Indy 11 Win Again, Indy Women’s Team 1st Game Fri 7 pm Grand Park
Our Boys in Blue Win again (highlights) 1-0 over the Hartford Athletic and the weather – as they started 45 minutes late and had a 90 minute delay – but found a way to win it 1-0 in the end. That’s 4 wins in a row and 6 unbeaten at our 11 jump to 4th in the East. The Indy 11 USL Women’s League kicks off this FRIDAY NIGHT at WestField Grand Park Events Center Field 2 vs Kings Hammer (Tix are just $8 click here) – and the vote for best Crest is on – make your vote for our Indy 11 by 12 noon on Wed. The inaugural roster of the first Indy 11 Women’s team – includes local standouts Cassidy Lindley from Carmel, Katie Soderstrom from Carmel High and Butler, Abby Isger of Indy and Butler, Selena Barnett MF from Carmel, Rachel Dewey MF from Indy, Heather McNabb MF from Carmel, IN, GK Nona Reason from Noblesville, Jenna Chatterton DF from Noblesville. Plan to head out and catch a game this Friday night – as they will be on the road until June 3rd. Full schedule.
NWSL Challenge Cup Final Sat 1 pm CBS
The NWSL Challenge Cup has reached its final stage, and the North Carolina Courage will host the Washington Spirit on Saturday, to see who will take away the title. North Carolina and Washington ended their last meetup in the group stage on April 23 of the Challenge Cup with a 2-2 draw. Now they each play on a quick turnaround from playing their semifinal matches on Wednesday. North Carolina defeated the Kansas City Current 2-1 and Washington ending its match with the OL Reign in a scoreless draw. For North Carolina Courage vs. Washington Spirit, Herrera is backing North Carolina to win the title match by a score of 2-1. The expert notes Washington’s power trio of Ashley Hatch, Ashley Sanchez and Trinity Rodman were slowed down in their semifinal match against the OL Reign, being outshot 21-12. They could be in bigger trouble on Saturday facing a sturdy North Carolina defense including Merritt Mathias and Carson Pickett.”Heading into the final on a short week could mean the game comes down to impact off the bench, with North Carolina having the edge with more options at the fullback position, as they battle it out for the Challenge Cup,” Herrera told SportsLine.
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BIG GAMES ON TV
(American’s in parenthesis)
Sat May 7
9:30 am ESPN+ Kohn vs Wolfsburg (Brooks)
9:30 am ESPN+ Furth vs Dortmund
10 am USA Chelsea (Pulisic) vs Wolverhampton
12:30 pm NBC Brighton vs Man United
1 pm CBS NWSL Challenge Cup Final
2:45 pm USA Liverpool vs Tottenham
3 pm TUDN Charlotte vs Inter Miami 3 pm ESPN+ Real Bettis vs Barcelona (Dest)
7 pm Para+ NC Courage vs Portland Thorns NWSL
7 pm Para + Chicago Red Stars vs Washington Spirit
10 pm Para+ San Diego Wave vs NY/NJ Gothem
11 pm ESPN+ LAFC vs Philly Union
Sun, May 8
9 am USA Arsenal vs Leeds United (Jesse Marsch)
9:30 am ESPN+ Frankfurt vs MGladbach (Joe Scally)
11:30 am USA Man City vs New Castle United
1:30 pm ESPN+ RB Leipzig (Adams) vs Ausburg
3 pm ESPN+ Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid – Madrid Derby
Karim Benzema and Real Madrid did it again, scoring three goals late and miraculously advancing to the men’s UEFA Champions League final (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
Real Madrid’s Rodrygo scored goals in the 90th and 91st minutes and Karim Benzema fired home the decisive penalty in extra-time to carry the Spanish giants to a miraculous comeback against Manchester City, winning 6-5 on aggregate, and advance to the men’s UEFA Champions League final against Liverpool. Here are my three thoughts on the game:
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• God, this really is the best sport. What other sport gives you moments like the one we just witnessed? Not one. Real Madrid looked dead and buried, down by two goals in the 90th minute after Riyad Mahrez had put City up by two in the 73rd minute. People were openly talking about a City-Liverpool Champions League final. But in the dying moments of the game, not long after City’s Jack Grealish had seen one shot cleared off the line by Ferland Mendy and another saved gorgeously by Thibaut Courtois, Rodrygo directed in a Karim Benzema pass to give Real Madrid life. And then, less than 90 seconds later, Rodrygo somehow did it again, heading home past Ederson to level the scoreline. Then Benzema did what Benzema does, earning a penalty early in extra-time and converting the spot kick to make the difference. You cannot deny that Real Madrid as a club has created a culture of winning in this tournament that showed itself again today—or that Man City now has created a culture that continually comes up short in the biggest moments of the Champions League. I used to think that wasn’t a thing. After seeing what happened with Real Madrid against PSG and now City this season, it’s a real thing.
• It was more than just Rodrygo and Benzema for Real Madrid. So many Madrid players made a difference in the end of a game that was rather uneventful until the 70th minute before going completely haywire. Courtois was absolutely massive, making giant saves on Grealish and Phil Foden to save the day. Midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, all of 19 years old, came on in the 75th minute for Luka Modric and made Real Madrid instantly better, more dangerous, more alive. And Mendy’s goal-line clearance will become a permanent part of Real Madrid club lore. Give the preternaturally unflappable Carlo Ancelotti plenty of credit for the changes he made that helped his team the chance to survive in the most unlikely circumstances possible. And what can you say about Pep Guardiola? He just seems to have a block in this competition. No fewer than 11 seasons have now passed since he last won the Champions League, with Barcelona, despite the several times that Guardiola has had the tournament’s best team on paper during that time (including, quite possibly, this season). City’s defending just crumbled in the final minutes of regulation to the point that it’s hard not to think there was something mental in play, something close to a choke.
• Real Madrid-Liverpool is going to be a fantastic final. In the rematch of the 2017-18 final won by Real Madrid, at least we won’t have to see Sergio Ramos injuring Mohamed Salah or, if you’re a Liverpool fan, Loris Karius in goal. On paper, Liverpool will be the favorite, having been the best team in Europe and in England during the 2022 calendar year so far. But this game will not be played on paper, and the intangible “winning-time” exploits that we have seen from Real Madrid during this incredible Champions League run figure to come into play again. Benzema (at 34) and Modric (at 36) have played like they were 10 years younger this entire tournament, and you can be certain that they will be ready to go on May 28 in Paris. One suspects that Jürgen Klopp will have learned his lesson from not starting Luis Díaz against Villarreal on Tuesday and will deploy Días, Salah and Sadio Mané up top and hope that Virgil van Dijk continues anchoring Liverpool’s spine the way he has all season. The crazy thing is I sense that Liverpool would have preferred to play City instead of this cosmically charmed Real Madrid squad that now appears like a team of destiny.
Champions League Semi-Final Spectacular Tues/Wed on CBS
OK if you are here in Indy – the dam game was not on CBS Local – it is being re-played on CBS Sports Network at 9:30 pm tonight. I was assured by the local station that Wed’s Real Madrid vs Man City will indeed be on CBS local tomorrow/Wed 3 pm! Check this out if you are desperate to see before then. Now on to the Game – I love Champions League – it rarely disappoints !! Here’s the Spanish Version highlights – Here’s English highlights – man Villarreal had me worried when they scored the 2nd goal to tie it all up at 2-2 on Aggregate. The little Yellow Submarine Villarreal –with a packed house of 23K sounding like 100K was on a role until Liverpool recovered in the 2nd half. Thank Goodness Villarreal’s GK struggled in the 2nd half Rulli mistake 1Bad Goal 2
My goodness do we have a dosey this Wednesday afternoon at 3 pm on CBS as the Champions League Semi-finals finish up with Man City leading just 4-3 traveling to the Bernabéu to face Real Madrid and perhaps the world’s hottest striker Karim Benzema. The Game at City was an instant Classic as Man City got our front 2-0 then 4-1 before Real Madrid scored 2 to make it 4-3. Benzema’s hat trick was timely. (highlights). Tuesday at 3 pm on CBS we start with Liverpool back home vs Villareal – up 2-0 coming in- I look for Liverpool to cruise to a 2-1 or 1-1 game and advance to the finals. Here’s predictions and video predictions – for me I like Real Madrid with a hot Benzema to win this one 3-1 at home to advance to the finals vs Liverpool.
Of course now we have Women’s Champions League as well – here are highlights from Lyon who is led by American youngster Catarina Macario win over PSG. Here are her goals from last week’s first leg. Barcelona, on a 48 game unbeaten streak gave up more than normal and lost at Wolfsburg 2-0 but they advance with a 5-3 aggregate to the finals in Turin where they will face Lyon and Macario on May 21st.
Around the World
Real Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti completed the Cinco – as his Real Madrid won Spain’s La Liga on Saturday. The Italian became the first Manager to win titles in 5 leagues.
NWSL 10th Season Kicksoff
The NWSL kicked-off its 10th Anniversary Season this past weekend –I know the NWSL Challenge Cup has been going on for a month – but this is the regular season and the preview for the season is here. Great to see Angel City FC get off to a good start with a 2-1 win in Los Angeles with a packed house at Banc of California – my daughter is a season ticket holder.
Indy 11 Win Again 1-0, Indy 11 Women’s Team 1st Game Fr 7 pm @ Grand Park
Our Boys in Blue Win again (highlights) 1-0 over the Hartford Athletic and the weather – as they started 45 minutes late and had a 90 minute delay – but found a way to win it 1-0 in the end. That’s 4 wins in a row and 6 unbeaten as we jump to 4th in the East. The Indy 11 USL Women’s League kicks off this FRIDAY NIGHT 7 pm at Westfield Grand Park Events Center Field 2 vs Kings Hammer (Tix are just $8 click here) – and the vote for best Crest is on – make your vote for our Indy 11 by 12 noon on Wed. The inaugural roster of the first Indy 11 Women’s team – includes local standouts Cassidy Lindley from Carmel, Katie Soderstrom from Carmel High and Butler, Abby Isger of Indy and Butler, Selena Barnett MF from Carmel, Rachel Dewey MF from Indy, Heather McNabb MF from Carmel, IN, GK Nona Reason from Noblesville, and Jenna Chatterton DF from Noblesville. Plan to head out and catch a game this Friday night – as they will be on the road until June 3rd. Full schedule.
======================RackZ BAR BQ ====Save 20% ======================
Heading over to the Field House at Badger Field for Training? 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!
Save 20% on these Succulent Ribs at Rackz BarBQ when you mention the Ole Ballcoach – Corner of 131 & Hazelldell. – Call 317-688-7290.
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BIG GAMES ON TV
(American’s in parenthesis)
Mon, May 2
3 pm USA Man United vs Brentford
Tue May 3 – Champs League
3 pm CBS Villareal vs Liverpool
9:30 pm CBSNSN Replay Villareal vs Liverpool
Wed May 4 – Champs League
3 pm CBS Man City vs Real Madrid
7:30 pm ESPN+ Cincy vs Toronto FC
8 pm CBSSN NWSL OL Reign (Seattle) vs Washington Spirit (Rodman)
10 pm Para+ Semi’s – KC Current vs North Carolina Courage
10 pm FS1 Seattle Sounders vs Pumas (2-2)
Thurs, May 5 – Europa League
3 pm CBSSN Galazo Show – Europa League Final 4
3 Para+ RB Leipzig (Adams) vs Rangers
3 Para + West Ham United vs Frankfurt (Chandler)
3 pm Para+ Roma vs Leicester City
Fri May 6
7 pm Indy 11 W League first game at Grand Park
Sat May 7
9:30 am ESPN+ Kohn vs Wolfsburg (Brooks)
9:30 am ESPN+ Furth vs Dortmund
10 am USA Chelsea (Pulisic) vs Wolverhampton
12:30 pm NBC Brighton vs Man United
1 pm CBS NWSL Challenge Cup Final
2:45 pm USA Liverpool vs Tottenham
3 pm TUDN Charlotte vs Inter Miami 3 pm ESPN+ Real Bettis vs Barcelona (Dest)
7 pm Para+ NC Courage vs Portland Thorns NWSL
7 pm Para + Chicago Red Stars vs Washington Spirit
10 pm Para+ San Diego Wave vs NY/NJ Gothem
11 pm ESPN+ LAFC vs Philly Union
Sun, May 8
9 am USA Arsenal vs Leeds United (Jesse Marsch)
9:30 am ESPN+ Frankfurt vs MGladbach (Joe Scally)
11:30 am USA Man City vs New Castle United
1:30 pm ESPN+ RB Leipzig (Adams) vs Ausburg
3 pm ESPN+ Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid – Madrid Derby
6 pm Para+ OL Reign vs Racing Louisville
7 pm FS1 Austin vs LA Galaxy
9 pm Para+ Angel City vs Orlando Pride
Tue May 10 US Open Cup
3 pm USA Aston Villa vs Liverpool
7 pm ESPN+ Orlando City vs Philly
7:30 pm ESPN+ Detroit City vs Louisville City
8 pm ESPN+ Inter Miami vs Tormenta
10:30 pm ESPN+ LAFC vs Portland
Wed May 11 US Open Cup
3 pm USA Leeds United (Marsch) v Chelsea (Puliisic)
3 pm Para+ Juventus vs Inter Italian Cup
7 pm ESPN+ New England vs Cincy
8 pm EPSN+ Atlanta vs Nashville
8:30 pm ESPN+ Houston Dynamo vs San Antonio (Jordan Farr)
Seattle can make CONCACAF Champions League history as MLS spending begins to rival Liga MX
May 3, 2022Jeff CarlisleU.S. soccer correspondent
For Garth Lagerwey, the flashbacks are unavoidable.Eleven years ago, the Seattle Sounders GM and president of soccer had a similar role with Real Salt Lake, and in 2011 the squad he put together was on the cusp of history. The final of that year’s CONCACAF Champions League pitted RSL against Monterrey, and an 89th-minute goal from Javier Morales secured a 2-2 away draw and put Salt Lake in the driver’s seat. Alas, it wasn’t to be. RSL squandered some glorious chances in the return leg, while then-Chile international Humberto Suazo netted the game-winner in first-half stoppage time, pouncing on a loose ball in the box.On Wednesday, Seattle will find itself in an almost identical scenario to Real Salt Lake when it squares off against Pumas in the second leg of this year’s CCL final. A stoppage-time penalty from Nicolas Lodeiro helped the Sounders secure a 2-2 draw in the first leg. Now it is the Sounders who are in a position to make history, and become the first MLS team to win the CCL since 2002, when the format changed to involve home and away fixtures in the knockout rounds.”It’s a little sense of deja vu,” Lagerwey told ESPN. “Obviously we want a happy ending to this movie.”He added, “It’s our chance at immortality, doing something that no one’s ever done before that will be remembered forever.”There have been close calls since RSL’s near miss. CF Montreal reached the final in 2015. Toronto FC was a penalty-kick shootout away from triumphing in 2018. LAFC came close in 2020, although the pandemic meant those games were played on U.S. soil.But as much as CCL futility has remained, much has changed in MLS throughout the years, namely the roster composition and spending by the league’s teams. According to data provided by the MLS Players Association, in 2011, RSL’s total guaranteed compensation for that season was $3.32 million. While it’s easy to write that off as being a symptom of a team that skewed towards the frugal side, Seattle that season wasn’t much better, at $3.4m. In 2021, the most recent year for which data is available, Seattle’s total guaranteed compensation is $13.59m, more than four times RSL’s 2011 amount. That is by no means the highest mark either, with teams like Toronto exceeding $20m some seasons. All of this has allowed MLS sides to creep closer to their Liga MX counterparts.ESPN television analyst Herculez Gomez made a habit of tormenting MLS sides in the CCL when playing for Santos Laguna and Tijuana in the early- to mid-2010s. He notes that the depth in MLS teams is much different than when he played.”There was, in that moment, a huge difference between players,” he said. “Players one through eight, you’re like, ‘Hey, these guys are very competent. They’re very good.’ Nine through 16, back then, you’re like, ‘They’ve never played in a big game. They’ve never won anything in their life. They don’t make money.’ You can tell there’s a stark contrast. And it was a deer in the headlights look from a lot of these players. And you knew it was over.”Now, I think that’s changed. You can dig into the bench and it’s a 12th, 13th, 14th guy, and you’re like, ‘These are very good players.'”The era of targeted allocation money (TAM) has had a significant impact on what teams can spend, and on what part of the roster. But for Seattle, the influx of graduates of the team’s academy has helped improve the quality of depth as well. That includes on-field contributions from homegrowns like Jackson Ragen and Obed Vargas, who have each played in multiple CCL games. Their impact also changes the calculus of the salary cap.”If you have a consistent pipeline of players, you can build a more economically efficient team under the salary cap,” Lagerwey said.He points out that Seattle has 12 players on the roster age 23 or under, half of those are age 20 or under, and these are individuals who can legitimately contribute. That has a ripple effect throughout the roster, with Lagerwey estimating that academy graduates are “saving” the team about $1 million in cap space.”It allows you to take your budget and spend more money on the top players. A lot of that rise in salary is those top players are making more money now,” he said about the academy’s impact. “And that was always the disparity, right? It was Mexican clubs could pay more to their starting lineups. And now we’re really able to go toe to toe on depth as well, because those kids when they come through, they’ve all played multiple years in your system.”These investments have been made for years now. It’s just a matter of when — or if — that steady drip will accumulate to the extent that it will finally make its way over the dam in the form of a CCL title. And the reality is that until it does, there will always be questions. Even now, Liga MX sides still have rung up a sizable advantage. Since the CCL began using a home-and-away format in 2002, Mexican clubs have prevailed over their MLS counterparts 42 times in 53 attempts.Since the advent of TAM, the record for MLS sides is better — nine wins in 31 tries — but still sizably in Liga MX’s favor. This time, however, there is a sense that Wednesday’s matchup favors Seattle. Pumas doesn’t have the funding that it once had, with the likes of Club America and Tigres still well on top in that category. It instead has had to rely on its academy and picking out the occasional diamond on the transfer market.
All of which makes Wednesday’s second leg an opportunity that goes beyond just making history. There is the impact a capacity crowd — as of this writing there are less than 1,000 tickets left — could have on Seattle’s bit to host games at the 2026 World Cup. The effect on the Sounders organization would be immense as well.”I think it’s an absolute game-changer,” Lagerwey said. “If we’re able to win this thing, and we’re able to then go play meaningful games against European champions [in the World Club Cup] and things like that … I think when you think about player recruitment, and how you build the team and the staff going forward, it’s pretty hard to conclude anything other than being on that global stage will help the Sounders and will help the community of Seattle.”Lagerwey described preparing for a Club World Cup as a “champagne problem,” but first things first. The Sounders are hoping there will be some conspicuous consumption come Wednesday.
Champions League bold predictions: Manchester City tame chaotic Real Madrid; Liverpool cruise to final
Liverpool will finish the job while Man City look to keep Real’s Karim Benzema from exploiting any lack of control
9 hrs ago•9 min readThe finish line is in sight. In the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League (catch all the action on CBS and Paramount+) a place in a major final is just 90 minutes away. Let’s look ahead to Villarreal vs. Liverpool and Real Madrid vs. Manchester City before diving into the Europa League.
Villarreal vs. Liverpool: Emery’s first leg approach is vindicated
Villarreal’s first leg tactics were the subject of some degree of consternation in the British media after last week’s 2-0 defeat at Anfield. To which Unai Emery might reasonably ask, “what more did you want from me?” By no stretch of the imagination did they execute their conservative brand of knockout football to perfection, but it is at least true that they made Liverpool work for their win. As Jurgen Klopp said after the game, “It was the challenge — I think how it is for all human beings — you try and you fail, you try and you fail and you try and you fail and at one point you think, ‘Come on, it’s not my day anymore!'”
Even if Villarreal had brought it on themselves with their caution, they also had to contend with a fair slice of bad luck. Just at the moment when Liverpool looked to be growing frustrated, a crossed ball reared up off Pervis Estupinan’s outstretched left leg, looping over keeper Geronimo Rulli and into the net. A mistake, a freak deflection or the moment of searing quality that brought Sadio Mane his side’s second goal soon after might well have come anyway, that is the nature of flooding your own box with defenders, but at some stage when you are so outmatched you have to pick your poison.
After all, Villarreal are a team that pay their squad only slightly more than Liverpool gave Porto for Luis Diaz in January. Their wage bill sits firmly in La Liga’s mid table while their opponents are one of the biggest spenders in a vastly richer competition. The disparity Anfield saw on the pitch is only representative of that off it. Indeed, one might argue that in dragging Klopp’s side into such a fiddly match for an hour Villarreal achieved more than should be reasonably expected from a team of their means. Though going into their quarterfinal match against Bayern Munich you might have argued the same, and in that instance Emery’s side pulled out a deserved result.
Still, Emery wanted more, and he knows his side will have to adjust their approach for the second leg. That may be their undoing even if home supporters at El Madrigal match the fervor with which visiting fans backed their team at Anfield. This is a team that looked ill at ease chasing the lead at Alaves this weekend. Villarreal will have to attack, leaving the sort of spaces in behind on the flanks that Liverpool already spotted were a weak point. Trent Alexander-Arnold’s rapid switches of play and balls down the line were a key feature of the Reds’ first leg success, how much more successful might they be if he is not having to thread the needle between a full back and the nominal winger who is stationed a few feet ahead of him. The same would be true of Thiago; if play is anymore broken in the second leg he will be able to play more passes that push the tempo. Pushing forward at Alaves, Villarreal had five losses of possession that led to opponent shots, only slightly fewer than in the Liverpool match where they did not even have 30 percent of the ball.
Villarreal are not a team that deals well with the pressure of being behind, indeed in the 20 La Liga and Champions League matches in which they have been losing this season their record reads one win, six draws and 13 defeats. In those games their expected goal (xG) difference is scarcely over one after going behind. In the smaller sample size of European matches it is 0.02 and they had not come up against a team like Liverpool before last week. Tuesday’s game may ultimately prove that all they could have realistically hoped for in the first leg was to keep the score down.
Real Madrid vs. Manchester City: Full backs quell the chaos
Featured Game|Real Madrid vs. Manchester City
It was curious that in the aftermath of Manchester City’s 4-3 first leg win Ruben Dias was promising what amounted to a mad team for a mad stadium and a mad occasion. If sanity were to have prevailed in a Champions League knockout tie involving Real Madrid this season they would have been out of the competition. Every one of Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and even a victorious City have been baffled at how the score looks quite how it does when the final whistle blows.
Across the knockout stages of this competition Madrid have allowed the most xG, have the third worst xG difference, and the sixth worst xG difference per game. They also have Karim Benzema. He is this team writ large. Even when they are struggling, the world’s best player produces a moment of magic to turn the game. They relish games that get stretched and play like the apex version of Europe’s most successful team when there is chaos in the air. Last Tuesday the visitors had no answer for City’s sustained possession play but put Fernandinho in front of Vinicius Junior and they could find a devastating moment.
Pep Guardiola will be racking his brains in the pursuit of control. It is in such moments that he can be guilty of overcomplicating matters but on this occasion there does seem to be a simple solution ahead of him. Though Kyle Walker may be out for the season, his full back corps should be greatly strengthened by the return of Joao Cancelo from suspension in the first leg. There are few players quite as capable of keeping the City machine ticking along. Only Rodri and Aymeric Laporte receive more passes per 90 minutes than the Portuguese full back, those two and John Stones are also the only players to carry the ball further than Cancelo.
With the 27 year old in the team, presumably at right back with Oleksandr Zinchenko (though it’s impossible to rule out a Guardiola lineup curveball like, say, Nathan Ake at left fullback) on the other flank after an impressive first leg display, City will be in a position to really assert themselves on the Santiago Bernabeu, to control possession for lengthy spells before applying the finishing touch. Madrid might just allow them to do that. According to Wyscout, Carlo Ancelotti’s team allow opponents to make an average of 14.2 passes per defensive action, one of the highest tallies in the competition and far more than City. Cancelo drifting in midfield will also give his side the midfield superiority to overcome a Madrid side that may not be as shaky at shielding the back four now with a healthy Casemiro back in the anchoring role rather than Toni Kroos. On the opposite flank Zinchenko can do much the same. Though that does run the risk of giving Vinicius space to attack on rapid counters, City have proven throughout recent years that they have the defensive qualities to counteract that, particularly if Ruben Dias is on the pitch.
If City are going to win this tie they won’t do so by embracing the chaos, but by playing the game on their terms, something which they clearly have the quality to do. Cancelo will only make it easier for them to express that.
Eintracht Frankfurt vs. West Ham: Set pieces undo Moyes’ side
Onto the Europa League, where last week’s suggestion that English clubs are about to sweep the board in every competition is looking more than a bit dicey. West Ham had the chances to swing the first leg of their semifinal against Eintracht Frankfurt but travel to Germany 2-1 down with work to do. It was notable in the aftermath of that game that David Moyes bemoaned “the worst [set pieces] for two years”, a refrain he would return to when Rob Holding and Gabriel scored off dead balls to earn Arsenal a 2-1 win at the London Stadium on Sunday.
It is no great surprise Moyes puts such a premium on set pieces. West Ham are devastating at them. Nine of their Premier League assists have come from dead balls, the most in the top flight along with Manchester City. They have four in the Europa League. No other team has scored more than two. It could be where they win the tie.
It might also be where they lose it. Eintracht Frankfurt are one of Germany’s better set piece teams with seven goals scored and it is notable that West Ham are not quite the same defensive force off dead balls that they are in offensive terms. Moyes’ side have now conceded 10 such goals in the Premier League this season, firmly in the middle of the pack, with four of them coming since the start of April. Not so coincidentally this has coincided with the period where the Hammers have been forced to chop and change their back line on the fly thanks to a myriad of injuries. Sunday’s brace were put down to West Ham sacrificing some height in their team selection but Arsenal’s second was a somewhat familiar goal for this team to concede. Martinelli races to claim the second ball from an Arsenal corner that West Ham have cleared. It is not so much the initial delivery into the box that they have had an issue with but winning the second ball. Bukayo Saka’s ball in is flicked away but there is no one in a West Ham shirt on hand to claim possession as the ball bounces inside the box. Gabriel Martinelli has time to take a touch, get the ball out from under his feet and clip a delivery to the back post for Gabriel to head in.
The same happened when Mason Holgate scored for Everton last month. On this occasion, West Ham have players in position to win the ball when Lukasz Fabianski punches it up in the air, but Said Benrahma does nothing but watch the ball bounce (as was the case in Arsenal’s goal) while Pablo Fornals has precious little chance of winning a 50:50 against Michael Keane. Holgate eventually hits the ball on the volley under very little pressure, the ball skewing through bodies and into the net.West Ham fail to clear the ball under pressure from Everton, who will ultimately score in the chaos Wyscout/Sky Sports
Perhaps the explanation for West Ham’s recent run of set piece struggles defensively is nothing more than Benrahma’s diffident effort in getting rid of the ball, though it should have been apparent for long enough now that he is not reliable enough off the ball to be trusted with such a role. It should also be noted that without Benrahma in the side all three of the corners Filip Kostic took for Frankfurt were only cleared as far as a different player in white.
It might just be that in the Waldstadion Craig Dawson repeats his recent heroics from dead balls, that Tomas Soucek rises highest once more or Michail Antonio imposes himself on the Frankfurt center backs. But if West Ham cannot improve their work in winning second balls of defensive set pieces they may find this particular passage of play to be a cause for adversity as much as opportunity.
USMNT to play World Cup-bound Uruguay in friendly in Kansas City
Apr 27, 2022 Jeff CarlisleU.S. soccer correspondent
The United States men’s national team will play fellow World Cup participant Uruguay in a friendly on June 5 at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas.The exhibition at the home venue of Major League Soccer club Sporting Kansas City is the second of a four-game stretch that includes two friendlies and two matches in the CONCACAF Nations League. The U.S. will play Morocco in a friendly on June 1 in Cincinnati followed by the Uruguay match.The U.S. will then open defense of its CNL crown when it faces Grenada in Austin, Texas on June 10, followed by an away game against El Salvador four days later.”We’re looking forward to facing another high-level opponent that is also preparing for the World Cup. Uruguay has some world-class talent and is one of the top teams in South America,” U.S. manager Gregg Berhalter said. “These are th kinds of opportunities we need to continue to grow as a group and set ourselves up to be successful in Qatar. Once again we’ll have the benefit of outstanding facilities in Kansas City and a venue that has shown tremendous support for the National Team.”The U.S. has faced La Celeste sevn times previously, with a record of 2-2-3. The most recent match took place in 2019, with Jordan Morris‘ goal canceling out a tally by Brian Rodriguez in a 1-1 draw.Back in the World Cup for the first time since 2014, the U.S. opens Group B against Scotland, Wales or Ukraine on Nov. 21. The Americans face No. 5 England four days later and meet 21st-ranked Iran on Nov. 29.Uruguay finished third in World Cup qualifying out of CONMEBOL, and were drawn into Group H with Portugal, Ghana and South Korea.
LOS ANGELES — April 29 seems to be a good day in Banc of California Stadium lore.On that date in 2018, Major League Soccer expansion side LAFC played their first home game there and defeated the Seattle Sounders. Four years later, the Banc was ready for yet another inaugural home match. This time it was new National Women’s Soccer League team Angel City FC flying high in a 2-1 victory over North Carolina Courage.What made Friday night so special? It started at LAFC home matches over the years, where the raucous North End supporters’ section included a banner with a forthright message: “Bring NWSL to LA.”
The proposition ignited a movement, and has now turned into a reality. That same section where the banner used to apear is home to members of the six official Angel City supporter groups, and they were rocking the drums, chanting and orchestrating the atmosphere for the sold-out crowd on Friday.22,000 people, on a Friday night in Los Angeles, to support a women’s soccer team.“It was unbelievable. Everything that we’d hoped that the club would deliver, they delivered in abundance and with more,” said head coach Freya Coombe. “The crowd was unreal tonight — their energy, enthusiasm, and support for the players and for the coaching staff was felt throughout the night.“It’s the best environment that I’ve ever coached in.”If Angel City can keep up the enthusiasm, it might become the best-attended NWSL club on a consistent basis. The Portland Thorns held that honor in 2021, with over 14,000 fans on average.Women’s soccer is rising fast in popularity around the globe, too, with Barcelona setting the world attendance record for an official match twicein the past month.A glance around the stadium Friday and you’d see World Cup legends like Mia Hamm and Abby Wambach (both part of Angel City’s celebrity-packed ownership group), current professional soccer players, actresses, celebrities and much more. It was as Los Angeles as it gets.
And Los Angeles didn’t wait long to celebrate. Three minutes into the contest, Vanessa Gilles scored the first official goal in franchise history:
Endo, who assisted the opener with a filthy move and cross, found the back of the net 10 minutes later and doubled the score. North Carolina eventually got on the board in the second half and was knocking on the door for the equalizer, but Angel City held on. They weren’t going to let the perfect night have a lousy ending.“ My teammates were screaming and crying tears of joy and it meant the world to me,” said ACFC midfielder Dani Weatherholt. “This organization is just more than a sport and I think that’s the moment when it felt so much bigger than the game. Angel City has incorporated a 10% sponsorship model, where the club reallocates a portion of all sponsorships directly back into the community. The club has also established grassroots outreach to get women involved on all levels.“Everything we do at Angel City, the hope is we’re pushing things in a way that other people can see, replicate, build on and make it better,” said Head of Community Catherine Davila. “I think it’s something that’s going to help build the culture across the NWSL.”As she walked into the stadium Friday, Davila couldn’t help but get emotional seeing years of work come to fruition. The same emotions were prevalent postgame. Captain Ali Riley, a Los Angeles native, was in tears on the field after the match. She’s kicked a ball in many places — Sweden, England, Russia — but being able to finally do so in her hometown meant more.“I have waited for a moment like this for 12 years. I hoped to get drafted to the (now-defunct) L.A. Sol, the team folded before I had the chance,” she said. “I have been all over the world, and to be here with my parents watching this game, for us to win, to feel the love and support, I think we proved that anything is possible in women’s sports.“I went to the ‘99 [Women’s] World Cup final and that was what put this idea in my head,” Riley added. “I had no idea how it would happen but it planted the seed that maybe one day I could play soccer on a stage like that. So now for us to be here and for those little girls to see that, just that kind of visibility and how we are in the field with all different skin colors, experiences, backgrounds — such a diverse and inclusive group, that’s really important.”The team’s makeup reflected the crowd, a wide range of families, young kids and older adults filling the seats.“The point is that women’s soccer belongs,” Riley said, “and it belongs in this city.”Like the banner said, the NWSL has been brought to L.A. What L.A. can bring to the NWSL is just as big.
Stu Holden and family live at the Angel City Game
After six weeks of preseason and 36 Challenge Cup matches, the NWSL’s 2022 regular season has arrived -Preview
In chaotic NWSL fashion, the season kicks off Friday night between Angel City FC and the North Carolina Courage while the Challenge Cup knockout stage is still ongoing. The game, aired on CBS Sports, is followed by an opening weekend in which every team will compete.
A longer Challenge Cup, two expansion teams and a new commissioner have certainly given the NWSL a new look this year. Jessica Berman will be in just her ninth day on the job as commissioner when the league opens play Friday. Almost every team has undergone change on the field, too, after an expansion draft and numerous offseason trades.
Let’s take a look at the league structure, storylines and rivalries to follow as the NWSL’s 10th season gets underway.
FORMAT
The NWSL’s 12 teams will each compete in 22 matches during the regular season — 11 home and 11 away. Starting this year, the league has scheduled fewer games during the FIFA windows so that national team players can avoid scheduling conflicts between club and country. That change, however, did not account for a few major contests, such as the Women’s Euros this summer.
The regular season concludes Oct. 2, followed by a six-team playoff with the top two seeds receiving first-round byes. My top-six predictions for the 2022 playoffs closely reflect my preseason power rankings: OL Reign, North Carolina Courage, Kansas City Current, NJ/NY Gotham FC, defending Challenge Cup champions Portland Thorns and 2021 NWSL champions Washington Spirit.
The championship takes place on Oct. 29, with the playoff bonus pool once again financed by Ally’s Player Impact Fund.
WHAT WE LEARNED FROM THE CHALLENGE CUP
The Spring of quick goals and yellow cards
The record for the three fastest goals in NWSL history was set twice over three days. The Reign netted each of theirs by the 11th minute in a 3-1 win over San Diego Wave FC on April 14, only to be bested by the Courage scoring three by the ninth minute on April 16 against the Orlando Pride. Four of the other five matches that week featured goals scored in six minutes or fewer.
When not scoring, players have also been setting records without the ball. Across five and a half weeks, NWSL referees have already handed out over a hundred yellow cards. To put that in perspective, there were 43 doled out in the 2021 Challenge Cup and 34 in 2020.
Kansas City ready for a breakout season
In just their second year since relocating from Utah and rebranding as the Current, Kansas City is in the Challenge Cup semifinals. They have the fourth-most amount of goals in the tournament, led by Kristen Hamilton’s four goals and Elyse Bennett’s four assists. And with four wins through six matches, they already have more victories than they had all of last year.
North Carolina back in the game
The Courage dropped down the standings into sixth place last season after their head coach, Paul Riley, was fired following bombshell allegations of sexual coercion and emotional abuse. Led this year by former assistant coach Sean Nahas, and feature new talent such as Brianna Pinto and Kerolin Nicoli, North Carolina has gone undefeated in the Challenge Cup. The Courage could be on their way to rediscovering the dominance they became known for during their run to three consecutive NWSL Shields from 2017-19.
OL, once again, on the brink of reigning
A consistently solid team that has never won a trophy, OL Reign has lost in the NWSL semifinals the past three seasons. In 2014 and 2015, they advanced to the championship game, losing by one goal in each contest. This year, their sneaky assists across the box in the attack and standout goaltending from Phallon Tullis-Joyce give them a strong case for championship contention. Finishing ahead of rival Portland in the standings for the just the second time since 2015, they’re off to a promising start. TOP RIVALRIES
Angel City FC vs. San Diego Wave FC
When two expansion teams based in southern California debut the same year, of course there’s going to be a rivalry. The Wave had the slight edge over Angel City coming out of the Challenge Cup, going 1-3-2 compared to Angel City’s 1-4-1. Head to head, they tied in their first matchup, and San Diego won 4-2 in the second.
OL Reign vs. Portland Thorns
The original West Coast rivalry has been highly anticipated this year after strong showings from both sides in 2021. Though Portland won the NWSL Shield, the Reign got the better of the Thorns in two of their three matchups, the last one being a draw. The Reign were also the stronger side in the 2022 Challenge Cup, defeating Portland 1-0 after a 1-1 draw in their opener.
Kansas City Current vs. Racing Louisville FC
The two new clubs last season, Kansas City and Louisville are coming out stronger this year. The Current look like the stronger team coming out of the Challenge Cup, but when they play each other, it’s anyone’s game. They drew 1-1 in their first matchup of the Challenge Cup before Louisville rolled over Kansas City 3-0 in the Current’s only loss of the tournament.
North Carolina Courage vs. Washington Spirit
If the East Division proved anything in the 2022 Challenge Cup, it’s that a Courage-Spirit matchup is as entertaining as they come. Each of their meetings resulted in 2-2 draws, a contrast from the three wins and a draw that Washington grabbed from North Carolina last season. The Courage, though, are a different team this year, and neither club has lost an NWSL match yet in 2022.
HOW TO WATCH
CBS will air two regular season matches and the championship game. Those games are also viewable on Paramount+. CBS Sports will broadcast 11 regular season games, one quarterfinal and both semifinals. The other 96 regular season matches can be streamed exclusively on Paramount+, and all games can be accessed internationally on Twitch.
CBS (all times ET)
June 19 – NJ/NY Gotham FC vs. San Diego Wave FC at 4 p.m. Sept. 10 – Washington Spirit vs. San Diego Wave FC at 1 p.m. Oct. 29 – NWSL Championship
CBS Sports (all times ET)
April 29 – Angel City vs. North Carolina Courage at 10:30 p.m. May 13 – Portland Thorns FC vs. OL Reign at 10:30 p.m. May 27 – Orlando Pride vs. Washington Spirit at 7 p.m. June 8 – San Diego Wave FC vs. Portland Thorns FC at 10 p.m. July 2 – Orlando Pride vs. Racing Louisville FC at 7 p.m. Aug. 5 – Portland Thorns FC vs. North Carolina Courage at 10:30 p.m. Aug. 14 – Angel City FC vs. Chicago Red Stars at 8 p.m. Aug. 17 – Houston Dash vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC at 8:30 p.m. Aug. 19 – Kansas City Current vs. Angel City FC at 8 p.m. Sept. 11 – NJ/NY Gotham FC vs. Kansas City Current at 6 p.m. Sept. 21 – Angel City FC vs. Washington Spirit at 10:30 p.m. Oct. 16 – Quarterfinal Oct. 23 — Semifinal 1 and 2
Jessa Braun is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports covering the NWSL and USWNT. Follow her on Twitter @jessabraun.
The scene was crazy on TV for Nashville’s Stadium Home Opener !!
Nashville SC opens new stadium with tie vs. Union
Randall Leal converted a penalty kick in the 85th minute to help host Nashville SC salvage a 1-1 draw against the Philadelphia Union on Sunday in the opening of GEODIS Park.
The 30,000-seat venue is the largest soccer-specific stadium in the United States or Canada.Joe Willis made four saves to help Nashville SC (3-3-3, 12 points) extend their home unbeaten streak to 20 matches dating back to a 1-0 loss to FC Dallas on Nov. 4, 2020.
Mikael Uhre scored in the 66th minute and Andre Blake turned aside five shots for the Union (5-1-3, 18 points), who surrendered 13 corner kicks en route to seeing their winless stretch extend to three matches (0-1-2).
Nashville SC pressed for the equalizer in the late stages before Philadelphia’s Jose Martinez was whistled for a hand ball in the penalty area. Blake, who was shown a yellow card for refusing to stay on the line, guessed right on the penalty kick but was unable to deny Leal’s blast inside the left post.
The goal was Leal’s first of the season. An apparent miscommunication by Nashville SC’s Sean Davis and Hany Mukhtar led to an opportunity on the counterattack for Philadelphia in the 66th minute. Uhre chased down a through ball from Daniel Gazdag and sidestepped Nashville SC defender Walker Zimmerman before cutting back and sending a shot in the net. Nashville appeared to feed off the emotion of the crowd and nearly opened the scoring on a number of occasions. Dax McCarty‘s blast from outside the box caromed off the left post in the fifth minute. From there, Blake stood tall to keep the match scoreless. The two-time MLS Goalkeeper of the Year extended his leg to make a save on Alex Muyl from in close in the 23rd minute before making a two-handed stop on Mukhtar in the 30th.
Indy 11 Win again !!
Indy 11 held on for the 1-0 win in the late night rain delayed battle!!
Eleven Defeat Athletic & Mother Nature for Fourth Straight Win
Indy Eleven braved the elements tonight, defeating Hartford Athletic by a score of 1-0 despite multiple rain delays at IUPUI Carroll Stadium. The game kicked off nearly 45 minutes late due to a severe weather alert, and halftime lasted almost 90 minutes due to a second stoppage, but night’s irregularities didn’t seem to be an issue for the Boys in Blue. Captain Ayoze’s goal in the 40th minute proved to be the deciding one thanks to Indy’s first clean sheet of the 2022 season, the result pushing the Eleven’s win streak to four games and its undefeated run to six.
The win keeps Indiana’s Team moving up the Eastern Conference, as the squad’s 14 points from a 4W-2L-2D record has them within three points of second-place Detroit City FC (17 pts) and third-place Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (16 pts). The squad’s six-game unbeaten stand marks the longest such streak for the Boys in Blue since a seven-game run between the 2019 and 2020 seasons.
Indy Eleven had to manage a change even before kickoff, as defender Bryam Rebellon sustained an injury during warm-ups, elevating Alex McQueen into the starting lineup. Despite this, Indiana’s Team got things going early, as Raul Aguilera’s corner in the 8th found the head of Manuel Arteaga, who nearly knocked in an early goal in his first start of the season. However, Hartford remained competitive themselves, nearly connecting on a header of their own in the 20th minute of play through Ariel Martinez.
While conditions weren’t conducive for much offense, there was no shortage of physicality in the first half. Pushes, tackles, aerial duels and matching yellows wrote the story on both sides for the first half, with neither team able to create many quality chances. That narrative would change in the 40th minute, as Stefano Pinho’s flick found a streaking Ayoze, whose low shot snuck inside the far left post to open his 2022 account and give the Boys in Blue a 1-0 lead heading into halftime.
Unfortunately for fans in attendance, the start of the second half was just as tumultuous as the first. Lightning, rain, and hail fell over Indianapolis, and a subsequent severe weather alert was implemented. The second half finally began at 10:00 pm sharp, and when the whistle blew Indy Eleven began with a bang as Pinho found himself alone galloping towards the attacking zone, but his shot was belted into the face of Hartford goaltender Jimmy Slayton.
Ayoze got another chance in the 57th minute, as he danced through four Hartford defenders and booted a shot from 12 yards into the chest of Slayton. Hartford responded swiftly with a few chances of their own, including a close shot off a corner from fresh substitute Rashawn Dally in the 62nd minute that flew over the crossbar. Dally got another chance in the 70th, but his deflected shot was stopped by a recovering Elliot Panicco at his near post.
The Boys in Blue were unlucky to not double the lead in the 74th minute, as an incredible rebound chance by substitute Nicky Law couldn’t be steered on goal after his initial effort went off the heads of two Hartford defenders inside the six-yard box. Another shot wouldn’t take place until the 84th minute when Hartford defender Joel Johnson’s redirect off a corner was saved up close by Panicco. Hartford again earned a chance late off of Modou Jadama’s free kick in the 89th minute, but his shot too sailed over the head of Panicco. Four minutes of added time elapsed without note, and Indy Eleven finally managed to hold off both Hartford and mother nature.
Indy Eleven will enjoy a rare bye week next weekend and return to action on Saturday, May 14, when Indiana’s Team travels south to take on Memphis 901 FC (8:00 p.m. ET kick, live on ESPN+). The Boys in Blue return home on Saturday, May 21, when New York Red Bulls II invades Carroll Stadium for a 7:00 p.m. kickoff. Tickets for that 7:00 p.m. ET kickoff – and all Indy Eleven regular season contests – are available starting at just $15 and can be purchased online at indyeleven.com/tickets.
Details on that evening’s Gone to the Dogs Night and other future promotions at Carroll Stadium can be found at indyeleven.com/promotions. Fans who cannot make it to The Mike can follow the action on MyINDY-TV 23, Exitos Radio 94.3 FM/exitos943.com, and the @IndyElevenLive Twitter feed, presented by Central Indiana Honda Dealers.
2022 USL Championship Regular Season – Matchday 8 Indy Eleven 1 : 0 Hartford Athletic Saturday, April 30, 2022 IUPUI Michael A. Carroll Stadium – Indianapolis, IN
Scoring Summary: IND – Ayoze (Stefano Pinho) 40’
Disciplinary Summary: IND – Raul Aguilera (yellow card) 21’ HFD – Joel Johnson (yellow card) 38’ HFD – Younes Boudadi (yellow card) 50’ IND – A.J. Cochran (yellow card) 74’ IND – Jonas Fjeldberg (yellow card) 90+1’
Indy Eleven lineup (4-4-2): Elliot Panicco; Neveal Hackshaw, A.J. Cochran, Jared Timmer, Alex McQueen; Ayoze (Jonas Fjeldberg 63’), Justin Ingram, Raul Aguilera (Aris Briggs 87’), Noah Powder (Nicky Law 63’); Manuel Arteaga, Stefano Pinho
IND substitutes: Tim Trilk (GK), Bryce Warhaft, Rodney Michael
Hartford Athletic lineup (4-4-2): Jimmy Slayton; Tom Brewitt, Younes Boudadi, Modou Jadama, Joel Johnson; Ashton Appollon, Conor McGlynn, Andre Lewis, Ariel Martinez (Peter-Lee Vassell 32’, Rashawn Dally 61’); Corey Hertzog (Mitchell Curry 81’), Danny Barrera
Hello, AO Fam. If you’re looking into traveling to Qatar to cheer on the USMNT in the World Cup, you’ll want to read the following info carefully.
