Good morning! Sydney here with this edition of the Scarves and Spikes Daily newsletter. Follow me on X, BSky, IG, and Threads.
Spain reign supreme
Yannick Peterhans/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Spain’s World Cup started in Atlanta on June 15 with a 0-0 draw against Cabo Verde. It ended with yesterday afternoon’s final in New Jersey with a 1-0 win over Argentina, its first world championship since 2010.
Even after Argentina’s Enzo Fernández was sent off after a silly second yellow card, and despite dominating the match, La Roja didn’t break through until Ferran Torres scored just seconds into the second half of extra time. And it still had a couple of twists and turns, none bigger than a miss by Giuliano Simeone — Diego’s son — on a would-be equalizer just moments after Torres’ potential second was called back on a tight offside.
Questions now abound for Argentina, which saw Lionel Messi play his potential last World Cup match. There simply will never again be a player of his stature and his meaning to come out of the country, much less any country. Make no mistake: this is still one of the top programs in the world. How it can sustain success in the future without its iconic No. 10 is everything.
Switching gears…
Our Atlanta United vs. Nashville SC player ratings
Our player ratings are out from Atlanta United’s 1-0 loss to Nashville SC, and Lucas Hoyos was named the man of the match with a 6.25 staff rating and a 6.025 community rating. As I wrote, you can’t fault him for the goal Atlanta gave up: it was mistimed defending that left him hung out to dry. I thought he dealt well with the few chances he faced, including Hany Mukhtar’s free kick in the 69th minute that certainly appeared to have eyes for goal.
One player that was forced into emergency action: Will Reilly, who I thought wasn’t a solid 6 or 7 but was good. In fact, some of the scores hovered around 5/5.5 territory…until we got to the attack.
The first full matchday after the World Cup break is on Wednesday. We talk about it, plus the big league storylines, tonight at 9 p.m. ET on YouTube. Click here to get a reminder. →
Also, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel if you haven’t already and hit the bell to get notified whenever we post! Click here. →
ICYMI
Atlanta United fell to Huntsville City 2-0 on Saturday. They’re back in action Sunday (in Kennesaw!) against NYCFC II.
MLS standings as of Monday morning
Eastern Conference
Rank
Team
W
L
D
Pts
1
Nashville SC
11
1
3
36
2
Inter Miami CF
9
2
4
31
3
Chicago Fire
8
4
2
26
4
New England Revolution
8
5
1
25
5
New York Red Bulls
6
5
4
22
6
Charlotte FC
6
6
3
21
7
FC Cincinnati
5
5
5
20
8
New York City FC
5
6
4
19
9
D.C. United
4
5
6
18
10
Columbus Crew
4
7
4
16
11
CF Montreal
4
8
3
15
12
Toronto FC
3
6
6
15
13
Orlando City SC
4
9
2
14
14
Atlanta United FC
3
10
2
11
15
Philadelphia Union
1
10
4
7
Western Conference
Rank
Team
W
L
D
Pts
1
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
10
2
2
32
2
San Jose Earthquakes
10
3
2
32
3
Los Angeles FC
8
5
3
27
4
Real Salt Lake
8
4
2
26
5
FC Dallas
7
4
4
25
6
Seattle Sounders
7
4
3
24
7
Houston Dynamo
7
6
1
22
8
Minnesota United FC
6
5
4
22
9
LA Galaxy
5
6
5
20
10
St. Louis City SC
5
6
4
19
11
Portland Timbers
5
8
2
17
12
San Diego FC
4
6
5
17
13
Colorado Rapids
5
9
1
16
14
Austin FC
3
7
5
14
15
Sporting Kansas City
3
10
2
11
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