
Messi ‘Will Play' as Miami Prepare for Frigid Champions Cup Match in K.C.
Inter Miami are preparing for frigid temperatures in their official 2025 debut, and, as of Monday, that debut still involves Lionel Messi. Despite unconfirmed reports over the weekend that put Messi's availability in doubt, he will travel with Miami ahead of Tuesday's match at Sporting KC and is expected to play in the first leg of the first round of the Concacaf Champions Cup, the region's equivalent of a Champions League-style tournament.
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Wind chills in Kansas City are expected to have single-digit temperatures feeling as low as 18 below zero (F), with the region bracing for a winter storm that has recently affected large parts of the U.S. Snow is also expected in the area. Although Messi's participation was said to be in doubt due to the winter weather, Miami manager Javier Mascherano spoke to the media Monday and confirmed that Messi is available and 'will play' – provided there is no match postponement. As of Monday morning, the match at Children's Mercy Park remained on as scheduled.
In October, The Athletic reported that MLS officials are considering switching to a fall-spring calendar that would include breaks in the summer and winter. Among the advantages that league officials and executives have discussed is to improve MLS' participation in the global transfer market. On the flip side, MLS teams and fans would have to contend with winter weather in some of the coldest parts of the country, such as what's currently hitting K.C.
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MLS is considering changing to a fall-spring calendar after the 2026 World Cup
The winner between SKC and Miami will advance to a round-of-16 date with Cavalier SC, with the first leg on March 6 before the return leg in Jamaica on March 13. Should either SKC or Miami reach the quarterfinals, an all-MLS encounter would await, featuring either the Columbus Crew or the winner of the LAFC/Colorado Rapids first-round tie.
In addition to the MLS regular season and the Champions Cup, Miami will participate in this summer's FIFA Club World Cup. They'll open the tournament at Hard Rock Stadium against Egyptian side Al Ahly FC on June 15.
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San Francisco Chronicle
27 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Germany reassesses World Cup prospects after being taught lessons by France and Portugal
BERLIN (AP) — Two defeats and last place in a mini-tournament it expected to win have dealt Germany a cold dose of reality ahead of the 2026 World Cup. The Nations League final four in Germany was supposed to show Julian Nagelsmann's team can count itself among Europe's best, but a 2-1 loss to Portugal in Munich followed by a 2-0 defeat to France in Stuttgart instead revealed a gulf in class. It showed that tournament-winner Portugal, beaten finalist Spain – the European champion – and a talent-packed France team are among the favorites with defending champion Argentina to win soccer's biggest prize next year. Nagelsmann was keen to highlight the positives, noting that Germany dominated and created a host of chances in the first half against France on Sunday – but counterpart Didier Deschamps had already said what little importance he gave the third-place decider, and it was clear which side was more motivated in front of the Stuttgart fans. Kylian Mbappé scored before the break and set up Michael Olise for the second goal as Les Bleus shook off their apathy in the second half and might have scored more. 'If you look at the first half, honestly, they were not bothered about winning. But they still won,' Germany captain Joshua Kimmich said. It was a similar tale against Portugal, which rallied to beat Germany on Wednesday. Portugal coach Roberto Martínez changed the game when he introduced substitutes Vitinha, Francisco Conceição and Nelson Semedo in the second half, and Germany needed goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen at his best to stop the visitors scoring any more. Coach Nagelsmann pointed to the injury-enforced absences from his team – Jamal Musiala, Angelo Stiller, Kai Havertz, Antonio Rüdiger, Nico Schlotterbeck, Tim Kleindienst, Jonathan Burkardt and Yann Aurel Bisseck. But France was also without key players like Ousmane Dembélé and Eduardo Camavinga while Deschamps had to do without three of his preferred four-man backline – William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano and Jules Koundé. Even with a full-strength squad, it's debatable whether Germany can match its rivals' strength in depth when it comes to player development and the quality of youngsters coming through. Nine players in Spain coach Luis de la Fuente's Nations League squad are young enough to play at the Under-21 European Championship starting Wednesday in Slovakia. Star player Lamine Yamal is just 17 while Real Madrid's new signing Dean Huijsen looked like he'd been playing for Spain for years. The final was just his fourth appearance. 'It's quite clear, when it comes to the depth of the squad, that we have to abandon the illusion of getting it sorted out in a year,' Nagelsmann said. 'We have a few positions in German soccer that are given too little attention.' Nagelsmann pointed to Spain's use of wide players in attack – like Yamal or Nico Williams – and said Germany's dearth of wing backs had been a problem for years. Kimmich has been deployed at right back when his favored position is in midfield. 'Right now we're looking at what's important to see where we are in the world, what we need for the future, and to learn the right lessons from that,' Nagelsmann said. 'It would be nice if we could get one or two of the players up to speed by next year, but of course that's a limited window of opportunity.' The 37-year-old Nagelsmann appealed for patience from journalists, saying he was sure with the players he has that they 'will play a very, very good (World Cup) qualifying campaign and a very, very good tournament' in the United States, Mexico and Canada next summer. 'You have to have a bit of trust and pull the handbrake a bit,' he said. 'You're in the same boat.' ___
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
You what!? Bayern's Club World Cup opponent have multiple squads
