Home to Louisville City of the USL Championship and Racing Louisville of the NWSL, Lynn Family Stadium will welcome Sears who is in her first season with Racing after playing college soccer at Ohio State. She has five goals in 24 appearances at the club level, and after Sunday afternoon, she has one goal in one cap for the USWNT.

Iceland recap

It wasn’t just the Emma Sears show in Nashville on Sunday, however. The US trailed at halftime after Iceland took the lead directly from a corner kick. It was the first time the US has trailed since Emma Hayes took over as the coach. The US responded well to the new challenge in the second half.

Lynn Williams tied the game in the 72nd minute with a turning shot from seven yards away and Lindsey Horan scored the go-ahead goal just four minutes later, with a tap-in from inside the six-yard box. Sears gave the US insurance to close out the win 3-1 in stoppage time on a wonderful strike that was perfectly placed in the corner beyond the outstretched goalkeeper.

Emma Hayes wins Ballon d’Or

Emma Sears wasn’t the only one making headlines before Wednesday’s game with Argentina. Coach Emma Hayes was announced as the winner of the Ballon d’Or as the Women’s Soccer Coach of the Year after leading the USWNT to the gold medal at the Paris Olympics.

For her part, Hayes tried to downplay the importance of her award.

“I think you ask any coach this question and more often than not people would say the same thing,” she said. “The thing we love the most is being part of a team. So, the individual honors part, for me, is the least interesting part. I love the team awards and winning gold medals or WSL championships.”

Hayes was also full of praise for Sears after her impressive debut.

“Emma’s form has been identified by many of us over a period so, we’ve come to expect that,” Hayes said. “But it’s not always easy when you get a debut at the top level. There’s a lot of nerves that go with that. She looked like she was having a great time. She was smiling on the touchline.”

USA vs Argentina preview

Wednesday’s game against Argentina will not be the first time these two teams have met this year. They played each other back in February at the Women’s Gold Cup, with the US winning 4-0 in Carson, California.

La Albiceleste has been having a rough go of it lately. They have qualified for the last two Women’s World Cups but have failed to get out of the group both times. Last year they managed to finish fourth at the Pan American Games. However, they lost their final three games by a combined 8-0. This year they have just three wins from eight games.

Head coach German Portanova has called up a group of 20 players for their only game of this international window. It’s a roster that is light on both experience and goalscoring. Only one player has more than 50 caps (defender Aldana Cometti) and only one player has more than 10 goals (forward Yamila Rodriguez).

Four of their 20 players are based in the US, three of which currently play college soccer: Catalina Roggerone and Anela Nigito of Cal State Bakersfield as well as Chiara Singarella of Purdue. The only player playing professionally in the US is Sophia Braun with Spokane Zephyr FC of the USL Super League.

Game Notes

Wednesday night’s game is set for a 7 PM ET kickoff from Lynn Family Stadium in Louisville. This is the first time since 2004 that the USWNT has played in Louisville, when they drew 7,525 at the University of Louisville’s college football stadium in a 1-1 draw with Japan.

Viewers can catch the game against Argentina in English on TNT and TruTV. Viewers can also watch the game in Spanish on Universo.

Photo: Imago

By the time the calendar flips to November, the USWNT will have played three home games: two against Iceland and one against Argentina. They have already gotten off to a good start, with a 3-1 win against Iceland in Austin.

In the USWNT’s victory against Iceland on Thursday night, Alyssa Thompson got the scoring started in the 39th minute with a blast from outside the six-yard box. But Iceland responded early in the second half through Selma Magnusdottir to tie the game up at one goal apiece. It wasn’t until late in the game when the US broke it open with goals from Jaedyn Shaw and Sophia Smith in the space of four minutes to seal the win.

Now, the team is preparing to face Iceland again, this time in Nashville on Sunday, October 27.

USWNT vs Iceland preview: Roster is a mix of veterans and rookies

Emma Hayes has called in 26 players for this quasi-victory tour. Like her previous rosters, it’s a mix of experience and youth. Five players have over 100 caps. An additional five players have zero caps.

The goalkeepers are Alyssa Naeher, Casey Murphy, and Mandy Haught. The defenders everybody knows include Emily Sonnett, Naomi Girma, and Emily Fox while Eva Gaetino and Alyssa Malonson are two of the uncapped players.

In the midfield, Lindsey Horan and Rose Lavelle are the anchors, with Ashley Sanchez and Sam Coffey the next most experienced players. And up front, Mallory Swanson leads the way with 101 caps and 38 goals to her name. The selection of forwards also includes Yazmeen Ryan with one cap and Emma Sears, who is uncapped.

Iceland’s status in world soccer

Iceland has never qualified for the Women’s World Cup or the Olympics. The nation has, however, qualified for four straight UEFA Women’s Championships and currently sits in second place in Group A4 in qualifying for the next edition of the tournament in 2025.

Coming into this pair of games against the US, Iceland had been on an impressive run of form. In the eight games leading up to their loss on Thursday, they had lost just one time and won five times.

The squad called in by manager Porsteinn Halldorsson is relatively light on experience. Only defender Glodis Viggosdottir has over 100 caps. Nobody else on the roster has more than 65 (that would be defender Ingibjorg Siguroardottir). Goalscoring also appears to be at a premium as only two players have scored double-digit goals at the international level: Viggosdottir with 11 and Sveindis Jonsdottir with 12.

TV details for USWNT-Iceland

Sunday’s USWNT game against Iceland is set for a 5:30 PM ET kickoff from Geodis Park in Nashville, Tennessee. This is the USWNT’s second appearance at Geodis Park, the first coming in February of last year.

Viewers can watch the game on TNT, TruTV, and Max in English-language as well as on Universo and Peacock in Spanish-language. You can watch the game in both English- and Spanish languages via Fubo.

Photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Now, the USMNT travels to Mexico for a rare away fixture. A win in a rivalry game would go a long way toward sustaining what Pochettino has given the United States early on in his tenure.

Panama recap

The USMNT was the better team from start to finish on Saturday night in Austin. Pochettino’s squad came out on the front foot and didn’t allow Panama many chances. They were, however, scoreless going into halftime after Josh Sargent missed the best chance of the half.

Fortunately, they came out on fire to start the second half. Christian Pulisic played a great ball for Yunus Musah to rifle home from six yards out just three minutes after the restart. Matt Turner made a fantastic pair of saves midway through the second half to keep the US in front. And then, in stoppage time, Ricardo Pepi found the back of the net to put the game on ice.

There are still some things to work on. Pochettino only had a limited amount of time with the players before this window. But the important thing was starting his tenure with a win, and they did. Now, the USMNT has an opportunity to build more positive momentum with a win in Mexico.

Rivalry with Mexico

Pochettino’s first taste of North America’s fiercest rivalry comes in a rare game in Mexico. Perhaps even more rare, is that the game is not being played at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, but at Estadio Akron in Guadalajara.

The US has eternally struggled to get wins on Mexican soil. They have only done so just once: a 2012 friendly at Azteca in which Michael Orozco Fiscal scored to give the USMNT one of its most famous wins under Jurgen Klinsmann.

Despite struggling in Mexico, the rivalry is going very much in favor of the United States right now. El Tri has not beaten the US since a 3-0 win against Gregg Berhalter’s side in September 2019. Since then, the US has won or drawn seven straight. That includes two Nations League Finals, a Gold Cup Final and two World Cup qualifiers.

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Preview: USMNT momentum counters Mexico struggles

The USMNT may have had a rough summer, but Mexico’s was just as rough. They too were eliminated from Copa America at the group stage and subsequently fired their manager as a result. To replace Jimmy Lozano, they turned to Javier Aguirre. This is Aguirre’s third stint in charge of El Tri, having managed them at the 2002 World Cup and again at the 2010 World Cup.

Mexico’s form is similar to that of the US. In the last twelve months with six wins, six losses and four draws. Attendance at their two September friendlies in the US was bleak. Most recently, they played an unofficial friendly against LaLiga side Valencia in Puebla and drew 2-2.

The squad for this game against the US is a mix of experience and inexperience. Three players have over 100 international appearances: Guillermo Ochoa, Andres Guardado and Raul Jimenez. On the flip side, four players have one or zero caps: Bryan Gonzalez, Marcel Ruiz, Obed Vargas and German Berterame.

Notes

Following Saturday’s game, five US players were released back to their clubs: Marlon Fossey, Weston McKennie, Ricardo Pepi, Christian Pulisic and Zack Steffen.

Tuesday’s game against the US will be just the fifth time Mexico will have played on home soil since the 2022 World Cup. In that time, they played a total of 31 games. Coverage of the game in Guadalajara is available on TNT for American audiences. Kickoff is set for 10:30 p.m. ET.

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Pochettino’s resume is an impressive one, but he faces some stern tasks with the USMNT. The World Cup on home soil is less than two years away and the US has very few competitive games in that time. Furthermore, the morale of the fan base is quite low at the moment. That is understandable, given how wrong things went at the Copa America this year. It is incredibly important for Pochettino to get off to a good start with these two friendlies against Panama and Mexico.

US roster

With this being Mauricio Pochettino’s first game with the US, there was speculation about what the roster would look like. Would he call most of the same players or would there be a huge roster turnover? The answer, so far, appears to be the former.

In goal, the US will have usual suspects Matt Turner and Ethan Horvath. But there does appear to be competition as Pochettino has also recalled Zack Steffen and Patrick Schulte. The back line is mostly familiar names too. Tim Ream, Antonee Robinson, Miles Robinson, Joe Scally, and Mark McKenzie all have 14 or more international appearances.

In the midfield, the team has Weston McKennie, Brenden Aaronson, Yunus Musah, and Malik Tillman. Pochettino also called up a pair of players in Gianluca Busio and Tanner Tessmann fresh off a knockout round appearance at the Olympics in Paris. And up top, the headliner is Christian Pulisic in addition to Ricardo Pepi, Josh Sargent and Haji Wright.

Injuries played their part in reshaping the roster after it was originally announced. Brandon Vazquez and Alejandro Zendejas were both late additions following injuries by Folarin Balogun and Tim Weah.

Preview: Pochettino can rebuild USMNT morale against Panama

One of the most immediate problems in Mauricio Pochettino’s first game is the morale of both the US players and the US fans. Copa America was a disaster, but that doesn’t tell the full story.

The US form has been dreadful for almost a year. The US is winless in four straight games, and six of their last seven. They have won just three games all year. Dating back to November 20, 2023, the USMNT has won three times in eleven outings and one of those wins was an extra-time game against Jamaica in the Nations League semi-finals. All but one of those eleven games was on home soil.

The good news is that Pochettino has already started trying to get the morale back up. He has spoken repeatedly about the US’ need to believe they can compete at the highest level and perform well at a home World Cup. And there is no better opponent to begin to restore that belief than a Panama team that has dominated the US lately.

Panama roster

The US may have been a disaster at the Copa America, but Los Canaleros were not. Not only did they beat the US, but they finished second in the group and made it to the knockout rounds. In the quarterfinals, they were ultimately over-matched, losing 5-0 to Colombia. Surprisingly, they haven’t played since.

The roster for this game features all their biggest and best players. Of the 23 players called in by Thomas Christiansen, eleven of them have 30 or more caps. Three of the Panamanian players are based in the US. The first two are midfielders Anibal Godoy of Nashville FC and Adalberto Carrasquilla of the Houston Dynamo. The third is uncapped goalkeeper John Gunn of the New England Revolution II team, who last year, was playing college soccer at the University of Memphis.

Despite struggling against the Americans for years, Panama now finally seems to have the US’ number. Until 2021, Panama had only beaten the US one time (at the 2011 Gold Cup). Now, the Panamanians have won three of the last four against the US in just three years. They won a World Cup Qualifier in Panama City in 2021, they eliminated the US on penalties in the 2023 Gold Cup semi-finals, and then of course beat them at the Copa America in Atlanta earlier this year.

Game information

Saturday’s game against Panama kicks off at 9 p.m. ET. Coverage in the United States is available on TNT for English-language audiences and Telemundo for Spanish. Q2 Stadium in Austin, TX, is hosting the game. Austin has been a frequent stop for the USMNT. The Panama game is the fifth time the United States has played at the venue since July 2021.

PHOTOS: IMAGO.

Because of these performances, morale among US fans is close to an all-time low. Just over 10,000 fans showed up to Children’s Mercy Park to watch that defeat against Jesse Marsch’s Canada This could not be happening at a worse time as the World Cup in the US is less than two years away. Only the possibility of Mauricio Pochettino is keeping the fan base from crumbling entirely.

Embarrassing loss to Canada

The most recent loss in the run of results was as dreadful as it was predictable. Canada was the better team from start to finish. They out-worked and out-hustled the Americans and were first to every ball.

The US duly fell behind after less than 20 minutes and then found themselves down 2-0 less than 15 minutes into the second half. Luca de la Torre got the Americans on the board shortly after that, but it was too little, too late. Jesse Marsch got his revenge on US Soccer. He went on to add some salt to the wound by saying that he would far rather coach the Canada national team than the USMNT side which is in disarray at the moment.

Preview: USA needs a positive result against New Zealand for morale

It might not amount to much, but the USMNT has a chance to bounce back when they play New Zealand. A win against the Kiwis would help stop the run of dismal results from continuing. It could also serve as the perfect springboard to officially announce Pochettino was the new coach.

New Zealand is a little bit of a familiar foe to the US. Their U23 team was in the same group at the Olympics as the Americans this summer. Darren Bazeley has called in 22 players for a pair of stateside friendlies. They played their first game against Mexico and fell 3-0 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

The 22-man roster features New Zealand-based domestic players, guys at smaller European clubs, and several players from American teams. Three of the 22 players (all defenders) are based in the US: Michael Boxall of Minnesota United, Bill Tuiloma of Charlotte FC, and Finn Surman of the Portland Timbers.

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Game notes

Kickoff in the USMNT’s second friendly of the September international window is on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET. TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, OH, is hosting the contest between the United States and New Zealand. Tuesday’s game will be the fifth USMNT game in Cincinnati since 2019. It is the side’s fourth game at TQL Stadium since 2021.

Viewers in the United States can watch English-language coverage of the game on TNT. Universo has those wanting to watch in Spanish covered. Coverage is also available on streaming via Max, Fubo, Peacock and more.

PHOTOS: IMAGO.

First squad after Berhalter features key changes

With the Pochettino deal yet to be signed, the USMNT will have another interim coach. Mikey Varas called in 24 players to face Canada and New Zealand.

However, several of the biggest names are missing from the roster. Weston McKennie and Antonee Robinson are out. Gio Reyna has withdrawn due to an injury. Other than that, the roster is mostly routine.

Matt Turner and Ethan Horvath are in goal, as well as Olympic goalkeeper Patrick Schulte and Barcelona product Diego Kochen. Defenders include Tim Ream, Chris Richards, and Joe Scally. The midfield features Luca de la Torre, Lucas Musah, and Malik Tillman. The forwards include Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi and Christian Pulisic.

Igniting a rivalry in North America

It’s fitting that the US begins life after Gregg Berhalter in the same city where Gregg Berhalter’s tenure ended. In the final Copa America group game, the US fell 1-0 to Uruguay and sealed Berhalter’s fate.

The new era begins but time is short. The World Cup on home soil is just around the corner. With no qualifying games, there are very few opportunities for the US to test themselves. Perhaps even more important, is there are very few opportunities for the country to build excitement for the World Cup. Wins in these two September friendlies would be a step in the right direction.

USA takes on Canada side that reached Copa semifinal

Canada is a team heading in the opposite direction as the USMNT. Under American Jesse Marsch, Les Rouges are performing like the best team in CONCACAF. While the US was grouped at the Copa America, Marsh guided Canada to the semi-finals.

The squad called in by Marsch is close to their best. Maxime Crepeau is in goal after his Copa America performance. The back line has plenty of experience as Alphonso Davies, Alistair Johnson, Richie Laryea, and Kamal Miller all have more than 40 caps.

Jonathan Osorio and Stephen Eustaquio anchor the midfield. Up top, they have the likes of Cyle Larin and Jonathan David to fire home the goals.

Kickoff for Saturday’s game is at 4 p.m. ET. Children’s Mercy Park, which hosted one of Canada’s group-stage games at the Copa America, is the venue for this friendly. For the USMNT, it is the 12th game in Kansas City since 2011. Moreover, it is the side’s 6th since 2021. Coverage of the game is available on TBS for English-language audiences. Telemundo has Spanish-language coverage.

PHOTOS: IMAGO

For this year’s Leagues Cup, things were far different. Messi missed the whole tournament due to injury. Except for Club América, most of the more popular Mexican teams were eliminated early. Even crowds for Club America’s three games were spotty. The Águilas drew 21,311 in San Diego against Club Atlas, and 22,462 for its game against Colorado Rapids. Meanwhile, América only drew 11,553 in Los Angeles against St. Louis City.

No doubt that Major League Soccer will point to crowds of 46,080 for Inter Miami versus Tigres in Houston, and 50,675 in Santa Clara for Chivas against the San Jose Earthquakes as a success. However, those two crowds proved to be the exception rather than the rule. Most crowds for MLS teams were far below their usual average team attendance.

