Welcome to the weekend! Jonathan Johnson here to tee you up ahead of a weekend of domestic cup action as 2024 brings in new competitions for European soccer's big boys to consider. We look ahead to that as well as the upcoming USMNT roster drop which could throw up a few surprises.
📺 Footy fix
All times U.S./Eastern
Friday, Jan. 5
🏴 FA Cup: Brentford vs. Wolves, 2:15 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+
🇮🇹 Serie A: Bologna vs. Genoa, 2:45 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Golazo Network
🏴 FA Cup: Tottenham Hotspur vs. Burnley, 3 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+
Saturday, Jan. 6
🇮🇹 Serie A: Inter vs. Verona, 6:30 a.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🏴 FA Cup: Sunderland vs. Newcastle United, 7:45 a.m. ➡️ ESPN+
🇪🇸 Copa del Rey: Arandina vs. Real Madrid, 3:30 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+
Sunday, Jan. 7
🏴 FA Cup: Arsenal vs. Liverpool, 11:30 a.m. ➡️ ESPN+
🇮🇹 Serie A: Salernitana vs. Juventus, 12 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Golazo Network
🇫🇷 Coupe de France: Revel vs. PSG, 2:45 p.m. ➡️ FS2
🇪🇸 Copa del Rey: Barbastro vs. Barcelona, 3 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+
⚽ The Forward Line
🇺🇸 USMNT roster drops on Friday
Friday brings the latest USMNT roster drop for January's scrimmage vs. Slovenia in San Antonio and it will be a chance for Gregg Berhalter to bring together a number of his charges currently playing their trade in the U.S. However, it could be a particularly important window for the likes of Miles Robinson and Brandon Vazquez, just over six months out from the Copa America on home soil with eyebrow raising moves which could impact their chances of making the cut this summer. Chuck Booth did not hold back on Vazquez being on the verge of joining Monterrey in Liga MX.
- Booth on Vazquez to Monterrey: "With MLS and Liga MX getting closer by the year, especially with the revamped Leagues Cup, this is quite an odd potential move. Once thought of as competition for the starting striker spot with the USMNT, his stock has fallen since Folarin Balogun picked the U.S over England but it also was still in a position where he can rise to be the backup to the star striker. Liga MX is still a strong league but with Josh Sargent, Daryl Dike and Ricardo Pepi all in Europe, if Jesus Ferriera joined them and received playing time, it would see Vazquez fall even further down the pecking order. Nothing is done in relation to the move but it's hard to see where this makes sense for the 25-year-old outside of potentially when it comes to finances. Due to not having a salary cap, Liga MX can offer a better compensation package than MLS but MLS has been able to offer better steps to European clubs over the past few years. While only Vazquez knows what's right in his decision, this is a move that could see him completely miss the Copa America squad when it's announced."
Jesse Marsch was similarly scathing in his assessment of Robinson joining FC Cincinnati as a free agent on CBS Sports' Call it What You Want podcast (which you can also catch on CBS Sports Golazo Network).
- Marsch on Robinson: "Very surprised. I read that with his free agency, he had been talking to a few different MLS clubs, but I thought with his talent that now a move to Europe was perfect for him. You never know what the options are, obviously every player has to evaluate what the situation is, what the finances are, and what the opportunities are, but I think a player like him has to be in Europe, has to be testing himself, has to be pushing to be the best that he can be. Even if it's a league like the Championship or Holland or some of these that aren't the Premier Leagues, the best way to create a stepping stone to get there is to have a bit on your resume that shows you had a year or year in half in Europe, playing for clubs that are competing to be in the UCL or are in the UCL. Then you can showcase your talents. We've talked a lot on this show about players that are testing themselves and putting themselves in over their heads -- Pepi is a good example - and being rewarded for it. I find it a bit of a shame, but each player's situation is a little different."
Factor in Johnny Cardoso moving to Real Betis and Zack Steffen and Djordje Mihailovic being set to sign for the Colorado Rapids and it is an interesting time for USMNT-related transfers.
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🔗 Midfield Link Play
🏆 Domestic cup bonanza
This weekend is a big one across a number of domestic cups with the FA Cup, Copa del Rey and Coupe de France all playing over the next few days. English soccer considers the "magic of the cup" to be sacred, although upsets do not happen quite as readily as they do in other European countries such as France where non-professional sides making deep runs is not unheard of -- it is in fact more or less the norm.
This weekend's FA Cup games have a glamorous feel to them, though, with Newcastle vs. Sunderland in the Tyne Wear derby first up on Saturday. Then on Sunday, Arsenal are at home to Liverpool in a clash between two of the Premier League's title contenders which will see one giant name knocked out in just the third round proper. Elsewhere in Europe, Real Madrid and Barcelona both have fourth tier opponents in Spain with Arandina and Barbastro respectively out to send shockwaves through the Spanish soccer hierarchy. There is also US Revel from the sixth tier of French soccer who play at amateur level and celebrated their draw against PSG as if it were a cup final victory. An upset of Kylian Mbappe and his Parisien teammates would be an even greater story and party for the team from Haute-Garonne if they pull it off. Buckle up for one of the most fun weekends of the year when the form book can and will go out of the window in some of these matchups.
🔗 Top Stories
📈 Midseason Premier League clubs graded: Liverpool and Aston Villa score high while Manchester United and Chelsea struggle and Arsenal are not quite where they want to be.
🆓 NJ/NY Gotham FC's USWNT star grab: How the club's people-first ethos aided ambitious NWSL free agency sweep of Rose Lavelle, Emily Sonnett, Crystal Dunn and Tierna Davidson.
👋 Arsenal's Reiss Nelson and Emile Smith Rowe: Both Hale End products need to leave the Gunners in order to reach their full potential.
🔙 Jadon Sancho's Borussia Dortmund return: The Manchester United man is closing in on a transfer deal to return to Germany on loan.
🥇 Ranking the best January transfers: Liverpool landing Virgil van Dijk, United snapping up Bruno Fernandes and USMNT legend Clint Dempsey's Fulham switch are up there with Luis Suarez and Marcelo.
🤑 NWSL increases salary cap: The 2023 cap of $1.375 million has grown to $2.75 million for 2024 as allocation money starts to be phased out.
❓ AFCON and AFC Asian Cup absences: Mohamed Salah, Heung Min Son and every Premier League player who will be missing for the next few weeks.
💰 The Back Line
💵 Best bet
- Serie A: Torino vs. Napoli, Sunday, 9 a.m.
💰 THE PICK: Napoli win and both teams to score (+450) -- A big one for Napoli as they try to close the gap on the European places. Torino are firmly midtable but there is not much between the two sides heading into this one which Walter Mazzarri's side need to win. Victor Osimhen is Africa Cup of Nations-bound and will be a miss so Partenopei need to learn to start picking up points in the trickier games while missing key personnel. A draw would not be a huge surprise, but both teams to score with Napoli winning at the end sounds about right.
📺 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 evening): 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 (Tuesday, 7 p.m.): CBS Sports Golazo Network's new unfiltered interview show returns 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+.
