Women’s Euro’s Continue on Fox 3 pm Tues England vs Italy, Wed Spain vs Germany
Wow the Germany vs Sweden game going to extra time and winning in penalties after Germany played the entire game a player down was truly amazing. Germany goalkeeper Ann Berger was inspiring and added the save of year with this Amazing Save. Even more remarkable is her fight and win against Cancer and her story gets even more inspiring Berger’s Journey from Cancer to Shootout Hero. I know who I am rooting for now to win the whole thing (in honor of my Bruz Cable who’s birthday would have been in just 8 days and lost his battle with cancer in 2023).
Of course Spain will be co-favorite along with defending Euro Champs England. Games start at 3 pm on Fox! I like England in the first one but I think Italy will take them to ET – while Spain will probably beat Germany setting up a dream final on Sunday 12 noon on Fox. Women’s EURO Great Saves | Quarter-Finals
US Men vs #17 Japan in Columbus on Tues. Sept 9th – Discount Tix Available
The US men are coming to Columbus, Ohio Lower.com Field on Tuesday night Sept 9th for a 7:30 pm match up with #17 ranked Japan. The Ole Ballcoach is going along with some buddies to the game. Visit http://ussoccer.spinzo.com/CarmelFC this special link to get discounted tickets. We plan to sit in section 128 or 129 ($50/each) beside the American Outlaws who will be in the Nordic Section 127. Let me know if you plan to join – feel free to send on to friends. I for one was sick of seeing US fans outnumbered all summer long in our own stadiums. Let’s prove Columbus and Cincy are the HOME STADIUMS of US Soccer – this is where US Fans will not be outnumbered! Join me in the trek to Columbus to fight for our Red, White and Blue! Reach out to the Ole Ballcoach at shanebestsoccer@gmail.com if you want to coordinate travel plans.
Indy 11 Xmas in July promo Sat night 7 pm @ The Mike
Midfielder James Murphy scored his first Indy Eleven goal, but the Boys in Blue fell at USL Championship Eastern Conference opponent North Carolina FC, 4-2 Friday night. The Boys in Blue host the final round of USL Jägermeister Cup group play with “Christmas in July on Saturday, July 26 at 7 p.m. at Carroll Stadium vs. FC Tulsa. Indy 11 Christmas in July Indy Eleven leads Group 3 with a 2-0-1 record and can clinch a berth in the quarterfinals of the 38-team event with a victory. Single-game tickets for all matches are available via Ticketmaster. Flex Plan, Group, and Hospitality tickets are available here. For questions, call (317) 685-1100 during business hours or email tickets@indyeleven.com.
MLS vs La Liga All-Star Game Wed 9 pm / Skills Challenge Tues on Apple TV/Prime
The MLS will roll out their best to face Mexico’s La Liga starts in the Skills Challenge on Tues 8 pm followed by the All-Star Game on Wed at 9 pm from Austin all on Apple TV or Amazon Prime Network. If you have Apple you don’t need the MLS Season pass to watch these.
RIP Mike Sommer
CDC Celebration of Life for Mike Sommer
Date: Saturday, July 26, 2025
Time: 9:00AM
Location: Conference Room above Badger Field Concession Stand
Mike was not only a dedicated Carmel Dad’s Club, High School and Middle School referee but also a kind and steady presence within our CDC community. He will be greatly missed by all of us who had the honor of refereeing alongside him. Man Mike is the one who got me started Reffing at CYO, Middle School and High School lower level teams on the outskirts of town before I became fully licensed for HS. I learned a lot from Mike – how important it was to treat the kids with respect and always do that extra bit of explaining the rules with a calm voice He was loved by many across the soccer World!
https://www.arnmortuary.com/obituaries/michael-sommer
Fond are the Memories of driving out to Anderson to do games – always driving the back woods roads and ALWAYS stopping on the way home for dinner at some diner or small restaurant out there. Good Times indeed. I am out of town for the ceremonies – but will look forward to gathering July 26th to honor our friend Mike Sommer.
