fletch’ Fletcher ironically exclaimed: “Look at the scenes at Goodison Park!”

Yep, the final Merseyside derby goal ever scored at Goodison, and we weren’t allowed to watch the aftermath because running on the pitch is evil.

There would also be a wildly different roster of pundits, commentators and co-commentators. There is no need to name individuals, but there are certain personnel, especially at TNT Sports, who could be described as less popular than a large, greasy spot/pimple that appears on your nose just before a first date.

Goodison Park burns blue (Carl Recine/Getty Images)

“This place could be about to go bananas,” Ferdinand said before Tarkowski’s equaliser was confirmed by VAR. “Oh my gosh, listen to this place.”

Fletcher chimed in: “Listen to the roar! Unless you’re here right now, you can’t understand the sense of feeling here on all four sides.”

“The passion in this stadium is at absolute fever pitch,” co-commentator Ally McCoist added.

Oh, but hang on there, Abdoulaye. This situation is absolutely incredible but don’t shush the away fans! Oh, and Curtis, don’t push him in the back! Oh, this is absolutely scandalous.

Doesn’t quite tally, does it? Sadly, the urge and rush to condemn and take the moral high ground is just too strong for some to resist.

We hate it when footballers become robots and give bland, media-trained post-match interviews about taking each game as it comes. We hate it when a free-spirited street footballer such as Jack Grealish or Wayne Rooney is tamed.

So when it comes to celebrating a last-gasp derby draw, or being annoyed with a rival player, let’s just leave them to it and enjoy the CRAZY scenes.

(Top photo: Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

Nice to see some American’s do well last week overseas — Josh Sargent has scored 3 in his first 2 games back for Norwich City – and looks to be in line for challenging for the #9 shirt in March for the US in Nations League. Fulham’s Jedi’s had his 10^th assist of the season just 2 off the record for a left back and good for Top 8 overall in the EPL. Love these saves on corner kicks last week – Why Someone should ALWAYS be on the back post on corners. Yes my pet peeve when coaching Goalkeepers always have a back post on corners. ALWAYS. Interesting New Ref Abuse Prevention Policy just released this week. Can’t wait to see the Wrexham Super Bowl Commercial on Sunday.

Games to Watch

Pulisic, Musah and AC Milan will travel to @ Empoli Sat 12 noon on para+. Milan did win on Wed and can move up to 7th with a win on Saturday though I am not thrilled about AC Milan adding Joao Felix and Sottil -as both players are basically Pulisic’s position on the field. Felix is basically the same player as Pulisic – thankfully he’s just on loan. But this is sad to see as Pulisic – it could be argued has been Milan’s best player this year. Hopefully Pulisic will hold his spot. He’s still starting – expect him to be on the field Sat at 12 noon and for Champions League Wed @ 3 pm @ Feynord. Dortmund will host 3rd place Stuttgart on Sat at 9:30 am on ESPN+ as Reyna has been getting more time under the new coach. Of course lots of games on ESPN+ all weekend long for Round 4 of the FA Cup with lots of small clubs hosting EPL teams – always fun to watch (full schedule below) – the biggest is Aston Villa hosting Tottenham Sun at 12:35 pm. The Biggest game of the weekend has to be the Madrid Derby with Real Madrid hosting Atletico Madrid at 3 pm on ESPN+ in a battle of the top 2 teams in La Liga.

Champions League Knock-out Round Tues/Thurs

Man City vs Real Madrid leads off the first round of huge games for the knock out rounds over the next 2 weeks. Of course the most American’s ever have advanced to the knockout rounds as no fewer than 9 American’s should play and that’s with 3 American’s on PSV out with injury. Hopefully they will show one of the US player games on CBS Sports Network – I will update if they do. I still miss Fox when all 3 games were on different stations and they played them all night long. Oh well. Pay up if want to watch soccer I guess.

Tues, Feb 11               Champions League

12:45 pm Par+            Brest vs PSG  

3 pm Para+                 Man City vs Real Madrid

3 pm Para+                 Juventus (Weah, McKinney) vs PSV (Ledezma)

3 pm Para+                 Sporting vs Dortmund (Reyna)

Weds, Feb 12

12:45 pm Para+          Club Brugge vs Atalanta

3 pm Para+                 Bayern Munich vs Celtic (CCV + Trusty)

3 pm Para+                 Feyenoord vs AC Milan (Pulisic, Musah)

3  pm Para +               Monaco vs Benefica  

Jedi’s 10^th assist of the season for Fulham who plays Wigan at 10 am

I guess I need to thank both of my kids for putting up with an over talkative
coach for over 20 years of coaching. Thanks youth coaches !

GAMES ON TV

Sat, Feb 8                   

7:30 am ESPN+            Leeds United (Aronson) vs Plymouth

9:30 am ESPN+            Dortmund (Reyna) vs Stuttgart

9:30 am ESPN+            Wolfsburg vs Levekusen  

12 pm  Para+              Empoli vs AC Milan (Pulisic, Musah)

3 pm ESPN+                Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid

Sun, Feb 9

9:30 am CBSSN           Valencia vs Roma

10 am ESPN+               Plymouth Argyle vs Liverpool FA Cup 

12:30 pm ESPN+          Aston Villa vs Tottenham FA Cup

2:45 pm CBSSN           Napoli vs Udenese

3 pm ESPN+                 Sevilla vs Barcelona

Tues, Feb 11               Champions League

12:45 pm Par+            Brest vs PSG  

3 pm Para+                 Man City vs Real Madrid

3 pm Para+                 Juventus (Weah, McKinney) vs PSV (Ledezma)

3 pm Para+                 Sporting vs Dortmund (Reyna)

Weds, Feb 12

12:45 pm Para+          Club Brugge vs Atalanta

3 pm Para+                 Bayern Munich vs Celtic (CCV + Trusty)

3 pm Para+                 Feyenoord vs AC Milan (Pulisic, Musah)