Neither AO nor other unofficial supporters’ groups of U.S. Soccer will have a dedicated ticket allotment for the 2022 World Cup. The U.S. Soccer Federation will allot tickets to fans in a weighted random draw similar to many of our home World Cup qualifiers.
In short: To apply for tickets within U.S. Soccer’s allotment, you mustsign up for the U.S. Soccer Insiders program (standard insider membership is free) by Wednesday, April 27.
The portal for Insiders will open tomorrow (Friday, April 8) and close Thursday, April 28. Upon logging in, you’ll be prompted to enter an access code. You’ll be instructed on how to proceed from there.
Applicants will be notified around the end of May whether they will receive tickets through the draw. Winners will then be contacted by FIFA with instructions for completing payment.
Indy 11 on ESPN Desportes & TV 23 Today/Sunday at 5 pm vs Orange County SC
Indy Eleven extended its winning streak to two games and unbeaten streak to four tonight with a 2-1 win over Atlanta United 2 at IUPUI Carroll Stadium. The Blues were hot early and late, going ahead on a Nicky Law goal in the 12th minute before finishing the job in dramatic fashion in stoppage time on Aris Briggs’ 92nd minute game-winner. The first home win of 2022 kicked off a five-of-six game home stint for the Boys in Blue that will run through the end of May. That run continues TODAY against defending USL Championship title-winner Orange County SC on Faith & Family Night. The match-up at “The Mike” will mark Indy Eleven’s lone USL on ESPN appearance of 2022, with the 5:30 p.m. kickoff airing live on ESPN Desportes. Tix available starting at just $15 and can be purchased online at indyeleven.com/tickets. In other USL News former CFC GK Coach and former Indy 11 GK Jordan Farr was voted to the had the Save of the Week in all of US Soccer with this spectacular double save to help San Antonio beat MLS side Austin FC to advance to the next round of the US Open Cup where they face Houston.
The US returns to The Queen City on Wed, June 5th as the US will host fellow World Cup team Morocco – these were the scenes last time Cincy hosted a US Game. The US GK discussion goes full alert mode after Zach Steffan’s howler vs Liverpool in the FA Cup last weekend. I still think Matt Turner is our #1 GK – he’s our top shot-stopper and in World Cup play that is what matters. Of course the news that Poland is looking to woo the the US GK of the future, the 17 year-old who leads the MLS in clean sheets, GAGA Gabriel Slonina of the Chicago Fire is alarming. If I am Berhalter – I have him on the roster for Nations League play this summer and get him some playing time against weaker foes. Pulisic’s late winner saves Chelsea
Starting a New Thing this week – I like to call AH REFFING
As as ref – I get to see some strange things on the field sometimes from idiots arguing their dogs sitting 3 feet from the field with U12 kids playing, to coaches questioning throw-ins like its life or death. I thought I would start this at least once a month AH REFFING Segment where I could feature some reffing around the world things. Lets start with this no no – Yellow Card followed by selfie , here the ref blows the call in the Arsenal vs Chelsea.
Champions League Final 4 Tues/Wed on CBS
The Champions League Semi-finals kickoff this week – with Man City hosting Real Madrid on Tues at 3 pm on CBS. Gotta love this celebration from Villareal now they host perhaps the hottest team in the World Liverpool on Wed at 3 pm on CBS. Preview. Read all about it below in the OBC.
Gotta hate this double flop from last weekend but MLS will feature bigtime on Sunday with a triple header on National TV. Inter Miami hosts Atlanta United at 1 pm on ESPN, followed by Orlando vs NY Red bull at 3:30 pm. Finally Cincy hosts LAFC at 5 pm of FS1. The NWSL wraps up the final weekend of the Challenge Cup with Racing Louisville traveling to Houston on CBS Sports Network before Angel City hosts Portland at 9 pm on Paramount plus. Here the Family and I enjoyed our first NWSL game at the San Diego Wave stadium as Alex Morgan scored right in front of us. Monday gives us Leeds United and US coach Jesse Marsch trying to keep them up as they travel to Crystal Palace – currently they stand 3 pts clear of the last 3 Everton. Tuesday the CONCACAF Champions League has Seattle looking to become the first MLS team to win the competition as they travel to PUMAS. Seattle Sounders v Pumas Match Preview,
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BIG GAMES ON TV
(American’s in parenthesis)
Sun, Apr 24
1 pm ESPN Inter Miami vs Atlanta United
3:30 pm ESPN Orlando SF vs NY Red Bulls
5 pm FS1 Cincy vs LAFC
5 pm My TV 23 Indy 11 vs Orange Co. @ the Mike
6 pm CBSSN Racing Louisville vs Houston Dash NWSL
9 pm Para+ Angel City vs Portland Thorns
Mon, Apr 25
3 pm USA Crystal Palace vs Leeds United (Jesse Marsch)
Tue Apr 26 – Champs League
3 pm CBS Man City vs Real Madrid
Wed Apr 27 – Champs League
3 pm CBS Villareal vs Liverpool
7:30 pm FS1 Pumas vs Seattle Sounders
Thurs, Apr 28 – Europa League
8:45 am USA Man United vs Chelsea(Pulisic)
3 Para+ RB Leipzig (Adams) vs Rangers (Carter Vickers )
Carmel FC Goalkeeper training up right – a little diving on Thursday afternoon at Badger Field ! The Oleballcoach and Coach Noelle Wolfson coaching up the GKs for Carmel FC each week.
Aris Briggs’ Dramatic Winner in Stoppage Time Pushes Indy’s Unbeaten Run to Four Games, Win Streak to Two
INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, April 16, 2022) – Indy Eleven extended its winning streak to two games and unbeaten streak to four tonight with a 2-1 win over Atlanta United 2 at IUPUI Carroll Stadium. Indiana’s Team was hot early and late, going ahead on a Nicky Law goal in the 12th minute before finishing the job in dramatic fashion in stoppage time on Aris Briggs’ 92nd minute game-winner.The first home win of 2022 kicked off a five-of-six game home stint for the Boys in Blue that will run through the end of May. That run continues next Sunday, April 24, against defending USL Championship title-winner Orange County SC on Faith & Family Night, presented by He Gets Us.The Boys in Blue started the match firing on all cylinders, their first prime scoring chance coming in the 10th minute. Forward Stefano Pinho, who netted three of the team’s four goals leading up to the match, was fouled towards the top of the area by Atlanta’s Nelson Orji, who was awarded a yellow card for the act. It would be midfielder Law who took the free kick from roughly 20 yards away, knocking it into the right side of goal to put Indy up in the 12th minute. Atlanta generated its first scoring chance soon after, with midfielder Erik Centeno’s shot sailing wide left of the net. Indy kept its foot on the gas, with a slew of chances around the 20-minute mark that got the Brickyard Battalion on their feet, including a beautiful delivery from Bryam Rebellon to Pinho that sailed just right of the goal. Late chances by Pinho and Raul Aguilera would narrowly go over the crossbar, and the score remained 1-0 in favor of Indy heading into the halftime break.The Boys in Blue picked up right where they left off to start the second half, with Law delivering a pass to Pinho to create a chance and an ensuing corner kick. Atlanta responded with a chance of its own, as Centeno nearly caught Indy goaltender Elliot Panicco off-guard on a tough-angled shot that caught the wind and forced the netminder to spike the ball over the bar to keep it out of goal. Indy’s next chance came on a 50-yard dash down the field from Fjeldberg in the 60th minute, but his impressive run and central cut ended with a wide effort.Atlanta’s attack came to life in the middle of the second half, and the persistence soon paid off. Forward Jackson Conway scored the equalizing goal in the 68th minute on a feed from substitute Grant Howard, evening the score at 1-1. Indy responded strongly by generating several chances, including a pretty shot from Fjeldberg that Atlanta goaltender Justin Garces just got his fingertips on to make the save. Following a questionable penalty no-call when Rebellon went to ground under heavy contact in the area, head coach Mark Lowry made a slew of changes, inserting Ayoze, Manuel Arteaga, and Alex McQueen into the lineup in hopes of generating a late offensive push.Lowry’s substitutions did exactly that, as 11 of Indy’s 21 shots came after those 78th minute line change. In his first action at “The Mike” this season, Ayoze got things started by booting a corner kick towards the net in the 81st minute, with several shots resulting from his kick. It was Arteaga’s home debut as well, and he got the fans on their feet with two shots on goal in the 86th minute. The flurry of activity continued into the final minutes of regulation, with Pinho and Law both seeing shots ricochet off the post and out, while Arteaga’s fourth shot in just 12 minutes went awry. Five minutes of stoppage time would be added, and Indy quickly continued its offensive barrage. A give-and-go from Law and Arteaga in the 92nd minute gave Briggs an open lane, and he converted on Law’s pass from 10 yards out to give the Eleven a hard-earned lead. Briggs nearly put the nail in the coffin with a second two minutes later, only to see his 1-v-1 chance saved, but no insurance was necessary to allow the Boys in Blue a win in their second consecutive game. The first home win for Indy Eleven Head Coach Mark Lowry marked the first game of a three-game homestand, which continues with next Sunday’s 5:30 p.m. ET kickoff against Orange County SC. Tickets for all Indy Eleven regular season contests at IUPUI Carroll Stadium are available starting at just $15 and can be purchased online at indyeleven.com/tickets. Fans who cannot make it to The Mike can follow the action on ESPN Deportes, MyINDY-TV 23, Exitos Radio 94.3 FM/943exitos.com, and the @IndyElevenLive Twitter feed, presented by Central Indiana Honda Dealers.
2022 USL Championship Regular Season – Matchday 6 Indy Eleven 2 : 1 Atlanta United 2 Saturday, April 16, 2022 IUPUI Michael A. Carroll Stadium – Indianapolis, IN
Scoring Summary: IND – Nicky Law (unassisted) 12’ ATL – Jackson Conway (Grant Howard) 68’ IND – Aris Briggs (Nicky Law) 90’+2’
Disciplinary Summary: ATL – Nelson Orji (yellow card) 10’ IND – A.J. Cochran (yellow card) 14’ IND – Sam Brown (yellow card) 27’ IND – Jonas Fjeldberg (yellow card) 29’ ATL – Howard Grant (yellow card) 90’+5’
Indy Eleven lineup (4-4-2): Elliot Panicco; Jared Timmer, A.J. Cochran (captain), Mechack Jerome, Bryam Rebellon (Alex McQueen 78’); Sam Brown (Justin Ingram 45’), Raul Aguilera, Noah Powder (Ayoze 78’), Nicky Law; Jonas Fjeldberg (Miguel Arteaga 78’), Stefano Pinho (Aris Briggs 88’IND substitutes: Tim Trilk (GK), Karl Ouimette
USWNT Learns Its Group Stage Opponents For World Cup And Olympic Qualifying
IT’S MEXICO, JAMAICA AND HAITI FOR THE DEFENDING WORLD CHAMPIONS. The draw is complete and we now know the USWNT schedule for the 2022 Concacaf W Championship in Monterrey, Mexico, which serves as the qualifying tournament for both the 2023 World Cup in Australia/New Zealand and the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
This will be the 10th edition of the competition with the USWNT winning it on eight occasions, including the last two. In 2018, the U.S. won all five of its matches by a combined scoreline of 26-0. Canada is the only nation to disrupt the American’s dominance, winning it in 1998 and 2010. The only other Concacaf nations to reach the final are Mexico and Costa Rica (Brazil and New Zealand previously made it as guests). As the reigning Olympic gold medalist, Canada again serves as the USWNT’s main rival. However, the U.S. heads Group A and Canada leads Group B, meaning the two nations couldn’t possibly meet until the knockout rounds with World Cup qualification already secure.
The top two finishers from each group qualify for the World Cup while the third-place teams advance to the inter-confederation playoffs. However, only the tournament winner qualifies directly for the Summer Olympics. The loser of the final faces the winner of the third place playoff for a spot in Paris, although that match won’t be contested until September.
USWNT Schedule 2022 Concacaf W Championship
The tournament will be played between July 4-18 at Estadio BBVA (home of Monterrey) and Estadio Universitario (home of Tigres). CBS Sports has the broadcast rights to the tournament, so expect a lot of these matches to be on Paramount+. Kickoff times are TBD.
Group A
USWNT (FIFA Ranking: 1st)
Mexico (FIFA Ranking: 27th)
Opponent Breakdown: Mexico is attempting to qualify for its fourth World Cup and first since 2015. La Tri was bounced at the group stage in 2018 after losing to the U.S. (6-0) and Panama (2-0). The side is captained by Real Madrid defender Kenti Robles.
Jamaica (FIFA Ranking: 51st)
Opponent Breakdown: Jamaica qualified for its first World Cup in 2019 after finishing third at the 2018 tournament. The Reggae Girlz beat Costa Rica and Cuba in the group stage and rebounded from a 6-0 loss to the USWNT in the semifinals by beating Panama in a dramatic penalty shootout in the third-place playoff. The team is captained by Manchester City forward Khadija “Bunny” Shaw.
Haiti (FIFA Ranking: 61st)
Opponent Breakdown: Haiti has never qualified for the World Cup and is back at the W Championship after failing to qualify for the 2018 tournament. Les Grenadières have never advanced beyond the group stage. The side is captained by Montpellier forward Nérilia Mondésir.
USWNT Concacaf W Championship Schedule
Monday, July 4: USWNT vs. Haiti (Estadio Universitario)
Thursday, July 7: USWNT vs. Jamaica (Estadio BBVA)
Monday, July 11: USWNT vs. Mexico (Estadio Universitario)
Thursday, July 14: Semifinals (Estadio Universitario)
Monday, July 18: Final and Third Place (Estadio BBVA)
USA GAMES COMING THIS SUMMER
June 1: JUST ANNOUNCED:USMNT vs. Morocco in Cincy’s beautiful TQL Stadium. Expect ticket details soon. Another friendly (likely Sunday, June 5) may be announced soon, too.
June 10: USMNT vs. Grenada in CONCACAF Nations League play. Home venue TBD.
June 14: USMNT @ El Salvador in CONCACAF Nations League play.
Late June: The USWNT will likely play two home friendlies ahead of the CONCACAF W Championship. We’ll keep you posted.
July 4: USWNT vs. Haiti in Monterrey, Mexico (W Championship group stage)
July 7: USWNT vs. Jamaica in Monterrey, Mexico (W Championship group stage)
July 11: USWNT vs. Mexico in Monterrey, Mexico (W Championship group stage)
July 14: W Championship semifinal
July 18: W Championship final/third place match
Pulisic scores game winner in 88th minute just 12 minutes after finally coming on for that Dummy coach Tuchel!!
Pulisic settles Chelsea’s top four nerves, Burnley out of relegation zone
London (AFP) – Christian Pulisic settled Chelsea’s top four nerves as his late goal sealed a dramatic 1-0 win against West Ham, while Burnley climbed out of the Premier League relegation zone with a 1-0 victory against Wolves on Sunday.
With Liverpool looking to close the gap on leaders Manchester City to one point with a win against Merseyside rivals Everton later on Sunday, the focus in the early games was on the top four race and the relegation battle.
At Stamford Bridge, Thomas Tuchel’s side looked set to endure more angst on home turf when Jorginho’s penalty was saved by Lukasz Fabianski in the final minutes.
But Pulisic came off the bench to inspire third placed Chelsea, lifting them seven points clear of fifth placed Tottenham in the fight to qualify for next season’s Champions League via a top four finish.
A 4-2 defeat against Arsenal on Wednesday condemned Chelsea to three successive losses at the Bridge for the first time since 1993.
Tuchel admitted he had “no solution” for the “fragile” Chelsea defending that saw them concede 11 goals in their last three home games.
Concerned about Chelsea’s ability to hold onto their top four berth, Tuchel made three changes from the Arsenal game as Thiago Silva replaced Malang Sarr in that creaky defence.
Silva helped solidify Chelsea’s rearguard and Pulisic’s last-gasp strike should ensure they hold onto a top four place.
West Ham boss David Moyes left Declan Rice, Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio on the bench as he prioritised the club’s first European semi-final since 1976, against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League on Thursday.
Referencing the swathes of empty seats around the Bridge due to ticket restrictions imposed as part of the sanctions on Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, West Ham fans chanted “just like the old days, there’s nobody here”.
– Pulisic late show –
Following a tepid first half, Chelsea were more dynamic after the break.
Fabianski clutched N’Golo Kante’s deflected effort and the West Ham keeper plunged to his left to turn away Trevoh Chalobah’s long-range rocket.
Timo Werner twice went close as he fired into the side-netting, then stretched to poke his shot straight at Fabianski.
In the 87th minute, Silva flicked a header towards Romelu Lukaku, prompting Craig Dawson to concede a penalty with a pull on the substitute.
Dawson was initially booked before being sent off after a VAR check, but West Ham avoided further punishment as Jorginho’s weak spot-kick was easily saved by Fabianski.
But Pulisic sparred Jorginho’s blushes in the 90th minute as the United States forward met Marcos Alonso’s cross with a clinical low finish from 10 yards.
Burnley boosted their bid for a remarkable escape act as they moved into 17th place thanks to Matej Vydra’s second half strike.
Since Sean Dyche’s surprise sacking after 10 years in charge, Burnley’s caretaker boss Mike Jackson has taken seven points from three games to revive their hopes of beating the drop.
Vydra had a second half goal disallowed for offside, but he didn’t have to wait long to celebrate as he netted in the 62nd minute with a composed close-range finish from Wout Weghorst’s cross.
Burnley moved two points above third bottom Everton, who have two games in hand as they look to avoid playing outside the top tier since 1954
James Ward-Prowse scored twice as Southampton came from two goals down to draw 2-2 at Brighton.
Danny Welbeck put Brighton ahead with a close-range finish after just two minutes and Mohammed Salisu turned Leandro Trossard’s cross into his own net for a 44th minute own goal.
Ward-Prowse reduced the deficit on the stroke of half-time with his 14th successful Premier League free-kick, just four behind David Beckham’s record of 18.
He struck again nine minutes later, this time producing a clinical finish from the edge of the area.
Fresh off their first win of the season a 2-1 win over Rio Grande the 11 return home to the Mike to play Atlanta United 2 on Saturday at 7 pm as they host Easter Egg Night. Tixavailable starting at just $15 and can be purchased online at indyeleven.com/tickets. In other USL News former CFC GK Coach and former Indy 11 GK Jordan Farr was voted to the USL Save of the Week list for a second consecutive week last week for San Antonio.
Champions League – Final 4 – Liverpool, Man City, Real Madrid, Villareal
Wow do I love Champions League!! – who would have thought the Atletico Madrid vs Man City would almost match the fantastic Real Madrid vs Chelsea and Bayern losing to Villareal the day before. After Chelsea’s masterful comeback vs Real Madrid – scoring 3 goals to take the lead on aggregate 4-3 overall –they lose it when Real Madrid scored the final 2 goals to win it in extra time. Pulisic had 2 chances to win it in extra time – but missed both as a 70th minute substitute. I thought he was hugely active –and should have been on 10 minutes earlier – he was the most dangerious player on the fieild for Chelsea once he came in. (Chelsea vs Real Hilights) Of course the German Champs also laid an egg vs Villareal as a last minute goal put the Spanish thru 2-1 on Aggregate in Munich. (Bayern vs Villareal highlights) Atletico vs Man City was classic Atleti – as Simieone’s men battled and fought and certainly should have scored late to tie it vs Man City – but City held on with great late saves from Ederson to hold the 0-0 tie – advancing 1-0 on aggregate to a Semi-Final match-up with Real Madrid. (Man City vs Atleti video). The Atleti Crowd was spectacular even 20 minutes after the game – why I fell in love with Atletico when I visited 5 years ago and got to take in the Caldron. For the first night in the new Metropolitan Stadium – it sounded and felt like the Caldron – and this is good for Atleti – despite the heartbreaking loss to Man City who spends 3 times what Atleti does on salariers. Liverpool who held on to take it 5-3 on Aggregate vs Benefica will face Villareal.
FA Cup Semi’s, US OpenCup
Sat we get a rerun of last weekends Supermatch as Man City faces Liverpool in the FA Cup Semi’s at 10:30 am on ESPN+ I expect to see US GK Steffan between the pipes. Sunday gives us Pulisic and Chelsea vs West Ham United at 11:30 am. I look for Pulisic to possibly start in this one.. FA Cup Video Preview For You coaches out there Love this Chelea’s Tuchel’s Master Class on the 3-5-2
Games to Watch this Weekend/Week
Funny Fans from this past week – Europa League Games!! Honestly not much this weekend other than FA Cup Semi’s – Man United vs Norwich 10 am Sat on USA – but Man City vs Liverpool is on same time. Now Tues we get Liverpool vs Man United at 3 pm on USA – with Inter vs Milan on same time on Para+ in the Copa Italia Finals. Wed gives us RB Leipzig and Adams vs Union Berlin in the German Cup final – a chance for hardware for American Adams at 2:45 pm on ESPNU while at 3pm Chelsea and Pulisic host Arsenal. Also Wed we get US Open Cup games between USL clubs and MSL – (while its not the FA Cup – the US Open Cup has allowed some underdog teams thru – hopefully San Antonio with former Carmel FC GK Coach and former Indy 11 GK Jordan Farr hosting MLS Austin FC at 8:30 pm on ESPN+. Louisville City will host the team that beat our Indy 11 St Louis City 2 at 7:30 pm on ESPN+ (see full schedule below.)
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BIG GAMES ON TV
(American’s in parenthesis)
Fri, Apri 15
3 pm ESPN+ Real Sociadad vs Real Betis
3 pm Paramount+ Milan vs Genoa
3 pm ESPN+ Derby Cty vs Fulham (Ream, Jedi)
8 pm CBS SN KC vs Houston Dash NWSL
Sat, Apr 16
7:30 am USA Tottenham vs Brighton
9:30 am ESPN+ Dortmund vs Wolfsburg (Brooks)
10 am USA Man United vs Norwich (Stewart)
10 am CNBC Southampton vs Aresenal
10:30 am ESPN+ Man City (Steffan) vs Livepool FA Cup Semi
12:30 pm Para + Juventus vs Bologna
3:30 pm ESPN+, Univision San Jose vs Nashville SC MLS
7:30 pm My TV 23 Indy 11 vs Atlanta United 2 @ the Mike
7:30 pm Para+ Racing Louisville vs Chicago Red Stars NWSL
10 pm FS 1 Seattle Sounders vs Inter Miami
Sun, Apr17
9 am USA Leicester City vs New Castle
11:30 am ESPN+ Chelsea (Pulisic) vs Crystal Palace FA Cup Semi
1:30 pm ESPN+ Leverkusen vs RB Leipzig (Adams)
2:$5 pm beIN Sport PSG vs Marsiele
3:30 pm ESPN+ Sevilla vs Real Madrid
4 pm ESPN LAFC vs Sporting KC
Tue Apr 19
2:45 pm ESPNU Hamburger vs Freiburg
3 pm USA Liverpool vs Man United
3 pm Para + Inter vs Milan (Coppa Italia)
US OPEN CUP = MLS vs USL
7 pm ESPN+ Miami FC vs Inter Miami
7:30 pm ESPN+ Detroit City FC vs Columbus Crew
7:30 pm ESON+ FC Cincy vs Pittsburg Riverhounds SC
8:30 pm ESPN+ Chicago Fire FC vs Union Omaha
10:30 pm ESPN+ LA Galaxy vs San Diego Loyal SC
Wed Apr 20
2:45 pm ESPNU RB Leipzig (Adams) vs Union Berlin German Cup
2:45 pm USA Chelsea (Pulisic) vs Arsenal
3 pm Para + Inter vs Milan (Coppa Italia)
US OPEN CUP = MLS vs USL
7 pm ESPN+ Orlando City vs Tampa Bay Rowdies
7:30 pm ESPN+ Louisville City vs St Louis City 2
7:30 pm ESON+ Atlanta United vs Chatanooga
8:30 pm ESPN+ San Antonio (Jordan Farr) vs Austin FC
Electric Ghanaian Forward Asante Brings Added Punch to Eleven Attacking Corps
INDIANAPOLIS (Monday, April 11, 2022) – In one of the biggest signings in club history, Indy Eleven added to its attacking firepower with today’s addition of two-time USL Championship Most Valuable Player Solomon Asante.Per club policy, details of the contract that brings the influential Ghanian forward to the Circle City will not be released. Asante is currently undergoing the immigration process necessary for his arrival in the United States, and while no exact timeline is available the club expects him to commence training in Indiana in approximately the next three weeks.“The USL Championship has always been a great place to play. For me, the challenge never ends and that’s why I chose this great club in Indy Eleven for a new challenge in my career,” said Asante. “With Coach [Mark] Lowry’s remarkable experience, I believe together with my teammates that history will be made. I look forward to meeting the great fans in Indianapolis and especially gaining the support of the Brickyard Battalion.”Asante joins Indiana’s Team after an accomplished four-year span with Phoenix Rising FC that included three All-USL Championship First Team nods from 2018-20 and back-to-back league MVP honors in 2019 and 2020, making him only the second player in league history to win the award twice alongside Kevin Molino. The 5’2” dynamo was simply the most productive player in the Championship during his run in the desert, scoring 54 goals and contributing 42 assists in 113 regular season (103) and playoff (10) contests.“To be able to add a player of Solomon Asante’s quality and caliber to our club shows the ambition we have,” said Indy Eleven Head Coach Mark Lowry. “Building a winning team and a club that consistently competes for championships requires having strong characters and winning mentalities in the locker room, and Solo definitely checks those boxes for us.”Asante’s resulting 0.87 goals + assists per 90 minutes figure outranks any player in league history, and he is the only player in the USL Championship’s 40 goal/40 assist club during regular season play. His 41 career assists in regular season action are currently the fourth most in league history and place only six behind category leader Kenardo Forbes.A jaw-dropping 2019 campaign saw Asante record a league-record 17 assists while scoring 22 goals, itself ranking as the third highest in a single season. Those numbers contributed to team success as well, as Phoenix shattered Championship records in goals scored (89) and consecutive wins (20) en route to finishing the campaign with 78 points – one more than FC Cincinnati’s historic haul the season prior.“Solomon’s individual numbers speak for themselves, but it’s his ability to make his teammates better and raise the level of a squad that makes him a truly gifted player and one we sought highly,” said Indy Eleven President & CEO Greg Stremlaw. “We are thrilled to have him be an important contributor to the winning culture we are building under Coach Lowry moving forward.”Asante put the USL Championship on notice in 2018, when his 14 goals and nine assists helped Phoenix capture its first Western Conference title. The following season his streak of seven straight games with a goal tied him for the second-longest stretch in league annals, contributing mightily to Rising FC’s record form. In 2020, Asante again led the Championship with nine assists during the truncated season and helped Phoenix to a second Western Conference championship in what would be his second consecutive MVP season.Asante represented his native Ghana on the senior international level on 21 occasions between 2012-15, including six appearances in the African Cup of Nations continental championship and a trio in FIFA World Cup Qualifying. Asante was an accomplished player in a trio of African leagues prior to jumping stateside, suiting up for Ghanaian sides Feyenoord Ghana (2007-09) and Berekum Chelsea (2011-13), ASFA Yennenga in Burkina Faso (2009-11), and Congolese club TP Mazembe from 2013-17. Asante thrived with Mazembe, helping the squad to three league titles in four seasons as well as African Champions League (2015) and African Super League (2016) crowns. He ended his playing days in Africa by being named the Ghana Player of the Year in 2017.
On the heels of last Saturday’s 2-1 win at Rio Grande Valley FC, Indy Eleven will bring a three-game unbeaten streak home to IUPUI Carroll Stadium this Saturday, April 16, when it takes on Atlanta United 2. The 7:00 p.m. ET kick can be followed on MyINDY-TV 23, Exitos Radio 94.3 FM/943exitos.com, and ESPN+. Tikets for all Indy Eleven home contests are available starting at just $15 and can be purchased online at indyeleven.com/tickets.
USWNT’s young players thrashed Uzbekistan but are they ready for tougher teams? It’s hard to tell
1:42 PM ET Julie FoudyContributor, espnW.com
Ahhh, Uzbekistan. I must admit, as I was calling the second of two friendlies the U.S. women’s national team played against Uzbekistan for ESPN, I did start to wonder 30 minutes in — after the U.S. had scored six goals — why Uzbekistan said yes to this two-game drubbing.Growth mindset, I get it. You’ve got to play the best to be the best. Yep. It just seems that you can sometimes extract a lesson less emphatically and in a less psychologically damaging way, no? Uzbekistan, at No. 48 in the world, is the lowest-ranked team the USWNT has faced in seven months. The U.S. is ranked No. 1.As I try to summarize what we learned over this April international match window as it relates to the USWNT, I keep finding myself saying “Yes, but …”The U.S. team scored 18 goals over two games vs. Uzbekistan. Impressive, indeed.
Yes, but …
The U.S. had nine different players score those 18 goals.
Yes, but …
That front three of Mal Pugh, Catarina Macario and Sophia Smith are creative, dynamic, and fun as hell to watch. The U.S. starting front five often looked silky smooth.
Yes, but …
he outside backs, Emily Fox and Sofia Huerta, looked impactful and confident getting forward. The subs came in and made an impact.
Yes, but … it was Uzbekistan. Herein lies the problem. You do not want to be taking 38 shots to your opponent’s zero (as in goose egg, nada, not one shot at all — not even off target), as was the case in the second game, a 9-0 win for the USWNT.
You need to get these younger U.S. players time, minutes, confidence, chemistry — all the above — but when it involves teams like Uzbekistan, Iceland, New Zealand and the Czech Republic (the USWNT’s opponents so far in 2022), it is hard to assess how much growth is even happening.
You can, for sure, check the confidence and chemistry boxes, but this level of opponent does not expose you enough to fully appreciate what needs to be tightened up technically and tactically. It doesn’t expose these young players to those critical moments of adversity that require you to slog your way through, find a way, lean on each other, eventually realize you can survive and most importantly, thrive, in those moments.And yes, to be fair to U.S. Soccer, I appreciate how hard it is to schedule teams right now. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc with long quarantines required upon return for some countries. World Cup qualifiers in April meant all competitive European teams were not available in this window. The Euros in early July mean the June FIFA window will be tough to schedule as well.But all I know is that these opponents must be stronger (there, I solved world peace) to fully assess how these players are doing. It is why Vlatko Andonovski and his staff will be so intently watching the National Women’s Soccer League and other professional leagues across the globe this April, May and June. That is what will give them their best read on where these players are.Now to the younger players vs. veteran players debate: It is difficult to predict what that mix will look like for the summer. If anyone tries to, I ain’t buying what they are selling because of the rant above and because we haven’t seen the rest of April, May and June — all huge months for the veterans trying to get back into the fold.
USMNT weekend viewing guide: Cup clashes
Man City take on Liverpool while Celtic and Rangers also face off again, this time in the Cup semi’s
By jcksnftsn Apr 15, 2022, 11:01am PDT Stars and Stripes
Injuries to key USMNT contributors are putting a damper on the end of the season, as there are fewer premier games to watch this weekend. However, Zack Steffen could get a chance for Manchester City and others look to avoid relegation or make an impression for a potential summer transfer.
Things are a bit slow on Friday afternoon, so if you’re looking for some action, head over to the English Championship and catch Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson in action as Fulham take on Wayne Rooney and Derby County. On paper, this one looks like a mismatch. Fulham are running away with the title, up 10 points with six matches to play, and they are all but mathematically guaranteed promotion to the EPL next season. Meanwhile, Rooney and Derby County are almost certainly going to be relegated as they trail Reading by 9 points for safety. It remains to be seen whether Ream and Robinson will continue the yo-yo process with Fulham. Ream has started every match for Fulham this season, including wearing the captain’s armband in most of those fixtures. But, he is also 35 years old and his contract with Fulham runs out in June. Robinson has also started the majority of matches for Fulham, but has repeatedly been the subject of rumors to move elsewhere.
Zack Steffen has again been the keeper for Manchester City’s FA Cup matches this season, and with the team still alive in Champions League action and in a fight with their opponent this weekend for the league title, it seems a good bet that Pep Guardiola will stick to his approach. If he does this, it should give Steffen a chance to go against one of the world’s top sides, though they may also feature a rotated side. It’s not all been smooth sailing for Steffen recently, so it would be good to see him show well this weekend.
Broadcast action:
Josh Sargent and Norwich City get an opportunity to play spoiler against Manchester United this weekend. Norwich are all but relegated, but Man U still have a shot to qualify for European play next season. This match will be at 10a on USA.
The San Jose Earthquakes face Walker Zimmerman and Nashville SC at 3:30p on Univision and Twitter.
Cristian Roldan, Jordan Morris and the Seattle Sounders face DeAndre Yedlin and Inter Miami at 10p on FS1 in Saturday’s nightcap.
Streaming overseas:
John Brooks, Kevin Paredes, and Wolfsburg will look to stretch the gap between themselves and relegation when they face Borussia Dortmund at 9:30a on ESPN+. BVB’s Giovanni Reyna has been shut down for the season so will be unavailable for this matchup.
Pellegrino Matarazzo and Stuttgart currently sit one point ahead of Arminia Bielefeld for the relegation playoff position. This weekend the club faces Mainz at 9:30a on ESPN+.
Augsburg have a six point gap between themselves and relegation and can do themselves a real favor this weekend by defeating relegation-threatened Hertha Berlin when the clubs meet at 9:30a on ESPN+.
Matt Miazga seems likely to move again this summer, but for now his Deportivo Alavés side face Rayo Vallencano at 10:15a on ESPN+. Alaves are seven points back of safety with seven matches yet to play.
Gianluca Busio, Tanner Tessmann, and Venezia also look headed for a drop. They are three points back of safety though at least they have a game in hand. They’ll face a tough Fiorentina side that still has a shot at Europa League. The match will be played at 10:30a on Paramount+.
Joe Scally and Borussia Mönchengladbach look like they have secured their position in the Bundesliga next season, and Scally has been getting more minutes again lately. They face a Köln side that still has a chance to qualify for Europa league. The match can be seen at 12:30p on ESPN+.
Yunus Musah and Valencia are solidly middle of the La Liga table, as is their opponent this weekend Osasuna. This match will be at 12:30p on ESPN+.
Tim Weah returns from his two match red card suspension as Lille face Lens at 3p on beIN Sports. Lille are three points back of Europa Conference League qualifying with seven matches to play.
MLS Matchups (all on ESPN+):
CF Montreal ( Djordje Mihailovic) and the Vancouver Whitecaps get the MLS weekend started at 3p.
Atlanta United (Miles Robinson) takes on FC Cincinnati at 6p.
Minnesota United (Wil Trapp, Hassani Dotson, Chase Gasper) and the Colorado Rapids (Auston Trusty, Jonathan Lewis) round out the schedule when they kick off at 8p.
Cameron Carter-Vickers scored the match winner two weeks ago for Celtic in their 2-1 Old Firm victory over Rangers and now the two clubs will go at it again, this time in Scottish FA Cup action. The win over Rangers gave Celtic a six point lead for the title race as they head into the final five matches, all against the top six in the league as the Scottish Premiership enters its “second phase.” It was a huge victory for Celtic, and CCV’s goal silencing the home crowd will be one he remembers for a very long time. The Cup match this weekend is the semifinal, but you can bet that the two sides will treat it as though it were for the silverware.
Chelsea face Crystal Palace in FA Cup action this weekend 10:30 am on ESPN+
. Christian Pulisic was a second half sub midweek as Chelsea were bounced from Champions League play by Real Madrid.
Broadcast action:
Kellyn Acosta and LAFC take on Sporting Kansas City at 4p on ESPN. LAFC lead the Western Conference but are coming off a 2-1 loss to the LA Galaxy, while Kansas City have lost five of their last six.
Streaming overseas:
Erik Palmer-Brown and Troyes face Strasbourg at 9a on beIN Sports. Troyes are currently six points out of relegation, while their opponent Strasbourg is in fourth place and fighting for a place in the European competitions.
George Bello and Arminia Bielefeld have a tough matchup against Bayern Munich this weekend at 9:30a on ESPN+, which will make their attempts to stave off relegation more difficult, currently they sit in the relegation playoff position and trail Stuttgart by one point for safety.
Chris Richards and Hoffenheim face Julian Green and Greuther Fürth at 11:30a on ESPN+. Fürth are as good as relegated, while Richards and Hoffenheim are clinging to sixth place and Europa Conference League qualifying.
Bayer Leverkusen and RB Leipzig meet up in top four clash Sunday afternoon at 1:30p on ESPN+. Tyler Adams unfortunately has just one start since January.
MLS Matches (on ESPN+):
NYCFC and Real Salt Lake meet at 1p. NYCFC have won just one game so far this season while RSL currently sit third in the West.
Hit the comments section below and let us know what you think of Steffen’s performance, the relegation races, or who you think should be showing off for a summer move.
Champions League talking points: Liverpool-Man City final? Should Simeone go? Greatest Cinderella story?
Julien Laurens, Alex Kirkland and Tom Hamilton give their views on the big questions as just four clubs remain on the road to Paris.
What caught your eye from the quarterfinal second legs?
Laurens: I love how Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann got taught a lesson by Unai Emery and Villarreal, who beat them 2-1 on aggregate in one of the biggest upsets of recent years. Tactically, he was outsmarted by the Spanish manager. Just because you field five forwards doesn’t mean you will inevitably create a lot of chances and score many goals. And if you neglect your defensive transitions because you take the game for granted then you will get punished, and he did. Talking of punishment, Nagelsmann got it totally wrong as well with his comments after the quarterfinal draw was made and again before the match: He disrespected Villarreal and didn’t take them seriously. He is still a young manager, so let’s hope he learns from the mistakes he made this time around.
The other big one for me, of course, is another special moment from Karim Benzema, who scored the decisive goal that sent Real Madrid to the semifinals. It is his 12th goal in nine Champions League games so far this season. At 34 years old.
Kirkland: Two LaLiga teams in the semifinals: not bad for a league that’s supposedly in decline. It could have been three if Atletico Madrid had been a bit more clinical in the last 15 minutes against Manchester City at the Wanda Metropolitano, before the match descended into chaos with Felipe‘s red card. Atletico were on top at that point, and if they’d managed to score and level the tie you would have fancied their chances in extra time. But the brawl that followed the sending off (and reignited after the final whistle) robbed the game of any momentum, allowing City to progress 1-0 on aggregate.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid’s inexplicable run in this competition continues. They were comprehensively outplayed by Chelsea for 75 minutes at the Bernabeu — just as they had been for an hour by Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16 — before digging deep once again to go through 5-4 on aggregate after extra time. There are plenty of things to criticise about this team, but you can’t fault their character and mentality. With the quality of Luka Modric and Benzema, there’s always a chance.
Hamilton: Hands down, the moment of the round was Modric’s assist for Rodrygo‘s goal. The Croatian magician was exceptional against Chelsea and that ball with the outside of his foot to tee up the Brazilian’s volley was an incredible piece of skill.
Liverpool’s strength in depth is also paying dividends. Jurgen Klopp has built a formidable squad, and he was able to rotate for their second leg against Benfica with one eye on their FA Cup semifinal against City at the weekend. Having taken the first leg 3-1 in Lisbon, he was able shuffle his pack for the return leg as they went through with a 3-3 draw at Anfield. The ability to rotate will prove to be absolutely essential as they are still chasing three trophies, but it also reinforced (again) what a brilliant job they’ve done in the recruitment department. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson were both rested against Benfica, while Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane were second-half substitutes. Klopp’s judgment on rotation will be key in the run-in.
At the other end of the scale, Bayern Munich’s wastefulness against Villarreal was alarming. Nagelsmann is a wonderful manager, but you feel like one way or another, there will be some change at the Bundesliga champions this summer amid reports Barcelona are keen on their star man Robert Lewandowski. I agree with Juls: They don’t look as settled as they did under Hansi Flick, their midfield was picked apart on Tuesday, and the aggressively high line was a recipe for disaster against Villarreal — the masters of football frugality. Despite having a lethal attack, just four of their 23 shots were on target. Villarreal managed one and scored from it. Under-pressure sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic chuckled when interviewed about the quarterfinal draw on German TV. He’s not laughing now.
Is it time for Diego Simeone to leave Atletico? If so, which club would suit him?
Kirkland: We’ve often asked this question during Simeone’s decade in charge — in 2016 after a second Champions League final defeat in three seasons, in 2020 when they looked like dropping out of LaLiga’s top four — and the answer is always “no.” This is a manager who won the league last year ahead of Real Madrid and Barcelona, has inspired famous away victories over Liverpool and Manchester United in recent seasons, and had them in this tie with Manchester City — arguably the best team in the world — until the very end. Simeone has become so identified with Atletico now that it’s impossible to picture how one would look without the other. For example: can you begin to imagine how it might have gone for Simeone if he’d taken the Manchester United job in 2016? Simeone is Atletico, and Atletico is Simeone. He should stay as long as he wants to, and leave on his own terms, when he sees fit.
Hamilton: Well they certainly still love him at the Wanda Metropolitano. The last few moments of that second leg were affirmation of how much they still adore Simeone, as he stood on the sideline clapping away with the fans (at least that’s how it looked, much to the bemusement/frustration of the much-maligned officials). But his football does grate on the European stage. The potential is frightening in that squad. While it managed to secure him LaLiga last term, watching Joao Felix chase down blind alleys all evening against Man City was frustrating. But it’s certainly a team built in his own image, and whoever takes over would take several seasons to shift the philosophy to how they’d want the team to play. It is time to shift away from the street-fighting mentality — their loss of discipline was shocking in the final stages, and was a poor look for the club.
Laurens: His time was up a while ago. Atletico are paying him a fortune, they are backing him up hugely on the transfer market and this is how they are rewarded! The two games against Manchester City were embarrassing. Koke & Co. showed they could play if they wanted, and they put City under pressure in the last 30 minutes of the game, but the rest of the time, they were so defensive, so anti-football that it hurt to watch them. Simeone is stuck in the past. With the squad that he has, his team could and should play in a more attacking way, with swagger and class. Instead, it’s street battles, ultra-defensive tactics and the negation of football. He is such a guru at Atletico that they are too scared to sack him. So he will stay until he decides to leave. Where could he go next? I don’t know and I don’t care (although I hope nowhere). The less I see his prehistoric tactics, the better!
Now that the final four is set, who will reach the final, and who will lift the trophy?
Hamilton: It’s going to be an all-English final, with Pep Guardiola up against Klopp, Salah against Kevin De Bruyne and a repeat of that brilliant 2-2 draw we saw at the weekend. Klopp won’t underestimate Villarreal like Bayern Munich did, while Guardiola has the nous to contain Benzema and knock over Real Madrid. It’s been a long time coming for Guardiola — this will be his second semifinal as City boss, and if he gets through that, then it’ll be his second chance at winning the trophy at this club. Klopp has already won the trophy with Liverpool back in 2019. And I have a feeling that whoever wins the league won’t win the Champions League. So for that reason: It’s Liverpool’s Champions League this year.
Laurens: I know mainland Europe will not like it, but I am betting again on a full English. For the third time in the past four seasons, we will have a final with two English clubs. After Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur in 2019 and Chelsea defeated Manchester City last season, it will be Man City vs. Liverpool on May 28 at the Stade de France. It is the dream final: the two best teams in the world right now, the two best managers, the two best attacks, the two best defences, Salah against Kevin De Bruyne, eight goals in two amazing Premier League matches this season, and surely more when they meet at Wembley in Saturday’s FA Cup semifinal (stream LIVE at 10:30 a.m. ET on ESPN+ in the U.S.). The final between these two might not be as open, but I feel it will be City’s triumph this time. They have learnt a lot from the disappointment of losing to Chelsea last season and will get their first, long-awaited Champions League trophy.
Kirkland: I’d love to make the case for an all-Spanish, Real Madrid vs. Villarreal final … but I don’t think I can. Madrid’s luck will surely run out at some point, and Manchester City are a better, more reliable team than PSG or Chelsea. As for Villarreal, anything is possible — who would have backed them to eliminate Juventus or Bayern Munich, and Unai Emery’s European record is exceptional — but I would worry about their defence up against Liverpool’s stacked forward line. I think we’re in for yet another all-English final, and City to win it.
After Villarreal, a team from a town of 50,000 people, reached the semifinals, what is your favourite Champions League Cinderella story?
Laurens: Monaco reaching the semifinals in 2016-17. What a team, and what a journey! They also won Ligue 1 that season but, maybe more impressively, they defied all the odds in the Champions League. We got to see the making of a new star in Kylian Mbappe who, at only 17, blew away everyone. He scored against Manchester City at the Etihad in the first leg of the round of 16, his first-ever start in the competition. He did it again in the second leg, and in the two quarterfinal matches against Borussia Dortmund, and in the semifinal second leg in Turin against Juventus. Mbappe was on fire alongside Radamel Falcao, Fabinho, Bernardo Silva, Joao Moutinho and Thomas Lemar. It was a golden generation and manager Leonardo Jardim made the most of the incredible talent at his disposal. They were a bit naive and unlucky against Juventus in the semifinals and fell short, but nevertheless it was a beautiful Cinderella story.
Kirkland: How about the last time Villarreal reached the Champions League semifinals? Their 2005-06 team was packed full of gifted, must-watch players — Juan Roman Riquelme, Diego Forlan, Marcos Senna — and came within a missed Riquelme penalty of making the final. Staying on the LaLiga theme, the Isco-inspired Malaga of 2012-13 is another personal favourite. They reached the quarterfinals on their debut in the competition and were only eliminated thanks to a baffling double-offside call in added time that went the way of Klopp’s Dortmund. The best, though, has to be 2003-04 semifinalists Deportivo La Coruna. Depor eliminated both of the previous year’s finalists — Juventus and AC Milan — before being cruelly beaten by Jose Mourinho’s Porto (the ugly sister to Depor’s Cinderella, if you will). The win over Milan was one for the ages, following a 4-1 loss at San Siro with a legendary 4-0 second-leg comeback at Riazor.
Hamilton: If I can shoehorn them in as a Cinderella story (perhaps they’re more like Jack and the Beanstalk), then it has to be Ajax’s run to the 2019 semifinals. They were a matter of seconds away from a spot in the final, until Lucas Moura broke Amsterdam hearts with that perfectly placed shot from the edge of the box to seal his hat trick put Tottenham through at the expense of Erik ten Hag’s side. That team was wonderful to watch, playing ambitious football with that young Dutch core of Matthijs de Ligt, Frenkie de Jong and Donny van de Beek. They were brought together on a comparatively tiny budget to their European rivals, but a squad brimming with homegrown talent managed to knock out Real Madrid and Juventus en route to the semifinals. That run then (inevitably) triggered a mass dismantlement of that generation, but they were a joy to watch.
