The US women return to play Friday night with a mix of youngsters and veterans as the team will play for the last time this year. In the last three matches the team opened with a shocking loss to Portugal, bounced back with a determined win in a rematch, and then trounced New Zealand 6-0 in a vintage performance. Naomi Girma is back and her presence will anchor the backline while in the midfield Lilly Yohannes will join Lindsey Heaps and Rose Lavelle to give options in creating the engine for the team and on the forward line Cat Macario, Emma Sears, Olivia Moultrie, Alyssa Thompson, and Jaedyn Shaw will provide options to create and score. The question is can they start to build some chemistry?
US Women’s Roster – Friendly’s Next Friday Nov 28, Dec 1 vs Italy
Former Carmel GK Eric Dick Wins USL Championship for Pittsburgh in Shootout
Awesome to see former Carmel Dad’s Club/Carmel High/Butler GK Eric Dick win the USL title this past weekend with Pittsburgh as he pitched the shutout then won the Shootout (5-3) – to win their first championship. The 26-year wait is over as the @RiverhoundsSC take down Tulsa to win the 2025 @USLChampionship final! (full Highlights). Dick was Man of the Match. Dick’s Impact.
Most Watched NWSL Championship Gothem Wins & Lavelle is MVP
The NWSL championship match between Gotham FC and the Washington Spirit on Saturday averaged 1,184,000 viewers on CBS and Paramount+ (More) marking the match as the most-viewed NWSL game of all time. The average viewership marks a 22% increase from Orlando’s win in 2024, which held the previous viewership record, and a 45% gain from 2023.
American’s Shine in Champions League & Pulisic wins Derby
The CONCACAF capital of the world was in the Arctic Circle, where Juventus won 3-2 against Norwegian kings Bodø/Glimt with the USMNT’s somewhat forgotten man, Weston McKennie, heading home Juve’s second score, before Canada’s Jonathan Davidsealed the win in stoppage time with his first goal since August. Then, 2,255 miles away in the south of France, Tim Weahassisted 36-year-old Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for Marseille’s winner over visiting Newcastle. Last weekend Christian Pulisic scored the winning Goal to win the Milan Derby vs Inter Milan.
Carmel GK Eric Dick Wins USL Championship for Pittsburgh
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GAMES ON TV
Thurs, 11/27 Europa 12:45 pm Feynord vs Celtic (Trusty) Fri, Nov 28 2:30 pm B MGladbach (Reyna, Scally) vs RB Leipzig 7 pm TNT, Max USWNT vs Italy Sat, Nov 29 9:30 am ESPN+ Union Berlin vs Heidneheim 10 am USA Brentford vs Burnley (Adams) 12 noon Para+ Juventus (McKinney) vs Calgari 12:30 pm ESPN+ Bayer Leverkusen (Tilman) vs Dortmund 2:45 pm Para+ AC Milan (Pulisic) vs Lazio 3 pm USA Tottenham vs Fulham 6 pm Apple TV Inter Miami (Messi) vs NYCFC MLS East Conf Finals 9 pm Apple TV San Diego, Vancouver MLS West Conf Finals 10 pm Telemundo Tigres vs Tijuana Sun, Nov 30 7 am USA Crystal Palace (Richards) vs Man United 9 am Para+ Pisa vs Inter Milan 9 am USA Aston Villa vs Wolverhampton 9 am PEacock Nottingham Forest vs Brighton 9 am Pea West Ham vs Liverpool 11:30 am USA Chelsea vs Arsenal 3 pm ABC Girona vs Real Madrid Mon, Dec 1st 7 pm TBS, Max USWNT vs Italy
USMNT gets better idea of who it could draw in 2026 World Cup
The World Cup Draw procedures are out. by Donald Wine II Nov 25, 2025, 1:01 PM EST Stars & Stripes
Photo by John Dorton/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images
The United States Men’s National Team now knows who it could potentially face in each match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage. Today, FIFA released its World Cup Draw procedures, which will take place on December 5th. While it’s complicated, the USMNT’s matches get a bit clearer.
First, FIFA has divided each of the remaining teams into Pots, including the various playoff pathways. The USMNT, as a co-host, will be in in Pot 1 and pre-drawn into Group D. Mexico and Canada will also be pre-drawn into Groups A and B, respectively. They will be placed in the 1 position for those groups.
The pots for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Draw (FIFA ranking in parentheses):
Pot 1 – United States (14), Mexico (15), Canada (27), Spain (1), Argentina (2), France (3), England (4), Brazil (5), Portugal (6), Netherlands (7), Belgium (8), Germany (9)
Pot 2 – Croatia (10), Morocco (11), Colombia (13), Uruguay (16), Switzerland (17), Japan (18), Senegal (19), Iran (20), South Korea (22), Ecuador (23), Austria (24), Australia (26)
Pot 3 – Norway (29), Panama (30), Egypt (34), Algeria (35), Scotland (36), Paraguay (39), Tunisia (40), Ivory Coast (42), Uzbekistan (50), Qatar (51), Saudi Arabia (60), South Africa (61)
Pot 4 – Jordan (66), Cape Verde (68), Ghana (72), Curaçao (82), Haiti (84), New Zealand (86), UEFA Playoff A winner, UEFA Playoff B winner, UEFA Playoff C winner, UEFA Playoff D winner, Inter-confederation Playoff Path 1 winner, Inter-confederation Playoff Path 2 winner
The USMNT learned that they will face a team from Pot 3 in their World Cup opener on June 12th at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. They will face a Pot 2 team at Lumen Field in Seattle on June 19th, and they will close against a Pot 4 team on June 25th back at SoFi Stadium. The United States, Canada, and Mexico will be identified by different colored ping pong balls for the draw of Pot 1: Mexico in green, Canada in red, and the U.S. with a blue ping pong ball. The rest of Pot 1 will be the same color and then automatically assigned to position 1 of the group into which they are drawn.
Pots for the 2026 World Cup DrawSource: FIFA
FIFA has also created pathways to ensure the best teams avoid each other before the semifinals and final. Spain – ranked 1 in the FIFA world rankings – will be randomly drawn into the opposite pathway as #2 Argentina. This will ensure those teams, should they win their groups, will not meet before the World Cup Final on July 19th. The same will be done for #3 France and #4 England to ensure they would be on opposite sides of the bracket.
2026 World Cup PathwaySource: FIFA
No group can have more than one team from the same confederation with the exception of UEFA, which has 16 teams. Each group will have 1, but no more than 2 UEFA teams drawn into it on December 5th. This would include the placeholders for the UEFA Playoff winners as well as the 2 inter-confederation playoff winners in Pot 4. For the USMNT, it would mean that since each inter-confederation playoff team contains a team from Concacaf, the USMNT will not see an inter-confederation winner in Group D. Likewise, if they draw a team from UEFA in Pots 2 and 3, they would not see any team from the UEFA playoff out of Pot 4.
The full match schedule for the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be confirmed on December 6th after the draw has taken place. This will allow fans to set their calendars and know where each of the 104 games will be taking place. It sets up some complicated drama for everyone at the FIFA World Cup Draw, but at least for the USMNT, they are a few days away from knowing who they will face in the group stage.
Champions League Projections
Arsenal, the only side left in the Champions League with a 100% win record, have a 23% chance of winning the tournament, according to Opta’s latest prediction. This comes after Mikel Arteta’s side beat Bayern Munich 3-1 at the Emirates, with the German side now projected to have a 19% chance of winning the tournament.
Holders Paris Saint-Germain, who have overtaken Bayern in second place on goal difference (see standings), have been given an 11.2% chance of winning the tournament following their 5-3 win over Tottenham. Inter Milan (4th) and Real Madrid (5th), who are also on 12 points, are given just 4.1% and 6.2% chances of taking glory, respectively. Kylian Mbappe is now the tournament’s top scorer with nine goals, helped by his four goals in Real’s 4-3 victory over Olympiakos, including a seven-minute hat-trick.
Despite losing 2-0 at home to Leverkusen on Tuesday, Manchester City are given the fourth-best odds at 8.3%, while Chelsea are given a 6.0% chance. Liverpool, who sit 13th in the league phase table following a 4-1 loss to PSV, are projected to have a 5.7% chance. Barcelona make up the rest of the top 10 with a 4.5% chance, even though they’re currently 18th.
US Women face Portugal Brace Thur 7 pm, Sun 4 pm & NZ Wed 10/29 8 pm on TNT, HBO, Peacock
U.S. soccer legend Alex Morgan will have a full-circle moment this week. The 2012 Olympic gold medalist and two-time World Cup champion will be honored Pregame Thursday at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania – the same stadium where Morgan scored the first of her 123 international goals for Team USA back in 2010. The US will then honor GK Alyssa Naeher before Sunday’s game in Conn. Of course the huge news is US Forward Trinity Rodman who has been on a tear for Washington and was set to return to the Roster was injured last weekend with an MCL & will miss the US games. Mainstays Lindsey Heaps, Lily Yohannes, Caterina Macario & Alyssa Thompson should all be on hand along with some new faces as Hayes slowly looks to add more players to the player pool for the 2027 World Cup.
#2 Carmel Boys & #2 Carmel Girls Soccer Advance to Semi-States in Martinsville Sat
The Carmel Girls (18-2-1) used a 2-0 win over East Central after a 2 day rain delay to advance to Semi-states in Martinsville this Sat at 2:30 pm where they will face Center Grove (19-2) at 2:30 pm. The other bracket has #1 HSE playing Crownpoint up North in Chesterton. The winners will meet next weekend at the Mike in Indy for the State Finals. https://www.ihsaa.org/sports/girls/soccer/2025-26-tournament?round=sectionals On the boys side – (from CHS site) The IHSAA Regional Championship game saw the top two teams in the country, according to MaxPreps, the #2-ranked Greyhounds versus the #1-ranked Brownsburg Bulldogs battle to a 2-0 win by Carmel at Murray Stadium Sat. The Hounds got off to a quick start, scoring in the first ten minutes, when junior Mikey Kubek made a nice run down the wing and played the ball across to senior Curtis Droste, who slotted the ball into the back of the net to put them up 1-0. The score remained the same for the remainder of the first half. The score was 1-0 at halftime. The Greyhounds came out and struck about four minutes into the half, when Droste played a nice long ball into the channel and senior Troy Enslin chased and fought for the ball, ultimately finding the opportunity to hit a lovely shot to the far post, to make the score 2-0. The end-to-end action continued, with the final score being 2-0. Junior Gray Morgan recorded the shutout in goal. The win moves the team’s season record to 16-1-3. The Greyhounds return to action Saturday, October 25th 12 noon vs Bloomington South 17-1-3, in Martinsville. https://www.ihsaa.org/sports/boys/soccer/2025-26-tournament?round=sectionals
Champions League Returns Tues/Wed – El Classico Sun
Champions League is back with huge games Tues like Arsenal vs Athletico Madrid, PSV and American Sergino Dest vs Napoli, & Bayer Leverkusen with Reyna & Scally hosting the holders PSG. Wed gives us Juventus & Weston Mckennie traveling to Real Madrid, Folarin Balogun and Monaco host Tottenham, while Liverpool looks to change their losing ways on the road in Frankfurt all at 3 pm on Paramount plus. Barca missing tons of players for their visit to Real Madrid for El Classico Sun & Rashford making noise read that and more below.
MLS Playoffs Start – Messi wins Golden Ball
Lionel Messi scored a hat trick with an assist to help Inter Miami beat Nashville SC 5-2. He finishes with 29 goals and 19 assists to finish with 48 goal contributions in 2025 to finish with the Golden Ball for most goals and will be probably win the MVP. The playoffs start this week on Wed with Chicago hosting Orlando City @ 8:30 pm and Portland hosting Real Salt Lake & Diego Luna at 10:30 pm ET on Apple TV.
MLS Playoffs start Wed night with Wild Card Games then full scale Fri/Sat/Sun on Apple TV #2 Ranked Carmel Girls are headed to Semi-States in Martinsville after 2-0 win vs East CentralCongrats to #2 Ranked Carmel High Boys for winning the Regional Championship vs #1 Brownsburg
TV Game Schedule
Tues/Wed Oct 21-22 Champions League Tues, 10/21 – Champs League 12:45 pm Unimas, Para+ Barcelona vs Olympiakos 3 pm CBSSN, Para+ New Castle vs Benefica 3 pm Para+ Arsenal vs Atletico Madrid 3 pm Para+ PSV (Dest) vs Napoli 3 pm Para+ Leverkusen (Reyna, Scally) vs PSG 3 pm Para+, Prime Villareal vs Man City 3 pm Para+ Kobenhaven vs Dortmund Weds, 10/22 – Champs League 3 pm CBSSN, Para+ Bayern Munich vs Club Brugge 3 pm Para+, Prime Real Madrid vs Juventus (McKennie) 3 pm Para+ Monaco (Balogun) vs Tottenham 3 pm Para+ Chelsea vs Ajax 3 pm Para+ Frankfurt vs Liverpool 8:30 pm Apple TV Chicago Fire vs Orlando City Wild Card MLS 10:30 pm Apple TV Portland Timbers vs Real Salt Lake Wild Card Thurs, Oct 23 Europa League 12:45 pm Para+, Prime Eagles vs Aston Villa 12:45 pm Para+ Brann vs Rangers (Sands) 3 pm para+ Celtic (CVB) vs Sturm Graz 3 pm Para+ Nottingham Forest vs Porto 3 pm Para+ Crystal Palace (Richards) vs AEK Larnaca 7 pm TNT, Max USA Women vs Portugal Chester PA Fri, Oct 24 9 am FS2 Norway vs USA U17WC 3 pm USA Leeds United (Aaronson) vs West Ham 3 pm Para+ AC Milan vs Pisa Sat, Oct 25 7:30 am CBSSN Coventry City (Haji Wright) vs Watford 9 am FS2 Ivory Coast vs Spain (U17 WWC) 9:30 am ESPN+ MGladbach (Reyna, Scally) vs Wolfsburg 10 am USA New Castle vs Fulham (Jedi) 10 am Peacock Chelsea vs Brighton 10 am CBSSN Middlesborough vs Wrexham 12 noon Para+ Napoli vs Inter Milan 12:30 pm Man City vs Brighton NBC 12:30 pm ESPN+ Dortmund vs Koln 3 pm ESPN+ Valencia vs Villarreal 8 pm Univision Leon vs Pumas (Mex) 11 pm CBSSN Cruz Azul vs Monterrey Mex Sun, Oct 26 10 am USA Aston Villa vs Man City 10 am Peacock? Arsenal vs Crystal Palace (Richards) 10:30 am ESPN+ Leverkusen (Tilman) vs Freiberg 11:15 ESPN+ am Real Madrid vs Barcelona (Derby) 3:45 pm Para+ Lazio vs Juventus (McKennie) 4 pm TNT, Max USA Women vs Portugal Hartford CT Wed, Oct 29 8 pm TNT, Max USA Women vs New Zealand
Sat, Nov 15 5 pm TNT, Max USA Men vs Paraguay Chester PA Tues, Nov 18 7 pmTNT, Max USA Men vs Uruguay Tampa, FL
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Nice Way for Indy 11 to end the Season with a 2-1 Win at home at the Mike
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DISCOUNT SMALL ENGINE & BIG ENGINE REPAIRS IN CARMEL
Need your Riding Mower, Push Mower or any small engine or Car Engine Work Done by Carmel High Junior Mechanical Wizard for a bargain basement Price? Email my buddy Marc Sultanov at marc.sultanov@gmail.com
Who’s in MLS Cup playoffs? MLS playoff bracket, schedule
Safid Deen, USA TODAY Sun, October 19, 2025 at 12:17 AM EDT·
MLS players gathered around each other, watching iPhones and stadium scoreboards, waiting for final whistles to blow on Decision Day, Oct. 18. Some were celebrating with pride. Others left the pitch disappointed as their seasons came to an end.The Philadelphia Union won the 2025 Supporters’ Shield. They’ve clinched home-pitch advantage in the 2025 MLS Cup playoffs. FC Cincinnati and Inter Miami each finished one point behind them in the standings. All three clubs finished with higher point totals than any of their counterparts in the West. The East well could host the West in the MLS Cup final on Dec. 6. Expansion side San Diego FC won the Western Conference ahead of Vancouver. They’ve secured the most points by any expansion club in MLS history. Watch MLS playoffs on Season Pass via Apple TV
Ever since his very first day as U.S. men’s national team head coach, Mauricio Pochettino has assured American players that his USMNT’s door is “open.” Nobody, not even Christian Pulisic, has a guaranteed place in the team, Pochettino has said. He reiterated that message this month, and argued that it has gotten through to his players.“Now, I promise you, no one is sure that [they are] going to be on the roster in the World Cup 2026,” Pochettino said last week.And so, he would probably dispute the very premise of a World Cup roster projection. He would certainly push back on the idea that any individual player is a “lock.”But, over the past two weeks, his World Cup squad has started to come into focus. He called many of his best available players into an October training camp, for last week’s 1-1 draw with Ecuador and Tuesday’s 2-1 win over Australia.Coming out of that camp, the following is a position-by-position breakdown of what the 2026 World Cup roster could look like, and our best guess for what it will look like.As always, “lock” status assumes sufficient health. And the depth chart will surely change over the coming months, depending on club form, injuries and performance in November friendlies against Paraguay and Uruguay.Players not mentioned below could also play their way into the picture. But for now, here is a look at things with roughly seven months to go until the World Cup squad is picked.
Matt Freese has continued to operate as Mauricio Pochettino’s No. 1 goalkeeper, starting both games of the October windowScott Coleman / Imagn Images
Goalkeepers
Locks: (None)
Confident: Matt Freese, Matt Turner
In consideration: Chris Brady, Roman Celentano, Diego Kochen, Patrick Schulte, Zack Steffen, Jonathan Klinsmann
TENORIO: It looks more and more like Freese, the NYCFC goalkeeper who got his first caps this summer, could be the starter for the U.S. at the World Cup. But this position, a historic area of strength for Americans, might be the most unstable in the whole squad. It’s a wide-open competition. Pochettino even name-dropped Kochen, the 19-year-old FC Barcelona B keeper, during Tuesday night’s press conference. Every American goalkeeper should feel they have a chance.
BUSHNELL: I think Turner and especially Freese are closer to locks than we realize. Even if they’re not starting, Freese is the penalty specialist, and Turner is the only goalkeeper in the pool with World Cup experience. Surely they’ll be in the squad, whether as the No. 1, 2 or 3. But I agree, in general, that the position is as open as any right now.
USMNT center backs Chris Richards (3) and Tim Ream (13) have been constants under Mauricio PochettinoOmar Vega / Getty Images
Center backs
Locks: Chris Richards, Tim Ream
Confident: (None)
In consideration: Cameron Carter-Vickers, Mark McKenzie, Miles Robinson, Walker Zimmerman
TENORIO: Ream and Richards have been constants for this U.S. team, but Pochettino seems unsettled on what he’ll do behind them — an issue that has become a bit more interesting considering the move toward a formation built around three center backs. Robinson has always felt like the most likely to emerge, and he got starts in October to back that up. Don’t sleep on Zimmerman as a player who the staff brings to do what he did against Iran in 2022 and at the Gold Cup this summer: Come in late to games where the U.S. is protecting a lead and win every header.
BUSHNELL: One interesting question here is whether Pochettino will take four or five center backs. Given the varied skill sets of the four “in consideration,” and the recent use of systems with three at the back, he’ll presumably lean toward five.
Sergiño Dest has rarely been fully fit over the last year, but he’s a first-choice starter when in campVincent Carchietta / Imagn Images
Fullbacks/wingbacks
Locks: Sergiño Dest, Antonee Robinson
Confident: (None)
In consideration: Max Arfsten, Alex Freeman, Joe Scally
TENORIO: Robinson was once considered one of the most irreplaceable players on the U.S. squad because of the distance between him and the next man on the depth chart. There is real concern around a knee injury that kept him out of the Gold Cup this summer and also out of the friendlies in October. Dest, too, has not featured much under Pochettino due to injury.
If healthy, those two players are going to be at the World Cup, but there is a lot more intrigue now behind them. Tim Weah played as a wingback on both the left and right side in October, so he should be considered a part of this equation. Arfsten and Freeman won Pochettino’s trust during the Gold Cup. Scally very much looks the odd man out despite his flexibility to play as both a right-sided center back and a right back.
BUSHNELL: Based on soccer alone, Scally belongs in the 26. He’s already started over 100 games at a level that Freeman and Arfsten have never really touched. As promising as Freeman is, he looked a bit out of his depth in the Gold Cup final; I think it’s sometimes easy (for us, and maybe even for coaches) to forget that the games these players could be thrown into next June are a world apart from what they experience weekly in MLS.
But Scally is clearly out of favor with the national team right now, and it’s unclear if or when he’ll get an opportunity to earn his way back in.
Tyler Adams brings leadership and tenacity to the U.S. midfieldVincent Carchietta / Imagn Images
Central midfielders
Locks: Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie
Confident: Tanner Tessmann
In consideration: Sebastian Berhalter, Johnny Cardoso, Aidan Morris, Yunus Musah, Cristian Roldan
TENORIO: Adams and McKennie have been two of the program’s most important players over the past six years, and we expect that to continue next year into the World Cup. The battle behind them has been interesting. Tessmann had a bumpy March window, but has performed well at Lyon and proved his worth in October. Roldan was a late addition in September, but Pochettino has done nothing but praise the Seattle Sounders veteran since he got back into the picture.
What will Pochettino look for in the depth chart at this position? If Musah plays consistently at Atalanta, his upside and versatility outranks others in the pool. But Pochettino left him out completely this fall after Musah skipped the Gold Cup this summer. The door is definitely open for someone like Morris or Berhalter.
BUSHNELL: The wild card is Johnny. To many in the U.S., he’s such an enigma. On paper, a 24-year-old who just went to Atlético Madrid for around $35 million, and almost immediately went into the Atleti starting lineup, should be a lock. But whenever he’s played for the national team, he’s been somewhere between underwhelming and calamitous. He has also struggled with injuries. He’s currently working his way back from an ankle ailment. Unless he makes an impression in November or March, it’s tough to see him getting into the World Cup squad — in part because Tessmann has seemingly rendered him unnecessary.
USMNT’s Christian Pulisic surges down the sideline in a draw vs. EcuadorScott Coleman / Imagn Images
Attacking midfielders/wingers
Locks: Christian Pulisic, Malik Tillman, Tim Weah
Confident: Diego Luna
In consideration: Brenden Aaronson, Luca de la Torre, Jack McGlynn, Gio Reyna, Alejandro Zendejas
TENORIO: This is maybe the hardest part of the depth chart to predict beyond the three locks. Pochettino loves what Luna brings to the team in terms of his fight, but at the World Cup he’ll need quality that can change games. Are there clear answers behind this trio and McKennie? While goalkeeper and center back may be higher-profile position battles, the spots on the bench at this position could end up having a bigger impact — and I don’t feel confident at all in predicting what exactly Pochettino is thinking behind the big names.
BUSHNELL: I feel confident predicting that De la Torre and McGlynn won’t be in the 26. But between Luna, Aaronson and Zendejas, it’s tricky — and will probably depend on how Pochettino views them as situational players. For example, Aaronson can be useful as a defensive winger when leading late in a game.
Reyna, meanwhile, is a complete wild card. He’ll need to get multiple months of consistent minutes, and performances, at Borussia Mönchengladbach to have any hope.
USMNT striker Folarin Balogun has looked like the most effective option up topOmar Vega / Getty Images
Strikers
Locks: Folarin Balogun
Confident: (None)
In consideration: Patrick Agyemang, Ricardo Pepi, Josh Sargent, Brian White, Haji Wright
BUSHNELL: Balogun needed only two full games under Pochettino to establish himself as the seemingly unquestioned starter. Then, on Tuesday night, Wright needed only one full game to pose a new question: Might the USMNT suddenly have two decent options up top?
There could even be three if and when Pepi returns to form and full fitness.
At the moment, those are almost certainly Pochettino’s top three. Sargent underwhelmed in March and September and hasn’t scored for the national team in six years. Agyemang is physically useful but technically raw. Others don’t meet the international standard.
If Pochettino opts to take four strikers to the World Cup — something the expansion of rosters to 26 allows for — Agyemang might actually be a better bet for the fourth spot than Sargent, even if Sargent outscores him by a wide margin in the English Championship. For all his limitations, he offers a physical presence that no other striker in the U.S. pool does.
TENORIO: It’s definitely been frustrating that Sargent hasn’t been able to translate his club form over to country, but Balogun’s strong play and Wright’s goals in October at least provide a dose of confidence around this position. We haven’t seen Pepi since November 2024. He’s going to have to get back into form and eventually get back into a U.S. camp in order to secure a spot at the World Cup.
Our 26-man World Cup roster projection (as of Oct. 2025)
GOALKEEPERS (3): Matt Freese, Patrick Schulte, Matt Turner
CENTER BACKS (5): Tim Ream, Chris Richards, Mark McKenzie, Miles Robinson, Walker Zimmerman
FULLBACKS/WINGBACKS (4): Max Arfsten, Sergiño Dest, Alex Freeman, Antonee Robinson
Welcome to the latest edition of Inside Real Madrid, our weekly series to follow throughout La Liga’s 2025-26 season.
Every week, we will bring you key information and analysis on the biggest talking points, cutting through the noisy world of all things Madridista with reporting you can trust.
What’s the biggest talking point at Real Madrid right now?
Xabi Alonso’s team are two points clear at the top of La Liga after Sunday night’s 1-0 win at Getafe — secured thanks to another goal from Kylian Mbappe, his 15th from 11 games in all competitions this term.
Second-placed Barcelona are Madrid’s next opponents on the domestic front (Hansi Flick’s team won 2-1 at home to Girona on Saturday), and Juventus also visit the Santiago Bernabeu in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Alonso has not repeated a single starting XI so far this season, favouring a policy of rotation that marks a significant break from what senior players such as Vinicius Junior have been used to.
With Jude Bellingham now fully recovered following his shoulder surgery, and each of Rodrygo, Mbappe, Franco Mastantuono and Vinicius Jr all fit for the first time this term, it is unclear who the Basque coach will favour for the big game.
But it can be considered a good sign of the team’s strength in depth that Arda Guler and Vinicius Jr both made a positive impact against Getafe from the bench, with Guler again combining with Mbappe for the Frenchman’s goal.
No official date has been set for that yet, but it is likely to happen in November. Before then, we might see some key developments around Endrick, however…
That piece was informed by several sources close to Endrick, and those same sources told The Athletic’s Mario Cortegana on Sunday night that, despite his lack of playing time, he is still very reluctant to leave.
Endrick and Vinicius Jr on the bench on SundayDiego Souto/Getty Images
Their own view, however, was that Endrick should consider making a loan move in January because Alonso’s selection choices so far did not leave them with much hope of his situation substantially changing. They said clubs were already making concrete moves to sign him on loan.
How important is this next run of games for Alonso?
Madrid sources — speaking anonymously as they did not have permission to comment, like several others The Athletic approached for this article — consider this coming week as crucial for the season and for Alonso’s project at the club.
El Clasico is always important, and not just because of the history of that rivalry, or that matches between Madrid and Barca often tend to settle the league winner. This coming edition is even more crucial given the context of the criticism Alonso’s team faced after losing to Atletico — and to Paris Saint-Germain (4-0) at the Club World Cup.
Alonso and Madrid faced criticism after the Atletico defeatMaria Gracia Jimenez/Soccrates/Getty Images
After the defeat by Diego Simeone’s side, a narrative developed that this Madrid team perhaps suffers from a lack of leadership now, especially as they are transitioning away from the days of Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and others who helped inspire so much success.
A big performance in their biggest game of the season so far could help respond to this, while giving younger elements of the team the confidence to grow further into their new roles.
How is the squad looking for El Clasico?
Alonso has plenty of tough choices to make selection-wise — one of those good problems to have — but there were a couple of injury scares at Getafe on Sunday night.
Thibaut Courtois took a knock to his right knee, where he underwent arthroscopic surgery a year ago (he also suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in August 2023). However, according to sources at the club and his camp, it does not appear to be serious and he is expected to be fit to play against Juventus on Wednesday.
Similarly, David Alaba started for the second time this season as he continued his path towards becoming a regular again for Madrid, following a recent history of serious injury problems.
Alaba played 153 minutes as a starter for Austria over the international break, but he was substituted at half-time on Sunday with some discomfort in his right calf, a muscle overload. He is expected to undergo tests to assess the extent of the injury.
Alaba during Sunday’s game at GetafeJose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Dani Ceballos is expected to rejoin the squad this week after suffering a bruise to his left hamstring, which caused a hematoma. This complicated his recovery as the bruise was close to his sciatic nerve, and Madrid’s medics are keen to proceed carefully. His case will be assessed day by day, but on Monday, sources were not optimistic he would be back in time to face Juve.
There have been rumours that Dean Huijsen will not be available against Barcelona (he suffered hamstring discomfort during the international break), but various sources close to his recovery process remain optimistic that he can make it back.
There is also optimism surrounding Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dani Carvajal, both of whom are in the final stages of recovering from thigh muscle injuries. That said, it remains to be seen whether Alonso will risk playing either in El Clasico, given neither has played a match since September.
Ferland Mendy has a more complicated path to recovery. He is already training with the group but still has work to do before he can return to the starting XI after six months out with injury. Rudiger, meanwhile, is not expected to be back until after the international break in November.
How Man United’s Rashford revitalized career at Barcelona
Sam Marsden Moises Llorens ESPN
Oct 20, 2025, 04:11 AM ET
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick has followed Marcus Rashford‘s career closely, dating way back to his emergence as a teenager at Manchester United. When the chance to sign the England forward on loan was put on the table this past summer, Flick’s message to sporting director Deco was a simple one: “I told him we have to do it. Marcus is an outstanding player, exactly what we needed.”The plan was to ease Rashford in slowly, let him settle into life in a new country and slowly learn the mechanisms of what the Barça coach wants from him, but a series of injuries across the attacking positions have instead thrust him into a major role for the Spanish champions.With 11 games played in all competitions, Rashford is one of just four players to have featured in every match — the other three are Pedri, Eric García and Jules Koundé. With three goals and four assists, he leads Barça in goal contributions heading into the team’s biggest week of the season so far.Barça welcome Olympiacos in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, needing a win to bounce back from defeat to Paris Saint-Germain last time out; Rashford will then get his first taste of El Clásico when Barça travel to Real Madrid next Sunday two points adrift of the early LaLiga leaders.ESPN spoke to people connected to Barça’s first team and Rashford ahead of those two huge games about how his move to Catalonia has seemingly, for now at least, reinvigorated his career.
Barça have scouting reports on Rashford dating back years, but sources say the foundations for his loan move from United were laid around a year ago. It was then that talks between the club and the player’s agent, his brother, Dwaine Maynard, first progressed.Those negotiations were regarding a January deal, but with Barça fighting to confirm Dani Olmo‘s registration at the time, finances did not allow for any other additions. Rashford eventually joined Aston Villa on a loan deal after being frozen out by the new United coach Ruben Amorim.Barça’s interest remained, sources add, but by the summer there were other options. Deco was keen to sign Liverpool‘s Luis Díaz, who eventually joined Bayern Munich, while Athletic Club‘s Nico Williams was also a target before he extended his contract in Bilbao.
Sources detail two key reasons behind Barça turning their attention back to Rashford. Firstly, despite commanding a massive salary — even while taking a 15% cut on his sizeable United paycheck — it was the most financially viable option. Secondly, Flick pushed hard for the club to do the deal.
That did not make it easy. And it took many hands to get the signing done. Spanish agents Arturo Canales and Fernando Solanas were drafted in as intermediaries, while a law firm who, curiously, do a lot of work for United’s rivals Manchester City, were also hired to help iron out the final details of the various agreements.
Nicol: Rashford needs to take more responsibility
Steve Nicol and Craig Burley react to Marcus Rashford’s comments about his time at Manchester United.
Rashford had been waiting patiently. Sources say club officials were impressed with how steadfast he was in his desire to play for Barça, alluding to club legend Johan Cruyff’s famous comment: “If you have second thoughts on playing for Barcelona, you are no longer of service to us.”
Those same sources say Rashford was certainly not in that bracket. They acknowledged a move to Barça after his ups and downs at United may represent a move some felt he didn’t deserve, but claimed it would have been less stressful and more financially rewarding for him to pursue other opportunities.They viewed an interview he did with xBuyer, a YouTube channel well-known in Spain but not in English language markets, as a modern day come-and-get-me plea as he spoke about a desire to play for Barça and offered praise for teenage sensation Lamine Yamal.Eventually, with Flick wanting the deal done as early as possible in preseason, Canales and Solanas offering a hand and United accepting a loan deal with a €30 million option to make the move permanent, Rashford became the first Englishman since Gary Lineker to sign for the Barça men’s first team.
Rashford hits the ground running
Rashford is enjoying his first months in Spain. He has taken up residence in an urbanization in the mountains, just north of the seaside town of Castelldefels but technically belonging to Gavà. In 10 minutes, he can be down on the beach, while he has been spotted regularly playing pàdel with friends and even fishing.But it’s 20 minutes up the C-32 motorway where he’s happiest, at Barça’s Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper training base. Sources say teammates were surprised by his humility and timidness at first, given his standing in the game, but he has quickly found his place inside the dressing room.He is learning Spanish, but it is not as essential to a quick acclimatization as it would have been at Barça a decade ago. There are now many English speakers in the squad — including Robert Lewandowski, Frenkie de Jong and Andreas Christensen — and Flick and his predomnantly German coaching staff offer instructions in English.
Sources say Rashford, who turns 28 next week and should be in the peak years of his career, has been able to gel with veterans Lewandowski and Wojciech Szczesny at the same time as relating with the pack of young players, led by Yamal, quickly picking up some of the local lingo to avoid being left out of the banter.He told newspaper Diario Sport one of the first words he learned was chuche, meaning sweet or candy. “Soy tu papa, chuche,” — “I’m your daddy, sweetie” — is one of Yamal’s favorite friendly taunts after humiliating teammates on the training ground with Spain and Barça.”Rashford is a spectacular player,” defender Ronald Araújo told ESPN. “He’s happy. We’ve spoken before about that, the confidence, the happiness [players need] and he’s happy here in Barcelona.”The team took to him really quickly when he arrived. You can see that on the pitch. He has quality, skills, he’s quick, so explosive … he gives us a lot. We’re happy he’s here with us.”
Injuries have accelerated the showcasing of those attributes. With Yamal, Raphinha, Lewandowski, Ferran Torres, Fermín López and Olmo all missing stretches of the campaign so far, Rashford, initially expected to be a backup player, has been Barça’s only ever-present forward in their 11 games this season.
All of ESPN. All in one place.
Primarily playing on the left, where he says he prefers to play, he has also featured through the middle, where some sources speculate his long-term future at the club could be if he wants to stay beyond this year — if not, he may find himself competing with Raphinha for a left-wing berth rather than a 37-year-old Lewandowski who is out of contract next summer.
Sources say Rashford was a little “lost” tactically at first, but that he is a quick learner. He has taken on board what Flick wants from him, benefiting from the coach’s direct and succinct instructions. Flick doesn’t like to confuse players with too much information; he wants Rashford to be direct and run at players. The England international is averaging 5.97 take-ons per 90 minutes this season, but the Barça boss would like to see that increase if possible — it is higher than Raphinha’s 3.61, but a long way short of the 13.22 Yamal averages per 90 on the other flank.
Rashford’s best night came in Newcastle, when he scored two stunning goals in the 2-1 Champions League win, but if there is one complaint it is that he could score more — the only other goal he scored was in this month’s 4-1 defeat to Sevilla.There have been other times when he has come close, denied by good saves or the woodwork, but it is an area where sources say Barça want to see an improvement. He smashed the bar with a free kick in last weekend’s 2-1 win against Girona; it was one of three free kicks he took in the Catalan derby and sources pointed out the significance in him being handed the responsibility of taking set plays so soon by the coaching staff and how it has been accepted by his peers.He has also taken more corners than any other Barça player this season — 37, ahead of Raphinha’s 13 in second — with Flick banking on his quality to set up goals. And he has created eight chances from dead-ball situations so far.Marcus Rashford hits the frame
However, Rashford’s quality with the ball is not where the work on the training ground has been centered. Flick called his Newcastle brace the “first step” and said that the next step would see him evolve off the ball.”Our style, how we want to play, is focused on high intensity and this is what I want to see also from him,” he said.Rashford has shown improvements in that sense when compared to last season. Across games with United and Villa in the Premier League, he was averaging 18.9 sprints per game, according to Stats Perform. This season, in the Spanish top flight, per LaLiga Football Intelligence, that figure has increased to 34.9. He is also covering over 630 meters at a speed north of 21km/h per 90 minutes, up from 122 meters in the Premier League last term.However, those numbers are still a long way short of Raphinha, who Flick considers the flagbearer for Barça’s pressing game, which is essential if the team’s high line is to avoid being picked off. This season the Brazilian is averaging 45.3 sprints per 90 and covering over 810 meters at a speed greater than 21km/h. Torres’ numbers are also slightly higher than Rashford’s, while Yamal’s are lower.
It is unfair to read too much into that just yet, though. Barça are struggling to match the pressing energy they had in Flick’s first season. Raphinha’s numbers were much higher — 59.4 sprints per game and 1.1km covered per 90 minutes at over 21km/h — while Torres and Yamal’s numbers are also significantly down.
Sources say the data paints a picture of a Barça team still striving to find its best level. With the change in personnel week after week due to injuries, it has made it hard to completely gauge Rashford’s fit in this side. The signs are promising, though. He looks dangerous with the ball, although he could add more goals, and has improved without it, even if there is still considered to be a long way to go.
“I think it’s been good, it’s been smooth,” Rashford told ESPN. “For sure in the future we will of course improve. I am looking forward to this. My focus is on the pitch, to match well with the team and to improve my individual performance.
“We have to show [intensity] going forward and continue to prove to the coach that we are a team that wants to win and wants to be successful. I want to win as much as possible, hopefully lift trophies with this club and add to the history that they already have.”
What’s next for Rashford? Could he stay beyond this summer?
Rashford’s Barça future will not be decided against Olympiacos or even against Madrid. It will be decided over the course of the season. It will be decided by how much he can offer in the spring when Barça hope to be competing for every major trophy. This past season, they won LaLiga, the Copa del Rey and Spanish Supercopa, falling only in the Champions League semifinal. There is only one way they can go better this time round.
From there, a decision will be made on Rashford. But, as is the case at Barça in most situations, it will not be straightforward. Firstly, because there will be a presidential election next year. Current president Joan Laporta is expected to run again and is the early favorite to remain in charge. However, he will face competition, and candidates often run on promises of big signings; Laporta himself might even make claims of new arrivals next summer.
If wannabe presidents are pledging to spend €100 million on Player X, where would that leave the €30 million needed to land Rashford given Barça’s delicate relationship with LaLiga’s financial fair play rules?
Some sources inside the club, though, are already sold on the fee, classifying €30 million needed to sign Rashford as a “no-brainer.” The reality is it will depend on performances, finances, elections and many other factors, such as what other options come up and who the coach and sporting director are — nothing is guaranteed in soccer. The only thing for certain is that if Barça don’t end up signing him, they will not have to pay United any fine, as Chelsea did with Jadon Sancho.
“There’s no penalty clause in the loan agreement if we don’t sign him,” Deco confirmed earlier this year. “We do have an option to make it permanent if we want to. It’s too early to talk about decisions for next season; what matters is that we’re happy with him.”
US Men tie Ecuador 1-1, Face Australia tonight 8:30 pm on TNT
The US Men put perhaps their best performance together under Pochitino against a solid Ecuador team in a 1-1 tie Friday night (highlights). Ecuador who stands 2nd to Argentina in South American WC qualifying has now gone 14 straight without a loss and has given up just 5 goals in the last 10 games. The US had plenty of chances to end that streak however as a free flowing attack had our Center forward Balogun with multiple chances on goal before equalizing in the 78th minute. Serie A player of the month Christian Pulisic didn’t come on until the last 20 minutes and looked lively in the attack as well. The US used their 3 back alignment with Richards in the center and Tim Ream on the left and Miles Robinson on the right to start. Richards was twisted badly on the Ecuador goal showing more work needs to be done in the back. I thought McKennie returned to form and Tanner Tessman showed he could play the 8 role if needed as he provided the assist to Balogun. All in all the 1-1 draw in a game that felt like it should have been 2-1 US – is a good result for this US team. However – and this is HUGE. Remember this was Ecuador’s B team – much like Japan – they sat a bunch of starters for this game. Not sure why we keep getting teams B team – but we do. We’ll see if Australia plays their A team coming off a 2-0 spanking of Canada in Montreal? But don’t get too excited on ole Poch just yet — we still haven’t beaten anyone decent’s A TEAM. When we do — I will give credit. Until then – this tie get a B-.
For Tonight – I am hoping Pulisic starts and we come on strong to start. I would like to see CCV start in the middle with Richards in his more natural right side and McKensie on the left if we go back 3 tonight. I also want Matt Turner in the net. If Balogun starts up front but gives way at half time — I see a goal early and a 2-1 win over the Aussies. I sure do hope they start their A team. Though I don’t think they will.
Goalkeepers(4): Chris Brady (Chicago Fire), Matt Freese (New York City FC), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew), Matt Turner (New England Revolution). Defenders(8): Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew), Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic), Alex Freeman (Orlando City), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati). Midfielders (8): Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders), James Sands (St. Pauli), Tanner Tessmann (Olympique Lyonnais), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen). Forwards(6): Patrick Agyemang (Derby County), Folarin Balogun (Monaco), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Tim Weah (Olympique Marseille), Haji Wright (Coventry City), Alex Zendejas (Club América).
Sad to see our U20 US Boys lose out to Morocco on Sunday afternoon (highlights)– watched the game in Spanish – so not 100% sure what was happening – but we had our chances to put some shots on goal — we just couldn’t score. Morocco on the other hand capitalized on their chances and took home the victory 3-1. But it was a 2-1 tight game for most of the match. U20 Semis continue with Morocco vs France (yes the France we destroyed 3-0) & Argentina vs Colombia Wed night on FS2.
High School Regionals Avon visits Carmel Girls 6:30 pm Thurs, Carmel Boys host Lawrence North Wed 6 pm
Indy 11 host Home Finale vs Loudon United 7 pm at the Mike
Indy Eleven’s late rally came up short in a 2-1 loss to Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC at Highmark Stadium Saturday night. Defender James Musa found the back of the net in the 88th minute, but the Boys in Blue were unable to complete the comeback in the final moments vs former Carmel High & Butler GK Eric Dick. The Boys in Blue have their final regular season home game with Fan Appreciation Night on Saturday, October 18 at 7 p.m. at Carroll Stadium vs. Loudoun United FC.
A Reminder Carmel FC is Looking for High School Players to fill out some teams – including my 2010 Boys Team. Come on out Thurs Oct 16 for Supplemental Tryouts.
Carmel Ladies Sectional Champs – Host Avon Thurs Night at Murray Stadium 6:30 pm
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FULL TV GAME SCHEDULE
Tues, Oct 14 12 noon Prime Norway vs New Zealand 2:45pm FS2 Latvia vs England WCQ 2:45pm Prime Spain vs Bulgaria WCQ 2:45pm Prime Portugal vs Hungary WCQ 8 pm ?? Canada vs Colombia 9 pm TNT, Max USA Men vs Australia 10:30 pm Prime Mexico vs Ecuador Weds, Oct 15 12:45 pm Para+ Lyon (US Captvs St Polten 3 pm ESPN+ Chelsea (Girma) vs Paris Womens UCL 4 pm FS2 Morocco vs France U20 WC Semis 6:15 pm ESPN+ Washington Spirit vs Monterrey Women Champs Cup 7 pm FS2 Argentina vs Colombia U20 WC Semis 8:15 pm ESPN+, Para+ Orlando Pride vs Pachuca WCC Fri, Oct 17 2:30 pm ESPN+ Union Berlin vs MGladbach (Reyna, Scally) 10 pm Prime Bay FC vs NC Courage NWSL 10 pm Prime Seattle Reign vs Utah Royals NWSL Sat, Oct 18 7:30 am Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea 9:30 am Mainz vs Bayer Leverkusen (Tilman) 10:15 am ESPN+ Barcelona vs Girona 10 am Peacock Crystal Palace (Richards) vs Bournmouth (Adams) 10 am USA Brighton vs New Castle 12:30 pm NBC Fulham vs Arsenal 12:30 pm ESPN+ Bayern Munich vs Dortmund 12:30 pm CBS Washington Spirit vs Orlando Pride NWSL 2:45 pm Para+ Roma vs Inter Milan 3 pm Peacock FIFA U20 WC 3rd Place Game 6 pm MLS Decision Day – games on Apple TV FREE 7 pm TV 23 Indy 11 vs Loundon 7:30 pm Ion, Prime Houston Dash vs KC Current (NWSL) 9 pm MLS Decision Day – games on Apple TV FREE Sun, Oct 19 6:30 am Como vs Juventus (McKennie) 9 am USA Tottenham vs Aston Villa 11:30 am USA Liverpool vs Man United 2:45 pm Para+ AC Milan (Pulisic) vs Fiorentina 3 pm FS2 FIFA U20 World Cup Final 3 pm ESPN+ Getafe vs Real Madrid 5 pm ESPN Angel City vs Portland Thorns (NWSL) Tues/Wed Oct 21-22 Champions League
Thurs, Oct 23 9 pm TNT, Max USA Women vs Portugal Chester PA Sun, Oct 26 4 pm TNT, Max USA Women vs Portugal Hartford CT Sat, Nov 15 5 pm TNT, Max USA Men vs Paraguay Chester PA Tues, Nov 18 7 pmTNT, Max USA Men vs Uruguay Tampa, FL
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Yanks Abroad
Malik Tillman faced off against fellow countrymen, Gio Reyna and Joe Scally, on Sunday as Leverkusen tied Monchengladbach 1-1. Tillman scored the goal, making that 2 goals in his first 3 Bundesliga matches. Good to see the trio linking up after their game as well.
Tanner Tessman scored a game-winner for Lyon in their 1-0 win over Angers on Friday.
USMNT star Christian Pulisic expected to play vs. Australia in key friendly
Christian Pulisic during a training session with the USMNT. Omar Vega / Getty Images
Oct. 13, 2025Updated 9:49 pm EDTCOMMERCE CITY, Colorado — U.S. star Christian Pulisic trained Monday with the national team and is available for selection for Tuesday’s friendly against Australia.Coach Mauricio Pochettino told the English-language TNT broadcast last week that Pulisic had some swelling in his ankle after training. Pulisic did not start in the 1-1 draw with Ecuador on Friday night in Austin, but subbed into the game in the 73rd minute for Tim Weah. The AC Milan attacker, who has six goals and two assists across all competitions for Milan this season, did not look limited in his outing against Ecuador.Pulisic, who was named the Serie A Player of the Month in September, was on the training field for the public portion Monday and, barring a setback, should be available for the Americans on Tuesday.“Christian participated in the training session, the reaction after 20 minutes of playing (on Friday) was good,” Pochettino said at Monday’s pregame news conference. “He reacted very well (and the) hope (is) that tomorrow he can be available. We have to wait today (to see) the reaction, too, but much better than when he arrived.”Stay in the know by selecting your interests on The Athletic:hile Pulisic could play a role against Australia, Pochettino ruled out left back Antonee Robinson. The Fulham defender was not at training during the public portion open to reporters. Robinson did not play against Ecuador because of the knee injury that forced him to have surgery this offseason.Robinson has played a limited role for Fulham early this season and said last week that coming into the camp, “there hasn’t really been a specific conversation about how many minutes I’m going to play this trip, if any.” Right now, it looks like it will be the latter, with Robinson getting a chance to be back around the group and the coaching staff, but not yet at the level to contribute on the field.
Antonee Robinson will not take part in Tuesday’s game, according to coach Mauricio PochettinoJohn Dorton / ISI Photos / USSF / Getty Images
“Antonee from (the) beginning of camp (had) some small issues in his knee, a little bit of pain,” Pochettino said. “We are managing him in the best way, but (he) still cannot be involved in training and for sure cannot be involved in the game. Hope that it’s not an important thing, but he’ll go back to his club in a normal way there (and hopefully will be) training and competing.”
Winger Alejandro Zendejas left camp and returned to Club America after the Ecuador game due to a knee injury.
Pochettino: ‘For sure, there are going to be changes’
The USMNT’s Monday training session took place in blustery, 50-degree conditions just outside Denver. Staffers wore puffy coats. Multiple players, including Pulisic and Weston McKennie, wore winter hats at the start of training.
“We need to pay attention that we change from Austin to Denver. The conditions are completely different,” Pochettino said shortly after training. “You saw, we suffered.”
“And also, some players are tired,” Pochettino continued. “Some players have some — I think [we need] not to take a risk.”
Considering those factors, Pochettino said that he’d make lineup changes for the game against Australia.
“It’s a good opportunity also to keep improving and showing, maybe, different approaches to the game,” he said. “For sure, there are going to be changes, and maybe change the shape.”
SMNT, Mauricio Pochettino have a (good) Weston McKennie dilemma
Weston McKennie can play a number of roles for USMNT John Dorton/ISI Photos/USSF
AUSTIN, Texas — Over nine years of professional soccer, Weston McKennie has played just about everywhere. He is, at heart, a midfielder; but he has been a right back and left back, a wingback and winger, a player who, in the words of former Juventus coach Thiago Motta, “can do everything.” Even in his natural habitat, the middle of the park, he has been a No 6, 8, 10, and every fractional number in between.His preferred role, though, revolves around a single word: “Freedom.”“I’m the type of player that likes to get forward, and have the freedom to move around, and the trust and belief from the coach to be able to do that, to make runs in behind,” McKennie said Friday after he and the U.S. men’s national team drew with Ecuador. “I like to be in the box. But I also like to defend and press.”He liked the role USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino gave him Friday. McKennie, back with the national team for the first time since March, started as a central attacking midfielder, a position sometimes reserved for a clever playmaker. But he and Pochettino put their own spin on it.Without the ball, he helped lead the U.S. press, in a 4-4-2 defensive shape.
With the ball, he started in the right pocket, between Ecuador’s lines, with Malik Tillman in a similar position to the left, as the central two of the “4” in a 3-2-4-1 (sometimes described as a 3-2-5).
From that starting spot, though, McKennie ran or floated into just about every zone in the attacking half. He read the game well, and sometimes stayed in the pocket, either to give the U.S. structure in possession or to link an attack. On other occasions, he broke into a sprint, either diagonally across the field or more vertically, stretching the Ecuador defense.
In the 37th minute, for example, he drifted toward the ball, then saw Ecuadorian right back Alan Franco getting too attached to Malik Tillman, and darted into the space Franco had vacated.
In his preferred free role, this is one of McKennie’s greatest strengths. He has both the speed to make these runs and the smarts to know when and where they’re appropriate.He has, in Pochettino’s words, “the capacity, from a higher position, to interpret and to read the demands of the game”.He’s also unpredictable. He can stretch an opponent spatially but also mentally, and discombobulate a defense. He does this in a proactive and relentless way that other U.S. attacking midfielders, such as Tillman, don’t.Pochettino’s problem is that McKennie is not a traditional attacking midfielder. When he gets on the ball in these dangerous areas, he’s not a creative technician like Tillman and Christian Pulisic (and Gio Reyna).And to get both Tillman and Pulisic on the field along with Tim Weah, Pochettino would probably have to either take McKennie off or rein him in.Pulisic, of course, will be on the field when healthy. Weah (or another right wingback) will probably be too. And Tillman has gradually risen into similar territory, in part because he does things on the ball that McKennie does far less often.When McKennie gets the ball in tight spaces at the edge of the penalty box, he’s sometimes indecisive; he’s OK, but doesn’t turn and unlock a defense frequently enough.
That’s why he’s better as more of a “free 8”, starting from a slightly deeper position and running into dangerous areas, rather than receiving the ball in dangerous areas on the half-turn. This is what he was for the U.S. at the 2022 World Cup, when he bossed England with his running and ball-carrying. Four days later, against Iran, he picked up his head 40 yards from goal, and clipped a lofted diagonal pass to Sergiño Dest, who nodded it to Pulisic for the game’s lone goal.
In other words, he also has “the capacity to help in the buildup, dropping, but also arriving and scoring goals,” Pochettino said Friday.He used to do all of that for the U.S. in a 4-3-3 — and he could do it because he had two other athletic midfielders, Yunus Musah and Tyler Adams, supporting him. The main deficiency of the “MMA” midfield, though, was its lack of a playmaking No. 10 — its lack of a Malik Tillman.And so, the dilemma: If McKennie is high, in place of Tillman, next to Pulisic, is there enough creativity? Enough service for Folarin Balogun? A player who can combine with Balogun like Tillman did in the 8th minute on Friday and later on?On the other hand, if Tillman is in and McKennie is deeper, presumably next to Adams, does McKennie have the necessary freedom?“What I want to provide him is the freedom,” Pochettino said Friday. “He’s a player that needs freedom.”If he and Tillman and Pulisic have it though, Adams would be vulnerable or limited — and the USMNT’s balance, between attacking freedom and defensive rigidity, would be off.Adams can cover a ton of ground from his defensive midfield position, but he can’t be everywhere. He’d also have to restrain himself and suppress one of his elite skills, his ability to charge at opposing midfielders and win the ball high up the field — the type of thing he does regularly at Bournemouth because he plays within a structure, with another defensive midfielder next to him.The other alternative, of course, would be not to start McKennie. But McKennie is one of the USMNT’s three most accomplished players. He has experience on big stages and a track record of rising to big occasions. He is valuable in both penalty areas on set pieces. He has slimmed down and seemingly won back his place at Juventus. Surely, he is part of the national team’s best 11.So, there is no simple answer.There are multiple good answers, but no easy one.“It makes it hard for the coach to make a decision about who’s going to play in that role,” McKennie said of Pochettino’s many options in the advanced position.“Also, you can look at it as an advantage, because depending on what team you play, you have different players with attributes that can add something different to the game. And even if you start with some players, and other players come into the game, it adds something different. So, I think it’s a good problem to have.”
Mauricio Pochettino preached calm amid USMNT negativity. His team just proved him right
Mauricio Pochettino during the USMNT’s 1-1 draw with Ecuador (Daniel Jefferson / USSF / Getty Images)
AUSTIN, Texas — There were no beaming smiles, nor sunken shoulders, just an air of professionalism and calm.One by one, U.S. men’s national team players strode through a tunnel to a loading dock here at Q2 Stadium on Friday night, and within them, but also around them, there was neither jubilation nor unrest.They had just played perhaps their best game of the Mauricio Pochettino era, in a 1-1 draw with Ecuador, but as they walked across a glistening green pitch, then stepped up into their team bus, their demeanor wasn’t all that different from it was a month ago after a 2-0 loss to South Korea.When a few spoke to reporters, they were even-keeled, analytical and, in many ways, exactly what Pochettino wanted.A month ago, they were at the center of a storm. They were a disjointed mess in their first of two September matches. They were surrounded by negativity as they kicked off their World Cup year, as they decompressed on a late-night flight from New Jersey to Columbus. They were, by one metric, the worst USMNT of the 21st century.But a couple days later, when Pochettino stepped to a podium and sat before a microphone, he preached positivity. He struck a defiant tone, poked at “bulls***” criticism, and insisted: “We have a plan. We know what we are doing. … We have no worries about anything.”More important, though, were his private words to his players.“The coach told us to keep calm,” striker Folarin Balogun told The Athletic on Friday, recalling the message last month.
Folarin Balogun cut a composed figure in attack for the U.S.Aric Becker / ISI Photos / USSF / Getty Images
“He has a strong identity in the way he wants us to go about things,” Balogun said of Pochettino. “When you’re a top European coach, you’re not gonna panic from losing one game. His calmness definitely comes into the team.”nd a month later, the team proved him right.They didn’t prove that they’re a team to be feared. They didn’t prove that, suddenly, all is well. They still have shortcomings. They are still reconstructing themselves. Months ago, “we started to destroy the things that we need to destroy,” Pochettino said Thursday, “and started to build the house from the ground up.” Now and for the foreseeable future, they are still building.But that, precisely, was Pochettino’s point all along.When they flopped against Switzerland in June, the house hardly had a foundation. When they struggled during the Concacaf Gold Cup or when they lost to Korea, they were still in a relatively early phase of the rebuild.What matters, he essentially said last month and Tuesday, is the finished product next June. “The most important thing is to arrive (at the World Cup) in a very good condition and win the first game, the second game,” and so on, he said.These friendlies against Korea, Japan, Ecuador, Australia? Yes, he wanted to win, but: “It’s important to use these games like a training session.”So he resisted, and perhaps even ridiculed the negativity. “Sometimes people want to talk only to analyze the result, and want to be negative. And I think it’s a little bit of a shame. We need to be positive,” Pochettino said last month.He was positive, relentlessly positive, to counterbalance the criticism that he knew would come from elsewhere. And now, after a 2-0 win over Japan and a 1-1 draw with Ecuador, he is being vindicated.But not because his team is brilliant. No, the best part about those two games is that no one involved feels vindicated. In news conferences and mixed zones, there were no “I told you so”s, only realism.
Friday’s performance, by many objective measures, was a very good one, but to defender Chris Richards, it was a “solid performance. … There were positives and negatives.”“It was a pretty good match,” midfielder Tanner Tessmann said.When defender Tim Ream was asked whether Friday’s game showed that Pochettino’s ideas were taking hold, he said, “um, yeah, I think so,” but not adamantly.“Listen, it was always going to take a little bit of time for their ideas to really take hold with the entire group,” Ream said. But he agreed it was happening. “You saw the energy that we played with,” he continued. “That’s something that has been — something that they’ve really preached. And now I think everybody really is starting to understand and grasp that mantra of playing with intensity and being aggressive with and without the ball.
Tim Ream believes the U.S. has progressed under Pochettino.John Dorton / ISI Photos / USSF / Getty Images
“Guys have been trying to play with that energy, but I think it’s also marrying the tactical ideas and the strategy with playing with energy and the aggressiveness. And there’s a balance to it. There’s a line you have to get up to, and you have to touch, without crossing, while also understanding the different tactical nuances that (the coaches) want, with building in a three(-man base), or sometimes a midfielder drops out — it’s just all these different ideas that they have.“And it takes time to understand them if you’re not used to doing those types of things. But I think now we’re seeing that those two things are starting to come together.”Starting to. They have not yet fully come together. Just as Ream insisted after the South Korea loss that the USMNT was making progress, he spoke in similar terms and tense Friday. He just didn’t have to craft a compelling argument around that opinion, because the progress was clear for all to see. The performance spoke for itself.And so, with 180 reasonably strong minutes, the Americans have weathered the negativity. Sure, there is still some apathy, and the general boredom of a World Cup cycle without qualifiers, but there were also “U-S-A” chants and positive vibes Friday night. The so-called noise has petered out.Tessmann summed up the turnaround. His last USMNT camp had been in March. When asked about the freakout that stemmed from Concacaf Nations League losses that month to Panama and Canada, though, he assured us: “To be honest, I don’t hear any of the noise.”“Y’all talk amongst yourselves,” he added. “And y’all do y’all’s job. And I do my job. So, nothing changes for me. I don’t know what the noise was at any of the camps. All I heard was the noise tonight when we scored.”
