Hello! The NWSL Championship is set, as the US men’s national team aims to book its place in the semi-finals of the Concacaf Nations League in Monday’s match against Jamaica. I’m Pardeep Cattry with a trophy themed update to start the week.
📺 Footy solution
Always American/Oriental
Monday, November 18
🌍 UNL: Croatia vs Portugal, 14:45 ➡️ FS2
🌎 CNL: USMNT vs. Jamaica, 8 pm ➡️ TNT
Tuesday, November 19
🌍 UNL: Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Netherlands, 14:45 ➡️ FS2
🌎 WCQ: Argentina vs. Peru, 7 pm ➡️ Vix
🌎 CNL: Mexico vs Honduras, 21:30 ➡️ Most important+
⚽ The Front Line
🏆 Orlando Pride, Washington Spirit off to NWSL Championship
SATISFACTION
The top two teams during the NWSL regular season will duke it out for the league’s top prize, booking their places in Saturday’s Championship after two closely contested – and highly entertaining – semi-finals over the weekend.
The Spirit are returning to the NWSL Championship for the first time since they won it in 2021, doing so after beating reigning champions NJ/NY Gotham FC in a penalty shootout on Saturday. Esther Gonzalez gave Gotham the lead in the 56th minute and they were moments away from victory, but Hal Hershfelt scored in the 93rd minute to send the game to overtime. The Spirit finished the 120 minutes as the more dominant team, taking 27 shots to Gotham’s 14 and posting 1.98 expected goals to the visitors’ 0.98. Although they were unable to find an early goal, goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury’s ability to save all three Gotham penalties ensured the Spirit would advance.
The Spirit’s triumph is a testament to their squad building in the offseason, especially their successful recruitment of young talent. The team was hit with injuries throughout the season, including Rookie of the Year contender Croix Bethune, but the Spirit barely missed a beat. That includes in midfield, where Hershfelt brilliantly filled the void left by captain Andi Sullivan, as Sandra Herrera writes.
- Herrera: “Hershfelt carries the demeanor of an old-school defensive middle, rougher, drops less, and puts the crisis in challenges at times. … Head Coach [Jonatan Giraldez] describes his rookie as someone with the kind of mindset that always looks ahead and never settles too low. A perspective that comes more as a player gets older and has more experience. He wants to see more adjustments for her in possession but is confident that her efforts in training are giving her the confidence to deliver in big moments.”
On Sunday, the Orlando Pride defeated the Kansas City Current 3-2 to reach the NWSL Championship for the first time. They are now aiming to become the first team to win the Shield and Championship in the same season since the North Carolina Courage did so in 2019, although they have already completed an impressive transformation. The Pride have only made the playoffs once in their eight-year history, but this season got the best of several unsung NWSL heroes and became one of the league’s most defensively resilient teams. Kylie Strom and Emily Sams are defenders of the year candidates, while Anna Moorhouse is a contender for goalkeeper of the year.
The Pride have matched that with plenty of talent in attack and boast two MVP candidates – Barbra Banda and Marta. Banda scored 13 regular season goals in her first year in the NWSL and although she entered the playoffs on a five-game scoring drought, that was officially a thing of the past after three goals in two postseason games. Few players stood out more than Marta in Sunday’s win, though – she is up to 10 goals in 2024 at the age of 38, finding a way to bounce back after years of declining influence for the Pride and Brazil. She will now play in her first NWSL Championship, a long-awaited reward for the six-time world player of the year.
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🔗 Midfield League Game
🇺🇸 USMNT carries narrow advantage into Jamaica game
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The US men’s national team returns to action on Monday for the second leg of its Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal against Jamaica, boasting a slim 1-0 advantage after the first leg in Kingston, Jamaica on Thursday.
Thursday’s game wasn’t exactly an example of the USA’s attacking prowess, posting just six shots and 0.88 expected goals while Jamaica took 12 shots and collected 1.62 expected goals. Christian Pulisic was the only player to take more than one shot, although unavailabilities probably hampered their chances. Timothy Weah has been ruled out for the first leg while Folarin Balogun and Josh Sargent miss this month’s games entirely with injuries. As expected, Ricardo Pepi started in attack alongside Pulisic on Thursday and although Pepi wasted little time scoring the only goal of the game in the fifth minute, it was also his only shot of the game.
On Sunday, head coach Mauricio Pochettino said Weah will play a few minutes on Monday in St Louis, which will mark his first game under the Argentine since he was hired in September. Brenden Aaronson could also be an option in attack after dealing with an illness that kept him out of Thursday’s game. In his pre-match comments on Sunday, Pochettino emphasized Weah’s importance to the USMNT, especially as they try to hit an upward trajectory in the build-up to the 2026 World Cup on home soil.
