Champions & Europa League Play Returns Tues/Wed/Thurs Match Day 6
Awesome to see the top clubs in the World battle it out – thru 5 rounds Arsenal, Bayern, Atalanta, PSG & Inter stand in the Top 5, while my Juventus with McKinney & Leverkusen with Tillman are just above the cut line. American’s Ricardo Pepi scored late for PSV in a 3-2 loss, and Foralin Balogon scored the winner for Monico over Galatasaray for his 3rd straight Champions League game with a Goal. McKinney’s stunner the winner for Juve in Champs league. Not UCL but Pulisic has been deadly in front of net this season for AC Milan as he’s tied for Serie A lead for scoring despite only playing 9 games. Pulisic ties it up 30 seconds after coming on then Supersub Scores a Brace as Milan wins it. See all the US players playing below.
US Draw Includes Australia, Paraguay, (Euro Winner Turkey?)
So the US got a decent draw – no reason the US can’t get out of this group – honestly in the #1 slot. The US has recently beaten both Australia and Paraguay in the past few months often without our team. The draw looks like we could make a run to Sweet 16 where we would face Belgium – again. But lets not count our chickens yet. Also exciting to see the US has signed to play Germany in Chicago June 6, and Portugal and Belgium in Atlanta in late March.
Inter Miami & Messi Win MLS Cup over Vancouver
Messi continued his mastery over MLS – with a goal and an Assist in the 3-1 win over a game Vancouver at home in Miami. MLS Final Highlights The win finally justifies the extreme amount of money Miami has spent in signing the trifecta of Messi, Jordi Alba & Sergio Busquets (both of who are retiring). Fun game to watch as Vancouver made a game of it before Messi helped Miami pull away late.
Former Carmel GK Eric Dick Signs with Indy 11 after winning USL Championship for Pittsburgh
Awesome to see former Carmel Dad’s Club/Carmel High/Butler GK Eric Dick is coming home to Indy as he will return to the Indy 11 this upcoming season — fresh off a Player of the USL Championship performance for Pittsburgh.
Notes
Thrilled for Wilfried Nancy, who has just moved from Columbus to manage Celtic. We’ve had him on a number of times. He is such a soulful, inspirational leader. I can’t wait to watch him learn and grow in Scotland. I want to send huge love to the great Shaka Hislop (ESPN Analyst), who revealed he is battling prostate cancer and urged Caribbean men to get tested. His message is a crucial one. I wish Shaka and his family strength and health at this moment.
Mohomed, Margaret, and Shane reffing indoors at the Grand Park Tourney Sunday – last 1 of the year.
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GAMES ON TV
Wed, 12/9 Champs League 12:45 pm Para+ Villareal vs Kebenhavn 2:45 pm Para+ Hull City vs Wrexham 3 pm Para+ Real Madrid vs Man City 3 pm CBSSN Bayern Leverkusen (Tilman) vs New Castle United 3 pm Para+ Juventus (McKennie) vs Paphos 3 pm Para+ Arsenal vs Club Brugge 3 pm Para+ Athletic Club vs PSG 3 pm Para+ Dortmund vs Boda Glimt Thurs, 12/10 Europa 12:45 pm Para+ Rangers vs Ferencvaros 12:45 pm Para+ Young Boys vs Lille 12:45 pm Para+ Nottingham Forest vs Utrecht 3 pm Para+ Lyonnais (Tessman) vs Go Ahead Eagles 3 pm Para+ Celtic (Trusty) vs AS Roma 3 pm Para+ Shelbourne vs Crystal Palace (Richards) Fri, 12/12 2:30 pm ESPN+ Union Berlin vs RB Leipzig 3 pm Para+ West Brom (Dike) vs Sheffield United Sat, 12/13 8 am ESPN+ Atletico MAdrid vs Valencia 9:30 am ESPN+ MGladback (Reyna, Scalley) vs Wolfsburg 10 am USA Chelsea vs Everton 10 am USA Livepool vs Brighton 12:30 pm NBC Burnley vs Fulham (Jedi) 3 pm USA Arsenal vs Wolverhampton Sun, 12/14 6:30 am Para+ AC Milan (Pulisic) vs Sassuolo 9 am USA Sunderland vs New Castle 9 am Peacock Crystal Palace (Richards) vs Man City 9 am PEacock Nottingham Forest vs Brighton 9 am Pea West Ham vs Liverpool 11:30 am ESPN+ Bayern Munich vs Mainz 11:30 am USA Brentford vs Leeds United (Aaronson) 3 pm ESPN+ Alavez vs Real Madrid 8 pm CBSSN Toluca vs Tigres UANL Mon, 12/15 3 pm USA Man United vs Bournemouth (Adams) Wed, Dec 17 2:30 pm Para+ New Castle vs Fulham (Jedi) 2:30 pm Para+ Man City vs Brentford Fri, Dec 19 2:30 pm ESPN+ Dortmund vs MGladbach (Reyna, Scalley) 4 pm CBSSN Bologna vs Inter Milan Jan 24 5:30 pm TNT, HBO USWNT vs Paraguay Jan 27 10 pm TBS, HBO USWNT vs Chile Sat, March 28 3:30 TNT, Max USA Men vs Belgium in Atlanta Tue, Mar 31 7:30 pm TNT, Max USA Men vs Portugal in Atlanta Sat, June 6 2:30 pm TNT. Max US Men vs Germany in Chicago June 12 9 pm Fox US Men vs Paraguay World Cup June 19 3 pm FOX US Men vs Australia World Cup June 25 10 pm FOX US Men vs European Team World Cup
USMNT weekend viewing guide: Scoring Champions
League play continues ahead of the winter break
Burnley v Fulham – 9:30a on 12:30p on NBC: Antonee Robinson has been progressing well in training and reportedly could return to the field on Saturday as Fulham face Burnley. Fulham are in fifteenth place and have lost their past two matches. They will look to get back on track against a Burnley side that is second worst thus far and have lost six straight matches.
Bayer Leverkusen v Koln – 12:30p on ESPN Select: Malik Tillman and Bayer Leverkusen will look to bounce back from their loss to Augsburg last weekend as they take on Kristoffer Lund and his Koln team that are in ninth place but coming off a disappointing draw with St. Pauli.
PSV v Heracles – 2p on ESPN Select: Sergino Dest has started 14 of 15 league matches for PSV this season and Ricardo Pepi has joined him in the past two as PSV maintain their league lead. Pepi also scored in each of the last two league matches and has an assist as well as he looks to make his case for additional minutes moving forward. He also was one of several American’s to score midweek and he notched a goal for PSV in their 3-2 loss to Atletico Madrid on Tuesday. On Saturday PSV will face 16th place Heracles who after a particularly rough start to the season are actually undefeated in their past six matches across all competitions.
Atalanta v Cagliari – 2:45p on Paramount+: Yunus Musah saw three minutes off the bench on Tuesday in Atalanta’s 2-1 win over Chelsea in Champions League play. Unfortunately, Musah still hasn’t appeared in a league match since October and he has just 80’ across all competitions since late September. The loan at Atalanta does not seem to be going well and Musah is at real risk of missing out on next summers World Cup if he isn’t able to turn things around or find another move.
Paris v Toulouse – 3:05p on beIN Sports: Mark McKenzie started again for Toulouse last weekend as they snapped their six match winless streak by defeating Strasbourg 1-0. Toulouse now face Paris FC who are in fourteenth place and are winless in their last four matches.
Sunday
AC Milan v Sassuolo – 6:30a on Paramount+: Christian Pulisic came on as a second half substitute on Monday as AC Milan came from behind to defeat Torino 3-2 after falling behind 2-0 in the opening 20 minutes of the match. Pulisic’s goals were his six and seventh of the Serie A season and he has eleven goals and assists in the twelve matches be has played across all competitions this season. With the win Milan remain tied with Napoli for first place in Serie A.
Crystal Palace v Manchester City – 9a on NBCSN and Peacock: Chris Richard, the best player in the USMNT pool (which I’m sure itself will cause some debate), started yet again for fourth place Crystal Palace as they defeated Fulham 2-1 last weekend. Palace haven’t had a lot of tough matchups this season but they have been in every match they have played, with just three losses on their record, all of which were by a single goal.
Olympique Lyon v Le Havre – 9a on beIN Sports: Tanner Tessmann has been sidelined for Lyon’s past two matches and will reportedly be out again this weekend as fifth place Lyon face a Le Havre side that are just three points out of the relegation playoff spot.
Brentford v Leeds United – 11:30a on USA Network: Brenden Aaronson came off the bench for 25’ and notched an assist as Leeds drew with Liverpool 3-3 after initially falling behind 2-0. Leeds have four points from their last two matches but still are just two points out of the relegations spots.
Olympique Marseille v Monaco – 2:45p on beIN Sports: The second USMNT matchup of the weekend sees Tim Weah and third place Marseille facing off against Folarin Balogun and seventh place Monaco on Sunday afternoon. Weah has started three straight league matches for Marseille since returning from injury while Balogun missed last weekends league match but started and scored for Monaco midweek in their 1-0 win over Galatasaray in Champions League play.
Bologna v Juventus – 2:45p on CBS SS and Paramount+: Weston McKennie also scored in Champions League action this week, notching the opener for Juventus as they defeated Pafos 2-0 on Wednesday. McKennie also started against Napoli last weekend and notched an assist but Juve fell to the second place team and remain in seventh place in the league standings. They could move past fifth place Bologna who they face on Sunday as they trail their opponents by two points.
USMNT midweek viewing guide: Rounding into form
Follow along with all the USMNT action this week. Wednesday
Leverkusen vs Newcastle, 3p on Paramount+, CBS Sports Network, FuboTV, ViX: Malik Tillman and Leverkusen host Newcastle United in Champions League.
Juventus vs Pafos, 3p on Paramount+, ViX: Weston McKennie and Juve host Cyprus-based club Pafos in Champions League.
Thursday
Lyon vs Go Ahead Eagles, 3p on Paramount+, ViX: Tanner Tessmann and OL host Dutch club Go Ahead Eagles in Europa League.
Shelbourne vs Crystal Palace, 3p on Paramount+, ViX: Chris Richards and Palace visit Irish club Shelbourne in Conference League.
Also in action:
Celtic vs Roma, 3p on Paramount+, CBS Sports Network, TUDN USA, UniMás, FuboTV, ViX: Auston Trusty and Celtic host AS Roma in Europa League. Cameron Carter-Vickers is out for the season with an Achilles tendon injury.
Panathinaikos vs Viktoria Plzeň, 3p on Paramount+, ViX: Erik Palmer-Brown and Panathinaikos host Viktoria Plzeň in Europa League.
KuPS vs Lausanne, 3p on Paramount+, ViX: Swiss-American center-back Bryan Okoh and Lausanne Sport visit Finnish club KuPS in Conference League.
Lech Poznań vs Mainz, 3p on Paramount+, ViX: Lennard Maloney and Mainz visit Lech Poznań in Conference League.
Friday
Greuther Fürth vs Hertha Berlin, 12:30p on ESPN Select, FuboTV: Julian Green, Maxi Dietz, and Fürth host Hertha BSC in the 2. Bundesliga. John Brooks (on Hertha’s books) hasn’t played since May 2024, missing time due to multiple separate injuries.
Standard Liège vs OH Leuven, 2:45p: Marlon Fossey and Standard host Leuven in Belgium’s top tier.
West Brom vs Sheffield United, 3p on Paramount+: Daryl Dike, George Campbell, and West Brom host Sheffield United in the Championship.
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Messi wins MLS MVP for second straight season, makes more league history
Maddie Meyer / Getty Images By Felipe Cardenas Dec. 9, 2025Updated 11:46 am EST
Days after becoming an MLS Cup champion, Lionel Messi has etched out even more of a place in league history. Messi was officially announced as the 2025 Landon Donovan MLS MVP on Tuesday, becoming the first player to win back-to-back MVP awards in league history. He’s just the second to win multiple MVP honors, joining former Kansas City great Preki, who won it in 1997 and 2003. It’s hardly a surprise: Messi, even at 38, finished the regular season with 29 goals and 19 assists, leading the league in both categories.He added six goals and nine more assists during Miami’s playoff run – a playoff-record 15 goal contributions in a single season. Messi narrowly missed breaking Carlos Valderrama’s 25-year-old assists record, with the Colombian legend tallying 22 assists in 2000 with the since-defunct Tampa Bay Mutiny. If the evidence of his play on a game-by-game basis – and his commitment to a new three-year deal – weren’t enough, Messi’s numbers this season are unequivocal proof that the Argentine has taken his MLS era seriously.Messi received over 70% of the total vote, which was conducted by media, players and club personnel, to claim his latest individual prize in a career full of them. San Diego FC winger Anders Dreyer, who tied for the league lead in assists and added 19 goals, finished second with just over 11%. He was followed by LAFC’s Denis Bouanga (7.27%), FC Cincinnati’s Evander (4.78%) and Nashville SC’s Sam Surridge (2.42%). Interestingly, Messi received just 55.17% of the player vote.
“First of all, I’m thankful for this recognition,” Messi said in a statement. “It’s always nice to receive individual awards but I want to share it with my teammates. I was also fortunate to win the MLS Golden Boot thanks to the help of my teammates. I’m happy to receive this award and be the first in the history of this league to win it in two consecutive years. I’m very thankful.”As for more context regarding his eye-opening stats: His 48 total goal contributions were the second highest single-season total in MLS history (Carlos Vela; 49 in 2019). It’s an impressive statistic considering Messi played in 28 of 34 regular season games. When factoring in the playoffs (63 goal contributions), his production is second-to-none.He is the only player in league history to record at least 36 goal contributions in a season multiple times (2024, 2025) and is the second player in MLS history to lead the league in both goals scored and assists. In 2015, former Toronto FC playmaker Sebastian Giovinco led the league with 22 goals and 16 assists. Messi is only the fourth player in the last decade to be named MVP and win the MLS Golden Boot in the same season.
Messi wins MLS Cup MVP honors after Inter Miami’s 3-1 win over VancouverElsa / Getty Images
He was dominant throughout the year, and even though Saturday’s 3-1 win over Vancouver in the MLS Cup final was devoid of a magical Messi goal, the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain attacker finished the game with two decisive assists.His second was a beauty to Tadeo Allende, who iced the game and title for the home side. It capped a remarkable year for Messi, who continues to perform at a level that keeps him relevant just months away from the 2026 World Cup – even though he has resisted publicly committing to playing in the competition so far.Messi’s 10 multi-goal games in a single season marked a new MLS record, breaking the previous record of eight shared by Stern John (Columbus Crew, 1998), Mamadou Diallo (Tampa Bay Mutiny, 2000), and Zlatan Ibrahimović (LA Galaxy, 2019). During one of Messi’s most dominant stretches this season, he scored multiple goals in five consecutive games from May 28 to July 12 – another record. No other player in MLS history has had a multi-goal run of more than four matches.To cap it all off, Messi is also just the sixth player in MLS’s 30 seasons to win both the regular season MVP and the MLS Cup final MVP in the same season. Messi joins Tony Meola (2000), Carlos Ruiz (2002), Guillermo Barros Schelotto (2008), Robbie Keane (2014), and Josef Martínez (2018) in that select group.
As it relates to MLS MVPs and hitting new ground, there’s one more frontier to conquer, and it’s a term with which Messi has plenty of familiarity: the hat trick.
Christian Pulisic can use USMNT World Cup draw to launch himself as an American icon
Christian Pulisic is targeting World Cup success with the USMNT John McGloughlin / Icon Sportswire / Getty Images
After the Village People had shuffled off stage, Donald Trump had put his FIFA Peace Prize on the shelf in the Oval Office, and Gianni Infantino had starting scrolling his Instagram notifications, I imagine that Christian Pulisic, sat in his apartment in Italy, took another glance at the outcome of the draw for the 2026 World Cup and let out a little sigh of relief.
Group D: the United States, Paraguay, Australia and a European playoff winner, most likely Turkey. Not bad. Not bad at all.Pulisic certainly would have known it could have been much, much worse.And as he reflected a little on what awaits him in June (and hopefully July) next year, the Milan winger would have surely felt that tingling in his stomach.Because that draw, with no major obstacle likely until a possible meeting with Belgium in the round of 16, sets the stage perfectly for Pulisic for what could be the summer of his life. It creates the ideal stage for him to make the defining run of his career and transition from being merely a U.S. soccer star to a true, mainstream American sports superstar.The stakes are absolutely colossal for him in 2026. If Milan manages to win Serie A and he maintains his current form – two more goals Monday have him atop the league’s scoring chart – it’s near-certain he would be named Serie A Player of the Year. Carrying that momentum into a World Cup on home soil, the expectations would be that he would take his team on a thrilling adventure.
Christian Pulisic struck twice in Milan’s Monday victory over Torino.Image Photo Agency / Getty Images
This is the tournament that could absolutely change his life and his legacy in the United States. If he can be the hero for the USMNT on home soil, in a World Cup, the opportunities that will open up for him in terms of his reputation, commercial appeal and marketability will be enormous.American sports fans, the kind who only tune in to soccer once every four years, will judge Pulisic in the same way they judge NFL and NBA stars — on whether he can deliver on the biggest stage when the stakes are highest. In this sport, that means the World Cup. Soccer fans know winning Serie A would earn Pulisic respect throughout the game and adoration in Italy, but it still wouldn’t make him a household name in America.Bringing people to their feet in stadiums, fan zones and bars across America next summer? That would catapult Pulisic to true Captain America status.We know that World Cups are unpredictable, however, and the first random element is the draw. Traps can be set and challenges get tougher just from those plastic balls pulled out on stage.Group D isn’t easy – almost no group that could be imagined for a team like the USMNT in the modern game can truly be considered that way. Yet when you compare it with, say, 2014, when the USA was dealt a group stage with Germany, Portugal and Ghana (and no progression for third place in that edition) and was written off by many international commentators, you realize that it is a setting that offers Mauricio Pochettino’s team every chance of advancing.What makes me excited for Pulisic and the team as a whole is the way that Pochettino is setting up the USMNT, with his tactical restructuring and overall approach, with the focus taken off Pulisic and put squarely on the team. In the past, he felt pressure, having to do too much and dropping into parts of the field he didn’t need to, which took away from his game.
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Pochettino has changed the dynamic. He has made it clear that this is not a squad with a Messi-like player and he is setting up the system so that there are several attacking players with responsibility to be creative forces. There is Malik Tillman, Sergiño Dest, Weston McKennie, Tim Weah and, in the right circumstances, Gio Reyna. Folarin Balogun is expected to deliver goals and Ricardo Pepi and Haji Wright will be waiting for the chance if he doesn’t deliver. It’s not all on Pulisic.
Players such as Malik Tillman have helped share the USMNT’s attacking burden.David Buono / Icon Sportswire / Getty Images
But make no mistake, the USMNT still needs Pulisic to be the ‘Messi’ figurehead in some ways, providing that high-level creativity, without the crushing weight of having to solve all the questions himself. He can now play his game exactly as he would at Milan, saving his energy for those one-v-one moments and open spaces where he can produce the magic.On paper, this is the best World Cup group draw the program has had in a long time. Crucially, the U.S. got the absolute weakest team in Pot 2 with Australia — that’s a dream outcome. But let’s be clear: there’s a big difference between paper and performance. People confuse “best outcome” with “easiest,” a concept that doesn’t exist at a World Cup.There isn’t an absolute minnow in the group, the kind of opponent that teams look to boost their goal difference. Every game will be competitive, featuring teams that are cut from the same cloth as Wales and Iran from four years ago — tough, resilient, and hard to break down. But none of these three opponents possesses the game-breaking individual brilliance of a Kylian Mbappé, a Lamine Yamal, or an Erling Haaland, who can ruin your perfect game plan by beating three guys and scoring out of nowhere. In terms of individual star power, even if Turkey and exciting Real Madrid rising force Arda Güler make it through the playoff, Pulisic is top of the tree in this group.Still, the team’s tactical planning must be spot on for each opponent.Paraguay is a side that is defensively stout, resilient and comfortable sitting deep in a mid-block and playing on the counter. What is needed are players who can break down that deep block. This is where a number of players, such as a healthy Reyna or Tillman, are vital, as they are creative, can force defenses out, and open up space for runners like Balogun or Pulisic in behind.Australia, who will perhaps be feeling disrespected, are capable on the counter and will be playing with immense self-belief. What hurts Australia is pace, exploiting the space they leave when they throw their outside players forward. Players such as Balogun, Weah, and hopefully a healthy Antonee Robinson, who thrive in transition, will be absolutely necessary in that game. Australia relies on work rate, physicality and set pieces to make up for any difference in quality, which reminds me a little bit of how the U.S. team used to play.If Turkey makes it out of the UEFA Path C playoff and into the tournament, they will be a tough team to beat, but their defense can be vulnerable to pace and there are ways to get past them. The U.S. has pace in the roster and options available to Pochettino to exploit identified weaknesses.
One factor not to be discounted is home-field advantage. If the U.S. is playing its best, and with full stadiums of American supporters pushing them on, they will feel that they can run through walls. After Friday’s draw, I fully expect that the U.S. tops the group.If that task is navigated, the pathway opens up beautifully. Next would be a third-place team in the round of 32. Then, the likely round-of-16 opponent, if paper form is followed, is Belgium.They are a good team, but you would still take Belgium 10 times out of 10 over facing alternatives such as France, England, Spain, or Portugal. While they are not the “golden generation” anymore, they still have quality players such as Youri Tielemans, Jeremy Doku, and Amadou Onana, but I still feel the USMNT has the tools to get the job done.If you’ll indulge the dream and look ahead, beating Belgium would push the U.S. into the quarterfinals – and I believe that is realistic if the team executes Pochettino’s plans and plays to its very best. Morocco showed in 2022 that a team can go deep by being cohesive, and the U.S. now has the quality and a world-class coach to deliver something special.
Turkey must make it through a UEFA playoff if Real Madrid youngster Arda Guler is to make his first World Cup appearance next summer.Alberto Gardin / NurPhoto via Getty Images
Pochettino has taken a massive step by setting the team’s mentality and unity, reminding the players that there are no guarantees for anyone. But now, the focus has to shift to tactical management.The Argentine must now start to deal with ideas for different opponents and game situations, focusing on whether the plan is high-pressing, playing on the front foot, or dropping deep to protect a lead. He needs to finalize the blueprint of how the team operates, which, frankly, took until mid-October to figure out.The U.S. will be in possession more often in the group stage than in previous World Cups. Pochettino has to deliver top game plans that expose opponents, similar to how Bob Bradley was able to neutralize the midfield source of Xavi and Xabi Alonso against Spain in the 2009 Confederations Cup. He needs soldiers who can play short-impact roles effectively, and he needs to ensure the team utilizes the scoring options he’s found.here are four friendlies scheduled before the opening game against Paraguay on June 12 in Los Angeles. The March 28 game against Belgium in Atlanta takes on a new tone given the draw, and it will be interesting to see if the two coaches are wary of showing their hand against potential World Cup opponents.Portugal and Germany are also on the docket, and these games will offer real tests of just how close the squad is to the level needed for the latter stages of the tournament.The USMNT has been dealt a good hand by the draw, but as any poker player knows, it’s how you play ’em that counts.You need something special to go far at a World Cup, and watching Pulisic add to his tremendous season with two more goals on Monday gave me that feeling that we have an ace in hand.
USA coach Mauricio Pochettino says patriotic ‘emotion of the people’ can inspire World Cup run
Mauricio Pochettino hopes soccer fans will feel intense passion and non-soccer fans will get swept up by patriotism during the World Cup run. Jamie Sabau / Getty Images
As the 2026 World Cup came into focus after Friday’s draw, U.S. men’s national team coach Mauricio Pochettino reiterated his call for the entire country to get behind his players — and for those players to fight for their country.
The national team, he said, is “not a normal team,” and the World Cup is not a normal event.“Did you see today?” Pochettino rhetorically asked reporters a few hours after the draw, which doubled as a bizarre, patriotic show described by others in attendance as “very American.”
“We are going to have a country behind us,” Pochettino said. “We are going to play with the emotion of the people.”
He then sent a message to his players: “People need to feel proud about you, but not because you are going to win — we cannot promise that we are going to win — but in the way that you are going to defend your shirt, your flag, your culture, your philosophy. How we are, how the people are here, how the society is, how you think, in a cultural way.
“Every time that we are going to play a game, the World Cup is this.”
Pochettino, an Argentine coach who took charge of the USMNT last year, has spoken frequently about the need for the American public to get behind his team. He began delivering passionate monologues during and after this past summer’s Concacaf Gold Cup, when Guatemala and Mexico fans outnumbered U.S. fans at the semifinal and final in St. Louis and Houston.
Mauricio Pochettino wants stadiums for USMNT World Cup games to be filled with red, white and blue.Matthew Visinsky / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
“The fans,” he said in July, “have one year to realize how important fans are in soccer.”
He now assumes the World Cup will be different. Soccer fans will feel intense passion; non-soccer fans will get swept up by patriotism. SoFi Stadium in Southern California and Lumen Field in Seattle, the USMNT’s two group stage venues, will fill with red, white and blue.
For a while, there were questions about public support, as even USMNT die-hards were frustrated by losses and overcome by apathy. The team’s second-to-last game of 2025, a 2-1 win over Paraguay — the opponent it will face in its World Cup opener — did not fill an 18,500-seat stadium.
“The last few games, the last few windows, I think the team (showed) a very good thing to the fans,” Pochettino said Friday. “To attract, to say, ‘C’mon, guys, you need to support us,’ that is how we feel, how we are. We need your energy, your support. And I think the fans are there, behind the team. And I think it’s going to be exciting. We are building a very good relationship. I think we start to show that we are USA.”
With the positive results, the dream of a World Cup run has been rekindled. And the vision of American flags flying, of millions of people inspired, has returned.
That’s what people at U.S. Soccer and around the team have envisioned for years. Gregg Berhalter, Pochettino’s predecessor, recalled being in Germany during the 2006 World Cup. “Just to see how the fans got behind the country — and it just pivoted, it changed, it became a wave,” Berhalter said in 2024. “And that’s what I’d say to fans: This is your opportunity. … The team is trying to do something that’s never been done before. So, be part of that.”
Over the nine-decade history of the men’s World Cup, there is solid evidence to suggest home advantage can be a powerful force. Six hosts have won the tournament: Uruguay in 1930, Italy in 1934, England in 1966, West Germany in 1974, Argentina in 1978 and France in 1998. In 2002, co-host South Korea embarked upon a stunning run that saw its group of domestic-based players make it all the way to the semifinals, collecting famous victories over Spain and Italy along the way.
South Korea’s squad and head coach Guus Hiddink were honored with a ticker-tape parade after their 2002 semifinal run.Emmanuel Dunand / AFP via Getty Images
Four years later, as Berhalter referenced, Jurgen Klinsmann united Germany behind a young team that had been written off before the tournament and took it to the brink of the final, before an extra-time defeat to eventual victor Italy. And eight years ago, while the U.S. was licking its wounds from a humiliating and doomed qualifying campaign, Russia’s squad quickly drew nationalistic support behind it, ousting heavily-favored Spain in the round of 16 before being squeezed out by Croatia on penalties.
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The U.S., which advanced to the round of 16 in 1994, probably belongs in the category of hosts who outperformed their talent as well, a group stage victory over Colombia being the highlight.
Some others have struggled, either unable to lift their standard despite the home support or perhaps overwhelmed by it. Qatar was the first team eliminated from the 2022 World Cup without a single point. South Africa was valiant in 2010 but ultimately exited in the group stage. Brazil crumbled under the unimaginable pressure of hosting the 2014 tournament and infamously lost to Germany in the semifinals 7-1.
Pochettino is wary of that pressure but said, “I think it’s good pressure.”
“We need to be careful (with) the message we are going to send,” he continued. “Because every time we are here talking, the players are listening.” But pressure, he said, is OK as long as it’s not pressure to win. What it should be is pressure that pushes him and his team to “try to be better.”
Mohamed Salah’s Liverpool downfall was inevitable – and it stems from Trent Alexander-Arnold leaving
Liverpool’s post-Mohamed Salah era might have begun, with a strange twist in the way that the Egyptian King has lost his team
Mohamed Salah looks on ahead of the Champions League group game against Eintracht Frankfurt (Image credit: Getty Images)
What may be Liverpool’s first post-Mohamed Salah win didn’t introduce a shred of irony. It was just as we all expected, in the shadow of the monarch. Salah would have ordinarily taken the penalty that won the Reds the game; ordinarily, he’d be far and away their best player this season.But he wasn’t, and he isn’t. That’s Dominik Szoboszlai on both counts, who buried the spot kick late into the Lombardian twilight. It’s safe to assume that if anyone’s picking up the dropped baton, it’s Szoboszlai – at least for now.
That’s the opposite of ironic – the next guy assumes the reins, who’d have guessed? – but nevertheless, it’s a weird feeling. Liverpool have been far from a one-man team over the past eight years: they’ve had one of the greatest centre-backs in Premier League history, a right-back and a goalkeeper to a similar level and Salah himself was only 33 per cent of a world-class frontline, with plenty still surely debating that Sadio Mane, at his peak, was a better footballer. The red side of Merseyside has been blessed with one of its greatest-ever eras for talent.
Yet, the ‘Egyptian King’ nickname rings true. For the past eight years, Salah has been watching the throne. For all the leaders (Van Dijk and Henderson), the local lads (Trent and Jones), the superstars (Alisson and Mane) and the next generation (Wirtz and Isak), this has always been his team. Salah first: everyone else later.He is the last surviving starter from his debut against Watford in August 2017, with substitute Joe Gomez the only other in that matchday squad still kicking about at the training ground (though it’s so long ago that it’s a different training ground). That afternoon, Salah scored his third Premier League goal, following two in a spell at Chelsea. Now, he has more strikes in the competition than anyone else from overseas ever. And 190 more than Gomez, coincidentally (though this may be misattributed as ironic, it’s not).They’ve had their differences since – but in 2022, Carragher told FourFourTwo that Salah’s future was abundantly clear from that afternoon at Vicarage Road.Get FourFourTwo NewsletterThe best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.“I’ll always remember that first game, away at Watford,” he said. “He only got the one goal that day but the actual runs he made, you could tell that this fella was going to score goals.“You could tell right away what kind of player he was, he was a goalscorer, he wasn’t a winger. He wasn’t going to be whipping crosses in at all – the goals were going to become a big part of his game.” Eight years later and no one has so much as challenged that right-wing spot. Salah has helped change the perception of wide players in England.But the fact of the matter is that wide players do not score that many goals without the team being theirs. From the minute he signed, Liverpool’s then-best player, Mane, moved from his customary right-wing berth. From then on, Salah’s place in the side has been a non-negotiable. Roberto Firmino got a little older and Diego Jota came along. Mane moved out for Luis Diaz; Darwin Nunez came along and Cody Gakpo signed. Salah remained – signing two huge contracts, too.So he should have: he won back-to-back Golden Boots in his first two seasons and never let up. But perhaps underrated in the years since, is the strength of that right-hand side. In Liverpool’s prime, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jordan Henderson and Mohamed Salah were on a telepathic wavelength with one another: one holding width, one dropping deep, one pushing on, in perfect unison.
Jordan Henderson and Trent Alexander-Arnold were key to Salah’s success (Image credit: Getty Images)
It was all done to get Salah into the areas where he was most dangerous. It’s an oversimplification to point out that after Henderson left in the summer of 2023, Salah had his worst campaign in terms of goals… but it’s worth mentioning.It makes the present all the more fascinating.When Arne Slot arrived, he followed Jurgen Klopp’s playbook: Liverpool exerted a little more composure, but with no major signing aside from Federico Chiesa, everything remained the same: the first-choice XI, with everything in its right place. Alexander-Arnold, tasked once more, with overlapping. And this season, there is too much chaos – too many deck chairs and wheelie bins in the tornado – to point out exactly where it’s going wrong.
But the mayhem and Slot’s suggested solution is at least reminiscent of Andoni Iraola’s first few weeks at Bournemouth. The Basque, too, unleashed a high press with little to no synchronicity and tanked the first two months of his tenure. Full-backs can’t maraud that high without protection further back: something that Slot has realised, too, with the gradual phasing out of all those shiny new parts.
Slot has struggled to find answers with this side (Image credit: Getty Images)
Wirtz has been dropped, Ekitike and Isak have rotated and new combinations are emerging in midfield. But perhaps most intriguingly, Gomez is back in the fold. The defender had one foot out of the door on deadline day: now he’s seemingly the only right-back in the squad with his head screwed on. Cause and effect. It has a kick-on with the right-winger.It marks the first time in almost a decade that the side is no longer geared towards Mohamed Salah. Some may say this was always going to happen anyway – if not this way, than with an influx of superstar arrivals. Others will claim it’s about time – and no shame – when your talisman is 33.True irony is difficult to find with coincidence a more likely substitute: but whatever you’d describe it as, it’s decidedly bizarre that Joe Gomez – the only man there before him – perhaps signals the end of Salah’s time at the club.All good things come to an end: Trent knew that all too well. Now it seems the pair were linked closer telepathically than we cared to credit. The Egyptian King could outlast almost everyone at Anfield.
Mark White has been at on FourFourTwo since joining in January 2020, first as a staff writer before becoming content editor in 2023. An encyclopedia of football shirts and boots knowledge – both past and present – Mark has also represented FFT at both FA Cup and League Cup finals (though didn’t receive a winners’ medal on either occasion) and has written pieces for the mag ranging on subjects from Bobby Robson’s season at Barcelona to Robinho’s career. He has written cover features for the mag on Mikel Arteta and Martin Odegaard, and is assisted by his cat, Rosie, who has interned for the brand since lockdown.
US Men Face #23 Paraguay Sat 5 pm on TNT, Uruguay Tues 7 pm
So here we go again – the US is actually playing 2 top ranked South American teams- perfect opportunity to put our best team out there to see how we match up just 7 months before we host the World Cup right? Ah no. Not with Botchitino in charge. Best player -Pulisic ?? at home in Milan. Best Centerback – Richards – at home at Crystal Palace, Best Centermid/utility player McKennie home at Juventus. (against his will). Tilman injured & Adams hurt last weekend of course – no issue. Honestly we had 3 players injured playing in Colorado in our last international window – stupidity by US Soccer – OF COURSE. Now Botch was ridiculed for playing Pulisic & Richards last time out in meaningless matches (sorry Milan & Palace) every match the US plays with just 7 months to a World Cup matters. But sending Pulisic, Tilman, Richards back to their clubs injured was simply stupid by the US. Now when we really need them in camp to see how we match up. They are not here. So in comes Gio Reyna – I guess how well you are playing for your club (he doesn’t) really doesn’t matter after all. Along with Right back Joe Scalley – thank goodness. So how do we line up and look this weekend against Paraguay? This is the game we actually have a chance – Uruguay is going to crush us Tuesday. I am hoping to see a bit of an experimental team tonight – backline of Arfsten & Dest on the edges and McKensie, Trusty & Joe Scally holding down the 3 Centerback slots. Lets give Pepi the start up front with Gio Underneath in the 10 slot. Berhalter or Morris in the 6 role with Tessman on the wing again. Best case scenerio today – 1-1 tie. My pick 1-2 loss before the beatdown Tuesday vs Uruguay.
DETAILED ROSTER BY POSITION (Club/Country; Caps/Goals)
The Semi-Finals are here for the NWSL after the shocking upset of Kansas City last weekend. I love what the NWSL is doing with their TV contracts- unlike MLS – which is clueless when it comes to TV – NWSL leverages CBS and ABC/ESPN to present its playoffs after a full season of coverage. I just wish the NWSL could compete on salaries as they continue to lose US National players to Europe. Sat we get Washington vs Portland at 12 noon on CBS, while Sunday has Orlando and Gothem Battle Sunday at 3pm on ABC. See full game previews below.
Headlines Around the World of Soccer
Great to see Croatia and Luka Modric have qualified for the World Cup – England & France also qualified with their wins – while plenty can secure births over the next week. Who Can Qualify this week. Huge seeing Ronaldo got a Red Card in Portugal’s game this week and might miss games in the World Cup. Did you know American forward Ricardo Pepi has scored as many Champions League stoppage time winners as Ronaldo and Sergio Aguero? Huge news that MLS says Apple TV will show all MLS games without season pass starting next season – so if you have Apple – you get all MLS Games. MLS has also announced starting in 2026-27 they will move to a Fall Season to match the European Soccer Schedule – I think this is death call for MLS – hope I am wrong. Lots of stories on it below. US Soccer, World Cup Qualifying & NWSL Playoffs all weekend on TV. (See full schedule below)
Great to have Carmel High Coaches Shane Schmidt (rt) & John Simmonds (mid) join DOC Juergan Summer at our Carmel FC coaches social last week. Shane’s Boys won State, while John’s ladies finished 2nd in the state. Yes T Ray Phillips and I reffed in the Snow in early November at the Zionsville College Showcase Last weekend. Mike Arrington, Shane & T Ray Phillips at Zville Showcase last weekend
GAMES ON TV
Sat, Nov 15 9 am FS1 Kazakhastan vs Belgium WCQ 12 noon CBS Washington Spirit (Rodman) vs Portland Thorns NWSL Playoffs 12 noon? Georgia vs Spain WCQ 2:45 pm FS2 Greece vs Scotland WCQ 2:45 pm ? Switzerland vs Sweden WCQ 5 pm TNT, Max USA Men vs Paraguay Chester PA 8 pm TUDN, Univision Mexico vs Uruguay Sun, Nov 16 7 am ESPN2 Liverpool vs Chelsea FC Womens Superleague 9 am FS1 Hungary vs Ireland WCQ 9 am FS2 Portugal vs Armenia WCQ 12 noon FS2 Azerbaijan vs France WCQ 12 noon ?? Albania vs England WCQ 2:45 pm FS1 Italy vs Norway WCQ 3 pm ABC Orlando Pride vs NY Gothem FC NWSL Playoffs Mon, Nov 17 12 noon FS2 Finland vs Andorra WCQ 2:45 pm FS2 Germany vs Slovakia WCQ Tues, Nov 18 2:45 pm FS2 Belgium vs Liechhtenstein WCQ 4 pm ?? Canada vs Venezuela 7 pmTNT, Max USA Men vs Uruguay Tampa, FL 8:30 pm Univision Mexico vs Paraguay Weds, Nov 19 12:45 pm ESPN+ Juventus vs OL Lyonnes (Heaps) Women’s UCL 12:45 pm CBSSN Wolfsburg vs Man United Women’s (GK Joyce) UCL 3 pm CBSSN Arsenal vs Real Madrid Women’s UCL Thurs, Nov 20 12:45 pm CBSSN Twente vs Atletico Madrid Women’s UCL 3 pm CBSSN PSG vs Bayern Munich Women’s UCL 3 pm ESPN+ Chelsea vs Barcelona Women’s UCL Sat, Nov 22 7:30 am USA Burnley vs Chelsea 9:30 am ESPN+ Heidenheim vs Mgladbach (Reyna & Scally) 9:30 am ESPN+ Bayern Munich vs Freiburg 9:30 am ESPN+ Wolfsburg vs Bayer Leverkusen (Tilman) 10 am USA Bournmouth (Adams) vs West Ham United 10 am Peacock Wolverhampton vs Crystal Palace (Richards) 10 am Pk Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest 10:15 AM ESPN+ Barcelona vs Athletic Club 12 noon Para+ Juventus (McKinny) vs Fiorentina 12:30 pm NBC New Castle vs Man United 8 pm CBS NWSL CHAMPIONSHIP 9:30 pm Apple TV Vancouver vs LAFC MLS Playoffs
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– Europe (3 of 16 qualifiers): England, France, Croatia – North America, Central America and Caribbean (0/3): – Africa (9/9): Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia – Asia (8/8): Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Uzbekistan, Qatar, South Korea – South America (6/6): Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay – Oceania (1/1): New Zealand
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The U.S. men’s national team are back for the second-to-last international window before the World Cup. Are we running out of time? We will play Paraguay and Uruguay, all the ‘guays. But the squad still feels, let’s say, incredibly experimental. Lots of massive players not called in, including Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Chris Richards. But one huge, almost marquee name is back: Gio Reyna, returning like a prodigal son for the first time since the doomed tragedies of the CONCACAF Nations League in March. Lots of intrigue to unpack. The process that we’re meant to trust remains — I’ve got to be candid — somewhat of a mystery.
More: Our team at The Give N Go broke down the biggest omissions from the most recent USMNT roster earlier this week. Watch that here.
ii. Let’s start with Gio. Football writer Henry Bushnelltweeted that Gio has played fewer club minutes this year (just 146 total for German duffers Borussia Mönchengladbach) than any other USMNT player and hasn’t scored or created a goal since January. “Players need to perform” was the rule for months. The reality is Gio is suddenly good enough for Pochettino — not because of anything he has done on the field, but based on our memory of what he could do four years ago in the last cycle, the Gio of our imaginations. This is some gamble by Poch, it completely changes the dynamic of the message he has been giving the other players and that is a risk.
I want to say, I am happy for Gio as a human being. He came on our show last week and I found the interview very moving. To listen to this 22-year-old kid, who’s had everything in his world buckle with his family, his club career, and his international career, all conflating together in this mess. A player who was once on the same starboy trajectory as his friend Erling Haaland, now on the bench in a German relegation battle barely getting minutes. This is his chance for redemption and I hope he seizes it.
iii. What does his return mean from a “trust the process” perspective? Again, this is the second-to-last camp before the World Cup squad is announced, but I am old enough to remember back in August when Poch announced, “This is going to be the last camp to have the possibility for us to see players, new faces,” and here we are. Gio, back. Reliable Joe Scally, back. I am happy they are. I think they could and should have been called up earlier, but this issue of “trust the process,” you either have to articulate the process intelligently, clearly, or it just looks like you’re muddying the waters.
iv. In many ways, this is an outcome — not process — driven World Cup for the USMNT. Poch inherited the job mid-cycle and is trying to play catch up while learning international football management, the peculiarities of American football culture and U.S. Soccer on the fly. He will be judged on whether or not he wins a knockout game in the World Cup, that is all that matters. So the rules of how we get there, we can make them up along the way. Right now, we are like the plant-based meat of world football: it sounds good, it sounds like we should be the next big thing, but it is impossible to tell if we are really going to catch on.
v. All of that said, I’m ready for this quite intriguing pair of games: Paraguay (on Saturday) and Uruguay (on Tuesday), 39th in the world and 15th in the world. Both qualifiers for our World Cup and two really stern tests for this team. Just to recap, in case you missed the last couple of friendlies on Friendly Avenue: Over the past six months, we got taught a lesson by Türkiye, Switzerland and South Korea. We’ve drawn with Ecuador and we’ve beaten, let’s call them, aJapan 11 and a midnight oil version of Australia. We are three games unbeaten against top 25 teams, but let’s see how we fair against the two mighty ‘guays. Make us proud, boys. Go, go USA!
vi. The best place to enjoy the upcoming friendlies with your fellow USMNT fans? That would be our Discord channel. Join us here this weekend and next Tuesday, and come prepared with your best Gio questions, Poch theories, and Balogun vs. Pepi takes.
Herc on How This Window Can Help Change the USMNT Narrative
“If they play well and beat what I think are two very quality opponents in terms of player personnel and… two of the best coaches in South America, then Mauricio Pochettino and his squad will get into what this team actually means. [If they] can pull off good results and play well, then that’s going to change the narrative for sure.”
How Herc Ranks Poch’s Current No. 9 Options
“I think right now, if we were asking ourselves who’s in pole position, it’s got to be Folarin Balogun. He’s done so well the last couple USMNT camps and he’s shown an incredible ability to work off players like Christian Pulisic, who are so important and vital to this team. He’s one of the few forwards that can create for himself if he plays by himself… Then, it’s going to be Haji Wright two, and Ricardo Pepi three.”
On Diego Luna Getting Listed as a Potential Second Striker
“I’m very intrigued. Does that mean they’ll go two strikers? Because I look at this team and it doesn’t really scream three at the back. It screams like a four-man backline. Are you going for two? And is that with a true No. 9 and a playmaker underneath? If that’s the case, I can see why Diego Luna is listed as a striker.”
On the Return of Gio Reyna
“In every team I’ve been on, there have been special cases, special players who get treated differently. [Poch] needs to see what Gio Reyna is about now because come March, that’s your last window. That’s got to be, ‘I’m going to the World Cup with these 26 players.’ That’s got to be the moment. So you’ve gotta see what he has and what better opportunity for a player like Gio then against a very stingy defensive specialist in Paraguay.”
On Matt Turner’s Absence
“What happened to Zack Steffen is now happening to Matt Turner. Steffen went from being the No. 1 with the USMNT to Gregg Berhalter to “Here comes the World Cup” and not even being one of the three. Turner went from being No. 1 — record setter, two shutouts in a World Cup — to now not even being one of the four [in consideration]. I’d be very worried if I was Turner right now.”
Herc’s Score Predictions for the Two Friendlies
“Against Paraguay, you’re in store for a very difficult game to break down in terms of attacking and they’re going to make things difficult for the USMNT. I think we’re heading toward a gritty 0-0 draw.”
“As far as Uruguay, it’s 1v1 defending all over the place. If Pochettino and the USMNT get a back-and-forth going, it’s going to be a very long afternoon. I think I’m gonna lean all the way in this one, 3-1.”
Watch the full preview to get all of Herc and Rog’s thoughts on the USMNT’s upcoming friendlies against Paraguay and Uruguay (or listen here), and make sure to follow VAMOS on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube for so much more.
Temwa Chawinga headlines NWSL end-of-year award shortlist
Kansas City star Temwa Chawinga is up for her second straight NWSL MVP award. (Jamie Squire/NWSL via Getty Images)
The NWSL dropped the end-of-year awards shortlist on Monday, as the league gives standout players and coaches props for a quality 2025 regular season.
Back-to-back Golden Boot winner Temwa Chawinga is up for her second straight MVP award, with the Current star joined by Delphine Cascarino (San Diego), Esthér González (Gotham), Manaka Matsukubo (North Carolina), and Bia Zaneratto (Kansas City).Matsukubo is also up for Midfielder of the Year, alongside Kenza Dali (San Diego), Debinha (Kansas City), Claire Hutton (Kansas City), and Olivia Moultrie (Portland). (See full lists)
Cleaning up: After winning the NWSL Shield in record fashion, the Current received a league-leading eight nominations, including two Defender of the Year candidates (Kayla Sharples, Izzy Rodriguez), Goalkeeper of the Year (Lorena), and Coach of the Year (Vlatko Andonovski).
Orlando is the only 2025 playoff club fielding zero end-of-season nods, while only Matsukubo and Rookie of the Year nominee Riley Tiernan (LA) represent current eliminated teams.
Vote now: A weighted scale of players (40%), coaches and leadership (25%), media (25%) and fans (10%) now vote to determine this year’s winners, with fan submissions closing tonight at 8 PM ET.
Gotham shoots to end Orlando’s repeat NWSL title runThe last two NWSL champions will face off in Florida on Sunday. (Elsa/NWSL via Getty Images)The last two NWSL champions will square off on Sunday, as No. 8 Gotham visits No. 4 Orlando on a mission to end the Pride’s repeat title bid in the weekend’s second semifinal.“We’re an incredible team, and we’re just going to capitalize on all the opportunities we can get,” said Gotham forward Jaedyn Shaw after last Sunday’s upset win over No. 1 Kansas City.“It seems like most people outside don’t believe in the Pride, but the Pride are still the champions,” Orlando captain Marta said after the Pride’s quarterfinal victory. “There needs to be a little bit more respect for that.”Head-to-head: The teams split their 2025 regular-season series 1-1, with the away side taking all three points each time — though neither team is without an edge.“I’m really happy to be part of this team, and it’s only the beginning. This is the first game of three, so we’re going to keep pushing,” said Shaw, as the recent record-breaking signing continues to fuel Gotham’s firepower.“I love when people count us out,” said Pride midfielder Haley McCutcheon. “I feel like the only people who matter are the people in that locker room and the people who are with us every single day, working to achieve the goals we set out to achieve.”Tune in: The Pride host Gotham FC on Sunday at 3 PM ET, live on ABC.
Spirit hopes for a healthy lineup to offset Thorns’ upset bid Washington star Trinity Rodman went as an unused sub last weekend as she continues to rehab an MCL strain. (Scott Taetsch/NWSL via Getty Images)No. 2 Washington is gearing up to face No. 3 Portland on Saturday, hoping for a healthy roster as the NWSL semifinal squads take the pitch in front of another sold-out “Rowdy Audi” crowd.The Spirit are still waiting for star forward Trinity Rodman’s return, as the 23-year-old continues to rehab a recent MCL injury after going as an unused sub in Saturday’s quarterfinal.Washington also saw defenders Gabby Carle and Tara McKeown exit last weekend’s win with apparent injuries, though Rodman and McKeown were spotted training with the team this morning.Ready for battle: Despite their issues, the Spirit aren’t ready to tap out — as they take on Portland side firing on all cylinders after overcoming their own losses earlier this the season.“We are not just 11 players,” Spirit manager Adrian Gonzalez assured reporters. “We have a deep roster and that’s something that’s giving us a lot.”“The bounce-back ability of this team has been absolutely outstanding all season long,” said Portland manager Rob Gale. “We ain’t done yet.”Tune in: Washington hosts Portland at 12 PM ET on Saturday, live on CBS.
The USMNT is back to face Paraguay as the World Cup approaches following a decent October friendly window where the team continued showing consistency and growth. It was not a window without controversy as players returned to their clubs injured or having played heavy minutes much to the chagrin of their managers. This is truly a tale as old as time, but Mauricio Pochettino took heed and left several key players off the roster to allow them to rest and recover. Their absence will give him a chance to flesh out the roster with players who can provide depth but might not get a chance to start with the stars in camp. For their part, Paraguay come into the match having emerged from the gauntlet of CONMEBOL qualifying to reach the World Cup. They reached the tournament playing an organized and disciplined style marked by trying to break lines and play fast to push the ball forward and create chances. In a recent jaunt to Asia, however, the team jumped ahead 2-1 against Japan in the 64th minute and fell back but failed to secure the win thanks to a 94th minute goal from Ayase Ueda. That was followed by being thoroughly outplayed by South Korea in a 2-0 loss which saw the South Americans manage only 43% of the possession despite being behind 1-0 in the 15th minute. That said, Paraguay is tactically flexible and can create chances in possession. How the team lines up, using either a 4-4-2 or 4-2-3-1, should indicate how they will approach the game. In the last three matches, Poch has shown that his team can effectively play a cohesive style. The three center back formation has worked well against the varied tactics of Japan, Ecuador, and Australia. What’s more is that the team has shown grit and determination after the tough loss to South Korea and falling behind the Aussies. Who he lines up with is a different issue. The list of players who are reliable starters for the USA has dwindled as Matt Freese, Alex Freeman, Tim Ream, Cristian Roldan, and Folarin Balogun are the players who have seen consistent minutes of those brought into the team. The window will be particularly important for Joe Scally and Gio Reyna. The left back can show that he is able to step in if Antonee Robinson continues to struggle with his injury and Gio Reyna has a chance to show he can lead the attack with Christian Pulisic missing. Perhaps more important than their play on the field, Scally and Reyna need to show the level of professionalism that Poch expects. Indeed, the story of these matches may very well be how players who are being given a chance, or a second chance, perform.
USMNT’s Christian Pulisic supports Gio Reyna in reviving his troubled career
Gio Reyna has the support of friend Christian Pulisic. Stephen Nadler / ISI Photos / USSF
By Tom BogertNov. 14, 2025Updated 2:16 pm EST The Athletic
U.S. national team star Christian Pulisic may not be in the November camp as Gio Reyna makes his return to the group, but the AC Milan star certainly has Reyna’s back.Pulisic said Reyna has been mistreated and sympathizes with the 23-year-old’s battle with injuries over the last four years.“He’s had a really tough time, unfairly in a lot of ways,” Pulisic told CBS Sports Golazo Network. “I feel for him. It’s difficult what we go through. Some of the injuries he’s gone through, it’s really hard.”Reyna exploded as one of Europe’s biggest teenage talents with Borussia Dortmund and the USMNT in the lead up to the 2022 World Cup, but controversy and injury have dimmed his light since.Reyna was in the middle of a dispute between former U.S. head coach Gregg Berhalter and his parents, Claudio and Danielle Reyna. The Reynas, frustrated by Gio’s lack of playing time at the World Cup, revealed to U.S. Soccer a decades-old domestic violence incident involving Berhalter and his wife. The revelation led to an investigation, a public saga and the breakdown of the relationship between the two families.There was a time during the 2022 World Cup when Reyna was nearly sent home from camp for his attitude.On the field, things haven’t been much smoother for Reyna. He has failed to feature more than 610 minutes in a single league season since 2020-21. After falling out of favor in Dortmund, Reyna went on loan to Nottingham Forest, where his playing outlook didn’t much improve. He was even left off the match-day roster entirely a handful of times.This summer, Reyna moved from Dortmund to Borussia Mönchengladbach. He has started just one game, but has appeared in six. He ramped up his fitness before his debut and then was sidelined briefly with a thigh injury.However, Pulisic is still supporting his teammate.
Gio Reyna hopes his move to Borussia Mönchengladbach can lift his fortunes.Lars Baron / Getty Images
“When I have him on the field with me on the national team, I feel a lot more relaxed,” Pulisic said. “He’s a really, really good player — that’s not a crazy take, a lot of people see that. I just tell him to stay patient. He’s a guy that’s gone through a bit of a tough time, he’ll admit that, but that doesn’t mean he can’t have really good things ahead.”The November camp is the first time Reyna has been involved with the national team since Berhalter selected him for the 2024 Copa America. A“I do think it’s been unfair, but I think he’s going to come around and people are going to see that soon,” Pulisic said.As for Pulisic, he is missing camp after just recovering from a hamstring injury sustained on international duty in October. He missed four games for AC Milan and returned from the bench last weekend.“I just want to make sure I have the time now to fully care for myself, to make sure my hamstring is doing well and allow other guys to take my place,” Pulisic said. “It’s just the best decision for everyone right now.”Pulisic was absent from the USMNT over the summer after asking head coach Mauricio Pochettino not to be selected for the Gold Cup. He got some time off before returning to Milan for preseason.The USMNT faces Paraguay on Sunday in Chester, Pa., and Uruguay on Tuesday in Tampa and won’t be together again until the March international break. By Tom BogertSenior Writer, US Soccer
How Max Arfsten, uncapped and ‘overlooked,’ became an unlikely USMNT fixture
Stephen Maturen / Getty ImagesBy Henry BushnellNov. 13, 2025
PHILADELPHIA — At 16 years old, Christian Pulisic was moving to Borussia Dortmund, and Tyler Adams was turning pro in New York. Folarin Balogun was with Arsenal’s vaunted under-17s. Weston McKennie and Ricardo Pepi were on similar paths to soccer stardom in Dallas. Most of the U.S. men’s national team these days develops in elite youth academies, often far from home, with big dreams. As for Max Arfsten?Arfsten, who has started more games for the USMNT in 2025 than anybody else, was playing at San Joaquin Memorial High School in Fresno, Calif., yearning for a Division I college scholarship.“Which is crazy,” Arfsten tells The Athletic, his mind blown by the contrast. “That’s insane to think about.”“But,” he notes, “everyone’s journey is different.”His went from the parks of Fresno to the University of California, Davis; from the San Jose Earthquakes reserves, where he failed to earn a first-team contract, to the Columbus Crew via the waning MLS SuperDraft. Having spent the first 21 years of his life in California, he didn’t even know where Columbus was. He arrived, essentially, as a trialist. He spent 2023 on the Crew’s bench — and quietly struggling, venting to confidants on the phone, sometimes returning to the Crew facility late at night to train on his own, less to improve, more to free his mind and “blow off steam.”Throughout that year, and even for parts of 2024, he was nobody. He was “overlooked,” as he’s said, and as he’s been for much of his soccer life.But at almost every stage, at every level, he was convinced: “I belong.”That’s what Arfsten, now 24, told himself in January at his very first USMNT training camp. That’s what he told himself two months later at his first A-team camp alongside studs like Pulisic and McKennie.He was nervous, he admits. “All these guys play for the top clubs,” he thought. He’d text his childhood coach, Milton Blanco, “all excited,” Blanco says. But Arfsten’s mindset quickly fell in line with what Blanco would tell him about any new teammate or opponent that might seem intimidating: “It’s just another f***ing dude.”By the summer, his understated cockiness began to flow. Off the field, in baggy cargo pants and oversized Ts, he oozes Cali chill; but on it, he plays with “that little arrogance,” Blanco says, and an edge. Even in an unfamiliar position, left back, he’d go at opponents. He rebounded from mistakes in a Concacaf Gold Cup quarterfinal against Costa Rica to score his first national team goal.No one ever anointed him a starter, but from March 23 through Oct. 10, he started all but one USMNT game. He entered 2025 with zero national team call-ups; he’ll likely end it with over 1,000 minutes, potentially more than any other U.S. outfield player this year. (He’s currently second to Tim Ream.)Advertisement
In 2026, he has big ambitions. “I want to play in Europe, I want to play in the World Cup,” he says. “I feel like those are the two next steps for me.”But he doesn’t want to get ahead of himself. Nor does he feel fully comfortable with the national team, even in his red sweatshirt, sipping a vanilla latte in the team hotel lobby on a Monday afternoon, ahead of, potentially, his 15th and 16th U.S. games.“Every time I come here, I still feel a massive point to prove,” Arfsten says.In fact, “that’s how I approach everything at this point,” he adds.Because that’s what he’s been doing at every stop on the journey.
Mauricio Pochettino and Max Arfsten share a high five during the U.S.’s friendly vs. Japan in ColumbusAdam Cairns / Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY Network / Imagn Images
‘All I wanted was a D-I scholarship’
Arfsten was born and raised in Fresno, an unglamorous city in California’s Central Valley, and a thriving soccer town largely fueled by Latinos. “That’s who I grew up around,” Arfsten says. There was no big-time academy; no powerhouse college program; no flourishing pro club. But there was “a very big pickup, streetball type of scene,” he explains.Arfsten, the eldest of three brothers, took some traditional routes into soccer — a local club, Cal Odyssey; high school soccer, where “the level was really bad,” he says with a smile; and private training sessions with Blanco. But he’d also play in unstructured environments, with and against grown men when he was a teen. “That’s where I developed a lot of my technical ability,” Arsten says — in games that were “5-v-5, small space, just play.”In those environments, he says, “I got a lot better.” But he didn’t necessarily get on scouting radars. “All I wanted was a D-I scholarship,” he says. When he got his first offer as a high school junior, from UC Davis, he leapt at it.A week or two later, he recalls, he went to a tournament in Las Vegas and prestigious schools came calling. He considered Notre Dame. But he’d committed to Davis. “I felt a loyalty,” he remembers. He also wanted to play right away. So he enrolled at a school that, he admits, was “not even that good [in] the landscape of college soccer.”
AdvertisementAt the time, and for most of his childhood, he was an attacker — a winger or a roaming striker. He was good, and started most games as a college freshman, but … a pro prospect? While some of his present-day peers were already breaking into the USMNT, he was chugging along without a goal until the Big West Conference’s postseason tournament.
Arfsten ultimately spent two-and-a-half years at Davis — and later graduated, he notes, with a degree in economics, after continuing classes online. He left to sign an MLS Next Pro contract with the Earthquakes, and there, in San Jose, he began to truly believe he belonged. He’d occasionally train with the first team and think to himself: “I can play with these guys.”
The club, though, disagreed. So off he went, to the MLS draft, to Columbus and to the toughest year of his life.
Max Arfsten mans the left wing for the Columbus CrewJason Mowry / Getty Images
The breakthrough
He went alone, from California to Central Ohio, and did earn a contract with the Crew. But for the first time in his soccer life, he rode the bench. He’d push through training sessions; he’d drive home pleased with his performance. But come Saturdays, he’d hardly play. He’d call his mom and lament that Crew coach Wilfried Nancy seemingly didn’t like him. “I was ging through it,” Arfsten says now. “I was frustrated.” get out of his own head, he’d occasionally go back to the Crew’s training ground late at night. He’d scan his thumbprint and enter a mostly-deserted complex. He’d grab a ball and do technical work.
The following morning, coaches would sometimes confront him: “What are you doing? Why are you training extra?”
But they came to understand the nighttime sessions were, as Arfsten says, “a mental thing” — an escape from “just sitting at home and being sad or mad that I’m not playing.”
He logged just 272 minutes for the Crew in 2023. They won MLS Cup, but he hardly contributed. “It was a hard year for me,” he says now. “But I feel like I needed it to grow mentally.” He “reprogrammed” himself to treat weekday training sessions like gamedays. And in 2024, hardened, he began to establish himself.He earned Nancy’s trust, first as a sub, then as a starter, always in his new position: left wingback. “It was definitely an adjustment at first, especially the defending part,” Arfsten says. But he knew that countless left-footed stars, from Marcelo to Jordi Alba, had transitioned from attacking positions to two-way roles early in their pro careers. “I always had a feeling I could play wingback,” Arfsten says. Once he gained an understanding of pressing triggers and proper body positioning, it began to feel natural.
When he broke into the USMNT earlier this year, he was initially pushed even farther toward his own goal, as a fullback in a back four, and out of his comfort zone. Some fans would ridicule his defending.“I don’t want to agree with that,” Arfsten says of the criticism, “but I understand. I have grown up being an attacking player my whole life. Tracking back and defending is something that’s been asked of me as of lately, and I’m trying to embrace it and be as good as I can at it.”Now, though, as the U.S. has shifted toward formations with a back three and wingbacks, Arfsten has returned to his natural habitat. In his first game at wingback for the national team, he served up an assist to Alejandro Zendejas. With Antonee Robinson, the national team’s once-secure starter at left back, struggling to recover from knee surgery, Arfsten has solidified himself in the lineup.And yes, he does now feel more comfortable around U.S. teammates in camp. “I don’t feel comfortable in the sense that something is given to me,” he clarifies. He still feels the proverbial “chip on my shoulder, and I think part of that comes from playing in the MLS, as opposed to so many guys that play in top leagues.”But he is confident, perhaps more so than ever before, that he belongs.
‘OK, I can play with these guys’
When the maiden U.S. call-up appeared in his email inbox last winter, Arfsten was at his childhood home back in Fresno, and “I was hyped,” he recalls. He told his brothers, who responded: “Bro, that’s craaazy.” Blanco says that Arfsten would occasionally text him during those early USMNT days: “Hey, I trained with this guy, I trained with that guy.” Part of him, perhaps, was in awe.
But Blanco, who has worked with Arfsten off and on since the player was 8, would respond: “Dude, I’m happy for you, but that’s normal for you now.”
And although there were “some growing pains,” Arfsten says, “at a certain point, I was like, ‘OK, I can play with these guys.’”
His nerves tingled in January and March, but by July, when he walked out onto the shoddy grass pitch at NRG Stadium in Houston, for a Gold Cup final against Mexico, he felt something even more odd.
“I wasn’t nervous at all,” Arfsten says. “It was so weird.”
“The national anthem is usually when I feel it,” he explains. But there, in a cavernous stadium, with the stands 80% covered in Mexican green, on the biggest stage he’d ever played, he felt … confident.
Confidence is something he’s always had, to a degree; but also something he’s worked on intentionally. He reads books by or about successful people, such as Nike founder Phil Knight or tennis star Andre Agassi. He scrutinizes their words and studies their mentalities. He cites Kobe Bryant, and says: “I’m confident because I believe you have to be to be a successful athlete.”
He’s also learned to set goals that are both reachable and ambitious. Nowadays, they’re loftier than ever before. They’re also fairly explicit. Speaking two days after the Crew’s MLS season ended, Arfsten — who was the subject of a summer bid from English club Middlesborough, which the Crew turned down — says multiple times: “I want to go to Europe.”
“And,” he says, “I want to do anything I can to make this World Cup squad.”
He doesn’t let himself daydream, because “I gotta take care of playing well every day, wherever I’m at,” he says.But he knows, of course, that the biggest World Cup ever is seven months and two camps away. The USMNT’s opener is a four-hour drive from where he grew up.
“All I know,” he says, “is I want to be a part of it.” By Henry Bushnell
Senior Writer, U.S. Soccer
Who would win the 2026 World Cup if it kicked off today?
Multiple contributors
Nov 14, 2025, 04:11 AM ET
It’s mid-November, and qualification for the 2026 World Cup — to be hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada next summer — is in its final dramatic stages, with many automatic spots to be filled over the next week and several other nations vying for a spot in March’s intercontinental playoffs.
Before we get there, though — and before we get to the World Cup draw, which will be held in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 5 — let’s ask ourselves a simple question: If the World Cup started today, who would win it?
Mark Ogden: The 2026 World Cup is going to be won by the team that can best deal with the conditions of a stifling-hot summer in the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Spain tick more boxes than any other contender. They are the reigning European champions — their pedigree is unquestioned — but Luis de la Fuente’s side will win the World Cup because they can dominate possession and wear down their opponents.
They have two world-class goalkeepers in Unai Simón and David Raya, a proven defense and a midfield including Martín Zubimendi, Pedri and Rodri. Further forward, on top of the consistency and reliability of Mikel Oyarzabal and Dani Olmo, the unpredictability and goal threat of Ferran Torres and Samu Aghehowa, there is winger Lamine Yamal, who is capable of leading Spain to glory in his first World Cup. The final is scheduled just six days after his 19th birthday; what a gift that would be.
Tom Hamilton: Spain have plenty of big tournament pedigree despite falling on penalties in the UEFA Nations League final to Portugal in June. Their last competitive defeat in 90 minutes was way back in 2023, when they lost to Scotland. Pedri missed much of the Euro 2024 knockout stages through injury, but he’s back and firing, which adds to the world-class depth — and beautiful blend of youth and experience — that De la Fuente can call upon.
Other teams such as France, England and Argentina will push them close, plus we expect Brazil to click at some stage, especially with Carlo Ancelotti at the helm. As we saw in 2022, there’s likely to be a Morocco-esque surprise package, but right now, Spain are at the front of the pack. Key to their chances, though, is getting Rodri back up to full working order. Manchester City have been slow to reintroduce him, but if he gets back to his world-class best …
Sam Marsden: Time for me to make a wholly original pick! A lot of countries have a lot of talent, but right now, none, for me, are better than La Roja, for two reasons.
Firstly, they have a clear playing style, which is not always easy to find in international football. Secondly, it feels like the roles within the team are so well defined and understood within the squad that they’re best-equipped to deal with losing players to injuries or suspensions. However, that resilience and flexibility could be tested if Ballon d’Or runner-up Yamal ends up missing games. He is perhaps the one player in the squad whose quality, unpredictability and match-winning ability is difficult to replace.
Yamal situation playground stuff’ from Barcelona and Spanish FA
Julien Lauren believes the Lamine Yamal situation could be “easily figured out” if both Barcelona and the Spanish FA “speak to each other” to sort it out.