USMNT effectively embraces its new tactical identity under Pochettino
Malik Tillman goes on the attack for USMNT vs Ecuador Omar Vega / Getty Images
AUSTIN, Texas — For the first 23 minutes of Friday’s 1-1 draw with Ecuador, the U.S. pushed forward and created one chance after another. In the sixth minute, Folarin Balogun took off on a fantastic individual run after winning the ball back near midfield and earned a corner. Two minutes later, Balogun and Malik Tillman played a combination that sprung Balogun in behind for another chance. Four minutes after that, Balogun and Tillman again combined to put Ecuador under pressure and earn another corner. In the 17th minute, Tim Weah’s movement up the right side and attempted link-up with Tanner Tessmann earned another corner, and in the 21st minute Balogun’s curling shot dipped just over the bar.It felt almost unfair that Enner Valencia’s brilliant run, touch and finish gave Ecuador a 1-0 lead in the 23rd minute. The U.S. was looking strong and confident. It was creating chances. It felt like a team with real chemistry and ideas. Almost exactly one year since Mauricio Pochettino managed his first U.S. match, things have felt mostly disjointed and unstable — both on the field and off. Some of that has been purposeful. Pochettino wanted a healthy level of uncertainty. It was needed to create competition. But the on-field chemistry, or lack thereof, has been a real concern. It’s why there is a level of relief that, for the second straight match against a quality opponent, the U.S. looked like a team that is embracing a tactical identity — one that is built around flexibility and freedom but also leans into the team’s attacking strengths. Balogun’s 73rd-minute goal was a deserved finish that gave the U.S. a well-earned positive result. Truthfully, the U.S. probably deserved more from the game. But beyond the draw, it was the team’s continued evolution in a fluid setup, one built around wingers/wingbacks and dual attacking midfielders, that created the most cause for optimism.
Whether in the 3-4-2-1 utilized against Japan or in Friday night’s hybrid 4-2-3-1/3-2-5, it feels like something is being unlocked in this group. The players feel it, too. “We’re starting to build very positive results with that formation,” Weah said. Center back Chris Richards agreed. “I think the system really suits our style,” he said. It is, center back Tim Ream said, the natural evolution of this team under a new coach.
Folarin Balogun spearheaded the USMNT’s attack vs. Ecuador, displaying his full arsenal and eventually getting the Americans’ goalScott Coleman / Imagn Images
“It was always going to take a little bit of time for their ideas to really take hold with the entire group,” Ream said. “It’s marrying the tactical ideas and strategy with playing with energy and aggressiveness. There’s a balance to it. There’s a line that you have to get up to, and you have to touch without crossing it, while also understanding the different tactical nuances that they want. With the building in a three or sometimes the midfielder drops out – it’s just all these different ideas that they have, and it takes time to understand them, if you’re not used to doing those types of things. But I think now we’re seeing that those two things are starting to come together.”
There are obvious payoffs to the approach. Two of the most dangerous attacking threats in the U.S. pool are outside backs: Antonee Robinson and Sergiño Dest. When those two aren’t on the field — as they weren’t Friday — the players behind them on the depth chart also thrive pushing forward, whether it’s Max Arfsten, Weah or Alex Freeman. The formation also encourages players like Balogun, Christian Pulisic, Tillman and Weston McKennie to play with more license to read the game and create. “The manager gives us that freedom to just do what we want up there,” Balogun said. “And that shows in the way we play. Everything’s kind of just freestyle, but we’re good enough players to figure it out, and he believes in us. So that’s what we kind of just tried to focus on: attacking, free-flowing football and obviously trying to score and create chances.”But with the positives, there are also tradeoffs and drawbacks.The U.S., as Weah pointed out after the game on Friday night, has long been a team that thrives in transition attacking. That was true, too, in the last World Cup cycle. But the 2022 World Cup team was built around the midfield trio of McKennie, Yunus Musah and Tyler Adams. That isn’t gospel this time around, necessarily, but this formation changes the dynamic of the midfield.
Mauricio Pochettino surveys the field during the USMNT’s 1-1 draw vs. EcuadorScott Coleman / Imagn Images
Playing with three center backs will mean taking a midfielder off the field. And it means with everyone healthy, Pochettino will have some tough decisions to make. Does he play with Tillman and Pulisic together in the attack with Balogun? If so, does McKennie drop into a deeper midfield role next to Adams? Or does Adams need to be paired with another deeper-lying midfielder, like Tessmann, Aidan Morris, Johnny Cardoso or another of the defensive midfielders that has been in one camp or another? If Dest and Robinson are both healthy, does Weah move to the bench?It’s been one of the hold-ups around a formation that otherwise fits this U.S. group: Playing this way might mean two of your best attacking players come off the bench. Those types of difficult tactical decisions aren’t necessarily a bad thing for the U.S. (And, as Pochettino has learned over the last year, it’s exceedingly rare when every single player is healthy and available.)“It makes it hard for the coach to make a decision about who’s going to play in that role,” McKennie said. “You can look at it as an advantage, because depending on what team you play, you have different players with attributes that can add something different to the game. And even if you start with some players up top, other players (who) come into the game (can) add something different. So I think it’s a good problem to have.”
Pochettino said earlier this week that the games are — of course — important. “We need to play and we need to perform and we need to win,” he said. “Because that is going to give us the credibility in our work.”Friday’s result did that. But the more important part of this camp — and of the November and March gatherings that follow — “is not really the games,” Pochettino noted. It’s building more chemistry and understanding within the group. Friday’s performance did that, too.
Christian Pulisic was a second-half substitute in the USMNT’s draw vs. Ecuador, carrying a minor ankle knockScott Coleman / Imagn Images
It felt, from a purely soccer perspective, that something tangible is being built. Last month’s win against Japan and this result against a good Ecuador side reflected progress. And, as Pochettino noted, that builds credibility and belief. On the field, the players are starting to create cohesiveness that matters. Balogun, for example, noted that Pulisic told him he felt they are “building a better connection.” It’s something “that’s always going to happen when you’re playing with top players and there’s time,” the forward said. “That’s part of the bonding and the chemistry that’s really going to help us going into the World Cup.”Friday’s draw felt like a peek into that bonding. And it felt like reinforcement of something else Pochettino said on the eve of the game.“I think (there’s) time enough to build what we want to build,” he said. “I have no doubt that we are going to arrive in a very good way, being very competitive with all the principles settled. I am very optimistic about the future.”If the team can continue to build on what it did against Ecuador — and that’s a big and important if — it will be tough not to follow Pochettino into that optimism.
USMNT fans are finding their voice. Can Mauricio Pochettino keep them roaring?
A fan cheers USMNT’s draw against Ecuador in Austin. David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
In the 68th minute on Friday night, with the U.S. men’s national team trailing Ecuador, the pace of the game was starting to slow. It’s typical of friendlies. Substitutions start to come on to the field en masse. The rhythm of the game is disrupted. It was somewhat disappointing, though, in that the U.S. started the game so brightly. It deserved a goal. If the level were to drop and the result stayed the same, it had the potential to look like a missed opportunity rather than something off of which to build.As Tim Ream stood on the ball just on the top of the center circle in his own half, however, the crowd in Austin started to chant.In the stadium, you could see the energy from the stands start to influence the pace of the game. The U.S. team started to move the ball with more urgency. Players were sprinting into space. It led to a spell of possession that ended with a Diego Luna shot, but the buzz in the stadium didn’t drop.Two minutes later, Tim Weah had a look at goal on a left-footed shot that sizzled well over the goal. Seconds after that, the U.S. forced a turnover deep in Ecuador’s end, Tanner Tessmann found Malik Tillman, and his square pass was finished off by Folarin Balogun for the equalizer. It set off a celebration at Q2 Stadium. The supporters deserved an assist.“The fans were amazing and how important it (was) when they started chanting, ‘USA, USA,’” head coach Mauricio Pochettino said. “This energy, that is very welcome from the players, from the team, helped us to give the energy to keep pushing.”If this U.S. team starts to turn things around, if they start to sustain a decent level of soccer and a string of positive results, that moment in the 68th minute in Austin will feel like a turning point. It’s why Tuesday’s friendly against Australia now feels a bit bigger than it should. The U.S. needs to carry forward this momentum.What You Should Read NextUSMNT effectively embraces its new tactical identity under PochettinoIt’s taken a year, but Mauricio Pochettino appears to have landed on the best way to accentuate the U.S.’s attacking strengths
There is risk, no doubt, in overblowing a 1-1 draw with Ecuador in a friendly eight months before the World Cup. But I think there’s a reason for the positivity coming out of Friday’s result. Let’s be honest: The U.S. team hasn’t given the fans much to cheer about over the last year-plus. Positive results against non-CONCACAF opponents have been rare, and there haven’t been a lot of moments where the team has had a pro-U.S. crowd that influenced the result.The positivity around Friday’s draw is representative of where things stand with this national team. Fans want to believe in this team. They just haven’t had much reason to believe.art of what has made this World Cup cycle so frustrating is that this group was supposed to be different. Fans looked at the clubs where its young players were signing and started calling it a golden generation. A positive showing at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar felt like a marker on the path toward something more.Since leaving Qatar, however, there has been more chaos around this team than progress.This 2026 cycle was supposed to be about taking the potential of a young U.S. group and growing up into something more meaningful. The core of players that got the U.S. back to the World Cup after the 2018 disaster were going to be four years older and four years more experienced than they were in Qatar. They were supposed to take the next steps at their clubs and that would translate to the national team.That hasn’t exactly gone to plan.
Mauricio Pochettino believes his team are now on the right track.Daniel Jefferson/USSF/Getty Images
Instead, the last year with the national team under Pochettino has been about “destroying the things that we need to destroy and start(ing) to build the house from the ground up,” he said on Thursday.It’s why the 1-1 draw with a good Ecuador side was something worth feeling good about. Consecutive performances in which the U.S. team looked purposeful is allowing people to peek their heads out and wonder whether they can start to believe again. If the first phase of Pochettino’s era was a teardown, the 2-0 win over Japan in September and the draw against Ecuador are signs that maybe the second phase is now underway.Pochettino is, as he said, building things back up.For that to be true, the U.S. will need another positive performance and another positive result on Tuesday. And they’ll need it again in November against Paraguay and Uruguay.People want to believe. As we race toward next summer’s World Cup, it’s on this U.S. team to give them a reason.Otherwise, that moment in Austin — one that feels like it could be a turning point — might just be a meaningless blip in a fall friendly that we’re overblowing months before a World Cup.
Socceroos spoil Canada’s party as World Cup momentum grows
Joey Lynch
Oct 11, 2025, 06:23 PM ETMONTRÉAL, Canada — Back when he was Melbourne Victory coach, Tony Popovic once described the chance to play the role of villain and ruin an opponent’s fairytale as beautiful. If he still feels the same way as Socceroos boss, then Friday evening’s 1-0 win over Canada might have been one of the most magnificent victories that he’s been a part of.Canada’s meeting with Australia at Montréal’s Stade Saputo was supposed to be a homecoming and a celebration. Les Rouges hadn’t played in the Québec capital since 2017 and, adding to the sense of civic pride, they’d returned with a collection of Francophiles in the squad. With a home World Cup approaching, wins over Romania and Wales in the last window had pushed them to a record-high FIFA ranking of 26. Prime Minister Mark Carney was in attendance. So was FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
Montréal expected a party. Instead, they got 60% of the ball, 17 shots to five, eight shots on target to one, and a 1-0 loss. They got Mohamed Toure registering his fourth goal involvement in three games when he sent in a cross that initially appeared set to be cleared by Niko Sigur, only for Nestory Irankunda to pounce and send a tackle-cum-shot into the back of the net for his second international goal in as many games.
The hosts got Paul Izzo making a record-setting eight saves and laying down a challenge to Mathew Ryan for the Socceroos’ No. 1 shirt. And they got to see Australia make it seven wins on the bounce, 11 games unbeaten, and join Argentina (who did it twice), the Netherlands, and Mexico amongst the only sides to defeat Canada inside 90 minutes since the appointment of Jesse Marsch. Prime Minister Carney, welcome to Popaball.
“I think the biggest disappointment the guys have is they knew that the crowd was great, and they wanted to electrify them,” Marsch reflected post-game. “You could see the disappointment in their faces, because they wanted the crowd to feel the energy of the team and what’s being done with the team.”
By the time the final whistle rang out, any mirth and goodwill that had filled the stands before the kickoff had dissipated. Jeers rained down as fans sought an outlet for their frustration as their side repeatedly slammed their heads against an Izzo-shaped brick wall; his most incredible save came amid a helter-skelter ending in the 90th minute, when Liam Millar found a wide-open Jacob Shaffelburg, only for his resulting shot to be denied by the sprawling custodian.
“I’m very happy with the performance,” Izzo reflected. “Honestly, I’m a bit lost for words at the moment. I’m taking every game as I can. I wasn’t expecting to play today. But I was given an opportunity, and I really wanted to take it again with both hands.”
Those playing red wore their frayed emotions on their sleeve, too; Joel Waterman and Tani Oluwaseyi both got into a shoving match with Irankunda in stoppage time, only to be met by a goalscorer who refused to take a backwards step. Restrained by Ryan and the Socceroos’ bench, the teenager was immediately substituted by Popovic and pulled in for a bearhug with a message of support for the matchwinner and chief windup merchant.
“That’s something more for me and him that we shared,” Popovic said of their discussion. “I’m just proud of his contribution. He’s a young man who has so much growth to come. Now, in the last two games, he’s scored goals for Australia.
“He’s 19 years old, and we have a striker [Mohamed Toure] that’s 21 starting here, away from home against Canada. Very proud of them.”And that’s part of football. He doesn’t back down. He was coming off regardless of what happened there.”Ultimately, Australia came to Montréal and did what they do: frustrate, absorb, and make their foes pay. Few will care for the boos and some, like Connor Metcalfe, quietly emerging as a key cog in Popovic’s plans, might even have enjoyed them. Canada, meanwhile, will join an increasingly impressive-looking list of nations that would feel they did enough to beat the Socceroos, only to lose.Yet there were lessons amidst the spectacle, too. Because, as the stat sheet and Izzo’s man-of-the-match antics would hint at, Australia still had to ride their luck at times — even if breaking down low blocks has been a consistent challenge for Canada.For much of the contest, Marsch’s side would move the ball forward against a defence that was able to maintain its shape and, should the attack be maintained for an extended period, eventually settle into a low block. Against this highly organised defensive front, possessing cover for its cover, space would be at a premium and angles to goal fleeting. This saw passes being closed down, crosses being cleared, and shots being smothered. That’s all expected; the Socceroos are very good at defending, to the point we almost take it for granted.But there were moments of danger, particularly when the Canadians were able to counter-press (one of the most effective tools for breaking down a low block) and didn’t afford a chance at a unified front. Invariably, winger Tajon Buchanan was at the heart of these efforts, giving Australia’s Kye Rowles — who started as a wingback once more as part of Popovic’s pre-World Cup experimentation — fits as he repeatedly burst into the box and created shots or angles to pass.
Many of these moments arose because against the Canadian press or counter-press, Australia’s attempts to play out for much of the game were largely unsuccessful. The profiles of Rowles, debutant fullback Jacob Italiano, and midfield pivots Max Balard and Aiden O’Neill didn’t gel, and moves forward would often either break down just as soon as they began or were snuffed out when an attempt was made to bypass the midfield entirely with a 50/50 long ball. Rowles is a proven World Cup performer at center back, but as the flanker of a five, there are stronger options.
Things started to change in the second half as the game stretch and really kicked into gear with the introduction of Patrick Yazbek and wingbacks Lewis Miller and Jordy Bos around the hour mark; it taking just seconds, and one Bos run down the left and cross into the box, to demonstrate the importance of having wingbacks that have the physicality and willingness to bomb up and down the flanks — and force opponents to respect that possibility — in Popovic’s system.Expecting any drastic overhauls in the way the Socceroos play is unrealistic. And unfair. Eleven games unbeaten and seven wins straight is a platform that demands to be built on for the World Cup. However, as shown in the second half, earning wins in the way the Socceroos have is made infinitely easier when you’re helping yourself. And Popovic and his staff know this, and they’ve highlighted possession as a key focus heading into next year’s World Cup.”It wasn’t our intention to let them have that much ball. But in certain areas of the park, they’re very strong,” said Popovic.”Would I have liked us to do more with the ball? Yes. But those 20 minutes in the second half were excellent for us. Our challenge is how do we sustain that for longer periods?”If they can unlock a greater level of adaptability and fluidity, with the next stern test to come against the United States on Tuesday in Denver, will be telling come 2026. But it’s a lot easier to do this work when you’re winning games. And the Socceroos are also getting rather good at that, which is pretty important as well.
Wow the world’s best competition is back with a vengance – we had a 4-4 thriller at Juventus as Juve and American Weston McKinney came back from 0-2, then 2-4 down to tie it in extra time. Marcus Rashford returned to London in Barca colors and helped Barcelona win 2-0 with a Brace vs Tottenham. Awesome as Tim Weah Becomes 1st American to Score at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu as Mareille took a 1-0 lead on Real before the Galictico’s got a questionable PK late to secure the 2-1 win. Matchday 1 ScoresMatchday 1 great saves | Best Saves | UEFA Champions … (see GK section below). Games return Sept 30th with Matchday 2.
INDY 11 hosts Birmingham Sun 5 pm Hispanic Heritage Night The two teams battling for the final playoff position in the USL Championship Eastern Conference faced off Saturday night, with host Rhode Island FC scoring a second-half goal and surviving a frantic finish for a 1-0 win. With six games left in the regular season, Indy Eleven trails Rhode Island by one point. Indy Eleven hosts Birmingham Legion FC this Sunday, September 21 at 5 pm on Hispanic Heritage Night at Carroll Stadium with $11 tickets & an $11 scarf special.
Shane, Nick H and Ted Howlet enjoying Gene’s Rootbeer in Anderson after an Indiana Christian game. Fried Cheeseburger baby!! Rachel and Jason M at Covenant Christian High Thursday night – this D1 team is really good.
Jorge, Nick & The Ole Ballcoach at University High Monday Night Doing a little 2 man with Scott Baker at Zionsville vs Noblesville Girls. Got to do some MAL games U12 at Grand Park with these young Refs
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FULL TV GAME SCHEDULE
Fri, Sept 19 8 pm Prime Houston Dash vs Chicago Red Stars NWSL 10 pm CBSSN, Prime Utah Royals vs Racing Louisville NWSL Sat, Sept 20 7:30 am USA Liverpool vs Everton 7:30 am CBSSN Leicester City vs Coventry City (Wright) 9:30 am ESPN+ Hoffenhiem vs Bayern Munich 10 am USA West Ham vs Crystal Palace (Richards) 10 am Peacock Burnley (Adams) vs Nottingham Forest 10 am Peacock Wolverhampton vs Leeds (Aaronson) 10 am Para, Prime Norwich City (Sargent) vs Wrexham 10:15 am ESPN+ Real Madrid vs Espanyol 12 noon Para+ Hellas Verona vs Juventus (McKennie) 2:45 pm Para+ Udinese vs AC Milan (Pulisic) 12:30 pm NBC Man United vs Chelsea 3 pm USA Fulham (Robinson) vs Brentford 7:30 pm Prime Columbus Crew vs Toronto FC 7:30 pm Prime, Apple Miami vs DC United 7:30 pm TUBI KC Current vs Seattle Reign NWSL 10 pm TUBI Portland Thorns vs San Diego Wave NWSL 10:30 pm Prime LA Galaxy vs Cincy Sun, Sept 21 9 am USA Bournmouth vs New Castle 10:15 am ESPN+ Mallorca vs Atletico Madrid (Cardosa) 11:30 am ESPN+ Bayer Leverkusen (Tillman) vs B Mgladbach (Scally, Reyna) 11:30 am USA Arsenal vs Man City 2:45 pm Para+ Inter Milan vs Sassuolo 2:45 pm beIN Sport Olympique Marseille (Weah) vs PSG 3 pm ESPN+ Barcelona vs Getafe 8:30 pm ESPN2 Bay FC vs NY/NJ Gotham FC NWSL 9 pm FS 1 LAFC (Son) vs Real Salt Lake (Luna) Tues, Sept 23 2:45 pm Para+ Fulham (Jedi) vs Cambridge 2:45 pm Para+ Wrexham vs Reading League Cup 3 pm Para+ AC Milan (Pulisic) vs Lecce Copa 3:30 pm ESPN2 Levante vs Real Madrid Wed, Sept 24 Europa League 3 pm Para+ Crvena Z vs Celtic (CVB) 3 pm Para+ Real Betis vs Nottingham Forest thur, Sept 25 Europa League 3 pm Para+ Rangers vs Genk 3 pm Para+ Aston Villa vs Bologna Fri, Sept 26 2:30 pm ESPN2 Bayern Munich vs Werder Bremen 8 pm Prime KC Current vs Chicago Stars NWSL 10:30 pm Para+/Golazo San Diego Wave vs Orlando Pride NWSL Sat, Sept 27 10 am USA ? Crystal Palace (Richards) vs Liverpool 10 am Peacock Leeds United (Aaronson) vs Bournemouth (Adams) 10:15 am ESPND, ESPN+ Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid 12 pm Para+ Juventus (Mckinnie) vs Atalanta 12:30 pm ESPN+ B Mglabach (Reyna, Scally) vs Frankfurt (Chandler) 12:30 pm USA Nottingham Forest vs Sunderland 3 pm USA Tottenham vs Wolverhampton 7:30 pm Tubi Racing Louisville vs Angel City FC NWSL 10 pm Tubi Bay FC vs Utah Royals NWSL Sun, Sept 28 11:30 am USA Newcastle United vs Arsenal 3 pm ESPNd, ESPN+ Barcelona vs Real Sociedad 7 pm Apple TV Cincy vs Orlando City Sept 30, Oct 1/2 Champions League Fri, Oct 10 8:30 pm TNT, Max USA Men vs Ecuador Tues, Oct 14 9 pm TNT, Max USA Men vs Australia Thurs, Oct 23 9 pm TNT, Max USA Women vs Portugal Chester PA Sun, Oct 26 4 pm TNT, Max USA Women vs Portugal Hartford CT Sat, Nov 15 5 pm TNT, Max USA Men vs Paraguay Chester PA Tues, Nov 18 7 pmTNT, Max USA Men vs Uruguay Tampa, FL
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USMNT weekend viewing guide: Ides of September
Some of our most watched leagues embark on a new season.
Getty Images
It was a full week of soccer with Champions League rounds kicking off midweek but things aren’t slowing down over the weekend and we have a slew of matches including some head-to-head action in Germany. Here’s what we have our eyes on this weekend:
Saturday
Augsburg v Mainz – 9:30a on ESPN Select: Noahkai Banks did not appear last weekend in Augsburg’s 2-1 loss to St. Pauli, a week after getting his first minute off the bench in a 3-2 loss to Bayern Munich. Augsburg have lost their last two and look to get back on track as they play host to a Mainz side that are still looking for their first win of the season.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Leeds United – 10a on Peacock: Brenden Aaronson received his first start of the season last weekend in Leeds’ 1-0 loss to Fulham. Leeds have one point from their past three matches, after opening the season with a win over Everton, and are in 16th place early in the season. This weekend they face a Wolverhampton side that have lost all four matches this season, though three of the four have been decided by a single goal.
West Ham United v Crystal Palace – 10a on USA Network: Chris Richards came off the bench to score a goal and convert his penalty midweek as Crystal Palace defeated Millwall in a penalty shoot-out to advance in the third round of the EFL Cup. Palace are undefeated though they have just one win in four matches early in the EPL season. They take on a West Ham side that have been involved in some lopsided affairs, winning 3-0 over Nottingham Forest for their lone points of the season while giving up three or more goals in each of their losses.
Norwich City v Wrexham – 10a on Paramount+: Josh Sargent was held scoreless for the first time this season as Norwich City drew with Coventry 1-1 last weekend. Sargent will look to return to his scoring ways against Wrexham this weekend as Norwich look for their third win against a newly promoted side that have just one win on the season.
Hellas Verona v Juventus – Noon on Paramount+: Weston McKennie was back in the lineup for Juventus because of course he is. McKennie, who had appeared as a late sub in Juve’s first two matches started as a left wing-back as Juventus defeated Inter Milan 4-3 last weekend, and started again midweek as Juve drew with Burussia Dortmund 4-4 in Champions League action. Despite speculation that McKennie was on the outside looking in to start the season he has once again shown himself to be a part of the picture in Turin. Juventus have won their first three league matches and are tied with Napoli atop the Serie A table. On Saturday they face a Hellas Verona side that are looking for their first win of the 2025-26 campaign.
Udinese v AC Milan – 2:45p on Paramount+: Christian Pulisic has come off the bench in AC Milan’s past two matches, wins over Lecce and Bologna. The team doesn’t have European competition to worry about though they do have a Coppa Italia match with Lecce coming up on Tuesday. Their slip up to start the season, a 2-1 loss to Cremonese, has Milan in fifth place, a point behind this weekend’s opponent Udinese.
Fulham v Brentford – 3p on USA Network: Antonee Robinson was an unused substitute last weekend in Fulham’s 1-0 win over Leeds United, and he has appeared twice for just over fifty minutes combined this season. Fulham’s win over Leeds was their first victory of the season and they are currently a point ahead of Brentford who drew with Chelsea last weekend in league play and defeated Aston Villa midweek on penalties in the Carabao Cup.
Saturday MLS Matches with USMNT flavor – here is when the September MLS call ups are kicking off their matches this weekend, all matches on MLS Season Pass:
NYCFC v Charlotte – Noon: Matt Freese v Tim Ream
Philadelphia Union v New England – 2:30p: Nathan Harriel
Atlanta United v San Diego – 4:30p: Luca de la Torre
Columbus Crew v Toronto FC – 7:30p: Max Arfsten and Sean Zawadski
Orlando City SC v Nashville SC – 7:30p: Alex Freeman
Sporting Kansas City v Vancouver Whitecaps – 8:30p: Tristian Blackmon
Houston Dymano v Portland Timbers – 8:30p: Jack McGlynn
LA Galaxy v Cincinnati – 10:30p: Roman Celetano
Sunday
PSV v Ajax – 8:30a on ESPN Select: Sergino Dest and Ricardo Pepi had a rough midweek falling to Union Saint-Gilloise 3-1 in Champions League group stage play with Pepi having a bit of a howler on the defensive end (don’t ask me what he’s doing down there). They return to Eredivisie action which is normally safer, Pepi scored two last weekend and Dest had an assist in PSV’s 5-3 win over NEC Nijmegen, but they will be facing rivals Ajax, who are just a point back of them in the league standings.
Bournemouth v Newcastle – 9a on USA Network: Tyler Adams and Bournemouth have won three straight and currently sit tied with Arsenal and Tottenham for second place with nine points. On Sunday they face Newcastle who picked up their first league win 1-0 over Wolverhampton last weekend and fell 2-1 to Barcelona in Champions League play on Thursday.
Torino v Atalanta – 9a on Paramount+: Yunus Musah got his first start for Atalanta on Wednesday in Champions League play. Unfortunately, his side fell to last seasons champions PSG 4-0. Musah had also come off the bench last weekend to make his first appearance for his new club in a 4-1 win over Lecce.
Mallorca v Atletico Madrid – 10:15a on ESPN Deportes and ESPN Select: Johnny Cardoso was not included in the squad for Atletico Madrid midweek as the team fell to Liverpool 3-2 and he was an unused substitute last weekend in his teams 2-0 win over Villarreal. Cardoso apparently picked up a bit of an injury though it’s unclear at this time how much action he will miss.
Monaco v Metz – 11:15a on beIN Sports: Add Folarin Balogun to the list of USMNT players who had a rough start to the Champions League midweek. Balogun’s Monaco side fell to Club Brugge 4-1 on Thursday. In League play Monaco have won three of four, including a 2-1 win over Auxerre last weekend with Balogun picking up an assist, and the team sits in third place heading into their match with Metz who have just one point in four matches.
Bayer Leverkusen v Borussia Monchengladbach – 11:30a on ESPN Select: Mallik Tillman and Gio Reyna will face off on Sunday as Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Monchengladbach meet up in league play. Tillman started on Thursday but went just 51’ in Leverkusen’s 2-2 draw with Copenhagen. Meanwhile Reyna made his first appearance for Gladbach, getting the start and going 74’ in the team’s 4-0 loss to Werder Bremen. Interestingly, Joe Scally who has been such a consistent feature for Gladbach was an unused substitute in the loss that cost manager Gerardo Seoane his position.
Olympique Marseille v PSG – 2:45p on beIN Sports: Tim Weah was one of the few American’s to have a positive match midweek in the Champions League group stage. Weah opened the scoring at the Bernabeu to put Marseille up 1-0 on hosts Real Madrid. Unfortunately, Marseille were unable to hold on to the lead as Madrid took advantage of a questionable handball call late in the match to pull out the 2-1 victory. Marseille have alternated wins and losses to start the Ligue 1 season, most recently defeating Lorient 4-0, and will now host league leading PSG on Sunday.
Sunday MLS Activity:
Austin v Seattle Sounders – 7p on MLS Season Pass: Cristian Roldan
LAFC v Real Salt Lake – 9p on FS1: Diego Luna
Champions League overreactions: Arsenal only PL team to have deep run
Bill ConnellySep 19, 2025, 07:00 AM ET ESPNFC
One of the lessons we learned in last season’s Champions League league phase was that there’s little sense in playing for draws. Twenty-six teams won at least three of their eight matches, and 24 advanced. Feyenoord lost by scores of 4-0 and 6-1, but advanced with three wins. Club Brugge lost by scores of 3-0, 3-1 and 3-1 and advanced. Hell, three wins for Dinamo Zagreb damn near overcame a 9-2 first-matchday loss to Bayern Munich.If Matchday 1 of this year’s competition is any indication, teams figured this out, too, because teams were going for it. Sixteen of 18 matches featured at least two goals, and 11 featured at least four. We saw 18 goals after the 80th minute, and it only felt like all those were in the epic 4-4 between Juventus and Borussia Dortmund. We know that one matchday won’t teach us everything we need to know about a given competition; in last year’s Champions League, after all, eventual champion Paris Saint-Germain barely salvaged a meek 1-0 win over a bad Girona team, and eventual semifinalist Barcelona lost to Monaco. Reserved reactions are smart, but they’re also no fun whatsoever. So as we do at the start of the club season, we’re going to take the regulator off a bit and overreact.Here are five things I’m far more confident in than I was when matches began on Tuesday. – Champions League talking points: Is Rashford back to his best? Who shone? – Women’s Champions League: Arsenal draw Lyonnes, Chelsea get Barça –
Arsenal will win the Champions League
The only surprise about Arsenal‘s 2-0 win at Athletic Club on Tuesday was that they didn’t score from a set piece. Otherwise, it was just about as Arsenal as an Arsenal match could be in that a) very little happened over a long period of time and b) Arsenal won. They have long been happy to default to “war of attrition” mode (total goals in their first four Champions League league phase matches last season: 4), and following a summer of ambitious spending — eight new acquisitions, nearly €300 million in transfer fees — they now have the depth to really lean on opponents.That depth earned them three points in Bilbao. Through 70 minutes, the two teams had combined for just 0.9 xG from 17 shots. But in the 72nd minute, substitute Gabriel Martinelli scored on a breakaway assisted by substitute Leandro Trossard, and then Trossard put the match away with a goal (assisted by Martinelli) at the end of another vertical attack in the 87th minute.Arsenal’s subs were difference-makers while in a combined 82 minutes, Athletic’s five subs combined for two shots (combined xG: 0.05) and no chances created. In fact, after a decent run of attacking to start the second half, Athletic managed only those two shot attempts in the final 33 minutes.Arsenal already have the best defensive setup in Europe at a time when many top clubs, including Premier League rivals Liverpool and Manchester City, are struggling at times with transition defense and tactical balance. Now coach Mikel Arteta knows he can eventually find attacking answers, too, even if he has to wait for opponents to wear down first. That means he has even less reason to take major tactical risks. Athletic had kept wingers Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke mostly quiet on the night, and they’d gotten away with allowing a couple of decent opportunities to Viktor Gyökeres. But even without injured stars Bukayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard and Kai Havertz, Arsenal still landed a knockout blow.You can make an easy case that the Gunners overpaid for both Eze and Gyökeres — both are 27 years old, neither are heavily involved in link-up play or intricate passing sequences, and both could become albatrosses by the end of their respective contracts. But Arsenal can afford them, they’re clearly in win-now mode, and it’s hard not to like their chances of making a run even deeper than last year’s semifinal trip. (I said something similar about their chances in their other primary competition recently.)
Arsenal threw body blows, bided their time and then put the match away. Thrilling? No. Effective in a way that could remain effective through May? Yes.
No other Premier League team will make a major run
Arsenal obviously weren’t the only English club to spend absurd amounts to build roster war chests this summer. In fact, among the Premier League’s Champions League teams alone, their outlay of transfer fees (€293.5 million) was dwarfed by that of Liverpool (€484.7 million) and Chelsea (€339.2 million) and nearly matched by Newcastle’s (€278.9 million). The league threw its financial weight around in an almost unprecedented way.
However, spending power has not bought loads of Champions League runs in recent seasons. After producing all-Premier League finals in 2019 and 2021, the league has averaged only one semifinalist per year since. And aside from Arsenal, the other English teams in this competition are in odd places at the moment.
Liverpool is less a team and more a collection of adrenaline junkies at the moment. They’ve already blown five leads in six matches, including three two-goal leads. Now, they’ve still won five of those six, including all four Premier League matches and Tuesday’s raucous affair against Atlético Madrid. They’ve scored five game-winners after the 82nd minute, too, three in stoppage time. This is an absolute thrill-ride, and with their suddenly epic spending, they’re almost developing a Real Madrid-like inevitability. But Real Madrid’s most clutch squads weren’t blowing leads at this rate, and relying on late heroics is a good way to eventually fall in a knockout competition.
That said, from a stats perspective, their match against Atletico was probably their best of the season. They attempted 20 shots to Atleti’s 10 despite leading most of the way, and their plus-2.1 xG advantage was far greater than in early Premier League wins over Bournemouth, Newcastle and Arsenal (combined: plus-0.3). Yes, it was another blown lead, but it required a couple of miraculous Marcos Llorente goals — the kind he particularly enjoys delivering at Anfield (and Anfield only) — and it was otherwise a one-sided affair. Maybe that’s a good sign.
Manchester City also handled its business just fine this week, eventually easing to a 2-0 win over 10-man Napoli. Napoli were enjoying their only particularly threatening spell at the time of Giovanni Di Lorenzo‘s red card in the 21st minute, and it was one-way traffic from there. It looked for a while that Napoli might be able to will themselves to a 0-0 draw, but Erling Haaland put an end to that in the 56th minute.
Napoli finished with one shot attempt and 26% possession, but that one shot was a close-range effort on a set piece and required a pretty good save from Gianluigi Donnarumma. It was worth 0.17, which just about mirrored the average xG per shot City are allowing in Premier League play. Going back to the 4-3 Club World Cup loss against Al-Hilal, there’s a level of defensive fragility here that makes it hard to trust this team just yet.Tottenham Hotspur also won their opener, but they did the bare minimum against Villarreal, scoring on a dreadful error from keeper Luiz Júnior in the fourth minute and closing up shop. They attempted just nine shots (0.5 xG) and allowed 10 (0.5). They got the job done, but did nothing to assuage my concerns about their ability to create quality shots — they’re currently 17th in the Premier League in xG per shot — and I’m guessing this is a round-of-16 or quarterfinal team this year.
On paper, Chelsea certainly have the pieces to make a run, but their dramatic Champions League inexperience was laid bare in Munich on Wednesday. Against a sharp Bayern Munich, they were outshot and outrun, 3-1. Cole Palmer scored on a counterattack and had a second goal disallowed, but Chelsea ceded control to their hosts in a way that a genuine contender rarely does. They looked like an inexperienced underdog. Not a great start.
Newcastle United probably deserved a better outcome on Thursday against Barcelona; they generated more xG in 10 shots (1.4) than Barça did in 19 (1.3), but they were bested by Barça’s high defensive line, possession-hungry play and two goals — one good, one unbelievable — from Marcus Rashford.The concerns I have for Newcastle in the Premier League — depth and scoring capabilities, basically — certainly apply in the Champions League, and their chances of securing a top-eight finish in the league phase took a hit here.
A Belgian team is making the quarterfinals
Don’t ask me which one, though, because two have a shot.
Since a Super Cup loss to Club Brugge, Belgian champion Union St.-Gilloise — one of the most enjoyable teams to follow in recent years as they leapt from the second division to immediate top-division contention and landed exciting young player after exciting young player — has laid down a path of destruction. They’ve outscored seven Belgian opponents by a combined 15-3 margin this season, and in their first-ever Champions League match on Tuesday, they traded haymakers with PSV for most of an hour, then shut things down and won easily, 3-1.PSV finally scored in the 90th minute, and they perhaps deserved more after creating shots worth 2.2 xG, but USG generated 3.4 xG from 18 shots. They out-PSV’d PSV.Club Brugge, meanwhile, out-everything’d Monaco in a 4-1 home win on Thursday. They’ve dropped some points in domestic play, but they could be forgiven since, including qualification ties, they’ve outscored five Champions League opponents by a combined 17-3 thus far. Veteran Hans Vanaken and the left-sided duo of Christos Tzolis and Joaquin Seys have combined for seven goals and eight assists; Vanaken had one of each as four different FCB players scored.Going back to last year’s round-of-16 run, Club Brugge have now won nine of their last 14 UEFA matches. Via the Opta Supercomputer, they now have the 12th-highest projected point total for the league phase now; USG is 11th. Both are ahead of Borussia Dortmund, Napoli, Newcastle, Juventus and Atlético Madrid, among many others.Dutch teams have the far greater history in this competition, but their neighbors to the south are looking great, and they’ve positioned themselves well.
The price tag for Eintracht’s Can Uzun keeps going up
One of the most ruthless aspects of European competitions is that even if an upstart emerges and threatens to upend the status quo, the sport’s powers can pluck that upstart apart in the transfer window before the competition is even over.
Benfica had one of the most impressive teams in the group stage of the Champions League in 2022-23, winning a group with both PSG and Juventus while going unbeaten against both. But Chelsea offered eleventy million Euros (okay, €121 million) for star midfielder Enzo Fernández — who had himself only arrived from River Plate that previous summer — in the January transfer window, and that was that. Benfica still walloped Club Brugge in the round of 16 in February, but they fell with little resistance against Inter Milan in the next round. (Chelsea grabbed another breakout star, Shakhtar Donetsk’s Mykhailo Mudryk for €70 million in that same window. That one hasn’t worked out quite as well.)
For players on teams that aren’t mega-clubs, European competitions are almost like auditions. Eintracht Frankfurt know this as well as anyone. Omar Marmoush‘s four goals and two assists in 406 Europa League minutes last season helped to provide proof of concept for a €75m January transfer to Manchester City.
For good measure, Hugo Ekitike (four goals and three assists in 809 minutes) then left for Liverpool for €95 million over the summer and even though they aimed for more of a veteran presence with their own summer acquisitions, another young star has quickly emerged. Nineteen-year-old Can Uzun has three goals and two assists in three Bundesliga matches this season, and he made an immediate Champions League impact with a go-ahead goal against Galatasaray on Thursday.Eintracht have made a lot of money due to their recent run of great talent identification and development, and it seems they’ll probably be rewarded for Uzun’s star turn, too. But it would be awesome to see what they might be capable of if they could keep some of this talent in-house for a bit longer at some point. They scored five goals against Galatasaray even without Marmoush and Ekitike, after all.If we’re doing some proper scouting for future big moves, here are eight other players who probably saw their respective stock prices rise quite a bit this week under the floodlights.
Ismael Saibari, PSV Eindhoven (24). He’s a central midfielder who plays so advanced that he was second in the Eredivisie in assists last season (11) and ninth in goals (11), and for all the nice words I paid to Union Saint-Gilloise above, Saibari created a couple of spectacular chances to redefine the game, missing opportunities in the sixth (0.54 xG) and 55th (0.80 xG) minutes.
Camilo Durán, Qarabag (23). Qarabag have come to rule Azerbaijan’s Premier League with a veteran-heavy squad, but Durán, acquired this summer from Portugal‘s Portimonense, took full advantage of a shot at Portuguese giants Benfica. He assisted Qarabag’s first goal, then scored its second as the Atlilar (the Horsemen, a pretty fantastic nickname) came back to secure their first-ever group stage victory in the Champions League.
Lamine Camara, Monaco (21). Monaco got absolutely wrecked by Club Brugge, but Camara still filled the box score. He had 20 combined progressive passes and carries and 10 ball recoveries, most of anyone in Matchday 1. He also suffered two fouls and won seven ground duels. He enjoyed a breakout season last year, with seven league assists, and if Monaco did anything right on Thursday, Camara was probably behind it.
Daniel Bassi, Bodo/Glimt (20). He has only just begun to work his way into the rotation for the Arctic Circle club, but in just 45 minutes on Wednesday, he won a penalty, scored to cut Bodo/Glimt’s deficit to 2-1, then played a key role in the sequence that made it 2-2.
Youssoupha Mbodji, Slavia Prague (21). Why was Bodo/Glimt down two goals to begin with? Because Mbodji scored twice, appearing out of nowhere from his left back position to finish two great opportunities.
Georgiy Sudakov, Benfica (23). A Benfica player recently acquired from Shakhtar? He was destined to become a Champions League star! And while his team played poorly enough against Qarabag to get its manager fired, Sudakov was fantastic, creating one assist from two chances and completing 12 progressive passes.
Nicolo Tresoldi, Club Brugge (21). After a couple of solid seasons in the 2. Bundesliga, the 6’0 Tresoldi joined a Champions League team, and including qualification he has two goals and an assist in 226 minutes. He scored Brugge’s first against Monaco, and I’m guessing that’s not his last in the league phase.
Marcus Rashford, Barcelona (27). Have you heard of this up-and-comer? Okay, no, this list was neither meant for known onetime stars or Barcelona players, but I had to squeeze him in here somewhere. I mean, did you see this strike?This is what life looks like when you escape Manchester United, I guess.
My off-the-cuff 1-to-36 rankings after one matchday
• 1. Arsenal • 2. PSG • 3. Liverpool • 4. Real Madrid • 5. Bayern Munich • 6. Barcelona • 7. Manchester City • 8. Inter Milan
Real Madrid are a perfect 5-for-5 since the Xabi Alonso era began in earnest last month, and while they needed a pair of penalties to survive Marseille at home, 2-1, the score was misleading — Real Madrid generated far more quality chances (even while playing down a man for about 20 minutes because of Dani Carvajal‘s foolish red card) and got away with both the red card and an early-game injury to Trent Alexander-Arnold.
• 9. Chelsea • 10. Tottenham • 11. Napoli • 12. Newcastle • 13. Borussia Dortmund • 14. Juventus • 15. Eintracht Frankfurt • 16. Sporting CP
• 17. Atlético Madrid • 18. Bayer Leverkusen • 19. Villarreal • 20. Union Saint-Gilloise • 21. Club Brugge • 22. Atalanta • 23. Athletic Club • 24. Bodo/Glimt
The fightin’ Glimts of Bodo, semifinalists in last year’s Europa League, erased a 2-0 deficit at Slavia Prague to salvage a point, and now they’ll get a shot at revenge with a semifinal rematch at home against Tottenham Hotspur in two weeks. (Monaco, Juventus and Manchester City must also visit the Arctic circle. Love it.)
I got to know this Qarabag team watching them nearly take down Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League two years ago, and with the dose of energy Durán has given them, they look awfully fun. Their comeback win over Benfica was a stunner, and they might need to spring only one more surprise to advance to the knockout rounds.
Juventus 4-4 Borussia Dortmund: Breaking down an instant Champions League classic
“I’ve already had enough of this type of match,” grumbled Juventus manager Igor Tudor in his post-match interview with Sky Sports Italia after their 4-4 draw with Borussia Dortmund. He certainly wasn’t speaking for the majority.For those fortunate enough to watch on, the Champions League laid out an opening-night banquet in Turin: eight goals from seven scorers, the latest two-goal-deficit fightback in the competition’s history, refereeing controversy and a glimpse of the game’s next star. Now, with breath just about regained, it’s time to unpack how last night’s madness unfolded.
Borussia Dortmund go 4-2 up in the 86th minute. Job done, surely… (Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)
“We are conceding too many. At least we’re scoring a lot too, but we cannot carry on like this,” said Tudor, his fatigue betraying the whirlwind week his side has endured. A few days after a last-gasp 4-3 Serie A victory against perennial rivals Inter, here he was again embroiled in another chaotic thriller.While Italian football has shed much of its traditional defensive skin, Serie A still averaged fewer goals per game last season than Europe’s other ‘big five’ leagues, and its coaches bristle when games descend into disorder.The opening half was far more restrained, feeling like a subdued comedown from Juventus’ weekend exploits. It was tame and tentative, with neither side especially eager to force the issue. A speculative long-range effort from defensive midfielder Khephren Thuram after just three minutes drew a sharp save from Gregor Kobel, but action was scarce thereafter.The expected goals (xG) step chart below shows that while Juventus created more chances in the first half (0.67 xG), they didn’t exactly overwhelm Dortmund. Most of their threat came from corners and Weston McKennie’s long throws rather than incisive attacking play.
Juventus’ blunt approach still carried more impetus than Dortmund could muster, with the visitors failing to register a shot on target in the first half. Their first sign of attacking life arrived five minutes into the second period, when right centre-back Julian Ryerson picked out the darting run of Maximilian Beier. The attacking midfielder stretched to meet it and almost squeezed in his extremely acute effort, only to rattle the base of the post.
At last, a spark, and moments later, Adeyemi’s wonderful opener ignited the night. The 23-year-old German is blessed with quick feet, and only Jamie Gittens, now at Chelsea, completed more take-ons per 90 minutes for Dortmund last season. That elusiveness proved decisive, as Adeyemi skipped by three closely attendant markers before arrowing his shot into the corner.
As good as Adeyemi’s goal was, Kenan Yildiz’s wonder strike leveller 10 minutes later was the standout effort in a game packed with goal-of-the-round contenders. The move began with excellent work from substitute Joao Mario, the summer signing from Porto, who carried the ball across the width of the pitch before laying it off to Yildiz on the right edge of the box. From there, he curled a stunning effort into the top-right corner, a finish he later described as “a bit instinctive”. Those innate instincts for the spectacular are among the reasons that the 20-year-old Turkish winger is fast emerging as one of the most precious young gems in European football.
Yildiz was at his effervescent best all evening. As his player dashboard shows, no player was more involved in Juventus’ attacking sequences. Ryerson endured a tough evening, struggling to contain him.
Seemingly still spellbound by Yildiz’s strike, Juventus forgot they still had a match to play, falling behind again less than a minute after the restart. Below, Felix Nmecha can be seen screaming for the ball, arms outstretched, as Juventus left vast space at the edge of the area. The warning went unheeded when the ball was finally poked out to him, Nmecha punished them with yet another curling finish into the top corner.
This madcap spell was far from finished, and Juventus equalised again moments later, completing a remarkable flurry of three goals in four minutes. This time it was Dusan Vlahovic’s turn. Having only just come on, he could scarcely believe the space afforded to him as Yildiz slipped a clever through ball into his path. Vlahovic’s finish was relatively routine — the first goal of the night to come from inside the box.
Compared to the manic tempo that had preceded it, the ensuing seven-minute goalless lull felt like a marathon, broken when wing-back Yan Couto fired Dortmund back in front in the 74th minute. His low, driven effort from just inside the box skidded past Michele Di Gregorio at his near post, one the goalkeeper will feel he ought to have saved.
No thriller is truly complete without a dash of controversy, and this one duly obliged in the 86th minute when Dortmund were awarded a penalty. After squandering a golden counter-attack, the visitors worked the ball to Guirassy, whose shot struck a falling Lloyd Kelly’s hand, which he was using to break his fall. Centre-back Ramy Bensebaini calmly converted from the spot, and with a two-goal lead, it seemed Dortmund had settled the contest.Six minutes of stoppage time offered Juventus only a sliver of hope, and after three of them, it seemed to have fully evaporated. But Dortmund, a side with a reputation for late implosions, were architects of their own downfall. Penalty-scorer Bensebaini, instead of taking the sensible option of clearing long or conceding a throw, played the ball straight to the feet of Juventus’ Pierre Kalulu. From there, Kalulu flashed a cross across the face of goal for Vlahovic to turn in.
The dramatic equaliser came from the unlikeliest of sources, as Vlahovic then laid on an assist to Kelly, playing now as an auxiliary centre-forward, who powered home a headed effort. Few would have imagined Kelly delivering the decisive touch in a rip-roaring Champions League contest when he arrived from Newcastle United in February. Yet in some ways it was fitting: an unconventional goalscorer for a thrillingly unconventional game.Kelly’s goal is the latest scored by a Juventus player in the Champions League, which, for a club as storied as the Turin side, is quite something.Igor Tudor might be tired of chaotic games like this, but for everyone else, this was Champions League football at its very best, whetting our appetites for the campaign ahead.
Champions League post-MD1 projections: Liverpool early favourites but are Inter flying under the radar?
There were 67 goals scored across a thrilling Matchday 1 of the 2025-26 Champions League.Most of the big-hitters began with wins, some doing so in hostile territory and difficult circumstances. There were a few surprises along the way too, adding to the intrigue of this second season in the competition’s expanded 36-team format.Throughout the tournament, The Athletic will use its projections — powered by Opta data — to understand each club’s probability of league-phase elimination, direct qualification to the last 16 via a top-eight finish, entry into the play-off round by placing ninth to 24th and of winning the whole thing at the final in Budapest, Hungary on May 30.Despite being just one week into the eight-round league phase, our projections have already seen plenty of movement. The link to them is below.What You Should Read NextChampions League 2025-26 Projections: Who will lift the trophy in Budapest on May 30?Our Opta-powered Champions League projections update after each matchday
Here, we break down the key risers, fallers and more from Matchday 1.
Match of the week
Juventus’ stunning comeback to draw 4-4 with visitors Borussia Dortmund was the pick of the games. A fixture that was goalless for the first 51 minutes sprang to life in true “under the lights on a Tuesday night” fashion.
The result in Turin did not move the needle too much in terms of our projections for either team. Dortmund are still projected to pick up 12 points and have a 63 per cent chance of making the play-off round, the same as Juventus, who our calculations have finishing with 11 points.
Real Madrid are the only truly tough team among Juventus’ remaining seven opponents, while Dortmund must still play Manchester City and Inter.
How did the contenders do?
Despite wins for champions Paris Saint-Germain, Inter, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Arsenal and Barcelona, Liverpool lead the pack with a 20 per cent chance of being crowned champions of Europe for the seventh time.
Arne Slot’s side scored twice in the opening six minutes against Atletico Madrid but, typical of their start to the season, needed a stoppage-time goal from Virgil van Dijk (celebrating in the top image) to take all three points at Anfield. That improved their chances of qualifying directly for the round of 16 from 77 per cent to 84.
They trail only Arsenal, who beat Athletic Club 2-0 in Bilbao, on that front — Mikel Arteta’s side now have an 86 per cent chance of reaching the last 16 without having to go through February’s play-offs. This is largely due to the fact the north London club face, according to Opta’s fixture difficulty rankings, the third-easiest set of league-phase fixtures (Liverpool’s schedule ranks seventh). Arsenal currently have the second-highest chance of winning the competition at 17 per cent.
Barcelona are the only other team, alongside Liverpool and Arsenal, to have a less-than-one-per-cent chance of league-phase elimination after an impressive 2-1 away win against Newcastle United thanks to Marcus Rashford’s double. The manner in which Pedri and Frenkie de Jong dealt with Newcastle’s physical, ground-consuming midfield was also a joy to behold.
Barcelona’s projected points tally has improved to 17 (from an initial 15), while their chances of directly reaching the round of 16 have increased to 71 per cent (from 56).
Bayern, who have the hardest fixtures of all, were dominant in a 3-1 home win against Club World Cup champions Chelsea, courtesy of a Harry Kane brace and some self-enforced errors by the west London club. Though the Germans look a much more complete team now than last season, they have to play both Arsenal and PSG away, as well as a couple of potentially tricky games against Belgian pair Club Brugge and Union Saint-Gilloise. Bayern’s chances of league-phase elimination have fallen substantially, from 11 per cent to three, and beating Chelsea also boosted their odds of a top-eight finish to 50 per cent from 35.
City saw Napoli off 2-0, with Kevin De Bruyne’s swift return to the Etihad Stadium following his summer transfer cut short after 26 minutes as he was substituted following team-mate Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s dismissal. The win reduced City’s odds of finishing outside the top 24 to one per cent, while they have a 70 per cent chance of directly qualifying for the round of 16 in March. Barring a visit to Real Madrid in early December, Pep Guardiola’s side do not have a particularly tricky set of league-phase fixtures left.
Speaking of Madrid, they huffed and puffed to a 2-1 home win against Marseille to overcome losing Trent Alexander-Arnold to injury and Dani Carvajal to a red card either side of Timothy Weah’s 22nd-minute goal for the visitors.While not the most convincing victory, it means Madrid’s chances of league-phase elimination fell from six per cent to two, while their top-eight-finish probability rose from 48 per cent to 57. A 4,000-mile (over 6,000km) journey to play Kairat in Almaty, Kazakhstan, isnext for them, before facing Juventus, Liverpool and City all before Christmas. Phew.Inter’s 2-0 win against Ajax in Amsterdam went under the radar slightly, but the Italian side will once again be expected to go a long way in the competition. Champions League runners-up in two of the past three seasons, they have a three per cent chance of lifting the trophy this time and a 42 per cent chance of finishing in the top eight of the league phase. Inter host Liverpool and Arsenal and go to Atletico Madrid, but will be the favourites in their other four matches.
Biggest movers
Union Saint-Gilloise have increased their chances of qualification due to a surprise 3-1 win at PSV, courtesy of goals from rising stars Promise David and Anouar Ait El Hadj and centre-back Kevin Mac Allister (brother of Liverpool’s Alexis).Having begun the projections in 24th spot, the Belgian champions have soared to 13th with a 62 per cent chance of making the play-off round and 24 per cent odds of a top-eight finish. Newcastle, Inter and Atletico are USG’s next three opponents, so this may be short-lived, but for now, optimism in Brussels is through the roof.
PSV’s defeat at home, combined with Ajax never really threatening visitors Inter, poses some early questions for the competition’s Dutch contingent. Ajax were already ranked 32nd in our projections and are now down to second-last with a 71 per cent chance of league-phase elimination. This despite the fact John Heitinga’s side have the sixth-easiest schedule overall.
Eredivisie champions PSV have dropped from 22nd to 32nd, with their projected points falling from 10 to seven. They have the same odds as Ajax of finishing outside the top 24 in January and face the third-hardest schedule with visits to Anfield and St James’ Park, as well as home matches against Napoli, Atletico and Bayern. Yikes.
Alongside USG, Qarabag enjoyed an unexpectedly positive start in what is just the second time in the Champions League proper in club history. The side from Baku in Azerbaijan beat Benfica 3-2 away, courtesy of 25-year-old winger Oleksiy Kashchuk’s 86th-minute winner after the hosts had gone two up in 16 minuteQarabag ranked 35th out of 36 in our initial projections, having come through three rounds of qualifying to reach the league phase, and were estimated to pick up just six points, with elimination considered an overwhelming possibility (87 per cent). Wednesday’s result has added three points to their projected total and moved them up to 29th with a 41 per cent chance of making the play-offs and a two per cent probability of finishing in the top eight. They have the 12th-hardest schedule, with matches against Chelsea, Liverpool and Napoli to come, the latter two away, but this is the time to dream.
Benfica, meanwhile, could not have gotten off to a worse start, dropping from 13th to 23rd in our rankings following Tuesday night’s defeat in Lisbon. Their projected points tally has fallen from 12 to nine.
The “us against them” mentality Mourinho brings with him could yet have another say in Europe, so don’t count them out just yet. Benfica have a virtually equal probability of finishing within the top 24 (48 per cent) and outside it (47).
The chasing pack
Chelsea began the tournament with a seven per cent chance of winning it, but that has now dropped to five following defeat in Munich. Their odds of a top-eight finish fell from 51 to 37 per cent. Though it may not be time to panic just yet: last season’s UEFA Conference League winners have the fifth-easiest schedule, with matches against Ajax, Pafos of Cyprus and Qarabag, though the visit of Barcelona and a finale at Napoli will pose challenges.
Their fellow English sides Newcastle and Tottenham, the latter beat Villarreal 1-0 at home, are in a similar boat. Both have a greater chance of needing the play-offs to get to the round of 16 than of finishing in the top eight and neither of them are considered likely tournament winners. But don’t let that fool you: these two can cause plenty of difficulties, as Barcelona found in the opening 30 minutes against Eddie Howe’s side.
Spurs have the fourth-easiest schedule, with PSG away in late November their toughest remaining fixture. Games against Bodo/Glimt, Copenhagen and Slavia Prague will provide opportunities to rack up points. It will not be as straightforward on paper for Newcastle, who have the fifth-toughest schedule. Before a final-game visit to Paris in January, they face Benfica, Athletic Club, Marseille and Bayer Leverkusen.
Atletico, who struggled early in the league phase last season too, losing two of their first three matches, have it all to do after being handed a very tough fixture list. Games against Inter and Arsenal, the latter away, will need them to both play superbly and have their full squad fit, with neither being the case for that opening defeat at Liverpool. Diego Simeone and company now have just a 10 per cent chance of finishing in the top eight, but do have a less than one-third probability of league-phase elimination (31 per cent).
Napoli shot themselves in the foot early on Thursday night against City at the Etihad but can take some solace from getting their toughest league-phase fixture out of the way early.
The Italian champions’ projected final points tally is 12, while they still have a 17 per cent chance of finishing in the top eight. Their next two games are home against Lisbon’s Sporting CP (who beat Kairat 4-1 on Thursday) and at PSV. Antonio Conte’s side don’t play what looks the second-toughest tie of their opening eight — a visit from his former employers Chelsea — until the final matchday in late January.
