Welcome to the weekend! The United States men's national team sure didn't lack for drama Thursday night. As if a three-goal win over heated rivals Mexico wasn't enough, there were also four red cards. And if THAT wasn't enough, Gregg Berhalter is officially coming back as USMNT manager. The club season is well and truly done and now we have one final burst of international soccer goodness before the summer transfer window takes center stage. I am Jonathan Johnson with the Golazo Starting XI newsletter to suit all of your weekend soccer needs.
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📺 Concacaf Nations League on Paramount+
All times U.S./Eastern
Sunday, June 18
- CBS Sports Pre-Match Show: 5:30 p.m., Paramount and CBS Sports Golazo Network
- Third-place match: Mexico vs. Panama 6 p.m. Paramount+ and CBS Sports Golazo Network
- CBS Sports studio coverage: 8 p.m., Paramount+ and CBS Sports Golazo Network
- Concacaf Nations League final, United States vs. Canada: 8:30 p.m., Paramount+
- CBS Sports Post-Match Show: 11 p.m., Paramount+ and CBS Sports Golazo Network
📺 Footy fix
All times U.S./Eastern
Friday, June 16
🌎 Friendlies: Poland vs. Germany, 2:45 p.m. ➡️ FS2
🌎 UEFA Euro 2024: Gibraltar vs. France, 2:45 p.m. ➡️ Fox Soccer Plus
🌎 UEFA Euro 2024: Malta vs. England, 2:45 p.m. ➡️ FS1
Saturday, June 17
🌎 UEFA Euro 2024: Belgium vs. Austria, 2:45 p.m. ➡️ VIX+
🌎 UEFA Euro 2024: Portugal vs. Bosnia Herzegovina, 2:45 p.m. ➡️ VIX+
🇦🇷 Argentina: Racing vs. Velez, 5 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇺🇸 MLS: NYCFC vs. Columbus Crew, 3:30 p.m. ➡️ AppleTV
🇺🇸 NWSL: San Diego Wave vs. Angel City, 4 p.m. ➡️ CBS
Sunday, June 18
🌎 UEFA Nations League third-place match: Netherlands vs. Italy, 9 a.m. ➡️ Fubo Sports Network
🌎 UEFA Nations League final: Croatia vs. Spain, 2:45 p.m. ➡️ FOX
🇺🇸 NWSL: Racing Louisville vs. NJ/NY Gotham, 4 p.m. ➡️ CBS
⚽ The Forward Line
Gregg Berhalter returns to USMNT
It takes a lot to overshadow a 3-0 win by the USMNT over Mexico, but somehow America seems to have managed it. The big news from Thursday night was Gregg Berhalter's imminent return to lead the USMNT, with news of his reported return breaking during the match itself. USA interim boss B.J. Callaghan did not shed much light on the situation immediately after the game, but on Friday U.S. soccer made the news official.
Berhalter first took over as USMNT boss back in December of 2018 and took them to the round of 16 at the FIFA 2022 World Cup in Qatar before his contract expired, while also leading the team to Gold Cup and Nations League glory.
Post-tournament, Berhalter was embroiled in controversy regarding accusations and counter-accusations which flowed between Berhalter and USMNT attacker Gio Reyna's family. U.S. Soccer's subsequent investigation confirmed that Berhalter was free to remain a candidate for the job -- which he has now officially landed for the second time. Friday morning U.S. Soccer made the announcement, and Berhalter talked about how he was happy to be back.
- Berhalter: "I'm grateful to have the opportunity to build on our achievements at the World Cup and to contribute to this exciting time for soccer in our country. The entire group of players and staff have worked incredibly hard to establish our identity on and off the field. We look forward to continuing our journey together to make our fans and our nation proud."
That the USSF have taken this long to consider other candidates and still landed on Berhalter is a bit awkward in terms of his return and potential chemistry within the group. Reyna will likely remain a topic for the foreseeable future while a number of other names were linked with the role before Berhalter took it back which suggests that his staying on was perhaps not the first choice.
Based on the USMNT's win over Mexico and the fact that they are close to another CONCACAF Nations League title, the timing of this news feels a little strange given that continental success would have put the USSF in a position of greater strength when speaking with other candidates with a view to the 2026 World Cup cycle on home soil.
And speaking of timing, the fact that news broke during the match meant that we were all aware of it before the players were. Our sideline reporter Jenny Chiu had the unenviable task of asking some of the team about it after they came off the field. Don't miss Ricardo Pepi trying to process the news or Tim Weah.