3  pm Para +               Monaco vs Benefica  

Thurs – 2/13 Europa League

12 noon CBSSN Midtylland vs Real Sociedad

3 pm CBSSN FC Porto vs AS Roma

FA Cup 4th Round Play

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USA

Pepi injured, wild Champions League week for Yanks, Tessmann’s award, Miggy returns, and more
US soccer Players Overseas
PSV rule out Pepi for season after knee surgery
USMNT’s Pepi pens new PSV deal until 2030
Tanner Tessmann named Young Male Player of the Year
Jury sides with MLS, USSF in NASL anti-trust suit ESPN FC Jeff Carlisle
Vote for USMNT January goal of the month
Vote for USMNT January assist of the month Stars & Stripes

Hayes on USWNT aims: Want to do more than win
How Chelsea broke the women’s transfer record to sign USWNT star Girma
USWNT’s Dunn joins PSG after Gotham departure
Hope Solo to lead team in million-dollar TST
Black History Month: Kim Crabbe becomes first black woman called into USWNT

Champions League

After a woeful start at Real Madrid, is Kylian Mbappé back?
Madrid in CB crisis as Alaba suffers fresh injury
Injured Rüdiger likely out for Madrid-City tie
Who has won Champions League? All-time winners and facts
The battle for extra Champions League places: Premier League now firm favourites

Vinicius’ increasing discipline problem at Real Madrid: Modric row raises questions about his future amid
Joao Felix: Wake-up call or game-changer for Rafael Leao’s future at Milan?

Reffing

New Ref Abuse Prevention Policy
Bad Decision Does Not Mean you’re a Bad Ref
Reffing for Carmel Dad’s Club this Spring
Become a Licensed Ref with Indiana Soccer – must be over 13

Goalkeeping

Champions League: Great saves from the league phase …
Champions League Best Saves: Matchday 8 | Flying Saves
League phase great saves | Best Saves | UEFA Champions …

Mauricio Pochettino and USMNT have a striker injury problem before the Nations League Finals

By Paul Tenorio The Athletic Feb 6, 2025

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Josh Sargent played a total of 117 minutes in World Cup qualifying for the United States ahead of the 2022 tournament in Qatar, all of them in the first window in September 2021, including his lone start in the opening qualifier against El Salvador. Fourteen months after that start in El Salvador, Sargent was in the starting lineup when the U.S. kicked off its World Cup campaign in Doha against Wales. Form and fitness can be a funny thing in international soccer. A red-hot striker can suddenly be out for the wrong two weeks of the wrong month and miss out on a window. An ill-timed absence can also open an opportunity for a compatriot who seizes the moment. Sargent was back in form at the right moment, grabbed hold of the job and helped to set up the USMNT’s first goal at the World Cup.As Mauricio Pochettino looks to pick his roster for the CONCACAF Nations League semifinal against Panama on Mar. 20 and (hopefully) the final three days later against Canada or Mexico, Sargent once more could have a shot to claim his on-again, off-again starting spot. The reason? The USMNT has an injury problem in attack.

Josh Sargent has a chance to boost his USMNT starting prospects. (Stephen Pond / Getty Images)

Ricardo Pepi, who was in such strong form at PSV that West Ham bid $25million (£20.1m) for him, is out for “a very long time” with a knee injury, according to PSV boss Peter Bosz.Folarin Balogun was the starter for the U.S. at the Copa America, but he has not played since December, when he underwent shoulder surgery, and is unavailable.That leaves Sargent sitting atop the striker depth chart with a real chance to show himself to Pochettino in competitive games at the Nations League.Sargent started Pochettino’s first two games in charge last October, but missed the November window with a groin injury. He returned for Norwich earlier this month and has three goals in his last two games. His ability in and around the box has been a lift for the Canaries.“Josh is a quality striker and we have obviously missed him, you could see what a difference he made today,” Norwich coach Johannes Hoff Thorup said after Sargent’s two-goal performance against Swansea City on Jan. 25. “He is a big voice in the dressing room and a big player on the pitch. They were two quality finishes and he also showed how good he is running behind defenders and finding space.”Sargent’s competition for the starting job is a bigger question.Haji Wright, who has played more as a winger with the U.S. in his recent call-ups, seems to be nearing a return for Coventry after 10 games out with an ankle ligament injury. Wright could be an easy call for Pochettino to provide depth at multiple positions.Pochettino has also had a good look at two domestic options. Austin FC’s Brandon Vazquez, who recently moved back to MLS from Liga MX, had solid showings for the U.S. in the fall. Charlotte FC’s Patrick Agyemang scored twice in two games during January camp, pushing himself into any striker conversation. The 6ft 4ins (193cm) 24-year-old from East Hartford, Conn., has a different profile for the U.S., and if he is able to carry over his form into the start of the MLS season it wouldn’t be a shock to see Pochettino bring him back in.

Patrick Agyemang was the big winner from the USMNT’s January camp. (John Dorton /ISI Photos / USSF / Getty Images for USSF)

It’s worth noting that 30 players who have debuted or earned their second cap during the USMNT’s first camp of a calendar year have gone on to make a FIFA World Cup roster, including the likes of Jozy Altidore, DaMarcus Beasley, Carlos Bocanegra, Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan.“He has a really good profile (as) a striker, and for us, I think can be very, very, very useful,” Pochettino said of Agyemang during the January camp. “So happy, because he’s still young, still has room to improve, but his attitude and his condition are great. I am so happy with him, with the performance, attitude and everything, and his performance was really, really good.“I think he’s capable to add a different condition to the team that sometimes we were missing a little bit. Yes, I think it’s a very good alternative on the front for us.”

The striker position has been very much in flux over the last two cycles. It opened the door for the recruitment of a player like Balogun to commit to the U.S., which he did in 2023. The strong play of the Monaco striker, and the continued improvement and maturation of Pepi, the biggest 2022 World Cup snub, buffered the top end of the position. Now, the depth will be tested once more.The hope is that Sargent, Agyemang, Vazquez and others will seize the opportunity in March and make the most of it.(Top photo: Agustin Cuevas Cornejo / USSF / Getty Images for USSF)

President Trump has the FIFA World Cup trophy in the Oval Office. Or does he?

