MLS Teams Advance in Leagues Cup
All 4 MLS teams won vs their Mexican counterparts on Wednesday night as MLS dominated this competition and will send all 4 teams to the Semi-Finals Wednesday night for the first time ever. Two of the games did go to shootouts however. I have to admit – I stayed up to 2 am to watch these games as I have been intrigued by this competition. Huge news that American Paxton Aaronson is returning to MLS with Colorado.
Italy & Germany Start European Seasons this Weekend
Exciting for Americans as Italy and Germany get underway with tons of American internationals on rosters with stars like Pulisic @ AC Milan, McKennie @ Juventus and Joe Scally at M’Gladbach & now Gio Reyna who has joined him from Dortmund on hand. Of course Inter Milan and Bayern Munich will be tough to knock of their perches as each league. Full previews for both leagues below.
Indy 11 loses in Jagermeister Cup – Hosts Miami FC Sat for All Things Indiana Night
Indianapolis – For the second time in the past three USL Jägermeister Cup matches, penalty kicks decided the outcome, but this time Indy Eleven fell to Greenville Triumph SC, 6-5, in the Quarterfinals at Carroll Stadium.The Boys in Blue scored first in the 55th minute when midfielder Bruno Rendon played a cross into that area that forward Romario Williams finished into the top right corner to give his team a 1-0 lead. Indy Eleven maintained that lead until the 90th minute when Greenville tied the match at 1-1 on an own goal. In penalty kicks, Greenville shot first, with both teams converting the first 11 tries. Greenville goalkeeper Gunther Rankeburg then made the deciding save on Oliver Brynéus’ attempt to send his team to the Jäger Cup semi-finals.The Boys in Blue resume USL Championship play vs. Miami FC on Saturday at 7 pm at Carroll Stadium on All Things Indiana Night. Single-game tickets for all matches are available via Ticketmaster.
TV GAME SCHEDULE
Fri, Aug 22
2:30 pm ESPN2 Bayern Munich vs RB Leipzig Germany
8 pm Amazon Prime Chicago Red Stars vs NC Courage NWSL
Sat, Aug 23
7:20 am Para+ Wrexham vs West Brom
7:30 am USA Man City vs Tottenham
9:30 am ESPN+ Leverkusen (Tilman) vs Hoffenheim
9:30 am Para+ Wrexham vs Sheffield Wed
9:30 am Para+ Norwich City (Stewart) vs Middlesborough (Aidan Morris)
9:30 am Para+ Coventry City (Haji Wright) vs Queens Park Rangers (Juergan Sumners old team)
10 am USA Brentford vs Aston villa
10 am Peackcock Bournemouth (Adams) vs Wolverhampton
11 am
12:30 pm NBC Arsenal vs Leeds (Aaronson)
12:30 pm St Pauli (Sands) vs Dortmund (Reyna)
1:30 pm ESPND+ Atletico Madrid (Cardoso) vs Elche
2:45 pm Para+ AC Milan (Pulisic) vs Cremosnese
3:30 pm ESPND+ Levante vs Barcelona
4 pm CBS Bay FC vs Washington Spirit NWSL
7 pm TV6, ESPN+ Indy 11 vs Miami FC
7:30 pm Apple TV free Chicago vs Philly
7:30 pm Prime Cincy vs NYCFC
7:30 pm ION NY/NJ Gotham FC vs Utah Royals NWSL
10 pm ION Portland vs Kansas City Current NWSL
Sun, Aug 24
9 am USA Everton vs Brighton (new stadium unviel)
9 am Peacock Crystal Palace (Richards) vs Nottingham Forest
11:30 am NBC Fulham (Jedi-hurt) vs Man United
11:30 pm ESPN+ M’Gladbach (Scally) vs Hamburger
2:45 pm CBSSN Juventus (McKennie) vs Parma
3:30 pm ESPNd+ Oviedo vs Real Madrid
7 pm Apple TV Charlotte vs NY Red Bulls
7 pm Para+ Houston Dash vs Seattle Reign NWSL
8 pm Para+, Prime, Golazo San Diego Wave vs Racing Louisville
9 pm FS1 Apple TV Seattle vs KC
Mon, Aug, 25
1:30 pm ESPN+ Athletic Club vs Rayo Vallecano
2:45 pm CBSSN Inter Milan vs Torino
3 pm USA Newcastle vs Liverpool
Tues, Aug 26
12:45 pm Para+ Kairat vs Celtic (CVB)
2:45 pm Para+ Preston North End vs Wrexham
2:45 pm Para+ Bournmouth (Adams) vs Brentford C Cup
2:45 pm Para+ Norwich (Sargent) vs Southampton C Cup
Wed, Aug 30
2:$5 PM Para+ Fulham (Robinson) vs Bristol City C Cup
2:45 pm Para+ Grimbsy Town vs Man United C Cup
2:45 pm Para+ Millwall vs Coventry City (Wright) C Cup
2:50 pm Para+ Club Brugge vs Rangers Champs League
Fri, Aug 29
2:45 pm Para+ Lecce vs AC Milan (Pulisic)
3 pm CBSSN Leicester City vs Birmingham City Championship
8 pm Prime Orlando Pride (Marta) vs NY/NJ Gothem NWSL
10:30 pm Para+, Prime Seattle Reign vs San Diego Wave NWSL
10:30 pm Para+, Prime, Golazo Portland Thorns vs Utah
Sat, Aug 30
7:30 am USA Chelsea vs Fulham (Jedi)
12:30 pm NBC Leeds United (Aaronson) vs Newcastle United
Sun Aug 31
7:30 am USA Nottingham Forest vs West Ham
11:30 am USA Liverpool vs Arsenal
12:30 pm CBSSN Genoa vs Juventus (McKennie)
Sat, Sept 6
5 pm TNT, Tele, Max USA Men vs Korea
Tues, Sept 9
7:30 pm TNT, Tele, Max USA Men vs Japan in Columbus, Ohio
Fri, Oct 10
8:30 pm TNT, Max USA Men vs Ecuador
Tues, Oct 14
9 pm TNT, Max USA Men vs Australia
=====RackZ BAR BQ ====Save 20% ===
Got some Good BarBQ for your Summer Plans ? Try out the Best BarBQ in Town right across the street (131st) from Northview Church on the corner of Hazelldell & 131st. RackZ BBQ
Save 20% on your order
(mention the ole ballcoach)
Check out the BarBQ Ribs, pulled Pork and Chicken, Brisket and more. Sweet, Tangy or Spicy sauce. Mention you heard about it from the Ole Ballcoach — and Ryan will give you 20% off your next meal. https://www.rackzbbqindy.com/ Call ahead at 317-688-7290 M-Th 11-8 pm, 11-9 Fri/Sat, 12-8 pm on Sunday. Pick some up after practice – Its good eatin! You won’t be disappointed and tell ’em the Ole Ballcoach Sent You!
======================RackZ BAR BQ ====Save 20% ======================
Goalkeeping
Saves of the Week EPL Week 1
Saves of the Week France
USL Saves of the Week
Man United have a goalkeeper problem, but solving it might have to wait
DRAMA! Andrew Thomas sends Seattle Sounders to Leagues Cup semis
El Pulpo! Pedro Gallese rescues Orlando City vs. Toluca
USA
USMNT countdown to the World Cup: Does McKennie have Juve future?