Chelsea debate: Thomas Tuchel costly Christian Pulisic Real Madrid call prompts FA Cup question
Did Thomas Tuchel get it wrong with his decision to sub Christian Pulisic on against Real Madrid? (Image: Getty Images | Photo by Diego Souto/Quality Sport Images)
With under 15 minutes to play, it appeared Thomas Tuchel’s Madrid miracle was actually going to happen. Timo Werner’s mazy solo run had unravelled Carlo Ancelotti’s already rocked defence to give Chelsea a 3-0 lead.
Then Tuchel opted to take the confident Werner off for Christian Pulisic to add fresh legs to Chelsea’s intense attack. The move altered the game, with the American missing two guilt-edged chances in added time after Rodrygo had levelled the tie on aggregate.
Pulisic’s display was disappointing, losing the ball too easily and failing to offer the same dynamic movement the German had before coming off.
Football. london’s esteemed panel of Chelsea writers combine to give you their take on the sub, if it was the one wrong and what Tuchel should do heading into this weekend’s huge FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace, and you can voice your thoughts as well.
Adam Newson
As the ball dropped into the path of Pulisic, it felt like the American star’s moment. Hit the target, and Chelsea would almost certainly secure their place in the Champions League semi-finals. Unfortunately, the winger put his effort from close range over the crossbar and repeated that unfortunate trick moments later.
They were two huge misses from the only substitute Tuchel made in normal time. Pulisic replaced Werner, who had scored Chelsea’s third and been a general nuisance throughout. It didn’t pay off, but that wasn’t for want of trying. And it’s very easy to deride the change after the fact. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
However, I wouldn’t start Pulisic in the FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace at the weekend. In the past two games, we’ve seen the return of last season’s front three – Mason Mount, Kai Havertz and Werner – and it has clicked straight into gear. The movement, the rotation, the interplay, it just seems to come together with that trio. It’s why I’d go with Werner on the left of the Chelsea attack against Palace. It’s another chance for him to impress and save what appeared to be a Chelsea career drifting toward a disappointing end.
Anita Abayomi
It probably wasn’t the best move to make in hindsight. However, I understand why Tuchel had made the call. Chelsea needed something different, and looking onto the bench, Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech were the only game-changers to call upon.
At the time, I agreed with the switch, but Pulisic did not have that Captain America moment to bring Chelsea to the win. I cannot in a good mind blame him for the result at all. He did what he could do. We can only leave the game saying, “if only he had buried one of the two chances presented to him.
Scott Trotter
It’s always tempting to look at the outcome over the process. Pulisic has shown some lethal finishing in the past, and you don’t have to look further away than the Champions League last 16 to see the injection of pace he can bring and Tuchel would have expected the US international to have an impact on tiring legs.
Pulisic may have missed the opportunities that fell to him, but his introduction was always likely to come as one of few game-changers on the bench. The question is if Timo Werner needed to come off at the moment. The German international was a goal to the good and had tactically troubled Carlo Ancelotti’s backline throughout the evening at the Bernabeu.
There may be a question of ‘what if?’ but on the whole, Chelsea were brilliant bar some finishing and still managed three goals. Crashing out of the competition comes from the first leg failures. Nevertheless, Werner has done enough to earn another start if he is in condition to play at the weekend.
Jake Stokes
Pulisic always seems to be on the verge of something great at Chelsea, and then something happens that rains on his parade. Though I think he could be a great asset for the Blues moving forward, and he certainly has the potential to be such, it’s so hard to deny Werner a start ahead of the American international now.
As Scott said, there may be a question of ‘what if?’ but football is about performing and stepping up in the big moment, and unfortunately, the game was swept by Pulisic at the Santiago Bernabeu. This is by no means the end of him, but should he want to cement a role in Tuchel’s side, then he must become a consistent seven out of ten performer at the very least, with a sprinkle of magic.
Football is a game of fine margins, and I think we are too quick to blame a coach for a decision purely on its result. In 2021, Pulisic was a devastating sub against Real Madrid’s tiring backline in the second half. Here, he wasn’t, but that came down to the American’s poor finishing in added time.
American coaches (not Ted Lasso) trying to make it in Europe: ‘It’s almost impossible for us to get you hired’
Apr 6, 2022 Noah Davis ESPN
Mike Keeney embodies a certain type of American soccer story. You know the one: a young man packs a bag with some clothes and a dream, stuffs a couple hundred dollars into his pockets, hops a plane to Europe and dives into football on the continent. He struggles and works, embracing any opportunity while battling negative perceptions and reality. Eventually, he finds a place, making himself indispensable and building a career.”Those first few years, I was scraping by trying to make make a living,” Keeney told ESPN over Zoom. “I was sacrificing a lot of time and energy to train three, four or five teams. I joke around, if two kids were kicking a bottle in the carpark I probably went over there and tried to make them better. Why? Because I wanted to show my ability, and I think in a country like Finland, they reward you for this.”Keeney is nearly 15 years into this journey, a veteran with experience at a dozen clubs including HIFK Helsinki and FC Samorin, and a Finnish passport to boot. He’s built a reputation, a good one, with connections throughout Europe. Keeney’s story is one of success, but the Antioch, California, native isn’t a player. The 48-year-old is a manager, one of a small but growing number of Americans who are making it in the European coaching ranks, forging paths not just for themselves but for the people who will come after them.The American-in-Europe coaching fraternity includes some big names. U.S. men’s national team manager Gregg Berhalter previously managed Sweden’s Hammarby IF, while Bob Bradley had stints at Swansea City and Le Havre. Jesse March is with Leeds United after a successful run at FC Salzburg and less successful one at RB Leipzig. Pellegrino Matarazzo and David Wagner boast Bundesliga experience, with LAFC‘s Steve Cherundolo previously working in an assistant capacity at Hannover. Others, such as Kenney, Enochs and former University of Connecticut and Temple assistant Brian Clarhaut — now with GIF Sundsvall in Sweden, which just signed MLS stalwart and former U.S. international midfielder Joe Corona on loan — don’t have the name recognition, but are forging a path others can follow. In football, success begets success, and a chance taken creates another opportunity for someone else.That said, just as American players had to (and continue to) deal with prejudice and prevailing perception about the quality of soccer in the United States, coaches do, too. Bradley drew the ire of the fans for saying “PK” and “road games,” and mispronouncing Premier League. Marsch caused a collective commentator meltdown after holding a postmatch team huddle on the pitch, while Manchester United assistant Chris Armas can’t get away from the Ted Lasso comparisons. (We’ll get to the Richmond FC boss in a bit.)But while there’s a negative connotation of the U.S. as a backwater football culture, leaning into the stereotype of being “an American” can have its benefits.”I didn’t try to downplay it — I tried to embrace it,” said Clarhaut, a brash and proud 35-year-old New Jersey native. “That type of leadership, that type of aggression is one of my biggest strengths. It’s like, ‘OK, who is this kind of crazy American guy?'”American managers might be crazy (at least some), but are they any good? It’s a decidedly mixed bag.Twenty First Group pulled together a list of how American coaches had fared during their tenures, using their World Soccer League ratings to determine how much better or worse a coach’s team got during his first 30 matches in charge. Matarazzo and Marsch made their teams “much better.” (In fact, Matarazzo’s time at Stuttgart rated as the most improvement of any of the 771 manager tenures tracked.) Enochs, Wagner (at Young Boys) and Bradley (at Le Havre) rated between “slightly better” and “slightly worse.” Berhalter, Bradley (at Swansea City) and Wagner (at Schalke and Huddersfield) checked in as “materially worse.”Not horrible, but not exactly Ted Lasso, either.
Speaking of that streaming phenomenon, while Americans coaching in Europe mostly have similar stories about their paths, they have vastly different opinions regarding everyone’s favorite affable football-turned-football coach.”They did a great job,” Cherundolo said. “It’s a great show.””We just got sort of hooked on it,” said Enochs, who binged both seasons with his wife. “It was funny. I enjoy it. I know it’s only entertainment, though.” He also said that none of his assistants in Germany know anything about it — a boon when it comes to avoiding the dopey-American-coach stereotype.Keeney, on the other hand, isn’t a fan. “The little bit I’ve seen, I don’t think it does favors for the image of an American abroad,” he said. “It undermines some of the work that myself and some of the other guys have been doing, the guys who actually come over to Europe and work and battle.”One issue not covered in a fictional show that’s very real for flesh-and-blood Americans is the fact that U.S. Soccer coaching licenses are not valid in Europe. Without a UEFA Pro License, one cannot manage a team in a top-tier league for more than 12 weeks. Getting one requires successfully completing the B and A Licenses, and getting approved for a Pro course, which happens at the discretion of national federations.”These are very selective spots,” Clarhaut said. “So that’s a huge, huge disadvantage for American coaches. It’s a problem.”While this wrinkle isn’t unique to Americans as all non-European managers can have difficulty earning their UEFA badges, it dramatically limits the opportunities available for coaches coming from the United States. (And, perhaps, the lack of reciprocity indicates the low standards in which the European governing body holds the USSF coaching-licensing program.) Before moving to Europe, Keeney worked at Hoover Soccer Club in Birmingham, Alabama, which had a coaching- and player-exchange program with Celtic. While he impressed the Scottish club’s coaching staff, getting a job with them was a nonstarter.”They told me, ‘You’re an American guy with no UEFA badges, no coaching licenses,'” Keeney said. “‘It’s almost impossible for us to get you hired, let alone get you the work permit.'”When an opportunity presented itself in Finland, Keeney jumped at it, and even then, constantly applying and reapplying for visas and work permits took a good deal of his time.In the future, more American coaches will find their way to Europe, but it’s not happening yet. In his capacity as chief intelligence officer at Twenty First Group, Omar Chaudhuri helps teams perform due diligence on lists of coaching prospects and also creates lists of potential coaching candidates for clubs. He said there’s never really been an American on the shortlists, although he did note Marsch’s hiring at Leeds. While he (and others interviewed for this piece) have noticed an improved perception of American players in Europe, the same isn’t true of coaches.”If a coach is doing very well in MLS, I think in Europe, it’d be dismissed more readily than if a player was doing well in MLS,” he said.Conversely, American managers are on short leashes when they do get top jobs. The masses turned against “Soccer Bob” Bradley almost immediately — perhaps before he even fielded his first starting lineup. Marsch and Leipzig parted ways just four months into his first season, with both parties admitting that it was the wrong person in the wrong situation.This isn’t an unknown phenomenon. In the recent past, American players wouldn’t get the benefit of the doubt, pulled from the lineup or buried on the bench after a few mistakes, whereas their counterparts from more “respected” soccer cultures would earn more chances. As more Americans succeed on the field, that reality is changing.”The dialogue is much different today,” said Cherundolo, who has experience both as a player and a manager helping to change the perception. “It’s: ‘No, he’s good. Let’s give him some time and get to know the team.’ Respect and credit has certainly grown over the years. It’s only a matter of time before that happens for coaches. But there are always going to have to be some trailblazers who go through difficult stretches first.””We have to prove ourselves first,” he said. “We have to go through that. It’s just a lengthy process, but it will happen.”The goal, of course, is to get to a place where Americans aren’t “American coaches” and just “coaches.” The best way to do that is to win.”They don’t look at your passport, they look at your ability,” Keeney said. “If you’re not winning games, if you’re not developing players, if, on a professional side, you’re not selling guys for profit, they don’t care who you are or where you’re from. It’s a business.”eeney continued: “It’s an interesting pathway. If you would have asked me 15 years ago, when I first left, would I be down this road, I would say, ‘You’re crazy.’ But you know, the journey has been fantastic.”
The Making of American Coach Jesse Marsch – From his MLS Days to the EPL
The making of Jesse Marsch in MLS predates the league’s inception. It goes back to when he was in college.
Marsch, a boy from a small Wisconsin city called Racine, was recruited to play soccer at Princeton University under head coach Bob Bradley, among the country’s most decorated male soccer coaching minds and someone who would become a trailblazer. He’d spend the better part of the next quarter-century with Bradley – from Princeton to D.C. United, then Chicago Fire FC and Chivas USA before getting his first coaching job as an assistant under Bradley with the US men’s national team.
Along the way, Marsch learned and developed his own ideas, made his own connections and a ton of his own memories, as a hugely successful MLS player and then a Supporters’ Shield-winning head coach with the New York Red Bulls. From there, he embarked on a coaching career in Europe with RB Salzburg and RB Leipzig.
Now at Leeds United, Marsch follows a path first forged by Bradley, who was the first American-born head coach of a Premier League team when he (briefly) was in charge at Swansea City. Marsch inherited a sinking ship at Leeds but has steered it immediately, doing things his way and leading the group away from the relegation zone. They are currently on a four-game unbeaten run after a commanding 3-0 win over Watford last weekend.
MLSsoccer.com spoke with a number of folks who knew Marsch best at various stops in MLS, from his playing days to his first coaching job with the Montréal Impact (now CF Montréal) and then becoming a household name with the New York Red Bulls.
Chicago Fire competitiveness and scuffles
Jesse Marsch’s professional career began with D.C. United during MLS’s inaugural 1996 season, but he made his name in Chicago with the Fire. Bob Bradley was an assistant under Bruce Arena at D.C. United for the league’s first two seasons, then was named head coach of Chicago for their expansion season in 1998. He brought Marsch there.
Marsch would go on to make 200 appearances for the Fire, in an atmosphere that suited his fiery, competitive nature.
“We got under each other’s skin,” Philadelphia Union head coach Jim Curtin said. Curtin joined the Fire in 2001, where he was Marsch’s teammate until 2005, then again in 2008-09 with Chivas USA. “There were fistfights all the time, that was a common occurrence. Jesse had a way of competing, it wasn’t uncommon that punches were thrown. Let’s just say we’ll leave out some details, but, yeah, that wasn’t uncommon.”Austin FC head coach osh Wolff, a fellow original member of the Fire with Marsch and his first roommate, recalled those details, including a one-punch knockout by Ante Razov.
“Yeah, plenty of good stories,” Wolff said. Wolff played for Chicago from 1998-2002. “Jesse got knocked out by Ante in training in one punch; He got thrown out of a training because he took a cheap shot. There was plenty of animosity between players. Jesse didn’t back down, other players didn’t back down either.”
Training altercations were left between the white lines of the pitch, quickly forgotten and moved on from in that ultra-competitive group. In fact, the morning after that fight with Razov and Marsch, the pair were in the same car heading to training together.
“In hindsight, it was a good thing,” Curtin said. “It made us all so competitive, it was a really cool locker room to be part of.”
It was like that from Curtin’s first day.Curtin arrived with the team in 2001 fresh out of college, after the Fire’s three-year run of two US Open Cup titles and one MLS Cup. It was a bit of a jump in quality and pace for the former Villanova star, and his first training session didn’t quite go to plan.
“You get thrown off a plane off that, and you might be a good college player, but you learn pretty quickly you’re not at their level,” Curtin said. “And it was probably the beers I had the night before, but I timed a challenge – let’s just say very poorly – on Piotr Nowak. It was so bad, Bob ended the session. I walked away with Jesse, sat in the van and I turned to him – and I didn’t know Jesse at all – and said, ‘Well, at least I can say I fouled Piotr Novak before my career ended.’ I’m thinking that was the end of things. He laughed and appreciated I was self-deprecating, and a friendship was born from that.”Curtin and Marsch carpooled together during their time in Chicago and Chivas. They remain close to this day, with a lifetime of memories on and off the field.
“Thank god there were no cell phones in those days,” Curtin said with a laugh.
Marsch remained that way through the twilight of his career. It’s just who he is; you can’t really turn that off.
From Chicago he went to Chivas USA, as did Curtin, where they played with rising rookie Sacha Kljestan. Kljestan was taken fifth overall at the 2006 MLS SuperDraft, was a finalist for 2006 MLS Rookie of the Year and would be destined for a successful career in MLS, Europe and with the USMNT. His first stop was as Marsch’s midfield partner with Chivas.
“I’d say for the majority of my rookie year, I didn’t really like Jesse that much,” Kljestan said. “He was always on me. He was the old guy who had been around the block and I was the rookie who thought I knew better.”
The pair spent four years playing together, with Kljestan crediting Marsch for aiding his development.
Kljestan would go on to Anderlecht, becoming a fan favorite as an integral part of Belgian league-winning sides, then join up with Marsch as a centerpiece of those New York Red Bulls teams he coached.
Bob Bradley’s impact
To say that Bob Bradley’s coaching tree was plentiful, particularly in those Chicago days, might be an understatement. In different variations of that team with Marsch a centerpiece – including after Bradley had departed – the culture he laid lived on. It was a perfect breeding ground for future coaches and sporting executives.
Bradley was at the helm, regarded as one of the best American coaches of all time, and has since cycled through the USMNT, Egypt men’s national team, Swansea, LAFC and now Toronto FC. Denis Hamlett was an assistant on that staff and he’s now the sporting director at the New York Red Bulls.
The playing rosters featured:
Current MLS head coaches Curtin and Wolff
Former MLS head coach and current Manchester United assistant coach Chris Armas
Current MLS assistant coaches Razov, CJ Brown, Frank Klopas and Zach Thornton
Current MLS front-office executives John Thorrington, Carlos Bocanegra and Amos McGee
Former MLS manager Piotr Nowak
Former Bulgaria international manager (and Barcelona star) Hristo Stoichkov
“The film session arguments, sharing of information,” Curtin said. “I’m 21 years old, my head is spinning in this locker room with Bob, Stoichkov, Piotr, Jesse and Chris all disagreeing and giving points of view. You couldn’t help but learn. I was lucky to be in that environment.”
“Landing in Chicago was very instrumental in my development,” Wolff added. “Those were good players and every player held each other accountable. That’s Bob as well. Nobody got away with anything, the competing was real. There were plenty of scrappy days, the feistiness. It was a very connected group. Bob Bradley’s ability to keep connecting to players and families, to keep them together, I take away those things from that group.”
Given how long Marsch spent with Bradley from college through the pros and even his first coaching job as an assistant with the national team, it’s easy to lump them together, particularly now with Marsch at Leeds six years after Bradley went to Swansea.
“They share ideas, no question. But the great thing about soccer, you can learn from the best and evolve with your own ideas,” Curtin said. “They’re their own people, they’re both appreciative of each other and both incredible at what they do. As someone who learned from both of them and owes a career to both of them, I can step back and say they’re different, and that’s okay. Both are incredible leaders. Maybe the best way to put it, they’re both incredibly brave and didn’t stay in their comfort zone. Bob took Egypt, Bob took Swansea. Jesse, same thing. He’s coached all over the world and has had success. They both find ways to win because they’re both winners.”
Playing against Marsch? “A lot of whining, pissing and moaning”
Between D.C. and Chicago, Marsch won nine major trophies in the league’s first eight seasons: Three MLS Cups, two Supporters’ Shields and four US Open Cups. His teams won, simply put.
A tenacious defensive midfielder, Marsch was no stranger to contact, the type of player all successful teams need. He committed 450 fouls over his career and picked up 57 yellow cards.
“When you talk to people about Jesse outside of his teammates, they say ‘I hated him on the field,’” Curtin said. “No kidding, because his teams always won!”
Wolff spent five seasons with Marsch and the Fire before being traded to the Kansas City Wizards (now Sporting Kansas City). He got Marsch as a teammate, then had extensive experience playing against him for the better part of the next seven years, too.
“A lot of whining, a lot of pissing and moaning,” Wolff said with a laugh about playing against Marsch. “But again, there are these players who want to antagonize. … When he did something well he let everybody and anybody who could hear him know. This is Jesse, you see it, it’s right on his sleeve every single day. It’d be a boring world if we didn’t have personalities.”
Marsch didn’t win any trophies in the final act of his career at Chivas USA, but the correlation between the club being competitive and not with or without him is remarkable.
Chivas missed the playoffs in 2005, their inaugural season. Marsch joined ahead of 2006 and the club made the playoffs each of those four years from 2006-09. He retired after the 2009 season. From 2010 until the club’s final season in 2014 before ceasing operations, Chivas missed the playoffs each year.
Kljestan departed the club during the 2010 season, signing for Anderlecht. Marsch’s impact on the way he trained every day stayed with him throughout his career, still thriving with the LA Galaxy today.
“When you saw Jesse train, he wasn’t the best player but his team always won,” Kljestan said. “He always had the guys ready to play. I took a lot of that with me when I went and played with him at Red Bulls.”
Off the field, “the most humble, down-to-earth, family guy”
While Marsch wears his heart on his sleeve both as a player and coach, he’s a different human outside of the game. Most people are, anyway.
“Of course he was a different person off the field,” Curtin said. “He’s the most humble, down-to-earth, family guy from Wisconsin. He’s a great person, his mom and dad are amazing people. There’s no coincidence he’s developed into this leader.”“He’s fun off the field. We’re all self-deprecating and take shots at ourselves – he’s as open as anyone,” Wolff said. “He’s a good dude, a smart guy. He’s comfortable being uncomfortable, you’ve seen that over his career. He and his family have done things to experience life, that’s an incredible quality.”
Marsch coached in the United States, Canada, Austria, Germany and now England. In the years between Montréal and the Red Bulls, he took his kids out of school so he and his family could go on a six-month trip around the world to experience the globe’s different cultures together.Most people wouldn’t take that sort of leap.“To have a beer with Jesse, he’s one of the best storytellers,” Curtin said. “He makes everyone feel welcome. I’ve had many nights where you’re just laughing. I got to see the other side of Jesse. He’s very serious about his soccer, but he’s a down-to-earth guy.
“He’s actually hilarious, but don’t tell him I said that part,” Curtin continued. “Well, he can get repetitive with his stories, you can write that. He has five or six amazing ones where he’s like a world-class storyteller, but I’ve heard them a lot. His wife will back me up on this. I say that in the nicest way.”“You know all coaches, they think they’re funny. He’s got a few terrible jokes,” Bradley Wright-Phillips said. Wright-Phillips was the star forward for the New York Red Bulls during Marsch’s entire tenure. “But, nah man, I honestly don’t have a bad word to say about Jesse. He was quality, especially for me.”When Kljestan joined the Red Bulls in 2015, as pushed and orchestrated by Marsch, Kljestan played one more game with Anderlecht on a Tuesday night as a sendoff to a successful run at the club whose fans affectionately called “Mr. USA”. He took an overnight flight to New Jersey to complete his medical, then at the end of the day hopped on another plane to Florida to join up with his new teammates in preseason camp.In the middle of the night, as Kljestan stumbles into the hotel in a jetlagged fog, he sees a familiar, smiling face.“I got into the hotel at like 1 in the morning and Jesse is just standing in the lobby waiting for me to give me a big hug,” Kljestan said. “That meant a lot to me. It made me feel so welcomed to the group.”
“Lived and learned” in a season with the Montréal Impact
It’s easy to forget Jesse Marsch’s one year as manager of CF Montréal, then still known as the Impact. It was his first foray as a head coach.
Montréal were set to begin play in MLS in 2012. Canadian international Patrice Bernier, who began his career in 2000 with Montréal when they played in the A-League, was enjoying a successful period in Europe, currently in Denmark.
Marsch helped convince him to come home for his hometown’s inaugural season in MLS.
“I had no plans of coming back to Montréal already when the team was announced,” Bernier said. “Then Jesse came to Europe to watch players and wanted to see me. He was able to convey his philosophy and guided me to say, okay, I might come back home. He was a guy who had ideas, wanted to bring his flavor to MLS. That message conveyed.”
Bernier played for Montréal until retirement following the 2017 season. He is second all-time in MLS matches played in the club’s history.
“Jesse is someone who works hard,” Bernier said. “Even though me and him had our rough patches, he always communicated. Some coaches when you’re out of the mix, you never talk. He was at least honest. He took a decision, you might not like it, but the communication line was always open.”
Marsch lasted just the 2012 season with Montréal before moving on due to “differences in coaching philosophies with management.”
“When he was at Montréal, he lived and learned,” Wolff said. “He got a new pathway, got introduced in different ways. He was comfortable knowing he needs to learn. It’s a life of learning until the day you die and he knows that.”
“This guy is f—king crazy”: Marsch’s RBNY revolution
Jesse Marsch became a national name while with the New York Red Bulls from 2015-18. Expectations were low at the onset. In fact, things were hostile.
The Red Bulls were transitioning out of the Thierry Henry era with a plan to revamp the playing and recruitment styles. Mike Petke, a former player with RBNY and then their head coach, was a fan favorite and enjoyed success at the club. He was surprisingly let go in favor of Marsch that offseason.
Leaders at RBNY held a town hall for fans to voice their opinions in that first offseason and it went very poorly. The fan base was still firmly behind Petke and angry at how things played out. Marsch was there fielding questions and angry comments, taking the criticism and ill-will in stride, saying he loved the passion.
Though preseason was rocky, it didn’t take long for Marsch to win them over.
“That first game at home we played D.C. United,” Kljestan said. “I remember the fans were not happy. They did a thing where they weren’t going to cheer in the first half. But Bradley scored two goals and they started cheering again. Winning is all that matters, and we won a lot, so the fans came around very quickly.”
They did it with the now-standard Red Bull high-pressing way. While it’s a hugely popular system today, it wasn’t quite so normal around the globe and that rang true for MLS.
The players were in for a shock that preseason.
“That was tough, that was crazy, oh my god,” Wright-Phillips said. “We’re out in Florida (for preseason), even just the warmup was so difficult. I was like what the hell, I’m not the fittest guy. If you’re asking me to run at training, I’m going to struggle. It was tough, man. I remember Roy Miller looking at me like what the hell is going on. The first week of preseason was tough.”
Kljestan missed that first week of preseason as he was still playing for Anderlecht and finalizing his transfer to RBNY. The first morning at the hotel, after arriving at 1 a.m. the night before, he’s having breakfast. Marsch comes over to start to familiarize Kljestan with the tactics.“I’m still all jetlagged, but at breakfast he pulls me over and he’s drawing on a piece of paper how we’re going to play and how we’re going to press,” Kljestan said. “He’s explaining it to me, how our outside backs will press their outside backs. No one ever pressed that way. I was like: ‘This guy is f–king crazy.’”
Kljestan didn’t mind that Marsch saw him as a No. 10 after he played mostly as a box-to-box midfielder with Anderlecht. Wright-Phillips didn’t mind that a lot of the transition tactics had the players looking quickly for “Option A” when possession was recovered. Wright-Phillips was “Option A”.“He told us we were going to be the fittest team. I was thinking: ‘Me? I think you got the wrong guy, man,’” Wright-Phillips said. “He had to teach us the style in the beginning, it was like Pressing for Dummies.”
“If this doesn’t work, we’re going to be bad,” Kljestan said.
It did work out, for the team and most individuals. Wright-Phillips and Kljestan were two of the three finalists for the 2016 Landon Donovan MLS MVP award. Kljestan had 16g/51a in his three seasons under Marsch, BWP had 78g/21a in four seasons under Marsch (well, technically three-and-a-half seasons).
In Marsch’s first year in charge, 2015, the Red Bulls won the Supporters’ Shield and he was named Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year.
“When he went over to the Red Bulls, I joke, but it was like the Montréal Impact 2.0 for Jesse Marsch,” Bernier said. “He had a younger team, he had clearer ideas from what worked and what didn’t in Montréal. He had his convictions. I’m sure they didn’t change, but he took an approach to the Red Bulls that worked so well. It was not a surprise the success he got.”
Meanwhile, Marsch’s former teammates and friends were embarking on their own coaching careers. Wolff was an assistant under Gregg Berhalter at the Columbus Crew, Razov an assistant under Sigi Schmid in Seattle and Curtin the head coach of his hometown Philadelphia Union, to name a few.
“It was strange coaching against him,” Curtin said. “You look across the sidelines, there’s Chris Armas, who you had a great relationship with too, and there’s Jesse. There’s always something extra in those games, you want to do well against your peers. You care about what they think of your team. It was like when we were players, we wanted to win every day in training sessions against each other. That’s normal. Afterward, we’d have a drink and joke about the old times, tell the same 10 stories, and we’ll laugh.”
The Red Bulls never did win MLS Cup during Marsch’s reign, though they were probably the best team in the league over that period.
“Jesse is my favorite manager I had,” Wright-Phillips said. “I had coaches who liked me, but I never had a manager before him who taught me how to play well. Just the way he spoke to me, even the first phone call. He told me he wanted me to be a leader, but I wasn’t that kind of person, I’m more of a soldier. Tell me what to do and I’ll get it done. He said no, you have to change that. That responsibility really helped me.”
The Red Bulls won another Supporters’ Shield in 2018, the year Marsch left midseason for Germany’s RB Leipzig. Armas – Marsch’s former teammate and assistant coach – took the team the rest of the way, though stalwarts from the previous Shield-winning team like Kljestan and Dax McCarty had already left the club. Those exits, and lack of MLS Cup silverware, are the only real blemishes to Marsch’s time with the Red Bulls.
McCarty has publicly said he didn’t love how Marsch handled his exit after the 2016 season, while Kljestan said he felt shocked at his departure after 2017 as well.
“I know Dax went through the same thing,” Kljestan said. “It’s been no secret what’s happened with bigger players at the Red Bulls over the years, like Bradley going to play elsewhere is just sh*y to see. Luis Robles, Sean Davis. It is what it is, the Red Bulls have their way.”
“It was tough, it was the Red Bulls putting in place their vision,” Wright-Phillips said. “We know they want to go younger. But to hear you’re getting traded by someone you respected and played every week, it’s not easy to take. I understand their frustration, it happened to me too a couple years later.”
Marsch moved on during 2018, taking a leap of faith to move midseason from head coach of the Red Bulls to become assistant at RB Leipzig. A year later, he was named manager of Austria’s RB Salzburg, where he enjoyed tremendous success both domestically and in European competitions.
That success gave him a chance with Leipzig last summer, but he didn’t last long as Marsch was gone from that job by December. He didn’t have to wait long for Leeds to come calling.
Handling pressure, breaking American stereotypes at LeedsMarsch has had a few viral moments at press conferences since taking over at Leeds, dealing with the infamous English media that is dubious of Americans. He’s only the third American manager in the Premier League (Bradley at Swansea, David Wagner at Huddersfield Town) and only the second to have made his name in MLS following Bradley.
Bradley lasted at Swansea City for less than two months.
“They are unfairly tough on Americans, they disrespect MLS a bit,” said Wright-Phillips, an Englishman himself. “It just takes time. They’re going to have their little jokes. But me knowing Jesse, I don’t think it bothers him very much. If they’re going to try to wind him, they’ve got to be prepared to take what comes back.”
Marsch grappled with jokes about his American accent and “Ted Lasso” references, the Jason Sudeikis-led show about an American college football head coach taking charge of a Premier League team. He also took a shot back at the media.
“Knowing Jesse like I do, I know that laugh that he did,” Curtin said. “He took time to eyeball certain guys in the room. He commands respect because he deserves respect.”
It seemed like a press conference version of a late challenge that might result in one of his 57 career yellow cards or spark one of those training ground altercations in Chicago.
Marsch has currently got Leeds flying, moving further away from the relegation zone with each passing match.
;
“Jesse Marsch is a winner… and always will be.”
Marsch took over at Leeds following the hugely respected Marcelo Bielsa, the Argentine manager who brought Leeds back to the Premier League and is a coaching icon. Stepping in for that type of figure in the middle of a season, with the team hemorrhaging results and staring down relegation, isn’t quite the ideal job to take over.
“You know with Jesse, he’ll do it his way and a way the players embrace,” Curtin said. “You’ve seen that already, they fight to the very last second for him. I’m not surprised. It’s not surprising he’s found ways to get results even with a team that was struggling.”
Leeds have pulled nine points clear of the relegation zone at time of writing, with six matches left to play. The teams behind them have two games in hand, though, so they’re not out of the wood just yet.
But three wins and a draw from their last four games have given them ample and unexpected breathing room. A big part of their squad is former NYCFC winger Jack Harrison.
“You can see his players will fight for him,” Wolff said. “That’s a real good starting point.”
Anything can happen in the last six games; Leeds still have to face powerhouses Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal in succession. But Marsch is already turning heads and proving naysayers wrong about his decision to take the gig and Leeds’ decision to entrust their top-flight survival to an American from a small city in Wisconsin.
“I can say with confidence: Leeds fans should know they’re in the hands of someone who wants nothing more than to win,” Curtin said. “He wants nothing more than to improve the players. I have no doubt he can keep them up and I have full confidence he’ll do it. The biggest compliment I can give is that Jesse Marsch is a winner, he has been from day one, and always will be.”
“It’s going to be massive”: Seattle Sounders look ahead to CCL final vs. Pumas
By Charles Boehm @cboehm Thursday, Apr 14, 2022, 02:36 PM
There they will face Liga MX’s Pumas UNAM in a two-legged series on April 27 and May 4, with the first leg set for Estadio Olímpico Universitario in Mexico City and the second leg at Seattle’s Lumen Field, thanks to the MLSers’ superior record thus far in the competition.
“It’s a trophy that the club certainly covets,” said Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer after Wednesday’s result, which gave his team a 4-2 aggregate win over the defending MLS Cup champions. “I think that’s something that we have made public. I think Garth [Lagerwey, Seattle’s president], when he came here, said it was a goal of ours.
“The constant theme throughout this club, the culture of the club, is to win every game, every trophy, every competition. We take all the games seriously. We don’t buy the excuse where if you commit to one tournament, you can’t proceed or do well in the other. We don’t buy that.”
Here’s a breakdown of what’s gone before, and what lies ahead.
History
Though it’s become more common in recent years, the Sounders are in rarified air, historically speaking.
The Rave Green are just the fifth MLS club to reach the final in the tournament’s modern incarnation, which began in 2008, and none of their four predecessors in that regard won the title. D.C. United and the LA Galaxy do hold the honor of Concacaf champions, however, having won its forerunner, the CONCACAF Champions’ Cup, in 1998 and 2000, respectively.
While clubs from seven nations in all have earned that honor over the decades, Liga MX has long held CCL in a stranglehold, winning every single edition of the current format. Current champs CF Monterrey are the most decorated winners with five continental titles during that time.
It’s become something of a white whale for MLS, considering that the league’s dramatic growth and progress since 2008 have yet to be matched by a Concacaf championship, to say nothing of the high-profile berth in the FIFA Club World Cup that it grants. The awkward timing of the tournament kicking off during MLS preseason has sorely tested fitness, sharpness and depth, while the high concentrations of elite talent on top Liga MX rosters has been a trump card for its contenders. And there have also been some agonizing near misses.
Real Salt Lake looked like solid contenders to break the duck in 2011. Back then the tournament ran along a fall-spring schedule, with a group phase, then a knockout stage stretched across two MLS seasons. Powered by Jason Kreis’ tiki-taka 4-4-2 diamond, RSL outlasted the Columbus Crew and Saprissa in the quarterfinals and semifinals. But even with a 2-2 draw in Mexico heading into the final’s second leg at Rio Tinto Stadium, Monterrey proved a bridge too far, edging the Utah side 1-0 on the night and 3-2 on aggregate via Humberto “Chupete” Suazo’s winner.
In 2015 CF Montréal, then known as the Montréal Impact, played the Cinderella role with distinction. Despite finishing dead-last in the 2014 league table, the Quebecois club advanced out of the CCL group stage and upset Pachuca, then Alajuelense in the knockout rounds to face mighty Club América in the final. A 1-1 first-leg draw at the vaunted Estadio Azteca put IMFC in good position for the decisive second leg in front of a large, raucous home crowd at Stade Olympique, only for a second-half hat trick from Dario Benedetto to cruelly extinguish Montréal’s dreams.
Three years later, their fellow Canadians Toronto FC came even closer, vanquishing the Colorado Rapids, Tigres UANL and América en route to a final date with Matias Almeyda’s Chivas Guadalajara as Sebastian Giovinco’s stunning exploits earned him player of the tournament honors. A pulsating final clash across two legs ended 3-3 and had to be decided by a penalty-kick shootout, where Alan Pulido and the Goats triumphed 4-2 at Estadio Akron.
LAFC, too, felt like a team of destiny in 2020 as they dispatched three quality Liga MX adversaries – Club León, Cruz Azul and América – on their march to the final, with Carlos Vela playing some of the best soccer of his Black & Gold career. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, that edition of the tournament was paused during the quarterfinal stage and completed in a bubble situation in Orlando, Florida that December, with the remaining ties streamlined to one-game series. LAFC carved out a 1-0 lead over a stacked Tigres squad via a Diego Rossi goal, only for Los Felinos to pull off a late comeback win via strikes from Hugo Ayala and Andre-Pierre Gignac.
The 2022 Matchup
Though Liga MX’s mastery has led some observers to conclude that a hex of some sort has been cast over MLSers in CCL, the current Sounders side have shown themselves eminently capable of breaking new ground. In fact, they’re already being tabbed as favorites by many on both sides of the Mexico-US border.
Lagerwey, who was instrumental in the construction of that 2011 RSL team, has built one of the most talent-rich rosters in MLS history. Designated Players Raul Ruidiaz, Nico Lodeiro and winter free-agent capture Albert Rusnak top a long list of proven performers that also includes Joao Paulo, Jordan Morris, Stefan Frei, Nouhou Tolo and brothers Cristian and Alex Roldan, augmented by a surging academy pipeline and impressive depth pieces like Fredy Montero and Kelyn Rowe stepping up at key moments in their run to this point.
They’ve been flexible and intelligent in tactical terms, often soaking up pressure for long periods and striking with precision and menace on the counterattack. The club’s culture of ambition and success has also been evident, and they’ve taken seriously the chance to be CCL pioneers, even when it required fielding young, rotated lineups in league play.
“We want to be part of history. We want to be the first team to win Champions League, the first MLS team,” said Cristian Roldan after Seattle’s quarterfinal defeat of Club León. “Look, one way or another, there’s going to be an MLS team in the final and for us to be potentially one of them, that just makes us really proud and hopefully we get a lot of support from our people in the States.”
Some would say they’re fortunate to be facing a Liga MX opponent from outside Mexico’s traditional elite. While they can boast seven league titles, Pumas’ last such achievement was over a decade ago and they’ve scaled back spending in recent seasons, prompting a number of value-oriented acquisitions from across Latin America. But that risks slighting the outstanding work of their Argentine manager Andres Lillini and his players, who are thriving in CCL while treading water in the league this spring.
UNAM held off a spirited challenge from Saprissa in the round of 16 to advance 6-3 on aggregate. Then they mounted an incredible comeback to stun the New England Revolution, who won the first leg of their quarterfinal in snowy Massachusetts 3-0 only for Pumas to match that scoreline in Ciudad Universitaria before besting the Revs on PKs.
Lillini got his tactics spot-on to top a talented Cruz Azul side in the semifinals, goosing the throttle to win 2-1 at home, then battling La Maquina to a 0-0 stalemate with tenacious pressing and box defending in Tuesday’s second leg. Striker Juan Ignacio Dinenno has terrorized opposing defenses to the tune of a CCL-best seven goals, while veteran goalkeeper Alfredo Talavera, marauding fullback Alan Mozo, RSL academy product Sebastian Saucedo and other contributors have made them a tough proposition across the pitch.
As rock-solid as they’ve been in CCL, Seattle will probably have to find another level to take this final, particularly in a treacherous first leg at CDMX’s lung-searingly high altitude.
“One thing that we know is that we cannot play a second half that we played today, in Mexico,” said Frei after Wednesday night’s wild draw with NYCFC at Red Bull Arena. “We’re going to run out of juice very quickly.
“I think we put in a lot of effort, but if we’re going put ourselves under so much pressure in Mexico City, it’s going to be very, very difficult. So they have a good side and we’re going look at what makes them tick, and also maybe what we can exploit or what we want to target. But it’ll be a good final.”
Perennial trophy hunters under Schmetzer, the Sounders understand what will be required, and even after all their domestic success, sound hungry to gain one-of-a-kind bragging rights via Champions League glory.
“Since 2016, I think there’s been one year that we were not participating in a final of some sorts. So that’s what you play for. That’s, I think, why players come to this organization, because ultimately you want to play for trophies,” said Frei.
“The fact that I was able to be part of [Seattle’s first MLS Cup in] 2016 is a historic moment in the franchise,” he added. “There’s very select few opportunities to make history, alright? That one is gone. There’s still one elusive one for the MLS. If you can be that one, it’s going to be massive for your career, for the franchise, for everybody involved. And what a massive opportunity.”
Wed gives us Man City and Atletico on CBS along with Liverpool hosting Benefica at 3 pm on Para+, while Chelsea and Pulisic will travel to Real Madrid on Tues at 3 pm on CBS along with Villarreal going to Bayern Munich. Must watch TV – last week Real Madrid’s Benzema was electric in scoring a hat trick at Chelsea while Courtois Spectacular Save – and Spanish side Villarreal stunned Bayern Munich at home 1-0, while Atletico’s Simeon helped craft a masterclass in defense as they only lost 1-0 at Man City.
EPL Man City vs Liverpool Was a Classic !
Wow what a game – the showdown between the best 2 teams in the EPL – heck maybe the world – did not disappoint on Sunday. The 2 squads battled to a 2-2 tie – that the home standing Man City will probably think they should have won – but the resilient Liverpool and Klopp managed to hold onto the tie – and stand just 1 single point behind Man City with just 7 weeks left in the season.
US Ladies win 9-1
Ok so I know I am supposed to be – yey the US ladies are playing a couple of young players and look how good they are – they won 9-1. But who are we kidding here US Soccer? Is this Uzbekistan Crap team the best we can get to play on US soil seriously? I mean I bet the Columbus High School Girls team could have beaten that team 4-1. Seriously why are playing these crap teams? While Canada travels to play France and Spain? Sure we are #1 yey but like Cincy in the College Football Playoff – if you don’t play anybody good – your gonna get WHACKED when you play a real team. I know this is a team in transition but come on play someone in the top 50? Oh yeah the US won 9-1 in Columbus – Mallory Pugh even scored a hat trick – but no one was there to see it – because honestly who wants to see the Yankees beat a high school team. Oh yeah the #1 Ranked all powerful US Women play that same team on Tuesday night 7 pm live on ESPN2. (see stories below)
Indy 11 Win a Game!
Hey the Indy 11 went on the road and pulled off their first victory of the season with a 2-1 win over Rio Grande. They return home to the Mike to play Atlanta United 2 on Saturday at 7 pm as they host Easter Egg Night. Tix available starting at just $15 and can be purchased online at indyeleven.com/tickets.
CFC GK Training moves outdoors this week Tues at Shelboure 5:30-7:30 with coach Noelle and Thur 6:15-8:15 at Badger with Coach Shane. One final note – my favorite Cuban Shop in town – heck the only 1 I think is closing this Sat – The Cuban Shop @ 8329 Michigan Rd in Indy – tell him the ole ballcoach sent you.
BIG GAMES ON TV
(American’s in parenthesis)
Thurs, apr 14– Europa League
12:45 pm Para+ Atalanta vs RB Leipzig (Adams)
3 pm Para + Barcelona vs Frankfurt (Chandler)
3 pm Paramount+ Lyonnais vs West Ham United
3 pm Para + Rangers (Carter Vickers) vs Sporting Braga
10 pm Para + OL Reign vs San Diego Wave NWSL
Fri, Apri 15
3 pm ESPN+ Real Sociadad vs Real Betis
3 pm Paramount+ Milan vs Genoa
3 pm ESPN+ Derby Cty vs Fulham (Ream, Jedi)
8 pm CBS SN KC vs Houston Dash NWSL
Sat, Apr 16
7:30 am USA Tottenham vs Brighton
9:30 am ESPN+ Dortmund vs Wolfsburg (Brooks)
10 am USA Man United vs Norwich (Stewart)
10 am CNBC Southampton vs Aresenal
10:30 am ESPN+ Man City (Steffan) vs Livepool FA Cup Semi
12:30 pm Para + Juventus vs Bologna
3:30 pm ESPN+, Univision San Jose vs Nashville SC MLS
7:30 pm My TV 23 Indy 11 vs Atlana United 2 @ the Mike
7:30 pm Para+ Racing Louisville vs Chicago Red Stars NWSL
10 pm FS 1 Seattle Sounders vs Inter Miami
Sun, Apr17
9 am USA Leicester City vs New Castle
11:30 am ESPN+ Chelsea (Pulisic) vs Crystal Palace FA Cup Semi
1:30 pm ESPN+ Leverkusen ( ) vs RB Leipzig (Adams)
2:$5 pm beIN Sport PSG vs Marsiele
3:30 pm ESPN+ Sevilla vs Real Madrid
4 pm ESPN LAFC vs Sporting KC
Tue Apr 19
2:45 pm ESPNU Hamburger vs Freiburg
3 pm USA Liverpool vs Man United
3 pm Para + Inter vs Milan (Coppa Italia)
Wed Apr 20
2:45 pm ESPNU RB Leipzig (Adams) vs Union Berlin German Cup
2:45 pm USA Chelsea (Pulisic) vs Arsenal
3 pm Para + Inter vs Milan (Coppa Italia)
US OPEN CUP = MLS vs USL
7 pm ESPN+ Orlando City vs Tampa Bay Rowdies
7:30 pm ESPN+ Louisville City vs St Louis City 2
7:30 pm ESON+ Atlanta United vs Chatanooga
8:30 pm ESPN+ San Antaonio (Jordan Farr) vs Austin FC
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One final note – my favorite Cuban Shop in town – heck the only 1 I think is closing this Sat – The Cuban Shop @ 8329 Michigan Rd in Indy – tell Jorge the ole ballcoach sent you.
The Premier League’s Super Bowl ends in a draw, and sets up 7 dramatic, do-or-die weeks
There was no confetti. No trophy. No commemorative caps, concerts or celebrities. In the end, at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, in the closest thing the English Premier League will ever have to a Super Bowl, there wasn’t even a winner.Liverpool and Manchester City played 90 exhilarating, enthralling minutes that threatened to tip a title race, but didn’t.They ended 2-2, with Diogo Jota and Sadio Mane canceling out first-half goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Gabriel Jesus. City’s lead atop the table held at one solitary point. A decisive moment, and a definitive conclusion, never arrived.And in a way, that left tens, perhaps hundreds of millions of fans worldwide feeling unfulfilled.
