US Ladies Lose 2-1 to Portugal – Play them again Sunday 4 pm

Wow so even great coaches like our US National Team’s Emma Hayes are clueless when it comes to the Ole Ballcoach’s pet peeve of having a defender on the back post on Cornerkicks. Yes the US lost 2-1 Highlights to Portugal (yes a Portugal team that has lost its last 4 games) at home in Philly – as the US gave up 2 goals on corner kicks to guess where ?? the back post where there was NO DEFENDER. We did have 4 defenders zonal covering no one at the top of the 6 however. Coaches on this board – please explain to my why its ok to give up goals on Corners and not put players on the post again? I see it every weekend at least twice a week in the EPL – and now our US women’s national team has also decided to LOSE this way as well. Anyway – beyond that – the US were spanked by Portugal last night. They high pressed the US and we had no idea what to do. The loss marked only the third time that the US has lost to an opponent outside the top 20 FIFA rankings, as USWNT players struggled to find each other on the pitch when faced with Portugal’s physicality and formation. “Sometimes as a coach in this position, it feels like Whack-a-Mole,” said US manager Emma Hayes. “You try and put one thing out, and then there’s another one popping up.” Looked like we hadn’t practiced together in months – which in reality we hadn’t. Now this is not the US #1 squad – heck I am not sure this is our #2 squad in reality – but still quite shocking to be spanked for a 2nd straight game by a team that is NOT GOOD. The US returns to the field Sunday – will be interesting to see if we show up this time. It was awesome to see the Alex Morgan celebration – as the US National Team honored the retired leading scorer #13 Alex Morgan during Pre-Game. Stories below.

#2 Carmel Boys & #2 Carmel Girls Soccer Advance to Semi-States in Martinsville Sat

The Carmel Girls (18-2-1) used a 2-0 win over East Central after a 2 day rain delay to advance to Semi-states in Martinsville this Sat at 2:30 pm where they will face Center Grove (19-2) at 2:30 pm. The other bracket has #1 HSE playing Crownpoint up North in Chesterton. The winners will meet next weekend at the Mike in Indy for the State Finals. https://www.ihsaa.org/sports/girls/soccer/2025-26-tournament?round=sectionals
On the boys side – (from CHS site) The IHSAA Regional Championship game saw the top two teams in the country, according to MaxPreps, the #2-ranked Greyhounds versus the #1-ranked Brownsburg Bulldogs battle to a 2-0 win by Carmel at Murray Stadium Sat. The Hounds got off to a quick start, scoring in the first ten minutes, when junior Mikey Kubek made a nice run down the wing and played the ball across to senior Curtis Droste, who slotted the ball into the back of the net to put them up 1-0. The score remained the same for the remainder of the first half. The score was 1-0 at halftime. The Greyhounds came out and struck about four minutes into the half, when Droste played a nice long ball into the channel and senior Troy Enslin chased and fought for the ball, ultimately finding the opportunity to hit a lovely shot to the far post, to make the score 2-0. The end-to-end action continued, with the final score being 2-0. Junior Gray Morgan recorded the shutout in goal. The win moves the team’s season record to 16-1-3. The Greyhounds return to action Saturday, October 25th 12 noon vs Bloomington South 17-1-3, in Martinsville. https://www.ihsaa.org/sports/boys/soccer/2025-26-tournament?round=sectionals

RIP Legendary Ref and Ref Assignor & Teacher -Bruce Carlstead

My daughter and I were taught to ref by Bruce back in 2009 in Westfield. My daughter then my son went on to ref all the way thru High school and I am still reffing today in large part because of Bruce. His dedication to our sport and compassion to our refs, kids and all around soccer were unmatched. RIP Bruce – you will be missed. Obituary Cool Story on Bruce

MLS Playoff Start tonight–Messi wins Golden Ball signs Extension

Messi finished with 29 goals and 19 assists to finish with 48 goal contributions in 2025 to finish with the Golden Ball for most goals and will be probably win the MVP. Lionel Messi has signed a contract extension with Inter Miami, keeping him at the club until the end of the 2028 MLS season. Chicago and Portland won play-in games setting up the playoffs with Miami vs tonight on FS1 8 pm. The Philadelphia Union are favored to win their first-ever MLS Cup this season after winning the 2025 Supporters’ Shield for the best regular season record. Inter Miami, Vancouver Whitecaps, and LAFC are also among the top contenders. See a snapshot of each team competing in the play-off here. On Thursday, MLS said its 30th regular season saw a 29% year-on-year rise in live viewership, averaging 3.7 million weekly viewers across streaming and linear platforms. The league also said that total matchday attendance reached 11.2 million, the second-highest figure in its history. MLS announce 2025 Awards finalists.

News & Notes

Real Madrid vs. Barcelona, Sunday 26, 10:15 ET. Madrid are top of the La Liga table, two points clear of second-placed Barcelona. Despite Madrid’s strong start, Hansi Flick’s Barcelona won all four matches against Los Blancos in all competitions last season. However, both sides are hampered by injuries–see potential line-ups here. Mbappé vs. Yamal is the new Ronaldo vs. Messi — so which Clasico star is better? Brentford vs. Liverpool, Saturday 25, 3 pm ET. Liverpool have lost their last three Premier League games, as many losses as they suffered in their previous 39. Meanwhile, Brentford have lost just one of their five competitive home games under Keith Andrews. Arsenal vs. Crystal Palace, Sunday 26, 10 am  League leaders Arsenal have won seven of eight matches at the Emirates when in first place, scoring 28 goals in those games. Palace & American Chris Richards could prove stubborn, having drawn eight of their last 14 Premier League matches, winning five matches in that time. See every Premier League Matchday 9 fixture here. Sad to see American Celtic Defender Carter Carter-Vickers may miss 5 months with an Achilles injury.

