Happy Wednesday! The September international break is in the books for men's national teams, which means club soccer awaits. I'm Pardeep Cattry with a midweek check-in on the latest in the world of soccer.
New to the Golazo Starting XI newsletter? Get yourself the best deal in soccer and subscribe now to ensure you receive updates three times a week.
📺 Footy fix
All times U.S./Eastern
Wednesday, Sept. 13
🇦🇷 Primera Division: Sarmiento vs. Central Cordoba SdE, 7 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇧🇷 Brasileirao: Flamengo vs. Athletico-PR, 8:30 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
Thursday, Sept. 14
🇧🇷 Brasileirao Fortaleza vs. Corinthians, 6 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇦🇷 Primera Division: Independiente vs. Huracan, 8 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
📺 What's on CBS Sports Golazo Network
☀️ Morning Footy (Weekdays 7-9 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 (Weekdays 1-2 p.m.): 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 Fridays, 4-5 p.m.): The leading women's soccer podcast and social brand is now a live studio show. Watch every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 4 p.m. ET as our analysts break down the best highlights and analysis and share insider information for all things women's soccer.
👟 Kickin' It (Coming soon!): CBS Sports Golazo Network's new unfiltered show debuts on Sept. 20, hosted by Kate Abdo, Clint Dempsey, Mo Edu and Charlie Davies as they chat candidly with the biggest names from the Beautiful Game and share their stories from on and off the pitch.
📺 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+. For a limited time, you can get 50% off an annual subscription from Paramount+ (that's $2.50/month for the Essential Plan, or $5/month for the Paramount+ with Showtime plan). Don't miss a minute of the action -- sale ends on Sept. 20.
⚽ The Forward Line
🇺🇸 USMNT cruise to victory over Oman
The U.S. men's national team closed out the international break on a high with a 4-0 win over Oman last night. The lopsided scoreline came with a performance that matched it -- the USMNT had nearly 60% of possession, 19 shots and nine on target. The squad also outperformed their expected goals tally of 1.63 significantly, which provided some entertainment value and allowed Tuesday's game to feel like an improvement from Saturday's lackluster 3-0 win over Uzbekistan.
Gregg Berhalter made a handful of changes to his team and gave younger players like Kristoffer Lund and Malik Tillman the start but stuck to a familiar plan as it pertained to the forward line. Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah flanked Folarin Balogun from the start and Balogun scored his second goal in four USMNT games. He came off for Ricardo Pepi again at halftime, though, who also marked his appearance with a goal. Substitute Brenden Aaronson also scored, while Oman's Khalid Al-Braiki also notched an own goal.
Weston McKennie was arguably the standout for the hosts last night as he excelled in midfield from an attacking and defensive standpoint to ensure they were in charge the whole game. He had 86 touches and completed 84.7% of his 72 passes and posted a near-identical percentage when it came to passes in the attacking third. He had two shots to show for it, two chances created and made 11 recoveries along the way.
The game against Oman means the USMNT end this month's training camp with a positive outlook but will no doubt face much tougher opponents a month from now. The team will gather again for friendlies against Germany and Ghana on Oct. 14 and Oct. 17, respectively.
Sponsored by Paramount+
🔗 Midfield Link Play
❓ Confusion in New England
The fallout from Bruce Arena's resignation as the New England Revolution head coach on Saturday night hit new levels of chaos on Tuesday. Players reportedly took two meetings -- one with club higher-ups and one with the coaching staff -- to seek answers on Arena's departure, per The Athletic. The head coach stepped down as the league investigates allegations that he made "inappropriate and insensitive remarks," but no specifics have emerged on what Arena said. It appears the players are still in the dark about the details, too.
They then reportedly refused to train for interim head coach Richie Williams, and captain Carles Gil skipped a press conference he was originally expected to participate in. The players reportedly communicated to other club staff that they lacked trust in Williams, and by the end of the day, New England Revolution II coach Clint Paay replaced Williams as the MLS side's interim leader. Assistant coaches Shalrie Joseph and Dave van den Bergh exited the club last night.
Then on Wednesday, The Revolution confirmed that following the change in interim coach to Peay, Williams will remain with the club although they can't disclose his role. The club clarified that neither Williams or interim sporting director Curt Onalfo were promised their jobs until the end of the season and that the best path forward was to have a fresh start in the coaching staff as the club closes in on a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference. So, make of all that what you will.
The Revolution return to play on Saturday against the Colorado Rapids, and though a situation as hectic as this one feels like it could end a strong run of form for the team, The Athletic's Pablo Maurer told Morning Footy that he is not counting them out.
- Maurer: "I can see it going one of two ways. You could see this just being this massive distraction that tears things apart but you do see situations like these in global football a lot of times galvanize locker rooms … It wouldn't surprise me at all if the Revs went on a run at this point. They are an incredibly talented group of players."
🔗 Top Stories
🌍 Argentina beat Bolivia without Messi. Even though Lionel Messi was left out of the 18, which could be good news for Inter Miami, Argentina coasted to a 3-0 win. Elsewhere, Germany beat France in their first match without Hansi Flick in charge.
🇮🇹 Italy still in the hunt for Euros. Italy beat Ukraine in Euro qualifiers, but they're not out of the woods after a bad run of form.
🇺🇸 USWNT prepare to say goodbye to Ertz and Rapinoe. The U.S. women's national team roster is out and includes new talents like San Diego Wave's Jaedyn Shaw and Chelsea's Mia Fishel.
🇪🇸 Spain's leadership saga comes to an end. Luis Rubiales' exit as the Spanish FA president is a welcome one. The pressure is now on the remaining leadership to truly move forward and treat the women's game seriously.
🛑 Pogba fails a doping test. Paul Pogba awaits a second drug test after being provisionally suspended after testing positive for enhanced levels of testosterone and the ordeal could bring an end to his career at Europe's top clubs.
🗽 NYCFC's Alfredo Morales stops by Morning Footy. He chatted the Hudson River Derby, his choice to represent the USMNT, and picks Peruvian cuisine over German and American food.
🔮 Can Sancho and Ten Hag coexist? With men's club soccer returning, the spotlight returns to the rift at Manchester United between Erik ten Hag and Jadon Sancho.
💰 The Back Line
💵 Best bets
- Argentina Primera Division: Sarmiento vs. Central Cordoba SdE, Wednesday, 7 p.m.
💰 THE PICK: Sarmiento to win 1-0 (+410) -- Sarmiento, who sit second place in Group B, are the oddsmakers' favorite to pick up a win over their 10th-place opposition. The hosts have a modest goalscoring record and have started the season with four goals in three games, so a narrow victory could be in the cards here. - Brasileirao: Fortaleza vs. Corinthians, Thursday, 6 p.m.
💰 THE PICK: More than 2.5 goals scored (+120) -- Both of these teams average around scoring one goal a game and conceding once a match, which could be a recipe for a goalfest.