Alex Kirkland: Am I biased, living as I do in Madrid? Perhaps. But here are the facts: Spain won Euro 2024, beating Germany, France and England along the way. Before that, they won the 2023 UEFA Nations League. Since then, they’ve reached the 2025 Nations League final — only to be beaten in a penalty shootout by Portugal. They’ve just matched the longest unbeaten run in their history, going 29 competitive games without defeat (counting that Portugal final as a draw). They’ve also got Pedri, Yamal, Nico Williams, and so many midfield options that Zubimendi, Fabián Ruiz and Rodri are competing for just one spot.
Are there weaknesses? A few: Oyarzabal isn’t your dream center forward, but he has seven goals for Spain in 12 months. And if he’s not scoring, then Arsenal’s Mikel Merino — six goals in World Cup qualifying — will. De la Fuente isn’t entirely convincing, but you can’t argue with results, and his team play a really clear, cohesive, well-established style of play. If Pedri and Yamal stay fit: no other team comes close.
Cesar Hernandez: I think there’s no looking past the Euro 2024 champions. If we’re not counting the results of penalty shootouts (though it was a dramatic one with Portugal earlier this year), they’ve gone 24 consecutive games without a defeat in regulation or extra time. They’re also breezing through World Cup qualifying without a loss or goal allowed.Granted, if the World Cup were starting this week, there’s also an assumption that the fitness management of Yamal would be in a much more ideal state as he’s shifted between Barcelona and national team duties, but who knows. Perhaps this back-and-forth continues through next year, which could lead to a different prediction for 2026.
Lizzy Becherano: At this point in time, Spain have to be considered the front-runners. Winning Euro 2024 was a master class, one that also offered valuable experience to the younger players on the squad. The likes of Yamal and Fermín López are better for enduring the pressure and high stakes on the international stage, which is crucial to being successful at a World Cup. Certain countries boast individual stars who can drive victories, but Spain stand strong enough in each position to power through the most difficult challenges the upcoming World Cup will pose.
James Olley: Spain! They lifted the Euro 2024 trophy by becoming the first team to win all seven matches without requiring penalties. And the caliber of the teams they beat — Italy, Germany, France and England among them — suggested it was no fluke.Williams and Yamal are two years older with more experience; Rodri should be relatively fresh assuming he recovers from his persistent injury problems, but if not, Zubimendi — who deputized for Rodri in the Euros final against England — has arguably taken his game to another level at Arsenal this season. Spain do need other players to kick on — Dean Huijsen switching his allegiance from Netherlands last year could be a major boost if he thrives at Real Madrid — but they still look the team to beat.
Jeff Carlisle: It has to be Spain. They’ve been wiping out their opponents in qualifying by a combined score of 15-0. Obviously there will be sterner tests once the real thing starts, but for now they’re unstoppable. Mikel Merino is banging in the goals — so is Mikel Oyarzabal — and Pedri has been imperious in midfield. Lamine Yamal was injured for the last two games and Spain didn’t look bothered at all.Even with Robin Le Normand injured out injured for the rest of the year, the defense still looks solid with Aymeric Laporte and Huijsen anchoring the back line. Besides, when you’re possessing the ball over 75% of the time, like Spain did in its last two matches, they are absolutely cutting off the oxygen to teams, giving them little to no chance of threatening La Roja‘s goal. This is also a team with loads of experience, having claimed the Euro 2024 title. They know how to come through in big matches.
ENGLAND (3 votes)
Last World Cup win: 1966 FIFA rank: 4
Julien Laurens: The biggest factor here besides England’s talent is that they finally have a manager who is not afraid of making big calls and being honest about it. Thomas Tuchel can deal with big egos better than anyone else, having worked for high-profile teams from Chelsea to Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich. He has extensive experience managing unhappy players and leaving behind anyone who isn’t on board with his philosophy and team spirit. One of the best tacticians in world football, Tuchel is the right guy to finally lead England to victory.
The Three Lions have one of the most talented squads of players, and bags of experience at the club level, for him to choose from — many of whom were part of England’s run to the finals at the last two European Championships. Striker Harry Kane is in the form of his life, there is depth in a lot of positions and a fresh generation of young stars pushing hard for a starting spot or a place on the plane next summer. (Seriously, take your pick from Elliot Anderson, Alex Scott, Adam Wharton, Morgan Rogers … need I say more?)
Marcotti questions Tuchel’s comments about Bellingham, Kane and Foden
Gab Marcotti believes Thomas Tuchel should “never say” Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane and Phil Foden can’t play together. Cole Palmer will come back from injury fresh and rested, ready to have a big impact whether as a starter or as a sub. And leaders like Kane, Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice or Marc Guéhi will shine. Tuchel also explained the obvious this week: Kane, Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden can’t start together. It didn’t work in the past, and it won’t work at the World Cup this summer. The team would not be balanced enough, and in this structure, it is not possible to have them three together from the start. This England team will be built differently, on and off the pitch and that will be the reason for their success.
Bill Connelly: They currently have the best combination of talent, depth, coaching, center forward play and good health. (Spain would be my answer, if not for those last two parts.) Tuchel’s combination of caution and individualized tactics should work as well as anything in a long combination with so many knockout rounds, and while he probably doesn’t have the fullback situation figured out as well as he would prefer, no one does. This is a battle-tested squad with a bench loaded with players would start for all but the most elite countries in the world. They’re in great shape, and if the overall health of the squad hasn’t fallen apart seven months from now, they’ll have everything they need.
Gab Marcotti: I’m applying the process of elimination here. Right now, Yamal and Pedri are injured (sorry, Spain); Brazil have a lot to prove under Carlo Ancelotti; Argentina look good, but we haven’t had repeat champions in my lifetime. Right now, logic says England or France, except after 12 years of Deschamps, I can’t help but feel things might be getting a little stale for Les Bleus. So whatever, I’ll bite. Why not England? Why not Tuchel to make history as the first foreign manager to lift a World Cup? Why not an end to 60 years of hurt and humiliation? Darn, can’t believe I said that. But you did ask for “right now,” so …
FRANCE (2 votes)
Last World Cup win: 2018 FIFA rank: 3
Beth Lindop: While I think Spain are possibly the most balanced team in world football, I’m opting for Les Bleus. They are no strangers to World Cup success, having followed up their 2018 triumph by reaching the final in 2022.
In terms of attacking firepower, I think they’re pretty unrivaled at the international level. Kylian Mbappé has been in fine scoring form for Real Madrid this season, while Ousmane Dembélé is now officially the best player in the world thanks to his Ballon d’Or win, though his campaign so far has been disrupted by injury. With the likes of Hugo Ekitike, Bradley Barcola and Désiré Doué in the squad, Didier Deschamps has an embarrassment of attacking riches at his disposal. And, at the other end of the pitch, Dayot Upamecano, Theo Hernández and William Saliba are also in great form. The squad is really strong in all departments.
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Ryan O’Hanlon: They’ve made the past two World Cup finals, and the last time they lost a knockout game at a World Cup, Barack Obama was the U.S. president and England was still part of the European Union. Their potential front three of Mbappé, Dembele, and Michael Olise is better than anything any club team can offer. Their starting center backs are currently starting for club teams that have allowed 11 combined goals through their first 21 matches of domestic play. This will be the most talented team at the tournament next summer — and it won’t be close.
ARGENTINA (1 vote)
Last World Cup win: 2022 FIFA rank: 2
Fans surround Argentina bus to watch Messi train
Hundreds of fans gather as Lionel Messi and the Argentina team train in Spain ahead of the Angola friendly. Rob Dawson: Managing the climate in the U.S., Mexico and Canada will be key for whoever lifts the trophy, and the European nations are going to struggle. Argentina got over the line in Qatar, and the core of that squad is still here. Lionel Messi — if he plays — is unlikely to have the same impact as last time, but they’ve got Emiliano Martínez, Cristian Romero, Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernández and Julián Álvarez around him. It’s a formidable spine to the team. World Cups are won by sides that can grow into a tournament, and Argentina have got invaluable inexperience from four years ago. They’re the ones to beat.
Opinion: MLS takes on risk in July-May calendar, but Apple deal change is positive
ASN’s Brian Sciaretta offers up his thoughts on the big announcement from MLS with the change of its schedule and the altering of the its broadcasting deal with Apple TV.
BY Brian SciarettaPosted November 14, 2025 11:00 AM
MLS MADE THE historic announcement on Thursday that the league was going to switch scheduling and adopt a season that aligns with the global game. The league will now begin in the late summer, take a winter break, and resume in the spring. The goal is to take advantage of transfer markets, be able to respect FIFA international windows, and have the playoffs go uninterrupted.
Per the release: “The 2027-28 MLS regular season will begin in mid-to-late July 2027 and conclude with the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs and MLS Cup presented by Audi in late May 2028.”
Overall, the league is painting a nice picture on what is a big risk. Sure, the current schedule has problems. But some of those problems are real, and some of those problems are overblown in this announcement. But moving to a Summer-Spring season also creates news problems and doesn’t necessarily fix the existing problems.
Weather
For some of the league’s teams, this switch will not change much in terms of the environment of their home games. But for other teams, there are going to be a lot more cold weather games.
After this current November international break, only eight MLS teams and seven MLS games remain. Under the new switch, all 30 teams will have to play another month into mid-December. In the later stages of the playoffs, fans are willing to put up with more because of the importance of the games. But midseason games in cold weather?
That is not something that should be easily brushed aside. MLS is not the first league to have tried this. In 2010, the Russian Premier League switched from a calendar year to Summer-Spring like MLS now. The results were disastrous. Reuters had a feature six years after the switch highlighting the falling attendances, frequently cancelled or moved games, and a decline in fan interest.
MLS has enough teams either in manageable winter climates or indoor stadiums where the results won’t be as drastic. But they could have a similar impact on many of the league’s bigger teams.
MLS has different climate constraints than most of Europe. Had most of Europe’s leagues had weather similar to Chicago, Toronto, Montreal, Colorado, Salt Lake, Minnesota, Columbus, or Cincinnati, would they have had their schedules the same as they do now?
With this switch, MLS made it more difficult to get fans to go to home games for a big part of the season.
Footprint remains similar
In terms of the number of months in a year MLS games will be played, the footprint on the calendar year will be smaller. The new proposed winter break is essentially the same length of the current offseason. Now, on top of that, there is a new offseason in June through mid-July.
To be fair, MLS in June is historically a mess with major international tournaments and this eliminates that mess altogether. That is good.
The flow
MLS will now adopt a winter break in the middle of the season. While the Bundesliga has a winter break, the MLS winter break will be longer than any other top league. It will be like what we see in the Danish Superliga. It will now become the only major North American sports league that pauses for two months and them resumes.
The question is how do the league’s existing fans adjust to such a big interruption to the flow of the season? Maybe it will not be an issue or maybe the season’s momentum will be lost? Right now, it’s all just a guessing game, or a risk.
Transfer market
In the media release from MLS, the top two reasons for this change were related to player signings: “optimize global transfer market activity” and “maximize player signings.”
There are some merits to this. There are deals that do not happen over the summer because teams do not want to lose a key player in midseason. Those deals would likely happen if the season is yet to begin.
With regards to selling players then in January, team are dealing with limited needs and the players getting sold do not have a preseason to try to adjust.
That said, there are a lot of important leagues that operate on a calendar year and still manage to sell players sufficiently. Brazil’s Serie A and most South American leagues are on a variation of a calendar year. These leagues also continue to be major sellers in the world market.
It is a little overstated. Top young players have been sold from the league at a sufficient pace.
As for the buying side, MLS teams have been aggressive regardless of time of season or year. Many of the top imports within the league have arrived midseason, and there hasn’t been much complaining. Sure, if Messi arrived in Miami before the season started in his first year, it would have resulted in them making the playoffs.
But for most of the recent substantial imports – such as Heung-Min Son – joined midseason. With the league’s playoff format, having these players there for the playoffs is really the most important thing.
Playoffs
MLS said that the league is exploring new playoff formats to go along with this schedule change. Regardless of how the playoff changes, it is a big win that the playoffs, nor the stretch run leading to the playoffs, will be affected by the three FIFA international windows in the fall. The September, October, and November windows break up the flow of every league but it is even worse to be deciding titles and elimination during this run.
The talk about which American sports leagues MLS has to compete for viewership is off base. No matter what time of year, the NFL, MLB, NBA, or NHL is ongoing. These decisions need to be made independent of other leagues. If anything, it’s harder now for the MLS playoffs to compete against the NBA and NHL playoffs along with the start of the MLB season.
But the fact that the MLS playoffs are now uninterrupted is good.
Bottom Line
There is no crystal ball to tell how this is going to go. It seems like there is a lot of risk to fix problems that were exaggerated.
But it does help with not having the league playing in June during international tournaments and it does help with the playoffs going uninterrupted and into nicer weather.
There will be a lot of challenges, and it won’t always be easy for fans. All we can do is hope it works.
Apple TV altered
MLS also announced on Thursday that its broadcasting deal with Apple TV will be altered. Instead of having a separate MLS package on Apple TV, MLS games would now become part of the general Apple TV package. Like with the previous deal, MLS season ticket holders will get an Apple TV package included with their season tickets.
Whatever the numbers were behind this deal, it’s a good move for all parties. MLS is a league that is trying to grow and expand. It’s very hard to do that behind a paywall. Apple TV is still a paywall, but it has a massive market behind it. In total there are 45 million Apple TV subscribers and now MLS will get to push into those numbers as opposed to only those that bought the MLS package. This is the way to expand.
MLS commissioner Don Garber addresses lingering questions after league flips calendar
Pamela Smith / AP PhotoBy Paul TenorioNov. 15, 2025 7:00 am EST
PALM BEACH, Fla. — MLS commissioner Don Garber couldn’t help but smile as he walked quickly through the lobby of the Four Seasons less than an hour after the league’s board of governors meeting adjourned. It was a hint of what he would announce an hour later.For the past two years, owners had studied, analyzed and debated the future of the league. On Thursday, they voted to move forward. The board approved a plan to flip the calendar to run from mid-July through the end of May, syncing MLS with many of the top leagues in the world, setting it up to take steps forward in its sporting product and shifting its biggest games to a more attractive spring window for media partners.League owners also approved a plan to overhaul the regular season and are mulling changes to the postseason format. MLS also announced changes to its partnership with Apple, which takes the league out from behind the paywall of MLS Season Pass and puts it on to the Aple TV streaming platform, where it will be available for tens of millions of subscribers.Garber declared the calendar change, “one of the most important decisions in our league’s history.” And as he sat to speak with reporters, his optimism about what the day meant for the future of MLS was clear. Garber discussed many of the finer details — and some of the questions that linger after such a seismic decision.The concern voiced by most fans centered on how colder weather markets would handle games played in November and December, and potentially an extra week or two in February. Garber said the work the league did to study the issue convinced those markets it would not make a massive dent on their business. Some teams will have to make updates to their facilities, but others won’t, he said. And the overlap of seasons means major changes can mostly be avoided.
“We’re (already) playing games in November now, and it could be really cold in those same markets,” Garber said. “It could be really cold in December. It could be really cold in other months. We’re talking about a couple of games (being added), so I don’t know that it makes sense for a team, for a handful of games, to dramatically change their infrastructure.“It’s not like this is as traumatic as I think most people think. When we were going through this process, 92% [of the footprint] is exactly the same window. MLS Cup was in Toronto in December, and it was really, really cold. It could have been in Toronto this year if they had a good season, right?”
The Seattle Sounders won 2016 MLS Cup in Toronto, which was played in DecemberClaus Andersen / Getty ImagesGarber credited owners for being willing to take on such major changes in order to push the league forward. With 30 ownership groups, the idea of unanimity is long gone. But the league was able to get an overwhelming amount of support for this vote.“They want to push the envelope,” Garber said. “They’re impatient to continue to ensure we’re capturing the opportunity. They’re willing to make decisions … that might not be in their individual interest.“This is the right move,” he continued. “Moving to the international calendar would have been unthinkable years ago. We didn’t have the ability to manage it with our facilities, and we didn’t have strength and commitment within our fan base. So while this will have, in the short term, a disparate impact on certain teams, you know, I watched a (Canadian Premier League) championship where fans were packed into a small stadium and players played in a foot of snow. Now we probably would have rescheduled that game, but I think it speaks to the soccer fan here in this part of the country (who are) committed and they believe in their team.“I can remember back in the day, people said, why won’t you do the calendar? People go to NFL games when it’s cold. I’d say, ‘Well, actually it’s not the players, it’s the fans and it’s our facilities.’ Do we have heated fields? Do we have the way to manage what could be cold weather in markets from a hospitality perspective, and all of that are building blocks that needed to happen over time.”What You Should Read NextMLS calendar flip is a big step, but not the only step, toward greater global relevanceBig change is coming to MLS in the summer of 2027, but what else needs to happen for the league to increase its profile?
Somewhat swallowed by what may be the biggest change in the league in 20 years was the news about changes to the Apple deal. With Season Pass eliminated, subscribers tuning in to watch Severance or Pluribus — or Ted Lasso, which returns with Season 4 in 2026 — can now watch MLS, as can any Formula 1 fans that subscribe for the start of that deal in 2026.Importantly, Garber said the terms of the deal with Apple also changed — though he declined to disclose any details. Sources, however, confirmed Sportico’s report that the deal will now end after the 2028-29 season, three and a half years earlier than expected.“This wasn’t about MLS Season Pass not working,” Garber said. “It’s about, how could we work with Apple, who had a vision for what Apple TV could be, and where sports would fit into that, and how could MLS be a bigger part of a broader distribution vehicle for our league?“Yes, we’ll have different economics. The term will change. The financials will change. And all that’s very positive for us.”
Garber remained bullish on the league’s decision to take all of its local, national and global rights to one streaming partner. The Apple deal has faced harsh criticism by taking MLS out of typical linear rotation — though MLS does maintain a deal with Fox that airs 34 regular season games, eight playoff games and MLS Cup — but the commissioner was firm in his belief it was the right decision.
MLS is bringing its matches outside of a separate paywall on Apple TVIsaiah Vazquez / Getty Images
“We need to take a step back and understand that we (foresaw) the disruption of the sports media space three to five years ago and had a vision to have every single game be treated exactly the same, have those games be globally distributed, because we knew we would continue to sign well-known international players,” Garber said. “In this case, look at [Lionel] Messi, Son [Heung-min] and [Thomas] Müller, just what’s happened this year, and what our viewership has been in Korea, and what we continue to do in Argentina, and the excitement that is existing in Europe with players (who have) only been in our league for a number of months. And it was all part of a grand plan that took some risk, and I think it speaks to the way this ownership group has continued to evolve, where doing things the way it used to be done is not part of the lexicon of the MLS board.”A big part of these changes revolve around MLS’s place in the sports media economy. MLS has failed to deliver the type of audience needed to demand high-level media rights packages. It remains behind not just other North American sports, but also the Premier League here in the U.S.The move to flip the calendar is part of a plan to help the MLS business transition from a model that has thrived as a local entertainment business into one that can resonate nationally and globally.“I think the underpinning of professional sports is media, and in our case, it needs to be global media,” Garber said. “But you can’t have a great product unless you have an in-stadium experience that is really compelling and is saying to the world: Look what I’m experiencing here; you could experience that through a series of devices. So the two have to work together and I think (MLS) could achieve that. The EPL has achieved it. The NFL has achieved it. I don’t see any reason why we can’t.”Garber was asked how quickly that next media deal has to happen.“I think it certainly has to happen in order for us to to be what we want to be, which was going to require us to have more revenues to be able to continue to invest in both infrastructure, player development and signing great players so we could have a product that can compete with a very competitive soccer/football market globally,” he said. “So we look forward to continuing our relationship with Apple, and hopefully that grows our audience. And if our audience grows, that will deliver value for Apple and certainly deliver value for us, because we’ll have a larger audience to be able to think about: How could we monetize that sometime in the future?”To do that, MLS has to put a more attractive product on the field. Flipping the calendar is a tool in that aim. Lining up the transfer windows will allow MLS teams to do better business in the summer, both as a buyer and a seller. They will be able to attract more players coming out of contract, too.But if MLS is truly going to draw more viewers, the level of play has to go up. And to do that, the spending rules will have to change. Garber acknowledged that the league is studying how to modify them.
Star players like Lionel Messi have called on MLS to loosen its rules on club spendingLeonardo Fernandez / Getty Images“We still believe that we’re operating in a very competitive market, in a business that still is growing,” Garber said. “I still think of MLS as a 30-year startup. So just eliminating all rules I don’t think would be prudent. And by the way, almost all leagues have rules. They might be different, [but] even football, soccer leagues have rules. They might be related to spending limits and the like, but there are rules everywhere. We just have our version of them.“We’re excited about the evolution of those rules. And we’re going to continue to work on that. The window for that would be the 2027 season. So similar to the calendar change. We went [into] a very comprehensive presentation to the board about what kinds of things we’re thinking about with our [sporting and competition] committee: research-backed analysis of what these things could look like, what impact it would have on on-field performance, what impact it would have on spending, how does it deal with competitive balance? I want to reiterate to everyone: this is not a bunch of people sitting behind a curtain and just making decisions, as many people think on social media. It’s data-driven strategic analysis, backed by research, so that when we make decisions, they’re achieving the goals we want to achieve.”To make those bigger roster-rule changes, however, the league will have to modify or negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement with the MLS Players Association. The current CBA runs through January 31, 2028 — a date that was pushed back twice by extensions in negotiations forced by MLS during and after the pandemic.Garber said he did not anticipate the expiration date of the CBA changing, but it’s hard to see how the league could reach its goal of implementing meaningful change to the roster rules by 2027 without a new CBA.“We’ve got a lot of work to do collectively to ensure that we’re doing the work on the league side and on the MLSPA side, to have a deal that will be part of the future evolution of the league,” Garber said. “I don’t expect that we would change the date, but … I have a lot of faith in our players. I care deeply for them. They’ve got good leadership and good representation, and I look forward to sitting down with them both in the short-term as it relates to finalizing whatever we need to finalize on the transition, and then continuing to talk as early as we can, so that we can be in a good spot when the CBA expires.” By Paul Tenorio Senior Writer, MLS
Trinity Rodman negotiations reach NWSL commissioner as English teams express interest in U.S. star
Washington Spirit forward Trinity Rodman will be a free agent this offseason. Scott Taetsch / Getty Images
Trinity Rodman’s representation is in negotiation with the National Women’s Soccer League over her future in the league, as interest from teams abroad continues. While the Washington Spirit would like to retain Rodman, the talks are currently beyond the club’s control due to existing roster constraints, according to sources familiar with the negotiations. The 23-year-old will be a free agent this offseason.Rodman’s agent has spoken directly to commissioner Jessica Berman about deals to keep her stateside; however, one of the key points of contention is the player’s salary. Under the current salary cap, teams outside of the league can offer far more than the Spirit — or any NWSL team. Rodman’s team has had talks with at least three teams in the English Women’s Super League, according to sources familiar with the discussions.The Spirit declined to comment, and the NWSL did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.The NWSL operates under a salary cap, currently set at $3.3 million at each club. That maximum will rise every season until it hits $5.1 million in 2030, in accordance with the most recent collective bargaining agreement between the NWSL Players Association and the league.While the minimum player salary for this season is $48,500 and will rise to $82,500 by 2030, there is no maximum salary for an individual player. Still, the Spirit currently has 27 players’ salaries to cover (with three players on loan), whereas teams in Europe do not have to abide by such caps.After her breakout rookie season in 2021, Rodman signed a three-year contract extension with an option for a fourth year, which was exercised this year. In 2022, the deal, worth $1.1 million, made the then 19-year-old the highest-paid player in the league at the time.Rodman told ESPN’s Futbol W at the start of the season that she has “always thought about playing overseas at some point” in her career. The Spirit’s owner, Michele Kang, owns multiple teams across the U.S. and Europe, including OL Lyoness and London City Lionesses and considers herself a “globalist” when it comes to player movement, but has made it clear that keeping Rodman has been a top priority.“We’re going to do everything in our power to hopefully keep her here,” Kang told reporters in March. “She’s an integral part of our success, our success meaning the Spirit as well as NWSL.”
Trinity Rodman was a key goalscorer in the USWNT’s gold medal run at the 2024 Paris Olympics.Daniela Porcelli / Getty Images
Multiple U.S. players have made the move to Europe this season, including defender Naomi Girma and former Angel City forward Alyssa Thompson, both of whom went to Chelsea. While it isn’t the only draw, the ability for overseas teams to pay higher salaries is a factor in the growing global market.In March, Kang ruled out a loan for Rodman to one of the other teams in her multi-club investment company, Kynisca Sports International, but said that players should experience different types of soccer throughout their career.“The European players should actually go at some point to experience the American football or different football. The same thing with the American football players as well,” Kang said. “Experiencing different styles, different leagues, it’s actually a good thing.”The Spirit selected Rodman with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft, and the teenager had an instant impact. She was named rookie of the year in 2021, recording seven goals and seven assists, including one to Kelley O’Hara against the Chicago Stars to secure the team’s first NWSL Championship title.
Before her time in NWSL, Rodman was a standout for the U.S. youth national team, scoring nine goals in the team’s successful 2020 Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship. She has been equally as impactful for the senior national team. Rodman has 11 goals and nine assists in 47 games with the U.S. women’s national team. She was one-third of the publicly-branded “triple espresso,” alongside Sophia Wilson and Mallory Swanson, who led the U.S. to gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics.Rodman has spent much of this season dealing with injuries, first with a persistent back problem that limited her to 15 appearances and nine starts through 26 regular-season games.Upon her return in October, she sprained her MCL during a Concacaf Champions Cup match, keeping her out of the Spirit’s final two games of the season. She was on the bench for Washington’s penalty kick shootout win over Racing Louisville in the NWSL quarterfinals last week, but never changed out of her warm-ups, instead helping guide players from the sideline.Still, she has been impactful for the Spirit, playing a contributing role to Washington securing the No. 2 spot in the NWSL standings. She has been impactful for the NWSL as a whole in terms of marketing, too, and was recently the only U.S. player featured in an Adidas campaign for the 2026 men’s World Cup.Rodman participated in full training on Friday ahead of today’s semifinal match at Audi Field between the Spirit and the Portland Thorns. By Meg Linehan and Tom Bogert
Jesús Pérez: Mauricio Pochettino’s right-hand man and the USMNT’s eyes and ears
If you look just over the shoulder of Mauricio Pochettino as he roams the sideline during a U.S. men’s national team game, you’ll find his top assistant, Jesús Pérez, in a place he finds most comfortable.“Two or three yards behind the coach,” Pérez said.Within that short distance, there is a massive difference, he insists. There is a gulf between thinking through decisions and actually making them — and the consequences that come with those choices.“When you are No. 2, you see things,” Pérez said. “But when you are No. 1 … wow, the map is bigger.”Those three yards, however, do not minimize the importance of Pérez’s role on the U.S. staff. Pérez has worked at Pochettino’s side since 2010, rising from analyst at Espanyol to the coach’s right-hand man at Southampton, Tottenham, PSG, Chelsea and now the U.S. He has an outsized impact on the national team as both an integral on-field coach and a chief of staff of sorts, keeping a ulse on every department and connecting the pieces to keep the organization running smoothly.Pérez is always there, whether it’s in stadium suites scouting games of national team players, leaning against the wall during postgame press conferences or running meetings across a number of departments. He is, as Pochettino describes it, the “hands-on coordinator.”“Jesús is someone who coordinates the professional areas and ensures that integration with the staff, whether from the clubs or the national team, [and] allows us to have better communication channels,” Pochettino told The Athletic. “Where everything can flow more smoothly, preventing any problems and ultimately providing the players with a better platform to perform.”
Jesús Pérez commands the attention of the USMNT during pregame warmups before a September friendly vs. JapanJohn Dorton / ISI Photos / USSF / Getty Images
Pochettino is the face, figurehead and the ultimate decision-maker — those three yards matter. But Pérez grinds behind the scenes to give the staff, and its leader, the best chance at being successful. More importantly, the 54-year-old has become a trusted advisor that Pochettino has leaned on for more than a decade and a half.“He’s a very important person, because, over the years, besides being an important person on the staff professionally, he’s also become a friend,” Pochettino said. “That’s something that doesn’t always happen, especially in the professional sphere like in this sport. That’s something beautiful to experience, because we’re a group of people who have known each other for many years and who have also found common ground, who share life values, not only professional values, but human values. And I think that’s what makes it unique. Within the friendship and within the professional side, that makes us respect each other. That constant challenge of always being better is what’s always the priority — in our entire relationship. And I think that’s something beautiful.”
‘You’re a strong boy’
The memory still sticks in the back of Ryan Mason’s mind.It was preseason at Spurs under Pochettino, who gave him his Premier League debut. The style of play under the Argentine manager was intense, and they were going through a demanding training session. Mason was hitting a wall when he heard Pérez’s voice.“Mase, you’re a strong boy!” the coach shouted.“He was so good on the mental side of it,” recalled Mason, now head coach at West Brom. “The impact that had on my body was huge. I remember feeling it give me more life, give me more belief in my body. And I still hear it to this day. I can still hear it now. It’s something that stuck with me and sticks with me. You have your physical side, but a lot of people have limitations. Some people hit their ceiling because mentally they can’t break through certain barriers and challenges. Whereas I believe Jesús and Mauricio, they’re people that can really push through your barriers and help you reach higher levels.”
Pérez spent much of the early portion of his career as a fitness coach working in Spain and then Saudi Arabia. He got sick toward the end of his time in the latter – a stress-induced illness, he said – and nearly walked away from coaching before Espanyol’s sporting director at the time, Ramón Planes, reached out. Pochettino was looking for someone with Pérez’s background to join the club. The offer was intriguing enough to pull him back to work.Pérez established his value not just on the fitness side, but in other areas, too. He first caught Pochettino’s eye with his work ethic in a shared office, where he worked quietly but diligently. Then he showed an ability as an analyst.Pérez started working from up in the stands but one day offered advice that won Pochettino’s trust. At the time, the staff was discussing dropping a forward in favor of a midfielder because they were being overrun in the middle of the park. Pérez saw things differently.“If you allow me to say you should do the opposite, you are a brave coach, you are a brave team,” he offered. “I think what you have to do is tell one of the center backs to step up and compensate the situation and push high the line, don’t drop the striker.”Within two months, Pérez found himself on the bench with Pochettino.
Jesús Pérez instructs Neymar at PSG in 2021Jean-Francois Monier AFP / Getty Images
“We brought him into the club in the youth academy,” Pochettino said. “From there, for six months we got to know each other, and then, when I had the opportunity to bring him into the technical staff with me, I made him the offer. He accepted, and that’s how we started working together in Espanyol.”
Still, that fitness background never left him. Players felt the assistant had a way of understanding and unlocking what it took to push them to the next level.
“He helped me to maintain my speed, my agility, my power and he helped me to even get better in my game and in my performances,” said LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, who played under Pochettino and Pérez at Tottenham. “I still do things (today), it’s part of my routine that I learned from them at that time. … I believe that in the shadow of (a) big manager, there (are) always big assistants. And Jesús is one of them. He is a really bright person, really intelligent, and he knows really well his job.”
Over 15 years together, between Pochettino, Pérez and the rest of the staff – which includes Miki D’Agostino (who played with Pochettino at Newell’s Old Boys) and goalkeeper coach Toni Jiménez – there is a chemistry and balance that is unique at the upper end of the sport. The coaches interact well and complement each other’s strengths.
“Jesús is an extension of Mauricio,” U.S. defender Tim Ream said. “He’s got his finger on the pulse with everything, sees all the small details, but also all the big ones as well. He’s very much the glue that kind of keeps all the departments together, and his communication is very similar to that of Mauricio. Lots of personal one-on-one conversations, but also making sure that everybody’s doing the right thing at all times and doing the things together and pulling in the same direction.”
Top managers typically churn through assistants — many leave for other jobs or simply burn out. That the staff has been together this long stands out. There is a level of loyalty that exists within the group. Pochettino typically negotiates contracts for his entire staff.
“He always did what he promised to me,” Pérez said. “ He said (when we) were in Espanyol, ‘We cannot give you the value that you have, but I promise you one day we will try to get the contract that you deserve.’ And since we arrived to England, I never was worried about my contract. When he asked me, you know, what do you think about your contract, I said, ‘Whatever you decide. For me, it’s fine.’ That’s my answer in the last 15 years, and it will be the same forever.”
Pérez was linked to possible top jobs in England, but never took one. Even now he basically laughs off a question about it.
“The credit is his credit,” Pérez said. “It’s Mauricio’s credit. It’s not because I want to be humble, but I know how this business works. If people want to give me some credit, fine. I’m sure some qualities probably are (from) myself. But Mauricio was doing great before I joined the team and I’m sure if all of us, (if) we leave at some point, he will continue having success.”
Pérez insists he is focused on his role within Pochettino’s staff — of being the connector.
Jesús Pérez has been by Mauricio Pochettino’s side throughout his career, for club and countryRodolfo Gonzalez / AP Photo
Building a national team
That role has been different in some ways with the U.S.
Coaches are not around players as much, which brings “completely different dynamics.” That doesn’t just mean in how hands-on coaches can be on the field, but also in some of the relationships and politics that happen behind the scenes. Players who play require less handling. You show them where and how to improve, but their morale is up. With the rest of the squad there is a constant need to stay on top of players’ mentality and belief.“The challenge in the club is to sustain the motivation, the energy, the readiness of the guys that don’t play, and to deal with everything that comes along — the results or decisions or transfers or politics,” Pérez said. “That’s consuming. But in the national team, you select a player, and if a player doesn’t want to come, (they) stay out. So in general, you shouldn’t have problems of motivation in the camp.”
What Pochettino, Pérez and the rest of the staff have learned, though, is there are many uncontrollable variables with the national team. You never really know what players will be available. Since taking over the national team in October 2024, this staff has dealt with numerous long-term injuries to key players, including Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi, Sergiño Dest and Antonee Robinson. That has added to the already-difficult task of team-building.
“When we were discussing the job, you look at the list of the players you know, and you imagine the best version of everyone you know,” Pérez said. “And then (you have) every single situation, injuries or personal situations, and also every group has a past, so things don’t happen without reason. So, our duty was to go through one year knowing, assessing and digesting situations that came from the past, but trying to do (things) our way, with our circumstances. It was the real challenge.
“We want to win matches. We didn’t go to the U.S. to have an experience. We went there to increase our [experience], to play the World Cup. But we are there to win matches, to compete. The way to compete is maximizing resources, but we need to maximize the best group of players that they can be together.”
Jesús Pérez, right, addresses the USMNT during training in September 2025John Dorton / ISI Photos / USSF / Getty Images
That process hasn’t come without pain. The staff brought in numerous new faces and left out several regulars in a bid to increase competition and eliminate complacency. But the results that build belief in the process haven’t always been there. Pérez said there is still real conviction they have taken the right approach.
The staff seems to have unlocked something in their move to a hybrid back line that shifts from a three- to four-man look and utilizes wingbacks, a position of strength in the pool. They were also able to truly manufacture competition in a pool where it has often seemed obvious who the best players are.
“There are different ways to win matches, obviously we have our preference, but as Mauricio always says, we adapt to the players’ qualities and to the player’s state, and we are not a slave of one way or another,” Pérez said. “At the end of the day, the principles of the games are there. … But none of them are going to be right if you are not fully committed. Fully committed with no doubts. And that’s the basics. So before we talk (about) other things, we [must] feel that we have a group really committed. And if it was some noise around those circumstances, I think everything (is now) clear.”
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With time winding down toward the World Cup, and with yet another camp with numerous key figures missing, Pérez said the coaches are confident they’ve gone through the right process to find the players they trust. That was part of why they spent so much time calling in new faces and looking at options beyond the previous core.
“We know exactly the big group of players that we can rely on,” Pérez said. “Depending on the circumstances, now it’s a matter of state and injuries. But we know (for example), if we call Alex Freeman, what Alex can give us. When we gave him the opportunity, we saw the potential. And now (he is) just getting better for the national team, for his club. But if we need to call Nathan Harriel, that probably has played less with us, we know him very well (too).”
Each player — and there have been 71 called into camp since Pochettino took over — has added value in working toward the end goal, Pérez insisted.
“That’s the biggest asset of the group,” he said. “That we are going to feel bad and sorry for the guys that probably at the end, they can’t make it, but we will give (them) credit and value for what they did for us and for the group, because without them, we couldn’t have the final group.”
For Pérez, that part of the process is critical to team-building. And delegating credit in the name of group success – that’s just part of Pérez’s process.
Jack Pitt-Brooke contributed reporting to this story.
2026 World Cup ticket prices jump; FIFA targets knockout rounds, USMNT games, cohosts
Chris Tanouye / FIFA / Getty Images By Henry Bushnell Nov. 12, 2025
FIFA hiked ticket prices for dozens of 2026 World Cup games ahead of the second phase of sales, which began Wednesday. The initial prices, described last month by fan groups as “super high,” “astonishing” and “unacceptable,” were already multiple times higher than those at previous World Cups. But, sensing strong demand, FIFA raised the cost of many tickets to new record-setting heights — the first large-scale implementation of its “variable pricing” strategy. The price of a Category 1 ticket to the 2026 World Cup final, the most expensive non-hospitality ticket, jumped from $6,730 last month to over $7,000 this month, according to multiple fans who gained access to pricing data. The cost of upper-deck tickets to the final also rose, with most now priced at $5,055 (up from $4,210 last month) or $3,450 (up from $2,790). Prices for many group stage games in the United States stayed stagnant. But tickets for the games in Mexico and Canada, which generally sold quicker in last month’s “Visa Presale” phase, got more expensive across the board, with some prices rising by around 25%, according to screenshots and data seen by The Athletic.
And in the knockout rounds, prices for every single match jumped in at least one category. For the first semifinal at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, a Category 1 ticket now costs $3,295 (up from $2,780 at the start of the previous phase). A Category 2 ticket is $2,350 (up from $1,920) and a Category 3 ticket is $930 (up from $720).In most stadiums, according to color-coded maps embedded in FIFA’s ticketing portal, Category 1 encompasses the entire lower bowl and most or all of the second deck. Category 2 is predominantly the upper deck along the sidelines, while Category 3 is the upper deck above either goal. Category 4 tickets appear to be extremely scarce — confined to the upper portion of a few corner sections in the upper decks of stadiums. (Fans buy tickets by category, and FIFA assigns the exact section, row and seat closer to the start of the tournament.)
FIFA has not said how many tickets are available in each category. In fact, soccer’s global governing body has not communicated pricing details to the general public at all, as it did ahead of pastWorldCups. It has tightly guarded prices, and hasn’t made executives available for interviews. It even refused to reveal prices to fans who bought the “right to buy” tickets and clamored for the transparency they’d been promised.
But on Wednesday, the ticket portal opened to a random selection of fans in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. They’d entered FIFA’s second lottery, the “early ticket draw,” and won the opportunity to purchase tickets to World Cup games in their country during a so-called “domestic exclusivity period.”
After hours-long waits in digital queues, they saw and helped reveal prices. Among the other matches subject to price hikes were:
The World Cup opener at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca
Canada’s opener at BMO Field in Toronto
Games in Toronto, Vancouver, Mexico City, Monterrey and Guadalajara
The U.S. men’s national team’s second game, at Lumen Field in Seattle
The U.S. men’s national team’s third game, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.
Every game from the round of 16 onward
Prices for the U.S. opener at SoFi Stadium did not change — perhaps because those tickets did not sell as quick as others in the first sales phase. On Wednesday, they were still listed at:
Category 1: $2,735
Category 2: $1,940
Category 3: $1,120
Category 4: $560
But for the USMNT’s game in Seattle on June 19, they rose by 13% in Category 1, 16% in Category 2 and 22% in Category 3, to:
Category 1: $605
Category 2: $470
Category 3: $225
Category 4: $90
Prices also rose for the USMNT’s third game, to:
Category 1: $910 (up 13%)
Category 2: $750 (up 24%)
Category 3: $340 (up 21%)
Category 4: $140
A full list of updated prices — and, in parentheses, the percentage increase compared to initial Oct. 1 prices — is below.
Every 2026 World Cup ticket price (as of Nov. 12)
Most of the following list has been sourced from screenshots and screen recordings of FIFA’s ticketing portal, plus other individual prices sent by fans to The Athletic.
Some of the numbers — including the $7,875 price tag for a Category 1 ticket to the final — have not been independently confirmed with 100% certainty, but everything seen by The Athletic on Wednesday aligned with a full list compiled by a fan that circulated Tuesday in online communities. (The fan told The Athletic they wished to remain anonymous.)
Some of the prices also vary slightly by currency. On Wednesday, games in Mexico were only offered to fans in Mexico, and the prices they saw were therefore in Mexican pesos. Ditto for games in Canada and Canadian dollars. The Athletic, though, has chosen to publish the prices in U.S. dollars that FIFA is offering this week to fans in the U.S. and elsewhere — which are always rounded to “0”s or “5”s.
2026 World Cup Ticket Prices Group Stage
Mexico opener (CDMX)
$2,140 (+17%)
$1,550 (+20%)
$925 (+24%)
$370
Canada opener (TOR)
$1,970 (+13%)
$1,430 (+15%)
$845 (+18%)
$355
U.S. opener (LA)
$2,735
$1,940
$1,120
$560
Group stage (LA, SF, NYNJ)*
$620
$465-500
$215
$60-105
Group stage (TOR)*
$505-525
$390-405
$185-195
$60-75
Group stage (PHI, MIA, DAL)
$445
$335-385
$155
$60-75
Group stage (VAN)*
$440 (+7%)
$375 (+21%)
$155 (+11%)
$60-70
Group stage (BOS, ATL, HOU, KC, SEA, GDL)*
$405-415
$300-330
$140-160
$60-70
Group stage (MTY)
$390 (+13%)
$285-325
$135-145
$60
Canada Game 2 and 3 (VAN)
$540 (+14%)
$455 (+28%)
$195 (+18%)
$80
U.S. Game 2 (SEA)
$605 (+13%)
$470 (+16%)
$225 (+22%)
$90
U.S. Game 3 (LA)
$910 (+13%)
$750 (+24%)
$340 (+21%)
$140
Mexico Game 2 (GDL)
$525 (+18%)
$405 (+21%)
$195 (+26%)
$75
Mexico Game 3 (CDMX)
$630 (+18%)
$490 (+21%)
$230 (+24%)
$90
*Excluding games involving host nation
2026 World Cup Ticket Prices Knockout
Round of 32 – LA – June 28
$750 (+13%)
$575 (+15%)
$290 (+21%)
$185
Round of 32 – BOS- June 29
$470 (+7%)
$390 (+16%)
$180 (+13%)
$125
Round of 32 – MTY – June 29
$400 (+8%)
$305 (+9%)
$150 (+11%)
$105
Round of 32 – HOU – June 29
$440
$355 (+6%)
$160
$125
Round of 32 – NYNJ – June 30
$715 (+8%)
$580 (+16%)
$265 (+10%)
$185
Round of 32 – DAL – June 30
$480
$385 (+7%)
$175
$135
Round of 32 – CDMX – June 30
$515 (+17%)
$405 (+21%)
$200 (+25%)
$125
Round of 32 – ATL – July 1
$440
$360 (+7%)
$160
$125
Round of 32 – SF – July 1
$665
$525 (+5%)
$240
$185
Round of 32 – SEA – July 1
$470 (+7%)
$390 (+16%)
$180 (+13%)
$125
Round of 32 – TOR – July 2
$545 (+14%)
$415 (+15%)
210 (+20%)
$135
Round of 32 – LA – July 2
$665
$530 (+6%)
$240
$185
Round of 32 – VAN – July 2
$500 (+14%)
$430 (+28%)
190 (+19%)
$125
Round of 32 – MIA – July 3
$505 (+5%)
$405 (+13%)
$175
$135
Round of 32 – KC – July 3
$470 (+7%)
$385 (+15%)
$180 (+13%)
$125
Round of 32 – DAL – July 3
$515 (+7%)
$420 (+17%)
$195 (+11%)
$135
Round of 16 – PHI – July 4
$760 (+19%)
$560 (+15%)
$290 (+21%)
$185
Round of 16 – HOU – July 4
$620 (+5%)
$505 (+12%)
$220
$170
Round of 16 – NYNJ – July 5
$980 (+10%)
$785 (+16%)
$365 (+11%)
$260
Round of 16 – CDMX – July 5
$695 (+18%)
$540 (+20%)
$275 (+25%)
$170
Round of 16 – DAL – July 6
$640
$515 (+6%)
$240
$185
Round of 16 – SEA – July 6
$695 (+18%)
$565 (+26%)
$270 (+23%)
$170
Round of 16 – ATL – July 7
$665 (+13%)
$525 (+17%)
$245 (+11%)
$170
Round of 16 – VAN – July 7
$730 (+24%)
$595 (+32%)
$305 (+39%)
$170
Quarterfinal – BOS – July 9
$1,270 (+13%)
$890 (+16%)
$590 (+22%)
$275
Quarterfinal – LA – July 10
$1,775 (+5%)
$1,220 (+6%)
$800 (+10%)
$410
Quarterfinal – MIA – July 11
$1,375 (+13%)
$955 (+15%)
$635 (+21%)
$295
Quarterfinal – KC – July 11
$1,265 (+12%)
$940 (+23%)
$535 (+10%)
$275
Semifinal – DAL – July 14
$3,295 (+19%)
$2,350 (+22%)
$930 (+29%)
$455
Semifinal – ATL – July 15
$2,895 (+13%)
$2,185 (+23%)
$780 (+18%)
$420
Third place – MIA – July 18
$1,070 (+7%)
$825 (+15%)
$395 (+10%)
$165
Final – NYNJ – July 19
$7,875 (+24%)
$5,055 (+20%)
$3,450 (+24%)
$2,030
Most other tickets, at this stage, are still for matches between unknown teams. Most matchups and game locations will be determined on Dec. 5 at the World Cup draw and shortly thereafter when FIFA sets the schedule.
Soon after that, FIFA will open a third ticket lottery phase, and its variable pricing strategy will likely kick in again.
US Women face Portugal Brace Thur 7 pm, Sun 4 pm & NZ Wed 10/29 8 pm on TNT, HBO, Peacock
U.S. soccer legend Alex Morgan will have a full-circle moment this week. The 2012 Olympic gold medalist and two-time World Cup champion will be honored Pregame Thursday at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania – the same stadium where Morgan scored the first of her 123 international goals for Team USA back in 2010. The US will then honor GK Alyssa Naeher before Sunday’s game in Conn. Of course the huge news is US Forward Trinity Rodman who has been on a tear for Washington and was set to return to the Roster was injured last weekend with an MCL & will miss the US games. Mainstays Lindsey Heaps, Lily Yohannes, Caterina Macario & Alyssa Thompson should all be on hand along with some new faces as Hayes slowly looks to add more players to the player pool for the 2027 World Cup.
#2 Carmel Boys & #2 Carmel Girls Soccer Advance to Semi-States in Martinsville Sat
The Carmel Girls (18-2-1) used a 2-0 win over East Central after a 2 day rain delay to advance to Semi-states in Martinsville this Sat at 2:30 pm where they will face Center Grove (19-2) at 2:30 pm. The other bracket has #1 HSE playing Crownpoint up North in Chesterton. The winners will meet next weekend at the Mike in Indy for the State Finals. https://www.ihsaa.org/sports/girls/soccer/2025-26-tournament?round=sectionals On the boys side – (from CHS site) The IHSAA Regional Championship game saw the top two teams in the country, according to MaxPreps, the #2-ranked Greyhounds versus the #1-ranked Brownsburg Bulldogs battle to a 2-0 win by Carmel at Murray Stadium Sat. The Hounds got off to a quick start, scoring in the first ten minutes, when junior Mikey Kubek made a nice run down the wing and played the ball across to senior Curtis Droste, who slotted the ball into the back of the net to put them up 1-0. The score remained the same for the remainder of the first half. The score was 1-0 at halftime. The Greyhounds came out and struck about four minutes into the half, when Droste played a nice long ball into the channel and senior Troy Enslin chased and fought for the ball, ultimately finding the opportunity to hit a lovely shot to the far post, to make the score 2-0. The end-to-end action continued, with the final score being 2-0. Junior Gray Morgan recorded the shutout in goal. The win moves the team’s season record to 16-1-3. The Greyhounds return to action Saturday, October 25th 12 noon vs Bloomington South 17-1-3, in Martinsville. https://www.ihsaa.org/sports/boys/soccer/2025-26-tournament?round=sectionals
Champions League Returns Tues/Wed – El Classico Sun
Champions League is back with huge games Tues like Arsenal vs Athletico Madrid, PSV and American Sergino Dest vs Napoli, & Bayer Leverkusen with Reyna & Scally hosting the holders PSG. Wed gives us Juventus & Weston Mckennie traveling to Real Madrid, Folarin Balogun and Monaco host Tottenham, while Liverpool looks to change their losing ways on the road in Frankfurt all at 3 pm on Paramount plus. Barca missing tons of players for their visit to Real Madrid for El Classico Sun & Rashford making noise read that and more below.
MLS Playoffs Start – Messi wins Golden Ball
Lionel Messi scored a hat trick with an assist to help Inter Miami beat Nashville SC 5-2. He finishes with 29 goals and 19 assists to finish with 48 goal contributions in 2025 to finish with the Golden Ball for most goals and will be probably win the MVP. The playoffs start this week on Wed with Chicago hosting Orlando City @ 8:30 pm and Portland hosting Real Salt Lake & Diego Luna at 10:30 pm ET on Apple TV.
MLS Playoffs start Wed night with Wild Card Games then full scale Fri/Sat/Sun on Apple TV #2 Ranked Carmel Girls are headed to Semi-States in Martinsville after 2-0 win vs East CentralCongrats to #2 Ranked Carmel High Boys for winning the Regional Championship vs #1 Brownsburg
TV Game Schedule
Tues/Wed Oct 21-22 Champions League Tues, 10/21 – Champs League 12:45 pm Unimas, Para+ Barcelona vs Olympiakos 3 pm CBSSN, Para+ New Castle vs Benefica 3 pm Para+ Arsenal vs Atletico Madrid 3 pm Para+ PSV (Dest) vs Napoli 3 pm Para+ Leverkusen (Reyna, Scally) vs PSG 3 pm Para+, Prime Villareal vs Man City 3 pm Para+ Kobenhaven vs Dortmund Weds, 10/22 – Champs League 3 pm CBSSN, Para+ Bayern Munich vs Club Brugge 3 pm Para+, Prime Real Madrid vs Juventus (McKennie) 3 pm Para+ Monaco (Balogun) vs Tottenham 3 pm Para+ Chelsea vs Ajax 3 pm Para+ Frankfurt vs Liverpool 8:30 pm Apple TV Chicago Fire vs Orlando City Wild Card MLS 10:30 pm Apple TV Portland Timbers vs Real Salt Lake Wild Card Thurs, Oct 23 Europa League 12:45 pm Para+, Prime Eagles vs Aston Villa 12:45 pm Para+ Brann vs Rangers (Sands) 3 pm para+ Celtic (CVB) vs Sturm Graz 3 pm Para+ Nottingham Forest vs Porto 3 pm Para+ Crystal Palace (Richards) vs AEK Larnaca 7 pm TNT, Max USA Women vs Portugal Chester PA Fri, Oct 24 9 am FS2 Norway vs USA U17WC 3 pm USA Leeds United (Aaronson) vs West Ham 3 pm Para+ AC Milan vs Pisa Sat, Oct 25 7:30 am CBSSN Coventry City (Haji Wright) vs Watford 9 am FS2 Ivory Coast vs Spain (U17 WWC) 9:30 am ESPN+ MGladbach (Reyna, Scally) vs Wolfsburg 10 am USA New Castle vs Fulham (Jedi) 10 am Peacock Chelsea vs Brighton 10 am CBSSN Middlesborough vs Wrexham 12 noon Para+ Napoli vs Inter Milan 12:30 pm Man City vs Brighton NBC 12:30 pm ESPN+ Dortmund vs Koln 3 pm ESPN+ Valencia vs Villarreal 8 pm Univision Leon vs Pumas (Mex) 11 pm CBSSN Cruz Azul vs Monterrey Mex Sun, Oct 26 10 am USA Aston Villa vs Man City 10 am Peacock? Arsenal vs Crystal Palace (Richards) 10:30 am ESPN+ Leverkusen (Tilman) vs Freiberg 11:15 ESPN+ am Real Madrid vs Barcelona (Derby) 3:45 pm Para+ Lazio vs Juventus (McKennie) 4 pm TNT, Max USA Women vs Portugal Hartford CT Wed, Oct 29 8 pm TNT, Max USA Women vs New Zealand
Sat, Nov 15 5 pm TNT, Max USA Men vs Paraguay Chester PA Tues, Nov 18 7 pmTNT, Max USA Men vs Uruguay Tampa, FL
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Who’s in MLS Cup playoffs? MLS playoff bracket, schedule
Safid Deen, USA TODAY Sun, October 19, 2025 at 12:17 AM EDT·
MLS players gathered around each other, watching iPhones and stadium scoreboards, waiting for final whistles to blow on Decision Day, Oct. 18. Some were celebrating with pride. Others left the pitch disappointed as their seasons came to an end.The Philadelphia Union won the 2025 Supporters’ Shield. They’ve clinched home-pitch advantage in the 2025 MLS Cup playoffs. FC Cincinnati and Inter Miami each finished one point behind them in the standings. All three clubs finished with higher point totals than any of their counterparts in the West. The East well could host the West in the MLS Cup final on Dec. 6. Expansion side San Diego FC won the Western Conference ahead of Vancouver. They’ve secured the most points by any expansion club in MLS history. Watch MLS playoffs on Season Pass via Apple TV
Ever since his very first day as U.S. men’s national team head coach, Mauricio Pochettino has assured American players that his USMNT’s door is “open.” Nobody, not even Christian Pulisic, has a guaranteed place in the team, Pochettino has said. He reiterated that message this month, and argued that it has gotten through to his players.“Now, I promise you, no one is sure that [they are] going to be on the roster in the World Cup 2026,” Pochettino said last week.And so, he would probably dispute the very premise of a World Cup roster projection. He would certainly push back on the idea that any individual player is a “lock.”But, over the past two weeks, his World Cup squad has started to come into focus. He called many of his best available players into an October training camp, for last week’s 1-1 draw with Ecuador and Tuesday’s 2-1 win over Australia.Coming out of that camp, the following is a position-by-position breakdown of what the 2026 World Cup roster could look like, and our best guess for what it will look like.As always, “lock” status assumes sufficient health. And the depth chart will surely change over the coming months, depending on club form, injuries and performance in November friendlies against Paraguay and Uruguay.Players not mentioned below could also play their way into the picture. But for now, here is a look at things with roughly seven months to go until the World Cup squad is picked.
Matt Freese has continued to operate as Mauricio Pochettino’s No. 1 goalkeeper, starting both games of the October windowScott Coleman / Imagn Images
Goalkeepers
Locks: (None)
Confident: Matt Freese, Matt Turner
In consideration: Chris Brady, Roman Celentano, Diego Kochen, Patrick Schulte, Zack Steffen, Jonathan Klinsmann
TENORIO: It looks more and more like Freese, the NYCFC goalkeeper who got his first caps this summer, could be the starter for the U.S. at the World Cup. But this position, a historic area of strength for Americans, might be the most unstable in the whole squad. It’s a wide-open competition. Pochettino even name-dropped Kochen, the 19-year-old FC Barcelona B keeper, during Tuesday night’s press conference. Every American goalkeeper should feel they have a chance.
BUSHNELL: I think Turner and especially Freese are closer to locks than we realize. Even if they’re not starting, Freese is the penalty specialist, and Turner is the only goalkeeper in the pool with World Cup experience. Surely they’ll be in the squad, whether as the No. 1, 2 or 3. But I agree, in general, that the position is as open as any right now.
USMNT center backs Chris Richards (3) and Tim Ream (13) have been constants under Mauricio PochettinoOmar Vega / Getty Images
Center backs
Locks: Chris Richards, Tim Ream
Confident: (None)
In consideration: Cameron Carter-Vickers, Mark McKenzie, Miles Robinson, Walker Zimmerman
TENORIO: Ream and Richards have been constants for this U.S. team, but Pochettino seems unsettled on what he’ll do behind them — an issue that has become a bit more interesting considering the move toward a formation built around three center backs. Robinson has always felt like the most likely to emerge, and he got starts in October to back that up. Don’t sleep on Zimmerman as a player who the staff brings to do what he did against Iran in 2022 and at the Gold Cup this summer: Come in late to games where the U.S. is protecting a lead and win every header.
BUSHNELL: One interesting question here is whether Pochettino will take four or five center backs. Given the varied skill sets of the four “in consideration,” and the recent use of systems with three at the back, he’ll presumably lean toward five.
Sergiño Dest has rarely been fully fit over the last year, but he’s a first-choice starter when in campVincent Carchietta / Imagn Images
Fullbacks/wingbacks
Locks: Sergiño Dest, Antonee Robinson
Confident: (None)
In consideration: Max Arfsten, Alex Freeman, Joe Scally
TENORIO: Robinson was once considered one of the most irreplaceable players on the U.S. squad because of the distance between him and the next man on the depth chart. There is real concern around a knee injury that kept him out of the Gold Cup this summer and also out of the friendlies in October. Dest, too, has not featured much under Pochettino due to injury.
If healthy, those two players are going to be at the World Cup, but there is a lot more intrigue now behind them. Tim Weah played as a wingback on both the left and right side in October, so he should be considered a part of this equation. Arfsten and Freeman won Pochettino’s trust during the Gold Cup. Scally very much looks the odd man out despite his flexibility to play as both a right-sided center back and a right back.
BUSHNELL: Based on soccer alone, Scally belongs in the 26. He’s already started over 100 games at a level that Freeman and Arfsten have never really touched. As promising as Freeman is, he looked a bit out of his depth in the Gold Cup final; I think it’s sometimes easy (for us, and maybe even for coaches) to forget that the games these players could be thrown into next June are a world apart from what they experience weekly in MLS.
But Scally is clearly out of favor with the national team right now, and it’s unclear if or when he’ll get an opportunity to earn his way back in.
Tyler Adams brings leadership and tenacity to the U.S. midfieldVincent Carchietta / Imagn Images
Central midfielders
Locks: Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie
Confident: Tanner Tessmann
In consideration: Sebastian Berhalter, Johnny Cardoso, Aidan Morris, Yunus Musah, Cristian Roldan
TENORIO: Adams and McKennie have been two of the program’s most important players over the past six years, and we expect that to continue next year into the World Cup. The battle behind them has been interesting. Tessmann had a bumpy March window, but has performed well at Lyon and proved his worth in October. Roldan was a late addition in September, but Pochettino has done nothing but praise the Seattle Sounders veteran since he got back into the picture.
What will Pochettino look for in the depth chart at this position? If Musah plays consistently at Atalanta, his upside and versatility outranks others in the pool. But Pochettino left him out completely this fall after Musah skipped the Gold Cup this summer. The door is definitely open for someone like Morris or Berhalter.
BUSHNELL: The wild card is Johnny. To many in the U.S., he’s such an enigma. On paper, a 24-year-old who just went to Atlético Madrid for around $35 million, and almost immediately went into the Atleti starting lineup, should be a lock. But whenever he’s played for the national team, he’s been somewhere between underwhelming and calamitous. He has also struggled with injuries. He’s currently working his way back from an ankle ailment. Unless he makes an impression in November or March, it’s tough to see him getting into the World Cup squad — in part because Tessmann has seemingly rendered him unnecessary.
USMNT’s Christian Pulisic surges down the sideline in a draw vs. EcuadorScott Coleman / Imagn Images
Attacking midfielders/wingers
Locks: Christian Pulisic, Malik Tillman, Tim Weah
Confident: Diego Luna
In consideration: Brenden Aaronson, Luca de la Torre, Jack McGlynn, Gio Reyna, Alejandro Zendejas
TENORIO: This is maybe the hardest part of the depth chart to predict beyond the three locks. Pochettino loves what Luna brings to the team in terms of his fight, but at the World Cup he’ll need quality that can change games. Are there clear answers behind this trio and McKennie? While goalkeeper and center back may be higher-profile position battles, the spots on the bench at this position could end up having a bigger impact — and I don’t feel confident at all in predicting what exactly Pochettino is thinking behind the big names.
BUSHNELL: I feel confident predicting that De la Torre and McGlynn won’t be in the 26. But between Luna, Aaronson and Zendejas, it’s tricky — and will probably depend on how Pochettino views them as situational players. For example, Aaronson can be useful as a defensive winger when leading late in a game.
Reyna, meanwhile, is a complete wild card. He’ll need to get multiple months of consistent minutes, and performances, at Borussia Mönchengladbach to have any hope.
USMNT striker Folarin Balogun has looked like the most effective option up topOmar Vega / Getty Images
Strikers
Locks: Folarin Balogun
Confident: (None)
In consideration: Patrick Agyemang, Ricardo Pepi, Josh Sargent, Brian White, Haji Wright
BUSHNELL: Balogun needed only two full games under Pochettino to establish himself as the seemingly unquestioned starter. Then, on Tuesday night, Wright needed only one full game to pose a new question: Might the USMNT suddenly have two decent options up top?
There could even be three if and when Pepi returns to form and full fitness.
At the moment, those are almost certainly Pochettino’s top three. Sargent underwhelmed in March and September and hasn’t scored for the national team in six years. Agyemang is physically useful but technically raw. Others don’t meet the international standard.
If Pochettino opts to take four strikers to the World Cup — something the expansion of rosters to 26 allows for — Agyemang might actually be a better bet for the fourth spot than Sargent, even if Sargent outscores him by a wide margin in the English Championship. For all his limitations, he offers a physical presence that no other striker in the U.S. pool does.
TENORIO: It’s definitely been frustrating that Sargent hasn’t been able to translate his club form over to country, but Balogun’s strong play and Wright’s goals in October at least provide a dose of confidence around this position. We haven’t seen Pepi since November 2024. He’s going to have to get back into form and eventually get back into a U.S. camp in order to secure a spot at the World Cup.
Our 26-man World Cup roster projection (as of Oct. 2025)
GOALKEEPERS (3): Matt Freese, Patrick Schulte, Matt Turner
CENTER BACKS (5): Tim Ream, Chris Richards, Mark McKenzie, Miles Robinson, Walker Zimmerman
FULLBACKS/WINGBACKS (4): Max Arfsten, Sergiño Dest, Alex Freeman, Antonee Robinson
Welcome to the latest edition of Inside Real Madrid, our weekly series to follow throughout La Liga’s 2025-26 season.
Every week, we will bring you key information and analysis on the biggest talking points, cutting through the noisy world of all things Madridista with reporting you can trust.
What’s the biggest talking point at Real Madrid right now?
Xabi Alonso’s team are two points clear at the top of La Liga after Sunday night’s 1-0 win at Getafe — secured thanks to another goal from Kylian Mbappe, his 15th from 11 games in all competitions this term.
Second-placed Barcelona are Madrid’s next opponents on the domestic front (Hansi Flick’s team won 2-1 at home to Girona on Saturday), and Juventus also visit the Santiago Bernabeu in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Alonso has not repeated a single starting XI so far this season, favouring a policy of rotation that marks a significant break from what senior players such as Vinicius Junior have been used to.
With Jude Bellingham now fully recovered following his shoulder surgery, and each of Rodrygo, Mbappe, Franco Mastantuono and Vinicius Jr all fit for the first time this term, it is unclear who the Basque coach will favour for the big game.
But it can be considered a good sign of the team’s strength in depth that Arda Guler and Vinicius Jr both made a positive impact against Getafe from the bench, with Guler again combining with Mbappe for the Frenchman’s goal.
No official date has been set for that yet, but it is likely to happen in November. Before then, we might see some key developments around Endrick, however…
That piece was informed by several sources close to Endrick, and those same sources told The Athletic’s Mario Cortegana on Sunday night that, despite his lack of playing time, he is still very reluctant to leave.
Endrick and Vinicius Jr on the bench on SundayDiego Souto/Getty Images
Their own view, however, was that Endrick should consider making a loan move in January because Alonso’s selection choices so far did not leave them with much hope of his situation substantially changing. They said clubs were already making concrete moves to sign him on loan.
How important is this next run of games for Alonso?
Madrid sources — speaking anonymously as they did not have permission to comment, like several others The Athletic approached for this article — consider this coming week as crucial for the season and for Alonso’s project at the club.
El Clasico is always important, and not just because of the history of that rivalry, or that matches between Madrid and Barca often tend to settle the league winner. This coming edition is even more crucial given the context of the criticism Alonso’s team faced after losing to Atletico — and to Paris Saint-Germain (4-0) at the Club World Cup.
Alonso and Madrid faced criticism after the Atletico defeatMaria Gracia Jimenez/Soccrates/Getty Images
After the defeat by Diego Simeone’s side, a narrative developed that this Madrid team perhaps suffers from a lack of leadership now, especially as they are transitioning away from the days of Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and others who helped inspire so much success.
A big performance in their biggest game of the season so far could help respond to this, while giving younger elements of the team the confidence to grow further into their new roles.
How is the squad looking for El Clasico?
Alonso has plenty of tough choices to make selection-wise — one of those good problems to have — but there were a couple of injury scares at Getafe on Sunday night.
Thibaut Courtois took a knock to his right knee, where he underwent arthroscopic surgery a year ago (he also suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in August 2023). However, according to sources at the club and his camp, it does not appear to be serious and he is expected to be fit to play against Juventus on Wednesday.
Similarly, David Alaba started for the second time this season as he continued his path towards becoming a regular again for Madrid, following a recent history of serious injury problems.
Alaba played 153 minutes as a starter for Austria over the international break, but he was substituted at half-time on Sunday with some discomfort in his right calf, a muscle overload. He is expected to undergo tests to assess the extent of the injury.
Alaba during Sunday’s game at GetafeJose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Dani Ceballos is expected to rejoin the squad this week after suffering a bruise to his left hamstring, which caused a hematoma. This complicated his recovery as the bruise was close to his sciatic nerve, and Madrid’s medics are keen to proceed carefully. His case will be assessed day by day, but on Monday, sources were not optimistic he would be back in time to face Juve.
There have been rumours that Dean Huijsen will not be available against Barcelona (he suffered hamstring discomfort during the international break), but various sources close to his recovery process remain optimistic that he can make it back.
There is also optimism surrounding Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dani Carvajal, both of whom are in the final stages of recovering from thigh muscle injuries. That said, it remains to be seen whether Alonso will risk playing either in El Clasico, given neither has played a match since September.
Ferland Mendy has a more complicated path to recovery. He is already training with the group but still has work to do before he can return to the starting XI after six months out with injury. Rudiger, meanwhile, is not expected to be back until after the international break in November.