TV GAMES SCHEDULE
Tues, July 22
3 pm Fox England vs Italy Semi’s
5 pm FS1 Colombia vs Boliva Women Copa
8 pm FS1 Paraguay vs Brazil Women Copa
Weds, July 23
3 pm Fox Spain vs Germany Semi’s
9 pm Apple Free/Amazon Prime MLS vs Mexico All Star Game
Thur, July 24
8 pm FS2 Chile vs Uraguay Women Copa
8 pm FS1 Ecuador vs Argentina Women Copa
Fri, July 25
8 pm FS2 Brazil vs Colombia Women Copa
Sat, July 26
7 pm FS1 Inter Miami vs Cincy
7 pm TV 6, ESPN+ Indy 11 vs FC Tulsa Christmas in July
9:30 pm Apple TV Salt Lake vs San Jose
10:30 pm Apple TV Vancouver vs Kansas City
Sun, July 27
12 noon Fox TBD vs TBD? Euro Finals
Women’s Euros
Women’s Euro semifinals: What to know for Italy vs. England
Why have there been so many missed penalties at Euro 2025?
Italy’s players couldn’t get pro deals at home 3 years ago; now they’re crushing at Euro
Why England vs. Italy offers that rarest of prospects – a ‘big six’
The longevity of Lucy Bronze: Challenging Wiegman and playing
How Italy’s perfect blend is allowing their dreams to run wild at Euro 2025
– Bonmatí proud of journey from meningitis to MVP
– Berger typifies Germany’s fight as tough semifinal looms
– Euro 2025 semifinals: How do you tactically beat each team?
MLS All Star Game vs Liga MX Wed 8 pm & Skills Challenge Tues 9 pm on Apple TV
MLS vs La Liga – Which All Star Roster Is more Valuable
🎥 The top 5️⃣ goals from the MLS weekend
🎥 Portland Timbers unveil largest tifo in MLS history for 50th
🎥 Messi involved in four goals to make absolute mockery of NYRB 😮
> Lionel Messi bags another brace and two assistsin Inter Miami’s 5-1 over NY Red Bulls; watch his assist (More); Messi’s second goal took his career non-penalty goals to 764, surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of 763 (More) | San Diego remain top of the Western Conference, while Cincinnati remain top of the Eastern Conference; See all MLS results (More)
Club World Cup
‘You can’t put Trump in there, it was just embarrassing’
One former Chelsea one was not impressed by what he saw in the USA this summer
Chelsea captain Reece James issues clear World Cup warning after lifting trophy in the shadow of Trump
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UEFA Women’s Euro 2025, Semi-Final: England vs. Italy, 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET. England can take confidence from the fact that they have won four of their previous five games against Italy, with their most recent meeting resulting in a 5-1 victory in a friendly in February 2024. But Italy have proven to be a different team this tournament, having opened the scoring in all four of their Euro 2025 games so far, only doing so in three of their 18 matches in the competition prior. Read the full match preview here.