Super Bowls, after all, aren’t supposed to end without elation and devastation.Super Bowls aren’t supposed to end with Riyad Mahrez, in the final minute of stoppage time, staring down Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson, a legendary match at the mercy of his magical left foot, but sailing his chipped shot several feet over the crossbar.Super Bowls aren’t supposed to end with businesslike hugs and respectful applause — from both sets of supporters, in recognition of the spectacle they’d just witnessed.They aren’t supposed to end with the two head coaches, Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp, joking with one another on an empty pitch 30 minutes after the final whistle.But this Super Bowl, instead, will give way to the Premier League’s version of an NCAA tournament, a seven-game, month-and-a-half-long sprint that might as well be a single elimination tournament.There won’t be a singular title game. If City and Liverpool each win out, the Citizens will be champions once again. But there will be weekly drama and crippling pressure. There’ll be a knowledge, which will double as an intense fear, that any one moment, any one decision, any one mistake could win or lose the title.And nobody knows when, or what, it will be.”I would like to know it,” Guardiola said postgame when asked about the deciding factor. “But I don’t.”That, for months and decades, is what has made the Premier League special. It’s the double-round-robin gift that keeps on giving. It doesn’t always produce a Super Bowl, or even late-season drama. But it amplifies every weekend, every match, every minute. It has conditioned fans and media to treat every contest between title contenders like an NBA Finals game, even if it happens in November.This season, though, delivered the best of both worlds. Thirty rounds of potentially decisive, incessantly compelling soccer built toward one titanic clash. It matched the two clubs responsible for the four most prolific seasons in Premier League history. It pitted City, which had claimed 338 points since August 2018, against Liverpool and its 337 — 69 more than the next closest challenger. It featured Guardiola and Klopp, the sport’s two most worshipped coaches who, in 22 meetings, had drawn eight and won six each.It generated Super Bowl-like media attention and anticipation. And on Sunday afternoon, it didn’t disappoint.Fifty thousand standing fans greeted its arrival, and some never sat. Four minutes in, they teetered on tip-toes, waiting to explode, as Alisson sprung off his line to deny Raheem Sterling. But 30 seconds later, City ambushed Liverpool with a quick free kick. De Bruyne charged forward, and watched his deflected shot ping in off the post. City players pumped their fists feverishly. A blue smoke bomb flew onto the field. The Etihad erupted as if this might be the decisive moment.There were, though, 85 frantic minutes still to endure.Liverpool responded eight minutes later. Klopp celebrated wildly, as if relieved, perhaps influenced by an acute awareness that City had not blown a lead all season. And the game, thereafter, rarely relented. The 50,000 fans roared or groaned at every change of possession. Their nerves clenched at every foray forward, every loose defensive-third touch, every penalty-area ricochet. Their hearts skipped beats as City goalkeeper Ederson very nearly walked the ball into his own net.City seized the game, commanded the ball, and broke Liverpool’s high defensive line again and again. But the Reds, despite the impossible stress imposed on them, constantly threatened to snatch control against the run of play. Mo Salah strode forward, and fright rippled through the Etihad. Trent Alexander-Arnold went for goal from midfield. City’s defenders, like Liverpool’s, tread carefully in the penalty area, petrified by a potentially costly mistake.
City’s quality grabbed the lead again in the 36th minute, and seemed likely to push them four points clear at the top of the league. “We deserved to win,” De Bruyne would later say, and he was probably right. He was the catalyst, pumping audacious passes side to side and back to front. Phil Foden was fearless. Joao Cancelo was magnificent. Jesus was the best version of himself.
But 45 seconds after halftime, Salah and Mane combined with peerless precision, and equalized.The hosts pushed for a winner. Raheem Sterling scored, but a video review revealed that his shoulder was inches offside. Jesus beat Alisson again, but not the four Liverpool defenders who’d congregated on the goal line. Virgil van Dijk stood tall. Mahrez, with one of the game’s last kicks, nearly punctured Liverpool’s resistance, but shrunk in the spotlight.The Reds, whom Guardiola recently called a “pain in the ass,” rode out the storm, and when a referee’s whistle finally brought calm, there they were, still standing.“They are so annoying, honestly,” Guardiola later said with a smile.He was proud of his players. Klopp, though, was more satisfied with the result.
“I would’ve loved to win,” he told NBC Sports. “But I’m happy that we didn’t lose.”He compared Sunday to a boxing match. He knew, with a draw, that Liverpool had earned a few more.He’ll need help from inferior fighters. City, he knows, must drop points against Brighton, Wolves, Watford, Leeds, Newcastle, West Ham or Aston Villa if Liverpool are to stand a chance.But he knows his team will push the defending champs.“We [have] pushed each other on insane levels in the last few years,” Klopp said earlier this season.With both still standing after Sunday, they’ll continue to push, and push back, and they’ll eventually arrive at a conclusion that the biggest EPL match in eight years didn’t quite bring.
Man City, Liverpool keep Premier League race open, but point more useful to Guardiola than Klopp
3:45 PM ET Mark OgdenSenior Writer, ESPN FC
MANCHESTER, England — It was epic, frenetic and unpredictable until the end, when Riyad Mahrez had a chance not only to win the game, but almost certainly the Premier League title. Instead, the Manchester City substitute sent the ball high over the Liverpool crossbar and the 2-2 result means we are no nearer knowing which of England’s best two teams will be crowned champions.
What was certain, though, was that this had been a game with everything, including the intervention of VAR to correctly rule out Raheem Sterling‘s 63rd-minute goal for offside. By that stage, Liverpool had twice cancelled out a City lead to level the scores: Kevin De Bruyne and Gabriel Jesus netted for the hosts, with Diogo Jota and Sadio Mane getting the away side back on terms.
The upshot of 90 end-to-end minutes is that, with both teams having seven league games to play — there is also the not insignificant matter of next Saturday’s FA Cup semifinal head-to-head at Wembley (Stream live: 10:30 a.m. ET, ESPN+) — just one point separates the clubs that have dominated the Premier League for the past five years.”It was like a boxing fight,” Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said. “You have your arms down for a second and get a massive knock and you shake a little. It was a great game and a result which we have to live with and can live with.”City retain the advantage and their remaining fixtures suggest that Liverpool need a surprise result to go in their favour to claim top spot. Aside from visits to Wolves and West Ham, there is little to worry Pep Guardiola’s players between now and their season finale at home to Aston Villa, who are managed by Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard.Liverpool have a tougher run-in. They should make easy work of troubled rivals Manchester United and Everton at Anfield, but those fixtures are always charged with emotion and unpredictability; a home game against Tottenham on May 7 may also be hazardous, while Klopp’s men must also face Gerrard’s Villa.As each side showed in this game, their top level is at a different stratosphere to every other team in the division, so City’s success in avoiding defeat and keeping hold of top spot could ensure that this turns out to be the decisive day in the title race.But although both teams displayed their incredible quality, there were also rare glimpses of nerves and mistakes from the likes of Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk, City keeper Ederson, Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah and City’s Raheem Sterling. On an occasion when they had to be at their absolute best, perhaps it was no surprise that top performers suffered the odd wobble.Jota’s persistence almost forced Ederson to concede an embarrassing own goal in the first half and Van Dijk uncharacteristically chopped down De Bruyne in the second period with a cynical foul, which was worth the booking that followed, given it halted the City midfielder’s charge toward goal.Salah was in and out of proceedings, his best moment coming 40 seconds after half-time when he created Mane’s goal, while Sterling made too many bad decisions in key positions before he was replaced by Mahrez with a quarter-hour remaining.Elsewhere, there were plenty of outstanding performances to make the occasion so absorbing. For City, Joao Cancelo was unbeatable and unstoppable at left back as he owned his side of the pitch, while Aymeric Laporte also produced a number of crucial blocks at the back.
Liverpool’s Joel Matip was flawless in central defence, as was his goalkeeper Alisson Becker, who pulled off big saves on Sterling and Jesus as City poured forward in the early stages.But the big winner, on a day when the teams shared the points, was Guardiola, with the City manager getting everything right, from his starting line-up, to energetic high-press tactics and substitutions; replacing Sterling with Mahrez was a key decision that increased the threat in the closing stages.t has become a bone of contention that Guardiola is deemed to over-think tactics and selection in the biggest games. Although he is a serial winner, recent examples in the Champions League — last season’s final against Chelsea, when he started without a defensive midfield and striker, being one obvious occasion — have seen him allow the opposition to get into his head.Selecting Jesus from the start was another surprise here, but Guardiola was rewarded with a rare goal and incredible work rate from the Brazil international, whose energy lifted the crowd and his teammates around him.
The pace in City’s front line of Jesus, Sterling and Phil Foden gave Liverpool countless problems and it was not until the second half, following Mane’s goal, that Klopp’s side steadied themselves and pulled themselves back into the game.
Even then, City always carried the greater threat and looked the most likely winners, to the extent that a draw was a good result for Liverpool, on the day at least. However, it probably was not within the wider context, as captain Jordan Henderson admitted.
“We’ll have to wait and see,” the Liverpool captain said. “They don’t drop many points, we know that. We have to concentrate on ourselves and win as many games as possible. If they slip up we have to be there right behind them. We’ll keep going until the end. It’s not the end of the world, we are still in the race.”Henderson was a young Liverpool player when a slip did tilt the balance of a title race, so perhaps a subconscious reference to Gerrard’s mistake against Chelsea in 2014 serves as a reminder that anything can happen in the season’s closing stages.But City are on course to win their fourth title in five season and midfielder De Bruyne knows that his side simply have to maintain their form to lift the trophy on May 15. “Today we played very well; I think we had the upper hand,” De Bruyne said. “This is the way we need to play the rest of the season. I know people said whoever wins gets the title, but it’s too hard, the schedule is too tough for both teams to win every game, but we will try.”There are 21 points to play for. If either side fails to claim them all, they will end up in second place.
Three things we learned from the Premier League
, April 10, 2022, 3:29 PM
The Premier League title race is on a knife-edge after Manchester City retained pole position with a pulsating 2-2 draw against their closest challengers Liverpool.Antonio Conte’s Tottenham revolution gathered pace with a 4-0 rout of Aston Villa that boosted their top four bid, while Leeds should be safe after an impressive win at Watford.AFP Sport looks at three things we learned from the Premier League this weekend:Prize fighters can’t land knockout blow. Manchester City and Liverpool traded blows throughout an enthralling clash between the Premier League heavyweights, but neither could land the knockout punch that would have put them on course to clinch the title.- ADVERTISEMENT -Leaders City sit one point clear of second-placed Liverpool after goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Gabriel Jesus were cancelled out by Diogo Jota and Sadio Mane.It was the kind of high-quality contest that underlined why both sides can stake a claim to being the world’s best.Liverpool could cement that argument if they can pip City to the title, but Reds boss Jurgen Klopp knows the reigning champions will be tough to catch.
“It was an exceptional game of football. Two heavy-weights, chomping at each other. It’s crazy the intensity. A completely different level,” Klopp said.”Both arms down for a second and you get a massive knock. Now we have to be as close to perfection to win seven Premier League games. Insane!”Guardiola agreed with Klopp’s assessment that only perfection will be enough to take the title, and he admitted it was frustrating not to kill off their rivals.”He likes his punching games! No regrets, but I had the feeling that with this result we missed an opportunity, a feeling we leave them alive,” Guardiola said.Conte warms to task at SpursIt has been a curious season for Tottenham, who topped the Premier League table in late August before results nosedived and they parted ways with manager Nuno Espirito Santo.Antonio Conte, who arrived in November, often appeared grumpy in the early weeks of his reign, making no secret about his dissatisfaction with the club’s transfer policy.But now the former Chelsea and Inter Milan boss is re-energised and senses “blood” after Spurs beat Aston Villa 4-0 to close in on a Champions League place next season.
Tottenham have won six out of their past seven league games at a time when Arsenal and Manchester United have stumbled, with both losing on Saturday.Spurs boast more firepower than their main rivals, with Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and January signing Dejan Kulusevski dovetailing to devastating effect in recent weeks.Tottenham — three points clear of Arsenal and six ahead of United — are now favourites to return to Europe’s elite club competition for the first time since they 2019/20 season.”We had to show in this moment that you start to feel the blood of your opponent and it is important to not fail,” said Conte.”For this reason we are working a lot on the mentality. The players are giving me great satisfaction in many aspects.”Leeds pull away from dangerThe decision of the Leeds hierarchy to dispense with the services of much-loved manager Marcelo Bielsa was not a popular one, but their move now looks canny.Leeds, in their second season back in the Premier League, were just two points above the relegation when the Argentine was sacked in late February.There was not an immediate bounce under US coach Jesse Marsch but three wins in four games have lifted the club nine points above danger and they are nearing safety.Supporters sang Marsch’s name during Saturday’s 3-0 win at Watford, which included goals from Raphinha, Rodrigo and Jack Harrison.”So much of my emphasis is on the team and us as a group and what we’re about and how we’re going to achieve things together and any time that it draws attention to me, I don’t necessarily like it,” Marsch said.
When Man City met Atletico, Pep Guardiola and Diego Simeone did what they do best
Apr 6, 2022 Gabriele MarcottiSenior Writer, ESPN FC
Pep Guardiola bristled twice at long-held cliches on Monday during Manchester City‘s news conference ahead of Tuesday night’s Champions League first-leg quarterfinal clash with Atletico Madrid. For a start, he got sarcastic when the familiar “overthinking in big games” accusation was launched in his direction: “In the Champions League, I always overthink … I always create new tactics and ideas, and tomorrow you will see a new one … we will play with 12 men.”Then, he became dismissive when asked about another tired theme: the contrast in style between himself and Diego Simeone, the Atletico boss, whose teams get typecast as defensive, unscrupulous and on the ethical edge of sports.”There is a misconception, wrong, about the way [Simeone] plays,” he said. “It’s more offensive than people believe … I’m not going to talk one second about this stupid debate. Everyone tries to win the game. If they win, they are right. If we win, we are right.”Guardiola, of course, is correct on both counts. The “overthinking” charge doesn’t come out of thin air — his critics will bring up dropping Yaya Toure against Monaco in 2016-17, deploying Aymeric Laporte at left-back against Liverpool in 2017-18, leaving out Kevin De Bruyne against Spurs in 2018-19, switching to a back three with two holding midfielders against Lyon in 2019-20 and even going without a defensive midfielder in last year’s final against Chelsea — but you also need to view it in context. He doesn’t do it because he’s on some tactical ego trip; he does it to gain an edge, often against weaker opponents who spent the buildup to the game studying every facet of City and how to neutralise them.When it works — like turning Oleksandr Zinchenko from a No.10 into a left-back, flipping Bernardo Silva from a winger to a midfielder (and sometimes even a striker) or showing the world he can win the Premier League without a recognized “traditional” center-forward — we don’t accuse him of overthinking, do we?Equally, the depiction of Atletico as purely defensive, grind-it-out, win-ugly-by-any-means-necessary is also somewhat tired. Anyone who has watched LaLiga over the past year or so will have seen Simeone try to wean Atleti off his “Cholista” roots in an effort to play more proactive, attacking football. He has tinkered and experimented to get the balance right; it hasn’t always worked, and at times they’ve reverted to type, but StatsBomb data has them in the top five in terms of shots and non-penalty xG and their disciplinary record is mid-table.The days when this side was defined by a Diego Godin snarl, a Diego Costa elbow and a Raul Garcia header are long gone as you’d expect from a team that has Joao Felix up front.
And yet here’s the thing about cliches: Often they contain more than a kernel of truth. Tuesday night’s game at the Etihad saw two managers who played up to their stereotype, as if they were professional wrestlers determined to stick to an accessible, easy-to-understand kayfabe.Guardiola overthinking? It’s not so much that with Joao Cancelo forced to play on the right due to Kyle Walker‘s suspension, he opted for Nathan Ake — more of a center-back throughout his career — at left-back instead of Zinchenko, City’s first choice over the past few seasons. That may have been down to the fact that Zinchenko, who was on the bench, had not started a game in nearly a month and, understandably, may be weighed down by the horrors unfolding in his native Ukraine.
It was more the choice of leaving Phil Foden on the bench, moving Bernardo Silva up front and sticking Ilkay Gundogan in midfield. Not something you expect at home from a side that sits deep and leaves you possession like Atletico. But where the blueprint was followed religiously, and the cliches confirmed convincingly, was in how the game unfolded and each manager lived up to the stereotype.Simeone’s side sat deep in a 5-3-2 formation with five defenders, three holding midfielders and two counterattacking forwards who spent much of the game as auxiliary fullbacks. They failed to make a single attempt at goal throughout the game. Guardiola’s men enjoyed 71% possession, and while they ended up with 15 shots, most were speculative hit-and-hopers and just two were on target, which is why Jan Oblak had to make just one save. It wasn’t a particularly dirty match, but right at the end, Atleti seemed to want to live up to their “cartoon villain” image: Rodrigo De Paul and Matheus Cunha clashed with Ederson, while Sime Vrsaljko smacked a ball off a prone Jack Grealish and later fondled his headband.
All of which is somewhat ironic, but fundaentally not unexpected.Teams play to their strengths. City’s are passing, movement and winning the ball back quickly after losing it (something they didn’t do often because they rarely lost the ball). Atletico’s — much as they’d like to become a bit more multifaceted — are ultimately stout defending and organization. Both were really effective at what they do, and what we got was immovable object besting unstoppable force for most of the game. Or offense vs. defense, as most had predicted.When this happens, there are three ways to break the stalemate: a defensive error, a refereeing mistake or some unscripted individual brilliance. In the end, it was the latter that turned the game, thanks to Phil Foden, who came on as a sub and conjured up that assist for De Bruyne.It’s knockout football. You expect teams to play their strengths, which is exactly what Simeone and Guardiola did. And when they adopt diametrically opposed game plans and are (mostly) flawless, this is what you get: a stalemate decided in the blink of an eye.Sometimes it’s OK to be exactly what others think you are. Sometimes it’s OK to be yourself.
USWNT 9-1 Uzbekistan: The Americans put on a Goal Scoring Feast
The USWNT faced off against Uzbekistan in Columbus, Ohio, and walked away with a stunning 9-1 win, featuring a hat-trick from Sophia Smith.
In the opening minutes, Sophia Smith got in a cross into the six-yard box, but her cross was cleared away. After that, the USWNT got a set of corners, the second of which led to a header from Rose Lavelle that went off the crossbar, with Alana Cook’s attempt to clean the play up also going off the post. A few minutes later, Lindsey Horan latched onto a cutback from the left in a dangerous spot in the box, but her attempt was blocked. After that, the US only managed a few half chances for a period, but the Uzbeks did well to keep an organized defense and stifle the attack. The most dangerous chances came from Mallory Pugh. Pugh has once chance when she drifted inside and latched onto a good through ball from midfield, but the Uzbeki goalkeeper, Laylo Tilovova, did well to come out and smother the chance right at Pugh’s feet. And then, again, a chance for Pugh. This one started when Kelley O’Hara released Smith on the right, only for the right back to be cut down. The ref played advantage, allowing for a cross to be whipped in by Smith towards Pugh in the box, who just couldn’t latch onto it for the finish.Finally, the deadlock was broken in the 26th minute.Macario swung a corner in, which goes all the way to the backpost. Horan got the first header, and then Cook got a second before Andi Sullivan finally nodded it in. And from there, the goals came flooding in. Immediately off the restart, the USWNT recovered possession and Lavelle played in Pugh, who calmly slotted home the team’s second goal.Then, in the 33rd, Smith cleaned up a cross from Pugh that whizzed across goal past Lavelle. 3-0 For the fourth, Sullivan got on the end of a Uzbeki goal kick and plays in a one-time through ball to Smith, who’s in behind on the left. She scored her second with a clean finish.The USWNT got a few more chances, but that 4-0 scoreline held on until the half. But not by much. The announcer had scarcely announced the substitutions of Horan and Sullivan for Sam Mewis and Jaelin Howell before Macario rounded the goalkeeper for a 5th goal. The Sixth goal game after a long pass from Kristie Mewis found Mallory Pugh. Pugh crossed it over to give Sophia Smith a tap in, completing her hat-trick. The hat-trick hero came off in the 61st, along with Macario, replaced by Ashley Hatch and Midge Purce. Then, in the 64th, Jaelin Howell scored her first ever goal for the national team off of a side-footed volley. 7-0.Following substitutions for Emily Fox and Rose Lavelle for Sofia Huerta and Ashley Sanchez, respectively, the USWNT’s play fell into a little bit of a lull. Most notably, the USWNT switched off for a moment and allowed Uzbekistan to grab a goal off a corner through Aziza Norboeva in the 70th minute. Despite the more muddled play, there were still a few chances, and, of course, a few more goals. Once again, Pugh was able to find a few chances, but couldn’t quite finish. She ran the length of the field with in the 75th minute, but, when she got her shot off, the goalkeeper tipped it up over the crossbar. And then Pugh couldn’t turn a cross into a wide open goal just after the 80th minute mark.Finally, the USWNT got back on the scoresheet as Ashley Hatch made it 8 in the 86th minute, putting the ball into the net after the Uzbek goalkeeper made a mistake and missed an in-swinging ball. Then, Ashley Sanchez sealed the game off with a curling shot in the 89th, her first international goal. And that’s how the game ended, 9-1.Sophia Smith will, of course, get a lot of attention for the hat-trick, and deservedly so. But Mallory Pugh also particularly deserves attention for her trio of assists. All told, it was an excellent night for the USWNT.
Sounders impress in huge win, Chelsea & Pulisic outplayed, Ream nears another promotion, & more
it was a busy week in American soccer with a pair of Americans leading an impressive Seattle Sounders team, Pulisic and Chelsea getting outplayed by Real Madrid, Tim Ream on the cusp of anther promotion, and much more. ASN’s Brian Sciaretta breaks down the week’s top stories with his thoughts and analysis.
BY BRIAN SCIARETTA APRIL 07, 20224:25 PM
IT WAS A BUSY WEEK for American soccer with a bunch of important games taking place – both domestically and abroad. The UEFA Champions League saw the best American player in action while arguably two of the biggest American teams squared off in the CONCACAF Champions. Elsewhere, there was a lot at stake in Europe’s domestic leagues.Here are some thoughts on the games as well as the top news stories
SEATTLE TOPS NYCFC IN LEG 1
The Seattle Sounders have found themselves to be in great shape in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions League after defeating New York City 3-1 at home in the first leg. With away goals still serving as the tie breaker, New York City still has a chance but has a huge uphill climb returning to its “home” leg at Red Bull Arena.This game was wild in the first half as both teams came out firing. Seattle struck first in the 16th minute on a wonderful team goal that was finished by Albert Rusnak. Both Roldan brothers were involved in the build-up and it was Christian who played the ball into the box for Jordan Morris. Morris then displayed a lot of skill controlling the ball before playing Rusnak into a dangerous spot for a first-time finish. After an NYCFC equalizer, Seattle regained the lead thanks to a very well-taken goal from Jordan Morris after Christian Roldan got on the end of a long throw in and centered the ball to Morris who buried te shot.In the 68th minute Seattle gained a 3-1 lead after VAR awarded penalty after Thiago Martins was judged to have fouled Raul Ruidiaz. Nicholas Lodeiro then stepped up to easily convert the penalty.“My overall impression, right now, was that was an entertaining soccer game,” Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer said. “I hope our fans enjoyed that. I did. I enjoyed that. I hope the TV audience that tuned in enjoyed that. I thought it was a good game.”In the end, Seattle walked off with a commanding 3-1 lead returning to the second leg.Here are some thoughts.
MORRIS AND ROLDAN
Jordan Morris and Cristian Roldan both had extremely impressive performances. Thus far, Roldan has a strong case for being the player of the CCL tournament.For Morris, the performance was even more significant because this was, by far, the best he has looked since his return from the 2021 ACL injury. The form Morris had in 2019 and 2020 put him among the best Designated Players in the entire league. He was rusty in his return starting last November but this was as close to his previous form as he has ever been. If he is back it is great news for the Sounders.Obviously both players are in the mix for the national team. Roldan is largely a late sub off the bench who can fill a number of different positions for Gregg Berhalter. He works extremely hard and knows his role. Morris had fallen behind in the pecking order but if he can build off this outing, he can get back into an important position – particularly if players like Brenden Aaronson or Gio Reyna start to adopt more midfield roles.
SEATTLE’S TOP PLAYERS DELIVERED
In addition to Morris and Roldan, this was the first time Seattle had all of its front six playing and in form. The results were impressive. With Rusnak finally scoring for Seattle, Nico Lodeiro running the midfield with Joao Paulo and Rusnak and Raul Ruidiaz back up top, it was lethal. The quality of the goals and opportunities was something that other teams are going to have a tough time matching.”Every one of us gave it all today. I think there wasn’t a player that didn’t have a great performance,” Albert Rusnak said. “That’s what it takes in these kinds of games. We played against a good team, and we managed to win by two goals. We’re halfway there, but we’re expecting another tough game next week on Wednesday.”Seattle was shaky defensively at times in this game. That was to be expected with central defender Yeimar Gómez (injured) and left back Nouhou (suspended). When those players are back, Seattle should be in great shape.
2ND LEG THOUGHTS
The second leg is going to be very difficult for NYCFC. Yes, they have an away goal, but they are going to have to push forward for goals. In doing that, it is going to be very hard to keep Seattle off the board. With Seattle’s defense getting upgrades for the second leg, it will make the task that much harder.NYCFC really hasn’t played well this season and their Champions League run hasn’t been nearly as demanding as the other three teams. It is going to be a tall task to reverse all of that against a Seattle team that is desperate to go to the Final and win it.
PULISIC STARTS IN CHELSEA LOSS
The greatest moment in Christian Pulisic’s career came last year in the Champions League semifinal against Real Madrid when he was arguably the best player over both legs as Chelsea advanced to the final against Manchester City – which it won.In 2022, Chelsea was set to face Real Madrid in the quarterfinal of the Champions League. The first leg was on Wednesday and Chelsea did not fare nearly as well. Playing home at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea dropped a 3-1 decision with Karim Benzema notching a hat trick. Chelsea was poor and at times careless – like on Real Madrid’s third goal when goalkeeper Edouard Mendy gave the ball away.Pulisic started and played 64 minutes. He wasn’t poor but rarely got the ball in dangerous positions. Chelsea opted to attack mostly down the right side opposite to Pulisic.When Thomas Tuchel was asked afterward if Chelsea was still alive in this tie, he responded: “No, not at the moment. No.”Chelsea was outclassed on the day. Karim Benzema might be the best player in the world at the moment while Chelsea continued to struggle getting offensive production from Romelu Lukaku – a player the club spent $100 million to acquire.Pulisic has played a lot for Chelsea in 2022 and has had a good couple of months. But things can change quickly at the elite levels of this game and Real Madrid is just better in 2022.
REAM & FULHAM NEAR PROMOTION
It’s a foregone conclusion that Fulham will secure promotion to the Premier League but it should become a reality very soon. Wednesday 1-0 win on the road against Middlesbrough now has the team six points away. Any combination of either points won by Fulham or lost by Nottingham Forest will see Fulham clinch.The win was a familiar formula. Aleksandar Mitrovic scored again – his 38th goal of the season – and the team played smart defense. The latter part was led by Tim Ream, who was excellent. USMNT left back Antonee Robinson played the final eight minutes to help see out the win.Ream may never stand out in the Premier League, but when you consider price paid by the owners of top Championship clubs to buy players push for promotion and then you consider Ream is a proven star defender in promotional efforts in the league, it makes you realize just how valuable he is. From a financial standpoint, he is a player who can be key to promotion to the Premier League.
PEPI SUBS INTO BIG AUGSBURG WIN
On Wednesday, with Augsburg up 2-1 on Mainz in an important match in the Bundesliga relegation race, Ricardo Pepi subbed into the game in the 71st minute to help Augsburg see out the win. He had just seven touches and completed just one pass. Augsburg won for the second consecutive game and is now six points clear of relegation and its prognosis to survive in the league this season is excellent.Pepi has not scored in six months for either FC Dallas, the United States national team, or Augsburg. Last weekend he played well in the win over Wolfsburg despite not scoring. The good news for him is that the team’s improved standing should take the pressure off him and the rest of the team. It bodes well for him getting more playing time but he does need to take advantage, sooner than later, to change the narrative of his recent expensive transfer.
HORVATH ON THE BENCH
After starting five games for Nottingham Forest where he played well, Ethan Horvath has been back on the bench for the club’s first two games after the international window. The first wasn’t surprising as Horvath was only just returning from time away with the U.S. team. But Horvath on the bench for Wednesday’s 2-0 win over Coventry City was surprising.The way to read this is that Forest manager Steve Cooper simply does not see a lot separating Brice Samba and Horvath as the team’s top keepers. He doesn’t want to make a change after one of the keepers has a solid effort and a win.To be fair, Samba has also played well. He made saves in the 4-1 away win over Blackpool on Saturday and then was solid again in the win over Coventry. It seems unlikely Cooper will make a change for the game against Birmingham City.It’s tough for Horvath right now because he has done enough to start but leaving for the U.S. team seems to have opened the door for Samba – who has taken advantage. But the real question will be who starts for Forest in the promotional playoffs, if they qualify.
DE LA FUENTE INJURED
Konrad de la Fuente season is likely over as it was announced that he will have to undergo arthroscopic knee surgery to repair cartilage.It was a mixed season for de la Fuente who made 16 Ligue 1 appearances for 786 minutes (he also made one appearance for 56 minutes in the Coupe de France and six appearance in the Europa/Conference league for 230 minutes). His only goal or assist was a goal in the Conference League against Qarabag.De la Fuente’s best performances were towards the beginning of the season and his minutes declined as the season progressed. Last month there was a French report that questioned his work ethic.The questions over his professionalism are a huge concern since he is still so unproven and should be completely focused on improving and securing his role on the team. He has the skill on the ball, but next year will need to see that translate into more offensive production.Once De la Fuente returns from his injury, he is going to have to have a big preseason and show a high level of dedication.
Pinho Braces Powers Indy Eleven to First Win of 2022, Mark Lowry Era in Indy
EDINBURG, Texas (Saturday, April 9, 2022) – Indy Eleven capped a gritty away performance with a late game brace by forward Stefano Pinho before holding on to capture its first win of the 2022 season – and the first victory for head coach Mark Lowry on the Eleven sideline – via a 2-1 triumph at Rio Grande Valley FC. The win at H-E-B Park allows Indy Eleven to carry a three-game undefeated streak back to the Circle City, where it will play five of its next six contests through the end of May.The first half was an overly physical affair marked mostly by fouls and stingy play in the middle third. The best early chance for either side came in the 17th minute when Eleven goalkeeper Elliot Panicco came up with an impressive low save on Isidro Martinez’s 20-yard blast. Indy managed to get into the game via some dangerous crosses over the final 15 minutes of the half, but good looks by Alex McQueen and Jared Timer were handled by RGV before they could find a teammate. Martinez and Eleven midfielder Justin Ingram both wound up from distance during the lone minute of stoppage time, but neither found frame and the match went to halftime as it started at 0-0.While Rio Grande Valley again held the bulk of the possession out of the locker rooms, all it really had to show for it was Frank Lopez’s effort from the top of the arc in the 56th minute that Panicco did well to parry over his crossbar. Indiana’s Team continued to find more of the ball as the half progressed, and the chances were soon to come, starting with Pinho’s opener in the 69th minute. The Brazilian did well to place defender Mechack Jerome’s ball from near the midfield stripe into the top of the area with his first touch before calmly finishing from near the penalty spot with his second to give Indy the advantage heading into the final 20 minutes.But Pinho wasn’t done, as he’d bag his third in as many games in the 78th minute on another play started by Jerome, this time with a timely tackle at midfield. Ingram collected and played quickly to substitute striker Aris Briggs, whose inch perfect through ball split two defenders and found Pinho at the top of the area, where he rounded onrushing RGV netminder Colin Miller and finished into the vacated goal to push the Eleven lead to 2-0.The FC Toros pressure on the final third mounted in the following minutes, and Indy could only hold the fort for so long. Lopez adjusted well to first-time Robert Coronado’s cross to the top of the six, his finish cutting the deficit in half in the 83rd minute to set up a nervy finish. A last gasp attempt at an RGV equalizer came in the final of four minutes of stoppage time via a free kick just outside the Indy penalty area, but the leaping four-man wall did it just, allowing the Eleven to secure its first victory of the Mark Lowry Era.Indiana’s Team returns home next Saturday, April 16, when it welcomes Atlanta United 2 for a 7:00 p.m. ET kick that can be followed on MyINDY-TV 23, Exitos Radio 94.3 FM/943exitos.com, and ESPN+. Tickets for all Indy Eleven regular season contests at IUPUI Carroll Stadium are available starting at just $15 and can be purchased online at indyeleven.com/tickets.
Match Notes:
Indy Eleven has now gone 21 consecutive league matches without a loss when scoring the game’s first goal, a stretch that dates back to July 2020.Defender/midfielder Noah Powder made his 100th appearance in USL Championship action at the opening whistle. The New Jersey native and Trinidad & Tobago international has appeared in four of Indy Eleven’s first five league matches, which combined with his 47 matches with Real Monarchs SLC and 49 with NY Red Bulls II add him to the USLC’s “Century Club”.Speaking of the Century Club, midfielder Ayoze made his 102nd appearance in an Eleven uniform – and first of 2022 – when he entered in the 86th minute. The Spaniard had been nursing a lower leg injury since the back half of preseason in February.Another member of Indiana’s Team, 2021 leading scorer Manuel Arteaga, also made his first appearance in 2022, coming on as a late-game cameo in the final minute of stoppage time. The Venezuelan forward bagged 10 goals to pace the squad in his first season in Indy last year but had been sidelined after suffering a knee injury in a preseason game in February.
Sorry folks – busy at the Masters this week – late coverage coming for Champ League tomorrow online.
Champions League Elite 8 Tues/Wed
Wed gives us Man City and Atletico on CBS along with Liverpool hosting Benefica at 3 pm on Para+, while Chelsea and Pulisic will travel to Real Madrid on Tues at 3 pm on CBS along with Villarreal going to Bayern Munich. Must watch TV – I assume at least 1 game per day will be on CBS.
Across Europe, USMNT players in action look to make a push out of relegation zones
Saturday
Wolfsburg v Arminia Bielefeld – 9:30a on ESPN+
Currently sitting in the relegation playoff position, tied on points with 17th place Hertha Berlin and one point back of Stuttgart and safety, George Bello and Arminia Bielefeld will face John Brooks and a Wolfsburg side that are themselves just five points out of relegation. It’s been a rough season for Bielefeld who narrowly avoided relegation last year as well. The drop has been more precipitous for Wolfsburg who entered the season as one of the Bundesliga’s Champions League representatives and now are struggling to finish above the relegation fray. This season will be John Brooks’ final run with the club, but Kevin Paredes will be with the team next year if that impacts your rooting decisions for this one.
Broadcast matches:
Christian Pulisic and Chelsea FC look to bounce back from their midweek loss to Real Madrid in Champions League play when they face Southampton at 10a on USA Network. Chelsea also lost last weekend 4-1 to Brentford and need to avoid additional mistakes if they are going to hold of Tottenham and Arsenal FC for Champions League qualification.
Orlando City SC and the Chicago Fire face off at 1p on Univision and Twitter. Gaga Slonina will be in next for the Fire and has an outside shot at making the 2022 World Cup roster.
Inter Miami and DeAndre Yedlin face the New England Revolution and Matt Turner, who remains questionable due to injury. This match will kick off at 3p on ESPN.
The latest battle for LA kicks off at 7:30p on Fox with Kellyn Acosta and LAFC taking on the LA Galaxy.
Streaming overseas:
Ricardo Pepi and Augsburg have won four straight matches and now sit in 13th place, six points out of relegation. Things will be quite a bit tougher this weekend as they face Bayern Munich at 9:30a on ESPN+.
Julian Green, Timothy Tillman and Greuther Fürth face Joe Scally and Borussia Mönchengladbach at 9:30a on ESPN+. Fürth are all but mathematically relegated ,while ‘Gladbach currently sit in 12th place.
Jesse Marsch and Leeds United continue their push for safety when they face Watford at 10a on Peacock. Leeds have a six point lead over Burnley for 18th (and relegation), but Burnley and Everton both have two games in hand. Watford currently trail Everton by three points.
MLS matchups (all on ESPN+):
The New York Red Bulls and Caden Clark face Djordje Mihailovic and Montreal at 4p.
New York City FC and DC United kick off at 5p. NYCFC has a handful of fringe and former-fringe USMNT players, while DC United has a couple younger guys to keep an eye on for the future along with goalkeeper Bill Hamid.
Norwich City and Burnley kick things off Sunday morning in a relegation match that is probably one of the last chances you’ll have to catch Josh Sargent in the EPL for the next year and a half. Norwich sit bottom of the table with just 18 points and seven points out of safety with 8 matches to play, so relegation seems like a formality at this point. Perhaps this weekend’s match against Burnley will be an opportunity to see how Sargent will fare against Championship sides. Burnley are in 18th and also currently sit in the relegation zone. They are just one point back of Everton and, as was mentioned previously, they have two games in hand compared to Leeds, who they trail by five points. Burnley come into this one with quite a bit to play for, as a loss to Norwich would be devastating. This has all the makings of an ugly match. Enjoy!
Broadcast matches:
Charlotte FC take on Miles Robinson and Atlanta United 1:30p on ABC in what is already the second match between the two clubs just six games into the season. Atlanta won the first match just a month ago.
Austin FC take on Minnesota United at 7:30p on FS1 in the weekend finale.
Streaming Overseas:
Matt Miazga and Deportivo Alaves take on Osasuna at 8a on ESPN+. Miazga has not made it off the bench in the last five matches for the relegation bound Alaves side.
Eric Palmer-Brown and Troyes face Monaco at 9a on beIN Sports.
Timothy Weah’s Lille side take on Angers at 9a on beIN Sports as well. Weah missed last weekend’s draw with Bordeaux due to a suspension from a ridiculous red card he was shown.
Gianluca Busio, Tanner Tessmann, and Venezia are three points back of safety as they go to face Udinese at 9a on Paramount+.
Timothy Chandler and Eintracht Frankfurt face Freiburg at 11:30a on ESPN+.
Tyler Adams has missed RB Leipzig’s past two matches, but has returned to the squad ahead of the matchup with Chris Richards and Hoffenheim at 1:30p on ESPN+. Leipzig have made a push back into the Champions League qualifying positions and lead Freiburg by three points and Hoffenheim by four.
Sergiño Dest did not travel with FC Barcelona for the Europa League matchup with Eintracht Frankfurt. The club now face Levante at 3p on ESPN+.
Indy 11 Host Home Opener Sat Night 7 pm at the Mike
The Indy 11 finally arrive home after 3 straight on the road and a 0-1-2 mark to start the season. New GK Elliot Paniccomade GK of the Week in the USL as he helped the Indy 11 take a 1-1 tie at Louisville last weekend (hi-lights). The 11 will kickoff their home opener at 7 pm Saturday night vs LA Galaxy II visit
the Mike. Visit indyeleven.com/tickets to get single game tickets for as low as $16 plus fees. Word on the Street is they are close to a sell-out so make those plans early to attend!! Arrive early as the tailgating area – including the BYB will start 3 hours before gametime. Also of note Tuesday night the Indy 11 will host St. Louis in US Open Cup play at 7:30 pm at the Mike. The Boys in Blue will need a good crowd on hand to pull them thru – so make plans today.
US Qualifies for World Cup will Face England and Iran in Group B Play
So the US got a decent draw for the World Cup in Qatar in late Nov/Dec with matches against top 10 England (overated) and Iran along with the winner of the European Playoff probably Wales or Ukraine. While this is the not the group of death – if Wales or Ukraine advance – the aggregate rankings will have our group as the most difficult draw. Stll I gotta love the chance to play “mighty” England, while looking for payback for our 1998 2-1 loss to Iran. Games will be at 2 pm – ET – which is cool. I’ll have much more next week in the OBC.
The 0-2 loss at Costa Rica
So it wasn’t pretty – losing to a Costa Rica team that NEVER loses at home – especially with World Class GK Keylor Navas between the pipes. Like I said last week before Mexico – we had to a get a point at Mexico –because we could never beat a healthy Navas at home in Costa Rica – and wha la. Now I” will admit I foolishly bought in and predicted here the US would find a way to win it 2-1 – but when Navas saves 6 shots just in the first half and 9 overall – well – fat chance finding a way to beat a great goalkeeper – especially when the US has a pretty lousy one. On one side Navas was a god defending his net with grace – on the other the US had a clearly rusty and lackadaisical Zack Steffan who sucked big-time. Hi GK has been questionable in all 3 games – and this time his stellar defense couldn’t cover up his glaring mistakes. Sorry but I for one will be praying for Matt Turner to get healthy and get back in net for the US – his shot stopping ability is simply LIGHT YEARS in front of Steffan right now. We’ll see if Steffan demands a loan from Man City to get more playing time – but its obvious the bench at Man City is only making Steffan worse. I think Horvath and Matt Turner are better shotstoppers and I could honestly give a dang if my keeper has midfielder skills with his feet – if he can’t make a dang save with his hands or command his box on high balls and corners. Time will tell – but I wouldn’t stake my job on Steffan right now unfortunately.
Berhalter Was Spot On Again
I laugh at the people calling for Berhalter’s head – all he has done is take the youngest US team in history and one of the youngest in the world – and found a way to get us qualified despite never once having his best 4 players on the field at the same time due to injuries. He has introduced tons of young players and found the likes of Brendan Aaronson, Musah, De La Torre, Busio, Pepi, Ferriera and more as he just finds a way to plug guys in and still make it all work – no matter who is out injured – he finds a way to balance the roster and get the result needed. His true judgement will come in the World Cup this Nov/Dec but lets give credit where it is due – he’s he got us back in the World Cup with the youngest, most talented team the US has ever seen – he has turned us from a defensive – hold on for dear life counter attack team – to a possession based – dominate team. Again we’ll find out more in the World Cup but for now – Berhalter has succeeded (Lallas video). Had a great time with the American Outlaws Indy at Union Jack’s Sports bar in Broadripple. The power went off in the 2nd half – but we had our cell phones and we stuck together to watch it out. At the end we celebrated with a toast to our young World Cup going team !!
Champions League Elite 8 Tues/Wed
Tues gives us Man City and Atletico along with Liverpool traveling to Benefica at 3 pm on Para+, while Chelsea and Pulisic will host Real Madrid on Wed at 3 pm along with Villarreal hosting Bayern Munich. Must watch TV – I assume at least 1 game per day will be on CBSSN.
BIG GAMES ON TV
(American’s in parenthesis)
Sat, Apr 2
10 am USA Chelsea (Pulisic) vs Brentford
10 am CNBC Wolverhampton vs Aston Villa
10 am Peacock Leeds United vs Southampton
12:30 pm Peacock Man United vvs Leicester City
12:30 pm ESPN+ Dortmund (Reyna) vs RB Leipzig (Adams)
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US Qualifies for World Cup with W, Tie or 5 goal loss to Costa Rica Wed Night at 9 pm on CBSSN
Ok so 4 years after the debacle in Cuovo (Trinidad & Tobago) the legendary loss that knocked the US men out of the World Cup for the first time in 28 Years, the US Men have all but qualified for this Winter’s World Cup in Qatar. Pulisic claimed his first ever Hat Trick for the US team with 2 Pks and this spectacular goal. The US crowd in Orlando – unbelievable – as the atmosphere was like the American Outlaws Section all over the stadium. (Game Hi-Lites ). My 3 buddies at the game all said it was the BEST Atmosphere they have ever seen for a soccer game in the US. The Bottom line is the US is in the World Cup this winter – if we don’t lose to Costa Rica Wednesday night 9 pm on CBS Sports Network & Paramount plus -by more than 5 goals. It would take a 6 goal loss to a Costa Rica team that is likely to be resting at least 7 of their starters and 9 overall now on yellow cards. The stupidest rule in all of sports -yellow card accumulation- (across 10 Qualifying games plus any playoff) means that since Costa Rica would need a major miracle (a 6 goal win over the US Wednesday night at home) that Costa Rica will most probably rest all of their starters who have 1 yellow card to make sure they don’t miss the 1 game playoff in June vs New Zealand (probably) to a trip to Qatar. To expect a player – especially a Dmid or Defender to only get 1 yellow card in 10 friggin games is ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS! It cost us Weah and Yedlin this past game – and almost cost us Adams the past 2 games. Its the dumbest rule in all of sports – imagine suspending LaBron because he got 1 yellow card (flop foul) in game 2 of the playoffs and again in game 6 of the conference finals and having him miss Game 1 of the NBA Finals – that’s what soccer does and IT’S THE DUMBEST RULE IN ALL OF SPORTS!!
Shane’s Starting Roster for Costa Rica Wed
Pulisic //Pfok//Weah
Musah//Reyna
Adams
Jedi Robinson//Robinson//Zimmerman//Yedlin
Steffan (should be Horvath)
I truly think Berhalter needs to see his best players on the field – if only for a half vs Costa Rica. We still haven’t seen Pulisic, Reyna, & Weah on the field at the same time. I would even consider putting Weah at the 9 slot – and putting Reyna on the right wing and adding De La Torre beside Musah just to see what that would look like (imagine when we add McKinney in the summer for De La Torre and Dest on the right back) – we have never seen our best players on the field at the same time since Berhalter became coach – mainly because of injuries. Wow – we could really be good come World Cup time. Wait – that’s right – we have to not lose by 6 goals Wed – before we can say World Cup. I actually think Berhalter will put out a first team squad on Wed night – and we will find a way to actually win a game in Costa Rica for the first time EVER !! We have tied before but never won in Costa Rica – I see the US winning 2-1 Wed night !! Go USA !!