How Man United’s Rashford revitalized career at Barcelona
Sam Marsden Moises Llorens ESPN
Oct 20, 2025, 04:11 AM ET
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick has followed Marcus Rashford‘s career closely, dating way back to his emergence as a teenager at Manchester United. When the chance to sign the England forward on loan was put on the table this past summer, Flick’s message to sporting director Deco was a simple one: “I told him we have to do it. Marcus is an outstanding player, exactly what we needed.”The plan was to ease Rashford in slowly, let him settle into life in a new country and slowly learn the mechanisms of what the Barça coach wants from him, but a series of injuries across the attacking positions have instead thrust him into a major role for the Spanish champions.With 11 games played in all competitions, Rashford is one of just four players to have featured in every match — the other three are Pedri, Eric García and Jules Koundé. With three goals and four assists, he leads Barça in goal contributions heading into the team’s biggest week of the season so far.Barça welcome Olympiacos in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, needing a win to bounce back from defeat to Paris Saint-Germain last time out; Rashford will then get his first taste of El Clásico when Barça travel to Real Madrid next Sunday two points adrift of the early LaLiga leaders.ESPN spoke to people connected to Barça’s first team and Rashford ahead of those two huge games about how his move to Catalonia has seemingly, for now at least, reinvigorated his career.
Barça have scouting reports on Rashford dating back years, but sources say the foundations for his loan move from United were laid around a year ago. It was then that talks between the club and the player’s agent, his brother, Dwaine Maynard, first progressed.Those negotiations were regarding a January deal, but with Barça fighting to confirm Dani Olmo‘s registration at the time, finances did not allow for any other additions. Rashford eventually joined Aston Villa on a loan deal after being frozen out by the new United coach Ruben Amorim.Barça’s interest remained, sources add, but by the summer there were other options. Deco was keen to sign Liverpool‘s Luis Díaz, who eventually joined Bayern Munich, while Athletic Club‘s Nico Williams was also a target before he extended his contract in Bilbao.
Sources detail two key reasons behind Barça turning their attention back to Rashford. Firstly, despite commanding a massive salary — even while taking a 15% cut on his sizeable United paycheck — it was the most financially viable option. Secondly, Flick pushed hard for the club to do the deal.
That did not make it easy. And it took many hands to get the signing done. Spanish agents Arturo Canales and Fernando Solanas were drafted in as intermediaries, while a law firm who, curiously, do a lot of work for United’s rivals Manchester City, were also hired to help iron out the final details of the various agreements.
Nicol: Rashford needs to take more responsibility
Steve Nicol and Craig Burley react to Marcus Rashford’s comments about his time at Manchester United.
Rashford had been waiting patiently. Sources say club officials were impressed with how steadfast he was in his desire to play for Barça, alluding to club legend Johan Cruyff’s famous comment: “If you have second thoughts on playing for Barcelona, you are no longer of service to us.”
Those same sources say Rashford was certainly not in that bracket. They acknowledged a move to Barça after his ups and downs at United may represent a move some felt he didn’t deserve, but claimed it would have been less stressful and more financially rewarding for him to pursue other opportunities.They viewed an interview he did with xBuyer, a YouTube channel well-known in Spain but not in English language markets, as a modern day come-and-get-me plea as he spoke about a desire to play for Barça and offered praise for teenage sensation Lamine Yamal.Eventually, with Flick wanting the deal done as early as possible in preseason, Canales and Solanas offering a hand and United accepting a loan deal with a €30 million option to make the move permanent, Rashford became the first Englishman since Gary Lineker to sign for the Barça men’s first team.
Rashford hits the ground running
Rashford is enjoying his first months in Spain. He has taken up residence in an urbanization in the mountains, just north of the seaside town of Castelldefels but technically belonging to Gavà. In 10 minutes, he can be down on the beach, while he has been spotted regularly playing pàdel with friends and even fishing.But it’s 20 minutes up the C-32 motorway where he’s happiest, at Barça’s Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper training base. Sources say teammates were surprised by his humility and timidness at first, given his standing in the game, but he has quickly found his place inside the dressing room.He is learning Spanish, but it is not as essential to a quick acclimatization as it would have been at Barça a decade ago. There are now many English speakers in the squad — including Robert Lewandowski, Frenkie de Jong and Andreas Christensen — and Flick and his predomnantly German coaching staff offer instructions in English.
Sources say Rashford, who turns 28 next week and should be in the peak years of his career, has been able to gel with veterans Lewandowski and Wojciech Szczesny at the same time as relating with the pack of young players, led by Yamal, quickly picking up some of the local lingo to avoid being left out of the banter.He told newspaper Diario Sport one of the first words he learned was chuche, meaning sweet or candy. “Soy tu papa, chuche,” — “I’m your daddy, sweetie” — is one of Yamal’s favorite friendly taunts after humiliating teammates on the training ground with Spain and Barça.”Rashford is a spectacular player,” defender Ronald Araújo told ESPN. “He’s happy. We’ve spoken before about that, the confidence, the happiness [players need] and he’s happy here in Barcelona.”The team took to him really quickly when he arrived. You can see that on the pitch. He has quality, skills, he’s quick, so explosive … he gives us a lot. We’re happy he’s here with us.”
Injuries have accelerated the showcasing of those attributes. With Yamal, Raphinha, Lewandowski, Ferran Torres, Fermín López and Olmo all missing stretches of the campaign so far, Rashford, initially expected to be a backup player, has been Barça’s only ever-present forward in their 11 games this season.
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Primarily playing on the left, where he says he prefers to play, he has also featured through the middle, where some sources speculate his long-term future at the club could be if he wants to stay beyond this year — if not, he may find himself competing with Raphinha for a left-wing berth rather than a 37-year-old Lewandowski who is out of contract next summer.
Sources say Rashford was a little “lost” tactically at first, but that he is a quick learner. He has taken on board what Flick wants from him, benefiting from the coach’s direct and succinct instructions. Flick doesn’t like to confuse players with too much information; he wants Rashford to be direct and run at players. The England international is averaging 5.97 take-ons per 90 minutes this season, but the Barça boss would like to see that increase if possible — it is higher than Raphinha’s 3.61, but a long way short of the 13.22 Yamal averages per 90 on the other flank.
Rashford’s best night came in Newcastle, when he scored two stunning goals in the 2-1 Champions League win, but if there is one complaint it is that he could score more — the only other goal he scored was in this month’s 4-1 defeat to Sevilla.There have been other times when he has come close, denied by good saves or the woodwork, but it is an area where sources say Barça want to see an improvement. He smashed the bar with a free kick in last weekend’s 2-1 win against Girona; it was one of three free kicks he took in the Catalan derby and sources pointed out the significance in him being handed the responsibility of taking set plays so soon by the coaching staff and how it has been accepted by his peers.He has also taken more corners than any other Barça player this season — 37, ahead of Raphinha’s 13 in second — with Flick banking on his quality to set up goals. And he has created eight chances from dead-ball situations so far.Marcus Rashford hits the frame
However, Rashford’s quality with the ball is not where the work on the training ground has been centered. Flick called his Newcastle brace the “first step” and said that the next step would see him evolve off the ball.”Our style, how we want to play, is focused on high intensity and this is what I want to see also from him,” he said.Rashford has shown improvements in that sense when compared to last season. Across games with United and Villa in the Premier League, he was averaging 18.9 sprints per game, according to Stats Perform. This season, in the Spanish top flight, per LaLiga Football Intelligence, that figure has increased to 34.9. He is also covering over 630 meters at a speed north of 21km/h per 90 minutes, up from 122 meters in the Premier League last term.However, those numbers are still a long way short of Raphinha, who Flick considers the flagbearer for Barça’s pressing game, which is essential if the team’s high line is to avoid being picked off. This season the Brazilian is averaging 45.3 sprints per 90 and covering over 810 meters at a speed greater than 21km/h. Torres’ numbers are also slightly higher than Rashford’s, while Yamal’s are lower.
It is unfair to read too much into that just yet, though. Barça are struggling to match the pressing energy they had in Flick’s first season. Raphinha’s numbers were much higher — 59.4 sprints per game and 1.1km covered per 90 minutes at over 21km/h — while Torres and Yamal’s numbers are also significantly down.
Sources say the data paints a picture of a Barça team still striving to find its best level. With the change in personnel week after week due to injuries, it has made it hard to completely gauge Rashford’s fit in this side. The signs are promising, though. He looks dangerous with the ball, although he could add more goals, and has improved without it, even if there is still considered to be a long way to go.
“I think it’s been good, it’s been smooth,” Rashford told ESPN. “For sure in the future we will of course improve. I am looking forward to this. My focus is on the pitch, to match well with the team and to improve my individual performance.
“We have to show [intensity] going forward and continue to prove to the coach that we are a team that wants to win and wants to be successful. I want to win as much as possible, hopefully lift trophies with this club and add to the history that they already have.”
What’s next for Rashford? Could he stay beyond this summer?
Rashford’s Barça future will not be decided against Olympiacos or even against Madrid. It will be decided over the course of the season. It will be decided by how much he can offer in the spring when Barça hope to be competing for every major trophy. This past season, they won LaLiga, the Copa del Rey and Spanish Supercopa, falling only in the Champions League semifinal. There is only one way they can go better this time round.
From there, a decision will be made on Rashford. But, as is the case at Barça in most situations, it will not be straightforward. Firstly, because there will be a presidential election next year. Current president Joan Laporta is expected to run again and is the early favorite to remain in charge. However, he will face competition, and candidates often run on promises of big signings; Laporta himself might even make claims of new arrivals next summer.
If wannabe presidents are pledging to spend €100 million on Player X, where would that leave the €30 million needed to land Rashford given Barça’s delicate relationship with LaLiga’s financial fair play rules?
Some sources inside the club, though, are already sold on the fee, classifying €30 million needed to sign Rashford as a “no-brainer.” The reality is it will depend on performances, finances, elections and many other factors, such as what other options come up and who the coach and sporting director are — nothing is guaranteed in soccer. The only thing for certain is that if Barça don’t end up signing him, they will not have to pay United any fine, as Chelsea did with Jadon Sancho.
“There’s no penalty clause in the loan agreement if we don’t sign him,” Deco confirmed earlier this year. “We do have an option to make it permanent if we want to. It’s too early to talk about decisions for next season; what matters is that we’re happy with him.”
US Men tie Ecuador 1-1, Face Australia tonight 8:30 pm on TNT
The US Men put perhaps their best performance together under Pochitino against a solid Ecuador team in a 1-1 tie Friday night (highlights). Ecuador who stands 2nd to Argentina in South American WC qualifying has now gone 14 straight without a loss and has given up just 5 goals in the last 10 games. The US had plenty of chances to end that streak however as a free flowing attack had our Center forward Balogun with multiple chances on goal before equalizing in the 78th minute. Serie A player of the month Christian Pulisic didn’t come on until the last 20 minutes and looked lively in the attack as well. The US used their 3 back alignment with Richards in the center and Tim Ream on the left and Miles Robinson on the right to start. Richards was twisted badly on the Ecuador goal showing more work needs to be done in the back. I thought McKennie returned to form and Tanner Tessman showed he could play the 8 role if needed as he provided the assist to Balogun. All in all the 1-1 draw in a game that felt like it should have been 2-1 US – is a good result for this US team. However – and this is HUGE. Remember this was Ecuador’s B team – much like Japan – they sat a bunch of starters for this game. Not sure why we keep getting teams B team – but we do. We’ll see if Australia plays their A team coming off a 2-0 spanking of Canada in Montreal? But don’t get too excited on ole Poch just yet — we still haven’t beaten anyone decent’s A TEAM. When we do — I will give credit. Until then – this tie get a B-.
For Tonight – I am hoping Pulisic starts and we come on strong to start. I would like to see CCV start in the middle with Richards in his more natural right side and McKensie on the left if we go back 3 tonight. I also want Matt Turner in the net. If Balogun starts up front but gives way at half time — I see a goal early and a 2-1 win over the Aussies. I sure do hope they start their A team. Though I don’t think they will.
Goalkeepers(4): Chris Brady (Chicago Fire), Matt Freese (New York City FC), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew), Matt Turner (New England Revolution). Defenders(8): Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew), Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic), Alex Freeman (Orlando City), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati). Midfielders (8): Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders), James Sands (St. Pauli), Tanner Tessmann (Olympique Lyonnais), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen). Forwards(6): Patrick Agyemang (Derby County), Folarin Balogun (Monaco), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Tim Weah (Olympique Marseille), Haji Wright (Coventry City), Alex Zendejas (Club América).
Sad to see our U20 US Boys lose out to Morocco on Sunday afternoon (highlights)– watched the game in Spanish – so not 100% sure what was happening – but we had our chances to put some shots on goal — we just couldn’t score. Morocco on the other hand capitalized on their chances and took home the victory 3-1. But it was a 2-1 tight game for most of the match. U20 Semis continue with Morocco vs France (yes the France we destroyed 3-0) & Argentina vs Colombia Wed night on FS2.
High School Regionals Avon visits Carmel Girls 6:30 pm Thurs, Carmel Boys host Lawrence North Wed 6 pm
Indy 11 host Home Finale vs Loudon United 7 pm at the Mike
Indy Eleven’s late rally came up short in a 2-1 loss to Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC at Highmark Stadium Saturday night. Defender James Musa found the back of the net in the 88th minute, but the Boys in Blue were unable to complete the comeback in the final moments vs former Carmel High & Butler GK Eric Dick. The Boys in Blue have their final regular season home game with Fan Appreciation Night on Saturday, October 18 at 7 p.m. at Carroll Stadium vs. Loudoun United FC.
A Reminder Carmel FC is Looking for High School Players to fill out some teams – including my 2010 Boys Team. Come on out Thurs Oct 16 for Supplemental Tryouts.
Carmel Ladies Sectional Champs – Host Avon Thurs Night at Murray Stadium 6:30 pm
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FULL TV GAME SCHEDULE
Tues, Oct 14 12 noon Prime Norway vs New Zealand 2:45pm FS2 Latvia vs England WCQ 2:45pm Prime Spain vs Bulgaria WCQ 2:45pm Prime Portugal vs Hungary WCQ 8 pm ?? Canada vs Colombia 9 pm TNT, Max USA Men vs Australia 10:30 pm Prime Mexico vs Ecuador Weds, Oct 15 12:45 pm Para+ Lyon (US Captvs St Polten 3 pm ESPN+ Chelsea (Girma) vs Paris Womens UCL 4 pm FS2 Morocco vs France U20 WC Semis 6:15 pm ESPN+ Washington Spirit vs Monterrey Women Champs Cup 7 pm FS2 Argentina vs Colombia U20 WC Semis 8:15 pm ESPN+, Para+ Orlando Pride vs Pachuca WCC Fri, Oct 17 2:30 pm ESPN+ Union Berlin vs MGladbach (Reyna, Scally) 10 pm Prime Bay FC vs NC Courage NWSL 10 pm Prime Seattle Reign vs Utah Royals NWSL Sat, Oct 18 7:30 am Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea 9:30 am Mainz vs Bayer Leverkusen (Tilman) 10:15 am ESPN+ Barcelona vs Girona 10 am Peacock Crystal Palace (Richards) vs Bournmouth (Adams) 10 am USA Brighton vs New Castle 12:30 pm NBC Fulham vs Arsenal 12:30 pm ESPN+ Bayern Munich vs Dortmund 12:30 pm CBS Washington Spirit vs Orlando Pride NWSL 2:45 pm Para+ Roma vs Inter Milan 3 pm Peacock FIFA U20 WC 3rd Place Game 6 pm MLS Decision Day – games on Apple TV FREE 7 pm TV 23 Indy 11 vs Loundon 7:30 pm Ion, Prime Houston Dash vs KC Current (NWSL) 9 pm MLS Decision Day – games on Apple TV FREE Sun, Oct 19 6:30 am Como vs Juventus (McKennie) 9 am USA Tottenham vs Aston Villa 11:30 am USA Liverpool vs Man United 2:45 pm Para+ AC Milan (Pulisic) vs Fiorentina 3 pm FS2 FIFA U20 World Cup Final 3 pm ESPN+ Getafe vs Real Madrid 5 pm ESPN Angel City vs Portland Thorns (NWSL) Tues/Wed Oct 21-22 Champions League
Thurs, Oct 23 9 pm TNT, Max USA Women vs Portugal Chester PA Sun, Oct 26 4 pm TNT, Max USA Women vs Portugal Hartford CT Sat, Nov 15 5 pm TNT, Max USA Men vs Paraguay Chester PA Tues, Nov 18 7 pmTNT, Max USA Men vs Uruguay Tampa, FL
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Yanks Abroad
Malik Tillman faced off against fellow countrymen, Gio Reyna and Joe Scally, on Sunday as Leverkusen tied Monchengladbach 1-1. Tillman scored the goal, making that 2 goals in his first 3 Bundesliga matches. Good to see the trio linking up after their game as well.
Tanner Tessman scored a game-winner for Lyon in their 1-0 win over Angers on Friday.
USMNT star Christian Pulisic expected to play vs. Australia in key friendly
Christian Pulisic during a training session with the USMNT. Omar Vega / Getty Images
Oct. 13, 2025Updated 9:49 pm EDTCOMMERCE CITY, Colorado — U.S. star Christian Pulisic trained Monday with the national team and is available for selection for Tuesday’s friendly against Australia.Coach Mauricio Pochettino told the English-language TNT broadcast last week that Pulisic had some swelling in his ankle after training. Pulisic did not start in the 1-1 draw with Ecuador on Friday night in Austin, but subbed into the game in the 73rd minute for Tim Weah. The AC Milan attacker, who has six goals and two assists across all competitions for Milan this season, did not look limited in his outing against Ecuador.Pulisic, who was named the Serie A Player of the Month in September, was on the training field for the public portion Monday and, barring a setback, should be available for the Americans on Tuesday.“Christian participated in the training session, the reaction after 20 minutes of playing (on Friday) was good,” Pochettino said at Monday’s pregame news conference. “He reacted very well (and the) hope (is) that tomorrow he can be available. We have to wait today (to see) the reaction, too, but much better than when he arrived.”Stay in the know by selecting your interests on The Athletic:hile Pulisic could play a role against Australia, Pochettino ruled out left back Antonee Robinson. The Fulham defender was not at training during the public portion open to reporters. Robinson did not play against Ecuador because of the knee injury that forced him to have surgery this offseason.Robinson has played a limited role for Fulham early this season and said last week that coming into the camp, “there hasn’t really been a specific conversation about how many minutes I’m going to play this trip, if any.” Right now, it looks like it will be the latter, with Robinson getting a chance to be back around the group and the coaching staff, but not yet at the level to contribute on the field.
Antonee Robinson will not take part in Tuesday’s game, according to coach Mauricio PochettinoJohn Dorton / ISI Photos / USSF / Getty Images
“Antonee from (the) beginning of camp (had) some small issues in his knee, a little bit of pain,” Pochettino said. “We are managing him in the best way, but (he) still cannot be involved in training and for sure cannot be involved in the game. Hope that it’s not an important thing, but he’ll go back to his club in a normal way there (and hopefully will be) training and competing.”
Winger Alejandro Zendejas left camp and returned to Club America after the Ecuador game due to a knee injury.
Pochettino: ‘For sure, there are going to be changes’
The USMNT’s Monday training session took place in blustery, 50-degree conditions just outside Denver. Staffers wore puffy coats. Multiple players, including Pulisic and Weston McKennie, wore winter hats at the start of training.
“We need to pay attention that we change from Austin to Denver. The conditions are completely different,” Pochettino said shortly after training. “You saw, we suffered.”
“And also, some players are tired,” Pochettino continued. “Some players have some — I think [we need] not to take a risk.”
Considering those factors, Pochettino said that he’d make lineup changes for the game against Australia.
“It’s a good opportunity also to keep improving and showing, maybe, different approaches to the game,” he said. “For sure, there are going to be changes, and maybe change the shape.”
SMNT, Mauricio Pochettino have a (good) Weston McKennie dilemma
Weston McKennie can play a number of roles for USMNT John Dorton/ISI Photos/USSF
AUSTIN, Texas — Over nine years of professional soccer, Weston McKennie has played just about everywhere. He is, at heart, a midfielder; but he has been a right back and left back, a wingback and winger, a player who, in the words of former Juventus coach Thiago Motta, “can do everything.” Even in his natural habitat, the middle of the park, he has been a No 6, 8, 10, and every fractional number in between.His preferred role, though, revolves around a single word: “Freedom.”“I’m the type of player that likes to get forward, and have the freedom to move around, and the trust and belief from the coach to be able to do that, to make runs in behind,” McKennie said Friday after he and the U.S. men’s national team drew with Ecuador. “I like to be in the box. But I also like to defend and press.”He liked the role USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino gave him Friday. McKennie, back with the national team for the first time since March, started as a central attacking midfielder, a position sometimes reserved for a clever playmaker. But he and Pochettino put their own spin on it.Without the ball, he helped lead the U.S. press, in a 4-4-2 defensive shape.
With the ball, he started in the right pocket, between Ecuador’s lines, with Malik Tillman in a similar position to the left, as the central two of the “4” in a 3-2-4-1 (sometimes described as a 3-2-5).
From that starting spot, though, McKennie ran or floated into just about every zone in the attacking half. He read the game well, and sometimes stayed in the pocket, either to give the U.S. structure in possession or to link an attack. On other occasions, he broke into a sprint, either diagonally across the field or more vertically, stretching the Ecuador defense.
In the 37th minute, for example, he drifted toward the ball, then saw Ecuadorian right back Alan Franco getting too attached to Malik Tillman, and darted into the space Franco had vacated.
In his preferred free role, this is one of McKennie’s greatest strengths. He has both the speed to make these runs and the smarts to know when and where they’re appropriate.He has, in Pochettino’s words, “the capacity, from a higher position, to interpret and to read the demands of the game”.He’s also unpredictable. He can stretch an opponent spatially but also mentally, and discombobulate a defense. He does this in a proactive and relentless way that other U.S. attacking midfielders, such as Tillman, don’t.Pochettino’s problem is that McKennie is not a traditional attacking midfielder. When he gets on the ball in these dangerous areas, he’s not a creative technician like Tillman and Christian Pulisic (and Gio Reyna).And to get both Tillman and Pulisic on the field along with Tim Weah, Pochettino would probably have to either take McKennie off or rein him in.Pulisic, of course, will be on the field when healthy. Weah (or another right wingback) will probably be too. And Tillman has gradually risen into similar territory, in part because he does things on the ball that McKennie does far less often.When McKennie gets the ball in tight spaces at the edge of the penalty box, he’s sometimes indecisive; he’s OK, but doesn’t turn and unlock a defense frequently enough.
That’s why he’s better as more of a “free 8”, starting from a slightly deeper position and running into dangerous areas, rather than receiving the ball in dangerous areas on the half-turn. This is what he was for the U.S. at the 2022 World Cup, when he bossed England with his running and ball-carrying. Four days later, against Iran, he picked up his head 40 yards from goal, and clipped a lofted diagonal pass to Sergiño Dest, who nodded it to Pulisic for the game’s lone goal.
In other words, he also has “the capacity to help in the buildup, dropping, but also arriving and scoring goals,” Pochettino said Friday.He used to do all of that for the U.S. in a 4-3-3 — and he could do it because he had two other athletic midfielders, Yunus Musah and Tyler Adams, supporting him. The main deficiency of the “MMA” midfield, though, was its lack of a playmaking No. 10 — its lack of a Malik Tillman.And so, the dilemma: If McKennie is high, in place of Tillman, next to Pulisic, is there enough creativity? Enough service for Folarin Balogun? A player who can combine with Balogun like Tillman did in the 8th minute on Friday and later on?On the other hand, if Tillman is in and McKennie is deeper, presumably next to Adams, does McKennie have the necessary freedom?“What I want to provide him is the freedom,” Pochettino said Friday. “He’s a player that needs freedom.”If he and Tillman and Pulisic have it though, Adams would be vulnerable or limited — and the USMNT’s balance, between attacking freedom and defensive rigidity, would be off.Adams can cover a ton of ground from his defensive midfield position, but he can’t be everywhere. He’d also have to restrain himself and suppress one of his elite skills, his ability to charge at opposing midfielders and win the ball high up the field — the type of thing he does regularly at Bournemouth because he plays within a structure, with another defensive midfielder next to him.The other alternative, of course, would be not to start McKennie. But McKennie is one of the USMNT’s three most accomplished players. He has experience on big stages and a track record of rising to big occasions. He is valuable in both penalty areas on set pieces. He has slimmed down and seemingly won back his place at Juventus. Surely, he is part of the national team’s best 11.So, there is no simple answer.There are multiple good answers, but no easy one.“It makes it hard for the coach to make a decision about who’s going to play in that role,” McKennie said of Pochettino’s many options in the advanced position.“Also, you can look at it as an advantage, because depending on what team you play, you have different players with attributes that can add something different to the game. And even if you start with some players, and other players come into the game, it adds something different. So, I think it’s a good problem to have.”
Mauricio Pochettino preached calm amid USMNT negativity. His team just proved him right
Mauricio Pochettino during the USMNT’s 1-1 draw with Ecuador (Daniel Jefferson / USSF / Getty Images)
AUSTIN, Texas — There were no beaming smiles, nor sunken shoulders, just an air of professionalism and calm.One by one, U.S. men’s national team players strode through a tunnel to a loading dock here at Q2 Stadium on Friday night, and within them, but also around them, there was neither jubilation nor unrest.They had just played perhaps their best game of the Mauricio Pochettino era, in a 1-1 draw with Ecuador, but as they walked across a glistening green pitch, then stepped up into their team bus, their demeanor wasn’t all that different from it was a month ago after a 2-0 loss to South Korea.When a few spoke to reporters, they were even-keeled, analytical and, in many ways, exactly what Pochettino wanted.A month ago, they were at the center of a storm. They were a disjointed mess in their first of two September matches. They were surrounded by negativity as they kicked off their World Cup year, as they decompressed on a late-night flight from New Jersey to Columbus. They were, by one metric, the worst USMNT of the 21st century.But a couple days later, when Pochettino stepped to a podium and sat before a microphone, he preached positivity. He struck a defiant tone, poked at “bulls***” criticism, and insisted: “We have a plan. We know what we are doing. … We have no worries about anything.”More important, though, were his private words to his players.“The coach told us to keep calm,” striker Folarin Balogun told The Athletic on Friday, recalling the message last month.
Folarin Balogun cut a composed figure in attack for the U.S.Aric Becker / ISI Photos / USSF / Getty Images
“He has a strong identity in the way he wants us to go about things,” Balogun said of Pochettino. “When you’re a top European coach, you’re not gonna panic from losing one game. His calmness definitely comes into the team.”nd a month later, the team proved him right.They didn’t prove that they’re a team to be feared. They didn’t prove that, suddenly, all is well. They still have shortcomings. They are still reconstructing themselves. Months ago, “we started to destroy the things that we need to destroy,” Pochettino said Thursday, “and started to build the house from the ground up.” Now and for the foreseeable future, they are still building.But that, precisely, was Pochettino’s point all along.When they flopped against Switzerland in June, the house hardly had a foundation. When they struggled during the Concacaf Gold Cup or when they lost to Korea, they were still in a relatively early phase of the rebuild.What matters, he essentially said last month and Tuesday, is the finished product next June. “The most important thing is to arrive (at the World Cup) in a very good condition and win the first game, the second game,” and so on, he said.These friendlies against Korea, Japan, Ecuador, Australia? Yes, he wanted to win, but: “It’s important to use these games like a training session.”So he resisted, and perhaps even ridiculed the negativity. “Sometimes people want to talk only to analyze the result, and want to be negative. And I think it’s a little bit of a shame. We need to be positive,” Pochettino said last month.He was positive, relentlessly positive, to counterbalance the criticism that he knew would come from elsewhere. And now, after a 2-0 win over Japan and a 1-1 draw with Ecuador, he is being vindicated.But not because his team is brilliant. No, the best part about those two games is that no one involved feels vindicated. In news conferences and mixed zones, there were no “I told you so”s, only realism.
Friday’s performance, by many objective measures, was a very good one, but to defender Chris Richards, it was a “solid performance. … There were positives and negatives.”“It was a pretty good match,” midfielder Tanner Tessmann said.When defender Tim Ream was asked whether Friday’s game showed that Pochettino’s ideas were taking hold, he said, “um, yeah, I think so,” but not adamantly.“Listen, it was always going to take a little bit of time for their ideas to really take hold with the entire group,” Ream said. But he agreed it was happening. “You saw the energy that we played with,” he continued. “That’s something that has been — something that they’ve really preached. And now I think everybody really is starting to understand and grasp that mantra of playing with intensity and being aggressive with and without the ball.
Tim Ream believes the U.S. has progressed under Pochettino.John Dorton / ISI Photos / USSF / Getty Images
“Guys have been trying to play with that energy, but I think it’s also marrying the tactical ideas and the strategy with playing with energy and the aggressiveness. And there’s a balance to it. There’s a line you have to get up to, and you have to touch, without crossing, while also understanding the different tactical nuances that (the coaches) want, with building in a three(-man base), or sometimes a midfielder drops out — it’s just all these different ideas that they have.“And it takes time to understand them if you’re not used to doing those types of things. But I think now we’re seeing that those two things are starting to come together.”Starting to. They have not yet fully come together. Just as Ream insisted after the South Korea loss that the USMNT was making progress, he spoke in similar terms and tense Friday. He just didn’t have to craft a compelling argument around that opinion, because the progress was clear for all to see. The performance spoke for itself.And so, with 180 reasonably strong minutes, the Americans have weathered the negativity. Sure, there is still some apathy, and the general boredom of a World Cup cycle without qualifiers, but there were also “U-S-A” chants and positive vibes Friday night. The so-called noise has petered out.Tessmann summed up the turnaround. His last USMNT camp had been in March. When asked about the freakout that stemmed from Concacaf Nations League losses that month to Panama and Canada, though, he assured us: “To be honest, I don’t hear any of the noise.”“Y’all talk amongst yourselves,” he added. “And y’all do y’all’s job. And I do my job. So, nothing changes for me. I don’t know what the noise was at any of the camps. All I heard was the noise tonight when we scored.”
USMNT effectively embraces its new tactical identity under Pochettino
Malik Tillman goes on the attack for USMNT vs Ecuador Omar Vega / Getty Images
AUSTIN, Texas — For the first 23 minutes of Friday’s 1-1 draw with Ecuador, the U.S. pushed forward and created one chance after another. In the sixth minute, Folarin Balogun took off on a fantastic individual run after winning the ball back near midfield and earned a corner. Two minutes later, Balogun and Malik Tillman played a combination that sprung Balogun in behind for another chance. Four minutes after that, Balogun and Tillman again combined to put Ecuador under pressure and earn another corner. In the 17th minute, Tim Weah’s movement up the right side and attempted link-up with Tanner Tessmann earned another corner, and in the 21st minute Balogun’s curling shot dipped just over the bar.It felt almost unfair that Enner Valencia’s brilliant run, touch and finish gave Ecuador a 1-0 lead in the 23rd minute. The U.S. was looking strong and confident. It was creating chances. It felt like a team with real chemistry and ideas. Almost exactly one year since Mauricio Pochettino managed his first U.S. match, things have felt mostly disjointed and unstable — both on the field and off. Some of that has been purposeful. Pochettino wanted a healthy level of uncertainty. It was needed to create competition. But the on-field chemistry, or lack thereof, has been a real concern. It’s why there is a level of relief that, for the second straight match against a quality opponent, the U.S. looked like a team that is embracing a tactical identity — one that is built around flexibility and freedom but also leans into the team’s attacking strengths. Balogun’s 73rd-minute goal was a deserved finish that gave the U.S. a well-earned positive result. Truthfully, the U.S. probably deserved more from the game. But beyond the draw, it was the team’s continued evolution in a fluid setup, one built around wingers/wingbacks and dual attacking midfielders, that created the most cause for optimism.
Whether in the 3-4-2-1 utilized against Japan or in Friday night’s hybrid 4-2-3-1/3-2-5, it feels like something is being unlocked in this group. The players feel it, too. “We’re starting to build very positive results with that formation,” Weah said. Center back Chris Richards agreed. “I think the system really suits our style,” he said. It is, center back Tim Ream said, the natural evolution of this team under a new coach.
Folarin Balogun spearheaded the USMNT’s attack vs. Ecuador, displaying his full arsenal and eventually getting the Americans’ goalScott Coleman / Imagn Images
“It was always going to take a little bit of time for their ideas to really take hold with the entire group,” Ream said. “It’s marrying the tactical ideas and strategy with playing with energy and aggressiveness. There’s a balance to it. There’s a line that you have to get up to, and you have to touch without crossing it, while also understanding the different tactical nuances that they want. With the building in a three or sometimes the midfielder drops out – it’s just all these different ideas that they have, and it takes time to understand them, if you’re not used to doing those types of things. But I think now we’re seeing that those two things are starting to come together.”
There are obvious payoffs to the approach. Two of the most dangerous attacking threats in the U.S. pool are outside backs: Antonee Robinson and Sergiño Dest. When those two aren’t on the field — as they weren’t Friday — the players behind them on the depth chart also thrive pushing forward, whether it’s Max Arfsten, Weah or Alex Freeman. The formation also encourages players like Balogun, Christian Pulisic, Tillman and Weston McKennie to play with more license to read the game and create. “The manager gives us that freedom to just do what we want up there,” Balogun said. “And that shows in the way we play. Everything’s kind of just freestyle, but we’re good enough players to figure it out, and he believes in us. So that’s what we kind of just tried to focus on: attacking, free-flowing football and obviously trying to score and create chances.”But with the positives, there are also tradeoffs and drawbacks.The U.S., as Weah pointed out after the game on Friday night, has long been a team that thrives in transition attacking. That was true, too, in the last World Cup cycle. But the 2022 World Cup team was built around the midfield trio of McKennie, Yunus Musah and Tyler Adams. That isn’t gospel this time around, necessarily, but this formation changes the dynamic of the midfield.
Mauricio Pochettino surveys the field during the USMNT’s 1-1 draw vs. EcuadorScott Coleman / Imagn Images
Playing with three center backs will mean taking a midfielder off the field. And it means with everyone healthy, Pochettino will have some tough decisions to make. Does he play with Tillman and Pulisic together in the attack with Balogun? If so, does McKennie drop into a deeper midfield role next to Adams? Or does Adams need to be paired with another deeper-lying midfielder, like Tessmann, Aidan Morris, Johnny Cardoso or another of the defensive midfielders that has been in one camp or another? If Dest and Robinson are both healthy, does Weah move to the bench?It’s been one of the hold-ups around a formation that otherwise fits this U.S. group: Playing this way might mean two of your best attacking players come off the bench. Those types of difficult tactical decisions aren’t necessarily a bad thing for the U.S. (And, as Pochettino has learned over the last year, it’s exceedingly rare when every single player is healthy and available.)“It makes it hard for the coach to make a decision about who’s going to play in that role,” McKennie said. “You can look at it as an advantage, because depending on what team you play, you have different players with attributes that can add something different to the game. And even if you start with some players up top, other players (who) come into the game (can) add something different. So I think it’s a good problem to have.”
Pochettino said earlier this week that the games are — of course — important. “We need to play and we need to perform and we need to win,” he said. “Because that is going to give us the credibility in our work.”Friday’s result did that. But the more important part of this camp — and of the November and March gatherings that follow — “is not really the games,” Pochettino noted. It’s building more chemistry and understanding within the group. Friday’s performance did that, too.
Christian Pulisic was a second-half substitute in the USMNT’s draw vs. Ecuador, carrying a minor ankle knockScott Coleman / Imagn Images
It felt, from a purely soccer perspective, that something tangible is being built. Last month’s win against Japan and this result against a good Ecuador side reflected progress. And, as Pochettino noted, that builds credibility and belief. On the field, the players are starting to create cohesiveness that matters. Balogun, for example, noted that Pulisic told him he felt they are “building a better connection.” It’s something “that’s always going to happen when you’re playing with top players and there’s time,” the forward said. “That’s part of the bonding and the chemistry that’s really going to help us going into the World Cup.”Friday’s draw felt like a peek into that bonding. And it felt like reinforcement of something else Pochettino said on the eve of the game.“I think (there’s) time enough to build what we want to build,” he said. “I have no doubt that we are going to arrive in a very good way, being very competitive with all the principles settled. I am very optimistic about the future.”If the team can continue to build on what it did against Ecuador — and that’s a big and important if — it will be tough not to follow Pochettino into that optimism.
USMNT fans are finding their voice. Can Mauricio Pochettino keep them roaring?
A fan cheers USMNT’s draw against Ecuador in Austin. David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
In the 68th minute on Friday night, with the U.S. men’s national team trailing Ecuador, the pace of the game was starting to slow. It’s typical of friendlies. Substitutions start to come on to the field en masse. The rhythm of the game is disrupted. It was somewhat disappointing, though, in that the U.S. started the game so brightly. It deserved a goal. If the level were to drop and the result stayed the same, it had the potential to look like a missed opportunity rather than something off of which to build.As Tim Ream stood on the ball just on the top of the center circle in his own half, however, the crowd in Austin started to chant.In the stadium, you could see the energy from the stands start to influence the pace of the game. The U.S. team started to move the ball with more urgency. Players were sprinting into space. It led to a spell of possession that ended with a Diego Luna shot, but the buzz in the stadium didn’t drop.Two minutes later, Tim Weah had a look at goal on a left-footed shot that sizzled well over the goal. Seconds after that, the U.S. forced a turnover deep in Ecuador’s end, Tanner Tessmann found Malik Tillman, and his square pass was finished off by Folarin Balogun for the equalizer. It set off a celebration at Q2 Stadium. The supporters deserved an assist.“The fans were amazing and how important it (was) when they started chanting, ‘USA, USA,’” head coach Mauricio Pochettino said. “This energy, that is very welcome from the players, from the team, helped us to give the energy to keep pushing.”If this U.S. team starts to turn things around, if they start to sustain a decent level of soccer and a string of positive results, that moment in the 68th minute in Austin will feel like a turning point. It’s why Tuesday’s friendly against Australia now feels a bit bigger than it should. The U.S. needs to carry forward this momentum.What You Should Read NextUSMNT effectively embraces its new tactical identity under PochettinoIt’s taken a year, but Mauricio Pochettino appears to have landed on the best way to accentuate the U.S.’s attacking strengths
There is risk, no doubt, in overblowing a 1-1 draw with Ecuador in a friendly eight months before the World Cup. But I think there’s a reason for the positivity coming out of Friday’s result. Let’s be honest: The U.S. team hasn’t given the fans much to cheer about over the last year-plus. Positive results against non-CONCACAF opponents have been rare, and there haven’t been a lot of moments where the team has had a pro-U.S. crowd that influenced the result.The positivity around Friday’s draw is representative of where things stand with this national team. Fans want to believe in this team. They just haven’t had much reason to believe.art of what has made this World Cup cycle so frustrating is that this group was supposed to be different. Fans looked at the clubs where its young players were signing and started calling it a golden generation. A positive showing at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar felt like a marker on the path toward something more.Since leaving Qatar, however, there has been more chaos around this team than progress.This 2026 cycle was supposed to be about taking the potential of a young U.S. group and growing up into something more meaningful. The core of players that got the U.S. back to the World Cup after the 2018 disaster were going to be four years older and four years more experienced than they were in Qatar. They were supposed to take the next steps at their clubs and that would translate to the national team.That hasn’t exactly gone to plan.
Mauricio Pochettino believes his team are now on the right track.Daniel Jefferson/USSF/Getty Images
Instead, the last year with the national team under Pochettino has been about “destroying the things that we need to destroy and start(ing) to build the house from the ground up,” he said on Thursday.It’s why the 1-1 draw with a good Ecuador side was something worth feeling good about. Consecutive performances in which the U.S. team looked purposeful is allowing people to peek their heads out and wonder whether they can start to believe again. If the first phase of Pochettino’s era was a teardown, the 2-0 win over Japan in September and the draw against Ecuador are signs that maybe the second phase is now underway.Pochettino is, as he said, building things back up.For that to be true, the U.S. will need another positive performance and another positive result on Tuesday. And they’ll need it again in November against Paraguay and Uruguay.People want to believe. As we race toward next summer’s World Cup, it’s on this U.S. team to give them a reason.Otherwise, that moment in Austin — one that feels like it could be a turning point — might just be a meaningless blip in a fall friendly that we’re overblowing months before a World Cup.
Socceroos spoil Canada’s party as World Cup momentum grows
Joey Lynch
Oct 11, 2025, 06:23 PM ETMONTRÉAL, Canada — Back when he was Melbourne Victory coach, Tony Popovic once described the chance to play the role of villain and ruin an opponent’s fairytale as beautiful. If he still feels the same way as Socceroos boss, then Friday evening’s 1-0 win over Canada might have been one of the most magnificent victories that he’s been a part of.Canada’s meeting with Australia at Montréal’s Stade Saputo was supposed to be a homecoming and a celebration. Les Rouges hadn’t played in the Québec capital since 2017 and, adding to the sense of civic pride, they’d returned with a collection of Francophiles in the squad. With a home World Cup approaching, wins over Romania and Wales in the last window had pushed them to a record-high FIFA ranking of 26. Prime Minister Mark Carney was in attendance. So was FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
Montréal expected a party. Instead, they got 60% of the ball, 17 shots to five, eight shots on target to one, and a 1-0 loss. They got Mohamed Toure registering his fourth goal involvement in three games when he sent in a cross that initially appeared set to be cleared by Niko Sigur, only for Nestory Irankunda to pounce and send a tackle-cum-shot into the back of the net for his second international goal in as many games.
The hosts got Paul Izzo making a record-setting eight saves and laying down a challenge to Mathew Ryan for the Socceroos’ No. 1 shirt. And they got to see Australia make it seven wins on the bounce, 11 games unbeaten, and join Argentina (who did it twice), the Netherlands, and Mexico amongst the only sides to defeat Canada inside 90 minutes since the appointment of Jesse Marsch. Prime Minister Carney, welcome to Popaball.
“I think the biggest disappointment the guys have is they knew that the crowd was great, and they wanted to electrify them,” Marsch reflected post-game. “You could see the disappointment in their faces, because they wanted the crowd to feel the energy of the team and what’s being done with the team.”
By the time the final whistle rang out, any mirth and goodwill that had filled the stands before the kickoff had dissipated. Jeers rained down as fans sought an outlet for their frustration as their side repeatedly slammed their heads against an Izzo-shaped brick wall; his most incredible save came amid a helter-skelter ending in the 90th minute, when Liam Millar found a wide-open Jacob Shaffelburg, only for his resulting shot to be denied by the sprawling custodian.
“I’m very happy with the performance,” Izzo reflected. “Honestly, I’m a bit lost for words at the moment. I’m taking every game as I can. I wasn’t expecting to play today. But I was given an opportunity, and I really wanted to take it again with both hands.”
Those playing red wore their frayed emotions on their sleeve, too; Joel Waterman and Tani Oluwaseyi both got into a shoving match with Irankunda in stoppage time, only to be met by a goalscorer who refused to take a backwards step. Restrained by Ryan and the Socceroos’ bench, the teenager was immediately substituted by Popovic and pulled in for a bearhug with a message of support for the matchwinner and chief windup merchant.
“That’s something more for me and him that we shared,” Popovic said of their discussion. “I’m just proud of his contribution. He’s a young man who has so much growth to come. Now, in the last two games, he’s scored goals for Australia.
“He’s 19 years old, and we have a striker [Mohamed Toure] that’s 21 starting here, away from home against Canada. Very proud of them.”And that’s part of football. He doesn’t back down. He was coming off regardless of what happened there.”Ultimately, Australia came to Montréal and did what they do: frustrate, absorb, and make their foes pay. Few will care for the boos and some, like Connor Metcalfe, quietly emerging as a key cog in Popovic’s plans, might even have enjoyed them. Canada, meanwhile, will join an increasingly impressive-looking list of nations that would feel they did enough to beat the Socceroos, only to lose.Yet there were lessons amidst the spectacle, too. Because, as the stat sheet and Izzo’s man-of-the-match antics would hint at, Australia still had to ride their luck at times — even if breaking down low blocks has been a consistent challenge for Canada.For much of the contest, Marsch’s side would move the ball forward against a defence that was able to maintain its shape and, should the attack be maintained for an extended period, eventually settle into a low block. Against this highly organised defensive front, possessing cover for its cover, space would be at a premium and angles to goal fleeting. This saw passes being closed down, crosses being cleared, and shots being smothered. That’s all expected; the Socceroos are very good at defending, to the point we almost take it for granted.But there were moments of danger, particularly when the Canadians were able to counter-press (one of the most effective tools for breaking down a low block) and didn’t afford a chance at a unified front. Invariably, winger Tajon Buchanan was at the heart of these efforts, giving Australia’s Kye Rowles — who started as a wingback once more as part of Popovic’s pre-World Cup experimentation — fits as he repeatedly burst into the box and created shots or angles to pass.
Many of these moments arose because against the Canadian press or counter-press, Australia’s attempts to play out for much of the game were largely unsuccessful. The profiles of Rowles, debutant fullback Jacob Italiano, and midfield pivots Max Balard and Aiden O’Neill didn’t gel, and moves forward would often either break down just as soon as they began or were snuffed out when an attempt was made to bypass the midfield entirely with a 50/50 long ball. Rowles is a proven World Cup performer at center back, but as the flanker of a five, there are stronger options.
Things started to change in the second half as the game stretch and really kicked into gear with the introduction of Patrick Yazbek and wingbacks Lewis Miller and Jordy Bos around the hour mark; it taking just seconds, and one Bos run down the left and cross into the box, to demonstrate the importance of having wingbacks that have the physicality and willingness to bomb up and down the flanks — and force opponents to respect that possibility — in Popovic’s system.Expecting any drastic overhauls in the way the Socceroos play is unrealistic. And unfair. Eleven games unbeaten and seven wins straight is a platform that demands to be built on for the World Cup. However, as shown in the second half, earning wins in the way the Socceroos have is made infinitely easier when you’re helping yourself. And Popovic and his staff know this, and they’ve highlighted possession as a key focus heading into next year’s World Cup.”It wasn’t our intention to let them have that much ball. But in certain areas of the park, they’re very strong,” said Popovic.”Would I have liked us to do more with the ball? Yes. But those 20 minutes in the second half were excellent for us. Our challenge is how do we sustain that for longer periods?”If they can unlock a greater level of adaptability and fluidity, with the next stern test to come against the United States on Tuesday in Denver, will be telling come 2026. But it’s a lot easier to do this work when you’re winning games. And the Socceroos are also getting rather good at that, which is pretty important as well.
With just 260 days to the World Cup and the 1st round of ticket ordering done (4.5 million entries were submitted -we put in like 15) it will be interesting to see if we get selected this week to buy tix and how much they are – cute World Cup Mascots announced this week. The US should announce our squad for the Oct friendlies sometime this week as well. US players rocked this past weekend and week as Pulisic became the all-time leading goal scorer overseas for an American and led the way with 3 goals and an assist, Chris Richards helped Crystal Palace stay unbeaten in the EPL, while Tanner Tessman scored this banger for Lyon in Europa League. In other news legendary EPL announcer Jon Champion shares his game notes, gotta love the EPL, Inter Miami midfielder Sergio Busquets announced his retirement at the end of the season, and of course Ousmane Dembélé Won the 2025 Ballon d’Or. Enjoy the Madrid Derby Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid Sat at 10:15 am on ESPN Desportes or ESPN+, & undefeated’s Liverpool vs American Chris Richard & Crystal Palace (Preview) at 10 am on Peacock and a battle of 2 American’s Juventus’ Mckennie vs Atalanta’s Musah as Juve vs Atalanta plays at noon on CBS.
INDY 11 Indy Eleven scored two second-half goals in a six-minute span to rally to a key 2-1 victory over USL Championship Eastern Conference opponent Birmingham Legion FC in front of 10,375 at Carroll Stadium. The win moves the Boys in Blue to one point out of playoff position behind Rhode Island FC with five games remaining in the regular season. Indy Eleven hosts Western Conference leader FC Tulsa on Saturday at 7 pm on Oktoberfest ($11 tix, Special Indy 11 Beer Stein, Guest Brewers in fun zone starts at 5:30) at Carroll Stadium. Single-game tickets for all matches are available via Ticketmaster.
Beer’s, Brat’s, & Bangers at the Mike for Octoberfest Sat nightGot the Distinct pleasure of reffing with Edwin Schowe who at 80 years old we think is the oldest active ref – reffing high school or middle school games in Indiana. A rainy afternoon at Northview Middle – solid teams. Working with Jakob from Gainesville, FL at Kuntz on a Tues Night. Fellow Gainesville High Soccer player and University of Florida Grad. Beautiful Sat morning at North Central Boys Varsity game with Omar & Alex
First Time reffing at Tipton High Varsity Boys with Jacob and Zach. Beautiful night of soccer.
When you Ref in Broadripple you have to go to La Piedad after right? Here with my longtime buddy Mike Arrington grabbing a bite after our Purdue Polytech Varsity Boys game. Another beautiful night reffing.
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FULL TV GAME SCHEDULE
Fri, Sept 26 2:30 pm ESPN2 Bayern Munich vs Werder Bremen 8 pm Prime KC Current vs Chicago Stars NWSL 10:30 pm Para+/Golazo San Diego Wave vs Orlando Pride NWSL Sat, Sept 27 7:30 am USA Brentford vs Man United 10 am USA Man City vs Burnley 10 am Peacock Crystal Palace (Richards) vs Liverpool 10 am Peacock Leeds United (Aaronson) vs Bournemouth (Adams) 10:15 am ESPND, ESPN+ Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid 12 pm CBS, Para+ Juventus (Mckinnie) vs Atalanta 12:30 pm ESPN+ B Mglabach (Reyna, Scally) vs Frankfurt (Chandler) 12:30 pm USA Nottingham Forest vs Sunderland 3 pm USA Tottenham vs Wolverhampton 7:30 pm Tubi Racing Louisville vs Angel City FC NWSL 10 pm Tubi Bay FC vs Utah Royals NWSL Sun, Sept 28 9 am USA Aston Villa vs Fulham (Robinson) 11:30 am USA Newcastle United vs Arsenal 2:45 pm Para+ AC Milan (Pulisic) vs Napoli (Musah) 3 pm ESPNd, ESPN+ Barcelona vs Real Sociedad 7 pm Apple TV Cincy vs Orlando City 7 pm FS1 Brazil U20 vs Mexico U20 World Cup 7 pm FS2 Cuba U20 vs Argentina U20 Mon Sep 29 3 pm USA Everton vs West Ham 4 pm FS2 France U20 vs South Africa U20 7 pm FS1 USA U20 vs New Caledonia U20 World Cup 7 pm FS2 Colombia U20 vs Saudi Arabia U20 Tues, Sept 30 Champions League 12:45 pm Para+, Uni Kairat vs Real Madrid 3 pm CBSSN Paphos vs Bayern Munich 3 pm Para+ Galatasaray vs Liverpool 3 pm Para+ Atletico Madrid vs Frankfurt 3 pm Para+ Marseille (_) vs Ajax 3 pm Para+ Chelsea vs Benefica 3 pm Para+ Inter vs Slavia Praha 3 pm Para+ Boda vs Tottenham 4 pm FS2 Panama U20 vs Ukraine U20 WC 7 pm FS1 Chile U20 vs Japan U20 7 pm FS2 Korea U20 vs Paraguay U20 Wed, Oct 1 Champs League 12:45 pm Para, Uni Union Saint Gilloise vs Newcastle United 3 pm CBSSN Dortmund vs Athletic Club 3 pm Para+ Barcelona vs PSG 3 pm para+ Arsenal vs Olympiakos Piraues 3 pm Para+ Napoli vs Sporting CP 3 pm Para+ Bayer Leverkusen vs PSV 3 pm Para+ Villareal vs Juventus (McKinney) 4 pm FS2 Spain U20 vs Mexico U20 7 pm FS1 Brazil U20 vs Morocco U20 7 pm FS2 Argentina U20 vs Australia U20 8 pm CBSSN Austin City vs Nashville SC US Open Cup Thurs, Oct 2 Europa 12:45 pm CBSSN Roma vs Lille 12:45 pm Celtic (Carter Vickers) cs Sporting Braga 12:45 pm Dynamo Kyiv vs Crystal Palace (Chris Richards) 3 pm CBSSN Feyenoord vs Aston Villa 3 pm Para_ Sturm Graz vs Rangers 3 pm Para+ Nottingham Forest vs Middtylland 3 pm Para+ Olympique Lyonnais vs Salzburg Fri, Oct 3 3 pm USA Bournemouth (Adams) vs Fulham (Robinson) 7 pm FS1 Egypt U20 vs Chile U20 WC 7 pm FS2 New Zealand U20 vs Japan U20 Sat, Oct 4 7:30 am USA Leeds United vs Totteham 9:30 am ESPN+ Bayer Leverkusen (Tillman) vs Union Berlin 9:30 am ESPN+ Dortmund vs RB Leipzig 10 am USA Man United vs Sunderland 10 am Peacock Arsenal vs West Ham 12:30 pm NBC Chelsea vs Liverpool 4 pm Tele Mexico U20 vs Morocco U20 4 pm Univision Spain U20 vs Brazil U20 7 pm FS2 Argentina U20 vs Italy U20 10:30 pm Apple Seattle Sounders vs Portland Timbers Sun, Oct 6 4 pm FS2 USA U20 vs South Africa U20 7 pm FS2 Nigeria U20 vs Colombia U20 9 pm Apple LAFC vs Atlanta United MLS Fri, Oct 10 8:30 pm TNT, Max USA Men vs Ecuador Tues, Oct 14 9 pm TNT, Max USA Men vs Australia Thurs, Oct 23 9 pm TNT, Max USA Women vs Portugal Chester PA Sun, Oct 26 4 pm TNT, Max USA Women vs Portugal Hartford CT Sat, Nov 15 5 pm TNT, Max USA Men vs Paraguay Chester PA Tues, Nov 18 7 pmTNT, Max USA Men vs Uruguay Tampa, FL
USMNT weekend viewing guide: Important impressions
World Cup selections are getting closer every window by jcksnftsn Sep 26, 2025, 1:42 PM EDT
Getty Images
With rumors that Mauricio Pochettino intends to use the October USMNT roster to begin to lock in his intended World Cup call ups, and the announcement for the October roster likely to be made late next week, this weekend likely represents a last chance for players to make their statement about why they should be considered for a callup. To add to it there are head-to-head matchups in the EPL, Bundesliga, and Serie A to watch this weekend. It’s a full weekend of action so let’s get to the matches that we’ll be keeping an eye on:
Friday
Strasbourg v Olympique Marseille – 2:45p on beIN Sports
Tim Weah followed up his Bernabeu Banger with a solid shift against PSG last weekend as Marseille handed the French giants their first loss on the season, dropping them into a four-way tie atop Ligue 1. Marseille are three points back of the league leaders, a group which also includes this weekend’s opponent, Strasbourg, who’s lone loss on the season was a 3-2 defeat to Monaco who are also a part of the four at the top of the table.
Saturday
Coventry City v Birmingham City – 7:30a on Paramount+: Haji Wright and Coventry City tied their third straight game last Saturday, 0-0 with Leicester. Coventry have yet to suffer a loss this season but they have drawn four of their six matches and currently sit in sixth place.
Heidenheim v Augsburg – 9:30a on ESPN Select: Noahkai Banks has appeared in one of Augsburgs four matches to start the season, seeing just one minute. You probably don’t need to work your schedule around this match and we’re going to drop Augsburg from the guide until it looks like he may start getting regular action.
St. Pauli v Bayer Leverkusen – 9:30a on ESPN Select: James Sands and Malik Tillman will go head-to-head in the midfield on Saturday morning as St. Pauli face Bayer Leverkusen. Sands and St. Pauli suffered their first loss of the weekend last Friday, falling to Stuttgart 2-0 with Sands playing the full 90’ and picking up a yellow card in the 40th minute. Meanwhile on Sunday, Tillman scored a goal against Borussia Monchengladbach but his team would end up settling for a draw after giving up a tying goal in stoppage time.
Crystal Palace v Liverpool – 10a on Peacock: Chris Richards and Crystal Palace have yet to suffer a loss to start the 2025-26 season though they have drawn three times and sit in fifth place. Their opponent for this weekend is a Liverpool side that has won every match in league play. However, Palace did defeat Liverpool to start the year in the Community Shield match.
Leeds United v AFC Bournemouth – 10a on Peacock: Our EPL head-to-head matchup of the weekend sees Brenden Aaronson’s Leeds side take on Tyler Adams and Bournemouth. Adams has started every match for a Bournemouth side that haven’t lost since their opening match against Liverpool and currently sit in fourth place, they are coming off a scoreless draw with Newcastle. In Leeds, Aaronson has started the last two matches after coming off the bench in the first three, and Leeds’ 3-1 win over Wolverhampton last weekend gave them seven points through five matches this season as they move into 12th place and look to snap the streak of newly promoted sides heading straight back to the English Championship.
Stoke City v Norwich City – 10a on Paramount+: Josh Sargent has cooled off a bit in the Championship, failing to score in his past two matches after starting the season with five goals in his first four. Norwich lost to Wrexham 3-2 last weekend, their third loss early in the season and they currently sit in 15th place in the Championship table.
Southampton v Middlesbrough – 10a on Paramount+: Meanwhile, also in the Championship, Aidan Morris has played every minute for a Middlesbrough side that have five wins and a draw through their first six matches and currently sit atop the Championship standings, four points ahead of Stoke. This weekend Middlesbrough face a Southampton side that were playing in the EPL last season but have only one win in the Championship to start this campaign and currently sit in 19th place, just a point out of a second straight relegation.
Atletico Madrid v Real Madrid – 10:15a on ESPN Deportes and ESPN Select: Johnny Cardoso will miss his first chance at a Madrid derby as he suffered a sprained ankle in training that held him out of Atletico’s Champions League match with Liverpool and has already ruled him out for this weekends match as well.
Lorient v Monaco – 11a on beIN Sports: Folarin Balogun was an unused substitute last weekend in Monaco’s 5-2 win over FC Metz. Balogun had started the past three league matches for Monaco as well as the Champions League match just three days prior so it is unsurprising there was some rotation. He’ll hopefully be back in the lineup this weekend as Monaco look to continue their hot form in league play that has them tied for the league lead.
Juventus v Atalanta – Noon on Paramount+: Yunus Musah will face off against his old team including fellow USMNT member Weston McKennie as Atalanta travel to Turin to face Juventus on Saturday. Musah has come off the bench in his first two league matches since joining Atalanta but he did start the teams Champions League class with PSG (albeit an embarrassing 4-0 loss). Weston McKennie did not make it off the bench last weekend as Juventus settled for a 1-1 draw with Hellas Verona who were tied for last place in the league standings. It was Juventus’ first hiccup of the season and they are now two points back of Napoli, and two points ahead of this weekends opponent.
Borussia Monchengladbach v Eintracht Frankfurt – 12:30p on ESPN Select: Joe Scally, Gio Reyna, and Borussia Monchengladbach notched a late goal last weekend to steal a draw with Bayer Leverkusen. It was Gladbach’s first goal of the season and just their second point through four matches. This weekend they will face a Frankfurt side that has a pair of wins to go with a pair of losses.
Toulouse v Nantes – 1p on beIN Sports: Mark McKenzie has played every minute of the season for Toulouse thus far. Unfortunately the club have lost three straight and currently sit in ninth place. If you set aside the embarrassing 6-3 loss Toulouse have given up just three goals in their other four matches this year which would be a solid defensive record. This weekend Toulouse host a Nantes side that sit near the bottom of the table with just one win and one draw, but they have been close in every match this season, never loosing by more than a goal, and only once conceding more than one.
Excelsior v PSV – 2p on ESPN Select: Sergino Dest, Ricardo Pepi, and PSV settled for a draw with Ajax last weekend and are now three points back of league leading Feyenoord. PSV now face an Excelsior side that are coming off their second win of the season, a 2-1 win over Volendam.
Club America v Pumas UNAM – 11:05p on CBSSN: Alex Zendejas scored for Club America last weekend after coming on as an injury substitute just before the end of the first half. Zendejas’ late goal was the match winner for America as they defeated San Luis to move within three points of league leading Cruz Azul. America now face a Pumas side who are coming off a 3-1 win over FC Juarez.
Saturday MLS Matches with USMNT flavor – here is when the September MLS call ups are kicking off their matches this weekend, all matches on MLS Season Pass:
Charlotte v Montreal – 7:30p: Tim Ream
DC United v Philadelphia Union – 7:30p: Nathan Harriel
New York Red Bulls v NYCFC – 7:30p: Matt Friese
Nashville SC v Houston Dynamo – 8:30p: Jack McGlynn
Real Salt Lake v Austin FC – 9:30p: Diego Luna
Seattle Sounders v Vancouver Whitecaps – 10:30p: Cristian Roldan
San Diego FC v San Jose Earthquakes – 10:30p: Luca de la Torre
LA Galaxy v Cincinnati – 10:30p: Roman Celetano
Sunday
Aston Villa v Fulham – 9a on USA Network: Antonee Robinson played 90’ minutes midweek in Fulham’s 1-0 EFL Cup win over Cambridge United. Robinson was back on the field after missing Fulham’s past two league matches. On Sunday Fulham will take on Aston Villa who are still looking for their first win of the Premier League season though they did defeat Bologna in Europa League action on Thursday.
Lille v Olympique Lyon – 11:15a on beIN Sports: Tanner Tessmann is doing everything he can to catch the eye of Mauricio Pochettino. Tessmann scored in his second straight match on Thursday, coming off the bench to lift Lyon to a 1-0 win over FC Utrecht in Europa League action. Tessmann also scored the lone goal last weekend as Lyon defeated Angers 1-0 in league play. Lyon are 4-0-1 to start the season and part of the group at the top of the Ligue 1 table, a group that are two points ahead of this weekend’s opponent, Lille.
AC Milan v Napoli – 2:45p on Paramount+: Perhaps the only USMNT player hotter than Tessmann right now is Christian Pulisic who came off the bench and scored on Tuesday in a Coppa Italia match on Tuesday after starting and contributing to all three goals Milan scored against Udinese last weekend, scoring two and assisting on the third. If Pulisic can keep that form heading into this weekends match against league leading Napoli it would be a huge boost to Milan’s title hopes this season. Napoli are currently three points ahead of Milan and have won every league match that they’ve played.
Sunday MLS Activity:
Cincinnati v Orlando City – 7on MLS Season Pass: Alex Freeman
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Yanks Abroad
Malik Tillman faced off against fellow countrymen, Gio Reyna and Joe Scally, on Sunday as Leverkusen tied Monchengladbach 1-1. Tillman scored the goal, making that 2 goals in his first 3 Bundesliga matches. Good to see the trio linking up after their game as well.
Tanner Tessman scored a game-winner for Lyon in their 1-0 win over Angers on Friday. Chris Richards put together another stellar outing against West Ham. Full highlight clip. He has solidified himself as one of the top defenders in the world’s top league. Crystal Palace and Liverpool are the only remaining undefeated teams in the Premier League. They’ll face off on Saturday.
It’s been a MASSIVE week for Christian Pulisic. He had a brace andan assist in Milan’s 3-0 win over Udinese. It’s early, but he’s tied for first in Serie A for goals and goals per 90. After the game head coach, Massimiliano Allegri, called him the “Michael Jordan of soccer”. While that’s a stretch, his form is elite. With the goals, he passed Clint Dempsey (57) for the most ever by an American in the top 5 European leagues (59). He scored again yesterday in the Coppa Italia after coming on as a sub, making that 5 goals in his last 6 games.
USL Investment for Pro/Rel
The United Soccer League (USL) has attracted a major investor to help develop its football league pyramid system, aiming to rival Major League Soccer (MLS). The investment comes from BellTower Partners, a firm run by former Carlyle Group CEO Kewsong Lee. Earlier this year, the USL announced plans to launch a new US men’s league with first-division sanctioning in 2027, thus becoming the second such league in the country, alongside MLS. The USL already operates three men’s leagues, and the addition of a tier-one league will enable the organisation to become the first sports league of any type in the United States to implement a promotion and relegation system. Dive deeper into how this move will compete against the MLS here. The USL is not disclosing the size of the investment, the size of the equity stake, or the current valuation of the USL used for the purposes of the investment.
Expanded World Cup Considered
FIFA is reportedly open to expanding the men’s World Cup to a 64-team tournament in 2030. It follows a formal pitch made to Fifa by football executives from CONMEBOL, South America’s governing body, to celebrate the centenary of the competition. One source, unverified, claims that Fifa is sceptical about whether expanding the tournament again is a viable proposition. Expansion would represent an increase from the 48 teams competing in next year’s tournament, which is already a rise from the 38-nation format that has been in place since 1998. CONMEBOL is lobbying to further enlarge the tournament in a move that would likely guarantee a qualification spot for all 10 of the continent’s member nations. The proposal has drawn opposition. Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin believes that expansion would be damaging to the tournament and would reduce jeopardy in the qualification stage. If Fifa approves the move, it would create a tournament of 128 matches, double the number that was played from 1998 through 2022. The 2030 edition of the World Cup will be played across six host nations and spread across three continents—read more here.
NUTMEG SOCCER MLS Match Day 34 Recap
Max Palmer & Mason Palmer Read Online Decision day is looming. Here’s what went down over the weekend… Orlando City SC beat Nashville 3-2 behind a brace from Martin Ojeda and a goal from Duncan McGuire. Nashville’s recent league form has been abysmal; they’ve lost 6 out of their last 7 league games and are close to falling into the play-in round. They’ll play Austin FC in the US Open Cup final for maybe their only chance at hardware this season.
FC Dallas beat Colorado 3-1 and have now gone 6 straight unbeaten, all since selling Lucho Acosta. Logan Farrington and Petar Musa linked up once again for the game’s first goal. For the first time since early May, Dallas is back in a playoff position, one point ahead of Houston with a game in hand.
Austin FC beat the Seattle Sounders 2-1 behind Myrto Uzuni’s last-second goal. Brad Stuver was phenomenal in this one, preventing 1.81 expected goals. It’s Austin’s 3rd win in their last 4 league games. Meanwhile, Seattle is winless in their last three games and now gets Vancouver.
The Chicago Fire blanked Minnesota 3-0 on the road for one of their best performances of the season. Their 8th road win ties their club record in a season. The last wild card spot in the East is between them and the NY Red Bulls. The Fire are two points ahead and have a game in hand. They’ll try to end the Red Bulls historic 15-year playoff streak and join the dance for the first time since 2017. Inter Miami beat DC United 3-2 on Saturday. Messi had two goals and an assist to become the fastest player in league history to reach 70 goal contributions, doing so in just 46 games. His second goal was spectacular. That’s 22 goals and 12 assists in 22 games played, utterly insane stuff. Miami has three more consecutive weeks of two games per week. If they win out, they’ll win the Shield and he’ll win MVP again. But that’s far from a sure thing.
The Best Attacking Duo in MLS
What a week for LAFC. They beat Real Salt Lake twice in the span of four days by the same score of 4-1 each time. They now have three straight league wins, scoring 12 goals in that span. Led by the best attacking duo in MLS, they can score in bunches and are peaking at the right time.Denis Bouanga (8) and Son Heung-min (6) have scored all 14 of their goals in the last 5 games. It didn’t take the two stars long to start clicking. Bouanga has two hat-tricks in the last three games to put him even in the Golden Boot race with Messi at 22 goals. He became the first player in league history to score 20+ goals in three straight seasons. He’s quickly becoming one of the best players in league history. As for Son, he scored a hat trick mid-week in their first match-up against Salt Lake. He now has 6 goals and 2 assists in just 550 minutes played. His presence has taken much of the opposing defense’s attention away from Bouanga, who has 9 goals in the 7 games since Son made his debut. They complement each other perfectly. Per Tom Bogert, before Son’s debut, LAFC ranked 12th in goals, 10th in expected goals, and 20th in chances. Since his debut, they’re 1st in goals, 4th in expected goals, and 4th in chances. This attack is scary good. If I were a betting man, my money would be on LAFC coming out of the Western Conference.
