Jurgen Klinsmann's South Korea side finally eliminated in Asian Cup as Jordan-Qatar final set for Saturday

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Happy Wednesday! It might be a slow week in the club game, but the national teams are doing the work of keeping us occupied. I'm Pardeep Cattry with a midweek check-in on the latest news around the game.

📺 Footy fix

All times U.S./Eastern

Wednesday, Feb. 7
🏆 AFCON: Ivory Coast vs. DR Congo, 3 p.m. ➡️ beIN Sports
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 FA Cup: Aston Villa vs. Chelsea, 3 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+
🇪🇸 Copa del Rey: Atleti vs. Bilbao, 3:30 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+

⚽ The Forward Line

🇰🇷 Jurgen Klinsmann is no longer getting away with this

The Asian Cup delivered yet another upset yesterday, when Jordan beat South Korea 2-0 to reach the final for the first time. It marks an impressive feat for Jordan, who only made their Asian Cup debut in 2004 and took full advantage of a South Korea side that had clearly played two back-to-back 120 minute matches, but the result was also equally emblematic of the losers' shortcomings.

South Korea posted no shots on target Tuesday despite having 70% of the ball and boasting standouts like Heung-Min Son and Kang-In Lee, which put the final nail in the coffin on an Asian Cup run that felt longer than deserved. Despite being a regional heavyweight, James Benge notes that South Korea's performances at the tournament have been one tactical disappointment after another under manager Jurgen Klinsmann.

Benge: "South Korea have brought drama aplenty in pursuit of their first title since 1960 -- the 95th minute goal they scored in drawing with the Jordanians in the group stage was the first of four they would net in stoppage time during the competition -- but it has rather masked the deficiencies of a side who proved to be far too reliant on Heung-Min Son to cover over the cracks in Klinsmann's system. On this occasion neither the Tottenham forward nor Kang-In Lee could charm their way through a disciplined Jordanian backline as the Taegeuk Warriors failed to register so much as a shot on target across the 90 minutes."

Questions now surround Klinsmann's future in his current job. Though he said post-match that he has no plans to resign, he has faced plenty of criticism from South Korea fans for his tactical displays as well as his commitment to the national team. The German-American Klinsmann still resides in the U.S. and regularly sends his coaching staff to watch domestic league matches, and many will no doubt argue he squandered the chance for the team's golden generation to lift silverware.

As for Jordan, they're off to the final to face hosts and defending champions Qatar who dispatched Iran 3-2 in a thrilling match on the other side of the bracket. You can catch the match Saturday at 10 a.m. ET on CBS Sports Golazo Network and Paramount+.

🔗 Midfield Link Play

🇺🇸 USWNT youth movement officially begins

The U.S. women's national team is freshening things up for the Concacaf W Gold Cup, their first tournament since their early Women's World Cup exit last year. The event officially kicks off on February 19 with USWNT kicking off the next day. You can catch all the action on Paramount+. Interim head coach Twila Kilgore named a 23-player squad today for the tournament that has just three players over the age of 30 and excludes some big names, chiefly Alex Morgan and Becky Sauerbrunn.

Here's a look at the roster in full.

Goalkeepers: Jane Campbell, Casey Murphy, Alyssa Naeher
Defenders: Alana Cook, Abby Dahlkemper, Crystal Dunn, Tierna Davidson, Emily Fox, Naomi Girma, Casey Kruger, Jenna Nighswonger
Midfielders: Korbin Albert, Sam Coffey, Lindsey Horan, Rose Lavelle, Olivia Moultrie, Emily Sonnett
Forwards: Mia Fishel, Midge Purce, Trinity Rodman, Jaedyn Shaw, Sophia Smith, Lynn Williams

The group includes several fixtures of the team, including Sophia Smith and Naomi Girma, and is made up almost entirely of players who took part in the USWNT's December friendlies. Those matches were treated as an opportunity to expand and explore the player pool before Emma Hayes begins the role in May and this tournament seems to have the same feel. Three more players -- Mallory Swanson, Savannah DeMelo and Gisele Thompson -- will also travel with the team as training players.

While the team is still in an exploratory phase, the Gold Cup provides a very real chance for fringe players to play themselves into the Olympics conversation … and perhaps bump some veteran players out of it. It's worth keeping an eye on the midfield and forward battles -- the retirements of Julie Ertz and Sam Mewis afford Hayes a chance to change the makeup of the midfield, while promising young talents like Jaedyn Shaw and Mia Fishel could lead to a new look forward group.