A close look at the underperforming MLS home attendances at Leagues Cup

These are the MLS teams whose average Leagues Cup crowds were the worst, relative to their usual attendance:

A handful of the attendances for Leagues Cup games weren’t reported. World Soccer Talk reached out to an MLS spokesperson, but she did not respond in time.

What happened at the individual clubs?

Seattle has long been a gold standard of American soccer support. For years, the Sounders faithful have packed out Lumen Field. During this year’s Leagues Cup, however, they did not. They played five home games and none of them made it to 30,000 while two fell below 20,000. As a result, their average attendance for this year’s League’s Cup was 38% lower than what they draw historically.

Meanwhile, in Missouri, St Louis City attendance in Leagues Cup was a disappointment. Since joining MLS last year, every single game exceeded 20,000 people in attendance, and all but one sold out. Not only did none of their three Leagues Cup games sell out, but none of them reached 20,000 people. They went from 17,854 against FC Dallas, to 16,256 against FC Juarez, to just 10,833 against the Portland Timbers.

On the West Coast, LAFC’s average since the opening of BMO Stadium in 2018 is a robust 20,819 fans per game over 128 games. At the Leagues Cup, though, they only reported attendance at two of their five games. The two they announced were both below their usual average: 18,351 against the Vancouver Whitecaps and 12,930 against Austin FC. The games they did not report were against Tijuana, the San Jose Earthquakes, and the Colorado Rapids.

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Austin FC reported neither game

Similar to St. Louis City, the stands at Q2 Stadium in Austin have been filled to the brim since the stadium opened. Before the Leagues Cup this year, every game except two had drawn a sellout crowd of 20,738. But just as in St. Louis, attendances at Austin FC games were disappointing. The Texan club has not released the attendance for either of their two home games. Those were a pair of blockbusters against Pumas and Monterrey.

The 2023 edition of Leagues Cup was successful largely because of the arrival of Lionel Messi. With Messi out injured, this year’s tournament suffered. If things don’t improve, the Leagues Cup could end up going the same way as the old North American SuperLiga, into extinction.

Photo: IMAGO / Icon Sportswire.

USWNT and Brazil have taken long roads to the final

The USWNT’s win over Germany was almost a carbon copy of their win over Japan. Both games were scoreless going to extra time. And in both games, one of the three US forwards found a way to get the goal to send the Americans through.

Against Japan, it was Trinity Rodman who fired home to secure the win. Three days later, it was Sophia Smith who scored to send the US through to the gold medal game.

Additionally, the US win against Germany again didn’t see Emma Hayes make many substitutions until extra time. In regulation, Emily Sonnett and Lynn Williams were brought on. But with the game tied 0-0 in extra time, Hayes could wait no more. She brought on Jenna Nighswonger, Korbin Albert, and Casey Kruger. Fortunately, there are four days between the semi-final and the gold medal game.

On the other side, it’s quite a surprise to see Brazil in the gold medal game. Not because they aren’t talented, but because they got their Olympics off to a horrendous start.

They won their opener against Nigeria 1-0. Things then appeared to careen off the rails as they lost each of their next two games, 2-1 to Japan and 2-0 to Spain. They only advanced to the knockout rounds as the second-ranked third-place team.

In the quarterfinals they pulled off a huge shock, eliminating the host French and causing manager Herve Renard to resign. In their semifinal game, they demolished Spain by a score of 4-2. The win was especially impressive because Spain is the reigning Women’s World Cup champion.

USWNT and Brazil face off in important match

There is history on the line for both the US and Brazil in this game.

For the US, they have a chance to win a record fifth gold medal and their first since the 2012 Games in London. It will be their seventh overall Olympic medal out of their eight appearances.

Brazil has a chance to win their first-ever major international tournament. They have never won the Women’s World Cup, coming closest as runners-up in 2007. Nor have they won gold at the Olympics, not even as the hosts at Rio 2016. They did, however, win consecutive silver medals in Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008.

Where to watch

Saturday’s gold medal game is set for an 11 am ET kickoff. Fans can watch in English on NBC and Peacock, and in Spanish on Telemundo.

PHOTOS: IMAGO.

These games frequently draw massive crowds as fans clamor to see players and teams they otherwise might not ever get to see. This summer was no different.

The clubs playing summer friendlies in the US this year were a who’s-who of the biggest teams in the world. Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid came over. Five of England’s “Big Six” made appearances. And one of Italy’s biggest clubs, AC Milan, made the rounds to show off American forward Christian Pulisic.

Soccer fans pack out stadiums for summer friendlies

Here is the list of the top 25 exhibition games played in the US this summer:

In addition to the above friendlies, there were several pre-season games played in the United States where the attendance numbers were not disclosed. Also new this summer are a handful of pre-season friendlies featuring high-profile women’s soccer teams from Europe, many of whom are playing later this month across the United States.

Summer friendlies better attended than Leagues Cup

Of the 28 summer friendlies played in the US, eleven of them drew over 40,000 people. Just as impressive is that an additional four of the 28 games cracked the 30,000 mark. In the top 25 most-attended games listed above, the average attendance was 39,583.

The same cannot be said for the 2024 edition of the Leagues Cup. MLS may have been successful at cashing in on the Mexican-American fans last year, but it has not been the case this year. Thus far, only two Leagues Cup games have cracked the 40,000 barrier. Those were the San Jose Earthquakes against Chivas Guadalajara at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara and then Inter Miami against Tigres at NRG Stadium in Houston.

Notably, neither of MLS’s two best-attended teams have had their Leagues Cup games draw well. Atlanta United had a pair of home games that were, by their lofty standards, poorly attended. So too were the Seattle Sounders’ two home games. They drew 28,000 and 26,000 respectively against Minnesota United and Necaxa.

Impressive attendances at college football stadiums

Typically, preseason friendlies between top European clubs are often played at NFL stadiums due to their large capacities. This year, more than ever, several of the games were played in American college football stadiums. It’s perhaps fitting as college football is perhaps the only American sport that can match the passion and intensity of European club soccer.

For example, Liverpool played Manchester United at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina. While not on the campus of the University of South Carolina, it is home to the Gamecocks on Saturdays in the fall.

The battle between Chelsea and Manchester City took place at Ohio Stadium. Commonly known as “The Horseshoe,” Ohio Stadium is the home to the Ohio State Buckeyes and has seen some of the biggest games in college football history.

Nor was that Chelsea’s only game in a college football stadium this summer. They also played Celtic at Notre Dame Stadium. The home of the Fighting Irish was no stranger to hosting summer friendlies. Back in 2019, Liverpool played Dortmund at Notre Dame under the watchful gaze of “Touchdown Jesus.”

Celtic too, played another game in a college football stadium. Their match-up against Manchester City was on the campus of the University of North Carolina. The Tar Heels had also played hosted last year’s game between Chelsea and Wrexham.

With so many successful club friendlies in college football stadiums, could we see US Men’s National Team games in college football stadiums in the future?

Overall, this summer was another successful series of summer friendlies. On the heels of drawing big crowds for Copa America, the American soccer fans delivered again with more great numbers for the club friendlies. With the country now firmly in the middle of the biggest stretch of soccer in American history, many will undoubtedly be hoping that these crowds are a sign of things to come.

Photo: IMAGO / Marca.

Japan recap

To get to a point where they are only two wins away from bringing home the gold, the US first had to get past Japan. The game was a slog. Both teams were playing their fourth game in nine days. The number of games, combined with the small roster size, meant that fatigue was undoubtedly a factor.

The game went 0-0 into extra time. It wasn’t until the first half of extra time that Emma Hayes made a substitution (Hayes has repeatedly preached the value of continuity). In any event, it was one of the starters that made the difference. In the 105th minute, Trinity Rodman (daughter of former NBA great Dennis Rodman) scored a scintillating goal to give the US a lead they would not relinquish.

Germany’s quarterfinal

Like the US, Germany is just two wins away from a gold medal. And like the US, they had to put in extra work to win their quarterfinal match-up.

Their game against Canada, however, went all the way to penalty kicks. Canada, of course, has been at the center of controversy during these Olympics for the use of drones to observe the training sessions of teams they were facing.

But in the end, Germans have historically always been tough to beat on penalties. It proved to be true for the Canadians as they made just two of their four kicks, while four of the five Germans made theirs to advance to the semifinals.

USA vs Germany preview: Rematch against the Germans

These two teams have already played at the Olympics. During the second group game, the US played their best game of the tournament. Sophia Smith scored twice and both Mallory Swanson and Lynn Williams got goals to see the US through to a 4-1 victory. Giulia Gwinn scored for Germany.

With these teams having already played each other, it leads some to wonder what they will do differently for this game. Emma Hayes has so far proven reluctant to alter her lineup or make frequent substitutions, with an eye on continuity. And what changes, if any, will Horst Hrubesch make for the Germans? Surely, some changes would have to be made given the demolition during the last meeting. It sets up to be a fascinating chess match with a spot in the gold medal game on the line.

And of course, the winner of this game will be taking on the winner of the other semifinal between Brazil and Spain.

Where to watch

Tuesday’s game between the US and Germany is set for a 12 pm ET kickoff. Viewers can watch in English on the USA network and Peacock, and in Spanish on Telemundo.

Photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire.

But the standard has never been to just bring home a medal. They won bronze at the last Olympics in Tokyo and were seen as having failed. Against Japan on Saturday in the quarterfinal, they have a chance to move one step closer to gold.

USA’s group stage recap

For just the second time ever, the first coming in 2012, the USWNT won all three group stage games at the Olympics. They opened up with a 3-0 win over Zambia, with Trinity Rodman and Mallory Swanson getting the goals.

Their second game against Germany was probably their best game of the tournament. They took the lead, conceded, and then took the lead again. The final score was 4-1 with Sophia Smith, Mallory Swanson, and Lynn Williams all getting in on the goal-scoring.

Finally, they wrapped up group play against Australia. While the Germany game was probably their best game of the tournament, the Australia game was their toughest. Trinity Rodman opened the scoring just before halftime but the US was made to work for the bulk of the game. Korbin Albert scored a laser beam in the 77th minute to give the US some insurance. But the Matildas refused to go down without a fight and pulled a goal back in the 92nd minute. Ultimately, it proved to be too little, too late and the US topped the group with all nine points.

USA faces a tough opponent

Japan qualified for the quarterfinals by finishing second in Group C. They dropped their opener against Spain 2-1, despite going ahead in the 13th minute. Their second group game against Brazil was the polar opposite, as they scored two goals in stoppage time (including a penalty) to earn a 2-1 victory. They closed group play with a comprehensive 3-1 win over Nigeria.

The US and Japan have quite a bit of tournament history, including at the Olympics. The two teams met in the 2011 Women’s World Cup Final, won by Japan on penalties. A year later at Wembley, the US got their revenge in the Gold Medal game, with Carli Lloyd scoring twice to secure the win and a gold medal. And perhaps most famously, the US and Japan met in the 2015 Women’s World Cup Final. Carli Lloyd scored a 16-minute hat trick that included a goal from midfield and the US won their third Women’s World Cup title by a score of 5-2.

Where to watch

Saturday’s game between the US and Japan is set for a 9 am ET kickoff. Viewers can watch in English on the USA Network and Peacock, and in Spanish on Telemundo as well as Fubo.

Photo: IMAGO / MAXPPP.

USA’s group stage recap

The US got their Olympics off to a bit of a rough start. Of course, playing the host nation in the opening game is always a tough challenge. It’s an even tougher challenge when that host nation is France. The US defended well for an hour but eventually fell 3-0.

They bounced back nicely in their second game though. Against New Zealand, the US was flying. They scored early on a penalty by Djordje Mihailovic and didn’t look back. Walker Zimmerman, Gianluca Busio, and Paxten Aaronson all added goals. In the end, they ran out 4-1 winners.

To close out group play, the US knew a win would see them through to the knockout rounds. It didn’t take long for the US to go 1-0 up on Guinea, once again from Djordje Mihailovic. From that point on it was the Kevin Paredes show as he scored two goals to lock up the three points for the US. With the win, the US advanced to the knockout rounds at the Olympics for the first time since 2000.

Huge opportunity for the Americans

Friday’s game against Morocco represents a massive opportunity for the US. If they win, they have a chance to play for a medal. Winning a medal would be a historic achievement for American soccer. The US has never won an international tournament away from home and hasn’t made the podium at the Olympics since the 1904 Games in St. Louis when American school teams competed.

A win against Morocco would not only give the US a chance to play for a medal but also wash away some disappointment with the senior team. The Copa America was hosted in the US this summer and the US bombed out big time. They were eliminated in the group stage and manager Gregg Berhalter was fired. A medal at these Olympics would go some way towards starting to rebuild momentum for the 2026 World Cup.

Morocco advances as first in its group

Morocco seems to be establishing itself as a regular in the knockout rounds at international tournaments.

Their full national team famously made a miracle run to the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. They then topped their group at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations before falling in the Round of 16. Now, their U23 team is in the quarterfinals at the Olympics.

To get to the quarterfinals, Morocco topped their group. They bizarrely won their opening game against Argentina, as the game felt like it had been over for nearly two hours before a VAR check ruled out Argentina’s last-gasp equalizer.

They then suffered a shock loss in their second game against Ukraine, conceding the winner in the 98th minute. They bounced back nicely with a resounding 3-0 win against Iraq and finished top of the group thanks to their win against Argentina, despite each team having six points.

Where to watch USA vs. Morocco

The winner of the USA-Morocco game will advance to the semifinals to take on the winner of the Spain-Japan game. Friday’s game is set for a 9 am ET kickoff and can be viewed in English on USA and in Spanish on Telemundo.

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Germany recap

The US currently tops the group after a resounding 4-1 win over Germany on Sunday. It was the kind of performance that had so many fans excited about the hire of Emma Hayes. The US scored early and they scored often.

Sophia Smith got the party started in the 11th minute before Germany responded just eleven minutes later. The US was undeterred, however, and promptly retook the lead two minutes later through Mallory Swanson, who is currently the joint top scorer at these Olympic Games with three goals.

Smith added her second of the game just before halftime, which took a crazy deflection before going off the post and in. Then, with less than a minute remaining in the game, Lynn Williams capped off the night with a cool finish from just outside the six-yard box.

Potential quarterfinal opponents

As things stand now, the US is top of the group. A win or a draw against Australia sees the USWNT secure the top spot and advance to the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris (where the US men will play Morocco on Friday). Should they top the group, they could face one of four opponents from Group C: Spain, Japan, Brazil, or Nigeria.

But should the US somehow not finish as the best team in their group, things could get weird. Because the women’s event at the Olympics only has a total of twelve teams competing in three groups, the last few places in the knockout rounds are filled by the top two third-place teams from the group stage.

Should the US finish second in the group, they would face the runner-up from Group A, which could be Colombia, France, Canada, or New Zealand. And if the worst were to happen, and the US dropped to third place in the group, they could potentially play anybody in the tournament (except the already-eliminated Zambia).

Australia

Australia is currently third in the group. Though tied with Germany on 3 points, they have a worse goal difference at -2. They’ve had an interesting tournament so far at these Olympics.

They lost their opening game quite handily to Germany, 3-0. Their second game, against Zambia, was one of the most incredible games of soccer, perhaps ever.

Zambia opened the scoring in the first minute. Australia answered in the seventh minute. Zambia took the lead again in the 21st minute and then added some insurance in the 33rd minute. The Matildas pulled one back almost immediately in the 35th minute. It looked like Zambia had put it away for good in the 56th minute at 5-2. That’s when things got wild.

Australia got one back in the 58th minute through a Zambian own goal. Stephanie Catley scored in the 65th minute to bring the Matildas within one and then fired home a penalty thirteen minutes later to level the score. And in the dying moments of the game, it was Michelle Heyman who curled her shot with aplomb and sent Australia to a famous victory.

Notes

Wednesday’s game for the US women against Australia is set for a 1 PM ET kickoff. Viewers can watch the game in English on the E! Network, Peacock, and in Spanish on NBC Universo.

Photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

USA dominates New Zealand

The United States has this great opportunity because it was so good in its last time out. They scored against the Kiwis early, and they scored against the Kiwis often.

Djordje Mihailovic opened the scoring in the eighth minute by converting a penalty. Four minutes later, Walker Zimmerman gave the Americans a 2-0 lead with a tap-in after a goal-line scramble. Gianluca Busio made it a three-goal lead inside half an hour with a shot from twelve yards out. Paxten Aaronson put the icing on the cake less than ten minutes into the second half.

New Zealand was able to pull a goal back for a more respectable-looking scoreline, however. As a result, the USA went from a positive one-goal difference down to an even goal difference, which could become an important tiebreaker.

Advancement scenarios

The surest way for the United States to advance to the quarterfinals is to beat Guinea. It’s a classic case of “win and you’re in.” But there are other scenarios in which the USA can advance, even without a win.