| The UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 semis are set, with Italy, England, Spain, and Germany advancing past a fierce quarterfinal round to secure a spot in the final four. |
| Spain’s 2-0 victory over Switzerland proved to be the only quarterfinal decided by more than one goal, while Italy’s 90-minute 2-1 thriller against Norway narrowly avoided extra time.Both England vs. Sweden and Germany vs. France needed penalty shootouts to determine a winner, with the prevailing nations mounting steep comebacks to punch their semifinal tickets.“I really had a sense throughout the game, even when we were down, that it wasn’t our time to go,” England defender Esme Moran said of her team’s poise after falling behind 2-0 early in the match. |
| PK madness: Penalty kicks have remained a hot topic throughout this year’s tournament, with players converting just 24 of 41 attempts — a well below-average 58.5%. |
| England and Sweden combined for nine missed penalties on Thursday, marking the worst conversion rate in Women’s Euro history.Germany also made dubious history over the weekend, becoming the first Women’s Euro team on record to register a comeback win after seeing a player sent off, following defender Kathrin Hendrich’s 13th-minute straight red card offense. |
| New Euro Favorites |
| The semi-finals of the Uefa Women’s Euro 2025 have been confirmed. England will face Italy on Tuesday (July 22), and Germany will play Spain on Wednesday (July 23). |
| England, following a penalty shootout victory over Sweden in the quarter-finals, are now the 36.5% favourites to win the tournament, according to Opta’s prediction model. They’ve overtaken previous favourites Spain, who are now projected to have a 31% chance of winning the competition. Both sides are expected to reach the final, which takes place on Sunday, July 27. |
| While Spain have won all four of their matches, scoring 16 and conceding just four, the model favours England due to the difficulty of their semi-final opponents. Germany, who are given a 23.4% chance of winning, are unbeaten in eight meetings with Spain, having won five and drawn three, with a combined goal tally of 18–3. Meanwhile, Italy (8%) are ranked eight places below England. |
| Dive deeper into the final four’s key stats here. |
P27, W0, D1, L26: Why England v Italy offers that rarest of prospects – a ‘big six’ Euros upset
By Michael Cox The Athletic – July 22, 2025Updated 10:34 am EDT
The Athletic has live coverage of England vs. Italy semifinal at the 2025 UEFA Women’s Euros.
There are a couple of paradoxes in international women’s football in Europe at the moment.The first is that, while the overall quality of the game is steadily improving year on year, it is difficult to make a case that any individual side has dramatically improved in relation to the others. The accepted hierarchy is still in place.In other words, the six favourites going into Euro 2022 were the same six favourites going into Euro 2025: England, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden. No one has yet evolved from being one of the ‘other’ nations to being one of the favourites.The second is related. While the outsiders have become better at competing with the favourites — there are no longer any huge thrashings at the European Championship, and the biggest margin of victory at this tournament has been by a fairly respectable five goals — they are not actually managing to defeat them. Or, in actual fact, even get a draw against them.The statistics demonstrate this nicely. At Euro 2022, there were 16 matches between one of the ‘big six’ and the ‘other 10’. Those matches produced 15 victories for the favourites, and a single draw.That draw was recorded with the final kick of the group stage, when Iceland scored a 112th-minute penalty against a France side who were already assured of top spot in Group D, and therefore had made six changes for a game played in 36-degree heat. The equaliser, admitted France manager Corinne Diacre after the game, “wasn’t that important given the situation”. It’s fair to suspect that, had France needed to beat Iceland, they would have.
Dagny Brynjarsdottir’s penalty earned Iceland a draw against France at Euro 2022 (Marcio Machado/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
It’s been a similar story this time around. The 11 matches between one of the favourites and the ‘other 10’ at Euro 2025 have produced 10 victories for the favourites. And only Denmark have (twice) held the opposition to merely a one-goal victory, losing 1-0 to neighbours Sweden, and 2-1 to Germany, ensuring their elimination after two matches.
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Denmark, of course, will not be celebrating this as much of an achievement. Indeed, Denmark are the side who inflicted the last genuine shock at the European Championship, in 2017. Going into the quarter-final, they were given little hope against a Germany side who had won eight of the previous nine European Championships. But after the match was postponed by a day due to torrential rain in Rotterdam, Denmark produced a huge upset by coming back from a goal down to win 2-1. It was only the second time since 1989 that Germany had not won the European Championship.
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The Danes subsequently reached the final in 2017, beating relative minnows Austria on penalties in the semi-final, before losing to hosts the Netherlands 4-2 in the final.But that seems a long time ago. And now, the underdogs’ record against the ‘big six’ at the past two tournaments is played 27, won none, drawn one, and lost 26. Which does not make for a particularly appealing competition for viewers hoping for the unexpected.On Tuesday in Geneva, Italy have the final opportunity in this European Championship to provide the Euros’ first genuine shock, when they take on holders England. In some ways, it is a shame to be speaking about Italy in such a fashion, considering their period of relative success in the 1990s. As other European nations have put more resources into women’s football, Italy stood still and therefore slipped behind.The Italian game remains something of a mystery to many, with almost all the national team players remaining at home, and relatively little Italian involvement in the final stages of the Champions League. It is clear, from speaking to four-time Serie A-winning manager Rita Guarino before the tournament, that English football and the Women’s Super League is considered a template for Italy to follow. That includes bidding to host this tournament in four years’ time, having witnessed the success of Euro 2022.It might seem patronising to consider Italy underdogs, but then the general pattern from this tournament is players and managers declaring the opposition are favourites.