- Pochettino: “I think tomorrow for sure he will have minutes and he will be on the pitch. I think he is a very good player, very aggressive with the ball, fast, good legs and I think he is young but it is normal. He can make mistakes We need to help him to develop and learn, but I think he is a very good player, always smiling He brought a very good energy to the group, but the most important thing is the performance and how he will be tomorrow and hope he can add his quality and help the team achieve a very good result.”
The USMNT is still far from full fitness, though – midfielder Johnny Cardoso went off with a hamstring injury after playing just 21 minutes on Thursday and left camp, and the same goes for Aidan Morris with a sprained knee. The unavailabilities will likely lead to a new look in the midfield on Monday, especially since Cardoso was a starter on Thursday.
🔗 Top Stories
🇺🇸 USWNT roster: The USWNT’s era of experimentation continues, with a handful of fresh faces in the mix for friendlies in England and the Netherlands.
🇺🇸🇯🇲 USMNT-Jamaica Preview: Here’s a look at how Timothy Weah can help the USMNT because they aim to advance to the semifinals of the League of Nations of Concacaf.
🇫🇷 France win: France got a much-needed win over Italy on Sunday, making a case for themselves without Kylian Mbappe in the squad.
❌ Pogba leaves Juve: Paul Pogba has terminated his contract at Juventus as he nears the end of his 18-month doping ban.
⬇️ Lyon’s temporary relegation: Lyon face provisional relegation to Ligue 2 after sanctions from the French regulator regarding the fact that they are about $500 million in debt.
🏆 MLS awards: With the MLS Cup Playoffs returning this weekend, it’s worth checking out who the favorites could be for the league’s end-of-season awards.
🇲🇽 Aguirre injured: Mexico head coach Javier Aguirre was covered in blood after a fan threw a can at his head at the end of his team’s loss to Honduras in the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals.
💰 The Back Line
💵 Best bets
- UEFA Nations League: Croatia vs. Portugal, Monday, 2:45 pm
💰 THE PICK: Croatia and Portugal draw 1-1 (+500) – Entering the final game of the UEFA Nations League group stage, Portugal are unbeaten and already through to the quarter-finals of the competition. They could take things easy on Monday as a result, though they may still be able to put together a competitive game even with some rotation. Croatia have a lot to play for, however, needing only a draw to book their place in the next round. Expect them to win just that at home. - CONMEBOL World Cup qualifier: Argentina vs. Peru, Tuesday, 7 p.m
💰 THE PICK: Argentina to win 3-0 (+550) – After losing to Paraguay on Thursday, Argentina will aim to end their year on a high by bouncing back with a game at home. It helps that Tuesday’s game will be a match between first place and ninth – Peru have just one win in 11 World Cup qualifying games, conceding 14 goals along the way. Argentina’s wide range of attackers will likely ensure their side emerge victorious, so count on a lopsided scoreline in Buenos Aires.
For more picks, predictions, expert tips and the latest betting news, don’t miss the CBSSports.com betting homepage.
📺 What’s on CBS Sports Golazo Network
☀️ Morning Footy (Weekdays 8-10 a.m.): Hosts Susannah Collins, Charlie Davies, Nico Cantor and Alexis Guerreros help fans start their day on the network’s flagship morning show with highlights, interviews and the biggest football storylines. Morning Footy is also available in podcast formso you’ll never have to miss an episode.
3️⃣ Attacking Third (Monday, Thursday): The leading women soccer podcast and social brand is now a live studio show. The NWSL season is back and our coverage of the women’s game is stronger than ever. Our analysts will break down the USWNT, NWSL and European domestic season all year long. And don’t miss out Wednesdays live streams on YouTube at 11 a.m. ET.
⚽ Call it What You Want (Monday night): Weekly podcast with Jimmy Conrad, Charlie Davies and friends cover everything USMNT and the state of the beautiful game in the United States. You can also watch the show live on YouTube every Monday at 11am ET.
🥅 score line (Every day): Scoreline is the latest place for fans to get all the biggest news and results affecting global football, matches from the top football competitions and all the unmissable goals of the day’s action, starting on Thursday and broadcasting seven days. a week
📺 How to watch: CBS Sports Golazo Network is a free 24/7 channel exclusively dedicated to offering unparalleled coverage of all major soccer competitions worldwide. You can stream for free on the CBS Sports app, Pluto television and Most important+.
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