Messi went over to the Atlanta United bench before kickoff to hug Martino, who eventually approached Suarez on the Inter Miami bench to exchange another hug after the final whistle.

“Well, for me, it was a really nice chapter that we experienced here in Miami,” Martino said postgame in response to Bolavip. “We were able to accomplish some of the first important things for the club. They’re two great figures, two great soccer players.

“But beyond that, what I’ll take away is the relationship we built and the fact that I was able to play a small part in their careers. Obviously, I spent more time with Leo and less time with Luis, but we built a great relationship, and the greeting with both of them was simply a reflection of that.”

Messi and Suarez’s experience with Martino in Miami

Both Messi and Suarez enjoyed a fruitful stint under Martino at Inter Miami. The Argentine star arrived first and, with Tata as his coach, led the Herons to immediate success at the 2023 Leagues Cup, the club’s first major trophy.

The Uruguayan striker arrived for the 2024 season, helping Messi and Martino lead Inter Miami to an MLS record 74-point regular season to secure the MLS Supporters’ Shield. They couldn’t translate that success into the postseason though, as Atlanta United knocked them out in the first round of the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs. Either way, all three had a wonderful time together in South Florida.

Martino had already worked with Messi at Barcelona (2013-14) before overlapping with him on the Argentine national team (2014-16), so they already had a well-established relationship before reuniting in Miami. But Martino and Suarez got to spend enough time together to develop a genuine bond, which made Saturday’s game even more special.

Miguel Almiron praises Messi after signs of mutual respect

Though not a former teammate, Atlanta United star Miguel Almiron also hugged Messi before and after the game. When asked about it by Bolavip, the Paraguay international made sure to show his respect for the Argentine legend.

“I have a lot of respect for Leo,” Almiron said. “I think everyone admires him for who he is, both as a player and as a person. I admire his game and the way he continues to make history.”

Speaking for the first time since the move, the Honduran international addressed the media on Thursday. Bolavip asked him about his experience with the coaching changes in Miami this year, and whether he’s looking for more stability with Michael Bradley’s team.

“Yes, of course. I’m looking to find more stability,” Ruiz said, in response to Bolavip. “Now it’s gonna be the third coach (in Miami), it was a little unstable.“

Inter Miami’s coaching instability in 2026

Inter Miami announced Javier Mascherano’s exit in April shortly after their early 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup elimination against Nashville, with Guillermo Hoyos immediately taking over. Last week, reports out of Argentina claimed that the Herons had finalized a deal to hire Cristian Gonzalez as their new head coach.

Inter Miami confirmed the Gonzalez news a few hours later, clarifying that Hoyos would remain in charge of the team until Kily had his paperwork ready. The announcement came as Miami was on a five-game winless streak across all competitions, a negative run that included a group stage elimination from the Leagues Cup.

Inter Miami got back on track with Messi scoring four goals against Montreal, but the managerial change is still in place. The team is now second in the East.

David Ruiz looking to bounce back in NY

The coaching changes did little to help Ruiz, who saw little action in 2026. The 22-year-old, who made it all the way from Inter Miami‘s academy to the first team in 2023, only played in 11 out of 28 possible games this season, with just three starts and no goals or assists scored.

Ruiz enjoyed better times in Miami though, contributing to the team’s first major trophy at the 2023 Leagues Cup (one goal in six games), as well as the 2024 MLS Supporters’ Shield (one goal and two assists in 28 games). A hamstring injury prevented Ruiz from helping Messi and company in their 2025 MLS Cup title run.

Now, the Honduran sensation — who boasts three goals in 10 caps for his country — is looking forward to revitalizing his career in a young Red Bulls team that is currently eighth in the East.

“Yeah, I’m looking to come, add my little grain of rice, being able to come and work hard and fight for a position,” Ruiz said. “And yeah, I just come with the mentality to win and make it to the playoffs.“

Gordon, 33, admitted missing football “every day“, and it makes sense. He had already made a name for himself before entering the NFL, with a memorable senior year in college. In 2014, Gordon earned unanimous All-American honors as well as the Doak Walker Award as the top college running back after leading the NCAA in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns.