By Melanie Anzidei The Atletic Feb 5, 2025

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Since taking office, a recurring image of President Donald Trump seated at his desk inside the Oval Office has flooded American television screens. With each new executive order signed comes another image of Trump with a black permanent marker in hand.It didn’t take long for eagle-eyed viewers to notice the shiny object behind him: a replica of the World Cup trophy. He is expected to hand the real thing to the tournament’s winner next summer.It’s no secret Trump is an ardent supporter of FIFA, soccer’s world governing body. Trump is considered a close friend of FIFA president Gianni Infantino, whose fervor for him has been in the public eye since Trump won the United States presidential election in November. Infantino was one of the first to congratulate Trump on social media.However, that closeness does not extend to the original trophy finding an unexpected new home, with a FIFA spokesman confirming that what rests in Trump’s office is not the real World Cup. Zoomed-in images of the trophy have popped up on social media, restarting a conversation that began during Trump’s first term, when the trophy first appeared behind him among his other prized possessions, like photos of his parents. Displaying the hardware inside his office is not new and it shouldn’t come as a surprise, either. On the day of Trump’s inauguration, FIFA issued a press release mentioning how Infantino “thanked” the billionaire for referencing FIFA and Infantino “by name” during a victory rally the night before. The two have “a great friendship,” Infantino has said.

President Trump welcomed the FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, to the White House during his first term, in 2018. (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)

FIFA’s statement linked to Infantino’s Instagram account, which showed one image of Trump and Infantino smiling side-by-side with their thumbs up, as well as other releases tied to Trump over the years. Infantino wrote on Instagram how he was “honoured” to meet Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Florida before his inauguration. Days later, Infantino was among Trump’s invitees at the U.S. Capitol, sandwiched between the families of billionaires as Trump was sworn in as the country’s 47th president.It’s unclear whether the replica trophy seen inside the Oval Office this week and still on display on Tuesday is the same one that surfaced on social media in 2018. In photos, the current trophy seems larger than the one seen there years prior. It is also unclear if the trophy was a gift, or if Trump acquired it on his own. FIFA declined to comment further on Tuesday. Some have speculated the trophy is a subtle message for those watching — a reminder that the world’s largest sporting event is coming to the U.S. next year. While the tournament is being co-hosted with Canada and Mexico, the U.S. will host a majority of the tournament’s 104 games. Eleven of the 16 host cities are in the U.S.

Trump’s replica trophy resurfaced online just as trade wars between the co-hosts began. Over the weekend, Trump had directed 25 percent tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada, with another 10 percent tariff on Canadian oil, natural, gas and electricity. But he agreed to a 30-day pause on the tariffs after meeting with leaders from both nations. Though Trump’s ties to FIFA seem more pronounced these days, his relationship with Infantino has existed for years. Trump played a pivotal role in support of the United States’ World Cup bid for 2026, even writing convincing letters to Infantino directly. Trump’s family, particularly Jared Kushner, also played a key role last year in securing the tournament’s final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.It remains to be seen how the trade wars between the U.S., Mexico and Canada, or how Trump’s immigration policies, will affect the 2026 World Cup. So far, FIFA has not publicly commented on the political issues between the 2026 co-hosts.It’s certainly a unique position for FIFA to be in. The World Cup had more than one host only once before when Japan and South Korea shared duties in 2002. The 2030 World Cup will be hosted across six nations, from three continents.

USMNT Player Tracker: Robinson irrepressible, Pepi extends and Pochettino to lean on Celtic duo?

By Jeff Rueter Feb 3, 2025 The Athletic

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In this week’s USMNT tracker, the sport’s load management movement strikes… Greg O’Keeffe! Our usual writer is away on holiday, being rotated out to keep him fresh for the season’s business end. I’m here instead to help guide you through a busy weekend that saw more than 20 Americans ply their trades in Europe’s top leagues. Among the topics this week: Milan is unable to make up for a well-contained Christian Pulisic, Antonee Robinson racks up more superlatives, a couple of Championship goalscorers, and much more. Tracker? I hardly know her!

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Issue of the weekend

Given how little wiggle room Celtic affords opponents in the Scottish Premiership, any mistake made by one of Scotland’s giants is a rare gift indeed. Motherwell thought they’d done just enough in the 23rd minute as they welcomed Celtic to Fir Park. Trailing from the first minute, Motherwell worked up the field and sent a cross into the heart of the box. Auston Trusty was well-positioned to clear it, but a scuffed first touch fell right to Luke Armstrong, who smashed the second chance past Kasper Schmeichel to level the score.Celtic had an answer, as they so often do. The visitors regained the lead seven minutes later, protected that one-goal lead valiantly before adding a third for good measure deep into second-half stoppage time. The 3-1 win left them 10 points clear of second-placed Rangers despite having played one game fewer.“I liked how we controlled it at 2-1, because sometimes at 2-1 it only takes a long throw or a corner, but we controlled all those moments really well,” Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers said after the game. “So (I’m) really pleased with everything that gave to the game.”

Celtic’s Cameron Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty (Craig Foy/SNS Group via Getty Images)

While Trusty’s inability to quickly clear that cross cost his team a clean sheet, it was another otherwise dominant showing for Celtic. Motherwell managed just one additional shot across the match, making this the fifth league game where Celtic’s opponent offered only two attempts or fewer. It was also their 11th game (from 24) allowing five shots or fewer across two halves.

In the first year of this all-American partnership with Cameron Carter-Vickers, Trusty serves as the primary point-person in possession as Rodgers’ attack skews to the left through Daizen Maeda and Greg Taylor.

Trusty led all players on Sunday with 144 touches. Carter-Vickers was fourth with “just” 124 touches. The duo completed 210 of 225 pass attempts, while Trusty was also more proactive in defending on the front foot.

While the inability to find a consistent striker plagued the USMNT throughout the 2022 World Cup cycle, the run-up to next year’s version sees the anxiety shift to the opposite end of the field. At present, there is no clear pecking order at center-back. Chris Richards is back in Crystal Palace’s line-up, while Tim Ream, Walker Zimmerman and Miles Robinson are all nearing the start of the season in MLS.When Celtic signed Trusty this summer, USMNT fans had ample reason for optimism about his consistent partnership with Carter-Vickers. While individual talent is obviously of paramount importance, having a well-established duo can help a national team navigate a tournament with some vital continuity in the back. The question is whether or not this pair is getting enough of a test at Celtic, where only a few games of the league season pose a serious test.Combine that with Matt Turner’s inability to secure action this season — he is Dean Henderson’s backup at Palace — and three vital roles at the back of Mauricio Pochettino’s team are entirely up for grabs with just 16 months remaining before the World Cup. Time will tell if the pair will get a runout in tandem under Pochettino when the Nations League resumes in March.

