Wed, MLS CCC, US Open Cup

April 13, 2026April 15, 2026 gatorbest carmel-fc-soccer, football, indiana-soccer, indy-11, lavelle, soccer, us-reffing-soccer, us-soccer, us-women-soccer, usmnt, uswnt

US Ladies Win Handily 2-1 – face Japan Tues 10 pm in Seattle, Fri 9 pm in Denver

The US ladies returned to form with a solid 2-1 win over Japan Saturday afternoon. Highlights The 2-1 margin could have been more as the US outpossessed Japan 62-38% and outshot Japan with impressive goals from Rose Levelle and Lindsey Horan (Heaps). For the US it is 10 straight wins, and paid them back for the 2-1 loss in the She Believe’s Cup. The two top 5 powerhouses face off again Tuesday in Seattle at 10 pm then Fri at 9 pm from Denver.

U.S. Women’s National Team Roster by Position (Club; Caps/Goals) 2026 April Matches vs. Japan
GOALKEEPERS (3): Jane Campbell (Houston Dash, 10), Claudia Dickey (Seattle Reign FC; 8), Phallon Tullis-Joyce (Manchester United, ENG; 6) DEFENDERS (9): Tierna Davidson (Gotham FC; 67/3), Emily Fox (Arsenal FC, ENG; 74/1), Naomi Girma (Chelsea FC, ENG; 52/2), Avery Patterson (Houston Dash; 10/1), Lilly Reale (Gotham FC; 7/0), Emily Sams (Angel City FC: 9/1), Emily Sonnett (Gotham FC; 115/2), Gisele Thompson (Angel City FC; 7/0), Kennedy Wesley (San Diego Wave FC; 4/0) MIDFIELDERS (7): Sam Coffey (Manchester City, ENG; 44/5), Lindsey Heaps (OL Lyonnes, FRA; 173/39), Claire Hutton (Bay FC; 15/1), Rose Lavelle (Gotham FC; 118/27), Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns FC; 15/5),Jaedyn Shaw (Gotham FC; 34/10), Lily Yohannes (OL Lyonnes, FRA; 16/1) FORWARDS (7): Michelle Cooper (Kansas City Current; 10/1), Jameese Joseph (Chicago Stars FC; 4/1), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit; 52/13), Emma Sears (Racing Louisville FC; 17/6), Ally Sentnor (Kansas City Current; 18/7), Alyssa Thompson (Chelsea FC, ENG; 29/4), Sophia Wilson (Portland Thorns FC; 58/24)

Champions League – Quarterfinals 2nd leg Tues/Wed 3 pm Para +

Wow – my Atletico really put a spanking on Barcelona at the Camp Nou 2-0 – setting up a classic battle back in Madrid at the Metropolitano and will test what Atletico do best for their head man in Black Diego Simeone (El Cholo). Liverpool heads home down 2 goals to zero to PSG Tuesday at 3 pm on Paramount+ – with little hope of surpassing the Holders. Wed 3 pm on Para+ gives us the Classic as Bayern Munich returns home up 2-1 vs Real Madrid while Arsenal will try to buck form and hold on to their 1-0 lead over Sporting and their Talisman Jose Mourino. It drives me nuts that European Soccer is Too STUPID to put the top 8 teams in the World on in back to back games – say 1 pm and 3 pm – rather than playing simultaneously. But that’s Champions League so 2 TVs it is tomorrow for a late lunch.

Tues 3 pm Para+ Barcelona 0 vs Atletico Madrid 2 & Liverpool 0 vs PSG 2
Wed 3 pm Para+ Real Madrid 0 vs Bayern Munich 1 & Sporting CP 0 vs Arsenal 1

Indy 11 Wins 3-1 @ Birmingham Legion Sun 5 pm on ESPN+

Indianapolis – Indy Eleven extended its current USL Championship unbeaten streak to four (2-0-2) and its unbeaten run at home to six (5-0-1) dating back to last season with a 3-1 victory over Monterey Bay FC in front of 9,101 fans at Carroll Stadium. Boys in Blue midfielder Jack Blake became the club’s all-time leader in goals with his 28th on a bicycle kick in the 55th minute with the goal that put his team ahead 2-1. Indy Eleven travels to Eastern Conference opponent Birmingham Legion FC on Sunday, April 19 at 5:00 pm ET on ESPN+. The next Boys in Blue home game at Carroll Stadium is “Retro Night” and the opening of Prinx Tires USL Cup play vs. Union Omaha on Sat. Apr. 25 at 7 p.m.

Former Carmel FC 07 players Maverick McCoy & Evan Muckridge now playing College Soccer for Notre Dame & Butler. Maverick will play Fri eve 7:30 pm as Notre Dame faces IU at Grand Park as part of The Boys College Showcase.

What a pleasure it was to get to Ref The ENCL Boys Game Weekend at Grand Park this past Weekend. All the top Refs in the State were there.

The Ole Ballcoach (right) with Chris Smith in the middle and Olusina on the Left

(L to R) Todd M with Bailey and myself running the middle at Grand Park ENCL Weekend.

The Ole Ballcoach with Todd C running the middle and Efren Ramos

TV Schedule – Games on TV

Tues, Apr 14
3 pm Para+ Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid
3 pm PAra+ PSG vs Liverpool
7 pm CBSSN Louisville City vs Austin US Open Cup
7:30 pm CBS Golazo Detroit City vs Chicago Fire US Open Cup
10 pm TNT, HBO US Women vs Japan
9 pm FS2 LAFC vs Cruz Azul CCC
11:30 pm FS2 America vs Nashville SC CCC
Wed, Apr 14
3 pm Para+ Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich
3 pm Para+ Sporting CP vs Arsenal
7 pm CBSSN Naples vs Orlando City US Open
9 pm FS2 Toluca vs LA Galaxy CCC
11:30 pm FS2 Seattle Sounders vs Tigres CCC
Thurs, Apr 15 Europa League
3 pm Para+ Bologna vs Aston Villa
3 pm PAra+ Porto vs Nottingham Forest
3 pm Para+ Crystal Palace (Richards) vs Fiorentina
Fri, Apr 17
2:45 pm Para+ Inter Milan vs Caglairi
Fri. Apr. 17, 7:30 pm | IU vs. Notre Dame GRAND PARK
9 pm TNT, HBO US Women vs Japan
Sat, Apr 18
7;30 am USA Fulham (Jedi) vs Brentford
10 am USA Newcastle vs Bournemouth (Adams)
9:30 am ESPN2 Dortmund vs Bayer Leverkusen (Tillman)
12:30 pm NBC Tottenham vs Brighton
3 pm ESPN+ Athletico Madrid vs Real Sociedad
4:30 pm Apple Inter Miami vs Colorado Rapids
5 pm ESPN+ Indy 11 @ Birmingham
Sat. Apr. 18, 6:00 pm | Saint Louis vs. Xavier GRAND PARK
7:30 pm Apple Atlanta United vs Nashville SC
7:30 pm Apple Cincy vs Chicago
9:30 pm Apple Seattle Sounders vs St Louis City
11 pm CBSSN America vs Toluca Mex
Sun, Apr 19
9 am USA Everton vs Liverpool
9 am Para+ Verona vs AC Milan (Pulisic)
9 am Peacock Nothingham Forest vs Burnley (Adams)
11:15 am NBC Man City vs Arsenal
11:30 am ESPN2 Bayern Munich vs Stuttgart
12 noon Real Bettis vs Real Madrid
1:30 pm ESPN+ M’Gladbach (Reyna, Salley) vs Mainz
2:45 pm Para+ Juventus (Mckennie) vs Bologna
7 pm Apple LAFC vs San Jose MLS
Sun, May 31
3:30 pm TNT, HBO, Peacock USA Men vs Senegal

Sat, June 6
2:30 pm TNT, HBO, Peacock USA Men vs Germany in Chicago Tix
Sat, June 12 WORLD CUP
9 pm Fox, Tele, Peacock USA Men vs Paraguay World Cup
Fri, June 19
3 pm Fox, Tele, Peacock USA Men vs Australia World Cup
Thur, June 25
10 pm Fox, Tele, Peacock USA Men vs Australia World Cup

Complete 2026 World Cup schedule featuring match dates and start times
NWSL Schedule

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USMNT midweek viewing guide: To Old Trafford we go

Follow along with all the USMNT action this week. by Justin Moran Apr 13, 2026, 8:31 AM EDT

West Ham United v Leeds United - Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final

LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 05: Brenden Aaronson of Leeds United is fouled by Max Kilman of West Ham United resulting in a penalty kick being awarded following a VAR review during the Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final match between West Ham United and Leeds United at London Stadium on April 05, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)Getty Images

Midweek action is here. All kickoff times are in EST. Let’s get into it!

Monday

Manchester United vs Leeds, 3p on USA, UNIVERSO, Telemundo Deportes: Brenden Aaronson and Leeds United visit Man U in the Premier League.

Also in action:

Tondela vs Gil Vicente, 3:15p: Jordan Pefok and Tondela host Gil Vicente in Liga Portugal.

Tuesday

Atlético Madrid vs Barcelona, 3p on Paramount+, TUDN, DAZN, Univision, ViX: Johnny Cardoso (out injured since March 28) and Atlético hold a 2-0 aggregate lead over Barcelona going into the second leg of this Champions League quarterfinal.
New England Revolution vs Rhode Island FC, 7p on Paramount+: Matt Turner, Peyton Miller, Griffin Yow, and the Revs host USL Championship club Rhode Island in the US Open Cup round of 32.
Westchester SC vs NYCFC, 7:30p on Paramount+: Matt Freese and the Pigeons visit USL League One (third division) club Westchester SC in the US Open Cup.
Club América vs Nashville SC, 11:30p on FS1, TUDN, Fubo, ViX: Alex Zendejas and América are tied 0-0 on aggregate with Matthew Corcoran and Nashville going into the second leg of this Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal.

Also in action:

Detroit City vs Chicago Fire, 7:30p on Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo: Chris Brady and the Fire visit USL Championship club Detroit City FC in the US Open Cup.
Cruz Azul vs LAFC, 9p on FS1, TUDN, Fubo, ViX: Timothy Tillman and LAFC are up 3-0 over Cruz Azul on aggregate. Now they make the trip to Mexico City for the second leg of this Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal.
Colorado Rapids vs Union Omaha, 9:30p on Paramount+: Paxten Aaronson, Zack Steffen, Reggie Cannon (ankle injury), and the Rapids host USL League One (third division) club Union Omaha in the US Open Cup.

Wednesday

Charlotte FC vs Charlotte Independence, 7:30p on Paramount+: Tim Ream, Luca de la Torre, and Charlotte FC have an Open Cup match against the club they supplanted when they joined MLS four years ago. Charlotte Independence were playing in the USL Championship back then, but they’re down in League One now (third-division).
Richmond Kickers vs Columbus Crew, 7:30p on Paramount+: Patrick Schulte, Max Arfsten, and the Crew visit USL League One club Richmond Kickers in the Open Cup.
Seattle Sounders vs Tigres, 11:30p on FS1, TUDN, ViX, Fubo (free trial): Jordan Morris, Cristian Roldan, Jesús Ferreira, and the Sounders are down 0-2 to Tigres UANL going into the second leg of this Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal.

Also in action:

FC Naples vs Orlando, 7p on Paramount+, CBS Sports Network, Fubo: Duncan McGuire and Orlando City visit USL League One club FC Naples in the Open Cup.
NY Red Bulls vs Pittsburgh Riverhounds on Paramount+: Cade Cowell, Ethan Horvath, Julian Hall, and the Red Bulls host reigning USLC champions Pittsburgh Riverhounds in the Open Cup.
LA Galaxy vs Toluca, 9p on FS1, TUDN, Fubo, ViX: Harbor Miller and the Galaxy are down 2-4 to Toluca going into the second leg of this Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal.
San Jose Earthquakes vs Phoenix Rising, 10p: Niko Tsakiris and the Quakes host USL Championship club Phoenix Rising in the US Open Cup.

Thursday

Fiorentina vs Crystal Palace, 3p on Paramount+, ViX: Chris Richards and Palace are up 3-0 over Fiorentina going into the second leg of this Conference League quarterfinal.

Also in action:

Strasbourg vs Mainz, 3p on Paramount+, ViX: Lennard Maloney and Mainz are up 2-0 over Strasbourg going into the second leg of this Conference League quarterfinal.

Friday

St. Pauli vs Köln, 2:30p on ESPN Select, Fubo: James Sands and St. Pauli host Kristoffer Lund and Köln in the Bundesliga.
Lens vs Toulouse, 2:45p: Mark McKenzie picked up a straight red card on Sunday and is suspended, unavailable for this Ligue 1 game.
Blackburn vs Coventry, 3p on Paramount+: Haji Wright and Coventry City visit Blackburn Rovers in the EFL Championship.
Vancouver Whitecaps vs Sporting KC, 10:30p on MLS Season Pass: Sebastian Berhalter, Brian White, and the ’Caps host Kansas City in MLS action.

Also in action:

Slaven vs Hajduk Split, 11:45a on ESPN Select, Fubo: Rokas Pukštas and Hajduk Split visit Slaven Belupo in the HNL (Croatia’s top tier).
Holstein Kiel vs Kaiserslautern, 12:30p on ESPN Select, Fubo: John Tolkin (knee injury) and Holstein Kiel host Kaiserslautern in the 2. Bundesliga.

That’s it! Did I miss anything that matters? Let me know in the comments below. Let’s see who stands out this week!

US Women

Hayes hails U.S. evolution after 10th straight win
USWNT vs. Japan April friendlies preview match two: Once more with feeling
Rose Lavelle’s goal and assist help USWNT hold off Japan
US vs Japan: Rose Lavelle Leads USWNT to 2-1 Win as Sophia Wilson Returns

Hayes: Wilson ready for U.S.-Japan triple-header

Champions League

Barcelona is in a Champions League hole. But these stats are on its side
Barcelona’s recent injury returnee could hold the key against Atlético Madrid
Three individual matchups that could decide Atlético Madrid vs Barcelona

US Men

USMNT World Cup roster watch: Adams returns as Balogun, Pepi stay hot
Balogun equals Neymar goal streak; Pogba returns
Pochettino’s to-do list: What the USMNT must figure out before World Cup
Drones, hype videos and data: The number crunchers behind the USMNT’s World Cup prep

World

Man City revive Premier League race as Arsenal lose; Inter win seven-goal thriller; more
– Is it happening again? Reviewing Arsenal’s prior title wobbles
– Ogden: Man City’s big win piles pressure on Arsenal in title race
– Olley: Tottenham’s relegation looks inevitable after Sunderland loss

Goalkeeping

Double Save by Juve’s Di Gregorio
Champions League Best Saves QF R1
Champs League Musso Great Saves
NWSL Saves of Week 3
NWSL Saves of Week 2
MLS Rookie Cabral Carter
Goal after GK Goal – note to GKs – always get back in goal after scoring

Reffing

GK Handball – card or no? NWSL
Hand ball yes or no
Goal after GK Goal

Man the play at the ENCL Boys Weekend was solid at Grand Park this past weekend

Americans Abroad Weekend Update

🔥 The USMNT No. 9 race is heating up, but otherwise not a ton of performances to highlight.

Folarin Balogun
Balogun stayed red-hot, scoring for the sixth straight match — matching a record set by Neymar for consecutive goals scored. Even in defeat, his form is undeniable, and he’s peaking at exactly the right time in the striker race.

Ricardo Pepi
Pepi added another goal in PSV’s win, bringing his tally to 11 goals in just over 1,000 minutes — an elite scoring rate. With clubs circling and the World Cup approaching, he’s making a strong case to climb the depth chart despite his apparent lack of standing in Pochettino’s pecking order.

Christian Pulisic
Pulisic didn’t score, but was still Milan’s brightest spot in a tough 3-0 loss, earning a 7.5 rating from WhoScored, the highest on the team. Despite his goal drought, his overall play continues to improve even as Milan struggles.

Elsewhere around Europe:

Weston McKennie missed Juventus’ match due to suspension.

US Thoughts after Portugal – left the US with more questions than answers.

Auston Trusty went 90 minutes as Celtic F.C. earned a crucial 1-0 win to keep their Scottish Premiership title hopes alive.

Haji Wright and Coventry inched closer to promotion with a 0-0 draw, now on the verge of the Premier League.

Chris Richards featured in Crystal Palace’s 2-1 win over Newcastle.

Mark McKenzie was sent off in Toulouse’s heavy defeat to Lille.

Malik Tillman saw limited minutes off the bench in Leverkusen’s win over Dortmund.

Tyler Adams made a solid impact off the bench in Bournemouth’s 2-1 upset win over Arsenal.

Tim Weah played 90 minutes in Marseille’s 3-1 victory.

Antonee Robinson battled for an hour before being subbed in Fulham’s loss to Liverpool.

Gio Reyna stayed on the bench while Joe Scally went 90 for Gladbach.

John Tolkin suffered a serious knee injury for Holstein Kiel.

US thoughts after Portugal

Would certainly like to have seen better results against top quality opposition, and hopefully these losses turn into lessons rather than a preview of this summer. Some thoughts on the Portugal game

Our pressure created enough danger/opportunities, but we couldn’t capitalize on their mistakes. Our key players couldn’t make Portugal pay, and ultimately this was the difference on the night. If an early goal goes in for us, the complexion of the game changes.
If we are to upset anyone this summer (and we’ll need to if we want to make any sort of run), our final ball and finishing have to be of the quality we know our top players can deliver. Otherwise we will fall at the first major hurdle (aka a top 10 opponent). Fernandes on the other side showed what a moment of quality can do to change the game.
Pulisic was not at his best and was the main culprit of the first two talking points. We know he has the quality – he needs to find his groove in the last part of this season. Also don’t love him as a false 9, he tends to be better moving forward into space and arriving in the box rather than dropping back. Don’t mind the experiment at this point.
This looked and played more like a conventional 4-2-3-1 and less like the hybrid 3-4-2-1 Pochettino was using last year. The back three and wingbacks has looked better with this personnel.
Hopefully Trusty is not seriously injured. I thought he looked the best of all the CBs in this window. Probably should start next to Richards this summer, since no one else has really taken the chance.
Shocked that Berhalter got the start and lasted 75 mins. Didn’t put in a terrible performance, but he is clearly a level below.
Freese was busier than he has been in a US shirt, and he looked pretty solid. I think he locked down the #1 shirt this summer, barring a run of poor form in MLS.
This group is dying for Gio Reyna’s skillset. Any time he comes on, he brings a level of calm and technical quality we need to knit the attack together. We really need him to find some type of playing time at the club level so he can be the best version of himself. Otherwise, he is on the bubble.
Would like to have seen more of Aaronson.
Terrible set piece goal to give up. It felt like an eternity before the team realized what was happening and then closing it down. Not a new corner routine either.
Overall, I wouldn’t expect us to beat Portugal, as they are a more talented side. But we could have if we capitalized on our pressure. So that’s encouraging. But we need more than “encouraging” at this point – we need results.
I’ve flip-flopped on Pochettino and have liked his methods to get the group more motivated. It didn’t seem to pay off as much in this window. Hopefully he can show us why he’s such a highly regarded coach when the World Cup starts. Ultimately, that’s all that matters.

📺 USWNT vs. Japan, twice
Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET and Friday at 9 p.m. on TNT and truTV
The U.S. will likely roll out a similar lineup in the second match against Japan tomorrow, with a few minor changes, while the XI on Friday is anyone’s guess. Let’s just hope there’s a little more excitement in the follow-up matches. The good news for tomorrow: More than 35,000 tickets have been sold — putting the game on pace for a local record.

Get to know the USWNT’s keystone midfielder
U.S. women’s national team and Bay FC midfielder Claire Hutton is a student of the game. The 20-year-old, who is crucial for both her club and country, has always been that way. Growing up, she would spend hours studying her favorite players like any Gen Zer — on Youtube. Initially, her favorite players were Brazilians, the likes of Marta and Ronaldinho. You’ll want to listen to this interview before game.

USWNT Watch: U.S. good but not great vs. Japan, Round 1

The U.S. women’s national team defeated Japan 2-1 on Saturday. Next up … Japan. The teams face off for the second of three matches this window tomorrow at 10 p.m. ET in Seattle.

Head coach Emma Hayes has plenty of new talent at her disposal to tinker with her lineup, players she’s given first caps to and developed in the last two years. But over the weekend, it was two veterans who steadied the team against a fierce opponent.

Midfielder Rose Lavelle, 30, opened the scoring in the ninth minute of her 100th career start with the U.S.
Lavelle later provided an assist to captain Lindsey Heaps, 31, in the 48th minute.

Sophia Wilson also made her long-awaited return, earning her first start and minutes since 2024 and becoming a mom.

This match was about the small details, things that might not be flashy to the casual viewer. So here’s Tamerra Griffin’s take:

💬 “The USWNT versus Japan isn’t a traditional rivalry, yet something about the first of the three-part series between the first- and fifth-ranked women’s teams in the world carried shades of a derby, as in: The anticipation was so high that it may have dampened the product, which was good but not always quality.

“It’s important — poetic, even — that the U.S. won by the same scoreline by which it lost to Japan at the 2025 SheBelieves Cup, and perhaps even more so that the match included prime-time experience for Gisele Thompson. “Just like at last month’s SheBelieves Cup, the younger Thompson sister delivered, covering acres of space behind when Japan launched its attacking threats and exploiting the space ahead of her, which on one occasion led to the U.S.’s go-ahead goal.” There was one moment Thompson may want to erase from her otherwise strong performance: In the 61st minute, Thompson’s position kept Riko Ueki onside, allowing her to convert Japan’s only goal. Still, Thompson is officially on our World Cup bubble watch list.

Gisele and Alyssa Thompson made their fourth starting lineup together for the U.S., a record for sisters. Ever since Alyssa left the NWSL for Chelsea in England, national team camp has been one of the few times we get updated dancing TikToks from the pair. Anyway, in today’s Full Time:

Emma Hayes hails USWNT’s evolution after 10th straight win

eff KassoufApr 11, 2026, 09:31 PM ET

The United States women’s national team defeated Japan 2-1 on Saturday at Paypal Park in San Jose, California, to win a 10th straight match, and head coach Emma Hayes said the team’s evolution was evident in how it managed late pressure.”I think 12 months ago, we might have drawn this game,” Hayes said in her postgame news conference. “I think the progress is in staying in the game and not conceding a second goal.”Rose Lavelle and Lindsey Heaps gave the United States a 2-0 lead, but Riko Ueki cut the deficit in the second half and nearly scored an equalizer moments later amid defensive lapses for the Americans. Saturday was the first of three meetings in a week between the United States and Japan.

– Make-or-break questions the USWNT must answer before the World Cup

Hayes said she wanted an experienced lineup in the first match against Japan, and it was the USWNT’s two most-capped players who scored. Lavelle also assisted Heaps’ goal.”I think when you play top teams, you need calm heads, and Rose has that in abundance,” Hayes said. “It’s why she’s one of the best players in the world.”Sophia Wilson added further experience with her much anticipated return to the international stage. She started on Saturday and played for 67 minutes in her first international match in 17 months after giving birth to her daughter in September.”I’m proud of her to come into that,” Hayes said. “And it takes a bit of time to find that rhythm and I think she gave it everything she could. One of the things I said to her is she’s gotta build her way back to it, but I’m really pleased with her. It’s a great, great start for her and something for her to build on.”Lavelle opened the scoring nine minutes into the match when she glided through the penalty area to volley a ball that Trinity Rodman sent back across the face of the goal after Sam Coffey hit a free kick to the back post. Lavelle was making her 100th start for the team, the 31st player in program history to reach the feat.

The United States knocked on the door for a second goal as the team broke Japan’s pressure from deep areas.An unmarked Alyssa Thompson missed the frame from a tight angle at the back post in the 21st minute. After a quick combination for the Americans down the right side, Heaps found Wilson in behind, who hit a ball toward the back post and Thompson, who flashed her shot wide.”You have to be really clinical at this level,” Hayes said. “We score off a set piece, boom, one-nil. We need to go two-nil up. [Alyssa’s] chance at the back post, that’s the top level.”The United States jumped on Japan at the start of the second half. Three minutes after halftime, Lavelle played a deft ball to Heaps, who patiently waited to slot her left-footed shot into the net from 12 yards out. The play began with United States full-back Gisele Thompson applying pressure high on the left side to force a turnover in Japan’s defensive zone.The Thompson sisters started together for the fourth time, a program record (they are the third pair of sisters to represent the USWNT). Hayes said Gisele Thompson had a “fantastic performance” on the left side in an attacking full-back role behind her sister, who started up top.”How nice is that, you’ve got your sister playing in front of you? They’re gonna die for each other on the field,” Hayes said.Heaps, the team’s captain, now has 40 international goals. She is the 16th player to reach that mark and the third oldest to reach it behind Megan Rapinoe and Julie Foudy.Heaps’ goal turned out to be the winner after Ueki pulled a goal back in the 61st minute.Ueki nearly had the equalizer nine minutes later when she found herself free in the middle of the box again, but she placed her shot right at United States goalkeeper Claudia Dickey.The United States controlled 61% possession in the match, in stark contrast to their 2-1 loss to Japan last year during the SheBelieves Cup.”Where we’ve come from that last time that we played them in SheBelieves,” Heaps said. “We’ve come a very long way, and that’s credit to this team, credit to the staff, the way that we want to control the game, where we want to control the game and the chances that we want to create.

The U.S. and Japan will play again on Tuesday in Seattle before wrapping the three-game series on Friday outside Denver.Japan had won eight straight matches coming into Saturday’s game, six of which came at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup. The Nadeshiko won that tournament last month, but the federation parted ways with head coach Nils Nielsen shortly after the tournament.

Champions League

Notre Dame vs Butler – as former Carmel FC Players Maverick McCoy & Evan Muckridge faced off. Notre Dame plays
Indiana University Fri at 7:30 pm at Grand Park as part of The Boys College Showcase.

FIFA creates new World Cup ticket category, deepening suspicions of deception

SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles is a 2026 World Cup host

Frederic J. Brown / AFP / Getty Images

By Henry Bushnell April 9, 2026Updated April 10, 2026

FIFA has created a new category of 2026 World Cup tickets two months before the tournament in an apparent attempt to milk more money out of prime seats.

Throughout the fall and winter, the global soccer governing body sold millions of World Cup tickets in four categories. Category 1, the most expensive tier, seemed to encompass all seats and sections in a stadium’s lower bowl, per color-coded maps embedded in the ticketing portal. Fans paid hundreds or thousands of dollars for these tickets, then awaited seat assignments.Last week, FIFA delivered those assignments. It converted categorized tickets into specific rows and sections — and left many buyers disappointed with seats in corners, behind goals or farther away from the field.Then, a week later, FIFA began selling seats in the first several rows of lower-level sections for higher prices — in some cases triple the price of a standard Category 1 ticket.

Frustrated fans, in interviews with and messages to The Athletic last week, suspected that FIFA had given them lesser seats so that it could sell the better ones at elevated prices. But at the time, they had no firm evidence.The new category essentially confirms their suspicions.“This is just another example of how deceptive the original maps were,” one fan, Ben Kurzman, wrote in a Wednesday email. “[FIFA] let people believe that by buying Category 1 seats, they might end up in a lower sideline section close to the field, when that was never going to happen.”The new “Front Category 1” had not been previously advertised or mentioned. From an initial “presale” phase in October through last week, the normal “Category 1” had been sold as the top tier of ticket, with prices now ranging from $10,990 for the World Cup final to $450 for some group-stage games. The maps shown to buyers suggested that these tickets could yield seats anywhere in any 100-level section or, at most stadiums, in mid-level sections with good views.

A seating map of SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles

Separately, though, FIFA has been selling hospitality packages at even higher prices. And its hospitality “seating example” illustrations suggest that many of the lower-level sideline sections supposedly within Category 1 are actually being reserved for hospitality buyers.

Hospitality seats at USA-Paraguay at the 2026 World Cup

Over the past week, as fans realized that hardly any Category 1 ticket holders had been placed in those coveted sideline sections, many fumed.“A lot of people feel misled, or confused, or maybe just generally let down about the way seats were assigned,” Jordan Likover, one of the aggrieved fans, told The Athletic.Top League Content

Then, on Wednesday, as The Athletic publicized the saga and outrage spread, FIFA went a step further.It released new batches of tickets and, for dozens of games, it listed these new “Front Category 1” and/or “Front Category 2” seats in the first several rows of certain sections.For Algeria vs. Austria at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., for example, dozens of seats in the second row at the four corners of the stadium were priced at $900 apiece — twice as much as a standard Category 1 ticket that, if bought this winter, seemingly should have been eligible for placement in those exact same rows and sections.

A seating map for Algeria-Austria at the 2026 World Cup

Listings were similar for other matches. For Canada’s opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 12, a “Front Category 1” seat — in row 5 of a sideline section near the corner of Toronto’s BMO Field — cost $3,360, up from $2,240 for a regular Category 1 ticket.

For U.S. vs. Paraguay at SoFi Stadium near Los Angeles that same day, a “Front Category 1” seat in Row 7 of a corner section is $4,105 — up from the standard Category 1 price that has already turned off many avid fans, $2,730.

For more than a dozen games, the “Front Category 1” price was exactly double the standard Category 1 price.

For Uruguay vs. Saudi Arabia in Miami, that meant an increase from $600 to $1,200 for a low seat behind one of the goals.

For Cape Verde vs. Saudi Arabia in Houston, Uzbekistan vs. the Democratic Republic of Congo in Atlanta, and other less-glamorous matchups, the “Front” price was $900, up from $450.

A seating map for Austria-Jordan at the 2026 World Cup

For other matches, the mark-up was even greater. For the likes of Australia vs. Turkey, Germany vs. Curaçao, Iraq vs. Norway, Belgium vs. Iran, South Korea vs. Czechia and Switzerland vs. Canada, a “Front Category 1” seat was listed Friday at 2.5 times the normal Category 1 price.

And for some headliners, FIFA had raised the price threefold.

For Argentina’s group-stage matches against Algeria and Austria, the “Front” price was $2,295 and $2,325, respectively, up from $765 and $775.

For the U.S. matches against Australia (in Seattle, pictured below) and Turkey (near Los Angeles), “front” seats were $2,325 and $2,970, respectively, up from less than $1,000.

Uruguay vs. Spain in Guadalajara; Scotland vs. Morocco in Foxborough, Mass.; Brazil vs. Haiti in Philadelphia; and other matches also had “Front” seats listed for triple the Category 1 price — in some cases over $2,000.

“Front Category 2” seats, at the front of less desirable sections, were also being offered at smaller mark-ups.

The Athletic asked FIFA on Wednesday why these “front” seats weren’t simply allocated to fans who’d applied for Category 1 or 2 tickets in the “Random Selection Draw” this winter — when FIFA supposedly received more than 500 million ticket requests. As of Friday afternoon, FIFA had not responded.

It also has not said why the new category was created, nor why it was appropriate to previously advertise Category 1 as if it gave buyers a chance at any seat in any coveted section.

In an emailed statement Tuesday in response to another set of questions last week, a FIFA spokesperson said that the “indicative category maps” were “to help fans understand where their seats could be located within a stadium. These maps were designed to provide guidance rather than the exact seat layout, and reflect the general extent of each ticket category within the stadium.”

FIFA has not said how many of these “front” seats it plans to sell, nor how many tickets generally are still available for the 2026 World Cup. It seems to be releasing new batches unannounced on a rolling basis.

Fans, in interviews late last week, blasted the governing body for its opacity and for other aspects of the ticketing process.

Advertisement“FIFA doesn’t have any goodwill with fans,” said Andrew Swart, a New York-based fan who said his Category 1 ticket — purchased for $862.50 on FIFA’s resale site — had yielded him a seat in a section once earmarked for Category 2. “Our default assumption is that they’re doing something to be either underhanded or maximize profit.”IFA has consistently defended its pricing and approach as a reflection of North American norms and “extraordinary” demand, and noted that, as a non-profit, it reinvests much of the World Cup’s revenue in the development of soccer globally.

By Henry Bushnellenior Writer, U.S. Soccer

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USWNT 2, Japan 1: Rose Lavelle scores in 100th start, Sophia Wilson returns

USWNT midfielder Rose Lavelle kicks the ball during the international friendly match between the United States and Japan

Rose Lavelle scored the opening goal of Saturday’s win over Japan, which was her 100th career start for the U.S. Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images

By Melanie Anzidei and Tamerra Griffin

April 11, 2026Updated April 12, 2026

The U.S. women’s national team passed its first test against Japan in San Jose, Calif. on Saturday, topping the 2026 Asian Cup champions in a 2-1 victory for the first of three matches between the longtime rivals.Midfielder Rose Lavelle opened the scoring in the ninth minute, finding the ball off a cheeky volley from forward Trinity Rodman in the goalie’s box. Scoring in her 100th career start for the U.S., Lavelle only needed one touch to finesse the ball as it fell before her. The 30-year-old carried this momentum into the second half, contributing to the U.S.’s second goal when she found captain Lindsey Heaps wide open in the center of the box in the 48th minute.Japan responded in the second half with a goal from Riko Ueki in the 61st minute, taking advantage of a flat-footed U.S. backline. Ueki nearly equalized in the 79th minute, but was unable to get around goalkeeper Clauda Dickey, who had a standout performance.What You Should Read NextUSWNT’s next test: Japan, champions of Asia, with a roster of international stars in the makingU.S. head coach Emma Hayes said Japan is “without question” a favorite for the 2027 Women’s World Cup“Anytime you can play a team of this caliber, it’s going to be a great learning experience,” Lavelle, who played a full 90 minutes, said after the match. “I can’t say it enough, like, they are such a good team, so to be able to have the opportunity to play them 3 times in one window, I think we can take it and it’s really going to help.”The match was a promising start for the Americans, whose last match against Japan ended in heartbreak during the 2025 SheBelieves Cup. During that match last year, it was Japan who started each half with two quick goals in the fifth and 50th minutes, with that momentum helping them lift their first-ever SheBelieves Cup title. The U.S. spent the last year regrouping.The night was a promising start for the U.S. women’s national team, who will face Japan two more times over the coming days. The Athletic analyzes the key takeaways from Saturday’s match …

Forward Sophia Wilson controls the ball during the international friendly match against Japan in her return to the USWNT.Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images

Sophia Wilson’s long-awaited return

After a promising return to the Portland Thorns in NWSL, Wilson has returned with the USWNT.