The Americans could advance with a draw, as long as New Zealand does not win their game against France. If the USMNT were to draw and New Zealand were to lose, the Americanswould advance with four points to New Zealand’s three. If New Zealand and the US were both to draw, each team would have four points, but the USA would advance with the better goal difference.

The Americans can advance, even with a loss, but that is where things get dicey. The only way the USA could stay in the tournament with a loss would be to lose to Guinea by a single goal and hope that France beats New Zealand. And as the full USMNT learned at the end of World Cup Qualifying in 2017, and at this year’s Copa America, it’s better not to leave the fate of the team in the hands of other games.

Guinea could provide the USA challenge at Olympics

Like the US, Guinea can advance to the knockout rounds. This is despite having lost both of their games. Their path, however, is not as straightforward as the Americans’. They would need a win against the US, a France win against New Zealand, and for the goal-difference tiebreaker to go their way.

So far at these Olympics, Guinea is winless. It played New Zealand in their opener and fell 2-1, with Amadou Diawara scoring the goal. In their second game, they gave a very good account of themselves against the hosts. They held France scoreless until the 75th minute, before conceding the eventual winner.

Their roster for these games is light on international experience but has plenty of European club experience. Eight of their 18 players are based at French clubs. An additional two players are based in Spain. Meanwhile, their captain, Naby Keita, is based at Werder Bremen in Germany.

As things stand, France is at the top of Group A with six points. The United States is second, and thus in a spot to go through, but only based on goal differential. New Zealand is also on three points. However, the dominating performance against the Kiwis sank their goal differential to minus-two, while the Americans are even. Guinea has lost both of its games by one goal, leaving it with zero points and a minus-two goal differential.

Tuesday’s game against Guinea kicks off at 1 p.m. ET. Coverage is available on USA Network for English-language audiences. Spanish-language coverage is on Telemundo.

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Zambia recap

The path for the US to take control of their group started with a comprehensive, if somewhat unsatisfying, win against Zambia. Some of the issues that had popped up in recent friendly games were again present. Chief among them was the inability to take advantage of the numerous chances that came their way.

They eventually found the breakthrough in the 17th minute through Trinity Rodman. Seven minutes later, Mallory Swanson reminded the world why she is so important to the US team as she scored two goals in just a minute to give the US a comfortable lead.

The second half didn’t feature any goals, despite Pauline Zulu of Zambia being sent off and shown a red card in the 34th minute. But at the end of the day, the US got all three points and sits tied at the top of the group with their next opponent: Germany.

USA vs Germany preview

For the US to take control of the group, they must get a result against the Germans. Lately, this has proven somewhat challenging for the USWNT. The teams last played in November of 2022. The US lost the first one in Ft. Lauderdale (to put a bow on the first 3-game losing streak in many years). They were, however, able to break even and win the second one a few days later at Red Bull Arena.

Like their male counterparts, the German women have been struggling at the international level. After winning the gold medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, they failed to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Games. Then, at the 2023 Women’s World Cup, they performed worse than the USWNT, as they were eliminated at the group stage.

The Germans are in good form in the game against the US. They have won seven of their last eight, including their Olympic opener against Australia by a 3-0 scoreline. Interim boss Horst Hrubesch has called in a roster featuring plenty of experienced players. Chief among them is 33-year-old Alexandra Popp, who has racked up 67 goals in 140 international appearances.

Notes

Group B standings: USA – 3pts (+3), Germany – 3pts (+3), Australia – 0pts (-3), Zambia – 0pts (-3)

Kickoff is set for 3 PM ET on Sunday, July 28, and can be viewed in English-language on the USA Network and Peacock, and in Spanish-language on Telemundo.

View the schedule for Olympics soccer games that are available on US television and streaming.

Photo: IMAGO / PanoramiC

Entering Saturday’s contests, France is at the top of Group A with three points and a positive goal differential. New Zealand picked up a win in their opening game as well, but that was a one-goal triumph. Following such a major loss, the United States fell to the bottom of the group. That signals that there is such staunch work to do for head coach Marko Mitrović and the United States Olympic team.

France recap

The opening loss to the French was always going to have severe consequences on the chances of the United States. Over a million people tuned in and saw that the game started well enough for the US. They held their own defensively and had one or two chances at the attacking end.

The second half came, and Djordje Mihailovic hit the crossbar from 30 yards out. Just two minutes later, though, France roared down and scored two minutes later. The US responded well and had a litany of chances in front of the French goal. They were not able to convert any of them and France duly made them pay with a second goal.

At 2-0, the matter was pretty much decided. But the French were still able to get one more goal to run out 3-0 winners. Many in the US camp will be hoping that conceding the third goal does not become important down the line in a potential goal-difference tiebreaker.

The challenge of New Zealand for the USA at the Olympics

The opponents for the US’ do-or-die game got their Olympic campaign off to a good start.

New Zealand defeated Guinea 2-1 in their opening game, but it was hardly a cakewalk. The Kiwis took the lead in the 25th minute through their captain, Matthew Garbet. They gave up an equalizer in the second half, but Ben Waine of Plymouth Argyle responded just four minutes later with what proved to be the winning goal.

Their manager, Darren Bazeley, was at one point in time an assistant coach with the Colorado Rapids to former USMNT head coach Anthony Hudson. The roster that Bazeley has called in features mostly domestic players but does have two MLS guys on it as well: defender Michael Boxall of Minnesota United and forward Jay Herdman. He is the son of current Toronto FC head coach John Herdman.

Kickoff on Saturday is set for 3 p.m. ET. Viewers in the US can watch on the USA Network in English and on Telemundo in Spanish. Coverage is also available for those in the United States on Peacock. NBC’s streaming service has coverage of each of the events throughout the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

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To add to the poor results in major tournaments, the USWNT was a disaster at the Women’s World Cup last year. They turned in their worst-ever performance, falling in the Round of 16.

But they have the best coach in the world now, following the hiring of Emma Hayes. With a new coach and some new blood in the team, the US looks to redeem itself at this Olympics. They get started against Zambia.

Notable USWNT stars omitted from the squad

Emma Hayes has certainly shaken things up since taking the US job. Several of the biggest names for the USWNT are not going to the Olympics.

Becky Sauerbrunn is not going to Paris, despite having 219 caps. Catarina Macario played for Emma Hayes at Chelsea but did not make the final 18 due to injury. And biggest of all, Alex Morgan who amassed 123 goals in 224 appearances, will not be competing at the Games in France.

But there is still plenty of talent and experience on the roster. Alyssa Naeher in goal has 106 caps. Four of the six defenders have 50 or more caps (Emily Sonnett leads the way with 93). In the midfield, the duo of Lindsey Horan and Rose Lavelle each have over 100 caps and more than 20 goals. And up front, there is almost an embarrassment of riches between Crystal Dunn, Lynn Williams, Sophia Smith and Mallory Swanson making her major tournament return after she missed the Women’s World Cup with an injury.

Recent results

While they may not have gotten a send-off series last year, the USWNT got something akin to one this year. Since Emma Hayes took over the team, they have played four friendlies. Two of them were in wins against South Korea in June: 4-0 in Denver and 3-0 in St. Paul.

More recently was a pair of friendlies this month. These two were somewhat more concerning. The US struggled to find the net in both. First was a 1-0 win against Mexico in New York that saw Sophia Smith score the winner in the 64th minute. Their last outing was a 0-0 draw against Costa Rica in Washington DC that saw the US with all the possession and all the chances, but nothing to show for it.

Is Zambia a straightforward opponent for the USA at the Olympics?

Zambia comes to the Olympics boasting their highest world ranking in history at 64th. They sealed their qualification earlier this year with a pair of two-legged wins, first against Ghana and then against Morocco.

The Copper Queens are starting to build themselves into a regular fixture at major international tournaments. Before 2020, they had never been to one. They made their major tournament debut at the Olympics in Tokyo three years ago and finished third in their group, ahead of China on goal difference. At last year’s Women’s World Cup, they again finished third in their group. But this time they won a game, 3-1 in the group finale against Costa Rica.

Zambia does also have two players who ply their trade in the US for teams in the NWSL. Both are forwards. Barbra Banda, who has a staggering 22 goals in just 10 caps, plays for the Orlando Pride. Rachael Kundananji, with 6 caps in 7 appearances, plays for expansion side Bay FC.

This is a crucial game for the United States to set up for future success. Emma Hayes’ side must face Germany and Australia in the other two group-stage games. Each of those two is far more challenging. The Germany game is on Sunday, July 28. Then, the USWNT rounds out the group stage against Australia on July 31.

Thursday’s game at the Olympics between the USA Women’s National Team and Zambia kicks off at 3 p.m. ET. Coverage is available on USA and Universo for Spanish-language coverage.

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Some hope that qualifying for 2024 before hosting 2028 will be as important as qualifying for the 1990 World Cup before hosting in 1994. How will the US fare in their group in Paris? They could get a quick education when they open up against France.

US squad calls on familiar names for youth development

When the US roster for the Olympics was announced, the news of who wasn’t on it overshadowed who was. Diego Luna was a big part of the team qualifying for the Olympics and is having a banner year for Real Salt Lake. Unfortunately, he was only offered a spot as an alternate, which he declined.

Despite being a U23 tournament, manager Marko Mitrovic has managed to call in some players with senior national team experience. The three overage players are Walker Zimmerman (a 2022 World Cup veteran), Miles Robinson (3 goals in 29 senior caps), and Djordje Mihailovic (9 caps for the senior national team).

But it isn’t just the overage players with full national team experience. Midfielder Gianluca Busio was part of the Gold Cup-winning team in 2021. Defender John Tolkin earned three senior caps last year and one this year. And while midfielder Benjamin Cremaschi may only have one senior appearance to his name, he’s spent the last year at his club playing with Lionel Messi, bagging six goals for Inter Miami.

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Building on the soccer momentum for the United States

This year presented the Summer of Soccer with Euro 2024, Copa America, and the Olympics happening. It meant a huge opportunity for the game of soccer in the United States.

Unfortunately, the USMNT squandered much of that opportunity when it fell during the Copa America group stage. That disaster led to the dismissal of Gregg Berhalter as national team coach.

Fortunately, the Olympics provide an opportunity to regain that momentum. Should the US men (and US women) perform well, the excitement would be ramped back up ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

France should be toughest opponent for the USA at Olympics group stage

The US opens up its Olympics campaign against France. Thierry Henry manages the host nation. It is a way for US Soccer to get a firsthand look at what the Frenchman brings to the table from a managerial perspective. Henry is one of the candidates

But his task right now is to guide France to a good showing on home soil. And despite not having the biggest names in French soccer, the roster is still talented.

Where the French might not have an advantage over the US is in full international experience. It seems that only their captain, 33-year-old Alexandre Lacazette, has full international experience. But his last cap for France came in 2017.

Where France does have the advantage is most of their players playing at big-time European clubs. The bulk of the squad is domestically based but there are several players in other countries. Defender Castello Lukena plays for RB Leipzig. Defender Loic Bade plays for Sevilla. And forward Jean-Philippe Mateta plies his trade for Crystal Palace.

Fans in the United States can watch the USA U23 side compete against France at the Olympics on Wednesday at 3 p.m. ET. Coverage is available on USA Network. However, fans can also watch on NBC’s streaming service, Peacock. It will have coverage of every soccer game at the tournament, including the knockout stages. Telemundo will have Spanish-language TV coverage of the USA against France at the Olympics.

After playing France, the United States will turn its attention to New Zealand on Saturday. Then, it rounds out the group stage against Guinea on Tuesday, July 30.

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Ugly Loss to Panama

The mounting pressure to advance traces back to Thursday, June 27. In the USA’s second group-stage game against Panama, the Americans had a chance to clinch a spot in the quarterfinals. Instead, a 2-1 loss that included two combined direct red cards and clear frustration transpired. The United States also had an early gold called back for offside, while Panama had a penalty shout that did not stand after a VAR review.

Despite Folarin Balogun’s sensational strike just minutes after Tim Weah’s red card, Panama scored two goals that stood. Los Canaleros, playing in their second Copa America, picked up a win that gives it a real chance to qualify for the quarterfinals.

Thursday’s loss was the third loss to Panama in the last four meetings. That result, combined with the very real possibility of falling at the group stage, should see the heat turned up to the max on Gregg Berhalter. The American coach has always been under the microscope, at least from the outside. Yet, US Soccer locked him down to a contract that runs through the 2026 World Cup. Failing against Uruguay and falling in the Copa America group stage would be a major embarrassment for the United States. Its group, consisting of Uruguay, Panama and Bolivia, was one of the more straightforward groups in the Copa America. Crashing out in the group stage may be his last time coaching the USMNT.

USA now prepares for Uruguay, and any preview shows battle

When that group came out, the United States would have thought two wins in the first two games would be enough to advance. Therefore, the game against Uruguay would be no more than a contest to see who finishes first. That, of course, is not the case for the USMNT, even if Uruguay is flying with two wins from two games.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side sits top of the group with six points. While not mathematically through to the last eight, it would take stunning results in both of Group C’s games to take Uruguay out of the knockout stage. During South American World Cup Qualifying, Uruguay is the only team to beat Argentina. And they’re scoring goals for fun at the moment. Bielsa’s boys have found the back of the net at least three times in their last three games, all wins.

Granted, Bielsa will not be in the dugout for Uruguay on Monday. He was tardy coming out of the dressing room after halftime against Bolivia, and CONMEBOL suspended Bielsa for one game as a result.

Even so, Monday night’s game is massive to put it lightly. Coverage is on Fox Sports 1, with kickoff set for 9 p.m. ET. Spanish-language coverage is available on Univision. Arrowhead Stadium, the home of the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs, is hosting this game.

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A crowd of 59,145 was on hand Thursday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta to watch a disaster unfold. In a game where almost everything went wrong, it leaves the United States’ chances of reaching the Copa America quarterfinal in peril.

An action-packed 90 minutes

The US had a goal disallowed early and then had Tim Weah sent off for punching a Panamanian player in the back of the head. But they took the lead after a fabulous strike from Falorin Balogun. That’s when the wheels fell off.

Panama retaliated minutes later and tied the game. Then at halftime, Berhalter made three changes. Most notable was the switch from Matt Turner in goal to Ethan Horvath, with the former having been clobbered by a Panamanian attacker.

A back-and-forth second half ensued, which eventually saw Panama score the winner with less than ten minutes to play. At the last gasp, the US had a chance to tie after Panama had one of their players sent off for a foul on Christian Pulisic. But it was too little too late and Panama achieved a famous win.

Putting Berhalter’s team into perspective

US Soccer has been touting itself as the king of CONCACAF because of its success in the Nations League. But upon closer examination, that notion is detached from reality.

Not only did the USMNT fail to win last summer’s Gold Cup, they didn’t even make it to the final. They fell to Panama in the semi-final on penalty kicks. Panama has turned into a nightmare opponent for the US. In the last four meetings between the teams, Panama has won three of them.

It’s worth noting that before Berhalter’s appointment, the US had lost to Panama just once (in the 2011 Gold Cup). Panama beat the US in Panama City in 2021 during World Cup Qualifying. They eliminated the US from last summer’s Gold Cup, and of course, they beat the US Thursday night in Atlanta during the Copa America.

For a manager who has stated that the goal for this cycle is to “change American soccer forever,” Berhalter is making all the wrong moves.

Berhalter’s future with this team

After the game, Berhalter was asked about the refereeing. He declined to go into specifics and then bizarrely launched into a discussion about how his pregame focus for his team was about the referee instead of Panama.

In the post-match press conference, World Soccer Talk asked Berhalter if his job should be on the line after the defeat to Panama.

He replied, “That’s not for me to determine.”

Keep in mind that if the United States loses to Uruguay on Monday night, it may mean that the team will be eliminated in the group stage of a tournament where it has been to the semi-finals twice in its last three appearances. A loss to Uruguay means the US would have to depend on Bolivia to get a result against Panama.

Even more concerning is the fact that even if the United States defeats Uruguay, the US may not advance. Both the United States and Panama are tied on three points. However, the US currently has a better goal difference than Panama. All that could change on Monday night depending on the results from the Panama-Bolivia game and, of course, USA-Uruguay.

It’s important to remember that under Berhalter’s leadership, the team has failed to notch a win over a top 25 side in FIFA’s rankings other than Concacaf teams. Berhalter has now been in charge of the team for seven years. So getting a win against Uruguay on Monday night will be historic for Berhalter if it happens.

Berhalter’s time is up

Berhalter has broken the USMNT and must be fired before he can do any more damage to the team. Since he was re-hired, he has posted a record of 7-5-1 (W-L-D). Players that play incredibly well at top-flight European clubs, all of a sudden look like they’ve never played soccer once they get to national team camp.

Nor is the much-ballyhooed culture in the locker room proving to be as strong as they have been telling the public. Tim Weah’s red card was the second red card for violent conduct for a US player in their last five competitive fixtures after Sergino Dest was sent off in the away leg against Trinidad & Tobago in November.

A man who never should have been hired, and who never should have been re-hired, is on the precipice of destroying the greatest chance the nation has at achieving incredible success at a World Cup tournament in 2026.