(Photo: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
Little-known World Cup ticket rule sparked confusion. FIFA has (some) answers
When the first 2026 World Cup ticket lottery opened last week, Nick, a longtime soccer fan in Colorado, had a plan. Like many others across North America, to double his family’s chances in the random draw, he and his wife both signed up for FIFA IDs and entered. Then, via social media, they learned of a little-known rule that has sparked confusion as the Sept. 19 application deadline nears: “entries are limited to only one (1) entry per household.”
The restriction exists on Page 3 of the lottery’s “official rules,” and within the answer to Question 7 of a general ticketing FAQ on FIFA’s website. It was not, however, communicated to media or fans prior to the opening of this first sales phase, the “Visa Presale Draw,” last Wednesday.
So it startled some fans whose spouses, parents, children or roommates had applied.
Some were especially spooked by a portion of the FAQ that reads: “If FIFA identifies multiple registrations originating from the same household, it reserves the right to disqualify those entries and prevent the associated individuals from being selected in the draw.”
The revelation triggered flurries of questions on Reddit, TikTok, Instagram and elsewhere. As millions of applications rolled in — FIFA said there were over 1.5 million in the first 24 hours, and demand was “extraordinary!” — fans worried that their attempts to increase their lottery odds might backfire.
Ticket limits have become commonplace at major sporting events. (Carl De Souza / Getty Images)
“Everybody wants to maximize their opportunities,” said Jason Daley, a longtime fan who runs The World Cup Guide, “but nobody wants to risk their entire application being ignored.”
Nick — who spoke on the condition that The Athletic only publish his first name, so that the interview wouldn’t impact him professionally — said that he and his wife decided to delete one of their two entries.
Zara Pira, a fan in Toronto, told her apartment roommate to withdraw an entry because she was worried they’d both be disqualified. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” she said. “I don’t want to get stuck in this limbo and lose my chances.”
None of them, though, had seen any guidance from FIFA. A FIFA spokesman, when asked last week by The Athletic whether a husband and wife who applied would both be disqualified, did not provide a definitive answer.
Another FIFA spokesperson eventually told Travel Futbol Fan, a content creator who’s been explaining World Cup ticket intricacies to his TikTok followers, that households who’d submitted multiple applications didn’t need to take any action, but FIFA would only consider the first application.
On Tuesday, a third spokesman then told The Athletic that, in the days after the application window closes on Sept. 19, FIFA employees and other humans will manually check entries tied to the same home address as another entry. If they determine the two entrants are spouses or partners, the second application will be scrubbed, and the first will remain valid.
In other cases, specific details — such as credit cards, names and contact information — will be “taken into consideration,” the spokesman said, “and fans should not be concerned.”
When asked whether unrelated roommates, such as Pira and her friend, were allowed to apply separately, the spokesman confirmed that they can.
When asked about multigenerational households, though, and the precise line between permissible and impermissible, he could not give a conclusive answer. Much of this, he admitted, is “complex,” with many “different nuances.”
The reason for household limits
Ticket limits have become commonplace at major sporting events as a means to shut out scalpers and broaden access. The 2024 Paris Olympics, for example, capped purchases at four tickets per person for high-demand events and six per person for other events. At the 2018 men’s World Cup, according to FIFA, a given household could buy up to four tickets per match and 28 across the entire tournament. At the 2022 World Cup, the household caps were six per match and 60 overall.
“Household limits have been introduced to ensure fair and equitable ticket access for all fans,” the FIFA spokesman said.
For the 2026 World Cup, an expanded 48-team tournament set to be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico next summer, FIFA lowered the cap back to four per household per match, and 40 tickets per household across all 104 games.
The spokesman said that data from the 2018 and 2022 tournaments — where the average number of tickets purchased per order (per match) was 2.2 and 2.8, respectively — “came into play as they were determining the specific rules and conditions for this tournament.”
The cap, though, has become a hurdle for families of five or more, and for larger groups hoping to attend games together. (There are 11.7 million households of five or more in the U.S. alone, according to the Census Bureau’s 2024 Current Population Survey.)
When asked about options for large families or groups, the FIFA spokesman mentioned hospitality packages. (The cheapest package for the cheapest group-stage game costs $1,400 per person.)
Separately, in theory, families could buy additional tickets, beyond the four-per-match limit, on unauthorized resale sites like StubHub. But it’s unclear if they’d be able to sit together, and FIFA, in the past, has warned fans to “be wary of unofficial ticketing sites claiming to be already selling tickets.”
On FIFA’s official resale platform, household limits will apply, though it’s unclear how they’ll be enforced in later phases.
It’s also unclear how, exactly, FIFA will distinguish between roommates and spouses who have different last names and different credit cards.
‘Annoyed with the lack of clarity’
Amid the uncertainty, Daley said he got many questions from friends, readers and others about what, exactly, was permissible as the presale draw opened. There were people wondering if they could apply twice with the same card. There were people wondering whether sons, daughters and parents could apply, essentially on their behalf. “There’s definitely high interest in trying to maximize opportunities,” he said.
Initially, he didn’t have clear answers to those questions. He scrutinized the information available and didn’t see any reason two spouses couldn’t both apply. FIFA’s “Visa Presale Draw Explainer” video on YouTube noted that “households can purchase up to four tickets per a match,” but said nothing about a limit on applications. FIFA officials had not mentioned the application limit during an hour-long Zoom call with reporters the week prior. There was nothing in the “Visa Presale Draw” section or “Sales Restrictions” section of a World Cup customer support website.
It wasn’t until the following day that a significant number of applicants began to discover the one-per-household limit and question FIFA.
“I think most people are fine with one entry per household,” Daley said. “But — just tell them. I think that’s where the frustration came from.”
Nick, who was feeling pessimistic about his chances of being selected for a ticket-buying opportunity in this first phase, agreed. “I’m not really stressed out about it,” he said. “I’m just kind of annoyed with the lack of clarity.”
Next steps in the 2026 World Cup ticket process
After the Sept. 19 deadline for applications, FIFA will complete its “data cleansing” or “data scrubbing” process. With the help of technology, it will weed out bots and other improper entries. It will then select applicants at random and begin notifying some on Sept. 29 that they have an opportunity to purchase tickets on specific dates, in specific time slots, starting Oct. 1.
It’s unclear how many people will be chosen in this first lottery phase. Soon after it concludes on Oct. 21, there will be a second lottery phase similar to the first — but with no stipulation that entrants must have a Visa credit card, debit card or reloadable prepaid card.
The second phase will be open to people who entered this first lottery, whether or not they were chosen and purchased tickets, FIFA has said. The official rules state: “A person entering the Presale Draw also may enter any other random selection draw separately offered by FIFA subsequent to this Presale Draw.”
After the second phase, and after the Dec. 5 World Cup draw places teams into groups and host cities, there will be a third lottery phase, during which ticket buyers can select specific matchups. There will then be a “first-come, first-served” phase or “last-minute sales” phase in the spring. FIFA will also operate a resale platform where fans can buy tickets on the secondary market at uncapped prices.
The four-per-household-per-match and 40-per-household limits will apply across all phases — meaning, for example, that if someone purchases four tickets to a given group-stage match next month, they cannot purchase four more tickets to that same match next spring.
Three of Europe’s top five leagues return on Friday, with the Premier League, La Liga, and Ligue 1 kicking off for Matchday 1; the German Bundesliga and Italian Serie A will start a week later on Aug 22/23 they both have League cup games this weekend. See La Liga (Spain) games (More) and Ligue 1 (France) fixtures (More) – full season previews below for all 3 leagues. In the EPL my Final 4 are Arsenal, Liverpool, Man City, Chelsea – hoping Crystal Palace or Fulham can make a top 6 run. Premier League Fri 3 pm USA Network Liverpool vs. Bournemouth, Liverpool haven’t lost their opening league game in any of the last 12 seasons, winning nine of them. Meanwhile, Mohamed Salah is the Premier League’s top goal scorer and leading player for goal contributions on Matchday 1. Adding to this, Bournemouth and American midfielder Tyler Adams have just one point from their eight Premier League visits to Anfield. See the full list of Premier League fixtures here.
Notes
Chelsea players will give an equal portion of their $15.5M Club World Cup bonus to the family of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva, equating to around $500,000 (More). Cute look at new Everton Stadium. Funny Wrexham Fans left too early – I have to admit I am watching these games on Para+ now that they are in the Championship – Ollie with the brace.
US Players Abroad Begins Seasons this Week – Richards Palace Wins Community Shield What a thrill to see Chris Richards and Crystal Palace win the Community Shield 3-2 in PKs over Liverpool on Sunday (Palace Hi-lights), just months after winning the FA Cup at Wembley over Man City – Crystal Palace looked the better squad vs the defending EPL Champs. Palace plays at Chelsea at 9 am on Sunday on USA, while Fulham hosts – while Complete rundown on American’s Abroad below. Man I am not sure who is advising Christian Pulisic but I wish he would just leave well enough alone on the criticism from Landon Donovan & Tim Howard here’s what was said. Not sure if he’s doing it to get more people to watch his Series on Golazo Network (see Pulisic Docuseries Trailer) or what. Tim Weah, speaking on the CBS Sports series Pulisic about criticism by former USMNT stars now working as television and podcast commentators of Christian Pulisic‘s decision not to play in the 2025 Gold Cup. (Golazo Network). At this point lets just get to early September play our friendlies – Pulisic can come score a couple of goals and we can put this all behind us. Oh by the way the US men are coming to Columbus, Ohio Lower.com Field on Tuesday night Sept 9th for a 7:30 pm match up with #17 ranked Japan. The Ole Ballcoach is going along with some buddies to the game sitting in section 129 ($50) – close to the American Outlaws who will be in the Nordic Section 127. Visit http://ussoccer.spinzo.com/CarmelFC this special link to get discounted tickets. Let me know if you plan to join – feel free to send on to friends.
LEAGUES CUPfour MLS vs. LIGA MX quarterfinals Wed Aug 20.
Quarterfinal matchups
Inter Miami CF (MLS 2) vs. Tigres UANL (LIGA MX 3) 8 pm on FS1, Apple TV Free Seattle Sounders FC (MLS 1) vs. Club Puebla (LIGA MX 4) 11 pm FS1, Apple TV Free
LA Galaxy (MLS 3) vs. CF Pachuca (LIGA MX 2) 11:45 Apple TV Free
Orlando City (MLS 4) vs. Toluca FC (LIGA MX 1) 9 pm Apple TV Free
High School Soccer Season Kicks Off!
High school soccer officially starts this weekend across the state, and Carmel FC wants to send a huge congratulations and good luck to all our current players representing their schools this season. We’re proud to see you take the field, wear your school colors, and continue to showcase the skills, hard work, and sportsmanship you’ve developed here at Carmel FC. The Carmel High Girls Come in Ranked 3rd with new head coach John Simmons and Asst Coach and former Carmel FC Coach Carla Baker in charge replacing long time coach Frank Dixon at the helm. The CHS Boys are unranked after a 7-8-3 record but reached the Regional Semi’s last year.
ISCA Class 3A girls soccer poll
Hamilton Southeastern
Noblesville
Carmel
Crown Point
Evansville Memorial
Brownsburg
Cathedral
Castle
Center Grove
Homestead
Penn
East Central
Westfield
Zionsville
FW Carroll
Northridge
Fishers
Bloomington South
Lake Central
Mt. Vernon
ISCA Class 2A girls soccer poll
Lawrenceburg
Brebeuf Jesuit
Mishawaka Marian
FW Bishop Dwenger
SB Saint Joseph
Bishop Chatard
Guerin Catholic
Evansville Mater Dei
Bellmont
Hanover Central
Heritage Hills
Highland
Washington
FW Concordia Lutheran
West Lafayette
Hamilton Heights
Roncalli
Park Tudor
Gibson Southern
Madison
ISCA Class 3A boys soccer poll
Harrison (West Lafayette)
Hamilton Southeastern
Center Grove
FW Carroll
Zionsville
Fishers
Bloomington South
Noblesville
Concord
Evansville Memorial
Brownsburg
Cathedral
Columbus North
Goshen
Warsaw
Castle
Westfield
Chesterton
Crown Point
Penn
ISCA Class 2A boys soccer poll
FW Concordia Lutheran
Park Tudor
Hammond Bishop Noll
Bishop Chatard
Illiana Christian
Heritage Hills
FW Bishop Luers
Washington
South Bend St. Joseph
West Lafayette
Cascade
Hanover Central
Leo
Bethany Christian
FW Bishop Dwenger
Speedway
Culver Academy
Charleston
Heritage Christian
West Noble
Mike S, Shane & Scott F last preseason High School Scrimmage at Bishop Chatard Thurs Night. Excited to hit the fields Saturday at @ Heritage Christian & Guerin. Had a blast training new Carmel Dad’s Club Refs Ryleigh, Fred, & Noah last weekend at Badger Field.
TV GAME SCHEDULE
Fri, Aug 15 EPL Starts 12 noon ESPN+ Grobaspach vs Bayer Leverkusen German Cup 3 pm USA Liverpool vs Bournemouth (Adams) 8 pm Amazon Prime Washington Spirit (Rodman) vs Racing Louisville NWSL 10 pm CBS Golazo Utah Royals vs Angel City (Thompsons) NWSL Sat, Aug 16 7:20 am Para+ Wrexham vs West Brom 7:30 am USA Aston Villa vs New Castle United 10 am USA Brighton vs Fulham (Robinson is hurt) 12:30 pm NBC Wolverhampton vs Man City 1:30 pm ESPN2 Mallorca vs Barcelona 2:30 pm ESPN+ Stuttgart vs Bayern Munich 4 pm CBS KC Current vs Orlando Pride (Marta) NWSL 7 pm TV6, ESPN+ Loundoun United vs Indy 11 7:30 pm Apple TV free Inter Miami (Messi) vs LA Galaxy 7:30 pm ION NC Courage vs Portland Thorns NWSL 8:30 pm FS1 Minn vs Seattle Sounders 9 pm ESPN2 Tampa Bay Rowdies vs Phoenix Rising 10 pm ION Bay FC vs San Diego Wave NWSL Sun, Aug 17 6:50 am Para+ Ipwich Town vs Southampton 9 am USA Chelsea vs Crystal Palace (Richards) 11:30 am NBC Man United vs Arsenal 3 pm Para+ AC Milan (Pulisic) vs Bari Copa Italia 3:30 pm ESPN2 Espanyol vs Athletico Madrid (Cardoso) 4 pm Para+? NY Gothem vs Houston Dash NWSL 5 pm Apple TV NYCFC vs Nashville 7 pm Apple TV San Jose vs San Diego 9 pm Apple TV Vancouver (Mueller) vs Houston Mon, Aug, 18 3 pm USA Leeds United vs Everton 10 pm CBSSN Seattle Reign vs Chicago Red Stars NWSL Weds Aug 20 Leagues Cup MLS vs Liga MX Inter Miami CF (MLS 2) vs. Tigres UANL (LIGA MX 3) 8 pm on FS1, Apple TV Free Seattle Sounders FC (MLS 1) vs. Club Puebla (LIGA MX 4) 11 pm FS1, Apple TV Free LA Galaxy (MLS 3) vs. CF Pachuca (LIGA MX 2) 11:45 Apple TV Free Orlando City (MLS 4) vs. Toluca FC (LIGA MX 1) 9 pm Apple TV Free Sat, Sept 6 5 pm TNT, Tele, Max USA Men vs Korea Tues, Sept 9 7:30 pm TNT, Tele, Max USA Men vs Japan in Columbus, Ohio Fri, Oct 10 8:30 pm TNT, Max USA Men vs Ecuador Tues, Oct 14 9 pm TNT, Max USA Men vs Australia
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Premier League referees’ chief Howard Webb has suggested that VAR could be expanded to include reviews for yellow cards and corners. The technology is currently only used to review potentially match-changing decisions such as goals, straight red cards, penalties, and mistaken identity. The case in favour argues that second yellow cards, which result in red cards, can significantly influence a match. Webb revealed that the game’s law-making body, the International Football Association Board (Ifab), is considering changes to VAR’s scope, including discussions around possible extensions for the technology. This comes after Uefa recently opposed measures to widen VAR’s powers to intervene in corner kicks and yellow cards, arguing it would increase delays. In related news, Webb said it would be “tough” for David Coote to return to top-level refereeing after being sacked for making derogatory remarks about Liverpool and then manager Jurgen Klopp. “Under the circumstances, it’s difficult [for him to return],” said Webb. “We stay in contact and care about him, but it would be tough.”
Americans abroad
Dest, Morris, Corboz, Pittman stand out, Jedi shelved, & Much More
ASN’s Brian Sciaretta writes up his thoughts from the weeekend amongst Americans abroad. Sergino Dest looked terrific, while Scott Pittman, Aidan Morris, Marlon Fossey, and Mael Corboz are also standout performers. Plenty of good and bad to go through.
BY Brian SciarettaPosted August 11, 2025 9:00 AM
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IT WAS A BUSY weekend for Americans in Europe, despite the top divisions in Germany, England, France, and Italy still at the tail end of preseason. Many U.S. players, in including USMNT hopefuls, were in action in both regular season and preseason games.
For now, let’s just get right into it and we will start with the Eredivisie opening weekend.
Dest shines vs. PSV
One of the big stories this weekend for American in Europe was the big statement made by defending champion PSV, who sold a lot of talent this summer (including USMNT midfielder Malik Tillman) but also spent money on new players.
Despite playing well at times this preseason, Ricardo Pepi was not deemed fit enough to be in the squad for Saturday’s opener against Sparta Rotterdam. But Sergino Dest, who mist most games this calendar year, including the Gold Cup, did start.
The news could not have been any better for Dest, who played in top form and did not show any indication of his ACL tear or subsequent injury at the end of the season. He played like the high level player he is.
Dest scored the third goal in a 6-1 win over Sparta that featured PSV having five different goal scorers. That is what makes this team difficult to beat – numerous scoring options.
Overall, Dest played 82 minutes and had three shots. He was consistently dangerous. This bodes well for both PSV and the USMNT as it heads into the fall.
Rest of Eredivisie
In the rest of the Eredivisie outside of PSV, Taylor Booth started and played all 90 minutes for Twente in a 1-0 loss to PEC Zwolle. It was a disappointing result for Twente, who is expected to be in contention for a top five finish, because Zwolle is typically in relegation battles.
Booth, 24, wasn’t one of Twente’s problems on the day and he did create a few chances. He had his own shot in the box blocked in the first few minutes and then he set up two chances later in the game with crosses.
Booth is still likely a long way off from the USMNT but a good season could put him into the picture next year, likely after the World Cup.
The younger Booth brother, Zack Booth, had a tough game in Excelsior’s opener as he came off the bench in the 71st minute in a 5-0 loss to NEC Nijmegen. The game was 4-0 when he came on. The best news for Booth, 21, is that Excelsior will likely have to make changes after such a poor result.
Championship: Morris impresses for Boro
There are a lot of Americans in the Championship this season and we could see a few involved in the promotion races.
Aidan Morris, 23, was solid in central midfield for Middlesborough in a 1-0 win over Swansea to open the season. He was good at setting the pace and helping Boro win the possession battles.
It wasn’t a flashy performances, but he is very important to the Boro midfield moving forward.
After a big 2024/25 campaign, Josh Sargent scored his first goal of the new season in Norwich’s opening day win. The 55th minute goal was an equalizer in what eventually turned out to be a 2-1 loss at home to Millwall.
The goal was all hustle as Sargent blocked a goalkeeper clearance directly back into the goal. It was more seen as a goalkeeper error, but Sargent hustled on the play.
Sargent remains an interesting player for the rest of the month. Norwich is still hopeful of selling him, as they could use the money. But for Sargent to get interest, he needs to keep scoring in any way possible. But where does Sargent want to go? Turning down Wolfsburg two weeks ago shows signs of a limited options.
Damion Downs played the final 31 minutes for Southampton and was on the field as they scored two very late goals to turn a 1-0 loss into a 2-1 win over Wrexham in the season opener. It was a good shift for Downs as he was involved in the final goal where he slightly touched a pass to Jack Stephens, who smashed in the winner from close range.
Downs, 21, is in a good spot. He will continue to get chances and he will contribute to a team that should be in contention to bounce right back up.
George Campbell came on in the dying minutes for West Brom to help see out a 1-0 victory over Blackburn. It marked his debut for the club after moving from Montreal earlier in the transfer window.
Charlton defeated Watford 1-0 on Saturday. Charlie Kelman, 23, started and played 71 minutes for Charlton. He is coming off a season where he won the third-tier League One scoring title with Leyton Orient. Caleb Wiley was out with a back injury for Watford. Kelman had a good chance to score in the 59th minute but his close-range shot was saved. Charlton found a stoppage time winner to earn all three points.
Scotland: Pittman & CCV stand out
Scott Pittman, 33, has scored goals in Livingston FC’s first two games of the Scottish Premiership season. The latest in a 3-1 win over Falkirk on Saturday.
The all-time appearance leader for Livingston opened the scoring in the 18th minute with a shot from inside the box for a 1-0 lead.
After earning promotion last season, Livingston is looking to pull away from a relegation battle early.
Celtic dominated its way to a 2-0 win over Aberdeen on Saturday. Cameron Carter-Vickers completed 139 passes in the win. Auston Trusty completed 51 passes in just 24 minutes when he came on to see out the win.
Those passing numbers reflect Celtic’s domination in possession which typically began with the central defenders.
Coincidentally enough, Aberdeen’s best chance of the game came from American midfielder Dante Polvara in the 75th minute – two minutes after he subbed on. His right footed shot from close range was saved.
Belgium: Fossey scores in big Standard win
Standard Liege defeated Genk 2-1 on Sunday to move to seven points from three games to start the Belgium First Division season. Standard captain and USMNT hopeful Marlon Fossey scored in the 54th minute to give Standard a 2-1 lead – which he then celebrated with a back flip.
On the play, Fossey, 26, moved into the attack and was able to pounce on a ball from close range and beat the keeper with a shot into the top of the net.
Will Fossey make it back into the USMNT picture? It seems difficult. With Dest now back, Alex Freeman continuing to impress in Orlando, and Joe Scally continuing to be the starter for Borussia Monchengladbach, there is a crowded field. But performances like this don’t hurt.
Also in Belgium, Westerlo dropped a 1-0 loss at home to KV Mechelen at home after conceding a goal in the 84th minute. Griffin Yow started at right wing for Westerlo but was subbed out after the first half as part of a tactical change. Despite the loss, Bryan Reynolds had a strong 90-minute shift at right back. Both Yow and Reynolds could move before the end of the month as they have likely done all they can do for a small club like Westerlo. The club could also use the money but it comes down to offers.
2.Bundesliga: Corboz impresses again
It was the second matchday in the 2.Bundesliga season where several Americans play their trade. This week, there were two games that saw multiple players involved.
Holstein Kiel dropped a 2-0 decision to Arminia Bielefeld and it was a big setback for Holstein Kiel, which has no points from the first two games in a season where they are coming back down from the Bundesliga.
John Tolkin, 23, started for Holstein Kiel but was subbed out at halftime for tactical reasons as both wingbacks were removed. The tactical shift did not help at all. Tolkin was okay in his 45 minutes, but the team overall was very poor and does not want to have a poor start to the season. Such starts only create relegations battles.
On the flip side, Arminia Bielefeld was excellent and now has a perfect six points from two games – immediately coming off promotion last year. Led by American captain Mael Corboz, Arminia Bielefeld is off to a great start. Corboz has done well to add maturity to a team that looks ready for the 2.Bundesliga. Corboz, 30, is one of the best “under the radar” stories in American soccer.
Eintracht Braunschweig defeated Greuther Furth 3-2 and Johan Gomez enjoyed one of his best performances in years when he came off the bench in the 61st minute. He was dangerous, assisted on goal that was called back, won a lot of duels, and built a case to start for the club.
For Eintracht, the club has six points from two games. This is huge after narrowly avoiding relegation last season.
On the flip side, Furth sits on three points from two games after the loss. Both Julian Green and Max Dietz both started. Green was subbed out in the 86th minute while Dietz went the whole game. Neither stood out.
On Friday, Paderborn drew Preussen Munster 1-1. Santiago Castaneda, 20, started in defensive midfield for Paderborn but did not stand out in his 78 minutes. Both of the Tampa native’s first two games have been quiet.
Richards wins Community Shield
Chris Richards can now add a Community Shield to his trophy case as played the entire game at Wembley as his Crystal Palace defeated reigning Premier League champions Liverpool on penalties after a 2-2 draw.
Richards had a “hockey assist” on his team’s second goal and saw his header off a corner saved in the 61st minute.
Richards looks to be in great shape to start the Premier League season next week. His great calendar year of 2025.
Elsewhere abroad
In Poland’s Ekstraklassa, Jagiellonia Bialystok defeated Cracovia 5-2 with Aziel Jackson making his first start for Bialystok in the win. Leon Flach also played the final 12 minutes in the win. Kahveh Zahirolelam made his debut for Cracovia when he came on in the 79th minute.
In Croatia’s HNL, Hajduk Split defeated HNK Gorica 2-0. The win was helped by a Gorica red card in the 50th minute when the score was 0-0. Rokas Pukstas returned to the starting lineup after struggling to break in recently and he was helped by injuries that made him needed. He was active in the attack, despite no goal contributions. Was it enough for him to remain in in the starting lineup? That is an open question.
In the Austrian Bundesliga, George Bello scored in the 50th minute for LASK in a 3-1 loss to WSG Tirol. Sam Adeniran started for LASK but was ineffective. It was good news for Bello to have scored but LASK is winless after two games and has work to do in the weeks ahead.
Quincy Butley, 23, meanwhile started and played well for WSG on the right side of the midfield where he won duels and passed effectively. WSG has won its first two games of the season.
In the Swiss Super League, Lausanne dropped a 2-1 decision at home to FC Zurich. Konrad de la Fuente played the final 18 minutes in the loss.
In the Danish Superliga, Matthew Hoppe started for SonderjyskE but was held in check by Viborg in a 1-0 loss. Hoppe was subbed out in the 71st minute.
In Uruguay’s Primera, Agustin Anello played 82 minutes for Boston River in a 1-1 draw with Montevideo City Torque. Anello was subbed out with his team trailing 1-0 and down to 10 men. Boston River now has four points from two games.
Preseason & Transfer updates
Robinson on the shelf
Antonee Robinson has not played at all this preseason and will not be available for Fulham to start the season. Once figured to be the subject of transfer rumors this summer to big clubs, everything with Robinson has been quiet.
Every year, McKennie is on the brink of falling out of favor with Juventus and has always pulled himself back into the mix. But eventually this will end. Perhaps now is a good time for him to make a break and Roma is still a very high landing spot. McKennie knows Serie A well and likely wouldn’t need as much adjustment.
Also in this game was Cole Campbell, who played the last 15 minutes for Borussia Dortmund. This comes after interest from VfB Stuttgart was shelved – at least temporarily as Dortmund assess its winger situation. The speedy U.S. U-20 attacker has been on the edge of BVB’s first team and has made his debut. But works remains for him to be a consistent presence.
As expected, there was no Gio Reyna for BVB and there has been no breakthrough on the transfer front.
Captain McKenzie
Toulouse played Sevilla to a 1-1 draw in a preseason friendly and the big takeaway is that USMNT central defender Mark McKenzie wore the captain’s armband for Toulouse – a sign of his growing importance to the Ligue 1 club.
Chelsea smashed AC Milan 4-1 over the weekend with Yunus Musah starting and playing 73 minutes for Milan. It was 3-1 when Musah departed the game. Musah remains a player to watch in the weeks ahead as his preseason has not gone well. Milan might opt to drop their asking price and move on.
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Antonee Robinson’s injury timetable underscores his importance to USMNT
By Jeff RueterAug. 14, 2025Updated 12:47 pm EDT The Athletic
No doubt, Fulham will feel a bit up against it heading into the club’s Premier League opener, away at Brighton.The 2024-25 season saw Antonee Robinson cement his place as one of Marco Silva’s most vital charges, arguably the best pure left back in the Premier League. Nicknamed “Jedi,” he’s proven capable of containing Bukayo Saka and Mohamed Salah on one end before dependably squaring crosses right into his striker’s stride. He gutted out an injury to his right knee until season’s end, finishing third in the fan-voted Player of the Season pageant after a 10-assist campaign.On Thursday, 48 hours before a trip to the AmEx, Silva confirmed that Robinson would not be available for selection as he works back from an offseason surgery on that vital plant-leg knee. So, too, would Ryan Sessegnon, leaving the Portuguese manager without his two top options at left back.Mauricio Pochettino may still be envying Silva’s situation. At least the Fulham boss has a viable alternative in the role to Robinson.It’s hardly a new phenomenon that the U.S. men’s national team is dangerously thin at left back. In fact, the program went over a decade with makeshift solutions, forcing players like DaMarcus Beasley and Fabian Johnson to own the role despite spending their careers up until that point further afield. While U.S. Soccer can’t take credit for Robinson’s development, his commitment was a clear end to holding the left side of the back line together with duct tape and chewing gum.While Robinson has amassed a tidy 50 caps to date, he’s been absent for the last four camps under Pochettino, a 12-game sample from which the coach has learned plenty about his player pool. He’s had his initial trust in Diego Luna validated by a star-making turn at the Gold Cup. That same tournament gave reason to think Matt Freese could be a shot-stopping alternative to Matt Turner in goal.There have been frustrating realizations, too. Mexico is back on the ascent, although that’s a bit more of a subplot than usual as both nations will abstain from World Cup qualifying this cycle. His faith in the core that helped qualify for the 2022 installment has potentially been rocked by Christian Pulisic and others opting out or missing out on the Gold Cup. And, more relevant to today’s news via Silva: he doesn’t have a clear alternative to Robinson at left back.
USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino doesn’t have many options behind Antonee Robinson at left back (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
Unlike other USMNT mainstays like Gio Reyna, Pochettino and Robinson have already logged a bit of collaboration. The left back was on Pochettino’s first squad last October, and started both legs of the Concacaf Nations Leg quarterfinal against Jamaica the following month. In the second, Robinson assisted on the second goal of a 4-2 win that sent the U.S. through to the final four. Since then, however, Pochettino has had to play alternatives to Robinson. When an ailment kept Robinson out for the Nations League’s business end in March, it became a calamity: Panama targeted out-of-position Max Arfsten and, later, Joe Scally, exploiting the latter’s lack of awareness to score a last gasp winner in a 1-0 semifinal upset. Scally went on to start the third-place game, putting in such a poor shift that he got a halftime hook.In the 12 games that have passed since Robinson’s last U.S. appearance, four players have been called upon in his absence. Arfsten has been Pochettino’s most relied-upon alternative, appearing in nine of that dozen, most often as starter. John Tolkin, of recently relegated Holstein Kiel in Germany, has made five appearances, while Scally and DeJuan Jones have each appeared twice in the role. None have made a terribly compelling case for further looks.Throughout the Gold Cup, Arfsten and Tolkin — as indicated by their higher utilization — were the two options on Pochettino’s squad.Arfsten, a winger with the possession-dominant Columbus Crew, has fared about as you’d expect for a player who usually sees the game from a vastly different perspective. His attacking contributions were that of an ideal wingback, logging assists and chipping in goals as an auxiliary threat from wide. His defensive performances were riddled with the kinds of mistakes coaches have to drill out of defenders in the youth ranks, taking the bait and making needless fouls (like one just inside the box against Costa Rica that resulted in a penalty).Tolkin, largely as a substitute, has at least spent his career in the role since debuting with his boyhood New York Red Bulls. His issues more closely mirror the struggles recently seen from young left backs George Bello, Kris Lund and Sam Vines: bona fide left backs, but unable to prove themselves at the international level.There’s a paucity of alternatives, too. Unlike other spots, there’s no alternative who hasn’t been tested and is flying under the radar. The closest to matching that mold is Caleb Wiley, the Chelsea prospect who earned three caps in 2023 and 2024 but hasn’t been in a national team camp since Pochettino took charge. While it’s impressive for a 20-year-old to have amassed 135 club appearances, mostly with Atlanta United before the club from London came calling, his first loan with Strasbourg was inconclusive. He’s at Watford now, and could very easily work into the fold in the months to come. The other alternatives to Scally are, in the program’s grand tradition, playing out of position. There’s Arfsten, still tapping into his winger’s instincts at the expense of his team’s defending. There’s Scally shifting over from right back (and Sergiño Dest before him, the first-choice option in that spot), who fancy themselves to put in a shift on the left. Even then, it weakens the right back contingent that is seemingly three players deep: Dest, Scally, Alex Freeman. If Robinson’s recovery timetable will keep him out of the next international camp spanning from Sept. 1-9 (the fifth-to-last camp before the 2026 World Cup), those speculative alternatives may get another chance to log starts and fortify their cases for inclusion. Pochettino and a fanbase starved for optimism will rightfully hope for a pleasant surprise. As it stands right now, it’s a bleak reality for the USMNT: against ideal operational standards, this is a Jedi without a worthy padawan. (Top photo: Julian Finney/Getty Images)
La Liga season preview: Our predictions on Barcelona, Real Madrid and much more
The new La Liga season gets started later on Friday, with defending champions Barcelona opening at Real Mallorca tomorrow and Real Madrid welcoming Osasuna on Tuesday.
As usual, there is no shortage of storylines, including Barca again struggling to register their new signings, Madrid once more battling against La Liga’s authorities and Atletico Madrid spending big to try to challenge the Clasico duo for the title. There’s also plenty of political intrigue, controversy, figures under pressure and the possibility for history to be made on and off the pitch.
The Athletic has taken its annual stab at predicting how things will go (which will hopefully turn out better than last year, when we predicted Barcelona would sack new manager Hansi Flick by Christmas)…
Who will win La Liga and why?
Flick had a phenomenal first season in charge at Barcelona, winning the domestic treble of La Liga, Copa del Rey and Supercopa.
His squad is arguably stronger this year. Defender Inigo Martinez has left, but on-loan Marcus Rashford brings another option in attack, and most importantly, the team’s young core should be even better — centre-back Pau Cubarsi, midfielders Pedri and Gavi, and especially emerging-superstar attacker Lamine Yamal.
Can Flick’s Barca build further on last season’s success? (Judit Cartiel/Getty Images)
Madrid also look to have significantly improved, with a rebuilt defence and fresh energy and impetus under new coach Xabi Alonso. Atletico have spent a lot again to try to mount a challenge, and Diego Simeone arguably now has the deepest squad of his 14 seasons in charge. But Alonso’s impact across the capital could be hampered by minimal pre-season preparation time after going to the final four of the Club World Cup last month, while Simeone’s new signings might take a while to settle in.
Barcelona, Madrid and Atletico have finished among the top four in Spain every year since 2012-13, and they will again this time. But the race for the fourth Champions League qualification spot looks wide open.
Athletic Bilbao and Villarreal are playing in that competition this season, so their domestic form could suffer as they juggle the extra eight games. That might open up an opportunity for Real Betis, who continue to make progress year on year under veteran coach Manuel Pellegrini. Betis’ top-four challenge will be especially strong if they can secure the return of Brazilian attacker Antony from Manchester United after his impressive loan spell in the second half of last season.
Mallorca could potentially challenge for a European spot, while Valencia improved tremendously after Carlos Corberan took over as coach in January.
Who will be the biggest underperformers?
One of the biggest questions is how Madrid’s Club World Cup exertions, tacked onto the end of last season, will affect how they start this new campaign.
Madrid’s players finally got to go on holiday on July 10, after losing 4-0 to Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals in the United States. They then returned for pre-season training on August 4, just 15 days before they welcome Osasuna to the Bernabeu for both sides’ opening La Liga fixture.
Managing that situation is a huge challenge for new coach Alonso, who also has to integrate three new defenders in Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dean Huijsen and Alvaro Carreras.
Alonso was appointed as Madrid coach back in May (Sara Gordon/Real Madrid via Getty Images)
Their games at the Club World Cup suggested that Alonso’s biggest issue will be how to fit both Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior into his XI while implementing a version of the high-energy, high-pressing style he used at previous club Bayer Leverkusen.
Midfielder Jude Bellingham will be missing until mid-October at least, following a summer operation to fix a long-running shoulder issue, and players could also still leave in the summer transfer window, including Brazilian attacker Rodrygo.
Alonso could well end up being a success at the Bernabeu – he has the experience and nous to deal with the challenge of the job – but there might be some bumps along the way, and Madrid could be playing catch-up in the 2025-26 title race from early on.
How do you expect the promoted clubs to do?
Levante, Elche and Real Oviedo would all see a 17th-place finish in the 20-club table, so avoiding an immediate return to the second tier, as success.
The three promoted clubs are working with limited finances, having spent around €10million (£8.6m; $11.7m) between them so far on new players (for comparison, the three teams promoted to the Premier League this summer have spent over €300m combined).
Levante’s players, coach and staff played a big role in providing crucial supplies and support when the team’s home city of Valencia was badly flooded last October. Elche owner Christian Bragarnik’s CV includes experience as a striker in fifth-tier Argentine football, time spent as a video-store assistant, and working as an agent to Diego Maradona.
Who will be the best young player this season?
Yamal only turned 18 in mid-July and could already be the best player in Spain, if not the world, so he’s a good candidate for this section.
Already a senior Argentina international, Mastantuono is used to dealing with pressure and expectation. He has already played 64 senior games for River, scoring 10 goals and providing seven assists. Some of those goals were spectacular, especially the tremendous free kick scored in a 2-1 derby victory against fierce local rivals Boca Juniors in April.
Many kids have arrived at Madrid with big hype and have taken a long time to settle, or just never made it at all. But people who know Mastantuono reckon he can hit the ground running and quickly rival Yamal as the hottest teenager in La Liga.
Which under-the-radar figure have the big clubs been sleeping on?
Athletic Club’s Mikel Jauregizar had a real breakout season in 2024-25 and is fast developing into one of the top defensive midfielders in La Liga. Only 18 months on from his senior debut, the super-combative and mobile 21-year-old has established himself as a key member of coach Ernesto Valverde’s team.
Jauregizar, pictured in pre-season for Athletic (Joris Verwijst/BSR Agency/Getty Images)
He is not the biggest at 177cm (5ft 10in), but Jauregizar ranked third-highest among all midfielders for tackles in La Liga last season. That ability to regain possession and then launch attackers such as brothers Inaki and Nico Williams was key to Valverde’s team’s success in finishing fourth.
Jauregizar did not help himself with his performance in Athletic Club’s biggest game of the season, being embarrassingly dribbled past by Manchester United centre-back Harry Maguire in the Europa League semi-final first leg at San Mames. But his career so far suggests he is a very quick learner, and playing in the Champions League this season should bring plenty more experience and exposure.
For much of last season, Atletico appeared set to seriously compete on all fronts, but their season shuddered to a stop in March with a series of disappointing defeats by Barcelona and Madrid across La Liga, Copa del Rey and the Champions League.
Atletico’s subsequent summer spending of around €150million looks directly aimed at fixing issues in the squad highlighted during that tough spell. Slovakia defender David Hancko and United States international midfielder Johnny Cardoso bring more physicality, while Italian Matteo Ruggeri and Spain’s Alex Baena form an all-new left flank.
United States international Cardoso in action for Atletico in pre-season against Newcastle (Andy Buchanan/AFP via Getty Images)
On paper, they all look like excellent acquisitions. The question now is how Simeone integrates all his new players and whether he can get them to buy quickly into his trademark super-intense style of play.
If it all clicks, Atletico’s challenge could go a lot further this season.
Which club have had the worst transfer window?
Villarreal supporters had known that Spain international Baena was set to leave, and the club banking €42million from Atletico and signing Las Palmas’ Alberto Moleiro as a replacement for €16m was not such bad business. Similarly, selling inconsistent forward Thierno Barry to Everton for €30m and getting Spain Under-21 international centre-back Rafa Marin on loan from Napoli look like smart moves.
Less easy to understand is bringing in former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey on a free transfer.
Partey’s experience and ability could be useful on the pitch as Villarreal return to the Champions League this season, but for many, it is just unacceptable to sign a player who has been charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault in England. Partey denies the charges, and club president Fernando Roig said on Tuesday: “We respect the presumption of innocence and of course we condemn any kind of violence, inside or outside football.”
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Tell us one great storyline we might have missed…
Barcelona’s issues around registering their summer signings with La Liga are eye-catching due to the size of the club and the regular drama involved, but they are far from the only ones struggling in this area ahead of the new season.
Just days before the games kick off this weekend, more than 50 new arrivals had yet to be officially registered with La Liga. Clubs still looking to make room within their budget included the three promoted clubs, as well as Sevilla, Celta Vigo, Espanyol, Getafe, Real Sociedad, Betis and Alaves.
So some well-known names are likely to watch their new team’s opening game from the stands, while a frantic couple of weeks of wheeling and dealing are likely until the end of the transfer window.
What will be making headlines as the season progresses?
La Liga president Javier Tebas has been openly trying to stage official Spanish top-flight games in the United States since 2018, but until now has always been denied by a mix of political and practical factors.
Tebas is nothing if not dogged, however, and many of the big hurdles have now been removed — including the settlement of a U.S. legal case between world football’s governing body FIFA and promoters Relevent, and improved relations with the Spanish FA in the post-Luis Rubiales era.
The biggest opposition domestically comes from Madrid president Florentino Perez, while green lights are still required from the European game’s rulers UEFA, Concacaf (the regional federation that includes the U.S.) and the United States Soccer Federation.
Though it’s not yet fully sorted, sooner or later, Tebas’ signature project looks certain to happen.
(Top photos of Rashford, left, and Alexander-Arnold: Getty Images)
FourFourTwo Premier League Season Previews 2025-26
Our legendary previews on all 20 teams set to grace the Premier League this season is here, brought to you by expert journalists and hardcore fans at the heart of each club
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Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool, lifts the Premier League trophy after his team’s victory in the 2024/25 Premier League (Image credit: Carl Recine/Getty Images)
We’re not far away from the start of the 2025/26 Premier League and all the twists, turns and drama that comes with it.
The transfer market has been going into overdrive as teams look to do battle once again, with some mouthwatering spectacles set to light up the pitch again from August to May.
Read on for FourFourTwo’s preview on all 20 Premier League teams in the 2025/26 season…You may like
Bukayo Saka celebrates with Gabriel Martinelli after scoring for Arsenal against Real Madrid (Image credit: Getty Images)
After finishing second for a third season in a row last year, Arsenal are looking to go one better and finally lift the Premier League title. Preseason has been strong, with several new signings through the door, and now, Mikel Arteta is ready to take his side over the line and lift silverware this season.
FourFourTwo has your complete season preview ahead of the new campaign, with the lowdown on star players, what to expect and predictions of what’s to come over the next few months, along with Arsenal’s full fixture list, too.
Aston Villa
Aston Villa celebrate (Image credit: Getty Images)
Unai Emery’s Aston Villa missed out on Champions League football on the final day of last season. After another impressive campaign, in which they qualified for European football, reached the quarter-final of the Champions League, and the semi-final of the FA Cup, they will be looking to continue finishing inside the top six and make a serious play for one of the cups.
FourFourTwo has everything you need for the new term with our season preview. Get the inside scoop on star players, what to look forward to, and our predictions for the coming months, along with Aston Villa’s fixtures.
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Brentford
Nathan Collins of Brentford (Image credit: Getty Images)
Brentford are entering uncharted waters. For the first time in the Premier League they will not be led by Thomas Frank, and Bryan Mbeumo will not be in the squad. They have attempted to negate too much disruption by appointing former set-piece coach Keith Andrews, while they’ve brought in Caoimhin Kelleher and Jordan Henderson as they look to solidify their mid-table status.
Your essential guide to the new season is here. FourFourTwo brings you the full preview, including key players, team expectations, our final predictions and Brentford’s fixtures.
This will be Brighton’s eighth season in the Premier League and they enter with significant expectations. 18-year-old Charalampos Kostoulas has become their third highest transfer of all-time as they look to push for European football for the second-time in their history.
Ahead of the new campaign, FourFourTwo offers your complete season preview. We’ve got the lowdown on the biggest stars, what to expect, and a glimpse into our predictions for the next few months – plus Brighton’s full fixture list.
Burnley
Josh Brownhill of Burnley (Image credit: Getty Images)
Burnley finished second in the Championship last season with 100 points, the most ever for a team in second place, only beaten to the title on goal difference. Across the 46 games, they conceded just 16 goals, but shot-stopper James Trafford has returned to Manchester City. Scott Parker will be hoping they can build on their strong defensive performance and stay up this season.
Fresh off the back of their record points tally, Bournemouth will be looking to go one further and reach European football for the first time. Adoni Iroala’s side however, will be without much of their defence from last season, including Kepa Arrizabalaga, Dean Huijsen and Milos Kerkez making their task slightly more difficult.
FourFourTwo’snew season preview is out now. Dive into our analysis of key players and our predictions for what’s to come over the next few months – and check out Bournemouth’s fixture list, too.
Chelsea
Chelsea star Cole Palmer (Image credit: David Ramos/Getty Images)
Club World Cup champions Chelsea head into the season with lofty expectations. Their impressive performance in America this summer shows their scatter-gun transfer approach has worked and after spending north of £250 million again this summer, the Blues fans will be hoping they can make a serious bid for the title.
And the new season is almost here: FourFourTwo has your complete preview, covering everything from top players to our final predictions, and even Chelsea’s fixtures.
The mood is mixed at Selhurst Park. On the one hand, Oliver Glasner has delivered nothing that any Eagles manager has ever done before and won a trophy: the good feeling isn’t going to disappear any time soon, and Crystal Palace fans are hoping to push on up the league – but on the other, the cloud of the European football debacle and what competition they’ll be dropped into still lingers.
We’ve got everything you need to know ahead of the start of a new campaign with our comprehensive season preview, delving into what to look forward to and where Palace will be in another year’s time – plus, see Crystal Palace’s fixture list.
Everton
Everton manager David Moyes (Image credit: Alamy)
David Moyes is back at the wheel at Everton and the Toffees are under new ownership, as they look to buck the recent trend of fighting the drop and push on up the league: it’s arguably the most exciting time to be on the blue side of Merseyside for quite some time – and that’s before you factor in the small matter of a new home.
Find out what to expect from the new campaign: FourFourTwo provides a full season preview, including insights on star players and our predictions for the months ahead, along with Everton’s fixture list.
Fulham
Alex Iwobi of Fulham battles with Yegor Yarmolyuk of Brentford (Image credit: Alex Davidson/Getty Images)
Fulham are looking up in the table. Marco Silva has been in charge since 2021 now and with the Cottagers having kept key stars over the summer, now could be the time to mount a serious charge up the Premier League.
Leeds United are back in the big time – but can they remain there? Things are going to be tough for the Championship winners but after strengthening this summer, they’re in a good position to give it a whirl.
Be prepared for what’s to come: FourFourTwo offers you a full preview with the lowdown on star players and our predictions for the months to come, plus Leeds’ complete fixtures.
Liverpool
Liverpool star Mohamed Salah (Image credit: Pic Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Liverpool have refused to stand still. After winning the title last term, big money has been spent on improving Arne Slot’s side, as Florian Wirtz joins for a British record fee and two new full-backs join the side.
Are the Reds set for the new season? FourFourTwo has you covered with our complete preview, featuring key players, what’s expected, and our predictions, along with Liverpool’s fixture list.
Manchester City
Pep Guardiola instructs his players (Image credit: David Ramos/Getty Images)
Manchester City failed to win the title last year for the first time in five seasons. Now, armed with new recruits across the pitch and newfound fire to get back on top, Pep Guardiola is looking to wrestle back his crown.
FourFourTwo’scomplete season preview is here to get you hyped for the new campaign. We break down the star players, what you can expect, and our predictions for the campaign, ahead of Manchester City’s full fixtures.
Manchester United
Bryan Mbeumo trains with Manchester United (Image credit: Getty Images)
Last season was a generational low for a Manchester United side that finished 15th and lost the Europa League final. There’s certainly hope, however, that complete with a new-look frontline, the Red Devils can go again and that boss Ruben Amorim can start to get this side clicking under his system.
Before the new campaign kicks off, check out our full season preview from FourFourTwo. You’ll get the inside scoop on top players, what to anticipate, and what we think will happen over the next few months – and check out Manchester United’s complete fixture list.
Newcastle United
Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe (Image credit: Getty Images)
Newcastle United may have had a tough summer but they go into the new season having lifted a trophy last term and with Champions League to look forward to. Despite the struggles in the transfer market, Eddie Howe has built a side to be feared on the pitch: and this is a club that will be looking to go even further in their ambitions.
Ready for the new season? FourFourTwo has you covered with our in-depth preview. We give you the lowdown on the players to watch and share our predictions for the coming months, ahead of Newcastle’s fixtures.
Nottingham Forest bucked all expectations last term with a finish in the European places – and after the unexpected bonus of Europa League football to look forward to, the Tricky Trees are welcoming European football back for the first time in a generation. There’s plenty to be excited by.
The new season is just around the corner, and our complete preview is finally here. FourFourTwo gives you the essential details on star players, a rundown of expectations, and a look at our predictions, plus Forest’s fixture list.
Sunderland
Sunderland fans (Image credit: Getty Images)
Sunderland’s dramatic promotion in the play-offs sees the Black Cats returning to the Premier League and wanting to do far more than make up the numbers: if summer business has anything to go by, they could be about to spring a few surprises, too.
What’s in store for the new season? Find out with our complete preview from FourFourTwo. We’ve got the scoop on key players, what to expect, and our predictions for the months to come – and we’ve even got Sunderland’s complete fixture schedule.
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham boss Thomas Frank (Image credit: Copyright (c) 2025 Shutterstock Editorial. No use without permission.)
Optimism at Tottenham Hotspur is unusually high for a team that only scraped 17th in the table last season: that will be because Thomas Frank has arrived, preseason has been positive and the Europa League triumph last season means that the trophy curse has finally been banished. Now, Spurs can start looking upwards again.
The wait is over: FourFourTwo presents our comprehensive season preview, complete with a close look at the most exciting players and our predictions for the next few months., along with Tottenham’s fixture lists.
West Ham United
West Ham man Tomas Soucek (Image credit: Getty Images)
West Ham United are quietly going about their business this summer and with a highly-rated coach in Graham Potter, they’ll be hoping to cause some upsets and return to battling for Europe.
Anticipation is building, and so is our new season preview: FourFourTwo brings you all the essential info on players to watch and our bold predictions for the season – plus, West Ham’s fixtures.
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolves boss Vitor Pereira (Image credit: Getty Images)
Wolverhampton Wanderers enjoyed a remarkable turnaround under Vitor Pereira last season – but having lost star players Rayan Ait-Nouri and Matheus Cunha, can the Old Gold expect another campaign like last, or can they push on up the Premier League?
Get a head start on the new campaign with the FourFourTwoseason preview: we’ll give you a full rundown on the top stars and offer our predictions for the season ahead, along with Wolves’ complete fixtures.
Premier League Predictions: Liverpool vs Bournemouth, Man Utd vs Arsenal and the rest of Matchday 1
Welcome to the first edition of The Athletic’s new Premier League Predictions game.
This is where you (our lovely subscribers) have the opportunity to join a data algorithm, a six-year-old boy, and me in putting our credibility on the line on a weekly basis.
Every week, we will give score predictions for each of the 10 Premier League games, with a correct scoreline gaining three points and a correct result gaining one point. To make things more interesting, there will be a bonus point if a player is the only one to get a scoreline or result correct. You’ll be able to see the standings from next week.
We will have a different subscriber each week, chosen from those who have replied with their interest (see here for how to get involved and for other general information), but I will be a constant throughout the season until May, along with the algorithm and, of course, six-year-old Wilfred.The more I talk about this, the more convinced I am that The Athletic are setting me up for a fall here, exposing not only my inability to predict the outcome of football matches but, even worse, my blatant bias against your team.Ah, let’s brush away these pangs of insecurity. Three hundred and eighty Premier League matches lie ahead of us from now to May 24, so let’s get cracking.For the opening weekend, the subscribers will be represented by Vaageesh, a Manchester United supporter who hails from Chennai, India. Will he tip his beloved team to hit the ground running against Arsenal? Will any of us? This is already causing me more stress than I thought it would…
Our subscriber’s match of the week
Manchester United vs Arsenal, Sunday 4.30pm BST/11.30am ET
Vaageesh says: “I don’t have much time; I’m writing this moments after entrapping my battling optimistic and pessimistic selves in a bunker. Here’s the rationale: Manchester United’s ability in transition will cancel out Arsenal’s confidence when in possession and neither will quite have the fluidity required to pull ahead despite the fact that both teams seem to have improved over the summer.”
Manchester United 1-1 Arsenal
Oli says: I’m old enough to remember Arsenal, as champions, being obliterated on the opening day in 1989-90 by a new-look Manchester United team, for whom it proved a classic false dawn. United’s prospective new owner, Michael Knighton, was on the pitch beforehand, ball-juggling and blowing kisses to the crowd, and Neil Webb smashed one in from 25 yards on his debut — wild stuff, honestly (yeah, get on with it, Grandad).If I close my eyes, I can imagine a scenario where something similar happens — this new United front line looks perfect for a balmy Sunday afternoon in August — but… no, not quite. This Arsenal team strike me as too serious to be rolled over on day one. I’ll try not to sit on the fence too often, but I’m going to have to go for a very lively draw here.
Manchester United 2-2 Arsenal
Bryan Mbeumo (left), Benjamin Sesko (middle) and Matheus Cunha (Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
Oli’s other predictions
Liverpool vs Bournemouth
Oli says: If I describe this as an awkward start for Liverpool, it’s in part because Bournemouth are unconventional opponents. Nobody seems to have it easy against them. I’ll go for a home win, but not a comfortable one. It might be a tight, nervous one, requiring a lively cameo from Rio Ngumoha and a late winner from Mohamed Salah, that kind of thing.
Liverpool 2-1 Bournemouth
Aston Villa vs Newcastle
Oli says: They have both had challenging summers, but stylistically this is one of my favourite match-ups in the league. The past six meetings have seen four wins for Newcastle (4-0, 5-1, 3-1, 3-0) and two for Villa (3-0 and 4-1), and I could see this one swinging violently one way or the other. Which way? I’ll say Villa this time.
Aston Villa 3-1 Newcastle
Brighton vs Fulham
Oli says: Another nice match-up, another that could certainly go either way. Why am I going with Fulham to hit the ground running against a Brighton team I rate? Not sure, but perhaps because of their quiet summer in the transfer market, rather than despite it.
Brighton 1-2 Fulham
Sunderland vs West Ham
Oli says: I’ve missed having Sunderland in the Premier League — or certainly the notion of what Sunderland should or could be. The place will be rocking on Saturday and even though I like the look of a couple of West Ham’s signings, it’s a winnable opening game for Sunderland.
Sunderland 1-0 West Ham
Tottenham vs Burnley
Oli says: I don’t know what to expect from Tottenham this season, but I will at least predict a winning start. Burnley had an outstanding defensive record last season, but facing Dominic Solanke, Mohammed Kudus, etc, represents a step up in class for Scott Parker’s team.
Tottenham 2-1 Burnley
Wolves vs Man City
Oli says: The Wolves fans I know are all worried after another summer dominated by departures. As opening games go, this looks more likely to intensify the gloom rather than lift it. Manchester City always seem to hit the ground running — Erling Haaland in particular — and I expect that to continue.
Wolves 0-2 Manchester City
Chelsea vs Crystal Palace
Oli says: I don’t know how Chelsea’s Club World Cup exertions will affect them in the long run, but I fancy them to start well. Palace, incidentally, have been slow starters and excellent finishers over the past few seasons. There’s no reason to expect that pattern to continue, but Chelsea away on the opening weekend is tough.
Chelsea 2-1 Crystal Palace
Nottingham Forest vs Brentford
Oli says: Looking at how the fixtures have fallen, Forest are another team I fancy to start well — at least until the European commitments kick in, which will test their squad depth — whereas I’m slightly concerned for Brentford. I’m expecting a home win and a Morgan Gibbs-White goal, followed by a flamboyant kiss of the badge.
Nottingham Forest 2-0 Brentford
Leeds vs Everton
Oli says: For Leeds and their fans, this is the perfect opening game, particularly under the floodlights on a Monday night. They didn’t get to enjoy an occasion like this after promotion during the Covid pandemic in 2020, so I’m predicting an utterly wild atmosphere, an exuberant performance, a refereeing controversy, and, ultimately, a Leeds win to round off a lively opening weekend.
How players force a transfer, Pulisic and Weah hit back at ‘evil’ ex-USMNT stars NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND – MAY 25: Alexander Isak of Newcastle United applauds the fans as he warms up prior to the Premier League match between Newcastle United FC and Everton FC at St James’ Park on May 25, 2025 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images) By Phil Hay Aug. 14, 2025 1
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Hello! Feigning injury, missing pre-season, downing tools. We’re covering the dark arts involved in convincing a club to sell you. Just don’t bother with an actual transfer request.
On the way:
How footballers force a move Pulisic beef intensifies Rooney fires back at Brady A stone-cold 50-metre lob Exit strategy: Isak wants to leave Newcastle… but how do players get their way?
Alexander Isak during pre-season training in July (Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images) I once asked a footballer (best left nameless) why, at one of his previous clubs, he upset all and sundry by submitting a transfer request. “It wasn’t a transfer request,” he replied. “It was a perceived transfer request.”
You can guess the follow-up question: what on earth is a perceived transfer request? “They took it to be an official request, when it wasn’t,” he explained, which sounded suspiciously like semantics to me; a player actively plotting to leave, without saying so formally or quite so explicitly.
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Written transfer requests — the unequivocal, black-and-white means by which restless pros can manipulate a move — are less common than you might think. For one thing, submitting a demand in writing risks forfeiting future bonuses or loyalty payments. For two, they’re regarded as small-time. As one agent tells The Athletic’s Stu James: “You’re handing in a letter saying you want to leave. What the hell does that do?”
Stu wrote about the art of manufacturing a transfer in 2021 but he updated his piece when trouble brewed between Newcastle United and Alexander Isak (above), and it’s relevant again in light of the sorry deterioration of that relationship. The Swedish striker has no intention of making another appearance for the Tyneside club. He would sooner sign for Liverpool. But how does he force his way out the door if Newcastle aren’t minded to trade him?
This isn’t new ground, or even close. Cerys Jones went back through the Premier League archives to analyse other high-profile names — Harry Kane, Luis Suarez and others — who effectively went on strike, hoping to be sold. Some who stamp their feet get their way. Others don’t. Stu’s feature is a window into Newcastle’s reality.
Top Stories The biggest issues facing youth sports? Greg Olsen has strong opinions NBA 2025-26 schedule release: 40 games I’m looking forward to next season The epicenter of stalking in sports? Why tennis stands apart Never get an owner angry Isak hasn’t done a bad job in employing the tactics suggested by different agents Stu talked to (all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity). Complain of minor injuries? Check. Refuse to travel on a pre-season tour? Check. Down tools, or cast doubt over your commitment to your existing employers? Check. Textbook stuff.