Rapids break record to sign USMNT’s P. Aaronson
USMNT countdown to the World Cup: Sargent making early claim to be Pochettino’s No. 9
Giovanni Reyna opts to join Borussia Mönchengladbach
USWNT to take on New Zealand in October friendly
World
2025-26 Bundesliga opening weekend schedule: How to watch
Bundesliga predictions: Bayern to repeat, surprising
Italy Season Preview Serie A Season Preview
Serie A Season Preview- Inter Favorites Again
Italy Season Preview
Bundesliga 2025/26 Tactical Previews
| The full 18 club index 5 reasons to look forward to the 2025/26 Bundesliga season Bayern Munich the favorite again as Bundesliga season …
Another Camp Nou delay? Barcelona requests La Liga changes in upcoming home game
10 European storylines to follow: Liverpool and City rebuild, Barca’s defense, more
– Connelly, O’Hanlon’s Premier League mega-preview, 2025-26
– How clubs got their colors: Stories behind iconic kits
Kennedy Center to host 2026 World Cup draw
Reffing
8 Second GK Rule
Chelsea Wall Rule – No Goal
What’s Your Call? Dogso Liverpool Game
MLS
Colorado Rapids & Paxten Aaronson: Why the USMNT midfielder returned to MLS
Leagues Cup 2025: Semifinal matchups, schedule info & who advanced
Inter Miami oust Tigres in WILD Leagues Cup quarterfinal
DRAMA! Andrew Thomas sends Seattle Sounders to Leagues Cup semis
Leagues Cup dreaming! LA Galaxy deny LIGA MX leaders Pachuca
El Pulpo! Pedro Gallese rescues Orlando City vs. Toluca
MLS takes Leagues Cup bragging rights over LIGA MX
Power Rankings: San Diego FC on verge of record-setting season
USMNT weekend viewing guide: full go
Some of our most watched leagues embark on a new season.
by jcksnftsn Aug 22, 2025, 12:26 PM EDT
Getty Images
Italy and Germany join the regular season roundup this weekend for a full schedule of league action as we fully get the European calendar underway. Despite that, there is a slow start to the weekend with a lack of action on Friday. However, the combo of all leagues in play, and matches not starting up until Friday is out, gives us a load of action to follow starting Saturday morning. Let’s get to it:
Saturday
Eintracht Frankfurt v Werder Bremen – 9:30a on ESPN+: Paxten Aaronson is heading to Colorado and Timothy Chandler doesn’t actually play so Eintracht Frankfurt will be dropping off our watchlist for now, unless Nathaniel Brown decides to make a switch to the USMNT.
Bayer Leverkusen v TSG Hoffenheim – 9:30a on ESPN+: Malik Tillman missed Bayer Leverkusen’s 4-0 win over SG Sonnenhof in dfb Pokal action last weekend and will be unavailable this weekend as well as Leverkusen open their season against Hoffenheim though he has returned to training.
AFC Bournemouth v Wolverhampton Wanderers – 10a on Peacock: Tyler Adams and Bournemouth look to bounce back after their 4-2 loss to Liverpool in last weekends opener. Their opponent this weekend, the Wolverhampton Wanderers, also gave up four goals last weekend in a 4-0 loss to Manchester City.
Norwich City v Middlesbrough – 10a on Paramount+: Josh Sargent and Aidan Morris will face off in the Championship as Sargent looks to continue his hot start. The forward, who was left out of the Gold Cup squad, has scored in each of his first three matches to start the 2025 season. Meanwhile, Morris and Middlesborough haven’t conceded a goal in league play through their first two matches as they are off to a 2-0-0 start.
Coventry City v Queens Park Rangers – 10a on Paramount+: Haji Wright picked up his first goal of the season last weekend as he converted a penalty and Coventry City went on to defeat Derby 5-3 and pick up their first win of the season.
Olympique Marseille v Paris FC – 11a on beIN Sports: Tim Weah’s playing options look to be opening up as a post match dustup following last weekends opening loss between Adrien Rabiot and Jonathan Rowe that was described by the club as being “extremely violent” led to both players being transfer listed. Weah came on as a substitute at the start of the second half last weekend for centerback Geoffrey Kondogbia as the team looked to take advantage of a first half red card to Rennais. Marseille need to rebound quickly as they take on newly promoted Paris FC on Saturday.
Arsenal v Leeds United – 12:30p on NBC and Universo: Brenden Aaronson and Leeds United defeated Everton in their return to the Premier League with Aaronson seeing 23’ minutes off the bench. The difficulty level ratchets up a notch or twelve on Saturday as they face an Arsenal side coming off a 1-0 win over Manchester United and looking to make a title run this season.
St. Pauli v Borussia Dortmund – 12:30p on ESPN+: James Sands made his return from injury as St. Pauli needed penalties to defeat Eintracht Norderstedt in dfp Pokal first round action on Saturday. Sands went the full 90’ in his return playing as a center-mid. St. Pauli will now face Borussia Dortmund which also looks like they will be dropping off as a regular on the viewing guide with the likely exit of Giovanni Reyna and neither Cole Campbell nor Mathis Albert looking likely to break through in the short term.
PSV v Groningen – 12:45p on ESPN+: Sergino Dest created PSV’s opening goal with a fizzed cross that was redirected for an own goal last Sunday in PSV’s 2-0 win over Twente. Ricardo Pepi was again not included in the squad as his recovery is ongoing but Alassane Plea has picked up a long term injury so there are certainly minutes for the taking when Pepi is available. This weekend PSV face FC Groningen who are coming off a 2-1 win over Heerenveen.
Atletico Madrid v Elche – 1:30p on ESPN Deportes and ESPN+: Johnny Cardoso started Atletico Madrid’s La Liga opener and came off at the half with his club up 1-0 but the team would give up two second half goals to Espanyol to fall 2-1. Cardoso did not look out of place in the first half though he did pick up a yellow just minutes prior to the half ending. This weekends opponent, Elche, played to a 1-1 draw with Johnny’s former team, Real Betis, last weekend.
AC Milan v Cremonese – 2:45p on Paramount+: Christian Pulisic got his season started on the right foot, scoring a goal in AC Milan’s 2-0 Copa Italia win over Bari last weekend. Pulisic played the first 66’ minutes of the match before being subbed out for Club and Country teammate Yunus Musah. This weekend’s opponent Cremonese lost in penalties to Palermo after neither side was able to score a goal in regulation.
Olympique Lyon v Metz – 3p on beIN Sports: Tanner Tessmann went the full 90’ as Lyon defeated Lens 1-0 in their opener and will now face a Metz side that fell 0-1 to Strasbourg.
Sunday
Crystal Palace v Nottingham Forest – 9a on Peacock: Chris Richards and Crystal Palace played Chelsea to a scoreless draw last Sunday and will now face Nottingham Forest who finished last season just outside of the Champions League positions and started their 2025-26 campaign with a 3-1 win over Brentford.
Toulouse v Brest – 10:15a on beIN Sports: Mark McKenzie went the full 90’ last weekend as Toulouse defeated Nice 1-0 to open their season.