TV Game Schedule

Fri, Oct 24
3 pm USA Leeds United (Aaronson) vs West Ham
3 pm Para+ AC Milan vs Pisa
8 pm FS1, Apple Miami (Messi) vs Nashville MLS Playoffs
Sat, Oct 25
7:30 am CBSSN Coventry City (Haji Wright) vs Watford
9 am FS2 Ivory Coast vs Spain (U17 WWC)
9:30 am ESPN+ MGladbach (Reyna, Scally) vs Wolfsburg
10 am USA New Castle vs Fulham (Jedi)
10 am Peacock Chelsea vs Brighton
10 am CBSSN Middlesborough vs Wrexham
12 noon Para+ Napoli vs Inter Milan
12:30 pm Man City vs Brighton NBC
12:30 pm ESPN+ Dortmund vs Koln
3 pm ESPN+ Valencia vs Villarreal
8 pm Univision Leon vs Pumas (Mex)
11 pm CBSSN Cruz Azul vs Monterrey Mex
Sun, Oct 26
10 am USA Aston Villa vs Man City
10 am Peacock? Arsenal vs Crystal Palace (Richards)
10:30 am ESPN+ Leverkusen (Tilman) vs Freiberg
11:15 ESPN2 am Real Madrid vs Barcelona (Derby)
3:45 pm Para+ Lazio vs Juventus (McKennie)
4 pm TNT, Max USA Women vs Portugal Hartford CT
5:30 pm FS1 Philly vs Chicago MLS
7:30 pm Apple Vancouver vs FC Dallas
9:30 pm Apple Earthquakes vs Portland
Mon, Oct 27
4 pm ESPN+, Desp Real Bettis vs Atletico
6:45 pm FS1, Apple Cincy vs Columbus Crew MLS
9 pm FS1, Apple Minn vs Seattle Sounders MLS
Tues, Oct 28
1:30 pm Para+ Lecce vs Napoli
1:30 pm ESPNU Frankfort vs Dortmund
3:45 pm Para+. Prime Atalanta vs AC Milan
4 pm Para+ Wrexham s Cardiff City
6:45 pm FS1, Apple Charlotte vs NYCFC MLS
Wed, Oct 29
1:30 pm Para+ Juventus (McKennie) vs Udinese
3:45 pm Para+ Inter Milan vs Fiorentina
3:45 pm Para+ Liverpool vs Crystal Palace (Richards) League Cup
4 pm Para+ Newcastle vs Tottenham League Cup
8 pm TNT, Max USA Women vs New Zealand
10:30 pm Apple LAFC vs Austin FC MLS Playoffs
Oct 31, Fri
3:30 pm ESPN+ Ausberg vs Dortmund
4 pm Para+ Wrexham vs Coventry City
Sat ,, Nov 1
MLS Playoffs
11 am ?? Fulham vs Wolverhampton
11 am ?? Burnley (Adams) vs Arsenal
11 am ?? Nottingham Forest vs Man United
11:15 am ESPN+ Atletico Madrid (Cardosa) cs Sevilla
1:30 pm USA Tottenham vs Chelsea
1:30 pm ESPN+ Bayern Munich vs Leverkusen (Reyna, Scally)
4 pm USA Liverpool vs Aston Villa
4 pm ESPN+, D Real Madrid vs Valencia
Sat, Nov 15
5 pm TNT, Max USA Men vs Paraguay Chester PA
Tues, Nov 18
7 pm TNT, Max USA Men vs Uruguay Tampa, FL

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US Women

Hayes irked by ‘unrecognizable’ U.S. in shock loss
USWNT’s shock loss to Portugal shows lack of problem-solving, but no cause for alarm (yet)
Portugal beats US women’s team for 1st time, 2-1 in Alex Morgan’s farewell
USWNT celebrates Alex Morgan’s ‘legendary’ career as she passes the torch
U.S. Women’s National Team Opens October Window with 2-1 Loss to Portugal
Hannah Hampton out of England’s Brazil friendly with elbow injury

US Men

Dest’s USMNT starting spot doesn’t look as secure as it once did
Leverkusen says USMNT’s Tillman out 2 more weeks
USMNT’s Carter-Vickers set to miss up to 5 months
Celtic, USMNT back Cameron Carter-Vickers suffers possible Achilles injury ahead of World Cup
USMNT’s Tyler Adams hailed by Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola as ‘competitor,’ ‘character’, ‘captain’

El Classico

Lamine Yamal takes shot at Madrid before Clásico
Mbappé vs. Yamal is the new Ronaldo vs. Messi — so which Clasico star is better?
Clásico injury latest: Will Huijsen, Raphinha return
Battle between Bellingham and Pedri

Champions League

Arsenal, PSG show why they’re favorites: Making sense of Champions League Matchday 3
– UCL Talking Points: Conte’s rant, Liverpool’s best XI
– Ogden: Ekitike should be Liverpool’s No.9
– Olley: Arsenal’s statement win makes them front-runners
– Ogden: Isak’s exit leaves room for Ekitike to be Liverpool’s main man
– Olley: Arsenal earn statement win in Champions League vs. Atléti
– From Ballon d’Or favorite to being benched: What’s going on with Vinícius?
Madrid lost all 4 Clásicos last season. Now it is looking for payback vs. Barça

MLS

MLS playoffs 2025: Everything you need to know from how it works to who could win it all
Dark-horse teams: Who could upend the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs?
MLS Cup 2025 odds: Who’s the favorite to win it all?
Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs
MLS announces 2025 Year-End Awards finalists‘

Reffing

RIP Bruce Carlstead Obituary
|Cool Story on Bruce
Free Kick Mistake
‘What’s Your Call

Goalkeeping

Great Saves UCL MD 3
Europa League Matchday 3 saves
GK love your Goalpost

France: Goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin made several strong saves early in the game against Germany, noted in reports by Yahoo and this other Yahoo article. 

USMNT weekend viewing guide: What a treat

Hoping for some tasty goodness this weekend.

Getty Images

We’re closing out October with some tasty matchups including some head to head action in Ligue 1 and an early season matchup in the Eredivise between title contenders. There are some injury concerns as well which is a nasty trick but there are still plenty of good matches to watch this weekend. Here’s what we’re keeping an eye on:

Saturday

Borussia Monchengladbach v Bayern Munich – 9:30a on ESPN Select: Joe Scally, Gio Reyna and Borussia Monchengladbach who are coming off a 3-1 loss to Union Berlin and sit at the bottom of the table still looking for their first win on the season won’t see things get any easier this weekend as they host Bayern Munich. Bayern already look like they are running away with the league title, they are perfect through their first seven matches and hold a five point lead over RB Leipzig who are second in the table. Bayern have scored 27 through their first seven matches, and allowed just four; they aren’t just winning, they are dominating.