Celtic USMNT duo star in Champions League, may solve Pochettino issue

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Player of the weekend

Antonee Robinson, the best left-back in the Premier League, was his typically impactful self on Saturday as Fulham visited Newcastle. Donning the captain’s armband, as is increasingly common for him these days, Robinson logged an assist with a deft lobbed first touch in a transition sequence to bring the game level in the 61st minute. Fulham completed their comeback win 21 minutes later, leaving St James’ Park with all three points and finishing the weekend ninth in the Premier League. Robinson has accrued quite the list of superlatives in recent months, from his top-tier status in the league to being U.S. Soccer’s male player of the year for 2024. His helper on Raul Jimenez’s equalizer carved him a place in Fulham history, too. That was his 10th league assist, tying Steed Malbranque’s club record set back in 2003-04 with 14 games still to play, and left him trailing only Mohamed Salah (13) in the current season’s assist leaderboard.

Coming into January, Robinson seemed like an obvious target for a mid-season transfer as multiple clubs in and about the European places needed an upgrade at left-back. But with the deadline set to pass in the hours following this piece’s publication, it’s looking increasingly likely that Fulham will keep their main man through the end of the season, which would only bolster their hopes of a top-half finish.It would hardly be a bad thing for Robinson’s career on the surface, though his window for playing in continental competition would diminish as a result.

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Quote of the weekend

Not too long ago, it seemed inevitable that the last week of January 2025 would be eventful for Ricardo Pepi.At the time, that was due to the open transfer window, with Pepi filling a need for several clubs lacking quality and depth at striker. Instead, it was notable for a host of different reasons, but none that’ll see Pepi packing his bags and leaving Eindhoven — not this week, nor any time soon.Pepi scored in PSV’s 3-2 win over a heavily-rotated Liverpool side as the Champions League’s league phase closed, but then left the game late with an injury. The club ultimately announced it was a knee problem that will require surgery. His status will be closely monitored, and he could now miss March’s Nations League semifinal against Panama.

Pepi has made a real impact at PSV this season (Maurice van Steen/ANP/AFP via Getty Images)

There was one more bright spot to sandwich that injury setback, however, as PSV signed 22-year-old Pepi to an extension that could keep him at the Dutch club through 2030.“Thanks to the enormous amount of love and opportunities PSV gives me and the special club that PSV is, I had no doubts about extending my contract,” Pepi said in the club’s announcement. “We have already experienced many unforgettable moments together and hopefully many special milestones will follow.”PSV is playing the long game here, and the market for young backup strikers has never been hotter. Pepi’s path to his present standing is very similar to that of Jhon Duran, as both left MLS and became a super-sub in a bigger league, but have yet to be the main man for a European club. With Aston Villa now having sold Duran, 21, to Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr for nearly $80 million, PSV tacking years onto Pepi’s deal is smart business.It’s also a vote of confidence that someday, maybe, Pepi will regularly lead the line at the Philips Stadion.

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How did other U.S. players get on?

Name: Christian Pulisic
Club: Milan
Position: Right-winger
Appearances (all competitions): 28
Goals: 12

After scoring the sole goal in Milan’s midweek 2-1 Champions League defeat at Dinamo Zagreb, Pulisic logged 86 minutes in his club’s fiercely contested Derby della Madonnina. Milan tied 1-1 with their San Siro co-tenants, with a late Inter equalizer coming after Pulisic exited the match late in the second half.

Pulisic created three chances and had his sole shot blocked.

Milan’s Pulisic endured a frustrating derby against Inter (Luca Rossini/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Name: Yunus Musah
Club: Milan
Position: Central midfielder
Appearances: 26
Goals: 0

It was Musah who was sent off midweek against Dinamo Zagreb after drawing a costly second yellow card in the 39th minute. He was back in the line-up for Sunday’s Derby della Madonnina, completing 26 of 27 pass attempts in a 78-minute shift.

The draw saw Milan fall to eighth in Serie A — four points behind sixth-ranked Lazio for the final European place.

Name: Mark McKenzie
Club: Toulouse
Position: Center-back
Appearances: 20
Goals: 1

The Philadelphia Union homegrown scored his first goal for Toulouse on Sunday, helping his club notch a useful 1-1 draw against OGC Nice. It’s just deserts for over half a year of dependable play in Ligue 1, where he’s now started 18 league games for the 10th-ranked side.

Name: Josh Sargent
Club: Norwich City
Position: Striker
Appearances: 17
Goals: 7

That groin injury which forced Sargent to miss 14 Championship matches sure seems to have healed well.

The Missourian is up to three goals in his first two starts post-recovery, rippling the net with a classic poacher’s tap-in to give the Canaries a 1-0 win at Watford. The result sent Norwich above Watford and two other teams in the standings in the English second tier, now perched in eighth place through 30 matches.

Name: Chris Richards
Club: Crystal Palace
Position: Center-back
Appearances: 16
Goals: 0

Richards went a full 90 in a terrific 2-0 victory at Old Trafford. He did well to contain Alejandro Garnacho out wide, while his four aerial duel wins (from six attempts) tied him for the team lead.

Perhaps most encouraging for his hopes of staying in the line-up, Palace has won four times in Richards’ current run of six consecutive starts along the back.

Richards holds off Garnacho (Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Name: Noahkai Banks
Club: Augsburg
Position: Center-back
Appearances: 5
Goals: 0

The 18-year-old made a second consecutive start in the Bundesliga, lasting 79 minutes in a 1-1 draw at St Pauli. Unfortunately, Banks swung the result against his side’s interests as a sliding effort to clear a bouncing ball from the goal line instead pushed it into the goalmouth to open the scoring.Consider it a tough lesson for a young defender who still showed plenty of promise across the rest of his shift.