Will Tessmann leapfrog McKennie, Musah to start World Cup for U.S.?
Jeff CarlisleSep 25, 2025, 10:05 AM ET ESPNFC
The European club season has been in full swing for over a month now, giving those U.S. men’s national team players plying their trade overseas the chance to establish themselves. Some have gotten off to uneven starts, with the opening round of UEFA Champions League fixtures proving to be especially difficult. Others have hit the ground running. Those in MLS have been in rhythm for a while now.Then there’s Christian Pulisic, who has been leading the U.S. charge in Europe for nine years now and already has five goals in all competitions this season. Fortunately for the USMNT, Pulisic is one of several players who have been hitting their stride in recent weeks.Throughout the season, ESPN will be monitoring the progress of the U.S. player pool, delivering insights into those whose form or fitness has made them particularly intriguing. We call it the USMNT’s countdown to the World Cup.ESPN will count down to June 11 every week so that way, when the U.S. team is announced for this highly anticipated World Cup on home soil, no names on that 26-man roster will come as a surprise. Only 260 days to go.
Tessmann had already enjoyed a solid start to the season, but last weekend he kicked his campaign into overdrive, scoring the lone goal in Lyon’s 1-0 victory over Angers, a result that put the club in a tie atop the Ligue 1 table, behind AS Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain on goal differential. Not bad for a team that was threatened with relegation due to financial irregularities before the start of the season.
As for Tessmann, the question remains: Will these performances be enough to get him back in the U.S. squad? He hasn’t been called up since the Concacaf Nations League in March. To be clear, they should be, but the mind of U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino works in mysterious ways. At minimum, Tessmann should be in contention to provide cover for Tyler Adams, or even crack the starting lineup.
USMNT could do with a dose of Tillman’s perseverance
Credit Tillman for showing a strong mentality, bouncing back from a dreadful match in midweek against F.C. København in the Champions League to deliver a man of the match performance against Borussia Mönchengladbach in which he scored his second league goal of the season. A tactical tweak from manager Kasper Hjulmand might have helped.
Against Copenhagen, Tillman was operating as one of the dual No. 10s and struggled mightily to get on the ball. Against Gladbach, he was deployed deeper in midfield and had a much stronger impact on the game, even beyond his 70th-minute goal. Hjulmand afterward continued to preach patience, as Tillman is one of many new arrivals to the squad, but the player’s ability to shake off a poor performance will serve him well for both club and country.
This was an impressive week for Pulisic, even by his lofty standards. After scoring two goals and helping set the table for a third in last weekend’s 3-0 win over Udinese, Pulisic maintained his fine form by scoring the final goal — on the half-volley, no less — in a 3-0 Coppa Italia win over Lecce.There’s not much more to be said about Pulisic that hasn’t been already. He remains the USMNT’s most important attacking player, and he now holds the mark for most goals by an American in Europe’s top five leagues with 59. As long as he can stay healthy, he’s a lock to be in the U.S. lineup.He’ll try to keep the momentum going in this weekend’s momentous clash with top-of-the table Napoli.
The in-form XI
When Pochettino switched to a three-man back line during the September international window, it was a move that didn’t appear to benefit Gladbach’s Joe Scally. The wing back position favors the mobility and attacking instincts demonstrated by the likes of Sergiño Dest and Alex Freeman over the defending of Scally, but then Gladbach interim manager Eugen Polanski trotted out a 3-4-3 with Scally as the right wing back, and the American delivered an impressive performance. Scally showed an ability to get forward that was unexpected given that he recorded no goals and no assists this past season — his xG of 0.26 is already on its way to eclipsing last year’s 0.38. Granted, who knows what formation the permanent Gladbach coach will prefer once he’s hired, but the performance should help keep Scally in the lineup. Given his performance last weekend, why isn’t he in this week’s in-form XI? It’s a fair question, especially when you consider Dest conceded a penalty that was converted in PSV Eindhoven‘s 2-2 draw with Ajax. Combined with some defensively shaky moments during the September international window, it’s worth weighing whether Dest is enough of a defensive liability that he loses his spot in the starting lineup. That said, Dest’s value in attack is still high enough given his ability to deliver the unexpected, though Scally has given Pochettino something to think about in terms of who his starting wing backs should be. Meanwhile, the relative stock of the U.S. corps of forwards continues to go through some wild swings in form. Folarin Balogun looked to have gained some separation from the chasing pack after a great performance against Japan, but that was before his tepid effort in a 4-1 Champions League defeat to Club Brugge landed him on the bench for last week’s league encounter against Metz. Even worse for Balogun, his replacement, Mika Biereth, scored the opener in a 5-2 win, while Ansu Fati scored two off the bench and George Ilenikhena also got on the score sheet.
The silver lining for Balogun is that no other U.S. center forwards scored last weekend, although Ricardo Pepi‘s selfless run to the near post allowed Ismael Saibari to score PSV’s first, so he’ll remain the starter in this week’s lineup. Also, Balogun’s skill set is unique within the USMNT player pool, given his ability to make runs in behind the opposition defense, and this should mean his spot in the U.S. squad is still secure. He’ll need to work his way back into the Monaco lineup, though, and this week’s match at Lorient will reveal the extent to which his spot in the club hierarchy has fallen.
Big Board 2.0 update
ESPN’s USMNT Big Board 2.0 went live earlier this month, and each Big Board will provide the foundation for weekly player updates. Below are the minutes and player ratings for each of those 37 players.
Robinson’s recovery from offseason knee surgery took way longer than expected, but he finally played a full 90 minutes for the Cottagers in Tuesday’s Carabao Cup victory over fourth-tier side Cambridge United. Now let’s see if he can reclaim his spot in league play.
Joe Scally, fullback, Borussia Mönchengladbach: 355 minutes in 2025-26; 7.2 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Weah has been Marseille’s Mr. Fixit, lining up as a right wing back in OM’s 1-0 win over previously unbeaten PSG. Will that help him or hurt him when the next USMNT camp opens? Either way, his versatility remains impressive.
Malik Tillman, attacker, Bayer Leverkusen: 264 minutes in 2025-26; 7.1 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Inter Miami star Lionel Messi took a comfortable lead for this year’s Golden Boot by scoring two goals in Miami’s dramatic win over New York City FC on Wednesday night.Beneath the Citi Field lights and in the pouring rain, Lionel Messi and Inter Miami clinched a spot in the MLS playoffs. The South Florida club downed New York 4-0, carried by the Argentine striker’s late-game heroics and fueled by a pro-Miami crowd in New York. Messi opened the night with an assist to Baltasar Rodríguez in the 43rd minute, giving Inter Miami its first lead of the night.The team later rallied in the second half, scoring three goals in 12 minutes. Messi scored a brace, first in the 74th minute off a stunning pass from Sergio Busquets, and then again in the 86th. In between both goals, Luis Suárez scored off a penalty Messi’s pair of goals brings his tally to 24 scored this season, while LAFC’s Denis Bouanga trails with 22. Inter Miami sits third in the MLS Eastern Conference standings with 55 points, behind the Philadelphia Union (60 points) and FC Cincinnati (58 points). Miami heads to BMO Field, where they will face Toronto FC on Saturday. Inter Miami has its eyes set on reclaiming the Supporters’ Shield, which the club won in 2024. “We know how difficult Saturday will be because we have less than 72 hours to play, but we will try to play our best and try to win the game and try to qualify as high as possible,” Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano said. “If we can win the next five games, we’ll be great and we’ll have (a) chance to fight for the Supporters’ Shield.” While Inter Miami were more than 1,000 miles from home, the near sellout crowd in Queens was unmistakably there for Messi. The crowd of 40,085 cheered after every play made by the striker and roared whenever the 38-year-old appeared on the Jumbotron. After each goal, the stadium filled with chants of “Messi, Messi!” Still, NYCFC tried its best to take advantage of the unusually large crowd that came out to Queens on Wednesday night, with messaging throughout the night reminding fans of their future stadium slowly taking shape next door. (Photo: Mark Smith / Imagn Images)
As Atlanta United flounders, would a Tata Martino reunion be the right play?
It has been a difficult summer for Atlanta United. In July, president and CEO Garth Lagerwey stepped away from his role after a cancer diagnosis. Well-liked around the building and highly respected across MLS, Lagerwey had publicly lauded the current squad entering the 2025 season. Ronny Deila, Atlanta’s first-year head coach, was the candidate that he fought for internally. Deila has led Atlanta to just five wins in 29 matches, though, and Lagerwey’s continued absence heading into the fall could alter the direction of the club.Deila may not be working out as Lagerwey hoped, but he did also hire Chris Henderson, Atlanta’s chief soccer officer and sporting director, last December. Talks with Deila were already at an advanced stage when Henderson joined the club from Inter Miami. He replaced Carlos Bocanegra and is now a leading decision maker on Atlanta’s future, which is under great focus considering the ongoing struggles. And that’s where the avenues the club can take in an effort to return to MLS’s elite could get interesting.Henderson came to Atlanta after helping Tata Martino build a Miami squad that broke MLS’s regular-season points record and won the Supporters’ Shield in 2024. Having Lionel Messi certainly helped, too. For his part, Martino led Atlanta to an MLS Cup victory in 2018 and he remains a well-regarded figure inside the club. His title-winning team and a near-perfect club launch unexpectedly brought the eyes of the football world to the city. Seven years later, Martino is available again, and it’s only natural to consider whether a reunion might make sense.Speaking exclusively to The Athletic last week, Martino touched on the emotional attachment some managers have after they depart a job. Inter Miami, he said, remains unfinished business. However, there’s nothing pending for Martino in Atlanta. He won a final then accepted the Mexico national team job in 2019 after two seasons.“I think at that time, the Atlanta project, for various reasons, had more room to grow, but not with me in charge,” Martino said. “The Miami project, yes, because I compare it to the Argentina national team project. There was more ahead, more to do. It wasn’t something already finished. Today I understand that some projects start and finish, and that’s that.”Asked if he maintains contact with Henderson, Martino smiled.“Yes, I care about him a lot,” he said. “Honestly, he’s someone I’ve had a really good working relationship with. First, because he’s a great professional, and second, because he’s an extraordinary person. I’ve really enjoyed working with him. Every now and then we exchange messages and say hello. I have a lot of affection for him.”The 62-year-old Argentine is among the top available coaches for MLS teams that are looking for a new manager. New England, St. Louis City, and Sporting Kansas City all have vacancies, and Steve Cherundolo will depart LAFC at the end of this season.
Atlanta United has struggled in Ronny Deila’s first season at the helm (Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
Atlanta could potentially become an option, too, although Lagerwey has made a concerted effort to turn the page on the club’s successful past. Deila, whom Lagerwey touted as a serial winner, was supposed to end the club’s crisis with a firm European hand. Despite his best efforts and the millions of dollars spent on players, though, few improvements – if any – materialized.
On the other side, if Martino were to consider a highly-publicized reunion in Atlanta, he would put his legacy at the club at stake. The squad has not been well built, with high-priced players failing to deliver, while the shortcomings of long-standing members of the team have held the club back. Secondly, Atlanta’s player profiles don’t align with what Martino would prefer. There is no discernible identity under Deila, so another major evaluation of the roster would be necessary. Even so, Martino offered his thoughts on the state of his former team.
“I try to be careful because I don’t see the day-to-day,” he said. “From the outside, you look at the squad and think, ‘It’s strange to see them in that position in the standings,’ but there are different circumstances, so maybe a season doesn’t turn out the way you expect. In MLS, this happens a lot: players come from different places, and you have to see how the ideas come together, how the players click with each other, with the coaching staff, with the club and with the city.“Sometimes everything clicks perfectly, and it works spectacularly,” Martino continued. “Other times, just as you can’t always explain why everything went so well, you can’t always explain why nothing worked out as expected. Looking at the squad from a distance, you might’ve expected a different outcome for the season.”The same can be said about Miguel Almirón. The Paraguayan international was widely considered the best player in MLS when he wore Atlanta’s black and red kit under Martino. Now 31, Almirón rejoined Atlanta in January after six seasons in the Premier League with Newcastle United. He was celebrated by Atlanta’s fans upon his return, but that euphoria has since subsided. Like Atlanta as a whole, Almirón has struggled to have the same impact as he once had in MLS. He has four goals and seven assists on the year, and at times has either been misused as a traditional winger by Deila, or hasn’t been decisive enough in the middle of the field to make a difference.
Josef Martínez was prolific under Tata Martino in Atlanta (Mark J. Rebilas / USA TODAY Sports)
In his final year in Atlanta, prior to becoming MLS’s highest outgoing transfer at the time, Almirón teamed with 2018 MLS MVP Josef Martínez to the tune of 12 goals and 14 assists in the regular season. Martino may be watching from afar, but his assessment of Almirón 2.0, an experiment that hasn’t been an immediate success, rings true.“The main difference for Miguel is that the (2018) team had a solid base,” Martino said. “We kept a strong American core through Brad (Guzan), Parky (Michael Parkhurst), (Jeff) Larentowicz and even Greg Garza, who was Mexican-American but very connected to American soccer. At the same time, the team had a very strong Latin side. So obviously, Miguel felt much more supported.“On top of that, Miguel had that partnership with Josef. That’s how all the pieces come together for a season to go well. Today’s team, the nationalities and customs are very different, and Miguel arrived at a tricky moment. When the tournament is already underway, it can be hard to achieve that same unity of ideas.”After Atlanta’s 5-4 loss to the Columbus Crew on Saturday, a game in which Atlanta was down 5-0 at home after 39 minutes, Deila defiantly fought for his job. The defeat was Atlanta’s 13th of the regular season, which eliminated the club from the MLS playoffs.Deila, 49, insisted afterwards that Atlanta is in good hands. The Norwegian’s first year in Atlanta has been mired in uncertain tactics and a glaring lack of pride from Atlanta’s players week-to-week. Deila admitted on Saturday to relaying inconsistent messages to his players after trying different formations throughout the year. Still, the former Celtic manager believes he’s the right man to turn this into something positive in 2026.“We’re going to be competitive next season. I’m 100 percent sure,” Deila said. “If not I wouldn’t sit here. I’ve done this for 20 years. I’ve had success with almost every team I’ve had. I’ve made improvements everywhere. I won almost everywhere I’ve been.”Perhaps Deila hasn’t completely thrown his players under the bus, but he has questioned their professional character and mentality. It was evident on Saturday that he has lost faith in some of his players, despite stating adamantly that he hasn’t lost the locker room.“I want to improve things, but we have to change a lot of the personnel this season because some (players) didn’t have the opportunity to get better and some of them aren’t interested in getting better,” Deila said. “I believe and I feel I have the boys with me. And I feel that I have the staff with me, and I feel that we’re on the start of something.”Whatever Deila believes hasn’t been up to standard. Atlanta invested over $50 million in new player acquisitions last season. The objective was to provide Deila with a squad capable of challenging for the top four in the Eastern Conference. Instead, the club was struggling through its worst start in franchise history in May. The momentum that Atlanta garnered at the end of the 2024 season under interim manager Rob Valentino sputtered almost immediately in 2025. Atlanta’s shocking first-round defeat of Martino’s heavily-favored Inter Miami during the 2024 playoffs was supposed to inspire a now-apathetic fanbase and position Atlanta with the right building blocks moving forward.
Atlanta has just five wins through 29 games, tied for second-fewest in MLS (Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
But there is nothing inspirational about this Atlanta side. It has conceded 54 goals and scored just 36 times in 29 matches. There are 11 teams in the East that have scored more goals than Atlanta this season. Deila, who won an MLS Cup final with New York City FC in 2021, has been unable to manufacture solutions both in-game and mid-week to improve the team.On Saturday, Columbus was surgical in how it attacked Atlanta’s woeful midfield and backline, while Deila’s men delivered another display of football malpractice. Deila called it the “the strangest game I’ve seen in my life,” but in reality, it was a representation of his tenure in Atlanta. The four-goal comeback did not mask his team’s permanent flaws, which go far beyond a tactics board.Deila and his staff have succumbed to the culture of defeat in Atlanta rather than turn it around. Losing has become normalized within Atlanta’s training facility in Marietta, Ga., which later this month will be newly unveiled following a $23 million investment from owner Arthur Blank. Yet, Deila stressed on Saturday that a coaching change wasn’t necessary.“I’m the guy who can make this team successful,” he said. “I cannot handle what the board is thinking. If peopl don’t believe in me, then of course we have a challenge.”“Right now we’re struggling,” he continued. “We’re eating a lot of s***, but that creates unbelievable power and energy to go forward and prove everybody wrong. It’s easy to sit on the outside and have opinions now, but get in the ring and we’ll see how it is and who ends up on the right side. That’s going to be us.”
It very well could be – unless Atlanta believes that revisiting its past can finally awaken the club’s future.
US Finally Wins a Game 2-0 in the Fortress that is Columbus, Ohio The USMNT has finally beaten a Top 25 team under Pochitino as he lined up in the same 3-4-2-1 formation he ended with against Korea that yielded so many good shots. The US dominated from the start with 65% possession and a wonder goal from Man of the Match Alex Zendejas. The America’s man hit this spectacular volley (Zendejas Volley) to give the US the 1-0 lead. Zendajas Golazo in Spanish. Later the US would add an insurance goal from Flo Balogen (Balogan Goal) on a beautiful slip pass from Pulisic. (US Highlights). All in all a nice performance as I was in attendance of course. Now this was Japan’s C team mind you. So Bochitino poking his chest out like they had accomplished something was hiliarious. It beats losing – but Japan played their stars vs Mexico and their CHUMPs vs the USA. Let that sink in a second as you realize the depths that Bochitino has taken this team to in his 1 Full year on the job and the lowest ranking in 2 decades. Yes he’s been here 1 year now and still had 5 experimental MLS players in camp against 2 top 20 teams with 8 games until the World Cup. Its like he has never watched us play or watched tape (because he hasn’t) It seems the US Soccer press is beginning to Call BS just like I have for over a month now. Anyway it sure was nice to see the US actually win a game in person – albeit against Japan’s C team. I can tell you there were less than 1000 Japanese in the stadium – if the US wants to play a home game in front of a US only crowd – the ONLY places that is guaranteed to happen is in the Midwest – Columbus or Cincy.
INDY 11 Indy Eleven concludes its season-long three-game USL Championship road trip at Eastern Conference opponent Rhode Island FC on Saturday at 7:00 pm on ESPN+. Midfielder Jack Blake and goalkeeper Hunter Sulte have earned USL Championship “Team of the Week” honors after helping the Boys in Blue to a key road victory at Hartford Athletic last week. For Blake, it is the fourth time in 2025 and the 12th time in the past two seasons that he has gotten this recognition. Sulte is a two-time “Team of the Week” selection this year and a four-time pick in his two-year Indy Eleven career.
Champions League Returns Tues/Wed/Thur next week on Paramount+, CBSSN, Prime Video Group play starts Tuesday with 12:45 and 3 pm time slots all 3 days and constant coverage starting at 12 noon everyday and lasting thru the wrap up shows after the games.
All Youth Players who wear their Jersey to the Game will get FREE ADMISSION vs #19 Columbus North
Got a chance to ref with the Vets Sat at North Central with Joe and Alex got to see HSE Girls – good team Got to run center w/Alex and Jessica on hand on a beautiful night at Lawrence Central vs Brebeuf A blast catching the US vs Japan in Columbus with my Soccer Buddy Bart Scoble – Dos a Cero Baby!
TV GAME SCHEDULE
Sat, Sept 13 7:30 am USA Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest 10 am USA Fulham (Robinson) vs Leeds United (Aaronson) 10 am Peacock Crystal Palace (Richards) vs Sunderland 12 noon Para+ Juventus vs Inter 12:30 pm NBC Westham United vs Tottenham 12:30 pm CBS NC Courage vs Angel City NWSL 12:30 pm ESPN+ Bayern Munich vs Hamburger 3 pm USA Brentford vs Chelsea 3 pm ESPN+ Atletico Madrid (Cardosa) vs Villareal 5 pm Tubi Orlando Pride vs Bay FC NWSL 7:30 pm Tubi KC City vs Washington Spirit NWSL 7:30 pm Apple DC United vs Orlando City 8:30 pm Apple Seattle Sounders vs LA Galaxy 8:30 pm Apple Dallas vs Austin Sun, Sept 14 9 am USA Burnley (Adams) vs Liverpool 11:30 am USA Man City vs Man United 11:30 am ESPN+ M’Gladbach (Reyna, Scally) vs Werder Bremen 2:45 pm Para+ AC Milan (Pulisic) vs Bologna 3 pm ESPN+ Barcelona vs Valencia 3 pm ESPN Chicago Red Stars vs Portland Thorns NWSL 6 pm Golazo, Para Utah Royals vs Houston Dash NWSL 8 pm Golazo, Para Seattle Reign vs Racing Louisville NWSL Tues, Sept 16 – Champions League 12:45 pm CBSSN PSV (Dest) vs Union SG 12:45 pm PAra+ Athletic Club vs Arsenal 3 pm Para+ Juve vs Dortmund 3 pm Para+ Real Madrid vs Olympique Marseille 3 pm Para+ Tottenham vs Villareal 3 pm Para+ Crystal Palace (Richards) vs Millwall League Cup 8 pm CBSSN Nashville SC vs Philly Union US Open Cup Semi Final Weds, Sept 17- Champions League 3 pm CBSSN Ajax vs Inter Milan 3 pm Para+ Bayern Munich vs Chelsea 3 pm PAra+ Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid (Cardoso) 3 pm Para+ PSG vs Atalanta 8 pm CBSSN Minn vs Austin US Open Cup Semi Thurs, Sept 18 – Champions League 12:45 pm CBSSN Kabenhavn vs Bayer Leverkusen (Tilman) 12;45 pm Para, Prime Club Brugge vs Monaco 3 pm CBSSN Frankfort vs Galatasaray 3 pm Para+, Uni New Castle vs Barcelona 3 pm Para, Prime Man City vs Napoli 10:30 pm CBSSN Angel City vs Washington Spirit (Rodman) Fri, Sept 19 8 pm Prime Houston Dash vs Chicago Red Stars NWSL 10 pm CBSSN, Prime Utah Royals vs Racing Louisville NWSL Sat, Sept 20 7:30 am USA Liverpool vs Everton 7:30 am CBSSN Leicester City vs Coventry City (Wright) 9:30 am ESPN+ Hoffenhiem vs Bayern Munich 10 am USA Burnley (Adams) vs Nottingham Forest 10 am Peacock West Ham vs Crystal Palace (Richards) 10 am Peacock Wolverhampton vs Leeds (Aaronson) 10 am Para, Prime Norwich City (Sargent) vs Wrexham 10:15 am ESPN+ Real Madrid vs Espanyol 12 noon Para+ Hellas Verona vs Juventus 2:45 pm Para+ Udinese vs AC Milan (Pulisic) 12:30 pm NBC Man United vs Chelsea 3 pm USA Fulham (Robinson) vs Brentford 7:30 pm TUBI KC Current vs Seattle Reign NWSL 10 pm TUBI Portland Thorns vs San Diego Wave NWSL Sun, Sept 21 9 am USA Bournmouth vs New Castle 10:15 am ESPN+ Mallorca vs Atletico Madrid (Cardosa) 11:30 am ESPN+ Bayer Leverkusen (Tillman) vs B Mgladbach (Scally, Reyna) 11:30 am USA Arsenal vs Man City 2:45 pm Para+ Inter Milan vs Sassuolo 2:45 pm beIN Sport Olympique Marseille (Weah) vs PSG 3 pm ESPN+ Barcelona vs Getafe 8:30 pm ESPN2 Bay FC vs NY/NJ Gotham FC NWSL 9 pm FS 1 LAFC (Son) vs Real Salt Lake (Luna) Fri, Oct 10 8:30 pm TNT, Max USA Men vs Ecuador Tues, Oct 14 9 pm TNT, Max USA Men vs Australia Thurs, Oct 23 9 pm TNT, Max USA Women vs Portugal Chester PA Sun, Oct 26 4 pm TNT, Max USA Women vs Portugal Hartford CT Sat, Nov 15 5 pm TNT, Max USA Men vs Paraguay Chester PA Tues, Nov 18 7 pmTNT, Max USA Men vs Uruguay Tampa, FL
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Lovely night for Soccer reffing with veteran Thomas Kelley at Noblesville. Love those grass fields.
USMNT weekend viewing guide: Back again
Some of our most watched leagues embark on a new season.
Saturday
Fulham v Leeds United – 10a on USA Network: Antonee Robinson and Fulham will face Brenden Aaronson and Leeds United on Saturday morning. Robinson came off the bench in Fulham’s two most recent matches to play 20-30 minutes, and remained with his club over the break as he continues his recovery. Aaronson has also been coming off the bench for Leeds and getting roughly the same number of minutes though it seems clear that it is in a designed role and not an effort to get his minutes up over time. Fullham fell to Chelsea 2-0 ahead of the break and are still looking for their first win on the season while Leeds have thoroughly mixed results, opening the season with a win before being thrashed 5-0 by Arsenal and then rebounding with a draw against Newcastle.
Crystal Palace v Sunderland – 10a on Peacock: Chris Richards has played every minute of the first three matches for Crystal Palace and the club picked up their first win of the season, 3-0 over Aston Villa, heading into the break. They now face a newly promoted Sunderland side that have won two of their first three matches, defeating both West Ham and Brentford in the opening weeks of the season.
Bournemouth v Brighton & Hove Albion – 10a on Peacock: Tyler Adams and Bournemouth have won their past two matches 1-0 defeating Wolverhampton and Tottenham with Adams playing nearly every minute of the match though he also received a yellow card in each match. Bournemouth bounced back well after their season opening 4-2 loss to Liverpool and currently sit in seventh place, three points back of the league leaders.
Coventry City v Norwich City – 10a on Paramount+: Haji Wright and Josh Sargent will face off in English Championship action this weekend. Wright and Coventry have won twice and drawn twice in their first four matches of the season and currently sit in fifth place with Wright scoring in each of the team’s last three matches. Meanwhile Sargent, who may be running out of chances with the USMNT, was named the Championship player of the month after scoring five goals in the teams first four matches, including both goals of Norwich’s 2-0 win over Blackburn heading into the break two weeks ago.
Juventus v Inter Milan – Noon on Paramount+: Weston McKennie has seen just a minute in each of Juventus’s first two matches of the season, wins over Parma and Genoa. It seems that he has work to do to once again work his way back into the squad, a position he is very familiar with and has been very successful at. Juve have a huge matchup this weekend with last seasons runners up, Inter Milan.
NEC v PSV – 12:45p on ESPN Select: Sergnio Dest, Ricardo Pepi, and PSV will look to bounce back from a shocking 2-0 loss to Telstar heading into the International break. Dest started the match, as he has each of PSV’s first four matches, while Pepi came on at the half for his first extended appearance of the season.
Club America v Guadalajara – 11:15p on Paramount+: Alejandro Zendejas and Club America are undefeated in their first seven matches of the Liga MX Apertura with just two draws though they are still in second place, a point back of Monterrey who have won six matches and lost once. Zendejas has appeared in every match and started all but one.
Saturday MLS Matches with USMNT flavor – the below MLS players were called into the September camp and with the exception of the backup keeper, Roman Celentano, each made at least a brief appearance in the friendlies against South Korea and Japan:
Atlanta United v Columbus Crew – 7:30p on MLS Season Pass (Apple TV): Max Arfsten and Sean Zawadski
Charlotte v Inter Miami – 7:30p on MLS Season Pass: Tim Ream
DC United v Orlando City SC – 7:30p on MLS Season Pass: Alex Freeman
Cincinnati v Nashville SC – 7:30p on MLS Season Pass: Roman Celentano
Seattle Sounders v LA Galaxy – 8:30p on MLS Season Pass: Cristian Roldan
Chicago Fire v NYCFC – 8:30p on MLS Season Pass: Matt Freese
Vancouver Whitecaps v Philadelphia Union – 9:30p on MLS Season Pass: Tristan Blackmon and Sebastian Berhalter v Nathan Harriel
Real Salt Lake v Sporting Kansas City – 9:30p on MLS Season Pass: Diego Luna
Colorado Rapids v Houston Dynamo – 9:30p on MLS Season Pass: Jack McGlynn
San Diego v Minnesota United – 9:30p on MLS Season Pass: Luca de la Torre
Sunday
Southampton v Portsmouth – 7a on CBSSN: Damion Downs did not appear against South Korea and saw just a handful of minutes off the bench in the match against Japan, a role which matches what he’s seen thus far this season with his club in the English Championship. Downs has appeared in three of four matches as a substitute for Southampton, missing one due to illness.
Atalanta v Lecce – 9a on CBSSN: Yunus Musah spent the international break joining his new club, Atalanta who finished last season in third place in Serie A though they are still looking for their first win this season. Musah’s role with his new club remains to be seen, he had started in the midfield for AC Milan just ahead of his transfer, playing the full 90’ in the teams 2-0 win.
Lille v Toulouse – 9a on beIN Sports: Mark McKenzie and Toulouse suffered a 6-3 loss to PSG heading into the international break and will look to wipe the slate clean as they face Lille on Sunday. McKenzie has played every minute thus far for Toulouse who won their first two matches, without surrendering a goal, before being crushed by PSG in their most recent match.
St. Pauli v Augsburg – 9:30a on ESPN Select: James Sands started St Pauli’s first two matches of the season, a draw with Borussia Dortmund and a win over Hamburger, playing almost every minute early for a club that is picking up points early in the season and looking to put some ground between themselves and the threat of relegation. St. Pauli face Augsburg this weekend. Augsburg is coming off a 2-3 loss to Bayern Munich, a loss in which Noahkai banks saw 1’ minute off the bench, which was one more minute than he received while on international break with the USMNT.
Borussia Monchengladbach v Werder Bremen – 11:30a on ESPN Select: Joe Scally, Gio Reyna, and Borussia Monchengladbach are looking for their first win, and first goal, of the season as they face Werder Bremen on Sunday. Gladbach opened the season with a scoreless draw against newly promoted Hamburger and fell 1-0 to Stuttgart in week two. Scally started both matches at rightback while Reyna has yet to appear for his new club. Werder Bremen also have one loss and one draw in their first two matches though they have given up seven goals in the two matches.
Rennes v Olympique Lyon – 2:45p on beIN Sports: Tanner Tessmann has started the season playing every minute for a Lyon side that have won their first three matches. Lyon are tied with PSG for the league lead with both teams also having a +5 goal differential. This weekend Lyon will face a Rennes side that are 1-1-1 to start the season and sitting in ninth place. Interestingly Rennes have played down a man in two of their three matches, the season opening win over Marseille as well as a 4-0 loss to Lorient in the second week of the season.
AC Milan v Bologna – 2:45p on Paramount+: Christian Pulisic scored his first goal of the season after coming on as a substitute late in AC Milan’s 2-0 win over Lecce just ahead of the break. Milan face a Bologna side who opened the season with a 1-0 loss to Roma before bouncing back and defeating Como 1-0. Milan will be looking to make a move up the table this season, relative to their disappointing eighth place finish last season, and a home win over a team that finished a point back of them would be the type of result they will need.
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World Cup Onside/Offside: Good win for USMNT, Messi’s last dance?
Luis Miguel Echegaray
Sep 10, 2025, 01:10 PM ETareside! This week, Luis Miguel Echegaray recaps some of the most notable highlights from the international break. From jubilation in west Africa and the heights of El Alto in South America to a spark of encouragement in Columbus, Ohio, here is LME’s point of view as World Cup qualifiers took center stage.
ONSIDE: Finally, a spark for the U.S.
After Saturday’s uninspiring 2-0 loss to South Korea in Harrison, New Jersey, with another disjointed performance, the United States men’s national team finally gave its fans a reason to believe in Mauricio Pochettino’s project, beating Japan 2-0 at Columbus, Ohio’s Lower.com Field on Tuesday night.
Pochettino reacted to the South Korea loss by tinkering both in strategy and lineup (five changes from Saturday) so his side could better the agile, high-possession mentality of Hajime Moriyasu’s Japan, a team I think will do very well next summer. And so he went back to the playbook from his Southampton and Tottenham days, when he often employed a 3-4-3 (or 3-4-2-1) formation in order to play the role of contrarian against teams who enjoy buildup play. That’s exactly what happened Tuesday night as the U.S. pressed, attacked and exploited the massive holes that were available due to their high-press mentality.
It was classic, old-school Pochettino, and it worked.
Christian Pulisic — who was not part of the squad during the summer, which yielded plenty of criticism — was magnificent Tuesday night, finding so much freedom in possession as he constantly recovered the ball, made chances and notched an assist for Falorin Balogun. Club América’s Alex Zendejas was also excellent, capping a great performance with a lovely goal.
I also think that if there is meant to be any success in the future, it must unequivocally involve Chris Richards because I cannot overstate enough the importance of the center back from Crystal Palace. He is vital to everything the U.S. does.
Now, the actual result against Japan is neither here nor there — this was a friendly, after all, and the U.S. opponents rotated heavily after their draw with México, meaning key starters such as Liverpool‘s Wataru Endo, Takefusa Kubo from Real Sociedad didn’t play while others (Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma, Monaco’s Takumi Minamino) entered only as substitutes. This also wasn’t the U.S. team’s “strongest” XI either, but let’s not focus on this point; instead, let’s remember the bigger takeaway. On Tuesday night in Columbus, they players — and Pochettino — were able to see the personality of a cohesive, resilient and creative side and in my opinion, it was their best performance since the Argentinian took over.
I do think, however, that playing every single friendly on American soil is not necessarily a good thing for this team because tougher challenges will come their way. Instead, I wish they tested themselves more often in hostile environments against a legitimate World Cup contender.
Now, some have argued to me that in a nation with massive support for Mexico and other nations, playing in the U.S., from the Americans’ perspective, can already seem like playing in an away environment. But that’s not the same. I am talking about a U.S. side that, for the sake of hypothetical argument, should travel to Monumental stadium and face Argentina, or head to north Africa and test itself against Moroccoin Rabat. Heck: forget major teams. Go and play a team such as Scotland or Indonesia, it doesn’t matter. The point is to face them at their house, in front of their fans, their culture and their support.
Canada, for example, did exactly that in the September window, with Jesse Marsch’s men winning 3-0 away at Romania and 1-0 against Wales in Swansea. The result is quite honestly secondary to the lessons you can learn when you play in alien territory, because this is how you learn how to get comfortable with the uncomfortable and if you want to make history at next summer’s World Cup, you have to be ready for everything. Being a host nation won’t save you.
The Americans’ remaining matches for the year are against Ecuador, Australia, Paraguay and Uruguay — all good testers for 2026, but they’re all happening in the USA. After that, there are reports of games in March against European giants such as Belgium and Cristiano Ronaldo‘s Portugal, depending on their own qualification routes. These are all very strong opponents to warm up against, but I think playing in this kind of proverbial bubble, always at home, helps no one, most notably the United States men’s national team. Being a host nation means very little once the whistle is blown and the game kicks off.
But let me finish with a positive because on Tuesday night, Pochettino’s U.S. team played a tremendous game, which is hopefully a sign of continued progress and ultimate confidence that can build toward something very special by the time June comes around.
ONSIDE: The underdogs rise up in South America and Africa
South America’s automatic places for next summer’s competition were already cemented as Argentina, Ecuador, Colombia, Uruguay, Brazil and Paraguay had booked their tickets before the final matchday. So all eyes centered on Venezuela and Bolivia, who were looking to earn that seventh spot, which would put them in the intercontinental playoff spot.
Venezuela had the upper hand heading into the evening, but a heartbreaking 6-3 defeat at the hands of Colombia meant that Bolivia had an opportunity to do something they hadn’t done since 2009 — win against Brazil, and leapfrog Venezuela for seventh place. Just like 16 years ago, La Verde had the altitude to rely on as their Municipal stadium in El Alto stands at an overwhelming 13,600 feet above sea level — 1,800 feet more than their previous stadium in La Paz. Bolivia used this to their fullest advantage, not losing a single qualifier at home. In fact, in this campaign, they broke a World Cup qualifying record for most points earned with 20 points, and their singular victory away from home was against Chile last year, which ended up being incredibly important.
Against Brazil, they grabbed a 1-0 win thanks to a questionable penalty decision — what’s CONMEBOL without a little drama, eh? — but it must also be said that this has been a campaign in which Óscar Villegas’ team has played its heart out. In the end, Bolivia earned the playoff spot and are now closer to returning to the World Cup for the first time since 1994, which was funnily enough also hosted by the United States. This would also be the second time in Bolivia’s history where they have actually qualified for the tournament: their two other previous World Cup appearances (1930 and 1950) were done through invitation.Meanwhile, in Africa, Cape Verde — with a population equivalent to the city of Atlanta — won a historic game over Cameroon 1-0, meaning that the Blue Sharks have a lead at the top of their qualification group by five points. One more victory from their final two matches and they’ll be heading to their first-ever World Cup. After the final whistle, Cape Verde fans stormed the pitch, celebrating what could be an incredible conclusion to their campaign.Now, it must be said that if you’re an avid African football fan, this is not a complete surprise as this beautiful country, which consists of 10 islands and multiple islets, have done very well in recent years, including a quarterfinal appearance at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, but let’s not undermine this achievement. When you’re topping your group, one that includes a powerhouse like Cameroon, it is a testament to their work.
OFFSIDE: The end is nigh as the final chapters of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are about to be written
Last Thursday night in Buenos Aires, Lionel Messi played his final World Cup qualifier with Argentina. The evening — a 3-0 win for the defending World Cup champions over Venezuela — also yielded a brace from Messi to make it 36 goals from 72 games in CONMEBOL qualifying, which convincingly leads the history books on the continent. On Tuesday night, La Albiceleste lost 1-0 against Ecuador, but regardless, it comfortably concluded their 2026 qualifying campaign at the top of the table.
Messi, who sealed this campaign as the top scorer in South American qualifiers with eight goals, didn’t play in Guayaquil as he returned to the U.S. in order to get ready for Inter Miami’s final run towards MLS playoff, so this essentially means that Messi’s career in World Cup qualifiers is done. His presence at next summer’s tournament is also, at this moment, not guaranteed.
“Given my age, the most logical thing is that it won’t happen,” the 38-year-old star said last week, also holding the record for most appearances at the World Cup. “I’m excited, eager, but I’m taking it day by day, match by match. … I’ll continue as I have been, taking it day by day, trying to feel good, and above all, being honest with myself. When I feel good, I enjoy it. And if I’m not good, I have a bad time and I’d rather not be there. I’ll see. … I haven’t made a decision about the World Cup.”Why is Lionel Messi not committing to the 2026 World Cup with Argentina?Kasey Keller and Alejandro Moreno discuss Lionel Messi’s future with Argentina ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Meanwhile in Europe, where UEFA qualifiers don’t finish until November, Cristiano Ronaldo also had a joyous international window. His pair of goals against Armenia in Portugal’s 5-0 rout meant that his 38 goals in World Cup qualifiers surpassed Messi and put him just one behind the recordholder, the legendary Carlos Ruíz from Guatemala. On Tuesday against Hungary, Ronaldo tied Ruíz with a penalty as Portugal won 3-2 against Hungary.Ronaldo, 40, also extended his international scoring record to 141 goals in 223 games. He will be 41 in February and his aim — just like Messi — is to play in a record sixth World Cup.So will we see a “Last Dance” next summer? Will the 2026 men’s World Cup be Messi and Ronaldo’s curtain call on the international stage?Even contemplating this feels surreal because after two decades of astonishing success and jaw-dropping memories, it’s almost unbelievable to believe that in the very near future, we will not see them play ever again, whether it’s for club or country.Years and years from now, younger generations will ask us about their incredible rivalry. They will ask about the most remarkable, inspiring and breathtaking time in the history of the sport when two superstars controlled the game in the palm of their hands and in turn, as we tell them all about it, we will als
Pulisic rates 9/10 as Japan win gets USMNT back on track
Following Saturday’s 2-0 loss to South Korea, the USMNT quickly bounced back with a more proactive attack through an experimental 3-4-3 formation. In a first half that included 63% possession, the home side created danger through high-pressing fullbacks Max Arfsten and Alex Freeman. After a clever dribble from Arfsten in the 30th minute, the 24-year-old launched a cross that found Zendejas, who impressively volleyed the ball into the back of the net.The U.S. continued its attacking influence in the second half.In 64th minute, the Americans doubled their lead after a pacey run from Christian Pulisic led to an assist for Balogun’s goal. Despite Japan shaking things up with second-half subs that wrestled back some of the momentum, the 2-0 result was cemented by the final whistle for the home team that had a late second wind in the dying minutes of the match.Looking ahead in their ongoing World Cup preparation, coach Mauricio Pochettino and his U.S. roster will take part in friendlies next month against Ecuador on Oct. 10 and Australia on Oct. 14.
Manager rating (scale of 1-10)
Mauricio Pochettino, 8 — Credit where credit is due. Pochettino took a tactical gamble after not only ringing in five different changes from his previous XI but also testing out a 3-4-3 formation. Sure, it wasn’t perfect, there were some questionable defensive moments in the new setup and goalkeeper Matt Freese was kept fairly busy by Japan’s opportunities. Nonetheless, the overall performance is a step forward after the loss to South Korea.
USMNT Player ratings (0-10; 10 = best; 5 = average)
GK Matt Freese, 9 — USA’s starting spot in net appears to be his to lose after earning a clean sheet thanks to his six saves. He fumbled the ball during one of those interventions, but it didn’t end up hurting the scoreline.
DF Tim Ream, 6 — An inconsistent but decent evening for the captain. While he was a vital distributor that was able to get forward, Ream also found himself losing aerial deals and occasionally chasing attacking players.
DF Chris Richards, 7 — Not bad from the Premier League player who added more confidence to the backline. Provided crucial interventions but also had some imprecise passes going forward.
DF Tristan Blackmon, 6 — An improvement after his shaky debut last week. Although his decision-making may not be at an elite national team level, Blackmon still dished out some important clearances.
MF Max Arfsten, 8 — Looked much more comfortable in an advanced role. Wasn’t the strongest during defensive moments, but that may not matter much when you consider his attacking presence that created the assist for the first goal.
MF Cristian Roldan, 6 — A mixed bag from the central midfielder that was able to win back possession, but also didn’t regularly win his duels in the heart of the XI.
MF Tyler Adams, 7 — It wasn’t a vintage Adams performance, but it was still a big improvement from last week. Some crucial interventions in the midfield and plenty of accurate passing.
MF Alex Freeman, 7 — Granted, Freeman wasn’t superb defensively and could have done a better job with his distribution, but he should hold his head high with the ground he covered on the right flank and his overall involvement in the attack. A promising 90+ minutes.
FW Christian Pulisic, 9 — Roamed around, created his own opportunities with recoveries, dropped deep and then clinched the well-earned assist for Balogun’s goal.
FW Folarin Balogun, 8 — A clear upgrade over Josh Sargent. Balogun linked well with the frontline and created plenty of danger with his attacking presence. Briefly went quiet before scoring the second goal of the match.
FW Alex Zendejas, 9 — Zendejas dove into a tackle that earned a yellow card early on but quickly bounced back with his goal and clever movement in the final third. A statement performance from the highly involved Club America winger.
Substitutes (players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
FW Diego Luna, 8 — An energetic cameo from the young player that was a focal point in the buildup and almost earned an assist in the final minutes.
MF Jack McGlynn, 8 — Nearly scored twice, with the second shot rocketing off the crossbar.
MF Sergiño Dest, 7 — Provided the pass that led to McGlynn’s shot that hit the crossbar. Another player that could benefit from Pochettino’s change in formation.
MF Luca de la Torre, 7 — Accurate with his distribution and almost secured an assist from McGlynn’s first short-range opportunity.
FW Damion Downs, N/A — Subbed on in the 79th minute.
So Bochitino want’s us to fill the stadiums but he doesn’t want us to question the players effort or his horrific tactics and player decisions. Ok Poch. Sure!!
Pochettino’s back three worked for the USMNT. What might that mean for the World Cup?
Mauricio Pochettino wasn’t hired to help the U.S. men’s national team win games against regional opponents or friendlies. Those were two areas in which predecessor Gregg Berhalter was still excelling up until the end of his tenure as coach. The perceived value of investing $6 million annually in the Argentine manager was his history of success in the club game. With his pedigree, the theory went, his fresh eyes could find diamonds in the rough of his new player pool and configure a system that would give the USMNT a better chance of making a deep run at the 2026 World Cup.A year isn’t a long time in a job, but it’s over halfway from when Pochettino assumed the role and when his ultimate performance review will commence after the World Cup comes to North America. At a certain point along the way, it’s expected there would be signs of progress.On Tuesday night, we finally saw some evidence of evolution. Pochettino seemed to adapt based on persistent issues with his base 4-2-3-1 — which he had used in all 11 games to date in 2025 — to a 3-4-2-1. By dropping a player from the attacking line beneath his striker and introducing a third center back, his team was able to play with more decisiveness in transition and more downhill intentionality.“I think we have players that play in this new formation,” Pochettino said after his team’s 2-0 win over Japan on Tuesday, listing a few defenders whose clubs play a similar system. “I think it’s good to have different plans, approach to the games, use different formations.”
It was successful, albeit in a win over a fully rotated side that qualified for the World Cup this spring. But it also led to a more entertaining performance from the USMNT than we’ve seen in some time. That latter point seems more dependably replicable in this shape, too.Throughout his first year, the U.S. player pool has been thoroughly examined as Pochettino familiarizes himself with dozens of previously unknown options. Some recurring issues were understandable consequences of his continued chopping and changing. Others suggested he just didn’t have the players available to make his ideal system sing.Often, a team that’s struggling to generate chances or results will flock to the wing for refuge. The wide areas are less congested than the central third, offering more open room for carries and give-and-go sequences that can quickly move upfield. It rewards players’ athleticism and instinct while helping advance in spite of a system that isn’t quite a well-oiled machine.One finding from the Gold Cup was that Max Arfsten was not a natural answer at left back in a 4-2-3-1. Arfsten plays as an attacking wingback with the Columbus Crew, and he didn’t have the awareness or defensive composure as the ball neared the box. The same zone was repeatedly targeted at the 2025 Concacaf Nations League, when Joe Scally started in defeats against Panama and Canada. Thus far, there’s no proven alternative to Antonee Robinson on the left in a back four.In this 3-4-2-1, Arfsten was playing a far more similar role to the one he occupies at the club level. His opposite number, Alex Freeman, plays his club soccer on the right edge of a back four. However, the 21-year-old has the mobility and positional awareness to play a more advanced role, as he often factors into the Orlando City attack.
For the first 15 minutes Tuesday, it was Freeman who was pinning Japan back with dribbles upfield. The opponent began to catch on, shifting its center a bit to its left to slow him down. Perhaps fueled by playing at the Crew’s home stadium, Arfsten had confidence and space to operate on the left, providing the game’s breakthrough with a well-looped cross.
Even at his defensive shakiest, Arfsten remained in Pochettino’s first team thanks to his attacking dynamism. He’s good value to win his attempted take-ons when dribbling, an invaluable trait to progress upfield while creating space for himself to cross. Asking him to lean into his bag of tricks is a less risky idea when there’s an extra center back to cover the defensive duties he was already struggling to handle. It also gets him into spots to make more actions like these, dribbling until he finds his crossing angle.
The use of a wingback helps solve for one of the player pool’s biggest deficiencies. While Christian Pulisic is the current generation’s greatest success and Tim Weah has forged a steady career in Europe, the U.S. pool is concerningly thin on the wings. Rather than forcing the issue, this tweak to a base 3-4-3 operates with two attackers beneath the striker in the channel — more like attacking midfielders than touchline-hugging wingers.
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That’s great news for Pulisic, Weah and Alex Zendejas, who are each more natural goalscorer than chance-creating crosser. It’s also good news for Malik Tillman, Diego Luna and, potentially, Gio Reyna, who would still have an obvious home in the half-spaces. Pochettino could find his favored combination based on the matchup, offering simple tweaks to the format for each match.
The formation shift might also be a welcome change for his star pupil. As a left winger playing out wide, Pulisic can struggle with his decision-making in possession sequences and transition alike, needing to cut in-field and survey passing options while acknowledging his instinct to set up his own shot. In the seam, he has a bit less to mull over as he’s already at a shooting angle…
…or able to slip a ball between the marking defender and a center back being pulled out of position away from his striker, as he did here to set up Folarin Balogun for the clincher vs. Japan. Don’t underestimate the value of Arfsten’s comfort in this role, offering a needed off-ball run to put the right half of the backline in two minds and thus giving Pulisic a little more space with which to operate. That has a trickle-down effect on the striker, who could get a little extra room with two more scoring threats or creators in close proximity.
As Pulisic exited following the assist, he gave Pochettino an affirmative nod while his coach gave a wink and a nod. Seemingly, they won’t see a need to swap barbs about this change on podcasts.
Mauricio Pochettino’s changes paid off vs. Japan (Koji Watanabe / Getty Images)
After halftime, Pochettino told the TNT broadcast that he was happy to see his team getting used to “another system.” Given how it performed, we haven’t seen the last of it. So what does that change about the squad permutations heading into the 2026 World Cup?
The biggest question about how viable this 3-4-2-1 will be has to do with the position group most directly impacted: the midfield. No area of the field has been rotated more heavily and consistently under Pochettino, with the previous cycle’s set-in-stone baseline of Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie and Yunus Musah fully deconstructed to examine new options.
It goes without saying that two midfielders will have to cover more ground without a third teammate in the engine room. Sometimes, that’ll slow upfield progression until the ball sprays wide. Other times, it’ll allow opponents to take shots if they get behind the midfield and the backline is holding its ground, as Kōki Ogawa attempted in the 70th minute before seeing his chipped shot clang off the crossbar.
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While line-breaking with dribbles and passes alike is still a major benefit, tirelessness and agility to follow a play as the ball leaves your proximity are even more mandatory in a double-pivot. It may mean more coordinated in-game rotation to keep legs fresh, or more trust in players who are used to playing in a two-man midfield (like Cristian Roldan, this camp’s late inclusion).
Playing with two midfielders is also a risk sheerly in terms of Pochettino’s personnel. The pool is pretty deep in central midfield; beyond the incumbent ‘MMA’ trio, Tanner Tessman and Aidan Morris continue to thrive since moving to Europe, while Johnny Cardoso, Sebastian Berhalter and Luca De La Torre have continued to warrant looks with the national team.
Almost certainly, two of the players named above will miss the World Cup squad; it might be three if Pochettino needs more center back depth. Considering the lack of surefire center backs who can be starters at an international level, he might want the safety of choice.
USMNT center backs Chris Richards (3) and Tim Ream (13) with goal-scoring winger Alex Zendejas (Joseph Maiorana / Imagn Images)
If the midfield represents the pool’s deep end, then center back may be its wading area. Chris Richards and Tim Ream are the only options who have continued to make the majority of Pochettino’s camps, with Ream a month shy of his 38th birthday. Mark McKenzie starts for Toulouse in Ligue 1, but was bypassed in both September friendlies for the previously uncapped Tristan Blackmon. Miles Robinson and Walker Zimmerman are holdovers from Berhalter’s core. Celtic duo Cameron Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty both missed this camp, and with the Scottish side missing out on the Champions League, they may not get the big-game tests needed to work back into Pochettino’s plans.
Of the program’s fullbacks, most — from Arfsten and Freeman to Sergiño Dest, Scally and John Tolkin — are more comfortable going forward than doing defensive work. The only exceptions are Robinson and Freeman; both could serve as makeshift wide center backs to offer further wide options and variety in possession, or play more naturally out wide.
The story of the September window, narratively, was one of impatience: discouragement that the team didn’t look more ready for next summer’s close-up, and confusion about the continued vetting of fresh faces so close to a World Cup. To Pochettino, a career club manager, friendlies may as well be his preseason. A string of bad results will harsh the vibe, but the losses can be spun into positive if lessons were learned.
“It’s hard to be more consistent,” Pochettino said. “(This) formation is more simple to understand, for the players, than the formation that we started in (against) South Korea.” From there, he emphasized the change as a chance to “simplify things” and lean into his players’ strengths. “We have a squad that can fit very well in that formation.”
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In that sense, the change in shape against Japan may have provided valuable validation of his trust in players like Arfsten and evidence that this new formation could fit his player pool best. There’s still a lot of work to be done, especially in midfield. But for now, the U.S. fanbase can see a sign of evolution under Pochettino — and, after such a tense aftermath to Saturday’s defeat against South Korea, that sure looks like some measure of progress.
(Top photo: Koji Watanabe/Getty Images)Your Next Read
Jeff Rueter is a senior soccer writer for The Athletic who covers the game in North America, Europe, and beyond. No matter how often he hears the Number 10 role is “dying,” he’ll always leave a light on for the next great playmaker. Follow Jeff on Twitter @jeffrueter
No doubt in my mind that Balogun is the leader for the #9 with Pepi at this point. I wish Sargent had more luck for the US but he just doesn’t score with the stars & stripes on. .
Pochettino shows signs of pointing USMNT in a positive direction
It has taken exactly one year, but at long last we have witnessed some signs of progress from Mauricio Pochettino’s U.S. men’s national team.
It’s nothing dramatic or radical, but after slumping to what has felt like the lowest levels possible, Pochettino and his players have given us a glimmer of hope. Tuesday’s 2-0 win over Japan was much-needed, but it wasn’t so much the result that pleased me, welcome as a win was after Saturday’s miserable performance against South Korea.It was the performance that cheered me the most; the ‘look and feel’ of a team that many, including me, had begun to fear was drifting aimlessly toward an inevitable disappointment in June’s World Cup. They suggested that maybe the die is not cast. That perhaps, we can still dream a little. Maybe.Collectively, Pochettino’s group, at last, looked something like a team rather than just a gathering of hopefuls thrown together for a tryout. And individually, there were some performances that reminded us that, as much as we may have despaired at recent displays, there is some talent with which the Argentine coach can work.Of course, we can’t get carried away. This was a Japan side missing many of its first-choice players, a ‘B team’ at best. But this wasn’t a full-strength USMNT either, and ultimately you can only beat what is in front of you.Crucially, for the first time in Pochettino’s tenure, there was a system change that made sense, a formation that fit the players and a collective comfort that has been sorely lacking. The manager may not overly concern himself with tactics, but he made a change and rolled out a back three with wingbacks — a shape that clearly played to the strengths of this squad. It made a real difference and allowed the U.S. to rely on the athleticism of its wide players, with Max Arfsten and Alex Freeman given license to attack.Arfsten, in particular, looked liberated, surging forward with the confidence he shows weekly for the Columbus Crew. Freeman, raw but with real potential, was less tidy on the ball but showed flashes of what he could become. Questions remain about the defensive side of his game, however. Early on he looked vulnerable, as Japan’s 23-year-old right wingback Henry Mochizuki targeted him. But he grew into the game as the U.S. took more control of possession, which allowed him to focus on his strengths going forward. That progression is encouraging.
USMNT had plenty to celebrate during its performance vs. Japan (Adam Cairns / Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY Network / Imagn Images)
Antonee Robinson is the first choice at left back, but it is reassuring to see that Arfsten, who provided a pinpoint cross for Alex Zendejas’ opener, might have the potential to be a credible backup in a position where there is little depth, which would allow Pochettino to avoid shoehorning Tim Weah or Sergiño Dest into a left wingback role.Freeman is at an earlier stage of his development and the World Cup might come too soon for him, but he also looked more confident in a system where he didn’t have the sole responsibility of defending.The back line itself, felt settled for the first time in ages. Chris Richards is now the undisputed leader at center back, and apart from one badly misplaced pass, he exuded calm and intelligence. He plays in a back three at Crystal Palace and looked very much at home in that system.Tim Ream also looked better in a back three and at the moment he, too, looks to have a spot in the first-choice starting XI. Ream is more at ease when the defensive line is a little lower and with his experience and reading of the game, there doesn’t appear to yet be a real challenger to him on the left of the back three.Tristan Blackmon was better vs. Japan than he was against South Korea, but he is still untested at the top level, and there remains a place up for grabs. Pochettino did not get a true look at Noahkai Banks, the 18-year-old who has broken into the first team at Augsburg in the German Bundesliga. Perhaps his chance comes in the October friendlies against Ecuador and Australia.Matt Freese in goal has been solid, and at the moment the No. 1 jersey is his to lose. He may not yet look like the heir to the long list of top goalkeepers that this country has produced, but he is currently ahead of his rivals for that role.If left back has been a perennial headache, midfield is suddenly a source of abundance. The inclusion of 30-year-old MLS stalwart Cristian Roldan raised eyebrows — he’s had his chances and never quite convinced at international level — but his attitude and professionalism are beyond reproach. Roldan is the kind of player every squad needs: a glue guy, a leader in the locker room, someone who raises the standard without ever becoming a distraction. In a tournament setting, when you’re picking your final 26 and know some players might not see the field, you want a Roldan, not a malcontent, in the team camp.His performance against Japan was quietly effective, and with the likes of Weston McKennie, Johnny Cardoso, Malik Tillman, and Yunus Musah all absent, he took his chance to justify his late call-up.There is a debate over whether a solid performance against a weakened Japan justifies another call, but as Pochettino continues to learn about his squad, Roldan’s reliability and attitude may keep him in the mix, especially if injuries or club form keep others out.The formation used puts a lot of responsibility on the two central midfielders, and alongside Roldan, Tyler Adams looked to relish the responsibility and the knowledge that he had so much ground to cover, so much to take control of. It was good to see Adams looking hungry and determined to make that swath of the field his own. There is no doubt about Adams’s quality and leadership; he sets the tone for the midfield and looks ready to reclaim that role fully.
Mauricio Pochettino and Folarin Balogun share a hug after a successful showing vs. Japan (Joseph Maiorana / Imagn Images)
Up front, the most encouraging development was the chemistry between Christian Pulisic and Folarin Balogun. Pulisic, so often burdened by expectation, looked loose and liberated in this new system. Freed from the rigid demands of being “the guy,” he roamed, found space and played with a joy that’s been missing. His second half was his best in a U.S. shirt for some time, capped by an assist for Balogun.Balogun, for his part, showed why he’s now the undisputed starter at striker. His movement, hold-up play and ability to link with Pulisic were a cut above. He’s not just a poacher; he’s comfortable dropping deep, drifting wide and creating as well as finishing.His main rival for that spot is probably still Ricardo Pepi, but the two are very different kinds of strikers. Pepi is more direct, more of a pure No. 9 who plays off the shoulder and looks to get in behind. Balogun, with his Arsenal academy upbringing, is more unpredictable, more versatile and, crucially, a better passer. Having both in the squad gives Pochettino options.Zendejas not only showed his outstanding technique with the volley for his goal, but he looked much more at home in this formation as well, operating behind Balogun and in the inside channels rather than working a narrow strip out wide.Even during the slower passages of play, there was a sense of purpose and understanding. The wingbacks knew their roles. The midfield duo covered ground and protected the back three. Pulisic and Zendejas, no longer forced to play as traditional wingers, thrived in more central, creative roles. Across the team, the formation brought out better things from the players.
However Pochettino came to the conclusion that this change was worth a try, the fact is that he has uncovered something that worked. Yes, it worked against a second-choice Japan in a friendly setting, but it worked, period. Very little up until then had gone Pochettino’s way as pressure continued to build.It’s easy to forget that Pochettino had almost no time to drill this formation. There were no tactical sessions, no practice games — just a leap of faith.Sometimes, international football is about keeping it simple: give the best players a system they know, and let them play. Sometimes, progress comes not from grand plans or ideological purity, but from circumstance and necessity. Coaches stumble upon solutions, forced by injuries or form to try something new. The key is to recognize when something works and to have the humility to stick with it.This was not the finished article. Far from it. But for the first time in a long time, there’s a feeling that the USMNT has taken a step in the right direction.October presents fresh challenges: Ecuador is fresh off a World Cup qualifying win over Argentina, and Australia interestingly also plays the back-three system. Ecuador should present a bigger challenge than either South Korea or Japan, and with roster experimentation ideally behind the USMNT, improvement and consistency now become the priority.But we can now look forward to those games with anticipation. Finally – finally – there are signs of progress. And for now, that’s enough.(Top photo: Adam Cairns / Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY Network / Imagn Images)
Former US men’s national team forward Charlie Davies is a contributor at The Athletic delivering hard-hitting opinion columns, straight-talking podcast appearances, and insightful explainer videos. Charlie made 17 appearances for the USMNT between 2007-09 and was pivotal in helping the team qualify for the 2010 World Cup, before his career was impacted by a serious car accident. He has remained firmly in the soccer spotlight with his TV contributions for CBS Sports and is one of the most prominent former USMNT voices in the country. Follow Charlie on Twitter @CharlieDavies9
USMNT after one year of Pochettino: Shake-ups, process and an unclear World Cup outlook
COLUMBUS, Ohio — One year ago, Mauricio Pochettino sat on a stage in lower Manhattan with a smile on his face, filled with optimism about the job he was taking on.“Everyone thinks that there is no time to prepare and to arrive in our best condition to the World Cup,” Pochettino said that day. “What I wanted to tell you is I am on the opposite side. I believe there is time enough. … Fútbol is like this: to touch the right buttons and we start to perform. For sure I think we have time. We have time. And we need to really believe in big things.”That time has slipped through Pochettino’s fingers faster than he might have expected.Exactly one year since Pochettino was named as head coach, the Argentine is still trying to find out exactly which buttons to press — and with whom. Tuesday night’s 2-0 win over Japan marked his only marquee win since taking the job, and it came against a heavily-rotated side in a friendly. Even so, it felt like a massive relief for a coach in need of some sort of positivity to reinforce what he insists is a carefully considered process centered around one finish line: next summer’s World Cup.Amid what has been a sometimes stormy tenure, including ugly losses at March’s Concacaf Nations League final four, poor results against World Cup-caliber opponents in pre-Gold Cup friendlies (making for the program’s first four-game losing streak in 18 years) and two defeats to rival Mexico, Pochettino has insisted that fans need only to be patient. The results would come, he said.His hope has to be that the win over Japan was the turning point in a rebuild he was paid handsomely to undertake.“Always when we talk about that sport, soccer, it is about (winning),” Pochettino said on Tuesday. “I am so pleased because I think the players deserved that result. … When you are strong in your ideas and your belief, it’s about to keep going and never give up. So (I’m) happy for that, yes.”But, he reiterated, the most important thing right now isn’t the results.“It’s the process,” he said.
It’s one that started at his introductory press conference last September 10, when the former Tottenham, Chelsea and PSG manager called his staff “winners” and talked about how they would “create the platform for (the U.S.) to perform.” A defiant Pochettino earlier this week reiterated the same idea: that his staff has a plan.“We know what we are doing,” he said. “We have experience.”Without the results, however, Pochettino was asking fans to blindly trust that his process would wind up in the right place when it counted most. U.S. Soccer sought a coach with Pochettino’s profile in part so that fans might have exactly that kind of confidence in how he built a team after taking over a side that was eliminated in the group stage of the 2024 Copa América – on home soil, no less.Pochettino was a hard pivot from Gregg Berhalter, a coach who spent almost his entire playing career in Europe but was still seen by some fans as an “MLS coach” supposedly holding back a mostly-European-based player pool. Pochettino came with a pedigree of success in European clubs — and a price tag to match. He is making a reported $6 million per year, the highest salary in the federation’s history.U.S. Soccer was willing to bet that Pochettino’s success at the club level would translate to the international stage. That hasn’t happened immediately.Still, despite some poor results, including Saturday’s 2-0 loss to South Korea, the players have been doing their best to buy in. The win over Japan was at least some validation of that faith.“(The coaches) have a plan in place, and they’re very well-versed in what they want to do,” U.S. veteran Tim Ream said on Saturday night after the Korea loss. “So for us as players, it’s all about coming in and adapting to what they want, what their instruction is, what their game plan is. … And that’s what we have to have to focus on as players. You can’t worry about, ‘Oh, we’re getting down to the wire. Oh, it’s going to be this.’ You just have to come in and adapt and adjust and do exactly what they’re asking you to do and go out and play the game.”
USMNT core figures Christian Pulisic and Tyler Adams during Tuesday’s win over Japan (Adam Cairns / Columbus Dispatch / USA Today Network / Imagn Images)
Flipping the power dynamic
Pochettino’s tenure with the national team has, so far, been defined by his willingness to mix things up, especially after the March Nations League failures, when the U.S. lost to both Panama and Canada.“You remember March?” the coach asked, sarcastically and pointedly, during his press conference on Monday. “It was a wake-up call. Because we need to start a different process and (a) different approach.”
Pochettino challenged regulars in the team to prove they belong. He leaned heavily into the MLS player pool and insisted the domestic league is every bit as strong as some of its European counterparts. (An ironic turn for a fan base who insisted it was Berhalter who would favor MLS players even as he heavily leaned on the European core.) Pochettino also didn’t back down from a public back-and-forth with star Christian Pulisic this summer.The winger asked to skip the Gold Cup so that he could get much-needed rest. But in an interview with CBS Sports defending the decision amid criticism from alumni like Landon Donovan, Pulisic mentioned that Pochettino wouldn’t allow him to play just in pre-tournament friendlies.The manager responded forcefully on the eve of the Gold Cup.“I think when I signed my contract [with] the federation [it said] I am the head coach,” Pochettino said. “I’m not a mannequin.”The interaction was a microcosm of how Pochettino has tried to alter the power dynamics within the program. His goal has been to create more competition, mine the pool for depth and solve for any complacency that crept in. But without the results to reinforce those efforts, it left the strategy wide open for criticism.Pochettino insists the payoff is coming. And he’s been fairly open that the next step in the process will start in October. Upon revealing his September camp roster, he called this month’s gathering a “last opportunity to bring some new faces that we didn’t have the possibility to bring in the past.” In theory, that should mean we should have a better idea of Pochettino’s full-strength squad next month.For now, the players who make up that group remain somewhat of a question mark.
