Manchester City stake their claim to be Club World Cup favorites; USMNT face test from defensive Costa Rica

Getty Images

Ladies and gentlemen, The Weeknd! Friday is upon us, the best day of the week, all the more so when we've got so much football ahead of us. The US, both WNT and MNT, are in action while the Club World Cup knockout stages begin on Saturday. I'm James Benge, now off we go!

📺 Footy fix

All times U.S./Eastern

Friday, June 27
🌍 Friendly: Spain vs. Japan, 3 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Network

Saturday, June 28
🏆 CWC: Palmeiras vs. Botafogo, 12 p.m. ➡️ DAZN
🏆 CWC: Benfica vs. Chelsea, 4 p.m. ➡️ DAZN
🇺🇸 MLS: FC Dallas vs. San Diego, 8:30 p.m. ➡️ MLS Season Pass
🌎 Gold Cup: Mexico vs. Saudi Arabia, 10:15 p.m. ➡️ FS1

Sunday, June 29
🏆 CWC: PSG vs. Inter Miami, 12 p.m. ➡️ DAZN
🏆 CWC: Flamengo vs. Bayern Munich, 4 p.m. ➡️ DAZN
🌎 Gold Cup: USMNT vs. Costa Rica, 7 p.m. ➡️ FS1
🌍 Friendly: USWNT vs. Republic of Ireland, 9 p.m. ➡️ Max

⚽ The Forward Line

🏆 Are Manchester City the Club World Cup favorites?

With the Club World Cup's group stage at its end, it still feels preemptive to make any conclusions on Europe's top sides. So many of the presumptive contenders look like they are either making adjustments for next season or a bit disinterested, leading to heavy punishment from their Brazilian opponents. And then there is Manchester City. Pep Guardiola's side are the only one to emerge from the early forays of the competition with a record of three wins from three and as the man himself might acknowledge, there has been no performance Stateside that has been more comprehensive than theirs in a 5-2 demolition of Juventus.

Guardiola: "It has been a long time since we had a performance like this on and off the ball. The players were committed and we are happy to beat a top side. This is just one game, but I think the players felt again what it was like to be a good team. The belief always comes from your performances, not your past."

The dominance City showed, however, was a throwback to their past. With 76% possession they created 24 shots worth a ludicrous 3.92 expected goals. On the left flank Jeremy Doku schemed devastatingly and Savinho wasn't much less effective across from him. It's early days for Rayan Ait Nouri but what a bright start he has made, showing the game intelligence to vary his position so that he was a touchline hugger in one passage of play, an extra midfielder the next.

Meanwhile the return of Rodri was encouraging. If he did not quite look like the player he was before September's ACL injury that is no great surprise. That player was the best in the world, the obvious candidate for the Ballon d'Or he subsequently claimed. This time out the Spain international passed the ball neatly and looked strong in the duel. More importantly for Guardiola, it was about what didn't happen with Rodri back in the side.

Guardiola: "In the last few games we have conceded a lot of transitions but it didn't happen this time. Everyone knows how important Rodri is. He is one of the best players in the world. When they're not in a team, they're missed."

The City boss would be the first to insist that nothing that happens Stateside would make up for a disappointing season at the Etihad. Equally being crowned world champions looks to be a realistic prospect for this team. Topping Group G meant avoiding Real Madrid in the round of 16, it also meant getting out of the side of the bracket that contains Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich. The draw has opened up for City, who face Al-Hilal in the round of 16 before a tricky but not to be feared quarterfinal against Inter Milan or Fluminense. Once more it looks like the team managed by Guardiola is the one to beat on the biggest stage.

New episode Monday

🔗 Midfield Link Play

🇺🇸 USMNT attack face a true test

After coasting through the group stages, the USMNT find themselves in the Gold Cup knockouts with what may prove to be a tricky game against Costa Rica. Los Ticos have not set the tournament alight and if you scrub three penalties from their ledger then their attack looked a little underpowered in their first three matches.