The World Cup is coming to North American shores in two years. Will US Soccer allow the coach who has broken the USMNT to ruin the party for our country?

Berhalter’s time is up as the leader of this squad. We need a coach who can get the best out of this team. After all, if we can’t get out of a Copa America group with Bolivia, Panama, and Uruguay, that would be an embarrassment. Unless the USA can advance to the quarterfinals on Monday night, Berhalter has to be fired.

Photo: IMAGO / Agencia-MexSport.

Bolivia recap

Unlike their previous Copa America appearance in 2016, the USMNT got this edition of the tournament off to a winning start. Eight years ago, they fell in their opening game to Colombia. This time around they put in a competent, professional performance against Bolivia.

Christian Pulisic got the party started in less than three minutes. Off a corner kick, he let fly from just inside the penalty area with a shot that the Bolivian keeper had no chance of stopping. The US may have taken their foot off the gas but were able to create separation just before halftime through a Folarin Balogun goal.

The second half didn’t see any goals, though the US had the lion’s share of the chances. Perhaps nobody wishes they had scored more than Ricardo Pepi. Several golden chances came his way, but Pepi was unable to convert any of them and the game finished 2-0. If that was a preview of finishing for the USA in Euro 2024, Panama may prove a more difficult task.

Preview: Panama is a familiar foe for the USA

Los Canaleros did not have as good of a start to their Copa America as the US did. They took on a flying Uruguay team that beat them 3-1. But the Panamanians figure to be a tougher test for the US than the Bolivians were.

Not only are US/Panama games traditionally brutal affairs, but the US has struggled with Panama lately. Panama has won two of the last three meetings between the teams. They won a World Cup Qualifier in Panama City back in 2021 and eliminated the US from last year’s Gold Cup in the semi-finals on penalties. The lone US win in that time was a 5-1 win in World Cup Qualifying in Orlando.

Panama earned their spot in this year’s Copa America by winning a two-legged series in the Nations League against Costa Rica last November. Their form in 2024 has been rough, however. They lost both Nations League games in Dallas this March to Mexico and Jamaica. They followed that up with two World Cup Qualifying wins: 2-0 vs. Guyana and 3-1 away to Montserrat. Since then, they’ve dropped their last two games, a home friendly to Paraguay and their Copa America opener against Uruguay in Miami.

Thursday’s game is set for a 6 p.m. ET kickoff from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA. This is the first USMNT appearance in Atlanta since the 2015 Gold Cup semi-finals. Mercedes-Benz Stadium was the point of contention for Argentina players because of the quality of the pitch. That could be something to look out for when the USMNT takes on Panama.

The game will air on FOX in English and on Univision in Spanish.

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For the first time since 2016, they will be playing in the Copa America. It could be the last time this group of players is able to test themselves against quality opposition before the 2026 World Cup.

They’ll be opening the competition against Bolivia in Texas.

USMNT form

For the pair of friendlies prior to the tournament, Gregg Berhalter called in 27 players. Only Timmy Tillman was cut from the tournament roster.

2024 has been a mixed bag for the USMNT coming into this tournament. They dropped a friendly to Slovenia in January. Then, in March, they won another Nations League title by beating Jamaica and Mexico.

Funnily enough those games, along with the Copa America opener against Bolivia, were at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX.

Immediately prior to the tournament, Colombia hammered the US 5-1. Things looked quite bleak, but the US was able to bounce back and earn a 1-1 draw against Brazil with a goal from Christian Pulisic. That was only the second time in 20 meetings that Brazil had failed to beat the US.

Huge Opportunity

For the US, this Copa America is a huge opportunity.

That means that it’s go-time. These games figure to be the toughest tests faced by the US since the last World Cup. They also figure to be the toughest test the US will face until the next World Cup.

The messaging out of the US camp may be all about preparing for the 2026 World Cup. But it should not be forgotten that the USMNT has made the semi-finals of the Copa America twice in their last three appearances at the tournament.

They finished fourth at Uruguay in 1995 and again finished fourth as the hosts in 2016 (they were a disastrous last place in Venezuela back in 2007). Failure to match those performances would have to be seen as just that: failure.

Bolivian form

As is their habit, Bolivia are not performing well at the moment.

They currently sit ninth out of ten teams in CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifying with three points from six games. They have lost ten of their last twelve games overall. In the lead-up to the tournament, they lost all three friendlies.

First was a 1-0 loss to Mexico in Chicago. That was followed by a comprehensive 3-1 loss to Ecuador in Philadelphia. Their last time out was a 3-0 hammering at the hands of Colombia, which saw a player for each team sent off in the 68th minute for Violent Conduct.

The Bolivian roster is also very light on goal-scoring. Of the 26 players on the roster, none have scored double-digit international goals.

Only four of the 26 players have scored more than one goal for La Verde. The best of the bunch is 33-year-old Rodrigo Ramallo with seven goals in 40 caps.

Notes:

1. Kickoff is set for 6pm ET from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The game will air on FOX in English and Univision in Spanish.
2. The game against Bolivia will be the third USMNT game at AT&T Stadium this year. It is also the fourth USMNT game in Texas this year out of six games.

Photo credit: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire.

But last Saturday’s game was different. The US lost 5-1 to Colombia. It was the heaviest US defeat since 2016. Also, it was the first time the US had given up five goals since 2009. The fans were not happy. But more importantly, many mainstream American soccer journalists now want him fired. Things are not positive right now. They don’t figure to get any better either as the US gets set to face the mighty Brazil.

Colombia recap

Saturday’s 5-1 hammering against Colombia was nothing short of a disaster. Unsurprisingly, there were vastly more Colombian fans than US fans at the game. The players looked disinterested. Matt Turner gave up a pair of shockers. The giveaways to Colombia were amateurish.

Tim Weah may have gotten a goal, but Los Cafeteros responded with an avalanche of three goals in just eleven minutes. After the game, the same manager who bragged about almost kicking Gio Reyna out of the World Cup, threw his players under the bus by saying they didn’t respect the game of soccer.

The humiliating result, combined with his shocking post-game presser, is why Gregg Berhalter’s seat is getting warm. USMNT supporters have long criticized Berhalter, but his continued lack of success against teams from outside North America is jarring. The United States has only won one game against a team inside FIFA’s top 25 men’s national teams from outside CONCACAF. That was a must-win game against Iran in the final group-stage game of the 2022 World Cup. This fixture against Brazil is not a must-win contest. However, it should set the tone, for better or worse, for Berhalter at the Copa America.

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If Colombia is any preview, USA is in for a struggle against Brazil

If Gregg Berhalter’s seat is getting warm, a game against Brazil seems unlikely to cool it down.

Brazil is Brazil. They’ve only lost to the US one time in 19 meetings, back in the 1998 Gold Cup. They’ve won five World Cups and they’ve won nine Copa Americas. Brazil has more talent than most countries would know what to do with, though long-time star man Neymar was left out of the squad due to an injury. They also figure to have huge home support for this game in Orlando.

Their run of form at the end of 2023 was rough but has improved this year. They beat England at Wembley and got a draw with Spain at the Bernabeu. Most recently, they won an entertaining game against Mexico in front of over 85,000 at Kyle Field in College Station, TX. The fixture against the United States at Camping World Stadium should also draw a large crowd. US Soccer expects the friendly to break the USMNT attendance record in the state of Florida.

Wednesday’s game starts at 7 p.m. ET. The game will air on TNT in English and on Telemundo in Spanish.

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Next Wednesday they will be down in Orlando to take on mighty Brazil. But before they do that, they first have a game in the nation’s capital to take on a Colombia team that is playing as well as anybody in the world.

As the USMNT starts their Copa America prep, manager Gregg Berhalter has called in a roster that features most of the key names but also a few surprises. It should also be noted that the roster size for the tournament is 26 players, meaning one player from the current group of 27 will be going home early.

In goal are Matt Turner, Ethan Horvath, and Sean Johnson. On defense, the US has Time Ream, Antonee Robinson, Miles Robinson, and Cameron Carter-Vickers. Sergiño Dest is injured, so Shaq Moore is a surprise call-up to replace him.

The midfield is a list of the usual suspects. Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, Yunus Musah, and Gio Reyna are all there. Additionally, the Tillman brothers, Malik and Timmy, have been called in as well.

Up top it’s almost an embarrassment of riches with Christian Pulisic, Tim Weah, Haji Wright (hero of the Nations League in March), Folarin Balogun, Josh Sargent, and Ricardo Pepi. Earlier this week, Pepi made headlines in an interview saying the goal at Copa America should be to win the tournament and not just use it as a stepping stone for the 2026 World Cup.

Opportunity for the USMNT

This tournament represents a huge opportunity for the USMNT. As their Copa America prep gets underway, many people in the US are beginning to take notice of the team.

Not only will the US be playing in cities they haven’t visited in years, but this Copa America starts a tremendous run of soccer being hosted in the United States. Next year the Club World Cup will be held in the US, followed by the World Cup in 2026. And then Olympic soccer will be played in Los Angeles for the 2028 Games. For soccer to explode further in this country, the US must start taking advantage now.

Colombia roster provides USA preview of potential Copa rivals

Colombia is a team on absolute fire at the moment. Los Cafeteros haven’t lost a game since February of 2022. That’s a stretch of 21 games without a loss. Their manager, Nestor Lorenzo, is something of a coaching novice. Colombia is just the second head coaching job he’s had. Previously, he oversaw Peruvian club Melgar for just over a year in 2021.

The roster called in by Lorenzo is stacked with both quality and experience. In goal is David Ospina with 128 caps. Defenders like Davinson Sanchez, Santiago Arias, and Yerry Mina all have over 40 caps. The midfield features star man James Rodriguez (98 caps and 27 goals) as well as Mateus Uribe (53 caps and 6 goals) and Juan Quintero (34 caps and 4 goals). And among the forwards, the man to watch is Luis Diaz. The Liverpool man has racked up 11 goals in 47 appearances for his country.

Game information

Commanders Field in Landover, MD, is hosting Saturday’s fixture. Kickoff is at 5:30 p.m. ET. Fans watching from home can tune in on TNT for English-language commentary or Telemundo and Universo for Spanish. Additionally, you can stream the game on Max by using a new seven-day free trial. The game on Tuesday against Brazil is also available on Max.

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This year did not start positively for the USMNT, as Gregg Berhalter’s side lost to Slovenia, 1-0. However, that was not the full team, as there was no international break in January. In the CONCACAF Nations League Finals, Berhalter summoned a strong squad with all of the side’s biggest stars making the trip to Texas. The 23-player squad features ample experience, including many players who will be seeking a three-peat of Nations League successes.

Strong American squad ahead of semifinals

Some last-minute changes due to injury have not tarnished the potential of the squad. Brenden Aaronson, despite his form for Union Berlin, is replacing Luca de la Torre. Haji Wright has thrived of late with Coventry, and he is in for the injured Josh Sargent. They join a group that is close to the proverbial “A Team.”

The goalkeeping group is Matt Turner, Ethan Horvath and Drake Callender. The defense consists of plenty of experienced players. Tim Ream has 55 caps, Antonee Robinson is at 39 caps, Sergino Dest has 32 caps (though he is suspended for the Nations League semifinal) and Miles Robinson is nearing 30 caps.

In the midfield, Tyler Adams is just a little bit of a surprise inclusion due to having not played for Bournemouth for some time due to an injury. Likewise, Gio Reyna has struggled to get playing time following his move from Borussia Dortmund to Nottingham Forest. Weston McKennie, however, is in fine form with Juventus.

But perhaps no American player is flying higher than Christian Pulisic. His move from Chelsea to AC Milan has worked wonders. He’s got 12 goals in 39 appearances. He even managed to get two opposing players sent off in the same game.

Is Jamaica at full strength?

Jamaica’s path to the Nations League semifinal was dramatic. They topped Group B ahead of Honduras, needing a win on the final day to secure their advancement. In the quarterfinals, things got wacky. They dropped the home leg to Canada, 2-1. Then, they went on the road to Toronto and won 3-2. With the aggregate score tied at four goals apiece, the Reggae Boyz advanced on the away goals tiebreaker. By advancing past the Canadians, Jamaica qualified for this summer’s Copa America.

Jamaica’s roster called in by manager Helmir Hallgrimsson features several players who ply their trade in the US. Goalkeepers Andre Blake and Jahmali White play, respectively, for the Philadelphia Union and El Paso Locomotive. Defenders Damion Lowe and Tayvon Gray play, respectively, for the Philadelphia Union and New York City FC. And forward Cory Burke plays for the New York Red Bulls.

Some of the most notable Jamaican internationals will not feature for Jamaica. For example, Michail Antonio withdrew from the squad without providing a reason. Ethan Pinnock is out with injury while Leon Bailey did not earn a selection because he missed curfew during the previous stint with the national team. Demarai Gray is on the squad, but he will not play in the game against the United States due to yellow card accumulation.

Game Information: USA vs Jamaica in Nations League semifinals

Thursday’s game is the first of the two CONCACAF Nations League semifinals at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX. Coverage for viewers in the United States is available on Paramount+.

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The winner of this game will play the winner of the second semifinal between Mexico and Panama. The Nations League Final is on Sunday, March 24. That game is also at AT&T Stadium in Texas. In the Copa America, the USMNT will make another appearance at AT&T Stadium when it begins that tournament against Bolivia.

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As a key year begins, the annual January Camp is once again devoid of any of the big American stars. This has long been the case, given that this camp is not in an official FIFA window. As such, most of the present roster is made up of Olympic team hopefuls. The US men’s U-23 team will be competing at the Summer Olympics in Paris for the first time since Beijing 2008. And while three over 23 aged players are allowed, surely some of these players will benefit from a full national team camp.

Preview: A different USA roster Slovenia clash

Of the 24 players called in by Gregg Berhalter, only seven of them have ever appeared for the US at the international level. But it’s the uncapped players who figure to make the most of this camp and friendly game. The goalkeeping battle is between Drake Callender, Roman Celentano, and Patrick Shulte. The latter two are both 23 or younger.

The backline is where most of the experience in this team is. For example, Miles Robinson has 27 caps and three goals in a US shirt. However, as a key year begins for the US it’s the player under 23 that bear watching. Caleb Wiley, John Tolkin, and Nathan Harriel are all Olympic-age players and only Tolkin has any international experience (3 caps).

The midfield does feature Aidan Morris with four caps, but nobody else with any international appearances. Josh Atencio, Aziel Jackson, and Jack McGlynn are the players young enough to compete at the Olympics this summer.

None of the forwards on this roster have ever appeared for the US. The one to watch, however, is 20-year-old Diego Luna of Real Salt Lake. He scored five goals in 20 appearances for the US U-20 team and 13 goals in 41 appearances for the El Paso Locomotive in the USL Championship. In MLS, he bagged seven goals in 39 games for RSL.

Slovenian opponents

A key year begins, not just for the USMNT, but for their opponent Slovenia as well. They finished second in their group during Euro 2024 qualifying and were drawn into Group C for this tournament in Germany this summer, along with Denmark, Serbia, and England.

This isn’t the first time the US and Slovenia have met. The first meeting between the two teams was at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The US trailed 2-0 at halftime before a furious rally saw them equalize at 2-2 with less than ten minutes to play. The game is famous for the referee disallowing Maurice Edu’s last-second winner for no reason in particular. The following year, the US beat Slovenia 3-2 in Ljubljana for the second win of Jurgen Klinsmann’s tenure.

The roster called in by manager Matjaz Kek (who was the Slovenia boss for that game at the World Cup) features mostly domestic-based players. However, it does include 19-year-old defender Mitja Ilenic of New York City FC in MLS. Ilenic could earn his first cap in this game.

Notes

As such a key year begins, it is nice to see US Soccer trying to take the USMNT to new locations. This particular game is in San Antonio, a city the USMNT hasn’t visited since an April 2015 friendly against Mexico. Unlike that game in the Alamodome, this game is at the home of USL Championship side San Antonio FC.

Kickoff on Saturday is at 2 p.m. Central Time at Toyota Field in San Antonio, Texas. The game will air on TNT and Max in English, and on Telemundo and Peacock in Spanish.

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In 2023, it was a remarkable year for many reasons, namely the introduction of Lionel Messi to our shores.

Here are the top 25 largest soccer crowds in the US during 2023:

Largest soccer crowds in the United States in 2023

Messi-mania plays a part

All told, there were 54 games played in the US in 2023 that drew over 40,000 people. That number is up from 38 such games last year. And it is also up compared to 2021 when there were only 28 such games. The crowds can be broken down as follows:

• 26 crowds in the 40,000’s
• 4 crowds in the 50,000’s
• 15 crowds in the 60,000’s
• 5 crowds in the 70,000’s
• 4 crowds in the 80,000’s

Messi making the move to MLS and signing with Inter Miami might have been the biggest soccer story in America in years. His arrival certainly helped boost the number of games in the largest soccer crowds in the US.

Of the 25 games on this list, seven of them are MLS games. Of those seven MLS games, three of them were Inter Miami games. Those games were on the road given DRV PNK Stadium’s capacity is 18,000.