Fulham v Manchester United – 11:30a on USA Network: Antonee Robinson missed Fulham’s 1-1 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend but is nearing a return and may be available this weekend as Fulham face Manchester United. Manager Marco Silva said he would make a decision on Robinson’s availability for this weekend following Saturday’s training session.
Borussia Monchengladbach v Hamburg SV – 11:30a on ESPN+: Joe Scally started and went the full 90’ for Borussia Monchengladbach last weekend at RB in the team’s 3-2 win over Delmenhorst. Gladbach will face Hamburg this weekend in their Bundesliga opener. Gladbach may also be moving up the priority viewing list in the near future with rumors that Gio Reyna could be joining his BFF Joe Scally in Gladbach.
Lille v Monaco – 2:45p on beIN Sports: Folarin Balogun missed last weekend’s match as Monaco opened their season but is reportedly available this weekend as they face Lille this weekend. Monaco opened their season with a 3-1 win over Le Havre.
Juventus v Parma – 2:45p on CBSSN and Paramount+: Weston McKennie and Juventus will open their season against Parma on Sunday looking to bounce back from a dissapointing 2024-25 season that saw them finish well out of the title race though they did just sneak into fourth place and the final Champions League spot. They will face a Parma side that were just out of the relegation positions last year.
USMNT countdown to the World Cup: Does McKennie have Juve future?
Jeff CarlisleAug 21, 2025, 07:54 AM ET
The opening weeks of the European club season have seen some auspicious starts. Norwich City‘s Josh Sargent continues to bang in the goals, with his tally against Portsmouth already giving him three on the young season. Chris Richards and Crystal Palace secured an impressive road shutout at Chelsea, and Sergiño Dest continued his fine form for PSV Eindhoven.The most notable performances of the weekend came from players in Christian Pulisic and Johnny Cardoso who have had some attention around them — not all of it positive.Throughout the season, ESPN will be monitoring the progress of the U.S. men’s national team player pool, delivering insights into those whose form or fitness has made them particularly intriguing. We call it the USMNT’s Countdown to the men’s World Cup.ESPN will count down to June 11 every week so that way, when the U.S. team is announced for this highly anticipated World Cup on home soil, no names on that 26-man roster will come as a surprise.Welcome to the USMNT’s Countdown to the World Cup. Only 295 days to go.
Editor’s Picks
- USMNT countdown to the World Cup: Sargent making early claim to be Pochettino’s No. 97dJeff Carlisle
- Like father, like son: Timothy Weah recreates father’s magazine cover after Marseille signing15dJ.J. Post
- USMNT 2026 World Cup Big Board 1.0: Early picks for Pochettino’s team15dJeff Carlisle
Christian Pulisic | Attacker | AC Milan
2025-26 minutes: 66
2025-26 FotMob rating: 8.6
Finally letting his football do the talking
Pulisic’s summer of discontent — complete with deciding to skip the Gold Cup, some subtle sniping with U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino, and then a not-so-subtle war-of-words with former USMNT players over his decision — finally got back to focusing on his actual performances. And after shaking off an ankle injury, Pulisic delivered for his club, scoring Milan’s second goal from a sharp reception and finish on the turn in what was a 2-0 win over Bari in the Coppa Italia.
The 66-minute performance reinforced a truism about Pulisic and his USMNT teammates: If he plays well, he’ll be praised. If he doesn’t, he’ll be criticized. Might some of that criticism be over the top? Possibly. But like it or not, this is what he signed up for, and using his docuseries as a platform to complain about said criticism won’t change that. With next summer’s World Cup now only 10 months away, the scrutiny on Pulisic and his play is only bound to increase. His start to the season is nonetheless encouraging.
Johnny Cardoso | Midfielder | Atlético Madrid
2025-26 minutes: 45
2025-26 FotMob rating: 6.7
Already invaluable at Atléti
There has been plenty of head-scratching when it comes to Cardoso and the USMNT. Namely, why doesn’t he replicate his club form at international level? Cardoso’s debut for Atléti on Sunday against Espanyol elicited a very different type of question. Why was he subbed out at halftime by manager Diego Simeone?
It’s a decision made all the more puzzling given how Cardoso performed. He completed 87.5% of his passes and won 71.4% of his duels. Atlético were up 1-0 when he departed, only to lose the match 3-2 when Espanyol rallied for two goals. Simeone even praised Cardoso for his play and acknowledged he needed to reexamine his decisions.
“I think I learned a lesson,” he told reporters afterward. “I’ll take something away from that. There’s a lesson for me.”
Given that Cardoso earned compliments, it’s a start that bodes well for continued playing time on a very competitive squad. Now the challenge for Pochettino is to find a way to get the best out of Cardoso when he dons a different red, white and blue jersey.
Weston McKennie | Midfielder | Juventus
2025-26 minutes: 0
2025-26 FotMob rating: 0.0
An annual tradition: Asking whether McKennie has a future at Juve
There’s always a danger in reading too much into preseason. There are youngsters to try out, fitness levels to manage, and in the case of Juventus, there’s recovery from a packed summer that included the FIFA Club World Cup. All of that said, when it comes to McKennie, how big of a role will he end up playing for Juve this season? It seems to be an annual query.
Last season, McKennie was ever-present, making a total of 48 league and cup appearances. But if the past three friendlies are anything to go by, the U.S. midfielder will be hard-pressed to repeat that level of activity. As the Serie A opener against Genoa nears this weekend, and with manager Igor Tudor opting for a 3-4-3 formation, McKennie has seen his playing time steadily decrease, with him entering last weekend’s friendly against Atalanta in second-half stoppage time. There have also been reports he might be headed to AS Roma.
If McKennie remains with Juve as a squad player, the team’s presence in the UEFA Champions League figures to result in plenty of player rotation, but it’s a less-than-ideal scenario for McKennie and the USMNT; it also might open the door for a fringe player or two. Middlesbrough‘s Aidan Morris has impressed in the opening weeks of the season.
The in-form XI
If the World Cup started tomorrow, who would make up Pochettino’s starting XI? Each week we take our best attempt to name a starting lineup based on form and fitness, which means there’s no room for injured players.
Even as Dest returns to health, a competition is brewing for the remaining outside back slots. Antonee Robinson, when healthy, is the presumed starter at left back, but he has yet to even make the gameday roster in recent weeks for Fulham as he continues to recover from offseason knee surgery. One possible option on the left side, Watford‘s Caleb Wiley, is in a similar situation with a back injury.
The hope is that both players return to the field soon, but in the meantime, Pochettino has plenty of options in an attempt to fill the void. Joe Scally has played on either flank for both club and country, and has been a steady presence on the backline for Borussia Mönchengladbach, making more than 30 appearances in each of the past four seasons. However, Pochettino has shown a clear preference for outside backs who can contribute to the attack, whereas Scally’s strengths lie more on the defensive end of the field. Last season, in 32 league appearances, he had no goals or assists, and created only 11 chances.
That has led Pochettino to look at other options. Both Max Arfsten of the Columbus Crew and Orlando City SC‘s Alex Freeman logged the majority of minutes available at outside back during the Gold Cup. Arfsten showed some vulnerabilities in his defending, but improved as the tournament progressed and chipped in with a goal in the quarterfinal win against Costa Rica. Holstein Kiel‘s John Tolkin got time in the Gold Cup as well, and started the club season in dream fashion, scoring Kiel’s opener in the 2-0 victory over Homburg in the DFB-Pokal. The sequence showed off Tolkin’s passing, mobility and finishing ability. His edge in defending means he cracks this week’s in-form XI.