Here’s what those who know the drill had to say about facilitating a contentious exit from a club:
One agent warned: “What you must never do is get an owner angry. Once a billionaire says, ‘He’s not for sale’, you’re dead. You’re ain’t going nowhere because their credibility is on the line.” A manager with Premier League experience talked about trying to drop a wantaway star down to work with the club’s under-23s: “Then you’ll have the club push back on you and say, ‘He’s an asset, he needs to be involved’. You end up having friction with the club. It’s an absolute nightmare.” Another high-profile representative said, “Some agents try to force things through that are just ridiculous. And all that happens is that it causes a load of bad feeling, nobody wins. Try to find a solution for everybody.” But by far the most revealing quote came from David Sullivan, the co-owner of West Ham United. Generally speaking, Sullivan said, coaches want disruptive players out of the building because they “create a terrible atmosphere”. A sulking asset is essentially a bad apple. And in the case of Isak, it might be that fact that grants him his wish.
‘I feel like they’re evil’: Pulisic and Weah bite back on criticism of ex-USMNT players. Again. USMNT’s Tim Weah and Christian Pulisic Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah celebrate against Germany in 2023 (Alex Grimm/Getty Images) To say that current USMNT stars are at odds with certain retired U.S. internationals would be the understatement of the day. Tyler Adams tried to be diplomatic about criticism from Landon Donovan and others in an interview with The Athletic this week, but yesterday’s episode of the ‘Pulisic’ series on Paramount+ took the beef up a notch.
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One thing to point out first: by any objective measure, the USMNT have done nothing to shield themselves from ex-pro scrutiny. The past couple of years have been miserable, and Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah (above) choosing to miss this summer’s Gold Cup wasn’t going to pass without comment. But blimey, they’re taking it all to heart. Here’s what was said on ‘Pulisic’:
Weah: “Those guys are chasing cheques. And for me, I just feel like they’re really evil. Because they’ve been players, and they know what it’s like when you’re getting bashed. Those are the same guys that’ll turn around and shake your hand, and try to be friendly with you at the end of the day.” Pulisic: “The most annoying thing, and the biggest cop-out of all time, is when all pundits want to say, ‘They didn’t want it, they didn’t have the heart. Back in our day, we would fight and die on that field’. It’s frustrating.” Pulisic’s father, Mark: “These guys want clicks. It’s social media, it’s, ‘Subscribe to my channel, listen to my podcasts’, or whatever.” Quote three is a little ironic coming from someone talking in a docuseries, but here we are. The thing is, I don’t see the former USMNT corps backing down tamely, so where this goes from here is anybody’s guess. National unity with less than a year to a home World Cup? If only.
News Round-Up A tasty spat has broken out between Birmingham City shareholder Tom Brady and the club’s former head coach, Wayne Rooney. Brady was filmed raising doubts about Rooney’s work ethic in a recent documentary. Rooney hit back on his new podcast, saying the comments were “very unfair” and that Brady didn’t “really understand football that well”. Barcelona’s board are putting millions of their own money on the line in an effort to get Marcus Rashford and others registered with La Liga. Their salary-cap stress has reached crisis point, again. The Daily Liverpool: they’re closing in on the signing of 18-year-old defender Giovanni Leoni from Parma in Italy. He’ll set them back £26m ($35.2m). The Club World Cup was a nice little earner for the squad at Chelsea. After winning the tournament, their players will share bonuses worth more than £10m. But, bless them, a portion is to be donated to the family of Diogo Jota and his brother, Andre Silva. Gimnastic de Tarragona, a Catalan club who play in Spain’s third division, have cancelled the signing of Jose Manuel Calderon…after the defender was caught on camera saying: “I sh** on all dead Catalans.” Calderon apologised, albeit too little too late. An under-21s match involving Manchester United had to be abandoned after midfielder Sekou Kone suffered a bad head injury. The 19-year-old was taken to hospital but appears to be OK. Keeping it together: Chevalier and PSG come back from 2-0 down to beat Spurs in Super Cup
TNT Sports Well, colour us shocked. Paris Saint-Germain ostracise Gianluigi Donnarumma and the first thing the goalkeeper’s replacement, Lucas Chevalier, does is mark his debut in last night’s UEFA Super Cup match by throwing one in this goal, above. That’s football being football.
The evening got better for Chevalier, who saved a penalty in a shootout as PSG picked up their fourth trophy of 2025. They were on the ropes in normal time, trailing 2-0 to Tottenham Hotspur with five minutes to go, but something woke them from their slumber.
I’d caution against reading too much into Tottenham’s display because PSG were rusty, as if they were psychologically tearing themselves away from the beaches of Saint-Tropez. That said, for much of the game, there was decent structure to Spurs and their set pieces worked. It was only as they dropped deep in defence of their lead that PSG got a sniff. No early silverware for Thomas Frank, but green shoots all the same.
It didn’t stop Sheffield United sliding out of the Carabao Cup, but I wouldn’t have you missing Gustavo Hamer’s glorious 50-yard finish against Birmingham City last night. Nottingham Forest’s Murillo should sign him up for lessons.
ITV Sport Around TAFC On the eve of the Premier League season, I’ll point you towards a rundown of all the coverage you can expect from The Athletic. It’s here and it’s epic. I like the sound of the alternative league table. There can’t have been many summers in which top-flight English teams threw more money at attacking signings, including Viktor Gyokeres and Florian Wirtz. Mark Carey and Thom Harris have taken a closer look at an expensive trend. Gyokeres, in theory, should enhance Arsenal’s chances of winning the title. Amy Lawrence sat down for an exclusive chat with their manager, Mikel Arteta. James Milner is a machine: 39 years old and still at it in the Premier League. This interview with him by Oli Kay is ace. Fantasy Premier League: once more, the code to our TAFC league for any readers who wish to be part of it. Enter using 30j0f7. We’ve got a few more last-minute tips for you. Most clicked in Wednesday’s TAFC: the PSG-Donnarumma rift. And finally…
X / @sportsru How we chuckled a few weeks back at the footballer in Brazil who re-enacted the Cristiano Ronaldo ‘Siu’ celebration routine and gave himself a gammy leg in the process.
But that self-inflicted wound looks fairly pedestrian when set aside the post-goal backflip attempted by Dynamo Barnaul’s Kirill Mogel in a Russian lower-league match at the weekend. To cut him some slack, the striker hadn’t scored for months but if the crunch was as nasty as it looked, he might not be scoring again for a good while either.
“The acrobatic trick didn’t work out for him,” lamented Dynamo Barnaul’s official website. I’ll say.
(Top photo: George Wood/Getty Images)
How players force a transfer, Pulisic and Weah hit back at ‘evil’ ex-USMNT stars
Hello! Feigning injury, missing pre-season, downing tools. We’re covering the dark arts involved in convincing a club to sell you. Just don’t bother with an actual transfer request.
Exit strategy: Isak wants to leave Newcastle… but how do players get their way?
Alexander Isak during pre-season training in July (Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)
I once asked a footballer (best left nameless) why, at one of his previous clubs, he upset all and sundry by submitting a transfer request. “It wasn’t a transfer request,” he replied. “It was a perceived transfer request.”
You can guess the follow-up question: what on earth is a perceived transfer request? “They took it to be an official request, when it wasn’t,” he explained, which sounded suspiciously like semantics to me; a player actively plotting to leave, without saying so formally or quite so explicitly.
Advertisement
Written transfer requests — the unequivocal, black-and-white means by which restless pros can manipulate a move — are less common than you might think. For one thing, submitting a demand in writing risks forfeiting future bonuses or loyalty payments. For two, they’re regarded as small-time. As one agent tells The Athletic’s Stu James: “You’re handing in a letter saying you want to leave. What the hell does that do?”
Stu wrote about the art of manufacturing a transfer in 2021 but he updated his piece when trouble brewed between Newcastle United and Alexander Isak (above), and it’s relevant again in light of the sorry deterioration of that relationship. The Swedish striker has no intention of making another appearance for the Tyneside club. He would sooner sign for Liverpool. But how does he force his way out the door if Newcastle aren’t minded to trade him?
This isn’t new ground, or even close. Cerys Jones went back through the Premier League archives to analyse other high-profile names — Harry Kane, Luis Suarez and others — who effectively went on strike, hoping to be sold. Some who stamp their feet get their way. Others don’t. Stu’s feature is a window into Newcastle’s reality.
Never get an owner angry
Isak hasn’t done a bad job in employing the tactics suggested by different agents Stu talked to (all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity). Complain of minor injuries? Check. Refuse to travel on a pre-season tour? Check. Down tools, or cast doubt over your commitment to your existing employers? Check. Textbook stuff.
Here’s what those who know the drill had to say about facilitating a contentious exit from a club:
One agent warned: “What you must never do is get an owner angry. Once a billionaire says, ‘He’s not for sale’, you’re dead. You’re ain’t going nowhere because their credibility is on the line.”
A manager with Premier League experience talked about trying to drop a wantaway star down to work with the club’s under-23s: “Then you’ll have the club push back on you and say, ‘He’s an asset, he needs to be involved’. You end up having friction with the club. It’s an absolute nightmare.”
Another high-profile representative said, “Some agents try to force things through that are just ridiculous. And all that happens is that it causes a load of bad feeling, nobody wins. Try to find a solution for everybody.”
But by far the most revealing quote came from David Sullivan, the co-owner of West Ham United. Generally speaking, Sullivan said, coaches want disruptive players out of the building because they “create a terrible atmosphere”. A sulking asset is essentially a bad apple. And in the case of Isak, it might be that fact that grants him his wish.
‘I feel like they’re evil’: Pulisic and Weah bite back on criticism of ex-USMNT players. Again.
Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah celebrate against Germany in 2023 (Alex Grimm/Getty Images)
To say that current USMNT stars are at odds with certain retired U.S. internationals would be the understatement of the day. Tyler Adams tried to be diplomatic about criticism from Landon Donovan and others in an interview with The Athletic this week, but yesterday’s episode of the ‘Pulisic’ series on Paramount+ took the beef up a notch.
One thing to point out first: by any objective measure, the USMNT have done nothing to shield themselves from ex-pro scrutiny. The past couple of years have been miserable, and Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah (above) choosing to miss this summer’s Gold Cup wasn’t going to pass without comment. But blimey, they’re taking it all to heart. Here’s what was said on ‘Pulisic’:
Weah: “Those guys are chasing cheques. And for me, I just feel like they’re really evil. Because they’ve been players, and they know what it’s like when you’re getting bashed. Those are the same guys that’ll turn around and shake your hand, and try to be friendly with you at the end of the day.”
Pulisic: “The most annoying thing, and the biggest cop-out of all time, is when all pundits want to say, ‘They didn’t want it, they didn’t have the heart. Back in our day, we would fight and die on that field’. It’s frustrating.”
Pulisic’s father, Mark: “These guys want clicks. It’s social media, it’s, ‘Subscribe to my channel, listen to my podcasts’, or whatever.”
Quote three is a little ironic coming from someone talking in a docuseries, but here we are. The thing is, I don’t see the former USMNT corps backing down tamely, so where this goes from here is anybody’s guess. National unity with less than a year to a home World Cup? If only.
News Round-Up
A tasty spat has broken out between Birmingham City shareholder Tom Brady and the club’s former head coach, Wayne Rooney. Brady was filmed raising doubts about Rooney’s work ethic in a recent documentary. Rooney hit back on his new podcast, saying the comments were “very unfair” and that Brady didn’t “really understand football that well”.
Barcelona’s board are putting millions of their own money on the line in an effort to get Marcus Rashford and others registered with La Liga. Their salary-cap stress has reached crisis point, again.
The Daily Liverpool: they’re closing in on the signing of 18-year-old defender Giovanni Leoni from Parma in Italy. He’ll set them back £26m ($35.2m).
Gimnastic de Tarragona, a Catalan club who play in Spain’s third division, have cancelled the signing of Jose Manuel Calderon…after the defender was caught on camera saying: “I sh** on all dead Catalans.” Calderon apologised, albeit too little too late.
An under-21s match involving Manchester United had to be abandoned after midfielder Sekou Kone suffered a bad head injury. The 19-year-old was taken to hospital but appears to be OK.
Keeping it together: Chevalier and PSG come back from 2-0 down to beat Spurs in Super Cup
TNT Sports
Well, colour us shocked. Paris Saint-Germain ostracise Gianluigi Donnarumma and the first thing the goalkeeper’s replacement, Lucas Chevalier, does is mark his debut in last night’s UEFA Super Cup match by throwing one in this goal, above. That’s football being football.
The evening got better for Chevalier, who saved a penalty in a shootout as PSG picked up their fourth trophy of 2025. They were on the ropes in normal time, trailing 2-0 to Tottenham Hotspur with five minutes to go, but something woke them from their slumber.
I’d caution against reading too much into Tottenham’s display because PSG were rusty, as if they were psychologically tearing themselves away from the beaches of Saint-Tropez. That said, for much of the game, there was decent structure to Spurs and their set pieces worked. It was only as they dropped deep in defence of their lead that PSG got a sniff. No early silverware for Thomas Frank, but green shoots all the same.
On the eve of the Premier League season, I’ll point you towards a rundown of all the coverage you can expect from The Athletic. It’s here and it’s epic. I like the sound of the alternative league table.
There can’t have been many summers in which top-flight English teams threw more money at attacking signings, including Viktor Gyokeres and Florian Wirtz. Mark Carey and Thom Harris have taken a closer look at an expensive trend.
Gyokeres, in theory, should enhance Arsenal’s chances of winning the title. Amy Lawrence sat down for an exclusive chat with their manager, Mikel Arteta.
James Milner is a machine: 39 years old and still at it in the Premier League. This interview with him by Oli Kay is ace.
Fantasy Premier League: once more, the code to our TAFC league for any readers who wish to be part of it. Enter using 30j0f7. We’ve got a few more last-minute tips for you.
How we chuckled a few weeks back at the footballer in Brazil who re-enacted the Cristiano Ronaldo ‘Siu’ celebration routine and gave himself a gammy leg in the process.
But that self-inflicted wound looks fairly pedestrian when set aside the post-goal backflip attempted by Dynamo Barnaul’s Kirill Mogel in a Russian lower-league match at the weekend. To cut him some slack, the striker hadn’t scored for months but if the crunch was as nasty as it looked, he might not be scoring again for a good while either.
“The acrobatic trick didn’t work out for him,” lamented Dynamo Barnaul’s official website. I’ll say.
Probably not, because it never really stopped. But if you were struggling, fear not, because the Premier League is back.
Three hundred and eighty matches, 282 days, 20 teams, endless grumbling about VARs, and almost certainly a new officiating debate that none of us have dreamed up yet are waiting just around the corner, all starting when reigning champions Liverpool host Bournemouth on Friday at 8pm BST/3pm EST.Leeds United, Burnley, and Sunderland are up from the Championship, there are new faces on the pitch and in the technical areas, and, as always, there are a host of minor tweaks, too.his, then, is what you need to know for the new Premier League season.
New laws
The major change (and, whisper it, possibly even a popular one) is the introduction of the eight-second rule, which will already be familiar to those who watched the Club World Cup.If goalkeepers are in control of the ball with their arms/hands for more than eight seconds, they will concede a corner from the side closest to them. This replaces the old law, which was rarely enforced, where goalkeepers could concede an indirect free kick if they held onto the ball for more than six seconds.When the rule was announced by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), it said only four corners were awarded in its trial of the rule, which consisted of hundreds of matches.It is up to the referee to decide when the ’keeper has control of the ball and start the countdown. They will visually count down the last five seconds so it is clear to the goalkeeper what is happening.
There will be no disciplinary action unless the ’keeper repeatedly commits the offence, and they are not penalised if they are starting to or about to release the ball as the countdown ends.
The referee will also not start counting if the goalkeeper is being obstructed by an opposition attacker — if, during the countdown, an opponent pressures the ’keeper, they will concede an indirect free kick.
Teams will be awarded a corner if the opposition goalkeeper holds onto the ball for too long (Julian Finney/Getty Images)
There are also new ‘only the captain’ guidelines on approaching the referee. ‘Normal interactions’ between players and the referee will be allowed, but the guidance is aimed at preventing players from surrounding or mobbing them after big incidents or decisions. Team captains are responsible for helping direct team-mates away from the referee, and anyone who approaches without permission may be booked.The referee may invite the captain over to explain a decision. The hope is that players will know there is an avenue for them to receive engagement with the referee through their captain, but also know they can expect a booking if they approach when they should not.If the captain is the goalkeeper, they can nominate an outfield team-mate before the coin toss to approach the referee instead.Finally, the rules have been tweaked for accidental ‘double-touch’ penalties. If a player scores a penalty kick but accidentally touches the ball twice, they will be allowed to retake it. If they miss, they do not get another chance.
Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez was involved in a double-touch penalty in last season’s Champions League (Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
New refereeing tech: semi-automated offside technology (SAOT), announcements, and ‘Ref Cam’
Some might recall that SAOT was on our list last year and was expected to be introduced “from after one of the autumn international breaks”. It actually ended up being introduced to the Premier League in April, so we deem it new enough to make the list again, as this will be the first full season where it is used.
The technology aims to reduce the length of VAR checks by automating parts of the decision-making process. The technology won’t be used for clear offside decisions. However, the old method of ‘drawing lines’ might still be needed in some cases if the technology fails, or if players are blocking the view of the ball or the system’s cameras.
(Steve Bardens/Getty Images)
This happened in March, on the first weekend when the technology was trialled in English football. During Wolverhampton Wanderers’ FA Cup game against Bournemouth, a congested penalty area meant officials could not rely on the technology and there was an eight-minute delay.There will also be more information for fans in stadiums this season. Graphics showing the results of SAOT decisions will be shown on giant screens, and after a trial in the Carabao Cup, referees will make an announcement in the stadium explaining the outcome of all VAR reviews (except for factual offside or onside calls).The league also plans to trial referee-worn cameras, as seen at the Club World Cup. The trial is expected to begin this month and last for around six weeks.The footage can be used as an additional replay angle in broadcasts, allowing fans to see the game from the referee’s perspective. However, no confrontational or controversial moments should be shown.
A new, bigger, UK broadcast deal
More Premier League games will be shown on TV than ever before as the league’s new broadcast deal, agreed back in December 2023 and worth £6.7bn, takes effect.
All games outside the Saturday 3pm blackout will now be broadcast live in the UK. Previously, some Sunday 2pm games were not available to watch live in the UK if they had been moved to that slot due to teams competing in European competition in midweek.
At least 215 matches will be on Sky Sports, and TNT will show 52. Amazon Prime no longer shows any.
Sky will show games on a Saturday at 5:30pm, on a Sunday at 2pm and 4:30pm, Monday and Friday evening games, and the first three rounds of midweek fixtures. Sky’s coverage also includes a new ‘Multiview’ format, which will allow customers to watch up to four games at once on Sunday afternoons.
TNT will show the early kick-off games at 12:30pm on Saturdays, as well as the last two rounds of midweek fixtures.
BBC Sport has highlights rights for all 380 matches.
In the U.S., NBC will show all 380 games, with just under half of them streamed exclusively on Peacock. The remainder will be shown on a main NBC channel or USA Network.
(Naomi Baker/Getty Images)
New broadcast access — including in-game and half-time interviews
Clubs are now obligated to grant more access to broadcasters, including the potential for access to dressing rooms or interviews at half-time or during the match.
Each club will only have to agree to these extra obligations a limited number of times.
At least twice per season, each club must do one of the following:
Allow filming for at least 90 seconds in their dressing room. This could be between the end of the warm-up and start of the match, at half-time, or immediately after the match once the players are back in the dressing room. The club can request that this footage is without audio unless they approve it.
Make a player or manager available for an interview at half-time. This should be no more than three questions, all of which should be positive and related to the match. The interview must be timed so it will not delay the restart.
Make a substituted player, or the manager, available for an interview during the match. This must be by no later than the 85th minute and the interview should be no more than two questions, both of which must be related to the match and positive.
The broadcaster will request this extra access before the fixture and say which of the three options it would prefer, but the club chooses which it plans to provide.
If a club is losing when they were supposed to provide this extra access, they can choose to do it at another match instead.
(Stu Forster/Getty Images)
A new ball — and not a Nike one
Lastly, the official ball has changed. Nike’s 25-year partnership has come to an end and Puma will now supply the match ball.
The German company is already the ball supplier for Serie A, La Liga, the English Football League, and the Carabao Cup. It was in the latter competition that Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta referred to the match ball when dissecting his side’s 2-0 loss to eventual tournament winners Newcastle United in the first leg of their semi-final.
“(The Carabao Cup ball) is very different to a Premier League ball, and you have to adapt to that because it flies differently. When you touch it, the grip is also very different, so you adapt to that.”
(Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
Check back for Arteta’s review of Puma’s Orbita Ultimate ball when the season gets underway…
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Wrexham’s revamped home: A (longer) £1.7m pitch, heated dugout seats and goal-line technology
But he’s far from alone at Wrexham in experiencing a hectic close season. Aidan Miller, the club’s strategy and projects director, has overseen a revamp of the SToK Cae Ras designed to nudge the world’s oldest international football ground into the modern era.A new £1.7million ($2.3m) pitch, complete with undersoil heating and new drainage, has been the marquee addition. No one at Wrexham’s Carabao Cup first-round victory over Hull City could have failed to notice just how lush the new surface looked in the August sunshine. Nor how well it played.
The seeding and stitching operation to make Wrexham’s surface compliant with European football’s regulations was only part of an overhaul that included moving both dugouts to the opposite side of the pitch, building a new TV gantry, reconfiguring stands to squeeze in extra seats, erecting two new giant TV screens at one end and taking down the old scoreboard at the other.
Wrexham’s new pitch, as seen before their first home match of the season (Robbie Jay Barratt/Getty Images)
There was also the dismantling of a temporary stand, plus the all-important deactivation of a live electric cable underneath the old Kop, as preparatory work continues ahead of the new 7,500-capacity stand starting to go up, on schedule, in the autumn.To squeeze all this into exactly 100 days between Wrexham staging a promotion party after last season had ended and Tuesday’s cup tie against Hull is impressive. Even more so when you consider the club did not know until beating Charlton Athletic on April 26 when the 20224-25 season would finish — or when their 2025-26 league campaign would start.“We had to do a lot of planning,” explains Miller, who joined Wrexham early in 2025 after almost seven years at Everton, primarily working on the club’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium. “The key thing with the pitch is it would take six weeks to reconstruct it. But two months to grow it.
“If we’d finished third and then not gone up, the window would have been tight. In the end, the opposite happened, where we had an extra three weeks (due to Wrexham clinching automatic promotion). But we’d had to plan for the worst and hope we got the best.”In recent years, Wrexham’s historic home has struggled to keep pace with Parkinson’s upwardly mobile team. Facilities have been improved, such as the installation of new floodlights prior to returning to the EFL in 2023. But, really, it won’t be until the new Kop stand is finished that The Racecourse Ground will truly shine.The changes — which include the installation of goal-line technology — have brought a new sheen to a venue that first hosted a Wales international in 1877.
The newly-installed cameras (Richard Sutcliffe/The Athletic)
“We’ve always said with the sporting side being so successful, then the standards get raised in terms of what is expected,” says Rob Faulkner, Wrexham’s chief business and communications officer, when giving The Athletic a tour of all the changes, including upgraded concourses and hospitality areas.
“A lot of things will go into the new Kop, particularly for the fans and players with top-class facilities, new dressing rooms and so on. But until then, we are trying to catch up as much as we can.”
At one stage this summer, six different projects were being worked on inside The Racecourse at the same time by a small army of workers.
Contractors Cleveland Land Services (CLS) worked around the clock to get the pitch ready, with seeding taking place on June 1 and the stitching in July.
The dugouts were moved across the pitch to the Mold Road Stand, where coaching staff and substitutes will benefit from heated seats in what can be a cold part of the stadium. This has allowed the old dugouts to be converted into fan seating.
Two hundred and 24 seats have been added to the Tech End behind the goal, giving a full extra row at the front of the upper section. The old electronic scoreboard at that end has also gone, so the view of those who stand on the back row will no longer be impeded.
The pitch has been extended in length to allow for rugby matches to be played in the future and also shifted a couple of metres towards the Kop. This meant the new two-level TV gantry had to be situated slightly to the side of its predecessor, to ensure the main camera position remains on halfway.
The new two-level TV gantry (Richard Sutcliffe/The Athletic)
A second gantry has also been built on the opposite side of the ground on halfway, meaning Wrexham now comply with UEFA and Championship (and Premier League) standards regarding a reverse angle camera position.
“It’s a bit like building a house, in that the plumber has to come in before the joiner,” says Miller. “As part of the work, we’ve had all the steelwork in the Wrexham Lager Stand painted. This involved someone abseiling, which meant two blocks of seats had to be taken out each time.
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“It was the same with taking down the temporary stand. We removed one section (containing 558 seats) after the Stockport game last season (on March 22) to help with the pitch project.
“The fan zone also went at the same time, allowing us to create a pathway for the contractors to bring in mountains of gravel, soil and so on. We wanted these onsite, meaning we could start straight away the moment we got the green light.”
This also explains why the remaining blocks of the temporary stand were not taken down until late June, several weeks after the season had ended.
Miller adds: “We had work to do around the outside of the site, tidying up the drainage, laying tarmac and a few other things. Only then did we have the space to take down the temporary stand. Coordination was key, in terms of what is the priority — which for us was getting the pitch work going.”
The summer revamp is only the start. A new Kop stand will soon start to go up, with the intention to be ready for The Racecourse hosting the UEFA Under-19 Championship in June 2026.
Barriers obscure the building of the new Kop stand (Robbie Jay Barratt/Getty Images)
It will be the key building block of a stadium masterplan drawn up by Populous, the same firm that designed Arsenal and Tottenham’s new homes, as well as Dublin’s Aviva Stadium, Wembley and The Sphere in Las Vegas.
The initial plan was to house 5,500 fans with the design, then allow another 2,000 to be added. However, a new planning application went in last month for a 7,500 capacity structure and a decision will be made soon by Wrexham Borough Council.
A new electricity substation on University land adjacent to The Racecourse’s main entrance on Crispin Lane has also been constructed.
This will provide power to the three blocks of student flats that sit behind the main stand, replacing the previous substation located towards the back of The Turf pub on the footprint of where the new Kop will stand. As part of this switch, a live power cable running underneath the area was deactivated.
“Until that was done, you couldn’t even start digging,” says Miller. “So, from a big ticket perspective, that’s probably the biggest thing we did this summer.”
As Miller says proudly, this now feels like “a Championship ground”.
Indy 11 vs Tampa Bay Rowdies Sat night 7 pm @ The Mike
The Indy Eleven won the USL Jägermeister Cup Group 3 with a 2-1 victory over FC Tulsa in the final round of group play on Saturday at Carroll Stadium. Indy Eleven amassed 11 points in Jägermeister Cup group play (3-0-1), more than anyone in the 38-team field. In his two seasons, coach Sean McAuley has guided his teams to the 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup semi-finals and the 2025 USL Jägermeister Cup quarterfinals in their first-ever appearance. The Boys in Blue are 4-0-2 in Cup play this season (Open Cup & Jägermeister Cup), including a 2-0-1 mark at home and will host Greenville on Wed Aug 20th @ 7 pm. The Boys in Blue return to USL Championship play with “Block Party” on Saturday, August 2 at 7 p.m. at Carroll Stadium vs. Eastern Conference rival Tampa Bay Rowdies. Single-game tickets for all matches are available via Ticketmaster. Flex Plan, Group, and Hospitality tickets are available here. For questions, call (317) 685-1100 during business hours or email tickets@indyeleven.com.
MLS Leagues Cup vs Liga MX Underway
I have enjoyed a few of these MLS vs Liga MX Leagues Cup games this week – Miami winning in the final minutes was spectacular and Seattle put up a 7 spot on CruZ Azul last night. Lionel Messi had two assists, including one in the final seconds of the match, to help lift Inter Miami over Atlas 2-1 in their Leagues Cup opener (More); Games continue this week and next on Apple TV Free and FS1. (see schedule below). Cool to see German and Bayern Munich legend Thomas Muller coming to MLS for Vancouver Whitecaps.
NWSL Returns
The National Women’s Soccer league returns from the European Cup break with a slew of games this weekend. Of course players from Brazil and Colombia take center stage on Saturday, 5 pm on FS1 as star-studded lineups full of NWSL talent duke it out at this year’s Copa América Femenina Final. Orlando Pride midfielder Marta will lead Brazil teammates Lorena (Kansas City), Angelina (Orlando), Ary Borges (Louisville), and Gabi Portilho (Gotham) into the nation’s 10th tournament final, taking aim at their fifth straight — and ninth overall — CONMEBOL title. Spirit midfielder Leicy Santos has her sights set on capturing Colombia’s first-ever Copa América Femenina trophy, joined by Angela Baron (Louisville), Ana Maria Guzman (Utah), and Daniela Arias (San Diego). Here in the states Louisville kicks off the NWSL return on Prime Network at 8 pm vs KC tonight before Seattle hosts my daughter’s Angel City on Para+ at 10:30 pm. Sat gives us NC vs San Diego 7:30 and new comer Bay FV vs Houston at 10 pm on ION TV. The showcase game is Washington Spirit and the return of US star Trinity Rodman hosting Portland on ABC Sunday at 12:30 pm. Washington Spirit star Trinity Rodman is set to debut her Adidas Player Edition cleat this weekend, marking her return to the field by rocking the all-new F50 SPARKFUSION PE.
England Wins Another Euro Championship in Shootout over Spain
Its coming home – they English fans sang as England again found a way late to tie it up – send the game to overtime and this time beat Spain in a shootout 1-0 Hilights. Really cool to find out about the English Goalkeeper who overcame childhood strabismus or eye misalignment (meaning 1 eye is turned in a different direction that the other) to become a European Cup winner who saved the key shots in the shootout to win the trophy. (great story from the Athletic below).
US Men vs #17 Japan in Columbus on Tues. Sept 9th – Discount Tix Available
The US men are coming to Columbus, Ohio Lower.com Field on Tuesday night Sept 9th for a 7:30 pm match up with #17 ranked Japan. The Ole Ballcoach is going along with some buddies to the game sitting in section 129 ($50) – close to the American Outlaws who will be in the Nordic Section 127. Visit http://ussoccer.spinzo.com/CarmelFC this special link to get discounted tickets. Let me know if you plan to join – feel free to send on to friends. I for one was sick of seeing US fans outnumbered all summer long in our own stadiums. Let’s prove Columbus and Cincy are the HOME STADIUMS of US Soccer – this is where US Fans will not be outnumbered! Join me in the trek to Columbus to fight for our Red, White and Blue! Reach out to the Ole Ballcoach at shanebestsoccer@gmail.com if you want to coordinate travel plans.
Good luck to all of our Carmel FC players and everyone trying out for High School soccer starting next week!!
Good times reffing with my favorite Canadian Tom Baker this weekend at the Carmel High School D Wayne Aiken Invitational.
TV GAME SCHEDULE
Fri, Aug 1 12 noon ESPN+, Desp Ausburg vs Crystal Palace (Richards) 3 pm Para+ Golazo Luton Town vs AFC Richmond 8 pm FS2 Women’s Copa America Argentina vs Uruguay 8 pm Prime Racing Louisville vs KC Current NWSL 8 pm Apple? Columbus Crew vs Puebla 10 pm Apple? LAFC vs Pachuca 10 pm FS1 Tigres vs San Diego 10:30 pm Para+ Seattle Reign vs Angel City NWSL Sat, Aug 2 5 pm FS2 Women’s Copa America Final Brazil vs Columbia 7:30 pm Ion NC Courage vs San Diego Wave NWSL 8 pm Apple? Columbus Crew vs Puebla 8 pm FS1 America (Zendejas) vs Minn United 10 pm FS1 Portland Timbers vs Queretaro 10 pm ION Bay FC vs Houston Dash NWSL Sun, Aug 3 12:30 pm ABC Washington Spirit vs Portland Thorns NWSL 2 pm NBC Bournemouth (Adams) vs West Ham 5 pm Peacock Man United vs Everton 5:30 pm Apple? Cincy vs Juerez Leagues Cup 6 pm Para+ Orlando Pride vs Utah Royals 7:50 pm FS1 Guadalajara vs Charlotte 10:30 pm FS1 Seattle Sounders vs Santos Laguna 10:30 pm apple/Sirius LA Galaxy vs Cruz Azul Tues, Aug 5 7:30 pm FS1 Columbus Crew vs Leon Leagues Cup 10:30 pm Apple Tigres vs LAFC Weds, Aug 6 7:30 pm Apple Inter Miami vs Pumas UNAM Leagues Cup 9:30 pm FS1 America vs Portland Timbers 11 pm Apple Seattle Sounders vs Tijuana Thurs, Aug 7 7:30 pm AppleCincy vs Guadalajara 7:30 pm FS1 Monterey vs Charlotte 11:15 pm FS1 LA Galaxy vs Santos Laguna Fri Aug 8 2 pm ESPN+ Chelsea vs Bayer Leverkusen 3 pm CBSSN Birmingham City (Tom Brady) vs Ipswich Town 8 pm Golazo, Para+ Houston Dash vs NC Courage NWSL 10 pm Amazon Prime Utah Royals vs KC Current Sat Aug 9 7:30 am CBSSN Coventry City vs Hull City 7:30 am CBS Golazo, Para+ Southampton vs Wrexham 10 am Para+ Norwich City (Stewart) vs Millwall 12 ESPN NY/NJ Gotham vs Washington Spirit NWSL 12:30 pm CBS Golazo Sheffield United vs Bristol City 7 pm ESPN+ Detroit City vs Indy 11 7:30 PM Ion Orlando Pride vs Racing Louisville 10 pm Ion San Diego Wave vs Angel City 8:45 pm FS1 San Jose vs Vancouver Whitecaps MLS Sun, Aug 10 10 am ESPN+? Crystal Palace (Richards) vs Liverpool Community Shield 2 pm CBS Chicago Red Stars vs Bay FC NWSL 4 pm CBS Portland Thorns vs Seattle Reign 10 pm FS1 LA Galaxy vs Seattle Sounders MLS
Sat, Sept 6 5 pm TNT, Tele, Max USA Men vs Korea Tues, Sept 9 7:30 pm TNT, Tele, Max USA Men vs Japan in Columbus, Ohio Fri, Oct 10 8:30 pm TNT, Max USA Men vs Ecuador Tues, Oct 14 9 pm TNT, Max USA Men vs Australia
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Lionel Messi had two assists, including one in the final seconds of the match, to help lift Inter Miami over Atlas 2-1 in their Leagues Cup opener (More); See all Leagues Cup results and upcoming fixtures (More) Messi didn’t hold back celebrations after Miami’s last-minute winner.
Spirit vs. Thorns FC: How to watch NWSL on ESPN Louisville extends Yanez coaching deal to 2026 What to watch: The NWSL standings dominate the narrative, with No. 1 Kansas City towering over the rest of the pack while lower-table teams embrace their shot at a reset after a month off the pitch. No. 7 Louisville vs. No. 1 Kansas City, Friday at 8 PM ET (Prime): Racing currently sits in playoff position, but they’ll be tested as the high-flying Current storm through Louisville.
No. 6 Seattle vs. No. 11 Los Angeles, Friday at 10:30 PM ET (Paramount+): Reign fans will get their first league glimpse of new signing Mia Fishel while Angel City hopes to ruin the party as they push toward playoff contention.
No. 9 North Carolina vs. No. 3 San Diego, Saturday at 7:30 PM ET (ION): Courage forward Jaedyn Shaw takes on her former team as the Wave looks to keep the NWSL’s surprise success story of the season going strong.
No. 4 Washington vs. No. 5 Portland, Sunday at 12:30 PM ET (ABC): While Spirit fans cross their fingers for the return of injured stars Trinity Rodman and Croix Bethune, the Thorns try to keep their steady momentum afloat in DC.
Washington Spirit star Trinity Rodman is set to debuther Adidas Player Edition cleat this weekend, marking her return to the field by rocking the all-new F50 SPARKFUSION PE — a boot built by and for women’s sports athletes.
“Growing up as a kid in California, I could never have imagined a day where there would be a cleat literally inspired by me,” the 2024 Olympic gold medalist said in a press release. “It makes it even more special knowing it’s a cleat built by, and for, female soccer players. I can’t wait to wear them.”In addition to key design adjustments addressing issues specific to women’s soccer players, Rodman’s Player Edition boots feature a pearlescent white base alongside bold pink stripes — an homage to her signature pink hair — and vibrant light blue details.
Get yours: The F50 SPARKFUSION PE are available for purchase via adidas.com.
Superhot Reffing with Carlos at Carmel On top of being the BEST BarBQ Chef and master Cooker of Brisket Noblesville Nate Sinders is also a hell of a Ref Scheduler and Pretty awesome dad.
ESPN and TUDN Mexico said Vegas had been picked for the draw of the expanded 48-team event. In all, 12 groups of four nations will be drawn (six playoff winners won’t be known until March 2026). Recently, MLS commissioner Don Garber confirmed to Soccer America MLS Cup will be played Dec. 6.
One Big Thing – Breakout contenders FC Tulsa, Loudoun United are a must-see Friday night clash
You can make a case for a handful of games in this weekend’s USL Championship slate as the most compelling.At the top of the Eastern Conference, Louisville City FC hosts North Carolina FC at Lynn Family Stadium in a top-four matchup with NCFC one of the few teams to have handed LouCity defeat previously this season, back on its home turf on June 20.San Antonio FC and Sacramento Republic FC meet at Toyota Field, meanwhile, in a contest between two clubs who could meet in the USL Jagermeister Cup Final and the USL Championship Playoffs down the line.For our money, though, your attention should go to the two teams whose breakout campaigns have been among the best stories in American soccer this year.Current Western Conference leader FC Tulsa hosts Loudoun United FC on Friday night at ONEOK Field (8:30 p.m. ET | ESPN+) with both clubs in the middle of the best seasons in their respective histories and the potential to be serious contenders when the postseason arrives. RISING UP: If you’d pointed to this game as one neutral fans should tune into during preseason, people might have wondered what you’d recently ingested. After all, while both showed improvement in 2024, they were still off the pace in their respective conferences. That’s been a longstanding issue; over the past three seasons, Loudoun ranked last in the league with 59 defeats, while Tulsa wasn’t far off with 45 losses.TALENT AND TOGETHERNESS: This year far more has fallen into place for each club. Following the promotion of Luke Spencer from assistant to Head Coach in Tulsa and arrival of Caleb Sewell, the side has taken a major step forward. At United, longtime Head Coach Ryan Martin’s vision has come into sharper focus as the club moves further into the light, propelling a side that’s cohesive and entertaining to previously unknown heights.NUMBERS DON’T LIE: Tulsa’s improvement is visible in its underlying numbers. It ranks second to the Charleston Battery with a 26.52 Expected Goals mark, and third in the league behind Louisville and Sacramento with a 16.55 Expected Goals Against mark. Loudoun’s numbers are more balanced, but its cumulative performances place the side fifth in the league in American Soccer Analysis’ Expected Points metric at 25.20xP.
2026 World Cup ‘hospitality’ tickets will ‘guarantee’ you a seat at a game. But what are they really?
Early access to tickets for next summer’s FIFA World Cup has been released. But what exactly do hospitality tickets entail? More important, how big a hole are they going to put in your wallet?
This countdown clock outside City Hall is a reminder that there’s less than a year to go until the 2026 World Cup.Erin Blewett / For The Inquirer
The ads have been all over the place for a while now, especially on social media. They’re brightly-colored and attention-getting — and almost a little intimidating.Want tickets for next year’s World Cup? Want to be truly certain that when you click “Buy,” you’ve actually bought a seat, not just a place in a lottery or a place near the front of another line?Right now, the ads say, only “hospitality” tickets can “guarantee”that you’re absolutely going to be in the door and in a seat at Lincoln Financial Field for the six games here, or at any of the other 98 games in the tournament.What exactly do those tickets entail? And more important, how big of a hole are they going to put in your bank account?This is worth explaining, because there’s a lot of uncertainty among soccer fans right now — and a lot of fear that if they don’t buy whatever’s available right now, they’ll be shut out.
Philadelphia will host six of the 104 games in next year’s men’s World Cup, which is set to be the largest sporting event in human history.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer
FIFA hasn’t said much so far about how things will work for the general public, beyond an announcement earlier this month that “the application period for the first ticket draw” will open on Sept. 10.World soccer’s governing body hasn’t even announced what the standard ticket prices will be. Nor has it denied reports that it will use Ticketmaster’s dynamic pricing system. If that does happen, it will be the first time at any World Cup that FIFA abandons its longtime system of set prices for games.
The Inquirer reached out to On Location, a company that specializes in selling high-end ticket packages for major events. It has partnered with the NFL and NBA for years, and for next year’s World Cup is working with FIFA and MLS in a three-way sales and marketing deal. (Yes, MLS will get a cut of the money, a league spokesperson confirmed. There are also official “sales agents” across the country, including the Union and Eagles in Pennsylvania.)Alicia Falken, On Location’s general manager for the World Cup, offered details of what’s in these packages.“It’s more than just a ticket,” she said. “Hospitality is a full experience — it’s a culinary experience, it’s got entertainment.”
Philadelphia has never hosted a men’s World Cup before, which is one of the reasons why there are lots of questions about how to buy tickets.Emilee Chinn – FIFA / FIFA via Getty Images
Fans might think of a suite or skybox when hearing those words, but hospitality tickets for the World Cup offer seating beyond just suites. Some deals offer tickets in the seating bowl with access to premium spaces before and after games.“There are a couple of different products — suites are one of them,” Falken said. “We’ve got various tiers of lounge products … Each one has different aspects to it, and they include a seat within the stadium, preferred seating, and various other amenities and experiences and themed entertainment within those products.”
In most of the 16 host cities, including Philadelphia, there will be five high-end lounges at various levels.“For fans, families, groups trying to get together and navigate the complexities of how do you get to go to this once-in-a-lifetime world event, these packages provide that,” Falken added.
FIFA will start taking applications in September for the first round of World Cup ticket sales to the general public, which will happen through a lottery.Dustin Satloff – FIFA / FIFA via Getty Images
She made the key point unprompted when she said, “I think people are looking for how do you guarantee access to the World Cup now, and the only way to do that is through On Location as the official hospitality provider on behalf of FIFA.”And when asked about whether fan concerns about not being able to get tickets any other way are fair, a spokesperson stepped in to “defer general ticket questions to FIFA.”
“The hospitality packages are the first tickets that have been made available to the public,” the spokesperson said. “But as far as the general seats without the hospitality experience, that’s something for FIFA to provide further background on.”Falken then added: “This does guarantee you a seat, a ticket, but also a whole experience. … If you want to guarantee access, On Location, as the official hospitality provider, is currently the only way to do that right now. But we can’t speak to the lottery process that FIFA runs, and the general ticketing.”
Some of the many fans who attended Club World Cup games at Lincoln Financial Field this summer.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Asked whether a set portion of tickets per venue have been dedicated to hospitality packages — FIFA expects to sell 6.5 million tickets for the tournament overall — Falken didn’t have a number. She noted that, “seats that are dedicated to hospitality are really decided by FIFA.”
Testing the system
After speaking with Falken, this reporter decided to test the system to see what prices are without actually buying anything. It was 11:40 a.m. on a weekday morning, and a message popped up with a waiting queue of over an hour. It ended up being just under half an hour.
The lowest price listed for a game in Philadelphia was $1,450 per person for a group stage contest on June 22 or 25. The other three group games started at $1,525.
That lowest price level was for a seat in the stadium and access to the “FIFA Pavilion,” which will be inside the stadium gates but outside the stadium itself.
A rendering of what the “FIFA Pavilion” will look like during the 2026 men’s soccer World Cup at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.On Location
The other four pricing tiers were for amenities in the stadium: “Champions Club” starting at $1,950 per person, “Trophy Lounge” from $2,250 per person, “VIP” from $2,700 per person, and the top-level “Pitchside Lounge” from $3,200 per person.On Location also offers package deals for all six games at the Linc. Those prices start at $8,650 per person for the FIFA Pavilion; $11,600 for Champions Club; $13,775 for Trophy Lounge; $16,900 for VIP; and $19,700 for Pitchside Lounge.» READ MORE: Are soccer fans more unhinged than Philly sports fans? A conversation between Inquirer journalists
On top of all that, each level has a “Standard” and a “Standard+” tier. The first is described as “Back half of available seats for the product,” and the second is described as “Front half of available seats for the product.”Whether for individual games or the package, all five tiers offer a wide range of amenities, including food, drinks, entertainment, and even souvenirs. But the first two don’t include guaranteed parking, and only offer hospitality access before and after games. The top three tiers do include parking, although “subject to availability,” and halftime amenities.
USMNT’s Matt Turner seals return to New England Revolution on loan
The New England Revolution have brought back U.S. men’s national team goalkeeper Matt Turner on loan from Lyon with an option to buy, the MLS club announced on Friday.Turner, the U.S.’s starter at the 2022 World Cup, will fill a designated player spot for the remainder of 2025 for budget purposes, with plans to convert him to a targeted allocation money (TAM) player in 2026. The loan runs until June and the start of the 2026 World Cup that will be staged in North America. To keep the 31-year-old TAM-eligible beyond the loan, any purchase option would have to be significantly less than the €8 million (£6.74m; $9.13m) Lyon agreed to pay Nottingham Forest for Turner in June.
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“It is a privilege to return to the club that launched my career,” Turner said in a statement. “The club that helped me discover who I am as a professional, the club that has always felt like a home away from home. To have the chance to play in front of the Revolution supporters once again is a priceless feeling and one I’ve never taken for granted. My family and I have felt their unwavering support throughout these last three years, and I can’t wait to wear the Revolution crest again at Gillette Stadium. I am grateful for this opportunity to earn my place on the field and look forward to winning many more games with the evolution.”As for his parent club, Lyon have faced major financial difficulties in recent months. The Direction Nationale du Controle de Gestion (DNCG — the body responsible for overseeing the finances of French football clubs) issued Lyon an administrative relegation to Ligue 2 on June 24 following a review of the club’s finances, before they successfully appealed that decision two weeks later. Lyon had been provisionally relegated in December and banned from making any transfers in the winter window.Brazil international Lucas Perri was Lyon’s No 1 last season, starting all but one of their Ligue 1 games. Perri has since joined newly-promoted Premier League side Leeds United.Turner previously spent seven seasons with New England, winning the starting job in 2018 and establishing himself as one of the best goalkeepers in MLS before eventually moving to Arsenal in 2022, where he played only seven times before joining Forest. The American was Forest’s starter for the first half of the 2023-24 campaign before being displaced by Matz Sels.Turner was loaned to Crystal Palace for the 2024-25 season and made four appearances as a back-up to Dean Henderson. He featured in three of Palace’s FA Cup games in their run to lifting the trophy for the first time in history, but was an unused substitute in the 1-0 victory over Manchester City in the final.“I look forward to welcoming Matt back to the Revolution and I am excited for this opportunity to work with one of the best goalkeepers our league has produced,” Revolution manager Caleb Porter said in a statement. “Matt holds himself to an extremely high standard that has led him to success at the international level, in Europe, and of course, in MLS. Matt’s shot-stopping quality and overall character and mentality make him a tremendous addition to our goalkeeping corps.”
Analysis
The move back to MLS comes at an important time for Turner, who lost his starting job with the U.S. men’s national team this summer at the Gold Cup.U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino made it clear to Turner that he needed to play regularly in order to earn back his starting job. New York City FC goalkeeper Matt Freese started for the U.S. at the Gold Cup.Turner had been the consistent No 1 for the U.S. since beating out Zack Steffen for the job ahead of the Qatar World Cup in 2022. His lack of minutes in Europe, though, eventually took its toll. The U.S. goalkeeper depth chart is thin, however, and if Turner gets consistent minutes in MLS, he’ll be the favorite to win the job back.
(Photo: Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Pellegrino Matarazzo on the USMNT, Chelsea and a coaching return: ‘I’m ready for the next step’
As a former college mathematics major, Pellegrino Matarazzo could tell you a thing or two about chaos theory — the unpredictable nature of things. Or he could just refer to his last 18 months in football.During that time, the 47-year-old was sacked as manager of Bundesliga side Hoffenheim despite saving them from relegation and then guiding them into the Europa League.Next he was interviewed for the USMNT head coach role before the gig eventually went to Mauricio Pochettino. So, instead, he spent time observing Claudio Ranieri’s work at close quarters as the veteran Italian became Roma’s third manager of a turbulent campaign, steering them to a fifth-place finish.That’s why, of all his attributes, Matarazzo thinks one in particular makes him especially suited to a job in the dugout. It’s not speaking four languages, or the resilience which helped him break barriers as an American coach in Europe at Stuttgart and then fellow Germans Hoffenheim.“I’ve always been someone who’s able to deal with chaos very well,” he says. “Because I have the ability to focus on what’s important. I stay structured and remain focused and factual.”In other words — he can handle the heat, and is happiest in the kitchen.
Matarazzo offers his Hoffenheim players encouragement during a Europa League game against Lyon last November (Adam Pretty/Getty Images)
Matarazzo has just returned to his home in Germany, having spent the last month working as an analyst for host broadcaster DAZN at the Club World Cup. It was the first time he had taken on such a role.“It was something different,” the New Jersey-born son of Italian immigrants says of being on TV. “It really pushed me out of my comfort zone and gave me valuable insights into the entertainment side of the game, which I hadn’t been exposed to in the same way during my career.”
But, while watching games at FIFA’s revamped and greatly expanded club tournament from a television studio, Matarazzo was also expanding his knowledge of the game beyond Europe, where he has coached since retiring as a player at German side Nurnberg in 2010.As Brazilian teams reached the quarter-finals (Palmeiras) and semis (Fluminense), he was impressed.“The aggression, the passion and the physicality of South American football was striking — in many cases surpassing that of the European game,” he says. “Certainly part of it was driven by players’ motives and their need to prove their value on an international stage. But the Brazilian teams in particular, they played with a complete brand of football which I value highly: very pragmatic, disciplined, organised.“It’s completely contrary to the old stereotype of Brazilian football, which was usually about flair, technical ability and creativity. What I saw were teams playing with a very well-rounded approach — defensively sound, and very successful.”
Fluminense’s Thiago Silva instructs his players during their Club World Cup semi-final against Chelsea (Alex Grimm/Getty Images)
For a coach who admits he would love to work in the Premier League, Matarazzo also noted how eventual winners Chelsea are quickly developing from big-spending also-rans into a potentially dominant force in the game once again.“They grew within the tournament,” he says. “I was watching them in the first couple of games, and there was still a lot of sand in their engine. But that final was spectacular, and Cole Palmer was outstanding.
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“The key is Joao Pedro (the Brazilian forward signed from fellow Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion partway through the competition). I’m a fan of (another new option for Chelsea up front Liam) Delap, don’t get me wrong, but he’s a different profile. I think Palmer becomes more creative with Joao Pedro in there, too.“It’s just a great team and when I see (Moises) Caicedo, how he plays… oh man. This guy is amazing. If I had a dream team, Caicedo would definitely be a part of that. For me, he will be the best No 6 in the world.“They (Chelsea) can defend deep, they can defend in a high press, as a low-block high press. They’re flexible in their defensive structure. They conceded very few chances (in the final) against Paris Saint-Germain.“One of the critical things I was seeing in the first few games is that they can now break down low blocks. That’s why, with this extra element of Joao Pedro coming in, plus the other players that they already had in their roster, I think it’s going to be fun to watch in the upcoming season.
“They could win the Premier League.”
Joao Pedro, left, could bring more out of Palmer, right, at Chelsea (Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images)
Matarazzo’s enthusiasm for the club game is so palpable you suspect it will not be long before he returns to management.For now, he prefers to stay in Europe, having turned down offers from MLS sides, but in different circumstances he could have spent this summer guiding the USMNT through their Concacaf Gold Cup participation. As a candidate under consideration, he held talks with U.S. Soccer in 2024 before the federation ultimately opted for Pochettino’s greater star-factor.“I did truly appreciate the great conversations we had,” he says. “They (U.S. Soccer) were very, very thoughtful, well-structured, professional, and I’m sure Pochettino is an excellent choice. He’s an established coach with tremendous international experience at club level. And if you’re just two years short of a run-up to a home World Cup, then it’s important to energise the U.S. soccer landscape emotionally. So that’s something a big name like Pochettino can absolutely do.”But what does he think of the task facing the Argentine after a summer when key senior players, most notably Christian Pulisic, withdrew from the roster to prioritise rest after busy seasons with their clubs.“We’re just beginning to see the results of the work being done,” Matarazzo says. “It’s positive. Reaching the final of the Gold Cup with several key players missing was a significant achievement for Pochettino, that’s my opinion. It’s a result that will earn him both respect and credibility within the U.S. soccer landscape moving forward.“Think about it. I felt like, in this tournament, it was the first time you felt real progress was made in establishing a culture, an identity, which built around what we in Germany call the basics of football; when you speak about work ethic, intensity, a team-first mindset and when you get those basics down, then you can grow a programme.”
Pochettino and the USMNT were runners-up at the summer’s Concacaf Gold Cup (Omar Vega/Getty Images)
Some will wonder whether, with less than a year to go before the World Cup and no signature victories yet under Pochettino against any of world football’s big beasts, the USMNT can reach the level required to succeed in the tournament their homeland will co-host with Canada and Mexico and shift the dial on football’s status in North America.“Let’s put it this way, my feeling is we’re cutting it close,” says Matarazzo. “And I think the next big step will be to reintegrate those key players in the next phase of development.“There were a lot of starters missing. The loss to Mexico in the final was not a question of mentality; it was a question of quality. Mentality might get you out of the group phase in the World Cup, but if you want to make a deep run in the tournament, you need overall better quality on the pitch.“So I think that’s the key in the next phase this fall: reintegrating those key players and just growing that cohesiveness moving towards the World Cup.“It’s important to not underestimate momentum. So if there’s growth happening in this next coming year and if the players feel it and you take that momentum into the tournament, then it can be successful.”Matarazzo feels that new Bayer Leverkusen signing Malik Tillman and Real Salt Lake’s Diego Luna took their chances to impress at the Gold Cup: “They were given a platform, and they performed. And that not only gives Pochettino more options going forward, but it creates healthy competition. That’s an important message — the most important take-away from this tournament is that nobody is irreplaceable. That will lead to more focus, higher performance from all the players in the upcoming camps.”
Tillman took his chance at the Gold Cup this summer (Tim Warner/Getty Images)
Matarazzo will be watching Tillman’s progress back at club level in Germany with interest. The midfielder came through Greuther Furth’s academy before moving to Bayern Munich, and later PSV of the Netherlands, before joining Leverkusen earlier this month in a €35million (£30m; $41m) move.He wanted to sign the then teenager to play under him in Nurnberg’s B team before the German-American dual national headed to Bayern.“He’s strong, he’s got a good shot, he is game-intelligent,” Matarazzo says of the 23-year-old. “Malik sees slots opening to play the ball deep. He could be more consistent in his output, and if he is, then he would be a top player.”What You Should Read NextMalik Tillman and why Bayer Leverkusen have signed the USMNT midfielderFrom Bayern’s youth team to maturing at Rangers to winning titles at PSV – the 23-year-old American’s rise has been rapid
So with Tillman and Luna in mind, how does Pochettino go about reintegrating players such as Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Folarin Balogun while retaining the emphasis on that ‘team-first’ idea?“It’s a tough dynamic, but which dynamic is not tough in football?,” says Matarazzo. “Let’s be honest, the job is so complex.“Like I said before, if you have something in place that you want to see, and the players coming into that culture already feel the energy in the group, it’s easier for them to adapt. And you need open, constructive communication with the player camp and the player himself.”rience.Matarazzo is still smarting from the nature of his sacking by Hoffenheim in November. His time there, he says, was “cut short in a way that was not natural”. He had to contend with a total overhaul of the club’s management structure after he had saved them from relegation after being appointed in February 2023 and then delivered qualification for the Europa League a year later, with the CEO and sporting director who had hired him both being fired during the following pre-season.Then came a chaotic period with a void at the top, until a new executive team was installed.“I belonged to the old leadership,” he says. “So I was not looked favourably upon — there were people within the club who were very happy to see me go. So it was just a difficult situation; keeping the players in balance, protecting myself from invisible attacks and just a lot of volatility and chaos in the club.“And listen, I coached at Stuttgart for almost three years. So I’ve been part of emotional clubs and we also had a change of leadership at Stuttgart when Thomas Hitzlsperger stopped in 2022 (the former Germany midfielder left his role as CEO). I was working there, and then Alex Wehrle came in, so I knew what that feels like but that situation felt natural — this was not natural.”
Matarazzo is still smarting from his sacking at Hoffenheim (Octavio Passos/Getty Images)
The club’s Croatian forward Andrej Kramaric went public, rebuking any suggestions the players were not behind Matarazzo. But the head coach had less and less influence on recruitment and, despite being open with the new board about the approach from U.S. Soccer to hold talks, the news was leaked to the German media.He began to feel like he was on borrowed time with the board.“Now I’m going to say something clichéd: What doesn’t break us, makes us stronger,” Matarazzo adds. “But I don’t have to get into details anymore because it’s in the past and I’ve already reflected on my time there.“I’m ready for the next step.”He has no shortage of learnings to reflect on before that next step from his time observing Ranieri and more recently successor Gian Piero Gasperini at Roma. He can turn, too, to a room-mate from his coaching-course days — former Hoffenheim, RB Leipzig and Bayern manager and current German national team boss Julian Nagelsmann.“I’ve known Julian for a long time,” he says. “We were opponents at under-19 club level. We completed our pro licence together and he brought me onto his coaching staff midway through the season (at Hoffenheim in 2017).
“He’s a sharp thinker, he has a clear vision. I took a lot from our experiences together, not just tactically but in terms of leadership, communication. I can take inspiration from him, from Gasperini and, of course, from Claudio.”Nagelsmann speaks with Matarazzo before a Bayern vs Stuttgart game in 2021 (Thomas Kienzle/AFP via Getty Images)
He admits also to admiring Roberto De Zerbi’s tactics in the Premier League at Brighton in recent seasons but his ultimate inspiration, when it comes to hard work and perseverance, is familial.
“My mom and dad came to the United States with nothing,” says Matarazzo. “They were from a long line of Italian farmers. My father was an auto mechanic and my mom was working as a secretary.