The 25-year-old started for the U.S. for the first time since giving birth to her daughter in early September. It was her first game for the team in 17 months. She played 67 minutes and earned her first start since the gold medal match at the 2024 Paris Games.

The new mom was all smiles as she walked onto the pitch alongside teammates Rodman and Naomi Girma. Wilson started alongside Lavelle as the two lone forwards in the U.S.’s attack against Japan. Her high pressure in the attack created opportunities for the U.S., as she slowly builds her minutes in camp.

“Any time you can get a result (like this) against a team like Japan, we’ll take it. I think we put out a solid performance. There were definitely moments within the game that we maybe dipped a little bit, but that’s something that we’ll work on,” Wilson said. “We’ll go back and look through everything and make sure that the next game we fix those things, and I’m sure the next game, more things will come up, but that’s just the sport, and we just continue to grow.”

Saturday’s match was the first time that two-thirds of the ‘Triple Espresso’ trio were on the same pitch playing for the same side since the Olympics. As Wilson exited the pitch, replaced by Ally Sentnor, the broadcast panned to her daughter, Gigi, in one of the stadium boxes, watching her mother return to the pitch.

“It was good for me to get this game out of the way, the first game back with the national team, and now my feet are wet,” Wilson said. “I feel confident going into the next few games.” — Melanie Anzidei

USWNT center back Kennedy Wesley and full back Giselle Thompson battle to stop Japan’s offense.Nic Coury / Getty Images

Last-minute change to evolving center back pairing

Ever since Tierna Davidson’s anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury last year, there’s been an open-ended question about which center back would replace her to slot in alongside Girma — and a revolving door of auditions to find out. For the majority of 2025, the answer appeared to be Emily Sonnet, whether Girma was on the pitch; her appearances on the national team were sporadic due to injury. But in the build-up to Saturday’s match, Sonnet sustained an injury during training that forced Hayes to make a last-minute decision about her starting XI. Hayes said Davidson’s return to the team was a little further back from full fitness.

Kennedy Wesley, who plays for the San Diego Wave, earned her fifth international cap when she lined up beside Girma. The two were flanked by Gisele Thompson and Emily Fox with Seattle Reign goalkeeper Claudia Dickey behind them. The backline’s mandate to play out of the back was clear in the first half and was largely successful apart from a few nervy moments. But Wesley’s aerial dominance and physicality with her press allowed Girma to keep the group organized. The security provided by the two Stanford alumni in the middle also freed Fox and Thompson to exploit the flanks and involve themselves in the attack.

Dickey recorded three key saves in the first half and one in the second, including a close-range shot from a corner kick. Her performance tightened the competition between her and Manchester United goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce for the U.S. No. 1 role. — Tamerra Griffin

Japan midfielder Remina Chiba runs by U.S. forward Trinity Rodman and midfielder Rose Lavelle.Nic Coury / Getty Images

What’s next?

This was just the first of three matches the U.S. will play against Japan. The back-to-back-to-back fixtures offer head coach Emma Hayes a unique opportunity to test her players in real time against one of the most technical opponents in the world — an opponent who Hayes described as a contender to win next summer’s World Cup and one she is a “secret fan of.”

“I think 12 months ago, we might have drawn this game. The progress is in staying in the game and not conceding a second goal,” Hayes said after the match. “They created chances. It was a pretty even game with regards to that.

“It’s given me some things that I’ll sit on the plane now and watch to sort of add for our next level. But it’s the test we want, and I’m so happy to have it, because they’re an unbelievable team.”

Hayes has told reporters that her plans for this camp were to field two different teams for the first two matches against Japan. This roster may feature an entirely different look — with regulars like Davidson and Sonnett potentially back in the mix, as well as players like Gotham FC’s Jaedyn Shaw or 2025 NWSL Rookie of the Year Lilly Reale.

“I want to see a different side to us in the second game, with a less experienced group, and see the progress that we have made in the last 12 months,” Hayes said. “Knowing it’s not going to be the first time they’ve faced Japan, but I want to see the progress since the last time.”

Whatever Hayes does for their next fixture on Tuesday in Seattle will offer a rare glimpse into the head coach’s thinking for what this player pool has to offer, especially as more experienced players return to the fold with younger players who have risen through the USWNT ranks over the last year. “We have to prepare ourselves for qualifying,” Hayes said. “We don’t have a lot of windows left, so we need to get some of these players playing back together again. It’s important.”

As for the third match, Hayes has left that open. She suggested that her choices on Friday could be an assessment of how these first two games go, or they could be designed around player availability and managed minutes as some key figures continue to build up their minutes with the national team. — Anzidei

By Melanie Anzidei and Tamerra Griffin

USWNT defender Gisele Thompson is finding her way alongside sister Alyssa

USWNT defender Gisele Thompson controls the ball during an international friendly match against Japan

Gisele Thompson during an international friendly match against Japan Matthew Huang / Getty Images

By Tamerra Griffin

April 14, 2026 6:04 am EDT

Before the U.S. women’s national team’s first of three games against Japan on Saturday, head coach Emma Hayes played “Back Together Again” by Roberta Flack featuring Donny Hathaway for Alyssa and Gisele Thompson.It was an ode to the sisters’ reunion. Ever since the elder Alyssa split from their hometown team, Angel City FC in Los Angeles, to sign with Chelsea last year, the Thompsons, separated by 13 months, now only compete together when they’re in national team camp.In the chorus of the duet is the line: “‘Cause you, you and I back together again // got the world in a spin.”The USWNT claimed the first match of the three-part series with a 2-1 win at PayPal Park in San Jose, Calif. Neither the Thompson sisters nor the U.S. put Japan in a spin, per se. The champions of Asia demanded a full 90-minute performance from their opponents and came close to equalizing late in the game.But at just 20 years old, with eight caps on the national team, Gisele is steadily proving herself worthy of a spot on the 2027 World Cup roster and a chance to be back together again with her sister on football’s biggest stage.

Sisters Gisele Thompson and Alyssa Thompson hold the record for most starts by sisters on the USWNT.Brad Smith / Getty Images

“I mean, how nice is that?” Hayes said. “You’ve got your sister playing in front of you, and they’re going to die for each other on the field.”

For this week’s “Three Words” …

Younger Thompson rising

Gisele earned her first call-up to senior national team camp in November 2024, but her first cap didn’t come until February 2025 at the SheBelieves Cup. As tempting as the storyline has always been to thrust the Thompson sisters into the spotlight as the faces and futures of the USWNT, once Hayes took charge, she set all players on developmental paths that haven’t always aligned with marketable narratives.

Gisele, now 20, wove in and out of senior camps last year, at times spending the international window with the under-23 squad. Even so, Hayes has been keen to bring her into the USWNT. When center-back Tierna Davidson sustained an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in March 2025, Gisele was plucked from the younger team.

She did not play in last February’s U.S. loss to Japan, which makes her progression in that timeframe even more striking. During the 2026 SheBelieves Cup (in which Japan did not participate because they were competing in the Asian Cup), Hayes said she wanted to test Gisele’s endurance across multiple matches.What You Should Read NextUSWNT’s next test: Japan, champions of Asia, with a roster of international stars in the makingU.S. head coach Emma Hayes said Japan is “without question” a favorite for the 2027 Women’s World Cup

“Giselle knows that my goal with her is that I need her to be more durable,” Hayes said after the USWNT’s 1-0 victory over Canada in March. “So I told her, ‘You’re playing 90 minutes. Don’t look at me. You’re not coming off.’”

Japan is an even bigger test.

The U.S. relies on its full backs to have the pace and discernment to propel themselves into the attack without sacrificing their defensive responsibilities. Adding to the challenge of playing Japan was the fact that U.S. center-back Emily Sonnett was pulled from the lineup at the last minute due to an injury from the previous day’s training. Considering Hayes’ plan to utilize two primary rosters across the three fixtures — let’s call them Team A (which will play twice) and Team B — it’s telling that Gisele earned the start on Saturday in a lineup that looked mostly like Team A.

If you look at the Japan match as a continuation of Gisele’s growth from the SheBelieves Cup, her performance was a natural and positive progression. She has figured out how to account for her slight physical size when matching up against opponents, becoming an expert in spatial awareness. Captain Lindsey Heaps had the game-winning goal and Rose Lavelle the assist, but the counterattack that generated the play came from Gisele’s high press that forced a turnover for her sister Alyssa to pick up.

Gisele Thompson and Alyssa Thompson maintain a close bond despite the latter’s move to England to play for Chelsea.Brad Smith / Getty Images

That’s the other factor. The Thompson sisters’ intuitive understanding of each other on the pitch can’t be taught.

At best, it can be manufactured from years of repetition, but with just four starts together (the most of any sister duo in the U.S. program’s history), Gisele and Alyssa already match and elevate each other’s shine. It’s only a matter of time before they are consistently putting the world in a spin like Flack and Hathaway sang about.

But Gisele’s game isn’t without its flaws.

“I think she’s got to develop a couple of things defensively,” Hayes said. “Like second half, she stepped out in situations where she’s got to stay in the back line, otherwise it’s a lot of running for Kennedy (Wesley), which it was.”

There was also an error (apparently due to a lapse in concentration) in the 61st minute when Gisele’s positioning during a Japanese counterattack kept striker (and Asian Cup Golden Boot winner) Riko Ueki onside as she dinked a header past U.S. goalkeeper Claudia Dickey, sullying their clean sheet.

“From a defensive perspective at the highest level, these are details that are going to really, really matter,” Hayes said. “I say that because I know she is not only capable of it, but she has to learn these things because when you play an opponent like Japan, if you watch the goal back, not getting pressure on the service is what’s required at the highest level.”

Japan midfielder Manaka Matsukubo shoots, challenged by US defenders Gisele Thompson and Kennedy Wesley.Nic Coury / Getty Images

With two matches against Japan remaining, the competition for a starting left full-back spot has taken on a new complexion. Defenders Avery Patterson and Lilly Reale have been in and out of recent national team camps due to illness and injury, respectively. They will likely get minutes in this window, and Emily Fox’s starting status at right back is essentially secured. Hayes’ assessment on the opposite side has become even tougher, courtesy of Gisele.

Of the three, Patterson has the most comprehensive attacking qualities as a full back. Reale’s delivery into the box is exceptional. And Gisele, for all of her own skills, also knows exactly how to unlock Alyssa, an edge that no other defender — or player — could come close to. The Thompson sisters have lost just once in the four matches they’ve started together: a 2-1 friendly against Brazil that also took place at PayPal Park last April.

Singers Flack and Hathaway are not siblings, but they were both Howard University students when they met on the historically black college campus in the late 1960s. They became creative co-conspirators and have featured on several of each other’s projects, as well as an eponymous collaboration in 1972.

One of the tracks on that album is a cover of Carole King’s “You’ve Got a Friend.” Hayes didn’t play that one for the Thompson sisters, but it could also hint at the potential for their partnership on the USWNT.

“You just call out my name // And you know wherever I am // I’ll come running, running, running // To see you again.”

By Tamerra Griffin

USWNT defender Gisele Thompson is finding her way alongside sister Alyssa

Gisele Thompson during an international friendly match against Japan Matthew Huang / Getty Images

By Tamerra Griffin

April 14, 2026 6:04 am EDT

It was an ode to the sisters’ reunion. Ever since the elder Alyssa split from their hometown team, Angel City FC in Los Angeles, to sign with Chelsea last year, the Thompsons, separated by 13 months, now only compete together when they’re in national team camp.

AdvertisementIn the chorus of the duet is the line: “‘Cause you, you and I back together again // got the world in a spin.”

The USWNT claimed the first match of the three-part series with a 2-1 win at PayPal Park in San Jose, Calif. Neither the Thompson sisters nor the U.S. put Japan in a spin, per se. The champions of Asia demanded a full 90-minute performance from their opponents and came close to equalizing late in the game.

But at just 20 years old, with eight caps on the national team, Gisele is steadily proving herself worthy of a spot on the 2027 World Cup roster and a chance to be back together again with her sister on football’s biggest stage.

Sisters Gisele Thompson and Alyssa Thompson hold the record for most starts by sisters on the USWNT.Brad Smith / Getty Images

“I mean, how nice is that?” Hayes said. “You’ve got your sister playing in front of you, and they’re going to die for each other on the field.”

For this week’s “Three Words” …

Younger Thompson rising

Gisele Thompson and Alyssa Thompson maintain a close bond despite the latter’s move to England to play for Chelsea.Brad Smith / Getty Images

That’s the other factor. The Thompson sisters’ intuitive understanding of each other on the pitch can’t be taught.

But Gisele’s game isn’t without its flaws.

Japan midfielder Manaka Matsukubo shoots, challenged by US defenders Gisele Thompson and Kennedy Wesley.Nic Coury / Getty Images

“You just call out my name // And you know wherever I am // I’ll come running, running, running // To see you again.”

By Tamerra Griffin

3/31/26 Can US recover vs Portugal Tues 7 pm, Indy 11 US Open Cup Wed home, 6 spots in WC decided today

March 31, 2026March 31, 2026 gatorbest carmel-fc, carmel-soccer, indiana-soccer, indy-11, mckennie, pulisic, reffing-soccer-in-indiana, soccer, soccer-goalkeepers, us-men-vs-portugal, us-mens-soccer, us-women, us-world-cup, usmnt, uswnt

US Bombed by Belgium 1-5 Portugal Tues 7 pm TNT

Ok I am going to be honest I did not see this coming. Yes I predicted a loss — 2-1 but 5-1. I can’t remember the last time the US conceded 5 goals in a game. Five goals? For those questioning my questioning of this defense – there it is. Lets start with the back 4 – not a bad idea to start with line-up against a superior team like Belgium – but Timmy Weah was way out of his league vs Doku – one of the best wingers in the world. I also thought Mark Mckensie was turned a # of times and did not have the best game as 3 of the goal attacks came down the left hand side. Tim Ream continued to show he is TOO OLD to play in the middle against Top 10 competition. Listen I love Tim Ream – have his Fulham jersey in my closet – but at 40 his foot speed is simply too far behind to play good teams. I would say he was involved on 3 of the goals – places where a good centerback makes the play. The lone bright spot was Jedi Robinson in an attacking role though his D could have been better. I know Chris Richards and Tim Robinson were hurt – but this might have showed we are a 3-5-2 team now. We needed 5 on defense vs Belgium and whatever that was needs to end.

Turning to Goalkeeper – unlike most – I was actually ok with the change – I thought Matt Turner might still sneak into the starting slot for the World Cup – ah that’s over now. Sad part is he made some fantastic saves on the day – hell it could have /should have been 8-1 if Turner doesn’t make some saves – but to give up 5 to anyone much less Belgium without Lukaku is a sign you are not the guy. Lets see if Matt Freese can handle the pressure that Portugal is sure to bring tonight.

Offensively we had our moments – Pulisic was still clearly not quite on – his 2 goal chances- blown completely. Balogun had little service but I don’t think I heard his name called once. Pepi and Agyemang coming on late and stealing one goal was impressive and might get Pepi an earlier call to come in during the World Cup. I am still not sure how Poch is going to get his 3 or 4 best mids on the field. I did not work to have Tillman behind the front 2 of Bola & Pulisic – unfortunately – I would like to see Reyna get a start vs Portugal in that spot to see if works. Also what to do with McKennie – he has to be on the field – he scored our goal on the Cornerkick, he probably was the best field player besides Antonee Robinson. The dmid line-up of Cardoso & Tessman actually held their own in the first half of a 1-1 game. Cardoso showed he deserves a spot on the bus for the WC. I thought Tessman had some moments – especially in the 1st half – but when Cristian Roldan came on in the 2nd for Cardoso – the duo was exposed during the 4 goal blasting. Late subs by Berhalter merely showed his MLS self is not ready for this level of play.

So now what? We HAVE to have a good showing vs Portugal, who is without Ronaldo but still tied Mexico 0-0 on Saturday.
The Great New is it appears our best Centerback – the only one starting in the EPL Chris Richards is back in the mix for tonight, I would guess he will start with Trusty who is a left sided Centerback for Celtic. Will be interesting to see if he puts Trusty in the middle and Ream on the left (I hope not) or does he go Joe Scally on the right with Richards in the middle. (my preference). I would also love to see Alex Freeman get a run at right outside back. Of course Freese is back in goal. In the middle trying to replace Adams (who we desperately miss) and the injured Cardoso – I would go with Aidan Morris. The biggest thing is the US Team must show some grit some passion – we just got blasted 5-1 at home with 65K Atlanta – a place we might play in the World Cup – we must show better vs Portugal. With Richards back IF he doesn’t play Tim Ream I think we tie this game 1-1. If he starts Ream – its 3-1 Portugal.

US MEN DETAILED ROSTER BY POSITION (Club/Country; Caps/Goals)
GOALKEEPERS (4): Chris Brady (Chicago Fire FC; 0/0), Roman Celentano (FC Cincinnati; 0/0), Matt Freese (New York City FC; 13/0), Matt Turner (New England Revolution; 52/0)
DEFENDERS (9): Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew; 16/1), Alex Freeman (Villareal/ESP; 13/2), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse/FRA; 25/0), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC; INJURED 79/1), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG; 35/3), Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG;50/4), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; 38/3), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 22/0), Auston Trusty (Celtic/SCO; 5/0)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps/CAN; 9/1), Johnny Cardoso (INJURED Atlético Madrid/ESP; 22/0), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 62/11), Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough/ENG; 13/0), Gio Reyna (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 34/9), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders FC; 43/0), Tanner Tessmann (Olympique Lyon/FRA; 12/1); Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen/GER; 26/3)
FORWARDS (6): Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United/ENG; 56/9); Patrick Agyemang (Derby County/ENG; 12/5), Folarin Balogun ( AS Monaco/FRA; 23/8), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 34/13), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan/ITA; 82/32), Timothy Weah (Olympique Marseille/FRA; 47/7)

WORLD CUP QUALIFYING the Last 6 Teams Will Be Decided Tuesday

So its put up or shut up time for 6 teams to make the World Cup – my Italy again has their backs to the Wall and must win in a hostile stadium vs an old Bosnia team at 2:45 pm on FS1. Of most interest for the US is Kosovo basically hosting Turkey with the winner advancing to the US group as the 3rd game vs the US. Turkey looked good – and 86th ranked Kosovo needed penalties to advance but look out on this one. The US REALLY NEEDS KOSOVO to Win. Live on FS2

Indy 11 Plays Tonite 7 pm and Sat 7 pm vs Pittsburgh

Indy Eleven came back from a halftime deficit with two second-half goals to earn a 2-2 draw at USL Championship Eastern Conference opponent Hartford Athletic. Indy Eleven has two home games at Carroll Stadium this week–Tue. Mar. 31 for a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Second Round match vs. Union Omaha at 7 p.m., and Sat. Apr. 4 against the defending USL champion Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC. Ticket options available include Family Four-Packs, pro-rated Season Tickets, and Flex Mini-Plans. The Family Four-Pack is available for all 2026 home games and it can be purchased online only. Priced at just $49, the Family Four-Pack includes four tickets, FREE parking, $20 in Concession Vouchers, and a 20% Merchandise Discount, along with access to the Fun Zone/Kids Activation Area.

Congrats to the 2010 Carmel FC Boys for winning the River City Classic in Cincy for a 2nd time in 3 years

Huge congrats to Coach Mark Stumpf (right) battling thru the pain this weekend. The boys were great! Yes
that’s me the ole ballcoach on the left.

TV Schedule – Games on TV

Tues, Mar 31
2:30 pm FS1 Italy vs Bosnia WC Qualifier
2:30 pm FS2 Kosovo vs Turkiye WC Qualifier
2:45 pm Fubu Sweden vs Poland WC Qualifier
2:45 pm Fubu Czechia vs Denmark WC Qualifier
7 pm TNT, HBO, Peacock USA Men vs Portugal
7 pm Para+ Indy 11 vs Union Omaha US Open Cup
9 pm FS1. Peacock Congo DR vs Jamaica WCQ 1
11 pm FS1, Peacock Iraq vs Bolivia WCQ2
Weds, Apr 1
7:30 pm CBS Galazo Michigan Bucks vs Detroit City US open Cup
8 pm CBS Sports Net Colorado Springs vs Spokane Wash US Open Cup
Thur, Apr 2
12:45 pm CBSSN Barcelona vs Real Madrid – Women’s UCL
3 pm CBSSN OL Lyon vs Wolfsburg – Women’s UCL
Fri, Apr 2
10 am Para+ West Brom vs Wrexham
3 pm PAra+ Coventry City vs Derby County (Agyemang)
8 pm Amazon Prime Orlando Pride vs Angel City NWSL
Sat, Apr 4
7:30 am ESPN Man City vs Liverpool FA Cup
9:30 am ESPN+ Freiburg vs Bayern Munich
9:30 am ESPN+ Wolfsburg vs Bayern Leverkusen (Tilman)
12:!5 pm ESPN+ Chelsea vs Port Vale FA Cup
3 pm ESPN+ Southampton vs Arsenal FA Cup
3 pm ESPN+, ESPND Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona
4 pm CBS KC Current vs NY/NJ Gotham NWSL
6:30 pm Tubi TV NC Courage vs Portland Thorns NWSL
7 pm TV 8? Indy 11 vs
7 pm Uni Monterrey vs Athletico Liga MX
7:30 pm Apple Free Atlanta United vs Columbus Crew
7:30 pm Apple free Miami vs Austin
7:30 pm Apple Free NY Red Bulls vs Cincy
8:30 pm Apple free Houston vs Seattle Sounders
8:30 pm Apple free Chicago Fire vs Nashville
8:45 pm Tubi TV Seattle Reign vs Denver Summit NWSL
9:30 pm Apple Free LAFC vs Orlando
10:30 pm Apple Free LA Galaxy vs Minn
Sun Apr 5
9:30 am ESPN+ Union Berlin vs St Pauli
10:30 am ESPN+ Valencia vs Celta Vigo
11:30 am ESPN 2 West Ham vs Leeds United (Aaronson) FA CUP
2:45 pm Para+ Inter Milan vs Roma Italy
2:45 pm beIN Sport Monaco (Balogun) vs Marseille (Weah)
5 pm ESPN2 Bay FC vs Washington Spirit (Rodman) NWSL

Sat, Apr 11
7 pm TNT, HBO US Women vs Japan
Tues, Apr 12
7 pm TNT, HBO US Women vs Japan
Sun, May 31
3:30 pm TNT, HBO, Peacock USA Men vs Senegal
Fri. Apr. 17, 7:30 pm | IU vs. Notre Dame GRAND PARK
Sat. Apr. 18, 6:00 pm | Saint Louis vs. Xavier GRAND PARK
Sat, June 6
2:30 pm TNT, HBO, Peacock USA Men vs Germany in Chicago
Sat, June 12 WORLD CUP
9 pm Fox, Tele, Peacock USA Men vs Paraguay World Cup
Complete 2026 World Cup schedule featuring match dates and start times
NWSL Schedule

US Players on Duty — Friday

PSG vs Toulouse, 2:45p on beIN Sports, Fubo (free trial): Mark McKenzie and Toulouse have a big task on their hands defending PSG in this Ligue 1 match.
Coventry vs Derby, 3p on Paramount+: Haji Wright and Coventry City host Patrick Agyemang and Derby County in the EFL Championship.

Also in action:

Middlesbrough vs Millwall, 7:30a on Paramount+: Aidan Morris and Boro host Millwall in the EFL Championship.
Charlton vs Bristol City, 10a: Charlie Kelman and Charlton Athletic host Bristol City in the EFL Championship.
West Brom vs Wrexham, 10a on Paramount+: George Campbell, Daryl Dike, and West Brom host Wrexham in the EFL Championship.
Vitória Guimarães vs Tondela, 1p: Jordan Pefok and Tondela visit Vitória de Guimarães in Liga Portugal.

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USA

U.S. considering tactic shift to get Pulisic on track
Chris Richards Available for USMNT vs. Portugal
Pulisic, U.S. ‘shocked’ by Belgium jersey clash
How has USMNT player pool evolved since 2022, and what does it mean for World Cup?
USMNT handed reality check by Doku, Belgium ahead of World Cup
Player ratings: Weah poor as USMNT suffer heavy Belgium defeat
A good USMNT start becomes a disastrous finish in Belgium loss
USA vs. Portugal, 2026 USMNT Friendly: Scouting Portugal
USA vs. Portugal, 2026 USMNT friendly: preview – the devil is in the big picture
Belgium dismantles USMNT 5-2 in nightmare friendly, raising World Cup alarms for Mauricio Pochettino
US looks to Maintain Intensity this Time vs Portugal
US vs Portugal

World Cup

Italy’s rich World Cup history includes plenty of playoff heartbreak
Gattuso: Italy would ‘give their lives’ for World Cup, but warns about Bosnia fouls and referee
Sandro Tonali SHINES as Italy wins World Cup Qualifying …
76 days to the World Cup: The headbutt that went down in history

GK

MLS: Best Saves of the Week
US Turner Struggles vs Belgium
USMNT goalkeeper Matt Turner: “We can’t hide from it” 🇺🇸 A …

Reffing

High School Rule Changes for 2026 Season
How to Become a Travel Ref

Huge congrats to my Ref Buddy (L doing his first D1 – College Game last Week !!

2026 World Cup playoffs: Who will claim the final six spots?

Mark OgdenMar 31, 2026, 03:21 AM ET

The 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup kicks off on June 11 when co-hosts Mexico play South Africa in Mexico City, but six qualification places are still up for grabs in the European and intercontinental playoffs.

The final qualified teams will be confirmed Tuesday with four European nations and the winners of the two intercontinental playoff finals sealing their spot in the Canada, Mexico and the United America this summer.

Kosovo will host Türkiye attempting to reach their first World Cup, and four-time world champions Italy must win at Bosnia and Herzegovina to avoid missing out on the finals for the third successive tournament.

Iraq (1986), Congo DR (as Zaire in 1974), Bolivia (1994) and Türkiye (2002) are all looking to end lengthy absences from the World Cup, but who will be victorious in the six qualification finals?

– World Cup: Who has qualified, and how the rest can make it
– USMNT handed reality check by Belgium ahead of World Cup
– Cost of the World Cup: The price tag to follow your team to glory

EUROPE

PATH A
Winner enters World Cup Group B (Canada, Qatar, Switzerland)

Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Italy (Zenica, Bosnia): Edin Dzeko‘s 86th-minute goal against Wales in Cardiff was the lifeline Bosnia needed to stay in the semifinal and take the game to penalties, which ended with a 4-2 shootout win for Sergej Barbarez’s team. At 40 years old, former Manchester City, AS Roma and Inter Milan striker Dzeko will become one of the oldest outfield players to appear at a World Cup if he can inspire Bosnia again in the final, but Italy will go into the game as strong favorites.

Gennaro Gattuso’s team overcame a nervous start to beat Northern Ireland 2-0 on Bergamo in Thursday’s semifinal and that victory has boosted morale in Italy following playoff heartbreak in 2018 and 2022. Bosnia have home advantage in Zenica at the hostile Stadium Bilino Polje, but Italy have the pedigree of Gianluigi Donnarumma, Sandro Tonali and Manuel Locatelli, so they will have no excuses for another playoff failure.

Winners: Italy

Laurens: Italy face tougher test against Bosnia and Herzegovina

Julien Laurens breaks down Bosnia and Herzegovina’s dramatic penalty win over Wales ahead of their World Cup showdown with Italy.

PATH B
Winner enters World Cup Group F (Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia)

Sweden vs. Poland (Stockholm, Sweden): Viktor Gyökeres almost single-handedly sealed Sweden’s place in the final with a hat trick in Thursday’s 3-1 semifinal win against Ukraine in Valencia. Sweden, now coached by former Chelsea and West Ham United boss Graham Potter, seriously underperformed during the qualifiers witha winless group campaign, but they now have a home game against Poland to book a place at the World Cup.

The Poles had to fight back from going a goal down against Albania in Warsaw before winning 2-1 with goals from Robert Lewandowski and Piotr Zielinski and they go into the Sweden game having run Netherlands close in their qualifying group. Recent form suggests that Poland will be favorites, but Sweden are at home and the confidence of a big win against Ukraine. It will be close, but Sweden will shade it — maybe even on penalties.

Winners: Sweden

PATH C
Winner enters World Cup Group D (United States, Paraguay, Australia)

Kosovo vs. Türkiye (Pristina, Kosovo): Though Türkiye’s semifinal against Romania went as expected with Vincenzo Montella’s team winning 1-0 through Ferdi Kadioglu‘s goal, Kosovo upset the odds with a 4-3 win away to Slovakia. Kosovo went into the playoffs as the lowest-ranked European nation still alive in the competition, sitting in 78th position between Israel and Oman in the FIFA World Ranking, but they dominated in Bratislava to seal a deserved victory.

Franco Foda’s team is young, bold and full of pace and energy, and they have the ability to shock a Türkiye team stacked with top talent including Arda Güler, Hakan Çalhanoglu and Kenan Yildiz. Türkiye have won the two previous meetings between the teams and will be favorites, but Stadiumi Fadil Vokrri will be rocking in Pristina on Tuesday, and a passionate atmosphere could tip the balance in Kosovo’s favor.

Winners: Kosovo

PATH D
Winner enters World Cup Group A (Mexico, South Korea, South Africa)

Czechia vs. Denmark (Prague, Czechia): Czechia looked dead and buried against the Republic of Ireland after finding themselves 2-0 down in Prague after 23 minutes, but Miroslav Koubek’s team fought back to take the game to penalties before winning 4-3 from the spot kicks.

But the Czechs will face a Denmark side that showed its quality with a 4-0 win against North Macedonia in Copenhagen, so the Danes will be strong favorites heading into the final. The questions about Denmark have nothing to do with their quality — coach Brian Riemer has Christian Eriksen, Rasmus Højlund and Christian Norgaard on his roster — but whether they can handle the pressure of being favorites. A draw against Belarus and defeat against Scotland saw them blow their hopes of automatic qualification, so will they feel the heat against the Czechs? That’s the danger for Denmark, but perhaps beating North Macedonia has proved their mettle.

Winners: Denmark

INTERCONTINENTAL PLAYOFFS

PATHWAY 1
Winner enters World Cup Group K (Portugal, Uzbekistan, Colombia)

Congo DR vs. Jamaica (Zapopan, Mexico): Jamaica toiled to a 1-0 win against rank outsiders New Caledonia in the semifinal, so they will have to step up several levels to have any hope of beating Congo DR.

Congo, nicknamed the “Warriors of the Equator,” have top-level European experience in their squad with Aaron Wan-Bissaka (West Ham United), Arthur Masuaku (Lens), Yoane Wissa (Newcastle United) and captain Chancel Mbemba (Lille), so they should be too strong for a Jamaica side led by interim coach Rudolph Speid. Wrexham’s Bailey Cadamarteri scored the match winner for Jamaica against New Caledonia, but repeating that effort will be tough against one of the strongest African teams.

Winners: Congo DR

PATHWAY 2
Winner enters World Cup Group I (France, Senegal, Norway)

Iraq vs. Bolivia (Guadalupe, Mexico): Iraq’s preparations for their playoff have been thrown into disarray by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, forcing coach Graham Arnold to ask FIFA for the game to postponed due to the difficulties of his squad being about to travel from the region. But Tuesday’s match will go ahead and the Lions of Mesopotamia will have a full squad due to call on after being given the use of a private jet to travel to Mexico. Whether the disruption to their plans will affect Iraq’s chances remains to be seen, but Bolivia’s 2-1 semifinal win over Suriname, when they overturned a 1-0 deficit to claim victory, showed that the South American nation is match ready — the same cannot be said for Iraq. Having had no competitive games since December, Iraq might struggle to win this game and end a 40-year wait for a World Cup appearance.