Name: James Sands
Club: St Pauli
Position: Central midfielder
Appearances: 5
Goals: 0

On the reverse side of the fixture, Sands played in a slightly more advanced role of St Pauli’s midfield. While his 64 per cent pass accuracy is concerningly low, he did complete three of his four attempts in the final third. Sands has yet to log a minute at center-back during his loan spell.

Name: Tanner Tessmann
Club: Lyon
Position: Central midfielder
Appearances: 18
Goals: 0

U.S. Soccer’s newly minted Young Player of the Year came off the bench in the 86th minute of Lyon’s 3-2 defeat at Marseille, with the club falling to seventh in Ligue 1. Worryingly, Lyon is winless in its last six matches across all competitions, with Tessmann logging just 135 minutes across those fixtures.

Name: Brenden Aaronson
Club: Leeds United
Position: Attacking midfielder
Appearances: 31
Goals: 8

Aaronson scored the opener in Leeds’ 7-0 thrashing of poor Cardiff City, hustling to reward Daniel James’ rounding of the goalkeeper by meeting his cutback cross for a tap-in.

Aaronson celebrates his opener (Ben Roberts Photo/Getty Images)

Name: Tim Weah
Club: Juventus
Position: Right-back
Appearances: 24
Goals: 5

Weah assisted in a 4-1 comeback victory against Empoli. His defensive positioning was also sound, playing as the more withdrawn full-back compared to left-sided counterpart Nicolo Savona.

Name: Weston McKennie
Club: Juventus
Position: Attacking midfielder
Appearances: 26
Goals: 4

Mere days after captaining Juventus for the first time, McKennie was in the starting line-up again against Empoli.He saw a dramatic change in deployment, however, going from a left-back on Wednesday to logging 85 minutes as a central attacking midfielder. His versatility continues to be invaluable for Juventus, who now sits 4th in Serie A having lost just once.

McKennie played as a left-back against Empoli (Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

Name: Jordan Pefok
Club: Union Berlin
Position: Striker
Appearances: 20
Goals: 0, still

A quick follow-up from last week’s section on poor Pefok, who was unable to end his scoring slump from the bench in a scoreless draw against RB Leipzig.

The striker did take one shot, having been fed a chance in the 95th minute with a sizable 0.36 xG, but Peter Gulacsi did well to see out a clean sheet for the visitors.

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What’s coming up?

(All times ET)

If Robinson stays with Fulham on deadline day, as expected, his next game will be against his previous club, Wigan Athletic, in the FA Cup’s fourth round on Saturday (10am, ESPN+). It would be a bit of poetic justice, as the left-back rebuilt his stock with the EFL side from the outskirts of Manchester, currently 16th out of 24 in the third tier, before moving to Fulham in summer 2020.

Aidan Morris remains a fixture of Middlesbrough’s lineup as north-east neighbours Sunderland visit later today in a Monday special (3pm, Paramount+). Middlesbrough has won just one of its last five games in all competitions, and is outside of the Championship’s promotion play-off places on goal difference entering this fixture.

Pulisic and Musah will hope to stay in the Milan team for Wednesday’s Coppa Italia quarterfinal against Roma (3pm, Paramount+). McKennie and Weah will be spared a midweek fixture as Juventus’ quarterfinal meeting with Empoli isn’t for three weeks, but return to action on Friday with a Serie A trip to Como (2:45pm, Paramount+).

Tyler Adams and Bournemouth will hope to bounce back after their 11-game winless run got snapped by Liverpool this past weekend. They’ll head to Goodison Park to face a revived Everton on Saturday (10am, ESPN+), also in the FA Cup’s fourth round. And while League One is seldom spotlighted in these articles, Leyton Orient will likely have their 23-year-old American striker Charlie Kelman leading the line that same day as Premier League champions Manchester City visit the east Londoners in round four of the cup (7:15am, ESPN+).

Emma Hayes’ plan for USWNT looks to reframe approach through lens of women and girls

By Meg Linehan 8h ago The Athletic

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U.S. women’s national team head coach Emma Hayes has finally had some time to think about the bigger picture.With the gold-medal win at the Olympics and her whirlwind 2024 behind her, Hayes was able to firm up and present her strategic vision for U.S. Soccer during the team’s January camp. She calls it “The WNT Way,” a plan that builds on technical director Matt Crocker’s vision for the program to grow the sport as a whole in the United States.The short version? Reframe everything through the lens of girls and women in the sport, rather than relying on what has previously been built for men.Hayes gave an overview in a presentation during a virtual round table on Monday. Viewed in its totality, it’s a complete reshaping of how U.S. Soccer has viewed the sport. Previously, the federation operated the women’s game as either an extension or copy of the men’s one, despite the standard of excellence set by the USWNT with its four World Cup final wins and five Olympic titles (the men have got to one World Cup quarterfinal, in 2002, and their only Olympic medals came in 1904).“Fundamentally, everything within our game has been centered through a male bias and a male lens,” Hayes said. “So I’ve challenged everybody across the federation internally to look at how they’ve been viewing the women’s game.”This exercise was for everyone, from the technical staff to marketing to human resources. Throughout the conversation, Hayes pointed to things like women playing in white shorts, the impact of a poorly-taken photograph on self-esteem and even more insidious issues such as body image and weight disorders.Hayes has big goals associated with the WNT way: becoming a global leader in this approach, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration from the technical staff to the marketing department to scientific studies and beyond, pushing boundaries through innovation, and creating inclusive environments where people and players are developed and valued.She has geared the work toward the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil and the Los Angeles-hosted 2028 Olympics, but there are also immediate priorities.First and foremost, though, she has to get people on board with her vision.