Augsburg v RB Leipzig – 9:30a on ESPN Select: Noahkai Banks received his second straight start last weekend in Augsburg’s 1-1 draw with Koln. Augsburg have four points from those two matches and are currently in 13th place. On Saturday, they host second place RB Leipzig who are coming off a 2-1 win over Hamburg.

Eintracht Frankfurt v St Pauli – 9:30a on ESPN Select: James Sands and St. Pauli have lost four straight matches and currently sit in fourteenth place. Sands has started every match for St. Pauli who started their season with two wins and seven points in their first three matches but since then have scored just once across all four losses.

Newcastle United v Fulham – 10a on USA Network: Antonee Robinson remains out with his knee injury that is becoming highly concerning for a US player that has shown to be one of the most important features of the USMNT setup. Fulham have lost three straight matches and sit in 15th place.

Middlesbrough v Wrexham – 10a on CBSSN: Aidan Morris has come off the bench in two straight matches, both wins for the English Championship side that are currently in second place, a point back of Haji Wright’s Coventry City, through the first quarter of the season.

Monaco v Toulouse – 1p on beIN Sports: Folarin Balogun and Monaco host Mark McKenzie and Toulouse on Saturday afternoon in a Ligue 1 matchup. Balogun came in off the bench last weekend and ten minutes later scored the opening goal for Monaco. Unfortunately, the team would give up a tying goal in the 85th minute and settled for a draw with Angers, their second straight draw and the third straight match that they have failed to win, they have fallen from first in the standings three matches ago, down to seventh place. Mark McKenzie also came in off the bench for Toulouse as his team defeated Metz 4-0 for their second straight victory, to move into eighth place.

Cremonese v Atalanta – 2:45p on Paramount+: Yunus Musah did not appear for Atalanta last weekend as the team was held to a scoreless draw with Lazio. Musah had appeared as a substitute in the four prior matches for Atalanta who have yet to loose this season but have drawn three straight and currently sit in eighth place, though they are still just five points back of league leading AC Milan.

Lens v Olympique Marseille – 3:05p on beIN Sports: Tim Weah and Olympique Marseille defeated Le Havre 6-2 last weekend with Weah coming into the match as a substitute to play the final 20 minutes of the match. Marseille were up 2-1 when Weah came into the match, he did not score or assist on any of the subsequent four goals to be scored by Marseille but let’s just assume the correlation is causation here people.

Sunday

Feyenoord v PSV – 9:30a on ESPN Select: Ricardo Pepi and Sergino Dest both came off the bench for PSV midweek with Pepi scoring a goal and adding an assist in the team’s 6-2 trouncing of Napoli in Champions League group stage play. This weekend the team will travel to Feyenoord looking to overtake their hosts for the top of the table. PSV have won three straight, and four of their past five but are currently three points back of Feyenoord who have just one draw to blemish their record through the first nine matches of the season.

Bournemouth v Nottingham Forest – 10a on Peacock: Tyler Adams and third place Bournemouth will host a Nottingham Forest side who are in eighteenth place and fired Ange Postecoglou basically at the final whistle of last weekend’s 3-0 loss to Chelsea. The team responded midweek with a 2-0 win over Porto in Europa League play to snap a ten match winless streak across all competitions.

Arsenal v Crystal Palace – 10a on Peacock: Chris Richards and Crystal Palace will look to bounce back from a home loss to Cypriot side AEK Larnaca in Conference League play on Thursday. Richards did not appear in the match for Palace who are winless in their past two league matches as well, including last weekends come from behind 3-3 draw with Bournemouth, as they converted a penalty in the seventh minute of stoppage time to draw level and salvage the point.

Bayer Leverkusen v Freiburg – 10:30a on ESPN Select: Malik Tillman’s thigh injury is expected to keep him out another week. The midfielder picked up the injury while on international duty causing him to miss the match against Australia as well as the two matches played by his club since returning from the window, including Tuesday’s embarassing 7-2 loss to defending champions PSG.

Olympique Lyon v Strasbourg – 3:45p on beIN Sports: Tanner Tessmann played the first half of Lyon’s 2-0 win over Basel in Europa League action on Thursday, coming out with his team up 1-0 at the half. Tessmann had come off the bench last weekend for the final 13’ in his teams 3-2 loss to Nice, a loss which dropped Lyon to fifth in the Ligue 1 table. On Sunday they host a Strasbourg team that are a point ahead of them, and in third place.

Lazio v Juventus – 3:45p on Paramount+: Weston McKennie also came off the bench last weekend as Juventus fell to Como 2-0 but then started midweek and went the full ninety as Juve fell to Real Madrid at the Burnabeu in Champions League action. With last weeks defeat Juventus fell to seventh place in the league table, four points back of the league leaders.

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The USWNT just gave its worst performance under Emma Hayes. What went wrong against Portugal?

Emma Hayes was far from happy with how her team played. Brad Smith / Getty Images

By Henry Bushnell and Melanie Anzidei Oct. 24, 2025 6:00 am EDT The Athletic

Standing on the sideline of a mostly silent Subaru Park as her U.S. women’s national team lost to Portugal on Thursday, Emma Hayes felt stuck in “a game of Whac-A-Mole.”For the first time in her 17 months in charge, she watched her players try to solve problems as individuals rather than as the collective that rolled through her first 17 games unbeaten, including a gold medal run at the 2024 Olympics.As one problem after another arose, she felt “frustrated.” Not with the result, a 2-1 loss, but with the performance.“I don’t think anybody came out with flying colors,” Hayes said when asked about a few specific players. “I think as a team, we were poor, to be honest with you.”She told the players exactly that and more in an animated, minutes-long speech on the field after the game, with starters, substitutes and staff all huddled in a circle around her. She jabbed her right pointer finger and patted her chest.“I think everyone was trying to maybe fix it on their own,” said midfielder Rose Lavelle, who scored the USWNT’s only goal 33 seconds into the game.“Defensively,” Hayes said, “from front to back, we just mistimed everything.”Though full of experience and talent, the midfield three of Lavelle, Sam Coffey and Lindsey Heaps got outnumbered and overwhelmed by Portugal’s midfield diamond. The Americans were slow to adjust. “We could have solved things a bit earlier on,” Heaps said.