ATMOSPHERE WAS ELECTRIC
Wow Orlando – what a magical night in the Mickey City – as the ENTIRE Stadium looked like an American’s Outlaw’s Section – the ENTIRE GAME. They stood and jumped and screamed and sang – and JUST WOW !! Well Done Orlando !! I had 2 buddies there who said it was the BEST Soccer Game they have ever been to. Just Awesome !! The only complaint I had was how, just how could this game not have been on big Fox? I mean what was on Fox Sun night that the USA Men Qualifying for the Damn World Cup doesn’t slot a prime Time 7 pm start on Fox rather than Fox Sports 1 (The Simpsons and Ice Age). Pre-game and Post Game on FS1 – sure but the dang Game should have been on FOX. They host the Dang World Cup for Heaven’s Sake in just 8 months!
POG
Some controversy as the US blowout 5 to 1 win over Panama – was not quite enough to celebrate Qualification into the World Cup. The team came out with a Qualified Banner – and then quickly replaced it with the thanks to the US Fans – but we are being critized for it that and Pulisic’s goofy Worm Celebration after the 2nd PK goal. the I absolutely loved how Fiesty he was – he was Angry and Intense – and his first ever Hat Trick was needed. You could tell he was ticked-off about missing that goal in Mexico – and he took it out on Panama.
Christian Pulisic explains his worm celebration from Panamá game last night. “I met someone really special yesterday. His name was Mason, and his one request was that if I scored, he wanted to see a worm celebration. That’s what that was for,” Pulisic said.
Mason Ogle is a 17-year-old high school student from Omaha, Nebraska. He is currently receiving treatments for bone cancer and tumors in his lungs, but still managed to play high school soccer last fall. He was invited by USSF to be the game ambassador yesterday.
Man is the Pulisic guy something or what? Please note that while Pulisic was the undisputed POG – the tandem of Zimmerman and Robinson have not given up a goal in 7 WCQ Games when they play together. The Goal on Sun was Zimmerman and Long – and they just don’t have the same chemistry as Zimmerman/Robinson do. Zimmerman is a BOSS – he could well be the Breakout star of the World Cup in Dec!
Berhalter Was Spot On Again
I laugh at the people calling for Berhalter’s head – all he has done is take the youngest US team in history and one of the youngest in the world – and found a way to get us qualified (almost) despite never once having his best 4 players on the field at the same time due to injuries. He has introduced tons of young players and found the likes of Brendan Aaronson, Musah, De La Torre, Busio, Pepi, Ferriera and more as he just finds a way to plug guys in and still make it all work – no matter who is out injured – he finds a way to balance the roster and get the result needed. His true judgement will come in the World Cup this Nov/Dec but lets give credit where it is due – he’s 1 game away from getting us back in the World Cup with the youngest, most talented team the US has ever seen – he has turned us from a defensive – hold on for dear life counter attack team – to a possession based – dominate teams we are better than squad. Again we’ll find out more in the World Cup but for now – Berhalter has succeeded (Lallas video)
Anyone looking for a place to watch the big game Wednesday Night – the American Outlaws Indy will be hosting at Union Jack’s Sports bar in Broadripple!!
Indy 11 Host Home Opener Sat Night 7 pm at the Mike
The Indy 11 finally arrive home after 3 straight on the road and a 0-1-2 mark to start the season. New GK Elliot Paniccomade GK of the Week in the USL as he helped the Indy 11 take a 1-1 tie at Louisville last weekend (hi-lights). The 11 will kickoff their home opener at 7 pm Saturday night vs LA Galaxy II visit
indyeleven.com/tickets to get single game tickets for as low as $16 plus fees. Word on the Street is they are close to a sell-out so make those plans early to attend!!
======================RackZ BAR BQ ====Save 20% ======================
Heading over to the Field House at Badger Field for Training? 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!
Save 20% on these Succulent Ribs at Rackz BarBQ when you mention the Ole Ballcoach – Corner of 131 & Hazelldell. – Call 317-688-7290.
=====================RackZ BAR BBQ ======Save 20% ======================
Joe Prince-Wright Tue, March 29, 2022, 9:07 AM·3 min read
How will the USMNT lineup for their final World Cup qualifier at Costa Rica on Wednesday (watch live, 9:05pm ET)?
How do you lineup for a game which you can afford to lose by five goals and still qualify for the 2022 World Cup?
It is an intriguing proposition for USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter because there are a plenty of things going on here:
1) you want to rest your star players. 2) you have to avoid a disastrous defeat which could knock you out of automatic qualification. 3) you need a certain amount of experience sprinkled throughout the team to avoid any kind of heavy defeat, but you want to give fringe players a chance.
Below is how I would line up the USMNT in Costa Rica, from the start, while remembering that you can make five subs and four of them would probably come on at half time to get the job done.
Okay, most USMNT fans would want to play Zack Steffen, Tyler Adams and Christian Pulisic to start. But what is the point? The job is 99 percent done. Those players have put in heavy shifts in two big games over the last few days. The big question for Berhalter is this: do you start with your strongest team and if say it’s 0-0 or you’re only 1-0 down at half time, you then sub off most of the starters? Or do you start with a weaker lineup and then bring on the big boys at half time to close out qualifying in style?
I’d actually go for the approach of starting most of the back-up players to give them a chance to show what they can do. They are fresher, hungry to prove they deserve to be in the World Cup squad (it’s happening, folks) and I’m not sure there’s that much drop-off across the squad outside of Pulisic, Adams and Reyna. It really is a very even player pool, but you still need to put out a starting lineup which has plenty of experience just to get to half time in a good situation.
I would start Horvath in goal because there’s no need to risk Steffen picking up an injury (he had recent back issues at Man City) and he already looked a little shaky against Panama. I would give Antonee Robinson a rest and play Yedlin at left back, which he has done before. I would also play Aaron Long and Miles Robinson together at center back, then bring on Erik Palmer-Brown for Robinson. There is no doubt that Miles Robinson and Zimmerman are the USMNT’s first-choice CB pairing, so you need to see Long and EPB in these situations.
In midfield, Tyler Adams will anchor things with his experience, at least for the first half, while Gianluca Busio and Kellyn Acosta have shown they can be very useful with their energy and precision in the engine room. Tyler Adams should be given a rest given the incredible workload he went through against Mexico and Panama but he makes this team tick and should play for the first half. Then, Luca de la Torre and Cristian Roldan should come on to play 45 minutes.
Up top, Jordan Pefok or Ricardo Pepi should start centrally, with Tim Weah and Gio Reyna (to continue his return to full fitness) either side to bring a spark to the attack. Christian Pulisic should only be used if desperately needed. He won’t be.
USA vs. Panama, 2022 World Cup qualifying: SSFC Man of the Match
The United States Men’s National Team is in spitting distance of clinching qualification for the 2022 World Cup thanks to an overwhelming 5-1 win over Panama in Orlando on Sunday night. The team has secured no worse than fourth place in the group which is enough to make the playoff match against Oceania’s group. However, the dominant score line means that they can qualify outright by doing no worse than a 5-0 loss to Costa Rica on Wednesday night. There were a number of good performances in this match, eight of the eleven players scored higher than a seven and only one player was lower than a six. Compare this to Thursday’s draw at the Azteca, which was one of the better performances of the Hex but only two players scored over a seven on the ratings scale and you start to get a sense for the joy coming out of the match with Panama and closing in on World Cup Qualification. Not surprisingly it was Christian Pulisic and his hat trick that shone brightest of all, Pulisic earned a 9.0 rating by the community and the SSFC Man of the Match.Pulisic buried both of his penalty kicks, the first to open the scoring and the second to put the game out of reach just before halftime, and then added a jaw dropping third in open play to cap off his hat trick.
The ratings for all the players, along with the referee and head coach Gregg Berhalter:
Christian Pulisic – 9.00
Antonne Robinson – 7.67
Paul Arriola – 7.60
Walker Zimmerman – 7.51
Tyler Adams – 7.43
Luca de la Torre – 7.32
Jesús Ferreira – 7.19
Miles Robinson – 7.02
Shaq Moore – 6.81
Yunus Musah – 6.34
Zack Steffen – 5.80
—Substitutes—
Giovanni Reyna – 7.04
Kellyn Acosta – 6.44
Aaron Long – 5.87
Gianluca Busio – 5.62
Jordan Morris – 5.62
—
Gregg Berhalter – 7.59
Referee Iván Arcides Barton Cisneros – 6.30
Pulisic, U.S. close to World Cup qualification thanks to his fiery Captain America performance
ORLANDO, Fla. — Tyler Adams has been the de facto captain for the U.S. men’s national team during this World Cup qualifying cycle, but when the U.S. players emerged from the tunnel on Sunday, Christian Pulisic was at the front, the armband wrapped tightly around his sleeve.
It was fitting, too. On the night the U.S. all but clinched its place in this winter’s tournament, Pulisic — one of the few links from the team that failed so spectacularly nearly five years ago — led from the start.–Pulisic scored twice in the first half on penalty kicks. He scored again just past the hour with the sort of balletic footwork in front of goal that gives American fans fever dreams. He had to be restrained by Gregg Berhalter when he tried to run at a mob of Panamanian players during a minor scrape near the sideline. He got a yellow card for screaming at (and charging toward) the referee after the official called a fairly benign foul in midfield, even with the U.S. fully in control.In a game where the U.S. needed everything from its stars, Pulisic was a frothing ball of fire — exactly what Berhalter was thinking when he turned to Pulisic to be the captain.”I think because of the journey,” Berhalter said. “You have a guy that’s been there before. He was on the field when we didn’t qualify, and this was us saying to him, this is a new group, this is a new team, and you’re a leader. We wanted to show that.”Nothing could ever get back what was lost in Trinidad in 2017, but this match and this performance, from a player whose ebbs and flows so often drive the feeling about American soccer in general, was as sweet and special a salve on the scar as one could have imagined.”It was a huge honor to be captain tonight,” Pulisic said afterward. “Absolutely we can enjoy tonight, but the job’s not done yet. We have one more really important game, and we’re taking it very seriously.”Pulisic’s restraint was understandable: There is still some work to be done. The combination of results in other matches this weekend means that the U.S. can do no worse than fourth place in this CONCACAF qualifying table, which would put them into a one-game playoff for a World Cup spot. (If the USMNT goes this route, it will face either the Solomon Islands or New Zealand in June for a berth to Qatar.) The USMNT will assure itself one of the three automatic places with a win, a draw or even a loss that’s no worse than a five-goal margin against Costa Rica on Wednesday in San Jose. And while history tells us that the strangest things can (and sometimes do) happen, even by Couva standards, this would be a stretch.
Six years after making his national team debut as a 17-year-old wunderkind, Pulisic seems virtually certain to finally get the chance to represent the United States on his sport’s biggest stage. In many ways, Pulisic’s transformation from what he was in the last cycle to what he is now tells the story of this U.S. soccer team rebirth.
CONCACAF Table
GP
PTS
GD
1 – Canada
13
28
+17
2 – USA
13
25
+13
3 – Mexico
13
25
+7
4 – Costa Rica
13
22
+3
5 – Panama
13
18
-3
6 – El Salvador
13
10
-8
7 – Jamaica
13
8
-11
8 – Honduras
13
4
-18
1-3 qualify; 4 into playoff
Back then, he was a diamond in the rough, one of the only fresh lights among a group of veterans trying to push for a final turn in the arena. Now, he is a relative veteran (even at 23), surrounded by a slew of rising American talent who have turned the U.S. into the sort of team that that no one would want to face in a one-off match. Berhalter, of course, deserves praise for marshalling this group — which has perpetually put out some of the youngest starting lineups in U.S. World Cup qualifying history — and pushing it to the brink of reaching its first goal. But the players have risen to the moment throughout this cycle whenever they needed it most, and they did it again against Panama.Pulisic was the motor. Five years ago, in the match before the ill-fated trip to Trinidad, Pulisic scored eight minutes into a victory over Panama here, running toward the corner flag and sliding on his knees in celebration. On Sunday, facing Panama in the same stadium, he put the U.S. in front in the 17th minute, coolly stepping up to take the penalty kick after Anibal Godoy fouled Walker Zimmerman in the area. This time, his revelry took him more to the sideline where he was surrounded by his teammates as the packed stadium thrummed.Six minutes later, Pulisic’s slick pullback pass led to Antonee Robinson‘s perfect cross and Paul Arriola‘s header to put the U.S. two in front. A four-man passing sequence led to Jesus Ferreira scoring a third before a half-hour had been played. Pulisic then added his second from the spot in first-half stoppage time, after which he asked his teammates for a bit of space and dropped to the ground before attempting a (very, very) short rendition of “The Worm” dance move.The Panamanians were out on their feet by that point. The stadium was bedlam. And Pulisic’s face was one of joy and glee.”I rate it like a solid 8,” Ferreira said of Pulisic’s attempt at “The Worm.” “Can’t give it a 10 because he didn’t go back down.” Arriola, while appreciating the spirit of the choice, said, “I’d probably give him a 5 just for flexibility. He could have been a little more flexible.”In truth, the last goal of Pulisic’s hat trick was the real prize. A pillowed touch and spin move around two defenders led to a lashed shot past the goalkeeper and reminded everyone that for all the pressure laid upon Pulisic — whether playing for Chelsea or the U.S. — there’s incredible talent beneath it all. When he’s in form, Pulisic’s pure skill and dynamism is at the highest level.With about 20 minutes remaining, Berhalter sent Gianluca Busio to midfield and the fourth official raised his board with Pulisic’s No. 10 on it in red. Pulisic removed the captain’s armband and passed it to Tyler Adams, then started a slow trot to the sideline as applause — including from Jordan Morris, who was waiting to come into the game — poured down.It was an ovation for a star. For a force. For a player who may not be the team’s every-day leader, but remains its face all the same. In 2017, the tears streaming from Pulisic’s eyes after the final whistle in Trinidad stood in for those of so many U.S. fans.Now, five years later, all that remains is the finish he’s been dreaming about ever since.
ORLANDO, Fla. — If you’re Christian Pulisic, your first touch is never an end in itself. “It’s knowing which direction to take your first touch, and not just receiving it,” he once told me. “It’s putting yourself in a good position for what you want to do with it.”During the U.S.’s 5-1 thrashing of Panama in Sunday’s World Cup qualifier, Pulisic produced the first hat trick of his international career. His opening two goals came on penalties as the U.S. built a stunning 4-0 halftime lead, but the lasting image of a triumphant night will be of Pulisic’s sublime first touch—actually, first two touches—on his third strike of the game. With his back to the goal, Pulisic received Jedi Robinson’s cross with a caressing left-footed touch. But it wasn’t just that Pulisic brought the ball down cleanly; he also pulled it toward the goal between his own legs, allowing him to turn and beat his first defender. Now facing the goal, Pulisic took a single deft touch with the outside of his right foot, nutmegging his second defender and creating space for what looked, in the end, like an easy finish.
But none of it was easy. The hardest thing in soccer is true simplicity, as the great Dutch striker Dennis Bergkamp showed us, and the most difficult place to do it is in front of the goal. When you watch the replay, it’s as if Pulisic is operating at a different speed from his opponents. The game slows down for him. Two touches. Shot. Goal. “What I like the most [about Pulisic] is his first touch,” his former teammate Nuri Sahin once explained to me. “When he gets the ball, his first touch opens him a huge space even if there is no space.”
Claudio Reyna on his son, Gio: “I remember when he was in the car and his team would lose when he was Under-11, Under-12, and he’d be crying after the game. And he’d get into the car and I would say, ‘It’s okay. It’s okay.’ And he felt like his teammates weren’t trying as hard as him. And I was like, ‘No, it’s probably they’re just not as good as you.’ And I was just trying to coach him through those moments. But he was so competitive.”…
We Beat Panama 5-1…But Was It Good Enough? Yanks Abroad
The USMNT needed a win on Sunday night, and they earned it in spades with a 5-1 drubbing of Panama. So why wasn’t that good enough? First let’s get the obvious accolades out of the way. More than any other game during qualifying, this was the one that Gregg Berhalter’s squad needed to win. Had the team taken anything less than three points, they would be at serious risk of not qualifying and setting up another nightmare scenario like what unfolded in 2017.Fortunately, the team won, and won by a lot. That means the game plan worked, and Berhalter and the boys all did their jobs well, and then some.Christian Pulisic scored a hat-trick, the attack generated had 15 shots, and we won 5-1! How then, could anyone other than the most jaded of obsessively pessimistic analysts be dissatisfied? I am. I am dissatisfied. However, not because of the overall performance, but because of trends I see that could hurt the team in its attempt to perform in the big show in Qatar later this year.I’m walking away from this game with a sour taste in my mouth, and it all started brewing inside me during the last 20 minutes. The last 20 minutes of this game showed what kind of one-dimensional, conservative tactician Berhalter really is.For the second time in two games, this time with a five-goal advantage and with Panama running around like a bunch of headless chickens, Berhalter sent on substitutes with very obvious orders:Bunker. Completely.Now I know you’re going to say “We didn’t need goals, so bunkering is fine”. If you said this, you wouldn’t be wrong. Bunkering is “fine”. It’s sound. It’s defensible. It’s safe. But it’s not what we should be doing in this type of situation, and I’ll tell you why. When we see a team bunkering at the end of a game, it’s usually because they are the underdog and trying to hang on for dear life. They have scraped together a goal, and somehow managed to keep the ball out of their own net. They’re not feeling confident in attack, so they just put everyone behind the ball and hope to weather the storm while the opposition attacks.Whenever a defender can get a foot on the ball, it’s launched forward, knowing full-well there’s no one from their team who will be able to get it. With no attackers to receive the ball, the other team can push higher and higher.We did it at the end of the game against Mexico too, and still came out with a point. In that case, it was appropriate in the cauldron (even if the half-capacity cauldron) of Azteca.So what’s the problem this time around?The problem with bunkering is that it invites the other team to attack with everything they’ve got. It is a tactic that screams inferiority. We were destroying Panama. We were the better technical team and we had a five-goal cushion. Realistically speaking, we could have done anything at all for those last 20 minutes, and Panama was not coming back under any fathomable circumstance.Berhalter has spent nearly four years “teaching” this team to play with a possession-based style, but for some reason he decided we weren’t good enough in possession to protect a five-goal lead for 20 minutes.Or alternatively, he chose the wrong time, and the wrong quality of opponent to practice this tactic…again…for the second time in 72 hours.To flip the well-known phrase on its head: the best defense is a good offense.If we have the ball, they can’t score goals. We needed cool heads, and to circulate and recycle passes ad nauseam. I’m not saying we needed to attack and push for a sixth or perhaps a seventh goal against Panama.In fact I’m saying we shouldn’t, but we should not have gifted possession to an entirely overwhelmed opponent.Tactically, it’s a simple drill: get the ball from the keeper to the center backs, who trade possession back and forth between each other before pushing up one side. When that side closes, go back again and switch to the other side. If Panama pushes up so high the CBs are smothered, they can play a mid-range pass to a midfielder who brings it forward to link up calmly. Then pass back and repeat.It’s an important drill, but in a rare opportunity against real opponents in a game situation.There’s no need to drive forward, and at a 5-1 advantage, there’s no need to score. But that doesn’t mean we should give up the ball and hope they can’t break us down. We need to know how to keep the ball, and we had a chance to practice doing just that. We ended up with lower pass completion and only 39% possession on the night, and a lot of that comes from the bunker-and-boot-it ineptitude of the at the end of the game. But in the end, we won. The target from the start (and since that horrible day in 2017) has been to qualify for the final tournament in Qatar, and we have essentially done that.We can straighten all of this out later, right? Maybe.Maybe Berhalter has just been playing down to the CONCACAF competition this whole time, and when the World Cup comes, he’s going to turn it on. Maybe he’ll select only the best talent and let them loose with those European tactics that wouldn’t work against chippy teams on the pitted fields of CONCACAF.Maybe we’ll see our players performing as well in the US jersey as they have in their Champions League games. I mean, Jordan Pefok didn’t shank any sitters against Manchester United or Atalanta.It’s possible, but I don’t believe it. I believe the way you practice is the way you play in real game situtions. I don’t think there’s a magical switch that gets flipped to suddenly change what’s been drilled. And believe me, what has been drilled is not something that is going to be as successful against Argentina, France, England or Italy….er….not Italy, as it has been against Panama, El Salvador, and Jamaica. This game was an absolutely perfect opportunity to possess the ball against a desperate team.We needed to make Panama chase us. We needed the experience of stringing together 50 passes that accomplish nothing other than tiring out and frustrating the opposition. The possession-based team that Berhalter is trying to craft needs to be able to do this, but it’s not something that is ingrained enough in the historical fabric of the USMNT to ignore those rare low-risk chances when we can practice it in a competitive situation.This is a skill for a team, meaning it can be learned and repeated. So why hasn’t it been learned an repeated? Does Berhalter think we’re not good enough to keep the ball?He’s a vocal coach on the sidelines and he’s barking orders for 90+ minutes a game, so why not remind Zimmerman to keep a short and long option in mind before getting the ball from Steffen? Spread wide when Steffen has the ball in the back, and be ready to distribute. Don’t follow the attacker when he comes inside to pressure the goalie.
Instead, everything was launched 50 yards upfield in a seeming panic.It’s not insane to think that we could go up a goal or two against a top team during the World Cup. It’s happened, and could happen again in a few months.If that happens, do we simply sub out our attackers and bunker? Maybe we should just let Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann, or Paul Pogba go to town, praying they don’t find a crack in our rock-solid defense? Does that sound like fun? We all endured the firing line against Belgium in 2014. It worked then, for 90 minutes, but that was a rare instance of individual heroism by a keeper having the best game of his career.Realistically speaking, we’ll need to recover after playing 25 minutes of a high press, and being able to control the game while recovering would be nice, and less exhausting.
After decades of waiting, following several generations of players, and enduring too many promises broken, we finally have a group of players that are good enough to take their game to the other team. I don’t want to curse them with any labels, but from top to bottom, this is the most skilled pool of players that any USMNT coach has ever had at his disposal.After four years of learning curve and possession, why won’t Berhalter let the players play, and let the football gods decide? This is basic. It’s not easy, but it’s simple. It’s what good head coaches of good teams do, and I believe we are a good team. But this is where we get to the crux of the problem.After watching the game against Panama, I don’t think that Berhalter believes we’re a good enough team to escape the bunker mentality.For USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter, only his tactics can save us. We’re well drilled in how to win in CONCACAF. We will almost certainly qualify on Wednesday, barring some force of god stopping the game from happening. On Friday is the draw when we will find out our World Cup opponents (oh, how I missed this 5 years ago), and that will begin a whole new journey.But just like Berhalter doesn’t trust his players to execute, I don’t trust Berhalter’s tactics against the best in the world.I don’t think a team like ours should put everyone behind the ball for the final 20 minutes, even in a close against a hypothetical team better than Panama. If Berhalter can’t trust Giovanni Reyna, Kellyn Acosta, Gianluca Busio, and Jordan Morris to keep the ball from Panama, what are we supposed to do against Germany or Brazil or Ital….Portugal? Why even show up?We won in Orlando. We’re all but qualified for the World Cup. The thing is, we’re going to have to actually PLAY in the world cup. We have the personnel to be able to do something special, but they’re being muzzled.The coach is blinded by his confidence in his own strategies. He has proven that he knows how to use the talent at hand. However, he doesn’t trust that the best generation of players we’ve ever had can get it done. I’m disappointed because it seems he won’t let our golden generation do what they do best…play the game.All I ask is for the coach to have the same confidence in our players’ ability to control a game as their collective skill dictates.
Gregg Berhalter’s selections justified with United States on brink of World Cup berth
ORLANDO, Fla. — It is a manager’s lot in life to be second-guessed. Decisions are analyzed to the smallest of details. Mistakes get highlighted. That’s especially true of international managers, with a country’s armchair coaches never holding back.Credit is due, then, to U.S. men’s national team manager Gregg Berhalter. Over the past week he had some tricky choices to make, especially ahead of the World Cup qualifier Sunday against Panama. The U.S. was coming off an exhausting 0-0 draw with Mexico in the 7,200-foot altitude of Estadio Azteca. How much could the U.S. manager rely on the players who played the bulk of the minutes in Mexico City? There was also the injury bug that forced the U.S. to do without Weston McKennie, Brenden Aaronson and Sergino Dest. The yellow card suspensions to DeAndre Yedlin and Tim Weah, as well as the positive COVID-19 test for Reggie Cannon, further limited Berhalter’s options further.
Even given those challenges, Berhalter’s personnel decisions on Sunday invited scrutiny. Was Paul Arriola really the best choice out wide ahead of Gio Reyna? What about Shaq Moore being an emergency call-up at right-back over the Bundesliga pedigree of Joe Scally? Then there was the decision to start Jesus Ferreira up top against Panama’s hulking back line.All of them came through in massive ways, not only delivering on Berhalter’s “next man up” mentality, but speaking to the team’s depth. Arriola scored a gorgeous goal with a glancing header. Ferreira troubled Panama with his movement and scored the kind of garbage goal that was thought to be the domain of Jordan Pefok or Ricardo Pepi. Moore barely put a foot wrong holding down the right side of the U.S. defense. And with Christian Pulisic delivering a hat trick — his first with the national team — the U.S. powered its way to a critical 5-1 victory over the Canaleros, putting the USMNT on the brink of qualification for the 2022 World Cup.”We wanted to be aggressive,” Berhalter said after the match. “We wanted to put them on their heels. We wanted to play with intensity and we also want to score goals. It’s great to see that output.”Granted, some of Berhalter’s decisions were made for him. The U.S. manager said that as many as 20 players and staff were laid low by a stomach bug after the Mexico game. Sources told ESPN that Reyna was among those impacted. But there was some internal logic to the decisions as well. Arriola’s work rate provided extra cover for Moore who last played for the U.S. back in October. It also allowed Moore to get into the attack where he was effective, helping to set up Ferreira’s goal. Arriola’s pressing helped on the attacking end as well. With Panama in desperation mode following its home draw against Honduras last Thursday, there was bound to be more space for Ferreira and his greater mobility to exploit.”We really had to call on our depth in this window, and it being the last window and an impactful window where qualifying takes place, it was something where guys needed to step up,” Berhalter said. “We talked early on about the ‘next man up’ mentality we have complete faith in anyone who’s called in. We don’t call players in unless we trust them and we think they can they can perform at a good level.”Berhalter pushed the right buttons in terms of playing time as well. A clearly fatigued Yunus Musah was pulled at half-time. Tyler Adams and Pulisic were substituted with the game well in hand, a move that prevented Adams picking up a caution that would have seen him suspended. The same was true of the team’s emotions. And the team’s depth pieces met the moment to make big contributions.
Keeping players engaged, especially when playing time drops, isn’t easy. It requires constant attention, keeping track of the pulse of the team and doling out playing time when the time is right. The performances throughout the entire team are proof that Berhalter is managing this aspect well.”The culture that Gregg and the staff have built for this group in this environment … we’re brothers,” Arriola said. “We really feel like that guys love coming into the national team getting together, on and off the field. I think we all click very, very well. And so we all understand that over time, number one is, in order to be a part of this team, you have to put the team first. And when I tell you everyone does that, everyone really, really does.”Of course, some decisions are no-brainers, namely penciling Pulisic into the starting lineup. Granted, the Chelsea attacker has endured an up and down qualifying campaign, coming through against Mexico at home, but also at times looking reluctant to push the tempo. But with Costa Rica’s 2-1 win in El Salvador preventing the U.S. from clinching qualification on the night, Pulisic delivered, scoring a pair of cold-blooded penalties in the first half — both off fouls by Panama’s Anibal Godoy — and polishing off his hat trick with a deft turn and finish from Antonee Robinson’s centering feed in the second.”We needed the three points bad to put us in a really good spot to qualify and we’re really happy with the performance,” Pulisic said through a team spokesperson after not being made available to reporters. “It feels great to get a hat trick, of course, my first one with the national team, but more importantly just to help the team to win and put us in a good spot with one game left.”The U.S. hasn’t completely wrapped up qualification just yet, despite the “Qualified” banner the players displayed after the final whistle that was then whisked away. It would take an unprecedented result in Costa Rica on Wednesday to slip out of one of the three automatic qualification spots. The Ticos would have to win by six goals to make up the edge the U.S. has in goal differential.Even with all of the tough results the U.S. has endured in Costa Rica over the years, the USMNT’s lead would appear to be safe. But the players, especially those that were on the field four-plus years ago when the U.S. failed to qualify, aren’t taking anything for granted.”I’m not celebrating anything,” said Arriola. “I was in this exact position, or very similar position four years ago, and we know how that qualification ended. So for me, I think it’s just maintaining focus, understanding that that we still have work to do and anything is possible. So for us, the mentality of this group is, and has to be to go down there to get a good result against Costa Rica.”Berhalter is of a similar mindset. There were enough sloppy moments on Sunday to make his radar perk up, and while the U.S. missed out on a chance to get a historic qualifying win at the Azteca, a win against the Ticos on Wednesday would make its own history.The final step is often the hardest. The U.S. has come far enough to be that close to qualifying. Wednesday is the time to break through and reach its goal.
GB Flexes USMNT Depth Chart to keep 2022 World Cup Quest on Course
MLS – Charles Boehm – ORLANDO, Fla. – “Give the devil his due.”
The term is said to originate from William Shakespeare’s “Henry V,” written more than 400 years ago about the Hundred Years’ War. For those unfamiliar, it’s evolved into shorthand for showing a necessary respect for even the most despised figure.It’s a concept worth considering for even Gregg Berhalter’s most ardent critics, of which there is no small number, now that the coach has steered the youngest US men’s national team in history right to the doorstep of 2022 World Cup qualification. And the area in which he may deserve the most credit is the management and cultivation of a deep player pool that has enabled the program to weather the peaks and valleys of Concacaf qualifying.
That’s what happens on the way to a World Cup, where injuries, suspensions, gains and drops in individual form, and other complications can render the concept of an “ideal XI” nothing more than, well, an idea, a hypothetical exercise. This cycle’s intensely compact three-match windows have only further exacerbated that – and destabilizing chaos can roll in at any moment, like the stomach bug that Berhalter said afflicted 20 members of the traveling party in Mexico last week.“We really had to call on our depth in this window, and it being the last window, an impactful window where qualifying takes place, it was something where guys needed to step up,” the coach said after the big win at Exploria Stadium. “We talked early on about the ‘next man up’ mentality. We have complete faith in anyone who’s called in. We don’t call people players in unless we trust them and we think they can they can perform at a good level.“The national team is difficult, because you don’t always have the guys that are in the best form or the guys that are most fit, because there’s injuries that happen. So I’m really pleased with guys like Luca stepping up, Gianluca Busio, Jordan Morris is involved now, a number of guys. But it makes a difference when you can call on these guys to perform.”
“‘Next man up’ mentality” has become one of Berhalter’s central talking points. According to U.S. Soccer, 29 players have made their first WCQ appearance on the road to Qatar, which ties the record set in the 1998 cycle. In all, more than three dozen players have seen the field, second-most in program history behind the 43 utilized on the road to South Africa 2010, which involved 18 qualifying matches compared to 14 total this time around.“We’re so fortunate that we have such a deep team with so many different qualities in the team,” said Tyler Adams last Monday. “It’s really, really exciting because a lot of guys can get different opportunities and we have so many different ways of breaking down opponents or structuring ourselves to be successful against opponents.”
As US players have filtered into big European clubs – most prominently, UEFA Champions League participants – with increasing frequency, it’s become common for pundits and supporters to frame the USMNT as far and away the most talent-rich side in the region, and thus a shoe-in for qualification, so long as Berhalter doesn’t fumble it away. But data gathered by MLSsoccer.com’s Jonathan Sigal shows how many of those top players have been available for only a fraction of the Octagonal.
Dortmund midfielder Gio Reyna has played just 14% of the total minutes in the Ocho to date. Barcelona fullback Sergino Dest has taken part in 36% of those minutes; for Manchester City goalkeeper Zack Steffen it’s just over 38%, Lille winger Tim Weah 45%. Even Chelsea attacker Christian Pulisic and Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie, this team’s spiritual leaders and tone-setters, have only respectively played 45% and 53% of the time. At one point Salzburg attacker Brenden Aaronson had appeared in every game, but a knee injury ruled him out on the eve of the current window.
Of the 11 Europe-based USMNTers (Bayern Munich defender Chris Richards on loan at Hoffenheim) whose clubs took part in this season’s Champions League, only the foundational Adams (83.5%) has logged more than 60% of the United States’ Octagonal campaign. (Some of these numbers reflect the coach’s discretion: Wolfsburg’s John Brooks was dropped after some uneven moments in September and has since plummeted down the depth chart.)
USA 2022 WCQ: Minutes for UEFA Champions League players
Player
Minutes played (%)
Games played/missed*
Tyler Adams (M, Leipzig)
977 (83.50%)
12/1
Brenden Aaronson (M, Salzburg)
659 (56.32%)
11/2
Weston McKennie (M, Juventus)
624 (53.33%)
7/6
Christian Pulisic (F, Chelsea)
533 (45.45%)
9/4
Tim Weah (F, Lille)
527 (45.04%)
8/5
Zack Steffen (GK, Manchester City)
450 (38.46%)
5/8
Sergino Dest (D, Barcelona)
424 (36.24%)
6/7
Gio Reyna (M, Dortmund)
164 (14.02%)
3/10
Jordan Pefok (F, Young Boys)
139 (11.88%)
3/10
John Brooks (D, Wolfsburg)
135 (11.54%)
2/11
* through 13 of 14 Concacaf Octagonal matchdays
“When you think about Weston, he’s probably one of the best midfielders in our region, right? I mean, you could make that argument,” said Berhalter before Thursday’s 0-0 draw at Mexico. “When you think about Sergino Dest, probably the best right back in our region; Brenden Aaronson, a top winger in our region; Chris Richards, big potential as a center back; Matt Turner, those guys that are missing.
“But really, when you look at it, we knew this was going to be the case. And I said it to you a long time before, you don’t have all your guys, and it’s how you respond when you don’t have your guys that’s important. And that’s what we have to do this window,” Berhalter continued. “It’s not about looking back. It’s about staying in the present, focusing on who’s here, who’s in camp, who’s ready to play, and go out and compete. Because one thing I’ll tell you is that these guys can compete. Everyone we have on this roster right now, all 26 of them can compete.”
Certainly, there have been blips and bumps along the way.
Berhalter’s bid to dig out a point with a rotated lineup during the October visit to Panama City fell flat, leading to a grisly 1-0 loss. An experimental lineup and formation at Honduras in the opening window put the Yanks on course for a similar setback, until some halftime adjustments helped prompt a dramatic comeback from 1-0 down to 4-1 winners in San Pedro Sula.
“It’s a grind,” said Arriola last week. “Every game presents different challenges, the different atmospheres. The World Cup is on the line and that intensifies the atmosphere, every single game.
“At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is winning.”
USA 2022 WCQ: Top minutes for MLS players
Player
Minutes played (%)
Games played/missed*
Miles Robinson (D, Atlanta)
874 (74.70%)
10/3
Walker Zimmerman (D, Nashville)
723 (61.79%)
9/4
Matt Turner (GK, New England)
720 (61.54%)
8/5
Kellyn Acosta (M, LAFC)
581 (49.66%)
12/1
DeAndre Yedlin (D, Miami)
441 (37.69%)
8/5
Sebastian Lletget (M, New England)
229 (19.57%)
4/9
Paul Arriola (F, Dallas)
206 (17.61%)
5/8
Jesus Ferreira (F, Dallas)
196 (16.75%)
5/8
Gyasi Zardes (F, Columbus)
179 (15.30%)
5/8
Jordan Morris (F, Seattle)
128 (10.94%)
5/8
_* through 13 of 14 Concacaf Octagonal matchdays
_
After the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic handicapped the preparations of the USMNT and national teams around the world, Berhalter had to make efficient use of his 2021 and late-2020 schedule. Calling in a litany of names and fielding two mostly distinct squads across Concacaf Nations League and Gold Cup, he and his staff tried to balance the priorities of building chemistry, stoking competition, exposing as many players to his game model as possible and winning games.
It seems to have worked. He’s spoken more than once of his conversations with his predecessors Bruce Arena and Jurgen Klinsmann, and points to one of those as the source of a cardinal truth that has guided this process.
“The biggest thing that I’ve learned – and Bruce hammered this home with me – is you’re never going to have your best team,” said Berhalter. “You’re always going to be missing players. And as soon as I came to terms with that, we were just much more peaceful about it. We’re much more intentional about the ‘next man up’ mentality, because that’s literally what it is.”
Now, pending Wednesday’s result in Costa Rica (9:05 pm ET | Paramount+, CBS Sports Network, Universo, Peacock), that approach has a deep, youth-filled squad on the precipice of a World Cup return.
While Ronaldo, Messi and Lewandowski make World Cup, Qatar will miss peak talents Salah and Haaland
5:53 PM ET
Mark OgdenSenior Writer, ESPN FC
PORTO, Portugal — Cristiano Ronaldo is heading to Qatar, but Mohamed Salah isn’t and neither is Zlatan Ibrahimovic, whose dream of becoming the first outfield player to bridge a 16-year gap between appearances at the World Cup fizzled out in a late, fruitless substitute rescue act for Sweden in Poland.
Every World Cup takes place with at least one leading player or major nation failing to qualify, but as the European and African sections came to a close (the conflict in Ukraine means that one spot is still to be assigned in the UEFA zone), the big names absentees are beginning to mount up.
Liverpool forward Salah, a potential Ballon d’Or winner this year, suffered his second penalty shoot-out heartbreak in less than two months as Egypt missed out on qualification by losing to Senegal — a repeat of their Africa Cup of Nations final loss to the same team.
And Ibrahimovic, who will be 41 when Qatar 2022 begins, can forget about returning to the World Cup stage for the first time — and probably last, but who knows with Zlatan? — since failing to score at Germany 2006 after his return from international retirement came to nothing. Robert Lewandowski‘s second-half penalty in Chorzow set Poland on the way to a 2-0 win and qualification for Qatar, ensuring that the Bayern Munich forward — for many observers, the best centre-forward in the game — will be at football’s biggest party when the World Cup is staged in November and December.
Salah and Ibrahimovic will join Norway’s Erling Haaland, who scored twice in a 9-0 win against Armenia on Tuesday, as World Cup absentees. Two of football’s biggest stars right now and a player who has been at the top of the game for over a decade, none of them will be in Qatar. And we haven’t even mentioned Italy, who have become the first European champions since Greece (winners in 2004) to fail to qualify for the World Cup.Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal booked their spot to the World Cup in Qatar on Tuesday with a win over North Macedonia. Hugo Delgado/EPA
FIFA can be thankful that at least Ronaldo and his star-studded Portugal team will be in Qatar. Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Lewandowski will all bring their celebrity and class to the tournament, but none of them could be described as the next generation, or even players at their peak. All three have been superstars of the modern game, but Qatar will almost certainly be their last World Cup.
The new wave could have been led by Haaland had Norway qualified, but there are still enough stars heading for Qatar who can ensure that the spotlight doesn’t automatically fall on the old guard of Ronaldo, Messi and Lewandowski.
Sadio Mane‘s penalty against Egypt sealed qualification for Senegal, so the Liverpool forward will get the chance to do what Salah cannot by leading his country at the World Cup and potentially helping an African nation make it to the semifinals for the first time.Zlatan Ibrahimovic came off the bench on Tuesday but could not help Sweden get past Poland in World Cup qualifying. PressFocus/MB Media/Getty Images
Kylian Mbappe, who confirmed his superstar status with his performance in the 2018 World Cup final for France against Croatia, will see Qatar as his opportunity to knock Ronaldo and Messi off top spot in football’s elite rankings, while Harry Kane, Phil Foden and Raheem Sterling will also eye this World Cup as their chance to establish their global greatness.
Ronaldo’s Manchester United teammate, Bruno Fernandes, scored twice to seal victory in Porto against the North Macedonians, who had eliminated Italy in the play-off semifinal, and the World Cup will unquestionably be a better tournament for his presence and that of Bernardo Silva, Diogo Jota and the Porto winger Otavio.
Portugal can defend too and, while they have deep reserves of flair further forward, there is no shortage of quality at the back, where the 39-year-old Pepe still organises and defends brilliantly. He and Danilo were outstanding against North Macedonia.
But although Portugal will be one of leading nations in Qatar, the party would have been greater had Italy, Salah, Haaland and Ibrahimovic also made it to the World Cup.
In their absence, others will create the headlines, and one of them could be Ronaldo. Qatar 2022 just wouldn’t have been the same without him.
USA vs. Costa Rica, 2022 CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying: Scouting Costa Rica
The USMNT closes the Octagonal in Central America.
The United States Men’s National Team has arrived at the end of the CONCACAF Octagonal, mere inches from qualifying for the 2022 World Cup. The final match is against one of the region’s top programs, Costa Rica. Hosted at the Estadio Nacional in San José, the stakes are low provided Gregg Berhalter’s side can avoid surrendering handfuls of goals.Colombian manager Luis Fernando Suárez leads Costa Rica, assuming the role last June. He has extensive experience in charge of a variety of clubs and nations, including Atlético Nacional, Ecuador, and Honduras. After a slow start to qualifying, the 62-year-old has enjoyed a reversal of fortune, unbeaten in the last six matches.The last time these two teams met, the USMNT registered a 2-1 victory at Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio. Since then, Costa Rica has risen to fourth place in the CONCACAF Octagonal table with 16 points from six matches. Los Ticos are churning through a successful window, reeling off 1-0 wins against Canada and El Salvador.“I know very well, we have done everything in the right way,” said the manager. “Then I have to highlight the work of the team, the commitment they gave for the country. I feel a great pride in directing a spectacular human group. Everything has been very stressful, but that makes us bigger. We have some limitations and even so, we are competing and that speaks well of the courage of the Costa Rican.”
¡ELLOS SON LOS ELEGIDOS!
Esta es la lista de convocados para los juegos eliminatorios ante , y
Suárez initially named a 25-player roster but made several alterations, dropping Randall Leal and Aarón Suárez . There are 18 call-ups from domestic Primera División, including 13 from local powers Alajuelense and Herediano. Notable figures like Cristian Gamboa, Óscar Duarte, David Guzmán, and Allan Cruz were left out of camp.
DEFENDERS (9): Francisco Calvo (San Jose Earthquakes), Bryan Oviedo (Copenhagen), Kendall Waston (Saprissa), Rónald Matarrita (FC Cincinnati), Keysher Fuller (Herediano), Juan Pablo Vargas (Millonarios), Daniel Chacón (Cartaginés), Ian Lawrence (Alajuelense), Carlos Martínez (AD San Carlos)
MIDFIELDERS (11): Celso Borges (Alajuelense), Bryan Ruiz (Alajuelense), Yeltsin Tejeda (Herediano), Alonso Martínez (Lommel), Gerson Torres (Herediano), Orlando Galo (Herediano), Jewison Bennette (Herediano), Youstin Salas (Grecia), Douglas López (Santos de Guápiles), Brandon Aguilera (Guanacasteca), Carlos Mora (Alajuelense)
FORWARDS (4): Joel Campbell (Monterrey), Johan Venegas (Alajuelense), José Guillermo Ortiz (Herediano), Anthony Contreras (Guanacasteca)
***
At this late stage of qualifying, the first-choice lineup is largely established, although the formation sometimes shifts between a 4-2-3-1 and a 3-6-1. Over the past five matches, Costa Rica has completely ceded possession, with an average of 32.8% of the ball (stats via ESPN). From the run of play, inwardly cutting wingers are targeted with direct passes over the top of the back line. The attack has cause for concern with 11 goals in 13 matches, but the stingy defense surrendered a mere eight during the Octagonal round.
Projected Costa Rica Starting XI (via LineupBuilder.com)
Despite slowly being phased out of the starting role at Paris Saint-Germain, Keylor Navas is the undisputed number one for Costa Rica. He is an elite shot-stopper, setting himself up for a save with stellar footwork, sometimes a full second before the ball arrives. The three-time Champions League winner shows up in big moments, racking up dozens of saves in a single match as a routine. Perhaps indicative of this confidence is his preternatural ability to stop penalty attempts.
This is likely the last rodeo for elder statesman Kendall Waston, who competes for Saprissa in the domestic league. The 6’5” mountain is tasked with winning headers in the defensive and attacking thirds, at his best in close-range one-versus-one scenarios and preventing target strikers from turning. His partner has been the smaller and quicker Francisco Calvo of the San Jose Earthquakes, another threat on set pieces. The 29-year-old is a hard tackler that loves to go to ground and gamble on interceptions, making long solo runs after regaining possession.
Keysher Fuller should be familiar to USMNT fans from the busy home fixture, scoring in the first minute and misplaying a ball that led to the game-winner (or loser, from Costa Rica’s perspective). The Herediano winger-fullback is comfortable in the final third, often reaching the box before the striker. He is constantly running, whether on a charged dribbling run or to chase down an opponent. The left side of the field has been a back-and-forth lineup battle between Rónald Matarrita and Bryan Oviedo. With the former suffering a devastating injury against Canada, the more static veteran will be trusted to hang back and serve as a more stable presence in the build-up.
The defensive midfielder baton may have been passed from the captain Yeltsin Tejeda to 21-year-old Orlando Galo, unless the manager opts to deploy them together. The younger player is a converted right back that tackles hard and recovers quickly after errors. In the 15th year of his senior international career, Celso Borges is still patrolling the center of the formation. Costa Rica’s cap leader facilitates possession and swarms passing lanes, performing the necessary tasks of a box-to-box. Normally a winger, Herediano’s Gerson Torres has lined up in the number ten role. He makes long, slaloming dribbling runs and has the ability to score from distance.
GOAL COSTA RICA! Celso Borges strikes just before halftime and Los Ticos lead 10-man Canada. Another twist in the Concacaf table—and not a good one for the #USMNT
Since making his senior debut during last summer’s CONCACAF Nations League Finals, Alonso Martínez has become a regular part of the starting lineup. The Lommel SK winger plays a high line in hopes of leading the counter attack and looks to cut inside on one-two/give-and-go combinations in the final third. The goals have to come from somewhere, with the manager hoping that Joel Campbell can either score or more likely set up teammates. On the right day, his dribbling and general technical ability make him the most dangerous person on the field, with the potential to bewilder opposing defenders.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/2mvc4TwpsGk?rel=0 A late addition to the roster, Anthony Contreras made his debut in November but has started the last two matches. The 22-year-old striker scored 13 goals this season on loan with AD Guanacasteca in the domestic league. His inclusion was considered a “great surprise,” but the developing talent acquitted himself well. Against Canada, he played an essential role pressing the back line and forcing turnovers.
