We’re just Derrick Williams (3) days away from Atlanta United kicking its season off at the Columbus Crew. But MLS gets its 29th season started at 8 p.m. ET as Inter Miami CF welcome Real Salt Lake to DRV PNK Chase Stadium. Obviously, the big draw will be one Lionel Messi, who’s beginning his first full season with the Herons.
Here’s today’s Feed:
Atlanta United
American Soccer Now‘s Brian Sciaretta has made his picks for the Eastern Conference, and Atlanta is at the top…with a few caveats:
…The risk in taking Atlanta United first overall is them keeping it all together. Obviously, [Thiago] Almada is on the radar of a lot of European teams. He’s a World Cup winner and now the leader of Argentina’s Olympic team. Is he going to be there at the end of the season? Caleb Wiley is heading into his third season as a starter and he’s only 19. He likely has the Olympics in front of him too. Will he be there?
Then you have international duty where Giakoumakis is gone if Greece qualifies, and that could be a huge hit.
Meanwhile, replacement referees were among the discussion at the Atlanta United training ground, per the AJC’s Doug Roberson. From Dax McCarty:
Hopefully, they come in and have confidence to call the game like they would any other game, but we know how it is, sometimes mistakes will be made. And as players, we just have to accept them and move on.
Things are going to be…very, very interesting with replacement refs however long this PRO lockout lasts.
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MLS
–MLS released its 2024 roster rules on Wednesday. I did a quick thread on X with some of the highlights.
-DRV PNK Stadium is now Chase Stadium as of…Tuesday. (Inter Miami CF)
-Match previews for Wednesday’s curtain raiser, from Inter Miami and RSL.
-Michelle Kaufman sets the table for the match from an IMCF perspective. (Miami Herald) Gordon Monson does the same for RSL. (Salt Lake Tribune)
-Week 1 power rankings! (MLSSoccer.com)
-There was (Concacaf Champions Cup) soccer yesterday! Julián Carranza had a hat trick for the Philadelphia Union at Saprissa in a 3-2 Round of 16 win. (MLSSoccer.com) In St. Louis, Hosei Kijima, St. Louis CITY SC’s 1st-round SuperDraft pick, scored the match-winner in the 90th minite as his team took a 2-1 edge at CITYPARK against Houston Dynamo FC. (STLToday.com)
USMNT/USWNT
-The USWNT cruised past the Dominican Republic 5-0 thanks to Olivia Moultrie’s first (and second) senior national team goals to open its Concacaf W Gold Cup group stage. (CBSSports.com; L.A. Times; Stars and Stripes FC)
-The USMNT has a “striker dilemma”, says David Moore. (The 18)
World Football
-Kyle Field, home of the Texas A&M (American) football team, could play host to fútbol in the summer. Per TUDN’s Gibran Araige, Brazil and Mexico will stage a friendly in College Station.
What to Watch
MLS
Inter Miami vs. Real Salt Lake, 8 p.m ET, MLS Season Pass
Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16, Leg 1
CA Independiente vs. New England Revolution, 8 p.m. ET, TUDN (Spanish)
Cavalry FC vs. Orlando City, 10 p.m. ET, FS2; TUDN (Spanish)
UEFA Champions League Round of 16, Leg 1
Porto vs. Arsenal, 3 p.m ET, Paramount+; ViX (Spanish)
Napoli vs. FC Barcelona, 3 p.m. ET, CBS/Paramount+; TUDN/UniMás/ViX (Spanish)
Premier League
Liverpool vs. Luton Town, 2 p.m. ET, USA Network; Universo (Spanish)
Dunno how else to get this out there, but I think you could sing “Giorgos Giakoumakis” to the tune of “We’re Not Gonna Take It” and that would be a new player chant for a guy that scores a lot.
This is now stuck in my head
YES!
Giorgos Giakoumakis
Giorgos Giakoumakis
Giorgos Giakoumakis
He [can/will/just] Score[s/d]!
Can’t wait for this season!!!
-Kyle Field, home of the Texas A&M (American) football team, could play host to fútbol in the summer. Per TUDN’s Gibran Araige, Brazil and Mexico will stage a friendly in College Station. If it’s a sellout (102,733), it’ll break the record for highest-attended friendly in soccer history.
109,318 people watched a pre-season friendly between Real Madrid & Manchester United at Michigan Stadium in 2014. International friendly perhaps vs. a club friendly? Seems too qualified at that point.
I removed it, but it was based on this link: https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/soccer/2024/02/20/texas-am-to-host-brazil-mexico-soccer-game-seeking-to-break-record/72671830007/ Not sure why they didn’t connect the dots. Thanks!