And, after all, Italy are suited to the role. For all the brilliance of playmaker Manuela Giugliano, they probably do not have the guile to dominate the game against England. But they have centre-backs who will relish a physical duel against Alessia Russo (of Italian descent, as it happens), full-backs who have provided a stream of good crosses throughout this tournament, attacking midfielders who make direct runs on the break, and a major penalty-box threat in Cristiana Girelli.Andrea Soncin’s side showed enough against Spain in their final group game to suggest they will cause England problems, primarily on the counter-attack. An Italian win would be popular across Europe — it would not merely be a victory for themselves, but for everyone outside the established ‘big six’.(Top photo: Daniela Porcelli/Getty Images)
How Italy’s perfect blend is allowing their dreams to run wild at Euro 2025
By Megan Feringa July 22, 2025Updated 10:34 am EDT
The Athletic has live coverage of England vs. Italy semifinal at the 2025 UEFA Women’s Euros.
There’s a saying in Italian: I sogni non sono nei cassetti perche ci stanno stretti. It translates as: Dreams are not kept in drawers because they are too tight.That much was certain last Tuesday as Italy defeated Norway 2-1 in a Women’s European Championship quarter-final to reach their first tournament semi-final since 1997, allowing their deepest wishes to run wild and free.“We all dreamt together,” said midfielder Annamaria Serturini ahead of the quarter-final match. “We all dreamt because, in the end, everyone dreamt for a long time. We have reached our great goal, and we do not want to stop. We want to continue dreaming, and making Italians dream.”With reigning European champions England next today (Tuesday), Italy are dreaming hard. But, as Serturini says, many of these players have also been dreaming for a long time.Of the 16 teams at this tournament, Italy’s average squad age was the fourth-oldest (28.34 years), behind those of Sweden, Portugal and Wales. Comparatively, the other three sides still standing in Switzerland rank between eighth- (England, 26.93) and 10th-oldest (Spain and Germany are level at 26.33).Excluding the last two quarter-finals, of the 52 line-ups put forth by various teams at Euro 2025, Italy have fielded four of the 15 oldest sides (Sweden, Portugal, Wales and the Netherlands sent out the other 11 between them).Striker Cristiana Girelli, who got both goals in that win against Norway, is this tournament’s fourth-oldest scorer at 35 years old, behind Wales’ Jess Fishlock (38), Janice Cayman of Belgium (36) and Sweden’s Kosovare Asllani (who is also 35 but around nine months older than Girelli).Also, of Italy’s six most-used players in these finals so far, four are in their thirties: Girelli (298 minutes), goalkeeper Laura Giuliani (32 years old; 360), forward Elena Linari (31; also 360) and defender Cecilia Salvai (31; 347).
Italy’s players and coaching staff celebrate their 2-1 quarter-final win over Norway (Eddie Keogh/Getty Images)
Before we go any further: no, this is not a piece focusing solely on the age of Italy’s squad. But one of their main problem areas for the Itailans after getting to previous tournaments was a perceived lack of pace and energy; they were a talented team bogged down by immobility.
