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USA Today
8 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
USMNT vs. Turkey: Where to watch, TV channel, live stream
USMNT vs. Turkey: Where to watch, TV channel, live stream Show Caption Hide Caption Tyler Adams responds to Landon Donovan's comments regarding the USMNT Tyler Adams says 'the criticism is fair' when asked about Landon Donovan's recent comments on the USMNT. Sports Seriously The U.S. men's national team will face Turkey on Saturday in the first of two pre-Gold Cup friendlies. USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino named his final 26-player roster for the Gold Cup on Thursday, with Sergiño Dest joining a long list of absentees ahead of the Concacaf tournament. Pochettino will bring a relatively untested squad to Connecticut this weekend before facing Switzerland in Nashville on Tuesday. The U.S. will begin the Gold Cup on June 15 against Trinidad and Tobago. Watch USMNT vs. Turkey on Sling Despite the absence of many regulars, there will be intense pressure on the USMNT to perform this summer after falling flat in the Concacaf Nations League in March. The Gold Cup will represent the team's final chance to play competitive matches ahead of the World Cup on home soil next summer. The USMNT hasn't faced Turkey since a 2-1 win in a pre-World Cup friendly in 2014, and holds a 2W-1L-1D all-time record against the UEFA nation. Here is everything you need to know ahead of the match. USMNT vs. Turkey (international friendly) When: Saturday, June 7 Saturday, June 7 Where: Rentschler Field (East Hartford, CT) Rentschler Field (East Hartford, CT) Time: 3:30 p.m. ET 3:30 p.m. ET Channel/streaming: TNT, TruTV, Telemundo, Universo, Max, Peacock (WATCH NOW) We recommend interesting sports viewing/streaming and betting opportunities. If you sign up for a service by clicking one of the links, we may earn a referral fee. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage
USA Today
26-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Bo Nix should add one more team to his Colorado sports tour
Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix has fully embraced the city's sports teams. Nix watched the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs this spring, and he was mic'd up at a Colorado Avalanche game in April. Last week, he threw out the first pitch at a Colorado Rockies game (and it was a bullet). The Rockies went on to win that game, something that hasn't been a common occurrence this season. 9News wrote that Nix's pitch for the Rockies completed the QB's "local big-league sports tour," but there's still another big-league team in the city (OK, in Commerce City, but still). Nix is yet to visit a Colorado Rapids game, and he should rectify that. Soccer is one of the most popular youth sports in Colorado, and the state has produced U.S. women's national team stars like Mallory Swanson, Sophia Wilson and Lindsey Heaps. The Broncos have hosted the USMNT at their training facility, and Empower Field at Mile High has hosted international soccer tournaments, including a 2021 Concacaf Nations League title for the U.S. men's national team. The Rapids' roster includes several USMNT veterans and hopefuls, including Zack Steffen, Reggie Cannon, Djordje Mihailovic, Sam Vines, Cole Bassett and Josh Atencio. Soccer has a place among football, basketball, baseball and ice hockey in Colorado, and Nix should join some of his teammates at an upcoming Major League Soccer match. Nix has embraced Denver's sports teams, but there should be one more stop on his to-visit list. Related: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans.
Forbes
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Concacaf Puts Stars Like Pulisic, Davies In Impossible Position
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 18: Alphonso Davies #19 of Canada passes the ball while Christian Pulisic ... More #10 of the United States looks on during the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League Final at Allegiant Stadium on June 18, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Candice Ward/USSF/Getty Images for USSF) After the news this week that Christian Pulisic will forgo playing for the U.S. men's national team this June in friendlies and then the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup, the American soccer universe has been flooded with a barage of polarized opinions. The majority suggest Pulisic risks doing damage to the USMNT's mentality and cohesion by passing on the last competitive event before next year's World Cup. A smaller but considerable minority suggest taking a breather now is worth it if it will result in better a year from now. And predictably, most ignore the real problem: Concacaf's unrelenting competitive calendar that manufactures high-stakes semifinals and finals for its biggest programs, and gives European stars like Pulisic, Canada's Alphonso Davies and others an a string of impossible decisions. It's not the number of total games Concacaf asks of its teams, but rather the number that are assessed a high level of urgency by virtue of being late-round knockout contests. In a federation as unbalanced as Concacaf, it's an extremely predictable outcome that the U.S., Canada and Mexico compete in the majority of those. Arguably, that's exactly the point since the Concacaf Nations League joined the region's list of too-frequent competitions. While the Concacaf Nations League was launched under the noble auspices of giving more competitive fixtures to regional minnows, the reality is an endless stream of semifinals and finals played mostly between those three North American foes, whose rivalry stokes regional tensions that can be enormously profitable at the box office. The final foursome has already been contested four times since its launch in 2019, and will be contested again in 2027. The U.S. and Mexico have been a part of all four final fours, and Canada has made the last three. Those games pile onto the Gold Cup schedule which is already played every two years, rather than the quadrennial schedule of the European Championships, Asian Cup and in the future the Copa America. Adding even more absurity to the burden was last year's Concacaf participation in said Copa America for a second time in eight years. Yes, the tournament obviously offers the federation's top teams a more similar test to the approaching World Cup than will the Gold Cup. But if you're going to play in it, maybe consider scaling back elsewhere? Something should have given, and yet it didn't. Combine all that together and you get numbers like Pulisic's absurd appearance record since he first came on the USMNT scene in 2016. NOTE: List include only competitions not tied to World Cup qualifying *Includes collaboration with Conmebol on two Copa America tournaments In 76 total U.S. appearances for Pulisic, 12 have come in a continental final, semifinal or third-place match. And he already skipped three of the four Gold Cups in that stretch. If Pulisic had competed in every "major" continental competition the United States played in, he would've played in 10 different events sanctioned by Concacaf and Conmebol. (This total excludes World Cup and World Cup qualifying matches.) There's no other continent that makes such similarly outrageous demands. Over the same span, Cristiano Ronaldo has played in six such UEFA events for Portugal, which is the maximum possible since UEFA adopted its own, far more humane version of a Nations League. Lionel Messi has competed in four Copa Americas in the same timeframe, the only tournament Conmebol contests outside its admittedly draining World Cup qualifying format. In any other region, the burden Concacaf places on teams would be seen as obvious overkill. That's one reason Bayern Munich and Alphonso Davies' agent both reacted so strongly when Alphonso Davies tore his ACL in Canada's third-place victory over the United States in March. Sure, it was technically a competitive fixture. It was also the second "continental" third-place match the Bayern left back has played in nine months. But because nearly every one of these competitions includes the prospect of a USA-Mexico and/or USA-Canada meeting, the generic pressure to participate is far higher than in your average UEFA Nations League match might be. That's just the dynamic of such a top-heavy federation. And in creating the Nations League and insisting on a biennial Gold Cup, Concacaf certainly knows those rivalry games are the likely outcome. The federations are also complicit. The U.S. and Mexico have met in seven competitive fixtures since the close of the 2018 World Cup, and could very well meet for an eighth time in that stretch. Apparently not content with that level of familiarity, they've also scheduled four friendlies over the span. The most similar recent precedent for Concacaf's overwhelming demands also had that rivalry dynamic: the long-defunct British Home Championship, a four-team tournament contested in a three-match round robin format between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It was abandoned in 1984 based on a combination of competitive and safety concerns, in an era when the majority of national team talent in most global regions still played its domestic football close to home. The modern Concacaf era didn't really begin until the launch of the Gold Cup several years later. So on some level it's understandable the region is behind the times. But as the federation prepares to host its fourth World Cup, it's long past time to get up to speed and start making at least some competitive decisions that have the player – not revenue potential – in mind. Because Pulisic, Davies and others currently face an impossible dynamic of always saying yes and risking their livelihoods, or occasionally saying no and risking their popularity.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Mauricio Pochettino sends clear message with latest USMNT roster: 'What we want ... is people desperate to perform'
USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino has a clear message for members of the national team's core: Get ready for a challenge. On Thursday, U.S. Soccer announced the USMNT roster for the final set of friendlies before the Concacaf Gold Cup. Like previous rosters, the squad includes a number of new names as Pochettino extends more opportunities to uncapped players. Advertisement However, this roster is missing a unusually large number of big names: Christian Pulisic will be out after requesting time to rest. Other core players — like Antonee Robinson, Weston McKennie, Tim Weah and more — are also absent, due to a mixture of injuries, coach's decisions and the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup. Those excused absences or coach's decisions might seem reasonable enough. But then Pochettino seemed to clearly outline a hard reset on the USMNT's culture. In a press conference on Thursday, Pochettino mentioned that it was "exciting" to bring in different players, including players who are making their USMNT debuts — and players who can try to "challenge" players who would otherwise be a lock for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. "I think it's important to create this challenge," he said. Pochettino's short tenure with the USMNT has had its rough patches, with back-to-back losses in the Concacaf Nations League in March. While sounding clearly unsatisfied with some of the team's recent results, Pochettino seemed to open up the possibility that any member of the team's core could lose out on a spot in the next year. "I think (even) with all the names, I think that everyone would agree with us, we didn't perform," Pochettino said. "But I think the important thing is to provide to the the new player the possibility to challenge, and to challenge the possibility to take a place. Advertisement Players will arrive at camp on June 1, where Pochettino says that they'll start off with a conversation about "the possibility to defend your place." "When you are, now, in the national team is not because you are here to try to replace people that (are) sure that (they are) going to be here. No, you have the possibility to defend your place," Pochettino said of the players coming to this camp. "How you are going to defend your place, that is the important thing for us. You need to fight, you need to show attitude, the right attitude, but not only that, perform, and be brave, and follow the rules that we set in the group.' "I think it is really important for us," he continued. "They are going to compete in a fair way with different people that maybe are not involved today in this squad." Since taking over the national team, Pochettino has been notably open to providing opportunities for players who are not part of the USMNT core. The June roster includes a couple of notable first-time call-ups, including Orlando City defender Alex Freeman, Philadelphia Union midfielder Quinn Sullivan, FC Köln forward Damion Downs and (ironically) Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Sebastian Berhalter, the son of former USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter, who Pochettino replaced. "It's about not (losing) the possibility when you have the chance," Pochettino said. "My feeling in all these camps, from October, November, January and March, I think many players, they took the chance and deserve to again to come back because (they) not only perform and behave well in the in the camp, if not after they keep performing in their teams." Advertisement But then the head coach continued with a lengthy, eyebrow-raising commentary on whether this roster is meant to give the current USMNT core a jolt. "(In) a previous question you say to me, is (this roster) to punish or to say 'pay attention' to some players? What we want to create in our national team is people desperate to come, but desperate to come, to perform. To perform means (to) follow the rule, create good atmosphere, be part of the team, be able, in every single aspect, (to meet) our (federation's) demand," Pochettino said, "and understand that it's possible (for it to) be the last possibility to be with us. "Because we only have time to maybe train one, two, three times, then play. One, two recovery sessions and then play. And then go home and maybe wait two months to be all together (again). If you arrive to the camp and you want to spend a nice time, play golf, go for a dinner, visit my family, visit my friend. Is that the culture that we want to create? No, no, no, no, no. "What we want to do is to go to the national team, arrive and be focused. And spend all my focus and energy on the national team. Because we need to create this culture about winning," he continued. "If we want to be good in one year's time, we need to think that today is the most important day, because we need to build from today our way to arrive. It's not to say, 'OK, I wait, I wait, I wait. No, the World Cup is in one year. It's in six months. It's in one month.' And then it's (too) late. "That is why I think it's important to have (a) different approach," Pochettino concluded. Pochettino is making it clear: No spot is safe for the 2026 World Cup. The current roster will have a chance to prove themselves at two friendlies before the Gold Cup, with a friendly against Turkey on June 7 and one against Switzerland on June 10. After that, the U.S. will move on to the Gold Cup, with the first group stage match on June 15. Full USMNT roster for the June international window: GOALKEEPERS (4): Matt Freese (New York City FC; 0/0), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew; 3/0), Zack Steffen (Colorado Rapids; 30/0), Matt Turner (Crystal Palace/ENG; 51/0) Advertisement DEFENDERS (8): Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew; 3/0), Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 33/2), Alex Freeman (Orlando City; 0/0), DeJuan Jones (San Jose Earthquakes; 10/0), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse/FRA; 19/0), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC; 68/1), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG; 24/1), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; 32/3), MIDFIELDERS (10): Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United/ENG; 47/8); Tyler Adams (Bournemouth/ENG; 44/2), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps/CAN; 0/0), Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis/ESP; 18/0), Luca de la Torre (San Diego FC; 24/1), Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake; 4/0), Jack McGlynn (Houston Dynamo; 4/1), Quinn Sullivan (Philadelphia Union; 0/0); Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 17/0), Sean Zawadzki (Columbus Crew; 1/0) FORWARDS (5): Patrick Agyemang (Charlotte FC; 4/3), Folarin Balogun (Monaco/FRA; 17/5); Damion Downs (FC Köln/GER; 0/0), Brian White (Vancouver Whitecaps/CAN; 4/1), Haji Wright (Coventry City/ENG; 15/4)
Forbes
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
While Pulisic Gets A Rest, USMNT Will Need To Get Creative In Gold Cup
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - NOVEMBER 18: Christian Pulisic #10 of the United States celebrates scoring ... More during the first half against Jamaica during leg two of the 2024 Concacaf Nations League Quarterfinals at Citypark on November 18, 2024 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Bill Barrett/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF) He is not Lionel Messi. Far from it. But he is the closest thing the U.S. Men's National Team has to the Argentine legend. Christian Pulisic can score goals and create them as well, and he is the key to the team's success, whether it be a friendly, the upcoming Concacaf Gold Cup or next year's FIFA World Cup. OK, maybe not the Gold Cup. On Thursday, head coach Mauricio Pochettino announced that Pochettino will not be on the team's roster for the biennial tournament. The reason? Rest. Pulisic needs rest. Pulisic is expected to play for A.C. Milan in the team's final match of the Italian Serie A season on Sunday. It will be his 50th game of the 2024-25 season. He is 49 minutes away from playing his most minutes in a campaign. But he won't play for the U.S. in June and perhaps July. "Many people can say it's really important for us to be all together for the last time [in a tournament] before the World Cup,' Pochettino said during a Zoom media conference on Thursday. 'But always we always listen to the player and then, of course, we take the decision. ... We decided the best for him, the best for the team, the best for the national team is the decision that we make.' U.S. Soccer Federation sporting director Matt Crocker said in a statement that Pulisic approached the organization about 'the possibility of stepping back this summer.' Here is his full statement: 'Christian and his team approached the federation and the coaching staff about the possibility of stepping back this summer, given the amount of matches he has played in the past two years at both the club and international level with very little break. 'After thoughtful discussions and careful consideration, we made the collective decision that this is the right moment for him to get the rest he needs. The objective is to ensure he's fully prepared to perform at the highest level next season.' MILAN, ITALY - MAY 09: Christian Pulisic of AC Milan celebrates scoring his team's second goal ... More during the Serie A match between AC Milan and Bologna FC at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on May 09, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by) So Pulisic will get a breather between now and when the Serie A season starts up later this summer. At the age of 26, Pulisic is in his attacking prime, the straw that stirs the USMNT's drink, to paraphrase baseball legend Reggie Jackson. As one of the handful of standouts for an underachieving A.C. Milan team that will finish well beyond the Italian Serie A champion (either Napoli, 79 points, Inter Milan, 78 points), entering its season finale at home against Monza on Saturday, May 24. Given its history, roster and expectations, A.C. Milan is a squad that failed miserably in its attempt to secure a spot in a European competition for the 2025-26 season. But you can't blame Pulisic. He has recorded 17 goals and 12 assists in 49 appearances across all competitions, an impressive total for anyone, let alone an American, in one of the top leagues in the world. He is best when he is running toward the net with or without the ball, bolting toward the opponent's net. He finds ways of getting into position to take the best possible shot. Like all goal-scorers, Pulisic isn't about to complain about slotting home a rebound or burying the ball behind a goalkeeper when there's chaos in the penalty area, or via a high-percentage penalty kick. Pulisic himself has some big decisions to make in the offseason. A.C. Milan wants to extend his contract, but there have been reports in the Italian media that he wants to find another club. Rumors are flying around that a return to the Premier League in England might be in the offing. He played for Chelsea for four seasons before joining the Rossoneri. Some individuals would love to see to put Pulisic in bubble wrap, so he can be healthy for the World Cup, because he has been known to pick up injuries. Unfortunately, that's not how the soccer universe works because players need to be in form to tussle in what many call The Greatest Show on Earth – aka the World Cup. For the USMNT to be successful, which is reaching the World Cup quarterfinals, the team will need a fit and in-form Pulisic. Here is a dose of reality: There is no one on the U.S. squad who has shown he can duplicate Pulisic's ability to score and set up goals on a consistent basis. Take him out of the equation, and the U.S. probably will struggle in high-profile competitions, such as the FIFA World Cup. Which brings us to Pochettino's Gold Cup decision, which has infuriated many USMNT supporters already. NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 13: Mauricio Pochettino speaks to the media during a press conference ... More after being introduced as the head coach of the U.S. Soccer Men's National Team at Hudson Yards on September 13, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by) But that is a risk he is willing to take in the team's final competition before next year's World Cup, a team that has not played close to expectations in the last two tourneys - 2025 Copa America and in the Concacaf Nations League semifinals in March, in which the team failed to win its semifinal or third-place match. Without the five aforementioned key players, and attacking ones at that, Pochettino will need to be creative in putting together a team that can go deep in the tournament. Not getting out of the group this time? That would be a disaster and embarrassing. It has never happened to a USA Squad at the Gold Cup. The U.S. needs an excellent showing in the Gold Cup to erase the doubt that has been cast upon the team. So, who might emerge as a game changer? Will it be Real Salt Lake's entertaining midfielder Diego Luna? Or perhaps Real Betis midfielder Johnny Cardoso, who has enjoyed a solid season in Spain's La Liga. Or maybe Charlotte FC forward Patrick Agyemang, who has shown much promise in previous matches this year. Or perhaps Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Sebastian Berhalter, who has emerged as in important piece of the Major League Soccer team's journey to the Concacaf Champions Cup final. And yes, he is the son of former USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter. Or maybe someone else. One thing is certain: The U.S. has limited amount of time in building chemistry and cohesion between the players. From July to next June, there will be no other competition to put players and the team under pressure. As for results, Pochettino will be charged in achieving a successful Gold Cup, if not reaching the final. The U.S. should be able to accomplish that. If the American men can't accrue victories against Concacaf teams on U.S. soil, how will they fare against the world's best with so much on the line in a year's time? It will be intriguing to see if Pochettino's gambit pays off, without the presence of Christian Pulisic.