Hayes’ plan looks ahead to the 2027 and 2031 World Cups and 2028 Olympics. (Stephen McCarthy / Getty Images)

Hayes wants to set up an advisory board with representatives from the NWSL, the top club league in the U.S., and the smaller USL Super League, and possibly the NCAA (college) and youth soccer systems.“We want to put together a group that is talking at a high level, and advising around the most important things that will be required within our game,” she said. There are already research projects underway concerning performance, technical and medical analysis.In addition to domestic leagues and youth systems, Hayes wants to align the senior and youth women’s national team programs. This work has already started, with the return of the January camp for the national team and a Futures Camp running simultaneously in the same location. That integration goes beyond those get-togethers to the entire methodology of how the federation approaches women’s soccer. Standards will have to be created to raise the bar and keep people accountable for this vision.The planning also includes looking beyond the immediate international competitions to 2031. U.S. Soccer and Mexico withdrew their joint bid to host the 2027 World Cup, and have planned to bid for the next edition four years later. “I can’t control that,” Hayes said, “but we want to work to influence that.”Such a bid may be heavily complicated by the political relationship between the United States and Mexico under President Donald Trump, with ongoing political discussions over trade and the shared border. However, neither federation has made any official statements concerning potential impacts on the 2027 World Cup or any 2031 bid.

But it wasn’t all about the players. Coaching education was a clear sticking point for Hayes.

Priorities are still being worked out, but the double FIFA Best Coach of the Year (in 2021 with English club Chelsea and last year combining her work in London and with the USWNT) said she wants a coaching education director dedicated to the women’s game. That way, course content from the B license through the pro license can be cohesively linked, “whether it’s physiologically, anatomically, technically, tactically, psychologically, socially, emotionally”.

Hayes won the FIFA Best Coach of the Year award in 2024 for the second time in four years. (Claudio Villa / Getty Images)

The education of coaches is especially key for Hayes because it’s a direct reflection of having different, specific standards for the women’s game.

“We always do this constant comparing to the men’s game,” she said. “I really don’t care what they’re doing, what works for us? It’s about creating that more than anything else, and becoming more armed with the knowledge and having the right research.”

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All of these things combined allow Hayes and U.S. Soccer to think about how to influence the global ecosystem of the sport, beyond the USWNT and NWSL.

“We have to impact FIFA (the game’s global governing body). We have to impact UEFA (the European federation). We have to impact the government level across the world, which isn’t going to be easy,” she said.

Hayes still has her responsibilities to the senior national team.

The SheBelieves Cup starts in a couple of weeks, with the team’s first games of the year against Colombia, Australia and Japan. Hayes said she wants to focus on developing the team over the next two and a half years to prepare for that World Cup in Brazil, but she’s spent the past six months working in the background to get these new systems built and ready to go.

While Hayes doesn’t think this massive project will happen quickly, she is confident it will get done. She said she was “poking the bear” to make it happen. “I’ve had to put the framework in place, and now it’s the work of a lot of people within the federation to hold each and every one accountable to those steps,” she said.

And at the end of the day, Hayes thinks all of this work will help the United States to keep winning in women’s soccer, though it was not a word that came up until near the end of her presentation, during the question and answer portion.

“If we keep more girls in the game at the highest possible level, and we create the best possible environments for us, then the U.S. will win anyway,” she said.

“If we create the best environments for (players) in everything that we’re doing, how we support them, how we coach them, then we’re winning.”

(Top photo: Hayes and USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino; Brad Smith / Getty Images for USSF)

The revamped Champions League: A success or a Super League devoid of jeopardy?

RK.	TEAM	MAKE ROUND OF 16	MAKE QUARTER FINALS	MAKE SEMI FINALS	MAKE FINAL	WIN UCL
#1	Liverpool	✓	76%	61%	38%	24%
T2	Inter Milan	✓	78%	51%	32%	17%
T2	Arsenal	✓	78%	51%	31%	17%
#4	Barcelona	✓	64%	42%	20%	9%
#5	PSG	86%	38%	25%	12%	6%
T6	Bayer Leverkusen	✓	51%	21%	10%	4%
T6	Real Madrid	53%	31%	16%	8%	4%
T8	Atletico Madrid	✓	49%	19%	8%	3%
T8	Atalanta	75%	48%	19%	8%	3%
T8	Manchester City	47%	27%	13%	6%	3%
T11	Bayern Munich	75%	36%	13%	6%	2%
T11	Sporting CP	65%	37%	12%	4%	2%
T13	Aston Villa	✓	45%	14%	4%	1%
T13	Lille	✓	45%	12%	3%	1%
T15	Juventus	54%	14%	6%	2%	<1%
T15	AC Milan	63%	14%	6%	2%	<1%
T15	PSV	46%	11%	4%	1%	<1%
T15	Benfica	53%	11%	5%	2%	<1%
T15	Borussia Dortmund	35%	15%	3%	<1%	<1%
T15	Monaco	47%	9%	4%	<1%	<1%
T15	Feyenoord	37%	5%	1%	<1%	<1%
T15	Club Bruges	25%	10%	2%	<1%	<1%
T15	Celtic	25%	6%	<1%	<1%	<1%
T15	Brest	14%	2%	<1%	<1%	<1%
	Dinamo Zagreb	—	—	—	—	—
	Stuttgart	—	—	—	—	—
	Shakhtar Donetsk	—	—	—	—	—
	Bologna	—	—	—	—	—
	Red Star Belgrade	—	—	—	—	—
	Sturm Graz	—	—	—	—	—
	Sparta Prague	—	—	—	—	—
	RB Leipzig	—	—	—	—	—
	Girona	—	—	—	—	—
	Red Bull Salzburg	—	—	—	—	—
	Slovan Bratislava	—	—	—	—	—
	Young Boys	—	—	—	—	—

By James Horncastle Feb 1, 2025 The Athletic NY Times

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At a time when some events are banning phones to ensure the audience is properly engaged in the experience, the perceived success of the new Champions League format was instead captured by the image of Aston Villa and Club Brugge players huddled around various devices anxiously checking the scores in Barcelona and Zagreb to see if they’d made the top eight and play-offs respectively.Wednesday’s scenes at Villa Park and the Etihad Stadium had a palpable charm to them. Here was a modern twist on transistor radios being held to one ear, game-states being passed by word of mouth followed by cheers or curses, progress or elimination. This was presented as a welcome novelty, something that didn’t used to happen in the group stage the league phase has replaced. All hail the league phase!The broadly positive reception to the new formula called to mind Harry Lime’s immortal line in The Third Man. “In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.” Lime perhaps wouldn’t have been so disdainful if he’d known about the Swiss model, as the new Champions League format is known.But aside from delivering more money to the clubs, more games to the broadcasters and more revenue to itself, did UEFA’s overhaul work?There were some great stories during the league phase, from Lille and Brest over-performing to Manchester City’s unexpected psychodrama. Lille, for instance, lost their coach Paulo Fonseca to Milan in the summer and sold their best young player, Leny Yoro, to Manchester United. They needed to go through two preliminary rounds, where they eliminated Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce, just to make the league phase.

