Hello! It's Champions League and NWSL championship week, so there's much to catch up on. I'm Pardeep Cattry with a check-in ahead of a jam-packed soccer schedule.
📺 Footy fix
All times U.S./Eastern
Monday, Nov. 6
🏴 EPL: Tottenham vs. Chelsea, 3 p.m. ➡️ Peacock
🇺🇸 MLS: Real Salt Lake vs. Houston Dynamo, 9 p.m. ➡️ Apple TV+
Tuesday, Nov. 7
🇪🇺 UCL: AC Milan vs. Paris Saint-Germain, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇺🇸 MLS: Atlanta United vs. Columbus Crew, 7 p.m. ➡️ Apple TV+
🇺🇸 MLS: Nashville vs. Orlando, 9 p.m. ➡️ Apple TV+
👀Don't miss our full slate of Champions League coverage across Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network and CBS Sports Network.
Golazo Starting XI Newsletter
Get your Soccer Fix from Around the Globe
Your ultimate guide to the Beautiful Game as our experts take you beyond the pitch and around the globe with news that matters.
Thanks for signing up!
Keep an eye on your inbox.
Sorry!
There was an error processing your subscription.
⚽ The Forward Line
🏆 California, here we come
NJ/NY Gotham FC and the OL Reign, the two lowest-seeded teams in the NWSL playoffs, are off to Saturday's championship game after narrow semifinal wins Sunday night.
Gotham booked their first-ever trip to the NWSL championship by beating the reigning champions, the Portland Thorns, thanks to an extra time winner from Katie Stengel. It's a remarkable feat in their first year under attack-minded head coach Juan Carlos Amoros, especially after they finished bottom of the league in 2022. Gotham's defense, though, has been the story of their deep postseason run and as Amoros describes it, that defensive resolve is the foundation for their offensive approach.
- Amoros: "One of the parts that is in our DNA, that we work incredibly hard [on], is to make the players understand that defending is the first part of our offensive approach to the game. … I think that our first defender is the No. 9, our last defender is the No. 1 but it's the same the other way. Our first offensive player is our No. 1."
Later, the Reign beat the Shield-winning San Diego Wave without needing extra time, courtesy of a goal from Veronica Latsko that was intended to be a cross, not a shot. It was the latest win for the Seattle-based side over the Wave and extends their streak as the only team the Californians have yet to beat. Reign head coach Laura Harvey says the team's tactical flexibility has allowed them to maintain that streak.
Don't miss CBS Sports Golazo Network's Morning Footy, now in podcast form! Our crew brings you all the news, views, highlights and laughs you need to follow the Beautiful Game in every corner of the globe, every Monday-Friday all year long.
- Harvey: "We just try and do something different against them each time. When we were here before, we really went after them [with a] high press. Tonight, we were a little bit more mid-block, but we knew times when we would go. … It means that the front five have to work really hard but they did. They're unbelievable."
Both the Reign and Gotham will play for their first NWSL championship, while the game will serve as official sendoff for Megan Rapinoe and Ali Krieger, two members of the USWNT's back-to-back Women's World Cup winning squads that will retire after the match. The last two teams standing will meet in San Diego on Saturday for the league's top prize.
Sponsored by Paramount+
🔗 Midfield Link Play
🇪🇺 San Siro showdown
The Champions League is back on Tuesday with arguably the biggest matchup of Matchday 4 -- AC Milan vs. Paris Saint Germain. The Italians are not solely aiming to rebound from the lopsided 3-0 loss to PSG on Matchday 3, but hope to finally snap their scoreless run that means they currently sit bottom of the ultra-competitive Group F.
Though Milan's Serie A form was once a reprieve from their Champions League struggles, that will not be the case heading into Tuesday's matchup. They have one win in their last five and are coming off of a 1-0 loss to Udinese, in which they outshot and out-possessed the opposition but still could not find a breakthrough. Mike Grella argues that Milan manager Stefano Pioli is muddling the tactical message for his players.
- Grella: "At times when you watch Milan, you see still a team that's only looking for [Rafael] Leao to create the chances and if Leao has a bad game -- which he did have a poor game [against Udinese] then Milan doesn't show any threatening actions. … I think if you're Milan, go back to what you were doing. Watch the first two or three games. You played risky football. You played high but you played great."
Milan might be down, but they're not out. They are only two points out of a knockout spot with three games to go, and in a group as topsy-turvy as Group F, there's plenty of potential for dramatic results.
🔗 Top Stories
🇺🇸 Hayes in: Emma Hayes will leave Chelsea at the end of the season and is expected to be named the next USWNT coach, and she just might be the best pick for the job.
🏆 Championship season: Fluminense won the Copa Libertadores on Saturday over an overachieving Boca Juniors side, while FC Cincinnati, Sporting KC, and LFFC inched closer to MLS glory with playoff wins over the weekend.
🎥 VAR check: Newcastle beat Arsenal 1-0 after the game's lone goal went through an exhaustive VAR check, but it was not the only big call of the game.
♥️ Freedom for Dad: Liverpool's Luis Diaz scored the equalizer in his side's 1-1 draw at Luton and celebrated with a tribute to his father, who is still missing after he was kidnapped last week.
🌍 Around the grounds: Manchester United narrowly beat Fulham despite missing Casemiro, Bayern crushed Dortmund thanks to a high-flying Harry Kane, Barcelona kept things tight in their win over Real Sociedad, and Nottingham Forest picked up the upset over Aston Villa.
⛪ White smoke for the GOATs: Pope Francis was asked to pick between Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi as the game's best ever player, but threw another name into the conversation: Pele.
💰 The Back Line
💵 Best bets
- EPL: Tottenham Hotspur vs. Chelsea, Monday, 3 p.m.
💰 THE PICK: Son Heung-min to score (+138) -- With five goals in his last five games, few players are easier to bet on than Son at the moment. Expect him to play a big part as Spurs seek to reclaim top spot in the Premier League today. - Champions League: AC Milan vs. Paris Saint-Germain, 3 p.m.
💰 THE PICK: Both teams will not score (+120) -- It seems more likely than not that PSG will dominate this fixture, and if that's the case, expect Milan's scoreless run in Champions League play to continue. The Italians are capable of scoring, as their Serie A form can attest to, while PSG have had their off days, so maybe an upset is in the cards.
📺 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 8 p.m.): The leading women's soccer podcast and social brand is now a live studio show. Watch Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 8 p.m. this week as our analysts break down the best highlights and analysis and share insider information for all things women's soccer.
👟 Kickin' It (Tuesday, 7 p.m.): CBS Sports Golazo Network's new unfiltered interview show returns Wednesday 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.
🥅 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+.