Winners: Bolivia

USA vs. Portugal, 2026 USMNT friendly: preview – the devil is in the big picture

More questions ahead of the last friendly before the World Cup breakby Parker Cleveland Mar 30, 2026, 11:44 AM EDT Stars & Stripes

United States v Belgium - International Friendly

ATLANTA, GEORGIA – MARCH 28: Weston McKennie #8 of the United States celebrates scoring during the first half against Belgium during an international friendly at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on March 28, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Omar Vega/USSF/Getty Images)Getty Images

The USMNT will close out its March friendly window looking to bounce back after falling apart in the second half to Belgium on Saturday. In that match, Mauricio Pochettino put forward an attack minded lineup with four out and out attackers plus Tim Weah at right back. It seemed to pay off at first with the USA jumping out to an early lead thanks to a goal from Wes McKennie, that would be the high point for the USA as Belgium scored four goals in 23 minutes scoring the first right before the half and another in 82nd with the Americans pulling one back three minutes before the death.

The match itself was underscored by questions in defense and goalkeeper – mainly, what happens when the team doesn’t have Chris Richards and who should start between the sticks? The answer to the Richards dilemma is clearly, we don’t know while the keeper solution is probably anyone except for Matt Turner. The match also showed that Tim Ream is not at the level needed to take on a top 10 team in the world, the same for that matter can be said of Mark McKenzie. Aside from Ream’s handball, Belgium had no issue controlling the ball around the box and playing around the central defenders.

As far as taking on Portugal, Poch will need to come up with more effective defensive tactics with the European Nations League champs licking their chops at the prospect of taking on a team that struggled the way the USA did defensively. Adding to this issue is that Johnny Cardoso was OK at defensive midfield. That might have been acceptable if the game wasn’t asking him to do more to cover for the center backs but either he needs to step up or step aside for the team to find an effective replacement for Tyler Adams.

Portugal comes into the game having drawn 0-0 to Mexico at El Azteca over the weekend. The Iberians were the more attack minded of the teams but failed to find a goal despite dominating possession with 66% of the passing and an xG of 1.39. El Tri played in a 4-1-4-1 formation and held strong defensively with Portugal getting the better of the chances. For their part, Portugal played in their 4-2-3-1 and was attack minded as advertised.

For this match, the task for the Americans is pretty straight forward: find a defensive posture that works, keep Bruno Fernandes from dictating the tempo, stop Joao Felix or Pedro Neto from finding space to score or create for his teammates, and in attack keep the ball in the face of their opponent’s press.

It will be interesting to see how Poch addresses the situation in defense. The USA did very well with a three center back set up at the end of last year. Alex Freeman and Joe Scally are both capable of playing in that system but the team needs a central defender to fill the void left by Richards in anchoring the backline. If the team steps up and plays solid defense, gets a good match out of whoever starts at keeper, and finds a way to get through the Portugal backline, the Americans might be able to go into the World Cup with a promising performance against one of the best teams in the world. If not, it could be a long night and a longer few months with more questions following the team into the start of the tournament.

USMNT exposed with tactical approach to Belgium, makes for a World Cup warning

Mauricio Pochettino speaks to his USMNT players

Mauricio Pochettino of the United States speaks with the team during the first half of Saturday’s friendly against Belgium. Andrew J. Clark / ISI Photos / USS

By Henry Bushnell and Charlie Davies March 30, 2026 The Athletic

ATLANTA — “Football,” Mauricio Pochettino said, “is in the details.” And it was in the details Saturday that the U.S. men’s national team faltered against Belgium.There was no one reason for the USMNT’s unraveling in a 5-2 loss. There was, instead, a succession of minor individual shortcomings that magnified one broader flaw in Pochettino’s tactical setup.“Pochettino should’ve never changed back to a back four,” says Charlie Davies, a former USMNT forward and columnist for The Athletic, “when he made so much progress with the back three this past fall.”Lineups with three center backs helped revive the USMNT last September. Players and Pochettino himself said the new formation helped “simplify things.” In October and November, they alternated between hybrid systems, but never returned to a back four with two fullbacks bombing up and down both wings.On Saturday, they did that — and they got burned.Belgium’s first three goals, plus a fourth that was disallowed for a handball, all originated on the left wing, with the ball at the feet of the game’s most dangerous player, Jérémy Doku. And three of the four happened after Tim Weah, the U.S. right back tasked with defending Doku, was caught higher up the field.He was higher up the field by design. In this more complicated 4-2-3-1 formation, when in possession, a central midfielder would drop between the center backs or to the left of them; an attacking midfielder would come deep; both fullbacks would advance.It was the opposite of the 3-4-3’s simplicity. And it came with tradeoffs.“There were a number of moments where the movement from Johnny Cardoso and Tanner Tessmann would ultimately help them in the buildup,” Davies says. “They found Weston McKennie in the pocket. He’d play it to Christian Pulisic, and then they’d get out. They would find ways to break down Belgium’s mid-block.” They would get Weah and Antonee Robinson, the fullbacks, on the ball in dangerous positions.“But in doing that,” Davies says, “multiple times, they also got exposed.”

Dealing with Doku

Pochettino, at his post-match news conference, brushed aside discussion of the formation switch. He also said that Weah, a converted winger, “defended really, really well.” The “problem,” Pochettino argued, “was that no one helped (Weah) in the last third, in the areas that are really important to help.”“The plan,” Weah confirmed, “was to double team” Doku. A midfielder would slide over to help. And for most of 45 minutes, Cardoso, Tessmann and McKennie did this reasonably well. They’d be responsible if Doku cut inside.If, on the other hand, Doku went toward the end line, Weah would be prepared to keep up and block the cross. When settled and with inside help, Weah did this reasonably well on all but one occasion.

In the 45th minute, though, the “help” was too passive. McKennie and Tessmann both retreated into the box… but never stepped up to confront Doku when the Belgian winger came inside.

A screenshot of USMNT's friendly vs. Belgium

Doku’s shot was palmed away by Turner, but in part because he’d drawn so much attention, the rebound found Zeno Debast in loads of space outside the box. Debast had time to line up a fizzing 25-yard drive. Multiple U.S. players were slow to close him down. Matt Turner was slow across his goal. And just like that, it was 1-1.That Belgian goal, however, was the outlier.

USMNT gets caught in transition

On the second Belgium goal and the sequence that led to the third, the root cause didn’t seem to be a lack of help; it was a lack of structure.Even in the first half, there were warning signs. In the 37th minute, the U.S. had taken up its in-possession shape, with Weah on the right wing. Turner mis-hit a pass, possession turned over, and suddenly, Doku was running at Cardoso one-v-one — with Weah trailing the play.

Then, in the 52nd minute, Weah was attacking deep in the final third. He helped set up a Pulisic chance. Moments later, he was racing back toward the defensive third, chasing Kevin De Bruyne. De Bruyne fed Doku, who ran at U.S. center back Mark McKenzie — with Weah once again trailing.

Seven U.S. players in total scrambled back into the penalty box to help. But that left Andre Onana free at the top of the box to put Belgium ahead — and remind U.S. fans of nightmares past.“What pisses me off is that the same weaknesses of younger U.S. squads still seem to be there,” Davies says. “They collapse into their own 18-yard box and defend. And it’s almost like a psychological thing: if you have numbers in the box, back, you feel like you’re defending, and you’ve got the numerical advantage in front of your goal. But ultimately, they leave the top of the box always open for late runs, for people who are just lurking at the top.”Three minutes later, the structural flaws emerged again.In the 55th minute, on one end, Weah advanced all the way into Belgium’s penalty box and sliced a volley off target.“He was almost like a right wingback on that play,” Davies says. The problem, of course, is that he’d been tasked with defending like a true fullback, with only two central defenders to cover for him.Weah lingered high up the field after that chance as the U.S. pressed Belgium.

When Belgium cycled the ball to the opposite side, easily evading the USMNT’s first line of confrontation, Weah began to retreat — but not quickly enough. His positioning allowed a Belgian defender to ping a 70-yard diagonal to Doku — a pass that should never be completeable.

Belgium completes a long pass to Jeremy Doku

Weah was suddenly scrambling and isolated. Tessmann hurried back to help but didn’t arrive in time. Doku beat Weah with a give-and-go. His shot was saved by Turner, but the follow-up earned Belgium a penalty. And the game, for all intents and purposes, was gone.

‘That’s what I don’t like about this fluid 4-2-3-1’

This is the peril of playing a shape-shifting 4-2-3-1 rather than a relatively simple 3-4-3.With the ball, the USMNT builds in a 3-2-5 shape. When set up in a 3-4-3, two of the “4” — the wingbacks — simply have to join the front three.To get to it from a 4-2-3-1 base, on the other hand, two of the back “4” — the fullbacks — were joining the front line on Saturday; one of the “2” holding midfielders had to fill for them; and one of the “3” had to fill for him.Back in September, when the U.S. switched to the 3-4-3, “we didn’t have guys moving from one position to another,” captain Tim Ream said. There were no convoluted rotations from defense to attack or vice versa. “We were already set in that structure.”In the 4-2-3-1, the movements provide attacking benefits, which is seemingly why Pochettino likes it.“This is his formation, this is where he feels most comfortable,” Davies says.“But in defensive transition — that’s what I don’t like about this fluid 4-2-3-1, with a center mid dropping deep,” Davies continues. “At least when you’re not typically a team that’s keeping possession. If you’re a team like Spain, go ahead. When you don’t do that consistently, and you have this type of formation, that’s when things get tough in transition.”

The ‘intensity’ dip

Pochettino’s main explanation for the collapse was a drop in “intensity.” On Belgium’s first goal, and again on the second, “we were not aggressive enough,” Pochettino said.Davies saw this too, especially after the second goal went in. “You could see heads drop,” Davies says. “And they’re like, ‘Oh s***, here we go again.’”That was perhaps most evident on Belgium’s fourth goal. When the ball switched from left to right, Pulisic simply let Belgian right back Thomas Meunier carry it from his defensive half into the final third. Cristian Roldan, therefore, was forced to step in, halt Meunier’s progress and track his run, leaving substitute fullback Max Arfsten one-v-one with Dodi Lukebakio. Arfsten got crossed, Lukebakio dipped inside, and multiple U.S. players just watched Lukebakio pick out the top corner.

Lukebakio dueling Arfsten also represented the gap in quality between the two squads. Belgium called upon substitutes from Benfica and Juventus. The U.S. brought in players from MLS. After those substitutions, the U.S. struggled to connect many progressive passes. Sebastian Berhalter, for example, looked out of his depth.The gap between the starting 11s was slimmer. And intensity can close some quality gaps.

“I feel pretty damn good about that first half,” Davies says. “It’s kind of what you would hope for when you’re talking about a competitive match against Belgium.”

But when focus and energy slipped, quality rose to the surface — just like it did when the U.S. lost to Germany in 2023 and the Netherlands in 2022.

All eyes will be on Tuesday’s response vs. Portugal.

Pochettino’s World Cup mandate for USMNT is clear: Intensity is not optional

USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino addresses his team during defeat to Belgium

Andrew J. Clark / ISI Photos / USSF / Getty Images)

By Paul Tenorio

March 30, 2026Updated 6:42 pm EDT

MARIETTA, Ga. — On Sunday afternoon, a day after his team took a 5-2 loss to Belgium, U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino watched Colombia and France battle it out in an exhibition in Landover, Md.The ferocity and pace of France’s 3-1 win made an impression on him. There was nothing in the game that made it feel like it was a no-stakes “friendly.”

“Do you think that the coach of Colombia, losing the game, is going to complain about some players?” Pochettino asked. “They played like this was the final of the World Cup. And France, when they saw the intensity and the aggression of Colombia said: ‘If we don’t play as intense, they will kill us.’ That is intensity.”

After Colombia-France, Pochettino caught highlights of Argentine club Racing’s Copa Argentina clash with third-division side San Martín de Formoso, which featured several hard tackles, a few scraps and a red card. Finally, he caught his former club Newell’s Old Boys’ 2-0 loss to Acassuso in the same tournament.

“In these games, if you don’t have aggression and intensity and everything, you can’t play there,” Pochettino said.

That it was the intensity level that stood out across Pochettino’s soccer viewing was the problem.

An equivalent vigor was lacking from the U.S. against Belgium. It felt inexcusable with the World Cup just two months away. And that wasn’t just perception. U.S. Soccer’s data showed that the Americans were not as aggressive defensively almost across the board compared to previous camps, Pochettino noted.

“One of the things that worried us most when we compared the last two matches — Uruguay and Paraguay — with Belgium (it) was what I mentioned before: the lack of intensity,” he said. “Where? In both boxes, box to box. The numbers — how much we dropped in our ability to be aggressive, in that intensity when recovering the ball, in not allowing the opponent to transition — if you compare it to Paraguay or Uruguay, we’re at about half. We’ve given the opponent far too much space.”

Pochettino praised his team’s ability to be dangerous in the attack. “We have good players,” he said. But it’s the defensive aggression that gives the team the balance and “solidity” it needs to compete, he added.

Asked what might have been lacking against Belgium, U.S. captain Tim Ream said that, “in some moments, it’s a decision.”

“It’s just an overall effort,” he said. “It’s not that guys don’t want to do it; it’s sometimes, ‘Oh, we’ve just made an effort.’ And now it’s about making another one. It’s about making not just the first, (but) the second, the third, the fourth. And sometimes that doesn’t happen. And that’s just something that is a non-negotiable, really. And it’s something that we were doing really well in the fall, last year. And it’s something we have to get back to.”

I had a similar viewing experience to Pochettino on Sunday, only rather than the games the U.S. coach took in, I caught a preview of CBS’s new documentary series on former U.S. forward Clint Dempsey, You Don’t Know Where I’m From, Dawg.

The five-part series chronicles Dempsey’s rise out of Nacogdoches, Texas, to become a U.S. Soccer Hall of Famer who would score goals at three World Cups, tie for the USMNT’s all-time lead in goals and become Fulham’s all-time leading Premier League goalscorer. It honed in, unsurprisingly, on Dempsey’s famous drive and his constant need to prove himself.

“Make them f***king play you,” Dempsey said on Sunday night, summing up the mentality that drove him to the top.

Clint Dempsey celebrates a USA goal vs Portugal at the 2014 World Cup

Clint Dempsey scored against the USA’s next opponent, Portugal, back at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.Elsa / Getty Images

Dempsey invented slights and enemies to push himself to the next level. He took every snub and used it as motivation. It’s what made him one of the greatest players in U.S. history. Coming out of the documentary, it felt like it should be required viewing for this U.S. team. Not just because of how much Dempsey’s story and path to success might remind them of the drive needed to achieve greatness, but because the clips of the U.S. team’s successes at previous World Cups were rooted in the very same qualities as Dempsey’s own story.The U.S. has always been a team that has to prove itself. This team too often feels like it lacks that mentality.As another U.S. great, Landon Donovan, told The Athletic on Monday: “It’s not that they don’t care, but maybe they don’t have enough pride,” he said. “Maybe that’s the way I need to say it. … I would have been mortified to be losing in a home game three months before the World Cup with 70,000 people there. I would have been unbelievably embarrassed losing 4-1 and 5-1, forget it. I probably would have got sent off.“I’m just trying to figure out why is nobody yelling at each other? Why is nobody getting a yellow card? Why is nobody stopping (Jérémy) Doku after he’s terrorized us for 70 minutes? Why is this not happening? I can’t figure it out. I don’t know if it’s generational or if it’s this team in particular, but that just doesn’t happen. And it blows my mind.”It’s why Pochettino said he wants his players to watch the types of games he took in on Sunday. To see the level of aggression, desire and drive that is necessary for teams to reach their best levels. Not for nine out of 10 recovery runs, or for 60 minutes out of 90, but for every single run and every single minute.

USMNT goalkeeper Matt Turner reacts to a Belgium goal

It was a long day in goal for Matt Turner, who conceded five against Belgium in Saturday’s friendly.David J. Griffin / Icon Sportswire / Getty Images

The Argentine coach knocked on the table in front of him at Monday’s press conference as he thought about how to describe why it’s such an important part of any team’s identity — and especially so for this team.

It’s clear that the U.S. still hasn’t developed the necessary habits, the ability to push constantly, that will be needed to beat the best teams in the world. And if the U.S. players don’t do it against Belgium and Portugal in this window, what makes them think it’ll come naturally once the World Cup kicks off?

“There’s still time to realize that we need to compete like the (Colombia) game against France,” Pochettino said.

Tuesday against Portugal will show whether they’ve taken on that lesson. Because as special as these players might – and still can – be, the key to success might be to show just how much they’re the same as the U.S. teams that came before them. To prove that while they might be able to play their way into bigger conversations, they can also fight their way to results.

Landon Donovan questions USMNT pride, says Belgium loss could do ‘psychological damage’

USMNT players show their disappointment after Belgium's Zeno Debast scores

Dirk Waem / Belga Mag / AFP / Getty Images

By Adam Crafton March 30, 2026Updated 6:39 pm EDT

ATLANTA — U.S. men’s national team great Landon Donovan has warned that Saturday’s 5-2 defeat to Belgium has the potential to do “psychological damage” to Mauricio Pochettino’s team ahead of the World Cup, and he also questioned whether the current squad is showing enough “pride” in its performances.Donovan, who represented the U.S. at three World Cups and is tied with Clint Dempsey as the team’s all-time leading scorer, spoke to The Athletic on Monday, less than 48 hours after the team began the March international window with the heavy loss at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The U.S. will play Portugal at the same venue on Tuesday night. The Athletic asked Donovan whether pre-tournament warm-up games could have a serious impact on a team’s momentum and confidence ahead of a World Cup. Donovan, reflecting on his own period as a player, said: “No — but I’ll tell you why. We were very clear in our identity. We were never worried about conceding five goals – that would never, ever have happened. We might have lost games and we did. But that was never in the conversation — ever. For this team, I am concerned. There’s no question that conceding five goals at home three months before the World Cup is going to do psychological damage to the team and the players. “The good news is they have another chance to get rid of that result quickly. The bad news is they’re playing Portugal and so we’re going to learn a lot about this team. ” The U.S. actually took the lead against Belgium in the first half through Weston McKennie but was pegged back before the interval. Then, between the 53rd and 68th minutes, the U.S. performance deteriorated and the team went 4-1 down. What does it feel like for a player when a game spirals out of a team’s grasp?

“I will never forget we played an MLS game with the (LA) Galaxy away in Houston. It was one of those August days, 97 degrees, and after 23 minutes, they were up three goals. I pulled everybody into the field and nobody wanted to hear it.

“They’re all looking away and I said, ‘Look at me, if we lose today, we lose, but we’re not getting embarrassed, have some personal pride, care about what you do.’ We ended up losing 3-0. Tim Howard and I did our podcast (Unfiltered Soccer) this morning and the part we cannot figure out is why it seems like nobody cared. They’re running around and they’re trying. But there were no yellow cards. Nobody got kicked.”

Does he really believe the USMNT players do not care?

“Care’s not the right word,” he clarifies. “It’s not that they don’t care, but maybe they don’t have enough pride. Maybe that’s the way I need to say it. Fair point. But I would have been mortified to be losing a home game three months before the World Cup with 70,000 people there. I would have been unbelievably embarrassed losing 4-1 and 5-1, forget it. I probably would have got sent off. I’m just trying to figure out why is nobody yelling at each other? Why is nobody getting a yellow card? Why is nobody stopping (Jérémy) Doku after he’s terrorized us for 70 minutes? Why is this not happening? I can’t figure it out. I don’t know if it’s generational or if it’s this team in particular, but that just doesn’t happen. And it blows my mind.”

One of the more unexpected and bizarre storylines on Saturday emerged due to a uniform clash between the USMNT home kit and the new Belgian away kit, and neither side had a spare stock of their alternative kit at the venue. The jerseys were approved in advance by the match commissioner and the referee also did not appear to take umbrage. Afterwards, players including USMNT forward Christian Pulisic and Belgian pair Senne Lammens and Amadou Onana complained about the challenge it presented to those on the field.
Has Donovan ever experienced such a clash? “No,” he says, laughing. “In fact, one of the first things you’re taught when you’re a pro, and it only happened to me once, I didn’t have my studded cleats and it started to rain. The coach said if you ever show up without both pairs of cleats, then I would not play ever again. ‘I was like, OK!’“It is beyond my imagination how that is allowed to happen, the amount of people that had to get through and the amount of processes that had to happen. It just blows my mind. But in the end, the referee makes the final decision on all these things. At some point the referee had to say, or maybe they didn’t, that this is not OK. It was bizarre and probably fitting for the night.”

The U.S. was missing key players in central defense, with Crystal Palace’s Chris Richards a particular blow – though he said Monday he “is available” to face Portugal. Saturday’s goalkeeper, Matt Turner, is not expected to be the starter at the World Cup, where Matt Freese is thought to be in pole position. Yet it is clear that the U.S. has a weakness at the heart of the back line, and Donovan says it is only through making the team collectively harder to beat that this can be managed.

“I’ve said all along that when we play real teams, this is an issue,” Donovan says. “It just is what it is.”

“We still don’t have a lot of answers on the back line. All of that can be solved with a spirit and a fight that helps you compete, making the sum of the parts way better than the individual. If you’re playing a team like Belgium, with real world class players on the field, you can get embarrassed. So at a minimum, forget about the formation or tactics or who is playing, if you can’t compete man to man against somebody, you have no chance. They’re just better players. So we have to get that part right first.”

Player ratings: Weah poor as USMNT suffers heavy Belgium defeat

Cesar HernandezMar 28, 2026, 06:47 PM ET

The U.S. men’s national team stumbled to a 5-2 home loss against Belgium in a friendly at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday.

Amid a competitive first half, the U.S. took the lead in the 39th minute thanks to Weston McKennie tapping in the ball from short range after a corner from Antonee Robinson. Belgium equalized with Zeno Debast‘s powerful shot from distance in the 45th minute that sneaked past American goalkeeper Matt Turner.

After the break, the visitors took full and dominant control. Rapid-fire goals from Amadou Onana (53rd minute), Charles De Ketelaere (penalty in 59th minute) and Dodi Lukebakio (goals in 68th minute, 82nd minutes) silenced the crowd as Belgium flexed their muscle against a lackluster U.S. side. After a total of eight substitutions, a consolation goal was then earned by the Americans after Ricardo Pepi halted a pass that led to a shot that found the back of the net from Patrick Agyemang in the 87th minute.

From here, U.S coach Mauricio Pochettino and his roster will now prepare for their second and final friendly of the March window against Portugal next Tuesday.

– Carlisle: USMNT handed reality check by Belgium ahead of World Cup
– O’Hanlon: Does the USMNT have the depth required to compete?
– What is it like to play for Pochettino? USMNT players sound off

Manager rating out of 10

Mauricio Pochettino, 3: To be fair to Pochettino, it’s difficult to put all the blame on the coach whose only real experiment was placing Turner in net. The U.S. were able to go toe-to-toe with Belgium in the first half, but also became outmatched in one-on-one situations that gradually worked in the favor of the visitors. All that said, the collective faltered and desperately needed additional motivation from the coach, who will have noticed his roster losing its composure with each passing minute.

Player ratings (0-10; 10 = best, 5 = average)

GK Matt Turner, 3 — How do you rate a player that had a handful of big saves, but also allowed five goals? Regardless of his shot-stopping, it wasn’t enough to stifle the volley of elite-level shots launched his way.

DF Tim Weah, 2 — Initially containing Jérémy Doku in the first 20-25 minutes, Weah was then constantly chasing when it came to keeping pace with the creative winger. Early on in the second half, and with Doku gaining a dangerous amount of momentum, he was withdrawn in the 64th minute.DF Mark McKenzie, 3 — Won a few duels and provided a handful of defensive contributions, but also failed to shut down Belgium’s attack that easily worked around his presence in the backline.

DF Tim Ream, 2 — Credit to the captain for his long-range distribution, but his decision-making was suspect in a couple of Belgium’s goals. A handball from the defender also provided Belgium with their third goal.

DF Antonee Robinson, 7 — The best USMNT player of the afternoon. Although he was fairly average defensively, he more than made up for it going forward with his active role on the left flank. The chance-creator earned a well-deserved assist off the first-half corner.

MF Tanner Tessmann, 4 — Created some crucial opportunities and provided a couple of vital tackles, he was also occasionally quiet in the heart of the XI. The USMNT needed a bigger presence in his position.

MF Johnny Cardoso, 4 — With something to prove after some underwhelming performances at the international level, Cardoso had brief moments of effectiveness thanks to his movement and highly accurate passing. Pochettino said after the match that pulling Cardoso at halftime was planned because of some discomfort the player felt earlier in the week.

AM Weston McKennie, 6 — Scored the first goal, took part in dangerous runs and build-ups, and connected well with the front line. One of the few bright spots.

AM Malik Tillman, 3 — Although he was the youngest member of the XI, more was expected. In a significant position behind the striker, the attacking midfielder was surprisingly invisible for long stretches of the game. He also could have done better to help prevent Belgium’s second goal.

AM Christian Pulisic, 3 — Credit to Pulisic for tracking back and helping defensively, there wasn’t much to say about his attacking influence aside from a brief positive start to the second half.

FW Folarin Balogun, 3 — A muffled game for a striker who had a shot on target in the first half and then didn’t do much afterward in the final third.

Substitutes (players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

MF Cristian Roldan, 4 (on for Cardoso, halftime) — The Seattle Sounders FC midfielder didn’t make much of a difference, although he should be given credit for a handful of defensive contributions.

MF Sebastian Berhalter, 3 (on for Tessmann, 64′) — Didn’t have a true impact and should have done better to prevent Belgium’s fifth goal.

DF Alex Freeman, 4 (on for Weah, 64′) — Didn’t have any successful dribbles going forward and lost possession a handful of times. A couple of ball recoveries and tackles were his low-key highlights.

DF Max Arfsten, 2 (on for Robinson, 64′) — A defensive weak point on the fourth and fifth goals for Belgium.

AM Gio Reyna, N/R (on for McKennie, 70′) — Aside from his passes in the opposition half, he didn’t truly alter the state of the game.

FW Ricardo Pepi, N/R (on for Balogun, 71′) — Provided the assist for Agyemang’s goal.

FW Patrick Agyemang, N/R (on for Tillman, 71′) — Earned the consolation prize and looked hungry for a second goal late into the game.

DF Joe Scally, N/R — (on for Pulisic, 71′) Limited time and influence for the defender, who lost both of his ground duels and got booked for a shirt pull.

Chris Richards ‘available’ for USMNT vs. Portugal, but Johnny Cardoso leaving camp

USMNT center backs Tim Ream and Chris Richards

Shaun Clark / ISI Photos / Getty Images

By Paul Tenorio March 30, 2026Updated 4:03 pm EDT The Athletic has live coverage of the latest 2026 World Cup news.

MARIETTA, Ga. — U.S. men’s national team center back Chris Richards says he is available to play Tuesday against Portugal after missing Saturday’s loss 5-2 to Belgium. Richards was held out of the first game of this window due to discomfort in his knee that he started to experience after arriving in camp on Monday. U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino said Friday that he hoped it was “nothing important,” but expressed doubt that the Crystal Palace veteran would take part in either friendly. Richards, though, said he is good to go. “I’m fine,” Richards said. “I had a bad tackle in my last game with Palace, so just a little bit of knee pain, knee soreness, but I’ve been training individually all week and I’m available tomorrow.”Midfielder Johnny Cardoso, however, is being sent back to Atlético Madrid due to discomfort in his leg, Pochettino said. Cardoso arrived with some issues from Madrid, the coach said, so the plan was for him to play 45 minutes on Saturday.“ After 45 minutes, he feel again this type of uncomfortable things in some part of his leg,” Pochettino said. The team decided to shut him down, Pochettino said. Cardoso trained in the gym Monday, and will return to his club without playing on Tuesday. As for Richards, he trained Monday with a wrap just below his right knee and a bandage on the back of it. His presence in the starting lineup is critical at a very thin center back position. Ream started alongside Mark McKenzie against Belgium, but Richards’ experience is considered vital for the U.S. group. The 26-year-old, who was the 2025 U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year, has mostly been a starter for the U.S. since the last World Cup cycle, though he missed the Qatar World Cup due to a hamstring injury. He started every game of the Gold Cup for Pochettino, as well as friendlies in September and October, but missed the November window due to a calf injury. The U.S. went back to a more traditional 4-3-2-1 on Monday, rotating midfielder Tanner Tessmann into the back line in the build-up. In the fall, the Americans used a winger-wingback hybrid role and inserted an extra defender who served as more of a center back in the build-up, but moved into the traditional right back role defensively. It effectively looks like a 3-2-2-3 shape in possession. Richards’ absence may have limited some of the options Pochettino wanted to consider for the Belgium game. Richards has started 36 games across all competitions for Palace this season, including all 26 Premier League games in which he has appeared, plus seven UEFA Conference League games.

3/16/26 Champions League 16 Wrap-up Tues/Wed, US Jersey Drops, NWSL returns with a bang, Madrid Derby Sun, Indy 11 starts Tues, Home Opener Sat 7 pm vs Detroit City

March 17, 2026March 17, 2026 gatorbest champions-league, champions-league-soccer, football, indiana-soccer, indy-11, messi, nwsl, reffing-soccer, soccer, sports, us-soccer-team

Champions League Sweet 16 2nd leg Tues/Wed on Para+ & CBSSN

Champions League Sweet 16 action is here with some powerhouse games on hand in defending Champs PSG facing World Club Champ Chelsea up 5-2 head to London Tues, while powerhouses Real Madrid & Man City will once host Madrid down 3-0 Tues – sound familianr? A couple of American’s are still alive as Atletico’s Johnny Cardosa willtravel to Tottenham on Wed 4 pm on Para+ up 5-2, while Yanus Musah & the only Italian side left Atalanta will travel to Bayern Munich down 6-1 at 4 pm on CBSSN & Para where an American Born GK just 16 ____ might have to play for the Germans. Wed gives us Bayer Leverkusen and American Midfielder Malik Tillman hosting Arsenal at 1:45 pm on Para+.

Last 16 fixtures in full.

PSG 5 vs Chelsea 2
Galatasaray 1 vs Liverpool 0
Real Madrid 3 vs Man City 0
Atalanta 1 vs Bayern Munich 6
Barcelona 1 vs Newcastle 1
Bodo/Glimt 3 vs Sporting 0
Leverkusen 1 vs Arsenal 1
Atletico MAdrid 5 vs Tottenham 2

US Officially Releases New Jersey Look

If you read this blog – I released this a month ago -but its official now — Where’s Waldo Stripes is Back for the World Cup

Indy 11 Open Season Sat night at the Mike – US Open Cup on Tues, 8 pm Para+

Indy Eleven begins Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup play on Tuesday, March 17 at 8 p.m. vs. Des Moines Menace indoors at the Community Health Network Events Center on the Droplight Grand Park Sports Campus. The Boys in Blue open their regular-season home schedule at Carroll Stadium on Sat. Mar. 21 vs. Eastern Conference rival Detroit City FC. Ticket options available are Season Tickets, Flex Mini Plans, and Home Opener Packs. Season Ticket Benefits (starting at $13.50 per game) include Season Parking Pass, unlimited ticket exchanges, and a 20% discount on all Indy Eleven merchandise. Flex Mini Plans include vouchers to be redeemed for any 2026 regular season home match. The 2026 Home Opener Pack includes two tickets to the home opener, two flex tickets to be redeemed to any 2026 home match, two Indy Eleven pennants, two posters, and access for two to a post-match autograph session for just $44. Carmel native and former Carmel Dad’s Club player and 2025 USL Championship MVP and Prinx Playoff MVP GK Eric Dick will start in the goal this season for Indy after winning the Cup with Pittsburg last season.

**The 2026 Season Opens Saturday night at 7 pm at the Mike vs Detroit City – Special Tix Prices Available**

NWSL Opening Weekend to Remember

Collectively, players scored 19 goals across the eight matches. All but the final match of the weekend between Angel City and Chicago Stars was decided by a single goal. While some teams welcomed back familiar faces, others embraced their new sparks. The league made history with 129,202 fans in attendance across eight matches, with an average of 16,150 per match. You can read an in-depth look at the weekend here.

Sophia Wilson’s return to the soccer field after more than a year away, Olivia Moultrie continuing to establish herself as a game changer and the Portland Thorns getting their playoff revenge on the Spirit; Seattle Reign also avenging their playoff loss in Orlando in the same place that their 2025 season came to an end; Banda getting back to her epic scoring ways; conversely, seeing Kennedy Fuller and Angel City completely dominate Chicago (sorry Alyssa Naeher, but what were you doing?). Dash forward Makenzy Robbe, Reign forward Brittany Ratcliffe, Angel City midfielder Ary Borges and Bay FC’s Alex Pfeiffer scoring for their new teams. Croix Bethune scoring for her new club, Kansas City Current, after her $1 million transfer, and on her birthday no less; Canadian players Janine Sonis and Bianca St-Georges receiving the first red cards in Denver Summit and Boston Legacy’s history. The very special return of Savy King to the NWSL after her cardiac incident last May. Seeing a record-breaking crowd of 30,000+ watch professional soccer return to Boston with the debut of the Legacy, knowing Denver has sold more than 50,000+ for their home opener on March 28. bonus) Rodman running herself right out of her cleat.

