Latest news with #Concacaf
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
🎥 Sunday to remember Sepúlveda's stunning goal
Angel Sepulveda or, better said, the "Angel of the Goal", as he is aptly called at Cruz Azul, is experiencing one of his best moments as a footballer. To prove this, it's enough to remember the amazing goal he scored in the match against León. "A goal to take your hat off to, it was a beautiful chest control and the use of the bicycle kick, especially considering how precise the shot turned out to be, leaves me very happy with the version of the forward we have", said Nicolás Larcamón. The attacker remains the leading scorer with three dates in the Apertura 2025, with four goals. In addition to consolidating himself as the top scorer of this year's Concacf Champions Cup. This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here. 📸 Agustin Cuevas - 2025 Getty Images
USA Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
MLS All-Star Game vs. Liga MX: Why Mexican league crossover is priority for MLS
The 2025 MLS All-Star Game is Wednesday, July 23 in Austin, Texas, with the best in MLS taking on the Liga MX All-Stars at Q2 Stadium. It's the fourth time in five years that MLS has chosen an All-Star team from Mexico's top flight as its All-Star Game opponent, and it's not hard to see why. There is a longstanding soccer rivalry between the countries at the national team level, and that extends to club play. MLS vs. Liga MX matches have often been fiery and dramatic, and there's no more reliable method for each league to test itself than by facing its next-door neighbor. The links between the two leagues go deeper than that, though, with MLS and Liga MX openly discussing ideas on how the two sides could go closer. The Leagues Cup — a competition invented by MLS and Liga MX involving 18 teams from both — kicks off in six days, and despite gripes on both side of the Rio Grande, it is the most concrete evidence that both sides want to develop this partnership further. Ahead of the 2025 MLS All-Star Game, here's what to know about the ties between MLS and Liga MX: MLS All-Star Game: Major League Soccer adds six players to All-Star roster: Who made the list? MLS, Liga MX driven together by geography Wednesday's All-Star Game is far from the first time MLS and Liga MX have collaborated. Over the last decade, the two biggest leagues in Concacaf (the governing body for soccer in North and Central America and the Caribbean), have actively sought opportunities to work together, whether on or off the field. There is a long-standing rivalry between U.S. and Mexican soccer dating back to the U.S. men's national team emerging as a threat to El Tri's decades as the region's lone hegemon in the 1990s. While clashes between MLS and Liga MX clubs in the Concacaf Champions Cup, the now-defunct Superliga, and the Leagues Cup have often come with acrimony, the two leagues have found plenty of common cause. Generally speaking, each of FIFA's six confederations has its own competition, with invitees to continental club championships very uncommon. MLS and Liga MX are two of the only leagues to enjoy such treatment, with Mexico most notably granted entries into South America's Copa Libertadores from 1998-2016. MLS and Liga MX teams were also granted sporadic places in the Copa Sudamericana — CONMEBOL's second-tier international tournament — in the early 2000s, and in the Copa Merconorte (a forerunner to the Copa Sudamericana) as well. However, MLS's last participation in CONMEBOL play came in 2007, and with a clogged schedule and immense travel required, there is no reason to expect that to change. The world's most prominent club competition, the UEFA Champions League, has at no point shown an inclination towards inviting participants to fly across the Atlantic, with the distances involved making such a move a non-starter. The realities of economics and population size hampering the attempts of other Concacaf leagues to provide serious competition. This didn't used to be the case, but in recent years a gap has become clear: in the last four years only four teams from outside MLS and Liga MX have reached the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals, none of whom moved on to the semifinals. In 2025, MLS and Liga MX teams won 11 of 12 total meetings with teams from other leagues. That leaves MLS and Liga MX in a difficult spot in terms of closing down the financial gaps with the