“They put four kids through college (Matarazzo graduated from New York City’s Columbia University). They gave us the tools we needed to be successful in this life. We’re four brothers, and we all have the right head on our shoulders and we’re doing good things because they (their parents) put so much into every day.“My dad was working every day. My mom… what she was doing for the household and working at the same time was incredible.”Matarazzo’s accent is identifiably American but he can just as easily lapse into a German-English inflection. Still, he has had to deal with flickers of European prejudice against American coaches in the sport.“A foreign coach is more readily accepted into any football culture if they come with a proven track record and if they can speak the native language,” he says. “But I do think that one of the challenges I’ve seen is there’s still a certain degree of scepticism about whether someone from the U.S. truly understands the game and can perform at the highest level.I often ask myself, why do most (football) commentators and analysts in the U.S. still have English or Spanish accents? It tells you something about perception, and there’s certainly been a shift in a positive direction since I first arrived in Europe 25 years ago. It’s to do with the growth of MLS, and an increasing number of U.S. players that are making their mark overseas.“But when it comes to American coaches and experts, I’d say we’re still in the process of earning credibility, both abroad and within our own country.“I took the approach of climbing the ranks from the ground up in another country. So it’s like I immersed myself in that culture in the football environment and earned my place. But even that, it’s still a completely cut-throat business and there are so many highly qualified coaches out of work all competing for the same opportunity. So it’s definitely possible — I’m living proof of it — but it requires a lot of commitment and sacrifice.“After Hoffenheim, I do feel I have unfinished work. There’s still a curiosity within me, ‘How high can I go? What’s my level as a coach?’.”Matarazzo is ready to embrace the chaos once again.(Top photo: Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images)
Hannah Hampton: How a goalkeeper with almost no depth perception helped England win the Euros
Sarah Shephard July 27, 2025 This is an updated version of an article published on July 15.
Hannah Hampton was not supposed to make it as a professional athlete. The doctors told her it would not be possible. That professional sport was not meant for someone like her.In Hampton’s case, “someone like her” meant someone born with a condition called strabismus or eye misalignment, meaning one eye is turned in a direction that’s different from the other. By the age of three, Hampton had undergone three operations in an attempt to correct it. None of those proved wholly successful but as she grew up, it seemed she was largely unaffected by the condition. Football seemed to come easily to the young girl who was fast on her feet and naturally used both to control the ball and, by the age of 12, she was training as a goalkeeper in Stoke City’s centre of excellence.
It came as a surprise then, when a doctor’s check-up revealed she had a depth perception problem, meaning her ability to tell how far away she is from one thing compared to another is compromised. Or, as she explained when appearing on the Fozcast podcast with former England goalkeeper Ben Foster in December 2021: “I basically have no depth perception, so I can’t judge any distances.”“How does that work as a ‘keeper?” asked Foster.“I really don’t know,” replied Hampton, who saved two penalties in the European Championship shootout on Sunday as England beat Spain to retain their title. “It just does.”
Former goalkeeper turned coach Matt Pyzdrowski believes Hampton’s story is a “remarkable” one considering the specific challenges she must face as a goalkeeper who struggles to judge distances. “I think it would impact every single thing she does on the field,” he says, because “everything that you’re doing is judging distances. The biggest thing is being able to judge the ball and know when you’re supposed to move your hand towards it and at what angle and what speed and that’s before you take into account all the other players who are on the field in front of you.
“At the very top level where she’s playing, the game is moving really fast and the players in front of her can do some really amazing things with the ball when they shoot. It’s really a remarkable story.”Pyzdrowski believes the fact she was born with the condition might actually be something that has helped her in learning how to work around it. He compares her situation to that of legendary England ‘keeper Gordon Banks, who was Stoke City and England’s No 1 when a car crash in 1972 damaged the retina in his right eye, robbing him of his binocular vision (ability to see out of two eyes). He retired from professional football the following year, although returned to action for two seasons in the North American Soccer League with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers.“I’d think it would be harder having had two eyes that work for your whole life and then being limited to only one,” says Pyzdrowski. “Hannah doesn’t know anything different, and she’s obviously found a way to compensate. The brain and human body are so miraculous, she has probably just found her own way to read the flight of the ball, and it works.”Hampton’s recollection of her early days in goal lends credence to this view. In an interview with the i Paper in 2022, she explained how she suffered “many, many nose bleeds” and “a lot of broken fingers” because she was constantly putting her hands in the wrong place to catch the ball. “I’ve had to adjust my set position to have my hands out to take the ball,” she explained. “Trying to catch a ball is quite hard!”
In her day-to-day life, Hampton can sometimes feel self-conscious when she sees photographs of herself that show her eyes from a certain angle. And she has to be careful when pouring drinks: “When pouring a glass of water, I’ll miss the glass if I’m not holding it,” she said on Fozcast. “The girls do it to me all the time at training: ‘Can you make me a cup of tea?’ And hold the cup, saying, ‘Can I have some milk, please?’. I’ll just spill it on their shoes and then they moan at me. ‘Well, it’s your own fault, isn’t it?’.”On the pitch, though, there is no indication that the Chelsea and England No 1 is in any way impaired. Her former club Aston Villa were not concerned about it and it was not even part of the conversation during negotiations with Chelsea.Even taking into account Hampton’s reasoning that time and experience have helped her to find a way, it is still hard to grasp exactly how she is able to overcome such a hindrance.A conversation with sports vision specialist Dr Daniel Laby provides some fascinating insight. He explains that when strabismus occurs at a very young age (as in Hampton’s case), the brain is able to effectively “turn off” the central vision from the misaligned eye (the peripheral vision remains active). “The medical term for it is suppression,” Laby tells The Athletic. “The vision comes into the brain from the eye, but the brain says: ‘This isn’t lined up properly, I’m going to ignore it’.”Providing the other eye works well, this does not affect one’s vision (you can still qualify for a driving licence with one working eye, for example), but it does mean you lose a specific form of depth perception; binocular stereo depth perception.“There are two forms of depth perception,” explains Laby. “There’s stereo depth perception, which comes from both eyes, but there is also depth perception that you can appreciate with just one eye; monocular depth perception.”To illustrate, he advises raising the index fingers on both your hands, then making one vertical and the other horizontal. Put the horizontal finger in front of the vertical one and close one eye.“You can tell with just one eye that the horizontal finger is closer to you than the vertical finger,” says Laby. “You do that because of something called overlap. The horizontal finger overlaps the vertical finger, therefore it must be in front of that or closer to you than the vertical finger.“Think about a goalkeeper. If one of your defenders is closer to you than the ball where the play is happening, and their arm or leg occasionally covers up the ball, you can tell that the ball is further away than the defender; that’s through overlap, which only requires one eye.”Monocular depth perception creates what Laby calls inferred depth, or depth derived from other cues (overlap, shadow, relative size and speed, etc). Binocular stereo depth perception is actual depth due to the parallax difference between the two eye views (the fact that our two eyes see slightly different images of the same scene, and the brain combines these images to create a 3D perception).Is one form better than the other? Laby uses the analogy of stereo depth perception being akin to high definition television. It is finer and more precise than the monocular version. Stereo depth perception only works well to a distance of six to eight feet (1.8metres to 2.4m), though. “A perfect example of that in the extreme is when you look up at the stars in the sky at night,” says Laby. “When you look at them with both eyes, they look like they are all the same distance from us. But we know that many of the stars are much further away than the others.”
Judging distances is a key part of being a goalkeeper (Miguel Medina/AFP via Getty Images)
This limitation means that when play is happening further than six to eight feet away from Hampton, her lack of stereo depth perception actually has very little impact on her ability to detect depth. She will instead depend on the monocular or one-eyed cues to depth.
“So she doesn’t really lose much by not having stereo depth perception because any ball that’s coming to her within two or three feet of her face, she’s not going to have time to react to it,” says Laby. “Nobody is going to react fast enough, even if they have perfect vision, because you can’t make the motor action that fast to put your hand up to stop a ball that’s two feet away from you and moving at those speeds.”
Doctors have told Hampton there is still an operation that can be done to straighten her eyes, but it would be for cosmetic purposes only; her vision would be unchanged. If it was successful in aligning her eyes, Hampton would then have to undergo a period of vision therapy during which a specialist would try to teach her how to stop suppressing the eye that her brain had turned off for so many years.To do that, Laby explains, images would be presented to the brain that are just outside of her central vision. Over time, those images would be gradually worked in towards the centre, challenging her central vision to start recognising them. “It’s using neuroplasticity to get her brain to adapt to something new,” says Laby. “The problem is, if it doesn’t perfectly line up, you’re going to end up with double vision, and once you’ve taught someone to turn off that suppression, you can’t go back and suppress again.”He describes the chances of Hampton getting back to using both eyes together as “very slim” and questions whether it is something worth pursuing, especially for someone who is right in the thick of a hugely positive career.For her part, the 24-year-old is determined to use her story for good; to show others that no matter what you might be told, there is always hope.When she first decided to speak publicly about her eye condition in 2021, a former coach questioned why she had made that decision, given the important stage she was at in her blossoming career. Hampton remained bullish. She had already achieved more than anyone expected her to, and knew there was more still to come. Her experiences could act as a positive example to others and that was enough to make her believe she had done the right thing.“I wasn’t supposed to play and I wasn’t allowed to do certain jobs,” Hampton told the BBC in 2021. “It was always my passion to do sport and it was my dream. I’ve always told the younger generation that if you can’t follow your own dreams, what are you going to do in life? You’ve got to follow your dreams and, sat here right now, I can say that I’ve done that.”
(Top photo: Kristian Skeie – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
How England nullified Spain: The Wiegman tactics that shut down the world champions
Spain composed themselves, waited for the right moment, and then calmly passed between England’s lines.But this isn’t an analysis of the tactical battle. It was the scene at 9pm at St Jakob Park when England formed a guard of honour, clapping Spain through to receive their runners-up medals. Somehow, England had done it again. “We were better,” said Spain manager Montse Tome after the game. “But football is a sport where not always the best team wins.”England have arguably not been the superior side in any of their three knockout games at Euro 2025. They were largely outplayed by Sweden in the quarter-finals before winning on penalties. They were sluggish against Italy in the semi-finals and only squeezed through thanks to an equaliser deep in stoppage time, and a winner at the end of extra time.They competed better in the final against Spain, but they still went behind, and there was a period when Spain seemed set to kill the game. But England, of course, have the never-say-die spirit. They played three matches of 120 minutes each, led for less than five minutes of those matches, and yet are travelling home with the trophy. “The most chaotic and ridiculous tournament we have played,” said Sarina Wiegman. “Every time we came back from behind.”What You Should Read NextInside the Lionesses’ Euro 2025 win: Wiegman’s ‘new England’ mantra, ‘hard’ talks and… penaltiesEngland retained the European Championship trophy with victory over Spain. This is the story of their triumphant tournament
Wiegman has now won three European Championships on the bounce, an incredible achievement. At times, her starting tactics have been questioned, and she has relied heavily on her bench throughout this tournament, with Chloe Kelly and Michelle Agyemang particularly decisive.
But on Sunday, her starting approach deserves credit. For once, Wiegman surprised us. And maybe she surprised Spain, too.
Her decision to recall Jess Carter was a hugely brave call. At full-back, Carter had been bypassed easily in England’s opening game against France and was moved into central defence. In that role, she had been the target of Sweden’s pressing and was overrun. She was dropped for the game against Italy, and her replacement, Esme Morgan, played well. But Carter was in the side. “I was super scared to play today, for the first time in my life,” she said. “Then when I woke up this morning and saw my team and the support that I had from my team-mates, my family and my manager, I knew I had to come out today and give it my all.”Why did Carter return? “We can make tactical decisions,” said Wiegman, calmly. “I said before the tournament that I’m really happy with my squad, that we have players in the same position who can bring different things. Italy and Spain were different games. We felt we needed Jess in the starting line-up for the fight and the duels.”Carter was excellent, and possibly England’s best performer on the night. She returned to being the Carter we know, England’s most reliable defender in individual battles, a good reader of the game, a no-nonsense player who does her job unfussily. She coped with the power of Esther Gonzalez. She then coped with the speed of Salma Paralluelo. Her final action of the 120 minutes was reading the game, covering behind centre-back partner Leah Williamson and sweeping up to tackle Aitana Bonmati, sending the ball against her and out for an England goal kick.
Aitana Bonmati won the award for the tournament’s best player, but she and her Spain team-mates had to watch on as England lifted the trophy (Maryam Majd/Getty Images)
The second call was switching her wingers. Lauren Hemp had only played on the left in this tournament, but she was switched to the right flank and lasted 120 minutes without tiring. Lauren James was moved to the left and was an early threat before going off injured. Her replacement, Kelly, decisive as a substitute against Sweden with her crosses from the left, provided a pinpoint delivery for Alessia Russo’s towering header. “We wanted to switch the play and come in behind a little bit on the inside,” said Wiegman of her inverted wingers. “So with Lauren James and Chloe Kelly from the left with the right foot, and Lauren Hemp on the right with the left foot.”The third big decision was altering the position of Lucy Bronze, asking her to move inside into midfield — a role she has previously suggested she dislikes. This opened up the passing lane into Hemp and gave England an extra option in the engine room. “We know with Spain they’re very aggressive when they have to defend,” said Wiegman. “So we wanted to get out of that first press. We wanted to create a midfield overload and create space a bit down the wing to bring Lauren Hemp a little lower at moments.”
“I think they changed,” Tome said of England’s tactics on the night. “In the first half, they had an additional player in the middle, and I think we managed that.”And that was fair. None of these things ever gave England full control or unlocked the Spain defence, but it did help to nullify the world champions — the best possession side in the competition by miles. It did help England to compete. And 1-1, as a final score, was all fair enough, really. Call it a draw?Not in tournaments, of course, and on penalties, you consistently back this England side. This is four shootout wins in a row: Brazil in the Finalissima, Nigeria in the World Cup, Sweden in the quarter-final in Zurich, and Spain in the final in Basel. England’s penalty record was not even any good in this tournament — only six of their 12 were scored — but they still won both shootouts. And doesn’t that just sum it all up?(Top photo: Harriet Lander – The FA via Getty Images)
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Lucy Bronze, the Euro 2025 winner who played with a leg fracture: “Was it worth it? Absolutely!”
Lucy Bronze put her hand to her head, looking tearful. Despite all her might, she hobbled off the pitch, unable to carry on for the last 15 minutes of extra time during the European Championship final.There was a chink in the indestructible warrior’s armour.Little did we know the 33-year-old had been playing the entire tournament with a fractured tibia in her left leg. One wonders how you even walk with a broken bone in your lower leg, let alone play 106 minutes in a Euro final and 598 across the tournament.Ask Lucy ‘Tough’ Bronze — her middle name taken from her mother Diane’s maiden name. Tough by name, tough by nature.“She has a crazy mentality, it’s unbelievable,” said winning England manager Sarina Wiegman.Bronze, England’s most decorated footballer, who was making her 36th appearance at a major tournament, the most of any England player, found out she had fractured her shin bone after England beat Portugal 6-0 on May 30.“I was in a lot of pain at the end of the (domestic) season,” she said, hobbling, following England’s penalty shootout win against Spain. A white bandage was strapped around her right leg due to a separate knee injury.
Lucy Bronze and her England team-mates celebrate winning the European Championship again (Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images)
And yet for two months, she carried on and started every game under Wiegman at Euro 2025.“All the England players knew,” she said. “Sarina (Wiegman) knew. I’ll do anything to play for England. I’ve always said that.”Bronze took that literally. A fractured tibia was not going to stop her.She communicated her unbridled determination to her team by showing them a picture, which hangs in the team’s Dolder Grand hotel in Zurich, of her being “absolutely exhausted” after England lost against Sweden in the 2019 World Cup bronze medal match.“My ‘why’ has always been the same,” she said before the Sweden quarter-final.
Bronze received a “little bit” of pain relief but had to spread out her dosage of medication. She has not been training all the time with England but started every game this tournament, playing 598 minutes.
Only Hannah Hampton (630), Alex Greenwood (625), and Keira Walsh (599) played more minutes at Euro 2025.
“Lucy, I don’t… I have no words,” said team-mate Jess Carter. “Lucy Bronze is just… I don’t even know. She’s incredible. Also, so stubborn to continue playing when she can’t run or walk. She’ll find a way through. Stubborn is the first thing but she’s a winner and winning is in her DNA. That’s what she wants to do. We all know that she’ll give absolutely everything for this team.”ronze hauled England through to the semi-finals. Against Sweden, she strapped her own injured leg, scored the goal to get the Lionesses back in it, and dispatched the penalty that sent England into the semis at the end of a farcical shootout. Even Wiegman, who rarely speaks about individuals, described her as “one of a kind”.“She just gets on with it,” said Chelsea defender Niamh Charles. “No one really truly knows how much she’s dealing with. To play on, that is pretty incredible but if there was anyone to do it, it would have been her.”England’s identity has been closely tied to the phrase “proper England”, and Bronze embodies that no-nonsense, steely mentality.“Yeah, proper, proper English,” said Charles. “She’s a credit to that and an England legend.”
Bronze gets up to challenge Spain’s Mariona Caldentey (Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)
Bronze is no stranger to playing through pain, having done so throughout Euro 2022 and yet she remains one of England’s cornerstones. Her superhuman efforts have kept competition at bay.
“Was it worth it? Absolutely!” said Bronze without hesitation.After the Lionesses’ Euro 2022 triumph, the right-back was offended that anyone would question whether she would be with England at the following year’s World Cup. “I’m only 30,” she said. “B****y hell! How many players retire at 30?”But when asked if she would go for an eighth tournament, namely the 2027 World Cup in Brazil, Bronze remained coy.“What is it now? Seven? I’ve actually played in the Olympics,” she smiled, deftly rendering the question defunct.Unbeknown to the wider world, she has played through unimaginable pain when there was no guarantee of success. Call it foolish, stubborn or pure guts, there is no one like Bronze and there never will be again.(Top photo: Manuel Winterberger/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
Inside the Lionesses’ Euro 2025 win: Tough talks, a ‘new England’ and Wiegman’s toiletry-bag message
In the team meeting before England’s European Championship semi-final against Italy, manager Sarina Wiegman had a quirky motivational technique for her players.
She revealed a little toiletry bag with the phrase: ‘B**ches get s*** done’ written on it. It came out again before the final against Spain.
There were highs — from equalisers in the dying seconds to multiple penalty shootout victories — and lows that included conceding in the second minute in the quarter-final, error-strewn play and nervous spot kicks.
Ella Toone said the team nearly “killed (Wiegman) twice this tournament”.
But whenever it mattered most, they got s*** done. On Sunday, they beat Spain 3-1 on penalties in Basel to retain the trophy they won on home soil in 2022. One of the storylines of this Euros for England was their ability to fight back and save themselves, having made slow starts. They had to come from behind against Spain, Alessia Russo heading home Chloe Kelly’s teasing second-half delivery after Mariona Caldentey’s opener and England withstood the storm that followed. They stuck together.When it got to penalties, it seemed their luck had run out. Beth Mead was forced to retake hers due to the double-touch rule and her second attempt was saved. But England and goalkeeper Hannah Hampton held their nerve. Wiegman said in the previous knockout games that she felt like she was having a heart attack on the touchline, but she and her players remained poker-faced.
Almost inevitably, given her impact off the bench at this tournament, it was Kelly whose penalty won it, defeating a Spain team that beat them in the 2023 World Cup final and which possesses some of the most talented players of their generation. The Lionesses’ grit, determination and togetherness got them over the line.Finally, it was time for a moment of release for Wiegman, who joined her players in jubilant celebrations on the pitch after the final whistle.This is the story of their tournament.
England celebrate beating Spain in the final (Harry Langer/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
In February, Wiegman reframed England’s approach to Euro 2025. They did not see it as a “defence” of their title, not something to cling onto as holders, but a “new challenge”, one which they called “new England”.
That phrase took on a new meaning when, in the weeks before departing for Switzerland, Millie Bright, Mary Earps and Fran Kirby — three influential players — withdrew from selection or retired. Wiegman had been proactive in telling the players where they stood in the pecking order, had held honest conversations with Bright and Earps and wanted them in the squad, but sources briefed on the matter — speaking anonymously to protect relationships — said they were not happy at the prospect of being on the bench. Earps said it was time to “give the younger generation an opportunity to thrive”, while Bright felt she was “mentally and physically” at her limits and needed a break.
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On Friday, Wiegman looked back on that period with her usual sense of pragmatism.
“Whether players are available or not, the result is the same as an injured or unavailable player,” she told reporters. “You have to move on to what you want and who is ready to compete.”
There was a risk the Dutch manager might become isolated, given she lost three central figures, but captain Leah Williamson quashed that sentiment before the opening game. “She is a good person,” said Williamson. “As a player, you want to respect the person you play for, which we do.”
In their opening 2-1 defeat against France, England played poorly. The biggest tactical takeaway was Wiegman starting Lauren James in the No 10 role, with Lauren Hemp and Mead out wide.
In the lead-up, England had been training using a few different systems, including that formation, but with mixed success.
Williamson described the one-vs-one defending against the French as “cheap” and disagreed that the defence was disjointed, instead pointing to her team being too “expansive” and failing to keep the ball. Jess Carter said there was more than one player who had “a mare on the ball”. There were signs of vulnerability in the team and France had shown others the blueprint of how to beat England.
But on the morning after that defeat, there was no finger-pointing, and the players were supportive of one another. Later on that Sunday, when they reviewed video clips in their team meeting, players and staff had hard, healthy, and honest conversations. They spoke about football at times being a “lonely place”, in Stanway’s words, and the importance of non-verbal communication, such as eye contact. Lucy Bronze led the discussion about how England had lost their opening game to France at the 2015 World Cup.
England’s players react after the opening loss to France (Nick Potts/PA Images via Getty Images)
Players took a step back and remembered why they were here. Under Wiegman, the squad has previously spoken about their personal journeys, but this year they delved even deeper. Some players’ ‘why’ has changed. Williamson, for example, missed the 2023 World Cup through injury. When times are tough on the pitch, remembering where each other has come from helps connect the team. “It’s been important,” said Hemp. “You know every single bit about someone to help you through everything.”
Former Lionesses, including Jill Scott and Toni Duggan, messaged Bronze to remind her of previous experiences. Although not always considered the most serious, Scott had several one-to-one conversations with Williamson, passing on words of wisdom.
Indeed, the player WhatsApp group made for the Euro 2022 celebrations is still active. It is not a buzzing chat full of banter, rather Bright, Kirby and many others messaged to say ‘good luck’, ‘well done’, or ‘we believe in you’.
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“When players have been part of a setup, especially those who aren’t necessarily here, and for them to, for whatever reason, reinforce their belief in the team and want to be part of it, that speaks volumes of the group,” said Williamson.
Come that Monday, Stanway was “fed up of talking”. She spoke about being “proper England” and the team returning to its roots.
Before the must-win group game against the Netherlands, the mood was calm and confident. “Everybody else (outside) was panic stations,” said Keira Walsh. “We still needed to win this game, whether we beat France or not. The objective did not change.”
Williamson followed her usual matchday routine by playing the card game Monopoly Deal with Walsh, Toone, Russo and Mead before taking a nap, while Bronze spent the morning doing a jigsaw with Michelle Agyemang and Maya Le Tissier.
Wiegman showed her adaptability by switching Carter, who struggled against France’s Delphine Cascarino, from left-back to centre-back. It made one think that had Bright, who has provided her thoughts throughout the tournament on her podcast Daly Brightness, been involved, she might have played at centre-back.
Although the England manager said she had no regrets about her selection for the first game, she moved James out to the right wing, perhaps an admission that her plan had not worked. James’ rocket got England off to the start they needed, and at half-time the message was to be ruthless. The 4-0 win showed glimpses of how England can play. Wiegman said she found the scrutiny hard and was a little “tense” before the game, but repeated her mantra: stay within our bubble and block out the noise.
The 6-1 win over Wales, featuring six different England goalscorers, brought the “positive clicks” to the fore.
When substitutes — or as Wiegman calls them, “finishers” — Mead and Aggie Beever-Jones scored, they ran to the bench and celebrated by clicking their fingers. While the starting XI were left in the dark, those in the dugout were all on the same page, having come up with the celebration before the game.
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Le Tissier had created a separate WhatsApp group for the subs called “the positive clicks”, so that they could share photos of the celebration. Whereas a ‘clique’ could be perceived negatively, this ‘click’ was anything but.
Wiegman is extremely good at keeping players happy, even if they are not playing all the time. That comes from little gestures to show she cares about each individual. One such example at this tournament was when she handed Grace Clinton the No 14 shirt and asked the midfielder: ‘Do you know who my favourite player is that wore that number? Johan Cruyff’. “That stuck with me,” said 22-year-old Clinton. I thought: ‘Wow, it’s a pleasure to wear that number’.”
Toone and Russo were the substitute game-changers at Euro 2022, but there has been a role reversal this time. Russo only scored twice in Switzerland but performed a similar role to former England No 9 Ellen White, who grafted and triggered the press three years ago before making way for the finishers. When it mattered in the final, she duly delivered.
Those super subs — Agyemang, who had only played nine minutes of senior football before being selected for the Euros squad, and Kelly chief among them — and a never-say-die attitude proved vital in the knockout stages.
Michelle Agyemang celebrates scoring against Italy in the semi-finals (Marco Iacobucci/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
England were fully aware of the threat Sweden posed in the quarter-finals, but they were still punished for their sloppiness in possession, and at 2-0 down with 12 minutes remaining, the Lionesses looked to be heading home. There was a moment in the first half when Esme Morgan thought, “I haven’t packed anything”.
Wiegman’s changes, however, turned the game around. Kelly was pivotal and Agyemang clinical.
Bronze carried the team on her shoulders, becoming a physio, striker and eventually the scorer of the penalty that sent England into the semis at the end of a farcical shootout.
“I’m just filled with this baseline confidence, I know that we can,” Williamson told the Lionesses’ podcast. When the players look at each other, “we know we’ve been to the places that we need to go to again”. It is formed on mutual respect built over time.
“What would you do if I told you we were all ready to kill each other?” joked Williamson during the tournament.
A month in close proximity with the same people is tough, let alone being part of a team under intense pressure. But Wiegman’s strength lies in building a strong culture among players, staff, and their families.
“Every single member of staff coming into this camp felt valued by her, knew exactly what their role was and how they could be part of an overall team,” said FA CEO Mark Bullingham. “Stressing that everyone is in it together is critical.”
“The staff are always there, if you need extra nutrition, gym, if you’re unsure about the tactics, the door is always open, just go and ask questions,” Stanway told the Lionesses’ podcast.
The FA created a home-away-from-home feel, including Lionesses-branded Yorkshire tea bags, at the five-star Dolder Grand hotel. It costs between £500 and £13,500 per night to stay there. Every player waxed lyrical about the facilities, especially from a performance perspective.
Darts competitions, spike ball, table tennis, basketball trick shots, quizzes, days in the life of another player, watching football, Wimbledon and the cricket, woodland walks, sightseeing in Zurich, boat trips, coffee and pizza stops, lake swims and slides have entertained them, while Reggie the dog has offered the best hugs. Bronze loves spending time with the younger players because their enthusiasm rubs off on her.
hEvery player was given a journal. Beever-Jones, the squad’s de facto photographer, and Lotte Wubben-Moy, who brought her sourdough starter with her and gave it to chef Stuart to feed every day, have used it for their reflections. On one day, the quote greeting them at their daily wellness session reminded them of the power of the team rather than individuals, and there were no seating plans or fixed meal times.
Williamson, who made a conscious effort to be more sociable during this tournament, brought her portable keyboard with her, but was slightly discouraged by Agyemang’s and Hampton’s skills on the keys, while supporting Russo’s brother Giorgio on Love Island was a way to decompress and dominated the breakfast table chatter. Walsh has leaned on former England international and Euro 2022 winner Scott, who popped on the team bus after the games, made the midfielder cups of tea, and took her out for dinner in the evenings after matchdays, most importantly talking about non-football matters.
Wiegman has always understood the importance of downtime with family and friends and made sure ample time was spent with them.
Such strong bonds within the team have also formed among players’ families and friends, who have had to sit through torture watching this team. Although the players did not review the penalties back in full, the families and friends watched them on repeat. Bronze’s brother, Jorge, was the driving force behind Saturday park runs in Dreilandergarten, Germany, while on Friday, they all met for a pub crawl.
One particularly motivational speech from Wiegman on the Saturday evening before the semi-final against Italy stood out to the players.
Late that night, the team held a meeting to discuss the best course of action in response to Carter being racially abused on social media. The squad rallied around their team-mate privately and publicly, as shown by their team and individual statements.
“Being vulnerable is probably one of the most important things because it brings the group so much closer together,” said Stanway.
England looked tired against Italy and failed to take their chances early on. It was a snapshot of the past year: lethargic, wayward passes, unforced errors, and a flat team. Their midfield was too easy to transition against and not compact enough.
It seemed those who had come back from injury, especially Hemp — who ran herself into the ground — and James, were rusty. Wiegman’s general principle is only to call up players when they are featuring regularly for their clubs, but as she did with Bright at the 2023 World Cup, she started James, Hemp and Stanway from the off. They could not find their rhythm and were inconsistent. But somehow England clung on yet again.
As long as the Lionesses were still in the game, they knew the players on the bench could have a huge impact. Late changes forced players into unfamiliar positions: Hemp at left-back, for example, and Mead in central midfield.
It all contributed to some of England’s performances in this tournament being contrary to what Wiegman likes: control, organisation, and error-free. But even though it may have looked chaotic at times, there was method in the madness.
One of Wiegman’s buzzwords is “scenarios”, though surely even she could not have predicted England’s rollercoaster ride. Her planning, however, is months in the making, even if Bright and Earps surprised her with their decisions. Earps came to watch the Wales game before starting gruelling pre-season testing with Paris Saint-Germain. She had photos with Toone and Russo, but did not have a moment with the whole squad.
On Saturday, the day before the final, Wiegman reeled off England’s squad announcement date, June 5, without hesitation.
“That is how the squad is built,” she said. “On June 5, we figured out what player we might need in certain circumstances if we want to change things. We have spoken through all the scenarios. When we want to change, we can make a decision very quickly.”
Although it may look chaotic on the outside, for Walsh, it did not feel like that.
“It is not by luck that Michelle (Agyemang) is in the box and scoring,” she said. “It is not by luck that people are putting crosses in the box. It’s thought out and purposeful and it is the absolute belief that no matter what minute of the game it is, we are going to win or get a result we need to take us to extra time. That is the resilience of this team as well.”
That word, resilience, defines this team.
It is embodied by Carter, who surprisingly returned to the starting XI ahead of Esme Morgan against Spain. When Wiegman told her of her decision in training, Carter thought: ‘Are you sure?’
“To have that faith from Sarina to put me back in and that I could help this team to a trophy was amazing,” said the Gotham defender.
At the end of normal time, Carter and Wiegman shared a laugh.
“That is the normal me,” said Carter. “Throughout this tournament I’ve not felt that and I’ve been really quite sad and disappointed at the fact I’ve not been the relaxed Jess. I’m someone who is ‘what will be will be’. We go out there and give our all and either it’ll be enough or it won’t. That’s not how I’ve played this tournament until I got to this final, where I thought I’m going to give it my all.”
“Sport has all of those words (like ‘b**ches get s*** done’) circulating all the time,“ said captain Leah Williamson. “It’s really brave to put that into action and decide that you’re going to go for it and leave yourself vulnerable.
“If you really, really try hard and it’s not quite enough then that’s an awful feeling. To put yourself out there like that, the reward is so great and we were brave enough to do it and that’s the key to the team. Sarina believes in us so much that it’s hard not to believe in yourself.”
The Lionesses celebrate retaining the trophy they won in 2022 (Maja Hitij – UEFA via Getty Images)
Wiegman said the same thing to the team before Sunday’s final as she did before the Euro 2022 final: “We do not have to win, we really want to win and we’re capable of winning, so it’s up to you girls.”
England played poorly in the knockouts, rode their luck, and pulled off two great escapes. Remarkably, they led for only four minutes and 52 seconds in total after the group stage.
But in the final, they were fearless and showed that their whole is greater than the sum of their parts. Wiegman is the first manager to win three European Championships. It is no wonder Bullingham said “she is not for sale”.
Women’s Euro Finals England vs Spain Sun 11 am Fox
Just amazing that all the Semifinals went to extra time with England again pulling a rabbit out of the hat to beat a game Italy in Extra time England- Italy highlights . The same for Spain as they found a way past Germany Highlights in extra time. It gives us the dream final — the rematch England vs Spain. At the beginning of the tournament, both teams were ranked first and second favorites to win the competition. England, who have become the third European team to reach the final of three consecutive major tournaments, lost 1-0 to Spain when they met in the Fifa World Cup final in 2023. I like Spain again – 2-1 in Extra time of course.
Still sad for Germany goalkeeper Ann Berger who was inspiring and added the save of year with this Amazing Save. Germany vs France Shootout Even more remarkable is her fight and win against Cancer and her story gets even more inspiring Berger’s Journey from Cancer to Shootout Hero. (in honor of my Bruz Cable who’s birthday would have been in just 5 days and lost his battle with cancer in 2023).
Indy 11 Xmas in July promo Sat night 7 pm @ The Mike
The Boys in Blue host the final round of USL Jägermeister Cup group play with “Christmas in July on Saturday, July 26 at 7 p.m. at Carroll Stadium vs. FC Tulsa. Indy 11 Christmas in July Indy Eleven leads Group 3 with a 2-0-1 record and can clinch a berth in the quarterfinals of the 38-team event with a victory. Single-game tickets for all matches are available via Ticketmaster. Flex Plan, Group, and Hospitality tickets are available here. For questions, call (317) 685-1100 during business hours or email tickets@indyeleven.com.
US Men vs #17 Japan in Columbus on Tues. Sept 9th – Discount Tix Available
The US men are coming to Columbus, Ohio Lower.com Field on Tuesday night Sept 9th for a 7:30 pm match up with #17 ranked Japan. The Ole Ballcoach is going along with some buddies to the game. Visit http://ussoccer.spinzo.com/CarmelFC this special link to get discounted tickets. We plan to sit in section 128 or 129 ($50/each) beside the American Outlaws who will be in the Nordic Section 127. Let me know if you plan to join – feel free to send on to friends. I for one was sick of seeing US fans outnumbered all summer long in our own stadiums. Let’s prove Columbus and Cincy are the HOME STADIUMS of US Soccer – this is where US Fans will not be outnumbered! Join me in the trek to Columbus to fight for our Red, White and Blue! Reach out to the Ole Ballcoach at shanebestsoccer@gmail.com if you want to coordinate travel plans.
MLS All Stars beat Mexico Liga MX – Leagues Cup between the two starts this weekend
So I tuned in to both the Skills Challenge and the MLS vs Liga MX Allstar Game this week — and you what — it wasn’t bad. Austin Texas filled the stadium for both events and it was a pretty good watch on Apple TV. Dissapointing to have no Messi or Jordi Alba on the field for MLS – but honestly the MLS were the better squad in both halves even without them. The Skills Challenge had my favorite MLS Allstar Goalie Wars Were Great & MLS Allstar Game highlights. This week the Leagues cup between Liga MX and MLS will start with games all week and weekend featuring MLS vs Mexican teams on Apple TV and FS1. (see schedule below). Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba suspended by MLS for skipping All-Star Game
Had a great time reffing some high school games with the legendary Tom Baker today. My favorite Canadian!
RIP Mike Sommer
CDC Celebration of Life for Long Time Carmel Dad’s Club Ref Mike Sommer Date: Saturday, July 26, 2025 Time: 9:00AM Location: Conference Room above Badger Field Concession Stand
My Bruz Cable Best – here in JC – best soccer player in the Family. Had a chance to make Clemson while they were top 5 in the US before getting hurt. RIP Bruz!!
TV GAMES SCHEDULE
Coverage starts at 11 game at 12 noon Sunday on Fox
Fri, July 25 8 pm FS2 Brazil vs Colombia Women Copa Sat, July 26 5 pm NBC, Peacock Everton vs Bournemouth (Adams) 7 pm FS1 Inter Miami vs Cincy 7 pm TV 6, ESPN+ Indy 11 vs FC Tulsa Christmas in July 7 pm Peacock Man United vs West Ham 9:30 pm Apple TV Salt Lake vs San Jose 10:30 pm Apple TV Vancouver vs Kansas City 11 pm Univision Necaxa vs America (Zendejas) Sun, July 27 11 am Fox Coverage Women’s Euros 12 noon Fox England vs Spain Euro Finals 2:30 pm Golazo Ajax vs Celtic (CVB, Trusty) Mon, July 28 5 pm FS2 Womens Copa America Knockout 8 pm FS1 Women’s Copa America knockout Tues, July 29 7 pm Apple Toluca vs Columbus Crew Leagues Cup Mex vs MLS 8 pm FS1 Women’s Copa America knockout 10 pm?? FS1 Pachuca vs San Diego Leagues Cup Mex vs MLS Weds, July 30 7 pm Apple Miami (Messi) vs Atlas Leagues Cup 8 pm? FS1 Orlando City vs Pumas UNAM 10 pm FS1 Portland Timbers vs Atletico San Luis Thurs, July 31 7 am Golazo Arsenal vs Tottenham (friendly) 7 pm Apple Monterey vs Cincy 10 pm FS1 Cruz Azul vs Seattle Sounders Fri, Aug 1 8 pm FS2 Women’s Copa America QF 8 pm Prime Racing Louisville vs KC Current NWSL 8 pm Apple? Columbus Crew vs Puebla 10 pm Apple? LAFC vs Pachuca 10 pm FS1? Tigres vs San Diego 10:30 pm Para+ Seattle Reign vs Angel City NWSL Sat, Aug 2 5 pm FS2 Women’s Copa America QF 7:30 pm Ion NC Courage vs San Diego Wave NWSL 8 pm Apple? Columbus Crew vs Puebla 8 pm FS1? America (Zendejas) vs Minn United 10 pm FS1? Portland Timbers vs Queretaro 10 pm ION Bay FC vs Houston Dash NWSL Sun, Aug 3 12:30 pm ABC Washington Spirit vs Portland Thorns NWSL 6 pm Para+ Orlando Pride vs Utah Royals Sat, Sept 6 5 pm TNT, Tele, Max USA Men vs Korea Tues, Sept 9 7:30 pm TNT, Tele, Max USA Men vs Japan in Columbus, Ohio Fri, Oct 10 8:30 pm TNT, Max USA Men vs Ecuador Tues, Oct 14 9 pm TNT, Max USA Men vs Australia
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UEFA reportedly opposes any measures to widen VAR’s powers to intervene in corner kicks and second yellow cards. The International FA Board (Ifab), football’s lawmaking body, is considering extending VAR’s powers (see previous write-up), but Uefa believes this would increase delays, negating any benefit from the extra interventions. It is also opposed to plans that would scrap rebounds on penalties, whereby the ball would be declared “dead” if the goalkeeper saves the penalty or it strikes the post or crossbar.
The European governing body was unhappy that Ifab approved changes to the laws of the game in March without consulting them. The most notable enforced change is that a goalkeeper now concedes a corner instead of an indirect free-kick for holding on to the ball for longer than eight seconds. The rule was applied for the first time at the Club World Cup–watch here.
Uefa is required to take on Ifab’s law changes. Changes approved at Ifab’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), which will next take place in March 2026, are binding and come into effect globally. While some rules can be subject to interpretation by different bodies, such as the interpretation of handball, the proposed VAR and penalty changes would not allow for that.
Aitana Bonmati’s extra-time strike sent the reigning World Cup champions to the Euros final. (Maja Hitij – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
2023 World Cup champions Spain have clinched their first-ever UEFA Women’s Euro Final berth, taking Wednesday’s semifinal with a narrow 1-0 extra-time victory over eight-time title-winners Germany .
“I’m proud because we deserve it,” winning goal-scorer Aitana Bonmatí told reporters. “We had a tremendous championship. It was the first time we beat Germany, and on top of that, we reached the final.”
How it happened: Germany entered the match shorthanded, with both injuries and suspensions forcing them to start every available defender.
The squad’s famed football mentality prevailed for more than 110 minutes of a 0-0 deadlock, as Spain struggled to break down a committed German defense led by savvy goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger.But as the clock ticked down in extra time, Bonmatí’s audacious 113th-minute strike caught Berger off-guard, handing Las Rojas a shot at their second major tournament trophy in three years.
What’s next: The once-improbable 2023 World Cup Final rematch has become a reality, as familiar foes Spain and England gear up for another championship battle.
“I know what they can do,” said Spain and Arsenal midfielder Mariona Caldentey of the defending Euros champs. “It will be a hard game.”
Don’t miss it: The UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 Final kicks off on Sunday at 12 PM ET, live on Fox Sports.
Women’s Euro Final Confirmed
England will face Spain in the 2025 Uefa Women’s Euro final on Sunday, July 27, at 17:00 BST (12:00 ET). This comes after Spain’s first win against Germany in the semi-finals, secured by an extra-time goal from Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati—read the full match report here.
Spain are given the edge over England in the final, with Opta’s model projecting a 51.5% chance of victory. At the beginning of the tournament, both teams were ranked first and second favourites to win the competition. England, who have become the third European team to reach the final of three consecutive major tournaments, lost 1-0 to Spain when they met in the Fifa World Cup final in 2023. However, both nations secured a 1-0 win at home, respectively, when they met earlier this year in the Uefa Nations League.
Viewership numbers have been high throughout the tournament. An average of eight million people in the UK watched England’s win against Italy in the semi-final, delivering ITV’s highest viewership of the year. The peak audience reached 10.2 million, compared to 9.3 million in England’s 2022 semi-final victory over Sweden.
>Arsenal made a winning start to their preseason tour of Asia after Bukayo Saka’s 53rd-minute goal earned a 1-0 victory over AC Milan in Singapore (More) | Liverpool have officially signed Hugo Ekitike for £79m, subject to international clearance (More)
>The great-grandson of dictator Benito Mussolini, Romano Floriani Mussolini, has joined Serie A side Cremonese on loan (More)
>Kylian Mbappe will wear Real Madrid’s No. 10 shirt next season; the French forward didn’t ask to wear it, but the club is expecting record sales (More)
> Raheem Sterling is receiving interest from Juventus and Bayer Leverkusen as Chelsea look to offload the 30-year-old (More)
>Crystal Palace have submitted an appeal against their demotion from Europa League with the Court of Arbitration for Sport; decision expected on or before August 11 (More) |
MLS Match Day 24 Recap
Charlotte FC captured 6 points from the week, including a 3-2 road win over Atlanta United. Pep Biel was the orchestrator in this one, scoring once and assisting twice, including one to Wilfried Zaha. That’s Charlotte’s third straight win, and now they get Toronto at home. Save for a collapse, they should absolutely be in the playoffs. As for Atlanta, they’re winless in their last 7 and don’t seem to have any answers. Here’s an example of how clueless the attack has been.
El Trafico went as El Trafico goes; a full 97-minute affair filled with fights and plenty of goals. The Galaxy came back twice, down 2-0 and 3-1, to tie the game with a stoppage-time header from Maya Yoshida. Gabriel Pec and Denis Bouanga both had a brace, and Eddie Segura got a straight red in the 91st minute after a big scrum broke out. Here’s a wild photo of Segura choking Diego Fagundez. We got everything we asked for out of this rivalry.
FC Dallas ended their 5-game winless skid with a 3-0 victory over St. Louis City. Petar Musa had an assist and a brace and now has the most goals (27) in FC Dallas history for a player in his first two seasons. Lucho Acosta missed the game for personal reasons. We don’t know what’s going on there .
The Seattle Sounders beat San Jose 3-2 behind Pedro de la Vega’s best performance in a Seattle jersey. For the first time, Brian Schmetzer lined him up on the left wing, his natural position, and it resulted in a goal and an assist. But Seattle lost Jordan Morris in the first half, and he’ll need surgery on his AC joint. He finally got healthy and now this. So brutal.
MVP Race The MVP race is starting to heat up. We have a couple of usual suspects and a couple of new names leading the ballot. Here’s a breakdown of the four frontrunners. Lionel Messi I was lucky enough to witness Messi’s 6th brace in his last 7 games on Saturday in Harrison, New Jersey. Checking that off the bucket list . With 28 goal contributions in 18 games played, he’s blowing everyone out of the water in contributions per 90’. Every other MVP candidate has played 22 games or more. If this continues, no one will be surprised if he becomes the first player ever to repeat as MVP. Sam Surridge With Saturday’s goal, he became the 10th player in league history to score at least 18 goals in his team’s first 24 games of the season. Against the other top 5 teams in the Eastern Conference, Nashville is 3W-2L-1D, the second best behind Inter Miami’s 4W-1L-1D. Surridge has been a revelation, becoming the first player ever to score in 6 games in a row for Nashville. Evander The best player on the current Supporters Shield leaders. That’s usually enough to win it. But how about out-dueling Messi in last week’s matchup. He controlled the tempo, dictated play, and added a brace for good measure. With 23 goal contributions and counting, Evander has been the engine behind FC Cincinnati’s surge to the top of the Eastern Conference. He scored in 5 straight games, setting the record for most games in a row with a goal in Cincinnati’s history. He’s the second-best player in the league. Anders Dreyer Anders Dreyer’s first MLS season is pushing record-breaking numbers, and he just won June Player of the Month. He leads the league in assists with 15, and is just behind Messi in overall goal contributions with 25 total. He’s easily one of the best DP signings in the last 5 years. Funny enough, in the 2020–21 season at FC Midtjylland in Denmark, Anders Dreyer and Evander combined for 31 goal contributions across all competitions, forming a dynamic duo that powered both domestic success and a Champions League run.
Congrats to the 6 Indiana Soccer Teams Playing this weekend in the USYS National Championships in Orlando July 22-27. B15U – Indy Premier Elite 64 10B B15U – ZYSA 10B Green NL B19U – Alliance Eleven 06/07B G17U – FW United Elite 64 08G G19U – FW United Elite 64 06/07G NWI Lions United 2011G Yellow.
Inter Miami stars Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba have been suspended for Saturday’s match against FC Cincinnati after skipping Wednesday’s MLS All-Star Game.The league announced the sanctions on Friday afternoon.“Inter Miami CF’s Jordi Alba and Lionel Messi will be unavailable for the club’s match against FC Cincinnati on Saturday, July 26, due to their absence at this week’s Major League Soccer All-Star Game,” a statement from the league read. “Per league rules, any player who does not participate in the All-Star Game without prior approval from the league is ineligible to compete in their club’s next match.”While Alba took a knock in Miami’s last game, Messi was rested for fatigue issues.In a phone interview with The Athletic, MLS commissioner Don Garber said it was a “very, very difficult decision” to suspend Messi.“The most important thing is I know Leo Messi loves this league, and MLS is an entirely different league because of the years he’s been here helping to show the world what MLS is and what it’s capable of being,” Garber said. “One of the learnings that we have here is clearly MLS is different than other leagues around the world, and we have an approach to building events and building other activities we feel are important to help us grow interest in the league. I think it’s important — and particularly important to me — nobody has done more for Major League Soccer than Lionel Messi. Not just what he’s done off the field, but what he’s done on the field. Every game is a must-see match. I fully understand and respect and admire his commitment to Inter Miami.
“His decision [not to attend the All-Star Game] is not one that I really can argue with whatsoever and I understand it. But unfortunately we have a longstanding policy relating to player participation in the All-Star Game and we had to enforce that policy. It was a very, very difficult decision, but one I hope both [Messi] and everyone else can understand and respect. He has shown up for his club, for his teammates, for our league time and time again and I respect his decision.”Garber said the league would look to adapt the policy for future years.“We are going to take a very hard look at the rule moving forward. It is important to all of our players and all of our fans that we have a policy that reflects and involves the realities of our league and its players going forward. I am committed to working with all of our players and to start working with Leo Messi to adapt this rule so it makes sense going forward.”Prior to the ruling coming down Friday, Miami coach Javier Mascherano offered a suggestion to avoid this dilemma in the future, saying the All-Star Game should be held on a weekend and not played mid-week as a means to build in the requisite rest.He had been under the impression earlier on Friday that both players would be available for Saturday’s game, which pits two of the top teams in the league against one another.
“Well, Messi showed normal fatigue from the number of games and minutes he’s been playing,” Mascherano said. “Look, players always have discomfort, especially when they play every three days. But luckily, he is returning today. Let’s hope he can train alongside the group so we can count on both of them for tomorrow’s game.”Messi has played 90 minutes in every Inter Miami game dating back to April 30. That includes nine games since June 14, four of which came at the FIFA Club World Cup. He last missed a match on April 27, in between legs of the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals.MLS has weighed the decision the last few days after learning on Wednesday morning that the two players would not be traveling for the game. Notably, FC Cincinnati’s star players Evander and Miles Robinson both took part in the All-Star festivities, which meant they did not get rest nor were they able to train with their teams.“I don’t know that we necessarily need clarity,” FC Cincinnati coach Pat Noonan said in his Friday press conference regarding the lingering uncertainty about Miami’s star duo. “There’s rules. I’m aware of those. We’re under the impression that we’ll prepare for the game without those two available. We just played them a week ago, we know what it looks like with them on the field. But that’s kind of how we approached it.”Noonan added that FCC never considered having Evander or Robinson sit out the exhibition. Evander took part in the Skills Challenge on Tuesday night – Alba had initially been scheduled to as well – before captaining MLS opposite Liga MX’s Sergio Ramos on Wednesday.“There was no thought of holding our guys back,” Noonan said. “That’s never been the case. Our guys have always gone to represent our club and then that won’t change. They did a great job. Miles and Evander represented the club in a really good way and it was nice to see Evander be the captain to go and do well in the skills competition, and for the stretch of the first half that I saw, he did a good job. I’m happy for those two and their performances.”This is not the first time a major star has faced this sanctioning. Former LA Galaxy star forward Zlatan Ibrahimović was also suspended one game for missing the All-Star Game in 2018. Still, suspending one of the most famous players in the world and the reigning league MVP ahead of a showdown against a first-place FC Cincinnati team is a major decision considering the implications for the audience, playoff positioning and commercial benefits. The suspension also comes in the midst of Miami and Messi negotiating a contract extension. Messi’s current deal expires at the end of the 2025 season.Messi is obviously the league’s biggest draw. On Thursday, the league announced the return of a “Player Spotlight” TikTok broadcast of Messi for four of Inter Miami’s matches, beginning on Aug. 2 in the opening round of the Leagues Cup against Liga MX side Necaxa. Last season, the spotlight event on TikTok drew “more than 6.4 million live views” across MLS and Inter Miami’s accounts, per a release from the league, setting the record for the largest live audience for a U.S. sports event on TikTok.Garber reiterated that he hopes Messi understands why the league made its decision.
“I hope he does,” Garber said. “I think it’s important to state that I respect the fact that he made this decision because he’s played more games than almost any other player — 22 of the last 23 matches, including nine in the last 35 days. We don’t have a policy that says those players who have played more games at a particular time therefore they don’t have to show up, play or attend the All-Star Game. That’s the kind of thing we need to look at going forward.
“MLS doesn’t get everything right all the time. We always need to adapt, and really look at this rule going forward. The struggle is that I know 100 percent from everything I’ve heard and everyone involved, he made this decision because he’s playing so much and he wants to focus on his team.”
(Top photo: Jeff Dean/Getty Images)
No Messi, no Alba: What’s next for the MLS All-Star Game?
Cesar HernandezJul 24, 2025, 09:38 AM ET
With a 3-1 win over the Liga MX All-Stars on Wednesday night, MLS stole back regional bragging rights through a victory in the 29th edition of the league’s All-Star Game.
Carried by goals from Sam Surridge, Brian White and match MVP Tai Baribo in front of a packed crowd at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas, the evening and encompassing All-Star festivities throughout the week will go down as a well-deserved success for MLS.
All of that said, in a marquee showcase that was filled with many of the best and the brightest from both leagues, there was one noteworthy omission: global superstar Lionel Messi. Earlier on Wednesday, MLS confirmed the absence of the Inter Miami CF player, as well as that of teammate Jordi Alba, despite both being selected for the match. Heading into the All-Star Game, Miami coach Javier Mascherano publicly stated that having his starters in the exhibition wasn’t ideal.
“The players are called up, I would like them to be able to rest but that is not my decision,” Mascherano said. “I know how important the All-Star [Game] is, and as far as I know, there is no decision from the club, everything is as normal.”This isn’t the first time that a high-profile player or club has said no to the event. In 2018, the LA Galaxy‘s Zlatan Ibrahimovic turned down the opportunity, and on the Liga MX side of the competition this year, 2025 didn’t feature selected players such as Leon‘s James Rodríguez or Cruz Azul‘s Erik Lira and Carlos Rotondi. The participation of Monterrey star Sergio Ramos also wasn’t officially confirmed until the night before.
Why is this an issue for the All-Star Game? And with next year’s edition taking place in a World Cup year, when plenty of eyes will be on North America, where does the high-profile exhibition go from here?
Schedule congestion
The packed schedule is the most significant factor in the subdued vibes of the 2025 event. Both MLS and Liga MX will not only have a rapid turnarounds with regular-season matches this weekend, but will then also kickoff their joint Leagues Cup tournament next week. Including Leagues Cup and MLS, Messi & Co. are currently on a nine-game stretch between July 5 and Aug. 6. If they advance in Leagues Cup, up to three additional knockout-round games would then be played next month.
With that in mind, it’s understandable that Mascherano does not want to overtax his players.
“The intensity of the games we’ve played, especially in the last month and a half, has been very, very high,” the Miami coach, who has also had to manage injuries in his roster, added recently.
Not everyone agrees with Mascherano, though. Despite having to travel to the events during his playing days, six-time MLS All-Star Brian Ching viewed his involvement as a moment to relax and connect with other important names across the country.
“I always enjoyed the All-Star Game because it allowed you to meet and play with some of the best players in the league,” he said to ESPN. “These games are a mental break from the season for everyone because the games are fun to play in. None of the players play more than a half so it is like a practice for them.
“Most players enjoyed the opportunity to do something different from their normal week with their teams.”But that still hasn’t been enough to convince all involved. When Ibrahimovic missed out in 2018, the superstar cited fatigue, and was then surprised when he was handed a one-game suspension in accordance to league rules.
“[I] think it is ridiculous, but yeah, no comments,” Ibrahimovic said at the time. “They do whatever they want. I come from a different world; I come from the real world.”
“Miami had a schedule that is unlike any other team,” he said. “Most of our teams had a 10-day break. Miami hasn’t. We had Leo playing 90 minutes in almost all the games. That’s nine games in 35 days.”
It isn’t as if facing off against Liga MX is a unique opportunity either. In the modern era of MLS, there’s been a growing number of matchups between the two leagues that have sought to collaborate as often as possible. Along with Leagues Cup, Campeones Cup and clashes in the Concacaf Champions Cup, the All-Star Game can feel lost in the list of Liga MX-vs.-MLS battles.
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“You already have Campeones Cup and you already have Leagues Cup,” said ESPN’s Herculez Gomez, who played in both MLS and Liga MX. “How much is too much and then what are we trying to do here? Does a fan really enjoy [the All-Star Game]?”
Supporters of the league, especially those who sported a Messi jersey at Q2 Stadium, might also think twice about the All-Star Game going forward.
“It’s unfortunate because if you wanted to highlight this product or your products to the rest of the league, well, your biggest assets have to be there,” Gomez said.
Changing the competition format
Getting all players on board is something that the league will have to continue to manage in future editions, but what about the format of the competition itself that could perhaps garner more appeal for players and fans?
While the “all-star” concept itself is novel to the traditional hotbeds of the sport in Europe and Latin America, MLS could do more to stand out in an American sports landscape that has no shortage of high-profile exhibitions — let alone stand out in their own series of Liga MX-vs.-MLS events.
Making changes wouldn’t be a stretch when considering how often the league has tinkered with formats that have ranged from games against European club giants, the United States, Liga MX, and intraleague battles such as East vs. West and MLS USA vs. MLS World. And more generally, the league has demonstrated an appetite for experimenting with new rules and innovations for the global game.
The addition of the skills challenge is a step in the right direction during the All-Star week, but if MLS wants to capitalize on a younger demographic, the league could tap into the burgeoning scene of alternative tournaments such as The Soccer Tournament, Kings League and Baller League. Invited teams and celebrities from abroad, viral online moments through new rules, all on a small-sided pitch, the ingredients are there to experiment in a sport that has traditionally pushed back on new ideas that can allow players to show off a different side of their character.
Nicol backs Messi’s MLS All-Star snub
Stevie Nicol backs Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba’s decision to skip the MLS All-star game as the pair face a one-match ban for their absence.
“I [definitely] believe what lacks in normal football now is personality, in terms of players being able to be themselves,” Baller League player Josh Harrop, a former Manchester United midfielder, said to ESPN earlier this year. “I am a big football fan, but I kind of lost interest in watching it as much, because games are just so, so boring and dry.”
The argument, at least from the league’s perspective, could be made that those ideas are already being tested out within the skills challenge that has events such as goalie wars and the crossbar challenge. On Tuesday, guests such as U.S. men’s national team icon Clint Dempsey, U.S. women’s national team captain Lindsey Heaps, Liga MX Femenil star Nicki Hernandez and Liga MX icon Oribe Peralta also took part in the competition.
Ching, who has had a lengthy experience in the All-Star Game, doesn’t want to see too many changes.
“I feel this format keeps it competitive and entertaining for the fans while keeping it interesting and fun for the players,” the three-time MLS Cup champion said. “These games get competitive because of the rivalry between the two countries but both teams get to enjoy the experience of playing with the best of the best.”Either way, MLS still has plenty to ponder before a World Cup year in which lots of attention will be focused on the North American soccer landscape.
“I love the All-Star Game. You know, most leagues probably do, [but] how do you get your players to love the All-Star Game? Your partners to love the All-Star Game, and fans too,” Garber said. “Ninety-plus percent of our Leagues Cup matches are going to be MLS-vs.-Liga MX games, so maybe it is time for us to evolve the format … we’ll see how it plays out.”
England are in a major final again, and once more, their substitutes proved the difference.
Against Sweden, it was Michelle Agyemang who equalised and fellow replacement Chloe Kelly who played a key role in both of England’s goals. Against Italy, Agyemang was the hero who forced extra time again before Kelly scored the 119th-minute winner — which, incidentally, was from a penalty won by Beth Mead, another substitute.England’s strength in depth has been their superpower in Switzerland, allowing them to break down low blocks, stretch tired defences and, ultimately, pull off two great escapes. The question now is whether any of Sarina Wiegman’s so-called ‘finishers’ have earned a start for Sunday’s final in Basel against Spain.Here, The Athletic looks at each of their cases for a place.
Michelle Agyemang
In four senior caps, 19-year-old Agyemang has scored three goals — two of which were late equalisers to make England’s progress through the knockout stages possible. That is all without coming on before the 70th minute. Naturally, that begs the question of what she could do in 90 minutes instead of 20.
The map below shows how Agyemang has made the most of her minutes, taking up dangerous positions while, against Sweden, helping break down opposition attacks early.