Man it was Great being back on the soccer fields this weekend doing a little reffing at Grand Park

Always a blast reffing with Mike A and Dan D at the Event Center Friday Night

It was actually Warm Enough Sunday afternoon to go shorts – with Jakob and Ricardo in the Championship Game

TV Schedule – Games on TV

Tues, March 17
1:45 pm CBSSN, PAra+, Uni Sporting CP vs Bodo/Glint
4 pm Para+ Man City vs Real Madrid
4 pm Para+ Chelsea vs PSG
4 pm Para+ Arsenal vs Bayer Leverkusen (Tillman)
8 pm CBS Galazom PAra+ Indy 11 vs Des Moines Menace
11 pm FS1 Monterey vs Cruz azul CCC
Wed, March 18
1:45 pm Para+ Barcelona vs Newcastle United
4 pm PAra, CBSSN Bayern Munich ( ) vs Atalanta (Musah) vs
4 pm Para+ Atletico Madrid (Johnny) vs Tottenham
4 pm Para+ Liverpool vs Galatasaray
7 pm FS2 Inter Miami 0 vs Nashville 0 CC Cup
9 pm FS1 Club America vs Philly Union CCC
11 pm FS2 Toluca San Diego vs Cup
11 pm FS1 Seattle Sounders 4 vs Vancouver 0 CCup
Thurs, March 18
1:45 pm Para+ Nottingham Forest vs Midtylland
1:45 pm Para+ Crystal Palace (Richards) vs AEK Lanarca
4 pm Para+, CBSSN Lille vs Aston Villa
9 pm FS1 Cincy vs Tigres UNAL CUP
Fri, March 19
4 pm USA Bournemouth vs Man United
8 pm Victory+ Racing Louisville vs Washington Spirit (Rodman) NWSL
10 pm Amazon Prime Portland Thorns (Sophia Smith) @ Seattle Reign
Sat Mar 20
8:30 am USA Brighton vs Liverpool
10:30 am ESPN+ Heidenheim vs Bayer Leverkusen (Tillman)
11 am USA Fulham (Jedi) vs Burnley
1 pm PAra+ AC Milan (Pulisic) vs Torino
1 pm Apple free Toronto FC vs Columbus Crew MLS
1:30 pm USA Everton vs Chelsea
3:45 pm Para+ Juventus (McKennie) vs Sassuolo
4 pm Ion Houston Dash vs Boston Legacy NWSL
4 pm USA Leeds United (Aaronson) vs Brentford
6:15 pm FS1 Nashville FC vs Orlando City
6:30 pm Ion NY/NJ Gothem FC vs NC Courage NWSL
8:30 pm Apple St Louis City vs New England
8:45 pm FOX Austin FC vs LAFC
8:35 pm ION Bay FC vs Angel City NWSL
Sun Mar 21
8 am USA Newcastle United vs Sunderland
8 am ESPN+ Barcelona vs Rayo Vallencano
10:!5 am USA Tottenham vs Nottingham Forest
12:30 pm Para+ ARSENAL vs MAN CITY CUP
1 pm Apple Free NYCFC vs Miami (Messi)
1 pm Apple Cincy vs Montreal
2:30 pm FOX Minn United vs Seattle Sounders
4 pm ESPND, ESPN+ REAL MADRID vs ATLETICO MADRID
4:45 pm FOX Portland Timbers vs LA Galaxy
7 pm Victory+ Utah Royals vs San Diego Wave NWSL

Sat, Mar 28
3:30 pm TNT, HBO, Peacock USA Men vs Belgium
Tues, Mar 31
7 pm TNT, HBO, Peacock USA Men vs Portugal
Sun, May 31
3:30 pm TNT, HBO, Peacock USA Men vs Senegal
Fri. Apr. 17, 7:30 pm | IU vs. Notre Dame GRAND PARK
Sat. Apr. 18, 6:00 pm | Saint Louis vs. Xavier GRAND PARK

Sat, June 6
2:30 pm TNT, HBO, Peacock USA Men vs Germany in Chicago
Sat, June 12 WORLD CUP
9 pm Fox, Tele, Peacock USA Men vs Paraguay World Cup
NWSL Schedule

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USMNT midweek viewing guide: Staying alive

Follow along with all the USMNT action this week.

by Justin Moran Mar 16, 2026, 12:59 PM EDT Stars & STripes

Atalanta BC v FC Bayern München - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Round of 16 First Leg

BERGAMO, ITALY – MARCH 10: Michael Olise of FC Bayern Muenchen competes for the ball with Yunus Musah of Atalanta BC during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Round of 16 First Leg match between Atalanta BC and FC Bayern München at Stadio di Bergamo on March 10, 2026 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Luca Amedeo Bizzarri/Getty Images)Getty Images

Midweek action is here. All kickoff times are in EST. Let’s get into it!

Monday

Portsmouth vs Derby, 4p on Paramount+: Patrick Agyemang and Derby County visit Portsmouth in the EFL Championship.

Also in action:

Albacete vs Las Palmas, 3:30p: Jonathan Gómez and Albacete visit Las Palmas in La Liga 2.
Racing Club vs Estudiantes de Río Cuarto, 7p on Fanatiz: Matko Miljevic and Racing Club go on the road in Argentina’s Liga Profesional.

Tuesday

Arsenal vs Leverkusen, 4p on Paramount+, ViX: Malik Tillman, Monty Culbreath, and Bayer Leverkusen are even 1-1 with Arsenal after the home leg in Champions League. They will need to win at the Emirates to advance.

Also in action:

Mantova vs Cesena, 3p: Jonathan Klinsmann and Cesena visit Mantova in Serie B.
Venezia vs Padova, 3p on DCTV: Gianluca Busio and Venezia host Padova in Serie B.
Alajuelense vs LAFC, 9p on FS1, TUDN, Fubo, ViX: Timothy Tillman and LAFC only managed a 1-1 draw in the first leg at home, so they’ll need to win in Costa Rica to advance in Concacaf Champions Cup.

Wednesday

Bayern Munich vs Atalanta, 4p on Paramount+, CBS Sports Network, Fubo, ViX: Yunus Musah and Atalanta trail Bayern 1-6 after getting demolished at home in the first leg of this Champions League matchup.
Tottenham vs Atlético Madrid, 4p on Paramount+, DAZN: Johnny Cardoso and Atléti are up 5-2 on Spurs as they go into the away leg in Champions League.

You know that expression “a picture is worth a thousand words”? That started because of Brandi Chastain. Probably. You know the picture I’m talking about. She had just won the ’99 World Cup with a penalty kick, and in a moment of unfiltered elation fell to her knees, ripped her shirt off, and screamed with a joy most of us can only hope to one day feel. Today, it’s universally regarded as a symbol of women’s strength, and fearlessness, and ability. And while some saw it that way at the time… many, very loud people, did not. Let’s view this photo, and Chastain herself, through the prism.

View MoreView Less

Also in action:

Ried vs LASK Linz, 1p: George Bello and LASK are on the road in a cup semifinal in Austria.
Inter Miami vs Nashville SC, 7p on FS1, TUDN, UniMás, Fubo, ViX, Univision NOW: Matthew Corcoran, Thomas Williams, Reed Baker-Whiting, and Nashville are still even 0-0 with Noah Allen, Ian Fray, and Miami in this Concacaf Champions Cup showdown.
Club América vs Philadelphia Union, 9p on FS1, TUDN, Fubo, UniMás, ViX, Univision NOW: Alex Zendejas and América are up 1-0 over Quinn Sullivan, Frankie Westfield, Cavan Sullivan, and the Union in this Concacaf Champions Cup clash.
Seattle Sounders vs Vancouver Whitecaps, 11p on FS1, Fubo, ViX: Jordan Morris, Cristian Roldan, Jesús Ferreira, Jackson Ragen, and the Sounders are up 3-0 over Sebastian Berhalter, Brian White, and the ’Caps in this Concacaf Champions Cup matchup.
Toluca vs San Diego FC, 11p on FS2, TUDN, Fubo, ViX: Luca Bombino, Pedro Soma, Duran Ferree, and San Diego hold a 3-2 lead over Toluca going into the Concacaf Champions Cup second leg.

Thursday

Lyon vs Celta Vigo, 1:45p on Paramount+, DAZN: Tanner Tessmann and Lyon are in a strong position, tied 1-1 going into the second leg at home in this Europa League fixture.
AEK Larnaca vs Crystal Palace, 1:45p on Paramount+, ViX: Chris Richards and Palace didn’t manage a goal at home in Conference League, leaving it 0-0 as they travel to Cyprus for the second leg.

Also in action:

Mainz vs Sigma Olomouc, 1:45p on Paramount+, ViX: Lennard Maloney and Mainz are still at 0-0 in their Conference League tie with Sigma Olomouc.
Real Betis vs Panathinaikos, 4p on Paramount+, DAZN: Erik Palmer-Brown and Panathinaikos hold a thin 1-0 lead over Betis going into the Europa League second leg on the road.
Mount Pleasant vs LA Galaxy, 7p on FS1, TUDN, Fubo, ViX: Edwin Cerrillo, Elijah Wynder, and the Galaxy are up 3-0 from the home leg in Concacaf Champions Cup.
Tigres vs FC Cincinnati, 9p on FS1, TUDN, Fubo, ViX: Miles Robinson, Roman Celentano, Matt Miazga, and Cincy are winning 3-0, and will advance in Concacaf Champions Cup unless they collapse in Monterrey.

Friday

Bournemouth vs Manchester United, 4p on USA, UNIVERSO: Tyler Adams is unlikely to play in this Premier League match after suffering an injury in last Friday’s training session.
Villarreal vs Real Sociedad, 4p on ESPN Select, ESPN Deportes, Fubo (free trial): Alex Freeman and Villarreal host Real Sociedad in La Liga.

Also in action:

RB Leipzig vs Hoffenheim, 3:30p on ESPN Select, Fubo: Cole Campbell played 45 minutes with Hoffenheim’s reserves on Sunday, so he may not be with the senior squad for this Bundesliga match.

Champions League

Dembélé: PSG won’t let up on Chelsea in 2nd leg
How Premier league sides can progress in Europe
Rüdiger says battling City’s Haaland ‘a pleasure’
Arteta: Dowman’s exuberance can inspire Arsenal
Rosenior: Chelsea undecided on huddle for PSG
Neto escapes punishment after ball-boy shove
Arteta: Dowman’s involvement depends on the game
UCL final tickets frozen at last year’s prices
Pep: City need ‘perfect game’ for Madrid miracle
Ancelotti: Vini Jr. ‘never failed’ in big games

Chelsea given fine, suspended transfer ban by PL

USA

Sources: Banks opts out of USMNT March camp
American Born Keeper Prescott, 16, could debut amid Bayern injury crisis
Transfer rumors, news: Man United eye move for USMNT’s Adams
U.S.’s Adams ready for WC after ‘seamless’ rehab
USMNT’s Sands out for season, major WC doubt
USMNT picks Irvine as World Cup training base
Socceroos compiling dossier on Poch, USMNT
U.S.’s Poch won’t rule out Madrid: ‘In due time’
Transfer rumors, news: Fulham eye USMNT striker Ricardo Pepi
Despite wingback depth, Dest injury threatens USMNT’s World Cup hopes
Adidas salutes USMNT’s 1994 World Cup run by dropping denim jersey

World

As fans turn on their club, time is running out for Liverpool to save their season
Iran team: No one can exclude us from World Cup

NWSL

Reffing

Referee involving himself in Chelsea team huddle was ridiculous
VAR review: Why Arsenal should have had a penalty vs. Everton
How to Become a Travel Ref

Man it was cold Reffing with Patricia and Isaac this weekend at Grand Park

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USMNT Player Tracker: Tessmann experiment, Balogun work pays off, and is Pulisic in need of a reset?

A designed image by The Athletic of Folarin Balogun and Tanner Tessmann

Folarin Balogun and Tanner Tessmann Valery Hache/AFP via Getty Images; Sebastien Bozon/AFP via Getty Images

By Greg O’Keeffe March 16, 2026 11:08 am EDT

Experimental positions, goal-scoring consistency and, perhaps, is it time for a reset? It was another busy weekend for Americans in Europe. Welcome to this week’s USMNT Player Tracker.

In France on Sunday, Lyon conducted an experiment which may have interesting implications for the USMNT. Tanner Tessmann, the 24-year-old midfielder, played at centre-back for the third time this season and produced another assured performance in a goalless draw at Le Havre. On each occasion the Alabama-native has been moved into the back-line by coach Paulo Fonseca, Lyon have kept a clean sheet. His flourishing comfort in the role could give Mauricio Pochettino pause for thought. Is it too late now, with the World Cup only three months away, for the national team to conduct their own experiment given their defence has been relatively settled? Only Pochettino can answer that, but Tessmann’s growing versatility will do his own cause for a place on the roster no harm. And given there are forthcoming friendlies against Belgium and Portugal, Tessmann’s performance on Sunday might be perfectly timed to allow the USMNT manager to at least try it.

Tanner Tessmann rues a missed opportunity while playing for Lyon

Tanner Tessmann has played more recently as a centre-half for LyonOlivier Chassignole/AFP via Getty Images

At 6ft 2in (188cm), the former Venezia player has the physical stature to play as a centre-back, and his eye for a progressive pass may offer the USMNT another dimension to their defence as they seek to break opposition pressing.

Against Le Havre, Tessmann was the most accurate passer of any of the starting Lyon team at 92 per cent accuracy, according Opta, and he made more passes into the final third (17) than any other player on the pitch. He also made more ball recoveries (eight) of any defender on either team.

Tessmann is a defensive midfielder with growing potential, a player who already boasts top-level experience in the Champions League and Ligue 1. Now he has demonstrated the ability to influence games from the back, having previously played at centre-back in a top-flight win over Nantes and a 6-0 thrashing of Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Europa League.

His latest cameo in defence may yet tempt Pochettino to try him there. He may have far more experienced and tested options in Chris Richards, Auston Trusty and Tim Ream, but in tournament football, multi-positional players are a compelling option.

Tessmann scored the last goal of the USMNT’s last impressive game, that 5-1 win against Uruguay in November, from midfield. His credentials in the middle of the park are still strong.His credentials in the middle of defence, though, are intriguing.

Balogun timing his scoring run

Another week, another positive sign for Pochettino’s front line.

Folarin Balogun now has six goals in six games for Monaco. His response to an injury-hit and underwhelming last season, when he managed only four goals in 13 Ligue 1 games, has so far been emphatic. His timing might be in when it comes to the World Cup, too.

Balogun scored the first in a 2-0 Monaco win over Brest with a left-footed effort on 19 minutes on Saturday. His coach Sebastien Pocognoli credited Balogun’s streak to hard work on and off the field.

Folarin Balogun celebrates scoring against Brest

Folarin Balogun celebrates scoring against BrestValery Hache/AFP via Getty Images

“It is quite simply the fruit of his labour,” the Belgian said after the game. “He invests a tremendous amount of effort to achieve this level of consistency. His performance level also elevates the other players in the attacking third.

“Today, he is reaping the rewards of his efforts. He is an ambitious player, highly focused on his objectives.

“He knows that he still has plenty of opportunities to shine this season — and even beyond his time at AS Monaco, with his national team. His professionalism is exemplary.”

Pulisic reset?

It is getting to the point where the imminent international breaks might be helpful for Christian Pulisic to reset his club form.

It is not that the USMNT star is playing badly for Milan. He isn’t. It’s only that, after such a strong start to the season, his numbers have ground to a halt.

The 27-year-old has still not registered a goal or assist in Serie A in 2026, and that continued on Sunday as his side let slip a chance to make ground on table-topping rivals Inter by losing 1-0 at Lazio.

Christian Pulisic fires off a shot against Lazio

Christian Pulisic fires off a shot against LazioAlberto Pizzoli/AFP via Getty Images

Pulisic created two big chances, per Opta, but his partnership in attack with Rafael Leao failed to spark.

The American rarely fails to deliver for the national team. Maybe he could use the games against Belgium and Portugal to sharpen his attacking edge.

What’s coming up this week?

The second leg of the Champions League last 16 round beckons with some interesting U.S. sub-plots.

On Tuesday (4pm, Paramount +) Malik Tillman, fresh from helping Bayer Leverkusen to a 1-1 draw with table-topping Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga at the weekend, goes into his team’s finely-poised tie at Arsenal after they drew the first leg 1-1 in Germany.

Tillman missed a big chance against Bayern, but was back in the starting line-up — a sign he is getting over over the ankle problem he picked up against Mainz in February.

On Wednesday (4pm, Paramount +) Johnny Cardoso, an unused substitute in Atletico Madrid’s 1-0 win against Getafe in La Liga on Saturday, will hope to be involved for the Spaniards at struggling Tottenham Hotspur. Atletico lead 5-2 after the first leg in Madrid.

Finally, Yunus Musah did not feature for Atalanta in their draw with Inter on Saturday. But the midfielder may get the chance to assist his team’s daunting assignment in overhauling their first-leg 6-1 hammering by Bayern in Munich.

The hosts have some injury problems, particularly in goal where first-choice Manuel Neuer is out and there are concerns over the fitness of other senior shot-stoppers Sven Ulreich and Jonas Urbig. If none are passed fit it could mean an extraordinary senior debut for 16-year-old American goalkeeper Leonard Prescott, who was on the bench for the last two fixtures.

Prescott, who was born in New York, is eligible for both the USMNT and Germany, but appears to be leaning towards the country where he plays his football with six under-17 caps for Germany and three under-16 appearances.

He started at Union Berlin’s youth system before joining Bayern’s academy in 2023.

By Greg O’Keeffe

Senior Writer

Meet the NY-born teenage GK who could be thrust into Bayern’s Champions League spotlight

Bayern Munich GK Leonard Prescott making a save in pregame warmups

S. Mellar / FC Bayern / Getty Images

By Sebastian Stafford-Bloor

March 16, 2026Updated 5:30 pm EDT

A 16-year-old German-American goalkeeper could potentially find himself playing in the Champions League this week. Leonard Prescott, who was born in New York, but who has never made a senior appearance in his career, might be the beneficiary of unprecedented injury crisis at Bayern Munich that thrusts him into the limelight.

Bayern’s first choice is legendary goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. Now 39, Neuer suffered the latest in a succession of muscular injuries at the beginning of March and has not played since. Jonas Urbig is Bayern’s second choice — and most likely Neuer’s eventual successor — but he might be unavailable, too. While deputizing for Neuer in last week’s Champions League last-16 first leg against Atalanta, Urbig was involved in a collision at the end of the game. He missed this weekend’s 1-1 draw with Bayer Leverkusen with a suspected concussion.

And Urbig’s deputy, Sven Ulreich, is also unavailable. Ulreich, 37, has been at Bayern for 11 years, barring one season spent at Hamburg, and was Neuer’s long-term backup prior to Urbig’s arrival in 2025.

He was called into action for the game at the BayArena and, despite not having played a competitive minute since September 2024, performed extremely well, making a couple of crucial saves. But the cost of that appearance was a torn adductor muscle, which Bayern estimate will keep Ulreich sidelined for the next six weeks.

Bayern are due to face Atalanta again on Wednesday night, carrying a 6-1 aggregate lead from the first leg into a game carries little jeopardy; barring anything except a historic collapse, Bayern are assured of a place in the Champions League quarterfinal.

Champions League 2025-26 Projections: Who will lift the trophy in Budapest on May 30?

Design: The Athletic; Photo: Getty Images

By The Athletic UK Staff

March 12, 2026

Which club will win the 2025-26 Champions League?

Paris Saint-Germain are the holders after their stunning 5-0 win against Inter in last season’s final, the biggest margin of victory in the competition’s history. The Premier League, meanwhile, has six entrants in this season’s edition, and several of those will fancy their chances of lifting the trophy in Budapest on May 30, 2026.

Throughout the season, we will publish projections — powered by Opta data — to show how teams are expected to perform. These will update after each matchday, so check in each time to see how the latest results have impacted your team’s chances.

Last updated March 12, 2026 at 9:20 AM

Before round of 16 second leg

The state of play after the Round of 16 first leg as teams aim to win the 2025-26 Champions League in BudapestCHANGE PROJECTIONS:Before round of 16 2nd leg (Mar. 17-18)Before K.O. playoff 1st leg (Feb. 17-18)Before Matchday 8 (Jan. 28)Before Matchday 7 (Jan. 20-21)Before Matchday 6 (Dec. 9-10)Before Matchday 5 (Nov. 25-26)Before Matchday 4 (Nov. 4-5)Before Matchday 3 (Oct. 21-22)Before Matchday 2 (Sept. 30-Oct. 1)Before Matchday 1 (Sept. 16-18)

RK.	TEAM
#1	Arsenal	✓	77%	65%	46%	28%
#2	Bayern Munich	✓	>99%	61%	41%	22%
#3	Barcelona	✓	68%	44%	22%	11%
#4	Paris Saint-Germain	✓	93%	56%	23%	10%
#5	Real Madrid	✓	84%	32%	17%	8%
#6	Atletico Madrid	✓	97%	39%	14%	6%
#7	Liverpool	✓	51%	26%	10%	5%
T8	Newcastle United	✓	32%	16%	6%	2%
T8	Manchester City	✓	16%	7%	4%	2%
T8	Bodø / Glimt	✓	87%	19%	6%	2%
T8	Bayer Leverkusen	✓	23%	12%	5%	2%
T12	Galatasaray	✓	49%	14%	3%	<1%
T12	Chelsea	✓	7%	4%	2%	<1%
T12	Sporting CP	✓	13%	4%	1%	<1%
T12	Tottenham Hotspur	✓	3%	<1%	<1%	<1%
T12	Atalanta	✓	<1%	<1%	<1%	<1%
	Internazionale	—	—	—	—	—
	Juventus	—	—	—	—	—
	Borussia Dortmund	—	—	—	—	—
	Olympiakos Piraeus	—	—	—	—	—
	Club Bruges	—	—	—	—	—
	Monaco	—	—	—	—	—
	Qarabağ	—	—	—	—	—
	Benfica	—	—	—	—	—
	Olympique Marseille	—	—	—	—	—
	Pafos	—	—	—	—	—
	Union Saint-Gilloise	—	—	—	—	—
	PSV	—	—	—	—	—
	Athletic Club	—	—	—	—	—
	Napoli	—	—	—	—	—
	København	—	—	—	—	—
	Ajax	—	—	—	—	—
	Eintracht Frankfurt	—	—	—	—	—
	Slavia Praha	—	—	—	—	—
	Villarreal	—	—	—	—	—
	Kairat	—	—	—	—	—

12/9/25 Champions League Tues/Wed, Europa Thurs, World Cup Draw is Done – US has easier group, Miami Messi Win MLS Cup, Dick Coming home

December 10, 2025December 13, 2025 gatorbest champions-league-soccer, eric-dick, football, grand-park-soccer, indy-11, inter-miami, messi, premier-league, pulisic, soccer, soccer-reffing, sports, us-mens-soccer, usmnt

Champions & Europa League Play Returns Tues/Wed/Thurs Match Day 6

Awesome to see the top clubs in the World battle it out – thru 5 rounds Arsenal, Bayern, Atalanta, PSG & Inter stand in the Top 5, while my Juventus with McKinney & Leverkusen with Tillman are just above the cut line. American’s Ricardo Pepi scored late for PSV in a 3-2 loss, and Foralin Balogon scored the winner for Monico over Galatasaray for his 3rd straight Champions League game with a Goal. McKinney’s stunner the winner for Juve in Champs league. Not UCL but Pulisic has been deadly in front of net this season for AC Milan as he’s tied for Serie A lead for scoring despite only playing 9 games. Pulisic ties it up 30 seconds after coming on then Supersub Scores a Brace as Milan wins it. See all the US players playing below.

US Draw Includes Australia, Paraguay, (Euro Winner Turkey?)

So the US got a decent draw – no reason the US can’t get out of this group – honestly in the #1 slot. The US has recently beaten both Australia and Paraguay in the past few months often without our team. The draw looks like we could make a run to Sweet 16 where we would face Belgium – again. But lets not count our chickens yet. Also exciting to see the US has signed to play Germany in Chicago June 6, and Portugal and Belgium in Atlanta in late March.

Inter Miami & Messi Win MLS Cup over Vancouver

Messi continued his mastery over MLS – with a goal and an Assist in the 3-1 win over a game Vancouver at home in Miami. MLS Final Highlights The win finally justifies the extreme amount of money Miami has spent in signing the trifecta of Messi, Jordi Alba & Sergio Busquets (both of who are retiring). Fun game to watch as Vancouver made a game of it before Messi helped Miami pull away late.

Former Carmel GK Eric Dick Signs with Indy 11 after winning USL Championship for Pittsburgh

Awesome to see former Carmel Dad’s Club/Carmel High/Butler GK Eric Dick is coming home to Indy as he will return to the Indy 11 this upcoming season — fresh off a Player of the USL Championship performance for Pittsburgh.

Notes

Thrilled for Wilfried Nancy, who has just moved from Columbus to manage Celtic. We’ve had him on a number of times. He is such a soulful, inspirational leader. I can’t wait to watch him learn and grow in Scotland. I want to send huge love to the great Shaka Hislop (ESPN Analyst), who revealed he is battling prostate cancer and urged Caribbean men to get tested. His message is a crucial one. I wish Shaka and his family strength and health at this moment.

Mohomed, Margaret, and Shane reffing indoors at the Grand Park Tourney Sunday – last 1 of the year.

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GAMES ON TV

Wed, 12/9 Champs League
12:45 pm Para+ Villareal vs Kebenhavn
2:45 pm Para+ Hull City vs Wrexham
3 pm Para+ Real Madrid vs Man City
3 pm CBSSN Bayern Leverkusen (Tilman) vs New Castle United
3 pm Para+ Juventus (McKennie) vs Paphos
3 pm Para+ Arsenal vs Club Brugge
3 pm Para+ Athletic Club vs PSG
3 pm Para+ Dortmund vs Boda Glimt
Thurs, 12/10 Europa
12:45 pm Para+ Rangers vs Ferencvaros
12:45 pm Para+ Young Boys vs Lille
12:45 pm Para+ Nottingham Forest vs Utrecht
3 pm Para+ Lyonnais (Tessman) vs Go Ahead Eagles
3 pm Para+ Celtic (Trusty) vs AS Roma
3 pm Para+ Shelbourne vs Crystal Palace (Richards)
Fri, 12/12
2:30 pm ESPN+ Union Berlin vs RB Leipzig
3 pm Para+ West Brom (Dike) vs Sheffield United
Sat, 12/13
8 am ESPN+ Atletico MAdrid vs Valencia
9:30 am ESPN+ MGladback (Reyna, Scalley) vs Wolfsburg
10 am USA Chelsea vs Everton
10 am USA Livepool vs Brighton
12:30 pm NBC Burnley vs Fulham (Jedi)
3 pm USA Arsenal vs Wolverhampton
Sun, 12/14
6:30 am Para+ AC Milan (Pulisic) vs Sassuolo
9 am USA Sunderland vs New Castle
9 am Peacock Crystal Palace (Richards) vs Man City
9 am PEacock Nottingham Forest vs Brighton
9 am Pea West Ham vs Liverpool
11:30 am ESPN+ Bayern Munich vs Mainz
11:30 am USA Brentford vs Leeds United (Aaronson)
3 pm ESPN+ Alavez vs Real Madrid
8 pm CBSSN Toluca vs Tigres UANL
Mon, 12/15
3 pm USA Man United vs Bournemouth (Adams)
Wed, Dec 17
2:30 pm Para+ New Castle vs Fulham (Jedi)
2:30 pm Para+ Man City vs Brentford
Fri, Dec 19
2:30 pm ESPN+ Dortmund vs MGladbach (Reyna, Scalley)
4 pm CBSSN Bologna vs Inter Milan
Jan 24
5:30 pm TNT, HBO USWNT vs Paraguay
Jan 27
10 pm TBS, HBO USWNT vs Chile
Sat, March 28
3:30 TNT, Max USA Men vs Belgium in Atlanta
Tue, Mar 31
7:30 pm TNT, Max USA Men vs Portugal in Atlanta
Sat, June 6
2:30 pm TNT. Max US Men vs Germany in Chicago
June 12
9 pm Fox US Men vs Paraguay World Cup
June 19
3 pm FOX US Men vs Australia World Cup
June 25
10 pm FOX US Men vs European Team World Cup

USMNT weekend viewing guide: Scoring Champions

League play continues ahead of the winter break

Burnley v Fulham – 9:30a on 12:30p on NBC: Antonee Robinson has been progressing well in training and reportedly could return to the field on Saturday as Fulham face Burnley. Fulham are in fifteenth place and have lost their past two matches. They will look to get back on track against a Burnley side that is second worst thus far and have lost six straight matches.

Bayer Leverkusen v Koln – 12:30p on ESPN Select: Malik Tillman and Bayer Leverkusen will look to bounce back from their loss to Augsburg last weekend as they take on Kristoffer Lund and his Koln team that are in ninth place but coming off a disappointing draw with St. Pauli.

PSV v Heracles – 2p on ESPN Select: Sergino Dest has started 14 of 15 league matches for PSV this season and Ricardo Pepi has joined him in the past two as PSV maintain their league lead. Pepi also scored in each of the last two league matches and has an assist as well as he looks to make his case for additional minutes moving forward. He also was one of several American’s to score midweek and he notched a goal for PSV in their 3-2 loss to Atletico Madrid on Tuesday. On Saturday PSV will face 16th place Heracles who after a particularly rough start to the season are actually undefeated in their past six matches across all competitions.

Atalanta v Cagliari – 2:45p on Paramount+: Yunus Musah saw three minutes off the bench on Tuesday in Atalanta’s 2-1 win over Chelsea in Champions League play. Unfortunately, Musah still hasn’t appeared in a league match since October and he has just 80’ across all competitions since late September. The loan at Atalanta does not seem to be going well and Musah is at real risk of missing out on next summers World Cup if he isn’t able to turn things around or find another move.

Paris v Toulouse – 3:05p on beIN Sports: Mark McKenzie started again for Toulouse last weekend as they snapped their six match winless streak by defeating Strasbourg 1-0. Toulouse now face Paris FC who are in fourteenth place and are winless in their last four matches.

Sunday

AC Milan v Sassuolo – 6:30a on Paramount+: Christian Pulisic came on as a second half substitute on Monday as AC Milan came from behind to defeat Torino 3-2 after falling behind 2-0 in the opening 20 minutes of the match. Pulisic’s goals were his six and seventh of the Serie A season and he has eleven goals and assists in the twelve matches be has played across all competitions this season. With the win Milan remain tied with Napoli for first place in Serie A.

Crystal Palace v Manchester City – 9a on NBCSN and Peacock: Chris Richard, the best player in the USMNT pool (which I’m sure itself will cause some debate), started yet again for fourth place Crystal Palace as they defeated Fulham 2-1 last weekend. Palace haven’t had a lot of tough matchups this season but they have been in every match they have played, with just three losses on their record, all of which were by a single goal.

Olympique Lyon v Le Havre – 9a on beIN Sports: Tanner Tessmann has been sidelined for Lyon’s past two matches and will reportedly be out again this weekend as fifth place Lyon face a Le Havre side that are just three points out of the relegation playoff spot.

Brentford v Leeds United – 11:30a on USA Network: Brenden Aaronson came off the bench for 25’ and notched an assist as Leeds drew with Liverpool 3-3 after initially falling behind 2-0. Leeds have four points from their last two matches but still are just two points out of the relegations spots.

Olympique Marseille v Monaco – 2:45p on beIN Sports: The second USMNT matchup of the weekend sees Tim Weah and third place Marseille facing off against Folarin Balogun and seventh place Monaco on Sunday afternoon. Weah has started three straight league matches for Marseille since returning from injury while Balogun missed last weekends league match but started and scored for Monaco midweek in their 1-0 win over Galatasaray in Champions League play.

Bologna v Juventus – 2:45p on CBS SS and Paramount+: Weston McKennie also scored in Champions League action this week, notching the opener for Juventus as they defeated Pafos 2-0 on Wednesday. McKennie also started against Napoli last weekend and notched an assist but Juve fell to the second place team and remain in seventh place in the league standings. They could move past fifth place Bologna who they face on Sunday as they trail their opponents by two points.

USMNT midweek viewing guide: Rounding into form

Follow along with all the USMNT action this week.
Wednesday

Leverkusen vs Newcastle, 3p on Paramount+, CBS Sports Network, FuboTV, ViX: Malik Tillman and Leverkusen host Newcastle United in Champions League.
Juventus vs Pafos, 3p on Paramount+, ViX: Weston McKennie and Juve host Cyprus-based club Pafos in Champions League.

Thursday

Lyon vs Go Ahead Eagles, 3p on Paramount+, ViX: Tanner Tessmann and OL host Dutch club Go Ahead Eagles in Europa League.
Shelbourne vs Crystal Palace, 3p on Paramount+, ViX: Chris Richards and Palace visit Irish club Shelbourne in Conference League.

Also in action:

Celtic vs Roma, 3p on Paramount+, CBS Sports Network, TUDN USA, UniMás, FuboTV, ViX: Auston Trusty and Celtic host AS Roma in Europa League. Cameron Carter-Vickers is out for the season with an Achilles tendon injury.
Panathinaikos vs Viktoria Plzeň, 3p on Paramount+, ViX: Erik Palmer-Brown and Panathinaikos host Viktoria Plzeň in Europa League.
KuPS vs Lausanne, 3p on Paramount+, ViX: Swiss-American center-back Bryan Okoh and Lausanne Sport visit Finnish club KuPS in Conference League.
Lech Poznań vs Mainz, 3p on Paramount+, ViX: Lennard Maloney and Mainz visit Lech Poznań in Conference League.