Malik Tillman and Diego Luna helped guide the USMNT to the Gold Cup final (Jed Jacobsohn / Getty Images)
Building out depth
ochettino’s roster decisions over the last six months haven’t always been up to him. He couldn’t bring Weston McKennie, Tim Weah or Gio Reyna to the Gold Cup due to Club World Cup commitments. Sergiño Dest, Antonee Robinson, Ricardo Pepi, Folarin Balogun and Zack Steffen were out injured and couldn’t go either. Pulisic and Yunus Musah asked for time off.For these September friendlies, Pochettino said he took club form and fitness into consideration when leaving players like McKennie, Musah, Johnny Cardoso, Malik Tillman, Robinson and Matt Turner at home. Others, like Tanner Tessmann, Joe Scally and Aidan Morris seem on the outside looking in.Pochettino this week used Tillman as an example for how the roster churn shouldn’t be seen as an assessment of the best players in the pool. Tillman was a player he clearly would have called in if the U.S. was playing World Cup qualifiers. The Leverkusen midfielder was the breakout player of the Gold Cup. But with the U.S. playing two friendlies, Pochettino saw more value in letting the attacking midfielder stay at his club and work back into full fitness after missing all of preseason with an injury following the summer tournament.“You can call (him),” Pochettino said. “But if you call and you take a risk and it’s a setback and issue, and maybe it’s one, two, three months that (he doesn’t) play, it is a big risk for the World Cup.”Instead, Pochettino saw more value in bringing in other players to test them. That way, if the U.S. has to reach further into the pool for the World Cup, they know which players they can trust. So while fans (and media) groaned at some of the players called into camp, questioning whether there is an opportunity cost when minutes are spent on Tristan Blackmon or Nathan Harriel, Pochettino saw it as a necessary step in his process.“Of course I want to win,” he said. “But also we need to think in the process.”For Pochettino, the win over Japan was a level of validation. He pointed to Alejandro Zendejas’ performance as one that pushed a player into a better position for “the race for the roster for the World Cup.” Max Arfsten and others improved their standing, too.October should be an even more important gauge for this program.
It won’t be clear if Pochettino’s message and motivation have taken with this group until we see some of the players who have been at home since March’s Nations League disaster.
How can we judge whether he’s motivated the likes of Tessmann and Scally — and whether they are better options than Sean Zawadski or Harriel — unless he brings them back in October and gives them a chance? How will we know what this U.S. midfield looks like with Tyler Adams, McKennie and Tillman starting, rather than Adams, Sebastian Berhalter and Diego Luna, if we don’t see them together?
Mauricio Pochettino enjoyed a win over Japan, but successes haven’t been frequent in his time as U.S. manager (Koji Watanabe / Getty Images)
When winning matters
One year ago, Pochettino said “we are here because we want to win.” This week, he said the team didn’t have to start winning until the World Cup.
A national team coach operates on a different timeline than most any other type of coach. He’s not wrong that national teams are ultimately judged on their World Cup performances — not anything else. Gregg Berhalter used to say all the time that friendlies were times to experiment and try things, that sacrificing results in exhibitions in the name of success when the games counted made all the sense in the world. But that approach is fundamentally at odds with human nature.
Fans want to see wins. They want to see progress. Ahead of a home World Cup, that takes on even more importance. It’s part of the reason so many stadiums have been filled with fans of the opposition. It’s why a home World Cup feels so monumental. This is about building support around the national team, and in doing so to build up the sport in the country itself.
And it goes beyond just the fans. If the U.S. is going to find success at the World Cup, the players need to start to feel some level of confidence, too. So while wins won’t really matter until the World Cup, Pochettino’s process does need to account for wins before that.
“I love the feeling of winning, so I would like to win games before the World Cup,” Adams said this weekend. “I understand his thought process, and we talked about it in (the locker room). You could still have good performances and not necessarily get the result. But, yeah, I think at a certain time it’s important to have some results.”A result came Tuesday. Pochettino smiled at the end of his post-match press conference and said, “I’m looking forward to October.” It was a hugely different vibe than just a few days ago.The question will continue to come down to what Pochettino asked for: belief. Belief that there’s a plan behind some of what has felt, at times, like chaos. And belief that the plan will lead this U.S. team to something better than it was before he arrived. That, after all, is what U.S. Soccer is paying for.“It’s our responsibility to create the platform for them to perform,” Pochettino said that first day in New York last year.He will argue that the past year has been spent building that platform. Now the fruits of that work must start to yield results.he Japan win was, at least, a start.
(Illustration: Kelsea Petersen/The Athletic; Michael Owens/Getty, Catherine Ivill/Getty)
Folarin Balogun just reminded USMNT why he’s the answer to its striker problem
COLUMBUS, Ohio — In the 64th minute of a still-tight game Tuesday night in America’s heartland, Christian Pulisic skated past a Japanese midfielder, glanced up, and saw a somewhat novel sight.Over his nine-plus years with the U.S. men’s national team, Pulisic has turned and ran at countless defenders. He has spun into space countless times. He has skipped into dangerous positions game after game, and far too often, he has lacked options.But here at Lower.com Field, finally, Pulisic had the USMNT’s best option.
For the first time under head coach Mauricio Pochettino, he had Folarin Balogun.Spotting Balogun darting behind the Japanese back line, Pulisic stabbed a pass into space. Balogun surged onto it, nudged away a defender, finished with his left foot to the far post and gave the U.S. a 2-0 lead.
It was a “perfect example” of his movement, U.S. defender Tim Ream said, movement that made several teammates rave. “Even before that,” Ream continued, “he made a lot of good runs, a lot of [well]-timed runs, being able to get in behind when the pressure’s coming onto the midfielders, and onto the defenders, when we have the ball.”Balogun seemed to unlock the U.S. attack in a way that no other American striker has in years. Since Gregg Berhalter, the previous coach, took charge in 2019, 16 men have started up top for the USMNT; none has seized the position with two hands, two feet and consistent goals.Balogun, if healthy, is capable of doing that.
USMNT fans hope Christian Pulisic and Folarin Balogun can form a powerful combination. (Stephen Nadler / ISI Photos / ISI Photos via Getty Images)
“Balo is so good,” midfielder Cristian Roldan said.The Monaco forward is the most dynamic and well-rounded No. 9 that the USMNT has had this decade. And he could be a game-changer for Pochettino.He has been that, at times, since committing his international career to the U.S. over England and Nigeria in 2023. He went straight into the starting lineup, scored and won a trophy in his second match, looking like the striker the U.S. had been missing.But under Berhalter, who had built his system around a hole at striker, Balogun sometimes struggled. He scored just twice in nine appearances in 2024. Then, he battled injuries. Until last week, he still hadn’t linked up with Pochettino. As he recovered from an ankle knock last month, he was initially left off this September roster. He got an admittedly “late” call only after Vancouver Whitecaps veteran Brian White withdrew from the squad due to injury.That call, it turns out, might have changed the trajectory of the USMNT under Pochettino. The Americans created almost nothing from open play in a Gold Cup final loss to Mexico, and throughout most of Saturday’s 2-0 loss to South Korea. On Tuesday, in came Balogun, and plenty improved.“He brings that know-how, and the timing of his runs,” Ream said. “To be able to put defenders on the back foot, running back towards their goal, helps us massively.”Added Pulisic: “He gives sort of an out a lot of the times. Whether it’s coming into pockets and laying the ball off, or it’s little runs in behind, he just kind of relieves the team when we’re under pressure.”
As a winger for much of his youth, Balogun is most comfortable running towards goal, stretching an opponent. But he has worked to round out his game, and on Tuesday, that work was evident.He checked to the ball with the U.S. under pressure in its defensive half. In the 21st minute, with a defender on his butt near midfield, he seemed to cushion a careening ball to wingback Alex Freeman, then spun in behind, and ultimately created a chance for Alex Zendejas.
“It’s definitely something that I’m practicing,” Balogun said of playing with his back to goal, as a target.
“I’m more comfortable facing the goal — I think anyone is, to be honest. It’s difficult when you’re not facing the goal. You have to kind of use your perception, and use spatial awareness to try and protect the ball. But it’s part of the job of a striker.” And it’s a facet he’s improving.It’s on the run, though, where he excels. Against Japan, he was on the run as much as he’s ever been in a U.S. jersey.“When I turn, I feel like I look, and he’s making short runs across the back line,” Pulisic said.“I felt I had good connections with the other players,” Balogun said. “And yeah, I felt comfortable.”It was only his second game, and first start, under Pochettino. But already, he said, “I felt like I knew my job, and that’s a credit to what the coaches are telling us.” He was significantly more effective than the teammate he replaced, Josh Sargent. He combined with Pulisic for an early chance. His diagonal run from center to left helped spring the USMNT toward its first goal. And his second-half finish capped the victory.He could still face competition from Ricardo Pepi or others for a starting spot at the World Cup next summer. But for now, after a dreary weekend, he has injected promise and reminded U.S. fans of potential.His return and instant impact are among the biggest developments of the Pochettino era to date.The win felt “really good,” Balogun said. “After the game against South Korea, we wanted a reaction, we wanted to give the fans some good news before we split up with this camp. So, I was really happy.”(Top photo: John Dorton / ISI Photos / USSF / Getty Images)
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US Men Roster Drop for Sept 6 & 9 Games – No McKennie, Musah, Wright, Turner, Scally
There are 12 players on the roster who competed in the Gold Cup this summer. However, there are some notable absences from players who were excluded due to recovering from injury, as Pochettino opted to have them remain with their teams to continue building up full fitness, even as some recently returned to the field. Those players include Antonee Robinson, Ricardo Pepi, Malik Tillman, and Patrick Agyemang.
Several regulars were not selected for the September roster, including Weston McKennie, Matt Turner, Yunus Musah, Haji Wright, Brenden Aaronson, Gio Reyna, Joe Scally, and Johnny Cardoso. Meanwhile, Alex Zendejas gets his first USMNT camp of 2025 after playing well for Club América. Making the roster is dual national Tristan Blackmon, whose call-up was accidentally leaked by new Vancouver Whitecaps teammate Thomas Müller during a press conference over the weekend. Blackmon was reportedly contacted by Canada head coach Jesse Marsch in the spring to gauge his interest in playing for Canada at the international level. He instead accepts the call-up to join the USMNT for this camp. Four other players are looking to earn their first cap for the USMNT. Dual national Noahkai Banks makes his USMNT camp debut, while Blackmon, Roman Celenatano, and Jonathan Klinsmann are in search of their first cap after returning to the national team. The USMNT take on South Korea on September 6th at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey. They then complete the international window with a friendly against Japan on September 9th at Lower.com Field in Columbus. USMNT ROSTER GOALKEEPERS (3): Roman Celentano (FC Cincinnati), Matt Freese (New York City FC), Jonathan Klinsmann (Cesena) DEFENDERS (8): Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew), Noahkai Banks (FC Augsburg), Tristan Blackmon (Vancouver Whitecaps), Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven), Alex Freeman (Orlando City), Nathan Harriel (Philadelphia Union), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace) MIDFIELDERS (6): Tyler Adams (Bournemouth/ENG; 50/2), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps), Luca de la Torre (San Diego FC), Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake), Jack McGlynn (Houston Dynamo), Sean Zawadzki (Columbus Crew) FORWARDS (5): Damion Downs (Southampton), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan) Josh Sargent (Norwich City), Tim Weah (Marseille), Alex Zendejas (Club América), Folarin Balogun
So I have NO IDEA what Bochitino is Doing here? Now is not the time to be testing new Goalkeepers – these are real teams we are playing! And why so many MLS players? Are you kidding me Boch! HE HAS NO IDEA WHAT HE IS DOING. At this rate we may not make it out of the Group stage. How the heck are McKennie, Haji Wright and Joe Scally not here at least. Aaronson is also a bit of a headscratcher. I am ok with Berhalter he showed well last time – lets see if he can play now that we have REAL competition. I am hope so because I do like his grit. We’ll see on all these others.
Leagues Cup Final Dream Match-Up Messi’s Miami vs Seattle Sounders this Sun 8 pm on Apple, Univision
Miami came from behind in dramatic fashion to beat Orlando in Miami as Messi and the Suarez spurred Miami on to victory. In the late game Seattle Dominated the first half then held on for the 2-0 win over the LA Galaxy setting up the Wednesday night Leagues Cup Final on their home field Sunday at 8 pm on TUDN, Univision & Apple TV free.
Indy 11 Host Louisville City Sat 7 pm @ The Mike
Indy Eleven midfielder Jack Blake recorded his sixth career brace to lead the Boys in Blue to a 3-2 victory over Miami FC at Carroll Stadium.The victory moved the Boys in Blue into a playoff position at the 2/3 point of the 30-game regular season schedule. The Boys in Blue host Eastern Conference leader Louisville City FC next Saturday at 7 pm at Carroll Stadium for “Mystery at the Mike”. Single-game tickets for all matches are available via Ticketmaster. Flex Plan, Group, and Hospitality tickets are available here. For questions, call (317) 685-1100 during business hours or email tickets@indyeleven.com.
Carmel FC Goalkeeper Coach Erin Baker
So excited to welcome former Carmel FC & All State Carmel High School Goalkeeper Erin Baker as Carmel FC Goalkeeper Coach this fall. The former Wright State College Goalkeeper, daughter of Carmel FC Coach Tom Baker and former CFC Coach and legendary Canadian Team Goalkeeper Carla Baker (now Carmel High Asst Coach). Erin will handle coaching duties on Mon nights at Shelbourne Fields and Wednesdays at Badger Fields. Your’s truly will be on hand when I can to help (around high school reffing duties).
Carmel FC GK Coach Erin Baker was a 2 time All-State Selection at Carmel High School and State Champion before playing college ball at Wright State in Ohio. Coaching now on Mon & Wed nights. Congrats to our Carmel FC squads on a jam-packed weekend across the Midwest and a special mention to our 3 teams that picked up silverware in their respective events. Huge thanks to our players, coaches, and the parents who make the miles and memories possible. • 2012 Girls Gold — Premier Cup (Bronze) Champions • 2013 Boys Blue — Puma Cup Finalists • 2014 Girls Gold — Chicago Development ShowcaseT Ray, Mike A and Shane reffing tourney at Grand Park Sunday with Coms — aren’t we cool looking! Apple TV & Univision & TUDN Sunday 8 pm
GAMES ON TV
Fri, Aug 29 2:45 pm Para+ Lecce vs AC Milan (Pulisic) 3 pm CBSSN Leicester City vs Birmingham City Championship 8 pm Prime Orlando Pride (Marta) vs NY/NJ Gothem NWSL 10:30 pm Para+, Prime Seattle Reign vs San Diego Wave NWSL 10:30 pm Para+, Prime, Golazo Portland Thorns vs Utah Sat, Aug 30 7:30 am USA Chelsea vs Fulham (Jedi) 9:30 am ESPN+ Werder Bremen vs Leverkusen (Tillman) 9:30 am ESPN+ Stuttgart vs B M’Gladbach (Scally, Reyna) 10 am USA Sunderland vs Brentford 10 am Peacock Tottenham vs Bournemouth (Adams) 12:30 pm NBC Leeds United (Aaronson) vs Newcastle United 12:30 pm ESPN+ Ausberg vs Bayern Munich 7 pm TV 6, ESPN+ Indy 11 vs Louisville 7:30 pm Tubi KC Current vs NC Courage NWSL Sun Aug 31 7:30 am USA Nottingham Forest vs West Ham 11:30 am USA Liverpool vs Arsenal 12:30 pm CBSSN Genoa vs Juventus (McKennie) 2 pm USA Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace (Richards) 3:30 pm ESPNd+, Rayo Vallencano vs Barcelona 4 pm CBS NWSL Washington Spirit vs Chicago Red Stars 8 pm Apple, Univision Seattle Sounders vs Inter Miami Leagues Cup Final 10:30 pm FS1?, Apple Free – LAFC vs San Diego Mon, Sept 1 9 pm CBSSN Angel City (Thompson) vs Bay FC NWSL Wed, Sept 3 7 pm CBSSN Washington Spirit vs Vancouver Rise W Concacaf Cup 7:30 pm ESPN+ Hartford vs Indy 11 Thurs, Aug 4 WCQ 2:45 pm Fox Sport 2 Bulgaria vs Spain 7:30 pm Peacock Argentina vs Venezuela 8:30 pm Peacock Brazil vs Chile Fri, Aug 5 WCQ 2:45 pm FS2 Ukraine vs France 8 pm Amazon Prime Racing Louisville vs Portland NWSL
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
USMNT weekend viewing guide: Summer Olympiques
Some of our most watched leagues embark on a new season. The Transfer window is nearly closed as teams and players settle in to what their club’s will look like for at least the next several months. A US player or two could still be on the move this Fall (we’re keeping our eye on you Yunus Musah) but we’re pretty close to locked in. We’re also locked in on some great matches this weekend that could see more debut’s as well as some head to head action in France. It start’s on Friday with a couple of matches:
Friday
Lecce v Milan – 2:45p on Paramount+: AC Milan opened their season with a home loss to newly promoted Cremonese with Christian Pulisic starting the match and playing the full 90’ but Yunus Musah not making it off the bench amid ongoing rumors that he is being pursued by Napoli and Atalanta. Milan dominated possession and allowed just four shot attempts by Cremonese but were unable to convert more than one of their own twenty-four shot attempts. Milan will look to bounce back against Lecce who settled for a scoreless draw with Genoa last weekend.
Saturday
Chelsea v Fulham – 7:30a on USA Network: Antonne Robinson returned from injury and played 28’ minutes off the bench last weekend as Fulham drew with Manchester United 1-1. That makes a pair of 1-1 draws to open the season for Fulham who will now face a Chelsea side who are coming off a 5-1 thumping of West Ham last weekend after opening their season with a scoreless draw against Crystal Palace.
Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen – 9:30a on ESPN+: Malik Tillman missed Bayer Leverkusen’s season opening loss to Hoffenheim last weekend but is reportedly available this weekend heading into their match with Werder Bremen who fell 4-1 to Eintracht Frankfurt. Tillman will be making his debut for his new club as they look to bounce back and get on track to challenge Bayern Munich for the league title.
Stuttgart v Borussia Monchengladbach – 9:30a on ESPN+: Gio Reyna has joined good friend Joe Scally at Borussia Monchengladbach and will look to get his career back on track. Reyna, Scally and Gladbach will face Stuttgart this weekend looking for Gladbach’s first win of the season, following a 0-0 draw last weekend with Hamburg.
Tottenham v AFC Bournemouth – 10a on Peacock: Tyler Adams and Bournemouth defeated Wolverhampton last weekend, bouncing back from a season opening loss to Liverpool, but then fell to Brentford 2-0 in Carabao Cup second round action midweek with Tyler getting the match off. This weekend Bournemouth will take on a Tottenham side that have won their first two matches to start the season, including a 2-0 win over Manchester City last weekend.
Blackburn Rovers v Norwich City – 10a on Paramount+: Josh Sargent has opened the season by scoring a goal in each of Norwich’s four matches that he has appeared in (he missed Norwich’s EFL Cup match against Southampton midweek) but Norwich have won just one of their three league matches, with all ending with an identical 2-1 score line. This weekend Norwich will face a Blackburn Rovers side that just missed out on the promotion playoffs last season but have also won just one of their opening three matches this year as well.
Deportivo Alaves v Atletico Madrid – 11a on ESPN Deportes and ESPN+: Johnny Cardoso might not be in the US squad but he’s made the starting 11 for Atletico Madrid the first two matches of their season. Atletico will be looking for their first win of the season this weekend as they take on Deportivo Alaves, who fell to Real Betis 1-0 last weekend.
Leeds United v Newcastle United – 12:30p on NBC and Peacock: Brenden Aaronson has come off the bench to play roughly 25’ in each of Leeds United’s first two matches of the season. Leeds won their opener but were thumped by Arsenal last weekend 5-0 with the team already down 4-0 when Aaronson came into the match.
Augsburg v Bayern Munich – 12:30p on ESPN+: Noakhai Banks has pulled the reverse Johnny Cardoso, the 18-year-old center back has made Mauricio Pochettino’s September callup list though he has not made it off the bench for Augsburg yet this season. Unfortunately, that might say as much about the differences in depth at the midfield and center back positions for the USMNT as it does about Pochettino’s puzzling decisions. Augsburg defeated Freiburg 3-1 in their opener last weekend and will now face Bayern Munich who opened their Bundesliga campaign with 6-0 drubbing of RB Leipzig.
PSV v Telstar – 2p on ESPN+: Ricardo Pepi saw his first minutes of the Eredivisie season last Saturday, coming off the bench for the final minutes of PSV’s 4-2 win over Groningen. Sergino Dest started the match at left back, played the full 90’, and picked up his second assist of the season. Dest has had a goal contribution in each of PSV’s first three matches. PSV will face a Telstar side that are looking for their first win of the season, they snapped a two match losing streak last weekend in drawing 2-2 with FC Volendam.
Toulouse v PSG – 3:05p on beIN Sports: Mark McKenzie and Toulouse will take on perennial league favorites PSG on Sunday. Both teams have won their first two matches of the season and are tied, along with Lyon and Strasbourg, at the top of the table early in the season. McKenzie has started and gone the full 90’ in each of Toulouse’s two matches.
Sunday
Rangers v Celtic – 7a on CBSSN and Paramount+: Rangers and Celtic were both dumped from Champions League qualifying midweek in embarrassing fashion and will now look to bounce back in the latest edition of the Old Firm derby. Cameron Carter-Vickers started and played the full match plus extra time midweek as Celtic eventually fell to Kazakhstan’s Kairat Almaty in penalties after playing a home and away series, including a full 120’ in the second match, without either team scoring a goal. Celtic have won each of their first three matches though CCV was rested last weekend. Auston Trusty had come off the bench in Celtic’s first three matches of the season but was not included in the squad last weekend or midweek. Celtic’s opponent this weekend is their arch-rival Rangers who have drawn each of their first three league matches and also fell midweek in Champions League qualifying 6-0 (and 9-1 on aggregate) to Club Brugge.
Monaco v Strasbourg – 11:15a on beIN Sports: Folarin Balogun returned from injury last weekend to get the start and go the full 90’ in Monaco’s 1-0 loss to Lille. Balogun and Monaco will now face Strasbourg who have won their first to Ligue 1 matches of the season.
Genoa v Juventus – 12:30p on CBSSN and Paramount+: Weston McKennie was used as a time wasting substitute last weekend as Juventus saw out a 2-0 win over Parma to open their Serie A season. McKennie appears to once again be at an interesting point in his career as the midfielder was left out of the September window and is looking to work his way back into the squad with his club as well. It’s a bit startling but it is not the first, or second, time that McKennie has found himself in a similar position and he has bounced back well each time prior.
Aston Villa v Crystal Palace – 2p on USA Network: Chris Richards and Crystal Palace have opened their Premier League season with a pair of draws against Chelsea and Nottingham Forest with Richards playing the full 90’ in both matches. Richards also went 90 on Thursday as Palace played Norwegian side Fredrikstad FK to a scoreless draw in see out their 1-0 aggregate win in UEFA Conference League qualifiers. Palace have allowed just four goals across five matches in all competitions to start the season, including two in their win over Liverpool in the Community Shield match, and Richards is a key figure in what appears to be a solid defense. Palace will face an Aston Villa side this weekend that are looking for their first win, and first goal of the season.
Olympique Lyon v Olympique Marseille – 2:45p on beIN Sports: Tanner Tessmann and Tim Weah will face off in Ligue 1 action on Sunday afternoon before Weah heads to the States for the September window while Tessmann remains in France as he missed out on a callup. Tessmann has started and gone the full 90’ in Lyon’s first two matches while Weah came off the bench in Marseille’s first match, a 1-0 loss to Stade Rennais, but started on the left-wing in the teams 5-2 drubbing of Paris FC last weekend.
Always fun to ref games @ Carmel High – Carmel Freshman boys then girls with Omar Mon night. Good crew Sat @ Park Tudor
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It’s time for Mauricio Pochettino to stop tinkering and build a World Cup team
I spent the earlier part of this week living under the stars, in a tent deep inside Yellowstone National Park, with only a patchy cellphone signal, no internet or television. It wasn’t quite an Aaron Rodgers retreat but it was an amazing experience.
Anyone who has ever ‘disconnected’ in that manner, understands the value that it brings. You have time to break free from the constant demands of everyday life, to refocus and renew before re-emerging with fresh energy.
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But when I came out of the retreat and saw Mauricio Pochettino’s roster for the upcoming games against South Korea and Japan, I wondered for half a second if I wasn’t now living in an alternative reality.
Almost half of Pochettino’s 23-man squad is made up of players from Major League Soccer ,as he continues to experiment with new players while the likes of Weston McKennie at Juventus, Johnny Cardoso of Atlético Madrid, Yunus Musah at AC Milan and Tanner Tessmann at Lyon have been left out.
Weston McKennie was among those left out of Mauricio Pochettino’s latest USMNT squad. (Marco Canoniero / LightRocket via Getty Images)
We are nine months away from the start of the World Cup on home soil and the coach is still experimenting, still familiarizing himself with the player pool and still ‘sending messages’ to players? Really?
At this stage, I would expect the national team coach to be focused on his core starting team and supporting cast, getting players familiar with their roles, the partnerships that are so vital across the field and the group dynamics that need to be fine tuned before competing with the world’s elite.
Of course, there is always room for bringing in a form player or two or trying out alternative options and testing the depth of his roster. And there is some validity in Pochettino’s likely goals here – broadening the pool, lighting a fire under those excluded and perhaps giving European-based players the chance to focus on their club situations for now.
But the benefits of a player being allowed to stay with a European club are limited when you remember that during the international break, large numbers of the first-team squad at clubs like Milan, Juve and Atlético, are away with their national teams anyway, weakening the significance of those training sessions, which are mainly for reserves and other non-internationals. Two things really concern me about this roster. Firstly, the U.S. is playing against Japan and South Korea, two teams with quality players and top-tier experience, who are exactly the kind of opponents that might be waiting in the World Cup itself, especially in the knockout phase.With no qualifying games, these friendlies should be treated as seriously as possible, to get the squad truly competitive encounters – to test them and help them grow. As we saw with the debacle of June’s 4-0 crushing by Switzerland in Nashville, if the opposition is high-level and comes in motivated, the outcome for an experimental team can be ugly.
There is already a worrying lack of enthusiasm bordering on apathy in the USMNT’s fan base at a time when positivity and optimism should be growing in anticipation of this huge moment in American soccer. I don’t even want to think about what the impact would be of another heavy loss at home.
Secondly, while the time for ‘sending messages’ should be over by now, I also worry about exactly what kind of message Pochettino is sending by his selection of MLS players who few people, if any, were clamoring for.
Under former USMNT coach Bob Bradley, players like Charlie Davies were incentivized to prove themselves overseas. (Chris Williams /Icon SMI / Corbis / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
When I played for the national team under Bob Bradley, there was an unwritten rule for emerging American MLS talent. If you want to be a national team player, you earn yourself a move abroad, you fight for your place at your club, you perform week-in, week-out and then you get your chance.
It was highly motivating. It led people like me to turn down, after college, a Generation Adidas contract with MLS and head to Europe. It was why I battled for a starting place at Hammarby in Sweden, moved to Sochaux in France and played for Randers in Denmark.Jurgen Klinsmann was another national team coach who was keen to see Americans move to Europe, pushing players to get as close to the highest level as possible. It’s why so many of our players over the last 25 years improved, became more professional and more steeled. It’s not easy as an American walking into a European locker-room, proving yourself, earning a starting place and keeping it. It’s a grind every single day. It meant the national team coach got players who had been forged by that experience, hardened and sharpened.
It also gave players in MLS something to aim for. You might be performing well enough for your club, but were you playing well enough to attract the attention of European scouts?
So what is the message the players receive when they see Pochettino’s roster?
With all due respect, have the likes of Roman Celentano, Tristan Blackmon, Nathan Harriel and Sean Zawadzki really been performing at such a consistently high-level in MLS that they simply could not be ignored? Have they really thrust themselves into contention for World Cup places?Even if you were looking to MLS-based players, it is surprising that some of these new faces are being picked ahead of the likes of Djordje Mihailovic (11 caps), DeJuan Jones (10 caps) and Chicago’s exciting talent Brian Gutierrez (two caps).But the message sent is even worse. When I see a player like Paxton Aaronson, who after trying to make it at Eintracht Frankfurt took on the challenge of a loan spell at Utrecht and earned a starting place at a top-four club in the Dutch league, take a move back to MLS, it leaves me thinking the players have understood that under Pochettino you’d actually be better off in MLS.
Paxten Aaronson made a recent return to Major League Soccer from Europe. (Seth Herald / AFP via Getty Images)That is a crazy situation. But what other conclusion could we draw from the fact that a promising player like Aidan Morris, who was rightly called up due to his excellent form with the Columbus Crew, is now ignored despite being a regular in the highly competitive Championship with Middlesbrough?
Morris won two MLS Cups with the Crew before, at the age of 22, going to play for then-Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick, a great coach to learn from, given he played in Morris’s midfield role. That’s the kind of initiative that I would lean towards rewarding.Morris could now be forgiven for thinking that he would have been better off, from a national team perspective, staying with the Crew, never having to worry about losing his place, never having to push himself, under pressure, every week in the grind of that league. He’d probably be in this roster if he was playing in MLS – which is absurd.
There are contradictions in Pochettino’s approach, too. If the aim is to give players in new club environments space to settle, then why call up Tim Weah? He is in his first season with Marseille, adapting to a new system under Roberto De Zerbi and new teammates, and yet he is (deservedly) included in the roster.And he should be, because Weah is a vital piece of the U.S. puzzle. His speed, quickness, timing, 1-v-1 ability, two-way commitment and World Cup experience (including scoring against Wales in Qatar) make him unique in this group.The reality is that outside of him, the USMNT simply doesn’t have another wide player with that blend of qualities. His inclusion underscores just how inconsistent the logic is when other Europe-based players in similar or even stronger club situations are left behind.
At least Pochettino says this is the last window before the experimenting stops in October. That is a relief, but I think not going with a full-strength squad for these games is another missed opportunity for the coach and the team.
Hopefully the approach to the games will be less experimental than the roster call-ups suggests. If the U.S. wants to inspire belief heading into the home World Cup, now is the time to sharpen, not experiment.
The September friendlies will mark Christian Pulisic’s return to the squad. (Logan Riely / USSF / Getty Images for USSF)
Thankfully, Christian Pulisic is on the roster, and I really hope that he and everyone else can now put this summer’s unpleasant conflict behind them. The whole saga was the result of poor communication. No one blinked an eye when it was announced that Musah was missing the Gold Cup for ‘personal reasons,’ and few would have objected if Christian’s absence was put down to muscle fatigue or a minor injury.
I’ll never understand why it was instead described by U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker as the player asking to “step back” this summer due to the volume of games. The whole thing could have been avoided with different language.Christian had a new coach coming in at AC Milan and it was important for him to be at the Milanello training ground fresh and ready to go on day one of preseason and not coming in late or tired from the Gold Cup and playing catch-up ahead of the new season.The U.S. needs Pulisic to have a great season with Milan and to return in style to the national team. He’s central to World Cup hopes, and whatever people think of his decision this summer, it is time to put it behind us and get behind our best player. Just as it’s time for Pochettino to get behind his best players, period.(Top photo: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
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Mauricio Pochettino wants trust in his process but his USMNT is short on time
The U.S. men’s national team has 10 games until the World Cup.
The journey to that point is going to be one hell of a ride. The question for U.S. fans is whether they believe in the process.
Mauricio Pochettino’s 22-man squad for the September window included Christian Pulisic — another player will be added at a later date — but was most certainly impacted by the start of the European season. The roster is missing players still working back from injury and others who aren’t in form at their clubs or were given time to integrate into new teams or fight for a place. Based on Pochettino’s answers at his press conference on Tuesday, we will likely see names like Ricardo Pepi, Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah, Antonee Robinson and Malik Tillman, if healthy, in October and November.
Even then, Pochettino’s search for his best U.S. team still feels very much like a work in progress.
Pochettino said he is using this September window as a judging ground for players he hasn’t seen, like Sean Zawadzki, Noahkai Banks, Jonathan Klinsmann and Tristan Blackmon.
“For us, this is the last camp that we are going to add some new faces,” he said.
Fulham’s Antonee Robinson was among the high-profile absentees from the USMNT squad. (Tim Nwachukwu / Getty Images)
It’s also one more chance for players he saw at the Gold Cup, but would like to test in a more competitive setting, like Sebastian Berhalter, Jack McGlynn, Nathan Harriel, Damion Downs and Max Arfsten.
“We really believe that is the right decision,” he said. “To bring the right balance to the squad.”
Whether those auditions should still be happening at this point is a fair question.
The former Tottenham, PSG and Chelsea manager was only hired last September. The last year was spent familiarizing himself with the entirety of the pool. That evaluation process has now run right up against the final months of World Cup prep. There isn’t much time to start to put a group together that can compete next summer on the sport’s biggest stage.
Pochettino clearly still wants to see a few more options before he moves into the next phase. I don’t agree with a good chunk of the decisions on this roster. Quality-wise, there are players left out of this squad that shouldn’t have been.
But it’s clear that Pochettino is doing so with intent.
He wants to send a message — for longtime starters like McKennie, Musah and Matt Turner, but also those who are trying to fight into the picture in Europe, like Aidan Morris and Tanner Tessmann. No one’s job is guaranteed.
“I think all (players) need to feel the possibility of fighting for a place,” Pochettino said. “If we want to be a really competitive team, we cannot nominate 13, 14, 15 players (and say): ‘These guys for sure are going to arrive to the World Cup. And the rest, they need a few places to fight.’ Come on, that is not the real sport…
“When you see different national teams, national teams that won World Cups, I think you really understand what (real competition) means. Players need to feel that threat from (their) teammate, and they need to defend the place in every single (camp) that you join the national team, but also when you perform in your (club) team.”
Pochettino (left) and captain Tim Ream (center) suffered summer disappointment with a Concacaf Gold Cup final defeat. (Chandan Khanna / AFP via Getty Images)
It’s a valid message from Pochettino. There was too much of a sense of comfort in this U.S. group when he took over after the 2024 Copa América failure. There was a subset of players who believed they were, essentially, untouchable. There was a need to fight back against that mentality within the group, not just to motivate those players to work harder, but to build belief throughout the pool that every player had a chance to make the team and to compete.
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But that task — building that competitiveness within the group, creating more of an edge — also has to be balanced against quality.
Building a team is not always about picking the best 23 or 26 players for a roster. It’s important to have the right chemistry and the right mentality top to bottom. You need glue guys. But you also need to remember that, at some point in the tournament, you might have to turn down the bench and summon the 21st or 23rd or 25th guy and put them in the game. And you better be sure that they can deliver better than the player you left at home.
Past U.S. coaches have learned that lesson the hard way before. (See: Landon Donovan in Brazil.)
It’s fine to disagree completely with the call-ups in this roster and also to give Pochettino some grace in this window. To let him try to foster a more competitive spirit within the team now in the name of a better team next summer. And to believe that the team that is summoned next June will have more than enough time to bond and build the right spirit ahead of the home tournament.
It’s fine as long as you trust that the process will land you with the best possible team in 10 months — and that Pochettino and his staff won’t get the mix of motivation, mentality and quality wrong. There has to be belief that, as Pochettino said, he’ll find the players that give the U.S. the best chance to win when the first game kicks off at SoFi Stadium.“It’s up to us to select the best players to play in the World Cup,” he said. “We have experience. We have the quality and the capacity to see and to detect and to analyze … and to create the best plan to arrive in the best condition. Now it’s up to the players. We want to have the best players to compete in the best way in the World Cup. And for sure we are going to arrive with the best roster to compete.” (Top photo: Robbie Jay Barratt / AMA / Getty Images)
Pochettino confirms no contact with Pulisic, addresses McKennie’s omission
Mauricio Pochettino said Tuesday that he “didn’t talk with” Christian Pulisic this summer, but said that the public back-and-forth between the two in June is “behind us.”Pochettino, speaking to reporters via Zoom after naming Pulisic to the U.S. men’s national team roster for September friendlies against South Korea and Japan, added: “We need to look forward. We have a plan for every single player, and the plan for Christian now is to call and to see him in this camp.”Pochettino said he hoped that Pulisic would “arrive in a good condition, fresh, [coming off a] good preseason with Milan, with his team, and ready to compete — that is the most important thing.”Pulisic will rejoin the team for the first time since March, when the U.S. lost to Panamaand Canada. In that Concacaf Nations League third-place match against Canada, Pulisic appeared to wave away a substitution, delaying Pochettino’s attempt to replace him midway through the second half.Then, in May, Pulisic chose to skip the summer’s Concacaf Gold Cup. When U.S. Soccer announced the roster, it released a statement from sporting director Matt Crocker making clear that Pulisic had initiated what was ultimately a “collective decision” after “thoughtful discussions and careful consideration.”
Pochettino, speaking to reporters that same day, called it “the best decision” for Pulisic and for the USMNT. But, in subsequent media appearances, he didn’t sound thrilled about it. Pulisic, meanwhile, drew fierce criticism from some fans and pundits, including former players. Landon Donovan said on a Fox Sports broadcast that USMNT players being “on vacation, not wanting to play in the Gold Cup,” was “pissing me off.”
That drew a response from Pulisic’s father, Mark, who implicitly told Donovan in an Instagram post to “look in the mirror + grow a pair.” A week later, Christian Pulisic went on a CBS Sports podcast to defend himself, and argued that questions about “my commitment, especially towards the national team,” were “way out of line.”
Pulisic also made the point that he “did want to be a part of at least the two friendlies” prior to the Gold Cup, against Turkey and Switzerland. “I did speak with the coaches, and I asked, and I wanted to be a part of the team in whatever capacity I could,” Pulisic said. “And they said no, they only wanted one roster [for the friendlies and the Gold Cup]. And that’s coach’s decision, I fully respect that. I didn’t understand it, but it is what it is.”
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Pochettino, speaking two days later at a press conference on the eve of the Gold Cup, responded. Players could not pick and choose when they play for the national team, he said. “I think when I signed my contract [with] the federation,” he added, “[it said] I am the head coach. I am not a mannequin.”Pulisic also revealed that he’d only had one conversation with Pochettino about the decision. On Tuesday, Pochettino seemed to confirm, as Fox Sports reported, that the two haven’t spoken since May. There was “nothing to talk [about],” Pochettino said.Later, when asked whether he considered not calling Pulisic into the September camp, Pochettino said: “Christian had the possibility to have a good rest in the summer, and then start the season. … He’s in a condition to come. … He can add his freshness, and, of course, his quality.”
USMNT midfielder Weston McKennie won’t take part in friendlies vs. South Korea and Japan (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)
Where’s Weston?
The rest of Pochettino’s September roster, though, was headlined by omissions. When asked why he left off midfielder Weston McKennie, Pochettino indicated that McKennie’s delayed offseason, and his precarious place in Juventus’ squad, were two factors.“We already know Weston,” Pochettino said. “It’s not necessary to call him to know.”McKennie’s involvement in the Club World Cup left him with a truncated preseason at the Italian club. And as the Serie A season started last weekend, he found himself on the outside looking in at the Juve starting lineup. He entered the team’s opener, a 2-0 win over Parma, in the 89th minute.“We wanted to give him the possibility to be more settled in his club,” Pochettino said of McKennie, “and the possibility to be in his best form.”Pochettino indicated that the reasoning for Johnny Cardoso’s omission was similar. Cardoso moved to Atlético Madrid last month from Real Betis. The thinking, Pochettino said, was to “give time to them to adapt in the new environment.”Pochettino also said, though, that “no one has their place sure.” That, he said, was his broader message: “everyone needs to fight.”But when asked if already had in mind the players who would return in October, he nodded his head and said, “Yes.” Later, when asked specifically about McKennie, he said that September will be “the last camp that we are going to bring some new faces.” And he hinted that McKennie will be back in October.“Weston [needs] time to prepare himself with [Juventus], and it’s important to be with his team fighting for a place,” Pochettino said. He added that he wants to give McKennie “all the tools to fight for a place to be every week, on the pitch, competing. Because that is going to put him in his best form. … We know his talent.” (Top photo: John Dorton/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)
The Champions League draw’s impact on USMNT stars’ all-important season
Over the past decade, U.S. players have become increasingly relevant to the competition. Last year featured a new record for involvement, with USMNT-eligible players eclipsing 5,000 combined minutes in the 2024-25 Champions League. What looked to be a promising business end for a few of the teams with Americans involved quickly went south in the playoff round, though, with little presence in the final three rounds of the competition.
Will it be another year with many missing out on the tournament’s biggest games? Or is anyone, during this all-important season leading into a home World Cup, poised to become the second U.S. player to take the field in a Champions League final?
Let’s make sense of the draw, through an American lens:
Who are the headliners involved?
While the transfer window remains open in most of Europe’s top leagues for a few more days, there are currently seven members of the USMNT who project to prominently feature in this year’s tournament. It’s a healthy portion, enough to comprise over half of a starting XI, but down from 13 players who saw the field last season.
Four are entering the Champions League as returning members of qualifying teams. Folarin Balogun will hope the third year’s the charm, having struggled in his first two seasons since AS Monaco signed him from Arsenal for a lavish $43.4 million fee. Balogun now finds himself battling for starts with a player whom he rose through the Arsenal youth ranks, Mika Biereth, with each ex-Gunner starting one of Monaco’s first two Ligue 1 fixtures. It’s a pivotal season for the 24-year-old, who has struggled for consistency but whose commitment with the USMNT was supposed to solve the program’s striker headaches.
Ricardo Pepi and Sergiño Dest should play major roles for PSV, who fell in last year’s round of 16 in a 9-3 aggregate smashing by Arsenal. Dest is now fully recovered from his 2024 knee injury, while Pepi is recovering from his own season-ending operation. PSV has put a lot of trust in the 22-year-old striker, signing him to a fresh pact last winter amid transfer interest and handing him the No. 9 shirt following Luuk de Jong’s departure.
For now, at least, Weston McKennie remains with Juventus despite yet another window of speculation that the Serie A side is ready to let him leave if there’s credible interest. The club lists the midfielder as its vice-captain, and he donned the armband on a few occasions in last year’s Champions League. He’s the sole American on the squad, as Tim Weah joined fellow qualifier Marseille on a year-long loan this summer. Weah’s first league start came as an inverting left winger, and he could pop up with far more goals than he did as a wingback with Juventus.
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Two players who moved for some of the largest transfer fees spent on an American player will hope to back that investment with strong Champions League showings. Malik Tillman was vital as PSV shocked Holland by snatching the Eredivisie title on the final day, and he also putting in leading shifts for Mauricio Pochettino at this summer’s Gold Cup. He’s part of a radically transformed Bayer Leverkusen, helping make up for the recent exodus of talent from the since-dismantled 2023-24 Bundesliga champion.
Johnny Cardoso will also feature in Atlético Madrid’s midfield, having started for Real Betis in last year’s UEFA Europa Conference League final. While he’s been dependable in La Liga, his USMNT performances have left much to be desired. Perhaps Diego Simeone can help provide the right tutelage to help round out his game.
A few other Americans will hope to see the field as their teams’ schedules get congested or after their advancement fates have been determined. Three U.S. eligible players serve as backup goalkeepers or youthful netminding prospects: Brandon Austin (Tottenham), Gabriel Slonina (Chelsea) and Diego Kochen (FC Barcelona).
Eintracht Frankfurt has two players who may be far from Pochettino’s pool: veteran fullback Timothy Chandler and 18-year-old attacking midfielder Marvin Dills, a promising playmaker worth tracking for the future. Borussia Dortmund may have sold Giovanni Reyna, but Cole Campbell and Mathis Albert will hope to inherit some of his (and others’) late-game cameos to impress Niko Kovač.
Christian Pulisic and AC Milan will be sitting out European competition this season (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
Wait … where’s Christian Pulisic?
While several crucial options for Pochettino will play in the pinnacle of the club game, the program’s most important player is entirely absent.
Last season was difficult for AC Milan, which aspired to contend on all fronts despite Stefano Pioli’s departure in the summer. Poor form necessitated another midseason coaching change, and the team struggled for consistency as well as to reach its previous heights from recent memory. Milan slumped to an eighth-place finish in Serie A, below the positions necessary to reach any of the Champions League, Europa League or Conference League.
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Their other campaigns suffered dramatic faceplants after Sérgio Conceição took the helm in midwinter. Milan entered the final day of the UCL league phase in prime position to avoid the knockout playoff round, but a defeat against Dinamo Zagreb forced them into the extra set of games, where they were binned by Feyenoord and failed to reach the round of 16. The Rossoneri’s final hope was to reach the Europa League by winning the Coppa Italia, and they did well to overcome rival Inter in a two-leg semifinal. However, Bologna pipped them in the final 1-0, slamming the door to Europe shut.
It’s the first time since 2016 where Milan has failed to qualify for European competition. Max Allegri will hope to get the club back in short order. Barring an unexpected departure in this or the winter window, Pulisic (and fellow U.S. international Yunus Musah) will play all of his club matches this season against Italian opposition.
UCL draws for teams with USMNT players
PSV
Ricardo Pepi, Sergiño Dest
FC Bayern
Liverpool
Atlético Madrid
Bayer Leverkusen
napoli
Olympiacos
Union Saint-Gilloise
Newcastle
78.3
Bayer Leverkusen
Malik Tillman
PSG
Man City
Villarreal
Benfica
PSV
Olympiacos
Newcastle
Copenhagen
77.5
Marseille
Tim Weah
Liverpool
Real Madrid
Atlalanta
Club Brugge
Ajax
Sporting CP
Newcastle
Union Saint-Gilloise
76
Atlético Madrid
Johnny Cardoso
Inter Milan
Liverpool
Eintracht Frankfurt
Arsenal
Bodø/Glimt
PSV
Union Saint-Gilloise
Galatasaray
75.8
AS Monaco
Folarin Balogun
Man City
Real Madrid
Juventus
Club Brugge
Tottenham
Bodø/Glimt
Galatasaray
Pafos
74.5
Juventus
Weston McKennie
Borussia Dortmund
Real Madrid
Benfica
Villarreal
Sporting CP
Bodø/Glimt
Pafos
AS Monaco
72.5
So what did the draw yield?
Of the headlining U.S. lot, it’s McKennie’s Juventus that may have received the most favorable draw. The Italians managed to avoid all of the record-setting six qualifiers from the Premier League, although away days against Villarreal and Monaco could prove tricky.
According to the UEFA coefficient, which awards points based on club performances in the last five years of continental play, Pepi, Dest and PSV received the most difficult draw of any qualifier. The two-time reigning Dutch champion will have to run a difficult gauntlet, facing Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Napoli, Atlético Madrid, Leverkusen and Newcastle. That will provide the striker and fullback with some considerable challenges.
Leverkusen finds itself with a tough octet of fixtures, including perennial European powers PSG, Manchester City and Benfica, while Atlético Madrid will take on Inter, Liverpool and Arsenal as part of its league phase. Balogun will hope to spark wins for Monaco against City, Real Madrid, Juventus and Tottenham among others. Marseille has the projected toughest draw of the Ligue 1 entrants, with its list of opponents topped by Liverpool, Real Madrid and Atalanta.
While dates and times for each match won’t be sorted until Saturday, Aug. 30, we’re guaranteed a few matchups pitting two of the more marquee Americans against one another. Those matchups are (with the drawn hosts listed first):
PSV (Pepi, Dest) vs. Atlético Madrid (Cardoso)
AS Monaco (Balogun) vs. Juventus (McKennie)
Bayer Leverkusen (Tillman) vs. PSV (Pepi, Dest)
(Top photo: Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
Premier League Predictions: Liverpool vs Arsenal, Leeds vs Newcastle and the rest of Matchday 3
More than 3,000 miles away in the U.S. state of Rhode Island, Sunderland fan Derek was punching the air. As well as condemning Newcastle, Sunderland’s arch-rivals, to an agonising 3-2 home defeat, Ngumoha’s goal extended the subscribers’ lead at the top of our Premier League predictions table.
“When Liverpool were up 2-0 against 10 men, I thought it was a done deal,” Derek says. “How wrong I was — as was the case with my Sunderland pick.”
Wrong in the moment… and yet right when it mattered.
Each week, a different Athletic subscriber is chosen to join an algorithm, six-year-old Wilfred and me, Oli Kay, in predicting the Premier League results. We’re awarding three points for a correct scoreline and one point for getting the result right.
There’s also a bonus point for any correct “unique” prediction, so Derek got two points for being the only one to call Liverpool’s victory in Newcastle.
He got one scoreline right (Crystal Palace 1-1 Nottingham Forest) and called another five results correctly. That bonus point, thanks to Ngumoha’s stoppage-time winner, meant he equalled Vaageesh’s nine-point haul in week one, taking the subscribers three points clear at the top after two rounds.
There were two other bonus points awarded last weekend: one for me for calling Burnley’s victory over Sunderland (sorry, Derek) and one for the algorithm for being spot-on with Fulham 1-1 Manchester United.
Spare a thought for Wilf, who was on course for a massive four-pointer after 99 minutes with Newcastle and Liverpool locked at 2-2 — only to be denied by Ngumoha’s goal. A bit mean to pick on the younger kids like that, Rio.
“So close to glory,” Wilf’s dad tells us. “Gutted.”
This week’s subscriber is Katherine, a 43-year-old Chelsea fan from London, who, after Vaageesh’s and Derek’s efforts, has a lot to live up to.
Our subscriber’s match of the week
Chelsea vs Fulham, Saturday, 12.30pm UK/7.30am ET
Katherine says: “The feeling of optimism going into this season has been through the roof and scoring five goals without Cole Palmer last weekend only adds fuel to that fire. Fulham are a solid team and are difficult to beat (which we found out last season), but I’m confident we’ll have too much for them.”
Chelsea 3-1 Fulham
Oli says: Remarkably, Chelsea are starting their season with four consecutive London derbies. In fact, only one of their first eight Premier League games is outside the capital’s M25 orbital motorway. It must all feel rather parochial for the new world champions, but they seemed to enjoy themselves out east at West Ham last weekend. This might be more of a battle — like their opening game, a goalless draw at home to Crystal Palace — but although I never feel totally confident in backing this Chelsea team, I fancy a home win, even if they are again without the injured Palmer.
Chelsea 2-1 Fulham
Chelsea beat West Ham 5-1 away last week (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Oli’s other predictions
Manchester United vs Burnley
Oli says: For all the excitement surrounding their new additions, it’s only one point from two games for Manchester United this season, plus that shock Carabao Cup loss to fourth-tier Grimsby Town in midweek. More glaringly, it’s just 28 points from 29 games under Ruben Amorim since his appointment last November. That early-season optimism is going to give way to gloom if they can’t get some wins on the board very quickly. With Manchester City away and Chelsea at home straight after the international break that begins on Monday, victory in this game seems essential.
Oli says: As nice as it is to see Sunderland enjoying their return to the top flight after eight years away, wouldn’t it have been nicer still if Jordan Henderson was back at his hometown club rather than potentially lining up against them this weekend? His best years are behind him, but he would have been ideal for the Granit Xhaka role — as indeed is Granit Xhaka. Henderson made a real difference to Brentford’s midfield last weekend on his first start for them, so Keith Andrews’ team shouldn’t be the soft touch they looked like in week one away to Nottingham Forest.
Sunderland 1-1 Brentford
Tottenham Hotspur vs Bournemouth
Oli says: This is all feeling quite August 2023 for Tottenham, isn’t it? New manager, new optimism, strong start and a sudden sense of: “Hey, these players are actually pretty good, you know?” Those feelings quickly faded under predecessor Ange Postecoglou — unbeaten in his first 10 Premier League games, then 34 defeats in the next 66 — but I do feel an upturn could prove more sustainable this time under Thomas Frank.
Oli says: I’m struggling to find cause for optimism for Wolves at the moment. Vitor Pereira did such a good job when he came in midway through last season, but a difficult summer has left the squad looking well short, whereas Everton will be energised by last week’s lift-off at their new home and by the additions of Jack Grealish and Tyler Dibling.
Wolves 0-1 Everton
Leeds United vs Newcastle United
Oli says: My historic references last week led subscriber Sam K to accuse me of living in the 1950s. Come on, Sam. Let’s get this right: 1980s, 1990s, even early 2000s, but not 1950s. Anyway, for me, this fixture evokes the turn-of-the-century feeling that anything was possible. (Spoiler: it wasn’t, particularly for these two clubs.) It’s Lee Bowyer, it’s Jonathan Woodgate, it’s Mark Viduka, it’s James Milner, it’s Alan Smith. It’s a Kevin Keegan meltdown in front of the TV cameras at Elland Road and it’s chairman Peter Ridsdale living the dream while feeding his tropical fish in the executive suite. It’s two clubs who, after a miserable period, are now in a happier place again. And it’s… very hard to call actually, but I’m going to go for a depleted Newcastle battling to their first win of the season.
Oli says: We all overestimated City last week. If this transition to a new-look team is going to work, it needs more of a balance between freshness and familiarity. I expect a more recognisable line-up from Pep Guardiola at Brighton — and possibly a more recognisable performance.
Brighton 1-2 City
Nottingham Forest vs West Ham United
Oli says: I really like this Forest team. I don’t like this West Ham team. I’m not talking about the club, the fans, the manager or individual players, some of whom I like; I mean the team. It lacks speed, it lacks heart and it lacks identity. I’m not sure what it’s meant to be. Their first two performances of the season have been really poor. It might get worse before it gets better.
Forest 3-0 West Ham
Liverpool vs Arsenal
Oli says: Isn’t it a bit early to have the two title favourites facing each other? I don’t like it. The transfer window is still open and teams are still finding their rhythm. Having this match now also means the return fixture is in the first week of January, right at the end of the hectic festive programme when players are running on fumes. I don’t like that either. Anyway, if I’m filibustering, it’s because I have no idea which way this is going to go — and I’m determined not to say a draw, even though I want to.
(Deep breath)… I’m going for an Arsenal win. I just don’t think Liverpool have settled yet — two wins, but two shaky performances. And if they prove me wrong, as they did by winning at Newcastle, I will absolutely reinstate them as my title favourites.
Liverpool 1-2 Arsenal
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
Oli says: Villa have been surprisingly slow out of the blocks — no goals scored yet, and just one point from their first two games. Palace haven’t exactly hit the ground running either, but their two draws seem more justifiable given their European commitments and an ongoing sense of disruption in the transfer market. This is a chance for Villa to kick-start their season. If they don’t, manager Unai Emery will be concerned, with PSR calculations still a concern as Monday’s transfer deadline looms.
Three of Europe’s top five leagues return on Friday, with the Premier League, La Liga, and Ligue 1 kicking off for Matchday 1; the German Bundesliga and Italian Serie A will start a week later on Aug 22/23 they both have League cup games this weekend. See La Liga (Spain) games (More) and Ligue 1 (France) fixtures (More) – full season previews below for all 3 leagues. In the EPL my Final 4 are Arsenal, Liverpool, Man City, Chelsea – hoping Crystal Palace or Fulham can make a top 6 run. Premier League Fri 3 pm USA Network Liverpool vs. Bournemouth, Liverpool haven’t lost their opening league game in any of the last 12 seasons, winning nine of them. Meanwhile, Mohamed Salah is the Premier League’s top goal scorer and leading player for goal contributions on Matchday 1. Adding to this, Bournemouth and American midfielder Tyler Adams have just one point from their eight Premier League visits to Anfield. See the full list of Premier League fixtures here.
Notes
Chelsea players will give an equal portion of their $15.5M Club World Cup bonus to the family of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva, equating to around $500,000 (More). Cute look at new Everton Stadium. Funny Wrexham Fans left too early – I have to admit I am watching these games on Para+ now that they are in the Championship – Ollie with the brace.
US Players Abroad Begins Seasons this Week – Richards Palace Wins Community Shield What a thrill to see Chris Richards and Crystal Palace win the Community Shield 3-2 in PKs over Liverpool on Sunday (Palace Hi-lights), just months after winning the FA Cup at Wembley over Man City – Crystal Palace looked the better squad vs the defending EPL Champs. Palace plays at Chelsea at 9 am on Sunday on USA, while Fulham hosts – while Complete rundown on American’s Abroad below. Man I am not sure who is advising Christian Pulisic but I wish he would just leave well enough alone on the criticism from Landon Donovan & Tim Howard here’s what was said. Not sure if he’s doing it to get more people to watch his Series on Golazo Network (see Pulisic Docuseries Trailer) or what. Tim Weah, speaking on the CBS Sports series Pulisic about criticism by former USMNT stars now working as television and podcast commentators of Christian Pulisic‘s decision not to play in the 2025 Gold Cup. (Golazo Network). At this point lets just get to early September play our friendlies – Pulisic can come score a couple of goals and we can put this all behind us. Oh by the way the US men are coming to Columbus, Ohio Lower.com Field on Tuesday night Sept 9th for a 7:30 pm match up with #17 ranked Japan. The Ole Ballcoach is going along with some buddies to the game sitting in section 129 ($50) – close to the American Outlaws who will be in the Nordic Section 127. Visit http://ussoccer.spinzo.com/CarmelFC this special link to get discounted tickets. Let me know if you plan to join – feel free to send on to friends.
LEAGUES CUPfour MLS vs. LIGA MX quarterfinals Wed Aug 20.
Quarterfinal matchups
Inter Miami CF (MLS 2) vs. Tigres UANL (LIGA MX 3) 8 pm on FS1, Apple TV Free Seattle Sounders FC (MLS 1) vs. Club Puebla (LIGA MX 4) 11 pm FS1, Apple TV Free
LA Galaxy (MLS 3) vs. CF Pachuca (LIGA MX 2) 11:45 Apple TV Free
Orlando City (MLS 4) vs. Toluca FC (LIGA MX 1) 9 pm Apple TV Free
High School Soccer Season Kicks Off!
High school soccer officially starts this weekend across the state, and Carmel FC wants to send a huge congratulations and good luck to all our current players representing their schools this season. We’re proud to see you take the field, wear your school colors, and continue to showcase the skills, hard work, and sportsmanship you’ve developed here at Carmel FC. The Carmel High Girls Come in Ranked 3rd with new head coach John Simmons and Asst Coach and former Carmel FC Coach Carla Baker in charge replacing long time coach Frank Dixon at the helm. The CHS Boys are unranked after a 7-8-3 record but reached the Regional Semi’s last year.
ISCA Class 3A girls soccer poll
Hamilton Southeastern
Noblesville
Carmel
Crown Point
Evansville Memorial
Brownsburg
Cathedral
Castle
Center Grove
Homestead
Penn
East Central
Westfield
Zionsville
FW Carroll
Northridge
Fishers
Bloomington South
Lake Central
Mt. Vernon
ISCA Class 2A girls soccer poll
Lawrenceburg
Brebeuf Jesuit
Mishawaka Marian
FW Bishop Dwenger
SB Saint Joseph
Bishop Chatard
Guerin Catholic
Evansville Mater Dei
Bellmont
Hanover Central
Heritage Hills
Highland
Washington
FW Concordia Lutheran
West Lafayette
Hamilton Heights
Roncalli
Park Tudor
Gibson Southern
Madison
ISCA Class 3A boys soccer poll
Harrison (West Lafayette)
Hamilton Southeastern
Center Grove
FW Carroll
Zionsville
Fishers
Bloomington South
Noblesville
Concord
Evansville Memorial
Brownsburg
Cathedral
Columbus North
Goshen
Warsaw
Castle
Westfield
Chesterton
Crown Point
Penn
ISCA Class 2A boys soccer poll
FW Concordia Lutheran
Park Tudor
Hammond Bishop Noll
Bishop Chatard
Illiana Christian
Heritage Hills
FW Bishop Luers
Washington
South Bend St. Joseph
West Lafayette
Cascade
Hanover Central
Leo
Bethany Christian
FW Bishop Dwenger
Speedway
Culver Academy
Charleston
Heritage Christian
West Noble
Mike S, Shane & Scott F last preseason High School Scrimmage at Bishop Chatard Thurs Night. Excited to hit the fields Saturday at @ Heritage Christian & Guerin. Had a blast training new Carmel Dad’s Club Refs Ryleigh, Fred, & Noah last weekend at Badger Field.
TV GAME SCHEDULE
Fri, Aug 15 EPL Starts 12 noon ESPN+ Grobaspach vs Bayer Leverkusen German Cup 3 pm USA Liverpool vs Bournemouth (Adams) 8 pm Amazon Prime Washington Spirit (Rodman) vs Racing Louisville NWSL 10 pm CBS Golazo Utah Royals vs Angel City (Thompsons) NWSL Sat, Aug 16 7:20 am Para+ Wrexham vs West Brom 7:30 am USA Aston Villa vs New Castle United 10 am USA Brighton vs Fulham (Robinson is hurt) 12:30 pm NBC Wolverhampton vs Man City 1:30 pm ESPN2 Mallorca vs Barcelona 2:30 pm ESPN+ Stuttgart vs Bayern Munich 4 pm CBS KC Current vs Orlando Pride (Marta) NWSL 7 pm TV6, ESPN+ Loundoun United vs Indy 11 7:30 pm Apple TV free Inter Miami (Messi) vs LA Galaxy 7:30 pm ION NC Courage vs Portland Thorns NWSL 8:30 pm FS1 Minn vs Seattle Sounders 9 pm ESPN2 Tampa Bay Rowdies vs Phoenix Rising 10 pm ION Bay FC vs San Diego Wave NWSL Sun, Aug 17 6:50 am Para+ Ipwich Town vs Southampton 9 am USA Chelsea vs Crystal Palace (Richards) 11:30 am NBC Man United vs Arsenal 3 pm Para+ AC Milan (Pulisic) vs Bari Copa Italia 3:30 pm ESPN2 Espanyol vs Athletico Madrid (Cardoso) 4 pm Para+? NY Gothem vs Houston Dash NWSL 5 pm Apple TV NYCFC vs Nashville 7 pm Apple TV San Jose vs San Diego 9 pm Apple TV Vancouver (Mueller) vs Houston Mon, Aug, 18 3 pm USA Leeds United vs Everton 10 pm CBSSN Seattle Reign vs Chicago Red Stars NWSL Weds Aug 20 Leagues Cup MLS vs Liga MX Inter Miami CF (MLS 2) vs. Tigres UANL (LIGA MX 3) 8 pm on FS1, Apple TV Free Seattle Sounders FC (MLS 1) vs. Club Puebla (LIGA MX 4) 11 pm FS1, Apple TV Free LA Galaxy (MLS 3) vs. CF Pachuca (LIGA MX 2) 11:45 Apple TV Free Orlando City (MLS 4) vs. Toluca FC (LIGA MX 1) 9 pm Apple TV Free Sat, Sept 6 5 pm TNT, Tele, Max USA Men vs Korea Tues, Sept 9 7:30 pm TNT, Tele, Max USA Men vs Japan in Columbus, Ohio Fri, Oct 10 8:30 pm TNT, Max USA Men vs Ecuador Tues, Oct 14 9 pm TNT, Max USA Men vs Australia
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Premier League referees’ chief Howard Webb has suggested that VAR could be expanded to include reviews for yellow cards and corners. The technology is currently only used to review potentially match-changing decisions such as goals, straight red cards, penalties, and mistaken identity. The case in favour argues that second yellow cards, which result in red cards, can significantly influence a match. Webb revealed that the game’s law-making body, the International Football Association Board (Ifab), is considering changes to VAR’s scope, including discussions around possible extensions for the technology. This comes after Uefa recently opposed measures to widen VAR’s powers to intervene in corner kicks and yellow cards, arguing it would increase delays. In related news, Webb said it would be “tough” for David Coote to return to top-level refereeing after being sacked for making derogatory remarks about Liverpool and then manager Jurgen Klopp. “Under the circumstances, it’s difficult [for him to return],” said Webb. “We stay in contact and care about him, but it would be tough.”
Americans abroad
Dest, Morris, Corboz, Pittman stand out, Jedi shelved, & Much More
ASN’s Brian Sciaretta writes up his thoughts from the weeekend amongst Americans abroad. Sergino Dest looked terrific, while Scott Pittman, Aidan Morris, Marlon Fossey, and Mael Corboz are also standout performers. Plenty of good and bad to go through.
BY Brian SciarettaPosted August 11, 2025 9:00 AM
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IT WAS A BUSY weekend for Americans in Europe, despite the top divisions in Germany, England, France, and Italy still at the tail end of preseason. Many U.S. players, in including USMNT hopefuls, were in action in both regular season and preseason games.
For now, let’s just get right into it and we will start with the Eredivisie opening weekend.
Dest shines vs. PSV
One of the big stories this weekend for American in Europe was the big statement made by defending champion PSV, who sold a lot of talent this summer (including USMNT midfielder Malik Tillman) but also spent money on new players.
Despite playing well at times this preseason, Ricardo Pepi was not deemed fit enough to be in the squad for Saturday’s opener against Sparta Rotterdam. But Sergino Dest, who mist most games this calendar year, including the Gold Cup, did start.
The news could not have been any better for Dest, who played in top form and did not show any indication of his ACL tear or subsequent injury at the end of the season. He played like the high level player he is.
Dest scored the third goal in a 6-1 win over Sparta that featured PSV having five different goal scorers. That is what makes this team difficult to beat – numerous scoring options.
Overall, Dest played 82 minutes and had three shots. He was consistently dangerous. This bodes well for both PSV and the USMNT as it heads into the fall.
Rest of Eredivisie
In the rest of the Eredivisie outside of PSV, Taylor Booth started and played all 90 minutes for Twente in a 1-0 loss to PEC Zwolle. It was a disappointing result for Twente, who is expected to be in contention for a top five finish, because Zwolle is typically in relegation battles.
Booth, 24, wasn’t one of Twente’s problems on the day and he did create a few chances. He had his own shot in the box blocked in the first few minutes and then he set up two chances later in the game with crosses.
Booth is still likely a long way off from the USMNT but a good season could put him into the picture next year, likely after the World Cup.
The younger Booth brother, Zack Booth, had a tough game in Excelsior’s opener as he came off the bench in the 71st minute in a 5-0 loss to NEC Nijmegen. The game was 4-0 when he came on. The best news for Booth, 21, is that Excelsior will likely have to make changes after such a poor result.
Championship: Morris impresses for Boro
There are a lot of Americans in the Championship this season and we could see a few involved in the promotion races.
Aidan Morris, 23, was solid in central midfield for Middlesborough in a 1-0 win over Swansea to open the season. He was good at setting the pace and helping Boro win the possession battles.
It wasn’t a flashy performances, but he is very important to the Boro midfield moving forward.
After a big 2024/25 campaign, Josh Sargent scored his first goal of the new season in Norwich’s opening day win. The 55th minute goal was an equalizer in what eventually turned out to be a 2-1 loss at home to Millwall.
The goal was all hustle as Sargent blocked a goalkeeper clearance directly back into the goal. It was more seen as a goalkeeper error, but Sargent hustled on the play.
Sargent remains an interesting player for the rest of the month. Norwich is still hopeful of selling him, as they could use the money. But for Sargent to get interest, he needs to keep scoring in any way possible. But where does Sargent want to go? Turning down Wolfsburg two weeks ago shows signs of a limited options.
Damion Downs played the final 31 minutes for Southampton and was on the field as they scored two very late goals to turn a 1-0 loss into a 2-1 win over Wrexham in the season opener. It was a good shift for Downs as he was involved in the final goal where he slightly touched a pass to Jack Stephens, who smashed in the winner from close range.
Downs, 21, is in a good spot. He will continue to get chances and he will contribute to a team that should be in contention to bounce right back up.
George Campbell came on in the dying minutes for West Brom to help see out a 1-0 victory over Blackburn. It marked his debut for the club after moving from Montreal earlier in the transfer window.
Charlton defeated Watford 1-0 on Saturday. Charlie Kelman, 23, started and played 71 minutes for Charlton. He is coming off a season where he won the third-tier League One scoring title with Leyton Orient. Caleb Wiley was out with a back injury for Watford. Kelman had a good chance to score in the 59th minute but his close-range shot was saved. Charlton found a stoppage time winner to earn all three points.