When Ruben Amorim’s Sporting beat them on the Swiss model’s opening night, most people would have tipped the Lisbon side, not Lille to be the gatecrashers into the top eight. But, no. Lille bounced back to beat champions Real Madrid, then neighbours Atletico. They drew with Juventus and only lost to Liverpool after going down to 10 men.

Remy Cabella celebrates with Ngal’ayel Mukau as Lille thump Feyenoord 6-1 on Wednesday (Rico Brouwer/Soccrates/Getty Images)

But past editions of the Champions League did not lack storylines like Lille’s, so it is hard to attribute theirs to the new format.

Brest, perhaps, benefited from playing eight games and eight different opponents instead of six against three other clubs, as was the case in previous seasons. It feels a long time ago now but the momentum for their qualification to the upcoming play-off round came from a light introduction to Europe’s elite club competition.To the neutral, their fixtures felt less Champions League and more Austrian Bundesliga or Mitropa Cup in the early months as they beat Sturm Graz and RB Salzburg, then creditably held Bayer Leverkusen to a draw before overcoming Sparta in Prague. It was a heartwarming tale, even if Brest’s Cinderella story was a bit like giving Cinders a dating app with the best possible algorithm to help her find her happy-ever-after.

The miracle of Brest, a club a world apart from Champions League opponents Real Madrid

They were trumpeted as the second-best new addition to the Champions League. The other was the buzzword of the final night simulcast.As the competition clashed for the first time with the winter transfer window, the notion of jeopardy was roundly heralded as the Champions League’s best new signing, hyped as a prospect capable of drawing more attention than the usual cast of stars. But, make no mistake, a lot of smoke and mirrors were in use here.Part of the jeopardy came from missing out on the top eight.Atalanta and Milan fell out of it on Wednesday. Their punishment? Two more games on their schedule in the play-offs. Is that a penalty? Fans of clubs tend to want to see them in action as much as possible, particularly in the Champions League, so this did not seem much of a penalty. On the contrary, it could be interpreted as a bonus by anyone apart from the coach and the players who have to factor in more effort, preparation and fixture congestion.

Yunus Musah sees red in Zagreb and Milan are beaten – and condemned to play two more games (Marko Lukunic/Pixsell/MB Media/Getty Images)

At one end of the standings, Liverpool could send the kids to play PSV in Eindhoven. At the other, nine teams had already been eliminated before the final gameweek. The bulk of the remainder were either sure of qualification or almost sure of it, which meant the jeopardy was jostling for position in a table so large it felt like watching midfield overtakes in the Indy 500.

As a viewer, it was hard to keep up and stay on track.

The real drama came from the random coincidence of the new format’s introduction with the one season in Pep Guardiola’s 17-year coaching career when his team are spluttering. In the end, though, the extension of the opening phase from six games to eight allowed big clubs like City, who left it last-minute compared with Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, enough rope to pull themselves out of trouble.

It used to be that 10 or 11 points was the benchmark for qualification from a six-game group. Though in 2013, 12 points weren’t enough for Napoli. This time round, in the inaugural league phase, City, Sporting and Club Brugge reached the play-offs with 11 points from two extra matches. Less from more somehow represented progress.

City diced with disaster, left it late, and still reached the play-offs (James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)

The tie-breakers were unsatisfactory, too.While Brugge celebrated in defeat in Manchester, Dinamo Zagreb were downcast in victory at the Maksimir. They had beaten Milan but missed the play-offs on goal difference. It raised the question: is goal difference a fair differentiator when you’ve played a different set of fixtures to, in Dinamo’s case, City, Sporting and Brugge?Away goals would not represent a perfect solution either, as you don’t play every team home and away.

Eighteen Champions League games, one unusual assignment: watch every match (in five-minute segments)

By playing eight different teams, there is more variety, more curiosity and less sameness. However, the new format throws up another conundrum: when is a league not a league? By not playing everyone, your club’s fixtures can feel abstract and that abstraction could be like lifting the lid on Pandora’s box. Because if home and away isn’t a thing, does it matter where these games are played? Might it open the door to UEFA Champions League fixtures in New York and Riyadh?

We should never forget the original sin of this format change was the challenge posed to UEFA by a Super League. The Swiss model is an open model. It isn’t closed to entry. But it does secure clubs more revenue — albeit not as much as some think they would make in a new competition — and the 16-team play-off round works like a safety net from elimination that keeps the under-performing elite in the competition instead of sending them down to the less lucrative, more tiring Europa League as in previous years.So as with the illusion of jeopardy, the other trick here — a compromise, really — is that this is a Super League approximating format under UEFA branding.“Are you not entertained?”I’ll leave you with the image of Aleksander Ceferin, bloodied by the Super League insurrectionists, throwing his sword onto the Colosseum gravel.Is it a thumb-up, a thumb-down, or is your fist still hovering uncertainly in the air?

Inside Naomi Girma’s move to Chelsea: From early success to breaking transfer records

Meg Linehan an 31, 2025 Shortly after Naomi Girma’s first links to Chelsea appeared, a video from the match between the United States and England resurfaced. Following the final whistle of a scoreless draw at Wembley Stadium last November, cameras caught Chelsea defenders Millie Bright and Lucy Bronze wrapping Girma up in hugs, Bright prodding playfully at the U.S. badge on Girma’s jersey, covering her mouth as she talked. Months later, while officially wearing Chelsea blue, Girma laughed when shown the video, admitting the two had been asking if she was coming to London. Calling the moment intriguing or even an inflection point is a bit of a reach, but it helped rev up speculation over Girma’s future in the NWSL and her eventual destination in the transfer window. However, her journey to a record-breaking $1.1million (£890,000) transfer started nearly a year earlier when Girma requested to go on loan from the San Diego Wave in January 2024. She was ready for Europe.