🔗 Top Stories

🔜 Macario's return: The USWNT's Catarina Macario could return to the pitch next month nearly two years after tearing her ACL, potentially putting her in the mix for a spot on the Olympics roster.

🇺🇸 McKennie's evolution: Jesse Marsch praised Weston McKennie's progress at Juventus this season, which comes before the USMNT's all-important showing at this summer's Copa America.

🇳🇬 Osimhen's availability: Victor Osimhen traveled with the team ahead of Nigeria's AFCON semifinal against South Africa, and his participation could make a big difference for the Super Eagles' hopes of winning the whole thing.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 City's title hopes: Phil Foden's hattrick led Manchester City to a 3-1 win over Brentford on Monday, which signaled that the Premier League title race is tilting in their favor just as Erling Haaland regains full fitness.

🇪🇺 UWCL draw: Chelsea are on course to meet Barcelona in the semifinals, which could be a meeting between two managers -- Emma Hayes and Jonatan Grialdez -- who are set to depart Europe for the U.S. at the end of the season.

⚽ Underrated forwards: From Arsenal's Gabriel Jesus to Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski, here's a look at the strikers in Europe who are flying under the radar so far this season.

🆕 Ashley Sanchez interview: A month after her surprise trade to the North Carolina Courage, Ashley Sanchez chats about the move with Morning Footy and her friendship with ex-Washington Spirit teammate Trinity Rodman.

🇩🇪 Sesko on Marsch: RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko talks working with Jesse Marsch during their stint at Red Bull Salzburg, saying he "stepped up" his quality while working for the American.

🗣️ Tori Penso talks: Referee Torio Penso joins Morning Footy to discuss being a woman in a male-dominated industry and the progress that still needs to be made.

💰 The Back Line

💵 Best bets

FA Cup: Aston Villa vs. Chelsea, Wednesday, 3 p.m.
💰 THE PICK: More than three goals scored (+108) -- While the last meeting between these two ended in a 0-0 draw, that match was a little bit of an outlier compared to their recent form. Both teams have had a tendency to score and concede in big numbers over the last few weeks, especially considering Chelsea conceded eight times in the last week alone. Hopefully, a few more goals are on their way.
Copa del Rey: Atletico Madrid vs. Athletic Club, Wednesday, 3:30 p.m.

💰 THE PICK: More than 2.5 goals scored (+105) -- Three of Bilbao's last five games have had at least two goals scored, and Atleti have not played a scoreless game all season long. Like the aforementioned Aston Villa and Chelsea, these two sides can also score and concede in a big way so this afternoon could have not just one, but two, notable cup games.

📺 What's on CBS Sports Golazo Network

☀️ Morning Footy (Weekdays 8-10 a.m.): Hosts Susannah Collins, Charlie Davies, Nico Cantor and Alexis Guerreros help fans get their day started on the network's flagship morning show with highlights, interviews and the biggest soccer storylines. Morning Footy is also available in podcast form, so you'll never have to miss an episode.

📦 Box 2 Box (Weekday afternoons): The news-driven show quickly recaps all the latest headlines from around the world with panelists previewing the top matchups of the day. Catch Box 2 Box on CBS Sports Golazo Network on the CBS Sports app, PlutoTV and Paramount+.

3️⃣ Attacking Third (Monday, Wednesday and Friday evening): The leading women's soccer podcast and social brand is now a live studio show. Just because the NWSL season is over doesn't mean that our coverage of the women's game is going anywhere. Our analysts will be breaking down the USWNT. NWSL offseason and European domestic season all winter long.

👟 Kickin' It (Tuesdays, 7 p.m.): CBS Sports Golazo Network's new unfiltered interview show returns Tuesday Hosted by Kate Abdo, Clint Dempsey, Mo Edu and Charlie Davies, the group chat candidly with the biggest names from the Beautiful Game and share their stories from on and off the pitch.

⚽ Call it What You Want (Monday night): A weekly podcast where Jimmy Conrad, Jesse Marsch and Charlie Davies cover all things USMNT and the state of the beautiful game in the United States.

🥅 Scoreline (Daily): Scoreline is the newest place for fans to catch up on all the biggest news and results impacting global football, match highlights from the top soccer competitions and all the can't-miss goals from the day's action, starting Thursday and airing seven days a week.

📺 How to watch: CBS Sports Golazo Network is a free 24/7 channel exclusively dedicated to offering unparalleled coverage of all the top soccer competitions worldwide. You can stream for free on the CBS Sports app, Pluto TV and Paramount+.