giants of European and South American soccer. While both leagues are seen as offering superior top-to-bottom strength as compared to most leagues worldwide, Europe's strongest divisions in particular are still a long way off. As long as that's the case, there is a ceiling in terms of audience and access to sponsors that will hold both MLS and Liga MX back. Without an on-field competition that could give the kind of economic lift needed to gain ground on Europe's most powerful leagues — all of which are easily streamed by viewers in the U.S. and Mexico — gaining further ground has proven very difficult. MLS, Liga MX have long sought closer ties With circumstances driving the two rival leagues together, both MLS and Liga MX have shown an interest in working together, even when that has required outside-the-box thinking. An All-Star Game is an easy win; it's an exhibition that requires little in terms of FIFA or Concacaf approval. It's on other fronts where things have gotten a bit more interesting. Essentially, MLS looks with envy on Liga MX's long-standing cultural heft, with the Mexican top flight drawing TV ratings comparable to the Premier League. For MLS, getting the Liga MX audience to regularly watch and attend the top league in the U.S. and Canada is an obvious move. Liga MX sides, meanwhile, see the financial stability and business practices in MLS as a model to follow. It's not so much for giants like Club América, Tigres, or Chivas Guadalajara, but rather to lift the league's floor. Liga MX teams have long been willing to spend big, but there have also been more examples of teams folding, moving, or running into other issues that MLS has largely avoided over the last 20 years. MLS and Liga MX have both been comfortable enough over the idea of working together that chatter over a possible merger has bubbled up from time to time. While concrete steps haven't been taken, the two leagues have looked at various ways to work together. The Leagues Cup — a summer tournament featuring every Liga MX club and a varying number of MLS sides — is the most concrete current example, with the two organizations using that competition to introduce Lionel Messi as an Inter Miami player in 2023. The tournament has drawn some criticism in both nations, with U.S.-based fans voicing a preference for the domestic U.S. Open Cup after MLS attempted to unilaterally withdraw from that event in part to open space on the calendar. Liga MX fans, meanwhile, have been frustrated that the tournament is played in the U.S. only. Last year, Domè Torrent (who currently coaches Monterrey, but was in charge with Atlético San Luis at the time) called Leagues Cup "a joke of a competition" over the travel and weather conditions Liga MX teams had to endure. Nevertheless, the Leagues Cup has garnered plenty of media and fan attention in both nations, with the intensity and caliber of play impossible to completely dismiss. MLS and Liga MX executives remain bullish over the competition, even as it was modified in 2025 to only include 18 MLS teams. "I think we need more MLS versus Liga MX matches," said Garber in December. "We're looking at modifications that will, I think, make it more focused on what it is that we're trying to achieve, which is this great rivalry between our two leagues." In other words, the leagues are very likely going to keep seeking ways to increase their connections. MLS All-Star Game history vs. Liga MX Here is a list of times the MLS All-Star Game has paired a selection of Major League Soccer stars against a team of Liga MX All-Stars. MLS All-Star Game: Where have opponents come from? Once Wednesday's game kicks off, MLS will have played an All-Star Game in 29 of its 30 seasons, only skipping 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, while the format for the game has largely been a straightforward 90-minute game with penalty kicks to break ties, the league has rotated between numerous options in terms of finding two teams to put on the field. Here is where MLS All-Star Game opponents have come from over the years: MLS All-Star Game 2025: Time, TV, streaming, how to watch The 2025 MLS All-Star Game is set for Wednesday, July 23, with kickoff scheduled for 9 p.m. ET. USA TODAY Sports' 48-page special edition commemorates 30 years of Major League Soccer, from its best players to key milestones and championship dynasties to what exciting steps are next with the World Cup ahead. Order your copy today!