After the match, The Athletic's Paul Tenorio joined the CBS Sports Post-Match show to talk about Berhalter and the story and answer some of our crew's questions about why U.S. Soccer thought Berhalter was right for the job?
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🔗 Midfield Link Play
Balogun's winning USMNT start
We did promise in our Wednesday newsletter that Folarin Balogun would be getting a baptism of fire being thrown straight into the eye of the USMNT rivalry with El Tri and it proved to be exactly the case. Balogun got off to a positive start to life with the USMNT going 74 minutes in a chaotic 3-0 win over bitter rivals Mexico to set up the CONCACAF Nations League final against Canada on Sunday. The game featured two Christian Pulisic goals, as well as four red cards, with Weston McKennie and Sergino Dest missing out on the final, but Balogun's presence was noticeable. In fact, it was Balogun who was on the receiving end of the red card foul which kicked off the red-card incident. Chuck Booth breaks it down:
- Booth: "Weston McKennie and Cesar Montes were both dismissed from the match, Montes for chopping down Balogun during a breakaway while McKennie was sent off due to his reaction during a coming together that saw him put his hands on the neck of a Mexican player. There were certainly performances to remember as the front three of Pulisic, Balogun and Tim Weah were fluid in attack and created chance after chance to open up Mexico's defense."
Just two games into his time with the U.S. and the 21-year-old could already have silverware to his name if the red, white and blue are victorious against the Canucks to successfully defend their title. Balogun's debut got a little lost in a flurry of red cards and acrimony owing to a homophobic chant from Mexican fans, but the USMNT's new star striker still made an impression on the field.
The Arsenal man will now get a taste of another great rivalry with the Canadians come Monday in a game which will now be as much about the U.S. reaching the final as it will be about Berhalter's imminent return as head coach. Balogun certainly showed enough for there to be optimism for his time leading the American attack and a fixed idea of leadership moving forward can only be good for a team that has already known multiple bosses since Berhalter's contract expired post-World Cup.
Now let's get to the rest of the links:
🔗 Booth on how the USMNT can hope to overcome their red cards vs. Mexico to win Nations League.
🔗 Clint Dempsey, Mo Edu and Charlie Davies break down the USMNT red cards after the match.
🔗 On the other side of the ball, Jen Ruiz reflected on the terrible situation Mexico find themselves in.
🔗 Sandra Herrera's final U.S. women's national team roster projection.
🔗 Herrera also has the latest on the FIFA's Women's World Cup broadcast deal in Europe.
🔗 More Herrera on Freya Coombe's Angel City departure in NWSL.
🔗 Francesco Porzio on Manchester United denying Qatari exclusivity in takeover talks.
🔗 I detail the Premier League's 2023-24 opening day fixtures.
🔗 Isabel Gonzalez on Vini Jr.'s FIFA anti-racism committee role.
🔗 The Morning Footy crew chat about what Berhalter's return could mean.
🔗 In Soccer We Trust: They've got your USMNT vs. Mexico recap and analysis.
🔗 Attacking Third: Sandra Herrera talks big NWSL moves, World Cup and more.
💰 The Back Line
💵 Best bets
All odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook and all times U.S./Eastern. SportsLine has you covered with cup final bets..
- UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers: Belgium vs. Austria, Saturday, 2:45 p.m.
💰 THE PICK: Draw (+290) -- Belgium are still finding their feet under Domenico Tedesco while Ralf Rangnick is a wily tactician leading an Austria side with some interesting pieces. This will not be a walkover for the Belgians so do not be surprised if this one ends level which could return a tidy sum. - UEFA Nations League: Croatia vs. Spain, Sunday, 2:45 p.m.
💰 THE PICK: Croatia (+250) -- Spain being picked as the favorites for this one is interesting and Croatia are more than capable underdogs. La Roja do not have the same track record as their opponents based on recent international tournaments which could make for an interesting return if they get the job done this weekend. - CONCACAF Nations League: Canada vs. USMNT, Sunday, 8:30 p.m.
💰 THE PICK: USMNT to win and both to score (+450) -- The USMNT brushed Mexico off with relative ease in a pretty wild encounter to set up the final against a Canada side that has more bite in attack. A successful U.S. title defense would not be a huge surprise with both teams scoring and USA winning offering good numbers.