European clubs continue to draw well

It has long been the case that European clubs are always well-represented in the largest soccer crowds in the US. This year was no different.

Eight of the games on this list saw two European clubs square off against each other. Additionally, a number of the biggest clubs in the world took part in these games: Manchester United and Arsenal from England, Barcelona and Real Madrid from Spain and Juventus from Italy.

Where are the US national teams?

US fans have been frustrated with the poor attendance for several years now. Last year, neither the USMNT nor the USWNT made the list of the largest soccer crowds in the US.

In 2023, the USWNT did not feature in the largest soccer crowds in the United States once again. The side had its worst-ever performance at a Women’s World Cup with elimination in the round of 16. Consequently, the side did not have a victory tour.

The USMNT saw its attendance improve in 2023 but they were only able to land multiple games on this list because they played Mexico twice in NFL venues.

Mexico fans make their presence felt

Mexico national team games always draw huge crowds. Just this year, the average attendance for El Tri games was 77% higher than the USMNT’s attendance.

This year, only three of Mexico’s stateside games failed to make the largest soccer crowds in the US. Each of those three still drew over 30,000.

But, also worth noting, the largest soccer crowd of the year was not a Mexican national team game but a Mexican club game. Chivas played Club America at the Rose Bowl in October and drew the largest soccer crowd of the year in the US.

The next five years could see explosive crowd growth

It feels almost like a broken record at this point, but the next five years of soccer in the United States could finally be what gets soccer on par with the other American sports leagues.

The year 2024 will see the Copa America played in the US. That means Argentina and Messi, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, the US and Mexico. In 2025, the newly expanded Club World Cup takes place in the US. American soccer fans can see big-time clubs from around the world in real, competitive games. Finally, 2026 is the big one. The United States, Canada, and Mexico are jointly hosting the World Cup in that year.

In 2027, there is a possibility that the US will co-host the Women’s World Cup (along with Mexico). Rounding out a busy set of years, the 2028 Summer Olympics are in Los Angeles. While it may not bring every major name in the men’s or women’s game, it does signify more high-level soccer.

With all of those events coming here, the list of the largest soccer crowds in the US only figures to get longer and larger.

PHOTOS: IMAGO

In 2023, the USWNT’s TV ratings averaged 1,560,929 viewers per game for 14 games where viewing figures were available. That is a whopping 330% increase over 2022’s average of 362,692 viewers per game.

Here are the TV ratings for the USWNT games in 2023. Both English and Spanish viewership (when possible) are included.

Women’s World Cup leads to English language boost

The English language USWNT TV ratings got a huge boost in 2023 due to the Women’s World Cup. The English language average this year was 1,353,929, which is up 273% from last year’s English language numbers.

Unfortunately, the English numbers this year were lower than the last two Women’s World Cup years in both 2019 (1,996,917) and 2015 (2,523,200). There are two contributing factors to this. First, the USWNT had their worst-ever showing at a Women’s World Cup, falling in the Round of 16. That means they only had four games while in each of the last two Women’s World Cups they played seven games. The second factor is the massive time difference between the US and the location of the tournament (2015 was in Canada and 2019 was in France but 2023 was in Australia/New Zealand).

Breaking down the Spanish TV ratings for USWNT in 2023

It’s going to be difficult to draw any conclusions from the Spanish language USWNT TV ratings. On one hand, there are only five available viewing figures despite the USWNT having played 18 games. On the other hand, the five available viewing figures are the most available Spanish language viewing figures for the USWNT since 2019 when twelve of them were available. Since then, only six total have been available until this year (three in 2020, three in 2021, and none in 2022).

Deal with Turner a mixed bag

This year was the first year of US Soccer’s deal with Turner. The USMNT averaged 380,300 per game over 10 games that aired on linear TV.

The numbers for the USWNT on Turner resembled those of the men’s national team. The USWNT average for 10 games on linear TV was 338,400 viewers per game.

Additionally, four of the USWNT’s 18 games were not even aired on a regular TV channel. Instead, they were streamed on HBO Max (now just called Max) meaning that viewership numbers are not available.

The numbers for these games may not be great but, per a release from Turner Sports, are up over comparable games on other networks in 2022.

Next four years represents huge opportunity for USWNT

There will be high-level soccer galore in the United States over the next several years. For the USWNT there is already a certainty of hosting the Olympics in 2028 in LA. But US Soccer has also announced a bid to co-host the 2027 Women’s World Cup with Mexico. Back-to-back years of high stakes games on home soil would be a massive boost to the TV ratings for the USWNT, given the lack of time zone issues.

As was the case in 1999, the sky could be the limit for the growth of the team and sport.

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In 2023, Mexico averaged an attendance of 52,337 fans per game throughout 15 games in the United States. That is 77% higher than the 29,578 the USMNT pulled in. This is in no small part thanks to the two games against Mexico in NFL stadiums.

The USMNT’s attendance this year was the highest it had been since 2017. Meanwhile, Mexico’s attendance was the second worst year in the last six. And the gap was still 77%.

Here is how the Mexico attendance breaks down for games in the US.

Mexico attendance in 2023 down compared to last year

In 2022, El Tri’s average attendance for seven games played in the US was 56,350 fans per game. This year saw a dip of 7% down to 52,337 fans per game over 15 games.

One reason for the slight drop was that 2022 was a World Cup year, which is always going to lead to larger crowds. Another possible reason is that many have pointed to for the declining USMNT attendance over the years: too many games in the same stadiums.

This year, Mexico played at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas three times in less than a month. El Tri packed it out for the Nations League semi-final against the US. Following that loss, 30,000 fewer people attended the third-place game. Then, even fewer fans watched the Gold Cup semifinal against Jamaica to round out the time in Las Vegas. Additionally, Mexico played a friendly at AT&T Stadium in Dallas two months after a Gold Cup game in the same stadium and consequently drew 8,000 fewer people.

Far higher attendance than USMNT and USWNT

Despite the drop from last year, Mexico’s attendance in the US is substantially better than that of either the USMNT or the USWNT (in a Women’s World Cup year no less).

Given the huge numbers of people from Mexico who live in the US, it is not a surprise that the Mexican national team draws big crowds. But it is surprising that those crowds continue to dwarf US national team crowds despite the time and resources poured into the game here.

El Tri’s attendance was 77% higher than the USMNT’s this year and a staggering 169% higher than the 19,461 drawn by the USWNT in 2023 (which was their best since 2019)

This is not a new development, however. Here is a look at the last decade of attendance for each of the three teams.

Overall takeaway

Mexico is the dominant soccer force in this country. That is unlikely to change any time soon. So far for 2024, Mexico scheduled five games in the United States, and that number is likely to rise. El Tri, like the United States, is pushing to have a further reach with the Copa America and World Cup coming to the United States over the next three years.

First are two Nations League games at AT&T Stadium in Dallas in March: vs. Panama on the 21st and then against the winner (or loser) of USA/Jamaica on the 24th. Following that is the Copa America over the summer. Their three group-stage games are against Jamaica, Venezuela and Ecuador. Mexico plays at Houston’s NRG Stadium, SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and State Farm Stadium. Those three stadiums hosted Mexico in 2023 to large crowds.

Should the Mexican national team perform well in those two competitions, it is a safe bet that there will be lots of green and red in all those NFL stadiums.

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In 2023, the USWNT averaged an attendance of 17,961. That came throughout 12 home games in friendlies and the She Believes Cup. Averaging just shy of 18,000 fans at its home games was the team’s best tally since 2019. That year, also a Women’s World Cup year, saw 25,122 fans attend games on average. Therefore, while the attendance in 2023 was an improvement over the last three years, it is a significant drop-off from four years ago.

The following list of games breaks down the attendance at each of the USWNT’s games throughout 2023.

USWNT attendance in 2023 lower than last two Women’s World Cup years

While the USWNT attendance in 2023 was up compared to the last few years, it pales in comparison to the previous two Women’s World Cup years in 2019 and 2015. There are two key reasons for those differences.

First, the USWNT turned in its worst-ever performance at the Women’s World Cup. The side did not get the Victory Tour it hoped for. In 2015, the USWNT had nine home friendlies following their championship in Canada. Four of those games drew over 30,000 fans. One of those four drew over 40,000. In 2019, it had a seven-game Victory Tour. Another four games drew over 30,000 fans. Once again, one cracked the 40,000 mark.

Second, they did not have a send-off series of games prior to their departure for Australia and New Zealand. In 2015, Jill Ellis’ side played three games in the lead-up to the Women’s World Cup, all of which were sellouts. Four years later, the USWNT had a similar three-game send-off series with three fabulous crowds. This year they had just one send-off game. That deprived the team of the support it has reliably had the last two Women’s World Cup years. It’s also worth noting that the lack of send-off games is not unique to the USWNT.

New MLS stadiums getting plenty of USWNT games too

As has been the case with the USMNT in the last few years, the newest MLS stadiums are getting plenty of USWNT team games as well.

Four of the venues used by the USWNT in 2023 are MLS stadiums that opened in the last three years. Geodis Park in Nashville opened in 2022. The Nashville SC stadium hosted its first USWNT game in February. Q2 Stadium in Austin opened in 2021. In April, it welcomed the USWNT for the second time against Ireland. CityPark in St. Louis opened this year and hosted its first USWNT game in April. Finally, TQL Stadium in Cincinnati got in on hosting the USWNT in September with their second USWNT game.

USWNT with opportunity

The next several years will be paramount for the game of soccer in the United States. Copa America in 2024, Club World Cup in 2025, and World Cup in 2026.

Following those tournaments, the next opportunity for the USWNT comes in 2028 with the Olympics in LA. Additionally, on December 8, 2023, US Soccer announced a bid to co-host the 2027 Women’s World Cup with Mexico. Should it be successful, the US would be the first nation to host the Women’s World Cup three times (having previously hosted in 1999 and 2003).

Hosting the World Cup in 1994 was a seminal moment in the history of the USMNT, much the same way that hosting the Women’s World Cup in 1999 was a seminal moment in the history of the USWNT. Should they get another one on home soil, support for the team could reach a high.

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Based on research and analysis compiled by World Soccer Talk, viewership in 2023 dropped 69% from 4,267,063 viewers per game in 2022. The average audience for the men’s national team was 1,324,833 viewers per game in 2023. That is the lowest average for the USMNT TV ratings since 2020. In that year, the US only played four games because of COVID. If the COVID year is excluded, 2023 was the worst year for USMNT TV ratings since 2018. The combined average that year was just 1,170,455 viewers per game.

Here are the TV ratings for all 18 USMNT games in 2023. Both the English language viewership and Spanish language viewership are included.

USMNT TV ratings in 2023

World Cup contributes to drop in English-language audience

USMNT TV ratings on English language channels dropped a staggering 87% from 4,467,167 in 2022 down to 602,667 in 2023. The most obvious reason for that is the World Cup in Qatar was last year, which always provides a massive viewership boost. So, a drop-off is not entirely unexpected, though missing out on the Gold Cup Final against Mexico certainly did not help either.

But it should also be noted that the new US Soccer TV deal with Turner Sports seems to be a disaster for viewership thus far. While the five Gold Cup games all drew reasonably strong audiences on Fox Sports, the remaining ten games on Turner averaged a meager 380,300. In fact, the least-watched game on Fox Sports outdrew the most-watched game on Turner by nearly 20,000 viewers. It’s also worth noting that the opening game of 2023 against Serbia was not aired on TV, instead being streamed on Max.

Breaking down the Spanish numbers

USMNT TV ratings on Spanish language channels were down as well, though not as precipitously as on English. The viewership went from 1,046,643 in 2022 down 6% to 987,133 this year. The obvious answer is, again, no World Cup this year.

What helped the Spanish language numbers from dropping as far as the English language number was multiple meetings between Mexico and the US. The one-off friendly in Phoenix drew 1,522,000 million viewers on Telemundo while the Nations League semi-final in Las Vegas drew 2,286,000 viewers on Univision. Surprisingly, however, it was the Gold Cup quarter-final game against Canada that drew the largest Spanish-language viewing audience of the year with 2,323,000 people tuning in on Univision.

A massive opportunity coming up for the United States

Just as the attendance for the USMNT has a chance to explode in the next few years, so too does the USMNT TV viewership. The amount of high-level, international soccer set to be played in the US over the four years is quite staggering.

The Copa America is set for next summer, which given how successful the 2016 Copa America Centenario was, should be huge for US TV ratings. The Club World Cup is coming to the US in 2025. The World Cup will be in the United States, along with Canada and Mexico, in 2026. US Soccer is planning a joint bid with Mexico to host the 2027 Women’s World Cup. The 2028 Summer Olympics are in LA, which means more international soccer.

If the USMNT can capitalize on this unprecedented level of high-level soccer in the US, there is no telling what is possible. But if they cannot, or will not, then it is time to wonder if it will ever happen.

PHOTO: IMAGO.

Still, attendances for US Soccer men’s games still have a long way to go.

For the eighth consecutive year, USMNT attendance averaged below 30,000 fans per game. Before that, from 2007 to 2015, the senior men’s team averaged above 30,000. Moreover, the average attendance surpassed 40,000 in 2011.

The disappointing crowds in the last eight years have come from a mixture of US Soccer increasing ticket prices, playing in smaller MLS stadiums, and a drop in interest in the national team after the men failed to qualify for World Cup 2018.

USMNT attendance in 2023

In 2023, the USMNT played a whopping 16 games on home soil. It was the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic that the United States played that many home games in one year. It is just the second time it has done that since 1994. In that World Cup year, the United States played a staggering 21 games domestically.

The total attendance for the 16 games in 2023 was 473,241. Therefore, the average attendance was 29,578. That represents a 38% increase over last year’s average of 21,383. That was the USMNT’s worst since 2006.

Here is the full list of home games this year and how the crowds looked.

Biggest crowds raise USMNT average in 2023

It comes as no surprise that the two largest crowds of the year for the US were the two games they played against Mexico in NFL stadiums. But the crowd of over 40,000 for the Gold Cup game against Trinidad & Tobago in Charlotte was a wonderful sight to see. The US had never played a game in the Queen City.

Also encouraging was the crowd of over 37,000 to see the US take on Germany in East Hartford, Connecticut, and over 36,000 for the Gold Cup opener against Jamaica in Chicago.

Overall, the US drew seven different crowds of over 30,000 people this year. That’s the first time the US has drawn that many crowds of that size since 2015 when they also drew seven crowds of over 30,000 people. US Soccer also did a good job of varying the venue selection as they played the 16 games in 14 different stadiums across 12 different states. That is a trend that US fans hope will continue moving forward.

Smallest crowds

The flip side to all the positive news is, of course, some distressingly small crowds. Most concerning is that a number of these small crowds were played in cities with well-supported MLS teams. For example, the USMNT played a friendly at CityPark in St. Louis and drew just over 15,000 people. But throughout their debut season in MLS, St. Louis City averaged over 22,000 people per game.

The simplest explanation is that most of these friendly games came against lackluster opposition. The two games in September were against teams in Uzbekistan and Oman that have never been to a World Cup. One of the October friendlies may have been against Ghana, but after having played the Black Stars at three different World Cups, a friendly between the two teams just does not carry the same weight.

It is also worth noting that the final home game of the year against Trinidad & Tobago was the fourth USMNT game at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas, and while the first three games were all sellouts of 20,500, this was the first one that did not sell out.

Huge opportunity

The next several years represent a huge opportunity for the growth of soccer in the US. This is particularly true for the USMNT. Starting in the summer of 2024, the United States is hosting Copa America. After getting past Trinidad and Tobago, the United States will be playing in that competition for the first time since 2016. That edition was also in the United States. In 2026, the United States will host the World Cup, which it has already qualified for. Then, in 2028, the United States will have a chance to play in the Olympics in 2028, which is in Los Angeles. For US Soccer as a whole, the Women’s World Cup may return in 2027, too.

If one of the things that hurt USMNT attendance this year was lackluster opponents, that should not be a problem next year. And should they do well in the Copa America, there’s no telling just how high the USMNT attendance could be heading into a home World Cup just two years later.

PHOTOS: IMAGO.

The scene now shifts to Trinidad & Tobago for the second leg. This is the first time the US has been to Trinidad since the calamitous defeat in October of 2017. That infamously led to the USMNT missing the World Cup in Russia in 2018. Fittingly, this game is an opportunity for the US to secure qualification for another massive international tournament. By advancing to the Nations League semifinals, the United States earns qualification for Copa America 2024.

First leg recap

The US has typically breezed through home games in the early rounds of the Nations League. 2019 saw them beat Cuba 7-0 and Canada 4-1. 2022 saw a 6-0 win over Grenada. But the US labored mightily against the Socca Warriors on Thursday night.

The first half was so dreadful. The only highlight US Soccer included in its recap was Noah Powder’s red card. Trinidad & Tobago played the majority of the game with fewer players.