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
"Just my opinion" — McKennie responds to Donovan criticism of USMNT stars
Weston McKennie has hit back at USMNT legend Landon Donovan after the retired forward criticized the national team absentees at the upcoming Concacaf Gold Cup. Star players such as Christian Pulisic, Sergiño Dest, Antonee Robinson, Timothy Weah, and McKennie will all be absent from the squad for the tournament this June. Advertisement 'This is what it means to represent your country," Donovan said over the weekend. "If you don't want to take it seriously as a professional soccer player and someone who gets the opportunity to wear the jersey, then don't come in." While the players are missing for a variety of reasons, including injury or Club World Cup campaigns, Weston McKennie felt Donovan's comments were wide of the mark. 'Obviously, none of us take for granted playing for the national team. None of us want to lose games," McKennie said. 'All of us want to compete. And for me, it's a little bit, I won't say sad, but as a former national team player, I think as a national team player pool – previous, present – I think it's more about trying to build or even say something like that to a person directly rather than putting it out there.' Advertisement Most notably, McKennie pointed out that past USMNT sides have failed to show up in big moments, specifically in 2017 when the Stars and Stripes failed to qualify for the World Cup in Russia. 'That's just my opinion because we've all been through those moments, even when comments about us losing the Nations League were made by many players from before, but they've had the same thing on a bigger stage with not qualifying for the World Cup.' The United States will kick off their Gold Cup campaign on June 15 against Trinidad and Tobago. 📸 Hector Vivas - 2024 Getty Images
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
🔬 Surveying the USMNT's center-forward options ahead of 2026
It was so nearly a summer of celebration for Mauricio Pochettino and the United States Men's National Team, with the host nation coming up short in the final of the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup against bitter regional rival Mexico. An early strike from Chris Richards was cancelled out by Raúl Jiménez and Edson Álvarez as El Tri secured back-to-back tournament wins, ultimately leaving more questions that need answering by Pochettino before the 2026 World Cup. On the surface, a run to the final with a squad that many fans and pundits alike deem to have been, at best, a 'B-tier' outfit, is hardly a sob story worth lamentations. But apart from a tournament-opening 5-0 thrashing of Trinidad & Tobago, each of the subsequent five fixtures were decided by one-goal margin, while the US also needed to rely on shootout heroics to get past Costa Rica in the quarter-finals. More frustrating is the reality that despite the US ending the tournament with 13 goals, budding midfield pair Diego Luna and Malik Tillman led the side with three goals each, with Richards' two goals level with Charlotte's Patrick Agyemang's total tournament tally. This, expectedly, threw further questions into the fire when it comes to who the US can look to as their attacking focal point up front. And it is arguably the most important question of all for the Stars and Stripes (outside of the goalkeeper debate), given the realities of tournament play. To have any chance of pulling together what could hopefully be described as a successful World Cup campaign, most nations can always fall back on a key goalscoring threat at center-forward. England relies heavily on Harry Kane (and others), France can boast Kylian Mbappé, Spain increasingly turns to Mikel Oyarzabal in that role, and Ronaldo still starts centrally for Portugal. Further still, the likes of Sweden and Norway are grateful to have Alexander Isak and Erling Haaland, and even Mexico can be confident with Jiménez leading the line. At current, no such figure truly exists for the United States, and the hope across the upcoming 2025/26 club season is that someone, somewhere, will find form before the world's focus once again shifts to American shores. But who will it be? Patrick Agyemang Let's stay with the aforementioned Agyemang to start the discussion, with the 24-year-old recently securing a summer move to Championship outfit Derby County. His story is one worth diving into, but despite his rapid rise at MLS side Charlotte FC, and what is currently a solid goal return of five goals in 12 appearances for the US, his inconsistency in front of goal has left many fans frustrated while routinely debating just how good he could become once he goes through a period of heavy refinement. Brian White Then there's Brian White: a key attacking catalyst for the Vancouver Whitecaps under Jesper Sørensen. White, 29, is already in his prime years as a footballer and has looked the real deal in the Pacific Northwest since leaving the NY Red Bulls and smashing 56 goals in 128 appearances in MLS over the last four-and-a-half seasons at BC Place. His form in front of goal for the Whitecaps has yet to make the jump to the international stage, however, with White hitting the back of