It explained why the Chargers (still in San Diego by then) drafted him 15th overall in 2015, and Gordon didn’t let the franchise down. A two-time Pro Bowler (2016, 2018), he also spent time with the Denver Broncos (2020-2022), Kansas City Chiefs (2022), and Baltimore Ravens (2023) before retiring on a one-day contract as a Charger. Flash-forward to 2026, Gordon can look back on his career with plenty of pride as an emotional tribute from his alma mater awaits.

Melvin Gordon reflects on Wisconsin days, reveals expectations for 2026 Badgers

Bolavip: What can you tell us about life after retirement, and what are you currently doing after football?

Melvin Gordon: I golf a lot, man. I golf every day. And then, while I’m not golfing out, just working with different brands. Working with Kickstand Cocktails, just trying to grow my brand, man. Just trying to grow my brand and stay active, and not just sit on the couch and be thinking about football all day.

Bolavip: Do you miss football?

Melvin Gordon: Every day.

Bolavip: And what does it mean to you to be inducted into the Badgers’ Hall of Fame? What do you remember about those years in college?

Melvin Gordon: It means everything to me. I mean, I’m a Wisconsin kid, so I just remember Coach B telling me, “you come here, you’ll be in a position to be remembered forever.” And for that to be a reality for me, it’s been a lot of players that have come through Wisconsin, and now I had this opportunity. So it’s not something that I take lightly. It’s a blessing, man. I’m blessed to be honored in front of a lot of my peers, and a lot of my Wisconsin natives.

Bolavip: Wisconsin faced tough opponents last season. How do you see the program and what are your expectations this year?

Melvin Gordon: Every year I expect us to be good. Now every year, your team might not meet expectations or whatever. I mean, you see the Alabama fans, that’s just for an example. They didn’t have the season that they wanted. But I expect us to be well, I expect us to be good.

I expect us, especially with our schedule, to be able to compete and get in the playoffs. I want us to get in the playoffs. We should have an opportunity to get in the playoffs. We will handle our business against Notre Dame, I think we’ll be good.

I think we have a quarterback that can play throughout the year. I think we’ll be able to win some football games, put ourselves in a position to have our opportunity. I think we’ll be good. I’m excited. They’ve been taking a lot of heat, no one believes in them, and I think that’s the best route to take to get to the playoffs, being doubted.

Philip Rivers’ unexpected NFL comeback in 2025

Bolavip: What was it like to see Philip Rivers come back and play last year in the NFL?

Melvin Gordon: It was dope. I mean, Phil is one of my good friends, man. He was one of my favorite teammates. He’s so competitive, so fiery. He’s just one of those guys that everybody wants to play for, and I was rooting for him to come out and do that.

I don’t think people understand how hard that is. It’s hard being out a certain amount of years and then coming back, and then having to be put in as far as the captain of the team and you leading the ship.

So to be out and come and do that, I was hoping they won because they would have been able to go up against the Chargers in the playoffs, and I think that would have made just good TV and it’d been good for reporters, that’s one of those moments you hope that everybody get a chance to talk about.

So it didn’t happen, but I was glad he was able to go out there and do his thing, and also renew his years on his medical pensions that the NFL got to give him. That was good too, for him and his family.

Expectations on 2026 Chargers and advice for Omarion Hampton

Bolavip: How do you see the Chargers now with this quarterback-coach duo, and how much different do you see this franchise compared to your years on the team?

Melvin Gordon: I mean, it’s always different. Every team got different players, different coaches, different different makeup. This team is definitely not the same as ours. I mean, you still got players like Derwin James and Denzel Perryman that played there when I was there, but it’s just a different makeup.

And [Jim] Harbaugh, we expect him to come in and be great. He’s won at every team that he’s been a part of, and I don’t expect anything less. I was just there, I did some interviews with them and I was able to watch them practice, and I’m excited.

I’m excited, you know, they’re not like really crazy, heavy hitter names, but you don’t need that. You just need a team full of guys that just want it more than the next team. So it’s just a big camaraderie, that’s what football is. In the end, that’s the team. The team that knows how to play together, that’s the team that gets the furthest. So I think they’re able to do that. It’s early, but I think if we can stay away from injuries, we’ll always have a chance to get at that Super Bowl.