That is by no means the extent of Pochettino’s options when it comes to outside backs. Tim Weah‘s debut for Marseille last weekend came as a wing back, and Yunus Musah‘s early days under new Milan manager Massimiliano Allegri have seen him play in a similar role. Weah has shown flexibility in the past at club level in terms of playing on either flank, although for the USMNT, his value lies farther upfield given his ability to stretch and get behind defenses. The September window should reveal plenty.
Big Board 1.0 update
ESPN’s USMNT Big Board 1.0 went live earlier this month, and each Big Board will provide the foundation for weekly player updates. Below are the minutes and player ratings for each of those 35 players.
Matt Turner, goalkeeper, New England Revolution: 180 minutes in 2025; 7.4 FotMob rating in 2025.
Matt Freese, goalkeeper, New York City FC: 2,250 minutes in 2025; 7.2 FotMob rating in 2025.
Zack Steffen, goalkeeper, Colorado Rapids: 1,800 minutes in 2025; 7.1 FotMob rating in 2025.
Turner might get the nod in the in-form XI, but Steffen is doing all he can to push for more consideration from Pochettino. Steffen’s goals prevented mark of 6.33 is the third highest in MLS, showing a level of consistency that was absent last season. The big challenge for Steffen is simply staying healthy. If he does, he should get a chance to battle for the starting goalkeeping spot.
Patrick Schulte, goalkeeper, Columbus Crew: 1,980 minutes in 2025; 6.7 FotMob rating in 2025.
Chris Richards, center back, Crystal Palace: 180 minutes in 2025-26; 7.0 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Tim Ream, center back, Charlotte FC: 1,802 minutes in 2025; 6.6 FotMob rating in 2025.
Mark McKenzie, center back, Toulouse: 90 minutes in 2025-26; 7.5 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
McKenzie remains the leading contender to push for Ream’s spot in the center of the USMNT defense, and he delivered a composed performance in Toulouse’s season-opening 1-0 win over Nice, completing 93% of his passes and winning 67% of his duels. Consistency with the USMNT has been an issue, but he’s off to the right kind of start with his club.
USMNT’s Chris Richards reacts to Community Shield win with Palace
Chris Richards speaks after Crystal Palace’s penalty shootout win over Liverpool in the Community Shield.
Cameron Carter-Vickers, center back, Celtic: 180 minutes in 2025-26; 7.7 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Miles Robinson, center back, FC Cincinnati: 2,258 minutes in 2025; 6.9 FotMob rating in 2025.
Auston Trusty, center back, Celtic: 138 minutes in 2025-26; 6.4 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Sergiño Dest, fullback, PSV Eindhoven: 262 minutes in 2025-26; 8.1 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Antonee Robinson, fullback, Fulham: 0 minutes in 2025-26; 0.0 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Joe Scally, fullback, Borussia Mönchengladbach: 90 minutes in 2025-26; 7.4 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Caleb Wiley, fullback, Watford: 0 minutes in 2025-26; 0.0 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Max Arfsten, fullback, Columbus Crew: 2,240 minutes in 2025; 7.5 FotMob rating in 2025.
Alex Freeman, fullback, Orlando City SC: 2,320 minutes in 2025; 7.5 FotMob rating in 2025.
Tyler Adams, midfielder, AFC Bournemouth: 90 minutes in 2025-26; 6.2 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Weston McKennie, midfielder, Juventus: 0 minutes in 2025-26; 0.0 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Johnny Cardoso, midfielder, Atlético Madrid: 45 minutes in 2025-26; 6.7 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Luca de la Torre, midfielder, San Diego FC: 1,995 minutes in 2025; 6.8 FotMob rating in 2025.
Tanner Tessmann, midfielder, Lyon: 90 minutes in 2025-26; 7.6 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Yunus Musah, midfielder, AC Milan: 24 minutes in 2025-26; 6.8 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Sebastian Berhalter, midfielder, Vancouver Whitecaps: 2,470 minutes in 2025; 7.4 FotMob rating in 2025.
Christian Pulisic, attacker, AC Milan: 66 minutes in 2025-26; 8.6 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Tim Weah, attacker, Marseille: 45 minutes in 2025-26; 6.9 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Malik Tillman, attacker, Bayer Leverkusen: 0 minutes in 2025-26; 0.0 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Diego Luna, attacker, Real Salt Lake: 2,005 minutes in 2025; 7.2 FotMob rating in 2025.
Luna sat out last weekend’s 1-0 defeat to Charlotte as he was suspended because of a red card he picked up against the New York Red Bulls. Luna now has seven yellow cards and two ejections on the season. He’s obviously getting more attention from opponents, but he’ll need to find a way to keep his composure as well as the edge with which he plays. Not at all easy, but a trait he’ll need to refine.
Alejandro Zendejas, attacker, América: 380 minutes in 2025-26; 7.1 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Zendejas looks to be cooling off a bit … or is he? During the two tournaments that comprised the 2024-25 Liga MX season, Zendejas had 11 goals from 7.07 xG across 40 matches. So far this season, Zendejas has one goal from 1.36 xG in five matches. So his goals/game are down, but his xG/game is up. Still early days yet, but if Zendejas continues to get chances, his goal scoring should round into form.
Giovanni Reyna, attacker, Borussia Dortmund: 0 minutes in 2025-26; 0.0 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Folarin Balogun, forward, AS Monaco: 0 minutes in 2025-26; 0.0 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Ricardo Pepi, forward, PSV Eindhoven: 28 minutes in 2025-26; 6.0 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Josh Sargent, forward, Norwich City: 227 minutes in 2025-26; 7.4 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Patrick Agyemang, forward, Derby County: 0 minutes in 2025-26; 0.0 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Haji Wright, forward, Coventry City: 176 minutes in 2025-26; 7.1 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Damion Downs, forward, Southampton: 93 minutes in 2025-26; 7.1 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Proud Member of American Outlaws http://www.facebook.com/IndyAOUnite
Looking to Get a Professional Company Headshot? Check out https://capturely.com/ Tell Rob The Ole Ballcoach sent you and he’ll give you a deal.
DISCOUNT SMALL ENGINE & BIG ENGINE REPAIRS IN CARMEL
Need your Riding Mower, Push Mower or any small engine or Car Engine Work Done by Carmel High Junior Mechanical Wizard for a bargain basement Price? Email my buddy Marc Sultanov at marc.sultanov@gmail.com
Serie A season preview: Inter Milan favourites again, challenges for Juve, Conte being Conte
By James Horncastle Aug. 15, 2024
One normal season of Serie A. That’s all I ask for…
If normal means more unpredictability, more infrastructure-defying competitiveness, more “only in Italy, eh?”
As we’ll discover in this preview of the upcoming season, a coach has already rescued his sporting director from a burning building, Drake has bailed a club out of bankruptcy on the condition he can design their shirts, and Antonio Conte wants more signings, more, more, more.
Just when you thought you were out, this league pulls you back in…
Who do you think will win the title and why?
No one has retained the title since Juventus at the end of their nine-year streak in 2020, but Inter Milan have been stealthily dynastic.