In the past two years, though, they have looked sharper, more energetic, despite still being bookended in goal and up front by two of the three oldest players in the squad in Giuliani and Girelli. The key has been the gradual introduction of a new generation around the experienced core to supplement their talents with pace and vivacity.Specifically in midfield and along the flanks, Italy have looked much more lively in their displays. Full-backs Lucia Di Guglielmo and Elisabetta Oliviero are both 28 and have had good tournaments, while a midfield of Manuela Giugliano (27), Arianna Caruso (25) and Emma Severini (22) outworked and outplayed Norway last week.What You Should Read NextHow England saved themselves at Euro 2025: Blood, sweat, notes and… holding in a wee during the shootoutRaw emotion and a never-say-die attitude came to the fore as the European champions somehow made it into the semi-finals
Even more beneficial have been the performances from Sofia Cantore up front.The 25-year-old forward, who joined NWSL side Washington Spirit from Juventus last month, assisted both goals against Norway. In Girelli, Italy have a very good penalty-box player — her one-touch close-range finish for the opener in that quarter-final and 90th-minute headed clincher are cases in point — but Cantore provides the zeal and creativity that allows her team-mate to focus on occupying those areas in the opposition box.Girelli’s two goals that night were emblematic of Italy since the September 2023 appointment of head coach Andrea Soncin, who has shifted the team’s look with this modest generational change.In fact, of the starting XI against Norway, six — Barbara Bonansea, Giuliani, Girelli, Salvai, Giugliano and Linari — all made their national-team debuts between 2012 and 2014. The rest — Di Guglielmo, Oliviero, Caruso, Severini and Cantore — made theirs between 2019 and 2024.
Goalkeeper Giuliani is the fourth most-capped player in Italy’s Euro 2025 squad (Daniela Porcelli/Getty Images)
Many of Italy’s big moments have stemmed from the older players in their thirties, the ones who have endured big games, big dreams and big heartbreak in the past as a collective, while more recently introduced “additions” enter the pool as players come of age.Calling these players “young” would be disingenuous. Only Severini is under 24 years old. Yet, there is something abnormal about this blend.International teams are generally spaced by four years, with youth teams graduating together, contending for some time, then being replaced via gradual onboarding of their successors. In this way, sides take on the look of a quilt: kiddos, prime players and veterans stitched together and all scoring and playing. England at this tournament are a good example of this, with their quarter-final goalscorers Lucy Bronze (33) and Michelle Agyemang (19) having 14 years and three months between their respective birth dates.Italy’s chemistry is more two-dimensional than three.Soncin has found success in this method. His tenure began with a 2023-24 Nations League campaign in which Italy finished second in their group behind Spain but recorded a historic 3-2 away win against the world champions, leading to some of the optimism currently surrounding the squad. That sense of positivity was further built during Euro qualifying earlier this year, as Italy finished top of their group ahead of the Netherlands, who won the competition in 2017.Tonight against England, Italy will doubtless be underdogs, as they were in the previous round.Norway were disorganised last week and allowed Soncin’s midfielders to move without much pressure. The English should be stronger in this aspect of the game — but Italy have surprised many in the past two years to reach this historic point, and that is arguably because of the slow but purposeful blend the 46-year-old coach has managed to nurture.Calling it a revolution (or even an evolution) is arguably a step too far. Rather, it’s a slow reawakening, a reformation, nailing Italy’s dreams to the front door of this tournament.(Top photo: Sebastien Bozon/AFP via Getty Images)
‘There are no words’ – Lionel Messi and his record-breaking scoring for Inter Miami
By Paul Tenorio and Conor O’Neill b July 16, 2025
Two years into his time with Inter Miami, Lionel Messi remains the game-changing superstar he has been throughout his career.Messi, who won the MLS Most Valuable Player award in 2024 with 20 goals and 16 assists in just 19 games played in the regular season, seems intent on increasing his output this year. Miami set the record for most points in a season last year en route to the Supporters’ Shield, and the club is again on pace to finish first atop the regular season standings thanks to Messi’s recent form.Entering Wednesday night’s match vs. FC Cincinnati, Messi has scored multiple goals in five consecutive regular-season games, the first player in MLS history to do so. No other player had ever done it in four. You’d be forgiven for having it slip out of your focus, as the streak straddles the Club World Cup.Messi scored two goals in a pair of wins over CF Montréal and the Columbus Crew on May 28 and May 31, respectively. Miami then played four games in the FIFA Club World Cup, with Messi’s free kick goal against Porto earning MLS their only win in the tournament and ensuring that Miami would be the only MLS team to advance to the knockout stage.Since returning to MLS play, Messi has seemed intent on making a statement as rumors swirl about his future — even as sources close to Miami and the player have insisted that he is nearing an extension to remain in South Florida.Messi has scored two goals in each of his last three games — all wins — over Montréal, the New England Revolution and Nashville SC.