Then again perhaps what is most instructive of the challenge that faces Mauricio Pochettino's side is how Costa Rica fared against Mexico in a 0-0 draw. Set against a team with superior attacking talent, they did what they have done so often in recent years: hunkering deep and trusting Keylor Navas to make the saves that were needed. It paid off, the veteran goalkeeper denying each of the four efforts on his goal while those ahead of him did a solid job in ensuring that Mexico's 69% possession resulted in only 13 shots worth 1.45 xG. You wouldn't win a league title playing like that but you could absolutely see it working in a knockout game, maybe two.

To overcome such obduracy, the US' B team attackers are going to need to click in the same way they have (largely) done in the group stage. In short, this is the game for Malik Tillman to assert himself as the number 10 with the World Cup in the horizon. As Pardeep Cattry explains, he looks to be the right player, with the right coach, in the right system:

Cattry: "Tillman seems like the first genuine benefactor of Pochettino's arrival, who seems to be deploying the player in a way that could remind some of Christian Eriksen or Dele Alli when the Argentine was in charge of Tottenham Hotspur. It has worked like a charm so far this month, with Tillman bagging three goals and one assist in his last five games for the national team and so far emerging as the breakout star of their Gold Cup run."

Of course it'll take more than just one player for the US to negotiate their quarter final, let alone the tie against Canada or Guatemala that might follow. Patrick Agyeman has been getting in plenty of good shooting positions while Brenden Aaronson and Diego Luna have been offering creative sparks. Keep that up in the quarterfinals and these players can stake a serious place in Pochettino's World Cup plans.

🔗 Top Stories

🇺🇸 USWNT brush Ireland aside: As comprehensive a win as you could wish for Emma Hayes' side in Denver, Rose Lavelle making her return in a 4-0 win. They will face the Republic of Ireland again on Sunday.

📝 New deal for Ronaldo: Cristiano Ronaldo has signed a two year extension at Al-Nassr, committing the forward to the Saudi side until he is 42. His salary, remarkably, remains unchanged from that of his previous deal.

🌟 NWSL Team of the Week: Flowers for the likes of Kayla Sharpes and Sam Coffey in Sandra Herrera's latest team of the week.

👀 Tillman edging ahead of Reyna: It has been a significant summer in the battle to be the starting number 10 for Mauricio Pochettino, might Malik Tillman have won the race for the starting jersey?

🇫🇷 Giroud heading home: Olivier Giroud is close to bringing an end to a frustrating spell in MLS, he's in talks to join Ligue 1 side Lille.

📆 EFL fixtures arrive: Plenty to look forward to from August 1 onwards -- here's how the opening weekends look across the EFL.

🇦🇷 Messi's PSG reunion: Ahead of Lionel Messi coming up against Paris Saint-Germain, it's time to look back at the great man's highlights from his time in France. Both of them (I jest, I jest)

🏆 CWC hub: Looking to keep up to date with the games, the talking points and the standings? Here's everything you need to know about the Club World Cup.

💰 The Back Line

💵 Best bets

Club World Cup: PSG vs. Inter Miami, Sunday, 12 p.m.
💰 THE PICK: PSG to win 3-0 (+700) -- This might just be the most mismatched of the Club World Cup knockout games and could really end up being a heavy win if the mood takes the European champions. Expect them to cruise into an early lead, one which they will add to as and when required.

For more picks, predictions, expert tips and the latest betting news, don't miss out on CBSSports.com's betting home page.

📺 What we're watching

📺 What's on CBS Sports Golazo Network

☀️ Morning Footy (Weekdays 8-10 a.m.): Join Golazo Network as it helps fans get their day started on the right foot 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.

☀️ Morning Footy (10 a.m. ET): A special edition of Morning Footy, the network's flagship morning show with highlights, interviews and the biggest soccer storylines, will kick off Golazo Network's coverage of the big game. Morning Footy is also available in podcast form, so you'll never have to miss an episode.

🥅 Scoreline (7 p.m. ET): Scoreline is the 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, 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+.