Against Spain, those attributes — and particularly her strength in hold-up play, allowing team-mates time to get up the pitch and join a counter-attack — could be a great fit. After seeing her latch on to a long ball and lob Italy goalkeeper Laura Giuliani, only to hit the bar and let out a yell of frustration, the idea of her running in behind to exploit Spain’s high line is tantalising.
Is the time right for her to take the starting spot up top? That would feel harsh on Arsenal team-mate Alessia Russo, who has only scored once but has led the press brilliantly, run tirelessly and been a creative force too, with three assists. Russo is also adept at hold-up play and exploiting a high line (as shown for England’s first goal in the 4-0 win against the Netherlands).
Kelly is the only one of England’s super-subs from Euro 2022 who has kept that role, with Russo and Ella Toone having become starters. Had that apparent standstill been put to her two years ago, she might have been disappointed. Now, though, after the gamble of leaving Manchester City in January in search of more playing time at Arsenal, she will be delighted she has even made it to Switzerland, let alone proven to be so crucial.
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She has been as important as Agyemang in England’s progress. Kelly was instrumental in England’s goals against Sweden before hammering home her penalty in the shootout. Against Italy, her dribbling and pace on the right wing were crucial in opening up space in the middle and creating opportunities for herself. She almost scored an iconic winner when she skipped away from four Italian defenders and bent her shot just wide of the top-left corner in extra time. In the furore, it went largely unnoticed that she almost scored directly from a corner. Instead, she would seal victory by turning in her saved penalty.She tracked back tirelessly against Italy, and made a key defensive contribution after substitute Giada Greggi had got the better of Grace Clinton. Again, she finds herself vying for a starting spot in a European final.
The Chelsea forward had a strong build-up to the Euros, planting herself firmly in Wiegman’s thinking with a hat-trick at Wembley against Portugal, but has had limited opportunities in Switzerland. Her standout moment was her first tournament goal, England’s sixth of the match against Wales — a well-taken but admittedly poorly defended header. The 21-year-old came on in the 85th minute against Italy and helped stretch their tired defence throughout extra time, coming close to turning home a couple of crosses but she could not find a way past Giuliani.Spain, her speed and dribbling on the counter-attack could be a weapon, and her adaptability to play across the front three helps provide cover. However, she is less physically imposing than Lauren Hemp (left wing) and Russo (striker), and has far less major tournament experience.Will she start the final? Beever-Jones’ competitors have the edge over her for a starting spot. She is still best used as a ‘finisher’, testing tired defenders.
Grace Clinton
Clinton faces stiff competition for a midfield role from Manchester United team-mate Toone, as well as Georgia Stanway and James. When she has got on to the pitch — which has been for no more than 16 minutes at a time — the 22-year-old has shown relentless energy but has not been at her best. Mostly employed to refresh England’s midfield and rush opponents with box-to-box running, Clinton has helped stop teams from building attacks.At her peak, Clinton balances reading of the game, movement and link-up play with defensive nous; that has not quite happened this tournament. Against Italy, when she came on in the 106th minute for Keira Walsh, she had to help prevent counter-attacks while simultaneously trying to provide a spark from deep. She looked comparatively sluggish when Greggi intercepted Kelly’s loose ball and pulled away into England’s half. Clinton has massive potential, but we have not quite seen it at this tournament.
Will she start the final? England desperately need to exercise some control over the midfield in the final and it does not feel like Clinton has shown more ability to do that than Stanway, Toone or Walsh. She will stay as a substitute.
Beth Mead
Mead’s Euros has not gone how she, or Wiegman, had planned. She started in her favoured right-wing position for England’s opening defeat against France, a performance that prompted a rethink about how England could extract the best from James. The Chelsea attacker was moved to the right, with Toone stepping in behind the forward line and Mead dropping to the bench.
Wiegman still seems to trust the Arsenal forward — she has featured in every game, and was the first port of call when James was forced off with an ankle injury against Italy. She showed versatility in that semi-final, moving into the No 10 role when Kelly was introduced, and looked dangerous in the box, not least when she won England’s penalty.
Mead was fouled for the penalty that led to England’s dramatic extra-time winner against Italy (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
However, that role change arose out of exceptional circumstances as Wiegman was trying to piece together an unusual number of attackers on the pitch, rather than providing any hints at where she could play in the final.
Will she start the final? Right now, the options ahead of her appear stronger. James did not have her best half against Italy but, if fit, would still be first in line to start on the right. Even without James, Kelly’s excellent substitute performances would put her ahead of Mead in the pecking order. Given Mead’s drop-off in minutes, no matter her experience, she is not best placed to start.
Germany 0 Spain 1: Aitana Bonmati’s strike lifts Spain to first Euros final appearance
Aitana Bonmati nearly missed the 2025 European Championship due to a bout with viral meningitis the week before the tournament began. But on Wednesday, the two-time Ballon d’Or winner found a late goal to lift Spain to their first appearance in a Euros final. They will face a familiar opponent in England — the team Spain beat in the 2023 World Cup final.
In a record fourth match that went to extra time this tournament, Spain needed a bit of magic from their star player to get past eight-time tournament winners Germany. The German side nearly ended the game in regular time with a pair of back-to-back shots in the 94th minute, but Spain goalkeeper Cata Coll made two acrobatic saves to keep the score level going into extra time.
Spain also finally broke their drought against Germany, a team they hadn’t beaten in the last eight meetings.
Despite Germany holding Spain scoreless through 90 minutes, something no other team at Euro 2025 could do, they failed to capitalise on multiple chances at the other end. Germany’s first of three shots on target came after the hour mark, despite multiple chances throughout the game.
Cerys Jones and Tamerra Griffin analyse the main talking points, setting up yet another final between Spain and England.
quarter-final
Sweden2
England2*
Norway1
Italy2
France1
Germany1*
Spain2
Switzerland0
semi-final
England2
Italy1
Germany0
Spain1
final
England
Spain
Bonmati to the rescue
Bonmati should not have scored that goal. Given how airtight Germany’s defense has been the whole game; how sharp Ann Katrin-Berger’s coverage of the goal; how underwhelming Spain have been on the attack with lofty crosses and half-hearted shots; how likely this game was to end with yet another set of penalties; and how Bonmati might still be recovering from viral meningitis; it simply did not seem possible by any stretch of the imagination.
But this is why Bonmati is a two-time Ballon d’Or winner. When the pressure is high and the chances slim, she transcends imagination and executes.
Bonmati’s extra time goal lift Spain to the Euros final (Sebastien Bozon/AFP via Getty Images)
She had fist-slamming frustrations throughout a game that saw Spain uncharacteristically frustrated over a much longer period than they’re used to against a steely Germany, but still Bonmati decided to do a dummy run that allowed her to slip past Rebecca Knaak before firing a low, driven, near-post shot at such an acute angle, you could hardly blame Berger for assuming she wouldn’t bother exploiting it. The shot was simply avant-garde in its brilliance. We will never know whether it was purposeful or a misdirected cross, but the way Bonmati pointed to her head during her celebrations suggests it just might have been.
Tamerra Griffin
Germany were their own worst enemy, again
Germany reached the final four despite doing their level best to put obstacles in their own path. Against Spain, they again have themselves to blame for their defeat.
Nobody has managed to keep a clean sheet against this Spanish side with their vast reserves of goalscorers and creators. No matter how dogged your defence, they will eventually score by hook or by crook — so opponents’ only real hope is to outscore them by exploiting their high line and being clinical in front of goal.
Germany became the latest side to fail to pull that off. Despite holding Spain scoreless for more than 100 minutes, it was through their own wayward finishing and lack of an incisive final action that they found defeat.
Germany held Spain for more than 100 minutes (Eddie Keogh/Getty Images)
Most teams have not even got as far as creating the opportunities that Germany carved out against Spain, so they deserve credit for that, but will be bitterly disappointed in their lack of end product.
Giovanna Hoffman had a particularly infuriating few moments in the first half, snatching at Sara Dabritz’s promising cross in the 28th minute and rolling a shot wide from Carlotta Wamser’s sumptuous curled pass in the 30th. She was offside for the latter, which she might well have been relieved by after failing to convert when one-on-one with Cata Coll. Before that, in the eighth minute, Klara Buhl had missed a golden opportunity to put Germany ahead when she fired wide after a perfectly timed run onto Berger’s long free kick. The ending of stoppage time summed it up: they had four shots, two of which were superbly saved by Coll and two of which were comfortably off target.
They followed the blueprint for beating Spain up until the final step. They attacked well on the counter, exploited their high line, created good chances from the wings, and did so with only 33 per cent of possession – but let themselves down in front of goal. They had ample chances to take the lead before Bonmati eventually scored deep into extra time.
Having suffered avoidable and obvious red cards for Carlotta Wamser and Kathrin Hendrich against Sweden and France, they caused their own downfall with attacking rather than defensive errors in the semi-final.
Cerys Jones
Germany goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger and Spain forward Esther Gonzalez are teammates at Gotham FC in NWSL (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
Familiar foes among two Gotham FC players
Some of the striker-keeper duels between Spanish striker and Euros golden boot leader Esther Gonzalez and German goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger could have ended differently had Berger not been so deeply familiar with her goal-hungry opponent.
That’s the kind of edge a keeper needs against a prolific, confident, and in-form striker like Esther, whose threat is at least twofold: she can score with both feet and her head; and her movement off the ball is as cerebral as it is dizzying for a defender to track.
Tamerra Griffin
A rematch waiting in the final
The final against England is Spain’s chance to lay an unequivocal claim to the title of best team in Europe.
They are already familiar with England as opponents on the biggest stage, having beaten them in the final of the 2023 World Cup. Much about England remains the same: familiar faces like Ella Toone, Alessia Russo, Lucy Bronze, and Georgia Stanway were stalwarts of that final, and their attacking identity has stayed similar. However, there are new variables: Spain were not facing England’s likely front three, crucially including an in-form Lauren James, and England did not enter that final as, arguably, underdogs.
From World Cups to Nations Leagues, Spain and England know each other well (Judit Cartiel / Getty Images)
Sarina Wiegman’s team have made life incredibly difficult for themselves at Euro 2025, falling to a concerning opening defeat against France in the group stage and twice needing Michelle Agyemang’s late equalisers to drag them through the knockouts. Several times they have looked beaten, and several times they have bounced back. That puts a different complexion on this final to Spain’s win in Australia in 2023, when it was Spain whose build-up had not gone smoothly and England who were entering on the back of a major tournament win. Those roles are now reversed.
England are beatable. France have done it once this tournament, and Sweden and Italy came remarkably close. But in spite of the noisy buildup, the early defeat, the scrappy knockout performances, here are England in a third consecutive major final. Spain face a side with proven winning credentials, but an underdog mentality – a combination which, if they cannot break England’s spirit early, could be lethal.
Women’s Euro’s Continue on Fox 3 pm Tues England vs Italy, Wed Spain vs Germany
Wow the Germany vs Sweden game going to extra time and winning in penalties after Germany played the entire game a player down was truly amazing. Germany goalkeeper Ann Berger was inspiring and added the save of year with this Amazing Save. Even more remarkable is her fight and win against Cancer and her story gets even more inspiring Berger’s Journey from Cancer to Shootout Hero. I know who I am rooting for now to win the whole thing (in honor of my Bruz Cable who’s birthday would have been in just 8 days and lost his battle with cancer in 2023). Of course Spain will be co-favorite along with defending Euro Champs England. Games start at 3 pm on Fox! I like England in the first one but I think Italy will take them to ET – while Spain will probably beat Germany setting up a dream final on Sunday 12 noon on Fox. Women’s EURO Great Saves | Quarter-Finals
US Men vs #17 Japan in Columbus on Tues. Sept 9th – Discount Tix Available
The US men are coming to Columbus, Ohio Lower.com Field on Tuesday night Sept 9th for a 7:30 pm match up with #17 ranked Japan. The Ole Ballcoach is going along with some buddies to the game. Visit http://ussoccer.spinzo.com/CarmelFC this special link to get discounted tickets. We plan to sit in section 128 or 129 ($50/each) beside the American Outlaws who will be in the Nordic Section 127. Let me know if you plan to join – feel free to send on to friends. I for one was sick of seeing US fans outnumbered all summer long in our own stadiums. Let’s prove Columbus and Cincy are the HOME STADIUMS of US Soccer – this is where US Fans will not be outnumbered! Join me in the trek to Columbus to fight for our Red, White and Blue! Reach out to the Ole Ballcoach at shanebestsoccer@gmail.com if you want to coordinate travel plans.
Indy 11 Xmas in July promo Sat night 7 pm @ The Mike
Midfielder James Murphy scored his first Indy Eleven goal, but the Boys in Blue fell at USL Championship Eastern Conference opponent North Carolina FC, 4-2 Friday night. The Boys in Blue host the final round of USL Jägermeister Cup group play with “Christmas in July on Saturday, July 26 at 7 p.m. at Carroll Stadium vs. FC Tulsa. Indy 11 Christmas in July Indy Eleven leads Group 3 with a 2-0-1 record and can clinch a berth in the quarterfinals of the 38-team event with a victory. Single-game tickets for all matches are available via Ticketmaster. Flex Plan, Group, and Hospitality tickets are available here. For questions, call (317) 685-1100 during business hours or email tickets@indyeleven.com.
MLS vs La Liga All-Star Game Wed 9 pm / Skills Challenge Tues on Apple TV/Prime
The MLS will roll out their best to face Mexico’s La Liga starts in the Skills Challenge on Tues 8 pm followed by the All-Star Game on Wed at 9 pm from Austin all on Apple TV or Amazon Prime Network. If you have Apple you don’t need the MLS Season pass to watch these.
Awesome to Hit the High School fields at Mt Vernon with (L-R) T Ray Phillips, Mike Arrington & the boss Dave Howard. Looking forward to the DeWayne Classic at Carmel High this weekend.
RIP Mike Sommer
CDC Celebration of Life for Mike Sommer Date: Saturday, July 26, 2025 Time: 9:00AM Location: Conference Room above Badger Field Concession Stand
Mike was not only a dedicated Carmel Dad’s Club, High School and Middle School referee but also a kind and steady presence within our CDC community. He will be greatly missed by all of us who had the honor of refereeing alongside him. Man Mike is the one who got me started Reffing at CYO, Middle School and High School lower level teams on the outskirts of town before I became fully licensed for HS. I learned a lot from Mike – how important it was to treat the kids with respect and always do that extra bit of explaining the rules with a calm voice He was loved by many across the soccer World!
Fond are the Memories of driving out to Anderson to do games – always driving the back woods roads and ALWAYS stopping on the way home for dinner at some diner or small restaurant out there. Good Times indeed. I am out of town for the ceremonies – but will look forward to gathering July 26th to honor our friend Mike Sommer.
TV GAMES SCHEDULE
Tues, July 22 3 pm Fox England vs Italy Semi’s 5 pm FS1 Colombia vs Boliva Women Copa 8 pm FS1 Paraguay vs Brazil Women Copa Weds, July 23 3 pm Fox Spain vs Germany Semi’s 9 pm Apple Free/Amazon Prime MLS vs Mexico All Star Game Thur, July 24 8 pm FS2 Chile vs Uraguay Women Copa 8 pm FS1 Ecuador vs Argentina Women Copa Fri, July 25 8 pm FS2 Brazil vs Colombia Women Copa Sat, July 26 7 pm FS1 Inter Miami vs Cincy 7 pm TV 6, ESPN+ Indy 11 vs FC Tulsa Christmas in July 9:30 pm Apple TV Salt Lake vs San Jose 10:30 pm Apple TV Vancouver vs Kansas City Sun, July 27 12 noon Fox TBD vs TBD? Euro Finals
>Lionel Messi bags another brace and two assistsin Inter Miami’s 5-1 over NY Red Bulls; watch his assist (More); Messi’s second goal took his career non-penalty goals to 764, surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of 763 (More) | San Diego remain top of the Western Conference, while Cincinnati remain top of the Eastern Conference; See all MLS results (More)
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UEFA Women’s Euro 2025, Semi-Final: England vs. Italy, 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET. England can take confidence from the fact that they have won four of their previous five games against Italy, with their most recent meeting resulting in a 5-1 victory in a friendly in February 2024. But Italy have proven to be a different team this tournament, having opened the scoring in all four of their Euro 2025 games so far, only doing so in three of their 18 matches in the competition prior. Read the full match preview here.
The UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 semis are set, with Italy, England, Spain, and Germany advancing past a fierce quarterfinal round to secure a spot in the final four.
Spain’s 2-0 victory over Switzerland proved to be the only quarterfinal decided by more than one goal, while Italy’s 90-minute 2-1 thriller against Norway narrowly avoided extra time.Both England vs. Sweden and Germany vs. France needed penalty shootouts to determine a winner, with the prevailing nations mounting steep comebacks to punch their semifinal tickets.“I really had a sense throughout the game, even when we were down, that it wasn’t our time to go,” England defender Esme Moran said of her team’s poise after falling behind 2-0 early in the match.
PK madness: Penalty kicks have remained a hot topic throughout this year’s tournament, with players converting just 24 of 41 attempts — a well below-average 58.5%.
England and Sweden combined for nine missed penalties on Thursday, marking the worst conversion rate in Women’s Euro history.Germany also made dubious history over the weekend, becoming the first Women’s Euro team on record to register a comeback win after seeing a player sent off, following defender Kathrin Hendrich’s 13th-minute straight red card offense.
New Euro Favorites
The semi-finals of the Uefa Women’s Euro 2025 have been confirmed. England will face Italy on Tuesday (July 22), and Germany will play Spain on Wednesday (July 23).
England, following a penalty shootout victory over Sweden in the quarter-finals, are now the 36.5% favourites to win the tournament, according to Opta’s prediction model. They’ve overtaken previous favourites Spain, who are now projected to have a 31% chance of winning the competition. Both sides are expected to reach the final, which takes place on Sunday, July 27.
While Spain have won all four of their matches, scoring 16 and conceding just four, the model favours England due to the difficulty of their semi-final opponents. Germany, who are given a 23.4% chance of winning, are unbeaten in eight meetings with Spain, having won five and drawn three, with a combined goal tally of 18–3. Meanwhile, Italy (8%) are ranked eight places below England.
There are a couple of paradoxes in international women’s football in Europe at the moment.The first is that, while the overall quality of the game is steadily improving year on year, it is difficult to make a case that any individual side has dramatically improved in relation to the others. The accepted hierarchy is still in place.In other words, the six favourites going into Euro 2022 were the same six favourites going into Euro 2025: England, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden. No one has yet evolved from being one of the ‘other’ nations to being one of the favourites.The second is related. While the outsiders have become better at competing with the favourites — there are no longer any huge thrashings at the European Championship, and the biggest margin of victory at this tournament has been by a fairly respectable five goals — they are not actually managing to defeat them. Or, in actual fact, even get a draw against them.The statistics demonstrate this nicely. At Euro 2022, there were 16 matches between one of the ‘big six’ and the ‘other 10’. Those matches produced 15 victories for the favourites, and a single draw.That draw was recorded with the final kick of the group stage, when Iceland scored a 112th-minute penalty against a France side who were already assured of top spot in Group D, and therefore had made six changes for a game played in 36-degree heat. The equaliser, admitted France manager Corinne Diacre after the game, “wasn’t that important given the situation”. It’s fair to suspect that, had France needed to beat Iceland, they would have.
Dagny Brynjarsdottir’s penalty earned Iceland a draw against France at Euro 2022 (Marcio Machado/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
It’s been a similar story this time around. The 11 matches between one of the favourites and the ‘other 10’ at Euro 2025 have produced 10 victories for the favourites. And only Denmark have (twice) held the opposition to merely a one-goal victory, losing 1-0 to neighbours Sweden, and 2-1 to Germany, ensuring their elimination after two matches.
Denmark, of course, will not be celebrating this as much of an achievement. Indeed, Denmark are the side who inflicted the last genuine shock at the European Championship, in 2017. Going into the quarter-final, they were given little hope against a Germany side who had won eight of the previous nine European Championships. But after the match was postponed by a day due to torrential rain in Rotterdam, Denmark produced a huge upset by coming back from a goal down to win 2-1. It was only the second time since 1989 that Germany had not won the European Championship.
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The Danes subsequently reached the final in 2017, beating relative minnows Austria on penalties in the semi-final, before losing to hosts the Netherlands 4-2 in the final.But that seems a long time ago. And now, the underdogs’ record against the ‘big six’ at the past two tournaments is played 27, won none, drawn one, and lost 26. Which does not make for a particularly appealing competition for viewers hoping for the unexpected.On Tuesday in Geneva, Italy have the final opportunity in this European Championship to provide the Euros’ first genuine shock, when they take on holders England. In some ways, it is a shame to be speaking about Italy in such a fashion, considering their period of relative success in the 1990s. As other European nations have put more resources into women’s football, Italy stood still and therefore slipped behind.The Italian game remains something of a mystery to many, with almost all the national team players remaining at home, and relatively little Italian involvement in the final stages of the Champions League. It is clear, from speaking to four-time Serie A-winning manager Rita Guarino before the tournament, that English football and the Women’s Super League is considered a template for Italy to follow. That includes bidding to host this tournament in four years’ time, having witnessed the success of Euro 2022.It might seem patronising to consider Italy underdogs, but then the general pattern from this tournament is players and managers declaring the opposition are favourites.
And, after all, Italy are suited to the role. For all the brilliance of playmaker Manuela Giugliano, they probably do not have the guile to dominate the game against England. But they have centre-backs who will relish a physical duel against Alessia Russo (of Italian descent, as it happens), full-backs who have provided a stream of good crosses throughout this tournament, attacking midfielders who make direct runs on the break, and a major penalty-box threat in Cristiana Girelli.Andrea Soncin’s side showed enough against Spain in their final group game to suggest they will cause England problems, primarily on the counter-attack. An Italian win would be popular across Europe — it would not merely be a victory for themselves, but for everyone outside the established ‘big six’.(Top photo: Daniela Porcelli/Getty Images)
How Italy’s perfect blend is allowing their dreams to run wild at Euro 2025
There’s a saying in Italian: I sogni non sono nei cassetti perche ci stanno stretti. It translates as: Dreams are not kept in drawers because they are too tight.That much was certain last Tuesday as Italy defeated Norway 2-1 in a Women’s European Championship quarter-final to reach their first tournament semi-final since 1997, allowing their deepest wishes to run wild and free.“We all dreamt together,” said midfielder Annamaria Serturini ahead of the quarter-final match. “We all dreamt because, in the end, everyone dreamt for a long time. We have reached our great goal, and we do not want to stop. We want to continue dreaming, and making Italians dream.”With reigning European champions England next today (Tuesday), Italy are dreaming hard. But, as Serturini says, many of these players have also been dreaming for a long time.Of the 16 teams at this tournament, Italy’s average squad age was the fourth-oldest (28.34 years), behind those of Sweden, Portugal and Wales. Comparatively, the other three sides still standing in Switzerland rank between eighth- (England, 26.93) and 10th-oldest (Spain and Germany are level at 26.33).Excluding the last two quarter-finals, of the 52 line-ups put forth by various teams at Euro 2025, Italy have fielded four of the 15 oldest sides (Sweden, Portugal, Wales and the Netherlands sent out the other 11 between them).Striker Cristiana Girelli, who got both goals in that win against Norway, is this tournament’s fourth-oldest scorer at 35 years old, behind Wales’ Jess Fishlock (38), Janice Cayman of Belgium (36) and Sweden’s Kosovare Asllani (who is also 35 but around nine months older than Girelli).Also, of Italy’s six most-used players in these finals so far, four are in their thirties: Girelli (298 minutes), goalkeeper Laura Giuliani (32 years old; 360), forward Elena Linari (31; also 360) and defender Cecilia Salvai (31; 347).
Italy’s players and coaching staff celebrate their 2-1 quarter-final win over Norway (Eddie Keogh/Getty Images)
Before we go any further: no, this is not a piece focusing solely on the age of Italy’s squad. But one of their main problem areas for the Itailans after getting to previous tournaments was a perceived lack of pace and energy; they were a talented team bogged down by immobility.
Even more beneficial have been the performances from Sofia Cantore up front.The 25-year-old forward, who joined NWSL side Washington Spirit from Juventus last month, assisted both goals against Norway. In Girelli, Italy have a very good penalty-box player — her one-touch close-range finish for the opener in that quarter-final and 90th-minute headed clincher are cases in point — but Cantore provides the zeal and creativity that allows her team-mate to focus on occupying those areas in the opposition box.Girelli’s two goals that night were emblematic of Italy since the September 2023 appointment of head coach Andrea Soncin, who has shifted the team’s look with this modest generational change.In fact, of the starting XI against Norway, six — Barbara Bonansea, Giuliani, Girelli, Salvai, Giugliano and Linari — all made their national-team debuts between 2012 and 2014. The rest — Di Guglielmo, Oliviero, Caruso, Severini and Cantore — made theirs between 2019 and 2024.
Goalkeeper Giuliani is the fourth most-capped player in Italy’s Euro 2025 squad (Daniela Porcelli/Getty Images)
Many of Italy’s big moments have stemmed from the older players in their thirties, the ones who have endured big games, big dreams and big heartbreak in the past as a collective, while more recently introduced “additions” enter the pool as players come of age.Calling these players “young” would be disingenuous. Only Severini is under 24 years old. Yet, there is something abnormal about this blend.International teams are generally spaced by four years, with youth teams graduating together, contending for some time, then being replaced via gradual onboarding of their successors. In this way, sides take on the look of a quilt: kiddos, prime players and veterans stitched together and all scoring and playing. England at this tournament are a good example of this, with their quarter-final goalscorers Lucy Bronze (33) and Michelle Agyemang (19) having 14 years and three months between their respective birth dates.Italy’s chemistry is more two-dimensional than three.Soncin has found success in this method. His tenure began with a 2023-24 Nations League campaign in which Italy finished second in their group behind Spain but recorded a historic 3-2 away win against the world champions, leading to some of the optimism currently surrounding the squad. That sense of positivity was further built during Euro qualifying earlier this year, as Italy finished top of their group ahead of the Netherlands, who won the competition in 2017.Tonight against England, Italy will doubtless be underdogs, as they were in the previous round.Norway were disorganised last week and allowed Soncin’s midfielders to move without much pressure. The English should be stronger in this aspect of the game — but Italy have surprised many in the past two years to reach this historic point, and that is arguably because of the slow but purposeful blend the 46-year-old coach has managed to nurture.Calling it a revolution (or even an evolution) is arguably a step too far. Rather, it’s a slow reawakening, a reformation, nailing Italy’s dreams to the front door of this tournament.(Top photo: Sebastien Bozon/AFP via Getty Images)
‘There are no words’ – Lionel Messi and his record-breaking scoring for Inter Miami
Two years into his time with Inter Miami, Lionel Messi remains the game-changing superstar he has been throughout his career.Messi, who won the MLS Most Valuable Player award in 2024 with 20 goals and 16 assists in just 19 games played in the regular season, seems intent on increasing his output this year. Miami set the record for most points in a season last year en route to the Supporters’ Shield, and the club is again on pace to finish first atop the regular season standings thanks to Messi’s recent form.Entering Wednesday night’s match vs. FC Cincinnati, Messi has scored multiple goals in five consecutive regular-season games, the first player in MLS history to do so. No other player had ever done it in four. You’d be forgiven for having it slip out of your focus, as the streak straddles the Club World Cup.Messi scored two goals in a pair of wins over CF Montréal and the Columbus Crew on May 28 and May 31, respectively. Miami then played four games in the FIFA Club World Cup, with Messi’s free kick goal against Porto earning MLS their only win in the tournament and ensuring that Miami would be the only MLS team to advance to the knockout stage.Since returning to MLS play, Messi has seemed intent on making a statement as rumors swirl about his future — even as sources close to Miami and the player have insisted that he is nearing an extension to remain in South Florida.Messi has scored two goals in each of his last three games — all wins — over Montréal, the New England Revolution and Nashville SC.
That lifts Messi’s season tally to 16 goals — tied with Nashville’s Sam Surridge for the league lead — and seven assists in 16 games played.
While Miami is five points back of the Philadelphia Union, who sit in first place in the Supporters’ Shield table, it has three games in hand. Miami is setting the pace with two points per game — ahead of the Union’s 1.95 pace – and is 6-2-2 in its last 10 games, having not lost in MLS play since May 17. It’s riding a five-game winning streak, which coincides with Messi’s latest goal binge.
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“There are no words. What he continues to do is incredible — breaking records every three days,” Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano said after the Nashville win. “It’s what I have said a thousand times in this room: He’s the flagbearer of this team, he sets the standard for how we compete, he is the leader, the one who obviously encourages his teammates, shows them how we have to keep going, and, above all, maintain at this moment the tone we are setting.
“It’s a blessing to be part of this stage of his career.”
While the goal tally is remarkable in itself, how it has been achieved is even more so.
The shot map below showcases the wide range of strikes by Messi, including five from outside the box — more than 22 of the 30 MLS teams have managed in their entire campaigns.
And it was a long-range effort that kickstarted the multi-goal streak in Miami’s 4-2 victory over Montréal in May. Scored in typical Messi fashion, he quickly shifted the ball to create an opening, aided by teammate Sergio Busquets, who cleverly blocked the onrushing Montréal midfielder Victor Loturi, before Messi curled a precise shot into the bottom corner.
The second also came from his repertoire of trademark finishes. No player has perfected the dinked finish quite like Messi and his uncanny ability to generate the perfect loft, regardless of the goalkeeper’s proximity or height, was on show again as he put the ball over Jonathan Sirois from close range.
For all his ability, a streak like this can’t persist without a healthy dollop of good fortune. In the following match against Columbus Crew, Messi was gifted his first goal thanks to some disastrous goalkeeping from Nicholas Hagen.
The Guatemalan ‘keeper made a costly error, miscuing a goal kick straight into Messi’s path on the edge of the area. Messi gave Hagen the chance to atone for his blunder with an uncharacteristically underhit lob, but the goalkeeper only managed to palm it goalward. He was less charitable with his second 10 minutes later, this time his lob from just inside the area was perfectly calibrated.
He kept the streak alive with a brace in his next match, again against Montréal. No player has completed more take-ons than Messi’s 3.9 per 90 minutes in MLS this season, and both goals against Montréal demonstrated the jinking movements that continue to make him so feared throughout the league.
The first saw the Argentine dart into the area and swiftly shift his body weight to carve out space for another arrowed finish into the far bottom corner, but it was the second that was truly breathtaking.Picking up the ball from Luis Suárez near halfway, Messi embarked on a long, mazy dribble, leaving a trail of confusion as bamboozled Montréal defenders collided while trying to stop him. He evaded them at every turn before rifling a shot into the top corner from close range.After two relatively routine efforts, in his next match, a 2-1 victory against New England, there was one glaring omission in his scoring streak: a free kick. Against Nashville, he duly obliged, opting for measured placement over whipped power, as he guided an effort from the edge of the area into the bottom-left corner. After this and his staggering effort against Porto in the Club World Cup, he’s now up to a staggering 69 career free kicks.This phenomenal streak has been a self-contained showreel of the myriad ways Messi can put a ball into the back of the net.And based on this evidence, he’s far from done.What You Should Read NextHow Lionel Messi’s favorite goal became immortalized in artOne of the Argentine superstar’s greatest goals has been reimagined as an “immersive gateway that collapses time”(Top photo: Andrew Katsampes/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
PSG and Chelsea Advance to the World Club Cup Final Sun 3 pm on TNT, Univision
So I have to admit I have enjoyed the WCC much more than I thought I would. The games have been surprisingly competitive with the South American and African teams surprising everyone -but in the end its Champions League Winner PSG who has dominated and will face another European team in Chelsea. I was fortunate to get a chance to attend the Bayern Munich vs PSG game in Atlanta last weekend – man what a fun game and great experience with nearly 70K in Mercedez Benz Stadium. Sad the injury happened however – PSG’s GK injured Bayern’s Jamal Musiala was hurt on this play- Did PSG’s Gigi Foul here? Check out some of these Great Saves of the Club World Cup (more below in the GK section).
Women’s Euro’s Continue on Fox The Women’s Euros have been enjoyable to watch during this summer of soccer – and honestly Fox has done a good job with some serious coverage. Who doesn’t love a good women’s soccer game at 12 and 3 pm everyday.
Indy 11 host Star Wars Night – Sat 7 pm
In a commanding performance at home, Indy Eleven powered past Monterey Bay FC with a 3-0 victory, backed by a strong attacking display and a clean sheet from goalkeeper Hunter Sulte. Goals from Aodhan Quinn, Jack Blake, and Romario Williams sealed the win, as the Boys in Blue continue their climb up the USL Championship Eastern Conference standings. The win lifts Indy Eleven to seventh in the East with 17 points through 14 matches. The Indy Eleven “Summer of Soccer presented by Indy Roof & Restoration” concludes with “Star Wars Night” on Saturday, July 12 at 7:00 pm vs. Rhode Island FC at Carroll Stadium in a rematch of the 2024 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Single-game tickets for all matches are available via Ticketmaster. Flex Plan, Group, and Hospitality tickets are available here. For questions, call (317) 685-1100 during business hours or email tickets@indyeleven.com.
US Loses to Mexico 2-1 So I picked 3-1 Mexico – but little did I know El Tri would absolutely dominate the game – the likes of which we haven’t seen in years. The US got off to a great start behind this spectacular header from CB Chris Richard in the 4th minute. From that point though it was all Mexico. In possession, shots, tackles, hell everything. The US looked like they had no idea what was going on as the Mexican’s sent shot after shot into the box. US vs Mexico Hi-lights Tim Ream (showing his age) was slaughtered on Mexico’s first goal as Jimenez beat him to the spot and shot corner as US GK Matt Freeze had no chance. The US weathered the storm but rarely had possession or attack as the players who looked so good against the SHIT of Concacaf wilted while playing the only other decent team in our region. A second half goal finally came in 77th minute as Mexico used a questionable offside not called to take the lead when Tim Ream was once again beat. The 2-1 loss could have been much worse of course as a 90% Mexican Crowd and the largest ever Gold Cup audience watch on Fox. What they saw unfortunately was Botchettino continuing to show he has NO CLUE how to manage a National Team. Yes it was our B- squad but they looked outclasses and clueless from the kickoff. Sure the fought hard – but lets be real – until Botchettino is now tied for the worse ever start to US national team stint ever. His wins only against the patsies of Concacaf. When facing teams ranked 50 or lower he is 0-5 now.
The question now is what’s next? I think some players stood out as Chris Richards showed he is the man on the back line now. I have said this repeatedly but Tim Ream needs to be on the team – his leadership and knowledge is unquestioned – but if he starts in the World we are screwed. Someone must be found to team with him. Both outside backs sucked in my mind but we’ll see. Adams was a NO SHOW this entire tourney – thankfully De La Tore and even Sebastian Berhalter had standout tourneys. Neither should surpass Musah however. Sad to see Johnny Cardosa have such a bad tourney – absolute stupidity by Botch not to rebuild his confidence by playing him against the minows of CONCACAF.
The frontline had its moments as Adebayand shows promise and did ok – he just can’t hold up or score – sounds like all the 9s for the US. Still a move to the English Championship could help keep him in the mix as a 3rd forward. Of course Luna and Mark Tillman booked their tickets with this tourney as they were our best players along with Richards. Doubt Luna will get much time vs real compeition – but I like his spunkyness and heart. Same for Berhalter. Of course Matt Freeze had the shootout heroics – but otherwise he looked mighty shaky – and should replace an in form Matt Turner or Ethan Horvath. Of course Poch is clueless so who knows how this works out.
I can say honestly I am done with Poch – first he didn’t invite the right players – no CCV, No Trusty or German dude no the back line. The guys he did bring he didn’t play? Downs, McKensie, 10, — hell why bring them if you aren;t going to give them a chance in the game? Seriously WTH? I honestly the best thing that could happen for the US is to have Poch grow tired of this little part time gig he’s getting paid 4.5 Million too much to do and go back to Europe. Then BJ Callahan can come in and save the day and perhaps get us to the Quarterfinals of the World Cup on home soil. If not – I don’t see Poch getting us past the first round past the knockout stage and the Gold Cup was just further evidence. Hopefully I am wrong and a full squad will show up to pound Japan in 2 months in Columbus – yes you should make plans now to go!
CARMEL FC & PALMEIRAS CAMP Palmeiras Soccer Camps for players aims to let all participants develop their full technical, tactical and physical potential no matter their skill level. Day by day they will learn to enhance their strengths and will be stimulated to understand their own weaknesses. Players participating will be coached by Palmeiras Professional Coaches and may be invited to join Palmeiras Academy in Brazil for tryout. Register now! Camp dates: July 21-25 Ages: 7-16 Location: Carmel Clay Community Soccer Complex, Home of Carmel FC: Price: $295REGISTER
Pierluigi Collina: Referees’ body cams went “beyond our expectations”
Pierluigi Collina, the Chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, says that he is very happy with the refereeing innovations introduced at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™, including body cameras for referees, advanced semi-automated offside technology and the new eight-second rule aimed at cutting down time-wasting by goalkeepers.
The inaugural edition of the new 32-team tournament was the first FIFA competition to feature body cams and Mr Collina said they have received a positive reception. The trial aimed to explore whether the new camera angle can improve the experience for those watching on television and online by showcasing the referee’s perspective.
“The outcome of using the ref cam here at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 went beyond our expectations. We thought it would have been an interesting experience for TV viewers and we’ve received great comments,” said Mr Collina. “We were asked: ‘Why not in all the matches?’ and even more: ‘Why not in all sports?’“
He added that, while it provided enjoyment for the public, it was also “very, very positive” for FIFA’s own purposes. “We had the possibility to see what the referee sees on the field of play. And this was not only for entertainment purposes, but also for coaching the referees (and) to explain why something was not seen on the field of play,” he said.
One example was the group stage match between Atlético de Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, where the referee did not see a handball incident by an Atlético defender because a player blocked his line of vision. “From this ref cam, (it) was absolutely clear that the referee could not have seen that incident live on the pitch,” Mr Collina said. The video assistant referee (VAR) alerted the referee who awarded a penalty to Paris Saint-Germain after reviewing the incident on the pitchside monitor.
The tournament also saw the introduction of an amendment to Law 12.2a, passed by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) at its 139th Annual General Meeting on 1 March 2025. Under the new rule, a corner kick is awarded to the attacking team if a goalkeeper holds the ball for longer than eight seconds, with the referee using a visual five-second countdown. Previously, the referee would award an indirect free kick if the goalkeeper kept the ball for more than six seconds.
“It was very successful; the tempo of the match was improved. We had no time lost by goalkeepers keeping the ball between their hands for a very long time – as happened quite often in matches before,” said Mr Collina, adding that violations were kept to a minimum with the new law.
“The fact that only two goalkeepers were punished means that they really respected the rule. And by doing that, we achieved the purpose that we wanted, which was not to give corner kicks, but prevent the eight seconds rule from being not respected. The purpose was 100% achieved.”
An advanced version of the semi-automated offside technology helped speed up the decisions for offside situations and Mr Collina said this helped avoid situations where forwards run 30 to 40 metres only for the flag to be raised at the end. “The alert went to the assistant referees well before, when there was a clear offside position. So, it worked very well, we have the goals disallowed, correctly disallowed; we also had correct decisions supported by the semi-automatic offside technology – [we are] very happy, very pleased,” Mr Collina said.
A total of 117 match officials – 35 referees, 58 assistant referees and 24 video match officials – from 41 member associations were appointed to take charge of the 63 matches during the tournament. “It was a great competition. The people attending the matches confirm this, it was well played by players and well refereed by match officials. And all the referees who are here are 100% proud of being part, of having been part of this first time ever,” Mr Collina concluded.
TV GAME SCHEDULE
WE -Women’s Euros
Sat, July 12th
3 pm Fox Sweden vs Germany WE 3 pm FS1 Poland vs Denmark WE 7 pm TV8 Indy 11 vs Rhode Island Star Wars Night 7:45 pm FS1 Inter Miami vs Nashville SC 7:30 pm Apple Cincy vs Columbus Crew MLS 9:30 pm Apple free RSL vs Houston MLS
Sun, July 13th 3 pm Fox Netherland vs France W Euros 3 pm FS1 England vs Wales WE 3 pm TNT?/Univision Chelsea vs PSG WCC Final 7 pm Apple free St Louis vs Portland Timbers MLS Wed =, July 16 3 pm Fox Norway vs Italy QF 7:30 pm Apple Cincy vs Miami MLS 7:30 pm apple Orl vs NYC 10 pm FS1 Seattle Sounders vs Colorado Thurs, July 17 3 pm Fox Sweden vs England QF WE Fri, July 18 3 pm Fox Spain vs Switzerland QF WE Sat, July 19 3 pm Fox France vs Germany QF 7:30 pm Apple/Sirius RBNY vs Miami MLS 7:30 pm Apple NE vs Orlando MLS 9:30 pm Apple RSL vs Cincy 10:30 pm Apple LAFC vs LA Tues, July 22 3 pm Fox TBD vs TBD? Semi’s Weds, July 23 3 pm Fox TBD vs TBD? Semi’s 9 pm MLS All Star Game Sat, July 26 7 pm FS1 Inter Miami vs Cincy Sun, July 27 3 pm Fox TBD vs TBD? Euro Finals
USMNT Friendlies in preparation for the 2026 World Cup.
Schedule (Subject to change)
Sept. Japan / S. Korea Oct. Argentina / Ecuador Nov. Egypt / Morocco March Sweden / Ukraine June. Australia / Paraguay
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I am surprised that the US didn’t fall further – we are not a Top 20 team under Pochetino
Club World Cup Final, Baby: Chelsea vs. PSG The Mauricio Pochettino Memorial Derby (Sunday, 3 p.m. ET, DAZN/TBS)History awaits. PSG are just 90 minutes away from completing one of the most dominant club seasons of all time in which they will have won every single trophy that was available to them. Following on from the Champions League, Ligue 1, and the Coupe de France, the Club World Cup would be a fourth trophy lifted in three months, a 6.6-liter twin-turbo-charged quadruple. Yet it could also be Chelsea who walk away with a startling $136 million in prize money. PSG are a creative machine, undoubtedly the world’s top club side, by some gulf. Just over a month ago, they smashed five goals past Inter to storm to Champions League glory. On Wednesday afternoon, they obliterated Real Madrid, making the European game’s long-reigning monarchs look worse than Grok, and even more deliciously, rendering Kylian Mbappé’s revenge fantasies impotent. The football they play is so mesmerizing, in certain moments, it can dizzy and disorient you to the point that, fleetingly, you can be tricked into believing nation state ownership is a good thing. The talk that surrounds them is not just of victory, but of dynasty.And for Chelsea? Their success in this tournament is a testament to tenacity and the fortune that befell them after losing their second game 3-1 to Flamengo. A defeat which ultimately life-hacked them into the generously weak half of the knockout bracket. It was admittedly magical watching João Pedro, in his first start for Chelsea, blast two stunning strikes against his former side Fluminense, then admit, “I have to stay professional, I play for Chelsea. Chelsea pay me to score goals.” Do they stand a chance? After watching PSG go two up inside 10 minutes against Real Madrid, Enzo Maresca will approach this game in full-on “(chuckles) I’m in danger” mode. His team will be boosted by the return of Moisés Caicedo, but as a typically possession-hungry squad, how will they adapt in the face of PSG’s ferocious press? A Chelsea fan at the Michelob Club asked me to tell him something optimistic ahead of the final. I advised him to watch “Star Wars,” and think of João Pedro living out the role of Luke Skywalker firing his proton torpedo down the thermal exhaust port to blow up the Death Star. Rogstradamus : Le Romp. PSG 4-1. Second half will be a dead rubber in the sweltering heat of New Jersey. Also: The Club World Cup final will be shown live at more than 20 movie theaters across the United States this Sunday. You have not lived until you’ve seen Cole Palmer’s celly at an iPic. Football on the silver screen in America. What a time to be alive.
Farwell Luka Modrić A sad coda to PSG’s semi-final was witnessing Luka Modrić substitute in with the game long over, unable to bend it to his will, in his final ever Real Madrid performance. He departs as the club’s most decorated player, the winner of 28 major trophies and a Ballon d’Or. A midfielder who looks like a medieval witch but who played the game transcendentally. Watching him set traps and arrange the pieces in front of him to suit his will, is as if the secrets of the sport can be found by studying his decision making closely. His move to Milan will be fascinating to witness, as is the prospect of Christian Pulisic learning at his knee. More: Savor Luka. Pure silk in human form.
Americas
>Lionel Messi has made history, becoming the first MLS player to score multiple times in four consecutive matches in Inter Miami’s 2-1 win over New England Revolution (More);watch the record-breaking goal here | See upcoming MLS fixtures (More)
Euros frontrunners advance
Spain is through to the quarterfinals atop Group B. (Aitor Alcalde – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
There are still a few berths left to be decided, but a number of Euro frontrunners have already punched their ticket to the knockout rounds with a group stage game in hand.
After Norway became the first team to qualify for the quarterfinals on Sunday, Spain followed suit in Group B with a dominant win, while Germany and Sweden wrapped up Group C on the second matchday of group play.
Still alive: Runner-up spots in Group A and B will be decided this week, and there’s still all to play for in the hyper-competitive Group D after England possibly saved their 2025 Euro campaign with a 4-0 thumping of The Netherlands on Wednesday.
France, England, and The Netherlands go into Group D’s third matchday on Sunday tied on three points apiece, though the Dutch have possibly the hardest path forward, needing a significant result against Les Bleues to keep their Euro dream alive.
“We bounced back from the previous game and showed we were more than capable [of] showing the world what we can do,” England goalscorer Lauren James told the BBC.
England will face close rival Wales to close out the group stage, after Seattle Reign midfielder Jess Fishlock scored the first major tournament goal in Wales women’s football history on Wednesday against France.
Bottom line: The Euro group stage has presented mostly straightforward results in the early stages, but there is still room for a few more twists before the knockouts.
Lalas ‘wouldn’t be surprised’ if Pochettino drops Pulisic in September
Seth Vertelney Pro Soccer Wire I will show up in Columbus and Burn Botchitino’s Face in EFFIGY if this HAPPENS !!
Alexi Lalas said he wouldn’t be surprised if U.S. men’s national team coach Mauricio Pochettino sends a message in September by dropping Christian Pulisic. Pulisic opted out of Gold Cup duty this summer, citing a desire to rest after a grueling season with AC Milan. The 26-year-old claimed in an interview that he requested to play in pre-tournament friendlies against Turkey and Switzerland, only to be denied by Pochettino. The Argentine didn’t take kindly to the forward’s claims, attempting to reassert control over his selection process by saying: “I am the head coach. I am not a mannequin.” Without Pulisic and a number of other absent stars, the USMNT reached the Gold Cup final, losing 2-1 to Mexico on Sunday to fall just short of the title.Need a break? The USMNT now has only friendlies on the agenda before kicking off the 2026 World Cup on home soil next summer. The first two post-Gold Cup matches will be friendlies against South Korea on Sept. 6 and Japan on Sept. 9.All eyes will be on Pochettino’s roster selection for the September window, with the coach potentially set to reintegrate some of his missing players from the summer. But Pochettino could also choose to delay that reintegration in order to send a message.”It would not surprise me in the least if he makes an example of multiple players, whether it’s Christian Pulisic or anybody else,” Lalas said on his “State of the Union” podcast.”It would not surprise me in the least if he again lays down the law by the decisions that he makes. And I think he can afford to do that.”
Even if Pochettino drops Pulisic or others in September, the coach would almost certainly look to bring them in if they are available for friendlies in October or November.With the World Cup only months away at that point, it will be imperative for Pochettino to figure out his best combinations on the pitch.”[If players are dropped] you’re just kicking the can down the road in that at some point, you want to have those players together,” Lalas said. “Even if it’s just for a friendly, you want them in camp together. You want to see what they’re going to look like.”You also want whatever time you’re going to get to kind of deal with whatever crap there is, because these are the players — whether you like them or not, it doesn’t really matter. These are the players that you’re going to have.” For that reason, Lalas still felt that Pulisic would get the nod for the USMNT’s two September matches.”I think Pulisic is going to get called in,” the former USMNT defender said. “But it wouldn’t surprise me if Pochettino didn’t do it. If I was the coach at this point, after what happened here, I’d still probably call him.”
What the Gold Cup revealed about the USMNT’s World Cup hopes
Jeff Carlisle
Cesar Hernandez
Jul 10, 2025, 10:00 AM ET
It’s been an eventful summer for the U.S. men’s national team. Things got off to a rocky start, with a squad short of several starters and disappointing friendly defeats to Turkey and Switzerland.
When the matches counted, though, Mauricio Pochettino & Co. rebounded nicely. The USMNT was perfect in the Gold Cup group stage, gutted out knockout-round wins over Costa Rica and Guatemala, before delivering an admirable, gritty performance — considering the youth and inexperience of its squad — in the narrow 2-1 final defeat to Mexico.
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So, as the players embark on some much needed rest and relaxation before the new European club campaign kicks off in barely a month’s time, where does that leave the U.S.? ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle and Cesar Hernandez reflect on the Americans’ Gold Cup run and draw conclusions with one eye on next summer’s FIFA World Cup on home soil.
Is a runner-up finish a successful Gold Cup?
Carlisle: Yes. It certainly helped that expectations were as low as they could be heading into the tournament thanks to the 4-0 friendly loss to Switzerland, when the U.S. didn’t look remotely competitive. But this team, comprised mostly of MLS players, recovered, and went about as far as its talent level could take it.
Were there some close calls? Definitely. Closer than they needed to be, in fact. But they largely mirrored the results we saw in 2021 when a side that was also at less than full strength won the Gold Cup. I also think when you consider how injuries to Haji Wright and Johnny Cardoso cut into Pochettino’s depth, the U.S. did well to go as far as it did. And there’s no shame in losing the final to a Mexico squad that was much closer to full strength.
More than anything, players built up their stock and gained experience. Now the trick is to build on what was accomplished.
Hernandez: Keeping in mind that the national team was heading into the tournament with a four-game losing streak and plenty of off-the-field noise, we can definitely consider a second-place finish a success.
Granted, there were some very narrow victories — including a dramatic penalty shootout in the quarterfinals that almost led to an entirely different conversation about the U.S. team this summer — but credit is due to Pochettino and his alternate roster for maintaining their perseverance up to the final.
Despite the bittersweet end against a stronger Mexico side that outplayed the U.S. in Sunday’s championship match, Pochettino should feel content about the insight gained ahead of next summer’s World Cup. As for his players, the experiences earned for many MLS-based options in the knockout-round matches are invaluable.
Which player best bolstered his claim for a World Cup place?
Hernandez: Either as a starter or a first option off the bench, Diego Luna looks ready to be an important, game-changing player for the USMNT in 2026.
All gas and no brakes, the 21-year-old attacking midfielder played with an intensity that was unmatched by any other member of the roster, and along the way, he earned three goals and two assists in six appearances. Dynamic, hungry for the ball and willing to take necessary risks, the Californian was a genuine joy to watch — especially against Guatemala with his two goals in the first 15 minutes.
But there’s room for improvement. As seen against Mexico, and possibly because of how Pochettino organized the XI, Luna went quiet in the biggest game of his short national team career. Still, if he continues to develop at the pace we’ve seen since last year, he could soon reach another level or two before next summer.
Carlisle:Chris Richards. Entering the tournament, the center-back pairing was up for grabs. Richards — and to a lesser extent Tim Ream — seized it with both hands and showed no sign of letting go. Not only did Richards defend with composure and solidity, but he chipped in with a couple of goals as well. Oh, and by the way, he’s become more of a leader on this team. That will be critical when more of the full team convenes in September.
I’d say at this stage, health permitting, Richards has locked up one of the starting spots for the World Cup, which counts as fantastic news for Pochettino. Too much of the team and its construction has been in flux. To have a player make a position his own will help the U.S. manager sleep better at night.
How did Pochettino fare in his first major tournament?
Carlisle: I’d say Pochettino is doing … OK, but OK isn’t what the U.S. Soccer Federation is paying for. They are paying for excellence, and that hasn’t come just yet.
To be clear: Pochettino hasn’t had it easy, what with an abbreviated runway to next year’s World Cup, as well as the fact that he’s been without his top players for long stretches. I think that Pochettino did well with the group he had available at the Gold Cup, but it’s also clear he’s going to need to bring back the more talented players at some point. Talent matters.
Where did it go wrong for the USMNT in the Gold Cup final?
The “Futbol Americas” crew debate what went wrong for the United States in its 2-1 loss to Mexico in the Gold Cup final.
The problem: I get the sense he’s chafing at some of the cultural issues around the team, namely the lack of competition within the squad and the complacency that’s set in. I think for him, that process has been harder than he expected. However it happens, he’s going to need to get those players on board. That will ultimately determine if his time as U.S. manager is a success or failure.
Hernandez: If we’re giving it a letter grade, let’s say it’s close to a C+.
It’s a passing grade either way, and the summer has been a success, but there is a sense that this is also the bare minimum when you consider Pochettino’s résumé and history. Sure, it was mostly an alternate group at the Gold Cup and he’s been in the job for less than a year, but with the latest squad and previous call-ups, has he elevated the national team to the level that was expected of him when he first arrived?
On the field, there are still questions. The same could also be said off the field with how he’s had to manage the culture of his team. Pochettino seems surprised at the overarching mindset of American soccer — “when we talk about culture, that is culture,” said the Argentine about Guatemala’s players and fans in St. Louis — and it’s fair to say his dealing with an absentChristian Pulisic could have been better.
Could the team move on from some of its high-profile absentees?
Hernandez: Many marquee players are still very much needed. Pochettino and his roster should feel proud of their perseverance and doggedness in the Gold Cup, but the reality is that they were truly missing Pulisic, Antonee Robinson, Weston McKennie, Folarin Balogun, Timothy Weah, Sergiño Dest and other absent stars who would have helped get the job done against Mexico.
For most of those names, we also shouldn’t overlook their previous World Cup experience that will be a boost ahead of 2026. This is also a case-by-case situation, though.
Looking further down the list, do they need Giovanni Reyna? Or Yunus Musah? They’ll probably be in the mix next summer, but as of now, we can’t confidently say they’re a vital piece of the puzzle.
Carlisle: Managing isn’t just about putting the best 11 players out on the field. It’s part alchemy as well in that they have to make a cohesive team. By the end of the Gold Cup, it was clear that the group was unified and fighting for each other.
But if the Gold Cup final proved everything, it’s that the U.S. still needs all the talent it can muster, and how Pochettino adds in the presumed first-teamers will determine if he ends up with chemistry or chaos.
A few of those are no-brainers, like Robinson and Dest. Those two alone will do plenty to kick-start the U.S. attack. Balogun is another, assuming he can stay healthy. As for Pulisic, McKennie and the rest, that will bear watching given the sniping that has occurred.
Playing time at club level will be the ultimate decider, which doesn’t bode well for the Reynas of the world. Ultimately, I think most everyone comes back, but when and how remains to be seen.
Did players seem to understand what Pochettino wants from them?
Carlisle: For the most part, they did understand. It makes sense in that this was the closest thing to a club environment that Pochettino and the players will experience together. Pochettino was in his element and the players responded by buying into his methods. This was proved by the way the players pulled for and supported one another, with the way they backed Malik Tillman after his missed penalty against Costa Rica a case in point.
Execution is a different issue. Obviously as the games got more difficult, the execution began to fray a bit. Part of that will come as these players continue to gain more experience.
Pochettino did make some head-scratching decisions, including the deployment of Max Arfsten at fullback when his defensive abilities were lacking. But by tournament’s end, Arfsten’s defense had improved considerably, an example of the team’s willingness to adapt.
Hernandez: That remains up for debate.
The grit and determination was there as they powered their way to the final, but there were a handful of moments during the tournament in which the ideas didn’t seem fully fleshed out or understood. In-game management was occasionally questionable, leading to tactical alterations that seemed to create confusion for some of his players.
To be fair to Pochettino, he was also simply dealing with the hand he was given with the alternate roster. No matter the caliber of the manager in charge, any coach would have had a challenging time trying to find cohesion and build an identity. That unity was eventually built by the final, but it just wasn’t enough against a powerhouse like El Tri.
What lessons can the U.S. take from the Gold Cup?
Hernandez: One key lesson was identifying the individual players who could rise to the occasion in high-pressure moments.
Pochettino talks ’embarrassing’ no-call on apparent Mexico handball
USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino talks about a penalty not being issued after Mexico’s Jorge Sánchez’s apparent handball in the box.
Tillman, Luna, Richards, Matt Freese and others took charge when needed on the pitch, all while showcasing another lesson: The value of mental toughness from the summer’s squad.
“It’s the grit, it’s the determination that we’ve been lacking. To be honest, it’s fighting to the end. Every ball, every moment,” said Luna after their semifinal win over Guatemala. “The game’s about moments, and I think this is where we showcase it.”
Looking ahead, one major task for Pochettino will be maintaining that energy once their stars return.
Carlisle: Vibes matter. If the group buys in, and the players fight for each other, then good things can happen. It sounds simple, but if that was true, the U.S. wouldn’t have laid the egg that it did at the Concacaf Nations League in March, when the team looked like it was going through the motions.
The team’s fight used to be foundational. Lately it has waxed and waned — mostly waned. That it was present on a more consistent basis counts as a positive.
Learning how to perform in hostile environments counted as another step forward for this group. Yes, the Mexico result wasn’t what the U.S. wanted, but getting exposed to such situations will stand these players in good stead moving forward.
Tyler Adams asks USMNT fans to paint World Cup stadiums ‘red, white and blue’
Tyler Adams has urged American fans to paint stadiums “red, white and blue” during next year’s FIFA World Cup, in the wake of head coach Mauricio Pochettino voicing frustration at the lack of support the United States men’s national team received at the recent Concacaf Gold Cup.
In a telephone interview with The Athletic on Tuesday, Adams revealed he told teammates to prepare for Sunday’s Gold Cup final against Mexico in Texas as though it would be “the hardest away game they have played in a long time.”Mexico won the tournament by beating Pochettino’s USMNT 2-1 in front of 70,295 fans at Houston’s NRG Stadium. Following the game, Pochettino reiterated his wish for the squad to enjoy stronger support at American venues, urging fans to show their backing “not only through Instagram, social media or behind the TV.”
The Argentinean coach previously said that USMNT followers could learn from the intensity of the Guatemalan supporters who dominated the stadium in St. Louis during the semifinal against the U.S. The Mexican turnout at the final also greatly outnumbered the support for the host nation. It has been a familiar story for games involving the men’s national team, as diasporas of their opponents from within the U.S. often appear to turn out stronger, rendering the challenge more difficult even during home games.