Lindsey Heaps and her teammates struggled.Roger Wimmer / ISI Photos via Getty Images

But their shortcomings were not tactical. They were not confined to any one area of the field or any one line. They were everywhere because everyone felt disconnected.“A lot of things did not go our way, in terms of playing together, playing as a team, doing things together,” Heaps said. “Sometimes it felt a little bit like we were on islands.”“In attack, it felt like we just hadn’t played together in a long time,” Hayes added. “I didn’t recognize us. I felt we just rushed everything. We went direct. We didn’t look like the team that we’ve been working on.”They did not look like the team they had been over the past 25 games under Hayes. Not the team that grinded to Olympic gold; nor the one that won five straight matches, by an aggregate score of 18-0, this summer; not even the team that lost to Japan or split a back-to-back with Brazil earlier this year.Those losses, to international powers, were understandable; the performances were creditable and the team, as Hayes said, was “still working on our principles.”Thursday was something else.The opponent, although praised by Hayes and U.S. players, had never reached the knockout rounds of a major tournament. They were outscored 8-2 at the 2025 Women’s European Championship, with five of those goals coming from Spain, failing to make it out of the group stage. The win on Thursday was not only Portugal’s first in 12 meetings since 1994, but the first time the team had scored against the U.S., who has 40 goals against them. Nonetheless, Portugal kept the ball while the U.S. looked disjointed.Hayes added: “Sometimes, when the panic gets in the head, or you try to do something, instead of starting to do the things we want you to do, it just felt like we didn’t get a rhythm the whole night.”Their lack of rhythm, which Hayes referenced in yells from the touchline mid-game, seemed to spiral. Problems multiplied.“When certain things go wrong, or we’re not patient, or in one mind we’re transitioning and in the other mind we want to retain the ball… It’s hard,” Heaps explained.She later continued: “I wanted to calm the game down. When it gets a very chaotic game like that, or you feel like you’re not controlling the game, it’s like, ‘How can we get that control back? How can we complete the next pass, and the next pass, and the next pass?’ But once we miss that next pass, it’s like, ‘S***. We gotta get back in. We gotta solve what they’re implementing.’“That was hard, too. We were running a lot, we were trying to figure out defensively what we needed to be in, the shape that we needed to be in, the press.”

In its first loss to Portugal, the U.S. also conceded its first goals against the team.Brad Smith / Getty Images

At times, it felt a lot like the 2023 World Cup game between the same two teams, albeit in a different setting and with a lot of different players. That time, under the leadership of former head coach Vlatko Andonovski, the U.S. settled for its first draw against Portugal, a scoreless affair capping a poor group stage performance. The U.S. lost the following knockout round game to Sweden in penalty kicks, making its earliest World Cup exit in program history. When asked about that comparison, Heaps, who co-captained that team, responded with a chuckle: “Oh, don’t bring me back to that game.”

In the more recent matchup, the U.S. ultimately conceded twice from corners, and Hayes, as she descended from the podium after her post-match news conference, assured everyone in the room: “No coach likes giving up f***ing set pieces. And neither do the players.”But it was the entire 90 minutes that frustrated her. On multiple occasions, she, her staff and the players tried to tweak their tactical approach, but “I still don’t think we got a grip of the game,” she said.Her attitude afterwards, however, was not so gloomy.“Sometimes you need a kick up the backside like that,” Hayes said.And this, of course, was a kick up the backside in an October 2025 friendly, not a June 2027 World Cup game in Brazil. Players arrived Monday, some after Sunday games; they trained Tuesday and Wednesday, and even then, “I actually felt it,” Hayes said. “There were so many misconnections. Just taking a bit of time for us to get on the same page.”Then, on Thursday, they played together for the first time in more than 100 days.“We haven’t been together in four months; we gotta remember that,” Heaps said. “We’ve had two days of training; you gotta remember that. You don’t want to be super negative right now, because you’ll just beat your head in.”Neither players nor Hayes were interested in making excuses, but they were realistic. They were, after all, without center back Naomi Girma and forward Trinity Rodman, due to injury, as well as several other key players. The back four — Avery Patterson, Tara McKeown, Emily Sonnett and Emily Fox — were starting together for the first time.And more importantly, all of them, players and coaches, are still at an experimental phase of their build toward 2027.When asked how she would assess Thursday’s game in that context, Hayes began: “As Ben Northey, the Sydney Philharmonic conductor, would say, ‘let it go.’”They will travel to Connecticut on Friday to play Portugal again on Sunday, this time at Rentschler Field in East Hartford.“We have to get better,” Hayes said. “And I promise you, we will be better. We better be.”

USWNT celebrates Alex Morgan’s ‘legendary’ career as she passes the torch to next generation

USWNT honored Alex Morgan’s career at the stadium where she scored her first goal. Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF

By Melanie Anzidei Oct. 23, 2025Updated 8:37 pm EDT

Alex Morgan stood on the pitch inside Subaru Park in Chester, Pa., one last time Thursday. Even though she retired last year, this moment — standing before the U.S. women’s national team as it celebrated her iconic legacy — was long overdue.The stadium roared as the announcer rattled off the 36-year-old’s many accomplishments over her 15-year career. Before the current U.S. squad took on Portugal in the first of two friendlies this international window, the younger generation of players watching as they warmed up, thousands of fans began chanting her name.But no list could measure what Morgan meant to women’s soccer.It was only fitting that a career like Morgan’s came full circle in this way, on the field where she scored her first goal for the U.S. 15 years ago.While still a senior at the University of California, a 21-year-old Morgan entered the pitch for the USWNT as a second-half sub Oct. 6, 2010. The U.S. trailed China, with an at-home unbeaten streak on the line, inside what was then PPL Park in Chester.Just shy of 13 minutes on the pitch, Morgan overlapped with teammate Abby Wambach, who flicked a header to the young striker. Morgan calmly waited for the right moment, watching the ball closely as it bounced once before her. She then struck it into the back of China’s net, recording her goal of 123 goals scored for the United States over a legendary 15-year career.

