Luka Dončić with the 2 Pt
With just 15 months to go until the biggest World Cup ever, the USMNT is arguably in crisis. A torrid start to 2025 saw them lose all three games in the CONCACAF Nations League Finals with the pressure building on an underperforming set of players and Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino. The team's all-time joint scorer couldn't hide his concern at the team's recent performances but believes that eventually this squad can come good.
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Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
Back With New England, USMNT GK Turner Is Ready To Turn Heads Again
It's a lot closer than you think. The kickoff of the World Cup might be 10 months away, but August could wind up turning into a vital month for the U.S. men's national team. Yes, there are no international friendlies scheduled until the international friendly against the Korea Republic at Sports Illustrated Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 6. But there will be important news transpiring off the field: As where various key players will be competing as they begin their tune-up and find their form for the 2026 World Cup. Over the weekend, it was reported that forward Tim Weah will be loaned by Juventus, where he wasn't getting much playing time, to Olympique Marseille in France. As it turns out, it is the same French Ligue 1 team that his father, the great George Weah, starred for, from 1992-95. On Friday, the New England Revolution announced that it had signed acquired goalkeeper Matt Turner for the rest of his Major League Soccer season and through June 30, 2026, with the Revs having option to buy his contract. No doubt he needs to play regularly if the 25-year-old native wants to be the U.S.'s goalkeeper for the second consecutive World Cup. A mercurial rise After signing with the club as an undrafted free agent out of Fairfield University in 2016, Turner played the next seven seasons with the Revs. During that span, the 6-foot-3, 180-lb. keeper earned 2021 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year and MLS Best XI honors, secured the MLS All-Star Game MVP Award, and helped lead New England to its first Supporters' Shield title. Since venturing over to England to perform for Arsenal in 2022, Turner's playing time has been limited to a paltry 17 league matches. He bounced around to Nottingham Forest and then to Crystal Palace, making a handful of appearances, usually in cup competitions. He thought he finally found a team that he could call home when transferred to Lyon in France for $8 million. However, Lyon fell into financial trouble and the French Ligue 1 club and couldn't add Turner to its roster. So, he returned to New England. "My European adventure, it didn't go perfectly to plan but I did learn a lot along the way," he said during a Monday press conference. "So, I had some misfortunes. I had some opportunities that I didn't make the most of as well. It just didn't go perfectly to plan. However, like I said, I started my beautiful family over there, I have zero regrets about my time in England and I really loved it. I would never shut the door on a return either." Well, let's worry about the next year or so, please. Lyon not in the cards After thinking he finally found a home in Lyon, came the bad news that he could not play for the French side. 'It was a trying time, and it was difficult to be in limbo for a while," Turner said. "And thank you so much to my parents, and my wife's parents who are here today, because without them it would have been really difficult for our family. I mean, no one feels bad for a soccer player, right, because we make millions of dollars and it's all great and well and good, and your problems are insignificant." Turner said he was more concerned about his family, with finding the right schools for his two children and making sure his family had the proper health care insurance, regardless where they were. "Now, I turn to an extended family here in New England to take me in with open arms, and let me just focus on my work, and getting ready to achieve my ultimate goal, which we all know is to play in the 2026 World Cup here in the states,' he said. Not playing regularly wasn't the best way to prepare to play internationally, and especially for the USMNT. Unlike other positions on the soccer pitch, you can only use one goalie at a time. All the training sessions in the world can't make anyone into a world class goalkeeper. Games and vital decision-making under pressure when the game is on the line does. Playing for his country, not for his club Turner backstopped the USMNT for four games at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and performed well. When he returned to Arsenal, the only action he saw was getting up and down from the bench. Observers, media and soccer aficionados feared he was going to lose that sharpness sooner or later. It came crashing down on him when Turner wasn't sharp enough to make a save against on what turned into the winning goal for Panama in a 2-1 win over the USA in the Concacaf Nations League as the three-time defending champions USA hit another devastating stumbling block as it continued to prepare itself for the World Cup. At the