Hi there! From FA Cup action in England to the start of the NWSL season in the U.S., last weekend's action was full of must-watch matches. I'm Pardeep Cattry with a recap of the entertaining slate of games.
📺 Footy fix
All times U.S./Eastern
Tuesday, March 19
🇪🇺 UWCL: Ajax vs. Chelsea, 1:45 p.m. ➡️ DAZN
🇪🇺 UWCL: Benfica vs. Lyon, 4 p.m. ➡️ DAZN
⚽ The Forward Line
🏆 The magic of the FA Cup
The FA Cup semifinals are officially set after a weekend of action that truly lived up to the hype. Headlining the entertaining fixtures was Manchester United's dramatic 4-3 win over Liverpool on Sunday, in which the Red Devils were 2-1 down and minutes away from elimination before Antony's 87th minute strike sent the match to extra time. Liverpool took the lead again through Harvey Elliott but goals from Marcus Rashford and Amad Diallo, who scored in stoppage time, ensured United would come out on top.
The score is reflective of a chaotic game that was the latest showcase for United's imperfections in a season full of them, including that consistently porous defense. As James Benge notes, perhaps the only appropriate way to finish off such a game was for a surprise contender to actually have his moment in the spotlight.
- Benge: "It was a fittingly baffling conclusion to this game that Diallo, a player cast to the fringes by [manager Erik] Ten Hag, would change this game in so many ways. He did first with defensive excellence, denying a Liverpool counter at one end before stealing possession and giving the ball to McTominay, who would slip in Rashford for the equalizer. Then came the transition moment this team is waiting for, Diallo stealing the ball just outside his box and flying forward with Garnacho to win this unforgettable tie. Off came the shirt, out came a second yellow from John Brooks and Diallo was afforded a hero's exit."
Just before that seven goal thriller, the FA Cup delivered another entertaining match with Chelsea's 4-2 win over Leicester City. The Blues seemed to be cruising to victory with a 2-0 lead before Axel Disasi scored a comical own goal in the 51st minute and Stephy Mavididi leveled the score 11 minutes later. Two stoppage time goals for Chelsea meant they escaped the tie before extra time. It marks another deep cup run for the Blues this season after they went to the EFL Cup final, and could buy Mauricio Pochettino some more goodwill during his less-than-ideal first season in charge.
Manchester City, meanwhile, advanced to the semifinals with a routine 2-0 win over Newcastle United on Saturday, while Coventry City upset Wolverhampton Wanderers to become the lone Championship side in the final four. Coventry scored twice in stoppage time to pick up a 3-2 win, with USMNT forward Haji Wright scoring the game-winner in the 100th minute.
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🔗 Midfield Link Play
🇺🇸 NWSL's back with a bang
The 2024 NWSL season officially began over the weekend, when 24 goals were scored across seven games. The campaign got underway with the San Diego Wave's 1-0 win over NJ/NY Gotham FC in the Challenge Cup on Friday, a match that saw limited involvement from the USWNT stars who were at the Concacaf Gold Cup a week earlier. Alex Morgan, though, came on at halftime for the Wave and continued her strong start to the year by scoring the game's lone goal in the 88th minute.
The league celebrated a landmark moment the following day when Kansas City Current opened CPKC Stadium, the first stadium built specifically for an NWSL team. The opening game lived up to the billing, too -- the Current beat the Portland Thorns 5-4, nearly surrendering the 5-1 lead they built in the 66th minute. The game-winner was scored by 16-year-old Alex Pfeiffer, who became the youngest goalscorer in the league's history in her professional debut and boasts an impressive résumé as a youth international for the United States.
The NWSL's expansion teams, meanwhile, delivered mixed results in their first outings of the 2024 season. The Utah Royals lost 2-0 to the Chicago Red Stars on Saturday despite dominating possession and shots, while Bay FC beat Angel City 1-0 the following day. Bay's star striker Asisat Oshoala wasted little time in her NWSL debut, as the ex-Barcelona player scored the club's first-ever goal just 17 minutes into the game.
🔗 Top Stories
🇮🇹 Acerbi leaves camp: Francesco Acerbi left Italy's training camp after he was accused of racially abusing Juan Jesus during yesterday's 1-1 draw between Inter and Napoli.
📉 Forest's points deduction: Nottingham Forest will receive a four-point deduction for breaking the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules, putting them in the relegation zone.
🇺🇸 USMNT's attack: Christian Pulisic scored yet again for AC Milan, while Brendan Aaronson and Haji Wright were added to the roster to replace the injured Luca de la Torre and Josh Sargent.
🔴 United's turning point?: Erik ten Hag believes yesterday's win could be a turning point for their season, but United have yet to follow through on that promise despite multiple opportunities to do so this season.
🦩 No Messi, no problem: A Lionel Mess-less Inter Miami beat D.C. United over the weekend thanks to two goals from Luis Suarez.
⚫🔴 Leverkusen's streak: Leverkusen won yet again over the weekend to restore their 10 point lead atop the Bundesliga, bringing them one game closer to an impressive "Invincibles" season.
⏭️ MLS Next Pro spotlight: MLS Next Pro teams will compete in the U.S. Open Cup this season, giving players in the developmental league new opportunities to test themselves.
🗣️ SGOTUS talks NWSL: Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff spoke to CBS Sports about supporting the NWSL as he uses his platform to tackle gender inequities, saying that "women's sports, it's a very public encapsulation of what's happening to every woman in every industry."
💰 The Back Line
💵 Best bets
- UEFA Women's Champions League: champion
💰 THE PICK: Chelsea to win the UWCL (+500) -- The Champions League quarterfinals begin this week with favorable draws for the remaining heavy-hitters, who are all expected to advance to the last four. If that's the case, a much-anticipated semifinal between Barcelona and Chelsea awaits. The former are the heavy favorites to win the whole thing but if you're feeling bold, betting on the Blues might not be the worst idea. Despite the mounting injuries, Emma Hayes' side keeps finding a way to win thanks in part to Lauren James' form and might be able to send the manager off on a high.
📺 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, Thursday: 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): CBS Sports Golazo Network's unfiltered interview show releases 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+.