There are few players as iconic as Alex Morgan. The two-time World Cup winner and Olympic gold medalist is one of the most prolific goal scorers in U.S. women’s soccer history, and one of the most recognizable faces in the women’s game. Beyond the pitch, she was a staunch advocate for gender equity and equality, having lent her voice for the betterment of the game throughout her career.Her accolades are plenty: 224 caps for the U.S., a treble winner with Lyon in France and more than a decade in the National Women’s Soccer League. Morgan was also instrumental in the fight for equal pay, better working conditions and player protections across country and club, including advocating for players during NWSL’s systemic abuse scandal.As U.S. women’s coach Emma Hayes told reporters this week, Morgan “transcended’ women’s football.“There was nothing she didn’t achieve,” Hayes said. “She was a player that epitomized everything this program is about. She’s an unbelievable credit to her family, because her drive, her desire, her determination to prove herself at the highest level is second to none. You can’t go anywhere in this country without them talking about Alex Morgan.”What You Should Read NextReflecting on Alex Morgan’s career: The athlete, the fighter, the humanMorgan was more than an athlete during her nearly two-decade career in professional soccer.Morgan’s is among a string of recent retirements from the U.S. women’s national team, including those by Ali Krieger, Megan Rapinoe, Becky Sauerbrunn and Alyssa Naeher, who will be honored in her home state of Connecticut on Sunday. As many from her generation, though, Morgan has not strayed far from the game.She has evolved into a strategic businesswoman, with a slew of ventures started in recent years. In 2021, she co-founded Togethxr, a women’s sports media company. The brand rose to fame with its “Everyone Watches Women’s Sports” tagline, seen on shirts around the globe and the front of London City Lionesses jerseys in the Women’s Super League.Earlier this year, Morgan became a minority investor in the San Diego Wave, the last club she played for.

After her retirement, Alex Morgan invested in the San Diego Wave.Rich Graessle / Getty Images

Morgan retired over a year ago on Sept. 5, 2024, after announcing she and her husband, Servando Carrasco, were expecting their second child, Enzo. Three days after her announcement, she ended her career with a symbolic 13 minutes for the San Diego Wave, the same number as her iconic jersey.“I left everything on the field. I did everything I ever wanted to do and more,” Morgan said after that game. “I feel so at peace because I am ready to start a family. I’m ready to hang up the boots and allow the next generation to flourish and just relish in the spotlight. I’m just ready.”This week, Morgan finally received the standing ovation for the legacy she leaves behind with the U.S. On the eve of her celebration, current U.S. players reflected on her impact.For Arsenal defender Emily Fox, three words come to mind: “Consistent” and “on top.”“I feel like the entirety of her career, she’s always been improving, always wanted to get better. Both on and off the field, she embraces that,” Fox said. “Just with what she and the team have done for equal pay, also her foundation that she started, joining the San Diego Wave franchise and bringing that to life. With Alex, she’s very 360 in the sense that she is on the field and off the field in what she does.”Chelsea winger Alyssa Thompson, one of the rising stars in this new U.S. generation, has looked up to Morgan since she started playing soccer. The two were teammates at the 2023 Women’s World Cup, when 18-year-old Thompson was the youngest player on that summer’s U.S. roster. That’s something Morgan could relate to, as the youngest player called up for the U.S. at the 2011 World Cup.

Alyssa Thompson looked up to Alex Morgan before she started playing alongside her.Lachlan Cunningham / Getty Images

“She has meant so much to me and the game,” Thompson said. “She’s changed the game for the better. I wouldn’t be in the position I am right now if it weren’t for the players that came before me, especially Alex, fighting for equality and equal pay.”Though the U.S. suffered an early exit from that tournament, Morgan’s leadership stayed with her.“When we weren’t doing as well as we wanted to, and she gave our team a speech, I feel like it really empowered me,” she said. “It inspired me to stay together as a team and believe in our team.”For midfielder Rose Lavelle, Morgan’s goal in the 2019 World Cup semifinal match against England stands out. Lavelle was the first player to hug Morgan after her viral tea celebration, which graced the world’s front pages the next day. The goal happened on Morgan’s 30th birthday, and the U.S. went on to win their second consecutive World Cup title, with a game-winning goal from Lavelle.

“It’s always such a great opportunity to be able to honor and celebrate players like that,” Lavelle said. “They are the reason that we are the team we are. They taught us how to be excellent.”

Alex Morgan’s 2019 World Cup tea celebration became an iconic moment of the tournament.Charlotte Wilson / Getty Images

But it’s not just the players who got to play with Morgan who feel her impact on the national team’s program. Twenty-one-year-old Ally Sentnor received her first cap with the national team in November, six months after Morgan played her last U.S. game.

“Legend, goal scorer, icon are a few words to describe her,” Sentnor said. “She was this amazing, heroic, untouchable player that we watched growing up. She was one of my favorite players growing up. I had her jersey, iconic pink prewrap, we all wore it when we were younger, trying to be her.

“Just to be on the team now, to be able to honor her, is such a full circle, incredible moment. I can’t wait to give her a huge round of applause. She’s just done so much for this sport, never mind this team. We owe a lot to her.”What You Should Read NextAlex Morgan’s first major business move started with a simple pink headbandThe retired USWNT great is one of the most financially successful women’s soccer players, and it all began with a wrap not meant for hair.

There were 13 years, 4 months and 17 days between Morgan’s first U.S. goal and her last. Her final goal was during the Concacaf W Gold Cup, when she scored against Argentina on Feb. 23, 2024. This fittingly took place in Carson, Calif., about 40 miles from her hometown of Diamond Bar.

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But when Morgan reflects on that first goal, she makes a point to give flowers to another player.“It was an important goal,” Morgan recently told ESPN. ‘With an assist from my hero and idol, Abby (Wambach).”In that moment, Wambach set Morgan up for greatness, a ceremonious passing of the torch from one generation to the next.  In many ways, Morgan’s entire career was spent preparing to pass that torch for future generations, too.