The second half was better. Still, it was not great from the US. Things started looking dicey until the talent of the US finally broke through. In the 80th minute, Ricardo Pepi flicked home from six yards out to give the US a 1-0 lead. Four minutes later, Antonee Robinson doubled the lead with a blast from 20 yards out. Three minutes after that, Gio Reyna rounded out the scoresheet. The Borussia Dortmund star scored his third goal in the last two USMNT matches.

USA win allows preview of another important game against Trinidad and Tobago

While it may have been a frustrating watch for the 19,850 fans in Austin, the result is what mattered. In a two-leg Nations League quarterfinal tie, it was especially important for the US to win by multiple goals.

Now, all the US needs to do to officially book their spot at the Copa America next summer is to not turn in a shambolic performance down in Trinidad. That may sound all too familiar to USMNT fans.

In October of 2017, all the US needed to do to qualify for the World Cup was not turn in a shambolic performance in Trinidad. The 2-1 loss, coupled with results elsewhere in the Hex, eliminated the United States from World Cup qualifying. That brought heavy change to the soccer scene in the United States as it was the first time the USMNT failed to qualify since 1986.

Gregg Berhalter and the US players have repeatedly said that the goal for this World Cup cycle is to change American soccer forever. A good showing at the Copa America next summer would go a long way towards accomplishing that goal. But they have to get there first. And to do so requires Gregg Berhalter to do well in a true road game, which he has historically not done (a 2-5-5 record in true road games).

Game information

While the last trip to Trinidad for the US was to Couva, this one is to the capital Port of Spain and the Hasely Crawford Stadium. The United States has not won a game there since a World Cup Qualifier in September of 2009.

Monday’s game is set for a 7 p.m. ET kickoff. The game will air on TNT in English and NBC Universo in Spanish.

PHOTOS: IMAGO

The path to the Copa America for the USMNT through the Nations League goes through a familiar opponent. It is the same opponent who kept the US out of the 2018 World Cup in Russia: Trinidad & Tobago.

US roster shakeup for Nations League quarterfinals

While the Copa America is on the horizon, Gregg Berhalter has wisely decided to leave out several key US players who are nursing injuries suffered on club duty. Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah have both been left in Italy after sustaining small injuries with AC Milan and Juventus, respectively. Johnny Cardoso of Brazilian club Internacional also withdrew after being called into camp.

The rest of the squad is about as full-strength as expected. The trio of Matt Turner, Ethan Horvath and Gaga Slonina are in goal. The back line is anchored by 36-year-old Tim Ream as well as his Fulham cohort Antonee Robinson, in addition to Sergiño Dest, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Joe Scally.

The midfield sees Gio Reyna back in the camp after a successful pair of games in October. Also included are Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah, Luca de la Torre and Paxten Aaronson. The strike force up front includes Breden Aaronson, Ricardo Pepi, Folarin Balogun and Alejandro Zendejas.

USA seeks revenge against Trinidad and Tobago

One thing the US has done very well since that fateful 2017 night in Couva is to obliterate the Socca Warriors every time they play them. The two teams have met three times. The US has won all of them.

First was a 6-0 win during the 2019 Gold Cup in Cleveland. Then was a 2021 friendly in Orlando which the US won 7-0. And then most recently was a Gold Cup game this past summer in Charlotte, which was another resounding 6-0 win. They will need two more similar performances to be sure to book their spot at next summer’s Copa America.

Scouting the opposition

This summer’s Gold Cup was not the greatest for the Socca Warriors. They finished third in Group A with three points out of a possible nine. They won their opener 3-0 against St. Kitts & Nevis but dropped their next two: 4-1 to Jamaica and of course, 6-0 to the US.

Trinidad & Tobago earned their spot in the Nations League A quarterfinals by finishing as the runner-up in Group A with nine out of twelve points (just one behind Panama with ten).

The roster called in by manager Angus Eve features several players who ply their trades at US clubs. Defender Shannon Gomez plays for San Antonio FC while the midfield includes Oakland Roots man Neveal Hackshaw and former Memphis 901 FC midfielder Duane Muckette. Up top is Miami FC man Ryan Telfer and perhaps most excitingly is 19-year-old Kaile Auvray of Sporting Kansas City II in MLS Next Pro who represented the US U17 team in 2020.

Notes

1. The US/Trinidad & Tobago game is set for a 9 p.m. ET kickoff on TNT in English and Telemundo in Spanish.
2. The game will be played at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas. This will be the fourth USMNT game at Q2 Stadium (all competitive fixtures) since the venue opened in 2021.

PHOTOS: IMAGO

The United States is gearing up to co-host the World Cup in under three years. Still, based on three of the last four home games, excitement and support for this team is lower than usual. Without any World Cup Qualifying games to give the home games extra juice, it may not be getting better.

Lower attendances

Attendance for the US was fabulous during their seven home games over the summer. There were sellouts in the soccer stadiums they played in, and then 40,000+ in the American football stadiums.

The US has played four games since the summer and three of those four were played in half-empty soccer stadiums. One has to figure that, had the opponents been of a higher caliber, the attendance at three of these games would have been greater.

The 15,569 at CityPark in St. Louis was disappointing as the US had just played there four games prior and sold the place out. 13,665 in Minnesota was a huge letdown. It is the worst USMNT crowd in three trips to that 19,000-seat venue. And of course, 18,468 in the largest soccer-specific stadium in the country is just over half full.

Nashville has proven to be a great spot for the USMNT over the years. It provided four crowds exceeding 40,000 since 2015. The USWNT drew a very good crowd of over 25,000 in February. On Tuesday night at Geodis Park in Nashville, the crowd was underwhelming. Parking around the stadium was no issue and there was little in the way of pregame tailgating. Concession lines moved briskly. Only the bathroom lines caused people to spend much time in line waiting for anything.

Most of the schools in the greater Nashville area are on fall break. Therefore, the ‘school night’ excuse holds no water. The US roster was also about as stacked as it could be. Only Tyler Adams was missing, so that potential excuse is also unfit. Nashville has shown good enough support for both national teams and Nashville SC in MLS. In the past, it was part of US Soccer’s bid to host the 2026 World Cup. In short, there should have been no reason for the crowd to be as poor as it was despite the downward trend in attendance.

Weak USMNT opponents hurting attendance

The two home games in September were against opponents that, quite frankly, don’t move the needle in the international soccer scene. Neither Uzbekistan nor Oman has ever been to the World Cup or seriously contended for an Asian Cup title. Nor do they have any players plying their trade at top-level European clubs. And while Ghana is a name that American soccer fans are familiar with, it’s been nearly a decade since the last World Cup battle between the two. As a result, attendance suffered.

It should come as no surprise that of these four games, the one with the biggest name opponent had the largest crowd. Germany is a four-time World Cup winner and has a roster replete with top-level club players. That’s a team that US fans want to see. US Soccer would be wise to schedule more opponents of a similar nature in the buildup to World Cup hosting duties in 2026.

USMNT routs Ghana

The attendance may have been poor, but the performance turned in by the US against Ghana was exceptional. They scored four first-half goals and all the biggest stars got in on the fun. Gio Reyna opened the scoring, Christian Pulisic added a penalty, and Folarin Balogun scored a great goal.

Then, in one of the more bizarre moments in USMNT history, Gio Reyna scored a goal off an indirect free kick in Ghana’s penalty area. The referee halted action for a dangerous play from a Ghanaian defender who sat on the ball. The US made Ghana look so amateurish in the first half. After Gio Reyna’s second goal, one member of the Ghanaian media exclaimed, “This team is goofy as hell man!”

The second half once again featured the US players making Ghana look silly. USA boss Gregg Berhalter rightly subbed off Pulisic, Balogun, and Reyna at halftime. Tim Weah and Sergiño Dest in particular had their share of flicks that left Ghanaian defenders flat-footed. The US was unable to put any more goals past Ghana, but it did not matter. The game had been decided since Reyna’s opening goal in perhaps the most comprehensive and dominant half of soccer the US has played in quite some time.

Unfortunately, it did so in front of an underwhelming crowd.

Upcoming games

Before the end of the year, the US does have one more home game to try and help change the attendance tanking narrative. It’s a Nations League game at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas on November 16 against Trinidad & Tobago). This will be the fourth USMNT game at Q2 Stadium since it opened in the summer of 2021. All four will have been competitive fixtures, the first three of which were sellouts.

The US then figures to have at least one, maybe two, games early next as part of the annual January Camp. And then over the summer is the Copa America to be played in the US, though no venues have been announced as of press time. Those games may provide a nice attendance boost. But until then, poor attendance will continue to be a concern.

PHOTO: IMAGO & Icon Sportswire

Berhalter’s boys outclassed by Germans

The US had a huge opportunity against Germany on Saturday. This is a US team with the bulk of its key players while the Germans are in freefall. The USMNT wasted that opportunity. Things got off to a bright enough start. Christian Pulisic scored a fabulous goal, his 27th for the USA, to give the Americans a 1-0 lead in the 27th minute. It was all downhill from there.

The goal seemed to have awoken the Germans from their slumber as just ten minutes later Ilkay Gundogan buried the equalizer. The Germans added two more in three minutes in the second half, courtesy of Nicklas Fullkrug and Jamal Masiala. And as has been so often the case with Gregg Berhalter’s team, the US was unable to threaten against a quality opponent. In fact, following Saturday’s loss to Germany, Gregg Berhalter now has a measly two wins in eight games against European opposition: a win away to Northern Ireland (played in an empty stadium due to COVID capacity restrictions) and a home win against Bosnia & Herzegovina.

Preview: Ghana presents stern test for the USMNT

Ghana might only be ranked 60th in the world right now, but it has been in good form of late. The African side missed the World Cup in 2018 but made it to the 2022 edition in Qatar. There, it lost twice and won once. As a result, Ghana failed to progress from the group stage. In 2023, Ghana has done well. It sits atop Group E in Africa Cup of Nations Qualifying with twelve points from six games. Its most recent outing though, left much to be desired. Mexico soundly defeated Ghana in Charlotte, 2-0.

Chris Hughton manages the Black Stars. He has quite the resume of managing clubs in England over the years. For example, he was the boss of Newcastle United, Birmingham City, Norwich City and Brighton & Hove Albion. Most recently, he oversaw Nottingham Forest. The roster he called in features plenty of experienced players. Six players on the squad have earned 20 or more caps. In 90 international appearances with Ghana, Jordan Ayew of Crystal Palace has amassed 19 goals.

Notes

1. Tuesday’s game against Ghana is set for an 8:30 p.m. ET kickoff. It is airing on TNT in English and NBC Universo in Spanish.
2. The game against Ghana marks the first USMNT appearance at Geodis Park in Nashville. The USWNT played there earlier this year. This game will be the ninth USMNT appearance in Music City since 2006 and third of Gregg Berhalter’s tenure.

PHOTO: IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

Also, the United States has a limited number of competitive games before hosting the World Cup in 2026. Therefore, the Berhalter’s boys will want to perform well in this friendly against Germany.

USA brings Gio Reyna back for Germany clash

Reyna’s return deservedly garnered all the headlines. Still, the rest of the group is about as strong as could be. Only two of the players on the roster call Major League Soccer home. Miles Robinson of Atlanta United and DeJuan Jones of the New England Revolution are back in the squad. Everybody else comes from a European club, save for midfielder Johnny Cardoso. He plies his trade for Internacional in Brazil.

Matt Turner and Ethan Horvath are the two goalkeepers. Tim Ream, Sergiño Dest, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Joe Scally are the top defenders. The midfield is as loaded as it has ever been. Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah, Reyna and promising dual national Lennard Maloney of the German club Heidenheim make up a dynamic and young middle of the park. Up front are Christian Pulisic, Ricardo Pepi, Tim Weah, Brenden Aaronson and Folarin Balogun.

Pivotal games without qualifying

Because they are hosting the 2026 World Cup, the US will not get the opportunity to play in any World Cup Qualifying games over the next few years. That leaves them in the awkward spot of not having many competitive games to play in. That is why they need to make the most of this international window. With games against Germany and Ghana, this is likely to be the toughest competition the US faces until the Copa America next summer. That is also happening in the United States.

A rebuilding German side

Germany is a team in utter free fall. Things have not gone super well for them for the last five years. They were eliminated in the group stage of the 2018 World Cup in Russia and again at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Since that World Cup, Germany has been a complete disaster with a record of two wins, four losses, and one draw in 2023. Six of those seven games were at home as well.

That poor run-of-form cost manager Hansi Flick his job. For his replacement, Die Mannschaft turned to former Hoffenheim, Red Bull Leipzig, and Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann. For this two-game tour of the US (Germany also plays Mexico in Philadelphia), Nagelsmann has called up a roster that features the bulk of Germany’s best players, despite some grumbling from their clubs in Germany.

Marc-Andre ter Stegen figures to be the guy in goal. Several of the defenders, Antonio Rudiger, Mats Hummels, and Niklas Sule have plenty of international appearances. Germany owns a stacked midfield. Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka, Leroy Sane and captain Ilkay Gundogan all have at least 50 caps. Up top, the man for the US to watch is none other than Thomas Muller, who has 45 goals in 123 caps for the Germans, including seven at the World Cup.

Notes

1. The US game against Germany kicks off at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14. The game will air on TNT in English and on Telemundo in Spanish.
2. Saturday’s game against Germany is at Pratt & Whitney Stadium in East Hartford, Connecticut. It will be the eighth USMNT appearance there and the first USMNT game in this venue since a friendly against Peru in October of 2018.
3. The next US game is against Ghana on Tuesday, Oct. 17, at Geodis Park in Nashville at 7:30 p.m.

PHOTO: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire

USMNT vs. Oman sets up along the same lines as so many of the other games during Gregg Berhalter’s tenure. It’s a home game against a team that is not highly ranked. It is in a small, soccer-specific stadium that the US has played in several times in recent years. Saturday’s attendance against Uzbekistan stunk. Will that be the case against Oman?

Recapping Uzbekistan

The US performance against Uzbekistan was quite a drab affair. The attendance was a paltry 15,569. That is the second-lowest crowd of the year. Perhaps the USMNT playing in St. Louis four games ago had an impact on that. Tim Weah put the US in front in the first five minutes. Then, nothing happened for about 80 minutes other than a few missed chances by the Uzbeks.

Ricardo Pepi continued the absolute tear that he has been on this year. In five US appearances in 2023, Pepi has five goals to go with the one goal in two appearances with his club, PSV Eindhoven. Christian Pulisic added a third from the penalty spot not long after. That was his 26th international goal, moving him into sixth place on the all-time USMNT scoring list.

Turning that into a preview of the USA against Oman

Much like the USMNT’s previous fixture, Uzbekistan, Oman does not figure to provide much of a preview for tougher opponents the USA may face down the road. Funnily enough, they are ranked one spot higher in the world than Uzbekistan at 73rd.

Oman has never qualified for the World Cup. Their best performance at the Asian Cup was a Round of 16 finish at the 2019 edition of the tournament. Their roster for this game is entirely domestic-based. Only their manager, Branko Ivankovic, seems to have experience outside of Omani soccer as he managed Iran at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

The game against Oman will be the third time the USMNT plays at Allianz Field in St. Paul since it opened in 2019. First was a Gold Cup game against Guyana in 2019 and most recently just last year was a World Cup Qualifier in sub-freezing temperatures against Honduras.

Kickoff against Oman from Allianz Field in St. Paul is set for 8:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Sep. 12. It will air on TNT in English as well as NBC Universo and Peacock in Spanish.

PHOTO: IMAGO / Agencia-MexSport

And as was the case for the bulk of Berhalter’s first go-round as US manager, his first games in charge now are games at home against weak opponents. The first of these two easy friendlies is against Uzbekistan.

US roster

The most notable thing about this US roster is not who’s there but who isn’t there. That is right. Gregg Berhalter is back and Gio Reyna is not. In an interview he gave to Vanity Fair, Berhalter once again bragged about how he hasn’t talked to Reyna since the World Cup (though he somehow found time to talk to a non-soccer publication…about Reyna).

Of those that are there perhaps the most surprising is Ricardo Pepi who was left off the World Cup roster, and who admitted to just hanging up on Berhalter when he was told he wasn’t going to Qatar (where the US struggled mightily to score goals).

Pepi aside, there are very few surprises on this roster. Matt Turner and Ethan Horvath are in goal. The backline features the usual suspects of Tim Ream, Antonee Robinson, Miles Robinson, and Sergiño Dest. The midfield sees the return of Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah, and Luca del la Torre. The forwards are Christian Pulisic, Brendan Aaronson, Tim Weah and recent US commit Folarin Balogun.

USMNT feeling Messi effect

The biggest story in American soccer is, without a doubt, Lionel Messi with Inter Miami. They have been an almost unstoppable force both on the field (11 games without a loss) and off it. And while Messi has been the showstopper, his teammates have also benefitted from his presence.

Goalkeeper Drake Callendar earned his first national team call-up off the back of Inter Miami’s newfound success, having kept three clean sheets and only given up a single goal in an additional five games since Messi’s arrival. Also earning a call-up based on Miami’s success is midfielder Benjamin Cremaschi. The 18-year-old has not lit up the stat sheet (just one goal, plus converting two penalties in Leagues Cup shootouts) but is a dual national, having represented Argentina at the U20 level.

