Leverkusen midfielder considering change of scenery
Robert Andrich could seek a summer move if his playing time at Bayer Leverkusen doesn't improve significantly, according to Kicker.
The German international has seen his role diminish this season and is currently behind Granit Xhaka, Exequiel Palacios, and Aleix Garcia in the central midfield pecking order at BayArena.
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Kicker reports that Andrich is concerned his chances of making Germany's 2026 World Cup squad are slipping due to his lack of minutes. The 30-year-old recently lost his place in Julian Nagelsmann's starting lineup to Leon Goretzka.
Andrich, whose contract runs until 2028, has watched Leverkusen's last two Bundesliga matches from the bench.
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Fox Sports
39 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
Reeling U.S. must open Gold Cup with a win: 'It'll help us feel good about ourselves'
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Even without the likes of lock starters such as Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Antonee Robinson and Tim Weah, members of the U.S. men's national team's shorthanded Concacaf Gold Cup squad believe they can beat the odds and claim the regional championship for the eighth time in program history next month. First, they have to win a soccer game. Coming off four consecutive defeats — the United States men's longest losing streak in 18 years — Mauricio Pochettino's under-strength side heads into its Gold Cup opener on Sunday against Trinidad and Tobago (kickoff at 6 p.m. ET on FOX) desperate to snap the skid. A victory would help the Americans kick off the three-week-long competition — the last tournament for the U.S. before next summer's FIFA World Cup on home soil — on a good foot. Perhaps as important, three points against the Soca Warriors would provide a much-needed boost in morale. "We understand that it can't keep going on like that for much longer," U.S. center back Chris Richards told reporters before the team trained at Stanford University on Saturday. "At some point, we have to just kind of buckle up and start to play better, start to win games. "If we win the first game, that'll set us up for the rest of the tournament," Richards continued. "It'll help us feel good about ourselves. I think it'll definitely give us momentum. But also, I think it'll give everybody around the camp just kind of a breath of fresh air. We're ready for it." They had better be. While the U.S. is the favorite against T&T, no U.S. fan will ever take a contest against the two-island Caribbean nation lightly again — not since that shocking loss in tiny Couva, Trinidad in 2017 that cost the Americans a World Cup trip the following year. If the vibes around the U.S. hit rock bottom then, they've come close to descending to those depths over the last 12 months. Last July, the U.S. became the first Copa América host not to reach knockout play, a failure that cost then-coach Gregg Berhalter his job. Pochettino took over in late 2024 and started well enough, winning five of his first six games. But with Pulisic and the rest of the first-choice regulars in the lineups, the Americans bombed in the Nations League finals in March, suffering embarrassing losses to Panama and Canada. So when the U.S. lost both its pre-Gold Cup friendlies to Türkiye and Switzerland this month, the latter a 4-0 drubbing, alarm bells started ringing. Still, those teams, ranked 20th and 27th in FIFA's world ranking, are stronger that the foes the U.S. will face over the next few weeks. "You always want to challenge yourself against the best players, the best teams," forward Brian White said. "If we can learn from what went wrong, I think we could have a successful tournament." Getting Tyler Adams back would help there. The 2022 World Cup captain is one of the few usual starters in camp this summer, along with Richards and goalkeeper Matt Turner. Adams has been nursing a foot injury in recent days. He didn't dress versus the Swiss, though Pochettino is hoping to have him back soon – and possibly against T&T. "He today was training a little bit," the coach said. "He's close to being available again." With or without Adams, Pochettino feels this set of players is ready for the challenge. "The circumstances are not the same as in March," he said. "In a club, if you play four league games and you lose, it can affect your emotion. But this group is new. It's nothing to do with with March. It's completely different. "We are competing really well," Pochettino added. "The team is really in a very good level." Now they need to prove it. Getting three points on Sunday would be a start. Doug McIntyre is a soccer reporter for FOX Sports who has covered United States men's and women's national teams at FIFA World Cups on five continents. Follow him @ ByDougMcIntyre . recommended Get more from United States Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
USMNT coach says star Christian Pulisic ‘need to listen, to stick with our plan'
The U.S. men's national team has made headlines for all the wrong reasons lately, and head coach Mauricio Pochettino piled on Saturday. Star midfielder Christian Pulisic went on a podcast earlier this week to sound off on his reasoning for sitting out of the upcoming CONCACAF Gold Cup, the last major tournament before the national team takes on the World Cup in 2026. Pulisic cited his need for rest and recovery following a grueling schedule with AC Milan in Serie A. In his absence, the USMNT extended its losing streak to four matches after falling to Turkey and Switzerland in friendlies last week. Pulisic said he asked Pochettino if he could compete in the aforementioned friendlies but not the Gold Cup, to which Pochettino said no. Pochettino elaborated on his decision in a news conference Saturday at San Jose's PayPal Park on the eve of the USMNT's match against Trinidad and Tobago. He did not mince words. 'Player no need to understand,' said Pochettino, 53, who was hired to be the new USMNT head coach in September. 'Player need to listen and to stick with our plan. He cannot dictate the plan because if not, OK, we swap the position (of coach and player), no?' Pochettino, with decades of coaching experience that includes stints at prominent European clubs such as Tottenham Hotspur, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, made clear that no single player would determine how he runs the USMNT. His rationale for wanting a fixed roster for the two friendlies leading into the Gold Cup had to do with continuity. If Pulisic would have played in the two friendlies, Pochettino said it would be at the discretion of his staff to determine Pulisic's readiness for the Gold Cup and whether rest was indeed necessary for the USMNT captain. 'The most important thing is that we explain why we decide (to) not include in the two friendly games, and then if you have some problems, no, that is not my problem to understand,' Pochettino said. 'I think it's so clear that we say we want you to start training with the group, two friendly games ... it's up to us after to assess, to analyze if you need to rest or no need rest, because we have a group of professional performance, doctor and athlete and coaches. 'I respect and I understand him, I understand him, but I don't need that he understand our decision because my position is, I am 53 with a lot of experience in fútbol, in soccer, and I was player before coach.' One of the questions posed to Pochettino during a presser that lasted more than 30 minutes — and included promising 21-year-old midfielder Diego Luna, who did not receive a question until about 23 minutes in — referenced Pulisic as the best player. In response, Pochettino made sure to emphasize his team-first mentality. 'You say the best player, yes, he's a good player, of course, but he need to perform because I want to judge him like Diego, like another,' Pochettino said. 'If (Pulisic) performed well and he's the best, it's normal he's going to have a place in the national team. … When I signed my contract in the (United States Soccer) Federation, I am the head coach. I am not a mannequin, you know? 'I love to communicate, but at the same time, I want to keep that all the players feel the same respect from the coaching staff and from myself. If someone doesn't like this, OK, but this is we, it's we. We can win. We need to work together. We need to be all together. We, we, we, we, we, we, we. … It's about we, not about I.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
🤔 Did it work? Club World Cup players make NBA-style entrance, watch 🎥
FIFA is implementing a new feature for the players' entrance onto the field in the Club World Cup matches. In the style of the NBA, the athletes are announced in the stadium and called onto the field one by one. Advertisement This presentation format was already put into practice in the opening match of the tournament, between Inter Miami and Al Ahly. The last to step onto the pitch was Lionel Messi, who was cheered on by the stands of the Hard Rock Stadium. Watch: The MetLife Stadium, the stadium that hosts Palmeiras' debut in the World Cup this Sunday, has also tested the novelty, with the names of Verdão's players being announced. See below: This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here. 📸 ROBERTO SCHMIDT - AFP or licensors