Friday

Greuther Fürth vs Hertha Berlin, 12:30p on ESPN Select, FuboTV: Julian Green, Maxi Dietz, and Fürth host Hertha BSC in the 2. Bundesliga. John Brooks (on Hertha’s books) hasn’t played since May 2024, missing time due to multiple separate injuries.
Standard Liège vs OH Leuven, 2:45p: Marlon Fossey and Standard host Leuven in Belgium’s top tier.
West Brom vs Sheffield United, 3p on Paramount+: Daryl Dike, George Campbell, and West Brom host Sheffield United in the Championship.

Champions League

Pep: Madrid game a proving ground for Man City
Alonso on Madrid sack talk: Players still back me
Bayern teen Karl makes more history in UCL win
Once his coaching mentor, could Pep Guardiola spell Xabi Alonso’s end in Madrid?

World Cup Draw

Adams sets semifinals goal for USMNT after draw
Poch: USMNT can’t be complacent after WC draw
2026 World Cup draw: How the U.S. matches up against group stage foes
2026 World Cup predictions: Group-by-group takeaways, must-see games

MLS

Messi voted MLS MVP for second straight year
David Beckham on making MLS history: One of my greatest moments
Messi leads Miami to ‘beautiful’ 1st MLS Cup title
Vancouver’s Cinderella run to MLS Cup falls short but brings hope for 2026
– Becherano: Messi’s maiden MLS title caps off a long, ambitious project
– O’Hanlon: MLS gets better beyond Messi magic, but does anyone care?
Messi bids ‘special’ farewell to Alba, Busquets with MLS Cup
Messi tracker: All goals, assists, key moments for Inter Miami in 2025

EPL

What we know so far about Mo Salah’s Liverpool future
Salah’s Liverpool outburst has echoes of Ronaldo’s Man United exit
Lindop: Salah’s comments overshadow the issues at Liverpool
As it happened: Leeds snatch last minute equalizer vs. Liverpool

USA

USWNT puts bow on 2025 with easy win over Italy
Hayes: ‘Can’t put a ceiling’ on U.S. teen Yohannes
Macario scores twice to lead USWNT past Italy
How the U23s can boost USWNT options for World Cup 2027
USWNT to face Chile in Santa Barbara on Jan. 27
USMNT closes 2025 with 5-1 blowout of Uruguay, competition for roster spots is now wide open

Goalkeeping

UCL MD 6 Saves
Great Save FSU Final 4
Great Saves Last Week MLS

Reffing

Become a Referee Must be 13
Do we Ref for the $? No but it doesn’t hurt
Corner Flag Mechanics

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Messi wins MLS MVP for second straight season, makes more league history

Maddie Meyer / Getty Images By Felipe Cardenas Dec. 9, 2025Updated 11:46 am EST

Days after becoming an MLS Cup champion, Lionel Messi has etched out even more of a place in league history. Messi was officially announced as the 2025 Landon Donovan MLS MVP on Tuesday, becoming the first player to win back-to-back MVP awards in league history. He’s just the second to win multiple MVP honors, joining former Kansas City great Preki, who won it in 1997 and 2003. It’s hardly a surprise: Messi, even at 38, finished the regular season with 29 goals and 19 assists, leading the league in both categories.He added six goals and nine more assists during Miami’s playoff run – a playoff-record 15 goal contributions in a single season. Messi narrowly missed breaking Carlos Valderrama’s 25-year-old assists record, with the Colombian legend tallying 22 assists in 2000 with the since-defunct Tampa Bay Mutiny. If the evidence of his play on a game-by-game basis – and his commitment to a new three-year deal – weren’t enough, Messi’s numbers this season are unequivocal proof that the Argentine has taken his MLS era seriously.Messi received over 70% of the total vote, which was conducted by media, players and club personnel, to claim his latest individual prize in a career full of them. San Diego FC winger Anders Dreyer, who tied for the league lead in assists and added 19 goals, finished second with just over 11%. He was followed by LAFC’s Denis Bouanga (7.27%), FC Cincinnati’s Evander (4.78%) and Nashville SC’s Sam Surridge (2.42%). Interestingly, Messi received just 55.17% of the player vote.

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Bottom of the league, but in Champions Cup with Inter Miami. This is Vancouver FC.

The inside story of Salah’s incendiary interview – and what happens next

“First of all, I’m thankful for this recognition,” Messi said in a statement. “It’s always nice to receive individual awards but I want to share it with my teammates. I was also fortunate to win the MLS Golden Boot thanks to the help of my teammates. I’m happy to receive this award and be the first in the history of this league to win it in two consecutive years. I’m very thankful.”As for more context regarding his eye-opening stats: His 48 total goal contributions were the second highest single-season total in MLS history (Carlos Vela; 49 in 2019). It’s an impressive statistic considering Messi played in 28 of 34 regular season games. When factoring in the playoffs (63 goal contributions), his production is second-to-none.He is the only player in league history to record at least 36 goal contributions in a season multiple times (2024, 2025) and is the second player in MLS history to lead the league in both goals scored and assists. In 2015, former Toronto FC playmaker Sebastian Giovinco led the league with 22 goals and 16 assists. Messi is only the fourth player in the last decade to be named MVP and win the MLS Golden Boot in the same season.

Lionel Messi wins MLS Cup MVP

Messi wins MLS Cup MVP honors after Inter Miami’s 3-1 win over VancouverElsa / Getty Images

He was dominant throughout the year, and even though Saturday’s 3-1 win over Vancouver in the MLS Cup final was devoid of a magical Messi goal, the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain attacker finished the game with two decisive assists.His second was a beauty to Tadeo Allende, who iced the game and title for the home side. It capped a remarkable year for Messi, who continues to perform at a level that keeps him relevant just months away from the 2026 World Cup – even though he has resisted publicly committing to playing in the competition so far.Messi’s 10 multi-goal games in a single season marked a new MLS record, breaking the previous record of eight shared by Stern John (Columbus Crew, 1998), Mamadou Diallo (Tampa Bay Mutiny, 2000), and Zlatan Ibrahimović (LA Galaxy, 2019). During one of Messi’s most dominant stretches this season, he scored multiple goals in five consecutive games from May 28 to July 12 – another record. No other player in MLS history has had a multi-goal run of more than four matches.To cap it all off, Messi is also just the sixth player in MLS’s 30 seasons to win both the regular season MVP and the MLS Cup final MVP in the same season. Messi joins Tony Meola (2000), Carlos Ruiz (2002), Guillermo Barros Schelotto (2008), Robbie Keane (2014), and Josef Martínez (2018) in that select group.

As it relates to MLS MVPs and hitting new ground, there’s one more frontier to conquer, and it’s a term with which Messi has plenty of familiarity: the hat trick.

Christian Pulisic can use USMNT World Cup draw to launch himself as an American icon

Christian Pulisic stands with his hand on his chest as the national anthem plays before a game

Christian Pulisic is targeting World Cup success with the USMNT John McGloughlin / Icon Sportswire / Getty Images

By Charlie Davies Dec. 9, 2025 6:00 am EST

After the Village People had shuffled off stage, Donald Trump had put his FIFA Peace Prize on the shelf in the Oval Office, and Gianni Infantino had starting scrolling his Instagram notifications, I imagine that Christian Pulisic, sat in his apartment in Italy, took another glance at the outcome of the draw for the 2026 World Cup and let out a little sigh of relief.

Group D: the United States, Paraguay, Australia and a European playoff winner, most likely Turkey. Not bad. Not bad at all.Pulisic certainly would have known it could have been much, much worse.And as he reflected a little on what awaits him in June (and hopefully July) next year, the Milan winger would have surely felt that tingling in his stomach.Because that draw, with no major obstacle likely until a possible meeting with Belgium in the round of 16, sets the stage perfectly for Pulisic for what could be the summer of his life. It creates the ideal stage for him to make the defining run of his career and transition from being merely a U.S. soccer star to a true, mainstream American sports superstar.The stakes are absolutely colossal for him in 2026. If Milan manages to win Serie A and he maintains his current form – two more goals Monday have him atop the league’s scoring chart – it’s near-certain he would be named Serie A Player of the Year. Carrying that momentum into a World Cup on home soil, the expectations would be that he would take his team on a thrilling adventure.

Christian Pulisic struck twice in Milan’s Monday victory over Torino.Image Photo Agency / Getty Images

This is the tournament that could absolutely change his life and his legacy in the United States. If he can be the hero for the USMNT on home soil, in a World Cup, the opportunities that will open up for him in terms of his reputation, commercial appeal and marketability will be enormous.American sports fans, the kind who only tune in to soccer once every four years, will judge Pulisic in the same way they judge NFL and NBA stars — on whether he can deliver on the biggest stage when the stakes are highest. In this sport, that means the World Cup. Soccer fans know winning Serie A would earn Pulisic respect throughout the game and adoration in Italy, but it still wouldn’t make him a household name in America.Bringing people to their feet in stadiums, fan zones and bars across America next summer? That would catapult Pulisic to true Captain America status.We know that World Cups are unpredictable, however, and the first random element is the draw. Traps can be set and challenges get tougher just from those plastic balls pulled out on stage.Group D isn’t easy – almost no group that could be imagined for a team like the USMNT in the modern game can truly be considered that way. Yet when you compare it with, say, 2014, when the USA was dealt a group stage with Germany, Portugal and Ghana (and no progression for third place in that edition) and was written off by many international commentators, you realize that it is a setting that offers Mauricio Pochettino’s team every chance of advancing.What makes me excited for Pulisic and the team as a whole is the way that Pochettino is setting up the USMNT, with his tactical restructuring and overall approach, with the focus taken off Pulisic and put squarely on the team. In the past, he felt pressure, having to do too much and dropping into parts of the field he didn’t need to, which took away from his game.

USA coach Mauricio Pochettino says patriotic ‘emotion of the people’ can inspire World Cup run

USA head coach Mauricio Pochettino sits at a table with a "USMNT banner" in front of it as he addresses reporters after the World Cup draw on Dec. 5.

Mauricio Pochettino hopes soccer fans will feel intense passion and non-soccer fans will get swept up by patriotism during the World Cup run. Jamie Sabau / Getty Images

By Henry Bushnell

Dec. 8, 2025

As the 2026 World Cup came into focus after Friday’s draw, U.S. men’s national team coach Mauricio Pochettino reiterated his call for the entire country to get behind his players — and for those players to fight for their country.

The national team, he said, is “not a normal team,” and the World Cup is not a normal event.“Did you see today?” Pochettino rhetorically asked reporters a few hours after the draw, which doubled as a bizarre, patriotic show described by others in attendance as “very American.”

“We are going to have a country behind us,” Pochettino said. “We are going to play with the emotion of the people.”

He then sent a message to his players: “People need to feel proud about you, but not because you are going to win — we cannot promise that we are going to win — but in the way that you are going to defend your shirt, your flag, your culture, your philosophy. How we are, how the people are here, how the society is, how you think, in a cultural way.

“Every time that we are going to play a game, the World Cup is this.”

Pochettino, an Argentine coach who took charge of the USMNT last year, has spoken frequently about the need for the American public to get behind his team. He began delivering passionate monologues during and after this past summer’s Concacaf Gold Cup, when Guatemala and Mexico fans outnumbered U.S. fans at the semifinal and final in St. Louis and Houston.

Mauricio Pochettino wants stadiums for USMNT World Cup games to be filled with red, white and blue.Matthew Visinsky / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

“The fans,” he said in July, “have one year to realize how important fans are in soccer.”

He now assumes the World Cup will be different. Soccer fans will feel intense passion; non-soccer fans will get swept up by patriotism. SoFi Stadium in Southern California and Lumen Field in Seattle, the USMNT’s two group stage venues, will fill with red, white and blue.

For a while, there were questions about public support, as even USMNT die-hards were frustrated by losses and overcome by apathy. The team’s second-to-last game of 2025, a 2-1 win over Paraguay — the opponent it will face in its World Cup opener — did not fill an 18,500-seat stadium.

But the U.S. is now riding a five-match unbeaten streak. Its final match of the year was a stunning 5-1 shellacking of Uruguay.

“The last few games, the last few windows, I think the team (showed) a very good thing to the fans,” Pochettino said Friday. “To attract, to say, ‘C’mon, guys, you need to support us,’ that is how we feel, how we are. We need your energy, your support. And I think the fans are there, behind the team. And I think it’s going to be exciting. We are building a very good relationship. I think we start to show that we are USA.”

With the positive results, the dream of a World Cup run has been rekindled. And the vision of American flags flying, of millions of people inspired, has returned.

That’s what people at U.S. Soccer and around the team have envisioned for years. Gregg Berhalter, Pochettino’s predecessor, recalled being in Germany during the 2006 World Cup. “Just to see how the fans got behind the country — and it just pivoted, it changed, it became a wave,” Berhalter said in 2024. “And that’s what I’d say to fans: This is your opportunity. … The team is trying to do something that’s never been done before. So, be part of that.”

Over the nine-decade history of the men’s World Cup, there is solid evidence to suggest home advantage can be a powerful force. Six hosts have won the tournament: Uruguay in 1930, Italy in 1934, England in 1966, West Germany in 1974, Argentina in 1978 and France in 1998. In 2002, co-host South Korea embarked upon a stunning run that saw its group of domestic-based players make it all the way to the semifinals, collecting famous victories over Spain and Italy along the way.

South Korea’s squad and head coach Guus Hiddink were honored with a ticker-tape parade after their 2002 semifinal run.Emmanuel Dunand / AFP via Getty Images

Four years later, as Berhalter referenced, Jurgen Klinsmann united Germany behind a young team that had been written off before the tournament and took it to the brink of the final, before an extra-time defeat to eventual victor Italy. And eight years ago, while the U.S. was licking its wounds from a humiliating and doomed qualifying campaign, Russia’s squad quickly drew nationalistic support behind it, ousting heavily-favored Spain in the round of 16 before being squeezed out by Croatia on penalties.

The U.S., which advanced to the round of 16 in 1994, probably belongs in the category of hosts who outperformed their talent as well, a group stage victory over Colombia being the highlight.

Some others have struggled, either unable to lift their standard despite the home support or perhaps overwhelmed by it. Qatar was the first team eliminated from the 2022 World Cup without a single point. South Africa was valiant in 2010 but ultimately exited in the group stage. Brazil crumbled under the unimaginable pressure of hosting the 2014 tournament and infamously lost to Germany in the semifinals 7-1.

Pochettino is wary of that pressure but said, “I think it’s good pressure.”

“We need to be careful (with) the message we are going to send,” he continued. “Because every time we are here talking, the players are listening.” But pressure, he said, is OK as long as it’s not pressure to win. What it should be is pressure that pushes him and his team to “try to be better.”

Mohamed Salah’s Liverpool downfall was inevitable – and it stems from Trent Alexander-Arnold leaving

Features By Mark White published 9 hours ago

Liverpool’s post-Mohamed Salah era might have begun, with a strange twist in the way that the Egyptian King has lost his team

Mohamed Salah (Liverpool FC) looks on during the Champions League group game between Eintracht Frankfurt and Liverpool FC at the Deutsche Bank Park, Frankfurt, Germany, on October 22, 2025. (Photo by Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Mohamed Salah looks on ahead of the Champions League group game against Eintracht Frankfurt (Image credit: Getty Images)

What may be Liverpool’s first post-Mohamed Salah win didn’t introduce a shred of irony. It was just as we all expected, in the shadow of the monarch. Salah would have ordinarily taken the penalty that won the Reds the game; ordinarily, he’d be far and away their best player this season.But he wasn’t, and he isn’t. That’s Dominik Szoboszlai on both counts, who buried the spot kick late into the Lombardian twilight. It’s safe to assume that if anyone’s picking up the dropped baton, it’s Szoboszlai – at least for now.

That’s the opposite of ironic – the next guy assumes the reins, who’d have guessed? – but nevertheless, it’s a weird feeling. Liverpool have been far from a one-man team over the past eight years: they’ve had one of the greatest centre-backs in Premier League history, a right-back and a goalkeeper to a similar level and Salah himself was only 33 per cent of a world-class frontline, with plenty still surely debating that Sadio Mane, at his peak, was a better footballer. The red side of Merseyside has been blessed with one of its greatest-ever eras for talent.

Jamie Carragher is correct when he points out that Salah is not bigger than the club. This club has turned Salah into a superstar.

Yet, the ‘Egyptian King’ nickname rings true. For the past eight years, Salah has been watching the throne. For all the leaders (Van Dijk and Henderson), the local lads (Trent and Jones), the superstars (Alisson and Mane) and the next generation (Wirtz and Isak), this has always been his team. Salah first: everyone else later.He is the last surviving starter from his debut against Watford in August 2017, with substitute Joe Gomez the only other in that matchday squad still kicking about at the training ground (though it’s so long ago that it’s a different training ground). That afternoon, Salah scored his third Premier League goal, following two in a spell at Chelsea. Now, he has more strikes in the competition than anyone else from overseas ever. And 190 more than Gomez, coincidentally (though this may be misattributed as ironic, it’s not).They’ve had their differences since – but in 2022, Carragher told FourFourTwo that Salah’s future was abundantly clear from that afternoon at Vicarage Road.Get FourFourTwo NewsletterThe best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.“I’ll always remember that first game, away at Watford,” he said. “He only got the one goal that day but the actual runs he made, you could tell that this fella was going to score goals.“You could tell right away what kind of player he was, he was a goalscorer, he wasn’t a winger. He wasn’t going to be whipping crosses in at all – the goals were going to become a big part of his game.” Eight years later and no one has so much as challenged that right-wing spot. Salah has helped change the perception of wide players in England.But the fact of the matter is that wide players do not score that many goals without the team being theirs. From the minute he signed, Liverpool’s then-best player, Mane, moved from his customary right-wing berth. From then on, Salah’s place in the side has been a non-negotiable. Roberto Firmino got a little older and Diego Jota came along. Mane moved out for Luis Diaz; Darwin Nunez came along and Cody Gakpo signed. Salah remained – signing two huge contracts, too.So he should have: he won back-to-back Golden Boots in his first two seasons and never let up. But perhaps underrated in the years since, is the strength of that right-hand side. In Liverpool’s prime, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jordan Henderson and Mohamed Salah were on a telepathic wavelength with one another: one holding width, one dropping deep, one pushing on, in perfect unison.

Georginio Wijnaldum (left) celebrates with Jordan Henderson (right) and Trent Alexander-Arnold after scoring for Liverpool against Barcelona in the teams' Champions League semi-final second leg at Anfield in May 2019. — Jordan Henderson and Trent Alexander-Arnold were key to Salah’s success (Image credit: Getty Images)

It was all done to get Salah into the areas where he was most dangerous. It’s an oversimplification to point out that after Henderson left in the summer of 2023, Salah had his worst campaign in terms of goals… but it’s worth mentioning.It makes the present all the more fascinating.When Arne Slot arrived, he followed Jurgen Klopp’s playbook: Liverpool exerted a little more composure, but with no major signing aside from Federico Chiesa, everything remained the same: the first-choice XI, with everything in its right place. Alexander-Arnold, tasked once more, with overlapping. And this season, there is too much chaos – too many deck chairs and wheelie bins in the tornado – to point out exactly where it’s going wrong.

But the mayhem and Slot’s suggested solution is at least reminiscent of Andoni Iraola’s first few weeks at Bournemouth. The Basque, too, unleashed a high press with little to no synchronicity and tanked the first two months of his tenure. Full-backs can’t maraud that high without protection further back: something that Slot has realised, too, with the gradual phasing out of all those shiny new parts.

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 04: (THE SUN OUT, THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Arne Slot, Manager of Liverpool, looks on prior to the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD4 match between Liverpool FC and Real Madrid C.F. at Anfield on November 04, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images) — Slot has struggled to find answers with this side (Image credit: Getty Images)

Wirtz has been dropped, Ekitike and Isak have rotated and new combinations are emerging in midfield. But perhaps most intriguingly, Gomez is back in the fold. The defender had one foot out of the door on deadline day: now he’s seemingly the only right-back in the squad with his head screwed on. Cause and effect. It has a kick-on with the right-winger.It marks the first time in almost a decade that the side is no longer geared towards Mohamed Salah. Some may say this was always going to happen anyway – if not this way, than with an influx of superstar arrivals. Others will claim it’s about time – and no shame – when your talisman is 33.True irony is difficult to find with coincidence a more likely substitute: but whatever you’d describe it as, it’s decidedly bizarre that Joe Gomez – the only man there before him – perhaps signals the end of Salah’s time at the club.All good things come to an end: Trent knew that all too well. Now it seems the pair were linked closer telepathically than we cared to credit. The Egyptian King could outlast almost everyone at Anfield.

Mark White

Content Editor

Mark White has been at on FourFourTwo since joining in January 2020, first as a staff writer before becoming content editor in 2023. An encyclopedia of football shirts and boots knowledge – both past and present – Mark has also represented FFT at both FA Cup and League Cup finals (though didn’t receive a winners’ medal on either occasion) and has written pieces for the mag ranging on subjects from Bobby Robson’s season at Barcelona to Robinho’s career. He has written cover features for the mag on Mikel Arteta and Martin Odegaard, and is assisted by his cat, Rosie, who has interned for the brand since lockdown.

9/30/25 Champions League Today-Wed, Europa Thurs, US wins 1st game in U20 World Cup, US Open Cup Wed night 8 pm CBSSN

September 30, 2025September 30, 2025 gatorbest arsenal, champions-league, champions-league-in-indiana, crystal-palace, europa-league, football, indy-11, liverpool, premier-league, soccer

Kind of gives me chill-bumps when you hear an American being cheered like this in Italy – Pulisic in Milan. Wonder why the EPL is so popular Worldwide – games like this – Arsenal wins in Extra Time. When you are at the fields this weekend – think about this before you yell at the ref.

Champions League & Europa League this Week

Champions League Action is back today and Wednesday with some big games like Barcelona hosting PSG & Villareal vs Juventus & American McKinney, and the battle of American’s Pepe & Dest for PSV traveling to Bayer Leverkusen and Tillman on Wednesday at 3 pm. Tuesday we get the return of Jose Mourino to Chelsea as he brings Portugal’s Benefica into town at 3 pm on Para+. (Full schedule & coverage below)

US U20 Boys in World Cup – Sun 4 pm FS2

The US U20’s got over to great start with a 9-0 win (US Goals) in game 1 of their World Cup start. Games continue on Fox Sports 1, 2 and Desportes all week and weekend long. Spain vs Mexico Wed at 4 pm on FS2, Spain vs Brazil Sat 4 pm on Univision & USA vs South Africa on Sunday at 4 pm on Fox Sports 2. (Full schedule & Stories below)

US Open Cup Wed Night CBS Sports Network, Para+

The US Open Cup finals are Wed night with Austin City hosting BJ Callahan and Nashville SC at 8 pm on CBSSN. This is a historic moment for both teams, as it’s the first time Austin FC has hosted a major tournament final and the first Open Cup final appearance for Nashville SC. (Stories below)

Indy 11 Win Again – @ Louisville on WNDY 23 7:30 pm Sat

Indy Eleven midfielder Jack Blake scored his USL Championship era (2018-) franchise record 25th Boys in Blue goal for the game-winner in a huge 2-1 victory over Western Conference leader FC Tulsa at Carroll Stadium. The win moves Indy Eleven into a playoff position one point ahead of Rhode Island FC with four games left in the regular season. Indy Eleven will take their two-game winning streak to USL Championship Eastern Conference leader Louisville City FC next Saturday at 7:30 p.m. on WNDY 23 and CBS Sports Golazo Network. 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.

Purpose: fill remaining roster spots Not adding new teams
Register: scan the QR on the graphic or use the
link https://system.gotsport.com/programs/4M9139916…

Brett Y, Will F and me reffing at Purdue Polytech High in Broadripple Monday.

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FULL TV GAME SCHEDULE

Tues, Sept 30 Champions League
12:45 pm Para+, Uni Kairat vs Real Madrid
3 pm CBSSN Paphos vs Bayern Munich
3 pm Para+ Galatasaray vs Liverpool
3 pm Para+ Atletico Madrid vs Frankfurt
3 pm Para+ Marseille (_) vs Ajax
3 pm Para+ Chelsea vs Benefica
3 pm Para+ Inter vs Slavia Praha
3 pm Para+ Boda vs Tottenham
4 pm FS2 Panama U20 vs Ukraine U20 WC
7 pm FS1 Chile U20 vs Japan U20
7 pm FS2 Korea U20 vs Paraguay U20
Wed, Oct 1 Champs League
12:45 pm Para, Uni Union Saint Gilloise vs Newcastle United
3 pm CBSSN Dortmund vs Athletic Club
3 pm Para+ Barcelona vs PSG
3 pm para+ Arsenal vs Olympiakos Piraues
3 pm Para+ Napoli vs Sporting CP
3 pm Para+ Bayer Leverkusen vs PSV (Pepe)
3 pm Para+ Villareal vs Juventus (McKinney)
4 pm FS2 Spain U20 vs Mexico U20
7 pm FS1 Brazil U20 vs Morocco U20
7 pm FS2 Argentina U20 vs Australia U20
8 pm CBSSN Austin City vs Nashville SC US Open Cup
Thurs, Oct 2 Europa
12:45 pm CBSSN Roma vs Lille
12:45 pm Celtic (Carter Vickers) cs Sporting Braga
12:45 pm Dynamo Kyiv vs Crystal Palace (Chris Richards)
3 pm CBSSN Feyenoord vs Aston Villa
3 pm Para_ Sturm Graz vs Rangers
3 pm Para+ Nottingham Forest vs Middtylland
3 pm Para+ Olympique Lyonnais vs Salzburg
Fri, Oct 3
3 pm USA Bournemouth (Adams) vs Fulham (Robinson)
7 pm FS1 Egypt U20 vs Chile U20 WC
7 pm FS2 New Zealand U20 vs Japan U20
Sat, Oct 4
7:30 am USA Leeds United (Aaronson) vs Tottenham
9:30 am ESPN+ Bayer Leverkusen (Tillman) vs Union Berlin
9:30 am ESPN+ Dortmund vs RB Leipzig
10 am USA Man United vs Sunderland
10 am Peacock Arsenal vs West Ham
12:30 pm NBC Chelsea vs Liverpool
4 pm Tele Mexico U20 vs Morocco U20
4 pm Univision Spain U20 vs Brazil U20
7 pm FS2 Argentina U20 vs Italy U20
10:30 pm Apple Seattle Sounders vs Portland Timbers
Sun, Oct 6
4 pm FS2 USA U20 vs South Africa U20
7 pm FS2 Nigeria U20 vs Colombia U20
9 pm Apple LAFC vs Atlanta United MLS

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 pm TNT, Max USA Men vs Uruguay Tampa, FL

USMNT midweek viewing guide: Champions League, Championship

Follow along with all the USMNT action this week. by Justin Moran Stars & Stripes

Bayer 04 Leverkusen v Borussia Mönchengladbach - Bundesliga

Midweek USMNT action is here. All kickoff times are in EST. All MLS games are available on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV and EA Sports FC, as well as any other networks listed. Let’s get into it!

Tuesday

Atalanta vs Club Brugge, 12:45p on Paramount+, Prime Video, ViX: Yunus Musah and Atalanta host Brugge in Champions League.
Atlético Madrid vs Frankfurt, 3p on Paramount+, Prime Video, ViX: Johnny Cardoso and Atléti host Nathaniel Brown and Frankfurt in Champions League.
Marseille vs Ajax, 3p on Paramount+, Prime Video, ViX: Tim Weah and OM welcome Ajax into town for this Champions League match.

Also in action:

Frosinone vs Cesena, 2:30p on Onefootball: Jonathan Klinsmann and Cesena visit Frosinone in Serie B.
Palermo vs Venezia, 2:30p on Onefootball, DCTV: Gianluca Busio and Venezia visit Palermo in Serie B.
Birmingham vs Sheffield Wednesday, 2:45p: Ethan Horvath and Sheffield United visit Birmingham City in the Championship.
Middlesbrough vs Stoke, 2:45p on Paramount+, Prime Video: Aidan Morris and Boro host Stoke City in the Championship.
Sheffield United vs Southampton, 2:45p: Damion Downs and Southampton visit Sheffield United in the Championship.
Derby vs Charlton, 3p on Paramount+, Prime Video: Charlie Kelman and Charlton Athletic visit Derby County in the Championship.
Inter Miami vs Chicago Fire, 7:30p: Chris Brady, Brian Gutiérrez, and the Fire visit Inter Miami in MLS action.

Wednesday

Leverkusen vs PSV, 3p on Paramount+, Prime Video, ViX: Malik Tillman will face his former team as he and Leverkusen host, Sergiño Dest, Ricardo Pepi and PSV in Champions League.
Monaco vs Manchester City, 3p on Paramount+, Prime Video, TUDN USA, UniMás, Univision NOW, FuboTV (free trial), ViX: Folarin Balogun and Monaco host Man City in Champions League.
Villarreal vs Juventus, 3p on Paramount+, Prime Video, DAZN USA, CBS Sports Golazo: Weston McKennie and Juve visit Villarreal in Champions League.

Also in action:

Millwall vs Coventry, 2:45p on Paramount+, Prime Video: Haji Wright and Coventry City visit Millwall in the Championship.
Norwich vs West Brom, 2:45p on Paramount+, Prime Video: Josh Sargent and Norwich City welcome George Campbell and West Brom for this Championship match.
Portsmouth vs Watford, 2:45p: Caleb Wiley and Watford visit Portsmouth in the Championship.
Austin FC vs Nashville SC, 8p on Paramount+, Prime Video, CBS Sports Network, FuboTV: Walker Zimmerman and Nashville visit Owen Wolff and Austin for a chance to hoist a trophy in the US Open Cup final.
Vancouver Whitecaps vs Vancouver FC, 10p: Sebastian Berhalter, Brian White, and the Whitecaps meet Vancouver FC in the Canadian Championship final.

Thursday

Celtic vs Braga, 12:45p on Paramount+, Prime Video, ViX: Cameron Carter-Vickers and Celtic host Braga in Europa League.
Dynamo Kyiv vs Crystal Palace, 12:45p on Paramount+, Prime Video, ViX: Chris Richards and Palace visit Dynamo Kyiv in Conference League.
Lyon vs RB Salzburg, 3p on Paramount+, Prime Video, DAZN USA: Tanner Tessmann and Lyon host Anrie Chase and Salzbug in Europa League.
USA U20 vs France U20, 4p on FS2, UNIVERSO, Prime Video, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, FuboTV, Sling TV: Benja Cremaschi, Niko Tsakiris, Frankie Westfield, Nolan Norris, Taha Habroune, and Cole Campbell were the scorers in the USA U20’s 9-1 win over New Caledonia to open the U20 World Cup. France will be a much tougher test.

Also in action:

Panathinaikos vs Go Ahead Eagles, 12:45p on Paramount+, Prime Video, ViX: Erik Palmer-Brown and Panathinaikos face Go Ahead Eagles in this Europa League battle to see which club can have the longest name.
Lausanne vs Breidablik, 12:45p on Paramount+, Prime Video, ViX: Bryan Okoh and Lausanne host Breidablik in Conference League.
Omonio Nicosia vs Mainz, 12:45p on Paramount+, Prime Video, ViX: Lennard Maloney and Mainz visit Mix Diskerud’s old club Omonio Nicosia in Conference League.

Friday

Bournemouth vs Fulham, 3p on USA, UNIVERSO, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, FuboTV, Sling TV, TeleXitos: Antonee Robinson and the Cottagers visit Tyler Adams and Bournemouth in Premier League action.

Champions League

Mourinho defends Chelsea, says he is the ‘biggest one’ ahead of Benfica visit
Champions League: Real Madrid’s incredible journey
Galatasaray vs Liverpool match preview and team news
|The greatest shocks in Champions League history
Barcelona-PSG rematch will thrill the world, but take a heavy toll on Luis Enrique
Uncharted territory: Real Madrid travel 4,000 miles east to Asia for historic Champions League trip
Pedri: Barça want to ‘avenge’ 2024 PSG QF loss
Mourinho’s homecoming at Chelsea serves as a reminder of his impact
Ekitike happy to partner Isak in Liverpool attack

USA

U.S. sets team record in dominant 9-1 U20 WC win
Benjamin Cremaschi Hat Trick Highlights Record-Setting 9-1 Win vs. New Caledonia in FIFA U-20 World Cup Opener
USMNT weekend clips: Pulisic blazing, Pepi hurt, Zendejas golazo
B.J. Callaghan – USMNT Hero to Nashville’s USOC Dream Weaver
President’s suggestion to take World Cup out of blue cities with crime is rage bait at its finest

US U20 ROSTER
GOALKEEPERS (3): 1-Gavin Beavers* (Brøndby), 12-Adam Beaudry (Colorado Rapids), 21-Duran Ferree (San Diego FC)
DEFENDERS (7): 2-Reed Baker-Whiting (Seattle Sounders), 18-Luca Bombino (San Diego FC), 5-Noah Cobb (Colorado Rapids), 16-Ethan Kohler (SC Verl), 3-Nolan Norris (FC Dallas), 17-Francis Westfield (Philadelphia Union), 4-Joshua Wynder (Benfica) 
MIDFIELDERS (6): 19-Matthew Corcoran (Nashville SC), 8-Benjamin Cremaschi (Parma), 14-Taha Habroune  (Columbus Crew), 6-Brooklyn Raines (Houston Dynamo), 15-Pedro Soma (San Diego FC), 10-Niko Tsakiris (San Jose Earthquakes)
FORWARDS (5): 11-Luke Brennan (Atlanta United), 7-Cole Campbell (Borussia Dortmund), 20-Zavier Gozo (Real Salt Lake City), 13-Peyton Miller (New England Revolution), 9-Marcos Zambrano (Real Salt Lake)
*Diego Kochen was initially called in, but FC Barcelona recalled him on Saturday.