Mexico had passionate support in Houston for its Gold Cup triumph. (Robbie Jay Barratt / AMA / Getty Images)“Without a doubt,” said Adams of whether he would like to see more U.S. supporters in stadiums during next year’s World Cup.The Bournemouth midfielder, who captained USMNT during its run to the round of 16 at the World Cup in 2022, has seen this play out before.“It’s so funny because for a lot of the fairly inexperienced players in our national team, it’s the first thing I said to everyone going into this game against Mexico,” Adams said. “I was saying, ‘Don’t go into this team with a naive mentality of expecting it to be all people cheering for us and excited about the game.’ If anything, we’re going into an atmosphere where we are playing the hardest away game you’ve probably played in a long time.“I wouldn’t say it hurts because it’s what I (have come to) expect when we play in certain areas geographically. At the same time, it’s what makes our country amazing: the diversity our country has to offer. It was a learning experience for a lot of guys, but of course come the World Cup, you’re hoping that you see so much red, white and blue instead of whoever opponent you’re facing.”Adams also revealed that Pochettino was “very emotional” in the locker room after the loss against Mexico. The Americans reached the final following a tournament they entered without several key players, either due to injury, Club World Cup involvement, manager’s decision or choice. Significant absentees included Christian Pulisic, Antonee Robinson, Weston McKennie, Tim Weah and Yunus Musah.The situation created openings for more players from teams within MLS, with Matt Freese, Sebastian Berhalter, Diego Luna and Patrick Agyemang among those who received fresh opportunities.
Head coach Mauricio Pochettino was emotional in the USMNT locker room after the Gold Cup final, according to Tyler Adams. (Omar Vega / Getty Images)
“Mauricio thought we had battled the entire tournament. It’s crazy because he mentioned it was the first time we had been together for 40 days and it was obviously the longest stint that we’ve had together under him. There was growth from every single player, person and backroom staff who represented U.S. Soccer during that tournament. We grew so much closer, and this is the culture we’re trying to build,” Adams said. “He was thankful to everyone for the commitment we’ve given with a fairly new group on a new stage, where everyone is still trying to gain experience and prove their worth. He was extremely proud. Obviously it hurt to come up short. You’re hoping that you walk away with a trophy at the end of it, but it didn’t happen.”
Adams made 25 starts for Bournemouth last season, amid a few injury issues, and conceded that the heat and workload of an end-of-season tournament was the biggest individual challenge of the Gold Cup for him. He came into the Gold Cup with a minor foot injury and subbed out in the 77th minute against Guatemala and the 82nd minute against Mexico.
“From my perspective, it was getting used to playing a tournament after playing a really demanding season,” he added. “It was the most I’ve played in a really, really long time. My body, to be quite frank with you, was just pushing and grinding through the entire thing. It wasn’t like playing the World Cup in Qatar where you’re playing mid-season and you’re feeling fresh and at your best. It’s about how can you really manage yourself and get the best performance out of yourself. After I play another full season, I’m gonna feel a lot better come the World Cup. It was a grind every single day, trying to do your best.
“When you’re playing in Texas multiple times, when you’re playing in some of the hottest places, it’s very demanding. I’m used to playing in good old sunny Bournemouth, where it’s 50 (degrees) every day. So going from that to playing in 100 (degrees) is obviously a huge difference.”
Adams said the summer heat was grueling for Gold Cup teams. (Aric Becker / ISI Photos / USSF / Getty Images)
Adams spoke to The Athletic after his childhood soccer field in Wappinger, N.Y. took on his name as a tribute to the trail he has blazed in the sport. The Martz Field Recreation Facility is now the Tyler Adams Soccer Pitch as part of Adams’ partnership with Scotts lawn care products to push for youth access to natural turf pitches. Adams, who started as a center forward pretending to be former Arsenal, Barcelona and New York Red Bulls forward Thierry Henry, recalled taking his earliest steps in soccer in Wappinger.
“Soccer was introduced to me from my mom. She played in high school. At 3 years old, I always had a ball at my feet,” he said. “I remember walking down to the park where the field is named after me now, playing soccer with friends in my community, or playing basketball and any sport I could get my hands on. My first memory really was in my grandma’s front yard and at the field.”That little boy has gone on to become a mainstay of the national team when fit and available, even captaining the team in Qatar in 2022. However, since Pochettino became coach, the Argentine has tended to favor defender Tim Ream, who turns 38 in October and now plays for Charlotte FC, for the armband. Pochettino has yet to fully clarify who will captain the USMNT at the World Cup in 2026.“When I’ve been in camp, it has been Tim. Obviously that’s a role that I’ve previously played and am ready to play whenever needed,” Adams said. “I am again assuming he hasn’t made it necessarily clear who it’s going to be, but if I had to guess, then it would probably be Tim.”
Tyler Adams asks USMNT fans to paint World Cup stadiums ‘red, white and blue’
Tyler Adams has urged American fans to paint stadiums “red, white and blue” during next year’s FIFA World Cup, in the wake of head coach Mauricio Pochettino voicing frustration at the lack of support the United States men’s national team received at the recent Concacaf Gold Cup.
In a telephone interview with The Athletic on Tuesday, Adams revealed he told teammates to prepare for Sunday’s Gold Cup final against Mexico in Texas as though it would be “the hardest away game they have played in a long time.”
Mexico won the tournament by beating Pochettino’s USMNT 2-1 in front of 70,295 fans at Houston’s NRG Stadium. Following the game, Pochettino reiterated his wish for the squad to enjoy stronger support at American venues, urging fans to show their backing “not only through Instagram, social media or behind the TV.”
The Argentinean coach previously said that USMNT followers could learn from the intensity of the Guatemalan supporters who dominated the stadium in St. Louis during the semifinal against the U.S. The Mexican turnout at the final also greatly outnumbered the support for the host nation. It has been a familiar story for games involving the men’s national team, as diasporas of their opponents from within the U.S. often appear to turn out stronger, rendering the challenge more difficult even during home games.
Mexico had passionate support in Houston for its Gold Cup triumph. (Robbie Jay Barratt / AMA / Getty Images)
“Without a doubt,” said Adams of whether he would like to see more U.S. supporters in stadiums during next year’s World Cup.
The Bournemouth midfielder, who captained USMNT during its run to the round of 16 at the World Cup in 2022, has seen this play out before.
“It’s so funny because for a lot of the fairly inexperienced players in our national team, it’s the first thing I said to everyone going into this game against Mexico,” Adams said. “I was saying, ‘Don’t go into this team with a naive mentality of expecting it to be all people cheering for us and excited about the game.’ If anything, we’re going into an atmosphere where we are playing the hardest away game you’ve probably played in a long time.
“I wouldn’t say it hurts because it’s what I (have come to) expect when we play in certain areas geographically. At the same time, it’s what makes our country amazing: the diversity our country has to offer. It was a learning experience for a lot of guys, but of course come the World Cup, you’re hoping that you see so much red, white and blue instead of whoever opponent you’re facing.”
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Adams also revealed that Pochettino was “very emotional” in the locker room after the loss against Mexico. The Americans reached the final following a tournament they entered without several key players, either due to injury, Club World Cup involvement, manager’s decision or choice. Significant absentees included Christian Pulisic, Antonee Robinson, Weston McKennie, Tim Weah and Yunus Musah.
The situation created openings for more players from teams within MLS, with Matt Freese, Sebastian Berhalter, Diego Luna and Patrick Agyemang among those who received fresh opportunities.
Head coach Mauricio Pochettino was emotional in the USMNT locker room after the Gold Cup final, according to Tyler Adams. (Omar Vega / Getty Images)
“Mauricio thought we had battled the entire tournament. It’s crazy because he mentioned it was the first time we had been together for 40 days and it was obviously the longest stint that we’ve had together under him. There was growth from every single player, person and backroom staff who represented U.S. Soccer during that tournament. We grew so much closer, and this is the culture we’re trying to build,” Adams said. “He was thankful to everyone for the commitment we’ve given with a fairly new group on a new stage, where everyone is still trying to gain experience and prove their worth. He was extremely proud. Obviously it hurt to come up short. You’re hoping that you walk away with a trophy at the end of it, but it didn’t happen.”
Adams made 25 starts for Bournemouth last season, amid a few injury issues, and conceded that the heat and workload of an end-of-season tournament was the biggest individual challenge of the Gold Cup for him. He came into the Gold Cup with a minor foot injury and subbed out in the 77th minute against Guatemala and the 82nd minute against Mexico.
“From my perspective, it was getting used to playing a tournament after playing a really demanding season,” he added. “It was the most I’ve played in a really, really long time. My body, to be quite frank with you, was just pushing and grinding through the entire thing. It wasn’t like playing the World Cup in Qatar where you’re playing mid-season and you’re feeling fresh and at your best. It’s about how can you really manage yourself and get the best performance out of yourself. After I play another full season, I’m gonna feel a lot better come the World Cup. It was a grind every single day, trying to do your best.
“When you’re playing in Texas multiple times, when you’re playing in some of the hottest places, it’s very demanding. I’m used to playing in good old sunny Bournemouth, where it’s 50 (degrees) every day. So going from that to playing in 100 (degrees) is obviously a huge difference.”
Adams said the summer heat was grueling for Gold Cup teams. (Aric Becker / ISI Photos / USSF / Getty Images)
Adams spoke to The Athletic after his childhood soccer field in Wappinger, N.Y. took on his name as a tribute to the trail he has blazed in the sport. The Martz Field Recreation Facility is now the Tyler Adams Soccer Pitch as part of Adams’ partnership with Scotts lawn care products to push for youth access to natural turf pitches. Adams, who started as a center forward pretending to be former Arsenal, Barcelona and New York Red Bulls forward Thierry Henry, recalled taking his earliest steps in soccer in Wappinger.
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“Soccer was introduced to me from my mom. She played in high school. At 3 years old, I always had a ball at my feet,” he said. “I remember walking down to the park where the field is named after me now, playing soccer with friends in my community, or playing basketball and any sport I could get my hands on. My first memory really was in my grandma’s front yard and at the field.”
That little boy has gone on to become a mainstay of the national team when fit and available, even captaining the team in Qatar in 2022. However, since Pochettino became coach, the Argentine has tended to favor defender Tim Ream, who turns 38 in October and now plays for Charlotte FC, for the armband. Pochettino has yet to fully clarify who will captain the USMNT at the World Cup in 2026.
“When I’ve been in camp, it has been Tim. Obviously that’s a role that I’ve previously played and am ready to play whenever needed,” Adams said. “I am again assuming he hasn’t made it necessarily clear who it’s going to be, but if I had to guess, then it would probably be Tim.”
How bold tactics and an old-fashioned kick-off routine made Paris Saint-Germain fast starters
Paris Saint-Germain’s kick-offs explain a lot about their approach to starting matches.
They are the only moments of games where Luis Enrique’s side look old-fashioned — the ball is immediately launched by the taker, who kicks for touch, deep into the final third.
Typically, Vitinha is that player, and ironically it’s one of the few ‘passes’ he does not complete all match. Come the resulting throw-in, PSG then squeeze up and press.
Here they are executing the ploy at the beginning of last weekend’s Club World Cup quarter-final win against Bayern Munich.
Teams kicking off like this in prior decades often had an inferiority complex. They did not want the ball in their own half, or to invite opponents onto them early on.
Luis Enrique’s new European champions excel against pressure though, so this is about creating the type of match they like to play. PSG want to press you, they want to dominate territory, they want to wear teams down from minute one, they want a fast start.
Their head coach said earlier in this tournament that they copied the kick-off tactic from fellow French side Lyon. “Teams will figure you out. In football, there’s no magic wand,” Luis Enrique explained. “You’ve got to keep switching things up and evolving.”
And evolve they have done.
A team with a deserved reputation these days for fast starts, PSG were a relatively poor first-half team for the opening 18 months of the Spaniard’s tenure. They did not score in the opening 45 minutes of 13 of his first 19 Champions League games in charge. That spans from matchday one of the 2023-24 group stage — a tournament where PSG went on to reach the semi-finals — up to and including the 4-2 comeback defeat of Manchester City in the league phase in January.
Since that win against City, across a combined 17 Champions League and Club World Cup fixtures, PSG have scored the opening goal inside 20 minutes on nine occasions.
They start fast more often than they don’t.
Ousmane Dembele celebrates putting PSG two up against Real Madrid after just nine minutes (Luke Hales/Getty Images)
PSG turned two cup finals into processions in the space of seven days in May. They hit Reims twice in three minutes to be two goals up in the Coupe de France final before the clock even hit 20 minutes — it was 3-0 by half-time.
Then, in the Champions League showpiece against Italy’s Inter, right-back Achraf Hakimi opened the scoring on 12 minutes and Desire Doue doubled the lead eight minutes later.
“These sorts of games can change drastically after the first goal. I have experienced that,” Luis Enrique had told reporters pre-match on the latter occasion. He was perhaps not expecting a start that good and knew how rarely Inter went behind.
PSG winning that Champions League final — by a record scoreline — after taking control early was fitting, because it continued a trend from the competition’s knockout rounds. They scored with their opening shot of the semi-final’s first leg away to Arsenal, with their first two in the quarter-final decider at Aston Villa and with their third chance of the round of 16 return against Liverpool at Anfield.
They were the 2024-25 Champions League’s best team in the opening half-hour of matches, scoring 13 times and only conceding twice, with six of their goals coming inside 15 minutes.
Luis Enrique’s side have been even more relentless in the Club World Cup.
They cracked Inter Miami open within six minutes of their round of 16 tie kicking off and were 4-0 up by half-time. Against Real Madrid in the semi-finals, PSG ran out 4-0 winners and were three up by 24 minutes, the earliest they have been winning by such a margin since April 2018.
They treat late-phase knockout games just like they would treat any other fixture.
PSG’s first goal kick against Madrid goes short, as they try to get out with a combination down the sides. A one-two between Achraf Hakimi and Joao Neves nearly sticks, only for the right-back to miscontrol the return pass.
Successive, stylish backheel passes by Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe then find Gonzalo Garcia behind the PSG midfield, with only the two centre-backs between him and Donnarumma.
The speed with which PSG recover their shape is exceptional.
Inside four seconds, they have seven outfielders behind the ball, prompting Vinicus Junior to pass wide after striker Garcia lays the ball off to him. Left-winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is doing his defensive duties, tracking Federico Valverde’s overlapping run.
Two smart PSG blocks shut down any promise of a proper Madrid opening.
First, Kvaratskhelia blocks Arda Guler’s cross. Then, when the ball ricochets across to Aurelien Tchouameni, Ousmane Dembele arrives quickly to get in the way of his shot.
At Madrid’s first goal kick, they press man-to-man.
Doue, the right-winger, slides round to help No 9 Dembele harry the centre-backs and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. This means Hakimi has to commit to a full-back-to-full-back press on Fran Garcia.
The risk with that is not having an extra player advantage against Mbappe and Vinicius Jr on halfway, who obviously have plenty of speed and space to exploit.
A reverse angle of Dembele primed to press in the first half of the Champions League final has become popular on social media in recent weeks for how intensely he is staring at Inter ’keeper Yann Sommer.
Through such an ultra-aggressive out-of-possession approach, PSG regain the ball quicker and can spend more time grinding opponents down.
“If you want to spend more time attacking, you have to recover the ball if you lose it,” Neves told The Athletic in April. “In those five to 10 seconds when you lose the ball, you have to give 100, 120 per cent, because it’s the best way to attack again.”
Here, four minutes in against Madrid, is the perfect example.
Dembele has dropped deeper as PSG work a wide triangle. Note the start position of their left-back Nuno Mendes, with this move becoming one full-back setting up another. Doue is the link to unlock Madrid’s defence. He receives Dembele’s forward pass and backheels it between centre-half Antonio Rudiger and left-back Garcia, releasing Hakimi.
Hakimi’s low cutback picks out Mendes on the edge of the six-yard box, but Courtois saves the big chance with his feet.
This is a team stacked with quality ball carriers and transition players who thrive when given time, space and overloads to attack you with. PSG had the most fast break shots (29) and goals (six) in this season’s Champions League, not least because they were in a position to choose when to sit off opponents or press them.
Beware, then, Chelsea and their coach Enzo Marseca. If the cliched expectation is for a cagey final on Sunday, they could be in for an almighty shock.
At the very least, don’t let PSG win the coin toss.
So the US has made the Knock out round after decent games in the first round. Up next a very winnable game vs a Costa Rica team that has been saved by legendary GK Keylor Navas – La Pantera. Navas made multiple spectacular saves — and if the US can’t find a way to slip one past him – it could be a long night. I think the US will find a way a slip away with a 1-0 win somehow.
USMNT GOLD CUP DETAILED ROSTER BY POSITION (club/country; caps/goals):
US women beat Ireland 4-0 play Again Sunday in Cincy 3 pm TNT
Rose Lavelle scored a goal and added an assist in her first international minutes in nearly seven months Thursday as the United Statesbeat Ireland 4-0 in Commerce City, Colorado. Lavelle scored in the 53rd minute, calmly redirecting a low cross from forward Ally Sentnor. It was Lavelle’s 25th goal for the United States. Three players made their USWNT debuts Thursday: goalkeeper Claudia Dickey and defenders Lilly Reale and Jordyn Bugg. Dickey and Reale played for the full 90 minutes. Twenty-two players have made their international debuts under Hayes in her 23 games in charge. Ireland and the USWNT will play again Sunday in Cincinnati (Limited Tix Still Available) — Lavelle’s hometown. The USWNT will finish the international window of friendlies Tuesday against Canada in Washington, D.C.
Indy 11 host Indy Racing night vs Bama Legion at 7 pm Sat Night at the MIKE
St. Petersburg, Fla. – Indy Eleven forward Maalique Foster scored an exquisite goal in stoppage time of the first half, but the host Tampa Bay Rowdies rallied with three second-half goals to earn a 3-1 victory on a stormy and humid night. Rev your engines for an exciting evening at Racing Indy Night with Indy Eleven on Saturday, June 28th! This special promotion celebrates the thrilling world of motorsports and honors the racing legacy of the Circle City with an action-packed soccer match against Birmingham Legion FC.
Racing T-shirt: Add-on a $15 Racing Indy Eleven Shirt at checkout. Item must be picked up on matchday.
Discounted Tickets: For the first 500 fans, tickets start at just $12 exclusively via this link!
A little Reffing the Women’s League games at Kuntz with Mr. Riley Cheatum
RIP Mike Sommer
Sad news of Mike Sommer’s passing. Mike was not only a dedicated Carmel Dad’s Club, High School and Middle School referee but also a kind and steady presence within our CDC community. He will be greatly missed by all of us who had the honor of refereeing alongside him. Man Mike is the one who got me started Reffing at CYO, Middle School and High School lower level teams on the outskirts of town before I became fully licensed for HS. I learned a lot from Mike – how important it was to treat the kids with respect and always do that extra bit of explaining the rules with a calm voice He was loved by many across the soccer World!
Fond are the Memories of driving out to Anderson to do games – always driving the back woods roads and ALWAYS stopping on the way home for dinner at some diner or small restaurant out there. Good Times indeed. I am out of town for the ceremonies – but will look forward to gathering July 26th to honor our friend Mike Sommer. Service Details: June 30, 2025 from 4:00PM to 8:00PM at St. Elizabeth Seton (10655 Haverstick Road, Carmel, IN, 46033) A Funeral Mass will be held the following morning. July 1, 2025 at 10:30AM. In addition to the family’s service, Carmel Dads Club will be hosting a Celebration of Life in Mike’s honor. This will be an opportunity for our CDC family to gather, share stories, and reflect on the many ways Mike impacted our lives and the club. A light breakfast will be served. CDC Celebration of Life for Mike Sommer Date: Saturday, July 26, 2025 Time: 9:00AM Location: Conference Room above Badger Field Concession Stand
GOLD CUP QUARTERFINALS
Panama vs. Honduras (Saturday, 7:15 p.m. ET, FS1/Univision)
Mexico vs. Saudi Arabia (Saturday, 10:15 p.m. ET, FS1/Univision)
Canada vs. Guatemala (Sunday, 4 p.m. ET, FS1/Univision)
USA vs. Costa Rica (Sunday, 7 p.m. ET, FOX)
USMNT vs. Costa Rica. Not a Must-Win. But Def, a Must-Not Lose (Sunday, 7 p.m. ET, Fox)
Gold Cup about to get serious. Eight teams enter, four teams leave. It’s quarter-final time in the world’s most prestigious tournament named after ABBA’s greatest hits collection. For our shorthanded U.S. boys it has been the best of times, worst of times. We have won three on the bounce, but it has been against some truly shoddy opponents, and our young hopefuls are yet to demonstrate cutting edge, creativity, or striking options. The knockout rounds will be our moment of truth. A fight-filled Costa Rica await in Minneapolis Sunday night. They are undermined by suspension and injury, including three-goal striker Manfred Ugalde. Despite the presence of talismanic goalkeeper Keylor Navas, who stood on his head in the goalless draw against Mexico, the U.S. should have more than enough to overcome their challenge. Here are the issues as I see them:
Who will step up and make themselves undeniable to seize this gift of an open audition for a World Cup place?
Our play has been so deferential and flaccid. These players have all worked so hard to get here. Pochettino has gifted so many MLS players an opportunity they never dreamed they would have. Won’t somebody step into the crucible with swagger and bellow back at the abyss to show they belong? What is holding them back? This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take fate into their own hands. Fight without fear. This is your moment boys, make us proud.
Is Patrick Agyemang gonna grab the role of third striker on the A-Squad?
Gent is the “Pineapple on Pizza” of strikers. Many have lauded his hold-up play and physical gifts. Others see a raw, uncalibrated project player who has struggled with his coordination at times against even the weakest opponents. I love him, his story, and his attitude. American Beto.
Where’s Johnny?
This was supposed to be Hot Cardoso Summer. The 23-year-old defensive midfielder has thrived in Europe to the extent that Atlético Madrid are reported to have paid $35 million for him. But what is he showing—or not showing—in training that LDLT and Sebastian Berhalter are getting minutes ahead of him?
Losing is not an option here.
Make no mistake—though, this is hard to type: This U.S. team is in a dead wind right now less than a year out from the World Cup. Drop “USMNT” into Google news—coverage of the team, the players, and the storylines is negligible. Fan engagement on social media—even of the diehard core, is a fraction of what it was in 2022. Tough tests—the possibility of Canada in the semis, and Mexico in the finals, please god, lie ahead. This U.S. team has the individual talent to win and reignite the core fan group and create the energy and joy we all cry out for.
Rogstradamus : The U.S. make heavy weather, continuing to lack pace and sharpness in the final third, but find a way to win 1-0. I see a Berhalter goal, huge celebrations on the field, and a Pochettino grimace on the sideline.
Pochettino backs Matt Freese: ‘Move on’
Matt Freese has earned four caps, all in June. (Photo: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images)
Mauricio Pochettino picked Matt Freese ahead of veteran keeper Matt Turner to start in goal at the Gold Cup, and the U.S. coach does not seem to be ready to make a change.
Not even after Freese’s howler against Haiti.
Freese earned shutouts in wins over Trinidad & Tobago (5-0) and Saudi Arabia (1-0) but committed gifted Haiti its goal in the USA’s 2-1 win.
Haiti tied the match in the 19th minute when he rolled Tim Ream’s backpass straight to Atlanta product Louicous Don Deedson, who scored from short range to Freese’s far post.
Asked after the match for his message to Freese about the mistake, Pochettino responded, “You don’t need to say nothing. That is easy. The best way to trust in a player is not to tell nothing, not to tell, ‘Be careful with this’ or ‘Be careful with that.’ No, move on.” • More:Pochettino on USMNT keepers.
Big Pat repays trust of the one person who matters
Patrick Agyemang and John Tolkin hug after they combined for the winner against Haiti. (Photo: Concacaf/Jerome Miron-Imagn Images) On social media, no member of the USA’s Gold Cup team has taken more stick than Patrick Agyemang. But the Charlotte FC striker has the support of the one person who matters: USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino. And Agyemang repaid him with the winning goal in the 2-1 victory over Haiti that completed a sweep of Group D and moved the USA in the quarterfinals against Costa Rica on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. • More:What Mauricio Pochettino likes about Patrick Agyemang
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: TYLER ADAMS Tyler Adams celebrates with Sebastian Berhalter during the USA’s Gold Cup match with Saudi Arabia. (Photo: Robin Alam/ISI Photos) “He’s hilarious. He makes jokes about his dad all the time. It’s so funny. He’s a great person to have in and around the team. And his quality on the field speaks for itself. His IQ is incredibly high. I don’t know if that’s because his dad’s a coach, but you can just see he thinks through the game in different scenarios.” — The USA’s 2022 World Cup captain, midfielder Tyler Adams, on whether newcomer midfielder Sebastian Berhalter‘s father Gregg having been the previous head coach has created a unique dynamic. WHAT WE’RE READING • FIFA considers options for Iran at 2026 World Cup due to conflict with co-host U.S. By Paul MacInnes (The Guardian) • The USMNT is a mess. That’s the price of the U.S. becoming a ‘soccer country’ By Ryan O’Hanlon (ESPN)
CARMEL FC & PALMEIRAS CAMP Palmeiras Soccer Camps for players aims to let all participants develop their full technical, tactical and physical potential no matter their skill level. Day by day they will learn to enhance their strengths and will be stimulated to understand their own weaknesses. Players participating will be coached by Palmeiras Professional Coaches and may be invited to join Palmeiras Academy in Brazil for tryout. Register now! Camp dates: July 21-25 Ages: 7-16 Location: Carmel Clay Community Soccer Complex, Home of Carmel FC: Price: $295REGISTER
TV GAME SCHEDULE
GC=Gold Cup, WCC = World Club Cup in US WE -Women’s Euros
Sat, June 28th
4 pm DANZ Benefica vs Chelsea WCC 7:15 pm FS1 Panama vs Honduras GC 7:30 pm Apple free Montreal vs NYCFC MLS 10 pm FS1, TUDN Mexico vs Saudi Arabia GC
Sun, June 29th
12 noon TBS? PSG vs Inter Miami (Messi) wCC 12 noon CBSSN England Women vs Jamaica 3 pm TNT, Max, US Women vs Ireland 4 pm TBS Flamengo vs Bayern Munich WCC 4 pm FS1 Canada vs Guatemala GC 6 pm Apple Free Columbus Crew vs Philly Union MSL 7 pm FOX USA vs Costa Rica GC
Mon, June 30th 3 pm TNT? Inter Milan vs Fluminense WCC 9 pm TNT? Man City vs Al Hilal WCC Tues, July 1 3 pm Unimas, TBS Real Madrid vs Juventus (McKinney, Weah) 9 pm TBS/Danz Dortmund (Reyna) vs Monterrey WCC Wed, July 2 12 noon Fox Iceland vs Finland Women Euros 3 pm Fox Switzerland vs Norway Women Euros 7 pm FS1 Gold Cup Semi USA vs Honduras 10 PM FS1 Gold Cup Semi Mexico vs Guatemala Thurs, Jul 3 12 noon FS1 Belgium vs Italy W Euros 3 pm Fox Spain vs Portugal W Euros Fri, July 4th 12 noon FS1 Denmark vs Sweden WE 3 pm Fox Germany vs Poland WE 3 pm TBS Fluminense vs Al Hilal CWC QF 7:30 pm FS1 Dallas vs Minn MLS 9 pm TBS Chelsea vs Palmeiras CWC QF 10:30 pm Apple LA Galaxy vs Vancouver MLS Sat, July 5th 12 noon FS1 Wales vs Netherlands W Euros 12 noon TBS Fifa World Club Cup QF 3 pm Fox France vs England WE 4 pm TBS Fifa WCC QF 7 pm FS1 Charlotte vs Orlando MLS 8:30 pm Apple Free Austin City vs LAFC MLS Sun, July 6th 12 noon FS1 Norway vs Finland W Euros 3 pm FS1 Switzerland vs Iceland WE 5 pm Apple free Seattle Sounders vs Columbus Crew MLS Mon, July 7 th 12 noon FS1 Spain vs Belgium W Euros 3 pm Fox Portugal vs Italy WE Tues, July 8th 12 noon FS1 Germany vs Denmark W Euros Wed, July 9 12 noon FS1 England vs Netherland W Euros 3 pm Fox France vs Wales WE 3 pm TBS Fifa WCC Semis 7 pm CBSSN Philly Union vs NYRB MLS
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ARLINGTON, Texas – The real test begins now.This group of U.S. players came into the Concacaf Gold Cup this summer through the door U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino opened for them. The task was two-fold, as Pochettino himself spelled out a week ago when the Americans opened group play with a dominant win over Trinidad and Tobago.“First of all it is to win because we want to win,” Pochettino said that day in San Jose, Calif. “And at the same time, it is to help the players to perform and to knock the door and [say], ‘We also we can perform for the national team and we can be involved in the next World Cup.’ That is what I expect. We, and the players, really believe that they are having the opportunity. Take the opportunity and show me that maybe, for sure, [you] will fight for a place in the World Cup. That, for me, is the most important thing.”The Americans cruised through the Gold Cup stage. They were expected to. Beating Trinidad, Saudi Arabia and Haiti is not a gauge of success for any U.S. team, even one that is missing 10 regulars. This group still has quality in the roster. It has the presumptive starters at center back in next year’s World Cup, Tim Ream and Chris Richards, as well as the other top contenders for that job: Mark McKenzie, Miles Robinson and Walker Zimmerman. Tyler Adams captained the U.S. at the World Cup in 2022. Malik Tillman has made a claim to play in attacking midfield. Players like Diego Luna, Luca de la Torre, Alex Freeman and Patrick Agyemang have a legitimate shot to earn a ticket onto the 2026 roster.What they do in the coming days against some of the better rivals in Concacaf will go a long way towards telling us just how much they can help when the full team is together. Let’s not forget that earlier this month the U.S. lost friendlies to Turkey and Switzerland. The 4-0 defeat in the latter was especially telling about how much the quality on the field matters.Suffice it to say, playing against Costa Rica next in the quarterfinals – despite star forward Manfred Ugalde being suspended due to card accumulation – will present a bigger and more indicative challenge, and the possibility of a U.S.-Mexico final is now in play after both topped their respective groups.
The USMNT’s results in the Gold Cup group stage gave Mauricio Pochettino some reason to smile (Photo by Omar Vega/Getty Images “This was preparation. Now we’ll be playing a final, it’s all or nothing,” Pochettino said. “So we have to be prepared. We will be prepared, no matter the opponent we face. It’s our challenge: we have to compete well, to keep competing well and continue improving. We have a week to prepare for this game, so I have no doubt we’ll get there in the best possible way.”Pochettino has been clear that what he wants is open competition for the team he takes to the World Cup. If the players are going to make an impression, they will need to win some knockout games. It’s not unlike the challenge a similar U.S. group had at the 2021 Gold Cup. Coming off of an emotional 2021 Nations League victory over Mexico, U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter took a ‘B’ squad to the Gold Cup later that summer. Mexico, meanwhile, did not. It sparked debate about what the better plan was. On the one hand, Mexico got an extra month working together. On the other, Berhalter got a chance to look at a wider pool. What the U.S. did in that tournament ended any debate. It beat Haiti, Canada and Martinique in the group stage, advancing with a plus-seven goal differential — the same as this year’s team. Then it beat Jamaica, 1-0, in the quarterfinals and Qatar, 1-0, in the semifinals before meeting Mexico in the championship game. A 1-0 win in extra time helped to secure a second trophy that summer — and it announced the U.S. as being “back” as a top power in Concacaf.Before this camp started, U.S. goalkeeper Matt Turner talked about how that Gold Cup win helped him break through as a real option for Berhalter’s U.S. team. A year and a half later, Turner was starting in Qatar.That’s the opportunity for some of these U.S. players as the knockout phase begins. It feels almost like a second life after the friendly losses — especially that Switzerland result.“The steps that we’ve made, I think, are huge coming from not great results with Turkey and Switzerland,” Brenden Aaronson said. “I mean, it’s tough. You get down on yourself and stuff like that. But what I see from this group is just that bounce-back mentality. You come into the tournament, you could let it bother you, you could let negativity bother you. But I think that the biggest thing with this group is we tune everything out. We just get going.”Some players have already seized the opportunity. Tillman, who scored his third goal of the tournament in the win, has certainly made his impression on Pochettino, who praised the midfielder again in the postgame press conference. Others, like Luna and Agyemang, continue to put themselves in conversation for roles with the U.S. team. Agyemang’s game-winning goal – following a series of missed chances across the last couple games – went a long way in his argument for future inclusion. He leads the U.S. in scoring in 2025 with five goals. Now he — and the rest of the group — will get a chance to make an argument for why they can be trusted to perform when the stakes are higher. (Top photo: Omar Vega/Getty Images)
USMNT given battle, holds off Haiti to top Gold Cup group
By Paul Tenorio June 22, 2025 Updated June 23, 2025
ARLINGTON, Texas – For long stretches of Sunday night’s Gold Cup group finale against Haiti, the U.S. men’s national team had the ball but too often didn’t do anything dangerous with it.As the second half played out and with the game still tied, the U.S. started to play a bit more aggressively looking for a winner. After having two goals (correctly) called back, forward Patrick Agyemang finally got on the end of a ball from left back John Tolkin, touched it around Haiti goalkeeper Johny Placide and passed it easily into the empty net.Agyemang’s goal lifted the U.S. to a 2-1 win and into the knockout stage as the top finisher in its group.It was also a much-needed goal for Agyemang, who failed to put away his chances earlier in the game. The U.S. won all three of its group games and will now face Group A’s second-place finisher, Costa Rica, which drew Mexico 0-0 later Sunday night. Mexico heads to the other side of the knockout bracket (and will face Saudi Arabia in the quarterfinals), meaning a U.S.-Mexico clash can only happen in the final. Regardless, the narrative around this Gold Cup will truly be determined in the knockout stage. Even without many regulars, this selection of U.S. players has something to prove. Getting out of the group at the Gold Cup is a prerequisite. Getting to a final is the bare minimum bar for success. U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino made four changes to the starting lineup trying to dig into what depth he has at this Gold Cup without suffering the type of wake-up call result that happened in the first half against Switzerland. In were Tyler Adams, John Tolkin, Quinn Sullivan and Brenden Aaronson. Two of those four had World Cup qualifying experience and were on the 2022 World Cup roster. The other two were being given a window to show their ability to impact a game in this tournament. It was a mixed bag for the U.S. in the first half. Aaronson provided an assist to Malik Tillman to give the U.S. a 1-0 lead in just the 10th minute. It was the third goal of the tournament for Tillman, who has been the breakout player of the Gold Cup so far for the U.S., showing a solid workrate and good attacking production. But this U.S. team shot itself in the foot too often to let Haiti stay in the game. Haiti equalized in the 19th minute when Tim Ream played a back pass to goalkeeper Matt Freese. The NYCFC netminder tried to play a side-footed pass inside his box under pressure, but mishit it, and Don Deedson Louicius easily collected the mistake and deposited it into the back of the net. Freese has been given a chance to win the No. 1 job for the U.S, preferred to Matt Turner for every group game. He had been mostly untested through the group stage, but it was a massive mistake for a player trying to win a job.
USMNT concedes a goal to Haiti in the Gold Cup (Photo by Omar Vega/Getty Images)
The U.S. had several other chances to score a goal, but Agyemang continued to struggle to generate or finish chances up top. He was sprung in behind multiple times by teammates but couldn’t find the back of the net, including a 1-on-1 in the 24th minute. It may have been ruled offside, but the Charlotte FC striker nonetheless should have found the back of the net.The U.S. entered knowing it had already qualified for the next round and had first place all but secured, needing just a draw against an opponent that hadn’t beaten the U.S. since 1973. Still, it was important to show consistency and keep getting results, and for long stretches, the U.S. was playing far too predictably — and too safe — in the build-up. It was rare that players looked to break lines with their passes. Often, the pass went safely backwards or out to the wide areas, then got recycled around again. It allowed Haiti to stay compact and make things difficult, and the U.S. failed to generate much of anything through the first 15 minutes of the second half. But players started to look more for vertical passes. In the 64th minute, Agyemang slipped after getting on the end of a ball over the top, but Quinn Sullivan recovered the rebound and shot. It was blocked, and a Haiti defender’s clearance hit Tillman and went into the net. The goal was ruled out because it caromed off Tillman’s arm.Four minutes later, Adams found Tillman on a vertical run and the PSV attacking midfielder scored. But the flag went up for offside.Tillman nearly scored in the 74th minute on a beautiful ball over the top by Adams, bringing the ball down brilliantly, but his chip over Placide went just wide. No matter. One minute later Agyemang scored to lift the U.S. to a third straight win. The big test comes now. Costa Rica is considered a tougher opponent than any the U.S. faced in the group stage. A team with plenty to prove will now have to show it can navigate through the knockout stage at home. The U.S.’s quarterfinal is expected to be played at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis next Sunday — though Concacaf has not yet confirmed the pairing of matchups and venues for the round.What You Should Read NextWinning fosters USMNT belief at a time when fans need a team they can trustApathy surrounding the U.S. men is evident, and with a home World Cup less than a year away, restoring support – and results – is paramount
Will USMNT’s star absentees hurt their 2026 World Cup hopes?
Jeff CarlisleCesar Hernandez
Jun 27, 2025, 07:42 AM ET ESPN
There were undoubtedly some close calls in the group stage, but the U.S. men’s national team have so far gotten the job done in the Gold Cup. Winning their group with a perfect three wins from three matches against Trinidad & Tobago, Saudi Arabia and Haiti, head coach Mauricio Pochettino and his title contenders have picked up momentum and avoided a disastrous early exit in the competition.Preparing for Sunday’s quarterfinal against Costa Rica in Minneapolis and still in the race for an eighth title as they’ve managed sweltering temperatures, there’s one scorching hot talking point that has yet to be doused in American soccer circles: Where are the Americans’ best players?For a variety of reasons ranging from injuries, rest and Club World Cup duty, the USMNT are currently without a long list of marquee names, which includes Sergiño Dest, Antonee Robinson, Weston McKennie and Christian Pulisic. Because the Gold Cup is played every other year, it’s not out of the ordinary to have alternate squads like the one the U.S. is fielding this summer, but one year out from the FIFA World Cup, it’s fair to ask if this will hurt the ongoing evolution of the national team under Pochettino. Especially considering how infrequently these big names have suited up alongside each other since last year. “You never know six months from now what players are available, who’s hurt, who’s playing at their club … I don’t think that [time] is as important as most people may think. I think that you can put the team together at the end,” Tab Ramos, who has played for the USMNT and coached within the national team structure, said to ESPN. “[But] we’re likely going to go into the World Cup, not really with Pochettino, not really understanding 100 percent what his roster can do because he hasn’t been able to utilize the roster in different situations.”
Dest, Robinson, McKennie, Pulisic and Tyler Adams (who is on the Gold Cup roster), have not all been on the field at the same time since a Concacaf Nations League final win over Mexico in March 2024. Under Pochettino, they’ve also played sparingly, with Pulisic being the sole member of the aforementioned quintet to earn more than 350 minutes under the coach since he was hired last September. Digging deeper, it’s easy to begin to feel worried when you find more examples. Fullbacks Robinson and Dest have not shared the field in the past year, and during the same time frame, midfielders Adams and McKennie have played just 294 minutes together. Will this lack of familiarity harm the team on the world’s biggest stage in one year? Ramos is unsure. “We are obviously giving ourselves less of a chance. There’s no question,” he said. “When you don’t have the team together, you give yourself less of a chance to be successful because you don’t know the reaction as a head coach. You don’t understand the reaction of players and of different combinations at a certain game against a certain opponent. That’s where you’re going to be missing.”The reality is those lessened chances could be the difference between winning or losing a knockout game. Given the USMNT’s record in such matches — just one knockout game victory in its entire World Cup history, spanning 10 tournaments — that is a factor that has to be considered, although Ramos still feels it’s more about the form of the players.”In terms of having the team together, it’s really who’s going to be playing great by May of next year,” he said. “That really matters.” Looking at the summer roster, defender Mark McKenzie didn’t show any signs of worry when asked if there’s enough time to find cohesion before the World Cup.”Chemistry is a relative thing. I think when you come into camp, I think we’re all understanding of a goal we have in mind. Each camp we get into, there’s an opportunity to continue to build on that,” he said to media during the Gold Cup group stage. “That doesn’t matter whether it’s now, whether it’s in a couple months, and each match will have its own challenges.”Hugo Perez, a former USMNT midfielder who coached players such as Pulisic, McKennie and Adams during their youth national team days, also didn’t sound the alarm.”Pochettino knows what the nucleus of players are … it’s good for Pochettino to see if the [Gold Cup] players from the MLS … [are] at that level,” the former El Salvador manager said to ESPN. “You miss [the stars] being here and maybe being with the group, but I don’t see that as a big deal in the end.”When chatting with Perez, it became clear that he was more preoccupied with finding a way to get the best out of the U.S.’s top players through a more varied tactical approach, and not about needing an extended period to jell together.
Herculez Gomez and Cristina Alexander debate the biggest storylines and break down the best highlights that soccer in the Americas has to offer. Stream on ESPN+ (U.S. only) “I still believe that the U.S. is lacking an identity in a style of play where they’re going to have to mix it [up],” he said. “We know we run, we know we attack by the flanks, but I still think that they can improve on short spaces, maintaining more of the ball and then, boom, explode the big space. I think we need to add that kind of play in order to compete.”I know these players: I coached them when they were 14 and 15. They’re capable of playing that type of soccer, but again, the coach has to make that decision. That’s, for me, more important than having them every time come to FIFA [international] dates.”However, those opportunities have been limited.In the past 12 months, the U.S. has played only nine competitive matches. In that same time frame, South American champions Argentina and European champions Spain each has played 14.With no qualifiers on the schedule for next year’s World Cup given the U.S.’s status as co-hosts, the chance to test and analyze a larger sample size just hasn’t been the same. And in the few high-pressure situations the Americans have played in, things have been bleak: a group stage exit in the 2024 Copa América and a fourth-place finish in the Concacaf Nations League.
“Developing the chemistry on the field is really, I think, the need,” Ramos said. “In order to develop that, you need to have some games where you struggle together and see how you get out of it.”And I think if you look at some of the — I don’t want to say failures because they haven’t been failures, but if you look at the times where we haven’t been as successful with this team because the expectations have been so high, we have not passed a lot of tests in which situations got difficult. That’s a little bit of a concern for me.”Does that concern also extend to some players seeming to prioritize their club careers abroad? When considering the high level of intensity of the European game, is there something to be said about scrutinizing players’ balance of club vs. country?Perez doesn’t believe so. He also doesn’t believe that it halts any sort of on-field chemistry.”These kids are playing in very competitive leagues, and when you play in leagues like the English Premier League, Serie A, in France, you are surrounded in your team by some of the best players in the world,” he said. “Second, when you’re surrounded by those players who are some of the best players in the world in your club, that’s helping you to grow as a player individually.
“When they come here, we have to be honest also. I mean, these kids have played together before … they know each other. I mean, they’re in contact with each other in Europe. I don’t think that’s the issue.”For Ramos, there’s enough time to develop a good team, but with the caveat that there will be a “disadvantage of knowing less” due to not having enough answers from in-game tests. As for Perez, he also believes there’s ample time, especially if there’s a lengthy summer camp next year, but stated that the true test lies in Pochettino’s ability to still get the best of his stars.”[That’s] the most difficult work that a coach has,” Perez said.Even with an alternate roster, things are looking promising for the USMNT at the Gold Cup. Following some wake-up calls and a four-game losing streak ahead of the tournament, they’ve since avoided a nightmare scenario in the group stage and qualified for the knockout rounds.Whether the competition helps answer some questions regarding roster depth, or highlights a need to continue relying on familiar faces, the countdown to the World Cup will truly begin in September with just five FIFA windows between then and next June. That will be the only time Pochettino has to make final adjustments through friendly matches. Is that enough runway to reintegrate the U.S.’s biggest stars? With each passing month, we’ll get a clearer idea of whether the USMNT are in fact ready for 2026. “I think there’s plenty of time before the World Cup, there’s plenty of games,” said Brenden Aaronson, who is part of the Gold Cup squad. “I think the thing that people don’t really understand: Yeah, it’s friendlies that are coming up, but friendlies still, you treat them like they’re international games. They’re going to be really good games and it’s not like something we’re [just] going to walk in there. We want to win these games. “We’re going to treat them like World Cup games.” If Aaronson & Co. are going to be ready for the World Cup in less than 12 months, they’ll have to.
5 questions the USMNT must answer in Gold Cup knockout stage
Ryan O’HanlonJun 26, 2025, 07:00 AM ET
The Gold Cup group stage is over. And with a team of mostly MLS players and fringe starters from elsewhere, the U.S. men’s national team is perfect through three matches. It has scored eight goals and conceded just one. It beat the only team that beat Argentina at the last World Cup. And a bunch of new players are getting a lot of valuable competitive experience ahead of next summer’s World Cup.
So, everyone is happy, right? Right? Yeah, not quite. Thanks to an ongoing feud between the team’s best players, the team’s former players and the team’s coach, the three wins haven’t done much to shift the conversation.Outside of the opening 5-0 drubbing of Trinidad and Tobago, the other two games weren’t leave-no-doubt affairs, either. Against Saudi Arabia, the U.S. only attempted five total shots and won with a set-piece goal from a center back a few minutes after the hour mark. Then, in the final match, they were tied with Haiti all the way up until the 75th minute, when Patrick Agyemang rounded the goalkeeper and put away the game-winner. The ranking of the USMNT’s opponents, in chronological order and according to the World Football Elo ratings: 99th, 66th and 86th.
Based on the quality of the schedule and the state of flux on the A-list roster, we really haven’t learned too much from these matches. But the USMNT’s quarterfinal opponent, Costa Rica, ranks 47th in the Elo ratings, while potential future opponents Panama (32), Canada (29), and Mexico (25) are within the top 35. With 48 teams qualifying for next summer’s tournament, these are all World Cup-quality opponents.
So, what might we learn over the next week? Here are five questions that we should get some answers to between now and the end of the Gold Cup.
Is Matt Freese the starting goalkeeper?
If you asked this question a month ago, approximately 100% of respondents would’ve answered with a “no.” But then Patrick Schulte and Zack Steffen pulled out of the Gold Cup because of injuries, and coach Mauricio Pochettino gave Freese his first cap in a pre-tournament friendly against Turkey. Matt Turner then started the final pre-tournament friendly against Switzerland, and we all expected him to keep starting from there once the Gold Cup began. After all, he’d been the starter since before the pandemic. But then Turner conceded four goals to Switzerland in the first half, and Freese has played every minute so far at the Gold Cup. Overall, he has been … fine? Across the four matches, he has faced 11 shots worth 3.16 goals (based on Stats Perform’s post-shot expected goals model), and he has conceded three goals. That’s about as close to average as you can get.
The orange dots are goals, purple are saves, and the larger the dot, the higher the post-shot xG value of the attempt:
Now, he also made an error that led to Haiti’s opening goal, but defender Tim Ream gave him a terrible, bouncing back-pass, and the goal still required a fantastic finish from a really tight angle. I don’t think these four games are enough to really judge Freese in either direction. Just look at those shots: He hasn’t even had to save anything on the left side of the goal yet. His performances haven’t been disqualifying, but they haven’t been job-winning, either. Does Pochettino give Freese a chance to stand up against stiffer competition? Does Turner become the starter now that games are toughening up? If Freese continues to start and plays well over the final however many matches, then I think we have to say that he’s the favorite to start next summer.
Is Johnny Cardoso part of this team?
This was supposed to be a big summer for the 23-year-old defensive midfielder. With Tyler Adams nursing an injury and a bunch of the other midfield options either at the Club World Cup or taking the summer off, Johnny Cardoso figured to be a mainstay in the USMNT midfield for the first time under Pochettino. Oh, and Atletico Madrid wanted to sign him. You know, the club that’s competitive in the UEFA Champions League every season and won LaLiga four short years ago? If you had to bet on these things not panning out for Cardoso, presumably what you would’ve cast doubt on is the Atletico move. Cardoso has been a solid player for Real Betis, but has he really been that good? Plus, reported transfer moves fall apart every day, for any number of reasons. Well, how does this one sound? Atletico Madrid just spent north of €30 million in transfer fees to acquire Cardoso, who at the same time seems to have fallen behind Luca de la Torre and Sebastian Berhalter on the USMNT depth chart.
Carlisle: Skepticism building over Pochettino’s USMNT leadership
On “The Football Reporters” podcast, Jeff Carlisle gauges how USMNT fans are feeling about Mauricio Pochettino’s time in charge of the team. At the Gold Cup so far, Cardoso has played a whopping 11 total minutes. He started the match against Turkey, but his error led directly to the equalizing goal and he was subbed off at halftime. He played the whole game against Switzerland and has barely played at all since the Gold Cup started. Now, he missed the opener against Trinidad and Tobago because of an illness, so maybe that put him behind the eight ball. And maybe Pochettino’s approach to the knockout matches will be different from what he has done through the group stage. We don’t really know. But as of three weeks ago, it seemed like Cardoso was a potential starter at the World Cup. As of right now, it’s unclear whether he’ll even make the roster.
Tim Ream it is, then?
Coming into this summer, it seemed like center back was the one position where the USMNT had most, and possibly all, of its potential World Cup starters on the Gold Cup roster. Crystal Palace‘s Chris Richards would be one half of the pairing, and then we’d actually get new, useful information about who was most likely to be there next to him.
Miles Robinson started the match against Turkey next to Richards, but then Mark McKenzie replaced him at halftime. McKenzie then started against Switzerland, but with Walker Zimmerman by his side, not Richards. If you were going to draw one half-conclusion from the two friendlies, it might’ve been: Tim Ream is no longer in the picture.
Instead, the 37-year-old Ream has played every minute of every match at the Gold Cup so far … and he has been pretty darn important, too.
Although he’s a center back, Ream has added more expected possession value — essentially, how much everything you do on the ball increases or decreases your team’s chances of scoring a goal — than all but three other USMNT players. Some of that is because he has played so many minutes, but a large chunk of it is that he’s still so important to how the team moves the ball up the field.
Ream has played 14 passes into the attacking third that have increased the USMNT’s chances of scoring a goal by at least half a percent; no one else has more than eight. That might seem like a nothing number, but most of what happens on a soccer field doesn’t drastically shift goal probabilities — it’s all about racking up a bunch of tiny moments that eventually add up.
Here are all of Ream’s passes worth at least 0.5% of xPV:
We’ll see how Ream holds up against the stiffer competition, though. He has been a fantastic and underappreciated player for most of his career. But I remain a little skeptical that the USMNT can afford to rely on a 38-year-old center back if it wants to make a serious run next summer.
Can any of these attacking midfielders hang against tougher competition?
Through three matches, the players replacing Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Timothy Weah have been quite good. This is exactly what you would’ve wanted from this situation.Malik Tillman has played every minute of every game and leads the team in goals and possession value added. He has also been a fantastic final-third defender. After the Turkey match, Tillman told me he preferred the freedom he was given in Pochettino’s system, as opposed to the stricter positional guidelines the players were given by former coach Gregg Berhalter, and it has shown so far. Tillman is the MVP of the group stage, and this is the first time we’ve seen him come close to replicating his PSV form with the USMNT.Jack McGlynn already looks like one of the best passers in the entire player pool — and quite possibly the best. For a team that has really struggled to break down low blocks, his creativity could bring something new and important. He has completed 11 passes into the penalty area — no one else has more than six — and leads the team in expected assists.Diego Luna, meanwhile, provides the rare combination of “guy who might actually try to fight a tank with his bare hands” and “guy who never loses the ball.” There’s a place for massive amounts of energy and ball security on most national team rosters.
Does the USMNT deserve more credit at the Gold Cup?
The “Futbol Americas” crew discuss the USMNT’s 2-1 win over Haiti that granted it a place in the Gold Cup knockout stages.But how will this translate against Costa Rica and (potentially) Panama, Canada and Mexico?Tillman is still kind of a strange player: He’s an attacking midfielder who relies more on positioning and off-ball running rather than a high volume of touches and seeing-eye creativity. Those players can disappear from time to time. McGlynn did most of his damage against a really weak Trinidad and Tobago team. And will Luna be able to provide enough attacking production once the schedule gets harder?All three players have really interesting qualities that could help the USMNT next summer, but the next game (or two … or three, depending on how deep their Gold Cup run goes) should give us a better sense of how those traits will scale up against stiffer opponents.
Can Pochettino get the team moving with pace?
Before the tournament began, I wrote about how Pochettino’s team ranked dead last among the USMNT managers we have data for in the following stats:
• The speed moving the ball upfield: 1.03 meters per second • The number of possessions per match: 82.1
Through the group stages, here’s how the USMNT compares to everyone else in the competition across those two metrics:
So, the U.S. is moving slightly slower and playing games with even fewer possessions than those already-program-low rates. A lot of this has to do with the approaches of its opponents, combined with the Trinidad and Tobago game being over by halftime, but another pre-tournament favorite, Canada, still manages to embrace a lot more chaos even when it’s heavily fancied against its conservative opponents.
And then, all the way to right of the graph — moving faster than anyone else at the tournament — is the USMNT’s quarterfinal opponent, Costa Rica. Under Pochettino, the Americans’ haven’t really found a way to break down reasonably talented teams that are willing to sit back and counter-attack. And if they still haven’t figured that out, then, well, their tournament is going to be over in just a couple of days.
Clint Dempsey interview: USMNT icon on Christian Pulisic’s podcast drama and pay-to-play
For the United States men’s national team, it has been a summer of podcast outbursts forming a tetchy soundtrack one year out from a heavily anticipated home World Cup. Following Christian Pulisic’s decision not to join up with Mauricio Pochettino’s team for the Gold Cup — along with a slew of other absentees — criticism came from USMNT icons Landon Donovan and Tim Howard (on their own podcast), Pulisic issued a riposte (on a CBS podcast) and Clint Dempsey said he struggled to understand Pulisic’s decision (on the Men In Blazers podcast). In between all that, Pulisic’s father appeared to launch a broadside at Donovan via Instagram (on a post liked by his son). Pochettino also used his news conferences to assert his authority, saying players “cannot dictate the plan” after Pulisic claimed he offered to play in the two warmup friendly games but with the condition of dropping out for the Gold Cup. Dempsey also pointed out how the situation might have been averted if U.S. Soccer, the nation’s governing body, and Pulisic had aligned more closely on their messaging. During an interview with The Athletic, Dempsey said: “Why wasn’t there a way that we could have been more unified in the messaging that’s going out to the public? You have one of the best players for the national team, and if it had been England, if Harry Kane was missing a tournament or the Nations League or World Cup qualifying, there would be people asking questions. “It’s important to be unified and to have that conversation. Then there’s no back and forth looking like two people are at odds with each other, especially a year out from the World Cup. It could have been handled better. Still, the best way to solve problems — whether you get a red card in the game or you do something stupid — is to get back on the pitch and let your play do the talking for you.”
Landon Donovan’s foray into the Christian Pulisic national team debate has been one of American soccer’s stories of the summer. (Shaun Clark / ISI Photos / Getty Images)
Dempsey, who earned more than 140 senior caps, has previously revealed he once had a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection in his adductor to play for the USMNT. He was asked whether his locker room would have required the federation to step in or if the players would have held themselves to account.“You would like to think you have a good enough relationship with your teammates that you could put a call in and ask, ‘Hey, what’s going on? Is there something I can do for you? We need you in this tournament’. At the same time, for me, it was never a question if I was going to go into the national team and play,” Dempsey said. “Whether it was Gold Cup, World Cup qualifying, the Confederations Cup, Copa America, the World Cup, I wanted to be there because as a kid, I dreamed about representing my country. “I knew that there were a lot of kids where I am from that didn’t make it. You’re representing for them, your town, your city, your state, your country. So everybody’s going through different things. Everybody’s dealing with different injuries and different things mentally. I’m not privy to those conversations to know what’s going on. “What’s made this situation difficult is what happened with Copa America when we did not get out of the group stage, then losing to Panama and Canada in Nations League and then the four losses in a row, the worst streak we’d had in a long time. It put more pressure on this Gold Cup. There are not many opportunities left after this for meaningful games, and you want to try to get things right.”
Pulisic, who racked up more than 3,500 minutes for Milan in the 2024-25 season, told CBS his body and mind “started talking” to him towards the end of the campaign and he felt a rest was best for his fitness.
Clint Dempsey and an 18-year-old Christian Pulisic celebrate a USMNT goal against Honduras in 2017. (David Madison / Getty Images)
Does Dempsey, who spent 15 seasons playing in the English Premier League and in MLS, believe that USMNT players in Europe have a uniquely difficult task to balance club and country responsibilities?“No matter what league you’re in, it’s going to be difficult,” he said. “The things that are difficult about MLS are the travel and the time changes. When I played MLS, you weren’t flying privately. People were asking you, ‘Are you a college team? Do you play lacrosse?’. We were sitting in middle seats, sitting back next to the toilet. But then in Europe at the top teams, you’re playing in more competitions and it is a grind to go back and forth to the States.”He does, however, point out that the USMNT has recently avoided the most grueling travel because it does not need to qualify for the home World Cup.“That is the hardest traveling,” he said, “because normally you come in, you play two games, you’re going to Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Mexico, Jamaica, then you fly back to Europe on Thursday, you get there Friday morning, you have a game either Saturday or Sunday.”And what of the soap opera that has surrounded the team this summer, with former players offering strong opinions and current players hitting back?“It shows there’s a climate where people care,” Dempsey said. “I’m not trying to be a part of the drama. You’re asking me my opinion and I’m giving you how I look at things. In terms of the Christian situation, all I think is U.S. Soccer could have been more unified about how that gets out to the public.
“Playing for your country in a tournament, I tell you what my mentality was. I am not saying whether someone’s doing right or wrong. Everybody has a right to their opinion — it shows that people do care, but you never want to get in a situation where it’s tit for tat. Everybody wants the same thing: to have the U.S. playing well. We want to be excited. I’d like to focus more on the positives of the new faces. They’re gonna be in this Gold Cup, they’re gonna push to get into the lineup and get this fanbase and team back on track to being inspired because we are one year out from the greatest tournament.”Dempsey, who was speaking at the mid-point of the Gold Cup group stage, said that following the breakthrough of young USMNT players who carried the team to the knockout stage of the World Cup in 2022, the team’s development has appeared to be at “a little bit of a stand still.”He said: “You’ve had this new talent, you’ve developed it so far, but then where’s this next young talent that’s coming up and pushing these guys and having competition for spots? That would create an environment where you have to look over your shoulder and be on your game to make sure that someone’s not taking your spot.”Dempsey was talking to The Athletic as part of an initiative led by Abbott, a healthcare firm that has partnered with Real Madrid as part of the Abbott Dream Team program, which will see youngsters try out in cities across the U.S. for the opportunity to then travel to Spain to train under Real Madrid coaches and learn about sports nutrition from the club’s medical team. Dempsey says the tryouts are available to 18- and 19-year-old boys and girls. “If you have the right eyes watching you, the sky is the limit,” Dempsey said. “A buddy of mine, José Torres, he’s from Longview, Texas. He played Hispanic leagues on Sunday, but through his play in Hispanic leagues, this allowed him to get a trial in Mexico with a Liga MX team and he was able to make it.”More broadly, the program is part of Abbott’s and Real Madrid’s ongoing “Beat Malnutrition” campaign to provide nutrition education and malnutrition screening to children in 12 countries around the world.
