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

1. Hamilton Southeastern
2. Noblesville
3. Carmel
4. Crown Point
5. Evansville Memorial
6. Brownsburg
7. Cathedral
8. Castle
9. Center Grove
10. Homestead
11. Penn
12. East Central
13. Westfield
14. Zionsville
15. FW Carroll
16. Northridge
17. Fishers
18. Bloomington South
19. Lake Central
20. Mt. Vernon

ISCA Class 2A girls soccer poll

1. Lawrenceburg
2. Brebeuf Jesuit
3. Mishawaka Marian
4. FW Bishop Dwenger
5. SB Saint Joseph
6. Bishop Chatard
7. Guerin Catholic
8. Evansville Mater Dei
9. Bellmont
10. Hanover Central
11. Heritage Hills
12. Highland
13. Washington
14. FW Concordia Lutheran
15. West Lafayette
16. Hamilton Heights
17. Roncalli
18. Park Tudor
19. Gibson Southern
20. Madison

ISCA Class 3A boys soccer poll

1. Harrison (West Lafayette)
2. Hamilton Southeastern
3. Center Grove
4. FW Carroll
5. Zionsville
6. Fishers
7. Bloomington South
8. Noblesville
9. Concord
10. Evansville Memorial
11. Brownsburg
12. Cathedral
13. Columbus North
14. Goshen
15. Warsaw
16. Castle
17. Westfield
18. Chesterton
19. Crown Point
20. Penn

ISCA Class 2A boys soccer poll

1. FW Concordia Lutheran
2. Park Tudor
3. Hammond Bishop Noll
4. Bishop Chatard
5. Illiana Christian
6. Heritage Hills
7. FW Bishop Luers
8. Washington
9. South Bend St. Joseph
10. West Lafayette
11. Cascade
12. Hanover Central
13. Leo
14. Bethany Christian
15. FW Bishop Dwenger
16. Speedway
17. Culver Academy
18. Charleston
19. Heritage Christian
20. West Noble

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

• SHARE THIS STORY

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

By Jeff RueterAug. 14, 2025Updated 12:47 pm EDT The Athletic

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No doubt, Fulham will feel a bit up against it heading into the club’s Premier League opener, away at Brighton.The 2024-25 season saw Antonee Robinson cement his place as one of Marco Silva’s most vital charges, arguably the best pure left back in the Premier League. Nicknamed “Jedi,” he’s proven capable of containing Bukayo Saka and Mohamed Salah on one end before dependably squaring crosses right into his striker’s stride. He gutted out an injury to his right knee until season’s end, finishing third in the fan-voted Player of the Season pageant after a 10-assist campaign.On Thursday, 48 hours before a trip to the AmEx, Silva confirmed that Robinson would not be available for selection as he works back from an offseason surgery on that vital plant-leg knee. So, too, would Ryan Sessegnon, leaving the Portuguese manager without his two top options at left back.Mauricio Pochettino may still be envying Silva’s situation. At least the Fulham boss has a viable alternative in the role to Robinson.It’s hardly a new phenomenon that the U.S. men’s national team is dangerously thin at left back. In fact, the program went over a decade with makeshift solutions, forcing players like DaMarcus Beasley and Fabian Johnson to own the role despite spending their careers up until that point further afield. While U.S. Soccer can’t take credit for Robinson’s development, his commitment was a clear end to holding the left side of the back line together with duct tape and chewing gum.While Robinson has amassed a tidy 50 caps to date, he’s been absent for the last four camps under Pochettino, a 12-game sample from which the coach has learned plenty about his player pool. He’s had his initial trust in Diego Luna validated by a star-making turn at the Gold Cup. That same tournament gave reason to think Matt Freese could be a shot-stopping alternative to Matt Turner in goal.There have been frustrating realizations, too. Mexico is back on the ascent, although that’s a bit more of a subplot than usual as both nations will abstain from World Cup qualifying this cycle. His faith in the core that helped qualify for the 2022 installment has potentially been rocked by Christian Pulisic and others opting out or missing out on the Gold Cup. And, more relevant to today’s news via Silva: he doesn’t have a clear alternative to Robinson at left back.

USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino doesn’t have many options behind Antonee Robinson at left back (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)

Unlike other USMNT mainstays like Gio Reyna, Pochettino and Robinson have already logged a bit of collaboration. The left back was on Pochettino’s first squad last October, and started both legs of the Concacaf Nations Leg quarterfinal against Jamaica the following month. In the second, Robinson assisted on the second goal of a 4-2 win that sent the U.S. through to the final four. Since then, however, Pochettino has had to play alternatives to Robinson. When an ailment kept Robinson out for the Nations League’s business end in March, it became a calamity: Panama targeted out-of-position Max Arfsten and, later, Joe Scally, exploiting the latter’s lack of awareness to score a last gasp winner in a 1-0 semifinal upset. Scally went on to start the third-place game, putting in such a poor shift that he got a halftime hook.In the 12 games that have passed since Robinson’s last U.S. appearance, four players have been called upon in his absence. Arfsten has been Pochettino’s most relied-upon alternative, appearing in nine of that dozen, most often as starter. John Tolkin, of recently relegated Holstein Kiel in Germany, has made five appearances, while Scally and DeJuan Jones have each appeared twice in the role. None have made a terribly compelling case for further looks.Throughout the Gold Cup, Arfsten and Tolkin — as indicated by their higher utilization — were the two options on Pochettino’s squad.Arfsten, a winger with the possession-dominant Columbus Crew, has fared about as you’d expect for a player who usually sees the game from a vastly different perspective. His attacking contributions were that of an ideal wingback, logging assists and chipping in goals as an auxiliary threat from wide. His defensive performances were riddled with the kinds of mistakes coaches have to drill out of defenders in the youth ranks, taking the bait and making needless fouls (like one just inside the box against Costa Rica that resulted in a penalty).Tolkin, largely as a substitute, has at least spent his career in the role since debuting with his boyhood New York Red Bulls. His issues more closely mirror the struggles recently seen from young left backs George Bello, Kris Lund and Sam Vines: bona fide left backs, but unable to prove themselves at the international level.There’s a paucity of alternatives, too. Unlike other spots, there’s no alternative who hasn’t been tested and is flying under the radar. The closest to matching that mold is Caleb Wiley, the Chelsea prospect who earned three caps in 2023 and 2024 but hasn’t been in a national team camp since Pochettino took charge. While it’s impressive for a 20-year-old to have amassed 135 club appearances, mostly with Atlanta United before the club from London came calling, his first loan with Strasbourg was inconclusive. He’s at Watford now, and could very easily work into the fold in the months to come. The other alternatives to Scally are, in the program’s grand tradition, playing out of position. There’s Arfsten, still tapping into his winger’s instincts at the expense of his team’s defending. There’s Scally shifting over from right back (and Sergiño Dest before him, the first-choice option in that spot), who fancy themselves to put in a shift on the left. Even then, it weakens the right back contingent that is seemingly three players deep: Dest, Scally, Alex Freeman. If Robinson’s recovery timetable will keep him out of the next international camp spanning from Sept. 1-9 (the fifth-to-last camp before the 2026 World Cup), those speculative alternatives may get another chance to log starts and fortify their cases for inclusion. Pochettino and a fanbase starved for optimism will rightfully hope for a pleasant surprise. As it stands right now, it’s a bleak reality for the USMNT: against ideal operational standards, this is a Jedi without a worthy padawan. (Top photo: Julian Finney/Getty Images)

La Liga season preview: Our predictions on Barcelona, Real Madrid and much more

By Dermot Corrigan

Aug. 15, 2025 12:20 am EDT

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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)…

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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).

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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.

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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.”