US Open Cup

What Nashville SC’s first-ever trophy in US Open Cup final would mean to team and city
Can Nashville SC break down tough Austin FC defense? Scouting US Open Cup final
U.S. Open Cup Finalist Spotlight: Austin FC’s Hard Road to Date with Destiny
U.S. Open Cup Finalist Spotlight: High Hopes for Callaghan’s Tight-knit Nashville SC
U.S. Open Cup Final Preview: History on Offer for Austin FC or Nashville SC
How Austin FC Reached the 2025 U.S. Open Cup Final
B.J. Callaghan – USMNT Hero to Nashville’s USOC Dream Weaver
Recap: Nashville Soccer Club Advances to Its First-ever Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final with 3-1 Win over Philadelphia Union

Reffing

Arsenal vs NC Can’t be Handball
UCL Real Madrid Handball Marseille?
When you are at the fields this weekend – think about this before you yell at the ref.

HT Pham, Joe D and yours truly on a hot Saturday at University High Varsity Boys

Kamryn, Yves & I running a U15 Boys game at Indy Premier Sunday

USMNT player tracker: Pulisic’s brilliance, October roster statements, injury concerns

By Henry Bushnell Sept. 29, 2025 The Athletic

Until 2:45 p.m. ET on Sunday, the last weekend of September was a quiet one for U.S. men’s national team players in Europe. Several USMNT regulars had been relegated to the bench for their clubs. None had scored. Then, in the third minute of a showdown with the reigning Serie A champions, Christian Pulisic changed everything. He burst down San Siro’s left wing for a world-class assist. Later, he scored his league-leading fourth goal, and sixth in all competitions this season.He propelled Milan to a 2-1 win against Napoli, and to the top of Serie A. So, of course, that’s where we’ll begin our weekly roundup of USMNT players.

Pulisic’s red-hot form and vindication

Pulisic opting out of the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup left him facing weeks of criticism and questions. But when he finally explained himself, on a CBS Sports podcast in June, his reasoning was clear: He needed a break. He needed a proper offseason to rest and recharge, so that he could be at his best for Milan and the USMNT throughout the 2025-26 season and 2026 World Cup.“This is the right decision for myself, and for the team, at the end of the day,” Pulisic said at the time. “And people will see that. You guys will see, man. I’m hungrier than ever — truly. I’m really looking forward for big things to come.”And over the past few weeks in Italy, with four goals and two assists in three games, he has proven his point.He is playing with a lethal combination of explosiveness and calm. Despite a preseason ankle knock, and despite a not-quite-defined place in manager Massimiliano Allegri’s lineup, he is averaging more than two goal contributions per 90 minutes. He is skipping past defenders, and threading through balls. He is looking focused and fit. He is making lots of critics look silly.

Injuries, playing time concerns

Among U.S. players in Europe, Pulisic is something of an outlier.Before his man-of-the-match performance on Sunday, the stories of the weekend were starting lineup absences and injury concerns.In the Netherlands, Ricardo Pepi left PSV’s 2-1 win against Excelsior in the 32nd minute with apparent discomfort. PSV coach Peter Bosz indicated the injury was “minor,” and said he simply didn’t want to “take a risk” at this stage of the season. But Pepi’s status for the USMNT’s October camp is now in doubt.Stay in the know by selecting your interests on The Athletic:In Spain, Johnny Cardoso has not played at all in the month of September due to an ankle injury suffered in training.

In Germany, Gio Reyna, after one start and one substitute appearance for Borussia Mönchengladbach, missed Saturday’s game against Eintracht Frankfurt with a thigh injury. (Joe Scally, who has been playing as an attack-minded right wingback, registered two assists in Gladbach’s 6-4 loss.)In England, Antonee Robinson got his first start of the season midweek in a Carabao Cup win over Cambridge United, but he played those 90 minutes alongside a mixture of regulars and reserves. On Sunday, he was back on the Fulham bench, and played only 11 minutes in a 3-1 Premier League loss at Aston Villa. After offseason knee surgery, he is healthy enough to play, but nowhere near his 2024-25 best. And it’s not quite clear what he’ll have to do to reclaim his starting spot ahead of Ryan Sessegnon.In New Jersey, meanwhile, Matt Freese, who’s been the USMNT’s No. 1 goalkeeper since June, left Saturday’s 3-2 win over the New York Red Bulls with a head injury. “He’s being checked by the doctors, and we’ll wait and see,” NYCFC coach Pascal Jansen said after the match.And elsewhere, there are non-injury concerns. In Italy, Weston McKennie was back on the Juventus bench for a 1-1 draw with Atalanta, playing 32 minutes as a sub. Yunus Musah, after one start for Atalanta (in a 4-0 Champions League defeat against Paris Saint-Germain), has been a sparsely used reserve. He played 14 minutes off the bench against Juve.In France, Folarin Balogun — who seemed to cement himself as the U.S. No. 9 this month — was out of Monaco’s starting 11 for a second consecutive Ligue 1 game.Like in 2024 before the Copa América, club playing time could be developing into a broad worry for the national team. In September, it isn’t cause for alarm. In April, it would be.

Zendejas, Tessmann, others make statements

On the fringe of the U.S. roster, a few players have stated their case.Alex Zendejas has followed up his volley for the national team against Japan with four goals in four games for Club América. The third of four, on Saturday against Pumas, was an audacious, confidence-oozing chip over legendary goalkeeper Keylor Navas.Tanner Tessmann, who has been on the outside looking in at the USMNT since the March Nations League debacle, also scored a worldie Thursday for Lyon to beat Utrecht in the Europa League. He followed it up with a strong 90-minute shift in a 1-0 win at Lille on Sunday.Tessmann, perhaps more so than any other American player, has made a statement over the first two months of the 2025-26 season. He has been one of the best and most consistent players for a team that’s now won five of six Ligue 1 games, and currently sits tied atop the table with PSG.Aidan Morris, at a slightly lower level, has also been making noise at Middlesbrough. After three consecutive man of the match awards in August, he has continued apace in September and helped lead Boro to the top of the English Championship. They remain unbeaten after Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Southampton.Haji Wright and Coventry City are also unbeaten, having trounced Birmingham City 3-0 this weekend.Especially with Johnny and Pepi likely sidelined, Morris and Wright seem like strong candidates for the USMNT’s October roster, which will be released early this week. Tessmann, meanwhile, seems like a no-brainer inclusion.

How did other USMNT players perform?

Brenden Aaronson is battling at Leeds United. Amid relentless criticism from fans, and despite his lack of production in the final third, he has played in all six Premier League games for Leeds this season, including starts in the past three. He received a standing ovation from the home crowd when substituted late in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Bournemouth. During the Gold Cup, he seemed to be drifting out of the USMNT picture, but with his work rate and fortitude, he is keeping himself in World Cup contention.In that same Leeds-Bournemouth game, Tyler Adams — who was booed by the Leeds fans throughout — was his usual pugnacious self for 81 minutes.Also in the Prem, Chris Richards was arguably culpable on Liverpool’s late equalizer, but was then spared by Eddie Nketiah’s dramatic 97th-minute winner. Richards took to social media afterward to amplify claims that the Liverpool goal should have been disallowed for a Mohamed Salah handball, which might have put Richards off as he tried to clear a cross with his head.Elsewhere in England, down in the Championship, Patrick Agyemang notched an assist for Derby County. Josh Sargent has cooled down for Norwich City. Damion Downs is struggling badly at Southampton.Agyemang and Sargent are right on the World Cup roster bubble. Their inclusions or omissions in October could say a lot about U.S. head coach Mauricio Pochettino’s preferences.(Top photos: Matt Freese, left; Christian Pulisic; Getty Images)

Champions League Standings after 1 game

Five talking points ahead of the Champions League action

Story by

The Football Faithful

Tue, September 30, 2025 at 6:56 AM EDT·

4 min read

The Champions League returns for matchday two this week, as Liverpool, Barcelona, PSG, and Spurs all face key clashes on the European stage.

Five talking points ahead of the Champions League action:

Jose Mourinho returns to Chelsea

Chelsea welcome a familiar figure back to Stamford Bridge as Jose Mourinho’s Benfica take on Enzo Maresca’s side on Tuesday night.

The Special One’s shadow looms large over the club this week amid a run of poor form. The Blues are looking for their first win this month, against the manager who guided them to three Premier League titles across two stints.

The days when Chelsea played like true world beaters feels a long time ago now. They may be world champions, for whatever that is worth, but after losing consecutive league games it looks like this will be another year in which they don’t challenge for the title, despite their massive spending in recent years.

Chelsea came out 4-1 winners from their meeting Benfica in the Club World Cup this past summer, although the Portuguese giants did take them to extra time. They are favoured to win this tie, but could the Mourinho factor give the visitors an edge?

The west London outfit hope not; Maresca can’t really afford to lose this one after falling to a 3-1 defeat to Bayern Munich on the opening week of this year’s competition.

Read – Chelsea star admits players, not Maresca at fault for poor form

A clash of contenders

On Wednesday we will finally get the matchup that we should have seen in last season’s final as Barcelona host PSG at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.

Barça’s defensive frailties ultimately cost them in the semi-final defeat to Inter Milan, and given how the Italians fared in the decider, Hansi Flick’s men may have avoided a drubbing of their own in Munich.

They could be facing Paris at a good time, though. The reigning champions recently lost to Marseille and have not been their typically dominant selves against Ligue 1 opposition, despite topping the table.

Barcelona, meanwhile, are in scorching hot form; unbeaten in all competitions, they have scored 23 goals in eight matches. This will be a very early test for Flick’s side and a measure of their credentials for the ultimate glory.

Read – The quickest players to 100 goals for one club as Kane overtakes Ronaldo

David vs Goliath

All eyes will be on that titanic clash, but elsewhere two giants of the European game will travel to face the tournament’s supposed whipping boys.

Real Madrid make the arduous trip to Kazakhstan to take on Kairat Almaty, while Bayern Munich head to Cyprus for a meeting with Pafos FC.

Real and Bayern have 21 Champions League titles between them, while Kairat and Pafos are competing at this level for the first time ever.

These matches are expected to only go one way, but it has only been four years since Real were shocked by Moldovan outfit FC Sheriff Tiraspol in the group stage. Bayern are only two years removed from an embarrassing defeat to third-tier Saarbrucken in the German Cup, so neither club is a stranger to unlikely upsets.

Read – The greatest shocks in Champions League history

Welcome to Hell, Liverpool

Liverpool make the trip to Galatasaray for just the third time in Champions League history this Tuesday as they look to bounce back from defeat to Crystal Palace at the weekend.

The Turkish outfit’s fans have become known for creating a febrile atmosphere on these European nights ever since their famous win over Manchester United in 1993.

The Gala fans welcomed the United players at the airport with banners reading “Welcome to Hell”, and they certainly delivered on that front.

A win here would be another shock on that scale. Liverpool are prohibitive favourites, despite their unconvincing performances this season. Galatasaray may be dominating the Super Lig after signing Leroy Sane and Victor Osimhen, but they were trounced 5-1 by Eintracht Frankfurt on the opening week.

The Champions League might quickly become a hellscape for Okan Buruk’s team if Liverpool find their scoring touch.

Read – Galatasaray vs Liverpool match preview and team news

Spurs head back to the Arctic Circle

On their way to Europa League glory last season, Tottenham Hotspur had to go through Bodo/Glimt. It was a tricky tie against the Norwegian upstarts who have taken many scalps in Europe in recent years.

Spurs won the quarter-final clash 5-1 on aggregate, ensuring Glimt have never beaten an English side, losing all five of their encounters.

Thomas Frank should guide his side to another victory here, although he would probably prefer not to have to travel to the Arctic Circle this week. His squad will make a 6,200km round trip, before heading to Leeds this Saturday.

Jose Mourinho: He meant everything to Chelsea fans in his heyday, but what about now?

Simon JohnsonSept. 30, 2025Updated 5:39 am EDT

On Tuesday night, Jose Mourinho will get to discover if he is still seen as special among Chelsea fans.You would think the answer would be a categorical ‘yes’, right? This is the man who ended the club’s 50-year wait for a league title in 2005. The Portuguese won seven major trophies (three Premier Leagues, an FA Cup and three League Cups) during two spells at Stamford Bridge (2004-7, 2013-15) and boasted extraordinary statistics like not losing any of his first 77 home Premier League games (a run finally ended by Sunderland in 2014). Pictures of him posing with the Premier League trophy are still on the walls inside the Drake Suite at the ground.He returns this week as Benfica’s head coach but this will not be the first occasion Chelsea fans have had a chance to show what they think of him. Mourinho was booed following one game as Manchester United manager after Chelsea beat them in an FA Cup quarter-final. His popularity sank to a deeper low after taking charge of bitter rivals Tottenham (2019-21).So how is he viewed now? “Time is a healer,” veteran season ticket holder Tim Rolls tells The Athletic. “If you look at what Chelsea are now and where the club were under him 20 years ago, people will look back so much more fondly to what we had. We had an air of invincibility. You knew if Chelsea went 1-0 up, that was it. That does not happen now. People appreciate Mourinho’s record even more.”

Mourinho in November 2004, his first season at ChelseaRichard Heathcote/Getty Images

Another season ticket holder Rafael Alleyne, who has supported the club for over 40 years, agrees. “I know there can be mixed feelings. There was a funny spell in terms of how he was perceived during his time at Manchester United. But he will always be top for me.

“Why did his popularity dip? Going to a rival like Manchester United was one thing. There were also some digs he made at Chelsea. I didn’t have a problem with it because that’s just Jose but others did.”Claudia Coulter was just a young child during Mourinho’s first tenure and only really got to appreciate what he brought to Chelsea between 2013-15. But that is what made seeing him then take charge of two Premier League sides tougher to bear.“I found it particularly hard to see him in the Tottenham dugout, it just felt so wrong,” she says. “My dad (also a Chelsea fan) felt the same, we could not believe it. Seeing him at another Premier League team was always going to be weird and we had that first with Manchester United. But seeing him at Tottenham was a real kick in the gut because we obviously hate them. It was a real shock.d“He knew what the Chelsea fans thought about Spurs so it was not great at that moment. But you kind of have to move on. It is not a case of forgetting it, it is still a sore point, but you have to concentrate on all the good things that he did.“I will be there at the game and I can’t wait to see him back. I think he is going to get a good reception. There will always be some people who are not happy but I will give him a good reception. I just hope we beat him!”

Mourinho prepares to manage Tottenham against Chelsea in 2019Michael Regan/Getty Images

Since being fired by Tottenham four years ago, Mourinho has gone on to coach Roma and Fenerbahce before taking over at Benfica two weeks ago. In terms of his standing at Chelsea, Mourinho once said, “Until the moment they have a manager that wins four Premier Leagues for them, I’m the No 1.”

No one has got close. Antonio Conte is the only other coach to guide Chelsea to top spot (in 2016-17) following Mourinho’s last triumph in 2014-15. Under the Todd Boehly-Clearlake consortium, who bought the club three years ago, Chelsea have not even challenged, although they did claim a unique double of the FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Conference League last season.

Stay in the know by selecting your interests on The Athletic:

Graham Potter, Mauricio Pochettino and incumbent Enzo Maresca are the three managers hired by the current regime. None of them forged a bond akin to the one Mourinho enjoyed. The latter goes into the game under increasing scrutiny from many in the stands because Chelsea have lost three of their last four games.Another season ticket holder Dave Chidgey says: “Chelsea were a top club under Mourinho, not this state we are in at the moment. I go back to the recent hires. We have had Potter, Pochettino and Maresca. They are not at his level.“Would I have him back for a third time? I don’t know, to be honest. It is a head-vs-heart situation. I know deep down it will never work under this ownership. He would see holes in the squad and want world-class guys to fill them, not caring how old they are or how much they cost. That mantra is a thing of the past at Chelsea and will never happen as long as these guys are in charge.”

Mourinho’s commitment to the cause made him very popular with the Chelsea faithfulClive Brunskill/Getty ImagesDan Silver believes the 3-1 loss to Brighton three days ago has improved Mourinho’s chances of being greeted warmly. The season ticket holder explained: “There could be a lot more vocal support for Mourinho because of the Brighton result. Maresca is still very much a Marmite figure.”There were other factors that made Chelsea fans lose a bit of their admiration for Mourinho while he was at the helm. For example, he criticised fans for the atmosphere at Stamford Bridge in 2014, saying that it was like playing in an empty stadium. Opposition fans have been chanting, “Mourinho’s right, your fans are sh*te,” ever since.Chidgey says: “I didn’t like it when he dug the fans out. It was just unfair because, if you have an understanding of what’s been going on at Premier League clubs for the last 20 years, the way people have been priced out, the sport being gentrified, that all plays a part. It felt like kicking a dog when they’re down. That’s what ground my gears. That, for me, is deliberately not understanding what supporters have to go through.”Mourinho was often on the back pages of newspapers and leading sports broadcast bulletins for things he did and said. Former head of UEFA’s referees committee Volker Roth labelled Mourinho an “enemy of football” after he had wrongly accused then Barcelona head coach Frank Rijkaard of visiting referee Anders Frisk at half-time during a 2-1 Champions League defeat in 2005.

Mourinho called much-respected Arsenal head coach Arsene Wenger a “voyeur” and “a specialist in failure”. In June 2005, he was fined £75,000 (then $135,000) for meeting then Arsenal player Ashley Cole, without the north London club’s consent. Cole joined Chelsea the following year.

ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images

Perhaps the most damning incident was reaching a discrimination settlement with former Chelsea doctor Eva Carneiro in 2016. Carneiro was demoted soon after a game against Swansea in August 2015. Mourinho was furious that she and first-team physio Jon Fearn ran on to the pitch late on to treat Eden Hazard. Carneiro accused Mourinho of shouting “filha da puta” at her, which means ‘daughter of a whore’. Carneiro brought a case against Chelsea too for constructive dismissal after leaving in September 2015 and both the club and Mourinho ended up paying an undisclosed sum to resolve the case.Speaking generally about Mourinho’s antics, Silver says: “Some of his behaviour was not a good look for him or the club. It left a bad taste. But no one acts perfectly. Wenger was seen in a different, positive light and yet he pushed Mourinho in a game and kicked water bottles in another. You think of Sir Alex Ferguson shouting in referees’ faces. It felt like Mourinho was singled out for criticism. Mourinho fought the club’s corner. He was the master of the siege mentality, us against the world.”

Alleyne continues: “At the time, I may have been more like, ‘Did we have to do this, do we have to be public enemy No 1?’ There were times when I would think, ‘Jose, don’t do that,’ because he was either putting himself in a negative light or the club. But it was never to the degree of not wanting to have him, this is the kind of heat that comes with a guy like Mourinho. We had a target on our back.“I know people had a problem with his playing style too, that the result was king. But I was always about that. Perhaps he brainwashed me completely but it was all about the result and not being there to just mess around.”

Phil Cole/Getty Images

Chidgey is another who felt living with Mourinho’s flaws was a price worth paying: “He is not a saint and that is the brilliant and beautiful thing about him,” he explains. “Mourinho says and does stupid things, he annoys people. We have all done that. But at the same time, he won loads of trophies and put Chelsea on the top table of Europe. You cannot airbrush that from history just because he has done a few daft things over time.”Another possible criticism is that he did not win a Champions League with Chelsea despite having one of the best squads in Europe to work with. He lost two semi-finals against Liverpool (2005, 2007) and Atletico Madrid in 2014. It was Roberto Di Matteo (2012) and Thomas Tuchel (2021) who wrote their names into Chelsea folklore by winning Europe’s most prestigious competition. Mourinho did lift the trophy with Porto in 2004 and, six years later, with Inter Milan, having beaten Chelsea at the last-16 stage.

“I do not see it as a mark against him,” Alleyne insists. “It’s knockout football, it happens. He got to three semi-finals in the five full seasons he had, that’s still very good. He proved himself by winning three league titles. I would say it just highlights the bit of luck you need, which we clearly had in 2012.“I don’t think Mourinho is given enough credit for the winning DNA that was instilled in the club. The way that we talk about winning silverware now, the expectation, has come from him. It wasn’t there before he turned up.”Mourinho is 62 now and the grey hair betrays the reality he has aged quite a bit since walking into Chelsea for the first time 21 years ago.“The reality is you have to say he is a fading force,” Rolls concludes. “He is no longer in the conversation for a job at the top clubs and that says it all. But I go into the Benfica match with a lot more trepidation than I had before. That says a lot about him. He is so astute tactically, you never lose that.”(Top photo: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

Atletico dominated the derby by exposing Real Madrid in the channels

By Michael Cox

Sept. 29, 2025 12:00 pm EDT

It is rare to see such a basic approach working in a high-level football match, but Atletico Madrid’s style in their 5-2 thrashing of Real Madrid felt like old-school Atleti: 4-4-2, and lots of balls into the channels.

Diego Simeone’s approach has evolved across his 14-year spell as head coach, introducing more attacking flair. For the ‘derbi’, though, Atletico often go back to basics. And it worked on Saturday, with Atleti putting five goals past their city rivals for the first time in nearly 75 years.

“We knew where we could do damage, with breaks on the outside with Nicolas Gonzalez, Pablo Barrios, Julian Alvarez and Giuliano Simeone,” said Simeone after the game. “Taking the centre-backs out and leaving Alexander Sorloth inside to get chances. Beyond their two goals, the team did well. I liked everything. The team always knew what they had to do.”

That summarised it neatly. Atletico were particularly good at attacking down the flanks, most decisively with crosses — but their approach was about running the channels and dragging out the centre-backs.

This was how Real Madrid lined up. Xabi Alonso’s system was roughly 4-2-3-1, but with Arda Guler playing very narrow from the right, and Vinicius Junior offering little support to Alvaro Carreras at left-back.

It left Carreras badly exposed, with and without possession. Here, despite being in a decent position to track the run of Simeone Jr, a simple ball behind him causes all sorts of problems, with centre-back Dean Huijsen having to sprint across in an attempt to close down. This left central defensive partner Eder Militao isolated against Sorloth for the cross, although Militao dealt with this well.

Carreras was also caught out on the ball here, taking too long and allowing Barrios to pounce and slide a pass for Sorloth to go through on goal, although the Norway striker lacked the acceleration to get there before goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

Down the other flank, Madrid had slightly different problems. Because Guler was playing so narrow, Dani Carvajal was tasked with providing right-sided width, and he also pressed high.

Here, three minutes in, the right-back is dragged out from defence to close down Gonzalez, and Clement Lenglet has the fairly simple task of knocking the ball in behind for Sorloth’s run. Again, Sorloth lacked the speed to ensure this was a clear goalscoring chance, and Militao recovered to make an excellent tackle.

Here is a more extreme example, when a pass is lobbed out to David Hancko at left-back. Carvajal is never going to get this ball, but he presses anyway, which makes it easy for Hancko to knock the ball past him. This time, it is Alvarez working the left channel, although the pass forces him wide and Militao shadows him well.

The problems continued after the break, particularly as Militao was forced off injured and replaced by Raul Asencio.

The below example was unfortunate, as Carvajal went in for a tackle and the ball deflected straight to Alvarez. But again, centre-back Asencio was forced out wide into an uncomfortable position, and ended up hacking down Alvarez just outside the box.

Carvajal was then replaced, which initially seemed a mere tactical change considering how badly Madrid were struggling down that side, although it later emerged the captain had picked up a calf injury. This meant Asencio going to right-back, with midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni dropping to centre-back.

This first frame shows the tactical battle perfectly: Real Madrid’s full-backs are always significantly ahead of the centre-backs, and Atletico’s two strikers in the channels are waiting for a forward pass. Here, another simple pass from Hancko finds Alvarez, and Tchouamani decides to hold his position, allowing Alvarez to assess his options.

The strange thing is that none of these situations actually led to a goal.

Atletico’s first four goals came from set pieces, in different ways: a Robin Le Normand header in the aftermath of a free kick, a Sorloth header after a throw-in, an Alvarez penalty after Guler was penalised for a high boot at a corner, and then a whipped Alvarez direct free kick. In stoppage time, Antoine Griezmann rounded things off with a goal on the break, his first in La Liga since February. The highlights alone would suggest that Real Madrid’s problem was defending dead-ball situations.

But it clearly was about more than that. Madrid’s shape looked disjoined, their individual defending in wide areas was poor, and the injury to Carvajal — alongside the continued absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold — leaves them seriously lacking full-back options. Atletico are often dominant in home derbies, but rarely have they wreaked havoc quite so easily.What You Should Read NextReal Madrid’s youthful rebuild is a work in progress under Xabi Alonso – it showed against AtleticoAlonso and his new-look side will have to learn from their historic 5-2 thrashing by their city rivals

(Top photo: Wyscout)

9/26/25 Champions League Tu/We/Th, Madrid Derby, Liverpool vs Crystal Palace, Indy 11 host Oktoberfest Sat vs Tulsa, Pulisic on fire, Full TV Game Schedule

September 26, 2025September 28, 2025 gatorbest champion-league-soccer, epl, indy-11, liverpool, messi, mls, pulisic, soccer, us-ladies, usmnt

With just 260 days to the World Cup and the 1st round of ticket ordering done (4.5 million entries were submitted -we put in like 15) it will be interesting to see if we get selected this week to buy tix and how much they are – cute World Cup Mascots announced this week. The US should announce our squad for the Oct friendlies sometime this week as well. US players rocked this past weekend and week as Pulisic became the all-time leading goal scorer overseas for an American and led the way with 3 goals and an assist, Chris Richards helped Crystal Palace stay unbeaten in the EPL, while Tanner Tessman scored this banger for Lyon in Europa League. In other news legendary EPL announcer Jon Champion shares his game notes, gotta love the EPL, Inter Miami midfielder Sergio Busquets announced his retirement at the end of the season, and of course Ousmane Dembélé Won the 2025 Ballon d’Or. Enjoy the Madrid Derby Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid Sat at 10:15 am on ESPN Desportes or ESPN+, & undefeated’s Liverpool vs American Chris Richard & Crystal Palace (Preview) at 10 am on Peacock and a battle of 2 American’s Juventus’ Mckennie vs Atalanta’s Musah as Juve vs Atalanta plays at noon on CBS.

INDY 11
Indy Eleven scored two second-half goals in a six-minute span to rally to a key 2-1 victory over USL Championship Eastern Conference opponent Birmingham Legion FC in front of 10,375 at Carroll Stadium. The win moves the Boys in Blue to one point out of playoff position behind Rhode Island FC with five games remaining in the regular season. Indy Eleven hosts Western Conference leader FC Tulsa on Saturday at 7 pm on Oktoberfest ($11 tix, Special Indy 11 Beer Stein, Guest Brewers in fun zone starts at 5:30) at Carroll Stadium. Single-game tickets for all matches are available via Ticketmaster.

Beer’s, Brat’s, & Bangers at the Mike for Octoberfest Sat night

Got the Distinct pleasure of reffing with Edwin Schowe who at 80 years old we think is the oldest active ref – reffing high school or middle school games in Indiana. A rainy afternoon at Northview Middle – solid teams.

Working with Jakob from Gainesville, FL at Kuntz on a Tues Night. Fellow Gainesville
High Soccer player and University of Florida Grad.

Beautiful Sat morning at North Central Boys Varsity game with Omar & Alex

Purpose: fill remaining roster spots Not adding new teams
Register: scan the QR on the graphic or use the
link https://system.gotsport.com/programs/4M9139916…

Goalkeeping

Europa League Matchday 1 great saves: Wednesday’s best stops
Europa League Matchday 1 saves: Thursday’s best stops

USA

Pulisic continues scorching-hot form with goal off the bench
American’s Abroad – Pulisic in Class of his own
Will Tessmann leapfrog McKennie, Musah to start for USMNT at 2026 World Cup? Jeff Carlisle
Americans Abroad: Christian Pulisic aims to extend dominance for Milan, Crystal Palace’s Chris Richards to be tested by Liverpool
Christian Pulisic and Max Allegri are an odd stylistic match at Milan, but partnership has Rossoneri rolling – and Mauricio Pochettino’s USMNT could benefit
USMNT 2026 World Cup Big Board 2.0: Balogun, Zendejas rise
Pulisic told Gimenez to stay patient amid goal drought
U.S.’s Pulisic nets third goal of week for Milan
Pulisic Turned 27 last week top 5 goals for Milan
Leeds boss Farke tells fans to lay off Aaronson
Rae: Will Gladbach instability be a blessing or a curse for Reyna?
US Women’s Soccer Coach Emma Hayes speaks on new US Facilities in Atlanta
Zendajas coming-out Party in Columbus vs Japan

MLS

Lionel Messi takes lead in Golden Boot race as Inter Miami thrashes NYCFC
Lionel Messi just showed why he will win a second straight MLS MVP
Messi 2 goals 1 Assist vs NYCFC
Is LAFC the team to beat in MLS?
MLS Power Rankings: How high can LAFC climb with Son leading a dynamic attack?
Messi, Ramos lead tributes to retiring Busquets

NWSL / Ladies

NWSL Take-Off: KC Current claim Shield, Pride struggles continue
Shaw dazzles Gotham crowd in home debut victory
Becky Sauerbrunn adds new role to ever-expanding portfolio
‘Absolute farce’ – Bonmati’s third Ballon d’Or generates controversy

Champions & Europa League & EPL

UEFA Europa League, League Stage (All Results)
A New San Siro
UN panel urges Israel suspension from FIFA, UEFA competition
A World Cup with 64 teams explained – how would it work, what needs to be discussed, who wants it?
Margin of Ousmane Dembélé’s Ballon d’Or triumph revealed

EPL

Premier League talking points ahead of the weekend
Ogden: From Liverpool to Wrexham, are U.S. owners taking over?
Liverpool can’t keep winning games like this — or can they?
Liverpool’s Chiesa is ‘here to win’ and now has the chance
Lindop: Isak’s first Liverpool goal could be the start of something special to prove it
Onuoha: Why clubs shouldn’t freeze players out, like Chelsea with Sterling

Reffing

Understanding offsides
Ref Saved from Heart Attack on Field
Legendary Mexican Goalkeeper Memo Ochoa Joins Mexican team

When you Ref in Broadripple you have to go to La Piedad after right? Here with my longtime buddy Mike Arrington grabbing a bite after our Purdue Polytech Varsity Boys game. Another beautiful night reffing.