Big Five: Europe’s top games this weekend

Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe, left, and Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal will be in action during El Clasico on Sunday. Jose Breton / Pics Action / NurPhoto via Getty Images

By Jack Bantock Oct. 24, 2025 2:00 am EDT

The Athletic has hand-picked five of the most intriguing weekend fixtures from around Europe …

Lens v Marseille, Stade Bollaert-Delelis

Saturday, 25 Oct., 8:05 p.m. BST (UK: Amazon Prime Video / Ligue 1 Pass; USA: Fanatiz, beIN Sports)

Buckle up. Chaos is never far away when Marseille play these days. For a few weeks, at least, it had been peaceful in Provence. A famous win in Le Classique kick-started a run of five straight victories that sent Roberto De Zerbi’s side flying to Lisbon riding high atop Ligue 1 on the back of a 6-2 mauling of Le Havre.That put further distance from the painful memories of opening day defeat at 10 man Rennes and the changing room brawl that followed, but those ghosts came howling back as they were downed late by Sporting in an incident-packed Champions League bout on Wednesday.Such a fate seemed unlikely when club-record signing Igor Paixao sumptuously curled home his fourth goal across his first eight games inside 15 minutes, but the game turned on a frenetic exchange just before the interval.Set to go two up when Emerson was felled in the box for a penalty, Marseille were forced to play the second half with 10 men after the referee showed the former West Ham and Chelsea left back a second yellow card for diving to try and win the spot kick.Despite conceding midway through the second half, a precious point was in touching distance before Allisson Santos’ deflected effort looped agonizingly over OM goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli and in.Attention must now refocus to the pursuit of a first Ligue 1 crown since Didier Deschamps masterminded success in 2010, and Lens will be a stern test as to the robustness of those title credentials.After a narrow defeat to Lyon on the opening day, Pierre Sage’s side have been formidable at Stade Bollaert-Delelis, winning three and being breached just once thanks to the league’s joint-best defence.Marseille are the only other team to have conceded seven, while two league goals apiece from a pair of one-time Premier League men — former Newcastle winger Florian Thauvin and ex-Crystal Palace frontman Odsonne Edouard — have helped ensure a threat at the other end.

Marseille’s club-record signing Igor PaixãoSathire Kelpa / Eurasia Sport Images / Getty Images

Borussia Monchengladbach v Bayern Munich, Borussia-Park

Saturday, 25 Oct., 2:30 p.m. BST (UK: ESPN+ / highlights on BBC; USA: ESPN Select)

There are surprises, there are upsets, and then there is whatever it would be should the Bundesliga’s only winless team find a way to beat European football’s seemingly unstoppable force on Saturday.

What else is there to say about the brilliance of Bayern Munich and Harry Kane that hasn’t already been said? Wednesday’s 4-0 thrashing of Club Brugge made it 12 wins in a row to open the campaign for the Bavarians, with Kane tapping in his 20th (yes, 20th) of the season.Even at their peaks, it took Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo 17 and 13 games respectively to amass the same haul, with the Englishman adding three assists for good measure. Popping up all over the pitch, the 32-year-old looks as complete as he ever has, and believes he has manager Vincent Kompany to thank for it.“I think he has (unlocked a different level in me),” Kane said last week regarding Kompany, who signed a new two-year deal on Tuesday.“He is a fantastic coach, not just tactically but also as a person … I’m someone who likes to turn on the ball and play forward passes but that’s not always possible, so we’ve spoken a lot about opening my body, playing around the corner quickly with one-touch.“I feel like I’ve added to my game — not getting stuck on the ball as much, and a bit more fluidity.”

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Meanwhile, Monchengladbach have been forced to begin their wretched campaign without either of last season’s top scorers. Tim Kleindienst remains out after a torn meniscus in May prematurely ended a superb 16-goal Bundesliga campaign, while French striker Alassane Plea left for PSV in the summer after scoring 11 to help the Foals to 10th place.Head coach Eugen Polanski, appointed on an interim basis following Gerardo Seoane’s sacking last month, would surely snap your hand off for another midtable finish.Rock bottom with three points from seven games, Monchengladbach welcome Europe’s most in-form side having shipped six in 47 minutes against Eintracht Frankfurt at Borussia-Park last month, and four against Werder Bremen before that.

A goalless draw against Freiburg marked home improvement, but Kane will be chomping at the bit to continue filling his boots against a side seemingly bereft of confidence.

Sat, Oct 25 • 12:00PM

Napoli v Inter, Stadio Diego Armando Maradona

Saturday, 25 Oct., 5 p.m. BST (UK: TNT Sports 1 / DAZN; USA: Paramount+)

It is shaping up to be a rather terrifying Halloween in Naples.A catastrophic Champions League implosion at PSV in midweek, whereby they led inside half an hour only to end the game 6-2 down with 10 men, followed on from a grueling 1-0 defeat at struggling Torino that saw the reigning champions surrender their lead atop Serie A.Though his side did edge past Sporting earlier this month, Antonio Conte’s spotty European record is a peculiar blot on his glittering managerial career.Outside of an ultimately unsuccessful run to the 2020 Europa League final with Inter, the Italian has only made it past the quarter-final of a European competition once, when his Juventus team reached the semi-finals of the Europa League in 2014.Yet there can be no doubting his domestic pedigree, and a victory against his old employers would be the perfect stabilizer. Conte left Inter due to purported frustrations with transfer business, and while the 56-year-old is blowing the same trumpet this week, he is playing an unexpected tune.“Last year we won the league with just a few players … Nine (signings) was too many for me but we had to do it,” Conte, who played seven of the club’s summer recruits against PSV, told Sky after the defeat.“There’s no need to despair. We’ve a lot of work to do. We have to try to recreate the chemistry that we had last year. When you bring nine new faces into a dressing room, it’s going to take time.”Only five Inter players who started May’s Champions League final lined up against Union Saint-Gilloise on Tuesday, but three of them — Denzel Dumfries, Hakan Calhanoglu and Lautaro Martinez — led the way with goals as Cristian Chivu’s side continued their perfect start in Europe.The 4-0 victory in Belgium continued a fantastic month for The Black and Blues, who have won seven on the spin in all competitions following that dizzying 4-3 loss at Juventus in early September.Having lost the Scudetto by a point to Napoli last year, Inter are within a point of league leaders and arch rivals Milan, who host bottom-place Pisa on Friday.