time, former USMNT goalkeeper and National Soccer Hall of Famer Tony Meola talked about the little nuances during the scoring sequence that was replayed for the audience. Cecilio Waterman, some 16 yards out on the right side of the penalty area, deposited the ball into the lower left corner just past the outstretched right hand of Turner. Meola felt that Turner should have taken another step from the goal to cut down the angle. "I look at the angle that Matt Turner took," he said on the Paramount+ postgame show. "I looked at the distance of the shot, where that shot was taken from. Okay, it was a little bit of pace. There's no doubt about that. I don't want to take anything away from the goal scorer, but in this moment … Matt Turner is a little bit tucked in near that in that near post. I had a perfect angle from my vantage point here. Just a little bit of a hop, just before he takes that. So, his feet aren't planted. He doesn't have some explosion to his right. "At the end of the day, in a moment like this, and I'm not I'm not blaming Matt Turner, but those are moments where you have to find a way. Just like a forward in the end, like [Patrick] Agyemang has to find a way to put the ball in the back of the net. Josh Sargent has to find a way. A goalkeeper on the other end of the field has to find a way to make a save." Sharpness matters, especially for a goalie. A wake-up call Turner received the ultimate slap in the face from USMNT Mauricio Pochettino, who anointed New York City FC keeper Matt Freese as the team's No. 1 for the Concacaf Gold Cup in June and July. Looking back at that time, Turner saw that as a wake-up call. Freese played in all six games as the Americans lost to Mexico in the final. 'Yeah, obviously I was frustrated," he said. "Anytime you're a competitor and you get the opportunity to play, you want to play. But I had multiple conversations throughout the summer with the gaffer there at the national team. Sometimes you're just in a cycle and you need somebody to help you snap out of it a little bit. I think it took [Pochettino] to sort of help me take a step back and look at things from a different perspective, because I obviously was not playing at my best leading into that. I think sometimes you just have to shake it up a little bit to help the player then launch forward and achieve what the coach knows that the player and the player knows that they can achieve. 'So, for me I know what I can achieve, and his support was massive. He helped me to create a new perspective, create new relationships with guys on the team that I might not have had the chance to, and in another sort of scenario where I was playing. And I think also just to look at things from a different side, and show my leadership through a different way. I was grateful for the opportunity that he gave me in that sense, and now I think I can sort of see, with this journey that I've been on, that being in New England was the right place for me to continue to hone those skills, to create new relationships, to play games, to find my happiness in the sport. And then in turn I can give my best to him and to the National Team as well. I think if you look back at some of my greatest national team games, obviously the World Cup was amazing, but some of my greatest National Team games happened when I was here playing in New England.' Turner hoped that history will repeat itself in time for the next World Cup. He is expected to get plenty of games with the Revolution, where he will replace regular keeper, Slovenian native Aljaz Ivacic. When asked if was going to make his MLS season debut against D.C. United on Saturday, Turner replied: 'I'll let the coach [Caleb Porter] make the decision at the end of the day. But, I'm eager to integrate myself with the squad, show my qualities to everybody, and earn my place on the field.' A game-changer Revolution sporting director Curt Onalfo had no doubt that Turner will make an impact immediately for a 6-11-7 team with 25 points that is mired in 11th place in the MLS Eastern Conference, 10 points out of ninth place and the final MLS Cup Playoffs wildcard berth. "Matt is a game-changer," he said. "He's one of these guys that can turn a shot that should be a goal into a save." Turner and Weah weren't the only USMNT players who were in limbo this summer. Several of their teammates need to find new homes as the start of the various European seasons is right around the corner, later this month. The list includes midfielder-forward Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund), whose potential transfer to Parma (Italy) came apart last week because his Bundesliga side felt the offer wasn't big enough, and forward Josh Sargent (Norwich City), who nixed a move from the English Championship to Wolfsburg because he didn't want to move to Germany, even though it would be high level of competition. If their teams or agents don't get things sorted out soon, it could be a long, frustrating season for those two players with the World Cup looming closer than you think. Michael Lewis can be followed on X at Soccerwriter and on BlueSky at Soccerwriter.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Andrés Cantor talks calling the 2022 World Cup Final and looks ahead to World Cup 2026!