That lifts Messi’s season tally to 16 goals — tied with Nashville’s Sam Surridge for the league lead — and seven assists in 16 games played.
While Miami is five points back of the Philadelphia Union, who sit in first place in the Supporters’ Shield table, it has three games in hand. Miami is setting the pace with two points per game — ahead of the Union’s 1.95 pace – and is 6-2-2 in its last 10 games, having not lost in MLS play since May 17. It’s riding a five-game winning streak, which coincides with Messi’s latest goal binge.
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“There are no words. What he continues to do is incredible — breaking records every three days,” Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano said after the Nashville win. “It’s what I have said a thousand times in this room: He’s the flagbearer of this team, he sets the standard for how we compete, he is the leader, the one who obviously encourages his teammates, shows them how we have to keep going, and, above all, maintain at this moment the tone we are setting.
“It’s a blessing to be part of this stage of his career.”
While the goal tally is remarkable in itself, how it has been achieved is even more so.
The shot map below showcases the wide range of strikes by Messi, including five from outside the box — more than 22 of the 30 MLS teams have managed in their entire campaigns.
And it was a long-range effort that kickstarted the multi-goal streak in Miami’s 4-2 victory over Montréal in May. Scored in typical Messi fashion, he quickly shifted the ball to create an opening, aided by teammate Sergio Busquets, who cleverly blocked the onrushing Montréal midfielder Victor Loturi, before Messi curled a precise shot into the bottom corner.
The second also came from his repertoire of trademark finishes. No player has perfected the dinked finish quite like Messi and his uncanny ability to generate the perfect loft, regardless of the goalkeeper’s proximity or height, was on show again as he put the ball over Jonathan Sirois from close range.
For all his ability, a streak like this can’t persist without a healthy dollop of good fortune. In the following match against Columbus Crew, Messi was gifted his first goal thanks to some disastrous goalkeeping from Nicholas Hagen.
The Guatemalan ‘keeper made a costly error, miscuing a goal kick straight into Messi’s path on the edge of the area. Messi gave Hagen the chance to atone for his blunder with an uncharacteristically underhit lob, but the goalkeeper only managed to palm it goalward. He was less charitable with his second 10 minutes later, this time his lob from just inside the area was perfectly calibrated.
He kept the streak alive with a brace in his next match, again against Montréal. No player has completed more take-ons than Messi’s 3.9 per 90 minutes in MLS this season, and both goals against Montréal demonstrated the jinking movements that continue to make him so feared throughout the league.
The first saw the Argentine dart into the area and swiftly shift his body weight to carve out space for another arrowed finish into the far bottom corner, but it was the second that was truly breathtaking.Picking up the ball from Luis Suárez near halfway, Messi embarked on a long, mazy dribble, leaving a trail of confusion as bamboozled Montréal defenders collided while trying to stop him. He evaded them at every turn before rifling a shot into the top corner from close range.After two relatively routine efforts, in his next match, a 2-1 victory against New England, there was one glaring omission in his scoring streak: a free kick. Against Nashville, he duly obliged, opting for measured placement over whipped power, as he guided an effort from the edge of the area into the bottom-left corner. After this and his staggering effort against Porto in the Club World Cup, he’s now up to a staggering 69 career free kicks.This phenomenal streak has been a self-contained showreel of the myriad ways Messi can put a ball into the back of the net.And based on this evidence, he’s far from done.What You Should Read NextHow Lionel Messi’s favorite goal became immortalized in artOne of the Argentine superstar’s greatest goals has been reimagined as an “immersive gateway that collapses time”(Top photo: Andrew Katsampes/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
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