Clint Dempsey says the example of ex-USMNT midfielder José Francisco Torres shows the value of increased developmental opportunities. (Misael Montaño / LatinContent via Getty Images)
Last weekend, during a conversation at Fanatics Fest in New York, FIFA president Gianni Infantino criticized the “pay-to-play” model for many young soccer players in the U.S., saying, “For children, it must be free to play football.” When speaking to The Athletic before Infantino’s intervention, Dempsey said there is room for improvement.“My son is in an MLS academy and you don’t have to pay to play,” Dempsey said. “If you’re good enough, it doesn’t matter where you come from, what your background is, that is covered. For the players in rural areas or inner cities that are not around MLS teams, it is a lot more difficult. It is a financial strain, and my family went into debt doing that. I didn’t have a college fund growing up. It was, ‘How bad do you want something in life? What are you willing to risk? How hard are you willing to work?’. Nothing’s perfect, things need to get better. We need to make it easier for people who are less fortunate to have the chance to go chase their dreams. Hopefully, that changes, but it’s just so difficult to fix everything. “It’s not fair. And I’m not saying that I want families to do the path I did. Everybody has a different story and a different path. There needs to be ways to figure out for the people that can’t afford it to get the better coaching and the platform to try to take their game to the next level. I’m on board with that 100 percent.”(Top photo: Omar Vega / Getty Images)
Emma Hayes’ ‘astronomical’ year as USWNT head coach – but this is only the first step
COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — On June 1, 2024, as the U.S. women’s national team prepared to take the field against South Korea in Colorado, head coach Emma Hayes stared down a stadium tunnel swirling with sound. Staff were banging on the walls to hype up the players, and fans roared with similar anticipation. The heat and humidity, combined with the mile-high altitude, were brutal — especially for an Englishwoman who hadn’t known how to properly hydrate for those conditions. It was Hayes’ first game since accepting the position in November 2023, and she was nervous. She’d spent 12 years managing Chelsea and had no idea how an American crowd would respond to someone “from the outside,” as she described it. Still healing from the disappointment of their earliest World Cup exit in USWNT history, her new side were also less than two months out from the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Hayes felt “desperate to do well for the team.” They beat South Korea 4-0, with two goals each from forward Mallory Swanson and defender Tierna Davidson. Seventy days later on August 10, the USWNT became Olympic gold medalists with a 1-0 victory over Brazil. And in the year since her nerve-wracking debut, Hayes has uprooted and overhauled the women’s program in ways that feel revolutionary, inviting more new players to national team camp than any coach before her and revamping the U-23s to create a sustainable and cohesive pipeline of talent. Now, with two more years to go until the 2027 World Cup in Brazil, Hayes remains a champion of development and deliberation, choosing process over perfection as she continues to build. Thursday night offered a poetic checkpoint for what has changed and what has remained the same. Hayes and the USWNT were back at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, and the final score was again 4-0, this time against a depleted Republic of Ireland. Swanson is pregnant and Davidson is out with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury; this match instead featured goals from defender Avery Patterson, midfielders Sam Coffey and Rose Lavelle, and forward Alyssa Thompson.Coffey and Lavelle, who just returned to USWNT camp after an ankle injury kept her away since December, are two of just four players on Hayes’ first roster as head coach who also played against Ireland. It’s a testament to Hayes’ dedication to experimenting and implementing a new standard for who receives an invitation to camp.Though Coffey earned her first USWNT call up in September 2022 under former head coach Vlatko Andonovski, she did not make the 2023 World Cup roster. Since Hayes stepped in, she has been a consistent fixture for the national team at No. 6. Thursday’s match against Ireland was her 36th cap and she scored her third goal for the United States.“She’s had such a profound impact on me as a person and a player,” Coffey said of Hayes after Thursday’s match. “I think she, in many ways, has just given me such confidence and belief in myself to know what I can do and to help the team in any way possible. I think the amount that she’s done in a year is astronomical.”
Hayes and Coffey during the former’s first game in charge of the USWNT last June. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)
Coffey added that she and her teammates “still have so much that we want to do in so many ways.”“We want to grow and every camp, every game we have is just another step that we get to take together,” she added, “and so we’re loving her.”Thompson’s journey with the national team has been similarly nonlinear, even under Hayes. While she made Andonovski’s World Cup roster, she seldom played, and was not chosen by Hayes to compete for an Olympic medal in Paris. Her standout club performances since with Angel City in the NWSL earned her another invitation, and she has since solidified her spot on the USWNT.“I feel like I’ve grown so much as a player,” Thompson said after the game Thursday night of Hayes’ impact. “I’m just understanding the game more. In the beginning, there was a lot of information that I wanted to take in, and now I’m really understanding it. I feel like it comes a little bit second nature. Just being able to keep implementing things and working on my game really helped and it came from Emma coming in and just helping our team in that way.”Hayes was similarly effusive in her post-match press conference.“I know you’re probably bored of me, but I just love them all,” she said. “I said to them today, I don’t want them to think that I take for granted the trust that they place in me to coach them. I’m so grateful for how vulnerable they are to let me do that and, yeah, I just love them.”One year into the job, Hayes has called up 27 players to the senior team — which, of course, required tough decisions and frank conversations with those who lost their spots. Hayes’ first major decision came when she announced her 18-player roster for the Olympics, which did not include USWNT legend Alex Morgan. Her omission marked the first time since 2008 that Morgan would not compete with the U.S. in a major tournament.It was a ripping off of a band-aid that sent shockwaves through the world of women’s soccer and made clear the extent to which Hayes was willing to endure discomfort in order to manifest her vision. Morgan announced her second pregnancy and retirement last September, having played no part in the U.S.’s gold medal run.
Morgan’s last game for the U.S. came over a year ago and is no longer part of the picture (C. Morgan Engel/Getty Images)
And Hayes kept tinkering. Sometimes it was out of necessity as a result of injuries or pregnancies, but largely to ensure players were in the best environments for their growth. The Olympic group has not all played together since leaving France, and two of those gold medalists, Korbin Albert and Jaedyn Shaw, have recently been moved to the U-23s to continue learning.“It’s a reminder that you have to develop a playing pool that’s capable, and when you’re facing top opponents across the world that have Champions League experience, they have Nations League experience, they have cap accumulation (with the) under-20s, under-17s, we have a lot of catching up to do and to close that gap,” Hayes said. “Our program has been really clear, especially with the introduction of our under-23 program.”Hayes would have been justified in coasting after last summer’s accomplishment, at least for a little while; winning medals in major international tournaments affords you that. But if anything, she’s become more dogmatic about the changes she wants to implement, the gaps she seeks to close between starters and bench players on the senior year, and also between the senior team and U-23s.“I feel like we’re back on track, but I will urge caution with it — and I say that because I’m so respectful of what England and Spain and Germany and Brazil in particular are doing in the global game. There is no gap between one, two, three, four, five in the world,” Hayes said Wednesday.“We have to make every moment count for us to put ourselves in the best place possible to compete.”
USWNT’s Rose Lavelle records a goal and assist in first game back, helping to defeat Ireland 4-0
COMMERCE CITY, COLORADO – JUNE 26: By Meg Linehan
June 26, 2025Updated June 27, 2025 Rose Lavelle scored and provided an assist in her first game for the U.S. women’s national team in 2025, after a long injury layoff following an ankle surgery at the beginning of the year. “Firstly, we’re all delighted for Rose. There’s only one Rose Lavelle — that really is both on and off the field, as a character, as a football player, as a human being,” U.S. head coach Emma Hayes said after the game. The U.S. cruised to a 4-0 victory over Ireland in Commerce City, Colo., with two first half goals from defender Avery Patterson, which Lavelle assisted, and midfielder Sam Coffey. The final dagger came from forward Alyssa Thompson in front of a crowd of 18,504 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. For Lavelle, it was her 25th international goal, scored in her 111th appearance for the national team. In a twist, she scored it with her right foot, not her preferred left. “Rose’s goal was sublime, in every way, shape and form,” Hayes said. “It was exactly what we’d asked for at halftime.” The midfielder only recently returned to play for Gotham FC in the NWSL, managing a total of 71 minutes across three matches so far this season. Thursday, Hayes subbed her off in the 59th minute as she continues to return to full fitness. Euro 2025: France team guide – will drastic changes transform their fortunes? Euro 2025: Netherlands team guide – a stellar squad with injury issues and a daunting task Ranking the best and worst of the Euro 2025 away kits Lavelle wasn’t the only one shining for the U.S. in this first game of the international window. Patterson, starting at right back for her fifth cap and third start for the national team, has made a strong case for herself in this lengthy period of evaluation under Hayes in 2025. “Avery is taking steps in the right direction. She’s a threat from deep spaces, stepping into midfield, whether she’s going inside, outside,” Hayes said. “Her combinations with Michelle (Cooper) on that side, I thought were productive. Didn’t get tested enough defensively, where I think she has to grow the most, but she’s a great learner and a great listener.” While Patterson has already scored three goals for the Houston Dash, Thursday’s opener was her first on the international stage. Coffey also continued her scoring ways for the U.S., tallying her third international goal before halftime. Lavelle was also involved in the build-up of Coffey’s goal, with her pass leading to Thompson’s assist. Finally, Thompson added the fourth in the 63rd minute, cutting back across the Ireland defense and putting the ball on her right foot for a curling shot. The game also saw a continuation of debuts from Hayes, with three more Thursday night. Goalkeeper Claudia Dickey of Seattle Reign FC and left back Lilly Reale of Gotham FC earned starts in Colorado. Reign defender Jordyn Bugg also earned her first cap, subbing on late in the second half for captain Naomi Girma. Dickey was debut No. 20 for Hayes, Reale No. 21, and Bugg No. 22. Hayes and the USWNT head to Cincinnati next for a second match against Ireland, satisfied not just with their performance Thursday, but with more exploration and proof of the depth of the U.S. pool. (Photo: Ray Bahner / Getty Images)
Why every round of 16 team will, won’t win Club World Cup
Bill ConnellyJun 27, 2025, 08:31 AM ET
I’m not going to lie: I’ve really enjoyed the FIFA Club World Cup. And that’s a strange thing to say considering virtually every negative thing anyone has said about the competition has been correct. The venues have indeed been too big, making decent good crowds look paltry in cavernous environments, and one of the scourges of 21st century business, dynamic pricing, has backfired in plenty of instances.The European teams can claim both fatigue and rust at the same time, having taken a few weeks off after a grueling campaign before facing teams in midseason form (and fitness) from other continents. Stars like Paris Saint-Germain‘s Ousmane Dembélé and Real Madrid‘s Kylian Mbappé haven’t been involved. The heat and weather have been ridiculous, and the decision to have the most marketable European teams playing in the afternoon — prime time in Europe — in cities like Miami and Charlotte, is questionable at best.(This says nothing of Juventus‘ White House visit, Antonio Rüdiger‘s claims of racist abuse and all the other undercurrents weighing down virtually every pastime or aspect of society at the moment.)
We saw PSG and Chelsea fall to South American counterparts (Botafogo and Flamengo). We saw Inter Miami take down a team (Porto) that was in the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds last year. We saw some electric environments for matches like Bayern Munich vs. Boca Juniors, and we saw nonsense of the best kind as eight goals were scored in the second half of Group A’s final two matches (three in Inter Miami vs. Palmeiras, five in Al Ahly’s 4-4 draw with Porto) and after both teetering on the brink of elimination, both Palmeiras and Inter Miami advanced.
And, we’re only getting started. The knockout rounds begin on Saturday, and while European favorites could reign from here, let’s take a look at each remaining contender and why they might or might not lift the strange, golden Club World Cup trophy in a few more weeks.
Al Hilal
Title odds, per ESPN BET: +5000 (equivalent to 2.0%) | Title odds, per Opta: 0.4% How they got here: tied Real Madrid (1-1), tied RB Salzburg (0-0), def. Pachuca (2-0) Round-of-16 opponent: Manchester City (June 30, 3 p.m. ET, Orlando)
Why they will win it all: Defend and counter. A number of underdogs in this tournament have proven excellent at playing good, old-fashioned organized defense. Al-Hilal are no exception, and that shouldn’t be a surprise: They have 2022 World Cup hero Yassine Bounou in goal and former Premier Leaguers in front of him in center-back Kalidou Koulibaly and defensive midfielder Rúben Neves. All three have been outstanding thus far, with Bounou saving 87% of shots on goal, Koulibaly leading the team with 42 defensive interventions and Neves leading the team in both ball recoveries, progressive passes and progressive carries. (He has a goal and an assist, as well.)
Throw in veteran fullbacks Renan Lodi and João Cancelo, plus some relentless attacking work from Marcos Leonardo and the forever-intense Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, and you have a team that allowed only one goal in three games (first), kept at least two defenders between shot and goal on 88% of opponents’ shot attempts (first) and produced 1.5 xG (third) and one goal from counter-attacks. This veteran team knows what it’s doing.
Why they won’t: Poor shot quality. I called Al-Hilal’s attackers “relentless” and “intense” above, and that’s accurate. But you can’t really call them “accurate.” Leonardo and Milinkovic-Savic have combined for one goal from shots worth 3.3 xG; maybe they were just saving all their great strikes for the knockout rounds, but when you rank 20th in the competition in shots per possession (0.11) and you’re creating only 1.3 particularly high-value shots (0.2 xG or more) per match, you have to convert the ones you create.
Bayern Munich
Title odds, per ESPN BET: +500 (equivalent to 16.7%) | Title odds, per Opta: 11.2% How they got here: def. Auckland City (10-0), def. Boca Juniors (2-1), lost to Benfica (1-0) Round-of-16 opponent: Flamengo (June 29, 4 p.m. ET, Miami)
Why they will win it all: They take all the shots. No matter the manager, no matter the season, Bayern suffocate overwhelmed opponents. In the Champions League last season, they were second in shots per possession and first in shots allowed per possession. In the Bundesliga, they were first in both categories. They tilt the pitch, they counter-press, and they keep the ball near your goal and far away from theirs.
Three matches in, they’re doing the same thing in this competition: They’re fourth in shots per possession and first in shots allowed. Granted, they’ve benefited from playing the weakest team in the competition (Auckland City, whom they outshot, 31-1). But in more cautious and physical matches against Boca Juniors and Benfica, they still attempted twice the shots and produced more than three times the xG. They completed 351 passes in the attacking third against Boca and Benfica while allowing just 48 such completions.
Manager Vincent Kompany attempted to rest key players in scorching heat against Benfica — Harry Kane, Michael Olise, Joshua Kimmich and Jonathan Tah all played only the second half — and it backfired when they fell behind early and Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin somehow made it hold up. But when the starters are on the pitch, Bayern is playing for keeps.
Why they won’t: We don’t know that their old defensive weaknesses are fixed yet. The high-risk ball domination that Bayern enjoy usually comes with occasional defensive breakdowns. In six draws and losses in last year’s Champions League, they still dominated in shot quantity, but looking specifically at high-quality shots (worth 0.2 xG or more), they allowed as many as they attempted.
When Boca Juniors tied Bayern in the second half in Miami last Friday, it came on a counterattack that produced a particularly high-quality shot (0.53 xG). Granted, it was a brilliant individual effort from Miguel Merentiel, but it was the exact flavor of goal Bayern tend to allow.
Inter Miami fans celebrate progression to Club World Cup knockouts
Inter Miami fans celebrate after their draw with Palmeiras to progress to the Club World Cup knockouts.
Benfica
Title odds, per ESPN BET: +4000 (equivalent to 2.4%) | Title odds, per Opta: 4.3% How they got here: drew with Boca Juniors (2-2), def. Auckland City (6-0), def. Bayern (1-0) Round-of-16 opponent: Chelsea (June 28, 4 p.m. ET, Charlotte)
Why they will win it all: Angel Di Maria and Nicolas Otamendi have turned back the clock. Or I should say, they’ve continued to do so. The club’s worldly 37-year-olds played all but 16 of Benfica’s minutes in the group stage. Di Maria scored three goals (tied for most in the competition as of Tuesday afternoon) and ranks first on the team in chances created, expected assists from completed passes, shots on goal and even total touches. He’s relentless. And did I mention he’s 37?
Otamendi, meanwhile, stifled Bayern’s Harry Kane for a half and has been one of the primary reasons Benfica enter the knockout stage having not allowed a goal for 243 minutes. He’s first on the team in defensive interventions, he has won 81% of his duels, and, oh yeah — he’s also first on the team in progressive carries and progressive passes.
Goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin has been fantastic, too, and players like attacker Vangelis Pavlidis and defensive midfielder Leandro Barreiro have been strong. But two proud old veterans lead this proud old club into the knockouts.
Why they won’t: Their record against good teams … isn’t good. In the last 12 months, Benfica have played 10 matches against teams in the top 20 of the Opta power rankings. They lost six, drew two and won only two — and one of the two came on Tuesday against a Bayern team that tried to rest quite a few starters (and still generated far more opportunities) — with two draws and six losses. They scored more than one goal just twice. This is a nearly upset-proof outfit, but they aren’t going to be favored much, if at all, moving forward.
Borussia Dortmund
Title odds, per ESPN BET: +3300 (equivalent to 2.9%) | Title odds, per Opta: 5.6% How they got here: tied Fluminense (0-0), def. Mamelodi Sundowns (4-3), def. Ulsan HD (1-0) Round-of-16 opponent: Monterrey (July 1, 9 p.m. ET, Atlanta)
Why they will win it all: They’re playing their way into form. After Niko Kovac took over in February, BVB were basically the second-best team in the Bundesliga, tilting the pitch well, executing a high defensive line and proving capable of either counterattacking or generating danger from buildup play. In the U.S. though, they honestly haven’t really done any of those things. They’ve been passive defensively and have barely even attempted to counterattack (their 8.7 per game rank 27th out of 32 teams). Plus Serhou Guirassy, one of the streakiest finishers in the game, isn’t finishing well, with one goal from shots worth 2.2 xG.
Of course, they also went undefeated and won their group. And after a dreadful attacking performance in the opener against Fluminense, they scored four goals and generated 5.1 xG in their last two games. New addition Jobe Bellingham (one goal, one assist) is already a difference-maker in and around the box. The defense suffered breakdowns against Mamelodi Sundowns but held the fort well in the other two games, and their performance against Ulsan HD produced a +3.1 xG differential — they completely dominated, even if the final score was closer than it should have been. It seems as if they’re growing into the competition.
Why they won’t: They’ve got quite a bit of growing to do. Guirassy indeed isn’t finishing, the defensive breakdowns against Mamelodi were all-caps ALARMING, and Kovac wasn’t able to rest guys as much as he wanted in two games in oppressive midday heat. They’ve produced the results they needed, and Bellingham really has been exciting, but we’re still waiting for this team to look the part of a challenger.
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Botafogo
Title odds, per ESPN BET: +3300 (equivalent to 2.9%) | Title odds, per Opta: 0.4% How they got here: def. Seattle Sounders (2-1), def. PSG (1-0), lost to Atletico Madrid (0-1) Round-of-16 opponent: Palmeiras (June 28, noon ET, Philadelphia)
Why they will win it all: They sacrifice their bodies. Botafogo’s road to the round of 16 was laborious. They attempted 23 shots to opponents’ 62. They possessed the ball just 34.8% of the time — no one else under 35% has averaged even 1.0 points per game. But Fogo averaged 2.0 points per game and became the first team to beat PSG since the Parisiens became European champions. And they did it with pure effort.
Botafogo have blocked 36% of opponents’ shots (fifth most in the competition), and they’ve forced opponents to attempt 83% of their shots with at least two defenders between shot and goal (11th). They attempted 12.3 counters per game (11th), too, scoring the only goal of the match against PSG from a counter. Their attack is pretty one-dimensional, but Igor Jesus has been clinical: He scored the game winner in both wins, and from shots worth a combined 0.2 xG.
They protected that lead against PSG for 54 minutes with no breakdown, and knowing they would advance as long as they didn’t lose by three goals or more against Atletico Madrid, they made Atleti work for 87 minutes to score just one. This is some high-effort, high-degree-of-difficulty stuff.
Why they won’t: The god of xG will eventually turn on you. Their goal differential: +1. Their xG differential: minus-4.2. They’ve allowed just two goals from shots worth 6.2 xG. They are playing inspired and intense ball, and it is a delight to watch, but … you aren’t going to win four more matches while giving opponents so many more high-quality opportunities.
Chelsea
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Title odds, per ESPN BET: +1000 (equivalent to 9.1%) | Title odds, per Opta: 10.5% How they got here: def. LAFC (2-0), lost to Flamengo (1-3), def. Esperance (3-0) Round-of-16 opponent: Benfica (June 28, 4 p.m. ET, Charlotte)
Why they will win it all: Depth and a strong possession game. Manager Enzo Maresca is used to dealing with a bloated squad and in this tournament, with its oppressive weather, bloat is a good thing. He has already played 25 different guys, with only right back Malo Gusto topping 195 minutes (star Cole Palmer has had to play only 166). And despite the heavy rotation, Chelsea looked strong for basically five of six halves. They wilted late against Flamengo but responded to qualify easily.
No matter who has been playing, Chelsea have checked all the proper possession boxes: They’re sixth in possession rate (63.0%), sixth in passes per possession (9.2), fourth in progressive carries (90.3 per game) and fourth in offsides drawn (3.0 per game), and all with the third-fewest possessions per game (69.0). They’ll have to beat Benfica without the suspended Nicolas Jackson, which isn’t optimal, but this is a relatively rested team playing the type of ball it wants to play.
Why they won’t: Cole Palmer is the wrong kind of cold (and the glitches remain alarming). You probably need your best player to play well to win four knockout rounds, and Palmer has been an absolute nonfactor in his two appearances thus far. In fact, going all the way back to Jan. 20, he’s played in 26 matches for club and country and has managed just one goal with five assists. Two of those assists did come in the Conference League final against Real Betis, but he’s attempted 75 shots worth 7.6 xG in this lengthy span and put just one in the net. That’s five steps beyond “finishing funk.”
Add Palmer’s struggles to a defense that glitched out for a bit against Flamengo (and had a pretty bad habit of allowing high-quality shot attempts while nursing leads in the Premier League), and you don’t have the most stable of contenders.
Flamengo
Title odds, per ESPN BET: +2800 (equivalent to 3.4%) | Title odds, per Opta: 0.5% How they got here: def. Esperance (2-0), def. Chelsea (3-1), drew with LAFC (1-1) Round-of-16 opponent: Bayern Munich (June 29, 4 p.m. ET, Miami)
Why they will win it all: They take all the good shots. Before manager Filipe Luís flipped their lineup quite a bit for their final match, having already clinched first in Group D, Flamengo allowed one goal in two matches, and it was triggered by a series of funky deflections. Meanwhile, they attempted seven shots worth at least 0.2 xG and allowed one. It’s hard to lose when you’re taking all the good shots.
Brazilian teams have been excellent in this competition, and Flamengo are Brazil‘s best team. They play the sturdy, box-filling defense we’ve seen from most of the South American teams in the Club World Cup, but they don’t spring forward into counterattacks — instead, they play sound, patient possession ball. They keep the tempo ultra-slow, and they whittle away until they create something of high quality.
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Leo Pereira leads a great defense, Giorgian de Arrascaeta (nine goals and four assists in nine Serie A matches) and Gonzalo Plata (two assists versus Chelsea) trigger a diverse attack, and now former Chelsea and Arsenal star midfielder Jorginho is linking the two together.
Why they won’t: A slow game doesn’t work as well if you’re trailing. Granted, they charged back from a 1-0 deficit to wallop Chelsea, but if they are to make a deep run in this tournament, they are only going to face better and better opponents, and they’ll probably have to come from behind again. That’s theoretically a lot harder to do when you play at such a languid pace and your entire game is based around patience. They’ve trailed for only 48 possessions in league play this season, too — we don’t really know how good their Plan B is because they’ve never had to show it.
Fluminense
Title odds, per ESPN BET: +5000 (equivalent to 2.0%) | Title odds, per Opta: 0.4% How they got here: tied Borussia Dortmund (0-0), def. Ulsan HD (4-2), tied Mamelodi Sundowns (0-0) Round-of-16 opponent: Inter Milan (Monday, 3 p.m. ET, Charlotte)
Why they will win it all: They defend their butts off. In league play, Flu haven’t created tons of great scoring opportunities, but they’ve combined quantity and quality in defense: They’re fourth in Brazil’s Serie A in shots allowed per possession, and they’re third in high-quality shots allowed (0.2 xG or higher).
Thus far in the Club World Cup … they haven’t created tons of great scoring opportunities, but they’ve combined quantity and quality in defense. Borussia Dortmund and Mamelodi Sundowns each scored four goals in their other two group-stage matches, but they combined for zero goals and 0.9 xG against Fluminense. Even at age 40, Thiago Silva can coordinate one hell of a defense in the back.
Fluminense are fifth in pass interceptions (10.0 per game), they’re sixth in duel winning percentage (54.5%). They’re taking the fight to opponents and winning. And they’re getting just enough from right winger Jhon Arias in attack — he has a goal and an assist and leads the team in chances created (eight), expected assists from pass completions (0.7), shots (nine), touches (228), progressive carries (26), fouls suffered (nine) and 1v1 attempts (15) — to tie it all together. Flu aren’t playing the most exciting ball in this tournament, but they’re not backing down from challenges either.
Why they won’t: Scoring is a good thing. They only did it in one of three games. Arias is doing his best and 37-year old German Cano, scorer of 40 goals just two seasons ago, had a lovely tiebreaking assist late against Ulsan as well. But it’s really difficult to see this attack doing enough to win four knockout games.
Inter Miami
Title odds, per ESPN BET: +8000 (equivalent to 1.2%) | Title odds, per Opta: 0.3% How they got here: drew with Al Ahly (0-0), def. Porto (2-1), drew with Palmeiras (2-2) Round-of-16 opponent: Paris Saint-Germain (June 29, noon ET, Atlanta)
Why they will win it all: Messi magic. As of Tuesday, there have been four goals from direct free kicks in the Club World Cup. They had an average pre-shot xG of about 0.07. But Leo Messi’s, from 23 meters out in the second half against Porto, felt like 1.00. The crowd buzzed as Messi was lining it up. Everyone expected it to go in, and then it went in.
Per the Opta power rankings, Inter Miami was the No. 4 team in Group A heading into the tournament, and it appeared that a Messi team was primed to exit a tournament in the group stage for the first time ever. But his free kick teed up an upset of Porto, and his work further from the goal against Palmeiras — he made 12 progressive carries, won five of seven one-on-ones and altered the defense’s center of gravity for 90 minutes. Inter overcame a rampant run of cramping to draw with Palmeiras and advance.
Beating PSG is probably too much to ask, but all it might take is a couple of moments of magic from a guy still capable of generating them.
Why they won’t: OK, fine, beating PSG is almost definitely too much to ask. It will take the aforementioned magic, plus further strain from a defense that has maxed itself out in terms of both skill and effort levels. Opta’s power rankings give Inter only a 16.4% chance of advancing and even in a game based so heavily in randomness, that feels incredibly optimistic.
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Inter Milan
Title odds, per ESPN BET: +1800 (equivalent to 5.3%) | Title odds, per Opta: 12.4% How they got here: tied Monterrey (1-1), def. Urawa Red Diamonds (2-1), def. River Plate (2-0) Round-of-16 opponent: Fluminense (June 30, 3 p.m. ET, Charlotte)
Why they will win it all: They have numbers on their side. At first glance, it seems like Inter really struggled to get a foothold in this competition. They gave up a goal on Monterrey’s second shot attempt and settled for a draw, then gave up a goal on Urawa Reds’ first shot and needed two late scores to prevail. They couldn’t get on top of River Plate until a red card flipped the balance of the match midway through the second half. Stars such as Lautaro Martinez, Nicolo Barella and 36-year old Henrikh Mkhitaryan all had to put in more than 210 minutes to make sure Inter advanced properly.
Only the timing of opponents’ goals made these matches interesting, however; Inter attempted shots worth 7.2 xG and allowed shots worth only 2.3, but that +4.9 xG differential (fourth-best in the competition) produced only +3 in the actual goals department. That could bode well for them moving forward. Plus, Inter avoided some of the worst heat in the tournament with two evening matches and two in Seattle. That could also bode well.
Why they won’t: This doesn’t feel like the team that reached the Champions League final. Midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu is out, as are defenders Yann Bisseck and Benjamin Pavard. Forward Marcus Thuram got hurt against Monterrey, and midfielder Davide Frattesi hasn’t seen the pitch yet. This is a banged-up and rather experimental squad, with new manager Cristian Chivu giving lots of minutes to unproven youngsters like brothers Francesco Pio Esposito and Sebastiano Esposito.
The numbers suggest they’ve been doing just fine, but this isn’t Inter Inter.
Juventus
Title odds, per ESPN BET: +3300 (equivalent to 2.9%) | Title odds, per Opta: 2.5% How they got here: def. Al-Ain (5-0), def. Wydad Casablanca (4-1), lost to Manchester City (2-5) Round-of-16 opponent: Real Madrid (July 1, 3 p.m. ET, Miami)
Why they will win it all: They’re hustling. Igor Tudor took over as manager on March 23 and safely steered Juve to a fourth-place finish with just one loss in nine league matches. They created a forcefield around their defensive box and hustled their butts off, allowing few passes per defensive action, blocking tons of shots and making the most of the ball recoveries.
Juve are hustling said butts off appropriately in the U.S., too. Even while nursing mostly comfortable leads that would theoretically allow them to ease off the throttle, they allowed just 8.5 passes per defensive action and produced 44.0 ball recoveries per match in their wins – they ranked third and sixth in those categories, respectively, heading into the match against City. They did allow a goal from a careless breakdown against Wydad Casablanca, but it was almost the only breakdown they suffered in those two matches. Meanwhile, though the City match got away from them, Teun Koopmeiners and Dusan Vlahovic both produced moments of opportunism in their goals, and Kenan Yildiz produced his third assist of the tournament.
Juve appear to be taking this competition very seriously.
Why they won’t: Hustling isn’t enough against good teams. In Tudor’s nine league matches, Juve played three solid teams (Bologna, Lazio and Roma) and drew 1-1 with all three. Combined xG differential in those three matches: minus-0.8. In attack, they couldn’t count on either dangerous counters or sturdy buildup play, and they got pinned in a bit more defensively. They weren’t dominated by any means, but they didn’t create many advantages.
Against Manchester City on Thursday, it was very much the same story, as City produced a 75% possession rate and attempted 24 shots to Juve’s five. High effort levels have made them just about upset-proof, but they probably aren’t going to be favored in any more matches moving forward.
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Manchester City
Title odds, per ESPN BET: +275 (equivalent to 26.7%) | Title odds, per Opta: 20.4% How they got here: def. Wydad Casablanca (2-0), def. Al-Ain (6-0), def. Juventus (5-2) Round-of-16 opponent: Al Hilal (June 30, 9 p.m. ET, Orlando)
Why they will win it all: They’re Manchester City. While the qualification criteria for this competition was rather murky, the general idea is that the teams in this tournament accomplished something particularly noteworthy between 2021-24. City were the best team in the world for a large percentage of that span. They finished only third in the Premier League and reached the FA Cup final this year, which by City standards was apocalyptic, but both the ceiling and floor remain ridiculously high.
And they sure looked like the City of old in the group stage: They scored 13 goals (most in the competition), allowed only two and produced the best goal differential (+11) and xG differential (+7.7) with the highest pass completion rate (92.8%) and most progressive carries (337). They’re doing all the things we expect City to do, and wow, did they trounce Juventus — a team that beat them last fall in the Champions League — on Thursday.
Why they won’t: We don’t know what we need to know about the defense yet. Out of 36 Champions League teams this past season, City ranked 32nd in shots allowed per possession (0.15), 32nd in ball recoveries per game (37.9) and 36th in duel attempts; the attack was fine and hogged the ball as well as expected, but without a healthy Rodri, the back half of the City lineup was terribly passive.
Three January defensive acquisitions (defensive midfielder Nico Gonzalez, right back Abdukodir Khusanov and center back Vitor Reis) and a June acquisition (left back Rayan Aït-Nouri) are among the many guys who have seen the pitch — as is Rodri himself — but Guardiola is still experimenting, and the level of competition is about to ramp up quickly. They only allowed 22 shot attempts in the group stage, but three were worth at least 0.2 xG (two of which were scored), and seven were worth at least 0.1. Results are inconclusive thus far.
Monterrey
Title odds, per ESPN BET: +10000 (equivalent to 1.0%) | Title odds, per Opta: 0.2% How they got here: tied Inter Milan (1-1), tied River Plate (0-0), def. Urawa Red Diamonds (4-0) Round-of-16 opponent: Borussia Dortmund (Tuesday, 9 p.m. ET)
Why they will win it all: The high line is holding up. A lot of Monterrey’s relative success in Liga MX this season came from a fun combination of a high defensive line (they drew the second-most offsides) and a willingness to go mano y mano (third-most take-on attempts, most fouls drawn in the attacking third). That formula has thus far produced in the U.S. too: They drew 12 offsides calls in the first three matches (most in the Club World Cup) and suffered 42 fouls (third-most) and have generally prevented opponents from creating any rhythm whatsoever.
They scored only one goal in their first two matches — and it came from steely veteran Sergio Ramos, predictably on a corner — but allowed only one in three. Ramos (39) and Stefan Medina (33) have been note-perfect in the back, combining for 90 defensive interventions and a healthy percentage of the team’s progressive passes and carries. The attack finally contributed against Urawa Reds, too. This team knows how it wants to win games and has executed well thus far.
Why they won’t: The numbers eventually turn on you. As with Botafogo, the Rayados have done a little bit better than the underlying xG figures suggest they should have. Their draws against Inter and River Plate happened despite a combined xG differential of minus-3.1 (they allowed one goal from shots worth 4.4 xG), and while they’re about to play a Borussia Dortmund team that hasn’t been finishing particularly well either, relying on errant opposing shots to win four matches in a row is a tall ask.
Palmeiras
Title odds, per ESPN BET: +2500 (equivalent to 3.8%) | Title odds, per Opta: 0.9% How they got here: drew with Porto (0-0), def. Al Ahly (2-0), drew with Inter Miami (2-2) Round-of-16 opponent: Botafogo (June 28, noon ET, Philadelphia)
Why they will win it all: They wear opponents down. Winners of 11 trophies in the 2020s, Palmeiras nearly took down Chelsea in the 2021 Club World Cup final. Despite sending loads of high-level talent to Europe in that span, no Brazilian team feels more at home on a big, pressure-packed stage, and they showed it by winning Group A with a run of second-half brilliance.
This is a pretty retrograde attack: Palmeiras are third in the competition in cross attempts (29.0 per match), second in percentage of shots from headers (28.0%) and fourth in direct attacks (sequences starting in the defensive half and producing a shot within 20 seconds). But they’re still attempting more shots per possession than anyone not named Bayern (0.22), and they’re allowing just 0.09 per possession (eighth). In sticky, hot conditions, they keep the game wide open and wait for you to wilt. It’s working.
Why they won’t: Shot quality. Attempting almost 2.5 times more shots than your opponent will generally work out pretty well for you, but only eight of their 50 shot attempts have been worth 0.2 xG or more, and they’re 20th in the competition in xG per shot (0.14). After blowing a couple of golden opportunities in the opener against Porto, Chelsea-bound Estevao’s shot quality has regressed quickly, and Palmeiras have turned shots worth 5.3 xG into only three goals. (They scored a fourth on an own goal.)
If you aren’t taking great shots and aren’t maximizing the ones you take, you aren’t winning four knockout-round matches.
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Paris Saint-Germain
Title odds, per ESPN BET: +300 (equivalent to 25.0%) | Title odds, per Opta: 20.6% How they got here: def. Atletico Madrid (4-0), lost to Botafogo (1-0), def. Seattle Sounders (2-0) Round-of-16 opponent: Inter Miami (June 29, noon ET, Atlanta)
Why they will win it all: They’re the best team in the world. They were placed in a challenging group, Ballon d’Or contender Ousmane Dembele is nursing a hamstring issue, and neither Désiré Doué nor Bradley Barcola have accomplished much so far. And yet, this deep and energetic team is doing all the things a brilliant Luis Enrique squad is supposed to do — 73.4% possession rate (first in the competition), 11.3 passes per possession (first), 104.3 progressive passes per game (first) and, on the pressing side, just 6.9 passes allowed per defensive action (first).
They still have the best fullback duo in the game with Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia remains a nonstop menace on the left wing, Fabián Ruiz and Vitinha have been almost flawless in midfield, and six different players have put the ball in the net. Even with the loss to Botafogo, the best team in the world for the last six months has made it to the knockout rounds with minimal stress.
Why they won’t: They need to dial back in. The blowout win over Atletico Madrid was a statement of intent to open their tournament, but their focus has waned since then.
They indeed gave up a counterattacking goal to Botafogo and never created a particularly high-quality opportunity in the hour that followed. And in what turned out to be a must-win match against Seattle, they were slow out of the gate, allowing a high-quality opportunity to Jesús Ferreira in the 19th minute and actually losing the first-half xG battle. They dominated the second half and were never in trouble, but after that fifth-gear showing they’ve cruised along in second, and it can be difficult to reestablish your best form once you’ve lost it.
Real Madrid
Title odds, per ESPN BET: +500 (equivalent to 16.7%) | Title odds, per Opta: 9.7% How they got here: tied Al-Hilal (1-1), def. Pachuca (3-1), def. RB Salzburg (3-0) Round-of-16 opponent: Juventus (July 1, 3 p.m. ET, Miami)
Why they will win it all: Talent. New manager Xabi Alonso has had about five minutes with his new squad thus far, and it shows. Real Madrid suffered a number of defensive miscues against both Al-Hilal and Pachuca and were lucky not to be punished more for them; they also had to play a man down for more than 80 minutes against Pachuca because of an early Raúl Asencio red card. Plus, Kylian Mbappé has been out with gastroenteritis. (He is supposedly going to try to be ready for the round of 16.)
They always have moments of individual brilliance to rely on, however. Jude Bellingham opened the Pachuca match up with a first-half strike, Vinícius Júnior had a goal and a beautiful assist against Salzburg, Fede Valverde scored twice, and even 21-year old Gonzalo García had two goals and an assist. Mbappe’s return should raise their ceiling even further, and it was already forever high.
Why they won’t: Defense. With center-backs Éder Militão and David Alaba and fullbacks Ferland Mendy and Dani Carvajal all still injured, Alonso has had to rely on a makeshift back line — he has thus far kept the back four the team is used to, instead of moving to the back three he prefers — and it’s been quite the chemistry experiment with newcomers Dean Huijsen and Trent Alexander-Arnold getting to know Antonio Rüdiger, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Fran García and others…
… and it hasn’t gone very well. Real Madrid currently rank 24th out of 32 teams in shots allowed per possession (0.15), ninth in xG allowed per shot (0.13) and, therefore, 21st in total xG allowed (4.7). Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois remains awesome, but they’ve been lucky to allow only two goals, and that luck might run out as the competition levels increase. How the heatwave has affected players at the Club World Cup and what the lessons are for the 2026 World Cup
The heatwave that swept the United States in recent days caused concerns for players and fans at the Club World Cup. To try to manage the intense heat, players have covered themselves in ice-cold towels or placed their hands and feet in buckets of the stuff. Such was the heat in Charlotte on Tuesday that Harry Kane even dipped his head in.At Cincinnati’s TQL Stadium, Borussia Dortmund’s substitutes watched the first half of their game against Mamelodi Sundowns from the locker room rather than the bench to avoid the pitch-side heat. Dortmund coach Niko Kovac said he was “sweating like I’ve just come out of a sauna” after his side won that game in 32C (89.6F) conditions.After their game against Paris Saint-Germain in Pasadena, just outside Los Angeles, Atletico Madrid midfielder Marcos Llorente described the weather as “impossible. Terribly hot. My toenails were hurting”.In Philadelphia, Chelsea played in temperatures of around 36C (97F), which forecasters said felt more like 41C (106F). “It is almost impossible to train or to make a session because of the weather,” Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca told reporters on Monday. “This morning’s session has been very, very, very short.”But what exactly does heat do to an athlete’s body? And how much of a problem can it really be?Here The Athletic answers those questions and what it means for the rest of the Club World Cup — and the World Cup, which will be staged mostly by the U.S, again in June and July, with games also in the neighbouring countries of Canada and Mexico.What You Should Read NextExtreme heat at the Club World Cup: Players and fans voice concerns as temperatures soarA heatwave will hit the U.S. this week where players and fans at the Club World Cup are already concerned about the dangerous weather
How the heat is impacting players
Any physical exertion in hot conditions will cause the body’s temperature to rise. “We sit about 37C (98.6F) at resting,” says Dr Chris Tyler, an environmental physiologist from London’s University of Roehampton and an expert on heat stress in elite sports. “Most people get into trouble if they are two to three degrees warmer than that, so we don’t have much of a buffer.“It’s actually quite difficult to get the body that hot, but one of the ways to do it is to move quite quickly in hot conditions.” The most obvious consequence of that rise in temperature is an elevation in your heart rate. This happens, explains Tyler, because the body sends more blood to the skin to try to get rid of some of the excess heat (the reason why some people get very red-faced when they’re too warm).That leaves less blood in the core trunk of the body, and crucially, less blood in the heart, meaning it has to work harder to provide blood to the working muscles. That’s why doing the same exercise at the same intensity is going to be harder — and feel harder — in higher temperatures than cooler ones. The most obvious visual impact among professional footballers is their sweat response. They will start to perspire earlier and more rapidly as their body tries to cool itself down.
Kane dips his head into an ice bucket and laps water over his face (DAZN)
According to Geoff Scott, former head of medicine and sports science at Tottenham Hotspur, players lose a minimum of two litres (approaching four UK pints, over four in U.S. pints) of fluid per game playing in cooler temperatures in the Premier League. “When it gets really hot and humid, that can go up to about five litres of fluid over the course of one game,” he tells The Athletic. It’s not just water they are losing through sweat either, it’s electrolytes, too, and the depletion of essential ones such as sodium, chloride and potassium is a key concern. To combat that, Scott says that in the days before and especially on the day of a game, hydration is pushed at all opportunities to make sure players are drinking water and also sports drinks with adequate electrolytes. “It’s common now that teams will do sweat analysis on the players so they know which players sweat more and which ones lose more electrolytes in their sweat, and they can be targeted with specific drinks to make sure their electrolyte imbalances are addressed,” he says. A player who gets into the “dehydration zone” could suffer light-headedness, dizziness, fatigue and muscle cramps, but Scott says that, well before getting to that opint, there will be changes in their performance levels: “You tend to start seeing them reduce their high-intensity running, and very elevated temperatures tend to affect their technical skills too, so the quality can drop off. They start to fatigue faster, too.” While an increase in sweating can cause issues regarding dehydration, it’s also a good thing, because if it can evaporate from the skin, the perspiration will take some of the heat away with it. But, Tyler explains, in conditions where humidity is also high, a lot of that sweat won’t be able to evaporate because there is already lots of moisture in the surrounding air. “So players will be losing sweat,” he says, “but it will be dripping off them rather than evaporating, which will be dehydrating without taking any heat away.” If the rise in body temperature isn’t controlled, it can lead to heatstroke. “As the blood is all shunted to the skin, there’s less volume of blood in your cardiovascular system,” explains Scott. “And that’s the problem – your blood pressure drops. Someone out for a casual jog who is getting close to that would probably stop, but these guys can’t stop (during a match), so they’re at more risk.”
How players are adapting to the temperature
To cope with soaring temperatures, athletes adapt the way they perform. In football, the average distance covered is reduced during hot-weather games and the action becomes more possession-heavy, explains Tyler. “The good teams will adapt tactically. You see it in tennis as well, where good players will make the other players run a lot more. It’s the same here; if you’re Manchester City, you can play a very slow, possession-based game and let everyone else chase you for 90 minutes.”
Manchester City’s Erling Haaland at the Club World Cup (Patricia De Melo Moreira/AFP/Getty Images)
There is physiological adaptation, too, with the body making subtle changes to be more efficient in the heat. One of those is an expansion of the plasma volume of a person’s blood, meaning you end up with a greater volume of blood in the body than you had before. “Now you have more blood, so you can send some to the skin and maintain blood flow to the working muscles without needing the heart to pump faster,” says Tyler. “That means the heart rate won’t go so high.”As well as sweating earlier, what comes out of the players’ pores will also be different to normal, says Tyler, becoming more diluted, thus preserving essential electrolytes such as sodium chloride and potassium, which are lost through sweat.Those adaptations in blood volume and sweat composition can help decrease the strain the players are under. The only catch is that those processes take time.“How long they take is hard to say exactly,” says Tyler, “but it seems like players would need at least five to seven days to see meaningful adaptations. But even after two weeks, they are still making adaptations to that stress.”Given the short turnaround time between the end of the European season, late May for a lot of leagues, and the start of the Club World Cup on June 14, many of the teams involved won’t have had much time to acclimatise before travelling to the United States.Also of relevance is the fact a lot of the teams taking part in this tournament come from countries with typically cooler climates than their rivals from South and Central America, North Africa, and the Middle East, which makes the challenge even greater.Tyler, whose research focuses on human responses to extreme hot and cold environments, and specifically on how to minimise the performance impairments observed in such conditions, says that for an event such as the Club World Cup, athletes would ideally want at least two weeks of “heat adaptation training” before leaving for the host nation.This usually involves heat tents or heat chambers, which mimic the conditions players will face on arrival. Heat lamps can also be used inside these to recreate the feeling of the sun’s rays. Temperatures in the tents can range from 35-50C (95-122F) and the humidity rises from around 30 per cent to 80 per cent by the end of a session.It’s an approach England’s new head coach, Thomas Tuchel, used at their training camp in the recent June international window. With the side’s likely participation in next summer’s World Cup in mind, players were asked to go through fitness tests inside heated tents, allowing performance staff to analyse how each of them responds to those conditions, including analysing their sweat rate and sweat composition.“The idea,” says Tyler, “is to do their normal training (or as close to it as possible) while getting their body hot in a controlled, safe environment.” Over time, he explains, players doing this start to adapt physiologically to perform better in higher temperatures. Once they arrive in the hot climate itself, they can continue to adapt. Manchester City used their early training sessions in the States to try to speed up the adaptation, with manager Pep Guardiola holding long midday training sessions in the searing Florida heat at their base in Boca Raton, near Miami. Juventus have been scheduling training to match the kick-offs of their group matches, with their English defender Lloyd Kelly telling the media they had trained “the past 10 days in the hottest times of the day”.
Lloyd Kelly playing for Juventus at the Club World Cup (Francois Nel/Getty Images)
“Being aerobically fit is advantageous anyway,” says Tyler, “so if you’re an elite player, you probably have some more tolerance for the heat than if you were a non-athlete. “That could put teams like Auckland City (the part-timers from New Zealand) at an even bigger disadvantage, because they’re not professional athletes, so their players are less fit than some other teams.” World football governing body and Club World Cup organiser FIFA’s policy on managing the temperature for players during games is to implement cooling breaks when the wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT; an overall thermal-strain measure achieved by combining temperature, humidity, wind speed and solar radiation) exceeds 32C (89.6F) on the pitch. FIFA also said its medical experts “have been in regular contact with the clubs to address heat management and acclimatisation”, and that it was working with local medical authorities regarding heat management. From the players’ point of view, the Club World Cup represents a dry run for the national-team version in a year — a taste of what they might expect if they are among those taking part in football’s biggest competition. The challenge has been made clear at the Club World Cup: the toughest opponent might not be the team you’re facing, but the heat. The preparation for that has to start now.
(Top photo: Porto’s Rodrigo Mora after playing Al Ahly on Monday; by Franck Fife/AFP/Getty Images)
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Bill ConnellySep 19, 2025, 07:00 AM ET ESPNFC 
Borussia Dortmund go 4-2 up in the 86th minute. Job done, surely… (Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)
Ticket limits have become commonplace at major sporting events. (Carl De Souza / Getty Images)
USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino doesn’t have many options behind Antonee Robinson at left back (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
Can Flick’s Barca build further on last season’s success? (Judit Cartiel/Getty Images)
Alonso was appointed as Madrid coach back in May (Sara Gordon/Real Madrid via Getty Images)
Jauregizar, pictured in pre-season for Athletic (Joris Verwijst/BSR Agency/Getty Images)
United States international Cardoso in action for Atletico in pre-season against Newcastle (Andy Buchanan/AFP via Getty Images)
Bryan Mbeumo (left), Benjamin Sesko (middle) and Matheus Cunha (Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
Alexander Isak during pre-season training in July (Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)
Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah celebrate against Germany in 2023 (Alex Grimm/Getty Images)
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Teams will be awarded a corner if the opposition goalkeeper holds onto the ball for too long (Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez was involved in a double-touch penalty in last season’s Champions League (Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
(Steve Bardens/Getty Images)
(Naomi Baker/Getty Images)
(Stu Forster/Getty Images)
(Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
Wrexham’s new pitch, as seen before their first home match of the season (Robbie Jay Barratt/Getty Images)
The newly-installed cameras (Richard Sutcliffe/The Athletic)
The new two-level TV gantry (Richard Sutcliffe/The Athletic)
Barriers obscure the building of the new Kop stand (Robbie Jay Barratt/Getty Images)
Matarazzo offers his Hoffenheim players encouragement during a Europa League game against Lyon last November (Adam Pretty/Getty Images)
Fluminense’s Thiago Silva instructs his players during their Club World Cup semi-final against Chelsea (Alex Grimm/Getty Images)
Joao Pedro, left, could bring more out of Palmer, right, at Chelsea (Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images)
Pochettino and the USMNT were runners-up at the summer’s Concacaf Gold Cup (Omar Vega/Getty Images)
Tillman took his chance at the Gold Cup this summer (Tim Warner/Getty Images)
Matarazzo is still smarting from his sacking at Hoffenheim (Octavio Passos/Getty Images)
Nagelsmann speaks with Matarazzo before a Bayern vs Stuttgart game in 2021 (Thomas Kienzle/AFP via Getty Images)
Judging distances is a key part of being a goalkeeper (Miguel Medina/AFP via Getty Images)
Aitana Bonmati won the award for the tournament’s best player, but she and her Spain team-mates had to watch on as England lifted the trophy (Maryam Majd/Getty Images)
Lucy Bronze and her England team-mates celebrate winning the European Championship again (Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images)
Bronze gets up to challenge Spain’s Mariona Caldentey (Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)
England celebrate beating Spain in the final (Harry Langer/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
England’s players react after the opening loss to France (Nick Potts/PA Images via Getty Images)
Michelle Agyemang celebrates scoring against Italy in the semi-finals (Marco Iacobucci/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The Lionesses celebrate retaining the trophy they won in 2022 (Maja Hitij – UEFA via Getty Images)
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. With 28 goal contributions in 18 games played, he’s blowing everyone out of the water in contributions per 90’. Every other MVP candidate has played 22 games or more. If this continues, no one will be surprised if he becomes the first player ever to repeat as MVP.
Cesar HernandezJul 24, 2025, 09:38 AM ET
Mead was fouled for the penalty that led to England’s dramatic extra-time winner against Italy (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
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England2*
Norway1
Italy2
France1
Germany1*
Spain2
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Bonmati’s extra time goal lift Spain to the Euros final (Sebastien Bozon/AFP via Getty Images)
Germany held Spain for more than 100 minutes (Eddie Keogh/Getty Images)
Germany goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger and Spain forward Esther Gonzalez are teammates at Gotham FC in NWSL (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
From World Cups to Nations Leagues, Spain and England know each other well (Judit Cartiel / Getty Images)
Dagny Brynjarsdottir’s penalty earned Iceland a draw against France at Euro 2022 (Marcio Machado/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
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Italy’s players and coaching staff celebrate their 2-1 quarter-final win over Norway (Eddie Keogh/Getty Images)
Goalkeeper Giuliani is the fourth most-capped player in Italy’s Euro 2025 squad (Daniela Porcelli/Getty Images)
The Mauricio Pochettino Memorial Derby (Sunday, 3 p.m. ET, DAZN/TBS)History awaits. PSG are just 90 minutes away from completing one of the most dominant club seasons of all time in which they will have won every single trophy that was available to them. Following on from the Champions League, Ligue 1, and the Coupe de France, the Club World Cup would be a fourth trophy lifted in three months, a 6.6-liter twin-turbo-charged quadruple. Yet it could also be Chelsea who walk away with a startling $136 million in prize money. PSG are a creative machine, undoubtedly the world’s top club side, by some gulf. Just over a month ago, they smashed five goals past Inter to storm to Champions League glory. On Wednesday afternoon, they obliterated Real Madrid, making the European game’s long-reigning monarchs look worse than Grok, and even more deliciously, rendering Kylian Mbappé’s revenge fantasies impotent. The football they play is so mesmerizing, in certain moments, it can dizzy and disorient you to the point that, fleetingly, you can be tricked into believing nation state ownership is a good thing. The talk that surrounds them is not just of victory, but of dynasty.And for Chelsea? Their success in this tournament is a testament to tenacity and the fortune that befell them after losing their second game 3-1 to Flamengo. A defeat which ultimately life-hacked them into the generously weak half of the knockout bracket. It was admittedly magical watching João Pedro, in his first start for Chelsea, blast 
: Le Romp. PSG 4-1. Second half will be a dead rubber in the sweltering heat of New Jersey. 
Also: The Club World Cup final will be shown live at more than 20 movie theaters across the United States this Sunday. You have not lived until you’ve seen Cole Palmer’s celly 
A sad coda to PSG’s semi-final was witnessing Luka Modrić substitute in with the game long over, unable to bend it to his will, in 
Mexico had passionate support in Houston for its Gold Cup triumph. (Robbie Jay Barratt / AMA / Getty Images)“Without a doubt,” said Adams of whether he would like to see more U.S. supporters in stadiums during next year’s World Cup.The Bournemouth midfielder, who captained USMNT during its run to the round of 16 at the World Cup in 2022, has seen this play out before.“It’s so funny because for a lot of the fairly inexperienced players in our national team, it’s the first thing I said to everyone going into this game against Mexico,” Adams said. “I was saying, ‘Don’t go into this team with a naive mentality of expecting it to be all people cheering for us and excited about the game.’ If anything, we’re going into an atmosphere where we are playing the hardest away game you’ve probably played in a long time.“I wouldn’t say it hurts because it’s what I (have come to) expect when we play in certain areas geographically. At the same time, it’s what makes our country amazing: the diversity our country has to offer. It was a learning experience for a lot of guys, but of course come the World Cup, you’re hoping that you see so much red, white and blue instead of whoever opponent you’re facing.”Adams also revealed that Pochettino was “very emotional” in the locker room after the loss against Mexico. The Americans reached the final following a tournament they entered without several key players, either due to injury, Club World Cup involvement, manager’s decision or choice. Significant absentees included Christian Pulisic, Antonee Robinson, Weston McKennie, Tim Weah and Yunus Musah.The situation created openings for more players from teams within MLS, with Matt Freese, Sebastian Berhalter, Diego Luna and Patrick Agyemang among those who received fresh opportunities.
Head coach Mauricio Pochettino was emotional in the USMNT locker room after the Gold Cup final, according to Tyler Adams. (Omar Vega / Getty Images)
Adams said the summer heat was grueling for Gold Cup teams. (Aric Becker / ISI Photos / USSF / Getty Images)
Ousmane Dembele celebrates putting PSG two up against Real Madrid after just nine minutes (Luke Hales/Getty Images)
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Matt Freese has earned four caps, all in June. (Photo: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images)
The USMNT’s results in the Gold Cup group stage gave Mauricio Pochettino some reason to smile (Photo by Omar Vega/Getty Images “This was preparation. Now we’ll be playing a final, it’s all or nothing,” Pochettino said. “So we have to be prepared. We will be prepared, no matter the opponent we face. It’s our challenge: we have to compete well, to keep competing well and continue improving. We have a week to prepare for this game, so I have no doubt we’ll get there in the best possible way.”Pochettino has been clear that what he wants is open competition for the team he takes to the World Cup. If the players are going to make an impression, they will need to win some knockout games. It’s not unlike the challenge a similar U.S. group had at the 2021 Gold Cup. Coming off of an emotional 2021 Nations League victory over Mexico, U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter took a ‘B’ squad to the Gold Cup later that summer. Mexico, meanwhile, did not. It sparked debate about what the better plan was. On the one hand, Mexico got an extra month working together. On the other, Berhalter got a chance to look at a wider pool. What the U.S. did in that tournament ended any debate. It beat Haiti, Canada and Martinique in the group stage, advancing with a plus-seven goal differential — the same as this year’s team. Then it beat Jamaica, 1-0, in the quarterfinals and Qatar, 1-0, in the semifinals before meeting Mexico in the championship game. A 1-0 win in extra time helped to secure a second trophy that summer — and it announced the U.S. as being “back” as a top power in Concacaf.Before this camp started, U.S. goalkeeper Matt Turner talked about how that Gold Cup win helped him break through as a real option for Berhalter’s U.S. team. A year and a half later, Turner was starting in Qatar.That’s the 
USMNT concedes a goal to Haiti in the Gold Cup (Photo by Omar Vega/Getty Images)
Ryan O’HanlonJun 26, 2025, 07:00 AM ET
Landon Donovan’s foray into the Christian Pulisic national team debate has been one of American soccer’s stories of the summer. (Shaun Clark / ISI Photos / Getty Images)
Clint Dempsey and an 18-year-old Christian Pulisic celebrate a USMNT goal against Honduras in 2017. (David Madison / Getty Images)
Clint Dempsey says the example of ex-USMNT midfielder José Francisco Torres shows the value of increased developmental opportunities. (Misael Montaño / LatinContent via Getty Images)
Hayes and Coffey during the former’s first game in charge of the USWNT last June. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)
Morgan’s last game for the U.S. came over a year ago and is no longer part of the picture (C. Morgan Engel/Getty Images)
Al Hilal
Bayern Munich
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Monterrey
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Kane dips his head into an ice bucket and laps water over his face (DAZN)
Manchester City’s Erling Haaland at the Club World Cup (Patricia De Melo Moreira/AFP/Getty Images)
Lloyd Kelly playing for Juventus at the Club World Cup (Francois Nel/Getty Images)
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