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FULL TV GAME SCHEDULE

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
7:30 am USA Brentford vs Man United
10 am USA Man City vs Burnley
10 am Peacock 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 CBS, 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
9 am USA Aston Villa vs Fulham (Robinson)
11:30 am USA Newcastle United vs Arsenal
2:45 pm Para+ AC Milan (Pulisic) vs Napoli (Musah)
3 pm ESPNd, ESPN+ Barcelona vs Real Sociedad
7 pm Apple TV Cincy vs Orlando City
7 pm FS1 Brazil U20 vs Mexico U20 World Cup
7 pm FS2 Cuba U20 vs Argentina U20
Mon Sep 29
3 pm USA Everton vs West Ham
4 pm FS2 France U20 vs South Africa U20
7 pm FS1 USA U20 vs New Caledonia U20 World Cup
7 pm FS2 Colombia U20 vs Saudi Arabia U20
Tues, Sept 30 Champions League
12:45 pm Para+, Uni Kairat vs Real Madrid
3 pm CBSSN Paphos vs Bayern Munich
3 pm Para+ Galatasaray vs Liverpool
3 pm Para+ Atletico Madrid vs Frankfurt
3 pm Para+ Marseille (_) vs Ajax
3 pm Para+ Chelsea vs Benefica
3 pm Para+ Inter vs Slavia Praha
3 pm Para+ Boda vs Tottenham
4 pm FS2 Panama U20 vs Ukraine U20 WC
7 pm FS1 Chile U20 vs Japan U20
7 pm FS2 Korea U20 vs Paraguay U20
Wed, Oct 1 Champs League
12:45 pm Para, Uni Union Saint Gilloise vs Newcastle United
3 pm CBSSN Dortmund vs Athletic Club
3 pm Para+ Barcelona vs PSG
3 pm para+ Arsenal vs Olympiakos Piraues
3 pm Para+ Napoli vs Sporting CP
3 pm Para+ Bayer Leverkusen vs PSV
3 pm Para+ Villareal vs Juventus (McKinney)
4 pm FS2 Spain U20 vs Mexico U20
7 pm FS1 Brazil U20 vs Morocco U20
7 pm FS2 Argentina U20 vs Australia U20
8 pm CBSSN Austin City vs Nashville SC US Open Cup
Thurs, Oct 2 Europa
12:45 pm CBSSN Roma vs Lille
12:45 pm Celtic (Carter Vickers) cs Sporting Braga
12:45 pm Dynamo Kyiv vs Crystal Palace (Chris Richards)
3 pm CBSSN Feyenoord vs Aston Villa
3 pm Para_ Sturm Graz vs Rangers
3 pm Para+ Nottingham Forest vs Middtylland
3 pm Para+ Olympique Lyonnais vs Salzburg
Fri, Oct 3
3 pm USA Bournemouth (Adams) vs Fulham (Robinson)
7 pm FS1 Egypt U20 vs Chile U20 WC
7 pm FS2 New Zealand U20 vs Japan U20
Sat, Oct 4
7:30 am USA Leeds United vs Totteham
9:30 am ESPN+ Bayer Leverkusen (Tillman) vs Union Berlin
9:30 am ESPN+ Dortmund vs RB Leipzig
10 am USA Man United vs Sunderland
10 am Peacock Arsenal vs West Ham
12:30 pm NBC Chelsea vs Liverpool
4 pm Tele Mexico U20 vs Morocco U20
4 pm Univision Spain U20 vs Brazil U20
7 pm FS2 Argentina U20 vs Italy U20
10:30 pm Apple Seattle Sounders vs Portland Timbers
Sun, Oct 6
4 pm FS2 USA U20 vs South Africa U20
7 pm FS2 Nigeria U20 vs Colombia U20
9 pm Apple LAFC vs Atlanta United MLS
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 pm TNT, Max USA Men vs Uruguay Tampa, FL

USMNT weekend viewing guide: Important impressions

World Cup selections are getting closer every window by jcksnftsn Sep 26, 2025, 1:42 PM EDT

Getty Images

With rumors that Mauricio Pochettino intends to use the October USMNT roster to begin to lock in his intended World Cup call ups, and the announcement for the October roster likely to be made late next week, this weekend likely represents a last chance for players to make their statement about why they should be considered for a callup. To add to it there are head-to-head matchups in the EPL, Bundesliga, and Serie A to watch this weekend. It’s a full weekend of action so let’s get to the matches that we’ll be keeping an eye on:

Friday

Strasbourg v Olympique Marseille – 2:45p on beIN Sports

Tim Weah followed up his Bernabeu Banger with a solid shift against PSG last weekend as Marseille handed the French giants their first loss on the season, dropping them into a four-way tie atop Ligue 1. Marseille are three points back of the league leaders, a group which also includes this weekend’s opponent, Strasbourg, who’s lone loss on the season was a 3-2 defeat to Monaco who are also a part of the four at the top of the table.

Saturday

Coventry City v Birmingham City – 7:30a on Paramount+: Haji Wright and Coventry City tied their third straight game last Saturday, 0-0 with Leicester. Coventry have yet to suffer a loss this season but they have drawn four of their six matches and currently sit in sixth place.

Heidenheim v Augsburg – 9:30a on ESPN Select: Noahkai Banks has appeared in one of Augsburgs four matches to start the season, seeing just one minute. You probably don’t need to work your schedule around this match and we’re going to drop Augsburg from the guide until it looks like he may start getting regular action.

St. Pauli v Bayer Leverkusen – 9:30a on ESPN Select: James Sands and Malik Tillman will go head-to-head in the midfield on Saturday morning as St. Pauli face Bayer Leverkusen. Sands and St. Pauli suffered their first loss of the weekend last Friday, falling to Stuttgart 2-0 with Sands playing the full 90’ and picking up a yellow card in the 40th minute. Meanwhile on Sunday, Tillman scored a goal against Borussia Monchengladbach but his team would end up settling for a draw after giving up a tying goal in stoppage time.

Crystal Palace v Liverpool – 10a on Peacock: Chris Richards and Crystal Palace have yet to suffer a loss to start the 2025-26 season though they have drawn three times and sit in fifth place. Their opponent for this weekend is a Liverpool side that has won every match in league play. However, Palace did defeat Liverpool to start the year in the Community Shield match.

Leeds United v AFC Bournemouth – 10a on Peacock: Our EPL head-to-head matchup of the weekend sees Brenden Aaronson’s Leeds side take on Tyler Adams and Bournemouth. Adams has started every match for a Bournemouth side that haven’t lost since their opening match against Liverpool and currently sit in fourth place, they are coming off a scoreless draw with Newcastle. In Leeds, Aaronson has started the last two matches after coming off the bench in the first three, and Leeds’ 3-1 win over Wolverhampton last weekend gave them seven points through five matches this season as they move into 12th place and look to snap the streak of newly promoted sides heading straight back to the English Championship.

Stoke City v Norwich City – 10a on Paramount+: Josh Sargent has cooled off a bit in the Championship, failing to score in his past two matches after starting the season with five goals in his first four. Norwich lost to Wrexham 3-2 last weekend, their third loss early in the season and they currently sit in 15th place in the Championship table.

Southampton v Middlesbrough – 10a on Paramount+: Meanwhile, also in the Championship, Aidan Morris has played every minute for a Middlesbrough side that have five wins and a draw through their first six matches and currently sit atop the Championship standings, four points ahead of Stoke. This weekend Middlesbrough face a Southampton side that were playing in the EPL last season but have only one win in the Championship to start this campaign and currently sit in 19th place, just a point out of a second straight relegation.

Atletico Madrid v Real Madrid – 10:15a on ESPN Deportes and ESPN Select: Johnny Cardoso will miss his first chance at a Madrid derby as he suffered a sprained ankle in training that held him out of Atletico’s Champions League match with Liverpool and has already ruled him out for this weekends match as well.

Lorient v Monaco – 11a on beIN Sports: Folarin Balogun was an unused substitute last weekend in Monaco’s 5-2 win over FC Metz. Balogun had started the past three league matches for Monaco as well as the Champions League match just three days prior so it is unsurprising there was some rotation. He’ll hopefully be back in the lineup this weekend as Monaco look to continue their hot form in league play that has them tied for the league lead.

Juventus v Atalanta – Noon on Paramount+: Yunus Musah will face off against his old team including fellow USMNT member Weston McKennie as Atalanta travel to Turin to face Juventus on Saturday. Musah has come off the bench in his first two league matches since joining Atalanta but he did start the teams Champions League class with PSG (albeit an embarrassing 4-0 loss). Weston McKennie did not make it off the bench last weekend as Juventus settled for a 1-1 draw with Hellas Verona who were tied for last place in the league standings. It was Juventus’ first hiccup of the season and they are now two points back of Napoli, and two points ahead of this weekends opponent.

Borussia Monchengladbach v Eintracht Frankfurt – 12:30p on ESPN Select: Joe Scally, Gio Reyna, and Borussia Monchengladbach notched a late goal last weekend to steal a draw with Bayer Leverkusen. It was Gladbach’s first goal of the season and just their second point through four matches. This weekend they will face a Frankfurt side that has a pair of wins to go with a pair of losses.

Toulouse v Nantes – 1p on beIN Sports: Mark McKenzie has played every minute of the season for Toulouse thus far. Unfortunately the club have lost three straight and currently sit in ninth place. If you set aside the embarrassing 6-3 loss Toulouse have given up just three goals in their other four matches this year which would be a solid defensive record. This weekend Toulouse host a Nantes side that sit near the bottom of the table with just one win and one draw, but they have been close in every match this season, never loosing by more than a goal, and only once conceding more than one.

Excelsior v PSV – 2p on ESPN Select: Sergino Dest, Ricardo Pepi, and PSV settled for a draw with Ajax last weekend and are now three points back of league leading Feyenoord. PSV now face an Excelsior side that are coming off their second win of the season, a 2-1 win over Volendam.

Club America v Pumas UNAM – 11:05p on CBSSN: Alex Zendejas scored for Club America last weekend after coming on as an injury substitute just before the end of the first half. Zendejas’ late goal was the match winner for America as they defeated San Luis to move within three points of league leading Cruz Azul. America now face a Pumas side who are coming off a 3-1 win over FC Juarez.

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:

Charlotte v Montreal – 7:30p: Tim Ream
DC United v Philadelphia Union – 7:30p: Nathan Harriel
New York Red Bulls v NYCFC – 7:30p: Matt Friese
Nashville SC v Houston Dynamo – 8:30p: Jack McGlynn
Real Salt Lake v Austin FC – 9:30p: Diego Luna
Seattle Sounders v Vancouver Whitecaps – 10:30p: Cristian Roldan
San Diego FC v San Jose Earthquakes – 10:30p: Luca de la Torre
LA Galaxy v Cincinnati – 10:30p: Roman Celetano

Sunday

Aston Villa v Fulham – 9a on USA Network: Antonee Robinson played 90’ minutes midweek in Fulham’s 1-0 EFL Cup win over Cambridge United. Robinson was back on the field after missing Fulham’s past two league matches. On Sunday Fulham will take on Aston Villa who are still looking for their first win of the Premier League season though they did defeat Bologna in Europa League action on Thursday.

Lille v Olympique Lyon – 11:15a on beIN Sports: Tanner Tessmann is doing everything he can to catch the eye of Mauricio Pochettino. Tessmann scored in his second straight match on Thursday, coming off the bench to lift Lyon to a 1-0 win over FC Utrecht in Europa League action. Tessmann also scored the lone goal last weekend as Lyon defeated Angers 1-0 in league play. Lyon are 4-0-1 to start the season and part of the group at the top of the Ligue 1 table, a group that are two points ahead of this weekend’s opponent, Lille.

AC Milan v Napoli – 2:45p on Paramount+: Perhaps the only USMNT player hotter than Tessmann right now is Christian Pulisic who came off the bench and scored on Tuesday in a Coppa Italia match on Tuesday after starting and contributing to all three goals Milan scored against Udinese last weekend, scoring two and assisting on the third. If Pulisic can keep that form heading into this weekends match against league leading Napoli it would be a huge boost to Milan’s title hopes this season. Napoli are currently three points ahead of Milan and have won every league match that they’ve played.

Sunday MLS Activity:

Cincinnati v Orlando City – 7on MLS Season Pass: Alex Freeman

LAFC v Real Salt Lake – 9p on FS1: Diego Luna

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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.
Chris Richards put together another stellar outing against West Ham. Full highlight clip. He has solidified himself as one of the top defenders in the world’s top league. Crystal Palace and Liverpool are the only remaining undefeated teams in the Premier League. They’ll face off on Saturday.

It’s been a MASSIVE week for Christian Pulisic. He had a brace andan assist in Milan’s 3-0 win over Udinese. It’s early, but he’s tied for first in Serie A for goals and goals per 90. After the game head coach, Massimiliano Allegri, called him the “Michael Jordan of soccer”. While that’s a stretch, his form is elite. With the goals, he passed Clint Dempsey (57) for the most ever by an American in the top 5 European leagues (59). He scored again yesterday in the Coppa Italia after coming on as a sub, making that 5 goals in his last 6 games.

USL Investment for Pro/Rel

The United Soccer League (USL) has attracted a major investor to help develop its football league pyramid system, aiming to rival Major League Soccer (MLS). The investment comes from BellTower Partners, a firm run by former Carlyle Group CEO Kewsong Lee. Earlier this year, the USL announced plans to launch a new US men’s league with first-division sanctioning in 2027, thus becoming the second such league in the country, alongside MLS. The USL already operates three men’s leagues, and the addition of a tier-one league will enable the organisation to become the first sports league of any type in the United States to implement a promotion and relegation system. Dive deeper into how this move will compete against the MLS here. The USL is not disclosing the size of the investment, the size of the equity stake, or the current valuation of the USL used for the purposes of the investment.

Expanded World Cup Considered

FIFA is reportedly open to expanding the men’s World Cup to a 64-team tournament in 2030. It follows a formal pitch made to Fifa by football executives from CONMEBOL, South America’s governing body, to celebrate the centenary of the competition. One source, unverified, claims that Fifa is sceptical about whether expanding the tournament again is a viable proposition. Expansion would represent an increase from the 48 teams competing in next year’s tournament, which is already a rise from the 38-nation format that has been in place since 1998. CONMEBOL is lobbying to further enlarge the tournament in a move that would likely guarantee a qualification spot for all 10 of the continent’s member nations. The proposal has drawn opposition. Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin believes that expansion would be damaging to the tournament and would reduce jeopardy in the qualification stage. If Fifa approves the move, it would create a tournament of 128 matches, double the number that was played from 1998 through 2022. The 2030 edition of the World Cup will be played across six host nations and spread across three continents—read more here.

NUTMEG SOCCER MLS Match Day 34 Recap

Max Palmer & Mason Palmer Read Online
Decision day is looming. Here’s what went down over the weekend…
Orlando City SC beat Nashville 3-2 behind a brace from Martin Ojeda and a goal from Duncan McGuire. Nashville’s recent league form has been abysmal; they’ve lost 6 out of their last 7 league games and are close to falling into the play-in round. They’ll play Austin FC in the US Open Cup final for maybe their only chance at hardware this season.

FC Dallas beat Colorado 3-1 and have now gone 6 straight unbeaten, all since selling Lucho Acosta. Logan Farrington and Petar Musa linked up once again for the game’s first goal. For the first time since early May, Dallas is back in a playoff position, one point ahead of Houston with a game in hand.

Austin FC beat the Seattle Sounders 2-1 behind Myrto Uzuni’s last-second goal. Brad Stuver was phenomenal in this one, preventing 1.81 expected goals. It’s Austin’s 3rd win in their last 4 league games. Meanwhile, Seattle is winless in their last three games and now gets Vancouver.

The Chicago Fire blanked Minnesota 3-0 on the road for one of their best performances of the season. Their 8th road win ties their club record in a season. The last wild card spot in the East is between them and the NY Red Bulls. The Fire are two points ahead and have a game in hand. They’ll try to end the Red Bulls historic 15-year playoff streak and join the dance for the first time since 2017.
Inter Miami beat DC United 3-2 on Saturday. Messi had two goals and an assist to become the fastest player in league history to reach 70 goal contributions, doing so in just 46 games. His second goal was spectacular. That’s 22 goals and 12 assists in 22 games played, utterly insane stuff. Miami has three more consecutive weeks of two games per week. If they win out, they’ll win the Shield and he’ll win MVP again. But that’s far from a sure thing.

The Best Attacking Duo in MLS

What a week for LAFC. They beat Real Salt Lake twice in the span of four days by the same score of 4-1 each time. They now have three straight league wins, scoring 12 goals in that span. Led by the best attacking duo in MLS, they can score in bunches and are peaking at the right time.Denis Bouanga (8) and Son Heung-min (6) have scored all 14 of their goals in the last 5 games. It didn’t take the two stars long to start clicking. Bouanga has two hat-tricks in the last three games to put him even in the Golden Boot race with Messi at 22 goals. He became the first player in league history to score 20+ goals in three straight seasons. He’s quickly becoming one of the best players in league history. As for Son, he scored a hat trick mid-week in their first match-up against Salt Lake. He now has 6 goals and 2 assists in just 550 minutes played. His presence has taken much of the opposing defense’s attention away from Bouanga, who has 9 goals in the 7 games since Son made his debut. They complement each other perfectly. Per Tom Bogert, before Son’s debut, LAFC ranked 12th in goals, 10th in expected goals, and 20th in chances. Since his debut, they’re 1st in goals, 4th in expected goals, and 4th in chances. This attack is scary good. If I were a betting man, my money would be on LAFC coming out of the Western Conference.

Will Tessmann leapfrog McKennie, Musah to start World Cup for U.S.?

Jeff CarlisleSep 25, 2025, 10:05 AM ET ESPNFC

The European club season has been in full swing for over a month now, giving those U.S. men’s national team players plying their trade overseas the chance to establish themselves. Some have gotten off to uneven starts, with the opening round of UEFA Champions League fixtures proving to be especially difficult. Others have hit the ground running. Those in MLS have been in rhythm for a while now.Then there’s Christian Pulisic, who has been leading the U.S. charge in Europe for nine years now and already has five goals in all competitions this season. Fortunately for the USMNT, Pulisic is one of several players who have been hitting their stride in recent weeks.Throughout the season, ESPN will be monitoring the progress of the U.S. player pool, delivering insights into those whose form or fitness has made them particularly intriguing. We call it the USMNT’s countdown to the World Cup.ESPN will count down to June 11 every week so that way, when the U.S. team is announced for this highly anticipated World Cup on home soil, no names on that 26-man roster will come as a surprise. Only 260 days to go.

– Rae: Will Gladbach instability be a blessing or a curse for Reyna?
– USMNT 2026 World Cup Big Board 2.0: Balogun, Zendejas rise
– Carlisle: Zendejas’ starring role has come at the right time for USMNT

Tanner Tessmann | Midfielder | Lyon

2025-26 minutes: 450
2025-26 FotMob rating: 7.5

Tessmann proving he deserves to start in midfield

Tessmann had already enjoyed a solid start to the season, but last weekend he kicked his campaign into overdrive, scoring the lone goal in Lyon’s 1-0 victory over Angers, a result that put the club in a tie atop the Ligue 1 table, behind AS Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain on goal differential. Not bad for a team that was threatened with relegation due to financial irregularities before the start of the season.

As for Tessmann, the question remains: Will these performances be enough to get him back in the U.S. squad? He hasn’t been called up since the Concacaf Nations League in March. To be clear, they should be, but the mind of U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino works in mysterious ways. At minimum, Tessmann should be in contention to provide cover for Tyler Adams, or even crack the starting lineup.

Malik Tillman | Attacker | Bayer Leverkusen

2025-26 minutes: 264
2025-26 FotMob rating: 7.1

USMNT could do with a dose of Tillman’s perseverance

Credit Tillman for showing a strong mentality, bouncing back from a dreadful match in midweek against F.C. København in the Champions League to deliver a man of the match performance against Borussia Mönchengladbach in which he scored his second league goal of the season. A tactical tweak from manager Kasper Hjulmand might have helped.

Against Copenhagen, Tillman was operating as one of the dual No. 10s and struggled mightily to get on the ball. Against Gladbach, he was deployed deeper in midfield and had a much stronger impact on the game, even beyond his 70th-minute goal. Hjulmand afterward continued to preach patience, as Tillman is one of many new arrivals to the squad, but the player’s ability to shake off a poor performance will serve him well for both club and country.

Christian Pulisic | Attacker | AC Milan

2025-26 minutes: 286
2025-26 FotMob rating: 7.9

Italy can’t stop Pulisic

This was an impressive week for Pulisic, even by his lofty standards. After scoring two goals and helping set the table for a third in last weekend’s 3-0 win over Udinese, Pulisic maintained his fine form by scoring the final goal — on the half-volley, no less — in a 3-0 Coppa Italia win over Lecce.There’s not much more to be said about Pulisic that hasn’t been already. He remains the USMNT’s most important attacking player, and he now holds the mark for most goals by an American in Europe’s top five leagues with 59. As long as he can stay healthy, he’s a lock to be in the U.S. lineup.He’ll try to keep the momentum going in this weekend’s momentous clash with top-of-the table Napoli.

The in-form XI

When Pochettino switched to a three-man back line during the September international window, it was a move that didn’t appear to benefit Gladbach’s Joe Scally. The wing back position favors the mobility and attacking instincts demonstrated by the likes of Sergiño Dest and Alex Freeman over the defending of Scally, but then Gladbach interim manager Eugen Polanski trotted out a 3-4-3 with Scally as the right wing back, and the American delivered an impressive performance. Scally showed an ability to get forward that was unexpected given that he recorded no goals and no assists this past season — his xG of 0.26 is already on its way to eclipsing last year’s 0.38. Granted, who knows what formation the permanent Gladbach coach will prefer once he’s hired, but the performance should help keep Scally in the lineup. Given his performance last weekend, why isn’t he in this week’s in-form XI? It’s a fair question, especially when you consider Dest conceded a penalty that was converted in PSV Eindhoven‘s 2-2 draw with Ajax. Combined with some defensively shaky moments during the September international window, it’s worth weighing whether Dest is enough of a defensive liability that he loses his spot in the starting lineup. That said, Dest’s value in attack is still high enough given his ability to deliver the unexpected, though Scally has given Pochettino something to think about in terms of who his starting wing backs should be. Meanwhile, the relative stock of the U.S. corps of forwards continues to go through some wild swings in form. Folarin Balogun looked to have gained some separation from the chasing pack after a great performance against Japan, but that was before his tepid effort in a 4-1 Champions League defeat to Club Brugge landed him on the bench for last week’s league encounter against Metz. Even worse for Balogun, his replacement, Mika Biereth, scored the opener in a 5-2 win, while Ansu Fati scored two off the bench and George Ilenikhena also got on the score sheet.

The silver lining for Balogun is that no other U.S. center forwards scored last weekend, although Ricardo Pepi‘s selfless run to the near post allowed Ismael Saibari to score PSV’s first, so he’ll remain the starter in this week’s lineup. Also, Balogun’s skill set is unique within the USMNT player pool, given his ability to make runs in behind the opposition defense, and this should mean his spot in the U.S. squad is still secure. He’ll need to work his way back into the Monaco lineup, though, and this week’s match at Lorient will reveal the extent to which his spot in the club hierarchy has fallen.

Big Board 2.0 update

ESPN’s USMNT Big Board 2.0 went live earlier this month, and each Big Board will provide the foundation for weekly player updates. Below are the minutes and player ratings for each of those 37 players.

Matt Turner, goalkeeper, New England Revolution: 630 minutes in 2025; 7.1 FotMob rating in 2025.

Matt Freese goalkeeper, New York City FC: 2,790 minutes in 2025; 7.1 FotMob rating in 2025.

Zack Steffen, goalkeeper, Colorado Rapids: 2,160 minutes in 2025; 6.9 FotMob rating in 2025.

Patrick Schulte, goalkeeper, Columbus Crew: 2,430 minutes in 2025; 6.8 FotMob rating in 2025.

Chris Richards, center back, Crystal Palace: 659 minutes in 2025-26; 7.4 FotMob rating in 2025-26.

Richards continues to deliver for Palace, completing 86.7% of his passes and winning 87.5% of his duels in a 2-1 win over West Ham United.

Tim Ream, center back, Charlotte FC: 2,147 minutes in 2025; 6.7 FotMob rating in 2025.

Mark McKenzie, center back, Toulouse: 450 minutes in 2025-26; 6.6 FotMob rating in 2025-26.

Cameron Carter-Vickers, center back, Celtic: 750 minutes in 2025-26; 7.5 FotMob rating in 2025-26.

Miles Robinson, center back, FC Cincinnati: 2,438 minutes in 2025; 6.9 FotMob rating in 2025.

Auston Trusty, center back, Celtic: 152 minutes in 2025-26; 6.4 FotMob rating in 2025-26.

Tristan Blackmon, center back, Vancouver Whitecaps: 2,962 minutes in 2025; 7.2 FotMob rating in 2025.

Sergiño Dest, fullback, PSV Eindhoven: 691 minutes in 2025-26; 7.5 FotMob rating in 2025-26.

Antonee Robinson, fullback, Fulham: 141 minutes in 2025-26; 6.8 FotMob rating in 2025-26.

Robinson’s recovery from offseason knee surgery took way longer than expected, but he finally played a full 90 minutes for the Cottagers in Tuesday’s Carabao Cup victory over fourth-tier side Cambridge United. Now let’s see if he can reclaim his spot in league play.

Joe Scally, fullback, Borussia Mönchengladbach: 355 minutes in 2025-26; 7.2 FotMob rating in 2025-26.

Caleb Wiley, fullback, Watford: 18 minutes in 2025-26; 6.2 FotMob rating in 2025-26.

Max Arfsten, fullback, Columbus Crew: 2,682 minutes in 2025; 7.5 FotMob rating in 2025.

Alex Freeman, fullback, Orlando City SC: 2,802 minutes in 2025; 7.5 FotMob rating in 2025.

Tyler Adams, midfielder, AFC Bournemouth: 464 minutes in 2025-26; 7.1 FotMob rating in 2025-26.

Weston McKennie, midfielder, Juventus: 141 minutes in 2025-26; 6.7 FotMob rating in 2025-26.

Johnny Cardoso, midfielder, Atlético Madrid: 185 minutes in 2025-26; 6.8 FotMob rating in 2025-26.

Cardoso has been dealing with an ankle injury, hence his omission from the game-day roster in last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Mallorca.

Luca de la Torre, midfielder, San Diego FC: 2,299 minutes in 2025; 6.8 FotMob rating in 2025.

Tanner Tessmann, midfielder, Lyon: 450 minutes in 2025-26; 7.5 FotMob rating in 2025-26.

Yunus Musah, midfielder, Atalanta: 206 minutes in 2025-26; 6.5 FotMob rating in 2025-26.

Sebastian Berhalter, midfielder, Vancouver Whitecaps: 2,906 minutes in 2025; 7.6 FotMob rating in 2025.

Cristian Roldan, midfielder, Seattle Sounders FC: 3,425 minutes in 2025; 7.4 FotMob rating in 2025.

Christian Pulisic, attacker, AC Milan: 286 minutes in 2025-26; 7.9 FotMob rating in 2025-26.

Tim Weah, attacker, Marseille: 397 minutes in 2025-26; 7.0 FotMob rating in 2025-26.

Weah has been Marseille’s Mr. Fixit, lining up as a right wing back in OM’s 1-0 win over previously unbeaten PSG. Will that help him or hurt him when the next USMNT camp opens? Either way, his versatility remains impressive.

Malik Tillman, attacker, Bayer Leverkusen: 264 minutes in 2025-26; 7.1 FotMob rating in 2025-26.

Diego Luna, attacker, Real Salt Lake: 2,255 minutes in 2025; 7.2 FotMob rating in 2025.

Alejandro Zendejas, attacker, América: 777 minutes in 2025-26; 7.4 FotMob rating in 2025-26.

Gio Reyna, attacker, Borussia Mönchengladbach: 84 minutes in 2025-26; 6.7 FotMob rating in 2025-26.

Folarin Balogun, forward, AS Monaco: 306 minutes in 2025-26; 6.9 FotMob rating in 2025-26.

Ricardo Pepi, forward, PSV Eindhoven: 306 minutes in 2025-26; 7.0 FotMob rating in 2025-26.

Josh Sargent, forward, Norwich City: 581 minutes in 2025-26; 7.5 FotMob rating in 2025-26.

Patrick Agyemang, forward, Derby County: 66 minutes in 2025-26; 6.9 FotMob rating in 2025-26.

Haji Wright, forward, Coventry City: 542 minutes in 2025-26; 7.5 FotMob rating in 2025-26.

Damion Downs, forward, Southampton: 271 minutes in 2025-26; 6.3 FotMob rating in 2025-26.

Lionel Messi takes lead in Golden Boot race as Inter Miami thrashes NYCFC

Sep 24, 2025; New York, NY, New York, NY, USA; Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi (10) runs with the ball chased by New York City FC midfielder Aiden O'Neill (21) during the second half at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark Smith-Imagn Images

By Melanie Anzidei Sept. 25, 2025 12:41 am EDT

Inter Miami star Lionel Messi took a comfortable lead for this year’s Golden Boot by scoring two goals in Miami’s dramatic win over New York City FC on Wednesday night.Beneath the Citi Field lights and in the pouring rain, Lionel Messi and Inter Miami clinched a spot in the MLS playoffs. The South Florida club downed New York 4-0, carried by the Argentine striker’s late-game heroics and fueled by a pro-Miami crowd in New York. Messi opened the night with an assist to Baltasar Rodríguez in the 43rd minute, giving Inter Miami its first lead of the night.The team later rallied in the second half, scoring three goals in 12 minutes. Messi scored a brace, first in the 74th minute off a stunning pass from Sergio Busquets, and then again in the 86th. In between both goals, Luis Suárez scored off a penalty Messi’s pair of goals brings his tally to 24 scored this season, while LAFC’s Denis Bouanga trails with 22. Inter Miami sits third in the MLS Eastern Conference standings with 55 points, behind the Philadelphia Union (60 points) and FC Cincinnati (58 points). Miami heads to BMO Field, where they will face Toronto FC on Saturday. Inter Miami has its eyes set on reclaiming the Supporters’ Shield, which the club won in 2024. “We know how difficult Saturday will be because we have less than 72 hours to play, but we will try to play our best and try to win the game and try to qualify as high as possible,” Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano said. “If we can win the next five games, we’ll be great and we’ll have (a) chance to fight for the Supporters’ Shield.” While Inter Miami were more than 1,000 miles from home, the near sellout crowd in Queens was unmistakably there for Messi. The crowd of 40,085 cheered after every play made by the striker and roared whenever the 38-year-old appeared on the Jumbotron. After each goal, the stadium filled with chants of “Messi, Messi!” Still, NYCFC tried its best to take advantage of the unusually large crowd that came out to Queens on Wednesday night, with messaging throughout the night reminding fans of their future stadium slowly taking shape next door. (Photo: Mark Smith / Imagn Images)

As Atlanta United flounders, would a Tata Martino reunion be the right play?

Former Atlanta United manager Tata Martino

By Felipe Cardenas Sept. 19, 2025

It has been a difficult summer for Atlanta United. In July, president and CEO Garth Lagerwey stepped away from his role after a cancer diagnosis. Well-liked around the building and highly respected across MLS, Lagerwey had publicly lauded the current squad entering the 2025 season. Ronny Deila, Atlanta’s first-year head coach, was the candidate that he fought for internally. Deila has led Atlanta to just five wins in 29 matches, though, and Lagerwey’s continued absence heading into the fall could alter the direction of the club.Deila may not be working out as Lagerwey hoped, but he did also hire Chris Henderson, Atlanta’s chief soccer officer and sporting director, last December. Talks with Deila were already at an advanced stage when Henderson joined the club from Inter Miami. He replaced Carlos Bocanegra and is now a leading decision maker on Atlanta’s future, which is under great focus considering the ongoing struggles. And that’s where the avenues the club can take in an effort to return to MLS’s elite could get interesting.Henderson came to Atlanta after helping Tata Martino build a Miami squad that broke MLS’s regular-season points record and won the Supporters’ Shield in 2024. Having Lionel Messi certainly helped, too. For his part, Martino led Atlanta to an MLS Cup victory in 2018 and he remains a well-regarded figure inside the club. His title-winning team and a near-perfect club launch unexpectedly brought the eyes of the football world to the city. Seven years later, Martino is available again, and it’s only natural to consider whether a reunion might make sense.Speaking exclusively to The Athletic last week, Martino touched on the emotional attachment some managers have after they depart a job. Inter Miami, he said, remains unfinished business. However, there’s nothing pending for Martino in Atlanta. He won a final then accepted the Mexico national team job in 2019 after two seasons.“I think at that time, the Atlanta project, for various reasons, had more room to grow, but not with me in charge,” Martino said. “The Miami project, yes, because I compare it to the Argentina national team project. There was more ahead, more to do. It wasn’t something already finished. Today I understand that some projects start and finish, and that’s that.”Asked if he maintains contact with Henderson, Martino smiled.“Yes, I care about him a lot,” he said. “Honestly, he’s someone I’ve had a really good working relationship with. First, because he’s a great professional, and second, because he’s an extraordinary person. I’ve really enjoyed working with him. Every now and then we exchange messages and say hello. I have a lot of affection for him.”The 62-year-old Argentine is among the top available coaches for MLS teams that are looking for a new manager. New England, St. Louis City, and Sporting Kansas City all have vacancies, and Steve Cherundolo will depart LAFC at the end of this season.

Atlanta United manager Ronny Deila Atlanta United has struggled in Ronny Deila’s first season at the helm (Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)

Atlanta could potentially become an option, too, although Lagerwey has made a concerted effort to turn the page on the club’s successful past. Deila, whom Lagerwey touted as a serial winner, was supposed to end the club’s crisis with a firm European hand. Despite his best efforts and the millions of dollars spent on players, though, few improvements – if any – materialized.

On the other side, if Martino were to consider a highly-publicized reunion in Atlanta, he would put his legacy at the club at stake. The squad has not been well built, with high-priced players failing to deliver, while the shortcomings of long-standing members of the team have held the club back. Secondly, Atlanta’s player profiles don’t align with what Martino would prefer. There is no discernible identity under Deila, so another major evaluation of the roster would be necessary. Even so, Martino offered his thoughts on the state of his former team.

“I try to be careful because I don’t see the day-to-day,” he said. “From the outside, you look at the squad and think, ‘It’s strange to see them in that position in the standings,’ but there are different circumstances, so maybe a season doesn’t turn out the way you expect. In MLS, this happens a lot: players come from different places, and you have to see how the ideas come together, how the players click with each other, with the coaching staff, with the club and with the city.“Sometimes everything clicks perfectly, and it works spectacularly,” Martino continued. “Other times, just as you can’t always explain why everything went so well, you can’t always explain why nothing worked out as expected. Looking at the squad from a distance, you might’ve expected a different outcome for the season.”The same can be said about Miguel Almirón. The Paraguayan international was widely considered the best player in MLS when he wore Atlanta’s black and red kit under Martino. Now 31, Almirón rejoined Atlanta in January after six seasons in the Premier League with Newcastle United. He was celebrated by Atlanta’s fans upon his return, but that euphoria has since subsided. Like Atlanta as a whole, Almirón has struggled to have the same impact as he once had in MLS. He has four goals and seven assists on the year, and at times has either been misused as a traditional winger by Deila, or hasn’t been decisive enough in the middle of the field to make a difference.

