USMNT return with Christian Pulisic and Folarin Balogun in red-hot form; Lionel Messi returns to Argentina

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Hi there! The international break is officially underway, and a list of exciting fixtures is right around the corner. I'm Pardeep Cattry with a preview of what's to come in the U.S. and abroad.

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📺 Footy fix

All times U.S./Eastern

Wednesday, Oct. 11
🌍 Friendly: Wales vs. Gibraltar, 2:45 p.m. ➡️ Fox Sports 2

Thursday, Oct. 12
🇪🇺 Euro qualifying: Croatia vs. Turkey, 2:45 p.m. ➡️ Fox Sports 2
🌍 Concacaf Nations League: Grenada vs. Jamaica, 7 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+

🌑Don't miss Kickin' it as Carli Lloyd stops by the CBS Sports Golazo Network weekly interview show, Wednesday at 8 p.m.

⚽ The Forward Line

🇺🇸 In-form USMNT check into camp

The U.S. men's national team is back to work ahead of friendlies against Germany and Ghana, with both matches expected to truly test the squad as they begin the long road to the 2026 World Cup. The good news for the USMNT, though? The team will arrive at both games with a handful of players in strong form, especially in attack.

Leading the way is Christian Pulisic, whose much-needed move to AC Milan is paying off. The winger has four goals and one assist in eight games as the team sits atop the Serie A table, but as Alexis Guerrero points out, all of the intangibles are also going right for Pulisic in Italy.

Guerrero: "The fear that we all had from him moving on from Chelsea -- will he get an opportunity? Will he find a manager that trusts and believes in him? Will he be able to play himself into a starting lineup? -- and off the bat, [Milan manager Stefano] Pioli gave us an inclination that he would really trust and wanted Christian Pulisic. … He has delivered on the pitch. Absolutely incredible. Four goals, an assist, more importantly for me, it's just the difference of his posture. He's relating to his teammates. His teammates are believing in him. There's something we haven't seen with his connection with his teammates, almost since that first season, season-and-a-half with Chelsea. It feels like he's back."

Elsewhere in Europe, forward Folarin Balogun is finding similar success at AS Monaco. Like Pulisic, Balogun moved over the summer in search of playing time and has settled in nicely at the Ligue 1 side. Jonathan Johnson notes that he's on a goalscoring tear of his own, especially in recent weeks.

Johnson: "Balogun has three goals and an assist to his name from five outings with Monaco, with two substitution appearances in addition to three starts and with one of his trio of strikes coming off the bench at Lorient. All of the U.S. international's goals have come since the September international break. … 'This year, we are strong, especially with Balogun," Monaco's Krepin Diatta said of his new teammate after his latest show of cutting edge in front of goal away at Reims. "He has just come in and has incredible efficiency in front of goal. We already knew his qualities, but he helps us a lot. We were very clinical. They also had chances, but they were not as efficient as we were.'"

The pair's form, grouped with the likes of USMNT standouts like Tim Weah, means Gregg Berhalter's side might be capable of impressive showings in this month's friendlies. If the players, especially Balogun, maintain their current success, it could allow the team to finally find a high-quality attacking balance that many have long waited for.

🔗 Midfield Link Play

🇦🇷 Messi returns to Argentina

After spending much of the last month on the sidelines, Lionel Messi finally made a return to the pitch on Saturday during Inter Miami's 1-0 loss to FC Cincinnati. The star came off the bench and played 35 minutes, and even though he appeared a bit rusty, the appearance is a positive sign for Argentina as they prepare for another batch of World Cup qualifiers this month.

Playing a chunk of minutes during the international break, though, is no sure thing for Messi. His spell away from the pitch began when he missed out on Argentina's win at Bolivia last month, and manager Lionel Scaloni is playing his cards close to his chest on the player's availability. He is being categorized as a doubtful starter for Thursday's match against Paraguay, per the Associated Press, and Scaloni has not committed to who might play in Messi's place.

Most will argue, though, that even a cameo appearance from Messi is better than no Messi at all for both Argentina and Miami. A little could go a long way, and might be crucial to maintain Argentina's perfect start to World Cup qualifying so far -- they have not beat Paraguay in recent qualifiers.

🔗 Top Stories

👏 Hazard retires: Eden Hazard hangs up his boots at the age of 32, saying "you must listen to yourself and say stop at the right time" after an incredibly accomplished 16 year career.

😱 Carli Lloyd unfiltered: The USWNT legend is not shy about sharing her opinions on both the current generation of stars, and what her time on the team was like. Catch Wednesday's episode of Kickin' It at 8 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Golazo Network and watch on-demand on Paramount+.

🇺🇸 USMNT central: There are plenty of storylines before the USMNT's faceoff with Germany, from Pulisic's brilliance to Gio Reyna's return and Kristoffer Lund's initiation song.

🔍 Under investigation: Italian officials have reportedly launched a probe into Juventus' Nicolo Fagioli for a potential breach of betting rules.

🏆 Hosting duties: The U.K. and Ireland will hold Euro 2028, while Morocco will prepare to co-host the 2030 World Cup by organizing the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Rooney in Birmingham: Wayne Rooney was named as the new Birmingham City manager after a less-than-memorable tenure in charge of D.C. United.

⏩ Checking in: From Europe to North America, a handful of teams will compete in high-stakes matchups during this international break. Here's a look at how England, Italy, and some of Concacaf's best might fare this month.

🩹 International injuries: A whole host of players will miss the international break with injuries, including the USMNT's Malik Tillman and England's Bukayo Saka.

🌍 World Mental Health Day: Nashville SC's Taylor Washington talks about his work with Nashville Rescue Mission and the significance of one's mental health.

📅 USWNT fixtures: The senior team will face China in a pair of friendlies that could be the first for a new head coach, while the U-19 team will hit the Pan-Am Games.

⏪ Club recap: From a record-breaking weekend in NWSL attendances to successful outings for the Portland Thorns and Bayer Leverkusen and struggles for Alex Greenwood, Napoli, and Kylian Mbappe, it was eventful round of club matchups before the men's international break.

💰 The Back Line

💵 Best bets

Euro qualifying: Croatia vs. Turkey, Thursday, 2:45 p.m.
💰 THE PICK: Both teams to score (+110) -- With nine goals in four qualifying matches, Croatia should be able to continue that run against a Turkey side that has conceded six goals in five games. The visitors have a scoring streak, too, with eight goals in that stretch, so expect both sides to get on the board.
Concacaf Nations League: Grenada vs. Jamaica, Thursday, 7 p.m.

💰 THE PICK: Jamaica to win 2-0 (+430) -- With a handful of Premier League stars like Leon Bailey and Michail Antonio on the roster, it's no wonder Jamaica are the oddsmakers' favorites to take this one. Expect them to win with relative ease on Thursday as they eye a quarterfinal berth in the Concacaf Nations League.

📺 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, Friday evening): The leading women's soccer podcast and social brand is now a live studio show. Watch Monday and Friday a 6 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 (Wednesday, 8 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. You won't wan to miss Carli Lloyd sitting down to share her thoughts.

🥅 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+.