Scotland: Pittman & CCV stand out
Scott Pittman, 33, has scored goals in Livingston FC’s first two games of the Scottish Premiership season. The latest in a 3-1 win over Falkirk on Saturday.
The all-time appearance leader for Livingston opened the scoring in the 18th minute with a shot from inside the box for a 1-0 lead.
After earning promotion last season, Livingston is looking to pull away from a relegation battle early.
Celtic dominated its way to a 2-0 win over Aberdeen on Saturday. Cameron Carter-Vickers completed 139 passes in the win. Auston Trusty completed 51 passes in just 24 minutes when he came on to see out the win.
Those passing numbers reflect Celtic’s domination in possession which typically began with the central defenders.
Coincidentally enough, Aberdeen’s best chance of the game came from American midfielder Dante Polvara in the 75th minute – two minutes after he subbed on. His right footed shot from close range was saved.
Belgium: Fossey scores in big Standard win
Standard Liege defeated Genk 2-1 on Sunday to move to seven points from three games to start the Belgium First Division season. Standard captain and USMNT hopeful Marlon Fossey scored in the 54th minute to give Standard a 2-1 lead – which he then celebrated with a back flip.
On the play, Fossey, 26, moved into the attack and was able to pounce on a ball from close range and beat the keeper with a shot into the top of the net.
Will Fossey make it back into the USMNT picture? It seems difficult. With Dest now back, Alex Freeman continuing to impress in Orlando, and Joe Scally continuing to be the starter for Borussia Monchengladbach, there is a crowded field. But performances like this don’t hurt.
Also in Belgium, Westerlo dropped a 1-0 loss at home to KV Mechelen at home after conceding a goal in the 84th minute. Griffin Yow started at right wing for Westerlo but was subbed out after the first half as part of a tactical change. Despite the loss, Bryan Reynolds had a strong 90-minute shift at right back. Both Yow and Reynolds could move before the end of the month as they have likely done all they can do for a small club like Westerlo. The club could also use the money but it comes down to offers.
2.Bundesliga: Corboz impresses again
It was the second matchday in the 2.Bundesliga season where several Americans play their trade. This week, there were two games that saw multiple players involved.
Holstein Kiel dropped a 2-0 decision to Arminia Bielefeld and it was a big setback for Holstein Kiel, which has no points from the first two games in a season where they are coming back down from the Bundesliga.
John Tolkin, 23, started for Holstein Kiel but was subbed out at halftime for tactical reasons as both wingbacks were removed. The tactical shift did not help at all. Tolkin was okay in his 45 minutes, but the team overall was very poor and does not want to have a poor start to the season. Such starts only create relegations battles.
On the flip side, Arminia Bielefeld was excellent and now has a perfect six points from two games – immediately coming off promotion last year. Led by American captain Mael Corboz, Arminia Bielefeld is off to a great start. Corboz has done well to add maturity to a team that looks ready for the 2.Bundesliga. Corboz, 30, is one of the best “under the radar” stories in American soccer.
Eintracht Braunschweig defeated Greuther Furth 3-2 and Johan Gomez enjoyed one of his best performances in years when he came off the bench in the 61st minute. He was dangerous, assisted on goal that was called back, won a lot of duels, and built a case to start for the club.
For Eintracht, the club has six points from two games. This is huge after narrowly avoiding relegation last season.
On the flip side, Furth sits on three points from two games after the loss. Both Julian Green and Max Dietz both started. Green was subbed out in the 86th minute while Dietz went the whole game. Neither stood out.
On Friday, Paderborn drew Preussen Munster 1-1. Santiago Castaneda, 20, started in defensive midfield for Paderborn but did not stand out in his 78 minutes. Both of the Tampa native’s first two games have been quiet.
Richards wins Community Shield
Chris Richards can now add a Community Shield to his trophy case as played the entire game at Wembley as his Crystal Palace defeated reigning Premier League champions Liverpool on penalties after a 2-2 draw.
Richards had a “hockey assist” on his team’s second goal and saw his header off a corner saved in the 61st minute.
Richards looks to be in great shape to start the Premier League season next week. His great calendar year of 2025.
Elsewhere abroad
In Poland’s Ekstraklassa, Jagiellonia Bialystok defeated Cracovia 5-2 with Aziel Jackson making his first start for Bialystok in the win. Leon Flach also played the final 12 minutes in the win. Kahveh Zahirolelam made his debut for Cracovia when he came on in the 79th minute.
In Croatia’s HNL, Hajduk Split defeated HNK Gorica 2-0. The win was helped by a Gorica red card in the 50th minute when the score was 0-0. Rokas Pukstas returned to the starting lineup after struggling to break in recently and he was helped by injuries that made him needed. He was active in the attack, despite no goal contributions. Was it enough for him to remain in in the starting lineup? That is an open question.
In the Austrian Bundesliga, George Bello scored in the 50th minute for LASK in a 3-1 loss to WSG Tirol. Sam Adeniran started for LASK but was ineffective. It was good news for Bello to have scored but LASK is winless after two games and has work to do in the weeks ahead.
Quincy Butley, 23, meanwhile started and played well for WSG on the right side of the midfield where he won duels and passed effectively. WSG has won its first two games of the season.
In the Swiss Super League, Lausanne dropped a 2-1 decision at home to FC Zurich. Konrad de la Fuente played the final 18 minutes in the loss.
In the Danish Superliga, Matthew Hoppe started for SonderjyskE but was held in check by Viborg in a 1-0 loss. Hoppe was subbed out in the 71st minute.
In Uruguay’s Primera, Agustin Anello played 82 minutes for Boston River in a 1-1 draw with Montevideo City Torque. Anello was subbed out with his team trailing 1-0 and down to 10 men. Boston River now has four points from two games.
Preseason & Transfer updates
Robinson on the shelf
Antonee Robinson has not played at all this preseason and will not be available for Fulham to start the season. Once figured to be the subject of transfer rumors this summer to big clubs, everything with Robinson has been quiet.
Every year, McKennie is on the brink of falling out of favor with Juventus and has always pulled himself back into the mix. But eventually this will end. Perhaps now is a good time for him to make a break and Roma is still a very high landing spot. McKennie knows Serie A well and likely wouldn’t need as much adjustment.
Also in this game was Cole Campbell, who played the last 15 minutes for Borussia Dortmund. This comes after interest from VfB Stuttgart was shelved – at least temporarily as Dortmund assess its winger situation. The speedy U.S. U-20 attacker has been on the edge of BVB’s first team and has made his debut. But works remains for him to be a consistent presence.
As expected, there was no Gio Reyna for BVB and there has been no breakthrough on the transfer front.
Captain McKenzie
Toulouse played Sevilla to a 1-1 draw in a preseason friendly and the big takeaway is that USMNT central defender Mark McKenzie wore the captain’s armband for Toulouse – a sign of his growing importance to the Ligue 1 club.
Chelsea smashed AC Milan 4-1 over the weekend with Yunus Musah starting and playing 73 minutes for Milan. It was 3-1 when Musah departed the game. Musah remains a player to watch in the weeks ahead as his preseason has not gone well. Milan might opt to drop their asking price and move on.
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Antonee Robinson’s injury timetable underscores his importance to USMNT
By Jeff RueterAug. 14, 2025Updated 12:47 pm EDT The Athletic
No doubt, Fulham will feel a bit up against it heading into the club’s Premier League opener, away at Brighton.The 2024-25 season saw Antonee Robinson cement his place as one of Marco Silva’s most vital charges, arguably the best pure left back in the Premier League. Nicknamed “Jedi,” he’s proven capable of containing Bukayo Saka and Mohamed Salah on one end before dependably squaring crosses right into his striker’s stride. He gutted out an injury to his right knee until season’s end, finishing third in the fan-voted Player of the Season pageant after a 10-assist campaign.On Thursday, 48 hours before a trip to the AmEx, Silva confirmed that Robinson would not be available for selection as he works back from an offseason surgery on that vital plant-leg knee. So, too, would Ryan Sessegnon, leaving the Portuguese manager without his two top options at left back.Mauricio Pochettino may still be envying Silva’s situation. At least the Fulham boss has a viable alternative in the role to Robinson.It’s hardly a new phenomenon that the U.S. men’s national team is dangerously thin at left back. In fact, the program went over a decade with makeshift solutions, forcing players like DaMarcus Beasley and Fabian Johnson to own the role despite spending their careers up until that point further afield. While U.S. Soccer can’t take credit for Robinson’s development, his commitment was a clear end to holding the left side of the back line together with duct tape and chewing gum.While Robinson has amassed a tidy 50 caps to date, he’s been absent for the last four camps under Pochettino, a 12-game sample from which the coach has learned plenty about his player pool. He’s had his initial trust in Diego Luna validated by a star-making turn at the Gold Cup. That same tournament gave reason to think Matt Freese could be a shot-stopping alternative to Matt Turner in goal.There have been frustrating realizations, too. Mexico is back on the ascent, although that’s a bit more of a subplot than usual as both nations will abstain from World Cup qualifying this cycle. His faith in the core that helped qualify for the 2022 installment has potentially been rocked by Christian Pulisic and others opting out or missing out on the Gold Cup. And, more relevant to today’s news via Silva: he doesn’t have a clear alternative to Robinson at left back.
USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino doesn’t have many options behind Antonee Robinson at left back (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
Unlike other USMNT mainstays like Gio Reyna, Pochettino and Robinson have already logged a bit of collaboration. The left back was on Pochettino’s first squad last October, and started both legs of the Concacaf Nations Leg quarterfinal against Jamaica the following month. In the second, Robinson assisted on the second goal of a 4-2 win that sent the U.S. through to the final four. Since then, however, Pochettino has had to play alternatives to Robinson. When an ailment kept Robinson out for the Nations League’s business end in March, it became a calamity: Panama targeted out-of-position Max Arfsten and, later, Joe Scally, exploiting the latter’s lack of awareness to score a last gasp winner in a 1-0 semifinal upset. Scally went on to start the third-place game, putting in such a poor shift that he got a halftime hook.In the 12 games that have passed since Robinson’s last U.S. appearance, four players have been called upon in his absence. Arfsten has been Pochettino’s most relied-upon alternative, appearing in nine of that dozen, most often as starter. John Tolkin, of recently relegated Holstein Kiel in Germany, has made five appearances, while Scally and DeJuan Jones have each appeared twice in the role. None have made a terribly compelling case for further looks.Throughout the Gold Cup, Arfsten and Tolkin — as indicated by their higher utilization — were the two options on Pochettino’s squad.Arfsten, a winger with the possession-dominant Columbus Crew, has fared about as you’d expect for a player who usually sees the game from a vastly different perspective. His attacking contributions were that of an ideal wingback, logging assists and chipping in goals as an auxiliary threat from wide. His defensive performances were riddled with the kinds of mistakes coaches have to drill out of defenders in the youth ranks, taking the bait and making needless fouls (like one just inside the box against Costa Rica that resulted in a penalty).Tolkin, largely as a substitute, has at least spent his career in the role since debuting with his boyhood New York Red Bulls. His issues more closely mirror the struggles recently seen from young left backs George Bello, Kris Lund and Sam Vines: bona fide left backs, but unable to prove themselves at the international level.There’s a paucity of alternatives, too. Unlike other spots, there’s no alternative who hasn’t been tested and is flying under the radar. The closest to matching that mold is Caleb Wiley, the Chelsea prospect who earned three caps in 2023 and 2024 but hasn’t been in a national team camp since Pochettino took charge. While it’s impressive for a 20-year-old to have amassed 135 club appearances, mostly with Atlanta United before the club from London came calling, his first loan with Strasbourg was inconclusive. He’s at Watford now, and could very easily work into the fold in the months to come. The other alternatives to Scally are, in the program’s grand tradition, playing out of position. There’s Arfsten, still tapping into his winger’s instincts at the expense of his team’s defending. There’s Scally shifting over from right back (and Sergiño Dest before him, the first-choice option in that spot), who fancy themselves to put in a shift on the left. Even then, it weakens the right back contingent that is seemingly three players deep: Dest, Scally, Alex Freeman. If Robinson’s recovery timetable will keep him out of the next international camp spanning from Sept. 1-9 (the fifth-to-last camp before the 2026 World Cup), those speculative alternatives may get another chance to log starts and fortify their cases for inclusion. Pochettino and a fanbase starved for optimism will rightfully hope for a pleasant surprise. As it stands right now, it’s a bleak reality for the USMNT: against ideal operational standards, this is a Jedi without a worthy padawan. (Top photo: Julian Finney/Getty Images)
La Liga season preview: Our predictions on Barcelona, Real Madrid and much more
The new La Liga season gets started later on Friday, with defending champions Barcelona opening at Real Mallorca tomorrow and Real Madrid welcoming Osasuna on Tuesday.
As usual, there is no shortage of storylines, including Barca again struggling to register their new signings, Madrid once more battling against La Liga’s authorities and Atletico Madrid spending big to try to challenge the Clasico duo for the title. There’s also plenty of political intrigue, controversy, figures under pressure and the possibility for history to be made on and off the pitch.
The Athletic has taken its annual stab at predicting how things will go (which will hopefully turn out better than last year, when we predicted Barcelona would sack new manager Hansi Flick by Christmas)…
Who will win La Liga and why?
Flick had a phenomenal first season in charge at Barcelona, winning the domestic treble of La Liga, Copa del Rey and Supercopa.
His squad is arguably stronger this year. Defender Inigo Martinez has left, but on-loan Marcus Rashford brings another option in attack, and most importantly, the team’s young core should be even better — centre-back Pau Cubarsi, midfielders Pedri and Gavi, and especially emerging-superstar attacker Lamine Yamal.
Can Flick’s Barca build further on last season’s success? (Judit Cartiel/Getty Images)
Madrid also look to have significantly improved, with a rebuilt defence and fresh energy and impetus under new coach Xabi Alonso. Atletico have spent a lot again to try to mount a challenge, and Diego Simeone arguably now has the deepest squad of his 14 seasons in charge. But Alonso’s impact across the capital could be hampered by minimal pre-season preparation time after going to the final four of the Club World Cup last month, while Simeone’s new signings might take a while to settle in.
Barcelona, Madrid and Atletico have finished among the top four in Spain every year since 2012-13, and they will again this time. But the race for the fourth Champions League qualification spot looks wide open.
Athletic Bilbao and Villarreal are playing in that competition this season, so their domestic form could suffer as they juggle the extra eight games. That might open up an opportunity for Real Betis, who continue to make progress year on year under veteran coach Manuel Pellegrini. Betis’ top-four challenge will be especially strong if they can secure the return of Brazilian attacker Antony from Manchester United after his impressive loan spell in the second half of last season.
Mallorca could potentially challenge for a European spot, while Valencia improved tremendously after Carlos Corberan took over as coach in January.
Who will be the biggest underperformers?
One of the biggest questions is how Madrid’s Club World Cup exertions, tacked onto the end of last season, will affect how they start this new campaign.
Madrid’s players finally got to go on holiday on July 10, after losing 4-0 to Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals in the United States. They then returned for pre-season training on August 4, just 15 days before they welcome Osasuna to the Bernabeu for both sides’ opening La Liga fixture.
Managing that situation is a huge challenge for new coach Alonso, who also has to integrate three new defenders in Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dean Huijsen and Alvaro Carreras.
Alonso was appointed as Madrid coach back in May (Sara Gordon/Real Madrid via Getty Images)
Their games at the Club World Cup suggested that Alonso’s biggest issue will be how to fit both Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior into his XI while implementing a version of the high-energy, high-pressing style he used at previous club Bayer Leverkusen.
Midfielder Jude Bellingham will be missing until mid-October at least, following a summer operation to fix a long-running shoulder issue, and players could also still leave in the summer transfer window, including Brazilian attacker Rodrygo.
Alonso could well end up being a success at the Bernabeu – he has the experience and nous to deal with the challenge of the job – but there might be some bumps along the way, and Madrid could be playing catch-up in the 2025-26 title race from early on.
How do you expect the promoted clubs to do?
Levante, Elche and Real Oviedo would all see a 17th-place finish in the 20-club table, so avoiding an immediate return to the second tier, as success.
The three promoted clubs are working with limited finances, having spent around €10million (£8.6m; $11.7m) between them so far on new players (for comparison, the three teams promoted to the Premier League this summer have spent over €300m combined).
Levante’s players, coach and staff played a big role in providing crucial supplies and support when the team’s home city of Valencia was badly flooded last October. Elche owner Christian Bragarnik’s CV includes experience as a striker in fifth-tier Argentine football, time spent as a video-store assistant, and working as an agent to Diego Maradona.
Who will be the best young player this season?
Yamal only turned 18 in mid-July and could already be the best player in Spain, if not the world, so he’s a good candidate for this section.
Already a senior Argentina international, Mastantuono is used to dealing with pressure and expectation. He has already played 64 senior games for River, scoring 10 goals and providing seven assists. Some of those goals were spectacular, especially the tremendous free kick scored in a 2-1 derby victory against fierce local rivals Boca Juniors in April.
Many kids have arrived at Madrid with big hype and have taken a long time to settle, or just never made it at all. But people who know Mastantuono reckon he can hit the ground running and quickly rival Yamal as the hottest teenager in La Liga.
Which under-the-radar figure have the big clubs been sleeping on?
Athletic Club’s Mikel Jauregizar had a real breakout season in 2024-25 and is fast developing into one of the top defensive midfielders in La Liga. Only 18 months on from his senior debut, the super-combative and mobile 21-year-old has established himself as a key member of coach Ernesto Valverde’s team.
Jauregizar, pictured in pre-season for Athletic (Joris Verwijst/BSR Agency/Getty Images)
He is not the biggest at 177cm (5ft 10in), but Jauregizar ranked third-highest among all midfielders for tackles in La Liga last season. That ability to regain possession and then launch attackers such as brothers Inaki and Nico Williams was key to Valverde’s team’s success in finishing fourth.
Jauregizar did not help himself with his performance in Athletic Club’s biggest game of the season, being embarrassingly dribbled past by Manchester United centre-back Harry Maguire in the Europa League semi-final first leg at San Mames. But his career so far suggests he is a very quick learner, and playing in the Champions League this season should bring plenty more experience and exposure.
For much of last season, Atletico appeared set to seriously compete on all fronts, but their season shuddered to a stop in March with a series of disappointing defeats by Barcelona and Madrid across La Liga, Copa del Rey and the Champions League.
Atletico’s subsequent summer spending of around €150million looks directly aimed at fixing issues in the squad highlighted during that tough spell. Slovakia defender David Hancko and United States international midfielder Johnny Cardoso bring more physicality, while Italian Matteo Ruggeri and Spain’s Alex Baena form an all-new left flank.
United States international Cardoso in action for Atletico in pre-season against Newcastle (Andy Buchanan/AFP via Getty Images)
On paper, they all look like excellent acquisitions. The question now is how Simeone integrates all his new players and whether he can get them to buy quickly into his trademark super-intense style of play.
If it all clicks, Atletico’s challenge could go a lot further this season.
Which club have had the worst transfer window?
Villarreal supporters had known that Spain international Baena was set to leave, and the club banking €42million from Atletico and signing Las Palmas’ Alberto Moleiro as a replacement for €16m was not such bad business. Similarly, selling inconsistent forward Thierno Barry to Everton for €30m and getting Spain Under-21 international centre-back Rafa Marin on loan from Napoli look like smart moves.
Less easy to understand is bringing in former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey on a free transfer.
Partey’s experience and ability could be useful on the pitch as Villarreal return to the Champions League this season, but for many, it is just unacceptable to sign a player who has been charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault in England. Partey denies the charges, and club president Fernando Roig said on Tuesday: “We respect the presumption of innocence and of course we condemn any kind of violence, inside or outside football.”
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Tell us one great storyline we might have missed…
Barcelona’s issues around registering their summer signings with La Liga are eye-catching due to the size of the club and the regular drama involved, but they are far from the only ones struggling in this area ahead of the new season.
Just days before the games kick off this weekend, more than 50 new arrivals had yet to be officially registered with La Liga. Clubs still looking to make room within their budget included the three promoted clubs, as well as Sevilla, Celta Vigo, Espanyol, Getafe, Real Sociedad, Betis and Alaves.
So some well-known names are likely to watch their new team’s opening game from the stands, while a frantic couple of weeks of wheeling and dealing are likely until the end of the transfer window.
What will be making headlines as the season progresses?
La Liga president Javier Tebas has been openly trying to stage official Spanish top-flight games in the United States since 2018, but until now has always been denied by a mix of political and practical factors.
Tebas is nothing if not dogged, however, and many of the big hurdles have now been removed — including the settlement of a U.S. legal case between world football’s governing body FIFA and promoters Relevent, and improved relations with the Spanish FA in the post-Luis Rubiales era.
The biggest opposition domestically comes from Madrid president Florentino Perez, while green lights are still required from the European game’s rulers UEFA, Concacaf (the regional federation that includes the U.S.) and the United States Soccer Federation.
Though it’s not yet fully sorted, sooner or later, Tebas’ signature project looks certain to happen.
(Top photos of Rashford, left, and Alexander-Arnold: Getty Images)
FourFourTwo Premier League Season Previews 2025-26
Our legendary previews on all 20 teams set to grace the Premier League this season is here, brought to you by expert journalists and hardcore fans at the heart of each club
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool, lifts the Premier League trophy after his team’s victory in the 2024/25 Premier League (Image credit: Carl Recine/Getty Images)
We’re not far away from the start of the 2025/26 Premier League and all the twists, turns and drama that comes with it.
The transfer market has been going into overdrive as teams look to do battle once again, with some mouthwatering spectacles set to light up the pitch again from August to May.
Read on for FourFourTwo’s preview on all 20 Premier League teams in the 2025/26 season…You may like
Bukayo Saka celebrates with Gabriel Martinelli after scoring for Arsenal against Real Madrid (Image credit: Getty Images)
After finishing second for a third season in a row last year, Arsenal are looking to go one better and finally lift the Premier League title. Preseason has been strong, with several new signings through the door, and now, Mikel Arteta is ready to take his side over the line and lift silverware this season.
FourFourTwo has your complete season preview ahead of the new campaign, with the lowdown on star players, what to expect and predictions of what’s to come over the next few months, along with Arsenal’s full fixture list, too.
Aston Villa
Aston Villa celebrate (Image credit: Getty Images)
Unai Emery’s Aston Villa missed out on Champions League football on the final day of last season. After another impressive campaign, in which they qualified for European football, reached the quarter-final of the Champions League, and the semi-final of the FA Cup, they will be looking to continue finishing inside the top six and make a serious play for one of the cups.
FourFourTwo has everything you need for the new term with our season preview. Get the inside scoop on star players, what to look forward to, and our predictions for the coming months, along with Aston Villa’s fixtures.
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Brentford
Nathan Collins of Brentford (Image credit: Getty Images)
Brentford are entering uncharted waters. For the first time in the Premier League they will not be led by Thomas Frank, and Bryan Mbeumo will not be in the squad. They have attempted to negate too much disruption by appointing former set-piece coach Keith Andrews, while they’ve brought in Caoimhin Kelleher and Jordan Henderson as they look to solidify their mid-table status.
Your essential guide to the new season is here. FourFourTwo brings you the full preview, including key players, team expectations, our final predictions and Brentford’s fixtures.
This will be Brighton’s eighth season in the Premier League and they enter with significant expectations. 18-year-old Charalampos Kostoulas has become their third highest transfer of all-time as they look to push for European football for the second-time in their history.
Ahead of the new campaign, FourFourTwo offers your complete season preview. We’ve got the lowdown on the biggest stars, what to expect, and a glimpse into our predictions for the next few months – plus Brighton’s full fixture list.
Burnley
Josh Brownhill of Burnley (Image credit: Getty Images)
Burnley finished second in the Championship last season with 100 points, the most ever for a team in second place, only beaten to the title on goal difference. Across the 46 games, they conceded just 16 goals, but shot-stopper James Trafford has returned to Manchester City. Scott Parker will be hoping they can build on their strong defensive performance and stay up this season.
Fresh off the back of their record points tally, Bournemouth will be looking to go one further and reach European football for the first time. Adoni Iroala’s side however, will be without much of their defence from last season, including Kepa Arrizabalaga, Dean Huijsen and Milos Kerkez making their task slightly more difficult.
FourFourTwo’snew season preview is out now. Dive into our analysis of key players and our predictions for what’s to come over the next few months – and check out Bournemouth’s fixture list, too.
Chelsea
Chelsea star Cole Palmer (Image credit: David Ramos/Getty Images)
Club World Cup champions Chelsea head into the season with lofty expectations. Their impressive performance in America this summer shows their scatter-gun transfer approach has worked and after spending north of £250 million again this summer, the Blues fans will be hoping they can make a serious bid for the title.
And the new season is almost here: FourFourTwo has your complete preview, covering everything from top players to our final predictions, and even Chelsea’s fixtures.
The mood is mixed at Selhurst Park. On the one hand, Oliver Glasner has delivered nothing that any Eagles manager has ever done before and won a trophy: the good feeling isn’t going to disappear any time soon, and Crystal Palace fans are hoping to push on up the league – but on the other, the cloud of the European football debacle and what competition they’ll be dropped into still lingers.
We’ve got everything you need to know ahead of the start of a new campaign with our comprehensive season preview, delving into what to look forward to and where Palace will be in another year’s time – plus, see Crystal Palace’s fixture list.
Everton
Everton manager David Moyes (Image credit: Alamy)
David Moyes is back at the wheel at Everton and the Toffees are under new ownership, as they look to buck the recent trend of fighting the drop and push on up the league: it’s arguably the most exciting time to be on the blue side of Merseyside for quite some time – and that’s before you factor in the small matter of a new home.
Find out what to expect from the new campaign: FourFourTwo provides a full season preview, including insights on star players and our predictions for the months ahead, along with Everton’s fixture list.
Fulham
Alex Iwobi of Fulham battles with Yegor Yarmolyuk of Brentford (Image credit: Alex Davidson/Getty Images)
Fulham are looking up in the table. Marco Silva has been in charge since 2021 now and with the Cottagers having kept key stars over the summer, now could be the time to mount a serious charge up the Premier League.
Leeds United are back in the big time – but can they remain there? Things are going to be tough for the Championship winners but after strengthening this summer, they’re in a good position to give it a whirl.
Be prepared for what’s to come: FourFourTwo offers you a full preview with the lowdown on star players and our predictions for the months to come, plus Leeds’ complete fixtures.
Liverpool
Liverpool star Mohamed Salah (Image credit: Pic Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Liverpool have refused to stand still. After winning the title last term, big money has been spent on improving Arne Slot’s side, as Florian Wirtz joins for a British record fee and two new full-backs join the side.
Are the Reds set for the new season? FourFourTwo has you covered with our complete preview, featuring key players, what’s expected, and our predictions, along with Liverpool’s fixture list.
Manchester City
Pep Guardiola instructs his players (Image credit: David Ramos/Getty Images)
Manchester City failed to win the title last year for the first time in five seasons. Now, armed with new recruits across the pitch and newfound fire to get back on top, Pep Guardiola is looking to wrestle back his crown.
FourFourTwo’scomplete season preview is here to get you hyped for the new campaign. We break down the star players, what you can expect, and our predictions for the campaign, ahead of Manchester City’s full fixtures.
Manchester United
Bryan Mbeumo trains with Manchester United (Image credit: Getty Images)
Last season was a generational low for a Manchester United side that finished 15th and lost the Europa League final. There’s certainly hope, however, that complete with a new-look frontline, the Red Devils can go again and that boss Ruben Amorim can start to get this side clicking under his system.
Before the new campaign kicks off, check out our full season preview from FourFourTwo. You’ll get the inside scoop on top players, what to anticipate, and what we think will happen over the next few months – and check out Manchester United’s complete fixture list.
Newcastle United
Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe (Image credit: Getty Images)
Newcastle United may have had a tough summer but they go into the new season having lifted a trophy last term and with Champions League to look forward to. Despite the struggles in the transfer market, Eddie Howe has built a side to be feared on the pitch: and this is a club that will be looking to go even further in their ambitions.
Ready for the new season? FourFourTwo has you covered with our in-depth preview. We give you the lowdown on the players to watch and share our predictions for the coming months, ahead of Newcastle’s fixtures.
Nottingham Forest bucked all expectations last term with a finish in the European places – and after the unexpected bonus of Europa League football to look forward to, the Tricky Trees are welcoming European football back for the first time in a generation. There’s plenty to be excited by.
The new season is just around the corner, and our complete preview is finally here. FourFourTwo gives you the essential details on star players, a rundown of expectations, and a look at our predictions, plus Forest’s fixture list.
Sunderland
Sunderland fans (Image credit: Getty Images)
Sunderland’s dramatic promotion in the play-offs sees the Black Cats returning to the Premier League and wanting to do far more than make up the numbers: if summer business has anything to go by, they could be about to spring a few surprises, too.
What’s in store for the new season? Find out with our complete preview from FourFourTwo. We’ve got the scoop on key players, what to expect, and our predictions for the months to come – and we’ve even got Sunderland’s complete fixture schedule.
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham boss Thomas Frank (Image credit: Copyright (c) 2025 Shutterstock Editorial. No use without permission.)
Optimism at Tottenham Hotspur is unusually high for a team that only scraped 17th in the table last season: that will be because Thomas Frank has arrived, preseason has been positive and the Europa League triumph last season means that the trophy curse has finally been banished. Now, Spurs can start looking upwards again.
The wait is over: FourFourTwo presents our comprehensive season preview, complete with a close look at the most exciting players and our predictions for the next few months., along with Tottenham’s fixture lists.
West Ham United
West Ham man Tomas Soucek (Image credit: Getty Images)
West Ham United are quietly going about their business this summer and with a highly-rated coach in Graham Potter, they’ll be hoping to cause some upsets and return to battling for Europe.
Anticipation is building, and so is our new season preview: FourFourTwo brings you all the essential info on players to watch and our bold predictions for the season – plus, West Ham’s fixtures.
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolves boss Vitor Pereira (Image credit: Getty Images)
Wolverhampton Wanderers enjoyed a remarkable turnaround under Vitor Pereira last season – but having lost star players Rayan Ait-Nouri and Matheus Cunha, can the Old Gold expect another campaign like last, or can they push on up the Premier League?
Get a head start on the new campaign with the FourFourTwoseason preview: we’ll give you a full rundown on the top stars and offer our predictions for the season ahead, along with Wolves’ complete fixtures.
Premier League Predictions: Liverpool vs Bournemouth, Man Utd vs Arsenal and the rest of Matchday 1
Welcome to the first edition of The Athletic’s new Premier League Predictions game.
This is where you (our lovely subscribers) have the opportunity to join a data algorithm, a six-year-old boy, and me in putting our credibility on the line on a weekly basis.
Every week, we will give score predictions for each of the 10 Premier League games, with a correct scoreline gaining three points and a correct result gaining one point. To make things more interesting, there will be a bonus point if a player is the only one to get a scoreline or result correct. You’ll be able to see the standings from next week.
We will have a different subscriber each week, chosen from those who have replied with their interest (see here for how to get involved and for other general information), but I will be a constant throughout the season until May, along with the algorithm and, of course, six-year-old Wilfred.The more I talk about this, the more convinced I am that The Athletic are setting me up for a fall here, exposing not only my inability to predict the outcome of football matches but, even worse, my blatant bias against your team.Ah, let’s brush away these pangs of insecurity. Three hundred and eighty Premier League matches lie ahead of us from now to May 24, so let’s get cracking.For the opening weekend, the subscribers will be represented by Vaageesh, a Manchester United supporter who hails from Chennai, India. Will he tip his beloved team to hit the ground running against Arsenal? Will any of us? This is already causing me more stress than I thought it would…
Our subscriber’s match of the week
Manchester United vs Arsenal, Sunday 4.30pm BST/11.30am ET
Vaageesh says: “I don’t have much time; I’m writing this moments after entrapping my battling optimistic and pessimistic selves in a bunker. Here’s the rationale: Manchester United’s ability in transition will cancel out Arsenal’s confidence when in possession and neither will quite have the fluidity required to pull ahead despite the fact that both teams seem to have improved over the summer.”
Manchester United 1-1 Arsenal
Oli says: I’m old enough to remember Arsenal, as champions, being obliterated on the opening day in 1989-90 by a new-look Manchester United team, for whom it proved a classic false dawn. United’s prospective new owner, Michael Knighton, was on the pitch beforehand, ball-juggling and blowing kisses to the crowd, and Neil Webb smashed one in from 25 yards on his debut — wild stuff, honestly (yeah, get on with it, Grandad).If I close my eyes, I can imagine a scenario where something similar happens — this new United front line looks perfect for a balmy Sunday afternoon in August — but… no, not quite. This Arsenal team strike me as too serious to be rolled over on day one. I’ll try not to sit on the fence too often, but I’m going to have to go for a very lively draw here.
Manchester United 2-2 Arsenal
Bryan Mbeumo (left), Benjamin Sesko (middle) and Matheus Cunha (Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
Oli’s other predictions
Liverpool vs Bournemouth
Oli says: If I describe this as an awkward start for Liverpool, it’s in part because Bournemouth are unconventional opponents. Nobody seems to have it easy against them. I’ll go for a home win, but not a comfortable one. It might be a tight, nervous one, requiring a lively cameo from Rio Ngumoha and a late winner from Mohamed Salah, that kind of thing.
Liverpool 2-1 Bournemouth
Aston Villa vs Newcastle
Oli says: They have both had challenging summers, but stylistically this is one of my favourite match-ups in the league. The past six meetings have seen four wins for Newcastle (4-0, 5-1, 3-1, 3-0) and two for Villa (3-0 and 4-1), and I could see this one swinging violently one way or the other. Which way? I’ll say Villa this time.
Aston Villa 3-1 Newcastle
Brighton vs Fulham
Oli says: Another nice match-up, another that could certainly go either way. Why am I going with Fulham to hit the ground running against a Brighton team I rate? Not sure, but perhaps because of their quiet summer in the transfer market, rather than despite it.
Brighton 1-2 Fulham
Sunderland vs West Ham
Oli says: I’ve missed having Sunderland in the Premier League — or certainly the notion of what Sunderland should or could be. The place will be rocking on Saturday and even though I like the look of a couple of West Ham’s signings, it’s a winnable opening game for Sunderland.
Sunderland 1-0 West Ham
Tottenham vs Burnley
Oli says: I don’t know what to expect from Tottenham this season, but I will at least predict a winning start. Burnley had an outstanding defensive record last season, but facing Dominic Solanke, Mohammed Kudus, etc, represents a step up in class for Scott Parker’s team.
Tottenham 2-1 Burnley
Wolves vs Man City
Oli says: The Wolves fans I know are all worried after another summer dominated by departures. As opening games go, this looks more likely to intensify the gloom rather than lift it. Manchester City always seem to hit the ground running — Erling Haaland in particular — and I expect that to continue.
Wolves 0-2 Manchester City
Chelsea vs Crystal Palace
Oli says: I don’t know how Chelsea’s Club World Cup exertions will affect them in the long run, but I fancy them to start well. Palace, incidentally, have been slow starters and excellent finishers over the past few seasons. There’s no reason to expect that pattern to continue, but Chelsea away on the opening weekend is tough.
Chelsea 2-1 Crystal Palace
Nottingham Forest vs Brentford
Oli says: Looking at how the fixtures have fallen, Forest are another team I fancy to start well — at least until the European commitments kick in, which will test their squad depth — whereas I’m slightly concerned for Brentford. I’m expecting a home win and a Morgan Gibbs-White goal, followed by a flamboyant kiss of the badge.
Nottingham Forest 2-0 Brentford
Leeds vs Everton
Oli says: For Leeds and their fans, this is the perfect opening game, particularly under the floodlights on a Monday night. They didn’t get to enjoy an occasion like this after promotion during the Covid pandemic in 2020, so I’m predicting an utterly wild atmosphere, an exuberant performance, a refereeing controversy, and, ultimately, a Leeds win to round off a lively opening weekend.
How players force a transfer, Pulisic and Weah hit back at ‘evil’ ex-USMNT stars NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND – MAY 25: Alexander Isak of Newcastle United applauds the fans as he warms up prior to the Premier League match between Newcastle United FC and Everton FC at St James’ Park on May 25, 2025 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images) By Phil Hay Aug. 14, 2025 1
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Hello! Feigning injury, missing pre-season, downing tools. We’re covering the dark arts involved in convincing a club to sell you. Just don’t bother with an actual transfer request.
On the way:
How footballers force a move Pulisic beef intensifies Rooney fires back at Brady A stone-cold 50-metre lob Exit strategy: Isak wants to leave Newcastle… but how do players get their way?
Alexander Isak during pre-season training in July (Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images) I once asked a footballer (best left nameless) why, at one of his previous clubs, he upset all and sundry by submitting a transfer request. “It wasn’t a transfer request,” he replied. “It was a perceived transfer request.”
You can guess the follow-up question: what on earth is a perceived transfer request? “They took it to be an official request, when it wasn’t,” he explained, which sounded suspiciously like semantics to me; a player actively plotting to leave, without saying so formally or quite so explicitly.
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Written transfer requests — the unequivocal, black-and-white means by which restless pros can manipulate a move — are less common than you might think. For one thing, submitting a demand in writing risks forfeiting future bonuses or loyalty payments. For two, they’re regarded as small-time. As one agent tells The Athletic’s Stu James: “You’re handing in a letter saying you want to leave. What the hell does that do?”
Stu wrote about the art of manufacturing a transfer in 2021 but he updated his piece when trouble brewed between Newcastle United and Alexander Isak (above), and it’s relevant again in light of the sorry deterioration of that relationship. The Swedish striker has no intention of making another appearance for the Tyneside club. He would sooner sign for Liverpool. But how does he force his way out the door if Newcastle aren’t minded to trade him?
This isn’t new ground, or even close. Cerys Jones went back through the Premier League archives to analyse other high-profile names — Harry Kane, Luis Suarez and others — who effectively went on strike, hoping to be sold. Some who stamp their feet get their way. Others don’t. Stu’s feature is a window into Newcastle’s reality.
Top Stories The biggest issues facing youth sports? Greg Olsen has strong opinions NBA 2025-26 schedule release: 40 games I’m looking forward to next season The epicenter of stalking in sports? Why tennis stands apart Never get an owner angry Isak hasn’t done a bad job in employing the tactics suggested by different agents Stu talked to (all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity). Complain of minor injuries? Check. Refuse to travel on a pre-season tour? Check. Down tools, or cast doubt over your commitment to your existing employers? Check. Textbook stuff.
Here’s what those who know the drill had to say about facilitating a contentious exit from a club:
One agent warned: “What you must never do is get an owner angry. Once a billionaire says, ‘He’s not for sale’, you’re dead. You’re ain’t going nowhere because their credibility is on the line.” A manager with Premier League experience talked about trying to drop a wantaway star down to work with the club’s under-23s: “Then you’ll have the club push back on you and say, ‘He’s an asset, he needs to be involved’. You end up having friction with the club. It’s an absolute nightmare.” Another high-profile representative said, “Some agents try to force things through that are just ridiculous. And all that happens is that it causes a load of bad feeling, nobody wins. Try to find a solution for everybody.” But by far the most revealing quote came from David Sullivan, the co-owner of West Ham United. Generally speaking, Sullivan said, coaches want disruptive players out of the building because they “create a terrible atmosphere”. A sulking asset is essentially a bad apple. And in the case of Isak, it might be that fact that grants him his wish.
‘I feel like they’re evil’: Pulisic and Weah bite back on criticism of ex-USMNT players. Again. USMNT’s Tim Weah and Christian Pulisic Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah celebrate against Germany in 2023 (Alex Grimm/Getty Images) To say that current USMNT stars are at odds with certain retired U.S. internationals would be the understatement of the day. Tyler Adams tried to be diplomatic about criticism from Landon Donovan and others in an interview with The Athletic this week, but yesterday’s episode of the ‘Pulisic’ series on Paramount+ took the beef up a notch.
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One thing to point out first: by any objective measure, the USMNT have done nothing to shield themselves from ex-pro scrutiny. The past couple of years have been miserable, and Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah (above) choosing to miss this summer’s Gold Cup wasn’t going to pass without comment. But blimey, they’re taking it all to heart. Here’s what was said on ‘Pulisic’:
Weah: “Those guys are chasing cheques. And for me, I just feel like they’re really evil. Because they’ve been players, and they know what it’s like when you’re getting bashed. Those are the same guys that’ll turn around and shake your hand, and try to be friendly with you at the end of the day.” Pulisic: “The most annoying thing, and the biggest cop-out of all time, is when all pundits want to say, ‘They didn’t want it, they didn’t have the heart. Back in our day, we would fight and die on that field’. It’s frustrating.” Pulisic’s father, Mark: “These guys want clicks. It’s social media, it’s, ‘Subscribe to my channel, listen to my podcasts’, or whatever.” Quote three is a little ironic coming from someone talking in a docuseries, but here we are. The thing is, I don’t see the former USMNT corps backing down tamely, so where this goes from here is anybody’s guess. National unity with less than a year to a home World Cup? If only.
News Round-Up A tasty spat has broken out between Birmingham City shareholder Tom Brady and the club’s former head coach, Wayne Rooney. Brady was filmed raising doubts about Rooney’s work ethic in a recent documentary. Rooney hit back on his new podcast, saying the comments were “very unfair” and that Brady didn’t “really understand football that well”. Barcelona’s board are putting millions of their own money on the line in an effort to get Marcus Rashford and others registered with La Liga. Their salary-cap stress has reached crisis point, again. The Daily Liverpool: they’re closing in on the signing of 18-year-old defender Giovanni Leoni from Parma in Italy. He’ll set them back £26m ($35.2m). The Club World Cup was a nice little earner for the squad at Chelsea. After winning the tournament, their players will share bonuses worth more than £10m. But, bless them, a portion is to be donated to the family of Diogo Jota and his brother, Andre Silva. Gimnastic de Tarragona, a Catalan club who play in Spain’s third division, have cancelled the signing of Jose Manuel Calderon…after the defender was caught on camera saying: “I sh** on all dead Catalans.” Calderon apologised, albeit too little too late. An under-21s match involving Manchester United had to be abandoned after midfielder Sekou Kone suffered a bad head injury. The 19-year-old was taken to hospital but appears to be OK. Keeping it together: Chevalier and PSG come back from 2-0 down to beat Spurs in Super Cup
TNT Sports Well, colour us shocked. Paris Saint-Germain ostracise Gianluigi Donnarumma and the first thing the goalkeeper’s replacement, Lucas Chevalier, does is mark his debut in last night’s UEFA Super Cup match by throwing one in this goal, above. That’s football being football.
The evening got better for Chevalier, who saved a penalty in a shootout as PSG picked up their fourth trophy of 2025. They were on the ropes in normal time, trailing 2-0 to Tottenham Hotspur with five minutes to go, but something woke them from their slumber.
I’d caution against reading too much into Tottenham’s display because PSG were rusty, as if they were psychologically tearing themselves away from the beaches of Saint-Tropez. That said, for much of the game, there was decent structure to Spurs and their set pieces worked. It was only as they dropped deep in defence of their lead that PSG got a sniff. No early silverware for Thomas Frank, but green shoots all the same.
It didn’t stop Sheffield United sliding out of the Carabao Cup, but I wouldn’t have you missing Gustavo Hamer’s glorious 50-yard finish against Birmingham City last night. Nottingham Forest’s Murillo should sign him up for lessons.
ITV Sport Around TAFC On the eve of the Premier League season, I’ll point you towards a rundown of all the coverage you can expect from The Athletic. It’s here and it’s epic. I like the sound of the alternative league table. There can’t have been many summers in which top-flight English teams threw more money at attacking signings, including Viktor Gyokeres and Florian Wirtz. Mark Carey and Thom Harris have taken a closer look at an expensive trend. Gyokeres, in theory, should enhance Arsenal’s chances of winning the title. Amy Lawrence sat down for an exclusive chat with their manager, Mikel Arteta. James Milner is a machine: 39 years old and still at it in the Premier League. This interview with him by Oli Kay is ace. Fantasy Premier League: once more, the code to our TAFC league for any readers who wish to be part of it. Enter using 30j0f7. We’ve got a few more last-minute tips for you. Most clicked in Wednesday’s TAFC: the PSG-Donnarumma rift. And finally…
X / @sportsru How we chuckled a few weeks back at the footballer in Brazil who re-enacted the Cristiano Ronaldo ‘Siu’ celebration routine and gave himself a gammy leg in the process.
But that self-inflicted wound looks fairly pedestrian when set aside the post-goal backflip attempted by Dynamo Barnaul’s Kirill Mogel in a Russian lower-league match at the weekend. To cut him some slack, the striker hadn’t scored for months but if the crunch was as nasty as it looked, he might not be scoring again for a good while either.
“The acrobatic trick didn’t work out for him,” lamented Dynamo Barnaul’s official website. I’ll say.
(Top photo: George Wood/Getty Images)
How players force a transfer, Pulisic and Weah hit back at ‘evil’ ex-USMNT stars
Hello! Feigning injury, missing pre-season, downing tools. We’re covering the dark arts involved in convincing a club to sell you. Just don’t bother with an actual transfer request.
Exit strategy: Isak wants to leave Newcastle… but how do players get their way?
Alexander Isak during pre-season training in July (Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)
I once asked a footballer (best left nameless) why, at one of his previous clubs, he upset all and sundry by submitting a transfer request. “It wasn’t a transfer request,” he replied. “It was a perceived transfer request.”
You can guess the follow-up question: what on earth is a perceived transfer request? “They took it to be an official request, when it wasn’t,” he explained, which sounded suspiciously like semantics to me; a player actively plotting to leave, without saying so formally or quite so explicitly.
Advertisement
Written transfer requests — the unequivocal, black-and-white means by which restless pros can manipulate a move — are less common than you might think. For one thing, submitting a demand in writing risks forfeiting future bonuses or loyalty payments. For two, they’re regarded as small-time. As one agent tells The Athletic’s Stu James: “You’re handing in a letter saying you want to leave. What the hell does that do?”
Stu wrote about the art of manufacturing a transfer in 2021 but he updated his piece when trouble brewed between Newcastle United and Alexander Isak (above), and it’s relevant again in light of the sorry deterioration of that relationship. The Swedish striker has no intention of making another appearance for the Tyneside club. He would sooner sign for Liverpool. But how does he force his way out the door if Newcastle aren’t minded to trade him?
This isn’t new ground, or even close. Cerys Jones went back through the Premier League archives to analyse other high-profile names — Harry Kane, Luis Suarez and others — who effectively went on strike, hoping to be sold. Some who stamp their feet get their way. Others don’t. Stu’s feature is a window into Newcastle’s reality.
Never get an owner angry
Isak hasn’t done a bad job in employing the tactics suggested by different agents Stu talked to (all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity). Complain of minor injuries? Check. Refuse to travel on a pre-season tour? Check. Down tools, or cast doubt over your commitment to your existing employers? Check. Textbook stuff.
Here’s what those who know the drill had to say about facilitating a contentious exit from a club:
One agent warned: “What you must never do is get an owner angry. Once a billionaire says, ‘He’s not for sale’, you’re dead. You’re ain’t going nowhere because their credibility is on the line.”
A manager with Premier League experience talked about trying to drop a wantaway star down to work with the club’s under-23s: “Then you’ll have the club push back on you and say, ‘He’s an asset, he needs to be involved’. You end up having friction with the club. It’s an absolute nightmare.”
Another high-profile representative said, “Some agents try to force things through that are just ridiculous. And all that happens is that it causes a load of bad feeling, nobody wins. Try to find a solution for everybody.”
But by far the most revealing quote came from David Sullivan, the co-owner of West Ham United. Generally speaking, Sullivan said, coaches want disruptive players out of the building because they “create a terrible atmosphere”. A sulking asset is essentially a bad apple. And in the case of Isak, it might be that fact that grants him his wish.
‘I feel like they’re evil’: Pulisic and Weah bite back on criticism of ex-USMNT players. Again.
Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah celebrate against Germany in 2023 (Alex Grimm/Getty Images)
To say that current USMNT stars are at odds with certain retired U.S. internationals would be the understatement of the day. Tyler Adams tried to be diplomatic about criticism from Landon Donovan and others in an interview with The Athletic this week, but yesterday’s episode of the ‘Pulisic’ series on Paramount+ took the beef up a notch.
One thing to point out first: by any objective measure, the USMNT have done nothing to shield themselves from ex-pro scrutiny. The past couple of years have been miserable, and Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah (above) choosing to miss this summer’s Gold Cup wasn’t going to pass without comment. But blimey, they’re taking it all to heart. Here’s what was said on ‘Pulisic’:
Weah: “Those guys are chasing cheques. And for me, I just feel like they’re really evil. Because they’ve been players, and they know what it’s like when you’re getting bashed. Those are the same guys that’ll turn around and shake your hand, and try to be friendly with you at the end of the day.”
Pulisic: “The most annoying thing, and the biggest cop-out of all time, is when all pundits want to say, ‘They didn’t want it, they didn’t have the heart. Back in our day, we would fight and die on that field’. It’s frustrating.”
Pulisic’s father, Mark: “These guys want clicks. It’s social media, it’s, ‘Subscribe to my channel, listen to my podcasts’, or whatever.”
Quote three is a little ironic coming from someone talking in a docuseries, but here we are. The thing is, I don’t see the former USMNT corps backing down tamely, so where this goes from here is anybody’s guess. National unity with less than a year to a home World Cup? If only.
News Round-Up
A tasty spat has broken out between Birmingham City shareholder Tom Brady and the club’s former head coach, Wayne Rooney. Brady was filmed raising doubts about Rooney’s work ethic in a recent documentary. Rooney hit back on his new podcast, saying the comments were “very unfair” and that Brady didn’t “really understand football that well”.
Barcelona’s board are putting millions of their own money on the line in an effort to get Marcus Rashford and others registered with La Liga. Their salary-cap stress has reached crisis point, again.
The Daily Liverpool: they’re closing in on the signing of 18-year-old defender Giovanni Leoni from Parma in Italy. He’ll set them back £26m ($35.2m).
Gimnastic de Tarragona, a Catalan club who play in Spain’s third division, have cancelled the signing of Jose Manuel Calderon…after the defender was caught on camera saying: “I sh** on all dead Catalans.” Calderon apologised, albeit too little too late.
An under-21s match involving Manchester United had to be abandoned after midfielder Sekou Kone suffered a bad head injury. The 19-year-old was taken to hospital but appears to be OK.
Keeping it together: Chevalier and PSG come back from 2-0 down to beat Spurs in Super Cup
TNT Sports
Well, colour us shocked. Paris Saint-Germain ostracise Gianluigi Donnarumma and the first thing the goalkeeper’s replacement, Lucas Chevalier, does is mark his debut in last night’s UEFA Super Cup match by throwing one in this goal, above. That’s football being football.
The evening got better for Chevalier, who saved a penalty in a shootout as PSG picked up their fourth trophy of 2025. They were on the ropes in normal time, trailing 2-0 to Tottenham Hotspur with five minutes to go, but something woke them from their slumber.
I’d caution against reading too much into Tottenham’s display because PSG were rusty, as if they were psychologically tearing themselves away from the beaches of Saint-Tropez. That said, for much of the game, there was decent structure to Spurs and their set pieces worked. It was only as they dropped deep in defence of their lead that PSG got a sniff. No early silverware for Thomas Frank, but green shoots all the same.
On the eve of the Premier League season, I’ll point you towards a rundown of all the coverage you can expect from The Athletic. It’s here and it’s epic. I like the sound of the alternative league table.
There can’t have been many summers in which top-flight English teams threw more money at attacking signings, including Viktor Gyokeres and Florian Wirtz. Mark Carey and Thom Harris have taken a closer look at an expensive trend.
Gyokeres, in theory, should enhance Arsenal’s chances of winning the title. Amy Lawrence sat down for an exclusive chat with their manager, Mikel Arteta.
James Milner is a machine: 39 years old and still at it in the Premier League. This interview with him by Oli Kay is ace.
Fantasy Premier League: once more, the code to our TAFC league for any readers who wish to be part of it. Enter using 30j0f7. We’ve got a few more last-minute tips for you.
How we chuckled a few weeks back at the footballer in Brazil who re-enacted the Cristiano Ronaldo ‘Siu’ celebration routine and gave himself a gammy leg in the process.
But that self-inflicted wound looks fairly pedestrian when set aside the post-goal backflip attempted by Dynamo Barnaul’s Kirill Mogel in a Russian lower-league match at the weekend. To cut him some slack, the striker hadn’t scored for months but if the crunch was as nasty as it looked, he might not be scoring again for a good while either.
“The acrobatic trick didn’t work out for him,” lamented Dynamo Barnaul’s official website. I’ll say.
Probably not, because it never really stopped. But if you were struggling, fear not, because the Premier League is back.
Three hundred and eighty matches, 282 days, 20 teams, endless grumbling about VARs, and almost certainly a new officiating debate that none of us have dreamed up yet are waiting just around the corner, all starting when reigning champions Liverpool host Bournemouth on Friday at 8pm BST/3pm EST.Leeds United, Burnley, and Sunderland are up from the Championship, there are new faces on the pitch and in the technical areas, and, as always, there are a host of minor tweaks, too.his, then, is what you need to know for the new Premier League season.
New laws
The major change (and, whisper it, possibly even a popular one) is the introduction of the eight-second rule, which will already be familiar to those who watched the Club World Cup.If goalkeepers are in control of the ball with their arms/hands for more than eight seconds, they will concede a corner from the side closest to them. This replaces the old law, which was rarely enforced, where goalkeepers could concede an indirect free kick if they held onto the ball for more than six seconds.When the rule was announced by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), it said only four corners were awarded in its trial of the rule, which consisted of hundreds of matches.It is up to the referee to decide when the ’keeper has control of the ball and start the countdown. They will visually count down the last five seconds so it is clear to the goalkeeper what is happening.
There will be no disciplinary action unless the ’keeper repeatedly commits the offence, and they are not penalised if they are starting to or about to release the ball as the countdown ends.
The referee will also not start counting if the goalkeeper is being obstructed by an opposition attacker — if, during the countdown, an opponent pressures the ’keeper, they will concede an indirect free kick.
Teams will be awarded a corner if the opposition goalkeeper holds onto the ball for too long (Julian Finney/Getty Images)
There are also new ‘only the captain’ guidelines on approaching the referee. ‘Normal interactions’ between players and the referee will be allowed, but the guidance is aimed at preventing players from surrounding or mobbing them after big incidents or decisions. Team captains are responsible for helping direct team-mates away from the referee, and anyone who approaches without permission may be booked.The referee may invite the captain over to explain a decision. The hope is that players will know there is an avenue for them to receive engagement with the referee through their captain, but also know they can expect a booking if they approach when they should not.If the captain is the goalkeeper, they can nominate an outfield team-mate before the coin toss to approach the referee instead.Finally, the rules have been tweaked for accidental ‘double-touch’ penalties. If a player scores a penalty kick but accidentally touches the ball twice, they will be allowed to retake it. If they miss, they do not get another chance.
Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez was involved in a double-touch penalty in last season’s Champions League (Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
New refereeing tech: semi-automated offside technology (SAOT), announcements, and ‘Ref Cam’
Some might recall that SAOT was on our list last year and was expected to be introduced “from after one of the autumn international breaks”. It actually ended up being introduced to the Premier League in April, so we deem it new enough to make the list again, as this will be the first full season where it is used.
The technology aims to reduce the length of VAR checks by automating parts of the decision-making process. The technology won’t be used for clear offside decisions. However, the old method of ‘drawing lines’ might still be needed in some cases if the technology fails, or if players are blocking the view of the ball or the system’s cameras.
(Steve Bardens/Getty Images)
This happened in March, on the first weekend when the technology was trialled in English football. During Wolverhampton Wanderers’ FA Cup game against Bournemouth, a congested penalty area meant officials could not rely on the technology and there was an eight-minute delay.There will also be more information for fans in stadiums this season. Graphics showing the results of SAOT decisions will be shown on giant screens, and after a trial in the Carabao Cup, referees will make an announcement in the stadium explaining the outcome of all VAR reviews (except for factual offside or onside calls).The league also plans to trial referee-worn cameras, as seen at the Club World Cup. The trial is expected to begin this month and last for around six weeks.The footage can be used as an additional replay angle in broadcasts, allowing fans to see the game from the referee’s perspective. However, no confrontational or controversial moments should be shown.
A new, bigger, UK broadcast deal
More Premier League games will be shown on TV than ever before as the league’s new broadcast deal, agreed back in December 2023 and worth £6.7bn, takes effect.
All games outside the Saturday 3pm blackout will now be broadcast live in the UK. Previously, some Sunday 2pm games were not available to watch live in the UK if they had been moved to that slot due to teams competing in European competition in midweek.
At least 215 matches will be on Sky Sports, and TNT will show 52. Amazon Prime no longer shows any.
Sky will show games on a Saturday at 5:30pm, on a Sunday at 2pm and 4:30pm, Monday and Friday evening games, and the first three rounds of midweek fixtures. Sky’s coverage also includes a new ‘Multiview’ format, which will allow customers to watch up to four games at once on Sunday afternoons.
TNT will show the early kick-off games at 12:30pm on Saturdays, as well as the last two rounds of midweek fixtures.
BBC Sport has highlights rights for all 380 matches.
In the U.S., NBC will show all 380 games, with just under half of them streamed exclusively on Peacock. The remainder will be shown on a main NBC channel or USA Network.
(Naomi Baker/Getty Images)
New broadcast access — including in-game and half-time interviews
Clubs are now obligated to grant more access to broadcasters, including the potential for access to dressing rooms or interviews at half-time or during the match.
Each club will only have to agree to these extra obligations a limited number of times.
At least twice per season, each club must do one of the following:
Allow filming for at least 90 seconds in their dressing room. This could be between the end of the warm-up and start of the match, at half-time, or immediately after the match once the players are back in the dressing room. The club can request that this footage is without audio unless they approve it.
Make a player or manager available for an interview at half-time. This should be no more than three questions, all of which should be positive and related to the match. The interview must be timed so it will not delay the restart.
Make a substituted player, or the manager, available for an interview during the match. This must be by no later than the 85th minute and the interview should be no more than two questions, both of which must be related to the match and positive.
The broadcaster will request this extra access before the fixture and say which of the three options it would prefer, but the club chooses which it plans to provide.
If a club is losing when they were supposed to provide this extra access, they can choose to do it at another match instead.
(Stu Forster/Getty Images)
A new ball — and not a Nike one
Lastly, the official ball has changed. Nike’s 25-year partnership has come to an end and Puma will now supply the match ball.
The German company is already the ball supplier for Serie A, La Liga, the English Football League, and the Carabao Cup. It was in the latter competition that Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta referred to the match ball when dissecting his side’s 2-0 loss to eventual tournament winners Newcastle United in the first leg of their semi-final.
“(The Carabao Cup ball) is very different to a Premier League ball, and you have to adapt to that because it flies differently. When you touch it, the grip is also very different, so you adapt to that.”
(Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
Check back for Arteta’s review of Puma’s Orbita Ultimate ball when the season gets underway…
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Wrexham’s revamped home: A (longer) £1.7m pitch, heated dugout seats and goal-line technology
But he’s far from alone at Wrexham in experiencing a hectic close season. Aidan Miller, the club’s strategy and projects director, has overseen a revamp of the SToK Cae Ras designed to nudge the world’s oldest international football ground into the modern era.A new £1.7million ($2.3m) pitch, complete with undersoil heating and new drainage, has been the marquee addition. No one at Wrexham’s Carabao Cup first-round victory over Hull City could have failed to notice just how lush the new surface looked in the August sunshine. Nor how well it played.
The seeding and stitching operation to make Wrexham’s surface compliant with European football’s regulations was only part of an overhaul that included moving both dugouts to the opposite side of the pitch, building a new TV gantry, reconfiguring stands to squeeze in extra seats, erecting two new giant TV screens at one end and taking down the old scoreboard at the other.
Wrexham’s new pitch, as seen before their first home match of the season (Robbie Jay Barratt/Getty Images)
There was also the dismantling of a temporary stand, plus the all-important deactivation of a live electric cable underneath the old Kop, as preparatory work continues ahead of the new 7,500-capacity stand starting to go up, on schedule, in the autumn.To squeeze all this into exactly 100 days between Wrexham staging a promotion party after last season had ended and Tuesday’s cup tie against Hull is impressive. Even more so when you consider the club did not know until beating Charlton Athletic on April 26 when the 20224-25 season would finish — or when their 2025-26 league campaign would start.“We had to do a lot of planning,” explains Miller, who joined Wrexham early in 2025 after almost seven years at Everton, primarily working on the club’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium. “The key thing with the pitch is it would take six weeks to reconstruct it. But two months to grow it.
“If we’d finished third and then not gone up, the window would have been tight. In the end, the opposite happened, where we had an extra three weeks (due to Wrexham clinching automatic promotion). But we’d had to plan for the worst and hope we got the best.”In recent years, Wrexham’s historic home has struggled to keep pace with Parkinson’s upwardly mobile team. Facilities have been improved, such as the installation of new floodlights prior to returning to the EFL in 2023. But, really, it won’t be until the new Kop stand is finished that The Racecourse Ground will truly shine.The changes — which include the installation of goal-line technology — have brought a new sheen to a venue that first hosted a Wales international in 1877.
The newly-installed cameras (Richard Sutcliffe/The Athletic)
“We’ve always said with the sporting side being so successful, then the standards get raised in terms of what is expected,” says Rob Faulkner, Wrexham’s chief business and communications officer, when giving The Athletic a tour of all the changes, including upgraded concourses and hospitality areas.
“A lot of things will go into the new Kop, particularly for the fans and players with top-class facilities, new dressing rooms and so on. But until then, we are trying to catch up as much as we can.”
At one stage this summer, six different projects were being worked on inside The Racecourse at the same time by a small army of workers.
Contractors Cleveland Land Services (CLS) worked around the clock to get the pitch ready, with seeding taking place on June 1 and the stitching in July.
The dugouts were moved across the pitch to the Mold Road Stand, where coaching staff and substitutes will benefit from heated seats in what can be a cold part of the stadium. This has allowed the old dugouts to be converted into fan seating.
Two hundred and 24 seats have been added to the Tech End behind the goal, giving a full extra row at the front of the upper section. The old electronic scoreboard at that end has also gone, so the view of those who stand on the back row will no longer be impeded.
The pitch has been extended in length to allow for rugby matches to be played in the future and also shifted a couple of metres towards the Kop. This meant the new two-level TV gantry had to be situated slightly to the side of its predecessor, to ensure the main camera position remains on halfway.
The new two-level TV gantry (Richard Sutcliffe/The Athletic)
A second gantry has also been built on the opposite side of the ground on halfway, meaning Wrexham now comply with UEFA and Championship (and Premier League) standards regarding a reverse angle camera position.
“It’s a bit like building a house, in that the plumber has to come in before the joiner,” says Miller. “As part of the work, we’ve had all the steelwork in the Wrexham Lager Stand painted. This involved someone abseiling, which meant two blocks of seats had to be taken out each time.
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“It was the same with taking down the temporary stand. We removed one section (containing 558 seats) after the Stockport game last season (on March 22) to help with the pitch project.
“The fan zone also went at the same time, allowing us to create a pathway for the contractors to bring in mountains of gravel, soil and so on. We wanted these onsite, meaning we could start straight away the moment we got the green light.”
This also explains why the remaining blocks of the temporary stand were not taken down until late June, several weeks after the season had ended.
Miller adds: “We had work to do around the outside of the site, tidying up the drainage, laying tarmac and a few other things. Only then did we have the space to take down the temporary stand. Coordination was key, in terms of what is the priority — which for us was getting the pitch work going.”
The summer revamp is only the start. A new Kop stand will soon start to go up, with the intention to be ready for The Racecourse hosting the UEFA Under-19 Championship in June 2026.
Barriers obscure the building of the new Kop stand (Robbie Jay Barratt/Getty Images)
It will be the key building block of a stadium masterplan drawn up by Populous, the same firm that designed Arsenal and Tottenham’s new homes, as well as Dublin’s Aviva Stadium, Wembley and The Sphere in Las Vegas.
The initial plan was to house 5,500 fans with the design, then allow another 2,000 to be added. However, a new planning application went in last month for a 7,500 capacity structure and a decision will be made soon by Wrexham Borough Council.
A new electricity substation on University land adjacent to The Racecourse’s main entrance on Crispin Lane has also been constructed.
This will provide power to the three blocks of student flats that sit behind the main stand, replacing the previous substation located towards the back of The Turf pub on the footprint of where the new Kop will stand. As part of this switch, a live power cable running underneath the area was deactivated.
“Until that was done, you couldn’t even start digging,” says Miller. “So, from a big ticket perspective, that’s probably the biggest thing we did this summer.”
As Miller says proudly, this now feels like “a Championship ground”.
Women’s Euro Finals England vs Spain Sun 11 am Fox
Just amazing that all the Semifinals went to extra time with England again pulling a rabbit out of the hat to beat a game Italy in Extra time England- Italy highlights . The same for Spain as they found a way past Germany Highlights in extra time. It gives us the dream final — the rematch England vs Spain. At the beginning of the tournament, both teams were ranked first and second favorites to win the competition. England, who have become the third European team to reach the final of three consecutive major tournaments, lost 1-0 to Spain when they met in the Fifa World Cup final in 2023. I like Spain again – 2-1 in Extra time of course.
Still sad for Germany goalkeeper Ann Berger who was inspiring and added the save of year with this Amazing Save. Germany vs France Shootout Even more remarkable is her fight and win against Cancer and her story gets even more inspiring Berger’s Journey from Cancer to Shootout Hero. (in honor of my Bruz Cable who’s birthday would have been in just 5 days and lost his battle with cancer in 2023).
Indy 11 Xmas in July promo Sat night 7 pm @ The Mike
The Boys in Blue host the final round of USL Jägermeister Cup group play with “Christmas in July on Saturday, July 26 at 7 p.m. at Carroll Stadium vs. FC Tulsa. Indy 11 Christmas in July Indy Eleven leads Group 3 with a 2-0-1 record and can clinch a berth in the quarterfinals of the 38-team event with a victory. Single-game tickets for all matches are available via Ticketmaster. Flex Plan, Group, and Hospitality tickets are available here. For questions, call (317) 685-1100 during business hours or email tickets@indyeleven.com.
US Men vs #17 Japan in Columbus on Tues. Sept 9th – Discount Tix Available
The US men are coming to Columbus, Ohio Lower.com Field on Tuesday night Sept 9th for a 7:30 pm match up with #17 ranked Japan. The Ole Ballcoach is going along with some buddies to the game. Visit http://ussoccer.spinzo.com/CarmelFC this special link to get discounted tickets. We plan to sit in section 128 or 129 ($50/each) beside the American Outlaws who will be in the Nordic Section 127. Let me know if you plan to join – feel free to send on to friends. I for one was sick of seeing US fans outnumbered all summer long in our own stadiums. Let’s prove Columbus and Cincy are the HOME STADIUMS of US Soccer – this is where US Fans will not be outnumbered! Join me in the trek to Columbus to fight for our Red, White and Blue! Reach out to the Ole Ballcoach at shanebestsoccer@gmail.com if you want to coordinate travel plans.