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Girma joined the NWSL as the No. 1 draft pick in the 2022 entry draft, selected by the expansion team in San Diego ahead of their inaugural season. Most NWSL expansion teams don’t immediately make a significant play for the postseason, but the Wave finished in third place that first year and Girma was voted both the league rookie of the year and defender of the year. She would go back-to-back as the league’s top defender in 2023 when the Wave won the NWSL shield as the top team of the regular season.At the same time, Girma was making a name for herself with the U.S. women’s national team, earning her first cap in 2022 under former head coach Vlatko Andonovski. Ahead of the 2023 World Cup, Megan Rapinoe provided her assessment of Girma’s instant-starter status. “I don’t think you can leave her off the field,” Rapinoe told a handful of reporters ahead of a SheBelieves Cup match. “Calm, extremely smart. I don’t think her physicality gets talked about enough, deceptively quick. If you have any kind of quickness and brain, then that’s a wrap. She can play any kind of ball. She’s a great leader. She’s just f***ing good.”

Girma quickly earned her spot with the U.S. women’s national team in 2023. (Brad Smith / Getty Images for USSF)

By the time the 2023 World Cup rolled around, Girma was a locked starter — though alongside Julie Ertz who had unexpectedly returned to the team in time for the tournament, and not Becky Sauerbrunn (who wasn’t selected due to a foot injury). For as much as the USWNT’s earliest exit in a World Cup has been dissected, Girma and Ertz were the clear bright spot, only allowing two shots on goal through the four matches played.Last summer at the Olympics, Girma once again played every minute of a major tournament for the team. This time, it was her coronation, ending with a gold medal.

Naomi Girma’s invaluable defending and leadership for USWNT: ‘It’s an art’

“She’s the best defender I’ve ever seen,” head coach Emma Hayes said after the shutout semifinal victory against Germany. “Ever.”As Girma’s profile rose in the United States and the international game (Ballon d’Or snub aside), the Wave’s technical staff realized they would struggle to afford her. In June 2023, the club signed Girma to a new deal through the 2026 season, the maximum contract length at the time.By the start of 2024, however, Girma had asked the team to consider an overseas loan. Sources briefed on these conversations did not specify which team — only that, because of the short turnaround time, the Wave were unable to honor that request.During the season, the coaching staff and front office (and eventually, ownership) were going through changes of their own. General manager Molly Downtain announced her departure in February, though her final day with the Wave happened in April. By June, the team hired Camille Ashton to serve as the club’s new sporting director and general manager. Head coach Casey Stoney was fired later that month after a seven-game winless streak.

Naomi Girma won rookie and defender of the year in 2022. (Lyndsay Radnedge / Getty Images)

It would fall to Ashton to determine if Girma was still set on Europe. The 2024 summer window was still a theoretical possibility, though at this point — based on the NWSL club’s understanding of the situation — Girma had not yet determined what her preferred destination was.Through the fall and into the winter transfer window, Girma was linked to three of the top European clubs: Arsenal, Lyon, and Chelsea. Arsenal was the first of those clubs to truly fall out of the running, though sources briefed on the team’s conversations with Girma and her agent did say that former Arsenal defender Alex Scott had an “informal” discussion with her over a potential move.

Lyon, as things inched closer to a final deal, was the main challenger to Chelsea, providing the Wave with a $1million offer for a transfer fee of their own. There was no shortage of American teammates to talk to there about their experiences in France, with USWNT captain Lindsey Horan and defender Sofia Huerta, currently on loan from Reign FC, both on the roster.Chelsea, in many ways though, was always the frontrunner, and not just because of their willingness to be aggressive in their transfer window spending.Naomi Girma had always been on Chelsea’s radar and scouts had previously filed reports on her over the past couple of years as Girma settled into the NWSL. Their hand was forced, however, last November after center back Kadeisha Buchanan tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). One source familiar with the deal confirmed that Girma became a primary target that month — and head coach Sonia Bompastor had been pretty clear on the need for depth at center-back across multiple press conferences this winter.

Naomi Girma joins a Chelsea team needing to add depth. (Harriet Lander / Chelsea FC via Getty Images)

The goal for Chelsea remains to win the Champions League, and the team did not feel it could do that with Millie Bright and Nathalie Bjorn alone.

Back in San Diego, the club had to balance two priorities: helping Girma play where she wanted to play, but also ensuring the Wave got a fair shake on the final deal.

At first, there were exploratory conversations about Chelsea sending a player to California along with a transfer fee, but that turned too complicated and the final discussions were solely about the right dollar amount. Sources briefed on these conversations also said that San Diego wasn’t entirely sure it would be wrapped up in time for the window closing on January 30, but they also understood it wouldn’t be beneficial for them or Girma if she didn’t make the move this winter.The Wave had already begun preparing for her absence on the 2025 roster, most crucially signing 17-year-old Trinity Armstrong, convincing her to make the leap to the pros after a successful freshman year at the University of North Carolina which culminated in an NCAA national championship — and a summer with the U.S. under-17s at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in which the team won bronze. Armstrong, not unlike Girma, had played every minute of that tournament for the youth national team.Armstrong may be poised to follow in the footsteps of Girma both in San Diego and her progression to the senior national team, but the Wave also knew that there was no way to replace Girma with a single player. She has always been one of one. Rather than focus on a big signing to compensate, the Wave have opted to focus on the team’s depth and chemistry as a whole under new head coach Jonas Eidevall.

By January 21, the Wave and Chelsea had agreed to the terms of the transfer: a $1.1million fee, which sources said would be split across three years. It was also the first day of San Diego’s preseason — which Girma reported to — and a few days after the U.S. women’s national team announced Girma would miss the January camp due to a minor calf injury.By that Sunday, all the trappings of her announcement were in place, including the hype video, promotional photos, and the customized ‘Girma 16′ jerseys prominently featured on the team’s store website.The moment had finally arrived, and no cold London drizzle could dampen the moment of Girma stepping out from the tunnel at Stamford Bridge in blue, her hand raised in a wave, as the stadium blared the chorus of the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Californication.”

(Top photo: Harriet Lander / Getty Images; Illustration: Eamonn Dalton / The Athletic)