Contreras rewarded the manager’s continued faith with the opener against El Salvador, a stupendous acrobatic effort. He took advantage of a misplayed clearance and hit a beautiful bicycle for his first international goal. This could be the genesis of the next great CONCACAF striker, having answered the door when destiny unexpectedly knocked.
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) March 27, 2022
The USMNT appears free from the burden of securing points on the road against Costa Rica. Los Ticos have been in this spot before but needs a win. As the match progresses and pressure builds, there may be openings for the American attackers to break through on the counter.
The match is scheduled for Wednesday, March 30th at 9:05 p.m. Eastern, 6:05 p.m. Pacific. Viewing options include Paramount+, UNIVERSO, and FUBO TV (free trial).
INDY 11 GK Panicco Earns Team of Week Nod iin USL
March 29, 2022 5:37 pm Squad’s New Netminder Made Five Saves in Helping Indy Earn Rivalry Draw on Saturday
TAMPA/INDIANAPOLIS (Tuesday, March 29, 2022) – The USL Championship announced its Team of the Week for Week 3 of the 2022 regular season this afternoon, a list that included Indy Eleven goalkeeper Elliot Panicco. The 25-year-old netminder is the first member of Indiana’s Team to make the league’s weekly Best XI ledger during the young season.Panicco earned the nod by making five saves throughout Indy Eleven’s 1-1 draw at archrival and Eastern Conference leader Louisville City FC last Saturday night, helping the squad to a well-earned first point of the campaign.
The native of Paducah, Ky., who joined Indy Eleven on loan from MLS’ Nashville SC just prior to the start of the regular season on March 3, currently ranks tied for second across the USL Championship with 11 saves, which have contributed to his 73.3 save percentage and a 1.33 goals against average in his three starts thus far. 2022 marks Panicco’s second straight year in the Championship and comes on the heels of a standout 2021 campaign with Austin Bold FC, when he finished second in the league with 11 shutouts from his 28 appearances.
The Championship’s Player of the Week is selectedby the USL National Media Panel, which is made up of representatives from each media market in the Championship. Continue below to see the full Week 3 Team of the Week contingent.
Panicco and the rest of the Boys in Blue return to the Circle City for their 2022 Home Opener at IUPUI Michael A. Carroll Stadium this Saturday, April 2, against LA Galaxy II. Fans can secure tickets for that 7:30 p.m. kickoff and all 2022 matches at “The Mike” via a plethora of ticketing avenues – including single-game tickets, 2022 Season Ticket Memberships, discounted group tickets for parties of 10 or more, and expanded Premium Hospitality options – by visiting indyeleven.com/tickets or calling 317-685-1100 during regular business hours.
USL Championship Team of the Week – Week 3
GK – Elliot Panicco, Indy Eleven: Panicco recorded five saves as Indy withstood strong pressure from LIPAFC rival Louisville City FC to earn a 1-1 draw on Saturday night at Lynn Family Stadium and the side’s first point of the season.
Stefan Pinho Tally Helps Indiana’s Team Earn First Point of 2022 Against Eastern Conference Leader
LOUISVILLE, KY (Saturday, March 26, 2022) – The Louisville-Indianapolis Proximity Association Football Contest rivalry again brought some of the best out of Indy Eleven, which picked up its first point of the 2022 USL Championship season courtesy of a draw 1-1 at Eastern Conference leading Louisville City FC. Forward Stefano Pinho opened his Indy Eleven account to give the Eleven a lead midway through the first half, but LouCity defender Sean Totsch’s 53rd minute finish brought the scoring to its eventual close, forcing a share of the spoils.
The road point allowed Indy to take a positive result away from its three-game road stint to start the season and gives Indiana’s Team some momentum leading into its home opener at IUPUI Carroll Stadium next Saturday, April 2, against LA Galaxy II. Fans can secure tickets for the 7:00 p.m. ET “Blue Out Blowout” kickoff via a plethora of options by visiting indyeleven.com/tickets or calling 317-685-1100 during regular business hours.While the rivalry game started off chippy, each team generated a chance within the first ten minutes, resulting in Eleven goalkeeper Elliot Panicco getting a mundane save opportunity and midfielder Justin Ingram pushing a header wide. LouCity forward Wilson Harris and Eleven midfielder Nicky Law each influenced the following minutes by generating chances, with Wilson’s shot just wide right of frame the most threatening but not enough to force Panicco into action.Louisville came into the contest without conceding a goal while Indy entered the game without a tally on the year, but things changed for both sides in the 22nd minute when Pinho made Law’s continued creative work pay off. After Law shook his defender in the left side of the area to gain space, his short, driven cross to the back post was nodded home by the Brazilian striker Pinho, allowing him to celebrate his account opener in front a sizeable contingent of Brickyard Battalion supporters who traveled down I-65 for the rivalry showdown.Louisville responded with a chance of their own in the 28th minute through Jorge Gonzalez, whose free kick was sent right to Panicco at the netminder’s right post. Indy nearly found its second through midfielder Jonas Fjeldberg’s shot in the 34th minute that forced a miraculous save out of Louisville goalkeeper Kyle Morton, his leaping tip at full stretch sending the ball off the crossbar and away from danger. Louisville’s Amadou Dia nearly duplicated Fjeldberg’s curling effort in the 41st minute, but his dipping shot couldn’t find frame, allowing the score to remain 1-0 in favor of Indy Eleven heading into the half.The field tilted the home side’s way in the second half, and initially it looked like Eleven midfielder Sam Brown’s sliding tackle in the 52nd minute deep inside the area would help keep Louisville off the board. However, the ensuing corner saw Totsch get on the end of the recycled set piece 10 yards from goal, and his first-time shot through traffic evened the score. Panicco made two consecutive stops in the 57th minute to keep things square, thwarting Louisville’s unrelenting attack.The pace of play slowed down on both sides as legs got heavier after the hour mark, but LCFC’s Enoch Mushagalusa did look to sneak one in from distance in the 66th minute only to see Panicco collect the driven chance easily. A skirmish between the two rival clubs just inside the final 10 minutes set up a tense finish, which only got more heated after a pivotal goalline clearance by Eleven forward Rodney Michael in the 83rd minute. Longtime LouCity nemesis Paolo DelPiccolo looked primed to put the home side ahead after redirecting another corner, but the debutant Michael snapped into action to clear the chance off the underside of the crossbar, keeping the score deadlocked despite vehement pleas from the home side to count the would-be goal. Nothing came from six minutes of stoppage time, allowing Indiana’s Team to go three straight games undefeated at Lynn Family Stadium dating back to last May.
USL Championship Regular Season Louisville City FC 1 : 1 Indy Eleven Saturday, March 26, 2022 Lynn Family Stadium – Louisville, Ky.
Scoring Summary: IND – Stefano Pinho (Nicky Law) 22’ LOU – Sean Totsch (unassisted) 53
Disciplinary Summary: IND – Jared Timmer (yellow) 35’ LOU – Brian Ownby (yellow) 85’ IND – Aris Briggs (yellow) 86’ LOU – Amadou Dia (yellow) 89’
Indy Eleven lineup (4-4-2): Elliot Panicco; Jared Timmer, Mechack Jerome, A.J. Cochran, Bryam Rebellon; Nicky Law, Sam Brown, Jonas Fjeldberg (Karl Ouimette 90’), Justin Ingram; Aris Briggs (Palmer Ault 90+6’), Stefano Pinho (Rodney Michael 72’)
IND Substitutes: Tim Trilk (GK), Ecris Revolorio, Bryce Warhaft, Luca Iaccino
Louisville City FC lineup (4-3-3): Kyle Morton; Ian Soler (Paolo DelPiccolo 45’), Wes Charpie, Sean Totsch; Amadou Dia, Napo Matsoso, Corben Bone, Manny Perez; Wilson Harris, Jorge Gonzalez (Enoch Mushagalusa 40’), Brian Ownby
LOU Substitutes: Parker Siegfried (GK), Jan-Erik Leinhos, Josh Wynder, Carlos Moguel Jr., Ray Serrano
We Came, We Saw, and we Brought home the point ! Azteca stadium – the place where Mexico has only lost 2 times in over 30 qualifiers, a place where Mexico teams of past years have been invincible has been broken. The US should have won this game and credit to the US Manager Gregg Berhalter who went for the win. This was the best team we could put on the field for this game – yes right back Sergino Dest, midfielder extraordinare Weston McKinney, winger Brendan Aaronson and GK Matt Turner were all out injured – but Pulisic, Musah, Weah, Adams were all on for the start along with Steffan in the net and a surprising start for Ricardo Pepi in the #9. No issue with the starting line-up and the US really outplayed Mexico in the first 45 minutes – as 2 very good shots on goal were turned away by the legendary Mexican GK Ochoa, including this gimme for Pulisic . See the Full hi-lights. The insertion in the second half of Gio Reyna and Jordan Pefuk – looked to pick things up in the 2nd half. They included these bits of magic from the Dortmund mid – Gio Reyna’s magical Run with announcer – in Slowmo Very Maradona like
Then of course was this horrific miss by Jordan Pefok after a spectacular feed by Reyna – this was a marvelous sub by Berhalter and a devastating miss looking much like a 5 year old missing a tap in that honestly any forward at any level could not help but make and lets just say he missed. This would have been the game winner – a 1-0 win at Azteca the FIRST EVER in qualifying . Looking ahead the 0-0 tie gives the US the point and all but assures the US will qualify for the World Cup with a win on Sunday at home vs Panama at 7 pm on Fox Sports 1.
Shane’s Starting Roster for Panama Sun
Ferreira
Morris//Acosta//De La Torre//Reyna
Adams
Jedi Robinson//Robinson//Zimmerman// Moore (should be Joe Scally)
Steffan
I like bringing Pulisic off the bench after halftime – not sure it will happen but Morris on the wing to wear them down until half – then Pulisic scoring early in the 2nd half. De La Torre in for a tired Musah and Reyna starting for Weah who is suspended for yellow cards. You could argue Reyna was the best player on the field (even if only for 30 minutes.) I like Ferriera in the false 9 role seeing as both our #9s failed to produce in Mexico. The defense held steady and will sub in the newly arrived Shaq Moore for yellow carded Yedlin – stinks that he didn’t call on Joe Scally the starting right/left back for MGladbach.
But I am not going to question – Berhalter at this point – he made all the right moves in this game. Just as he has during the last 2 rounds of qualifying for the most part. He has us on the brink of qualification and more importantly he has shepparded in a new American Soccer team – a young and exciting team that has moved past Mexico in CONCACAF and will take us to new heights in this game I love. We beat Mexico because we are better than Mexico – our players are better, our coach is better – we didn’t hang on for dear life so like many times in the past – we were the better team – had more chances – should have won 2-0 a statement that would have sent shockwaves across North America. Yes Canada is top of table – but the US will go further than the Canada in this World Cup -take that to the bank. The US wins this game vs Panama 2-0 – dos a cero – maybe 3 – 0. Reyna and Pulisic score.
GOALKEEPERS: Ethan Horvath (Nottingham Forest; 7/0), Sean Johnson (New York City FC; 9/0), Zack Steffen (Manchester City; 26/0)
DEFENDERS: George Bello (Arminia Bielefeld; 6/0), Reggie Cannon (Boavista; 24/1), Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls; 22/3), Shaq Moore (Tenerife; 13/1), Erik Palmer-Brown (Troyes; 3/0), Jedi Robinson (Fulham; 23/2), Miles Robinson (Atlanta United; 18/3), James Sands (Rangers; 7/0), DeAndre Yedlin (Inter Miami; 72/0), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC; 26/3)
FORWARDS: Paul Arriola (FC Dallas; 43/8), Jesús Ferreira (FC Dallas; 7/2), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders; 44/10), Jordan Pefok (Young Boys; 9/1), Ricardo Pepi (Augsburg; 10/3), Christian Pulisic (Chelsea; 46/18), Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund; 10/4), Tim Weah (Lille; 21/2)
Full qualifying scenario below – by Academy Coach Mark Stumph from Carmel FC
Not to rain on anyone’s parade, but 1 pt at Mexico, while symbolically cool – doesn’t really do much to change the US’s fate. The bigger surprise result was Panama’s draw with Honduras. That now puts the US in a spot where a draw with Panama assures them at least 4th place. Costa Rica’s win over Canada keeps the US in the danger zone. C-Rica play @El Salvador (who has nothing to play for). A win there would set up a showdown with the US. The good news is that the US has already beaten Costa Rica, so a tie in the standings should go to the US. That gives us a little breathing room.
So, here are the scenarios: a win vs Panama locks us in to at least 4th. Combo that with Costa Rica not getting 3 pts at El Salvador and we are locked into at least 3rd. That’s the great scenario. If Costa Rica does win, the US would be 3 pts up on them playing a head to head with probably some complicated tie-breaker scenarios going on that should favor the US in most cases.
A draw vs Panama also locks us to at least 4th. If Costa Rica gets 1 or 3 pts @ El Salvador, we would need at least a draw in the Costa Rica game to hold 3rd place. A subsequent loss to Costa Rica could knock us to 4th. Great scenario here – a US tie and Costa Rica loss locks the US into at least 3rd spot.
A loss vs Panama is bad. Really bad. That would put us in a situation where we have to at least tie Costa Rica to stay ahead of them. A loss to Costa Rica would put the US in a spot where they would need help from Canada (@Panama) to achieve 4th place. Bottom line – we cannot lose to Panama at home on Sunday
Concacaf WCQ Games Today
5 pm Para+ Canada vs Jamaica
6 pm Para+ El Salvador vs Costa Rica
7 pm Fox Sport 1 USA vs Panama WCQ
So a little bit about the trip – first things first Mexico City was a real treat –the mixture of old Spanish architecture and food vendors literally on every corner was pretty cool. I thought the city was safe and clean and very metropolitan and of course my buddy Oscars’s family – brother, cousin and Tias were wonderfully accommodating. Yes Tia cooked meals for us twice a day and they were great.
As for Azteca – I will start by saying the traffic getting into the stadium was horrific – think LA El Trafico on steroids – the drive normally takes an hour and took us 3 – so bad we missed the first 20 minutes of the game. But upon arrival and getting into the stadium – the reduced crowd was compounded by the new rule requiring all tickets to have been registered with your name, phone and contact info online before going in. This had never been done before and the Mexican fans were slow getting in because they were all on their phones in disbelief when they were denied entry. Trying to sign up. It made for a late arriving crowd that was still 30 people long even when we arrived. The other thing was that the police presence was almost overwhelming. Riot gear – horses, cops on every corner of the stadium in force (now they were all nice and friendly unlike most US cops I have encountered in those situations ) – but I think that combined with the reduced capacity and of course Mexico’s horrific play – simply zapped the energy from the stadium. I went in thinking UF vs Bama, Ohio State vs Michigan – and instead got FL vs South Dakota State or Notre Dame vs Navy – simply not a big game atmosphere. In fact I sat around the 40 year line front row level 2 above the benches – but the US AO section of around 1000 people up high in level 3 – -definitely could be heard in the stadium – of course not as loud as the boos and calling for the firing of Tata Martinez.
Crazy times. And a bit disappointing with the crowd intensity – but still its an experience I will never forget – I came in saying I would take a 1 -1 draw – a win for both teams. But after the game – I really felt the US deserved the win –and Mexico – lets just say this is the weakest Mexican side I have ever seen. I truly expect them to fire coach Tata Martinez after qualifying before the World Cup.
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BIG GAMES ON TV
Sat, Mar 26
5 pm ESPN+ Charlotte vs Cincy
7:30 pm ESPN+ Indy 11 @ Louisville City
7 pm Para + Anglel City vs OL Reign NWSL
7 pm Para + NC Courage vs Orlando Pride NWSL
11 pm Para + San Diego Wave (Morgan) vs Portland Thorns (Rapino)
Sun, Mar 27
5 pm ESPN Portland Timbers vs Orlando City
5 pm Para+ Canada vs Jamaica
6 pm Para+ El Salvador vs Costa Rica
7 pm Fox Sport 1 USA vs Panama WCQ
Tues, Mar 29
1 pm ESPN+ Senegal vs Egypt
1 pm ESPN+ Nigeria vs Ghana
3:30 pm ESPN+ Algeria vs Cameroon
7:30 pm Fubo TV Bolivia vs Brazil
7:30 pm Fubo TV Ecucador vs Argentina
7:30 pm fubotTV Chile vs Uraguay
Wed, Mar 30
9 pm Para+ USA @ Costa Rica
9 pm Para+ Panama vs Canada
9 pm Para+ Mexico vs El Salvador
Saturday, April 9
7 pm USWNT vs Ubekestan at Lower.com Field in Columbus: Tickets
How will USMNT line up vs Panama in possible World Cup-berth clincher?
Nicholas MendolaFri, March 25, 2022, 11:38 AM·3 min read
The United States men’s national team could qualify for the World Cup by the time the final whistle blows on Sunday’s home qualifier with Panama, this we know.Over-simplifying: Should Costa Rica drop points against El Salvador at 5pm ET, the Yanks can sew up a spot in Qatar with a win from their 7pm kickoff.
Who will be on the pitch if and when that happens requires some guess work.
By now there are few certainties when it comes to Gregg Berhalter’s lineup choices. The man who Initially viewed Tyler Adams as a right back now sees the RB Leipzig midfielder as so important to the center midfield that he removed him with 10 minutes left in an ascendant but scoreless match rather than trust the player take a yellow card and miss the next match through suspension, a risk inherent when the player was put on the pitch in the first place.Coaches evolve, players, too. We go on.So Adams will start against Paraguay. Christian Pulisic is a virtual certainty, too. After that, given Berhalter all of the injuries and illness within the squad and the trust he showed in Aaron Long and Erik Palmer-Brown by inserting them into a crucible for hottest 10 minutes of what’s essentially the side’s biggest derby? Well, who knows what’s going on. We do know that Shaq Moore has been called up to give Berhalter depth behind DeAndre Yedlin after Reggie Cannon tested positive for COVID-19. Surely, with all due respect to Moore, Berhalter is hoping he’ll plug the new call-up into a final match at Costa Rica that will only be about positioning on the table, but who knows?
Can recent USMNT vs Panama matches tell us anything?
The answer to the heading? Not much.Berhalter’s gone up against Panama twice since late 2020, beating Los Canaleros 6-2 in November 2020 in Europe and losing 1-0 in Panama City five months ago.The second carries more weight, with the Yanks out-attempted 8-5 and failing to put a single shot on target. That was a heavily-changed side and Berhalter could name up a maximum of six starters from that match to this XI. There are another six on the bench, but suffice it to say that his XI in Panama was absent Adams and Pulisic as well as Weston McKennie, Zack Steffen, John Brooks, and Miles Robinson.Neither Brooks nor McKennie will be available come Sunday, and you won’t see more than a half-dozen players from the 6-2 friendly win either.
How will the USMNT line up versus Panama?
Presuming Zack Steffen is no worse for the wear following a physical night against Mexico, he’ll likely be back between the sticks in Orlando.Adams and Pulisic are no-doubters and Giovanni Reyna’s turn off the bench at Azteca would’ve opened eyes even if he wasn’t being saved for a start against Panama.If DeAndre Yedlin’s slight limp was normal wear-and-tear, it could and maybe should be an unchanged back four, and it seems counterintuitive to put in Cristian Roldan or Luca de la Torre over anyone to start in the midfield versus Mexico. Gianluca Busio might make some sense as a wildcard.If the front three gets changed, perhaps Paul Arriola will get a nod but that would mean either Pulisic, Reyna, or Timothy Weah is not starting. Pulisic is Pulisic and the other two didn’t go 90 in Mexico, so we may see a nearly unchanged XI after all. The likeliest removal would be Ricardo Pepi.
Steffen
Yedlin — Zimmerman — M. Robinson — A. Robinson
Adams — Acosta
Musah
Pulisic — Weah — Reyna
USA v. Mexico, 2022 World Cup Qualifying; What We Learned
The trip to the Azteca stadium is the scariest leg every cycle for USMNT in World Cup Qualifying. Yet, the US went into the match and went toe-to-toe with Mexico for a scoreless draw. Here’s What We Learned.
If you had offered me 4 points vs. Mexico at the start of World Cup qualifying, I would have absolutely taken it. After that Azteca game, however, I’m feeling that the US were unfortunate not to have taken all 6 points. Which is crazy!
The trip to the Estadio Azteca is, of course, marked as the most difficult fixture for the United States Mens National Team at the start of every qualifying cycle. It’s not just the general quality of the Mexican national team; a trip to the Azteca means dealing with long travel times (often including time zone differences), poor air quality, and limited altitude acclimatization (the stadium sits at 7,200 feet above sea level). Every match in the Estadio Azteca is a severe test of adaptability and physical and mental stamina for the away team.
For each previous visit to the Azteca, the USMNT has aimed to merely hold a deep defensive line and hope to get a goal against the run of play. And, frankly, that’s been decently effective in recent visits, with the US unbeaten in the 3 previous matches in Mexico. But that’s completely different than going to Mexico and choosing to impose the game on Mexico. And that’s exactly what Gregg Berhalter had his players do on Thursday. The team went in and pressed Mexico, choosing to try and stifle their ability to play out across the whole field. It was a risky decision, one with serious chances of backfiring. But the team went and did it. Don’t be fooled by the goalless scoreline; the USMNT created two tap-ins that they just didn’t manage to score. The US controlled that game by playing the familiar style of pressing and possession that we’ve been seeing throughout qualifying.
The US–Mexico Rivalry Has Changed
When the USMNT beat Mexico in their home qualifier in Cincinnati, back in November, I asked Gregg Berhalter how the rivalry between the two teams had changed from back in his days as a national team player (Berhalter played vs. Mexico in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, as well as in bothlegs of qualifying vs. Mexico). Here’s what Berhalter said:
I think fundamentally it hasn’t changed much, right? It’s two teams that, that understand what the rivalry means, understand that… how important this rivalry is for the region. You see when the teams are on the field, in the Nations League Final or the Gold Cup final, both teams want to win. And they want to compete. So… from that stand point, it hasn’t changed. What I think about our age, our, you know, the youth we have in this generation coming up and having to compete against Mexico, that’s an experienced team. And you know, these guys just keep going and they are relentless.
I think, from the standpoint of the intensity of the matches, I believe Berhalter. But looking at this most recent match in the Azteca, I can’t help but suspect that the relationship actually has changed since 2002.
It used to be the case that, at home, the USMNT won their qualifiers v. Mexico thanks to gutsy displays built on organization and physicality. Meanwhile, Mexico owned the right to say that they were the ones who truly played the beautiful game, and especially so in El Azteca, their fortress in mountains. But I think that’s changed. You just can’t look at Gio Reyna make this run, take on — and beat — all these Mexican players — in the Azteca! — and say that the US is the one without flair and style.Look, it’s definitely a stereotype that the USMNT’s of the past couldn’t play proper soccer. But the USA’s performances in past US–Mexico games were decidedly not displays of sophistication. I mean, in the 2002 World Cup match, the most definitive and iconic of all the dos-a-ceros, Gregg Berhalter himself punched the ball out of the penalty box and got away with it! These past matches were showcases of pragmatism, not aesthetics. But you can’t say that about these most recent two qualifiers v. Mexico. In both the home and away matches, the US took the front foot, asserting themselves on Mexico. The team successfully pressed Mexico to the point of suffocating their midfield. The US created chances from possession. Yeah, the team didn’t win this time, but I think the days of saying that El Norte can’t play real fútbol are over.And the results as of late reflect that. The US won three straight matches in 2022 in home soil, and now they’ve added a draw in Mexico to that list. And, while the team hasn’t managed to actually win in the Azteca in qualifying, this is now the third straight qualifying match in Mexico that they US has drawn. Add in the one friendly the team’s played in Mexico (a win), and the US is undefeated in 4, spanning a full decade. At this point, I am quite happy to declare that El Azteca is no longer a fortress, especially after considering Mexico’s recent record in World Cup qualifying (and how infrequently their national team actually plays their otherwise anymore).But this isn’t merely a mark of a turning of the tide in the rivalry. This isn’t merely the US having a dominant spell; there’s really something that’s changed with the relationship between the two teams. Take a look at the second part of that Berhalter quote.
What I think about our age, our, you know, the youth we have in this generation coming up and having to compete against Mexico, that’s an experienced team.
Berhalter highlighted the team’s youth. And I think that’s a huge part of what’s changed. Gio Reyna was out there clowning the experienced Mexican defenders, at the age of 19. Reyna could be doing that against Mexico for the next 15 years. Almost the entire core of the team is between 19 and 23 years of age. We could have this collection of talent for the next decade. And there’s now a full pipeline of players coming up, layers who are potentially just as technically gifted, tactically astute, and athletic as the current USMNT core. A full pipeline of talent that is every bit talented enough to assert themselves over Mexico.
The Math
So here’s the big question: How does this draw affect the USMNT’s qualification hopes?Here’s what the standings currently look like:
The US sits in 2nd with 22 points, three behind Canada and tied with Mexico. Costa Rica moved up into 4th place with 19 points, while Panama slipped to 5th with their draw v. Honduras. The top 3 automatically qualify for the World Cup, while the 4th place team has to go through a playoff vs. New Zealand.
With 22 points and a game against each of Panama (at home) and Costa Rica (away), the US sits in control of its destiny here. A win or a draw vs. Panama would guarantee that the US finishes ahead of Panama, and thus, in 4th place at the worst. A win vs. Costa Rica, independent of other results, would guarantee the US automatic qualification, while a draw would most likely give the US a minimum of 4th place (Costa Rica would need to beat El Salvador by at least 7 goals in their penultimate match… and that’s not happening).
Beating Panama and drawing Costa Rica would most straight forwardly give the USMNT automatic qualification, putting the US at 26 points and out of reach of either Panama or Costa Rica. As already stated, a win vs. Costa Rica would guarantee a World Cup berth, even if the US loses to Panama. If the US beats Panama, the team will still finish above Costa Rica and no worse than 3rd so long as Costa Rica does not overcome the 7 point gap in goal difference in their next two games, including the match vs. the US.
There are more scenarios depending on other results, but it would be tedious to go through all the possible permutations. The short of it is that the US needs to win at least one of their remaining games and for Costa Rica to drop points (whether v. the USMNT or El Salvador) for the US to be guaranteed a World Cup spot. Ideally, the US beats Panama while Costa Rica draws or loses to El Salvador, giving the US qualification with a game in hand. Given how difficult the away match in Costa Rica has historically been for the US, it would be far more straight forward to just win vs. Panama and maximize the chances of qualifying before the final match.
closing Thoughts
Congratulations go to Ricardo Pepi for playing in this match. While he wasn’t particularly effective in his 60 minute outing, that match must have been an absolutely huge deal for a Mexican American. And he deserves credit for his work rate and effort.
The gamble of going for a result vs. Mexico includes the question of how fit the team is to play vs. Panama on Sunday. The Estadio Azteca fixture is notoriously draining and it can affect a player’s fitness well after the match. On top of that, there was the risk of suspensions through red cards and yellow card accumulation. Indeed, we’ll be missing DeAndre Yedlin and Tim Weah through yellow card accumulation. The USMNT needs to win vs. Panama and that’s going to require evaluating fitness and rotating. The good news is that Panama looks beatable. They’ve dropped points in 3 of their last 5 matches, including a draw at home v. last place Honduras. After a strong start, their away form has dropped considerably. And they’ll be desperate to win vs. the US, potentially forcing a stoic defensive side into playing a more open game. Meanwhile, the MNT has depth and has played particularly well at home throughout qualifying. In addition, the USMNT’s youth potentially gives the team a quicker recovery time.
Costa Rica looks beatable. Look, I don’t want to have to count on getting a historic first result vs. Costa Rica. I’d rather see the USMNT take 3 points over Panama while Costa Rica drops points, securing a USMNT advancement. But Costa Rica has to go all out for three straight games and I’m not convinced that their collection of aging veterans will have enough gas in the tank by the time they play the US.
A lot of people were/are upset that the USMNT hadn’t already locked in qualification before this window, but that’s unreasonable. It’s reasonable for people to be anxious about whether the US qualifies or not, especially given that we didn’t qualify last time. But expecting the US to dominate so utterly is simply unrealistic. Qualifying is tough and chaotic and fans need to understand that. The USMNT has thus far done well and are on pace to qualify.
USMNT player ratings: Adams, Zimmerman defense will Yanks to Azteca point
CB Zimmerman was Man of the Match for his play along with CB Miles Robinson. The duo has yet to give up a goal in Qualifying – 7 games now.
Andy Edwards Fri, March 25, 2022, 12:30 AM
The USMNT picked up a point at Estadio Azteca on Thursday, playing bitter rivals Mexico to a scoreless draw in 2022 World Cup qualifying.The USA was wasteful at one end of the field, but resilient and unbreakable at the other end. As far as performances in Mexico City go, there won’t be many better. The result, on the other hand, should have been.Here’s a look at who stood out (for better or for worse) for Gregg Berhalter’s side, with some bonus commentary from PST’s Nicholas Mendola (italicized)…
GK – Zack Steffen: 7.5 – For a goalkeeper making his first international start since mid-November due to injuries, and having made precious few for his club side during that same time, Steffen was reassuringly confident on Thursday. He faced seven shots on target (saved all of them), showed both the short- and long-range distribution which once separated him from Matt Turner as the incumbent no. 1. As has been the case throughout World Cup qualifying, having two international-caliber goalkeepers is a good thing, not a bad one. Actually we have 3 + Horvath is better than we give him credit for – OBC
RB – DeAndre Yedlin: 6.5 – It really pays to have a backup right back with 71 caps on the squad, just in case the starter gets injured days before a crucial rivalry game. Yedlin stepped into the team with Sergiño Dest (hamstring) out, put in 80 hard minutes and helped to keep Jesus Corona incredibly quiet (zero shots, just one key pass).
CB – Walker Zimmerman: 8 – With Raul Jimenez dropping into midfield in an attempt to pull the center backs out of position — either for Jimenez to play them in behind, or to create space for diagonal runs behind from the wings — it was imperative that Zimmerman and Miles Robinson be on the same page. One had to know when to go with Jimenez, while the other would stay. They handled that assignment rather well (zero shots, three key passes for Jimenez).
CB – Miles Robinson: 7 – Robinson had a rough start in the opening 15 or 20 minutes, but he settled in nicely thereafter and was continuously in the right place at the right time to make a key interception or clearance.
LB – Antonee Robinson: 6.5 – Offensively, Robinson was dangerous and always willing to throw himself forward. Defensively, there were a few hairy moments where he was caught out of position and/or ball-watching, thus freeing Lozano to run at the other Robinson one-on-one.
DM – Tyler Adams: 8 – Midway through the second half, there was a 10- or 15-minute period in which Mexico were quickly growing into the game and putting the USMNT under ever-increasing pressure. Perhaps Adams sensed that was his moment to step up and singlehandedly keep the score level at 0-0. He made three defensive plays in a matter of moments — tracking back into the left back position on a counter-attack, and twice stepping forward to win the ball or break up a Mexican attack with a foul. Because there were no shots (let alone shots on target) resulting from these moments, it gets lost in the chaos of USA-Mexico, but each was yet another prime example of Adams’ indispensability to the USMNT.
CM – Kellyn Acosta: 7 – Every team in the world — club or country, doesn’t matter — needs a Kellyn Acosta in their squad. With Weston McKennie (broken foot) out until this summer at the earliest, away to Mexico is a tough spot for most backups to step into, but Acosta had already played Mexico four times in his USMNT career (once in Mexico) and might have been the coolest head on the field. He provided the one thing the USMNT needed most against El Tri: stability in central midfield.
CM – Yunus Musah: 6.5 – Musah was less influential than he has been in games against CONCACAF’s not-giants (to be expected), but he remains 19 years old and at no point did he not look like he belonged on the field. He was made to track back and battle more than he’s done in the past, and he showed there’s more to his game than slick dribbling and combination play.
RW – Tim Weah: 6 – Weah lasted just 60 minutes and was scarcely involved in USMNT possession or build-up. Again, that was to be expected given 1) Mexico’s stellar wide attackers, and 2) attack-minded DeAndre Yedlin playing right back behind him. Weah was committed defensively — a hugely necessary contribution — though his yellow card means he’ll miss the game against Panama.
LW – Christian Pulisic: 6 – Pulisic had the first half’s best scoring chance in the 35th minute, but he somehow managed to put his shot in the one spot on the planet where Memo Ochoa could save it (below video). It’s hard to look past that moment, given the quality of the chance and the rest of the USMNT’s performance. He had another half-chance to start the second and forced Ochoa to make a (slightly) more difficult save.
CF – Ricardo Pepi: 5.5 – Pepi remains the USMNT’s best prospect at center forward — and these games are important for his development, no doubt about it — but the Yanks got very little from the 19-year-old on Thursday. The reality of the situation is that Berhalter doesn’t currently have anybody better or more reliable to select, and so Pepi must learn on the fly.
Sub – Gio Reyna: 7 – Reyna came on for Weah right on the hour mark and immediately looked to get on the ball, run at defenders and cause chaos. His long dribble through midfield seemed to indicate the 19-year-old (it’s so easy to forget just how young so many of them still are) is finally fully recovered from his torn hamstring and can potentially be a game-changer in the final two games.
Sub – Jordan Pefok: 5 – A painful miss that conjured memories of Chris Wondolowski against Belgium in 2014.
USA vs. Mexico, 2022 World Cup qualifying: SSFC Man of the Match
The United States Men’s National Team walked out of Estadio Azteca with a draw Thursday night against Mexico, with both teams remaining scoreless on the evening. The USMNT had several great chances to take leads in the match and possibly steal 3 points on the road for the first time in Mexico, however fate only allowed them to bring a point to Orlando.
There were a couple notable performances that the SSFC community really enjoyed in this match. However, one player was leaps and bounds above the rest. Gio Reyna, for his efforts as a substitute in the match, earned a 7.83 average rating and the SSFC Man of the Match.
Reyna made a huge impact on the match in his short amount of time on the field. He had one long play that was described by Gregg Berhalter as Maradona-esque, while he almost set up Jordan Pefok for what could have been the golden goal that would have beaten El Tri. Those 2 plays, coupled with his overall play, put him over the top.
The ratings for all the players, along with the referee and head coach Gregg Berhalter:
Gio Reyna – 7.83
Walker Zimmerman – 7.12
Zack Steffen – 6.92
Tyler Adams – 6.90
Antonee Robinson – 6.89
Tim Weah – 6.53
Yunus Musah – 6.35
Miles Robinson – 6.26
Kellyn Acosta – 6.22
Christian Pulisic – 5.94
DeAndre Yedlin – 5.73
Aaron Long – 5.63
Erik Palmer-Brown – 5.60
Jordan Morris – 5.18
Ricardo Pepi – 4.99
Jordan Pefok – 3.74
—
Gregg Berhalter – 6.14
Shane with the Mexican flag girl – in Azteca after the 0-0 tie Ochoa Big Head – after the tie !
Ok folks it is here. The US Men must win this week to qualify for the World Cup this Winter (Nov 21-Dec 18). What we have to do? (Promo)
We must beat Panama on Sunday in Orlando at 7 pm on FS1. And we must either beat or tie Mexico at Azteca on Thursday night 10 pm on CBS Sports Network (& paramount plus) or if we lose to Mexico (where we have never won a Qualifier)
Or
We must BEAT or TIE Costa Rica at their capital (full stadium 80k) where we have NEVER/EVER won and have never won or tied in a qualifier.
The huge question all week in the US soccer circles is what does US manager Gregg Berhalter do and how does he line up vs Mexico? Do you put out your BEST team and go for the win in the altitude in a 50% full Azteca (including YOURS TRULY) or do you go conservative and hold your best team for the home game vs Panama and road game at Costa Rica. (see Video about this)
Let’s start here – I do not understand the crazy’s who are calling for us to rest our players on a yellow (Adams, Yedlin, Steffan) or our better players at say left or center back and midfield. The US has never won in Costa Rica! Costa Rica’s starting goalkeeper Keylor Navas (PSG, Real Madrid) is back and healthy – he will not let us beat them in front of 100K drunk Costa Rican’s on the final day of qualifying if Costa Rica can knock us out and advance THEY WILL. We couldn’t win on a tough pitch in Trinadad and Tobago 4 years ago against a high school quality team who was eliminated already – NO WAY we beat even an aging Costa Rica at their place on the final night. NO WAY. So we have to take a point at Mexico – we just have to PERIOD!! Gregg starts his backups and what does that tell the team? We can’t beat a team in Mexico who we have dominated the last 3 games – just because its on their turf? They already lost to Canada and tied Costa Rica at Azteca just a few months ago. Mexico is vulnerable and NOW is the time to BEAT THEM for a 4TH CONSECUTIVE TIME and draw a line in the sand – that WE ARE THE KINGS of CONCACAF – not Mexico !! We are top 10 in the WORLD – not Mexico. Of course this has nothing to do with me realizing a dream/bucket list – going to the legendary Azteca Stadium for this LAST EVER – meaningful Qualifying Round in Mexico. This is simply what we are going to have to do to advance to the World Cup (unless we get help and Canada beats or ties Costa Rica in Costa Rica Thurs 10 pm Paramount+ or Panama 4 nights later.)
Shane’s Starting Roster for Mexico (McKennie, Aaronson, Dest out hurt)
Ferreira or Pefok
Pulilsic //Acosta//Musah//Weah (I am ok with de la Torre – in for Musah)
Adams
Jedi Robinson//M Robinson or Long//Zimmerman//Yedlin
Ethan Horvath
If we are in the game after half – say behind 1 or tied – 55 to 60 min I add Gio Reyna for Musah or Torre and I put Pefok up top for Ferreria.
If we get behind by more than 2 – I pull Adams//Pulisic/Weah/Musah/Jedi save them for next 2 games.
Fortunately for the US our talisman Christian Pulisic is fresh of another Goal in the Champions League Sweet 16, was named man of the Match and is playing some of his best ball of the year. Returning to the line-up should be winger/mid Gio Reyna who is back and starting for Dortmund. Also back to health should be Man City GK Zack Steffen (though Ethan Horvan is on fire for Notingham Forest in the Championship) so we should be covered in goal without the injured Matt Turner. Along the back line while Barcelona man Serginio Dest was injured this week – centerback Aaron Long has returned to the fold after being injured last year. Joining the team late was left back George Bello – we could see him vs Panama.
I like our chances – Mexico is not in form right now – I honestly think the US is going to go in and take a point at least. If GB starts our stars – I truly think we have a chance to get out with a 2-1 win – if not I still think its 1-1 and we get out with a tie and a HUGE point! The US needs to win this one with ME IN THE STANDS — I think we get it!!
GOALKEEPERS (3): Ethan Horvath (Nottingham Forest), Sean Johnson (New York City FC), Zack Steffen (Manchester City)
DEFENDERS (9): Reggie Cannon (Boavista), Sergiño Dest (FC Barcelona), Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls), Erik Palmer-Brown (Troyes), Antonee Robinson (Fulham FC), Miles Robinson (Atlanta United), James Sands (Rangers FC), DeAndre Yedlin (Inter Miami), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville)
FORWARDS (9): Brenden Aaronson (Red Bull Salzburg), Paul Arriola (FC Dallas), Jesús Ferreira (FC Dallas), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders), Jordan Pefok (Young Boys), Ricardo Pepi (Augsburg), Christian Pulisic (Chelsea FC), Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund), Tim Weah (Lille)
Thursday 10 pm CBS Sports Net Mexico vs USA
Sunday 7 pm Fox Sport 1 USA vs Panama
Wed 9 pm Paramount+ USA @ Costa Rica
CONCACAF Table
GP
PTS
GD
1 – Canada
11
25
+14
2 – USA
11
21
+9
3 – Mexico
11
21
+6
4 – Panama
11
17
+1
5 – Costa Rica
11
16
1
6 – El Salvador
11
9
-7
7 – Jamaica
11
7
-7
8 – Honduras
11
3
-17
1-3 qualify; 4 into playoff
Other Games to Keep and Eye on
Canada can all but wrap up 1st place in Qualifying if they can beat Costa Rica at the same time the US plays Mexico Thursday night on Paramount plus. It really helps our chances to settle into at least 4th place if Canada can knock off Costa Rica and then Panama on Wed at 5 pm on Para +. In other huge World Cup Qualifying action – Portugal, Italy, & Turkey are all playing off to see who will advance to the World Cup from Europe A – Portugal hosts Turkey at 3:45 pm Thurs on ESPN2, while Wales faces Austria and Sweden hosts Czech Republic same time on ESPN+. Friday we get African WCQ action with Egypt vs Senegal Friday at 3:30 pm on ESPN+ and again Tuesday at 1 pm. NWSL week 2 Challenge Cup action resumes Friday/Sat nights on Paramount plus with Racing Louisville hosting Defending Cup Champs Houston Dash at 7:30 pm, while Washington hosts Gotham FC. Sat its new team Angel City fresh off a 1-1 tie with San Diego hosting OL Reign, and the San Diego Wave and Alex Morgan hosting the Portland Thorns and Rapino all at 7 pm on Para +. Of course our our Indy 11 will travel to Louisville at 7:30 pm on ESPN+ Saturday evening right after Charlotte looks for their 2nd home win vs Cincy at 5 pm on ESPN+.
In other news I love me some Referee Mike Dean in the EPL – here’s a nice little tribute to his retiring – his 100th Red Card.
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BIG GAMES ON TV
Thur, Mar 24
3:45 pm ESPN2 Portugal vs Turkey
3:45 pm ESPN+ Italy vs North Macedonia
3:45 pm ESPN+ Sweden vs Czech Republic
3”45 pm ESPN+ Wales vs Austria
7:30 pm FuboTV Brazil vs Chile
9 pm Para+ Panama vs Honduras
10 pm CBSSN Mexico vs USA WCQ
10:05 pm Para+ Costa Rica vs Canada
Fri, Mar 25
1 pm ESPN+ Cameroon vs Algeria
3:30 pm ESPN+ Egypt vs Senegal
7:#0 pm Para+ Racing Louisville vs Hooston Dash NWSL
7:30 pm Para+ Washington Spirit vs NY/NJ Gotham FC
8:30 pm Para+ Chicago Red Stars vs KC
Sat, Mar 26
5 pm ESPN+ Charlotte vs Cincy
7:30 pm ESPN+ Indy 11 @ Louisville City
7 pm Para + Anglel City vs OL Reign NWSL
7 pm Para + NC Courage vs Orlando Pride NWSL
11 pm Para + San Diego Wave (Morgan) vs Portland Thorns (Rapino)
2022 World Cup: How United States, Mexico and Canada can qualify
3:56 PM ETDale JohnsonGeneral Editor, ESPN FC
The race to the 2022 World Cup finals is drawing to a close, with three rounds of games to be played in March to decide which nations from the CONCACAF region will head to Qatar in November.
How many CONCACAF nations qualify for the World Cup?
CONCACAF Table
GP
PTS
GD
1 – Canada
11
25
+14
2 – USA
11
21
+9
3 – Mexico
11
21
+6
4 – Panama
11
17
+1
5 – Costa Rica
11
16
1
6 – El Salvador
11
9
-7
7 – Jamaica
11
7
-7
8 – Honduras
11
3
-17
1-3 qualify; 4 into playoff
The top three nations in CONCACAF qualify directly to the World Cup, which begins on Nov. 21 and runs through to the final on Dec. 18.The fourth-place nation in the region will face a playoff against the winner of the Oceania region, most likely New Zealand. The playoff will be one match only, and will be hosted by Qatar. The fixture is scheduled to be played on June 13 or 14.
Which nations are still in contention?
Of the eight teams in the final stage of qualifying, El Salvador, Honduras and Jamaica have been eliminated.That leaves Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama and United States still with hopes of making the finals.
How each nation can qualify
1. Canada (25 points)
Coach John Herdman is all but certain to lead Canada to only its second men’s World Cup finals. The previous appearance came in 1986, when it lost all three matches to France, Hungary and Soviet Union without scoring a goal.Unbeaten throughout all 11 matches so far in this phase, Canada is guaranteed at least fourth and the place in the intercontinental playoff.Canada needs a maximum of two points to qualify automatically for the World Cup, but other results are likely to see it over the line even if it doesn’t achieve this.Additionally, if Panama fails to win at home to Honduras on March 24, Canada needs only a point at Costa Rica that day to qualify.
2. United States (21)
The 3-0 win over Honduras on Feb. 2 put the United States firmly in control of its own destiny, but with all three remaining matches against qualification rivals — including away fixtures to two of the strongest CONCACAF nations, Mexico and Costa Rica — it cannot start planning for Qatar yet.If USMNT fails to win in Mexico, it will really open up the group. Panama plays a Honduras team that hasn’t won any of its 11 matches, so victory for Panama would place it only one or two points behind the U.S. (Costa Rica would move close, too, if it beats Canada.) United States and Panama then would meet at the Exploria Stadium in Orlando on March 27; defeat for USMNT could leave it facing, at best, the intercontinental playoff.However, the United States can allay most fears with victory at Mexico — that would leave coach Gregg Berhalter needing at most two points from the remaining two matches.
3. Mexico (21)
While it may seem as though Mexico’s task is the same as the United States’, with both on 21 points, El Tri coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino has the benefit of, on paper, at least, a more favorable fixture list. After hosting the United States, Mexico then plays at bottom-of-the-table Honduras before completing its campaign at home to another already-eliminated team, El Salvador.It means that failing to win on March 24 may not be so damaging to Mexico as it could be to USMNT.If Mexico beats United States, it would need a maximum of two points to qualify for the finals. If Mexico draws against the U.S., it would need four points from the remaining fixtures. After a defeat, it would need to win both games to be certain, though again, other results may mean fewer would send it to the finals.
4. Panama (17)
Panama’s hopes of a second successive World Cup appear slim, and it has to win at home to Honduras on March 24 to retain any realistic chance of being, automatically, at least, at its second successive World Cup.With a win at home to Honduras, Panama will be within touching distance of one, or both, of Mexico and the United States, depending on the result of that tie.Its final two qualifiers are then against the top two nations in the group, and it would need at least a point at the U.S. before hosting Canada on March 30.Its best hope would appear to be a USMNT defeat in Mexico, and then to avoid defeat in Orlando to take it to the final day. Victory at home to Canada could then send Panama to the World Cup if USMNT fails at Costa Rica.