MLS All Stars beat Mexico Liga MX – Leagues Cup between the two starts this weekend
So I tuned in to both the Skills Challenge and the MLS vs Liga MX Allstar Game this week — and you what — it wasn’t bad. Austin Texas filled the stadium for both events and it was a pretty good watch on Apple TV. Dissapointing to have no Messi or Jordi Alba on the field for MLS – but honestly the MLS were the better squad in both halves even without them. The Skills Challenge had my favorite MLS Allstar Goalie Wars Were Great & MLS Allstar Game highlights. This week the Leagues cup between Liga MX and MLS will start with games all week and weekend featuring MLS vs Mexican teams on Apple TV and FS1. (see schedule below). Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba suspended by MLS for skipping All-Star Game
Had a great time reffing some high school games with the legendary Tom Baker today. My favorite Canadian!
RIP Mike Sommer
CDC Celebration of Life for Long Time Carmel Dad’s Club Ref Mike Sommer Date: Saturday, July 26, 2025 Time: 9:00AM Location: Conference Room above Badger Field Concession Stand
My Bruz Cable Best – here in JC – best soccer player in the Family. Had a chance to make Clemson while they were top 5 in the US before getting hurt. RIP Bruz!!
TV GAMES SCHEDULE
Coverage starts at 11 game at 12 noon Sunday on Fox
Fri, July 25 8 pm FS2 Brazil vs Colombia Women Copa Sat, July 26 5 pm NBC, Peacock Everton vs Bournemouth (Adams) 7 pm FS1 Inter Miami vs Cincy 7 pm TV 6, ESPN+ Indy 11 vs FC Tulsa Christmas in July 7 pm Peacock Man United vs West Ham 9:30 pm Apple TV Salt Lake vs San Jose 10:30 pm Apple TV Vancouver vs Kansas City 11 pm Univision Necaxa vs America (Zendejas) Sun, July 27 11 am Fox Coverage Women’s Euros 12 noon Fox England vs Spain Euro Finals 2:30 pm Golazo Ajax vs Celtic (CVB, Trusty) Mon, July 28 5 pm FS2 Womens Copa America Knockout 8 pm FS1 Women’s Copa America knockout Tues, July 29 7 pm Apple Toluca vs Columbus Crew Leagues Cup Mex vs MLS 8 pm FS1 Women’s Copa America knockout 10 pm?? FS1 Pachuca vs San Diego Leagues Cup Mex vs MLS Weds, July 30 7 pm Apple Miami (Messi) vs Atlas Leagues Cup 8 pm? FS1 Orlando City vs Pumas UNAM 10 pm FS1 Portland Timbers vs Atletico San Luis Thurs, July 31 7 am Golazo Arsenal vs Tottenham (friendly) 7 pm Apple Monterey vs Cincy 10 pm FS1 Cruz Azul vs Seattle Sounders Fri, Aug 1 8 pm FS2 Women’s Copa America QF 8 pm Prime Racing Louisville vs KC Current NWSL 8 pm Apple? Columbus Crew vs Puebla 10 pm Apple? LAFC vs Pachuca 10 pm FS1? Tigres vs San Diego 10:30 pm Para+ Seattle Reign vs Angel City NWSL Sat, Aug 2 5 pm FS2 Women’s Copa America QF 7:30 pm Ion NC Courage vs San Diego Wave NWSL 8 pm Apple? Columbus Crew vs Puebla 8 pm FS1? America (Zendejas) vs Minn United 10 pm FS1? Portland Timbers vs Queretaro 10 pm ION Bay FC vs Houston Dash NWSL Sun, Aug 3 12:30 pm ABC Washington Spirit vs Portland Thorns NWSL 6 pm Para+ Orlando Pride vs Utah Royals Sat, Sept 6 5 pm TNT, Tele, Max USA Men vs Korea Tues, Sept 9 7:30 pm TNT, Tele, Max USA Men vs Japan in Columbus, Ohio Fri, Oct 10 8:30 pm TNT, Max USA Men vs Ecuador Tues, Oct 14 9 pm TNT, Max USA Men vs Australia
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UEFA reportedly opposes any measures to widen VAR’s powers to intervene in corner kicks and second yellow cards. The International FA Board (Ifab), football’s lawmaking body, is considering extending VAR’s powers (see previous write-up), but Uefa believes this would increase delays, negating any benefit from the extra interventions. It is also opposed to plans that would scrap rebounds on penalties, whereby the ball would be declared “dead” if the goalkeeper saves the penalty or it strikes the post or crossbar.
The European governing body was unhappy that Ifab approved changes to the laws of the game in March without consulting them. The most notable enforced change is that a goalkeeper now concedes a corner instead of an indirect free-kick for holding on to the ball for longer than eight seconds. The rule was applied for the first time at the Club World Cup–watch here.
Uefa is required to take on Ifab’s law changes. Changes approved at Ifab’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), which will next take place in March 2026, are binding and come into effect globally. While some rules can be subject to interpretation by different bodies, such as the interpretation of handball, the proposed VAR and penalty changes would not allow for that.
Aitana Bonmati’s extra-time strike sent the reigning World Cup champions to the Euros final. (Maja Hitij – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
2023 World Cup champions Spain have clinched their first-ever UEFA Women’s Euro Final berth, taking Wednesday’s semifinal with a narrow 1-0 extra-time victory over eight-time title-winners Germany .
“I’m proud because we deserve it,” winning goal-scorer Aitana Bonmatí told reporters. “We had a tremendous championship. It was the first time we beat Germany, and on top of that, we reached the final.”
How it happened: Germany entered the match shorthanded, with both injuries and suspensions forcing them to start every available defender.
The squad’s famed football mentality prevailed for more than 110 minutes of a 0-0 deadlock, as Spain struggled to break down a committed German defense led by savvy goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger.But as the clock ticked down in extra time, Bonmatí’s audacious 113th-minute strike caught Berger off-guard, handing Las Rojas a shot at their second major tournament trophy in three years.
What’s next: The once-improbable 2023 World Cup Final rematch has become a reality, as familiar foes Spain and England gear up for another championship battle.
“I know what they can do,” said Spain and Arsenal midfielder Mariona Caldentey of the defending Euros champs. “It will be a hard game.”
Don’t miss it: The UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 Final kicks off on Sunday at 12 PM ET, live on Fox Sports.
Women’s Euro Final Confirmed
England will face Spain in the 2025 Uefa Women’s Euro final on Sunday, July 27, at 17:00 BST (12:00 ET). This comes after Spain’s first win against Germany in the semi-finals, secured by an extra-time goal from Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati—read the full match report here.
Spain are given the edge over England in the final, with Opta’s model projecting a 51.5% chance of victory. At the beginning of the tournament, both teams were ranked first and second favourites to win the competition. England, who have become the third European team to reach the final of three consecutive major tournaments, lost 1-0 to Spain when they met in the Fifa World Cup final in 2023. However, both nations secured a 1-0 win at home, respectively, when they met earlier this year in the Uefa Nations League.
Viewership numbers have been high throughout the tournament. An average of eight million people in the UK watched England’s win against Italy in the semi-final, delivering ITV’s highest viewership of the year. The peak audience reached 10.2 million, compared to 9.3 million in England’s 2022 semi-final victory over Sweden.
>Arsenal made a winning start to their preseason tour of Asia after Bukayo Saka’s 53rd-minute goal earned a 1-0 victory over AC Milan in Singapore (More) | Liverpool have officially signed Hugo Ekitike for £79m, subject to international clearance (More)
>The great-grandson of dictator Benito Mussolini, Romano Floriani Mussolini, has joined Serie A side Cremonese on loan (More)
>Kylian Mbappe will wear Real Madrid’s No. 10 shirt next season; the French forward didn’t ask to wear it, but the club is expecting record sales (More)
> Raheem Sterling is receiving interest from Juventus and Bayer Leverkusen as Chelsea look to offload the 30-year-old (More)
>Crystal Palace have submitted an appeal against their demotion from Europa League with the Court of Arbitration for Sport; decision expected on or before August 11 (More) |
MLS Match Day 24 Recap
Charlotte FC captured 6 points from the week, including a 3-2 road win over Atlanta United. Pep Biel was the orchestrator in this one, scoring once and assisting twice, including one to Wilfried Zaha. That’s Charlotte’s third straight win, and now they get Toronto at home. Save for a collapse, they should absolutely be in the playoffs. As for Atlanta, they’re winless in their last 7 and don’t seem to have any answers. Here’s an example of how clueless the attack has been.
El Trafico went as El Trafico goes; a full 97-minute affair filled with fights and plenty of goals. The Galaxy came back twice, down 2-0 and 3-1, to tie the game with a stoppage-time header from Maya Yoshida. Gabriel Pec and Denis Bouanga both had a brace, and Eddie Segura got a straight red in the 91st minute after a big scrum broke out. Here’s a wild photo of Segura choking Diego Fagundez. We got everything we asked for out of this rivalry.
FC Dallas ended their 5-game winless skid with a 3-0 victory over St. Louis City. Petar Musa had an assist and a brace and now has the most goals (27) in FC Dallas history for a player in his first two seasons. Lucho Acosta missed the game for personal reasons. We don’t know what’s going on there .
The Seattle Sounders beat San Jose 3-2 behind Pedro de la Vega’s best performance in a Seattle jersey. For the first time, Brian Schmetzer lined him up on the left wing, his natural position, and it resulted in a goal and an assist. But Seattle lost Jordan Morris in the first half, and he’ll need surgery on his AC joint. He finally got healthy and now this. So brutal.
MVP Race The MVP race is starting to heat up. We have a couple of usual suspects and a couple of new names leading the ballot. Here’s a breakdown of the four frontrunners. Lionel Messi I was lucky enough to witness Messi’s 6th brace in his last 7 games on Saturday in Harrison, New Jersey. Checking that off the bucket list . With 28 goal contributions in 18 games played, he’s blowing everyone out of the water in contributions per 90’. Every other MVP candidate has played 22 games or more. If this continues, no one will be surprised if he becomes the first player ever to repeat as MVP. Sam Surridge With Saturday’s goal, he became the 10th player in league history to score at least 18 goals in his team’s first 24 games of the season. Against the other top 5 teams in the Eastern Conference, Nashville is 3W-2L-1D, the second best behind Inter Miami’s 4W-1L-1D. Surridge has been a revelation, becoming the first player ever to score in 6 games in a row for Nashville. Evander The best player on the current Supporters Shield leaders. That’s usually enough to win it. But how about out-dueling Messi in last week’s matchup. He controlled the tempo, dictated play, and added a brace for good measure. With 23 goal contributions and counting, Evander has been the engine behind FC Cincinnati’s surge to the top of the Eastern Conference. He scored in 5 straight games, setting the record for most games in a row with a goal in Cincinnati’s history. He’s the second-best player in the league. Anders Dreyer Anders Dreyer’s first MLS season is pushing record-breaking numbers, and he just won June Player of the Month. He leads the league in assists with 15, and is just behind Messi in overall goal contributions with 25 total. He’s easily one of the best DP signings in the last 5 years. Funny enough, in the 2020–21 season at FC Midtjylland in Denmark, Anders Dreyer and Evander combined for 31 goal contributions across all competitions, forming a dynamic duo that powered both domestic success and a Champions League run.
Congrats to the 6 Indiana Soccer Teams Playing this weekend in the USYS National Championships in Orlando July 22-27. B15U – Indy Premier Elite 64 10B B15U – ZYSA 10B Green NL B19U – Alliance Eleven 06/07B G17U – FW United Elite 64 08G G19U – FW United Elite 64 06/07G NWI Lions United 2011G Yellow.
Inter Miami stars Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba have been suspended for Saturday’s match against FC Cincinnati after skipping Wednesday’s MLS All-Star Game.The league announced the sanctions on Friday afternoon.“Inter Miami CF’s Jordi Alba and Lionel Messi will be unavailable for the club’s match against FC Cincinnati on Saturday, July 26, due to their absence at this week’s Major League Soccer All-Star Game,” a statement from the league read. “Per league rules, any player who does not participate in the All-Star Game without prior approval from the league is ineligible to compete in their club’s next match.”While Alba took a knock in Miami’s last game, Messi was rested for fatigue issues.In a phone interview with The Athletic, MLS commissioner Don Garber said it was a “very, very difficult decision” to suspend Messi.“The most important thing is I know Leo Messi loves this league, and MLS is an entirely different league because of the years he’s been here helping to show the world what MLS is and what it’s capable of being,” Garber said. “One of the learnings that we have here is clearly MLS is different than other leagues around the world, and we have an approach to building events and building other activities we feel are important to help us grow interest in the league. I think it’s important — and particularly important to me — nobody has done more for Major League Soccer than Lionel Messi. Not just what he’s done off the field, but what he’s done on the field. Every game is a must-see match. I fully understand and respect and admire his commitment to Inter Miami.
“His decision [not to attend the All-Star Game] is not one that I really can argue with whatsoever and I understand it. But unfortunately we have a longstanding policy relating to player participation in the All-Star Game and we had to enforce that policy. It was a very, very difficult decision, but one I hope both [Messi] and everyone else can understand and respect. He has shown up for his club, for his teammates, for our league time and time again and I respect his decision.”Garber said the league would look to adapt the policy for future years.“We are going to take a very hard look at the rule moving forward. It is important to all of our players and all of our fans that we have a policy that reflects and involves the realities of our league and its players going forward. I am committed to working with all of our players and to start working with Leo Messi to adapt this rule so it makes sense going forward.”Prior to the ruling coming down Friday, Miami coach Javier Mascherano offered a suggestion to avoid this dilemma in the future, saying the All-Star Game should be held on a weekend and not played mid-week as a means to build in the requisite rest.He had been under the impression earlier on Friday that both players would be available for Saturday’s game, which pits two of the top teams in the league against one another.
“Well, Messi showed normal fatigue from the number of games and minutes he’s been playing,” Mascherano said. “Look, players always have discomfort, especially when they play every three days. But luckily, he is returning today. Let’s hope he can train alongside the group so we can count on both of them for tomorrow’s game.”Messi has played 90 minutes in every Inter Miami game dating back to April 30. That includes nine games since June 14, four of which came at the FIFA Club World Cup. He last missed a match on April 27, in between legs of the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals.MLS has weighed the decision the last few days after learning on Wednesday morning that the two players would not be traveling for the game. Notably, FC Cincinnati’s star players Evander and Miles Robinson both took part in the All-Star festivities, which meant they did not get rest nor were they able to train with their teams.“I don’t know that we necessarily need clarity,” FC Cincinnati coach Pat Noonan said in his Friday press conference regarding the lingering uncertainty about Miami’s star duo. “There’s rules. I’m aware of those. We’re under the impression that we’ll prepare for the game without those two available. We just played them a week ago, we know what it looks like with them on the field. But that’s kind of how we approached it.”Noonan added that FCC never considered having Evander or Robinson sit out the exhibition. Evander took part in the Skills Challenge on Tuesday night – Alba had initially been scheduled to as well – before captaining MLS opposite Liga MX’s Sergio Ramos on Wednesday.“There was no thought of holding our guys back,” Noonan said. “That’s never been the case. Our guys have always gone to represent our club and then that won’t change. They did a great job. Miles and Evander represented the club in a really good way and it was nice to see Evander be the captain to go and do well in the skills competition, and for the stretch of the first half that I saw, he did a good job. I’m happy for those two and their performances.”This is not the first time a major star has faced this sanctioning. Former LA Galaxy star forward Zlatan Ibrahimović was also suspended one game for missing the All-Star Game in 2018. Still, suspending one of the most famous players in the world and the reigning league MVP ahead of a showdown against a first-place FC Cincinnati team is a major decision considering the implications for the audience, playoff positioning and commercial benefits. The suspension also comes in the midst of Miami and Messi negotiating a contract extension. Messi’s current deal expires at the end of the 2025 season.Messi is obviously the league’s biggest draw. On Thursday, the league announced the return of a “Player Spotlight” TikTok broadcast of Messi for four of Inter Miami’s matches, beginning on Aug. 2 in the opening round of the Leagues Cup against Liga MX side Necaxa. Last season, the spotlight event on TikTok drew “more than 6.4 million live views” across MLS and Inter Miami’s accounts, per a release from the league, setting the record for the largest live audience for a U.S. sports event on TikTok.Garber reiterated that he hopes Messi understands why the league made its decision.
“I hope he does,” Garber said. “I think it’s important to state that I respect the fact that he made this decision because he’s played more games than almost any other player — 22 of the last 23 matches, including nine in the last 35 days. We don’t have a policy that says those players who have played more games at a particular time therefore they don’t have to show up, play or attend the All-Star Game. That’s the kind of thing we need to look at going forward.
“MLS doesn’t get everything right all the time. We always need to adapt, and really look at this rule going forward. The struggle is that I know 100 percent from everything I’ve heard and everyone involved, he made this decision because he’s playing so much and he wants to focus on his team.”
(Top photo: Jeff Dean/Getty Images)
No Messi, no Alba: What’s next for the MLS All-Star Game?
Cesar HernandezJul 24, 2025, 09:38 AM ET
With a 3-1 win over the Liga MX All-Stars on Wednesday night, MLS stole back regional bragging rights through a victory in the 29th edition of the league’s All-Star Game.
Carried by goals from Sam Surridge, Brian White and match MVP Tai Baribo in front of a packed crowd at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas, the evening and encompassing All-Star festivities throughout the week will go down as a well-deserved success for MLS.
All of that said, in a marquee showcase that was filled with many of the best and the brightest from both leagues, there was one noteworthy omission: global superstar Lionel Messi. Earlier on Wednesday, MLS confirmed the absence of the Inter Miami CF player, as well as that of teammate Jordi Alba, despite both being selected for the match. Heading into the All-Star Game, Miami coach Javier Mascherano publicly stated that having his starters in the exhibition wasn’t ideal.
“The players are called up, I would like them to be able to rest but that is not my decision,” Mascherano said. “I know how important the All-Star [Game] is, and as far as I know, there is no decision from the club, everything is as normal.”This isn’t the first time that a high-profile player or club has said no to the event. In 2018, the LA Galaxy‘s Zlatan Ibrahimovic turned down the opportunity, and on the Liga MX side of the competition this year, 2025 didn’t feature selected players such as Leon‘s James Rodríguez or Cruz Azul‘s Erik Lira and Carlos Rotondi. The participation of Monterrey star Sergio Ramos also wasn’t officially confirmed until the night before.
Why is this an issue for the All-Star Game? And with next year’s edition taking place in a World Cup year, when plenty of eyes will be on North America, where does the high-profile exhibition go from here?
Schedule congestion
The packed schedule is the most significant factor in the subdued vibes of the 2025 event. Both MLS and Liga MX will not only have a rapid turnarounds with regular-season matches this weekend, but will then also kickoff their joint Leagues Cup tournament next week. Including Leagues Cup and MLS, Messi & Co. are currently on a nine-game stretch between July 5 and Aug. 6. If they advance in Leagues Cup, up to three additional knockout-round games would then be played next month.
With that in mind, it’s understandable that Mascherano does not want to overtax his players.
“The intensity of the games we’ve played, especially in the last month and a half, has been very, very high,” the Miami coach, who has also had to manage injuries in his roster, added recently.
Not everyone agrees with Mascherano, though. Despite having to travel to the events during his playing days, six-time MLS All-Star Brian Ching viewed his involvement as a moment to relax and connect with other important names across the country.
“I always enjoyed the All-Star Game because it allowed you to meet and play with some of the best players in the league,” he said to ESPN. “These games are a mental break from the season for everyone because the games are fun to play in. None of the players play more than a half so it is like a practice for them.
“Most players enjoyed the opportunity to do something different from their normal week with their teams.”But that still hasn’t been enough to convince all involved. When Ibrahimovic missed out in 2018, the superstar cited fatigue, and was then surprised when he was handed a one-game suspension in accordance to league rules.
“[I] think it is ridiculous, but yeah, no comments,” Ibrahimovic said at the time. “They do whatever they want. I come from a different world; I come from the real world.”
“Miami had a schedule that is unlike any other team,” he said. “Most of our teams had a 10-day break. Miami hasn’t. We had Leo playing 90 minutes in almost all the games. That’s nine games in 35 days.”
It isn’t as if facing off against Liga MX is a unique opportunity either. In the modern era of MLS, there’s been a growing number of matchups between the two leagues that have sought to collaborate as often as possible. Along with Leagues Cup, Campeones Cup and clashes in the Concacaf Champions Cup, the All-Star Game can feel lost in the list of Liga MX-vs.-MLS battles.
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Herculez Gomez and Cristina Alexander debate the biggest storylines and break down the best highlights that soccer in the Americas has to offer. Stream on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
“You already have Campeones Cup and you already have Leagues Cup,” said ESPN’s Herculez Gomez, who played in both MLS and Liga MX. “How much is too much and then what are we trying to do here? Does a fan really enjoy [the All-Star Game]?”
Supporters of the league, especially those who sported a Messi jersey at Q2 Stadium, might also think twice about the All-Star Game going forward.
“It’s unfortunate because if you wanted to highlight this product or your products to the rest of the league, well, your biggest assets have to be there,” Gomez said.
Changing the competition format
Getting all players on board is something that the league will have to continue to manage in future editions, but what about the format of the competition itself that could perhaps garner more appeal for players and fans?
While the “all-star” concept itself is novel to the traditional hotbeds of the sport in Europe and Latin America, MLS could do more to stand out in an American sports landscape that has no shortage of high-profile exhibitions — let alone stand out in their own series of Liga MX-vs.-MLS events.
Making changes wouldn’t be a stretch when considering how often the league has tinkered with formats that have ranged from games against European club giants, the United States, Liga MX, and intraleague battles such as East vs. West and MLS USA vs. MLS World. And more generally, the league has demonstrated an appetite for experimenting with new rules and innovations for the global game.
The addition of the skills challenge is a step in the right direction during the All-Star week, but if MLS wants to capitalize on a younger demographic, the league could tap into the burgeoning scene of alternative tournaments such as The Soccer Tournament, Kings League and Baller League. Invited teams and celebrities from abroad, viral online moments through new rules, all on a small-sided pitch, the ingredients are there to experiment in a sport that has traditionally pushed back on new ideas that can allow players to show off a different side of their character.
Nicol backs Messi’s MLS All-Star snub
Stevie Nicol backs Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba’s decision to skip the MLS All-star game as the pair face a one-match ban for their absence.
“I [definitely] believe what lacks in normal football now is personality, in terms of players being able to be themselves,” Baller League player Josh Harrop, a former Manchester United midfielder, said to ESPN earlier this year. “I am a big football fan, but I kind of lost interest in watching it as much, because games are just so, so boring and dry.”
The argument, at least from the league’s perspective, could be made that those ideas are already being tested out within the skills challenge that has events such as goalie wars and the crossbar challenge. On Tuesday, guests such as U.S. men’s national team icon Clint Dempsey, U.S. women’s national team captain Lindsey Heaps, Liga MX Femenil star Nicki Hernandez and Liga MX icon Oribe Peralta also took part in the competition.
Ching, who has had a lengthy experience in the All-Star Game, doesn’t want to see too many changes.
“I feel this format keeps it competitive and entertaining for the fans while keeping it interesting and fun for the players,” the three-time MLS Cup champion said. “These games get competitive because of the rivalry between the two countries but both teams get to enjoy the experience of playing with the best of the best.”Either way, MLS still has plenty to ponder before a World Cup year in which lots of attention will be focused on the North American soccer landscape.
“I love the All-Star Game. You know, most leagues probably do, [but] how do you get your players to love the All-Star Game? Your partners to love the All-Star Game, and fans too,” Garber said. “Ninety-plus percent of our Leagues Cup matches are going to be MLS-vs.-Liga MX games, so maybe it is time for us to evolve the format … we’ll see how it plays out.”
England are in a major final again, and once more, their substitutes proved the difference.
Against Sweden, it was Michelle Agyemang who equalised and fellow replacement Chloe Kelly who played a key role in both of England’s goals. Against Italy, Agyemang was the hero who forced extra time again before Kelly scored the 119th-minute winner — which, incidentally, was from a penalty won by Beth Mead, another substitute.England’s strength in depth has been their superpower in Switzerland, allowing them to break down low blocks, stretch tired defences and, ultimately, pull off two great escapes. The question now is whether any of Sarina Wiegman’s so-called ‘finishers’ have earned a start for Sunday’s final in Basel against Spain.Here, The Athletic looks at each of their cases for a place.
Michelle Agyemang
In four senior caps, 19-year-old Agyemang has scored three goals — two of which were late equalisers to make England’s progress through the knockout stages possible. That is all without coming on before the 70th minute. Naturally, that begs the question of what she could do in 90 minutes instead of 20.
The map below shows how Agyemang has made the most of her minutes, taking up dangerous positions while, against Sweden, helping break down opposition attacks early.
Against Spain, those attributes — and particularly her strength in hold-up play, allowing team-mates time to get up the pitch and join a counter-attack — could be a great fit. After seeing her latch on to a long ball and lob Italy goalkeeper Laura Giuliani, only to hit the bar and let out a yell of frustration, the idea of her running in behind to exploit Spain’s high line is tantalising.
Is the time right for her to take the starting spot up top? That would feel harsh on Arsenal team-mate Alessia Russo, who has only scored once but has led the press brilliantly, run tirelessly and been a creative force too, with three assists. Russo is also adept at hold-up play and exploiting a high line (as shown for England’s first goal in the 4-0 win against the Netherlands).
Kelly is the only one of England’s super-subs from Euro 2022 who has kept that role, with Russo and Ella Toone having become starters. Had that apparent standstill been put to her two years ago, she might have been disappointed. Now, though, after the gamble of leaving Manchester City in January in search of more playing time at Arsenal, she will be delighted she has even made it to Switzerland, let alone proven to be so crucial.
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She has been as important as Agyemang in England’s progress. Kelly was instrumental in England’s goals against Sweden before hammering home her penalty in the shootout. Against Italy, her dribbling and pace on the right wing were crucial in opening up space in the middle and creating opportunities for herself. She almost scored an iconic winner when she skipped away from four Italian defenders and bent her shot just wide of the top-left corner in extra time. In the furore, it went largely unnoticed that she almost scored directly from a corner. Instead, she would seal victory by turning in her saved penalty.She tracked back tirelessly against Italy, and made a key defensive contribution after substitute Giada Greggi had got the better of Grace Clinton. Again, she finds herself vying for a starting spot in a European final.
The Chelsea forward had a strong build-up to the Euros, planting herself firmly in Wiegman’s thinking with a hat-trick at Wembley against Portugal, but has had limited opportunities in Switzerland. Her standout moment was her first tournament goal, England’s sixth of the match against Wales — a well-taken but admittedly poorly defended header. The 21-year-old came on in the 85th minute against Italy and helped stretch their tired defence throughout extra time, coming close to turning home a couple of crosses but she could not find a way past Giuliani.Spain, her speed and dribbling on the counter-attack could be a weapon, and her adaptability to play across the front three helps provide cover. However, she is less physically imposing than Lauren Hemp (left wing) and Russo (striker), and has far less major tournament experience.Will she start the final? Beever-Jones’ competitors have the edge over her for a starting spot. She is still best used as a ‘finisher’, testing tired defenders.
Grace Clinton
Clinton faces stiff competition for a midfield role from Manchester United team-mate Toone, as well as Georgia Stanway and James. When she has got on to the pitch — which has been for no more than 16 minutes at a time — the 22-year-old has shown relentless energy but has not been at her best. Mostly employed to refresh England’s midfield and rush opponents with box-to-box running, Clinton has helped stop teams from building attacks.At her peak, Clinton balances reading of the game, movement and link-up play with defensive nous; that has not quite happened this tournament. Against Italy, when she came on in the 106th minute for Keira Walsh, she had to help prevent counter-attacks while simultaneously trying to provide a spark from deep. She looked comparatively sluggish when Greggi intercepted Kelly’s loose ball and pulled away into England’s half. Clinton has massive potential, but we have not quite seen it at this tournament.
Will she start the final? England desperately need to exercise some control over the midfield in the final and it does not feel like Clinton has shown more ability to do that than Stanway, Toone or Walsh. She will stay as a substitute.
Beth Mead
Mead’s Euros has not gone how she, or Wiegman, had planned. She started in her favoured right-wing position for England’s opening defeat against France, a performance that prompted a rethink about how England could extract the best from James. The Chelsea attacker was moved to the right, with Toone stepping in behind the forward line and Mead dropping to the bench.
Wiegman still seems to trust the Arsenal forward — she has featured in every game, and was the first port of call when James was forced off with an ankle injury against Italy. She showed versatility in that semi-final, moving into the No 10 role when Kelly was introduced, and looked dangerous in the box, not least when she won England’s penalty.
Mead was fouled for the penalty that led to England’s dramatic extra-time winner against Italy (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
However, that role change arose out of exceptional circumstances as Wiegman was trying to piece together an unusual number of attackers on the pitch, rather than providing any hints at where she could play in the final.
Will she start the final? Right now, the options ahead of her appear stronger. James did not have her best half against Italy but, if fit, would still be first in line to start on the right. Even without James, Kelly’s excellent substitute performances would put her ahead of Mead in the pecking order. Given Mead’s drop-off in minutes, no matter her experience, she is not best placed to start.
Germany 0 Spain 1: Aitana Bonmati’s strike lifts Spain to first Euros final appearance
Aitana Bonmati nearly missed the 2025 European Championship due to a bout with viral meningitis the week before the tournament began. But on Wednesday, the two-time Ballon d’Or winner found a late goal to lift Spain to their first appearance in a Euros final. They will face a familiar opponent in England — the team Spain beat in the 2023 World Cup final.
In a record fourth match that went to extra time this tournament, Spain needed a bit of magic from their star player to get past eight-time tournament winners Germany. The German side nearly ended the game in regular time with a pair of back-to-back shots in the 94th minute, but Spain goalkeeper Cata Coll made two acrobatic saves to keep the score level going into extra time.
Spain also finally broke their drought against Germany, a team they hadn’t beaten in the last eight meetings.
Despite Germany holding Spain scoreless through 90 minutes, something no other team at Euro 2025 could do, they failed to capitalise on multiple chances at the other end. Germany’s first of three shots on target came after the hour mark, despite multiple chances throughout the game.
Cerys Jones and Tamerra Griffin analyse the main talking points, setting up yet another final between Spain and England.
quarter-final
Sweden2
England2*
Norway1
Italy2
France1
Germany1*
Spain2
Switzerland0
semi-final
England2
Italy1
Germany0
Spain1
final
England
Spain
Bonmati to the rescue
Bonmati should not have scored that goal. Given how airtight Germany’s defense has been the whole game; how sharp Ann Katrin-Berger’s coverage of the goal; how underwhelming Spain have been on the attack with lofty crosses and half-hearted shots; how likely this game was to end with yet another set of penalties; and how Bonmati might still be recovering from viral meningitis; it simply did not seem possible by any stretch of the imagination.
But this is why Bonmati is a two-time Ballon d’Or winner. When the pressure is high and the chances slim, she transcends imagination and executes.
Bonmati’s extra time goal lift Spain to the Euros final (Sebastien Bozon/AFP via Getty Images)
She had fist-slamming frustrations throughout a game that saw Spain uncharacteristically frustrated over a much longer period than they’re used to against a steely Germany, but still Bonmati decided to do a dummy run that allowed her to slip past Rebecca Knaak before firing a low, driven, near-post shot at such an acute angle, you could hardly blame Berger for assuming she wouldn’t bother exploiting it. The shot was simply avant-garde in its brilliance. We will never know whether it was purposeful or a misdirected cross, but the way Bonmati pointed to her head during her celebrations suggests it just might have been.
Tamerra Griffin
Germany were their own worst enemy, again
Germany reached the final four despite doing their level best to put obstacles in their own path. Against Spain, they again have themselves to blame for their defeat.
Nobody has managed to keep a clean sheet against this Spanish side with their vast reserves of goalscorers and creators. No matter how dogged your defence, they will eventually score by hook or by crook — so opponents’ only real hope is to outscore them by exploiting their high line and being clinical in front of goal.
Germany became the latest side to fail to pull that off. Despite holding Spain scoreless for more than 100 minutes, it was through their own wayward finishing and lack of an incisive final action that they found defeat.
Germany held Spain for more than 100 minutes (Eddie Keogh/Getty Images)
Most teams have not even got as far as creating the opportunities that Germany carved out against Spain, so they deserve credit for that, but will be bitterly disappointed in their lack of end product.
Giovanna Hoffman had a particularly infuriating few moments in the first half, snatching at Sara Dabritz’s promising cross in the 28th minute and rolling a shot wide from Carlotta Wamser’s sumptuous curled pass in the 30th. She was offside for the latter, which she might well have been relieved by after failing to convert when one-on-one with Cata Coll. Before that, in the eighth minute, Klara Buhl had missed a golden opportunity to put Germany ahead when she fired wide after a perfectly timed run onto Berger’s long free kick. The ending of stoppage time summed it up: they had four shots, two of which were superbly saved by Coll and two of which were comfortably off target.
They followed the blueprint for beating Spain up until the final step. They attacked well on the counter, exploited their high line, created good chances from the wings, and did so with only 33 per cent of possession – but let themselves down in front of goal. They had ample chances to take the lead before Bonmati eventually scored deep into extra time.
Having suffered avoidable and obvious red cards for Carlotta Wamser and Kathrin Hendrich against Sweden and France, they caused their own downfall with attacking rather than defensive errors in the semi-final.
Cerys Jones
Germany goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger and Spain forward Esther Gonzalez are teammates at Gotham FC in NWSL (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
Familiar foes among two Gotham FC players
Some of the striker-keeper duels between Spanish striker and Euros golden boot leader Esther Gonzalez and German goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger could have ended differently had Berger not been so deeply familiar with her goal-hungry opponent.
That’s the kind of edge a keeper needs against a prolific, confident, and in-form striker like Esther, whose threat is at least twofold: she can score with both feet and her head; and her movement off the ball is as cerebral as it is dizzying for a defender to track.
Tamerra Griffin
A rematch waiting in the final
The final against England is Spain’s chance to lay an unequivocal claim to the title of best team in Europe.
They are already familiar with England as opponents on the biggest stage, having beaten them in the final of the 2023 World Cup. Much about England remains the same: familiar faces like Ella Toone, Alessia Russo, Lucy Bronze, and Georgia Stanway were stalwarts of that final, and their attacking identity has stayed similar. However, there are new variables: Spain were not facing England’s likely front three, crucially including an in-form Lauren James, and England did not enter that final as, arguably, underdogs.
From World Cups to Nations Leagues, Spain and England know each other well (Judit Cartiel / Getty Images)
Sarina Wiegman’s team have made life incredibly difficult for themselves at Euro 2025, falling to a concerning opening defeat against France in the group stage and twice needing Michelle Agyemang’s late equalisers to drag them through the knockouts. Several times they have looked beaten, and several times they have bounced back. That puts a different complexion on this final to Spain’s win in Australia in 2023, when it was Spain whose build-up had not gone smoothly and England who were entering on the back of a major tournament win. Those roles are now reversed.
England are beatable. France have done it once this tournament, and Sweden and Italy came remarkably close. But in spite of the noisy buildup, the early defeat, the scrappy knockout performances, here are England in a third consecutive major final. Spain face a side with proven winning credentials, but an underdog mentality – a combination which, if they cannot break England’s spirit early, could be lethal.
So the US has made the Knock out round after decent games in the first round. Up next a very winnable game vs a Costa Rica team that has been saved by legendary GK Keylor Navas – La Pantera. Navas made multiple spectacular saves — and if the US can’t find a way to slip one past him – it could be a long night. I think the US will find a way a slip away with a 1-0 win somehow.
USMNT GOLD CUP DETAILED ROSTER BY POSITION (club/country; caps/goals):
US women beat Ireland 4-0 play Again Sunday in Cincy 3 pm TNT
Rose Lavelle scored a goal and added an assist in her first international minutes in nearly seven months Thursday as the United Statesbeat Ireland 4-0 in Commerce City, Colorado. Lavelle scored in the 53rd minute, calmly redirecting a low cross from forward Ally Sentnor. It was Lavelle’s 25th goal for the United States. Three players made their USWNT debuts Thursday: goalkeeper Claudia Dickey and defenders Lilly Reale and Jordyn Bugg. Dickey and Reale played for the full 90 minutes. Twenty-two players have made their international debuts under Hayes in her 23 games in charge. Ireland and the USWNT will play again Sunday in Cincinnati (Limited Tix Still Available) — Lavelle’s hometown. The USWNT will finish the international window of friendlies Tuesday against Canada in Washington, D.C.
Indy 11 host Indy Racing night vs Bama Legion at 7 pm Sat Night at the MIKE
St. Petersburg, Fla. – Indy Eleven forward Maalique Foster scored an exquisite goal in stoppage time of the first half, but the host Tampa Bay Rowdies rallied with three second-half goals to earn a 3-1 victory on a stormy and humid night. Rev your engines for an exciting evening at Racing Indy Night with Indy Eleven on Saturday, June 28th! This special promotion celebrates the thrilling world of motorsports and honors the racing legacy of the Circle City with an action-packed soccer match against Birmingham Legion FC.
Racing T-shirt: Add-on a $15 Racing Indy Eleven Shirt at checkout. Item must be picked up on matchday.
Discounted Tickets: For the first 500 fans, tickets start at just $12 exclusively via this link!
A little Reffing the Women’s League games at Kuntz with Mr. Riley Cheatum
RIP Mike Sommer
Sad news of Mike Sommer’s passing. Mike was not only a dedicated Carmel Dad’s Club, High School and Middle School referee but also a kind and steady presence within our CDC community. He will be greatly missed by all of us who had the honor of refereeing alongside him. Man Mike is the one who got me started Reffing at CYO, Middle School and High School lower level teams on the outskirts of town before I became fully licensed for HS. I learned a lot from Mike – how important it was to treat the kids with respect and always do that extra bit of explaining the rules with a calm voice He was loved by many across the soccer World!
Fond are the Memories of driving out to Anderson to do games – always driving the back woods roads and ALWAYS stopping on the way home for dinner at some diner or small restaurant out there. Good Times indeed. I am out of town for the ceremonies – but will look forward to gathering July 26th to honor our friend Mike Sommer. Service Details: June 30, 2025 from 4:00PM to 8:00PM at St. Elizabeth Seton (10655 Haverstick Road, Carmel, IN, 46033) A Funeral Mass will be held the following morning. July 1, 2025 at 10:30AM. In addition to the family’s service, Carmel Dads Club will be hosting a Celebration of Life in Mike’s honor. This will be an opportunity for our CDC family to gather, share stories, and reflect on the many ways Mike impacted our lives and the club. A light breakfast will be served. CDC Celebration of Life for Mike Sommer Date: Saturday, July 26, 2025 Time: 9:00AM Location: Conference Room above Badger Field Concession Stand
GOLD CUP QUARTERFINALS
Panama vs. Honduras (Saturday, 7:15 p.m. ET, FS1/Univision)
Mexico vs. Saudi Arabia (Saturday, 10:15 p.m. ET, FS1/Univision)
Canada vs. Guatemala (Sunday, 4 p.m. ET, FS1/Univision)
USA vs. Costa Rica (Sunday, 7 p.m. ET, FOX)
USMNT vs. Costa Rica. Not a Must-Win. But Def, a Must-Not Lose (Sunday, 7 p.m. ET, Fox)
Gold Cup about to get serious. Eight teams enter, four teams leave. It’s quarter-final time in the world’s most prestigious tournament named after ABBA’s greatest hits collection. For our shorthanded U.S. boys it has been the best of times, worst of times. We have won three on the bounce, but it has been against some truly shoddy opponents, and our young hopefuls are yet to demonstrate cutting edge, creativity, or striking options. The knockout rounds will be our moment of truth. A fight-filled Costa Rica await in Minneapolis Sunday night. They are undermined by suspension and injury, including three-goal striker Manfred Ugalde. Despite the presence of talismanic goalkeeper Keylor Navas, who stood on his head in the goalless draw against Mexico, the U.S. should have more than enough to overcome their challenge. Here are the issues as I see them:
Who will step up and make themselves undeniable to seize this gift of an open audition for a World Cup place?
Our play has been so deferential and flaccid. These players have all worked so hard to get here. Pochettino has gifted so many MLS players an opportunity they never dreamed they would have. Won’t somebody step into the crucible with swagger and bellow back at the abyss to show they belong? What is holding them back? This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take fate into their own hands. Fight without fear. This is your moment boys, make us proud.
Is Patrick Agyemang gonna grab the role of third striker on the A-Squad?
Gent is the “Pineapple on Pizza” of strikers. Many have lauded his hold-up play and physical gifts. Others see a raw, uncalibrated project player who has struggled with his coordination at times against even the weakest opponents. I love him, his story, and his attitude. American Beto.
Where’s Johnny?
This was supposed to be Hot Cardoso Summer. The 23-year-old defensive midfielder has thrived in Europe to the extent that Atlético Madrid are reported to have paid $35 million for him. But what is he showing—or not showing—in training that LDLT and Sebastian Berhalter are getting minutes ahead of him?
Losing is not an option here.
Make no mistake—though, this is hard to type: This U.S. team is in a dead wind right now less than a year out from the World Cup. Drop “USMNT” into Google news—coverage of the team, the players, and the storylines is negligible. Fan engagement on social media—even of the diehard core, is a fraction of what it was in 2022. Tough tests—the possibility of Canada in the semis, and Mexico in the finals, please god, lie ahead. This U.S. team has the individual talent to win and reignite the core fan group and create the energy and joy we all cry out for.
Rogstradamus : The U.S. make heavy weather, continuing to lack pace and sharpness in the final third, but find a way to win 1-0. I see a Berhalter goal, huge celebrations on the field, and a Pochettino grimace on the sideline.
Pochettino backs Matt Freese: ‘Move on’
Matt Freese has earned four caps, all in June. (Photo: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images)
Mauricio Pochettino picked Matt Freese ahead of veteran keeper Matt Turner to start in goal at the Gold Cup, and the U.S. coach does not seem to be ready to make a change.
Not even after Freese’s howler against Haiti.
Freese earned shutouts in wins over Trinidad & Tobago (5-0) and Saudi Arabia (1-0) but committed gifted Haiti its goal in the USA’s 2-1 win.
Haiti tied the match in the 19th minute when he rolled Tim Ream’s backpass straight to Atlanta product Louicous Don Deedson, who scored from short range to Freese’s far post.
Asked after the match for his message to Freese about the mistake, Pochettino responded, “You don’t need to say nothing. That is easy. The best way to trust in a player is not to tell nothing, not to tell, ‘Be careful with this’ or ‘Be careful with that.’ No, move on.” • More:Pochettino on USMNT keepers.
Big Pat repays trust of the one person who matters
Patrick Agyemang and John Tolkin hug after they combined for the winner against Haiti. (Photo: Concacaf/Jerome Miron-Imagn Images) On social media, no member of the USA’s Gold Cup team has taken more stick than Patrick Agyemang. But the Charlotte FC striker has the support of the one person who matters: USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino. And Agyemang repaid him with the winning goal in the 2-1 victory over Haiti that completed a sweep of Group D and moved the USA in the quarterfinals against Costa Rica on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. • More:What Mauricio Pochettino likes about Patrick Agyemang
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: TYLER ADAMS Tyler Adams celebrates with Sebastian Berhalter during the USA’s Gold Cup match with Saudi Arabia. (Photo: Robin Alam/ISI Photos) “He’s hilarious. He makes jokes about his dad all the time. It’s so funny. He’s a great person to have in and around the team. And his quality on the field speaks for itself. His IQ is incredibly high. I don’t know if that’s because his dad’s a coach, but you can just see he thinks through the game in different scenarios.” — The USA’s 2022 World Cup captain, midfielder Tyler Adams, on whether newcomer midfielder Sebastian Berhalter‘s father Gregg having been the previous head coach has created a unique dynamic. WHAT WE’RE READING • FIFA considers options for Iran at 2026 World Cup due to conflict with co-host U.S. By Paul MacInnes (The Guardian) • The USMNT is a mess. That’s the price of the U.S. becoming a ‘soccer country’ By Ryan O’Hanlon (ESPN)
CARMEL FC & PALMEIRAS CAMP Palmeiras Soccer Camps for players aims to let all participants develop their full technical, tactical and physical potential no matter their skill level. Day by day they will learn to enhance their strengths and will be stimulated to understand their own weaknesses. Players participating will be coached by Palmeiras Professional Coaches and may be invited to join Palmeiras Academy in Brazil for tryout. Register now! Camp dates: July 21-25 Ages: 7-16 Location: Carmel Clay Community Soccer Complex, Home of Carmel FC: Price: $295REGISTER
TV GAME SCHEDULE
GC=Gold Cup, WCC = World Club Cup in US WE -Women’s Euros
Sat, June 28th
4 pm DANZ Benefica vs Chelsea WCC 7:15 pm FS1 Panama vs Honduras GC 7:30 pm Apple free Montreal vs NYCFC MLS 10 pm FS1, TUDN Mexico vs Saudi Arabia GC
Sun, June 29th
12 noon TBS? PSG vs Inter Miami (Messi) wCC 12 noon CBSSN England Women vs Jamaica 3 pm TNT, Max, US Women vs Ireland 4 pm TBS Flamengo vs Bayern Munich WCC 4 pm FS1 Canada vs Guatemala GC 6 pm Apple Free Columbus Crew vs Philly Union MSL 7 pm FOX USA vs Costa Rica GC
Mon, June 30th 3 pm TNT? Inter Milan vs Fluminense WCC 9 pm TNT? Man City vs Al Hilal WCC Tues, July 1 3 pm Unimas, TBS Real Madrid vs Juventus (McKinney, Weah) 9 pm TBS/Danz Dortmund (Reyna) vs Monterrey WCC Wed, July 2 12 noon Fox Iceland vs Finland Women Euros 3 pm Fox Switzerland vs Norway Women Euros 7 pm FS1 Gold Cup Semi USA vs Honduras 10 PM FS1 Gold Cup Semi Mexico vs Guatemala Thurs, Jul 3 12 noon FS1 Belgium vs Italy W Euros 3 pm Fox Spain vs Portugal W Euros Fri, July 4th 12 noon FS1 Denmark vs Sweden WE 3 pm Fox Germany vs Poland WE 3 pm TBS Fluminense vs Al Hilal CWC QF 7:30 pm FS1 Dallas vs Minn MLS 9 pm TBS Chelsea vs Palmeiras CWC QF 10:30 pm Apple LA Galaxy vs Vancouver MLS Sat, July 5th 12 noon FS1 Wales vs Netherlands W Euros 12 noon TBS Fifa World Club Cup QF 3 pm Fox France vs England WE 4 pm TBS Fifa WCC QF 7 pm FS1 Charlotte vs Orlando MLS 8:30 pm Apple Free Austin City vs LAFC MLS Sun, July 6th 12 noon FS1 Norway vs Finland W Euros 3 pm FS1 Switzerland vs Iceland WE 5 pm Apple free Seattle Sounders vs Columbus Crew MLS Mon, July 7 th 12 noon FS1 Spain vs Belgium W Euros 3 pm Fox Portugal vs Italy WE Tues, July 8th 12 noon FS1 Germany vs Denmark W Euros Wed, July 9 12 noon FS1 England vs Netherland W Euros 3 pm Fox France vs Wales WE 3 pm TBS Fifa WCC Semis 7 pm CBSSN Philly Union vs NYRB MLS
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ARLINGTON, Texas – The real test begins now.This group of U.S. players came into the Concacaf Gold Cup this summer through the door U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino opened for them. The task was two-fold, as Pochettino himself spelled out a week ago when the Americans opened group play with a dominant win over Trinidad and Tobago.“First of all it is to win because we want to win,” Pochettino said that day in San Jose, Calif. “And at the same time, it is to help the players to perform and to knock the door and [say], ‘We also we can perform for the national team and we can be involved in the next World Cup.’ That is what I expect. We, and the players, really believe that they are having the opportunity. Take the opportunity and show me that maybe, for sure, [you] will fight for a place in the World Cup. That, for me, is the most important thing.”The Americans cruised through the Gold Cup stage. They were expected to. Beating Trinidad, Saudi Arabia and Haiti is not a gauge of success for any U.S. team, even one that is missing 10 regulars. This group still has quality in the roster. It has the presumptive starters at center back in next year’s World Cup, Tim Ream and Chris Richards, as well as the other top contenders for that job: Mark McKenzie, Miles Robinson and Walker Zimmerman. Tyler Adams captained the U.S. at the World Cup in 2022. Malik Tillman has made a claim to play in attacking midfield. Players like Diego Luna, Luca de la Torre, Alex Freeman and Patrick Agyemang have a legitimate shot to earn a ticket onto the 2026 roster.What they do in the coming days against some of the better rivals in Concacaf will go a long way towards telling us just how much they can help when the full team is together. Let’s not forget that earlier this month the U.S. lost friendlies to Turkey and Switzerland. The 4-0 defeat in the latter was especially telling about how much the quality on the field matters.Suffice it to say, playing against Costa Rica next in the quarterfinals – despite star forward Manfred Ugalde being suspended due to card accumulation – will present a bigger and more indicative challenge, and the possibility of a U.S.-Mexico final is now in play after both topped their respective groups.
The USMNT’s results in the Gold Cup group stage gave Mauricio Pochettino some reason to smile (Photo by Omar Vega/Getty Images “This was preparation. Now we’ll be playing a final, it’s all or nothing,” Pochettino said. “So we have to be prepared. We will be prepared, no matter the opponent we face. It’s our challenge: we have to compete well, to keep competing well and continue improving. We have a week to prepare for this game, so I have no doubt we’ll get there in the best possible way.”Pochettino has been clear that what he wants is open competition for the team he takes to the World Cup. If the players are going to make an impression, they will need to win some knockout games. It’s not unlike the challenge a similar U.S. group had at the 2021 Gold Cup. Coming off of an emotional 2021 Nations League victory over Mexico, U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter took a ‘B’ squad to the Gold Cup later that summer. Mexico, meanwhile, did not. It sparked debate about what the better plan was. On the one hand, Mexico got an extra month working together. On the other, Berhalter got a chance to look at a wider pool. What the U.S. did in that tournament ended any debate. It beat Haiti, Canada and Martinique in the group stage, advancing with a plus-seven goal differential — the same as this year’s team. Then it beat Jamaica, 1-0, in the quarterfinals and Qatar, 1-0, in the semifinals before meeting Mexico in the championship game. A 1-0 win in extra time helped to secure a second trophy that summer — and it announced the U.S. as being “back” as a top power in Concacaf.Before this camp started, U.S. goalkeeper Matt Turner talked about how that Gold Cup win helped him break through as a real option for Berhalter’s U.S. team. A year and a half later, Turner was starting in Qatar.That’s the opportunity for some of these U.S. players as the knockout phase begins. It feels almost like a second life after the friendly losses — especially that Switzerland result.“The steps that we’ve made, I think, are huge coming from not great results with Turkey and Switzerland,” Brenden Aaronson said. “I mean, it’s tough. You get down on yourself and stuff like that. But what I see from this group is just that bounce-back mentality. You come into the tournament, you could let it bother you, you could let negativity bother you. But I think that the biggest thing with this group is we tune everything out. We just get going.”Some players have already seized the opportunity. Tillman, who scored his third goal of the tournament in the win, has certainly made his impression on Pochettino, who praised the midfielder again in the postgame press conference. Others, like Luna and Agyemang, continue to put themselves in conversation for roles with the U.S. team. Agyemang’s game-winning goal – following a series of missed chances across the last couple games – went a long way in his argument for future inclusion. He leads the U.S. in scoring in 2025 with five goals. Now he — and the rest of the group — will get a chance to make an argument for why they can be trusted to perform when the stakes are higher. (Top photo: Omar Vega/Getty Images)
USMNT given battle, holds off Haiti to top Gold Cup group
By Paul Tenorio June 22, 2025 Updated June 23, 2025
ARLINGTON, Texas – For long stretches of Sunday night’s Gold Cup group finale against Haiti, the U.S. men’s national team had the ball but too often didn’t do anything dangerous with it.As the second half played out and with the game still tied, the U.S. started to play a bit more aggressively looking for a winner. After having two goals (correctly) called back, forward Patrick Agyemang finally got on the end of a ball from left back John Tolkin, touched it around Haiti goalkeeper Johny Placide and passed it easily into the empty net.Agyemang’s goal lifted the U.S. to a 2-1 win and into the knockout stage as the top finisher in its group.It was also a much-needed goal for Agyemang, who failed to put away his chances earlier in the game. The U.S. won all three of its group games and will now face Group A’s second-place finisher, Costa Rica, which drew Mexico 0-0 later Sunday night. Mexico heads to the other side of the knockout bracket (and will face Saudi Arabia in the quarterfinals), meaning a U.S.-Mexico clash can only happen in the final. Regardless, the narrative around this Gold Cup will truly be determined in the knockout stage. Even without many regulars, this selection of U.S. players has something to prove. Getting out of the group at the Gold Cup is a prerequisite. Getting to a final is the bare minimum bar for success. U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino made four changes to the starting lineup trying to dig into what depth he has at this Gold Cup without suffering the type of wake-up call result that happened in the first half against Switzerland. In were Tyler Adams, John Tolkin, Quinn Sullivan and Brenden Aaronson. Two of those four had World Cup qualifying experience and were on the 2022 World Cup roster. The other two were being given a window to show their ability to impact a game in this tournament. It was a mixed bag for the U.S. in the first half. Aaronson provided an assist to Malik Tillman to give the U.S. a 1-0 lead in just the 10th minute. It was the third goal of the tournament for Tillman, who has been the breakout player of the Gold Cup so far for the U.S., showing a solid workrate and good attacking production. But this U.S. team shot itself in the foot too often to let Haiti stay in the game. Haiti equalized in the 19th minute when Tim Ream played a back pass to goalkeeper Matt Freese. The NYCFC netminder tried to play a side-footed pass inside his box under pressure, but mishit it, and Don Deedson Louicius easily collected the mistake and deposited it into the back of the net. Freese has been given a chance to win the No. 1 job for the U.S, preferred to Matt Turner for every group game. He had been mostly untested through the group stage, but it was a massive mistake for a player trying to win a job.
USMNT concedes a goal to Haiti in the Gold Cup (Photo by Omar Vega/Getty Images)
The U.S. had several other chances to score a goal, but Agyemang continued to struggle to generate or finish chances up top. He was sprung in behind multiple times by teammates but couldn’t find the back of the net, including a 1-on-1 in the 24th minute. It may have been ruled offside, but the Charlotte FC striker nonetheless should have found the back of the net.The U.S. entered knowing it had already qualified for the next round and had first place all but secured, needing just a draw against an opponent that hadn’t beaten the U.S. since 1973. Still, it was important to show consistency and keep getting results, and for long stretches, the U.S. was playing far too predictably — and too safe — in the build-up. It was rare that players looked to break lines with their passes. Often, the pass went safely backwards or out to the wide areas, then got recycled around again. It allowed Haiti to stay compact and make things difficult, and the U.S. failed to generate much of anything through the first 15 minutes of the second half. But players started to look more for vertical passes. In the 64th minute, Agyemang slipped after getting on the end of a ball over the top, but Quinn Sullivan recovered the rebound and shot. It was blocked, and a Haiti defender’s clearance hit Tillman and went into the net. The goal was ruled out because it caromed off Tillman’s arm.Four minutes later, Adams found Tillman on a vertical run and the PSV attacking midfielder scored. But the flag went up for offside.Tillman nearly scored in the 74th minute on a beautiful ball over the top by Adams, bringing the ball down brilliantly, but his chip over Placide went just wide. No matter. One minute later Agyemang scored to lift the U.S. to a third straight win. The big test comes now. Costa Rica is considered a tougher opponent than any the U.S. faced in the group stage. A team with plenty to prove will now have to show it can navigate through the knockout stage at home. The U.S.’s quarterfinal is expected to be played at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis next Sunday — though Concacaf has not yet confirmed the pairing of matchups and venues for the round.What You Should Read NextWinning fosters USMNT belief at a time when fans need a team they can trustApathy surrounding the U.S. men is evident, and with a home World Cup less than a year away, restoring support – and results – is paramount
Will USMNT’s star absentees hurt their 2026 World Cup hopes?
Jeff CarlisleCesar Hernandez
Jun 27, 2025, 07:42 AM ET ESPN
There were undoubtedly some close calls in the group stage, but the U.S. men’s national team have so far gotten the job done in the Gold Cup. Winning their group with a perfect three wins from three matches against Trinidad & Tobago, Saudi Arabia and Haiti, head coach Mauricio Pochettino and his title contenders have picked up momentum and avoided a disastrous early exit in the competition.Preparing for Sunday’s quarterfinal against Costa Rica in Minneapolis and still in the race for an eighth title as they’ve managed sweltering temperatures, there’s one scorching hot talking point that has yet to be doused in American soccer circles: Where are the Americans’ best players?For a variety of reasons ranging from injuries, rest and Club World Cup duty, the USMNT are currently without a long list of marquee names, which includes Sergiño Dest, Antonee Robinson, Weston McKennie and Christian Pulisic. Because the Gold Cup is played every other year, it’s not out of the ordinary to have alternate squads like the one the U.S. is fielding this summer, but one year out from the FIFA World Cup, it’s fair to ask if this will hurt the ongoing evolution of the national team under Pochettino. Especially considering how infrequently these big names have suited up alongside each other since last year. “You never know six months from now what players are available, who’s hurt, who’s playing at their club … I don’t think that [time] is as important as most people may think. I think that you can put the team together at the end,” Tab Ramos, who has played for the USMNT and coached within the national team structure, said to ESPN. “[But] we’re likely going to go into the World Cup, not really with Pochettino, not really understanding 100 percent what his roster can do because he hasn’t been able to utilize the roster in different situations.”
Dest, Robinson, McKennie, Pulisic and Tyler Adams (who is on the Gold Cup roster), have not all been on the field at the same time since a Concacaf Nations League final win over Mexico in March 2024. Under Pochettino, they’ve also played sparingly, with Pulisic being the sole member of the aforementioned quintet to earn more than 350 minutes under the coach since he was hired last September. Digging deeper, it’s easy to begin to feel worried when you find more examples. Fullbacks Robinson and Dest have not shared the field in the past year, and during the same time frame, midfielders Adams and McKennie have played just 294 minutes together. Will this lack of familiarity harm the team on the world’s biggest stage in one year? Ramos is unsure. “We are obviously giving ourselves less of a chance. There’s no question,” he said. “When you don’t have the team together, you give yourself less of a chance to be successful because you don’t know the reaction as a head coach. You don’t understand the reaction of players and of different combinations at a certain game against a certain opponent. That’s where you’re going to be missing.”The reality is those lessened chances could be the difference between winning or losing a knockout game. Given the USMNT’s record in such matches — just one knockout game victory in its entire World Cup history, spanning 10 tournaments — that is a factor that has to be considered, although Ramos still feels it’s more about the form of the players.”In terms of having the team together, it’s really who’s going to be playing great by May of next year,” he said. “That really matters.” Looking at the summer roster, defender Mark McKenzie didn’t show any signs of worry when asked if there’s enough time to find cohesion before the World Cup.”Chemistry is a relative thing. I think when you come into camp, I think we’re all understanding of a goal we have in mind. Each camp we get into, there’s an opportunity to continue to build on that,” he said to media during the Gold Cup group stage. “That doesn’t matter whether it’s now, whether it’s in a couple months, and each match will have its own challenges.”Hugo Perez, a former USMNT midfielder who coached players such as Pulisic, McKennie and Adams during their youth national team days, also didn’t sound the alarm.”Pochettino knows what the nucleus of players are … it’s good for Pochettino to see if the [Gold Cup] players from the MLS … [are] at that level,” the former El Salvador manager said to ESPN. “You miss [the stars] being here and maybe being with the group, but I don’t see that as a big deal in the end.”When chatting with Perez, it became clear that he was more preoccupied with finding a way to get the best out of the U.S.’s top players through a more varied tactical approach, and not about needing an extended period to jell together.
Herculez Gomez and Cristina Alexander debate the biggest storylines and break down the best highlights that soccer in the Americas has to offer. Stream on ESPN+ (U.S. only) “I still believe that the U.S. is lacking an identity in a style of play where they’re going to have to mix it [up],” he said. “We know we run, we know we attack by the flanks, but I still think that they can improve on short spaces, maintaining more of the ball and then, boom, explode the big space. I think we need to add that kind of play in order to compete.”I know these players: I coached them when they were 14 and 15. They’re capable of playing that type of soccer, but again, the coach has to make that decision. That’s, for me, more important than having them every time come to FIFA [international] dates.”However, those opportunities have been limited.In the past 12 months, the U.S. has played only nine competitive matches. In that same time frame, South American champions Argentina and European champions Spain each has played 14.With no qualifiers on the schedule for next year’s World Cup given the U.S.’s status as co-hosts, the chance to test and analyze a larger sample size just hasn’t been the same. And in the few high-pressure situations the Americans have played in, things have been bleak: a group stage exit in the 2024 Copa América and a fourth-place finish in the Concacaf Nations League.
“Developing the chemistry on the field is really, I think, the need,” Ramos said. “In order to develop that, you need to have some games where you struggle together and see how you get out of it.”And I think if you look at some of the — I don’t want to say failures because they haven’t been failures, but if you look at the times where we haven’t been as successful with this team because the expectations have been so high, we have not passed a lot of tests in which situations got difficult. That’s a little bit of a concern for me.”Does that concern also extend to some players seeming to prioritize their club careers abroad? When considering the high level of intensity of the European game, is there something to be said about scrutinizing players’ balance of club vs. country?Perez doesn’t believe so. He also doesn’t believe that it halts any sort of on-field chemistry.”These kids are playing in very competitive leagues, and when you play in leagues like the English Premier League, Serie A, in France, you are surrounded in your team by some of the best players in the world,” he said. “Second, when you’re surrounded by those players who are some of the best players in the world in your club, that’s helping you to grow as a player individually.
“When they come here, we have to be honest also. I mean, these kids have played together before … they know each other. I mean, they’re in contact with each other in Europe. I don’t think that’s the issue.”For Ramos, there’s enough time to develop a good team, but with the caveat that there will be a “disadvantage of knowing less” due to not having enough answers from in-game tests. As for Perez, he also believes there’s ample time, especially if there’s a lengthy summer camp next year, but stated that the true test lies in Pochettino’s ability to still get the best of his stars.”[That’s] the most difficult work that a coach has,” Perez said.Even with an alternate roster, things are looking promising for the USMNT at the Gold Cup. Following some wake-up calls and a four-game losing streak ahead of the tournament, they’ve since avoided a nightmare scenario in the group stage and qualified for the knockout rounds.Whether the competition helps answer some questions regarding roster depth, or highlights a need to continue relying on familiar faces, the countdown to the World Cup will truly begin in September with just five FIFA windows between then and next June. That will be the only time Pochettino has to make final adjustments through friendly matches. Is that enough runway to reintegrate the U.S.’s biggest stars? With each passing month, we’ll get a clearer idea of whether the USMNT are in fact ready for 2026. “I think there’s plenty of time before the World Cup, there’s plenty of games,” said Brenden Aaronson, who is part of the Gold Cup squad. “I think the thing that people don’t really understand: Yeah, it’s friendlies that are coming up, but friendlies still, you treat them like they’re international games. They’re going to be really good games and it’s not like something we’re [just] going to walk in there. We want to win these games. “We’re going to treat them like World Cup games.” If Aaronson & Co. are going to be ready for the World Cup in less than 12 months, they’ll have to.
5 questions the USMNT must answer in Gold Cup knockout stage
Ryan O’HanlonJun 26, 2025, 07:00 AM ET
The Gold Cup group stage is over. And with a team of mostly MLS players and fringe starters from elsewhere, the U.S. men’s national team is perfect through three matches. It has scored eight goals and conceded just one. It beat the only team that beat Argentina at the last World Cup. And a bunch of new players are getting a lot of valuable competitive experience ahead of next summer’s World Cup.
So, everyone is happy, right? Right? Yeah, not quite. Thanks to an ongoing feud between the team’s best players, the team’s former players and the team’s coach, the three wins haven’t done much to shift the conversation.Outside of the opening 5-0 drubbing of Trinidad and Tobago, the other two games weren’t leave-no-doubt affairs, either. Against Saudi Arabia, the U.S. only attempted five total shots and won with a set-piece goal from a center back a few minutes after the hour mark. Then, in the final match, they were tied with Haiti all the way up until the 75th minute, when Patrick Agyemang rounded the goalkeeper and put away the game-winner. The ranking of the USMNT’s opponents, in chronological order and according to the World Football Elo ratings: 99th, 66th and 86th.
Based on the quality of the schedule and the state of flux on the A-list roster, we really haven’t learned too much from these matches. But the USMNT’s quarterfinal opponent, Costa Rica, ranks 47th in the Elo ratings, while potential future opponents Panama (32), Canada (29), and Mexico (25) are within the top 35. With 48 teams qualifying for next summer’s tournament, these are all World Cup-quality opponents.
So, what might we learn over the next week? Here are five questions that we should get some answers to between now and the end of the Gold Cup.
Is Matt Freese the starting goalkeeper?
If you asked this question a month ago, approximately 100% of respondents would’ve answered with a “no.” But then Patrick Schulte and Zack Steffen pulled out of the Gold Cup because of injuries, and coach Mauricio Pochettino gave Freese his first cap in a pre-tournament friendly against Turkey. Matt Turner then started the final pre-tournament friendly against Switzerland, and we all expected him to keep starting from there once the Gold Cup began. After all, he’d been the starter since before the pandemic. But then Turner conceded four goals to Switzerland in the first half, and Freese has played every minute so far at the Gold Cup. Overall, he has been … fine? Across the four matches, he has faced 11 shots worth 3.16 goals (based on Stats Perform’s post-shot expected goals model), and he has conceded three goals. That’s about as close to average as you can get.
The orange dots are goals, purple are saves, and the larger the dot, the higher the post-shot xG value of the attempt:
Now, he also made an error that led to Haiti’s opening goal, but defender Tim Ream gave him a terrible, bouncing back-pass, and the goal still required a fantastic finish from a really tight angle. I don’t think these four games are enough to really judge Freese in either direction. Just look at those shots: He hasn’t even had to save anything on the left side of the goal yet. His performances haven’t been disqualifying, but they haven’t been job-winning, either. Does Pochettino give Freese a chance to stand up against stiffer competition? Does Turner become the starter now that games are toughening up? If Freese continues to start and plays well over the final however many matches, then I think we have to say that he’s the favorite to start next summer.
Is Johnny Cardoso part of this team?