Think about it. They ended Juventus’ dominance in 2021, took the title to the final day in 2022, and won the league in 2024. They’ve also been to Europa League and Champions League finals and pulled off the Coppa-Super Coppa double, twice.
Advertisement
Unlike Napoli a year ago, Inter have continuity of coaching and the eviction of Suning brings stability at the ownership level.
For the first time in four summers, Inter have not sold a big name. They’ve added (Piotr Zielinski and Mehdi Taremi) without subtracting and, for that reason, appear primed to add a 21st Scudetto to their collection.
Inter celebrate their 2024 title — will they do the same in 2025? (Mattia Pistoia/Getty Images)
And who will make up the rest of the top four?
Top four is so passee. Isn’t this the league that earned five Champions League places through coefficient-leading performances in Europe? OK, I’m stalling and trying to buy myself an extra place here because, credit to Serie A, it is so tough to call.
One of the reasons for that is six of last year’s top 10 have changed their coach; seven if we include Daniele De Rossi, who is beginning his first full season at Roma. My instinct is to reward continuity and to back holders and favourites Inter, as well as Atalanta. Gian Piero Gasperini has made the top four on five occasions. If anyone slips up, Atalanta are there to take advantage.
Steve Pagliuca on Boston Celtics, Atalanta and feeling ‘like the Ted Lasso of Italy’
Elsewhere, Antonio Conte is a guarantee and whether it’s Victor Osimhen or Romelu Lukaku up front, I expect Napoli to push hard. Conte’s teams in Italy always challenge for the title (unless they’re called Arezzo or Atalanta).
It’s the Bergamaschi who are the variables here.
By winning the Europa League, they showed the depth and resilience necessary to cope with eight Champions League games. But the injuries to Giorgio Scalvini and Gianluca Scamacca, and a stand-off between the club and Teun Koopmeiners, who wants to force a move to Juventus, throw a spanner in the works.
The test for Atalanta will be similar to what Napoli experienced last year: can they keep a group of players hungry, motivated and willing to stay at the club after finally winning a coveted trophy?
Advertisement
AC Milan should be fine. More than fine. They’ve beaten Manchester City, Real Madrid and Barcelona in pre-season. They’ve won the Trofeo Berlusconi. Surely an eighth Champions League will follow? Am I right?
This summer’s strategy seems to have as its working title “Sceptics Busters”. New coach Paulo Fonseca and Milan’s incoming striker Alvaro Morata will always have their doubters. But the Portuguese raises the ceiling of this current group of players while the Spaniard has the European pedigree that goes straight to the very core of Milan’s DNA. Both know the league.
Juventus, meanwhile, showed in each of the last two seasons they can underperform and still contend for the title for four- or five-month stretches. They’ve appointed the hottest coaching mind in Serie A in Thiago Motta, whose style is, in many ways, countercultural to Juventus’ traditions. If it meshes — and that’s a big if — then my top four, in no particular order, are: Inter, Napoli, Milan and Juve.
Milan’s pre-season form has been promising (Kamil Krzaczynski/Getty Images)
Which team will surprise us most?
Try not to pay too much attention to their sweaty tussle with Modena in the Coppa Italia — which was ultimately decided by a penalty shootout — Napoli will experience the biggest upswing in points. That’s a consequence and a combination of the anticipated Conte effect and the worst title defence since Torino in 1950 without the mitigating circumstances of the Superga air disaster.
Como are a top-half team disguised as a newly promoted club a la Monza two years ago. Now Cesc Fabregas has his coaching badges, it’ll be interesting to see how he performs in the dugout, where he replaces Osian Roberts. This is no longer Osian’s XI.
The arrivals of Pepe Reina, Alberto Moreno, Raphael Varane and Andrea Belotti make Como glitter like the waters of the lake.
Question is: do Napoli and Como constitute surprises in the way Bologna did last season? Probably not. I think the surprise will be Bologna again on the basis they won’t fade as badly as people expect after losing Motta, Joshua Zirkzee and Riccardo Calafiori.
Advertisement
Who will be the biggest underperformers?
The risk is that it’s Juventus.
This is Motta’s first big job. It’s his first time coaching in four competitions. They’re making a lot of (overdue) changes, particularly in midfield, but the squad, for now, looks incomplete. The more seasoned Juventus fans can hear echoes of 1990 when the club spent lavishly on an up-and-coming new-wave coach from Bologna, Luigi Maifredi. Juventus then finished seventh.
Top SERIE A Stories
The Athletic’s Friday football quiz question #69
Why transfer release clauses are more common, more complex and more specific than ever
Christian Pulisic is now debate bait, but past U.S. coaches have a unified take
I don’t foresee a repeat of that. Motta theoretically has a soft start against Como and Verona and has always got his teams punching above their weight. But they have a lot of work to do this month to optimise the team and move out players such as Federico Chiesa.
League-wise, Roma have been the biggest underperformers of the past six years. It’s a big ask for De Rossi, as a young coach, to get this team out of the rut of sixth place, which is where they’ve finished three seasons in a row.
Staying in Rome, Lazio’s new boss Marco Baroni staked a claim to be considered coach of the season at Verona, but he takes over a team that has now fully transitioned away from the Ciro Immobile/Sergej Milinkovic-Savic/Luis Alberto era.
Fiorentina should give us the measure of Raffaele Palladino, too. He kept Monza up comfortably but benefited from the biggest net spend in the league in his first year. His replacement at Monza, Alessandro Nesta, needs to show he can cut it at this level and that he didn’t get the job because of his past with Adriano Galliani, his chief executive from his playing days at Milan.
Keep an eye on 777-owned Genoa. It remains to be seen if their owners’ troubles destabilise the club. Alberto Gilardino lost Radu Dragusin in January and has since bid farewell to Mateo Retegui. If Albert Gudmundsson follows, they could be in a spot of bother.
Motta, while head coach of Bologna (Giuseppe Maffia/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
How do you expect the promoted clubs to do?
All the teams graduating from Serie B are foreign-owned and should, if run correctly, be able to capitalise on the dysfunctional (Verona) or stale (Udinese) teams that have been circling the drain of relegation for some time.
Parma have settled down since owner Kyle Krause did a mini-Chelsea upon taking the keys to the Tardini three years ago. Their manager, Fabio Pecchia, is a promotion specialist, but it remains to be seen if he can keep them there.
Advertisement
Venezia reportedly risked going out of business until Drake got involved and joined the ownership group. No doubt, this was all part of God’s Plan. The Lagooners will be hoping their return to Serie A lasts longer than One Dance.
Last year’s top scorer in Serie B, Finnish striker Joel Pohjanpalo (22 goals), should be the player whose jersey you buy this season. Why? Venezia are Italy’s most fashion-first football team and Pohjanpalo has been known to go straight to the sideline bar for a pint after sinking four goals.
Who will be the best young player this season?
Milan copped a lot of flak for not sending any Italian players to the Euros, but the core of the Under-17 team that won the same competition over the summer is founded in their academy. Let’s see if Fonseca finds time to blood youngsters Mattia Liberali and Francesco Camarda.
In Turin, there’s already a lot of hype surrounding Vasilije Adzic at Juventus but, as with the Milan boys, it’s probably too soon for him to make a sustained impact.