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Tell us one great storyline we might have missed…

Barcelona’s issues around registering their summer signings with La Liga are eye-catching due to the size of the club and the regular drama involved, but they are far from the only ones struggling in this area ahead of the new season.

Just days before the games kick off this weekend, more than 50 new arrivals had yet to be officially registered with La Liga. Clubs still looking to make room within their budget included the three promoted clubs, as well as Sevilla, Celta Vigo, Espanyol, Getafe, Real Sociedad, Betis and Alaves.

So some well-known names are likely to watch their new team’s opening game from the stands, while a frantic couple of weeks of wheeling and dealing are likely until the end of the transfer window.

What will be making headlines as the season progresses?

La Liga president Javier Tebas has been openly trying to stage official Spanish top-flight games in the United States since 2018, but until now has always been denied by a mix of political and practical factors.

Tebas is nothing if not dogged, however, and many of the big hurdles have now been removed — including the settlement of a U.S. legal case between world football’s governing body FIFA and promoters Relevent, and improved relations with the Spanish FA in the post-Luis Rubiales era.

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 2024/25 Premier League (Image credit: Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Jump To:

• → Back to top
• Arsenal
• Aston Villa
• Brentford
• Brighton
• Burnley
• Bournemouth
• Chelsea
• Crystal Palace
• Everton
• Fulham
• Leeds
• Liverpool
• Man City
• Man United
• Newcastle
• Nottingham Forest
• Sunderland
• Tottenham
• West Ham
• Wolves

↔︎

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

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• Every Premier League transfer completed so far this summer as spending tops £2bn

Arsenal

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

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 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

Optimism at Tottenham Hotspur is unusually high for a team that only scraped 17th in the table last season: that will be because Thomas Frank has arrived, preseason has been positive and the Europa League triumph last season means that the trophy curse has finally been banished. Now, Spurs can start looking upwards again.

The wait is over: FourFourTwo presents our comprehensive season preview, complete with a close look at the most exciting players and our predictions for the next few months., along with Tottenham’s fixture lists.

West Ham United

West Ham 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

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

11

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…

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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

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(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.

Advertisement

Written transfer requests — the unequivocal, black-and-white means by which restless pros can manipulate a move — are less common than you might think. For one thing, submitting a demand in writing risks forfeiting future bonuses or loyalty payments. For two, they’re regarded as small-time. As one agent tells The Athletic’s Stu James: “You’re handing in a letter saying you want to leave. What the hell does that do?”

Stu wrote about the art of manufacturing a transfer in 2021 but he updated his piece when trouble brewed between Newcastle United and Alexander Isak (above), and it’s relevant again in light of the sorry deterioration of that relationship. The Swedish striker has no intention of making another appearance for the Tyneside club. He would sooner sign for Liverpool. But how does he force his way out the door if Newcastle aren’t minded to trade him?

This isn’t new ground, or even close. Cerys Jones went back through the Premier League archives to analyse other high-profile names — Harry Kane, Luis Suarez and others — who effectively went on strike, hoping to be sold. Some who stamp their feet get their way. Others don’t. Stu’s feature is a window into Newcastle’s reality.

Top Stories
The biggest issues facing youth sports? Greg Olsen has strong opinions
NBA 2025-26 schedule release: 40 games I’m looking forward to next season
The epicenter of stalking in sports? Why tennis stands apart
Never get an owner angry
Isak hasn’t done a bad job in employing the tactics suggested by different agents Stu talked to (all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity). Complain of minor injuries? Check. Refuse to travel on a pre-season tour? Check. Down tools, or cast doubt over your commitment to your existing employers? Check. Textbook stuff.