Lazio v Juventus, Stadio Olimpico

Sunday, 26 Oct., 7:45 p.m. BST (UK: TNT Sports 1 / DAZN; USA: Paramount+)

Perhaps that deliciously delirious triumph over Inter was too dreamy to be real after all.Juventus have not won a game since conquering The Black and Blues in that seven goal thriller in mid-September, as narrow midweek defeat at Real Madrid extended their winless stretch to seven matches and cranked up the pressure on head coach Igor Tudor. A frustrating flurry of five straight draws has slid into back-to-back losses at Como and the Bernabeu, resigning The Old Lady to their worst run since 2009 and putting a pin in any early season optimism around Turin. Tudor embarked on an impassioned six-minute rebuttal of media criticism ahead of the Madrid game, as dissected by The Athletic’s James Horncastle, but as a former Juventus player of 10 years, the Croatian should know as well as any that the knives will only sharpen should they fail to leave the capital with three points this weekend.“At Juventus, a draw is made out to be a defeat and a defeat a 10-0,” said Tudor, who bemoaned the “mad schedule” and “algorithm” that had determined his side’s fixtures to date.A trip to inconsistent Lazio marks the beginning of a kinder looking schedule for Tudor and co, with a team currently in the top eight not upcoming until a visit to reigning champions Napoli in early December.It has been a similarly strange start for Maurizio Sarri’s Eagles, who have oscillated between free scoring and utterly blunt from week to week.Comprehensive victories against Verona and Genoa have been undercut by bleak defeats to Sassuolo and rivals Roma, while a hugely entertaining 3-3 draw against Torino was followed up by a goalless affair at Atalanta last week in which they mustered just one shot on target.

Sun, Oct 26 • 11:15AMRMAvsBARDrawMoneylineSpreadTotalOdds updated1 minute ago

Real Madrid v Barcelona, Santiago Bernabeu

Sunday, 26 Oct., 3:15 p.m. BST (UK: Premier Sports 1, USA: ESPN2)

Depleted, distracted and (temporarily) managerless: Barcelona have their work cut out if they are to replicate their El Clasico cake walk this year.The Blaugrana swept aside Real Madrid in four meetings last year, winning by an aggregate score of 16-7 en route to a domestic treble, but head to the Bernabeu two points behind their storied rivals with a number of issues to address.First things first, and their hosts Sunday may have some empathy here, there’s the injuries. Raphina and Ferran Torres should be back in time, but their match fitness remains up in the air and there will be little to no chance for Robert Lewandowski (hamstring), Dani Olmo (calf), Gavi and Joan Garcia (knees).Then there has been the off-field drama surrounding the club that, granted, never seems to be far away, but has gathered pace following the latest player registration debacles, a Lamine Yamal painkillers feud, and the recent cancellation of the much-maligned “Miami match” in December.On the pitch, Kylian Mbappe will undoubtedly be licking his lips at the prospect of facing Barca’s now-trademark sky-high line that has been exploited to devastating effect by both Sevilla and Paris-Saint Germain in recent weeks.There is added motivation for the French superstar after he was flagged offside a league-record eight times in a nightmarish Clasico debut a year ago, when the visitors romped to a 4-0 victory.Not that Mbappe needs any further pep in his blisteringly quick step. The 26-year-old is already up to 15 goals for the season as the centre-piece of a Madrid side that — barring an implosion at Atletico Madrid — have made an excellent, albeit unspectacular, start under Xabi Alonso.Yet Alonso will be the only head coach on the sideline Sunday, with Flick set to sit in the stands following a red card received in the frantic final moments of Barca’s last gasp win at Girona last weekend.Assistant Marcus Sorg will take his place on the touchline, having lost both games in which he deputized for Flick last season.

Our subscriber’s match of the week

Leeds vs West Ham, Friday, 8pm UK/3pm ET

Andrew says: “This is a crucial game under the lights at Elland Road. Leeds’ decent start is close to unravelling — they have picked up just one point from the last nine available. What’s more, there are difficult fixtures on the horizon. However, West Ham have a quick turnaround from playing on Monday and Nuno Espirito Santo has a massive job on his hands. While questions remain over Daniel Farke, home advantage will help Leeds.”

Leeds 1-0 West Ham

Oli says: Leeds have fared reasonably well on their return to the Premier League — their average of a point per game is survival form — but the fixtures look a lot tougher over the next couple of months, so the margin for error is smaller than it might appear. West Ham’s players might be grateful that they are playing away after four consecutive home defeats to start the season, but Elland Road on a Friday night is not for the faint-hearted. And that’s precisely what West Ham have been lately.

Leeds 2-0 West Ham

Leeds manager Daniel Farke could not find the solutions against Burnley (Richard Martin-Roberts – CameraSport via Getty Images

The rest of Oli’s predictions

Chelsea vs Sunderland

Oli says: I say this every week, but I’ve been so impressed by Sunderland. It’s not only the four wins and two draws, it’s also how competitive they’ve been in every game. I expect the same at Stamford Bridge, but Chelsea have won their last four in all competitions and, while this will be a tougher test than Nottingham Forest or Ajax in their past two, they should have enough quality to make it five victories in a row.

Chelsea 2-1 Sunderland

Newcastle vs Fulham

The initial draft of this preview, written on Tuesday afternoon, was about feeling a little frustrated watching Newcastle this season, that their football had become a little too scrappy and that they needed to get more out of their wide players, Anthony Gordon in particular. Their 3-0 win a few hours later against Benfica, with Gordon their standout performer, was a big step in the right direction and something to build on against Fulham.

Newcastle 2-0 Fulham

Manchester United vs Brighton

As encouraging as United beating Liverpool away undoubtedly was, match-winner Harry Maguire immediately said it will count for nothing if they fail to perform at home against Brighton this weekend.

It’s true. Victory over visitors Chelsea last month was followed seven days later by a grim defeat at Brentford. Derby victory at City last December was followed four days later by a chaotic Carabao Cup defeat at Tottenham. Brighton fall into the category of “Can beat anyone on their day”. They can certainly beat United, having won on three straight visits to Old Trafford, but I don’t think they will.

United 2-1 Brighton

Brentford vs Liverpool

Backing Liverpool is fraught with risk at the moment — and Brentford, with their speed on the counter-attack and those long throws from Michael Kayode, Mathias Jensen and Kevin Schade, are the type of team who can make life awkward for any opponent, especially ones who have lost their last three Premier League matches.

It’s easy to imagine Liverpool having 20 shots to Brentford’s six, but less easy to predict whether that will be enough for an away win. I’ll say yes — but very cautiously. As they finally demonstrated in Frankfurt on Wednesday, they have the firepower to make life so much easier for themselves.