Uzbekistan preview for Berhalter and the USMNT

There is not too much to say about Uzbekistan for this game. They have never qualified for a World Cup (though they have only been their own federation since 1994 following the collapse of the Soviet Union). Uzbekistan has never done better than a fourth-place finish at the Asian Cup (in 2011). They are ranked 74th in the world (which admittedly, is higher than some of the CONCACAF teams Gregg Berhalter has coached against). None of their players play anywhere that any American soccer fan has ever heard of. Only their coach, Srecko Katanec, is fairly well-traveled having managed the Slovenian national team in two different cycles, as well as managing Greek super-club Olympiacos in 2002.

Notes

As part of a frustrating, and possibly intentional, trend the USMNT is playing this game in a stadium they just played in two months (and four games) ago. Against Uzbekistan, the US will be playing at CityPark in St. Louis where they played against St. Kitts & Nevis as part of the Gold Cup on June 28. This comes after the US played games at Busch Stadium in St. Louis in November of 2015 and September of 2019.

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Kickoff for the game against Uzbekistan is set for a 4:30 p.m. CT kickoff on Saturday, Sep. 9, 2023. The game will air on TNT in English and on Telemundo, NBC Universo and Peacock in Spanish.

PHOTO: IMAGO / Agencia-MexSport

There is also a strong possibility that the 2027 Women’s World Cup will be here as well as Mexico. Hosting rights have not yet been awarded. US Soccer recently announced its intention to submit a bid. With that in mind, which stadiums should be the US venues at the 2027 Women’s World Cup?

In our opinion, the stadiums that the US should use for their official bid should geographically be spread across the country (and include cities that were passed over for the 2026 World Cup). Most of the stadiums should be ones with large capacities as the 1999 Women’s World Cup showed that filling up NFL stadiums can be done.

They should also have a few smaller, soccer-specific stadiums as well, which has been a recent precedent. Five of the ten venues at the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand had capacities under 30,000 (three of those five were under 20,000) and six of the nine venues at the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France were below 30,000 (with two of those six under 20,000).

So here, in our opinion, is a look at the best options for US venues at the 2027 Women’s World Cup.

Best available venues for the 2027 Women’s World Cup

Camping World Stadium

City: Orlando, Florida

Capacity: 60,219

For events of this magnitude, it would be foolish not to have games in Florida. Orlando was not chosen as a host city for the 2026 World Cup (though they did host games at the 1994 World Cup and the 1996 Olympics) so getting Women’s World Cup games a year later would be met with enthusiasm. Additionally, Orlando is home to the Orlando Pride in the NWSL. They play at the soccer-specific Exploria Stadium (where they have averaged roughly 5,000 fans per game since the stadium opened in 2017).

Audi Field

City: Washington DC

Capacity: 20,000

Yes, it is a small soccer-specific stadium. But Washington DC was not chosen to host any games at the 2026 World Cup due to the poor state of FedEx Field. Frankly, it would be a travesty to have back-to-back summers with the nation’s capital not hosting games. Audi Field is home to the NWSL’s Washington Spirit and has hosted some big-time soccer games, including this year’s MLS All-Star Game.

Geodis Park

City: Nashville, Tennessee

Capacity: 30,109

Geodis Park is modern and is the soccer-specific stadium with the largest capacity in the US. Nashville has proven to be a great soccer town over the last six or seven years. Unfortunately, they were one of the last cities to miss the cut for 2026 World Cup duty. But the USWNT made an appearance in the Music City just this year and drew a great crowd. The USMNT is also due to make an appearance in October against Ghana. Nashville should get Women’s World Cup games.

Soldier Field

City: Chicago, Illinois

Capacity: 61,500

This one should be obvious. Chicago is a massive market. Soldier Field has hosted numerous soccer games over the years including both 1994 World Cup and 1999 Women’s World Cup games. Most recently, however, it was not even part of the bid for the 2026 World Cup so there would be an appetite for high-level international soccer. Plus, Soldier Field has a grass surface so drastic field changes would not be necessary.

Lincoln Financial Field

City: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Capacity: 67,594

Philly has proven itself to be a town quite capable of hosting high-level international soccer events. It is one of the eleven US venues for the World Cup in 2026. CONCACAF Gold Cup games have been held there four times: 2009, 2015, 2017, and 2019. It also played host to games at the Copa America Centenario in 2016. And most appropriate for this discussion, was one of the host venues at the 2003 Women’s World Cup. Its grass surface would mean less work to get the stadium ready as well.

MetLife Stadium

City: East Rutherford, New Jersey

Capacity: 82,500

A “no-brainer.” It is New York (yes even though the stadium is over in New Jersey). New York City is the number one media market in the US and will be hosting games at the 2026 World Cup as they did at the 1994 World Cup, the 1999 Women’s World Cup, and the 2016 Copa America Centenario. While neither of the two MLS teams nor the NWSL team is particularly well-attended, New York is a lock to get games.

State Farm Stadium

City: Glendale, Arizona

Capacity: 72,200

Being an NFL venue with a grass field helps the Phoenix suburb’s case for being a Women’s World Cup host venue in 2027. The United States passed on State Farm Stadium as a World Cup 2026 host. It was not even part of the bid to host the World Cup. However, the home of the Arizona Cardinals hosted six Gold Cup games. In 2016, the stadium hosts three games for the Copa America Centenario. Additionally, the USMNT has played there six times with an average attendance of 39,624 while the USWNT has played there three times with an average attendance of 16,373.

Rose Bowl

City: Pasadena, California

Capacity: 92,542

There is some debate here. The Los Angeles area will be getting Women’s World Cup games in 2027. But will they be at the Rose Bowl or the newest, shiniest, and most expensive NFL stadium, SoFi Stadium? SoFi Stadium hosted this year’s Gold Cup Final. For the 2026 World Cup, it is Los Angeles’s host location. On the flip side, the Rose Bowl has a greater capacity and was the site of two previous World Cup Finals. The 1994 men’s World Cup saw Brazil win its fourth title. Then, five years later, the 1999 Women’s World Cup wrapped up dramatically at the Rose Bowl. Moreover, the Rose Bowl is likely to host the gold medal game for women’s soccer at the 2028 LA Olympics.

Levi’s Stadium

City: Santa Clara, California

Capacity: 68,500

The Bay Area has a huge soccer following. The USWNT just played at Avaya Stadium in July and sold it out. Levi’s Stadium was also the site of four games at the 2016 Copa America Centenario and will be one of the eleven US venues at the World Cup in 2026. It too has a grass field which means less work for ground crews to prepare for hosting Women’s World Cup games. The Bay Area has also previously hosted Women’s World Cup games at nearby Stanford Stadium back in 1999.

Providence Park

City: Portland, Oregon

Capacity: 25,218

Providence Park is another smaller, soccer-specific stadium but it is a special place. Portland is one of the best soccer cities in America (despite the USMNT not playing there since 2013 and the USWNT not playing there since 2012). Both the Timbers in MLS and the Thorns in the NWSL sell out every home game. But arguably the biggest reason Providence Park should be one of the US venues at the 2027 Women’s World Cup is that it would be the first stadium in history to host games at three different Women’s World Cup tournaments, hosting four games in 1999 and six games in 2003.

Lumen Field

City: Seattle, Washington

Capacity: 68,740

Much like Portland, Seattle is a great soccer town despite appearances from the USMNT and USWNT being few and far between. The Sounders in MLS were for years the gold standard of American soccer support. Their NWSL side, OL Reign, plays at Lumen Field as well and this year is averaging 7,815 fans per game. Seattle is also no stranger to hosting high-level international tournaments as they were one of the venues for the 2016 Copa America Centenario and will be one of the venues for the 2026 World Cup.

What US Soccer and the bid committee ultimately decided to do is still up in the air. They could choose to go with all NFL stadiums. They could opt for a hybrid of NFL stadiums and MLS stadiums. It is also possible they use both NFL and MLS venues for the 2027 Women’s World Cup. Yet, they could be different than the ones on this list. If the United States scores the co-hosting rights to the 2027 Women’s World Cup, it ensures one thing. The next five years will be loads of fun for American soccer fans.

Because of this they finished as the runners-up in their group. By finishing as the runners-up in Group E, they have to face the winners of Group G. The Group G winners are one of the few teams that have historically been able to go toe-to-toe with the USWNT. In the Round of 16, the USWNT will be facing Sweden.

Historically bad group stage

It’s not just that the USWNT didn’t win their group. It’s that they turned in the worst group stage performance of any USWNT at a Women’s World Cup ever. They won just one game and amassed a mere five points.

First off was a 3-0 win over tournament debutante’s Vietnam. They followed that up with a 1-1 draw against the Netherlands, in which manager Vlatko Andonovski only made one substitution the entire game. Their final group stage game was against another tournament debutante in Portugal. This was arguably the worst US performance of the tournament as with everything on the line, the Portuguese were the superior team and probably should have won the game in stoppage time but for Alyssa Naeher’s post.

Following the game, rather than pause for some introspection and wonder how they scraped through to the knockout stage by the skin of their teeth, the American players instead engaged in celebratory dancing and photo opportunities. This caught the ire of USWNT legend, and current Fox Sports analyst Carli Lloyd, who expressed surprise and frustration that the US seemed so thrilled by doing almost less than the bare minimum.

And has long been the case with USWNT players when media outlets stop singing their praises, they engaged in a war of words. Andonovski spent the bulk of his postgame press conference on it and captain Lindsey Horan fired back as well. It’s safe to say that all is not well with the Americans backing into the knockout rounds.

Sweden is toughest team yet

The Swedes will be the toughest team that Americans have yet faced at this tournament. Historically, they have proven quite capable of matching the Americans. Sweden beat the US at the 2011 Women’s World Cup and then drew them at the 2015 Women’s World Cup. On top of that, Sweden also beat the US at the 2016 Rio Olympics and at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

At this tournament, the Swedes have looked like the team to beat, being one of only three teams to top their group with wins in every game (the other two being Japan and England). To open the tournament, they survived against a surprise South African side, winning in the 90th minute. They followed that up with a comprehensive 5-0 win over Italy and then a 2-0 win over Argentina.

Manager Peter Gerhardsson has been in the post since 2017 (when he took over from former USWNT boss Pia Sundhage). The squad he has called in for this tournament is loaded with both experience and goal scoring. The only position that could be a question mark is goalkeeper where neither of their two goalkeepers who have played at this tournament (Zecira Musovic and Jennifer Falk) have reached 20 caps. The players the US should be on the lookout for is Sofia Jakobsson who has 23 goals in 145 (and plays her club soccer for NWSL side San Diego Wave).

Kickoff and viewing

The USWNT game against Sweden is set for 5am ET kickoff. It will air on FOX in English and in Spanish on Telemundo and Peacock.

Photo credit: IMAGO / Bildbyran

Pedestrian performance against the Dutch

Similar to how Gregg Berhalter was massively outclassed by Louis van Gaal when the USMNT lost to the Netherlands in Qatar, so too was Vlatko Andonovski out-coached by Andries Jonker. The Dutch took the lead after 16 minutes which stymied the Americans. For much of the game, the USWNT struggled to adjust to how the Netherlands played.

Most puzzling was Andonovski’s decision to only make one substitution the entire game. Rose Lavelle was brought on at halftime for Savannah DeMelo. That substitution did prove to be a good one. It was Lavelle who made Lindsey Horan’s equalizer possible in the 62nd minute. But only making one out of five allowed substitutions in a tournament that could potentially go seven games for the US is almost inexcusable.

Heading into the final group game, the US still sits atop Group E. However, they still have plenty of work to do. They are tied with the Netherlands on points but ahead on goal difference. Against Portugal they will need a win to secure the top spot. A draw would also work for advancing. However, if the Portuguese win, the US will need to hope for a Vietnamese win against the Dutch.

Portugal playing well in preview for USWNT

For it being their debut Women’s World Cup appearance, the Portuguese have given a very good account of themselves. They dropped their opener to the Netherlands 1-0 but had their chances in the second half to possibly steal a point. In its second game against Vietnam, Portugal put together a solid and comprehensive performance and won 2-0.

Manager Francisco Neto’s only previous managerial experience before taking the Portugal job, was with a club in India called Goa. Since assuming his position in 2014 he has taken the team leaps and bounds ahead. Prior to Neto’s arrival, Portugal had never been to the European Championship. It qualified for the last two. Moreover, Portugal had never qualified for the Women’s World Cup. Now, it sits one win away from advancing to the knockout rounds.

Despite having never been to the Women’s World Cup there is plenty of experience in the squad. A total of seven players have over 100 career international appearances. Goal scoring has been at a premium though. Of the 23 players on the roster, only two of them have managed to hit the 20-goal mark: Diana Silva and Carolina Mendes.

Kickoff and viewing

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Given the time difference between the US and New Zealand, everybody knew a brutal kickoff time was possible. The USWNT vs Portugal game kicks off at 3 a.m. ET on Aug. 1. That’s either Monday night or Tuesday morning depending on how folks want to look at it.

The game will air in English on FOX and will air in Spanish on Telemundo and Peacock.

PHOTO: IMAGO & ZUMA Wire

Performance against Vietnam

The headlines from the Vietnam game all belong to Sophia Smith. She managed to register two goals and an assist. She opened up the scoring in the 14th minute after a wonderful flick on by Alex Morgan. Then, just before halftime, she found the back of the net again. This time however the celebration was somewhat muted as there was a lengthy VAR review before the goal was awarded. And in the 77th minute, it was Smith’s hard work that led to Lindsey Horan’s goal from 15 yards out.

But the result being just 3-0 left some feeling concerned about this team’s chances of earning a three-peat. Considering this is Vietnam’s first-ever appearance in the tournament, it may be a justified concern. Far too many chances close to goal went awry, especially in the first half. The USWNT defense did not face many threats. Vietnam was practically unable to get out of its half.

The good news is that the US got all three points and in a tournament setting, that’s what is most important. Vlatko Andonovski will undoubtedly assess and possibly make tweaks as he readies for a rematch of the 2019 final against the Netherlands.

A USWNT preview of the Netherlands in this World Cup

Four years ago the Netherlands made something of a surprise run to the Women’s World Cup final. The side finished top of its group with nine points out of nine. The Netherlands got past Japan, Italy, and Sweden before falling to the US in the final. At the next two major tournaments, the 2020 Olympics and 2022 European Championships, Holland fell in the quarterfinals.

The Netherlands’ first game of the tournament was against another Women’s World Cup debutante in Portugal. The Portuguese gave a good account of themselves. The Dutch took the lead after just 13 minutes through Stefanie van der Gragt. It stayed 1-0 for the rest of the game. The Dutch had some close calls in defense in the second half but were still able to keep most of the ball. Similar to the US against Vietnam, the Netherlands let several quality scoring chances go to waste.

Manager Andries Jonker has had an interesting journey. To start, he was the interim manager for the Netherlands women’s team in 2001. Then, he was an assistant at Barcelona under the great Louis van Gaal. He followed that with several stops in the German Bundesliga with Bayern Munich and Wolfsburg.

His squad for this Women’s World Cup is full of experienced players. The aforementioned van der Gragt has 102 caps. In the midfield captain Sherida Spitse has a staggering 216 international appearances while Danielle van de Donk has amassed 140. Up front, it’s striker Lieke Martens with 145 career appearances for her country. The only position without much experience is in goal as the three goalkeepers have a combined 21 caps.

Kickoff and viewing

Wednesday’s game against the Dutch starts at 9 p.m. ET. It will air on FOX in English, as well as Telemundo and Peacock in Spanish.

PHOTO: IMAGO & ZUMA Wire

United States squad

The roster called in for this tournament by manager Vlatko Andonovski features a healthy mix of experienced veterans and young, up-and-coming talent. In goal is Alyssa Naeher who has 91 caps and started every game for the US four years ago in France.

In the field, six of the players have amassed triple-digit appearances for the US. Defenders Kelly O’Hara and Crystal Dunn have over a century. Then, midfielder Julie Ertz has 118 and Lindsey Horan has 129. Finally, the forwards lead the way with experience. Megan Rapinoe’s 199 caps are second to only Alex Morgan’s 207.

The flip side of that is that there are four field players who have fewer than 20 caps for the US. Those players are Naomi Girma (16 caps), midfielder Savannah DeMelo (1 cap), and forwards Alyssa Thompson (4 caps) and Trinity Rodman (18 caps).

Unfortunately, the US title defense will be missing one of their best players due to injury. Mallory Swanson suffered an injury back in April that will force her to miss this edition of the Women’s World Cup. Swanson is just one of several players from around the world who will be forced to miss this tournament due to injury.

USWNT begins World Cup defense against Vietnam

Late last year, the US suffered a little bit of a crisis in confidence. Between October 7 and November 10, the USWNT suffered its first three-game losing streak in well over 20 years. They lost both October games on the road in Europe against England and Spain. November got off to a rough start with a home loss to Germany. Fortunately, they haven’t lost since.