Here’s what those who know the drill had to say about facilitating a contentious exit from a club:

One agent warned: “What you must never do is get an owner angry. Once a billionaire says, ‘He’s not for sale’, you’re dead. You’re ain’t going nowhere because their credibility is on the line.”
A manager with Premier League experience talked about trying to drop a wantaway star down to work with the club’s under-23s: “Then you’ll have the club push back on you and say, ‘He’s an asset, he needs to be involved’. You end up having friction with the club. It’s an absolute nightmare.”
Another high-profile representative said, “Some agents try to force things through that are just ridiculous. And all that happens is that it causes a load of bad feeling, nobody wins. Try to find a solution for everybody.”
But by far the most revealing quote came from David Sullivan, the co-owner of West Ham United. Generally speaking, Sullivan said, coaches want disruptive players out of the building because they “create a terrible atmosphere”. A sulking asset is essentially a bad apple. And in the case of Isak, it might be that fact that grants him his wish.

‘I feel like they’re evil’: Pulisic and Weah bite back on criticism of ex-USMNT players. Again.
USMNT’s Tim Weah and Christian Pulisic
Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah celebrate against Germany in 2023 (Alex Grimm/Getty Images)
To say that current USMNT stars are at odds with certain retired U.S. internationals would be the understatement of the day. Tyler Adams tried to be diplomatic about criticism from Landon Donovan and others in an interview with The Athletic this week, but yesterday’s episode of the ‘Pulisic’ series on Paramount+ took the beef up a notch.

Advertisement

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

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.

Advertisement

Written transfer requests — the unequivocal, black-and-white means by which restless pros can manipulate a move — are less common than you might think. For one thing, submitting a demand in writing risks forfeiting future bonuses or loyalty payments. For two, they’re regarded as small-time. As one agent tells The Athletic’s Stu James: “You’re handing in a letter saying you want to leave. What the hell does that do?”

Stu wrote about the art of manufacturing a transfer in 2021 but he updated his piece when trouble brewed between Newcastle United and Alexander Isak (above), and it’s relevant again in light of the sorry deterioration of that relationship. The Swedish striker has no intention of making another appearance for the Tyneside club. He would sooner sign for Liverpool. But how does he force his way out the door if Newcastle aren’t minded to trade him?

This isn’t new ground, or even close. Cerys Jones went back through the Premier League archives to analyse other high-profile names — Harry Kane, Luis Suarez and others — who effectively went on strike, hoping to be sold. Some who stamp their feet get their way. Others don’t. Stu’s feature is a window into Newcastle’s reality.

Never get an owner angry

Isak hasn’t done a bad job in employing the tactics suggested by different agents Stu talked to (all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity). Complain of minor injuries? Check. Refuse to travel on a pre-season tour? Check. Down tools, or cast doubt over your commitment to your existing employers? Check. Textbook stuff.

Here’s what those who know the drill had to say about facilitating a contentious exit from a club:

• One agent warned: “What you must never do is get an owner angry. Once a billionaire says, ‘He’s not for sale’, you’re dead. You’re ain’t going nowhere because their credibility is on the line.”
• A manager with Premier League experience talked about trying to drop a wantaway star down to work with the club’s under-23s: “Then you’ll have the club push back on you and say, ‘He’s an asset, he needs to be involved’. You end up having friction with the club. It’s an absolute nightmare.”
• Another high-profile representative said, “Some agents try to force things through that are just ridiculous. And all that happens is that it causes a load of bad feeling, nobody wins. Try to find a solution for everybody.”

But by far the most revealing quote came from David Sullivan, the co-owner of West Ham United. Generally speaking, Sullivan said, coaches want disruptive players out of the building because they “create a terrible atmosphere”. A sulking asset is essentially a bad apple. And in the case of Isak, it might be that fact that grants him his wish.

---

‘I feel like they’re evil’: Pulisic and Weah bite back on criticism of ex-USMNT players. Again.

Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah celebrate against Germany in 2023 (Alex Grimm/Getty Images)

To say that current USMNT stars are at odds with certain retired U.S. internationals would be the understatement of the day. Tyler Adams tried to be diplomatic about criticism from Landon Donovan and others in an interview with The Athletic this week, but yesterday’s episode of the ‘Pulisic’ series on Paramount+ took the beef up a notch.