5. Costa Rica (16)
Costa Rica, which has been at four of the past five World Cup finals, is up against it and must win all three games to have a realistic chance of qualifying automatically.Three victories and a tally of 25 points gives it a shot, but it will also need one of Mexico or the United States to have poor results in the three matches. The fixture list suggests that is more likely to be the United States, so Costa Rica can only win its matches against Canada and El Salvador and hope it is within striking distance of USMNT when the two nations meet in the final qualifier on March 30.Panama, of course, would also have a say in what Costa Rica may require should it go down to the final round of qualifiers.
USA vs. Mexico, 2022 World Cup qualifying: What to watch for
A big showdown at the Azteca. By Donald Wine II@blazindw Mar 23, 2022, 8:42am PDT Stars and Stripes.
The United States Men’s National Team head to Estadio Azteca tomorrow night to take on Mexico in a pivotal World Cup qualifying match. Entering the final window of World Cup qualifying, both teams still have some ground to cover in order to secure one of the 3 spots from Concacaf in the 2022 World Cup. The USMNT enter with several key players out due to injury, and will seek to win a World Cup qualifier at the Azteca for the first time ever. Mexico, currently level with the USMNT on points in the Octagonal, wants to show that they are still the dominant team in this rivalry, and there’s more pressure for them to prove it after a 2021 that saw the USMNT defeat El Tri 3 times.The USMNT need a combination of 6 points won or lost by Panama and Costa Rica to secure a World Cup spot. That will mean that a result in Mexico will be super important for the U.S. in order to close in on qualification.
Latest Form
USA
W (3-0) – Honduras – World Cup Qualifying
L (0-2) – Canada – World Cup Qualifying
W (1-0) – El Salvador – World Cup Qualifying
W (1-0) – Bosnia & Herzegovina – Friendly
D (1-1) – Jamaica – World Cup Qualifying
Mexico
W (1-0) – Panama – World Cup Qualifying
D (0-0) – Costa Rica – World Cup Qualifying
W (2-1) – Jamaica – World Cup Qualifying
D (2-2) – Chile – Friendly
L (1-2) – Canada – World Cup Qualifying
What To Watch For
Overcome the injuries. The USMNT have a ton of key injuries to players, including Sergiño Dest, Matt Turner, Weston McKennie, and Brenden Aaronson. For the rest of the guys on the roster, they’re going to have to step up to overcome those missing players. They’re capable of doing it, but they need to recognize the importance of the match and come out firing.
Keep guys fresh. Estadio Azteca sits at about 7800 feet above sea level, which will cause guys to get gassed early. Gregg Berhalter needs to make sure subs are ready to go so that the energy level on the field stays high.
Take shots and put pressure on the defense. The more the ball is down on the attacking end for the United States, the higher the pressure is for Mexico. In front of their fans who are unforgiving when El Tri doesn’t play well, the momentum can shift by keep Mexico on their heels.
Lineup Prediction
With so many injuries, there’s a big question on who will step in to fill the role of guys that have been dependable throughout qualifying. With the opportunity to steal points and bring the USMNT that much closer to qualification, here’s what Gregg Berhalter will likely present as his starting XI:Predicted Lineup vs. Mexico
Zack Steffen will get the start at goal, while the back line has Antonee Robinson, Walker Zimmerman, Miles Robinson, and DeAndre Yedlin in place of Dest. The midfield will have a new look to it, as Tyler Adams occupies his defensive midfield position and is joined by Kellyn Acosta and Gio Reyna. Luca de la Torre or Yunus Musah could also be in this midfield if Berhalter wants to go about it differently, but in the end, he starts by putting Reyna on the field.Up front, Christian Pulisic will be on the left wing, with Tim Weah on the right wing to give some added creativity and next level attacking. In the middle, Ricardo Pepi gets the start in the hopes he can find the magic he had last fall in matches against Honduras and Jamaica.It’s hard to predict this match, because the USMNT has played so well lately against Mexico. However, they’ve never won a World Cup qualifier at Estadio Azteca, despite taking points in the last 2 cycles. It’s an even game, with the final score being 1-1. The USMNT ends what could be its final World Cup qualifying trip to the Azteca by bringing a point home to Orlando.
THIS IS IT – THE FINAL EXAM IS SET – CAN THE US QUALIFY –
SI – Brian Straus
The opportunity to play at one of sports’ most iconic and hallowed grounds—the place where Pelé and Brazil’s “jogo bonito” dazzled the world in novel living color and where Diego Maradona famously channeled both God and the devil—comes at a cost.News is always free on SI. Register to have it delivered to your inbox daily. The Estadio Azteca, Mexico City’s enormous and intimidating 87,500-seat stadium (it once held up to 107,000), sits about 10 miles south of the capital’s historic center and an exhausting 7,200 feet above sea level. When it’s full, and when the air is thin, hot and hazy, the Azteca inevitably extracts a heavy price.“It’s hard to play here. It wears you out. It’s just exhausting,” U.S. legend Landon Donovan said moments after a 2009 World Cup qualifying defeat.The Azteca tests and often saps your energy, will and resolve. Composure and focus are stretched to the limit. Players suffer, and even spectators unfamiliar with the environment can struggle climbing the concourse’s interminable ramps. Opponents will leave points behind. Earnie Stewart remembers leaving his voice there as well.“Once you leave the field, you can’t speak to each other anymore,” says U.S. Soccer’s sporting director, who played there twice during his 13 years as a men’s national team midfielder. “Coaching [teammates] at Azteca with a stadium full, with the vuvuzelas going and people shouting and chanting, to coach from one person to another over 10 feet, you have to shout the whole game,” he recalls. “And I just remember after games—one, because of the air but also two, just because of the amount of coaching that you try to do—it was really difficult to speak after the game. So you would actually lose your voice. It’s shot.”The Azteca is the towering, concrete embodiment of home field advantage. It’s soccer’s Death Star. Although the U.S. won a friendly there in 2012, in official competition the Americans are winless in 10 Azteca appearances (0-7-3) and just 1-23-3 all-time as a guest of El Tri. The draws—the narrow escapes—are the stuff of national team legend. And most visitors would be happy with that. Across 50 years, Mexico has lost only two World Cup qualifiers at Azteca. But for a young U.S. team that’s now on the precipice of dreamland or disaster, this week’s return to the Azteca is just the nail-biting beginning. An unprecedented challenge awaits. Pick your starting point and consider it the first day of school: the trauma of qualifying failure in 2017, the hiring of coach Gregg Berhalter 14 months later, the transition and commitment to youth following the onset of the pandemic or the humbling 0-0-2 start to World Cup qualifying last September. It’s all been building to this.Over the course of the next eight days, Berhalter and his historically young and promising squad will take their final exam. Everything they’ve developed and learned, every bit of experience, confidence and chemistry they’ve established, will be put to the test in the most meaningful games and in the most demanding environments. A ticket to the November-December World Cup in Qatar is the short-term prize. Longer term, the next eight days could serve as a referendum on Berhalter, Stewart and the trajectory of the most hyped and scrutinized generation of men in American soccer annals.The U.S. doesn’t necessarily need to take anything away from Azteca on Thursday evening. But if it leaves too much behind—if it loses its momentum, its energy or its focus—then it’ll risk missing another World Cup, compounding the persistent agony of that infamous 2017 defeat in Couva and forfeiting a priceless chance to build the sport ahead of the ’26 tournament co-hosted by the U.S., Mexico and Canada.“This is make-it-or-break-it time, you know what I mean? That’s really what it is,” says 2014 World Cup veteran DeAndre Yedlin, the most experienced player on the current roster. “You fail or you don’t. So yeah, we’re going to have basically three final tests that we have to be well prepared for, and I’m confident that everybody will be prepared for it.”Yedlin is the exception, and at 28, the new Inter Miami defender is about five years older than Berhalter’s average Octagonal starting lineup. So considering that lack of World Cup seasoning, second isn’t a terrible place to be in Concacaf’s eight-team final qualifying round. But it’s precarious. At 6-2-3, the U.S. has a tenuous hold on one of the region’s three automatic World Cup spots. The fourth-place finisher will be sent to a one-game playoff in June against a country from Oceania (likely New Zealand). The undefeated Canadians, who probably are the most surprising soccer story on the planet, have one ticket all but locked up. The remaining two are being contested by the U.S., Mexico (6-2-3), Panama (5-4-2) and Costa Rica (4-3-4).But what the standings don’t show is that the Americans have the toughest March of those five contenders: at El Tri, followed by Sunday’s home finale against fourth-place Panama in Orlando, and then a March 30 visit to Costa Rica, where the Americans’ all-time record is even worse than it is in Mexico. There are no bottom-feeders on the U.S. schedule. While three points in central Florida would be enough unless Costa Rica runs the table, a point taken in either Mexico City or San José would ease the nerves. And that’s far easier written than done.
“Whatever we’re predicting is going to happen in this window, throw it out. Because something else will happen, trust me,” Berhalter said last week. “That’s how this whole thing’s been going. It’s exciting and for us it’s only about staying in the moment, not getting ahead of ourselves and focusing on each training session and each game as they come.”Qualification typically is decided late. Through the six cycles of Concacaf’s six-team Hexagonal, which required 10 games, the U.S.’s fate was determined on matchday eight or later on five occasions. Stewart says they expected that sort of conclusion this time as well. What feels different now is the narrative and the nerves, at least outside the locker room. Failure is now a comprehensible outcome, and there are eerie parallels between this run and the 2017 disaster. They start with tight standings, an Orlando meeting with Los Canaleros and then a potentially decisive road finale.Complicating matters further are several noteworthy U.S. injuries and the compressed timeframe, starting with Thursday’s test in the altitude at Azteca. For comparison’s sake, a three-game World Cup group stage traditionally is scheduled over 11 days. These Octagonal windows last only seven, forcing Berhalter to consider significant squad rotation and delighting those who enjoy a little game theory. Fielding your strongest lineup in Mexico City and trying to secure that additional point may leave vital players with tired legs ahead of the must-win showdown against Panama. But save your best XI for game No. 2 and you might still wind up needing a good result in Costa Rica, where Los Ticos probably will be playing for their World Cup lives.Berhalter insisted that he has men with the fitness and mindset to run that gauntlet. Five U.S. players have started three times in one of the previous four three-game windows. But none of those windows kicked off at 7,200 feet. Such are the demands at Azteca that in the past, the U.S. spent several days training at altitude and even scheduled preceding qualifiers in Denver in order to ease the transition. The calendar doesn’t afford that opportunity this month, however. The U.S. practiced in Houston for a couple days before flying to Mexico on Wednesday, thereby limiting the amount of players’ exposure to the environment.“I wouldn’t rule out a player being able to play 90 minutes at Azteca and 90 minutes in Orlando and 90 minutes again in San José. When you look at some of our players, the rhythm that they’re playing is basically Saturday, Wednesday, Saturday, Wednesday through most of the year,” Berhalter said last week, adding that he plans to use all five available substitutes in Mexico. “So some of our players—not all of them—but some of them are prepared, and some of them will be able to play three 90-minute games. It’s just identifying who and then rotating other ones out.”Berhalter has tested varying levels of squad rotation during the Octagonal but has yet to solve the vexing second-game problem that’s caused so much of his squad’s distress. The U.S. is 0-2-2 in match No. 2 of a qualifying window and has scored just twice. One of those two defeats came in Panama, in what was the Americans’ worst performance of the competition.Then comes the visit to Costa Rica, where the U.S. is 0-9-2 all-time. For years, it was the cauldron of the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa, with its steep seating and rock-hard artificial turf field, that was ground zero for so much defeat. But Los Ticos’ transition to their new Estadio Nacional just west of downtown hasn’t made that trip easier, as evidenced by the 4–0 shellacking imposed on coach Jurgen Klinsmann’s U.S. five years ago.Negotiating Concacaf can mean death by a thousand distractions. It’s about the little bits of gamesmanship and confrontation that, either individually or in sum, take your mind off the game or your eyes off the ball just enough to make a potential difference. The U.S. began the Octagonal with a baptism by firework—a display of pyrotechnics along the east side of the packed and rocking Estadio Cuscatlán in San Salvador that continued well past kickoff and almost certainly isn’t part of FIFA’s standard match protocol. This was far from the controlled, mostly sanitized environment that men from MLS or European clubs are used to, and it has a knack for leveling the playing field.“The one atmosphere that outperformed anything I’ve ever seen before from them was El Salvador. I’ve never seen that from them as a country in all my years playing down there,” Berhalter says.
“It’s different. I can’t completely get the grip on it, but there’s a reason why going away in Concacaf is so difficult,” says Yedlin, who’s played in MLS, England and Turkey. “Teams there, they get this extra sort of confidence. That makes it really difficult to play against them.“It’s written through history.”The Costa Ricans are masters of Concacaf’s dark arts. They don’t need Saprissa. In 2013 it began at the airport, where authorities forced the U.S. to exit through the public terminal and board a bus whose route and destination were shared with fans. Local clubs apparently were told not to make their facilities available for U.S. training, so Klinsmann’s team wound up practicing at a Dos Pinos dairy plant. The company’s mascot—a cow, naturally—interrupted media interviews with an airhorn. Game balls weren’t provided for training. The lights were turned out during the Americans’ prematch stadium session and walk-through. And then the U.S. was hammered.This national team isn’t that national team. But the U.S. still won’t want to leave qualification hinging on a successful trip to Costa Rica. Berhalter says he’s hoping that Concacaf’s evolution—games are now played at night, the Azteca has been refurbished, there’s a track around the pitch in San José, fields have improved, etc.—will help reduce the impact of those distractions. In addition, the Azteca likely won’t be full as the Mexican federation reportedly intends to prioritize security following FIFA sanctions for homophobic chanting and this month’s shocking riot during a Liga MX match in Querétaro.“This isn’t to minimize any of our opponents, but what I would say is everything in Concacaf has been turned on its head,” Berhalter says. “And I think that rings true to these opponents. I think Mexico at Azteca hasn’t been as dominant as they have in the past [3-0-2 in the Octagonal]. I wouldn’t look at it with the same sense and say, ‘Oh, this team has never won in Azteca. It’s an impossible task,’ or ‘This team has never won in Costa Rica. It’s a impossible task.’ Everything’s different.“It’s not that it’s easier. It’s just a little different.”The U.S. team that will sit for this final exam is a little different as well. The work Berhalter and his staff have been doing to develop depth within the context of his complex playing style—notably by contesting last year’s Concacaf Gold Cup and Nations League with almost entirely different rosters—will have to pay dividends this week. There are three major absences.Midfielder Weston McKennie is probably the most complete player in the pool and was massively influential after returning from his September suspension. The 23-year-old has become the face of this national team’s Concacaf learning curve, not to mention a box-to-box force on the field and a dynamic leader and personality off it. He’s out until the summer with a broken foot suffered while on Champions League duty with Juventus.“You don’t replace him,” Berhalter said of McKennie last week. “He’s been so important to this group that we’re not going to plug a guy in and get a like-for-like. But that’s O.K. We’ve won games before without him and we’ll do it again.”Workhorse winger Brenden Aaronson, the only U.S. player to appear in all 11 Octagonal matches, was ruled out Monday with a knee injury suffered over the weekend. And Barcelona defender Sergiño Dest, who adds a unique attacking dimension from out wide, is absent with a hurt hamstring.There is some good news, however. Christian Pulisic is in outstanding form at Chelsea and has a knack for showing up in big games. Borussia Dortmund tracker Gio Reyna is healthy and finally in the U.S. fold after months on the international sideline, and goalkeeper Zack Steffen has overcome back problems and started for Manchester City this past weekend. Other issues, like solving the lingering puzzle at striker, are more routine national team concerns.What’s not routine are the pressure and stakes permeating this week. Few U.S. players besides Yedlin remain from 2017. That history isn’t theirs. But Couva does inform the narrative, conversation and coverage around the current team, and it’s something that, collectively, they still somehow have to answer for. This squad has little choice but to lean on whatever differentiation it can find.“I think because we had a very good team [in 2017], we were a little bit too complacent,” Yedlin says. “We already felt like we had qualified. ‘We’re just playing Trinidad, dah dah dah. This should be an easy win or even a draw—whatever we needed. It should be easy.’ And we were just way too complacent with it.”The pain remains, and Yedlin said he’d be sure to pass that message on to teammates this week. But both he and Stewart said they’re not too worried about a repeat of that stunning implosion in Trinidad, or of the possibility that the stakes might be too much to bear. This particular pressure is new, but pressure itself isn’t. This generation of American players has changed the calculus, going to Europe at increasingly younger ages, making their way at some of soccer’s biggest clubs and competing under the brightest spotlights. Combine the experience accumulated in both the Champions League and Concacaf crucibles, and that should be enough to maintain focus.
“That’s a great thing about this team. You have young players but you also have players that are playing in extremely high-pressure situations all over the world, that are playing in great leagues with great teams. So they have that experience. They know what that’s like,” Yedlin says.“I know the players on this team do well at motivating themselves in whatever ways they need to,” he continues. “That’s another strength of this squad. These players have been in tough situations so young, they’ve really learned about themselves and they’ve really figured out themselves.”Stewart says this team has already proven it can respond to setbacks and adversity. It was composed and resilient in the tightly contested Gold Cup and Nations League wins over Mexico last summer. Berhalter and the players altered their messaging and tone following that September qualifying window, when talk of nine points was drowned out emphatically by the din at the Cuscatlán. It’s been an enthusiastically humble “one game at a time” approach since. And remember those second-match doldrums? The U.S. has bounced back each time, going 3-0-0 in the three Game No. 3s and outscoring opponents by a combined 9–2.“It’s always about the next play and that has been, from day one, a mentality of this team which becomes a mindset,” says Stewart, a veteran of three World Cups. “What I’ve seen is that this group has grown, that they accept challenges and also accept that sometimes things don’t go the way that you want. But you focus on your job and you continue with it. So their learning curve has been really good for a young group.”Stewart, an experienced technical director in the Netherlands and MLS who came aboard in 2018, hired Berhalter. He’s in charge of charting the big-picture path for both the men’s and women’s programs and insists that no single result will derail the sport’s American trajectory. The work he’s doing on player and coach development, competitive structure and playing style will continue regardless of what happens this week, and while he’s contemplating potential responses to any and all outcomes, he refused to address those this month. Right now, the focus is on Mexico, Panama and Costa Rica.“This is a pinnacle moment for soccer in the United States. We need to qualify. There’s no other way to say it,” Stewart says.Berhalter has said since taking over that his mission is to “change the way the world views American soccer.” Unless the June playoff is required, he’ll succeed by the end of the month. Either the world will take note of a redemption story authored by America’s first golden generation, or it will wonder whether the wealthy but wayward U.S. will ever really become a soccer nation. The stakes aren’t existential, but they’re close.“It’s all coming down to this window. That’s clear,” the manager says. “So when we come into camp and we kick off our first game against Mexico, a week later we’re going to know if we’re in the World Cup or not. Every other window you’re pushing it down to the next window and you just want to hang in there, you want to put yourself into position, and we’ve done that. And now it’s about finishing the job.”
Breaking down the USMNT roster for the final Octagonal window
ASN’s Brian Sciaretta breaks down the roster for the final USMNT Octagonal window by giving his thoughts on the big issue regarding the form of key players, replacing McKennie, the players who forced their way onto the team, the big absences, and how the team lines up. BY BRIAN SCIARETTA POSTED MARCH 17, 2022
UNITED STATES NATIONAL team manager Gregg Berhalter today announced his 27-player roster for the final three games of the Octagonal World Cup qualifying tournament. These will be the most challenging window for the U.S. team as it will face Mexico in Mexico City on March 24 (10 p.m. ET), Panama in Orlando, Fla. on March 27 (7 p.m. ET) and Costa Rica in San Jose on March 30.The roster is straight forward and contains only a few surprises. The most notable absences have been known for weeks – Matt Turner, Chris Richards, and Weston McKennie who are all injured. In one note, Berhalter denied that Turner’s injury was frostbite.The biggest cause for concern, however, came earlier in the day when Sergino Dest left Barcelona’s 2-1 Europa League win over Galatasaray in the 56th minute with an injury. Dest is on this roster but Berhalter noted that if Dest can’t go for the upcoming qualifiers, he will be looking to add a left back into the team in the coming days.On top of that, here is the roster and here are some thoughts.
INDIVIDUAL FORM QUESTIONS
The form of several top players is certainly a big question mark heading into this camp. Not only does it raise questions in terms of how rusty they are but it also raises questions whether or not these players will be able to start all three games.
Tim Weah hasn’t started a game since February 2. He has played 1004 Ligue 1 minutes this season and 1355 minutes total this season for Lille. He’s played just 134 minutes since that February 2 start in a 5-1 loss to PSG and his minutes have generally been declining at Lille the past two months.
Gio Reyna has only recently returned from his injury. He’s made just three appearances since his September injury (with just one start).
Tyler Adams is another key player to the U.S. team. He has made just one start for Leipzig in the Bundesliga (and one in the Europa) since the last international window.Ricardo Pepi hasn’t been part of the team as long as the other three players, but he was considered the top No. 9 for the team at key points during this tournament and his move to Augsburg has been tough and he is still yet to score. Those players have long been thought of being key to Berhalter’s plans for the team. All three are not coming into the window in a great place in terms of momentum and Berhalter touched upon all four.With Reyna, Berhalter said he would not rule out playing Reyna in the middle and added that “the issue is just his rhythm, his fitness, and his gametime the past five months.”The particular grind of playing in Mexico City makes it hard to see Reyna being considered as a starter for that game and how much of his role will likely come down to how he shows in training at the start of next week. Berhalter added that he is “mindful of his workload” the past few weeks.
With Pepi, he has made the team despite not scoring. Berhalter said he wants all his strikers scoring and said Pepi’s lack of goals “is a concern of mine but I’ve spoken to him at length and he’s ready to go this window.” He added that “it’s about getting back to the basics with him.” Regarding Weah, Berhalter noted that Weah “has been getting a little bit more game time lately but certainly not the 90 minutes that we expect out of him. That is a little bit of a concern.” He added that he is probably going to have to use Weah in spots and that it’s not realistic to expect he can play three 90 minute games.With Adams, Berhalter was blunt in that it comes down to “mind over matter” with Adams and that “he’s an important part of the team who has to be on the field.”It was different answers to all three players. What’s to make of it? It seems that Tyler Adams will start unless he is suspended (he is carrying a yellow card). Weah will probably start one or two games in the upcoming window, but his minutes have been a concern. Pepi might be in a tough spot in this window to start and it seems like Berhalter has him involved to work with him. Reyna appears to be on a wait and see basis.
REPLACING MCKENNIE
McKennie has become such an important part of the team and he is so unique that he can’t really be replaced directly. It’s going to take a different approach.yler Adams will surely start at the No. 6 unless he gets suspended, then it will be Kellyn Acosta. But even with Adams on the field, playing Acosta with him would provide for some of the defensive bite Mckennie brings – but it would lack the offense. Berhalter also added that Luca de la Torre, Gianluca Busio, and Brenden Aaronson were players he see helping to fill the void left by McKennie.Meanwhile, Musah seems as if he will be more of the advanced/attacking midfield role in that formation (while he could be backed up by Reyna or Cristian Roldan).
EPB, PEFOK PLAYED ONTO THE TEAM
Two players who played themselves onto the team were Jordan Pefok and Erik Palmer-Brown.
Jordan Pefok is a player who has just been scoring at an amazing clip in the Swiss Super League and is the leading scorer in the league. With 10 goals in his last nine games, he is the leading scorer in the league with 17 goals. He also has five goals in the Champions League (and qualifiers) for 22 in all competitions. His form has been lights out.He might not have a complete skillset with his hold-up play and his passing, but he is scoring goals and he is very tough to defend close to goal. He’s scoring at rate where you simply can’t leave him off. Not only would it not be fair to him, it would send a bad message to others in the pool that form doesn’t matter. If other American strikers were scoring as well, that would be one thing. But they’re not – domestically or abroad. So, this was a no brainer and Pefok also has a great chance of playing a lot of minutes this window.
Erik Palmer-Brown wasn’t necessarily a no brainer. Aside for a few moments, central defense has been a source of strength for the U.S. team. But McKenzie has faded, Richards is injured, and there continues to be a saga with Brooks. Palmer-Brown has only been capped by the U.S. team in Dave Sarachan’s brief tenure. He’s been a journeyman with his loans from Manchester City but his current stint at Troyes in Ligue 1 has allowed him to play in a “Big Five” league. The past three months he has really seized the opportunity.He also looks like a central defender who could give Berhalter what he wants. Compared with other players, such as Celtic’s Cameron Carter-Vickers, who are looking to get into the mix, Palmer-Brown offers solid passing, good footspeed, and a high-level soccer IQ. Palmer-Brown might not play much this window as Zimmerman and Robinson should be the most reliable starters. But this is a good opportunity for him to start building his case for the future and perhaps making a late push to make the World Cup team, should it qualify.
THE NOTABLE ABSENCE
As with every roster, there are notable absence. Here is a look at the most notable absences.
John Brooks is by far the most notable absence on this roster but given that he has not been with the team since September, it was hardly surprising. Last year he was dealing with an injury and then there were concerns over his form. Today, Berhalter said he spoke with Brooks at length but added that he didn’t fit how the team wanted to play this window.Without knowing the nature of the discussions between Brooks and Berhalter, there are a few things in Brooks’ history that are important to note. He has historically had a tough time getting along with managers in his past. His relationship with Jurgan Klinsmann wasn’t smooth. He’s been called out a few times publicly in Germany by various managers and this past season, he’s been at the receiving end of very harsh stories in BILD (some speculating the source for the articles was Wolfsburg). Last month, the club announced Brooks was not going to return next season after his contract is up this summer.ithout even mentioning Berhalter, Brooks has had a tough time with managers in his career. He does generally work his way through things, but it is a process. Berhalter today said the door for Brooks’ return is open and I believe that. Brooks’ absences have been among the more talked about stories in the last several USMNT roster releases. Perhaps his return is best left to a time when there is far less pressure on the team than there is in the coming two weeks. Berhalter also noted that he has spoken in detail with Brooks recently.Gyasi Zardes wasn’t called up and the answer for which is that he simply was outplayed as a No. 9 by Jordan Pefok. Jesus Ferreira is also on the roster, but he is a different skillset who offers a little Berhalter a little variety in how he can attack.
Josh Sargent was the same as Zardes in that he was outplayed by Pefok. Berhalter continued to note on Thursday that he believes Sargent will become a top-quality No. 9 in the future but lately he’s been playing on the wing at Norwich and just hasn’t been getting the opportunities to score. Sebastian Lletget was not a surprise to being left off the roster. While Lletget has been playing well to start the season for New England, his role on the U.S. team has been diminishing and he hasn’t played for the team in seven games. It seems like time that as de la Torre continues to impress, Reyna is returning, and even Roldan is playing really strong soccer for Seattle (while also embracing his role on the U.S. team as a high-energy, late sub) that there isn’t room this time for Lletget. He could get a look this summer, but he really needs to surge for New England in the months ahead.
HOW THE U.S. COULD LINE UP
There are a lot of questions for how the U.S. could lineup in these windows.In goal, my guess is that it will be Zack Steffen or Ethan Horvath. I think Sean Johnson is number three at this camp. The fact that Steffen has returned gives him the edge, but it will probably be a decision. If Steffen passes the physical tests given to him, I think he starts at Azteca and in the other games.Central defense is likely going to be Walker Zimmerman and Miles Robinson. Robinson hasn’t been great in the early season with Atlanta, but Zimmerman continues to be excellent for Nashville. Long is still only in his first few games back from injury and Palmer-Brown hasn’t played yet under Berhalter. James Sands looks like he’s on the team to cover in both defense and in the midfield.Fullbacks right now are up in the air. Antonee Robinson is the starting left back and if Dest is out (which seems like a real possibility) another left back will need to be called in. That would also probably put Reggie Cannon into the starting right back role. Cannon is fine defensively, but he does not have the explosiveness in getting forward.In the midfield, Adams is a lock to start (unless he picks up a yellow and is suspended). Acosta might seem like the logical replacement for McKennie in Azteca given his success against El Tri and the need for a more defensive approach. Against Panama and Costa Rica, it might be a situation that more favors Luca de la Torre. In the most advanced position, Musah looks like the top choice now and it seems unlikely that Reyna should be favored to start. If Musah can’t go, Brenden Aaronson might slide into that role.Pulisic is a lock starter on the left wing. Weah is a bit of a wild card right now. He’s played well for the U.S. team but he is not playing a lot for his club. Meanwhile, Brenden Aaronson has been strong for Salzburg but he plays as a No. 10 there. Weah and Aaronson should split time on the right wing with Aaronson also likely playing in the midfield. If that happens, Morris could see time – and his form is picking up nicely for Seattle.Finally, up top I think Berhalter will want to ride the hot hand with Pefok and I think Jesus Ferreira has a good chance to play some minutes off the bench. Pepi is a tough player to put on the field right now with his form and confidence. How many minutes he plays could come down to how he shows in training when camp opens next week.
World Cup playoffs: No Cristiano Ronaldo, Mohamed Salah or Italy? What’s at stake?
7:00 AM ET Mark OgdenSenior Writer, ESPN FC
Can you imagine a FIFA World Cup in Qatar without Portugal‘s Cristiano Ronaldo or Egypt‘s Mohamed Salah? Or a tournament in which European champions Italy or African champions Senegal fail to qualify? Well the bad news for those mentioned, and fans across the globe, is that some of the game’s headline acts will see their Qatar 2022 dreams extinguished in the coming days during the World Cup playoffs.By the end of this international break, seven nations will have booked their place in this year’s World Cup through the playoffs. Three more will be confirmed when the Intercontinental playoffs and the culmination of the European path involving Ukraine take place in June.
In Europe, some of the major nations, including Portugal and Italy, are walking a tightrope after failing to top their qualification groups. And in Africa, five head-to-head ties over two legs will see some of the continent’s traditional powerhouse countries miss out.It promises to be a tense and dramatic round of playoffs in Europe and Africa, so here’s your guide as to how it will all play out.
How it works
In Europe, the 10 runners-up from the group stage, plus the two highest-placed teams in the 2021 Nations League who failed to achieve a top-two group finish (Austria and Czech Republic), have been drawn into three separate playoff paths.Each path has four teams, with two one-legged semifinals feeding into a one-off final. The seeded team is at home in the semifinal and a draw has already taken place to decide who has home advantage in the final.So there is no margin for error. It’s one game, in both the semis and the final, to decide who qualifies.Path A involves Wales vs. Austria in Cardiff (Thursday, 2.45 p.m ET., stream live on ESPN+) and Scotland vs. Ukraine in Glasgow, meeting to set up a final in Cardiff or Vienna. However, the conflict in Ukraine means this path will not be concluded during this international break.Path B was due to be Russia vs. Poland in Moscow and Sweden vs. Czech Republic in Stockholm (Thursday, 2.45 p.m ET., stream live on ESPN+), feeding into a final held in either Moscow or Chorzow, but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to FIFA kicking the 2018 World Cup hosts out of the competition. Poland get a bye.Path C is the real show-stopper, with Portugal vs. Turkey in Porto (Thursday, 2.45 p.m ET., stream live on ESPN2) and Italy vs. North Macedonia in Palermo (Thursday, 2.45 p.m ET., stream live on ESPN+) potentially setting up a clash between Portugal and Italy in Porto for a place at the World Cup. Turkey will play Italy or North Macedonia in Konya if they beat Portugal on Thursday.In Africa, there is slightly more breathing room for the teams involved, with five separate ties being played over two legs. But some of Africa’s biggest teams and stars will miss out, with the winners of each tie qualifying for Qatar.
How has the war in Ukraine impacted the World Cup playoffs?
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last month, FIFA suspended Russia from all competitive football. The Russian Football Union (RFU) appealed against the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), but that was rejected on March 15.Prior to Russia being kicked out of the playoffs, the national associations of Poland, Sweden and the Czech Republic — Russia’s Path B rivals — all issued statements insisting they would not play any game against the Russians.Poland have now been given a bye to the Path B final and will face either Sweden or the Czechs at Slaski Stadium in Chorzow on March 29.In Path A, the Ukrainian Association of Football (UAF) requested a postponement of their playoff against Scotland. More than half of the Ukraine squad play their football in the country, so the majority of their players are unable to leave or prepare for a World Cup playoff.FIFA has sanctioned the postponement, and although no date has been confirmed for the Scotland-Ukraine game to be rescheduled, sources have told ESPN that it is hoped the fixture may be played in June. However, if the conflict continues, FIFA faces a tough decision in terms of a cut-off point for Path A to be concluded.The other semifinal between Wales and Austria will take place in Cardiff on Thursday, with the winners then playing a home tie against Scotland or Ukraine in the final at a time and date to be decided.
Who are the big names who could miss out in Europe?
One of the last two European champions won’t make it. Thanks to Portugal and Italy being drawn in the same path, one of the biggest nations in world football won’t qualify for Qatar.Failure to qualify would be disastrous for Italy. The four-time World Cup winners missed out in 2018 after losing a two-legged playoff against Sweden, but they now risk the same fate less than 12 months after beating England in the Euro 2020 final. A 90th-minute penalty miss by Jorginho against Switzerland in Rome last November ost the Italians top spot in Group C and has now left the Azzurri needing to beat North Macedonia before a one-off final against Portugal or Turkey for a place in Qatar.It’s also possible there will be no World Cup swan song for Cristiano Ronaldo in Qatar. The 37-year-old, the all-time leading goal scorer in men’s international football, has said he will retire from international duty after the World Cup, but he may not get that far. But for a 90th-minute goal for Serbia scored by Aleksandar Mitrovic in a 2-1 win in Lisbon last November, Portugal would have avoided the playoffs and qualified as group winners. Now the Euro 2016 winners face two tough games to qualify.In Path B, 40-year-old Zlatan Ibrahimovic is back in the Sweden squad and aiming to make it to Qatar after missing the 2018 competition. But if the AC Milan forward gets there, it will mean no World Cup for Bayern’s Robert Lewandowski, whose Poland team await the winners of Sweden vs. the Czech Republic in the final after their bye against Russia. So we could be set for a Lewandowski vs. Ibrahimovic showdown in Chorzow on March 29.
Who are the big names who could miss out in Africa?
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) performed the draw for the African playoff route on Jan. 22, which was the midway point of the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon. As a result, the seeded draw was based on the FIFA World Ranking prior to the tournament, with the five highest-ranked teams in one pot and the remaining teams in the other.The downside to that decision has been borne out in the playoff draw, which will see the two AFCON finalists — Senegal and Egypt — meeting for a place at the 2022 World Cup. If CAF had done the draw after the tournament, Egypt would have been among the top seeds and Africa would not have been faced with two of its best teams battling it out for one place in Qatar.But aside from one of Africa’s best two teams missing out, we also face either Sadio Mane or Mohamed Salah failing to qualify for the World Cup. Mane and Salah are two of the biggest, if not THE biggest, stars in African football. They are also stellar names in the Premier League and Champions Leagues following their goal-scoring feats with Liverpool. But one of them will be spending November and December at home while the World Cup plays out.Cameroon vs. Algeria will see one World Cup regular qualify at the expense of another, while two of the traditional giants of African football, Ghana and Nigeria, will also play for one spot.
Are there any other playoffs?
However, an outbreak of COVID-19 infections forced Vanuatu to withdraw from the qualifiers over the weekend and the Cook Islands have also revealed a number of positive results, so the Solomon Islands and Tahiti are expected to progress by default and face New Zealand and Fiji in Qatar this week. The winner of the Oceania playoffs will then face the fourth-placed team in North America (CONCACAF) in Qatar on June 13-14 for a place at the World Cup.The fourth-placed team in Asia (AFC) will face the fifth-placed team in South America (CONMEBOL) for one qualification spot in Doha on June 13-14. Ahead of the final round of qualifiers, the AFC team will be either Australia or the United Arab Emirates, to play against Peru from CONMEBOL.
When is the World Cup draw?
It’s closer than you think. The draw for the group stage of Qatar 2022 will be on April 1 at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center at 7 p.m. local time (4 p.m. GMT / 11 a.m. ET) .Thirty-two nations will be drawn into eight groups of four and the draw will be seeded based on the FIFA World Ranking. Those teams involved in playoffs in June will be assigned groups on a qualifier TBC basis.Teams from the same continental confederation, other than UEFA, cannot be paired together in the same group. A maximum of two UEFA nations can be placed in the same group.The 2022 World Cup starts on Nov. 21, with hosts Qatar playing the opening game at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor. The final will be staged at the Lusail Stadium, Doha, on Dec. 18.
Christian the Closer: Stage Is Set for Pulisic in USMNT’s Final World Cup Push
With a berth in Qatar on the line and key players out injured or otherwise limited, the spotlight is on an in-form Pulisic to deliver for the U.S.
No U.S. men’s national team fan needs the reminder—especially not this week—but sometimes to get to where you want to go, you need to look back at where you’ve come from.For Christian Pulisic, the images of his face buried in his shirt upon the devastation of the U.S.’s failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup were brutal then and remain so now. Here was a 19-year-old playing a bigger role than should have been necessary coming to grips with utter humiliation—at no fault of his own—following the infamous defeat in Trinidad & Tobago that sealed the U.S.’s fate.Pulisic was the lone U.S. player to score in Couva in October 2017, and he’s one of the few remaining holdovers linking back to that group. He has gone on to win U.S. Soccer’s Male Player of the Year award three times since. For all of the U.S. talent sprouting up at top clubs in Europe, he remains the standard bearer for his rising generation. He’s a Champions League winner who has excelled in spurts at two of the biggest clubs and in two of the biggest leagues on the planet, and he’s still just 23. He’s more than held his own in the face of extreme hype. But while there have been times for others to step up throughout ’22 World Cup qualifying, the U.S. truly needs Pulisic to be its closer over the final three matches.The U.S. player pool is seemingly never at full strength, and, once again, a depleted top of the depth chart leaves the Americans thinned out. Brenden Aaronson has been ruled out with a knee injury. Gio Reyna and Tim Weah are players whom Gregg Berhalter has deemed unlikely to be 90-minute guys on multiple occasions during this window, if even once. Just three of the U.S.’s goals throughout qualifying have come from the center forward position (all through Ricardo Pepi, across two games, though he hasn’t scored a goal for club or country since that last October strike vs. Jamaica). Looking around the room, there aren’t many other places for the U.S. to turn for impact moments, starting at Estadio Azteca in Mexico on Thursday night and continuing in Orlando vs. Panama on Sunday before qualifying concludes in San José, Costa Rica, on March 30.But that’s where the “LeBron James of soccer” is supposed to rise to the occasion, and in big games, Pulisic has developed a knack for coming through with key moments. He has two goals in qualifying, both interestingly off the bench. His first was a match winner just minutes into his performance vs. Mexico in Cincinnati in November, while the second was a match icer in the early-February win over Honduras. Both came in big spots, with the U.S.-Mexico stage needing no introduction, while the win vs. Honduras allowed the Americans to remain on a more streamlined path to the World Cup entering the final window. In June, it was his cold-blooded penalty kick that wound up clinching the Nations League title.There are also times when it looks as if Pulisic feels the need to shoulder the load a bit too much, and it’s something he has recognized himself. It’s not hard to spot. His ability and willingness to take on defenders are two of his hallmarks, but when he forces the issue, the frustration of turning the ball over or failing to produce meaningful chances tends to snowball. It doesn’t help that he’s also often the focus of opponents’ physicality, absorbing fouls that can take a cumulative effect on a player.“Sometimes it is tough,” Pulisic told ESPN while at the FIFA Club World Cup with Chelsea in February. “I still haven’t completely learned. Especially going back to the U.S., sometimes I put too much pressure on myself that I need to do something special where I just need to play the best I can, do what I can do and hopefully people recognize that.“It is just about playing my game, doing it to the best of my ability and not worrying about what any outside sources say because that’s not what really matters.”Unlike in past camps, Pulisic isn’t coming in under a cloud of poor form or inactivity at Chelsea. He’s rolling in on the heels of a pair of goals in the Champions League round of 16, and he appears as engaged and as big of a part of Chelsea’s attack as he has been all season. He has big-game credentials for his club, too. In addition to the two recent goals vs. Lille, he scored in last season’s semifinal vs. Real Madrid to help send Chelsea to the final. He scored in an FA Cup final. He’s also been inches from scoring in Champions League, Club World Cup and Carabao Cup finals. And his current run of form couldn’t be better timed. The potential distraction of everything swirling at the club considering the sanctions on Roman Abramovich and forthcoming sale do not appear to have had a negative impact on his—or the club’s—play, and the U.S. should be better off for it.It’s been a pleasure to watch,” Berhalter said before Pulisic’s arrival in camp. “I say this all the time. … It’s a rollercoaster, especially when you’re at a club like Chelsea. When you’re at these massive clubs, it’s very, very difficult.”All they ask him to do is just to keep fighting, keep working and wait for his opportunity and he’s done that and he’s taken advantage of it. He’s become again an important part of their team. He’s shown that he can step up and score goals and make assists.“He’s got a great knack for arriving in the penalty box and he’s got a finishing touch to him. He’s very good when he’s in front of goal.“So for us, we expect very similar things. He needs to keep arriving in the box because we know, when he gets in good positions, he scores, and just continue to focus on the basics and he’ll be the leader that we expect him to be.”If he can accomplish that over the next week-plus, then there won’t be a question as to what the lasting images of this qualifying cycle will be, and they’ll be ones that U.S. fans and Pulisic himself will happily look back on down the road.
The USMNT’s Form, Fitness and Injuries That’ll Define the End of World Cup Qualifying
The last window is nearly here, but the U.S., again, won’t be at full strength. How the squad is utilized—and individuals’ form—will make all the difference.
You are reading 1 of 4 free premium articles. Subscribe for unlimited access for just $1. Members log in.It was just a week ago that it seemed as if things on the injury front were clearing for the U.S. men’s national team. Well, a lot can change in a week, especially in the bubble-wrap-or-bust world of the USMNT.Sergiño Dest’s hamstring injury and Brenden Aaronson’s knee injury are two late problems the U.S. has been forced to confront in the days leading up to the last batch of Concacaf World Cup qualifiers. Both were originally included on Gregg Berhalter’s 27-man squad for games against Mexico, Panama and Costa Rica, although Dest’s initial inclusion was a case of wishful thinking. The injury he suffered just hours before the roster reveal was confirmed a day later, as was George Bello’s call-up to replace him.But Aaronson’s curveball on Sunday changes the calculus even more. He suffered “knee problems” in the warmup to his scheduled Austrian Bundesliga match and was forced out as a result. The only U.S. player to appear in all 11 World Cup qualifiers to date, Aaronson has taken on a significant role for the U.S. Salzburg included him Monday on its list of players departing for international duty, but then ESPN’s Taylor Twellman reported that Aaronson will miss 2-4 weeks with an MCL injury. Earlier Monday, U.S. Soccer maintained that Aaronson was “day-to-day” and would still report to camp, but that took a turn for the worse later in the day, with the federation ruling him out of camp entirely. “After reviewing the updated medical information and in consultation with Red Bull Salzburg, we have determined that Brenden Aaronson would not be available to play in the upcoming World Cup qualifying matches,” U.S. Soccer wrote in a statement. “We were hopeful he would be able to recover in time; unfortunately, that will not be the case. We hope he makes a speedy recovery.”There is no replacement as of now for Aaronson, leaving the U.S. with 26 players for the trio of upcoming games.The U.S. is on the cusp of qualification, but it hasn’t done enough to eliminate its margin for error. A defeat in Mexico on Thursday and the heat gets ramped up considerably ahead of Sunday’s home match vs. Panama (which, all emotion and rivalry aside, is the one the U.S. truly must-win). This entire process has been about relying on depth and overcoming injury and adversity, and so it’s only appropriate that the coda is about more of the same. The next three days will be defined by a discussion about squad rotation and the approach vs. Mexico. Go for the jugular in the altitude at the Azteca—where the U.S. has never won a qualifier—and risk being a bit more depleted vs. Panama? Or take a more conservative approach south of the border and put more emphasis on ensuring that the three home points on offer are secured?“I think the important thing first is to look at the starting point of where these guys are coming from,” Berhalter said. “If a guy is fully fit, and playing every week, and has 90 minutes under his belt for a considerable amount of weeks, he’ll be fine. They’ll be fatigued a little bit at altitude, but they’ll be able to get through it.”Fresh injuries and game-approach permutations aside, the weekend did provide a number of other key moments for U.S. players who have been called into camp. Here are the highlights and lowlights from those last appearances among those who will look to secure a World Cup berth in the next 10 days:
Reyna goes the full 90
If there were an antidote to the new injury problems, it was Gio Reyna’s 90-minute performance for Dortmund on Sunday. He may not have scored or assisted on a goal, and Dortmund may have dropped points in the chase to dethrone Bayern Munich, but from a personal standpoint, it was Reyna’s first 90-minute showing since the Sept. 2 World Cup qualifier in which he was injured. From then, it was five months out, followed by a brief return, another injury scare, a shorter layoff and then a return. In comments last week, Berhalter indicated that Reyna would not be entirely unleashed this window, given how recent his injury problems have been, but might Aaronson’s availability alter the calculus? If not, then MLS-based Paul Arriola and Jordan Morris are the next men up on the wing.“The important thing is us qualifying for the World Cup, first of all, but secondly is Gio returning healthy to his club, and we’re mindful of his load. We’re mindful of the work that he’s done the last couple weeks, and we’re going to adjust accordingly,” Berhalter said last week.
Steffen, Horvath both start in FA Cup
Another sight for sore U.S. eyes was a pair of FA Cup quarterfinals, with Zack Steffen backstopping Man City into the semis, while Ethan Horvath continued his run of starts at Nottingham Forest in a narrow defeat to Liverpool. His 1-v-1 save on Roberto Firmino was among his highlights in defeat.
USMNT World Cup qualifying roundtable: Can injury-hit squad do what is needed to reach Qatar?