Tata Martino and Josef Martinez with Atlanta United Josef Martínez was prolific under Tata Martino in Atlanta (Mark J. Rebilas / USA TODAY Sports)

In his final year in Atlanta, prior to becoming MLS’s highest outgoing transfer at the time, Almirón teamed with 2018 MLS MVP Josef Martínez to the tune of 12 goals and 14 assists in the regular season. Martino may be watching from afar, but his assessment of Almirón 2.0, an experiment that hasn’t been an immediate success, rings true.“The main difference for Miguel is that the (2018) team had a solid base,” Martino said. “We kept a strong American core through Brad (Guzan), Parky (Michael Parkhurst), (Jeff) Larentowicz and even Greg Garza, who was Mexican-American but very connected to American soccer. At the same time, the team had a very strong Latin side. So obviously, Miguel felt much more supported.“On top of that, Miguel had that partnership with Josef. That’s how all the pieces come together for a season to go well. Today’s team, the nationalities and customs are very different, and Miguel arrived at a tricky moment. When the tournament is already underway, it can be hard to achieve that same unity of ideas.”After Atlanta’s 5-4 loss to the Columbus Crew on Saturday, a game in which Atlanta was down 5-0 at home after 39 minutes, Deila defiantly fought for his job. The defeat was Atlanta’s 13th of the regular season, which eliminated the club from the MLS playoffs.Deila, 49, insisted afterwards that Atlanta is in good hands. The Norwegian’s first year in Atlanta has been mired in uncertain tactics and a glaring lack of pride from Atlanta’s players week-to-week. Deila admitted on Saturday to relaying inconsistent messages to his players after trying different formations throughout the year. Still, the former Celtic manager believes he’s the right man to turn this into something positive in 2026.“We’re going to be competitive next season. I’m 100 percent sure,” Deila said. “If not I wouldn’t sit here. I’ve done this for 20 years. I’ve had success with almost every team I’ve had. I’ve made improvements everywhere. I won almost everywhere I’ve been.”Perhaps Deila hasn’t completely thrown his players under the bus, but he has questioned their professional character and mentality. It was evident on Saturday that he has lost faith in some of his players, despite stating adamantly that he hasn’t lost the locker room.“I want to improve things, but we have to change a lot of the personnel this season because some (players) didn’t have the opportunity to get better and some of them aren’t interested in getting better,” Deila said. “I believe and I feel I have the boys with me. And I feel that I have the staff with me, and I feel that we’re on the start of something.”Whatever Deila believes hasn’t been up to standard. Atlanta invested over $50 million in new player acquisitions last season. The objective was to provide Deila with a squad capable of challenging for the top four in the Eastern Conference. Instead, the club was struggling through its worst start in franchise history in May. The momentum that Atlanta garnered at the end of the 2024 season under interim manager Rob Valentino sputtered almost immediately in 2025. Atlanta’s shocking first-round defeat of Martino’s heavily-favored Inter Miami during the 2024 playoffs was supposed to inspire a now-apathetic fanbase and position Atlanta with the right building blocks moving forward.

Atlanta United manager Ronny Deila Atlanta has just five wins through 29 games, tied for second-fewest in MLS (Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)

But there is nothing inspirational about this Atlanta side. It has conceded 54 goals and scored just 36 times in 29 matches. There are 11 teams in the East that have scored more goals than Atlanta this season. Deila, who won an MLS Cup final with New York City FC in 2021, has been unable to manufacture solutions both in-game and mid-week to improve the team.On Saturday, Columbus was surgical in how it attacked Atlanta’s woeful midfield and backline, while Deila’s men delivered another display of football malpractice. Deila called it the “the strangest game I’ve seen in my life,” but in reality, it was a representation of his tenure in Atlanta. The four-goal comeback did not mask his team’s permanent flaws, which go far beyond a tactics board.Deila and his staff have succumbed to the culture of defeat in Atlanta rather than turn it around. Losing has become normalized within Atlanta’s training facility in Marietta, Ga., which later this month will be newly unveiled following a $23 million investment from owner Arthur Blank. Yet, Deila stressed on Saturday that a coaching change wasn’t necessary.“I’m the guy who can make this team successful,” he said. “I cannot handle what the board is thinking. If peopl don’t believe in me, then of course we have a challenge.”“Right now we’re struggling,” he continued. “We’re eating a lot of s***, but that creates unbelievable power and energy to go forward and prove everybody wrong. It’s easy to sit on the outside and have opinions now, but get in the ring and we’ll see how it is and who ends up on the right side. That’s going to be us.”

It very well could be – unless Atlanta believes that revisiting its past can finally awaken the club’s future.

(Top photo: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)

9/19/25 Champs League Thrillers, CHS #2 Girls/#3 Boys, Europa League W,Th, Full TV Game Schedule

September 19, 2025September 19, 2025 gatorbest carmel-fc, high-school-soccer, indy-11, liverpool, premier-league, reffing, soccer, usmnt

Really cool to see the impact Son is having on MLS for LAFC – Son’s 1st Hat Trick. Staying in MLS – here’s Messi’s Goal 20 in game 21, LA GK Hugo Loris Sits on Save. One of my favorite soccer announcer’s Rocky Ray Hudson THE MAGISTERIAL ONE is hanging up the mic this season here’s His story Some of Hudson’s Messi Calls – his other Great Calls another story. Gonna miss his sweet calls!

Champions League Match-Day 1

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 Scores Matchday 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.

2025 ISCA Boys & Girls September 15th State Rankings

3A ISCA Girls Poll

1. Hamilton Southeastern @ Zville Wed 7:45 pm

2. Carmel hosts Noblesville Mon 7 pm

3. Homestead

4. Westfield

5. Cathedral

6. Zionsville

7. Crown Point

8. FW Carroll

9. Bloomington South

10. Center Grove

11. Castle

12. Penn

13. Lake Central

14. Evansville North

15. Evansville Memorial

16. Noblesville

17. East Central

18. Lawrence North

19. Columbus North

20. Northridge

ISCA Class 3A boys soccer poll As of Sept. 15.

Harrison (West Lafayette)
Brownsburg hosts Cathedral Sat 11:30 am
Carmel hosts Noblesville Tues 7 pm
Fishers travels to Avon Tues 7:30 pm
Bloomington South
FW Carroll
Goshen
Evansville Memorial
Concord
Penn
Hamilton Southeastern
Castle
Noblesville
Valparaiso
North Central
Lake Central
Elkhart
Warsaw
Cathedral
Columbus North

Purpose: fill remaining roster spots Not adding new teams
Register: scan the QR on the graphic or use the
link https://system.gotsport.com/programs/4M9139916…

No. 1 Hoosiers Suffer First Defeat
Big Ten Network On the Pitch: Jerry Yeagley
Hoosiers Home Schedule

Goalkeeping

Champions League Matchday 1 saves: Wednesday’s best stops
Matchday 1 great saves | Best Saves | UEFA Champions …
LA GK Hugo Loris Sits on Save
USL Championship Save of the Week – Week 28
Teenage GK Kalmurza becomes youngest to save a penalty in Champions League debut

Champions League -Matchday1

Champions League talking points: Is Rashford back to his best? Who shone?
Champions League returns in style: Marcus Rashford redeems Barcelona, Harry Kane dominates, Real Madrid
Champions League overreactions: Arsenal only PL team to have deep run
Haaland breaks record as fastest to 50 UCL goals
With Haaland and Guardiola, Manchester City can never be counted out in the Champions League
Flick praises ‘fantastic’ Rashford after Barça win
Rashford’s brilliant first goals for Barcelona prove Man United exit doesn’t define him
Leverkusen rescue dramatic draw in Copenhagen
Simeone on fan squabble: ‘I was fighting back’
Chelsea are back in the Champions League, but Bayern prove too much to handle
Monaco players get creative after air conditioning fails on UCL flight to Belgium

USA

Pepi back with 2 goals for PSV, eyes WC with U.S.
USMNT countdown to the World Cup: The race for the No. 9 shirt is wide open
Will Gladbach’s instability prove to be a blessing or a curse for Reyna?
Campbell hopeful for the U-20 World Cup and his Borussia Dortmund future
Pepi’s big day, Reyna starts, while Sands, Adams Balogun impress, & more
USMNT 2026 World Cup Big Board 2.0: Balogun, Zendejas on the rise
RUMOR: Joe Scally’s golf cart donuts reportedly lead to USMNT snub
Tim Weah Becomes 1st American to Score at Bernabeu
USWNT to close out 2025 with Florida friendlies against Italy

The U20 World Cup on Fox starts the last week in September

EPL

First-month grades for all 20 Premier League teams: From an A+ to F
Should Man United keep Ruben Amorim or let him go? The case for, against him
Arsenal vs Man City: Kick-off time, how to watch, stats, team news
Watch: Is undefeated Liverpool actually good or just lucky?
The concerning trend behind Liverpool’s early season success

World

José Mourinho set to become Benfica manager
Iconic broadcaster Ray Hudson announces his retirement, a look back at some of his best calls
FIFA Rankings: Spain Over France, Argentina at No. 1; USA at No. 16

MLS

MLS Power Rankings: Did Müller, Vancouver just leapfrog the league’s best?
Sources: Messi, Miami near multiyear extension
Messi delivers goal, assist; Miami tops Seattle
Messi tracker: All goals, assists, key moments for Inter Miami in 2025
Son reflects on first MLS hat trick with LAFC
Son’s 1st Hat Trick

NWSL

NWSL commissioner says lessons have been learned from on-field medical crises

Reffing

Know How Much Refs Normally Run?
Understanding offsides

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 pm TNT, 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.

Real Madrid C.F. v Olympique de Marseille - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD1

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

BVB-Juventus set the early bar for Match of the Tournament with eight second-half goals, a brilliant surge from Borussia Dortmund, and an equally brilliant stoppage time comeback from the home team.https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ebg7aEFNlMc?si=983a-VnKbpvdfHZD&wmode=transparent

• 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.)

• 25. Marseille
• 26. Benfica
• 27. Qarabag
• 28. Galatasaray
• 29. Monaco
• 30. Copenhagen
• 31. PSV Eindhoven
• 32. Ajax
• 33. Pafos
• 34. Slavia Prague
• 35. Olympiacos
• 36. Kairat Almaty

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

TURIN, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 16: Lloyd Kelly of Juventus celebrates scoring his team's fourth goal during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD1 match between Juventus and Borussia Dortmund at Juventus Stadium on September 16, 2025 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Tullio Puglia - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

By Conor O’Neill Sept. 17, 2025

“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.

Champions League 2025-26 Projections: Who will lift the trophy in Budapest on May 30?

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?

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 17: Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool celebrates after scoring a goal to make it 3-2 during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD1 match between Liverpool FC and Atletico de Madrid at Anfield on September 17, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)

By Anantaajith RaghuramanSept. 19, 2025 11:39 am EDT

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).

The Catalans’ next match will have a major impact on our projections as they host PSG, back at their temporary Montjuic home. Luis Enrique’s team dispatched Atalanta 4-0 with four different players scoring the goals, improving their chances of retaining the title to 12 per cent (from 11). They still have a two per cent chance of a league-phase exit due to having the second-hardest fixture list per Opta, with matches against Bayern Munich and Tottenham Hotspur to come after that trip to Barcelona on October 1.What You Should Read Next70 years of the European Cup/Champions League: The best players, numbers and records from the world’s biggest club competitionHow much has Europe’s premier club football tournament changed since it began on this day in 1955?

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 result led to Bruno Lage’s sacking and Jose Mourinho’s return to the club where he began his managerial career 25 years ago. Benfica’s list of remaining fixtures looks tricky, with Mourinho set to face two of his former employers in Chelsea (their next game) and Madrid, along with trips to Newcastle and Juventus and a home match against Napoli.What You Should Read NextJose Mourinho is back at Benfica and ‘more alive than ever’. They need his old devil magicBenfica have chosen Mourinho as their new head coach – 25 years on from his first crack at the job – following a horror loss to Qarabag

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

This photo taken on Sept. 10, 2025 in Mexico City, Mexico, shows the ticket presale page on the FIFA World Cup 26 official website. Given the expected high demand, tickets will be released in phases. The first phase, the "Visa Presale Draw," requires fans to register a FIFA Fan ID on the official website. Only Visa cardholders over the age of 18 will be eligible to apply. The registration window will run from Sept. 10-19, with successful applicants notified by email starting Sept. 29 and assigned purchase time slots beginning Oct. 1. While tickets for all 104 matches will be put on sale, receiving a timeslot does not guarantee availability. (Photo by Li Muzi/Xinhua via Getty Images)

By Henry Bushnell

Sept. 17, 2025

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.”

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Then, when the application phase opened last Wednesday, attention turned to the long wait times and error messages that plagued the rollout.

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.

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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.

8/15/25 EPL, La Liga, Ligue 1 Return, US Open Cup Final 4 Set, Local High Schools Start, Americans Abroad, Pulisic row continues

August 15, 2025September 12, 2025 gatorbest carmel-fc, carmel-high-school, carmel-soccer, epl, football, goalkeeping, indy-11, liverpool, premier-league, pulisic, soccer, us-soccer

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 CUP four 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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USA

Pulisic slams ‘cop-out’ criticism by ex-U.S. players
USMNT winger Paredes suffers fresh injury blow
Dest, Morris, Corboz, Pittman stand out, Jedi shelved, & Much More
Dest nets stunner as PSV hits 6 in league opener
How Columbus became US Fortress
MLS Commish Garber on Apple Deal, Legacy of 2026 World Cup
Discounted Tix for USA vs Japan in Columbus

EPL

Premier League 2025-26 mega-preview: Key stats, questions, predictions for all 20 teams
Liverpool favored over Man City to repeat in EPL
What’s new in the Premier League: War on holding, goalkeeper rule, RefCam, more
Ranked: The top 50 players going into the new Premier League season
Premier League Week 1 predicted starting XIs: Liverpool, Arsenal, Man City, more
Arteta: Arsenal need a ‘title’ to secure elite tag
Premier League 2025-26 kits: Ranking every jersey released
Men’s summer transfer grades: C+ for Grealish loan to Everton

Championship
Wrexham smash transfer record to sign Broadhead
For Wrexham to reach Premier League, they must survive tough Championship first

Fantasy
FPL tips 2025/26: 30 players you should consider signing including Palmer, Wirtz and Gyokeres

World

LaLiga 2025-26 burning questions: Barça, Real Madrid, title race, Mbappé vs. Yamal
GFFN journalists’ Ligue 1 season predictions 25/26
PSG stage stunning comeback vs. Tottenham to win Super Cup
Chelsea players donate some of Club World Cup winnings to Jota
Ranking the 30 best men’s soccer club managers in Europe
Men’s Ballon d’Or list: Yamal, Dembélé favourites
What’s in a soccer contract? Salary, add-ons, transfer fees, release clauses and more
Madrid want Barça-Villarreal U.S. game blocked
Could a Barça LaLiga game in Miami happen? Why do Real Madrid want to block it?

MLS

Müller lands in Vancouver: Feel ‘too good to retire’
Maga hats, anti-Ice banners and plenty of confusion: did MLS create its own political mess?

Goalkeeping

🧤Save of the night: Armani rescues River in Paraguay
Indy 11 Sulte in Save of Week Contention
Carmel’s own Eric Dick in Save of Week Contention for Pitt

Barça can register García after Ter Stegen ruling

Reffing

Premier League cracking down on holding in area

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.

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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 71^st 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.

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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 55^th 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.

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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 59^th 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 18^th minute with a shot from inside the box for a 1-0 lead.

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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.

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Coincidentally enough, Aberdeen’s best chance of the game came from American midfielder Dante Polvara in the 75^th 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 54^th 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.

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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 84^th 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 61^st 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 86^th 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 61^st minute.

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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.

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It’s hard to see him part of the USMNT in September at this rate.

McKennie & Campbell meet

Juventus defeated Borussia Dortmund 2-1 and there is a lot to unpack in this game from an American perspective.

Weston McKennie came off the bench in the 66^th minute as part of a near-entire team substitution for Juventus.

There wasn’t much to report on his performance on the field. But off the field, we now have this – Roma interest.

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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.

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Milan smashed by Chelsea

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

Fulham and USMNT left back Antonee Robinson

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.

Antonee Robinson and Mauricio Pochettino 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

By Dermot Corrigan

Aug. 15, 2025 12:20 am EDT

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.

So, assuming Barcelona’s annual issues with actually registering their new players are resolved, and they get to return to play at their iconic Camp Nou again from September as planned, Flick’s team should be celebrating another title in May.What You Should Read NextHansi Flick and the curious challenge of a second season at BarcelonaThe German manager has proved himself an expert handler of Barca’s infamous ‘entorno’. Can he build on last season’s success?

Who else will qualify for the Champions League?

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.

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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).

But they all have superb stories to follow.

Oviedo’s club captain is former Arsenal and Spain playmaker Santi Cazorla, now 40, whose fairytale return to his hometown club saw him score in last June’s emotional play-off final victory.What You Should Read NextSanti Cazorla on ‘ideal Arsenal coach’ Mikel Arteta and Barca’s ‘unfair’ treatment of XaviThe former Arsenal midfielder, who is now 40 and playing for boyhood club Real Oviedo, speaks to The Athletic

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.

But Franco Mastantuono, Madrid’s new €63million signing from River Plate in Argentina, is even younger (his 18th birthday was on Thursday) and, some say, just as talented.

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.

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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.

https://e2f6d63cb7cd781a752a15b785bf8705.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-45/html/container.html

Which club have had the best transfer window?

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.”

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.

A plan to play late December’s Villarreal vs Barcelona fixture in Miami is now well advanced, with both clubs publicly backing the idea.

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

By Ewan Gennery published August 8, 2025

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 Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Crystal Palace FC at Anfield on May 25, 2025 in Liverpool, England.

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)

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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

Arsenal

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

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

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.

Brighton

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

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.

Get ready for the new season with FourFourTwo’s comprehensive preview. We’ll give you the scoop on star players and share our predictions for the months ahead, along with Burnley’s complete fixture list.

Bournemouth

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’s new 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

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.

Crystal Palace

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

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

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.

FourFourTwo’s complete season preview is here to get you ready. We’ve got the details on top players, what to expect, a look at our predictions and Fulham’s fixture list.

Leeds United

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 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

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’s complete 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 hopes to hit the ground running at Old Trafford — 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 has endured a challenging summer transfer window — 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

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’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

FFT381.feat_whatsnew_a.shutterstock_editorial_15364130i — 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

Tomas Soucek is the Hammers' unsung hero, according to fans — 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 has done a fine job since his arrival in December 2024 — 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 FourFourTwo season 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

Oliver Kay

Aug. 15, 2025Updated 2:29 am EDT

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.

Leeds 2-1 Everton

(Top photo: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images; design: Demetrius Robinson)

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

The Athletic FC ⚽ is The Athletic’s daily football (or soccer, if you prefer) newsletter. Sign up to receive it directly to your inbox.

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.

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.

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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.

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

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

The Athletic FC ⚽ is The Athletic’s daily football (or soccer, if you prefer) newsletter. Sign up to receive it directly to your inbox.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

“The acrobatic trick didn’t work out for him,” lamented Dynamo Barnaul’s official website. I’ll say.

(Top photo: George Wood/Getty Images)

What’s new in the Premier League in 2025-26?

BRENTFORD, ENGLAND - AUGUST 08: A detailed view of the new Puma Premier League match ball during the pre-season friendly match between Brentford and Borussia Moenchengladbach at Gtech Community Stadium on August 08, 2025 in Brentford, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

By Cerys Jones

Aug. 15, 2025 12:05 am EDT

Have you missed football?

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

By Richard Sutcliffe

Aug. 15, 2025 12:22 am EDT

With Nathan Broadhead’s club record £7.5million transfer taking Wrexham’s tally of signings to nine, and more additions expected, Phil Parkinson has had a busy summer.

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.

“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”.

(Top photo: Wrexham AFC)

8/1/25 MLS Leagues Cup, Indy 11 host Tampa Rowdies Sat 7 pm, NWSL resumes, Copa America Femenina QFs, England wins Euros over Spain

August 1, 2025August 2, 2025 gatorbest carmel-fc, carmel-high-soccer, european-cup, indy-11, leagues-cup, messi, mls, nwsl, sports

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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USA

Sources: Lyon to loan USMNT’s Turner to Revs
Pulisic assist vs Liverpool
Captain America’s new kicks: Christian Pulisic and Puma launch ‘Never Stop’ cleats
USMNT’s Cardoso on Atlético: ‘Dream come true’
OFFICIAL: Las Vegas to host 2026 FIFA World Cup draw in December

Rodman ‘still gonna be Trin’ despite back injury
USWNT newcomers ranked: All 24 players who have debuted under coach Emma Hayes
USWNT October games to honor Morgan, Naeher

MLS

Messi returns for Miami win: ‘I need to compete’
De Paul starts in Miami debut in win over Atlas
Sources: Vancouver close to sealing Müller deal
Messi and wife caught on Coldplay ‘kiss cam’
MLS Power Rankings: Cincy on the up after tight draw vs. Messi-less Miami
Leagues Cup rewind: Seattle destroy Cruz Azul; Juárez stun Charlotte, and more
Leagues Cup predictions: Which MLS or LIGA MX team will win?
Bayern Munich legend Thomas Müller set to join high-flying Vancouver Whitecaps

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.

England Wins European Cup

Lionesses book 1st fixture after Euros success
Chloe Kelly’s 68 mph penalty vs. Spain was faster than EVERY shot in the EPL last season
Lionesses book 1st fixture after Euros success
Under-the-radar Euro 2025 stars who could make a transfer this summer
Lionesses: Can Sarina Wiegman receive a damehood?
‘The story’s not done yet’: England celebrate Euro 2025 win with London parade

NWSL Returns

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.

Goalkeeping

Euro Great Saves

REFFING

VAR Review: Ranking Euro 2025’s biggest incidents
How Premier League refs prepare for the new season.

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.

Reports: Ceremony to be held on Dec. 5 in Vegas

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. — 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. — 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. — 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. — 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

By Paul Tenorio Aug. 1, 2025Updated 3:02 pm EDT

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.

“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’

Greg O’Keeffe July 18, 2025

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.

“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)

BASEL, SWITZERLAND - JULY 27: Hannah Hampton of England saves a penalty in the penalty shoot out during the UEFA Women's EURO 2025 Final match between England and Spain at St. Jakob-Park on July 27, 2025 in Basel, Switzerland. (Photo by Kristian Skeie - UEFA/UEFA via 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

BASEL, SWITZERLAND - JULY 27: Ella Toone of England celebrates with the UEFA Women's EURO trophy following the team's victory in the UEFA Women's EURO 2025 Final match between England and Spain at St. Jakob-Park on July 27, 2025 in Basel, Switzerland. (Photo by Harriet Lander - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)

By Michael Cox July 27, 2025Updated July 28, 2025

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!”

BASEL, SWITZERLAND - JULY 27: Lucy Bronze of England with the gold medal during the UEFA Women's EURO 2025 Final match between England and Spain at St. Jakob-Park on July 27, 2025 in Basel, Switzerland. (Photo by Manuel Winterberger/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)

By Charlotte Harpur July 28, 2025 The Athletic

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.

“I’m very fortunate that my family get to follow me around and support me, but I’m someone who is based off of hard work and enjoying it. My ‘why’ was that I just love working hard and I love the game. It’s as simple as that. Sometimes when the media gets involved and everything around the game (it affects my enjoyment), but I started playing football because I love it. That’s literally it. When I loved it, I wanted to work hard.“I will give anything and everything when I play in an England shirt. I wanted all the girls to know my ‘why’ is to give everything for this team because I just love playing for England so much.”What You Should Read NextInside the Lionesses’ Euro 2025 win: Tough talks, a ‘new England’ and Wiegman’s toiletry-bag messageEngland retained the European Championship trophy with victory over Spain. This is the story of their triumphant tournament

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

Charlotte Harpur July 27, 2025Updated July 28, 2025

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.

The Lionesses’ Euro 2025 campaign was not pretty, nor was it perfect. A rollercoaster would be Georgia Stanway’s tattoo of choice to sum up the tournament.

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.

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.”

The message was to stick together.What You Should Read NextThe making of a Lioness – as told by their parents: Extra jobs, bank loans and sleeping in meetingsThe families of England players talk to The Athletic about the challenges and sacrifices involved in their daughters’ journeys to the top

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’.

“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.

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”.

(Top photos: Getty Images; design: Dan Goldfarb)

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7/25/25 Euro Finals England vs Spain Sun 12 Fox, USMNT tix vs Japan Sept 9 Columbus discount tix, Indy 11 Xmas in July Sat night 7 pm, Messi suspended

July 24, 2025August 4, 2025 gatorbest carmel-fc, euros, goalkeeper, indiana-soccer, indy-11, mls, mls-allstar-game, nwsl, premier-league, pulisic, soccer, soccer-reffing, spain, us-men, usmnt, womens-euros

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

Its EPLs Aston Villa vs Germany’s Frankfurt in Tix In Louisville

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Women’s Euros

Agyemang: From ball girl to baller
Euro 2025 semifinals: Aitana Bonmatí’s game-winner in extra time lifts Spain over Germany
Bonmati shows why Spain was so eager to have her back
Fox evolved approach with Euros broadcast
Wiegman tips Arsenal’s Agyemang for ‘bright future’

USA

If Zendejas can’t crack the USMNT, is Liga MX a viable league for aspiring Americans?

USMNT after 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup: Whose stock is up or down?

MLS

No Messi, no Alba: Can the MLS All-Star Game be fixed, and where does it go from here?
MLS ASG: Surridge leads MLS to dominant win over Liga MX Ryan Young
MLS All-Stars dispatch Liga MX All-Stars in 2025 showcase
Back on top! MLS All-Stars top LIGA MX All-Stars in Austin
Austin brings the party for MLS All-Star Game: “This is a soccer city”
All-Star Game: Another chapter in MLS vs. LIGA MX rivalry
The MLS All-Star game entertained plenty, but that may no longer be
Power Rankings: Inter Miami & San Diego FC vie for top spot
MLS Brings Lionel Messi Cam Back to TikTokLionel Messi will star in an exclusive TikTok livestream during Inter Miami’s Aug. 2 Leagues Cup matchup with Necaxa
Buyer beware: The gamble MLS clubs make with designated players

Source: LAFC eyeing move for Spurs star Son
🎥 Messi involved in four goals to make absolute mockery of NYRB 😮
🎥 Portland Timbers unveil largest tifo in MLS history for 50th anniversary
Galaxy scores in final minute to force draw with LAFC in tense El Tráfico
Commentary: LAFC fans put aside their rivalry with Galaxy to stand in solidarity against ICE

Goalkeeping

Stefan Frei injury: Seattle Sounders goalkeeper back home resting
War brewing? Barcelona expect Ter Stegen to be out for 4-5 months, not three
Barcelona goalie Marc-André ter Stegen set for back surgery, faces spell on sidelines
> Keylor Navas, former Real Madrid goalkeeper, is set to join UNAM Pumas in Liga MX after a six-month stint in Argentina with Newell’s Old Boys (More)

Reffing

Foul or not ?
Is Hairpulling always a Red Card?
Neymar Yellow?

GK Yellow or Red Rush in?

TOP TALKING POINTS

UEFA Opposes VAR Changes

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 of Spain celebrates scoring her team's first goal during the UEFA Women's EURO 2025 Semi-Final match

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) |

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.

https://www.soccerindiana.org/odp-try-outs/

Messi, Jordi Alba suspended by MLS for skipping All-Star Game

Inter Miami's Jordi Alba and Lionel Messi

By Paul Tenorio July 25, 2025 1:00 pm EDT

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.

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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.”

Regarding when a one-game suspension could arrive for Messi and Alba, MLS commissioner Don Garber said that the league is “managing through that process as we speak” ahead of Wednesday’s game, while also admitting that there has been a heavy workload that had been put on the players.

“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.”

For now, the opponent and date for the 2026 All-Star Game at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, is to be determined — as is whether all of the league’s biggest names will be in attendance.

Should any of England’s Euro 2025 finishers be starters in the final?

By Cerys JonesJuly 24, 2025

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).

Will she start the final? Excellent as Agyemang has been, starting her over Russo would be uncharacteristic for Wiegman. There is no guarantee the teenager can replicate over a full game what she has achieved against low blocks and tired defences. Wiegman will opt for experience, and that is the sensible call — but if England need a hero, it would make sense to give Agyemang more than 20 minutes.What You Should Read NextMichelle Agyemang: The teenager who saved England at Euro 2025The Arsenal forward rescued England against Sweden, showing her clinical finishing and ability to disrupt defences

Chloe Kelly

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.

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.

Will she start the final? Kelly has the best chance of any of the substitutes. Her contributions have been slightly less obvious than Agyemang’s, but equally as important, and she has more experience than her Arsenal colleague. A lot will depend on Lauren James’ fitness. If the Chelsea forward can bounce back from the ankle injury she suffered on Tuesday, she will be hard to displace. If not, Kelly will be first in line.What You Should Read NextMichelle Agyemang: The teenager who saved England at Euro 2025The Arsenal forward rescued England against Sweden, showing her clinical finishing and ability to disrupt defences

Aggie Beever-Jones

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

Spain's midfielder #06 Aitana Bonmati (L) celebrates after scoring Spain's first goal during the UEFA Women's Euro 2025 semi-final football match between Germany and Spain at the Letzigrund Stadium in Zurich, on July 23, 2025. (Photo by Miguel MEDINA / AFP) (Photo by MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP via Getty Images)

By Cerys Jones and Tamerra Griffin

July 23, 2025

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.

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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.

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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.

The two have been holding down both ends of the fort for Gotham FC in the National Women’s Soccer League (NSWL). Esther, in this tournament and her club’s league, leads the scoring (four goals at the Euros, 10 in the NWSL), while Berger was voted goalkeeper of the year last season and regularly dazzles with highlight-reel-calibre saves, even before the one that nobody can stop talking about in the quarter-final against France.What You Should Read NextBreaking down Ann-Katrin Berger save of the Euros, sending Germany to semi-finalsBerger is unflappable in goal for Germany

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.

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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.

Cerys Jones

(Top photo: Miguel Medina/AFP via Getty Images)

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Last-minute change to evolving center back pairing

What’s next?

USWNT defender Gisele Thompson is finding her way alongside sister Alyssa

Younger Thompson rising

USWNT defender Gisele Thompson is finding her way alongside sister Alyssa

Younger Thompson rising

US Bombed by Belgium 1-5 Portugal Tues 7 pm TNT

WORLD CUP QUALIFYING the Last 6 Teams Will Be Decided Tuesday

Indy 11 Plays Tonite 7 pm and Sat 7 pm vs Pittsburgh

Congrats to the 2010 Carmel FC Boys for winning the River City Classic in Cincy for a 2nd time in 3 years

TV Schedule – Games on TV

US Players on Duty — Friday

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USA

World Cup

GK

Reffing

2026 World Cup playoffs: Who will claim the final six spots?

EUROPE

PATH AWinner enters World Cup Group B (Canada, Qatar, Switzerland)

PATH BWinner enters World Cup Group F (Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia)

PATH CWinner enters World Cup Group D (United States, Paraguay, Australia)

PATH DWinner enters World Cup Group A (Mexico, South Korea, South Africa)

INTERCONTINENTAL PLAYOFFS

PATHWAY 1Winner enters World Cup Group K (Portugal, Uzbekistan, Colombia)

PATHWAY 2Winner enters World Cup Group I (France, Senegal, Norway)

USA vs. Portugal, 2026 USMNT friendly: preview – the devil is in the big picture

USMNT exposed with tactical approach to Belgium, makes for a World Cup warning

Dealing with Doku

USMNT gets caught in transition

‘That’s what I don’t like about this fluid 4-2-3-1’

The ‘intensity’ dip

Pochettino’s World Cup mandate for USMNT is clear: Intensity is not optional

Landon Donovan questions USMNT pride, says Belgium loss could do ‘psychological damage’

Player ratings: Weah poor as USMNT suffers heavy Belgium defeat

Manager rating out of 10

Player ratings (0-10; 10 = best, 5 = average)

Substitutes (players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

Chris Richards ‘available’ for USMNT vs. Portugal, but Johnny Cardoso leaving camp

Champions League Sweet 16 2nd leg Tues/Wed on Para+ & CBSSN

US Officially Releases New Jersey Look

Indy 11 Open Season Sat night at the Mike – US Open Cup on Tues, 8 pm Para+

NWSL Opening Weekend to Remember

Man it was Great being back on the soccer fields this weekend doing a little reffing at Grand Park

TV Schedule – Games on TV

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USMNT midweek viewing guide: Staying alive

Monday

PATH A
Winner enters World Cup Group B (Canada, Qatar, Switzerland)

PATH B
Winner enters World Cup Group F (Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia)

PATH C
Winner enters World Cup Group D (United States, Paraguay, Australia)

PATH D
Winner enters World Cup Group A (Mexico, South Korea, South Africa)

PATHWAY 1
Winner enters World Cup Group K (Portugal, Uzbekistan, Colombia)

PATHWAY 2
Winner enters World Cup Group I (France, Senegal, Norway)