The pick that immediately comes to mind is Matias Soule, now of Roma. He was a contender to win this award last year (the league gave it to Zirkzee) while on loan at Frosinone from Juventus and the prospect of him duetting with Paulo Dybala at Roma this season is too much to handle. Motta wished to keep the Argentine playmaker at Juventus. Soule’s sale was a freak in the balance sheets — heaps of pure profit — but will Juventus come to regret it on the pitch?
Matias Soule is Juventus’ silky loanee who just turned down the Saudi Pro League
Which under-the-radar player have big clubs been sleeping on?
For two years, it was Monza goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio. Then, this summer, Juventus ruthlessly demoted and released Wojciech Szczesny in order to sign him. Di Gregorio should be in the Italy setup at least as one of Gigio Donnarumma’s understudies after shining in analytics such as goals saved above average for the past two seasons.
If we rule out players who are expected to move, such as Fiorentina’s Nico Gonzalez, Udinese’s Lazar Samardzic or Genoa’s Gudmundsson, let’s settle on Morten Frendrup, a Pac-Man midfielder who gobbles up everything. Every team needs a player like the Dane.
Morten Frendrup of Genoa (Simone Arveda/Getty Images)
Which team has had the best transfer window?
At times, Italian coaches sound like accountants. You do the books at the end of the year. A fortnight of the transfer window remains, so judgements are premature. Let’s put it this way: Juventus and Bologna have been the best sellers, although Zirkzee’s buyout clause and the sell-on percentage Basel were due for Calafiori needs to be taken into consideration.
Advertisement
In terms of retention, for all the people who say Milan have diverged from Moneyball this summer, this disciplined approach has got the team in such a strong financial position that they can keep Mike Maignan, Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leao. In a vulnerable league where top talents tend to hang around for two years, it’s pretty cool that Hernandez and Leao are beginning their sixth seasons at San Siro.
Roma have been the most aggressive, investing almost €100million (£86m, $11om). Look out for their new centre-forward Artem Dovbyk. He was the Pichichi in Spain with Girona last season (24 goals). It’s the first time an Italian club has bought the holder of that award since Christian Vieri returned to Italy (Lazio) after one season at Atletico Madrid in 1997-98.
For all you romantics out there, Alexis Sanchez has returned to Udinese, swayed no doubt by the most random coaching appointment of the summer: Kosta Runjaic.
Which team has had the worst transfer window?
One swallow doesn’t make a summer. One bad signing doesn’t ruin a transfer window.
But Milan are paying Tottenham more for Emerson Royal than they paid Lille for Mike Maignan; €18million is a big price to keep captain Davide Calabria as first choice right-back. Milan fans must hope Royal suddenly transfigures into Cafu. He, on the other hand, has taken the No 22 jersey — a number that once belonged to Ballon d’Or winner Kaka. Whatever you make of Royal, you have to respect his confidence.
Lazio have let Ciro Immobile, Felipe Anderson and Luis Alberto go. Dainty playmaker Daichi Kamada, the replacement for Milinkovic-Savic last summer, left for Crystal Palace after a single season.
A strategy of signing players from Verona and Salernitana (who their president Claudio Lotito used to own) risks catching up with them. It’s a year since their sporting director Igli Tare departed. Angelo Fabiani has stepped into the breach, but it still doesn’t feel like Tare has been replaced.
Ciro Immobile, Felipe Anderson and Luis Alberto have all left Lazio (Elianton/Getty Images)
What did you miss most about Serie A?
Aside from Conte telling his new club they need to make more signings, it’s got to be Gottismo.
Lecce’s coach Luca Gotti already had a cult following. He looks like a matinee idol from the 1960s. He rides Ducatis, reads biographies of Ernest Shackleton and attended his daughter’s graduation in a Lecce polo. But then he saved his sporting director from a burning building. (I know, right?) Pantaleo Corvino had booked a hotel to talk about Gotti’s contract extension.
Advertisement
“It was owned by a friend of mine and at the time only used for weddings.”
Gotti bought Corvino dinner, but what sealed the deal was a knock on the door at 4:30 in the morning.
“It was Gotti. He’d come to warn me that a fire had broken out in the hotel.” Corvino had been fast asleep and would have slept through it. “I went outside but was hit by the fumes and smoke. In the meantime, I could no longer see Gotti, I tried to go down the stairs but was blocked by the flames.
“At that point, I returned to my room. I tore the curtain, went out onto the balcony and that’s when I found Gotti. I saw that the fire was heading in our direction and we started thinking about jumping from the first floor. Luckily, the fire brigade arrived and helped us down.
“After we got down, (and) when it was safe, I turned to Gotti and said: ‘Luca, how much did you want in your contract extension? That’s fine…’”
What’s the one match we should really look out for in the opening few weeks of the season?
Juventus-Roma on September 1. It’s an early chance for Soule (and Dybala) to show their old club what they’re missing.
Then the Milan derby on September 22. Inter have won a record six in a row. One of the criteria for judging Fonseca will be whether he can invert this trend.
Tell us one great storyline involving Serie A we might have missed over the summer…
Zlatan Ibrahimovic as Zoolander. Milan’s recruitment has been less Moneyball and more hair-brained, so to speak.
When announcing Fonseca, he said: “There’ll be a different energy on the sideline, a different face: one was bald (Stefano Pioli), the other has more hair. But still elegant.” At Morata’s unveiling, Zlatan commented on his striker’s looks. “We’re a good-looking team. Alvaro’s a handsome guy. We could do to make (Strahinja) Pavlovic (Milan’s new buzzcut centre-back) grow his hair.”
Advertisement
Give us your boldest prediction for the season…
Napoli are a year removed from winning the league. Who have they lost in the meantime? Zielinski, Kim Min-jae and Hirving Lozano. They have hired Conte. Apart from Paris Saint-Germain, I don’t see anyone signing Osimhen — and if someone does cut Aurelio De Laurentiis a cheque, Napoli will buy Romelu Lukaku.
In a season in which Napoli only have Serie A and the Coppa Italia to focus on, it is not inconceivable that Conte does what Conte does and wins the league. Last of all, don’t be surprised if Vincenzo Italiano takes Bologna to the Coppa Italia final.
(Top photos: Getty Images)
Bundesliga 2022-23 season preview: Everything you need to know ahead of the new German football season
Constantin EcknerAug 3, 2022, 09:18 AM ET
On Friday, football fans around the world will hear the familiar hymn of the Bundesliga once again, when champions Bayern Munich meet Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt to start the 2022-23 season. Coaches have swapped dugouts, players have departed, others have arrived with much fanfare, and the question of whether Bayern can be challenged for the title this year remains controversial.
Before the action gets underway, though, let’s look back at what you might’ve missed since the 2021-22 campaign came to a close in May, and dissect some of the biggest storylines worth following as the 2022-23 season begins to unfold.
Advertising
Jump to: Better Bayern? | Talents remain | Coaching carousel | Who can stop Bayern? | Cinderella stories | Managing the schedule | What are the Americans up to?
Bayern have changed, and for the better
A disgruntled striker dominated the first few weeks of this summer, as Robert Lewandowski did not hide his intention to leave Bayern Munich. While Bayern and Barcelona negotiated a deal behind closed doors, fans were worried about the record champions’ prospects for the upcoming season. No glances at the history books are required to deduce how important Lewandowski had been to Bayern in recent years. He scored 98 goals in the past two seasons alone and was especially crucial as the team’s rescuing anchor if things didn’t go their way.