This was supposed to be a big summer for the 23-year-old defensive midfielder. With Tyler Adams nursing an injury and a bunch of the other midfield options either at the Club World Cup or taking the summer off, Johnny Cardoso figured to be a mainstay in the USMNT midfield for the first time under Pochettino. Oh, and Atletico Madrid wanted to sign him. You know, the club that’s competitive in the UEFA Champions League every season and won LaLiga four short years ago? If you had to bet on these things not panning out for Cardoso, presumably what you would’ve cast doubt on is the Atletico move. Cardoso has been a solid player for Real Betis, but has he really been that good? Plus, reported transfer moves fall apart every day, for any number of reasons. Well, how does this one sound? Atletico Madrid just spent north of €30 million in transfer fees to acquire Cardoso, who at the same time seems to have fallen behind Luca de la Torre and Sebastian Berhalter on the USMNT depth chart.
Carlisle: Skepticism building over Pochettino’s USMNT leadership
On “The Football Reporters” podcast, Jeff Carlisle gauges how USMNT fans are feeling about Mauricio Pochettino’s time in charge of the team. At the Gold Cup so far, Cardoso has played a whopping 11 total minutes. He started the match against Turkey, but his error led directly to the equalizing goal and he was subbed off at halftime. He played the whole game against Switzerland and has barely played at all since the Gold Cup started. Now, he missed the opener against Trinidad and Tobago because of an illness, so maybe that put him behind the eight ball. And maybe Pochettino’s approach to the knockout matches will be different from what he has done through the group stage. We don’t really know. But as of three weeks ago, it seemed like Cardoso was a potential starter at the World Cup. As of right now, it’s unclear whether he’ll even make the roster.
Tim Ream it is, then?
Coming into this summer, it seemed like center back was the one position where the USMNT had most, and possibly all, of its potential World Cup starters on the Gold Cup roster. Crystal Palace‘s Chris Richards would be one half of the pairing, and then we’d actually get new, useful information about who was most likely to be there next to him.
Miles Robinson started the match against Turkey next to Richards, but then Mark McKenzie replaced him at halftime. McKenzie then started against Switzerland, but with Walker Zimmerman by his side, not Richards. If you were going to draw one half-conclusion from the two friendlies, it might’ve been: Tim Ream is no longer in the picture.
Instead, the 37-year-old Ream has played every minute of every match at the Gold Cup so far … and he has been pretty darn important, too.
Although he’s a center back, Ream has added more expected possession value — essentially, how much everything you do on the ball increases or decreases your team’s chances of scoring a goal — than all but three other USMNT players. Some of that is because he has played so many minutes, but a large chunk of it is that he’s still so important to how the team moves the ball up the field.
Ream has played 14 passes into the attacking third that have increased the USMNT’s chances of scoring a goal by at least half a percent; no one else has more than eight. That might seem like a nothing number, but most of what happens on a soccer field doesn’t drastically shift goal probabilities — it’s all about racking up a bunch of tiny moments that eventually add up.
Here are all of Ream’s passes worth at least 0.5% of xPV:
We’ll see how Ream holds up against the stiffer competition, though. He has been a fantastic and underappreciated player for most of his career. But I remain a little skeptical that the USMNT can afford to rely on a 38-year-old center back if it wants to make a serious run next summer.
Can any of these attacking midfielders hang against tougher competition?
Through three matches, the players replacing Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Timothy Weah have been quite good. This is exactly what you would’ve wanted from this situation.Malik Tillman has played every minute of every game and leads the team in goals and possession value added. He has also been a fantastic final-third defender. After the Turkey match, Tillman told me he preferred the freedom he was given in Pochettino’s system, as opposed to the stricter positional guidelines the players were given by former coach Gregg Berhalter, and it has shown so far. Tillman is the MVP of the group stage, and this is the first time we’ve seen him come close to replicating his PSV form with the USMNT.Jack McGlynn already looks like one of the best passers in the entire player pool — and quite possibly the best. For a team that has really struggled to break down low blocks, his creativity could bring something new and important. He has completed 11 passes into the penalty area — no one else has more than six — and leads the team in expected assists.Diego Luna, meanwhile, provides the rare combination of “guy who might actually try to fight a tank with his bare hands” and “guy who never loses the ball.” There’s a place for massive amounts of energy and ball security on most national team rosters.
Does the USMNT deserve more credit at the Gold Cup?
The “Futbol Americas” crew discuss the USMNT’s 2-1 win over Haiti that granted it a place in the Gold Cup knockout stages.But how will this translate against Costa Rica and (potentially) Panama, Canada and Mexico?Tillman is still kind of a strange player: He’s an attacking midfielder who relies more on positioning and off-ball running rather than a high volume of touches and seeing-eye creativity. Those players can disappear from time to time. McGlynn did most of his damage against a really weak Trinidad and Tobago team. And will Luna be able to provide enough attacking production once the schedule gets harder?All three players have really interesting qualities that could help the USMNT next summer, but the next game (or two … or three, depending on how deep their Gold Cup run goes) should give us a better sense of how those traits will scale up against stiffer opponents.
Can Pochettino get the team moving with pace?
Before the tournament began, I wrote about how Pochettino’s team ranked dead last among the USMNT managers we have data for in the following stats:
• The speed moving the ball upfield: 1.03 meters per second • The number of possessions per match: 82.1
Through the group stages, here’s how the USMNT compares to everyone else in the competition across those two metrics:
So, the U.S. is moving slightly slower and playing games with even fewer possessions than those already-program-low rates. A lot of this has to do with the approaches of its opponents, combined with the Trinidad and Tobago game being over by halftime, but another pre-tournament favorite, Canada, still manages to embrace a lot more chaos even when it’s heavily fancied against its conservative opponents.
And then, all the way to right of the graph — moving faster than anyone else at the tournament — is the USMNT’s quarterfinal opponent, Costa Rica. Under Pochettino, the Americans’ haven’t really found a way to break down reasonably talented teams that are willing to sit back and counter-attack. And if they still haven’t figured that out, then, well, their tournament is going to be over in just a couple of days.
Clint Dempsey interview: USMNT icon on Christian Pulisic’s podcast drama and pay-to-play
For the United States men’s national team, it has been a summer of podcast outbursts forming a tetchy soundtrack one year out from a heavily anticipated home World Cup. Following Christian Pulisic’s decision not to join up with Mauricio Pochettino’s team for the Gold Cup — along with a slew of other absentees — criticism came from USMNT icons Landon Donovan and Tim Howard (on their own podcast), Pulisic issued a riposte (on a CBS podcast) and Clint Dempsey said he struggled to understand Pulisic’s decision (on the Men In Blazers podcast). In between all that, Pulisic’s father appeared to launch a broadside at Donovan via Instagram (on a post liked by his son). Pochettino also used his news conferences to assert his authority, saying players “cannot dictate the plan” after Pulisic claimed he offered to play in the two warmup friendly games but with the condition of dropping out for the Gold Cup. Dempsey also pointed out how the situation might have been averted if U.S. Soccer, the nation’s governing body, and Pulisic had aligned more closely on their messaging. During an interview with The Athletic, Dempsey said: “Why wasn’t there a way that we could have been more unified in the messaging that’s going out to the public? You have one of the best players for the national team, and if it had been England, if Harry Kane was missing a tournament or the Nations League or World Cup qualifying, there would be people asking questions. “It’s important to be unified and to have that conversation. Then there’s no back and forth looking like two people are at odds with each other, especially a year out from the World Cup. It could have been handled better. Still, the best way to solve problems — whether you get a red card in the game or you do something stupid — is to get back on the pitch and let your play do the talking for you.”
Landon Donovan’s foray into the Christian Pulisic national team debate has been one of American soccer’s stories of the summer. (Shaun Clark / ISI Photos / Getty Images)
Dempsey, who earned more than 140 senior caps, has previously revealed he once had a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection in his adductor to play for the USMNT. He was asked whether his locker room would have required the federation to step in or if the players would have held themselves to account.“You would like to think you have a good enough relationship with your teammates that you could put a call in and ask, ‘Hey, what’s going on? Is there something I can do for you? We need you in this tournament’. At the same time, for me, it was never a question if I was going to go into the national team and play,” Dempsey said. “Whether it was Gold Cup, World Cup qualifying, the Confederations Cup, Copa America, the World Cup, I wanted to be there because as a kid, I dreamed about representing my country. “I knew that there were a lot of kids where I am from that didn’t make it. You’re representing for them, your town, your city, your state, your country. So everybody’s going through different things. Everybody’s dealing with different injuries and different things mentally. I’m not privy to those conversations to know what’s going on. “What’s made this situation difficult is what happened with Copa America when we did not get out of the group stage, then losing to Panama and Canada in Nations League and then the four losses in a row, the worst streak we’d had in a long time. It put more pressure on this Gold Cup. There are not many opportunities left after this for meaningful games, and you want to try to get things right.”
Pulisic, who racked up more than 3,500 minutes for Milan in the 2024-25 season, told CBS his body and mind “started talking” to him towards the end of the campaign and he felt a rest was best for his fitness.
Clint Dempsey and an 18-year-old Christian Pulisic celebrate a USMNT goal against Honduras in 2017. (David Madison / Getty Images)
Does Dempsey, who spent 15 seasons playing in the English Premier League and in MLS, believe that USMNT players in Europe have a uniquely difficult task to balance club and country responsibilities?“No matter what league you’re in, it’s going to be difficult,” he said. “The things that are difficult about MLS are the travel and the time changes. When I played MLS, you weren’t flying privately. People were asking you, ‘Are you a college team? Do you play lacrosse?’. We were sitting in middle seats, sitting back next to the toilet. But then in Europe at the top teams, you’re playing in more competitions and it is a grind to go back and forth to the States.”He does, however, point out that the USMNT has recently avoided the most grueling travel because it does not need to qualify for the home World Cup.“That is the hardest traveling,” he said, “because normally you come in, you play two games, you’re going to Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Mexico, Jamaica, then you fly back to Europe on Thursday, you get there Friday morning, you have a game either Saturday or Sunday.”And what of the soap opera that has surrounded the team this summer, with former players offering strong opinions and current players hitting back?“It shows there’s a climate where people care,” Dempsey said. “I’m not trying to be a part of the drama. You’re asking me my opinion and I’m giving you how I look at things. In terms of the Christian situation, all I think is U.S. Soccer could have been more unified about how that gets out to the public.
“Playing for your country in a tournament, I tell you what my mentality was. I am not saying whether someone’s doing right or wrong. Everybody has a right to their opinion — it shows that people do care, but you never want to get in a situation where it’s tit for tat. Everybody wants the same thing: to have the U.S. playing well. We want to be excited. I’d like to focus more on the positives of the new faces. They’re gonna be in this Gold Cup, they’re gonna push to get into the lineup and get this fanbase and team back on track to being inspired because we are one year out from the greatest tournament.”Dempsey, who was speaking at the mid-point of the Gold Cup group stage, said that following the breakthrough of young USMNT players who carried the team to the knockout stage of the World Cup in 2022, the team’s development has appeared to be at “a little bit of a stand still.”He said: “You’ve had this new talent, you’ve developed it so far, but then where’s this next young talent that’s coming up and pushing these guys and having competition for spots? That would create an environment where you have to look over your shoulder and be on your game to make sure that someone’s not taking your spot.”Dempsey was talking to The Athletic as part of an initiative led by Abbott, a healthcare firm that has partnered with Real Madrid as part of the Abbott Dream Team program, which will see youngsters try out in cities across the U.S. for the opportunity to then travel to Spain to train under Real Madrid coaches and learn about sports nutrition from the club’s medical team. Dempsey says the tryouts are available to 18- and 19-year-old boys and girls. “If you have the right eyes watching you, the sky is the limit,” Dempsey said. “A buddy of mine, José Torres, he’s from Longview, Texas. He played Hispanic leagues on Sunday, but through his play in Hispanic leagues, this allowed him to get a trial in Mexico with a Liga MX team and he was able to make it.”More broadly, the program is part of Abbott’s and Real Madrid’s ongoing “Beat Malnutrition” campaign to provide nutrition education and malnutrition screening to children in 12 countries around the world.
Clint Dempsey says the example of ex-USMNT midfielder José Francisco Torres shows the value of increased developmental opportunities. (Misael Montaño / LatinContent via Getty Images)
Last weekend, during a conversation at Fanatics Fest in New York, FIFA president Gianni Infantino criticized the “pay-to-play” model for many young soccer players in the U.S., saying, “For children, it must be free to play football.” When speaking to The Athletic before Infantino’s intervention, Dempsey said there is room for improvement.“My son is in an MLS academy and you don’t have to pay to play,” Dempsey said. “If you’re good enough, it doesn’t matter where you come from, what your background is, that is covered. For the players in rural areas or inner cities that are not around MLS teams, it is a lot more difficult. It is a financial strain, and my family went into debt doing that. I didn’t have a college fund growing up. It was, ‘How bad do you want something in life? What are you willing to risk? How hard are you willing to work?’. Nothing’s perfect, things need to get better. We need to make it easier for people who are less fortunate to have the chance to go chase their dreams. Hopefully, that changes, but it’s just so difficult to fix everything. “It’s not fair. And I’m not saying that I want families to do the path I did. Everybody has a different story and a different path. There needs to be ways to figure out for the people that can’t afford it to get the better coaching and the platform to try to take their game to the next level. I’m on board with that 100 percent.”(Top photo: Omar Vega / Getty Images)
Emma Hayes’ ‘astronomical’ year as USWNT head coach – but this is only the first step
COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — On June 1, 2024, as the U.S. women’s national team prepared to take the field against South Korea in Colorado, head coach Emma Hayes stared down a stadium tunnel swirling with sound. Staff were banging on the walls to hype up the players, and fans roared with similar anticipation. The heat and humidity, combined with the mile-high altitude, were brutal — especially for an Englishwoman who hadn’t known how to properly hydrate for those conditions. It was Hayes’ first game since accepting the position in November 2023, and she was nervous. She’d spent 12 years managing Chelsea and had no idea how an American crowd would respond to someone “from the outside,” as she described it. Still healing from the disappointment of their earliest World Cup exit in USWNT history, her new side were also less than two months out from the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Hayes felt “desperate to do well for the team.” They beat South Korea 4-0, with two goals each from forward Mallory Swanson and defender Tierna Davidson. Seventy days later on August 10, the USWNT became Olympic gold medalists with a 1-0 victory over Brazil. And in the year since her nerve-wracking debut, Hayes has uprooted and overhauled the women’s program in ways that feel revolutionary, inviting more new players to national team camp than any coach before her and revamping the U-23s to create a sustainable and cohesive pipeline of talent. Now, with two more years to go until the 2027 World Cup in Brazil, Hayes remains a champion of development and deliberation, choosing process over perfection as she continues to build. Thursday night offered a poetic checkpoint for what has changed and what has remained the same. Hayes and the USWNT were back at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, and the final score was again 4-0, this time against a depleted Republic of Ireland. Swanson is pregnant and Davidson is out with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury; this match instead featured goals from defender Avery Patterson, midfielders Sam Coffey and Rose Lavelle, and forward Alyssa Thompson.Coffey and Lavelle, who just returned to USWNT camp after an ankle injury kept her away since December, are two of just four players on Hayes’ first roster as head coach who also played against Ireland. It’s a testament to Hayes’ dedication to experimenting and implementing a new standard for who receives an invitation to camp.Though Coffey earned her first USWNT call up in September 2022 under former head coach Vlatko Andonovski, she did not make the 2023 World Cup roster. Since Hayes stepped in, she has been a consistent fixture for the national team at No. 6. Thursday’s match against Ireland was her 36th cap and she scored her third goal for the United States.“She’s had such a profound impact on me as a person and a player,” Coffey said of Hayes after Thursday’s match. “I think she, in many ways, has just given me such confidence and belief in myself to know what I can do and to help the team in any way possible. I think the amount that she’s done in a year is astronomical.”
Hayes and Coffey during the former’s first game in charge of the USWNT last June. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)
Coffey added that she and her teammates “still have so much that we want to do in so many ways.”“We want to grow and every camp, every game we have is just another step that we get to take together,” she added, “and so we’re loving her.”Thompson’s journey with the national team has been similarly nonlinear, even under Hayes. While she made Andonovski’s World Cup roster, she seldom played, and was not chosen by Hayes to compete for an Olympic medal in Paris. Her standout club performances since with Angel City in the NWSL earned her another invitation, and she has since solidified her spot on the USWNT.“I feel like I’ve grown so much as a player,” Thompson said after the game Thursday night of Hayes’ impact. “I’m just understanding the game more. In the beginning, there was a lot of information that I wanted to take in, and now I’m really understanding it. I feel like it comes a little bit second nature. Just being able to keep implementing things and working on my game really helped and it came from Emma coming in and just helping our team in that way.”Hayes was similarly effusive in her post-match press conference.“I know you’re probably bored of me, but I just love them all,” she said. “I said to them today, I don’t want them to think that I take for granted the trust that they place in me to coach them. I’m so grateful for how vulnerable they are to let me do that and, yeah, I just love them.”One year into the job, Hayes has called up 27 players to the senior team — which, of course, required tough decisions and frank conversations with those who lost their spots. Hayes’ first major decision came when she announced her 18-player roster for the Olympics, which did not include USWNT legend Alex Morgan. Her omission marked the first time since 2008 that Morgan would not compete with the U.S. in a major tournament.It was a ripping off of a band-aid that sent shockwaves through the world of women’s soccer and made clear the extent to which Hayes was willing to endure discomfort in order to manifest her vision. Morgan announced her second pregnancy and retirement last September, having played no part in the U.S.’s gold medal run.
Morgan’s last game for the U.S. came over a year ago and is no longer part of the picture (C. Morgan Engel/Getty Images)
And Hayes kept tinkering. Sometimes it was out of necessity as a result of injuries or pregnancies, but largely to ensure players were in the best environments for their growth. The Olympic group has not all played together since leaving France, and two of those gold medalists, Korbin Albert and Jaedyn Shaw, have recently been moved to the U-23s to continue learning.“It’s a reminder that you have to develop a playing pool that’s capable, and when you’re facing top opponents across the world that have Champions League experience, they have Nations League experience, they have cap accumulation (with the) under-20s, under-17s, we have a lot of catching up to do and to close that gap,” Hayes said. “Our program has been really clear, especially with the introduction of our under-23 program.”Hayes would have been justified in coasting after last summer’s accomplishment, at least for a little while; winning medals in major international tournaments affords you that. But if anything, she’s become more dogmatic about the changes she wants to implement, the gaps she seeks to close between starters and bench players on the senior year, and also between the senior team and U-23s.“I feel like we’re back on track, but I will urge caution with it — and I say that because I’m so respectful of what England and Spain and Germany and Brazil in particular are doing in the global game. There is no gap between one, two, three, four, five in the world,” Hayes said Wednesday.“We have to make every moment count for us to put ourselves in the best place possible to compete.”
USWNT’s Rose Lavelle records a goal and assist in first game back, helping to defeat Ireland 4-0
COMMERCE CITY, COLORADO – JUNE 26: By Meg Linehan
June 26, 2025Updated June 27, 2025 Rose Lavelle scored and provided an assist in her first game for the U.S. women’s national team in 2025, after a long injury layoff following an ankle surgery at the beginning of the year. “Firstly, we’re all delighted for Rose. There’s only one Rose Lavelle — that really is both on and off the field, as a character, as a football player, as a human being,” U.S. head coach Emma Hayes said after the game. The U.S. cruised to a 4-0 victory over Ireland in Commerce City, Colo., with two first half goals from defender Avery Patterson, which Lavelle assisted, and midfielder Sam Coffey. The final dagger came from forward Alyssa Thompson in front of a crowd of 18,504 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. For Lavelle, it was her 25th international goal, scored in her 111th appearance for the national team. In a twist, she scored it with her right foot, not her preferred left. “Rose’s goal was sublime, in every way, shape and form,” Hayes said. “It was exactly what we’d asked for at halftime.” The midfielder only recently returned to play for Gotham FC in the NWSL, managing a total of 71 minutes across three matches so far this season. Thursday, Hayes subbed her off in the 59th minute as she continues to return to full fitness. Euro 2025: France team guide – will drastic changes transform their fortunes? Euro 2025: Netherlands team guide – a stellar squad with injury issues and a daunting task Ranking the best and worst of the Euro 2025 away kits Lavelle wasn’t the only one shining for the U.S. in this first game of the international window. Patterson, starting at right back for her fifth cap and third start for the national team, has made a strong case for herself in this lengthy period of evaluation under Hayes in 2025. “Avery is taking steps in the right direction. She’s a threat from deep spaces, stepping into midfield, whether she’s going inside, outside,” Hayes said. “Her combinations with Michelle (Cooper) on that side, I thought were productive. Didn’t get tested enough defensively, where I think she has to grow the most, but she’s a great learner and a great listener.” While Patterson has already scored three goals for the Houston Dash, Thursday’s opener was her first on the international stage. Coffey also continued her scoring ways for the U.S., tallying her third international goal before halftime. Lavelle was also involved in the build-up of Coffey’s goal, with her pass leading to Thompson’s assist. Finally, Thompson added the fourth in the 63rd minute, cutting back across the Ireland defense and putting the ball on her right foot for a curling shot. The game also saw a continuation of debuts from Hayes, with three more Thursday night. Goalkeeper Claudia Dickey of Seattle Reign FC and left back Lilly Reale of Gotham FC earned starts in Colorado. Reign defender Jordyn Bugg also earned her first cap, subbing on late in the second half for captain Naomi Girma. Dickey was debut No. 20 for Hayes, Reale No. 21, and Bugg No. 22. Hayes and the USWNT head to Cincinnati next for a second match against Ireland, satisfied not just with their performance Thursday, but with more exploration and proof of the depth of the U.S. pool. (Photo: Ray Bahner / Getty Images)
Why every round of 16 team will, won’t win Club World Cup
Bill ConnellyJun 27, 2025, 08:31 AM ET
I’m not going to lie: I’ve really enjoyed the FIFA Club World Cup. And that’s a strange thing to say considering virtually every negative thing anyone has said about the competition has been correct. The venues have indeed been too big, making decent good crowds look paltry in cavernous environments, and one of the scourges of 21st century business, dynamic pricing, has backfired in plenty of instances.The European teams can claim both fatigue and rust at the same time, having taken a few weeks off after a grueling campaign before facing teams in midseason form (and fitness) from other continents. Stars like Paris Saint-Germain‘s Ousmane Dembélé and Real Madrid‘s Kylian Mbappé haven’t been involved. The heat and weather have been ridiculous, and the decision to have the most marketable European teams playing in the afternoon — prime time in Europe — in cities like Miami and Charlotte, is questionable at best.(This says nothing of Juventus‘ White House visit, Antonio Rüdiger‘s claims of racist abuse and all the other undercurrents weighing down virtually every pastime or aspect of society at the moment.)
We saw PSG and Chelsea fall to South American counterparts (Botafogo and Flamengo). We saw Inter Miami take down a team (Porto) that was in the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds last year. We saw some electric environments for matches like Bayern Munich vs. Boca Juniors, and we saw nonsense of the best kind as eight goals were scored in the second half of Group A’s final two matches (three in Inter Miami vs. Palmeiras, five in Al Ahly’s 4-4 draw with Porto) and after both teetering on the brink of elimination, both Palmeiras and Inter Miami advanced.
And, we’re only getting started. The knockout rounds begin on Saturday, and while European favorites could reign from here, let’s take a look at each remaining contender and why they might or might not lift the strange, golden Club World Cup trophy in a few more weeks.
Al Hilal
Title odds, per ESPN BET: +5000 (equivalent to 2.0%) | Title odds, per Opta: 0.4% How they got here: tied Real Madrid (1-1), tied RB Salzburg (0-0), def. Pachuca (2-0) Round-of-16 opponent: Manchester City (June 30, 3 p.m. ET, Orlando)
Why they will win it all: Defend and counter. A number of underdogs in this tournament have proven excellent at playing good, old-fashioned organized defense. Al-Hilal are no exception, and that shouldn’t be a surprise: They have 2022 World Cup hero Yassine Bounou in goal and former Premier Leaguers in front of him in center-back Kalidou Koulibaly and defensive midfielder Rúben Neves. All three have been outstanding thus far, with Bounou saving 87% of shots on goal, Koulibaly leading the team with 42 defensive interventions and Neves leading the team in both ball recoveries, progressive passes and progressive carries. (He has a goal and an assist, as well.)
Throw in veteran fullbacks Renan Lodi and João Cancelo, plus some relentless attacking work from Marcos Leonardo and the forever-intense Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, and you have a team that allowed only one goal in three games (first), kept at least two defenders between shot and goal on 88% of opponents’ shot attempts (first) and produced 1.5 xG (third) and one goal from counter-attacks. This veteran team knows what it’s doing.
Why they won’t: Poor shot quality. I called Al-Hilal’s attackers “relentless” and “intense” above, and that’s accurate. But you can’t really call them “accurate.” Leonardo and Milinkovic-Savic have combined for one goal from shots worth 3.3 xG; maybe they were just saving all their great strikes for the knockout rounds, but when you rank 20th in the competition in shots per possession (0.11) and you’re creating only 1.3 particularly high-value shots (0.2 xG or more) per match, you have to convert the ones you create.
Bayern Munich
Title odds, per ESPN BET: +500 (equivalent to 16.7%) | Title odds, per Opta: 11.2% How they got here: def. Auckland City (10-0), def. Boca Juniors (2-1), lost to Benfica (1-0) Round-of-16 opponent: Flamengo (June 29, 4 p.m. ET, Miami)
Why they will win it all: They take all the shots. No matter the manager, no matter the season, Bayern suffocate overwhelmed opponents. In the Champions League last season, they were second in shots per possession and first in shots allowed per possession. In the Bundesliga, they were first in both categories. They tilt the pitch, they counter-press, and they keep the ball near your goal and far away from theirs.
Three matches in, they’re doing the same thing in this competition: They’re fourth in shots per possession and first in shots allowed. Granted, they’ve benefited from playing the weakest team in the competition (Auckland City, whom they outshot, 31-1). But in more cautious and physical matches against Boca Juniors and Benfica, they still attempted twice the shots and produced more than three times the xG. They completed 351 passes in the attacking third against Boca and Benfica while allowing just 48 such completions.
Manager Vincent Kompany attempted to rest key players in scorching heat against Benfica — Harry Kane, Michael Olise, Joshua Kimmich and Jonathan Tah all played only the second half — and it backfired when they fell behind early and Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin somehow made it hold up. But when the starters are on the pitch, Bayern is playing for keeps.
Why they won’t: We don’t know that their old defensive weaknesses are fixed yet. The high-risk ball domination that Bayern enjoy usually comes with occasional defensive breakdowns. In six draws and losses in last year’s Champions League, they still dominated in shot quantity, but looking specifically at high-quality shots (worth 0.2 xG or more), they allowed as many as they attempted.
When Boca Juniors tied Bayern in the second half in Miami last Friday, it came on a counterattack that produced a particularly high-quality shot (0.53 xG). Granted, it was a brilliant individual effort from Miguel Merentiel, but it was the exact flavor of goal Bayern tend to allow.
Inter Miami fans celebrate progression to Club World Cup knockouts
Inter Miami fans celebrate after their draw with Palmeiras to progress to the Club World Cup knockouts.
Benfica
Title odds, per ESPN BET: +4000 (equivalent to 2.4%) | Title odds, per Opta: 4.3% How they got here: drew with Boca Juniors (2-2), def. Auckland City (6-0), def. Bayern (1-0) Round-of-16 opponent: Chelsea (June 28, 4 p.m. ET, Charlotte)
Why they will win it all: Angel Di Maria and Nicolas Otamendi have turned back the clock. Or I should say, they’ve continued to do so. The club’s worldly 37-year-olds played all but 16 of Benfica’s minutes in the group stage. Di Maria scored three goals (tied for most in the competition as of Tuesday afternoon) and ranks first on the team in chances created, expected assists from completed passes, shots on goal and even total touches. He’s relentless. And did I mention he’s 37?
Otamendi, meanwhile, stifled Bayern’s Harry Kane for a half and has been one of the primary reasons Benfica enter the knockout stage having not allowed a goal for 243 minutes. He’s first on the team in defensive interventions, he has won 81% of his duels, and, oh yeah — he’s also first on the team in progressive carries and progressive passes.
Goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin has been fantastic, too, and players like attacker Vangelis Pavlidis and defensive midfielder Leandro Barreiro have been strong. But two proud old veterans lead this proud old club into the knockouts.
Why they won’t: Their record against good teams … isn’t good. In the last 12 months, Benfica have played 10 matches against teams in the top 20 of the Opta power rankings. They lost six, drew two and won only two — and one of the two came on Tuesday against a Bayern team that tried to rest quite a few starters (and still generated far more opportunities) — with two draws and six losses. They scored more than one goal just twice. This is a nearly upset-proof outfit, but they aren’t going to be favored much, if at all, moving forward.
Borussia Dortmund
Title odds, per ESPN BET: +3300 (equivalent to 2.9%) | Title odds, per Opta: 5.6% How they got here: tied Fluminense (0-0), def. Mamelodi Sundowns (4-3), def. Ulsan HD (1-0) Round-of-16 opponent: Monterrey (July 1, 9 p.m. ET, Atlanta)
Why they will win it all: They’re playing their way into form. After Niko Kovac took over in February, BVB were basically the second-best team in the Bundesliga, tilting the pitch well, executing a high defensive line and proving capable of either counterattacking or generating danger from buildup play. In the U.S. though, they honestly haven’t really done any of those things. They’ve been passive defensively and have barely even attempted to counterattack (their 8.7 per game rank 27th out of 32 teams). Plus Serhou Guirassy, one of the streakiest finishers in the game, isn’t finishing well, with one goal from shots worth 2.2 xG.
Of course, they also went undefeated and won their group. And after a dreadful attacking performance in the opener against Fluminense, they scored four goals and generated 5.1 xG in their last two games. New addition Jobe Bellingham (one goal, one assist) is already a difference-maker in and around the box. The defense suffered breakdowns against Mamelodi Sundowns but held the fort well in the other two games, and their performance against Ulsan HD produced a +3.1 xG differential — they completely dominated, even if the final score was closer than it should have been. It seems as if they’re growing into the competition.
Why they won’t: They’ve got quite a bit of growing to do. Guirassy indeed isn’t finishing, the defensive breakdowns against Mamelodi were all-caps ALARMING, and Kovac wasn’t able to rest guys as much as he wanted in two games in oppressive midday heat. They’ve produced the results they needed, and Bellingham really has been exciting, but we’re still waiting for this team to look the part of a challenger.
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Botafogo
Title odds, per ESPN BET: +3300 (equivalent to 2.9%) | Title odds, per Opta: 0.4% How they got here: def. Seattle Sounders (2-1), def. PSG (1-0), lost to Atletico Madrid (0-1) Round-of-16 opponent: Palmeiras (June 28, noon ET, Philadelphia)
Why they will win it all: They sacrifice their bodies. Botafogo’s road to the round of 16 was laborious. They attempted 23 shots to opponents’ 62. They possessed the ball just 34.8% of the time — no one else under 35% has averaged even 1.0 points per game. But Fogo averaged 2.0 points per game and became the first team to beat PSG since the Parisiens became European champions. And they did it with pure effort.
Botafogo have blocked 36% of opponents’ shots (fifth most in the competition), and they’ve forced opponents to attempt 83% of their shots with at least two defenders between shot and goal (11th). They attempted 12.3 counters per game (11th), too, scoring the only goal of the match against PSG from a counter. Their attack is pretty one-dimensional, but Igor Jesus has been clinical: He scored the game winner in both wins, and from shots worth a combined 0.2 xG.
They protected that lead against PSG for 54 minutes with no breakdown, and knowing they would advance as long as they didn’t lose by three goals or more against Atletico Madrid, they made Atleti work for 87 minutes to score just one. This is some high-effort, high-degree-of-difficulty stuff.
Why they won’t: The god of xG will eventually turn on you. Their goal differential: +1. Their xG differential: minus-4.2. They’ve allowed just two goals from shots worth 6.2 xG. They are playing inspired and intense ball, and it is a delight to watch, but … you aren’t going to win four more matches while giving opponents so many more high-quality opportunities.
Chelsea
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Title odds, per ESPN BET: +1000 (equivalent to 9.1%) | Title odds, per Opta: 10.5% How they got here: def. LAFC (2-0), lost to Flamengo (1-3), def. Esperance (3-0) Round-of-16 opponent: Benfica (June 28, 4 p.m. ET, Charlotte)
Why they will win it all: Depth and a strong possession game. Manager Enzo Maresca is used to dealing with a bloated squad and in this tournament, with its oppressive weather, bloat is a good thing. He has already played 25 different guys, with only right back Malo Gusto topping 195 minutes (star Cole Palmer has had to play only 166). And despite the heavy rotation, Chelsea looked strong for basically five of six halves. They wilted late against Flamengo but responded to qualify easily.
No matter who has been playing, Chelsea have checked all the proper possession boxes: They’re sixth in possession rate (63.0%), sixth in passes per possession (9.2), fourth in progressive carries (90.3 per game) and fourth in offsides drawn (3.0 per game), and all with the third-fewest possessions per game (69.0). They’ll have to beat Benfica without the suspended Nicolas Jackson, which isn’t optimal, but this is a relatively rested team playing the type of ball it wants to play.
Why they won’t: Cole Palmer is the wrong kind of cold (and the glitches remain alarming). You probably need your best player to play well to win four knockout rounds, and Palmer has been an absolute nonfactor in his two appearances thus far. In fact, going all the way back to Jan. 20, he’s played in 26 matches for club and country and has managed just one goal with five assists. Two of those assists did come in the Conference League final against Real Betis, but he’s attempted 75 shots worth 7.6 xG in this lengthy span and put just one in the net. That’s five steps beyond “finishing funk.”
Add Palmer’s struggles to a defense that glitched out for a bit against Flamengo (and had a pretty bad habit of allowing high-quality shot attempts while nursing leads in the Premier League), and you don’t have the most stable of contenders.
Flamengo
Title odds, per ESPN BET: +2800 (equivalent to 3.4%) | Title odds, per Opta: 0.5% How they got here: def. Esperance (2-0), def. Chelsea (3-1), drew with LAFC (1-1) Round-of-16 opponent: Bayern Munich (June 29, 4 p.m. ET, Miami)
Why they will win it all: They take all the good shots. Before manager Filipe Luís flipped their lineup quite a bit for their final match, having already clinched first in Group D, Flamengo allowed one goal in two matches, and it was triggered by a series of funky deflections. Meanwhile, they attempted seven shots worth at least 0.2 xG and allowed one. It’s hard to lose when you’re taking all the good shots.
Brazilian teams have been excellent in this competition, and Flamengo are Brazil‘s best team. They play the sturdy, box-filling defense we’ve seen from most of the South American teams in the Club World Cup, but they don’t spring forward into counterattacks — instead, they play sound, patient possession ball. They keep the tempo ultra-slow, and they whittle away until they create something of high quality.
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Leo Pereira leads a great defense, Giorgian de Arrascaeta (nine goals and four assists in nine Serie A matches) and Gonzalo Plata (two assists versus Chelsea) trigger a diverse attack, and now former Chelsea and Arsenal star midfielder Jorginho is linking the two together.
Why they won’t: A slow game doesn’t work as well if you’re trailing. Granted, they charged back from a 1-0 deficit to wallop Chelsea, but if they are to make a deep run in this tournament, they are only going to face better and better opponents, and they’ll probably have to come from behind again. That’s theoretically a lot harder to do when you play at such a languid pace and your entire game is based around patience. They’ve trailed for only 48 possessions in league play this season, too — we don’t really know how good their Plan B is because they’ve never had to show it.
Fluminense
Title odds, per ESPN BET: +5000 (equivalent to 2.0%) | Title odds, per Opta: 0.4% How they got here: tied Borussia Dortmund (0-0), def. Ulsan HD (4-2), tied Mamelodi Sundowns (0-0) Round-of-16 opponent: Inter Milan (Monday, 3 p.m. ET, Charlotte)
Why they will win it all: They defend their butts off. In league play, Flu haven’t created tons of great scoring opportunities, but they’ve combined quantity and quality in defense: They’re fourth in Brazil’s Serie A in shots allowed per possession, and they’re third in high-quality shots allowed (0.2 xG or higher).
Thus far in the Club World Cup … they haven’t created tons of great scoring opportunities, but they’ve combined quantity and quality in defense. Borussia Dortmund and Mamelodi Sundowns each scored four goals in their other two group-stage matches, but they combined for zero goals and 0.9 xG against Fluminense. Even at age 40, Thiago Silva can coordinate one hell of a defense in the back.
Fluminense are fifth in pass interceptions (10.0 per game), they’re sixth in duel winning percentage (54.5%). They’re taking the fight to opponents and winning. And they’re getting just enough from right winger Jhon Arias in attack — he has a goal and an assist and leads the team in chances created (eight), expected assists from pass completions (0.7), shots (nine), touches (228), progressive carries (26), fouls suffered (nine) and 1v1 attempts (15) — to tie it all together. Flu aren’t playing the most exciting ball in this tournament, but they’re not backing down from challenges either.
Why they won’t: Scoring is a good thing. They only did it in one of three games. Arias is doing his best and 37-year old German Cano, scorer of 40 goals just two seasons ago, had a lovely tiebreaking assist late against Ulsan as well. But it’s really difficult to see this attack doing enough to win four knockout games.
Inter Miami
Title odds, per ESPN BET: +8000 (equivalent to 1.2%) | Title odds, per Opta: 0.3% How they got here: drew with Al Ahly (0-0), def. Porto (2-1), drew with Palmeiras (2-2) Round-of-16 opponent: Paris Saint-Germain (June 29, noon ET, Atlanta)
Why they will win it all: Messi magic. As of Tuesday, there have been four goals from direct free kicks in the Club World Cup. They had an average pre-shot xG of about 0.07. But Leo Messi’s, from 23 meters out in the second half against Porto, felt like 1.00. The crowd buzzed as Messi was lining it up. Everyone expected it to go in, and then it went in.
Per the Opta power rankings, Inter Miami was the No. 4 team in Group A heading into the tournament, and it appeared that a Messi team was primed to exit a tournament in the group stage for the first time ever. But his free kick teed up an upset of Porto, and his work further from the goal against Palmeiras — he made 12 progressive carries, won five of seven one-on-ones and altered the defense’s center of gravity for 90 minutes. Inter overcame a rampant run of cramping to draw with Palmeiras and advance.
Beating PSG is probably too much to ask, but all it might take is a couple of moments of magic from a guy still capable of generating them.
Why they won’t: OK, fine, beating PSG is almost definitely too much to ask. It will take the aforementioned magic, plus further strain from a defense that has maxed itself out in terms of both skill and effort levels. Opta’s power rankings give Inter only a 16.4% chance of advancing and even in a game based so heavily in randomness, that feels incredibly optimistic.
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Inter Milan
Title odds, per ESPN BET: +1800 (equivalent to 5.3%) | Title odds, per Opta: 12.4% How they got here: tied Monterrey (1-1), def. Urawa Red Diamonds (2-1), def. River Plate (2-0) Round-of-16 opponent: Fluminense (June 30, 3 p.m. ET, Charlotte)
Why they will win it all: They have numbers on their side. At first glance, it seems like Inter really struggled to get a foothold in this competition. They gave up a goal on Monterrey’s second shot attempt and settled for a draw, then gave up a goal on Urawa Reds’ first shot and needed two late scores to prevail. They couldn’t get on top of River Plate until a red card flipped the balance of the match midway through the second half. Stars such as Lautaro Martinez, Nicolo Barella and 36-year old Henrikh Mkhitaryan all had to put in more than 210 minutes to make sure Inter advanced properly.
Only the timing of opponents’ goals made these matches interesting, however; Inter attempted shots worth 7.2 xG and allowed shots worth only 2.3, but that +4.9 xG differential (fourth-best in the competition) produced only +3 in the actual goals department. That could bode well for them moving forward. Plus, Inter avoided some of the worst heat in the tournament with two evening matches and two in Seattle. That could also bode well.
Why they won’t: This doesn’t feel like the team that reached the Champions League final. Midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu is out, as are defenders Yann Bisseck and Benjamin Pavard. Forward Marcus Thuram got hurt against Monterrey, and midfielder Davide Frattesi hasn’t seen the pitch yet. This is a banged-up and rather experimental squad, with new manager Cristian Chivu giving lots of minutes to unproven youngsters like brothers Francesco Pio Esposito and Sebastiano Esposito.
The numbers suggest they’ve been doing just fine, but this isn’t Inter Inter.
Juventus
Title odds, per ESPN BET: +3300 (equivalent to 2.9%) | Title odds, per Opta: 2.5% How they got here: def. Al-Ain (5-0), def. Wydad Casablanca (4-1), lost to Manchester City (2-5) Round-of-16 opponent: Real Madrid (July 1, 3 p.m. ET, Miami)
Why they will win it all: They’re hustling. Igor Tudor took over as manager on March 23 and safely steered Juve to a fourth-place finish with just one loss in nine league matches. They created a forcefield around their defensive box and hustled their butts off, allowing few passes per defensive action, blocking tons of shots and making the most of the ball recoveries.
Juve are hustling said butts off appropriately in the U.S., too. Even while nursing mostly comfortable leads that would theoretically allow them to ease off the throttle, they allowed just 8.5 passes per defensive action and produced 44.0 ball recoveries per match in their wins – they ranked third and sixth in those categories, respectively, heading into the match against City. They did allow a goal from a careless breakdown against Wydad Casablanca, but it was almost the only breakdown they suffered in those two matches. Meanwhile, though the City match got away from them, Teun Koopmeiners and Dusan Vlahovic both produced moments of opportunism in their goals, and Kenan Yildiz produced his third assist of the tournament.
Juve appear to be taking this competition very seriously.
Why they won’t: Hustling isn’t enough against good teams. In Tudor’s nine league matches, Juve played three solid teams (Bologna, Lazio and Roma) and drew 1-1 with all three. Combined xG differential in those three matches: minus-0.8. In attack, they couldn’t count on either dangerous counters or sturdy buildup play, and they got pinned in a bit more defensively. They weren’t dominated by any means, but they didn’t create many advantages.
Against Manchester City on Thursday, it was very much the same story, as City produced a 75% possession rate and attempted 24 shots to Juve’s five. High effort levels have made them just about upset-proof, but they probably aren’t going to be favored in any more matches moving forward.
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Manchester City
Title odds, per ESPN BET: +275 (equivalent to 26.7%) | Title odds, per Opta: 20.4% How they got here: def. Wydad Casablanca (2-0), def. Al-Ain (6-0), def. Juventus (5-2) Round-of-16 opponent: Al Hilal (June 30, 9 p.m. ET, Orlando)
Why they will win it all: They’re Manchester City. While the qualification criteria for this competition was rather murky, the general idea is that the teams in this tournament accomplished something particularly noteworthy between 2021-24. City were the best team in the world for a large percentage of that span. They finished only third in the Premier League and reached the FA Cup final this year, which by City standards was apocalyptic, but both the ceiling and floor remain ridiculously high.
And they sure looked like the City of old in the group stage: They scored 13 goals (most in the competition), allowed only two and produced the best goal differential (+11) and xG differential (+7.7) with the highest pass completion rate (92.8%) and most progressive carries (337). They’re doing all the things we expect City to do, and wow, did they trounce Juventus — a team that beat them last fall in the Champions League — on Thursday.
Why they won’t: We don’t know what we need to know about the defense yet. Out of 36 Champions League teams this past season, City ranked 32nd in shots allowed per possession (0.15), 32nd in ball recoveries per game (37.9) and 36th in duel attempts; the attack was fine and hogged the ball as well as expected, but without a healthy Rodri, the back half of the City lineup was terribly passive.
Three January defensive acquisitions (defensive midfielder Nico Gonzalez, right back Abdukodir Khusanov and center back Vitor Reis) and a June acquisition (left back Rayan Aït-Nouri) are among the many guys who have seen the pitch — as is Rodri himself — but Guardiola is still experimenting, and the level of competition is about to ramp up quickly. They only allowed 22 shot attempts in the group stage, but three were worth at least 0.2 xG (two of which were scored), and seven were worth at least 0.1. Results are inconclusive thus far.
Monterrey
Title odds, per ESPN BET: +10000 (equivalent to 1.0%) | Title odds, per Opta: 0.2% How they got here: tied Inter Milan (1-1), tied River Plate (0-0), def. Urawa Red Diamonds (4-0) Round-of-16 opponent: Borussia Dortmund (Tuesday, 9 p.m. ET)
Why they will win it all: The high line is holding up. A lot of Monterrey’s relative success in Liga MX this season came from a fun combination of a high defensive line (they drew the second-most offsides) and a willingness to go mano y mano (third-most take-on attempts, most fouls drawn in the attacking third). That formula has thus far produced in the U.S. too: They drew 12 offsides calls in the first three matches (most in the Club World Cup) and suffered 42 fouls (third-most) and have generally prevented opponents from creating any rhythm whatsoever.
They scored only one goal in their first two matches — and it came from steely veteran Sergio Ramos, predictably on a corner — but allowed only one in three. Ramos (39) and Stefan Medina (33) have been note-perfect in the back, combining for 90 defensive interventions and a healthy percentage of the team’s progressive passes and carries. The attack finally contributed against Urawa Reds, too. This team knows how it wants to win games and has executed well thus far.
Why they won’t: The numbers eventually turn on you. As with Botafogo, the Rayados have done a little bit better than the underlying xG figures suggest they should have. Their draws against Inter and River Plate happened despite a combined xG differential of minus-3.1 (they allowed one goal from shots worth 4.4 xG), and while they’re about to play a Borussia Dortmund team that hasn’t been finishing particularly well either, relying on errant opposing shots to win four matches in a row is a tall ask.
Palmeiras
Title odds, per ESPN BET: +2500 (equivalent to 3.8%) | Title odds, per Opta: 0.9% How they got here: drew with Porto (0-0), def. Al Ahly (2-0), drew with Inter Miami (2-2) Round-of-16 opponent: Botafogo (June 28, noon ET, Philadelphia)
Why they will win it all: They wear opponents down. Winners of 11 trophies in the 2020s, Palmeiras nearly took down Chelsea in the 2021 Club World Cup final. Despite sending loads of high-level talent to Europe in that span, no Brazilian team feels more at home on a big, pressure-packed stage, and they showed it by winning Group A with a run of second-half brilliance.
This is a pretty retrograde attack: Palmeiras are third in the competition in cross attempts (29.0 per match), second in percentage of shots from headers (28.0%) and fourth in direct attacks (sequences starting in the defensive half and producing a shot within 20 seconds). But they’re still attempting more shots per possession than anyone not named Bayern (0.22), and they’re allowing just 0.09 per possession (eighth). In sticky, hot conditions, they keep the game wide open and wait for you to wilt. It’s working.
Why they won’t: Shot quality. Attempting almost 2.5 times more shots than your opponent will generally work out pretty well for you, but only eight of their 50 shot attempts have been worth 0.2 xG or more, and they’re 20th in the competition in xG per shot (0.14). After blowing a couple of golden opportunities in the opener against Porto, Chelsea-bound Estevao’s shot quality has regressed quickly, and Palmeiras have turned shots worth 5.3 xG into only three goals. (They scored a fourth on an own goal.)
If you aren’t taking great shots and aren’t maximizing the ones you take, you aren’t winning four knockout-round matches.
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Paris Saint-Germain
Title odds, per ESPN BET: +300 (equivalent to 25.0%) | Title odds, per Opta: 20.6% How they got here: def. Atletico Madrid (4-0), lost to Botafogo (1-0), def. Seattle Sounders (2-0) Round-of-16 opponent: Inter Miami (June 29, noon ET, Atlanta)
Why they will win it all: They’re the best team in the world. They were placed in a challenging group, Ballon d’Or contender Ousmane Dembele is nursing a hamstring issue, and neither Désiré Doué nor Bradley Barcola have accomplished much so far. And yet, this deep and energetic team is doing all the things a brilliant Luis Enrique squad is supposed to do — 73.4% possession rate (first in the competition), 11.3 passes per possession (first), 104.3 progressive passes per game (first) and, on the pressing side, just 6.9 passes allowed per defensive action (first).
They still have the best fullback duo in the game with Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia remains a nonstop menace on the left wing, Fabián Ruiz and Vitinha have been almost flawless in midfield, and six different players have put the ball in the net. Even with the loss to Botafogo, the best team in the world for the last six months has made it to the knockout rounds with minimal stress.
Why they won’t: They need to dial back in. The blowout win over Atletico Madrid was a statement of intent to open their tournament, but their focus has waned since then.
They indeed gave up a counterattacking goal to Botafogo and never created a particularly high-quality opportunity in the hour that followed. And in what turned out to be a must-win match against Seattle, they were slow out of the gate, allowing a high-quality opportunity to Jesús Ferreira in the 19th minute and actually losing the first-half xG battle. They dominated the second half and were never in trouble, but after that fifth-gear showing they’ve cruised along in second, and it can be difficult to reestablish your best form once you’ve lost it.
Real Madrid
Title odds, per ESPN BET: +500 (equivalent to 16.7%) | Title odds, per Opta: 9.7% How they got here: tied Al-Hilal (1-1), def. Pachuca (3-1), def. RB Salzburg (3-0) Round-of-16 opponent: Juventus (July 1, 3 p.m. ET, Miami)
Why they will win it all: Talent. New manager Xabi Alonso has had about five minutes with his new squad thus far, and it shows. Real Madrid suffered a number of defensive miscues against both Al-Hilal and Pachuca and were lucky not to be punished more for them; they also had to play a man down for more than 80 minutes against Pachuca because of an early Raúl Asencio red card. Plus, Kylian Mbappé has been out with gastroenteritis. (He is supposedly going to try to be ready for the round of 16.)
They always have moments of individual brilliance to rely on, however. Jude Bellingham opened the Pachuca match up with a first-half strike, Vinícius Júnior had a goal and a beautiful assist against Salzburg, Fede Valverde scored twice, and even 21-year old Gonzalo García had two goals and an assist. Mbappe’s return should raise their ceiling even further, and it was already forever high.
Why they won’t: Defense. With center-backs Éder Militão and David Alaba and fullbacks Ferland Mendy and Dani Carvajal all still injured, Alonso has had to rely on a makeshift back line — he has thus far kept the back four the team is used to, instead of moving to the back three he prefers — and it’s been quite the chemistry experiment with newcomers Dean Huijsen and Trent Alexander-Arnold getting to know Antonio Rüdiger, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Fran García and others…
… and it hasn’t gone very well. Real Madrid currently rank 24th out of 32 teams in shots allowed per possession (0.15), ninth in xG allowed per shot (0.13) and, therefore, 21st in total xG allowed (4.7). Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois remains awesome, but they’ve been lucky to allow only two goals, and that luck might run out as the competition levels increase. How the heatwave has affected players at the Club World Cup and what the lessons are for the 2026 World Cup
The heatwave that swept the United States in recent days caused concerns for players and fans at the Club World Cup. To try to manage the intense heat, players have covered themselves in ice-cold towels or placed their hands and feet in buckets of the stuff. Such was the heat in Charlotte on Tuesday that Harry Kane even dipped his head in.At Cincinnati’s TQL Stadium, Borussia Dortmund’s substitutes watched the first half of their game against Mamelodi Sundowns from the locker room rather than the bench to avoid the pitch-side heat. Dortmund coach Niko Kovac said he was “sweating like I’ve just come out of a sauna” after his side won that game in 32C (89.6F) conditions.After their game against Paris Saint-Germain in Pasadena, just outside Los Angeles, Atletico Madrid midfielder Marcos Llorente described the weather as “impossible. Terribly hot. My toenails were hurting”.In Philadelphia, Chelsea played in temperatures of around 36C (97F), which forecasters said felt more like 41C (106F). “It is almost impossible to train or to make a session because of the weather,” Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca told reporters on Monday. “This morning’s session has been very, very, very short.”But what exactly does heat do to an athlete’s body? And how much of a problem can it really be?Here The Athletic answers those questions and what it means for the rest of the Club World Cup — and the World Cup, which will be staged mostly by the U.S, again in June and July, with games also in the neighbouring countries of Canada and Mexico.What You Should Read NextExtreme heat at the Club World Cup: Players and fans voice concerns as temperatures soarA heatwave will hit the U.S. this week where players and fans at the Club World Cup are already concerned about the dangerous weather
How the heat is impacting players
Any physical exertion in hot conditions will cause the body’s temperature to rise. “We sit about 37C (98.6F) at resting,” says Dr Chris Tyler, an environmental physiologist from London’s University of Roehampton and an expert on heat stress in elite sports. “Most people get into trouble if they are two to three degrees warmer than that, so we don’t have much of a buffer.“It’s actually quite difficult to get the body that hot, but one of the ways to do it is to move quite quickly in hot conditions.” The most obvious consequence of that rise in temperature is an elevation in your heart rate. This happens, explains Tyler, because the body sends more blood to the skin to try to get rid of some of the excess heat (the reason why some people get very red-faced when they’re too warm).That leaves less blood in the core trunk of the body, and crucially, less blood in the heart, meaning it has to work harder to provide blood to the working muscles. That’s why doing the same exercise at the same intensity is going to be harder — and feel harder — in higher temperatures than cooler ones. The most obvious visual impact among professional footballers is their sweat response. They will start to perspire earlier and more rapidly as their body tries to cool itself down.
Kane dips his head into an ice bucket and laps water over his face (DAZN)
According to Geoff Scott, former head of medicine and sports science at Tottenham Hotspur, players lose a minimum of two litres (approaching four UK pints, over four in U.S. pints) of fluid per game playing in cooler temperatures in the Premier League. “When it gets really hot and humid, that can go up to about five litres of fluid over the course of one game,” he tells The Athletic. It’s not just water they are losing through sweat either, it’s electrolytes, too, and the depletion of essential ones such as sodium, chloride and potassium is a key concern. To combat that, Scott says that in the days before and especially on the day of a game, hydration is pushed at all opportunities to make sure players are drinking water and also sports drinks with adequate electrolytes. “It’s common now that teams will do sweat analysis on the players so they know which players sweat more and which ones lose more electrolytes in their sweat, and they can be targeted with specific drinks to make sure their electrolyte imbalances are addressed,” he says. A player who gets into the “dehydration zone” could suffer light-headedness, dizziness, fatigue and muscle cramps, but Scott says that, well before getting to that opint, there will be changes in their performance levels: “You tend to start seeing them reduce their high-intensity running, and very elevated temperatures tend to affect their technical skills too, so the quality can drop off. They start to fatigue faster, too.” While an increase in sweating can cause issues regarding dehydration, it’s also a good thing, because if it can evaporate from the skin, the perspiration will take some of the heat away with it. But, Tyler explains, in conditions where humidity is also high, a lot of that sweat won’t be able to evaporate because there is already lots of moisture in the surrounding air. “So players will be losing sweat,” he says, “but it will be dripping off them rather than evaporating, which will be dehydrating without taking any heat away.” If the rise in body temperature isn’t controlled, it can lead to heatstroke. “As the blood is all shunted to the skin, there’s less volume of blood in your cardiovascular system,” explains Scott. “And that’s the problem – your blood pressure drops. Someone out for a casual jog who is getting close to that would probably stop, but these guys can’t stop (during a match), so they’re at more risk.”
How players are adapting to the temperature
To cope with soaring temperatures, athletes adapt the way they perform. In football, the average distance covered is reduced during hot-weather games and the action becomes more possession-heavy, explains Tyler. “The good teams will adapt tactically. You see it in tennis as well, where good players will make the other players run a lot more. It’s the same here; if you’re Manchester City, you can play a very slow, possession-based game and let everyone else chase you for 90 minutes.”
Manchester City’s Erling Haaland at the Club World Cup (Patricia De Melo Moreira/AFP/Getty Images)
There is physiological adaptation, too, with the body making subtle changes to be more efficient in the heat. One of those is an expansion of the plasma volume of a person’s blood, meaning you end up with a greater volume of blood in the body than you had before. “Now you have more blood, so you can send some to the skin and maintain blood flow to the working muscles without needing the heart to pump faster,” says Tyler. “That means the heart rate won’t go so high.”As well as sweating earlier, what comes out of the players’ pores will also be different to normal, says Tyler, becoming more diluted, thus preserving essential electrolytes such as sodium chloride and potassium, which are lost through sweat.Those adaptations in blood volume and sweat composition can help decrease the strain the players are under. The only catch is that those processes take time.“How long they take is hard to say exactly,” says Tyler, “but it seems like players would need at least five to seven days to see meaningful adaptations. But even after two weeks, they are still making adaptations to that stress.”Given the short turnaround time between the end of the European season, late May for a lot of leagues, and the start of the Club World Cup on June 14, many of the teams involved won’t have had much time to acclimatise before travelling to the United States.Also of relevance is the fact a lot of the teams taking part in this tournament come from countries with typically cooler climates than their rivals from South and Central America, North Africa, and the Middle East, which makes the challenge even greater.Tyler, whose research focuses on human responses to extreme hot and cold environments, and specifically on how to minimise the performance impairments observed in such conditions, says that for an event such as the Club World Cup, athletes would ideally want at least two weeks of “heat adaptation training” before leaving for the host nation.This usually involves heat tents or heat chambers, which mimic the conditions players will face on arrival. Heat lamps can also be used inside these to recreate the feeling of the sun’s rays. Temperatures in the tents can range from 35-50C (95-122F) and the humidity rises from around 30 per cent to 80 per cent by the end of a session.It’s an approach England’s new head coach, Thomas Tuchel, used at their training camp in the recent June international window. With the side’s likely participation in next summer’s World Cup in mind, players were asked to go through fitness tests inside heated tents, allowing performance staff to analyse how each of them responds to those conditions, including analysing their sweat rate and sweat composition.“The idea,” says Tyler, “is to do their normal training (or as close to it as possible) while getting their body hot in a controlled, safe environment.” Over time, he explains, players doing this start to adapt physiologically to perform better in higher temperatures. Once they arrive in the hot climate itself, they can continue to adapt. Manchester City used their early training sessions in the States to try to speed up the adaptation, with manager Pep Guardiola holding long midday training sessions in the searing Florida heat at their base in Boca Raton, near Miami. Juventus have been scheduling training to match the kick-offs of their group matches, with their English defender Lloyd Kelly telling the media they had trained “the past 10 days in the hottest times of the day”.
Lloyd Kelly playing for Juventus at the Club World Cup (Francois Nel/Getty Images)
“Being aerobically fit is advantageous anyway,” says Tyler, “so if you’re an elite player, you probably have some more tolerance for the heat than if you were a non-athlete. “That could put teams like Auckland City (the part-timers from New Zealand) at an even bigger disadvantage, because they’re not professional athletes, so their players are less fit than some other teams.” World football governing body and Club World Cup organiser FIFA’s policy on managing the temperature for players during games is to implement cooling breaks when the wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT; an overall thermal-strain measure achieved by combining temperature, humidity, wind speed and solar radiation) exceeds 32C (89.6F) on the pitch. FIFA also said its medical experts “have been in regular contact with the clubs to address heat management and acclimatisation”, and that it was working with local medical authorities regarding heat management. From the players’ point of view, the Club World Cup represents a dry run for the national-team version in a year — a taste of what they might expect if they are among those taking part in football’s biggest competition. The challenge has been made clear at the Club World Cup: the toughest opponent might not be the team you’re facing, but the heat. The preparation for that has to start now.
(Top photo: Porto’s Rodrigo Mora after playing Al Ahly on Monday; by Franck Fife/AFP/Getty Images)
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Jeff CarlisleSep 25, 2025, 10:05 AM ET ESPNFC 
Atlanta United has struggled in Ronny Deila’s first season at the helm (Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
Josef Martínez was prolific under Tata Martino in Atlanta (Mark J. Rebilas / USA TODAY Sports)
Atlanta has just five wins through 29 games, tied for second-fewest in MLS (Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
Top MEN’S WORLD CUP Stories
Mauricio Pochettino’s changes paid off vs. Japan (Koji Watanabe / Getty Images)
USMNT center backs Chris Richards (3) and Tim Ream (13) with goal-scoring winger Alex Zendejas (Joseph Maiorana / Imagn Images)
USMNT had plenty to celebrate during its performance vs. Japan (Adam Cairns / Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY Network / Imagn Images)
Mauricio Pochettino and Folarin Balogun share a hug after a successful showing vs. Japan (Joseph Maiorana / Imagn Images)
USMNT core figures Christian Pulisic and Tyler Adams during Tuesday’s win over Japan (Adam Cairns / Columbus Dispatch / USA Today Network / Imagn Images)
Malik Tillman and Diego Luna helped guide the USMNT to the Gold Cup final (Jed Jacobsohn / Getty Images)
Mauricio Pochettino enjoyed a win over Japan, but successes haven’t been frequent in his time as U.S. manager (Koji Watanabe / Getty Images)
USMNT fans hope Christian Pulisic and Folarin Balogun can form a powerful combination. (Stephen Nadler / ISI Photos / ISI Photos via Getty Images)
Weston McKennie was among those left out of Mauricio Pochettino’s latest USMNT squad. (Marco Canoniero / LightRocket via Getty Images)
Under former USMNT coach Bob Bradley, players like Charlie Davies were incentivized to prove themselves overseas. (Chris Williams /Icon SMI / Corbis / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Paxten Aaronson made a recent return to Major League Soccer from Europe. (Seth Herald / AFP via Getty Images)That is a crazy situation. But what other conclusion could we draw from the fact that a promising player like Aidan Morris, who was rightly called up due to his excellent form with the Columbus Crew, is now ignored despite being a regular in the highly competitive Championship with Middlesbrough?
The September friendlies will mark Christian Pulisic’s return to the squad. (Logan Riely / USSF / Getty Images for USSF)
Fulham’s Antonee Robinson was among the high-profile absentees from the USMNT squad. (Tim Nwachukwu / Getty Images)
Pochettino (left) and captain Tim Ream (center) suffered summer disappointment with a Concacaf Gold Cup final defeat. (Chandan Khanna / AFP via Getty Images)
USMNT midfielder Weston McKennie won’t take part in friendlies vs. South Korea and Japan (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)
Top CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Stories
Christian Pulisic and AC Milan will be sitting out European competition this season (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
Chelsea beat West Ham 5-1 away last week (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino doesn’t have many options behind Antonee Robinson at left back (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
Can Flick’s Barca build further on last season’s success? (Judit Cartiel/Getty Images)
Alonso was appointed as Madrid coach back in May (Sara Gordon/Real Madrid via Getty Images)
Jauregizar, pictured in pre-season for Athletic (Joris Verwijst/BSR Agency/Getty Images)
United States international Cardoso in action for Atletico in pre-season against Newcastle (Andy Buchanan/AFP via Getty Images)
Bryan Mbeumo (left), Benjamin Sesko (middle) and Matheus Cunha (Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
Alexander Isak during pre-season training in July (Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)
Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah celebrate against Germany in 2023 (Alex Grimm/Getty Images)
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Teams will be awarded a corner if the opposition goalkeeper holds onto the ball for too long (Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez was involved in a double-touch penalty in last season’s Champions League (Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
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Wrexham’s new pitch, as seen before their first home match of the season (Robbie Jay Barratt/Getty Images)
The newly-installed cameras (Richard Sutcliffe/The Athletic)
The new two-level TV gantry (Richard Sutcliffe/The Athletic)
Barriers obscure the building of the new Kop stand (Robbie Jay Barratt/Getty Images)
. With 28 goal contributions in 18 games played, he’s blowing everyone out of the water in contributions per 90’. Every other MVP candidate has played 22 games or more. If this continues, no one will be surprised if he becomes the first player ever to repeat as MVP.
Cesar HernandezJul 24, 2025, 09:38 AM ET
Mead was fouled for the penalty that led to England’s dramatic extra-time winner against Italy (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
Sweden2
England2*
Norway1
Italy2
France1
Germany1*
Spain2
Switzerland0
Bonmati’s extra time goal lift Spain to the Euros final (Sebastien Bozon/AFP via Getty Images)
Germany held Spain for more than 100 minutes (Eddie Keogh/Getty Images)
Germany goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger and Spain forward Esther Gonzalez are teammates at Gotham FC in NWSL (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
From World Cups to Nations Leagues, Spain and England know each other well (Judit Cartiel / Getty Images)
: The U.S. make heavy weather, continuing to lack pace and sharpness in the final third, but find a way to win 1-0. I see a Berhalter goal, huge celebrations on the field, and a Pochettino grimace on the sideline.
Matt Freese has earned four caps, all in June. (Photo: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images)
The USMNT’s results in the Gold Cup group stage gave Mauricio Pochettino some reason to smile (Photo by Omar Vega/Getty Images “This was preparation. Now we’ll be playing a final, it’s all or nothing,” Pochettino said. “So we have to be prepared. We will be prepared, no matter the opponent we face. It’s our challenge: we have to compete well, to keep competing well and continue improving. We have a week to prepare for this game, so I have no doubt we’ll get there in the best possible way.”Pochettino has been clear that what he wants is open competition for the team he takes to the World Cup. If the players are going to make an impression, they will need to win some knockout games. It’s not unlike the challenge a similar U.S. group had at the 2021 Gold Cup. Coming off of an emotional 2021 Nations League victory over Mexico, U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter took a ‘B’ squad to the Gold Cup later that summer. Mexico, meanwhile, did not. It sparked debate about what the better plan was. On the one hand, Mexico got an extra month working together. On the other, Berhalter got a chance to look at a wider pool. What the U.S. did in that tournament ended any debate. It beat Haiti, Canada and Martinique in the group stage, advancing with a plus-seven goal differential — the same as this year’s team. Then it beat Jamaica, 1-0, in the quarterfinals and Qatar, 1-0, in the semifinals before meeting Mexico in the championship game. A 1-0 win in extra time helped to secure a second trophy that summer — and it announced the U.S. as being “back” as a top power in Concacaf.Before this camp started, U.S. goalkeeper Matt Turner talked about how that Gold Cup win helped him break through as a real option for Berhalter’s U.S. team. A year and a half later, Turner was starting in Qatar.That’s the 
USMNT concedes a goal to Haiti in the Gold Cup (Photo by Omar Vega/Getty Images)
Ryan O’HanlonJun 26, 2025, 07:00 AM ET
Landon Donovan’s foray into the Christian Pulisic national team debate has been one of American soccer’s stories of the summer. (Shaun Clark / ISI Photos / Getty Images)
Clint Dempsey and an 18-year-old Christian Pulisic celebrate a USMNT goal against Honduras in 2017. (David Madison / Getty Images)
Clint Dempsey says the example of ex-USMNT midfielder José Francisco Torres shows the value of increased developmental opportunities. (Misael Montaño / LatinContent via Getty Images)
Hayes and Coffey during the former’s first game in charge of the USWNT last June. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)
Morgan’s last game for the U.S. came over a year ago and is no longer part of the picture (C. Morgan Engel/Getty Images)
Bill ConnellyJun 27, 2025, 08:31 AM ET
Al Hilal
Bayern Munich
Benfica
Borussia Dortmund
Botafogo
Chelsea
Flamengo
Fluminense
Inter Miami
Inter Milan
Juventus
Manchester City
Monterrey
Palmeiras
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Real Madrid
Kane dips his head into an ice bucket and laps water over his face (DAZN)
Manchester City’s Erling Haaland at the Club World Cup (Patricia De Melo Moreira/AFP/Getty Images)
Lloyd Kelly playing for Juventus at the Club World Cup (Francois Nel/Getty Images)
The Ole BallCoach 