Subscribe to The Cooligans Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube Christian Polanco and Alexis Guerreros bring on soccer broadcasting legend Andrés Cantor to chat about all things soccer. The guys revisit the 2022 World Cup Final and talk with Andrés about how the greatest moment of his career was also his most challenging. Christian and Alexis then discuss Andrés' journey in broadcasting and how he eventually passed down his love for the game to his son, Nico. They also get to know Andrés on a more personal level—learning, for example, about his dislike for sauce on food. Later, Andrés shares some of his favorite memories of the late Grant Wahl as they remember the beloved soccer journalist. The guys also ask Andrés the hard-hitting questions in another edition of Pro/Rel. (0:30) - Andrés Cantor joins The Cooligans (3:30) - Reliving Andrés' 2022 World Cup Final call (9:00) - Andrés' broadcasting journey (17:00) - Andrés' World Cup partnership with Buchanan's Whisky (27:30) - Remembering Grant Wahl (31:30) - Andrés plays the Pro/Rel game 🖥️
USA Today
7 hours ago
- USA Today
Inter Miami provides Lionel Messi injury update: How long will he be sidelined?
Lionel Messi is expected to miss some playing time with Inter Miami, but it's unclear how long he could be sidelined due to his upper, right-leg injury. Messi has "a minor muscle injury," Inter Miami announced on Aug. 3 in a statement. The announcement did not include a timetable for his return. Inter Miami's next match is in the 2025 Leagues Cup tournament – Aug. 6 against Pumas UNAM at Chase Stadium – with a prime opportunity to advance to the knockout stage. It's likely Inter Miami will play their next match without their eight-time Ballon d'Or winner and Argentine World Cup champion. Here's everything you need to know about Lionel Messi's latest injury, including Inter Miami's upcoming schedule and two matches Messi could play with Argentina in early September: Will Messi play in Inter Miami's next Leagues Cup match? Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano will have a press conference on Tuesday, Aug. 5, a day before their next match, where Messi's status for the Aug. 6 match could be announced. What injury does Lionel Messi have? Messi has an upper, right-leg injury – which Inter Miami described as a "minor muscle injury." When did Messi get injured? Messi was injured in the opening minutes of Inter Miami's Aug. 2 Leagues Cup match against Necaxa. Messi attempted to charge forward into the penalty area with possession, but was tripped up and fell to the pitch. Messi made the move in the 6th minute of the match, and was removed as a substitute in the 11th minute. He walked off on his own into Inter Miami's locker room after a trainer massaged his upper, right leg upon evaluation. How much time will Messi miss due to injury? It's unclear how long Messi will be out or how many matches he would miss due to this injury. Inter Miami has prime opportunity to advance in Leagues Cup Inter Miami is in third place – behind Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers – in the MLS side of the Leagues Cup table after the first two matches. Only the Top 4 clubs from MLS and LIGA MX will advance to the knockout stage. Simply put, Inter Miami would advance if they beat Pumas by any score. With five points in the standings, Inter Miami is ahead of six other MLS clubs with four points. A win to reach eight points would be enough to advance. Could Messi return if Inter Miami advances in Leagues Cup? The best-case scenario for Inter Miami is they advance to the knockout stage, and Messi returns to play in the Leagues Cup quarterfinals on either Aug. 19 or 20. But it's still too early to guess if Messi would recover in time. What is Inter Miami's upcoming schedule? After Inter Miami plays against Pumas, they will have two MLS regular-season matches before the Leagues Cup quarterfinals – if they qualify. Here's Inter Miami's upcoming schedule through August: Will Messi play with Argentina in September World Cup qualifiers? Argentina has already qualified for the 2026 World Cup, but still has two more qualifying matches to play: Sept. 4 vs. Venezuela and Sept. 9 vs. Ecuador. The Sept. 4 match is one to keep an eye on: It will be played in Argentina, and could possibly be Messi's last match in his home country.