the net on just a single occasion in eight appearances, while likely completely ruling himself out of the conversation. Damion Downs The third center-forward in the US team for the Gold Cup was youngster Damion Downs, with the 21-year-old German-born striker riding his wave high after a very solid season with 2. Bundesliga outfit FC Köln. Confirmed to be on his way to the Championship in a move to Southampton, Downs is another potential diamond in the rough for Poch. Though hitting the match-winning penalty against Costa Rica will gift him some grace, it is far too soon to truly include him in the current debate. And now we come to some of the star names of the US National Team pool; players that Pochettino was unable to call upon this summer, but is near-guaranteed to have at his disposal less than twelve months from now. Monaco's Folarin Balogun, PSV's Ricardo Pepi, and Coventry's Haji Wright are all sure to be considered, while Norwich's Josh Sargent could have a pathway to turn Poch's head in due course. Perhaps the most surprising aspect is the fact that Pepi boasts the best strike rate of those mentioned, with 13 goals in 33 appearances (0.39 goals/match) that easily eclipses that of both Balogun and Wright (0.29 goals/match). Sargent, who had long been one of the great hopes for the national team program, has never been able to find his feet in a US kit, managing just 5 goals in 28 appearances (0.17 goals/match). With Pepi now back in training with PSV after recovering from a long-term knee injury, should the 22-year-old get back to the type of form that saw him hit 11 goals in 18 Eredivisie appearances before getting crocked, that could, along with once again featuring in the Champions League, be enough for his CV to top the pile on Poch's desk. Balogun struggles to see consistent minutes along the French Riviera, and despite Sargent's consistent rate of return at Carrow Road, he seems very much outside of the current planning process. All told, football is always a waiting game. As endless possibilities that can, and likely will, present themselves over the coming months, finding a reliable striker to lead the line would go a long way in quelling fan angst ahead of the World Cup while applying a bit of aloe on current wounds inflicted by El Tri. 📸 Tim Warner - 2025 Getty Images
New York Times
17-07-2025
- Business
- New York Times
USMNT's most expensive transfers, and how Tillman, Johnny fit a recent trend
Even in this worldwide boom of inflation, some of this summer's transfer fees are truly difficult to contextualize at a glance. In the week-plus following the U.S. men's national team's runner-up finish at the Concacaf Gold Cup, two members of Mauricio Pochettino's squad have switched European clubs at an eight-figure valuation. Malik Tillman and Johnny Cardoso have joined Bayer Leverkusen and Atlético Madrid, respectively, for fees combining over $75 million. Tack on Patrick Agyemang leaving Charlotte FC for Derby County this week on an $8 million fee — among the highest returns for a player selected in the MLS SuperDraft — and it's been an opulent summer for players aiming to be on the squad for the 2026 World Cup co-hosts. Advertisement The market wasn't always so warm to USMNT-eligible players. Even into the early 2010s, many Americans were either acquired at a bargain valuation or on free transfers after trial periods. In January 2007, Clint Dempsey broke MLS records when Fulham signed him from the New England Revolution for just $4 million. The program's joint-record scorer (tied with Landon Donovan on 57 goals) again made history in August 2012 when Tottenham brought him across town from Craven Cottage for $9.5 million. Put another way, Dempsey — then a proven Premier League forward who helped Fulham reach a Europa League final — went for as much money as West Brom paid Orlando City for Daryl Dike three years ago. How the transfer market has changed. Some of this was inevitable given the increased finances in soccer. To condense an entire seminar's worth of backstory, most of the sport's history saw ticket sales, prize money and sponsorship agreements serve as the chief driver of revenue for clubs. There was an urgent need to ensure staunch gate receipts, to design shirts that would fly off the shelves and to have a proud host of companies lining the pitch on ad boards. On top of this, success on the field was a self-fulfilling path to retain a strong squad as winnings could be reinvested in higher wages and transfer fee expenditure. The 21st century has seen numerous innovations and advancements in how the sport's power brokers generate revenue, and with far greater returns than the previous paths could offer. It starts with viewers who weren't occupying seats at grounds. Broadcast rights have become league-altering bidding wars for the sport's top circuits, with the rise of streaming platforms only further increasing the options. Major leagues have become more accessible to a global audience, with fans able to foster stronger bonds from abroad with their teams possibly visiting on an occasional preseason tour. Advertisement None of this is under-reported, nor is it unique to soccer. It is, however, undeniably relevant to this surge in player valuations. In the past, the world's highest-caliber of clubs dominated and operated at the richest bracket of the transfer market. In something of a trickle-down economy, they would pluck the top talents from their less wealthy rivals, who could then reinvest those sums in hopes of finding its next wave of stars. The fees weren't astronomical by today's standards: Barcelona bought Ronaldinho from PSG for just under $35 million in 2003 and Thierry Henry from Arsenal for $28 million in 2007, for example. A simple inflation calculator puts those price tags at in $61 million and $43.4 million, respectively, in today's money. These days, clubs like AFC Bournemouth and Leeds United spend over $20 million with increasing regularity. All of which brings us back to Johnny, Tillman and the recent high sums for Americans abroad. Each of the dozen-plus highest fees for U.S. players have come in the past decade and involve players under 25, led by Christian Pulisic's $74.1 million move from Borussia Dortmund to Chelsea in January 2019. All fees in the table below have been directly reported over the years by The Athletic, with the exception of John Brooks' figure being on U.S. Soccer's official website. There is compelling context for these moves beyond teams having more money to spend than they used to. Pulisic's breakout with Borussia Dortmund was a bellringer of the rising standard of young stateside talent. After over six years in FC Dallas' setup, Weston McKennie joined Schalke's academy in 2016 and debuted in the Bundesliga a year later. When Pulisic left for Chelsea, Dortmund already had its next American talent in the wings: Giovanni Reyna, who arrived from New York City FC's academy. Youth movement doesn't garner nearly as significant fees as moves for senior players, but it isn't a surprise that McKennie was involved in a lucrative transfer following years of productivity in Germany. In a trend identified long before the Club World Cup, yet validated this summer, many of Europe's top teams operate more systematically, recruiting with data at the heart of the operation and coaches instructing players from positional play models that give strict responsibility guidance for each member of the squad. Roles have crystalized considerably; player recruitment more closely mirrors the corporate hiring process of a specialist position than it used to, and it's easier to project a tactical fit as a team's utilization of a player is easier to quantify. Advertisement This also helps erase longstanding stigmas tied to the nationality of the player. For every overpayment to obtain any young Brazilian playmaker with a bag of tricks, there were a dozen bargain bin signings from less sexy nations like those in Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia and North America (among other regions). Those biases have gradually been worn away with more clubs have sophisticated scouting operations, but having successes like Pulisic and McKennie only accelerates that process. Atléti wasn't assessing Johnny as 'an American midfielder,' which used to mean he would bust his tail every game but struggled technically; it was signing a player who proved himself in La Liga after Betis vetted his readiness and signed him from Brazil. The changing model of club ownership also plays a role. For generations, most owners were local stewards who saw their club as a local institution, even if it meant some lean years if revenue wasn't sustainable. Now, the sport is its own machine of profit-generation. Americans weren't previously dropping billions to helm Champions League contenders. Multi-club models were a twinkle in the Abu Dhabi royal family's collective eye, and loan deals were dependent on an outside entity wanted to temporarily house a player. Agreements between clubs make those processes easier, meaning more players can be signed and stashed in case they develop to a first-team standard — or can be sold for a profit. Just like Chelsea has Caleb Wiley and Gabriel Slonina on its books now, it took a flier on a 21-year-old Matt Miazga in January 2016. Manchester City has taken chances on Erik Palmer-Brown and Zack Steffen. Bayern Munich has tried matching Dortmund's success in the American market to varying degrees of success via Tillman, Chris Richards and Justin Che. None of this diminishes the major steps being taken by Tillman, Johnny and even Agyemang. Each is testing himself in a different setting, and each will almost certainly be a part of his new club's rotation from jump due to the amount invested by club ownership (though Derby indicated Agyemang's debut would be delayed due to hernia surgery). This list could be reshuffled some by summer's end, too, as more movement for USMNT regulars is reportedly in the offing. Yunus Musah could leave Milan after two difficult years, while Juventus apparently has suitors for both McKennie and Tim Weah. Josh Sargent, meanwhile, may be on the outs from Norwich City after years chasing promotion in vain. This may not yet be the USMNT's 'golden generation' in terms of on-field standard. In terms of the transfer market's valuation of U.S. talent, however, players of this nationality have never been assessed at a higher rate.
