Prediction

When USMNT manager Gregg Berhalter was making his media rounds this summer, every single news outlet hit him with the same question: Can center back John Brooks make the World Cup roster after being frozen out for a year?

We experienced our penultimate UEFA Champions League draw Thursday before the 2024-25 competition throws the 'Swiss model' at us, so we've got to enjoy the concept of a Champions League group of death while we still can.

The draw has gifted us some tantalizing matchups like PSG vs. Juventus, Milan vs. Chelsea, Bayern Munich vs. Barcelona, Liverpool vs. Ajax and Real Madrid vs. Celtic, and don't forget the tournament starts earlier this year (Matchday 1 is Sep. 6-7) because of the World Cup. Let's get down to business.

Leeds United are flying high after a fine start to the Premier League season but manager Jesse Marsch has told his squad to keep their feet on the ground and maintain their momentum if they are to stay in the top four.

Leeds convincingly beat Chelsea 3-0 last weekend to move up to third — two points behind leaders Arsenal — a position they will have to get used to after narrowly escaping relegation last season following Marsch's arrival in March.

They also beat Yorkshire neighbors Barnsley 3-1 on Wednesday to move into the third round of the League Cup.

A congratulations is in order to the people of Harrison, New Jersey, who'll likely be counted among the last to have witnessed one of the final live performances of Lionel Messi in an Argentina jersey.

This here is Week 3 of our keeping track of Americans abroad in these power rankings that aren't really power rankings, and I declare this edition a collector's issue. That's right, fire up the printer, make sure you've got the necessary ink levels and print this whole webpage out for posterity.

This was the week the USMNT made a strong claim to be retroactively awarded the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup after beating Chelsea 3-0 at Elland Road.  

With nine successive Serie A titles followed by two campaigns where Champions League qualification seemed a shallow silver lining, Juventus’ fall from grace has been clear to see in recent years. This summer has seen several big names depart Turin, and the Bianconeri will be hard-pressed to find adequate replacements in order to once again fight for the Scudetto.

Serie A returned last week and goals came standard along with a healthy dose of drama. Inter scraped past newly promoted Lecce thanks to a 95th-minute goal by Denzel Dumfries, Dušan Vlahović and Ante Rebić both scored twice, and Napoli thrashed Verona 5-2 to go top of the league from the off.

This week, expect more of the same as most big-name clubs take on lesser-known opposition with a few exceptions, all on Paramount+.