While Lewandowski eventually exited in July, Bayern’s hierarchy used that time to secure deals for the immediate future. With the signing of Sadio Mane, the German champions once again scored a real steal in the transfer market. Mane has been one of the Premier League‘s most exciting players for almost a decade. Without the Senegal international, Liverpool wouldn’t have been as successful as they were domestically and internationally.
– Stream every Bundesliga match on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
– Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
– Don’t have ESPN? Get instant access
While Mane is not a like-for-like replacement for Lewandowski, the 30-year-old offers Bayern boss Julian Nagelsmann the chance to execute some of the tactical ideas he has had in mind since his arrival in Munich in 2021. First glimpses of the new Bayern team were visible in the German Supercup match against RB Leipzig, which Bayern won 5-3. Mane and Serge Gnabry played together up front and were almost impossible for Leipzig’s defence to manage, considering neither acted as an obvious target player and were free to drift around the attacking third, pressing relentlessly whenever Bayern lost possession.
The Supercup game also saw Nagelsmann bring on €67 million signing Matthijs de Ligt as well as the two Ajax academy graduates in Ryan Gravenberch and Noussair Mazraoui. Oh, and 17-year-old striker Mathys Tel from Stade Rennais has also just arrived in Bavaria, with Nagelsmann predicting that the young Frenchman could one day score 40 goals in a season.
Whoever thought that Bayern might go into decline after Lewandowski’s departure will be in for a surprise, because Bayern look better than they did last season.
There’s no talent exodus this year
While Bayern are always expected to leave their mark on the transfer market due to their financial might, the other 17 Bundesliga clubs usually suffer a dip in quality during the summer transfer window. Coaches and sporting directors have become creative in finding replacements and discovering new talent to fill the voids, but the fact remains that they’re often largely powerless to keep hold of their best players.
This summer was different, though. Erling Haaland has been the only major player who left one of the 17 non-Bayern clubs, with others opting against moves to England or Spain. Surprisingly, Christopher Nkunku, the highly touted Paris Saint-Germain academy graduate who was elected the Bundesliga’s Player of the Season for 2021-22, decided to extend his contract with Leipzig until 2026. Reports suggest that no buyout clause was included in his new contract.
Florian Wirtz, the 19-year-old attacking wizard at Bayer Leverkusen, also extended his contract — his running until 2027. The Germany international is recovering from a cruciate ligament tear, which might have influenced his decision to commit to Bayer for longer than initially planned. Many expected Wirtz to follow in the footsteps of former Leverkusen wunderkind Kai Havertz and go abroad rather quickly.
The extensions of Nkunku and Wirtz are a signal to the rest of the league and the continent: It’s no longer a foregone conclusion that every highly skilled player in Germany under the age of 25 has to go to Bayern, Borussia Dortmund or the biggest clubs elsewhere in Europe.
Still, some sides had to contend with the departures of key players. Union Berlin lost goal scorer Taiwo Awoniyi, and Mainz moved on from captain Moussa Niakhate. Both have joined Nottingham Forest, who seemingly have an appetite for Bundesliga players, considering the newly promoted Premier League side also signed Orel Mangala from VfB Stuttgart.
Editor’s Picks
- Another season, another batch of wild warm-up kits from Europe’s top clubs2yChloe Petts
- Leverkusen process heartbreak by clinging to promise of tomorrow2yBill Connelly
These three have been the exception rather than the rule in this summer’s transfer window, which is a welcome change for fans of German football.
The coaching carousel continues to spin
Coaches might start calling the day following the end of each Bundesliga season “Black Sunday,” because on that day (or the days immediately following), a few of them are usually shown the door. It was no different in 2022, with Markus Weinzierl (FC Augsburg), Adi Hutter (Borussia Monchengladbach) and Florian Kohfeldt (VfL Wolfsburg) being relieved of their duties soon after the campaign’s conclusion. A week later, Dortmund made it official that Marco Rose was no longer the head coach of the Black and Yellow.
Naturally, those clubs began their searches for new managers. Dortmund ended up reinstating Edin Terzic, the former assistant who acted as an interim coach before Rose was appointed in 2021. Gladbach appointed Daniel Farke, the former Norwich boss who had gone to Russian Premier League outfit Krasnodar in January and left shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began. Hertha Berlin also looked to the east and brought back Sandro Schwarz, who had stayed in Russia until the summer, reaching the national cup final with Dynamo Moscow. Wolfsburg replaced Kohfeldt with former Bayern and Frankfurt boss Niko Kovac. Augsburg chose Enrico Maassen, the former coach of Dortmund’s reserve team, to step in for Weinzierl. Schalke 04 appointed Frank Kramer following their promotion, which had been achieved under Mike Buskens, who was not too fond of the idea of remaining head coach.
This marks the second consecutive summer in which the clubs swapped coaches en masse. The year prior, practically everyone looked worse after installing their new hires. Dortmund fetched Rose away from Monchengladbach, who signed Hutter from Frankfurt, who signed Oliver Glasner from Wolfsburg, who signed Mark van Bommel. Only Frankfurt had any noticeable success with their new manager, winning the Europa League in May.
Despite it all, though, the coaching carousel keeps spinning.
Can anyone challenge Bayern?
When one club wins 10 consecutive championships, it raises the question of whether anyone will ever put an end to their dominance.
A few weeks ago, some would have comfortably picked Borussia Dortmund as a viable challenger to Bayern Munich, but their chances have dropped dramatically, though, since Haaland’s exit. Their replacement, Sebastien Haller, was signed from Ajax to fill that physical center-forward role, but he will be out for several months receiving ongoing treatment for a malignant testicular tumour. Without their Haaland successor, the Black and Yellow might struggle to generate the necessary offensive output in the early going, which could mean the gap between them and Bayern is too great to make up.
The sad truth is that the remaining teams are unlikely in a position to challenge Bayern throughout the course of 34 matchdays. RB Leipzig might have significant name value in their squad, but there are justifiably question marks behind manager Domenico Tedesco’s tactical approach, as he focuses greatly on Nkunku as his target player in the final third. Leipzig also lack stability at the back, particularly when the team are forced to track back.
Leverkusen, the other team among Germany’s top four, have caused some excitement during the summer in light of the signing of 20-year-old Czech prospect Adam Hlozek, as well as Wirtz’s contract extension. However, what Bayer 04 did not manage to do is sign a much-needed anchor player for their midfield. They have been lacking that one stabilising element between defence and attack: Robert Andrich, Charles Aranguiz and Kerem Demirbay are undoubtedly gifted, yet they are better suited as sidekicks to a dominant midfielder.
LIVE ON ESPN+ (SELECTED GAMES)
.jpg)
The beautiful game lives here. Stream top leagues, tournaments and teams.
Sign up for ESPN+
WEDNESDAY, June 4 (all times ET)
• Valencia vs. Villarreal (1:30 p.m.)
• Stuttgart vs. Frankfurt (2:30 p.m.)
• Atletico Madrid vs. Cadiz (4 p.m.)
• Getafe vs. Celta Vigo (4 p.m.)