The Americans have won nine straight games. In those nine games, the United States scored a combined 21 goals while conceding only two (against Germany and Brazil). They won the She Believes Cup back in February, in large part due to the exploits of the now-injured Swanson.

Following the She Believes Cup they played a total of three home friendlies, though they did not get a true send-off series of games. In April was a pair of home wins over Women’s World Cup debutant Republic of Ireland and just a few days ago was a win over Wales.

Perhaps the most important part of the friendlies this year was a pair of wins against New Zealand in January. The important thing about that was both games were in New Zealand. The hope there is that they will be more prepared for what to expect during the US title defense.

Vietnam

It took something of a miracle run for the Women Gold Star Warriors to qualify for their first-ever Women’s World Cup. At the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup they were placed in Group C along with Japan, South Korea, and Myanmar. A third-place finish with a single, solitary point was enough to see them through to the quarter-finals where they were eliminated by China. But because they made the quarter-finals they went into a playoff group with Chinese Taipei and Thailand. This time, they finished top of the group with six points and qualified without the need for further playoffs.

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Vietnam’s form coming into this tournament has been somewhat impressive. They won the gold medal at the Southeast Asian Games by defeating Myanmar 2-0 in the final. They haven’t won since. However, their performances have shown promise. First was a narrow 2-1 loss against two-time champions Germany in Offenbach. And most recently was a 2-0 loss t tournament co-host New Zealand earlier this month.

The player to watch for the US is Vietnamese captain Huynh Nhu. At the age of 31, she amassed 67 goals in 103 career international appearances for her country. Her strike partner Pham Hai Yen could also pose problems for the US defense with 42 goals in 76 appearances.

The US game against Vietnam is set for a 9 p.m. ET kickoff on Friday evening. It will air on FOX in English as well as Telemundo and NBC Universo in Spanish. Coverage is available via streaming on Peacock, too.

PHOTO: IMAGO / Action Plus

Unfortunately, the USWNT attendance dropped 6% during the 2015-2019 period. From 2015 to 2019, the average attendance was 18,145 over the course of 69 games. For the current cycle (2019-2023), the average dropped down to 16,975 over 46 games.

Here’s how the crowds break down:

2019 Friendlies

The friendlies immediately following the Women’s World Cup in France were immensely successful. This Victory Tour was even more successful than the one after the 2015 Women’s World Cup. Average attendance for these seven friendly games was 29,008. The 49,504 against Portugal was also the largest home crowd for a USWNT game since the 1999 Women’s World Cup Final.

Olympic Qualifying

Attendance at the Olympic Qualifying Tournament was much lower than it was for the friendlies at the end of 2019. Perhaps the biggest reason for this is CONCACAF’s decision to limit the number of venues. Crowds are always smaller, on average, when fans in a city can choose between three games in a week rather than once a year. Average attendance for the five Olympic qualifiers was 10,869.

2020 She Believes Cup

While some can knock the nature of the She Believes Cup as a series of glorified friendlies, what can’t be knocked is the crowds that these games draw. Despite it being mostly the same cast of characters in the same half dozen stadiums (a common trend with US Soccer) the She Believes Cup games usually sell out or come close to it. 2020’s edition of the tournament drew an average of 20,709 right before COVID shut down the world.

2021 Friendlies

Attendance for friendlies in 2021 was noticeably lower in 2021 than it was in 2019. However, there is a fairly reasonable explanation. The first four friendlies in 2021 were played at a time when many cities still had capacity restrictions for sporting events. But overall the average attendance for the eleven USWNT friendlies in 2021 was 15,186.

2021 She Believes Cup

The situation for the 2021 She Believes Cup was very much the same as it was for the first few friendlies that year in regards to capacity restrictions. There was also the additional quirk of all three games being in the same stadium (which we’ve already seen typically causes smaller crowds). As such, the average attendance for these three games was a mere 3,602.

2022 She Believes Cup

The crowds for this version of the She Believes Cup were, somewhat surprisingly, not all that great. Yes, two of the three games were played in the same venue, but one would have expected a boost following the strong showings after capacity restrictions were lifted in the second half of the prior year. Average for these three games was 10,455.

2022 Friendlies

The USWNT friendlies in 2022 tell a much better tale than the She Believes Cup. The eight friendly games drew an average of 16,659. The biggest crowds were for the biggest names while the two smallest crowds were for the smallest name in Uzbekistan, who the USMNT will also be playing in September.

2023 She Believes Cup

The 2023 She Believes Cup saw the USWNT return to Nashville (where they had played in previous editions of the tournament against France in 2016 and against England in 2019). But this time was the first ever international game at the brand new Geodis Park, home of Nashville SC in MLS. The average attendance for the three games was 19,317, the best since the 2020 tournament

2023 Friendlies

And it’s not a surprise that the last three friendlies the USWNT played before heading off to New Zealand were all stone cold sellouts. While they didn’t get a true send-off series, these three games still showed tremendous support. Three games in MLS stadiums, three sellouts: average attendance – 20,296.

Takeaways

So despite the USWNT attendance being down over the course of the four years cycle, there are still some positives. First, it seems unlikely that there will be another pandemic that shuts everything down any time in the near future. Second is that the US are favorites to three-peat down under, which would lead to another successful Victory Tour.

And lastly, there is a possibility that the next Women’s World Cup could be played in the US. If that happens, it would not only usher in the greatest opportunity for soccer growth in American soccer history (combined with the World Cup here in 2016 and Olympic soccer in LA in 2028) but it would also serve to boost WNT attendance even further.

Considering the game was a sell-out of 18,000 at PayPal Park in San Jose, it’s a shame that US Soccer did not have more games set up.

Send off series have been successful in the past

Prior to each of the last three Women’s World Cups, US Soccer staged series of games to send the USWNT off in style. Most of them were played in front of packed houses. However, 2011 was the one year that was a tremendous disappointment.

Following the dramatic run to the final at the 2011 Women’s World Cup in Germany, however, the popularity of the USWNT exploded and the send-off games for the 2015 Women’s World Cup in Canada was a much bigger hit. All three games sold out.

The US went on to win the Women’s World Cup that year and the excitement for the 2019 edition in France was palpable. The crowds for that year’s send-off series reflected that excitement.

USMNT didn’t get a send-off series either

Unfortunately, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the USWNT didn’t get a full send-off series this year. Just last year, the USMNT didn’t get one either. Yes, the World Cup being moved to the winter made it more difficult. But the last time US fans got to see the USMNT at home before the World Cup was a Nations League game in Austin, TX on June 10. That’s five and a half months before their World Cup opener against Wales. And perhaps not so coincidentally, 2022 was the worst year for USMNT attendance since 2006.

Fortunately for the USWNT this year, the gap between final home game and Women’s World Cup opener is not nearly that long, with the game against Wales falling just 13 days before their opener against Vietnam. They did also manage to get the She Believes Cup played on home soil in February plus a pair of friendlies in April. But those are not true send-off games.

US Soccer hoping for victory tour instead

It’s a safe bet that in the absence of a send-off series, US Soccer is hoping and praying that the USWNT wins their third straight Women’s World Cup so they can cash in on a victory tour. The post-title victory tours in 2015 and 2019 proved to be quite profitable with the US women drawing some of their largest ever crowds (excluding those at the 1999 Women’s World Cup).

But US Soccer has long been an organization that has wanted its cake and to it eat it too. Surely they could have made even more money (and given fans an opportunity to see the team) had they done a send-off series rather than just hoping they could do a victory tour.

Photo: Imago

US survives against Canada

To make it to the semifinal, the US had to endure a heavy slog against Canada that went all the way to penalty kicks after extra time. Just after the game started, things got weird when the assistant referee got hit in the face with a ball from point-blank range, breaking his nose.

The first half that followed was mostly dull save for the whopping 10 minutes of added time, mostly due to the injury to the assistant referee.

The second half wasn’t much better save for a few decent saves from Canadian goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair. The last ten minutes of the game is when both teams finally decided to start playing, and the US duly took the lead in the 87th minute through Brandon Vazquez.

Just moments later though, Canada was able to equalize on a penalty kick, conceded after Miles Robinson handled the ball in the penalty area (the second time in the game he had done so).

In extra time, Canada thought they had it won after Nashville SC’s Jacob Shaffelburg put them in front just ten minute from time. But Matt Turner played in a great ball to the box and after several deflections, the ball found its way past St. Clair into the back of the net for a 2-2 scoreline.

Penalties got off to a bizarre start as Matt Turner was not happy with the coin toss procedure. And then each set of players decided that standing at midfield for the taking of kicks somehow did not apply to them. But in the end, Turner came up big for the US, saving the first two Canada penalties and forcing a miss on the fifth one.

USA vs Panama preview: Panama’s path to the semifinal

Panama made it to the semifinal in relatively easy fashion. They finished top of Group C with seven points. They opened with a 2-1 win over Costa Rica. That win was followed by a 2-1 win over Martinique. Panama closed the Group Stage with a 2-2 draw against El Salvador.

In the quarter-final, they made short work of a Qatar team playing in their second consecutive Gold Cup. Ismael Diaz notched a second half hat trick helping Los Canaleros to a 4-0 win over the 2022 World Cup hosts.

Panama coach Thomas Christiansen has had an interesting managerial career. He has had two stops at clubs in Cyprus as well as a 35-game stint at Leeds United. Prior to taking the Panama job, he managed Union SG in Belgium.

The Panama roster called in by Christiansen is one of the most experienced at this Gold Cup. Seven of the players have over 50 caps, with Alberto Quintero topping out at 129 international appearances.

Other notes:

Wednesday’s game against Panama is set for a 7:30pm ET kickoff from Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego. The game will air on FS1 in English and on Univision and TUDN in Spanish. All of the broadcasts are available via Fubo with a free 7-day trial.

This game marks the first USMNT appearance in San Diego since a 2017 friendly against Serbia.

Despite the sheer number of Gold Cup meetings between the two, this is the first time the US and Panama have faced each other since a friendly in Austria in 2020.

Photo credit: IMAGO & Agencia-MexSport

That is something the US needs to keep in mind as they get set to take on a Canada team they just beat earlier this month.

USMNT in the group stage

While the US finished top of Group A to book their spot in the Gold Cup Quarter-Final, there were moments of doubt. They opened the tournament with a disappointing 1-1 draw against a Jamaica team that hadn’t won a game for a while.

They followed it up with an expected thrashing of newcomers St. Kitts & Nevis. That meant going into the final game against Trinidad & Tobago the top spot in the group would likely come down to goal difference.

The US did not disappoint against the Socca Warriors, beating them handily by a score of 6-0. Many US fans were quick to point out that since losing to Trinidad & Tobago to miss out on the 2018 World Cup, the US has beaten them all three times they’ve played. The scores were 6-0 in 2019, 7-0 in 2021, and 6-0 again in 2023.

Jesus Ferreira has been taking all the headlines, both good and bad. Against Trinidad & Tobago, he became the second US player to score a hat-trick in consecutive games (the other being Landon Donovan). Ferreira now has 14 goals in 21 international appearances. But the knock on him is that they have all come against CONCACAF opposition. Not only that but against CONCACAF minnows like St. Kitts & Nevis, Grenada, and Trinidad & Tobago.

Canada in the group stage

Canada booked their spot in the Gold Cup quarter-finals by finishing as the runner-up in Group D. Things didn’t start out so well for them, however.

They got a rare home game to open to tournament against Guadeloupe, but squandered it in a 2-2 draw. They followed that up with a 0-0 draw against Guatemala in Houston. And with their tournament life on the line against Cuba, they came through with a 4-2 win.

Despite qualifying for the 2022 World Cup (their first appearance since 1986) and being one of the three co-hosts for the 2026 World Cup, Canadian soccer is not in good shape right now.

Following their 2-0 loss to the US in the Nations League Final last month, manager John Herdman stated that Canada Soccer wasn’t takijng the World Cup seriously.

His comments may have been intended to get the federation to do better, but it seems to have had the opposite effect. Just days later, TSN reports surfaced that suggested the nation’s soccer federation were considering filing a bankruptcy case.

These off-field issues will definitely be worth keeping an eye on as Les Rouges get ready to take on the US in Cincinnati.

Other Notes:

1. Sunday’s Gold Cup Quarter-finals game between the US and Canada is set for an 8pm ET kickoff and will air in English on FS1 and in Spanish on both Univision and TUDN.
2. Sunday’s game against Canada will be the USMNT’s fourth visit to Cincinnati in as many years. In 2019 they played a friendly against Venezuela at Nippert Stadium. Since then they have played a World Cup Qualifier against Mexico in 2021 and a friendly against Morocco in 2022, both at TQL Stadium.

Photo credit: IMAGO / Agencia-MexSport

Fortunately, they followed that up with a 6-0 thumping of Gold Cup debutants St. Kitts & Nevis. That leaves the top spot in Group A up for grabs as they get set to take on Trinidad & Tobago.

St. Kitts & Nevis win

There was only ever going to be one winner in the US game against the Sugar Boyz. The only question was how big the margin of victory would be.

Given the results elsewhere in Group A, goal difference could be a deciding factor in determining who wins the group. So few US fans were sad to see the Americans bang six goals against St. Kitts & Nevis.

Jesus Ferreira scored a hat trick, proving that he’s a great player when it comes to scoring against semi-professional opposition (seven of his eleven international goals have come against Grenada and St. Kitts & Nevis).

Djordje Mihailovic got his first two USMNT goals since Gregg Berhalter’s debut match in January 2019 against Panama. And Bryan Reynolds became the first US player since Earnie Stewart to score a goal on his birthday.

Trinidad & Tobago

The deciding match in Group A at this year’s Gold Cup will be against Trinidad & Tobago. The Socca Warriors will live in US Soccer infamy for years to come, as it was a loss in Couva that kept the US from qualifying for the 2018 World Cup.

Since then, the US has done a very good job of heaping misery upon them as a form of payback. In the two meetings since that fateful night in 2017, the US has combined to outscore them 13-0: 6-0 at the 2019 Gold Cup and then 7-0 in a 2021 friendly.

So far, at this Gold Cup the Socca Warriors have split their first two games.

They beat St. Kitts & Nevis 3-0 but fell to Jamaica 4-1.

Anything other than a win sees them eliminated from the tournament. The roster called in by manager Angus Eve features nine players who play for American clubs (and, surprisingly two players who do not currently have a club).

Of those nine, only two are on MLS rosters with the rest playing in the USL Championship.

Those two are Kevin Molino of the Columbus Crew and Ajani Fortune of Atlanta United.

Other Notes:

1. Sunday’s game against Trinidad & Tobago kicks off at 7pm ET on will air on big FOX in English and on Univision in Spanish.
   
2. This marks the first ever game for the USMNT at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, and the first USMNT appearance in North Carolina since March of 2018 (against Paraguay)

Photo credit: IMAGO / Agencia-MexSport

But one of the things about the USMNT is that it frequently gets chances to pad stats against vastly inferior opponents. Such is the case in this Gold Cup. The USMNT looks to bounce back from a poor performance against Jamaica with a game against St. Kitts & Nevis.

Poor performance against Jamaica

Needing an equalizer in the 88th minute against Jamaica is not a good place to be. Jamaica had won just twice in the last two years. In its last 10, it was winless. The USMNT turned to Brandon Vazquez to salvage a draw against the Reggae Boyz on Saturday night. He was the only outfield player to step up. He took advantage of a dismal Jamaican clearance to get the Stars and Stripes back on level terms. Not only did he save a point, but he saved face for the USMNT.

First off, it was Matt Turner. The Arsenal goalkeeper put together five clean sheets in six games at the Gold Cup in 2021. A crucial penalty save in the first half prevented the USMNT from falling into a two-goal hole.

St. Kitts & Nevis a surprise test for USMNT

St. Kitts and Nevis at least provides the USMNT a chance to right the wrongs from Saturday. The island nation earned a spot in the Gold Cup prelims by winning their Nations League group ahead of Aruba and the French overseas territory St. Martin (not to be confused with the former Dutch overseas territory St. Maarten). It also earned promotion from Nations League C up to Nations League B. There, it will compete with the likes of Guadeloupe and St. Lucia.

At the Gold Cup preliminary round, St. Kitts and Nevis used a pair of penalty shootout wins to qualify. This is the nation’s first trip to the Gold Cup.

The roster called in by manager Austin Huggins does feature three players based in the US: defender Ezrick Nicholls at the University of Tampa in the Division II Sunshine State Conference, midfielder Raheem Somersall with North Carolina FC in USL League One, and midfielder Ronaldo Belgrave of FC Miami City in USL League Two.

Game information

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Wednesday’s game is another late kickoff scheduled for 10 p.m. ET. CityPark in St. Louis, a first for the USMNT. The last time the squad played in St. Louis was in 2019 against Uruguay. That, as well as a 2015 World Cup Qualifier against St. Vincent and the Grenadines, were at Busch Stadium.

Coverage of the Gold Cup group stage game is on FS1 in English and UniMas in Spanish. The Gold Cup TV schedule has full listings on each Gold Cup game.

PHOTO: IMAGO & Sports Press Photo