The new Club World Cup is starting in just a few days. 32 teams from all over the world will compete in the USA for the new golden trophy. In the lead-up to the tournament, one question kept coming up: Will the top teams bring their best squads, or will good players who have had a heavy workload be rested or perhaps even left at home? As it now appears, fans can look forward to seeing all the superstars. It would probably be quite unusual for some clubs to compete with a completely changed squad. But for one club, that's definitely not the case. Bayern's group opponent, Auckland City FC, is completely used to sending entirely different squads to different matches. Excuse me, what!? Advertisement The reasons for the various squads of the New Zealand record champions can be boiled down to two important factors. First, the enormous distances the club has to travel for matches, and second, the incredibly packed schedule. For Auckland City, 'English weeks' (multiple matches per week) are the norm. In addition to the New Zealand league, the club also competes in the national Chatham Cup and the OFC Champions League. 📸 Jeff Brass - 2006 Getty Images The regular league matches aren't really the problem. The top division in New Zealand is split into three different leagues: North, Central, and South. Things get tricky, however, when the Champions League comes around. Advertisement This is where it gets really hairy. In the Oceanian Champions League, alongside teams from Australia, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea, there are also plenty of clubs from the Pacific islands like New Caledonia, Fiji, or French Polynesia. For the CL opener against AS Pirae, a club from the latter, Auckland had to fly a whopping 4,000 kilometers. 📸 Pool - 2024 Getty Images As if that weren't wild enough, there are often scheduling overlaps, so Auckland might have to play on a faraway island on Wednesday and then be back in action in the domestic league on Friday. That's when the second squad comes into play. Advertisement To prevent the players from being completely overworked all the time, the club sometimes sends one squad to the international matches, while another stays home to fight for the championship. 📸 Phil Walter - 2025 Getty Images And it gets even crazier. The entire competition, both in New Zealand and in the OFC CL, is only semi-professional. Almost all of Auckland City's players have regular jobs alongside their football careers and often have to use their vacation days for the long-distance matches. It's clear, of course, that the club shouldn't pose too much of a hurdle for FC Bayern in the fight for the knockout stage. Still, you can only respect the Auckland City players for everything they endure to compete for titles in the world's most beautiful sideshow. Advertisement And one thing is certain: At a major tournament like the Club World Cup, it was surely crystal clear to the players that no one would be rested and that they would travel with a full squad to experience this moment. After all, they're already used to the long flights. This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here. 📸 Graham Denholm - 2024 Getty Images


Hamilton Spectator
43 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Germany reassesses World Cup prospects after being taught lessons by France and Portugal
BERLIN (AP) — Two defeats and last place in a mini-tournament it expected to win have dealt Germany a cold dose of reality ahead of the 2026 World Cup. The Nations League final four in Germany was supposed to show Julian Nagelsmann's team can count itself among Europe's best, but a 2-1 loss to Portugal in Munich followed by a 2-0 defeat to France in Stuttgart instead revealed a gulf in class. It showed that tournament-winner Portugal , beaten finalist Spain – the European champion – and a talent-packed France team are among the favorites with defending champion Argentina to win soccer's biggest prize next year. Nagelsmann was keen to highlight the positives, noting that Germany dominated and created a host of chances in the first half against France on Sunday – but counterpart Didier Deschamps had already said what little importance he gave the third-place decider, and it was clear which side was more motivated in front of the Stuttgart fans. Kylian Mbappé scored before the break and set up Michael Olise for the second goal as Les Bleus shook off their apathy in the second half and might have scored more. 'If you look at the first half, honestly, they were not bothered about winning. But they still won,' Germany captain Joshua Kimmich said. Germany's forwards were simply not as clinical as France's. It was a similar tale against Portugal, which rallied to beat Germany on Wednesday. Portugal coach Roberto Martínez changed the game when he introduced substitutes Vitinha, Francisco Conceição and Nelson Semedo in the second half, and Germany needed goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen at his best to stop the visitors scoring any more. Coach Nagelsmann pointed to the injury-enforced absences from his team – Jamal Musiala, Angelo Stiller, Kai Havertz, Antonio Rüdiger, Nico Schlotterbeck, Tim Kleindienst, Jonathan Burkardt and Yann Aurel Bisseck. But France was also without key players like Ousmane Dembélé and Eduardo Camavinga while Deschamps had to do without three of his preferred four-man backline – William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano and Jules Koundé. Even with a full-strength squad, it's debatable whether Germany can match its rivals' strength in depth when it comes to player development and the quality of youngsters coming through. Nine players in Spain coach Luis de la Fuente's Nations League squad are young enough to play at the Under-21 European Championship starting Wednesday in Slovakia. Star player Lamine Yamal is just 17 while Real Madrid's new signing Dean Huijsen looked like he'd been playing for Spain for years. The final was just his fourth appearance. 'It's quite clear, when it comes to the depth of the squad, that we have to abandon the illusion of getting it sorted out in a year,' Nagelsmann said. 'We have a few positions in German soccer that are given too little attention.' Nagelsmann pointed to Spain's use of wide players in attack – like Yamal or Nico Williams – and said Germany's dearth of wing backs had been a problem for years. Kimmich has been deployed at right back when his favored position is in midfield. 'Right now we're looking at what's important to see where we are in the world, what we need for the future, and to learn the right lessons from that,' Nagelsmann said. 'It would be nice if we could get one or two of the players up to speed by next year, but of course that's a limited window of opportunity.' The 37-year-old Nagelsmann appealed for patience from journalists, saying he was sure with the players he has that they 'will play a very, very good (World Cup) qualifying campaign and a very, very good tournament' in the United States, Mexico and Canada next summer. Nagelsmann then attempted to push some of the responsibility onto the media. 'You have to have a bit of trust and pull the handbrake a bit,' he said. 'You're in the same boat.' ___ AP soccer: