Analysis

The “Berhalter Out” group of USMNT fans had a field day Sunday night watching the U.S. fall to Panama 1-0 at the Estadio Rommel Fernández. The performance from Gregg Berhalter’s team was one of the most uninspiring from an American side since four years ago to the day when the Americans lost to Trinidad and Tobago 2-1. 

The USMNT failed to register a single shot on target as Panama got its first ever victory against the U.S. during World Cup qualifying. The five total shots from the U.S. was lowest number in the team's last 28 World Cup qualifiers.

On the 20th anniversary of beating Jamaica to clinch a spot at the 2002 World Cup, the USMNT comfortably beat Jamaica 2-0 in a 2022 World Cup qualifier on Wednesday. It was the first time the USMNT had ever played a World Cup qualifier in Texas, and it was one to remember for striker Ricardo Pepi, who netted both goals in his home state. It was Pepi who topped our USMNT player ratings vs. Jamaica. 

The Reggae Boyz knew they would be without some of the big names like Leon Bailey (Aston Villa), Michael Hector (Fulham), Amari’i Bell (Luton Town) and Cory Burke (Philadelphia Union) heading into the second window of Concacaf World Cup qualifying. However, another bombshell was dropped on Wednesday when Michail Antonio, the Premier League’s third highest goal scorer this season, announced he was withdrawing from Jamaica’s next three games.

Whilst all the attention is on Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen, Christian Streich's SC Freiburg has enjoyed an exceptional start to the 2021-22 season. 

Freiburg bid farewell to its iconic longtime home, the Dreisamstadion, last weekend with a 3-0 victory over Augsburg. With views straight out of a movie scene, the old-school stadium has long been a haven for supporters, who have seen Germany's giants stumble and fall within its walls. Just this August, Dortmund was defeated 2-1 in Freiburg. 

Last year it was Adam Armstrong who provided the main thrust in the Blackburn attack. This season, following Armstrong's departure to the Premier League with Southampton, Ben Brereton Díaz has picked up the mantle for Rovers. 

Brereton Díaz is the key reason why Armstrong has not been missed as yet. With nine goals in the season's first 10 games, the 22-year-old has fired Rovers into sixth place. He announced in July he would use his mother's surname in club games as well as international games for Chile, for whom the Stoke-born forward made his international bow on June 14. 

After finishing last season in sixth place in the Premier League and qualifying for the Europa League, David Moyes' West Ham has yet to slow down. The East Londoners sit in seventh in the league and enter Thursday's matchup on the back of a 1-0 win over Manchester United in the League Cup and a league victory over Leeds. 

Our European journey continues this Thursday...

There can be no denying it's been a disappointing start to the season for AS Monaco. After getting dumped out of Champions League qualifying by Shakhtar Donetsk, the principality club sits eighth in Ligue 1 after eight games. 

“Why is Pulisic not playing?” will be a question frequently asked in the coming weeks as the USMNT prepares for the second window of World Cup qualifying.

On Wednesday, head coach Gregg Berhalter released the 27-man roster that will represent the United States in October’s qualifying games against Jamaica, Panama and Costa Rica. Christian Pulisic and Gio Reyna’s names weren’t on the list.

After missing the European Championship with a knee injury that lingered into the start of the new season, AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimović has been recalled to the Sweden national team for a pair of upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Kosovo (Oct. 9) and Greece (Oct. 12). Ibrahimović celebrates his 40th birthday on Oct. 3, so we’ll get to see if transitioning into the "middle age adult" stage of life has any effect on his game.

You wouldn’t think so.

This is what Reign fans were hoping for when Olympique Lyonnais became the NWSL club’s majority owner last year. This is what fans of all the other NWSL teams were afraid of when one of the league’s best-supported clubs joined together with the most dominant force in European women’s football.

OL Reign’s Lyon connection paid massive dividends in a 3-0 win over the Orlando Pride on Sunday. Two Lyon stars linked up for one of the prettiest goals you’ll see all year, an intricate piece of passing that highlighted the quality of Europe’s best footballers.