One thing to point out first: by any objective measure, the USMNT have done nothing to shield themselves from ex-pro scrutiny. The past couple of years have been miserable, and Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah (above) choosing to miss this summer’s Gold Cup wasn’t going to pass without comment. But blimey, they’re taking it all to heart. Here’s what was said on ‘Pulisic’:

• Weah: “Those guys are chasing cheques. And for me, I just feel like they’re really evil. Because they’ve been players, and they know what it’s like when you’re getting bashed. Those are the same guys that’ll turn around and shake your hand, and try to be friendly with you at the end of the day.”
• Pulisic: “The most annoying thing, and the biggest cop-out of all time, is when all pundits want to say, ‘They didn’t want it, they didn’t have the heart. Back in our day, we would fight and die on that field’. It’s frustrating.”
• Pulisic’s father, Mark: “These guys want clicks. It’s social media, it’s, ‘Subscribe to my channel, listen to my podcasts’, or whatever.”

Quote three is a little ironic coming from someone talking in a docuseries, but here we are. The thing is, I don’t see the former USMNT corps backing down tamely, so where this goes from here is anybody’s guess. National unity with less than a year to a home World Cup? If only.

---

News Round-Up

• A tasty spat has broken out between Birmingham City shareholder Tom Brady and the club’s former head coach, Wayne Rooney. Brady was filmed raising doubts about Rooney’s work ethic in a recent documentary. Rooney hit back on his new podcast, saying the comments were “very unfair” and that Brady didn’t “really understand football that well”.
• Barcelona’s board are putting millions of their own money on the line in an effort to get Marcus Rashford and others registered with La Liga. Their salary-cap stress has reached crisis point, again.
• The Daily Liverpool: they’re closing in on the signing of 18-year-old defender Giovanni Leoni from Parma in Italy. He’ll set them back £26m ($35.2m).
• 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

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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.

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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)

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

By Cerys Jones

Aug. 15, 2025 12:05 am EDT

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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.

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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)

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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.

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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)

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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)

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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

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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.

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“It was the same with taking down the temporary stand. We removed one section (containing 558 seats) after the Stockport game last season (on March 22) to help with the pitch project.

“The fan zone also went at the same time, allowing us to create a pathway for the contractors to bring in mountains of gravel, soil and so on. We wanted these onsite, meaning we could start straight away the moment we got the green light.”

This also explains why the remaining blocks of the temporary stand were not taken down until late June, several weeks after the season had ended.

Miller adds: “We had work to do around the outside of the site, tidying up the drainage, laying tarmac and a few other things. Only then did we have the space to take down the temporary stand. Coordination was key, in terms of what is the priority — which for us was getting the pitch work going.”

The summer revamp is only the start. A new Kop stand will soon start to go up, with the intention to be ready for The Racecourse hosting the UEFA Under-19 Championship in June 2026.

Barriers obscure the building of the new Kop stand (Robbie Jay Barratt/Getty Images)

It will be the key building block of a stadium masterplan drawn up by Populous, the same firm that designed Arsenal and Tottenham’s new homes, as well as Dublin’s Aviva Stadium, Wembley and The Sphere in Las Vegas.

The initial plan was to house 5,500 fans with the design, then allow another 2,000 to be added. However, a new planning application went in last month for a 7,500 capacity structure and a decision will be made soon by Wrexham Borough Council.

A new electricity substation on University land adjacent to The Racecourse’s main entrance on Crispin Lane has also been constructed.

This will provide power to the three blocks of student flats that sit behind the main stand, replacing the previous substation located towards the back of The Turf pub on the footprint of where the new Kop will stand. As part of this switch, a live power cable running underneath the area was deactivated.

“Until that was done, you couldn’t even start digging,” says Miller. “So, from a big ticket perspective, that’s probably the biggest thing we did this summer.”

As Miller says proudly, this now feels like “a Championship ground”.

(Top photo: Wrexham AFC)