THURSDAY, MAY 4 (all times ET)
• Sevilla vs. Espanyol (1:30 p.m.)
• Girona vs. Mallorca (1:30 p.m.)
• Athletic Club vs. Real Betis (3:30 p.m.)
• Rayo vs. Valladolid (3:30 p.m.)
FRIDAY, MAY 5 (all times ET)
• Mainz vs. Schalke (2:30 p.m.)
It wouldn’t be surprising if one of these three teams could keep up with Bayern during stretches of the season, but in the end, Bayern will likely prevail given their quality and depth. The record champions simply do not face the same issues as Dortmund, Leipzig or Leverkusen.
Will we see another Cinderella story?
It has become a tradition of the Bundesliga that each season at least one underdog climbs into the top third of the table, usually qualifying for continental competition and then disappearing again the next year due to the stress of the extra games in their calendar. Mainz, Augsburg and FC Cologne all have had outstanding years in recent memory, and last season saw Union Berlin and SC Freiburg both play well beyond their market value, earning places in this season’s Europa League as a result.
This season marks Union’s second straight season in Europe, but the Cinderella story of the team from the eastern part of the capital city could come to an end soon, given the departures of Awoniyi and Grischa Promel and the fact that manager Urs Fischer might not be able to reinvent his team once again. How the Swiss coach was able to tweak things enough to prevent his side from becoming predictable for the first three years following Union’s promotion was commendable enough; to do so a fourth time is unlikely.
Moreover, Union and Freiburg’s performances might suffer from playing in three competitions simultaneously in a year with a particularly condensed schedule thanks to this winter’s World Cup in Qatar. The two sides likely won’t be in danger of relegation, but slipping back into mid-table is a realistic scenario.
This raises the question of whether any other team might be able to fit into Cinderella’s glass slippers this year. It could end up being one of the fallen giants that makes a surprising impact and returns to the sharp end of the table.
Schalke have just been promoted back to the Bundesliga. The 1997 UEFA Cup winners were part of the league’s elite for many years, but mounting debt and financial constraints caused the club’s hierarchy to offload most of the team’s best players until 2020. Coupled with a series of ill-advised managerial appointments, Schalke were doomed to experience the ultimate embarrassment: relegation to the 2. Bundesliga, where the Royal Blues spent one year.
This team is nowhere near as strong as past Schalke sides, which would make a run towards European places somewhat of a miracle, but perhaps now that there is so much less pressure on the club, they can suddenly become overachievers.
STREAM ESPN FC DAILY ON ESPN+
Dan Thomas is joined by Craig Burley, Shaka Hislop and others to bring you the latest highlights and debate the biggest storylines. Stream on ESPN+ (U.S. only).
How will everyone contend with the winter break?
Three decades ago, fans of Bundesliga clubs knew exactly what to do between the holiday season and the end of January. As the league had implemented a lengthy winter break to give everyone some rest — and to pay tribute to the fact that under-soil heating has not yet been installed in every stadium — supporters streamed into indoor arenas and watched indoor football. Later, the Bundesliga adjusted its schedule and shortened the winter break to two weeks.
As the World Cup in November will affect the schedule of practically every league in Europe, we will see another temporary alteration and Bundesliga teams in particular will have to deal with an incredibly condensed timetable. Those who are also competing in international competitions will not get any break until November. Once the World Cup is concluded on Dec. 18, the league won’t restart immediately, instead waiting until Jan. 20. This means a return to the old lengthy winter break, and traditionalists have called for the temporary reinstatement of the “Hallenmasters,” a tournament crowning Germany’s indoor champions. The German FA hosted the tournament in various iterations between 1987 and 2001, with Borussia Dortmund being the record winner with four titles. The final “Hallenmasters” was decided in a penalty shootout between SpVgg Unterhaching and Dortmund, as the small club from the Munich suburbs beat Dortmund 5-4.
If you’ve witnessed those tournaments, you probably remember them fondly. If you haven’t, let’s hope you’ll get an opportunity to watch something similar in 2023.
What are the Americans up to?
Finally, a look at the Bundesliga through the lens of the United States. This summer has seen Tyler Adams leave Leipzig and Chris Richards depart Bayern for Crystal Palace, but Germany remains home to plenty of intrigue for followers of the USMNT.
Giovanni Reyna has become something of a phantom in Dortmund. Everyone is aware of the gifted midfielder, but we have not seen him on the pitch in some time. After a promising start to the 2021-22 season, Reyna was sidelined by a muscle injury until February. He made his return, even played for the national team, but then was injured again in April. Even though Dortmund afforded him extra time to recover and return to full fitness, he still missed 34 games through injury last season, which has raised questions about Reyna’s resilience.
The 19-year-old is still not ready to be selected for the matchday squad for Dortmund’s season opener and will need more time before he can be a reliable option for Terzic. Regardless of Reyna’s injury woes, Dortmund remain convinced of his qualities. Once he returns to the pitch, he might collide with Marco Reus, as both are best suited for the No. 10 role. Reus possesses the bonus of being the team captain, but Reyna is a pillar of the future. In any case, we should see more of him at some point this season, but patience is needed.
The same can be said for Ricardo Pepi. The Texas native signed with Augsburg for a transfer fee of $20m in January, shortly before his 19th birthday. Most fans in Germany had not heard of the striker beforehand but were curious what this hyped American could bring to the table. Sadly for him, he was a non-factor during his first few months in-country. Pepi made four appearances in Augsburg’s starting XI and was brought on as a substitute seven times, scoring no goals in 475 minutes of total playing time.
Maassen, Augsburg’s new manager, also seems to view Pepi as an alternative from the bench. He brought him on after 74 minutes in the DFB-Pokal game against fourth-division side Lohne, replacing Andre Hahn. While Augsburg’s two-striker system offers Pepi the chance to earn more playing time, he has to prove he’s able to compete in Germany’s top flight.
Patience might be the key quality most American players in the Bundesliga have to show this year. Joe Scally, right-back for Borussia Monchengladbach, has found himself on the bench more often than on the pitch in preseason.
What could give him hope is that he was featured in Borussia’s starting XI against Oberachern in the Pokal. Gladbach have two right-backs in their squad: 19-year-old Scally and the much more experienced 29-year-old Stefan Lainer. Normally, Lainer should remain first choice, but if the Austrian slips, Scally should be there to take over the spot. Scally’s advantage is that there is no considerable pressure on the young American. Gladbach want to help him progress so that he becomes a long-term option.
Jordan Pefok‘s situation is quite different. When Awoniyi, who had scored 20 goals across competitions in the previous season, decided to leave Union Berlin, he left some rather large boots to fill. Union chose Washington, D.C.-born Pefoke (who’s going by Jordan Siebatcheu in Germany) as Awoniyi’s replacement.
The American, who grew up in France and possesses Cameroonian roots, had scored 22 goals for Young Boys in the Swiss league last season and put himself on the radar. Pefok and Awoniyi have similarities in stature and physicality, and it seems Union would like him to play an identical role. Pefok started the season by scoring his maiden goal for Union in their hard-fought win over Chemnitz in the first round of the DFB-Pokal. There is certainly more to come from the newcomer — who will be on the pitch Saturday, as the Bundesliga goes into its 60th season.
The Ole BallCoach 