Brentford 1-2 Liverpool

Arsenal vs Crystal Palace

Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone said Arsenal are the strongest team they have faced this season and, if anyone at Liverpool or Real Madrid is minded to take offence at that, they really shouldn’t because it seems pretty obvious on current form. Arsenal are looking so strong and, more than anything, it’s hard to see them conceding goals.

Palace are the type of opponents who could disprove that theory, but after everything I said above, I feel I need to learn from last week’s lesson and go for the safe option of an Arsenal win to nil. I’ll be doing that a lot over the next few weeks.

Arsenal 2-0 Palace

Aston Villa vs Manchester City

Villa have rediscovered their rhythm a bit domestically with three league wins in a row and I haven’t exactly been bowled over by City’s performances this season, but… just as it’s hard to see Arsenal conceding goals, I just can’t see Erling Haaland not scoring. The Norwegian registered 24 goals in 14 appearances for club and country this season. That is absurd. He’s a phenomenal player — not in the Lionel Messi sense, but phenomenal nonetheless.

Villa will put up a real fight, but really, it’s a question of whether they can score more goals than Haaland.

Villa 1-1 City

Bournemouth vs Nottingham Forest

In isolation, I approve of Forest hiring Sean Dyche. But it’s the type of appointment you make from a position of weakness — and in Forest’s case, that is having recklessly thrown away a position of rare strength. I firmly expect him to stop the early-season rot and return to something closer to last season’s gameplan under Nuno, but a) that seems a fairly drastic downscaling of Forest’s ambitions and b) I’m not sure the Dyche effect will take hold quickly enough to stop Bournemouth and particularly the in-form Antoine Semenyo.

Bournemouth 2-1 Forest

Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Burnley

I’ve somehow managed to get all Burnley’s results correct, which I would like to think reflects an appreciation of their strengths as well as their limitations. I’ve backed Wolves to win on a couple of occasions too, so it’s pretty alarming — for them rather than me — that they keep losing games that look winnable or at least drawable.

This is the last in a run of four home league games that appeared reasonably inviting (Everton, Leeds, Brighton, Burnley). I’ll go for third time lucky in predicting a Wolves win. If they don’t get a result, they really will be in trouble.

Wolves 1-0 Burnley

Everton vs Tottenham

The Tottenham fans in my life are fretting, uninspired by their early-season performances (even when results appeared encouraging) and anxious about a fixture list that now sees them face Everton (away), Newcastle (away), Chelsea (home), Copenhagen (home), Manchester United (home), Arsenal (away) and Paris Saint-Germain (away) over the next four and a half weeks.

Sunday’s game actually looks like one of the gentler matches among that lot… and it may not be very gentle at all, given that Everton are still unbeaten at Hill Dickinson Stadium. It could be a rough few weeks for Thomas Frank and his team.

Everton 1-0 Spurs

Your Next Read

USMNT’s Cameron Carter-Vickers out ‘three to five months’ with Achilles injury

Ian MacNicol/Getty Images

By Greg O’Keeffe and Leon Imber

Oct. 24, 2025 11:29 am EDT

United States defender Cameron Carter-Vickers could miss between three and five months with an Achilles injury, Celtic head coach Brendan Rodgers said on Friday.

Carter-Vickers, 27, played the full 90 minutes in Celtic’s 2-1 Europa League win against Sturm Graz on Thursday, but appeared to be carrying an injury late on in Glasgow.

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“He looks like he’s done his Achilles, which could be anywhere between three and five months,” Rodgers told Sky. “We just await confirmation of that. It’s not great news.

“Cameron’s been a very important part of the squad, of course, and been a great centre-half for the club.”What You Should Read NextHow Alejandro Zendejas found his way to América’s spotlight – and USMNT’s World Cup radarThe Club América attacker has not taken the cleanest or most direct path to stardom, but he’s still firmly in frame for club and country

Carter-Vickers was named in Mauricio Pochettino’s squad for the USMNT’s October friendlies against Ecuador and Australia, but was an unused substitute in both matches. It was his first call-up since March, when he played in the Nations League third-place play-off defeat to Canada.

The former Tottenham Hotspur defender will miss November’s friendlies against Paraguay and Uruguay.

Carter-Vickers’ compatriot Auston Trusty was an unused substitute on Thursday and, alongside Dane Murray, serves as back-up for Celtic to partner Liam Scales in defence. Trusty has not played since August due to a foot injury.

Carter-Vickers has won 19 caps for the U.S. since making his senior international debut in November 2017 at 19 years old under Dave Sarachan. He was included in Gregg Berhalter’s squads for the World Cup in 2022 and the Copa America last year.

Disappointing, but Pochettino will be able to cope

Analysis by senior writer Greg O’Keefe

While the news of-Carter Vickers’ long-term injury lay-off will be disappointing for club and country, it is unlikely to spark any panic for Pochettino.

The fact that the centre-back has only appeared once under the Argentine, in that humbling defeat by Canada in March’s CONCACAF Nations League Finals third place play-Off, points to his current status in the squad.

Generally, defenders such as Chris Richards, Tim Ream, Mark McKenzie and Miles Robinson, have been ahead of him in the pecking order, and despite his experience in the Champions League with Celtic, Carter-Vickers has spent most of his time to date under Pochettino on the bench.

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Whether he might have got more minutes to prove himself in next month’s friendlies against Paraguay and Uruguay is now a moot point, but his injury does serve to remove an option from a key area in the field not overburdened with experience and elite level candidates for next summer’s World Cup.

Granted, Carter-Vickers was more used to playing in a conventional back four under previous U.S. boss Gregg Berghalter (and still does at Celtic), meaning Pocettino may well have other more suitable players he can develop in his back three going forward, it never hurts to have experienced personnel available going into such a big year.

The fact he has been reluctant to use a defender he previously coached at Tottenham in his tenure with the USMNT so far is one thing, but now the option of allowing Carter-Vickers time to show what a partnership with another lesser-used defender such as club team-mate Auston Trusty is greatly diminished.

The serious nature of such an Achilles injury means that even if he returns in March, it could be a challenge to get him truly match fit and conditioned in time for the World Cup roster.

It does, at least, mean younger defenders may get more chances ahead of next summer. In the German Bundesliga with Augsburg, promising 18-year-old Noahkai Banks is already starting matches and might get an opportunity, while at 26 years old, McKenzie is coming into his prime and building consistency in Ligue 1 with Toulouse.