10:51 AM ETESPN
The U.S. men’s national team has had a interesting relationship with the World Cup. After appearing in three of the first four competitions (1930, 1950, 1954), the Yanks missed the next nine before returning, in 1990, thanks to a pivotal qualifying goal by Paul Caligiuri in Trinidad & Tobago. (You can see where this is going, right?)From there, the USMNT represented at every World Cup from 1994 to 2014, going as far as the quarterfinals in 2002 … only to infamously miss the 2018 edition after failing to win in — you knew it was coming — Trinidad & Tobago. (They only needed a draw that night!) That pivotal defeat in Couva reverberated around the hearts and minds of U.S. fans until qualification for Qatar 2022 began, and with it a brilliant new generation of American talent. Despite the emergence of Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, Sergino Dest and many more, their ticket to the World Cup this winter comes down to the final three games, including a game against Mexico in the fabled Azteca, and a potential winner-take-all clash in Costa Rica.ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle, Kyle Bonagura, Ryan O’Hanlon, Dan Hajducky and Bill Connelly offer their answers to the critical questions we’re all asking ourselves this week.
Is this shaping up to be another Couva situation?
Carlisle: I think the possibility of overconfidence, which was the real culprit four years ago, is reduced this time around. The U.S. knows how difficult these three opponents — Mexico, Panama and Costa Rica — are, so the requisite focus and intensity should be there.
Now, could the U.S. mess this up? Absolutely. But I think this will be down more to the pressure of the moment and the quality of the opposition than the U.S. thinking it has qualification in the bag.
Bonagura: It shouldn’t get that dicey, Jeff, but it’s certainly on the table and it would be foolish to write off a repeat with the lesson from 2017 still fresh. The game to simultaneously watch is Costa Rica at Canada. If Costa Rica wins (unlikely) that one, things will get even more interesting.
O’Hanlon: In the most general sense, yes. Barring a win against Mexico at the Azteca, the USMNT is going to need a result, on the road, in their last match of qualifying. The big difference: This team, even with the injuries, is way better than the 2017 team that failed to get a result on the road in their last match of qualifying.Hajducky: Whoa, whoa, guys: I thought we weren’t going to invoke that name! Couva. Sneaky.
The Americans’ track record in Mexico — 0-12-3 at Estadio Azteca in qualifying since 1949 — is stark. One point would be historic, three would initiate delirium. Canada, sans Alphonso Davies, will clinch automatic qualification with one more win; if they do so against Costa Rica on March 24, it could render USMNT’s tango with Los Ticos on March 30 a … sigh … Couva situation. But that’s assuming the U.S. don’t take points from Panama, currently in the playoff slot and squaring off against already-eliminated Honduras and nearly qualified Canada in this final round. The Stars & Stripes get Panama on home soil in Orlando, Florida, in an absolute must-win.
Going back to 2002 CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers, 1.3 points per game is the fewest an automatic qualifier has managed. Even with the new format (eight teams instead of six, 14 games each now), unless something goes wildly amiss, the U.S. men (1.91 PPG) are above that threshold. Even if they lose all three matches, they’d have managed 1.5 points per game — good enough for automatic (or intercontinental) qualification in each of the past two cycles.
Connelly: Look, the nightmare certainly isn’t off the table! While the odds are certainly in the United States‘ favor heading into the final three matches, the number of injuries for this group heading into the final matches is incredible. We will go the whole qualification period without ever seeing Christian Pulisic, Giovanni Reyna, Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams and Sergino Dest on the pitch at the same time, and that’s absolutely incredible. size=1 width=”100%” noshade style=’color:#A5A6A7′ align=center>
Bigger loss: Dest or McKennie?
Carlisle: OK, it’s McKennie (no disrespect to Dest). Not only will McKennie’s talent be missed, but he’s been the heart and soul of this team since returning from his suspension last September. He has scored big goals and provided an emotional boost to his teammates on the field. He’s irreplaceable really. Hopefully his teammates can combine to make up for his absence.
Bonagura: I hate to say it, but Jeff’s right about McKennie! It’s not close — no one else on the roster has had more influence while they’ve been on the field than the Juventus midfielder during qualifying, and the drop-off from him to whoever slots in is more significant than when the U.S. plays Deandre Yedlin or Reggie Cannon in place of Dest.
O’Hanlon: Joining the chorus! McKennie all the way. During qualifying, he’s second on the team in shots, expected goals, chances created, touches in the penalty area and passes into the penalty area. Oh yeah, and he’s done all of that from midfield. There’s no one else in the player pool even remotely like him.
Who will score the goals?
Carlisle: This question should strike terror, but honestly, the U.S. has been pretty balanced in terms of where goals have come from in qualifying: Six from wingers, three from center-forwards, four from defenders and two out of central midfield (plus one own goal). Given the struggles of the No.9s in the talent pool and the loss of Brenden Aaronson to a knee injury, that means more onus on Christian Pulisic and Timothy Weah. Perhaps Reyna will chip in, too, given his return to health.
Another thing to consider is how the U.S. team’s prowess on set pieces perked up against Honduras. Getting more production from there could be huge.
Bonagura: With Pulisic in form headed into this window, the expectation has to be that he will carry the offense. With that established, it will probably be someone like Walker Zimmerman or Cannon who comes up with an important goal.
To rest or not to rest? That is the question. The selection of Horvath is down to the fact that he’s been playing more than any other U.S. keeper, and also has good history against Mexico. Yedlin’s experience gets him the nod at right-back, and the same is true for Acosta, who took part in the 1-1 draw at the Azteca during the last cycle, in midfield. This is going to be a grind-it-out affair, and Acosta is best suited for that.
It’s been suggested that Adams be saved for Panama given that he’s on a yellow card (and would face a one-game suspension if he picks up another), but then you run the risk of him playing in only one match in this window if he’s saved and then booked against Panama. Aaronson’s absence means Weah gets the nod at one of the wing positions. No central striker has really jumped out, but Pefok is in the best form of any of them, so he gets the nod up top.Bonagura: Steffen; Yedlin, M. Robinson, Zimmerman, A. Robinson; Adams; Musah, Luca De la Torre; Morris, Pefok, Pulisic
The idea that the United States should rotate at the Azteca to give the team a better shot at three points in a more pivotal — for qualification purposes — game against Panama is completely logical. But with five subs available, this also doesn’t mean it should be a full second-choice XI. I would plan to sub in Reyna (in central midfield), Weah, Pepi/Ferreira with the idea they will start in Orlando and earmark Acosta (for Adams) and another player (depending on the state of the game) for playing time.
Also, let Yedlin empty the tank and use Cannon against Panama.
O’Hanlon: Horvath; Yedlin, Zimmerman, M. Robinson, A. Robinson; Adams, Musah, Acosta; Pulisic, Ferreira, Weah
Jeff and I picked ours two weeks ago, but injuries to Dest and Aaronson necessitate a couple of tweaks. I’d swap Yedlin in for Dest, and I’d go with Jesus Ferreira as the third attacker. He has been lighting it up in MLS, and he was — controversial opinion alert — great in his start against El Salvador. His on-ball skills dovetail really nicely with Pulisic’s world-class off-ball movement.
Hajducky: Steffen; Cannon, M. Robinson, Zimmerman, A. Robinson; Adams, Musah, Acosta; Pulisic, Pepi, Weah
Some combination of Pulisic, Weah and Pepi up top with Reyna coming on as a sub; in midfield, Adams and Yunus Musah most likely stabilized by Acosta, the second-most-capped player on this roster; in the back, Antonee and Miles Robinson, Zimmerman and Cannon, who has played the full 90 in each of Boavista‘s past six league matches. My gut’s on Steffen in net, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Horvath’s form against Liverpool tilts the scales — especially the gutty breakaway save to deny Roberto Firmino.
Connelly: Steffen; Yedlin, M. Robinson, Zimmerman, A. Robinson; Adams, Acosta, Cristian Roldan; Pulisic, Pepi, Morris Berhalter tends to make pretty si
Which player will Berhalter regret not calling in?
Carlisle: For all the talk about John Brooks, if Berhalter wasn’t going to go in that direction, I’m a bit surprised that Tim Ream didn’t get another look given how well he played in El Salvador as well as for Fulham. Out of the three center-backs backing up Zimmerman and Miles Robinson — Aaron Long, Erik Palmer-Brown and James Sands — none of them have played in a World Cup qualifier, and the stakes now couldn’t be higher. Ream has the requisite experience and leadership that could help this team navigate its way through these three games.
Bonagura: It’s beginning to look like I’m on an island with this, but Matthew Hoppe was the only attacking player to make any sort of positive impression in the Gold Cup and would be a valuable asset in this window, especially now that Aaronson is out.
O’Hanlon: While the talent pool is deeper than ever, the USMNT still isn’t close to being flush enough to ignore a center back who was starting for a Champions League team this season. Plus, none of the other center backs in the pool can pass like Brooks. Without McKennie, Aaronson and Dest, Berhalter is going to have to pull a couple new attacking levers, but he left this one in Wolfsburg.
Hajducky: Given the ballyhoo, it’s easy to say Brooks, isn’t it? If Thursday in Mexico City turns sour, dissent might reach a fever pitch. The U.S. are short on attacking options, and Josh Sargent has been influential for a woeful Norwich City. I’d rather have Sargent on the bench than at home.
Connelly: I realize Brooks’ form isn’t spectacular, but bringing in Long and Palmer-Brown instead of him seems weird, especially with the trip to Azteca. Having that security blanket would have been nice. size=1 width=”100%” noshade style=’color:#A5A6A7′ align=center>
Three games for the USMNT. How many points do they get?
Carlisle: They’ll get four with a tie in Mexico and a win over Panama. That still might not be enough to guarantee one of the three automatic spots, so they’ll need some help from Canada to take points off of Costa Rica. Otherwise they’ll be headed to Qatar for a playoff.
Bonagura: Based strictly on gut feeling: lose at Mexico, win against Panama, draw at Costa Rica, for four points. This is a team that has the capability to get results in both road games, but the historical track record is tough to ignore.
O’Hanlon: Betting markets give Mexico about a 45% chance of winning, with 28% on a draw and 27% on a USMNT win. Expected points from that, then, is a little over one. Let’s say 2.5 for Panama — it’s home, and Panama will be pushing for a win, which theoretically helps the U.S. — and 1.5 for Costa Rica. Add it all up, and we’ve got five expected points — and a spot in Qatar.
Hajducky: Maybe I’m being overly optimistic, but I’m hoping for four points. Hell, I’m resorting to prayer for anything non-zero. Mexico is shaping up to be a heartbreaker, sure, but Panama on home soil (in a stadium they’ve never lost in) is an imperative three points. Still, Costa Rica might still be the most intriguing. The U.S. have only dropped one of the past six against Los Ticos back to mid-2017. They are, however, abysmal (and winless) in Costa Rica in World Cup qualifying. They need to take maximum points against Panama in Orlando or March 30 is all-out mayhem, absent stars and nursing wounds.
Connelly: It feels like anything between one and nine is on the table, yeah? Mexico isn’t exactly in great form, and the U.S. will be favored against Panama, but you’d love to have something a lot closer to your full-strength lineup available. Alas, injuries stink, and it feels like four points is somewhere between realistic and semi-optimistic. So four.
USMNT’s Tyler Adams on World Cup qualification: ‘No other option’
United States men’s national team midfielder Tyler Adams said there is “no other option” but for the USMNT to qualify for the 2022 World Cup.The USMNT seek to return to the World Cup after missing the 2018 tournament, with three crucial qualifying matches left — at Mexico on Thursday, hosting Panama three days later at Orlando, Florida, and at Costa Rica on March 30. “We have to qualify, there’s no other option. I think that when you’re in big games and important games you always have to remember what motivates you and what you’re doing it for,” Adams said at a news conference on Tuesday. “We’re doing it for all the U.S. fans and we don’t want to let down our nation.”
Adams, who plays for Bundesliga side RB Leipzig, said he remembered watching the USMNT fail to qualify for 2018 World Cup. He pondered what could have been had that side reached Russia.
“I made my debut after that elimination, who knows if had we qualified if I would have been there,” Adams said. “The group has a great responsibility — qualifying for the World Cup, it’s the absolute minimum, we have to do that to continue to move the program forward.”The top three sides in the eight-team CONCACAF standings will automatically qualify for Qatar 2022, and the fourth place side will play an intercontinental playoff. Canada lead with 25 points, with the U.S. and Mexico each on 21 points but the U.S. ahead on goal difference. Panama is fourth with 17 points, followed by Costa Rica with 16. El Salvador (nine), Jamaica (seven) and Honduras (three) have been eliminated.Adams said the side welcomes the challenge of Thursday’s match at Estadio Azteca, where Mexico holds a 6-0-3 record in qualifying against the USMNT and have a 9-1-2 home record overall against the Americans. However, the U.S. have defeated Mexico the last three times they met, including wins in the CONCACAF Nations League and Gold Cup finals, and a 2-0 win in a November qualifying match in Cincinnati.Playing this match on Thursday 7,200 feet above sea level, Adams said both sides will feel the elevation.”You don’t have to the opportunity to play in that kind of altitude everday, you have to get through the first 10-15 minutes to grind it out. I’ve played there with the youth side, but not with a lot of fans, so I’m excited,” Adams said.Borussia Dortmund star Giovanni Reyna said he understands the challenge of playing at the iconic venue, having heard about it from his father Claudio, a former USMNT captain.”I’ve heard about stories from my dad. I knew it was gonna be a tough game back in Denver [in the 2020 CONCACAF Nations League final] and every time we play them. They have a great crowd, great team so it’s gonna be tough to play there. We’re ready and excited,” Reyna said of Azteca.Reyna is returning to national team duty after battling a hamstring injury that kept him out action for over five months and only recently played a match for Dortmund. Nonetheless, the return of Reyna is a relief for Gregg Berhalter’s side that will miss key players such as midfielder Weston McKennie (two broken bones in left foot), defender Sergino Dest (strained left thigh), goalkeeper Matt Turner (foot/ankle), and Brenden Aaronson (knee).”I know I can help the group just with my playing and being here. We got really important games and our main goal is to go to the World Cup,” Reyna said. “I’m definitely going to be managing my fitness, we’re gonna be smart with it.”
Hurting US men’s soccer team seeks boost in crucial World Cup push from Gio Reyna
Nancy Armour, USA TODAY Tue, March 22, 2022, 5:21 PM
Gio Reyna’s goals for the next week are simple: Qualify for the World Cup, and stay healthy.The forward, one of the brightest young stars for the U.S. men’s team, is back with the Americans for the first time since September, when he injured his right hamstring during the first World Cup qualifier. Though his absence lasted longer than Reyna had hoped, his return comes at an ideal time for the Americans, who need to win at least one of their final three qualifiers to clinch a spot at the World Cup in Qatar.“I just want to help the group,” Reyna said Tuesday. “Our main goal is to go to the World Cup, and that’s what I’m here to help us do.”Concacaf’s top three teams automatically qualify for the World Cup later this year, and the fourth-place finisher goes to a playoff this summer against a team from Oceania. The Americans begin the final qualifying window in second place, but just four points separate them from fourth-place Panama. Costa Rica, which is currently fifth, is another point back.Of the four teams fighting for the last two automatic spots, the USMNT has the most difficult schedule. The Americans are on the road for two of their three games, beginning Thursday at Mexico’s Azteca Stadium.
They play Panama on Sunday in Orlando, then travel to Costa Rica for a game March 30.The USMNT has never won a World Cup qualifier at Azteca – heck, it’s only won one game there, period, a 2012 friendly – with the raucous crowd and the altitude, to say nothing of El Tri itself, traditionally presenting an insurmountable challenge. But Mexico has been decidedly vulnerable at home recently.Decidedly vulnerable against the Americans recently, too.The USMNT won all three matches against El Tri last year, a first. The Americans beat Mexico for the title in two tournaments, despite using two different squads. Reyna was part of the team that won the Nations League title, scoring the USMNT’s first goal in the 3-2 win.“Going against them is special,” Reyna said. “I’m not really thinking this time, ‘I need to score because we’re playing against Mexico.’ … If I score, it’ll be great. If I get an assist, it’ll be great. If I don’t (get) either and if we win, it’ll be just as great.“I’m not really focused on that too much,” Reyna added. “I’m more focused on getting three points.”Still, having Reyna back is a boost. Especially given Monday’s announcement that forward Brenden Aaronson, who has two goals and is the only American to play in all 11 World Cup qualifiers, is out with a knee injury.The U.S. men will also be without midfielder Weston McKennie, their best player in recent months. McKennie had one of the goals in the USMNT’s 2-0 victory over Mexico –in November.Reyna’s minutes are likely to be limited, given his long layoff. He injured the hamstring Sept. 2 in El Salvador, and didn’t play again for Dortmund, his club in Germany, until Feb. 6. A setback two weeks later, during his first start, sidelined him for another three weeks.But after coming on as a substitute in two games, Reyna started and played all 90 minutes Sunday.“I’ve built up a lot of strength over the last two months, three months. I’m pretty confident in my body at the moment,” Reyna said. “But it was great to get 90 minutes before coming into camp. It gave me a huge boost in confidence, knowing that I can do it now.”U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter has already said he’ll be careful with Reyna’s minutes. Though Berhalter has dismissed the idea of “saving” his best lineup for Panama, a game that is effectively a must-win for the Americans, it would seem to make more sense to sit Reyna, or bring him on as a substitute, against Mexico and then give him more minutes against Panama.“I probably need a few more weeks before I’m 100 percent fit in terms of running and playing 90 minutes consistently,” said Reyna, who said he had no issues after Sunday’s game.Though this will be Reyna’s first World Cup qualifier in Mexico – his first game at Azteca, period – he got a taste of the fierceness of the rivalry last summer. He’s also heard the stories from his teammates and, of course, his own father.Claudio Reyna was the U.S. captain for eight years, and played in the 1998, 2002 and 2006 World Cups. The elder Reyna had a hand in both goals in the USMNT’s historic win over El Tri in the round of 16 at the 2002 World Cup.“He’s told me about it,” the younger Reyna said. “It’s always a really, really good test for us. It’s always a really, really entertaining game for the fans. It’s going to be fun, it’s going to be exciting and there’s a lot to play for. So it’ll be great.”
In the thin air of Estadio Azteca, USMNT faces a heavy task against Mexico
By Steven Goff Today at 11:52 a.m. EDT|Updated today at 7:13 p.m. EDT
It’s hard enough playing a World Cup qualifier at Estadio Azteca, the mammoth den of Mexican soccer for more than a half-century. History, sound and fervor conspire against visitors, compounding the challenge of beating a world-class national team.Then there’s the matter of breathing. Depending on where you’re standing in the vast metropolis, Mexico City’s elevation is at least 7,200 feet, some 2,000 higher than Denver.On Thursday, the U.S. men’s squad will visit Azteca for its 12th of 14 qualifiers in a regional competition that will reward three automatic berths in Qatar in November. To enhance their chances, the second-place Americans are seeking at least a point.First, though, they’ll seek oxygen.“I remember thinking in warmups it wasn’t so bad,” former U.S. midfielder Stu Holden said, reflecting on a 2009 visit. “But when I came on the field and sprinted for five minutes, it was like someone had sucked all of the air out of the stadium. I felt my lungs burning.”
Venue settings are part of the gamesmanship in Concacaf, which encompasses North and Central America and the Caribbean. This cycle, the United States and Canada chose the deep cold of St. Paul, Minn., and Edmonton, respectively. Honduras and Panama embraced the heat.Mexico’s added advantage is altitude.
“You make those runs forward, and then the recovery run coming back was like, ‘Wow,’ ” former U.S. captain John Harkes said. “You can’t get to the top of your breath. You felt it.”The United States has never won a qualifier in Mexico, dating from 1949, and has won once in 27 meetings in all competitions there (a 2012 friendly at Azteca). In the past six qualifying cycles, though, there have been three draws and three one-goal decisions.Altitude is not the primary reason for U.S. futility, but it does contribute. Coach Gregg Berhalter said his players “will be fatigued a little bit, but they’ll be able to get through it.”There are two approaches to preparing to play at great heights: arrive a week or two early or not until the day before the match.With players unavailable until a few days before most qualifiers because of club obligations, there is only one option. So the U.S. delegation is training in Houston before flying to Mexico City on Wednesday.“The strategy you can apply is to monitor the iron level in the blood and make sure these guys are not deficient before they report to camp,” said Pierre Barrieu, a former U.S. team fitness coach who oversaw preparation before qualifiers in Mexico City and the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, where the Americans played at altitudes between 3,800 and 5,800 feet.Barrieu recommended getting hard work out of the way before arriving at altitude and conducting a walk-through rather than a regular practice the day before the game because, he said, “you would do more damage than good.”
U.S. officials did not want to discuss their planning for this game, but Berhalter said: “The important thing is to look at the starting point of where these guys are coming from. If a guy is fully fit and playing every week and has 90 minutes under his belt for considerable weeks, he’ll be fine.”Berhalter said he also has relied on experience playing at Azteca in 2005 and receiving feedback from other national teams and MLS teams (in the Concacaf Champions League) that have competed there. His medical and training staff has done the rest.Air quality in the Valley of Mexico is also a consideration, though it has improved over the years.“There are little things you can do, but unless you are there at altitude, it’s hard to make a huge dent in it,” Berhalter said. “We’ve been checking the players’ blood and making sure they have the necessary things to compete at that altitude.”The U.S. team has tried other ways to acclimate. In 2017, with a longer buildup to the Mexico visit, the Americans trained and played a qualifier in suburban Denver and held a friendly in Sandy, Utah (4,450 feet). Twelve years earlier, they trained in Colorado Springs (6,035) and played a friendly in Albuquerque (5,312).Mexican players must adjust to altitude, too, but of the 29 players on the current roster, nine are with Liga MX clubs from high-altitude cities. Nine visit Mexico City regularly with their respective lowland clubs, and others have experience playing at altitude.
Mexico’s dominance at Azteca has waned, though. In this qualifying cycle, the team known as “El Tri” needed late goals to defeat Jamaica and Panama, settled for draws with Canada and Costa Rica, and routed last-place Honduras, 3-0.
Until 2001, when Costa Rica beat them, the Mexicans had never lost a qualifier at Azteca.This cycle, the team has played in an empty or near-empty stadium, the result of penalties for fans using homophobic language. About 40,000 are expected Thursday in a venue that once held more than 110,000 and now accommodates 87,000.
Only four players on this U.S. squad played in the previous qualifier at Azteca, in 2017: Christian Pulisic, Paul Arriola, Kellyn Acosta and DeAndre Yedlin.“Just in the same way we prepared for that [Feb. 2] game in Minnesota, from a mental standpoint, this is no different,” defender Walker Zimmerman said. “Yes, this will be challenging. Yes, we are up for that challenge. There’s no doubt in my mind we will go out there with the right mind-set and push through the elements.”Medical studies and better preparation have helped neutralize the altitude advantage as well. Barrieu also pointed to the mental aspect.“The science is proven, but considering you can only control so much, how big of a deal do you want to make it?” he said. “One cycle, we really prepared for it, and it was not about altitude. If you can get the players in that state of mind, it’s mission accomplished.”Elevation is a bigger deal in La Paz, Bolivia, which, at 12,000 feet, is the highest capital city in the world. Studies show aerobic power at that altitude falls by 25 percent.Altitude only helps the home team so much. Since sweeping four home qualifiers in group play to qualify for the 1994 World Cup, Bolivia has floundered. This cycle, it’s 4-3-1 at home and 0-6-2 away.“When we qualified for the World Cup, that wasn’t just because of the altitude,” said retired D.C. United star Jaime Moreno, a former Bolivian national team forward. “That was because we had a really good team. We had good players. It was a combination.”In 2007, citing player safety and unfair advantages, FIFA banned international matches above 8,200 feet, which also affected Ecuador and Colombia. A year later, amid protests from those countries and their governments, the rule was rescinded.
“It definitely affects you,” Moreno said. “But if you have good players and you prepare the way you are supposed to, no matter how high you go, it will be okay.”
When the USMNT scored vs. Mexico at Azteca: ‘I felt like I teleported out of my body’
3:29 PM ETKyle Bonagura and Cesar Hernandez
It exists on what can seem like a mythical plane, with an aberrational combination of history, decibels and lack of oxygen leaving the Estadio Azteca peerless in North America. As just one of two stadiums to host the World Cup final twice, along with Rio’s fabled Maracana, few soccer venues can even remotely compare to Mexico‘s home ground.Stories passed down through generations of the United States men’s national team only enhance that perception, and their performances at the Azteca certainly don’t dispel it. In eight World Cup qualifying matches spanning five decades, the U.S. has never left the Azteca, nestled in the southern stretches of Mexico City, with a win.
“I think we built it up to be this almost impossible place to get a result,” said former USMNT striker Charlie Davies. “If you got a draw, it was huge. It was almost like a victory and for me, it was the game I literally dreamed of playing in since I was a little kid.”
CONCACAF Table
GP
PTS
GD
1 – Canada
11
25
+14
2 – USA
11
21
+9
3 – Mexico
11
21
+6
4 – Panama
11
17
+1
5 – Costa Rica
11
16
1
6 – El Salvador
11
9
-7
7 – Jamaica
11
7
-7
8 – Honduras
11
3
-17
1-3 qualify; 4 into playoff
Heading into Thursday’s renewed (10 p.m. ET, follow LIVE with ESPN) fixture at the iconic setting, the stakes for both teams couldn’t be much higher. The United States and Mexico enter the final three-game window of World Cup qualifying tied for second in the CONCACAF standings, both with work to do to ensure safe passage to Qatar 2022.For the U.S., a loss could leave the team with a razor-thin margin for error with games against fourth-place Panama and fifth-place Costa Rica remaining. Mexico’s remaining schedule (at Honduras; vs. El Salvador) is more forgiving, but a loss would be historic on two fronts: It would be El Tri‘s first-ever loss to the U.S. in a competitive match at the Azteca and mark the first four-match losing streak in a rivalry played since 1934.
Before heading to Azteca for a qualifier in 2009, multiple U.S. players pulled Davies, then 23, aside. “They told me, ‘This is the big one. You’ll never play in another atmosphere quite like this,'” Davies said. “You might play in a stadium as big. You might play in front of this many people, but the hostility is second to none.”It’s the only place I ever played in where you could scream at the top of your lungs to someone who is five yards away and they can’t hear you.”Davies got the “full Azteca” experience. The team, managed by Bob Bradley at the time, flew in the night before the game and the players were instructed to use fake names when checking into the hotel. The idea was to mitigate unwelcome wake-up calls from Mexican fans, a tactic they’d been employed in the past to disrupt their rivals’ preparation. Still, an unofficial welcoming committee found their way in the lobby that night with airhorns and a symphony of car horns played outside circled the hotel all night.
“It was just to get your focus off the game and to all these other things,” Davies said.
‘Obligation for perfection’
Starting with the result in 1997, the United States-Mexico games at the Azteca in World Cup qualifying have all been competitive. The U.S. still hasn’t won there, but it has three draws in their last six trips while the other three losses have all been by one goal — and in two games, the U.S. scored first.”There was a lot of pressure,” said former Mexican striker Jared Borgetti about playing against the United States. “I didn’t have very many national team games. I didn’t have that much experience in those kinds of [World Cup] qualifiers.”Borgetti, who had yet to face the United States in an official competition before the 2001 qualifier, said there was “obligation to do things, very nearly, to perfection.” A crowd of 110,000 roared when 16 minutes into that match, Borgetti latched onto Alberto Garcia Aspe’s cross off a free-kick and knocked it in — a goal Borgetti recalled was “very tough” to score.”The games that always have something particular about them, something challenging,” Borgetti added. “Obviously, they leave you with a nice feeling, outside of whether you win or lose.”Efrain Juarez, who played in several key matches against the U.S. over the years, recalls that the 2009 edition was “not a normal game.” Why? Because he and his teammates watched themselves eating breakfast on national TV as helicopter cameras zoomed in on the team hotel.”When we woke up that day, it was crazy because three or four helicopters were around us,” said Juarez, now an assistant coach at New York City FC. “It was so funny.”
‘Too tired to celebrate’
Much is made about the altitude in Mexico City. At roughly 7,200 feet above sea level, there isn’t a perfect solution to adequately prepare for the toll the relative lack of oxygen takes on unaccustomed lungs.Prior to the trip to the Azteca in 1997, United States coach Steve Sampson got creative. The team spent two weeks near Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains outside of Los Angeles, which sits at a similar altitude as Mexico City. At night and in the morning, the players’ bodies would naturally acclimate, but they would also bus two hours away to the city of San Bernardino each day to train in a hot, smoggy environment — another exercise conducted to mimic the conditions they’d experience at the Coloso de Santa Ursula.“It’s impossible to say it didn’t help, we must have gotten something out of that,” said former USMNT forward Eric Wynalda. “That was the only explanation for how we were able to run as hard and long as we did because we had just spent two weeks in hell.”At that point, the United States had played away against Mexico 19 times, including competitive games and friendlies. They were 0-19-0.Wynalda started the 1997 game playing on the left side in midfield, but had to drop to left back when Jeff Agoos was sent off with a first-half red card. After a run of play that required Wynalda to sprint up the field in attack, then track all the way back, he was completely spent.”I run back and I tackle the ball out of bounds. I came over to the post looked right at [goalkeeper Brad] Friedel and threw up on his feet,” Wynalda said. “His response was, ‘Well, now you’re playing Waldo.’ And I was like, ‘I hate this.’ That place will make you spin anyway because you can’t breathe.”Wynalda was subbed off in the 71st minute — the game locked at 0-0 — and as he started to jog to the sideline, his teammates encouraged him to slow to a walk. They needed every chance they could to catch their breath, and the U.S. saw out the 0-0 draw to pick up their first-ever qualifying point in Mexico.”When we got in the locker room — what an amazing result — we were too frickin’ tired to celebrate,” Wynalda said. “We knew we had done something that never been done before but it was also just like, ‘I’m so glad that’s over with.'”
‘I’m not wasting oxygen on you’
Davies is only one of five American players — Willy Roy (1972), Rick Davis (1980), Eddie Lewis (2005), Michael Bradley (2017) — to score a World Cup-qualifying goal at the Azteca and for him, that 2009 goal stands as the pinnacle moment of his career.Tim Howard played a long ball into midfield. The ball popped to Landon Donovan in the center circle and after taking a touch around an El Tri player, he slotted a perfectly weighted diagonal ball into space for Davies. Following two clean touches, he beat Guillermo Ochoa to the far post.Juarez was that Mexican defender tasked with marking Davies.”He gets in the space and we couldn’t stop him because he was so quick,” said Juarez, who would later in the match get the assist on the game-winning goal.”I felt like I teleported out of my body. It was really an out of body experience,” Davies said. “I had always worked with a goal in mind that one day I could play in this match and here I am playing in it, in Azteca, with all the history with all the players that have played on that same pitch, I scored for my country.”The deafening crowd was left silent. Davies went to the corner flag to celebrate, but only Bradley joined him before it started raining bottles, coins and batteries. “At halftime, I remember going over to [Oguchi Onyewu] and was like, ‘Hey, man, how come you didn’t come celebrate?'” Davies said.
“He goes, ‘Are you kidding me? I’m not wasting oxygen on you.'”But the U.S. squad soon wilted under the afternoon heat, with Israel Castro equalizing by halftime. Then, in the 82nd minute, Juarez’s moment of redemption when he got a deflected pass off to Miguel Sabah for the game-winner. The roar of the 105,000 fans in attendance was something, Juarez says, remains unforgettable.”I’ve played many, many years. Many big games with massive crowds, but that goal was special because the sound [from the crowd] is crazy.”Juarez recalls walking past an exhausted Donovan, who had attempted to close him down in the run-up of the goal.”I know how you feel when you’re not used to that situation [in the high elevation]. I saw his face, like two to three minutes before, I saw that he was struggling,” said Juarez, mimicking the way Donovan was catching his breath.As often is the case for a big win against the USMNT, Mexico fans party into the night and gather at the famed Angel de la Independencia monument. And despite helping Mexico stay on course to qualifying for the 2010 World Cup, Juarez made for an early evening.”My parents picked me up at the Azteca,” said Juarez, laughing. “I was in bed at 9:30, watching TV.”
A Look Into The CONMEBOL Qualifiers: What Does Each Country Need To Make The Next World Cup?
LUIS VIDALMARCH 23, 2022THE NEXT SIX DAYS ARE GOING TO BE RIVETING AND CRUEL.Last stop in the CONMEBOL qualifiers, and there are still a few spots for the 2022 World Cup up for grabs. Brazil and Argentina are already on the plane, while Ecuador, Uruguay, Perú, Chile and Colombia are still fighting for two direct tickets and one inter-confederation playoff slot. What do they need to fulfill their dreams? Here we have a guide with the results that could send them to Qatar.
CONMEBOL Standings — What Every Country Needs To Qualify
1) Brazil, 39 points (Goal difference: +27)
Status: Qualified
At this stage, Tite is trying to decide who is going to Qatar with him and Neymar. Competition is tough in the Scratch, so it will be very entertaining to see how the players will try to convince them.
Next rivals:
Chile (Home), Thursday, March 24, 7:30 p.m. ET
Bolivia (Away), Tuesday, March 29, 7:30 p.m. ET
2) Argentina, 35 points (Goal difference: +16)
Status: Qualified
After missing the last round of games per an agreement with PSG, Lionel Messi is back in the only place where he feels loved. And that’s the goal for these games: Snuggling him, nuzzling him, hugging him and making him feel important.
Next rivals:
Venezuela (Home), Friday, March 25, 7:30 p.m. ET
Ecuador (Away), Tuesday, March 29, 7:30 p.m. ET
3) Ecuador, 25 points (Goal difference: +10)
Status: In contention
It is hard to imagine a world where Ecuador is not making the cut. La Tri could go to Qatar even losing both games because the three teams behind them (Uruguay, Perú and Chile) are basically killing each other. In any case, one mere point would be sufficient to avoid unnecessary suffering.
Los Charrúas will have a direct ticket to Qatar if they defeat Perú and Chile fails to get three points from Brazil. In the case of a draw, they will secure the inter-confederation playoff only if Chile loses. What if Perú beats them? Everything will be decided in the last qualifying game against Chile in Santiago.
Next rivals:
Perú (Home), Thursday, March 25, 7:30 p.m. ET
Chile (Away), Tuesday, March 29, 7:30 p.m. ET
5) Perú, 21 points (Goal difference: -4)
Status: In contention
If they win both games, Qatar is in the bag. In that scenario, they will surpass Uruguay, and there will not be a need for suffering. On the other hand, getting three or four points leaves everything to math and odds. A draw against Uruguay and a victory over Paraguay could mean a direct qualification to Qatar (if Chile defeats Uruguay) or at least a spot in the inter-confederation playoff (if Uruguay wins against Chile). If Perú only beats Paraguay, it will secure the playoff spot only if Chile doesn’t get six points.
The worst-case scenario? Getting fewer than three points. Here, the team will be in desperation mode, praying for really painful deaths for Chile and Colombia.
Next rivals:
Uruguay (Away), Thursday, March 25, 7:30 p.m. ET
Paraguay (Home), Tuesday, March 29, 7:30 p.m. ET
6) Chile, 19 points (Goal difference: -1)
Status: In contention
La Roja is not dead, but it needs an epic performance in the last two games. One to be sung about for ages, passing from generation to generation. Chile needs to defeat unbeaten Brazil in Brazil, then Uruguay at home, and hope Perú misses a couple of points to grab those tickets to Qatar. If Perú gets six points, the two victories will only earn Chile the playoff berth.
In the case of getting three or four points total, Chile still can dream of the playoff spot, but only if Perú or Uruguay collapse in their last two games.
Next rivals:
Brazil (Away), Thursday, March 25, 7:30 p.m. ET
Uruguay (Home), Tuesday, March 29, 7:30 p.m. ET
7) Colombia, 17 points (Goal difference: -3)
Status: In contention
From the epic narrative, we now go to the land of miracles. If Colombia wants a chance for the playoff berth — the only option on the table for them — they need to collect the whole six points in the last two games and then cross their fingers. Perú failing catastrophically would be welcomed, but there are a few other factors involved — Chile, goal difference, etc. — in this kind of Colombian Ave María. They will also need to score a goal, something they haven’t done in the last six qualifier games.
Look, numerically speaking, Bolivia can still reach the playoff ticket to Qatar. But realistically, those chances are not even in the hands of God (if you believe in one). Can you imagine a world where Bolivia gets the six points, beating their rivals by more than seven goals, and where Perú, Chile and Colombia vanish from the Earth?
Next rivals:
Colombia (Away), Thursday, March 25, 7:30 p.m. ET
Brazil (Home), Tuesday, March 29, 7:30 p.m. ET
9) Paraguay, 13 points (Goal difference: -14)
Status: Out
After seven games failing to score, la Albirroja sank to the bottom of the table and has no chance at all of going to Qatar. The complete cycle was a disaster. See you in the next qualifier.
Next rivals:
Ecuador (Home), Thursday, March 25, 7:30 p.m. ET
Perú (Away), Tuesday, March 29, 7:30 p.m. ET
10) Venezuela, 10 points (Goal difference: -16)
Status: Out
La Vinotinto at this point is rebuilding for the next cycle with José Luis Pekerman as head coach.
Next rivals:
Argentina (Away), Friday, March 25, 7:30 p.m. ET
Colombia (Home), Tuesday, March 29, 7:30 p.m. ET
* All games are broadcasted through FuboTV
Zimmerman Sees Pressure on Mexico in Azteca Cauldron
Yanks Abroad
With barely two days before kickoff in Mexico’s Azteca to begin their final three World Cup qualifiers, USMNT starting defender Walker Zimmerman sees more pressure on their hosts to atone for their trio of losses in 2021.
Zimmerman and his American teammates completed the hat-trick over their southern rivals last year, beating them three times in official competitions. Zimmerman only played in the last of those three, the dos-a-cero result in Cincinnati in November, however sees all three wins as sources of confidence for the team heading into Thursday’s night game.“We can take some confidence from those games, just knowing that we’ve done it before, [and] we can do it again,” Zimmerman said to the press after arriving in the current USMNT camp in Houston, while still cautioning, “at the same time it’s qualification, [so] those games don’t matter anymore.”“It’s about qualifying for the World Cup,” he continued, adding “it’s a very important game for both teams.”With the always-grueling visit to Azteca being the most anticipated game of the qualifying cycle, and one of the most important when looking at the two teams’ current positions in the standings, he nevertheless doesn’t sense an air of nervousness amongst team and staff.“I don’t think it’s nervousness, I think it’s excitement,” he judged of their mindset. “At this level, you want to play in big games, you want to have that responsibility, recognize the importance of it and embrace it. I think we have that kind of DNA amongst a lot of our players.”The official home of the El Tri offers a myriad of challenges for visitors, ranging from the altitude, to air quality, and a notoriously hostile home crowd. The Nashville SC star is unfazed, and draws upon their recent arctic-blast win against Honduras in early-February as a model example of how to not only face the elements, but win under any condition.“It’ll be a great challenge for us,” he conceded. “There’s not too much experience of playing in Azteca for a lot of the guys. Certainly we have a few who were there and involved last cycle, and we know it’s going to be a challenge.”“Just in the same way that we prepared for that game [against Honduras] in Minnesota from a mental standpoint; I thought we approached that the right way and this is no different.”
Confidently emphasizing his point, he re-iterated, “It’ll be challenging, yes, [but] we’re up for that challenge.”“There’s no doubt in my mind that we’ll go out there with a good mindset and push through the elements, continue to encourage one another as we make our way through the game, and and come away with the result.”Of course the 11 players wearing the Stars and Stripes are only half of the equation, as they will face a Mexican motivated to atone for their multiple humiliations at the hands of the Americans in 2021.Zimmerman does hold Thursday’s opponents in high regard, but feels as though the onus will be squarely on them to prove themselves in front of their home crowd.
“Certainly they have a lot of talent,” he diplomatically assessed. “You definitely have to respect their strengths, know what their strengths are, and and try to eliminate them as best as you can.”“Based on that first performance [in Cincinnati], they probably walked away unsatisfied with their attack. We can expect them to be definitely up for this game, trying to prove something against us, and we’ve got to be ready to match that.”Reflecting on the recent 2-0 victory, where he played the full game in the defense, the 25-times capped international recognized that the team’s dominance was a result of them pulling all of the right strings.“I thought we did a very good job that first game,” he mused. “They broke through one or two times and created big chances, but Zack [Steffen] stood up big.”“I thought we did a lot of really good things with our ability to step up, not give them time, good 1v1 defending and [being] strong in duels. It’s going to take all those things again, and more, to make sure we can shut them down.”An additional weapon that was not available to Zimmerman and his teammates in November is 19 year-old Borussia Dortmund attacker Gio Reyna, who was still in the midst of recovering from a muscle injury at the time. Reyna’s return for this window excites the Georgia-born defender, and is a factor he thinks could be critical throughout all three upcoming games. “We’re thrilled to have Gio back back and involved in qualifiers,” he grinned. “Obviously he’s been out for a little while, but I know just from speaking with him, and even from his game on the weekend, [that] he is he’s super excited to be back, [and] to be involved on this team.”“It’s all of our goal to qualify for the World Cup, so I think knowing him [and] knowing the kind of guy that he is, he’s chomping at the bit to make a big impact in these three games.”“We’re going to need it. He’s the kind of guy who can change a game, and so having him available in any capacity is a boost for our team.”The USMNT will kick off against El Tri in Azteca on Thursday night, 9pm local time.
My friends and I went for a late-night taco visit to Los Cocuyos upon arriving in Mexico City (Photograph by Grant Wahl)
MEXICO CITY — God, I love coming to this place.
On Tuesday night, I arrived in the Mexican capital for the seventh time I will have seen a game here. This one, as usual, is big: A World Cup qualifier between the USMNT and Mexico—a true Bucket List game to attend—with just three matchdays left and neither rival having clinched a berth yet in Qatar 2022.
Literally the first thing I did after arriving was to join my friends Juan, Christian, Alexis and Charlie for tacos at Los Cocuyos in the Centro Histórico. It was a phenomenal welcome back to one of my favorite cities anywhere. CDMX is the kind of place everyone should go to on vacation at some point. There are amazing restaurants, must-visit museums and a creative buzz to the city that give it constant energy. Plus all the Mexicans I’ve met here (at least the ones not in the stadium) have been extremely welcoming and friendly over the years.
And, of course, the soccer culture is as vibrant as it is in any city, anywhere. Genuine A-List global fútbol history happened here, none more so than Brazil’s 1970 World Cup final triumph (Pelé’s team may have been the best of all time) and Diego Maradona’s best-individual-World-Cup-performance-ever heroics for Argentina in the 1986 World Cup.
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Mexico’s domestic soccer culture has a rich history as well. In 2007, I rented a car and went with my buddies on a Mexican soccer road trip from Monterrey to Puerto Vallarta to Guadalajara to Toluca to Mexico City for an SI Latino story that you unfortunately can’t find anywhere online anymore.
The truth is there haven’t been that many games between Mexico and the USMNT in the country of Mexico over the years. Due to well-known immigration patterns and demographics, Mexico (the most popular soccer team in the United States) plays more games north of the border than south of it. That has left Mexico-USMNT games in Mexico to be the domain of quadrennial World Cup qualifiers and a famous friendly from 2012.
I’ve had some great memories of covering Mexico-USMNT games in Estadio Azteca over the years. Let’s break it down:
August 1, 1999: Mexico 1, USMNT 0 ET (Confederations Cup semifinal)
At age 25, I was visiting Mexico for the first time ever, and Bruce Arena’s team showed the USMNT was rebounding nicely from the fiasco of World Cup 1998. The first three games were in Guadalajara, where I made sure to visit the José Cuervo tequila distillery and saw the U.S. beat New Zealand and Germany (Ben Olsen and Joe-Max Moore with the goals!) in Estadio Jalisco along with a hard-fought 1-0 loss to Brazil to knock out the Lothar Matthäus-led Germans and advance to the semifinals.
That trip was the first time I’d ever seen Ronaldinho, who was 19 and scored the game-winner against the USMNT. And it was the first time I visited the Azteca, one of the all-time intimidating atmospheres in sports. It’s wild how vertical the stadium is, a true ThunderDome of sport. And it was all the more impressive when the U.S. went toe-to-toe with Mexico into extra-time in front of a packed house. Jeff Agoos was the U.S.’s best player, a rock in the defense, but the U.S. couldn’t break through with a goal, and Mexico’s Cuauhtémoc Blanco finally broke through in extra-time for the win. The U.S. went on to finish third in the tournament, beating Saudi Arabia, and Mexico would beat Brazil in the final to raise the trophy.
Unfortunately, I missed out on the Mexico-USMNT World Cup qualifiers at the Azteca in 2001 (Sports Illustrated cheaped out and didn’t send anyone to cover Mexico’s 1-0 win) and 2005 (during the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, which I was covering). But I did write a magazine feature story in 2005 leading up to that qualifier (won 2-1 by Mexico) that went in-depth on the rivalry.
August 12, 2009: Mexico 2, USMNT 1 (World Cup qualifier)
The context for this showdown was fascinating. Bob Bradley’s USMNT was coming off a historic summer that included beating Spain and advancing to the Confederations Cup final in South Africa, where the U.S. had gone up 2-0 on Brazil before losing 3-2. Mexico staged the game at noontime on a weekday to ratchet up the heat, but Charlie Davies put the visitors ahead on an early goal and did the stanky leg to celebrate.
Mexico came back, though, and got a late winner. What do I remember from that visit? 1) Then-ESPN president John Skipper (now my boss at Meadowlark) went to the game with Bill Simmons and got hit with a flying burrito, which only increased his interest in the rivalry, 2) I had a dish of crickets at a Mexico City restaurant (crunchy!), and 3) Landon Donovan revealed to me on a post-game phone call that he had contracted the swine flu. That information went on to cause the Bundesliga to sideline USMNT teammates Steve Cherundolo, Michael Bradley and others the following weekend.
August 15, 2012: Mexico 0, USMNT 1 (Friendly)
Jurgen Klinsmann certainly had his issues as a coach, but I always liked his willingness to play friendlies in hostile environments, even in CONCACAF. That paid off when Michael Orozco’s late goal gave the USMNT its first victory ever at the Azteca. Yes, it was a friendly, but it was still a big moment. I’ll always remember walking out of the stadium when somehow goalkeeper Tim Howard materialized next to me and pointed to a sign on the wall commemorating all of Mexico’s successes against the U.S. in the Azteca over the years.
The Ole BallCoach 