Bolavip: And what do you see in Omarion Hampton, another first-round pick in your position? What’s your advice for him?

Melvin Gordon: I was just talking to him. He’s really chill. He doesn’t speak too much. He’s bigger than I thought, and he’s fast. So he’s well-rounded, man. So my advice to him is just to go out there and do your thing, be who you are. Just remember why they drafted you. You don’t have to get into any comparisons with anybody.

Like I said, the makeup is different. This is your time, you’re the starting running back for the Los Angeles Chargers. Your time will come and go like everyone else’s. Like mine, like LT’s (LaDainian Tomlinson), like Ryan Mathews, Danny Woodhead’s, your time as a Charger will come and go. And it’s just for you to make the best of it. So, just put yourself in the best position to win, and do what you can to be in a position to win a Super Bowl, because you’ll be remembered forever.

Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, and Russell Wilson

Bolavip: Your journey also included a brief but very fruitful time with the Chiefs. You played for the Broncos and Ravens as well. But what was it like to work around Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, and being around the team during that Super Bowl win?

Melvin Gordon: Yeah, it gave me just a different perspective of how things are supposed to be, just from their perspective. Andy Reid, he’s one of the best coaches out there, I’m not going to lie to you. I mean, just the way they ran practice, structure, everything, it just fit my style really well, and I wish I would have gone back. But it is what it is. I got me a Super Bowl and I’m blessed about that as well.

I can’t be too mad about the position that I’m put in when it comes to my career. I’ve had a chance to play with some phenomenal players and coaches. And Pat Mahomes might be one of the best football players I’ve ever seen in my life. At this point, he just needs the rings to follow suit with that.

Bolavip: You also spent time with Lamar Jackson and Russell Wilson. What was it like for you?

Melvin Gordon: They’re different players. I think Lamar Jackson, he’s probably one of the better athletes I’ve ever seen in my life. But he’s really good too. They’re just different styles. They’re all different in their own way, and really it just comes down to what offensive coordinator you fit the best. What fits your system, and the way you want to run things best. And then they can all be great, because I think Mahomes does things that Lamar can and can’t do, vice versa.

And the same thing with Russell, just being able to throw on the run and different things like that, his deep ball. They’re all great in their own way. Trying to pick who’s better is really difficult because, unless you’re an offensive coordinator, you’ve just got to find the guy that fits your scheme best.

Gordon’s favorite active running backs

Bolavip: Who are your favorite running backs today?

Melvin Gordon: My favorite running back today is Jonathan Taylor. He’s probably one of my favorites. Probably Abu (Sama III), the running back Wisconsin just picked up, so I’ll be tailgating there. I’m going to be, throw me back some Kickstands, man. Just tailgate at the games with the fans, link up with them, go watch my Badgers. Win or lose, I’m in there.

But, I definitely have to go with, obviously, my Badgers, and then I’m biased with Dare Ogunbowale and Jonathan Taylor. Jonathan Taylor’s my number one back right now.

WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH MELVIN GORDON ON BOLAVIP US:

Payton made that clear during his media availability on Wednesday, explaining that the Broncos believe Mahomes will be ready just like they expect Bo Nix to start in the Monday Night Football showdown.

“Look, I think, and I’m probably going to say the same for Bo [Nix], you’ve seen enough things where, you know… He’s gonna be 100%, and we’re preparing for him and his best,” Payton said about Mahomes.

“We know how talented he is, and I’m sure he’s attacked the rehab the way Bo has. Completely different injuries, but that’s kind of our approach to it.”

Patrick Mahomes’ injury with the Chiefs

Mahomes is coming back from ACL and LCL tears sustained in December during the Chiefs‘ Week 14 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, another division rival.

The quarterback’s recovery during the offseason went to plan, and all signs are pointing towards him being under center when the Chiefs host the Broncos at Arrowhead on September 14.

“He’s going to keep practicing, just like he’s been doing. These are more like training camp practices here these next couple of days (more 1-on-1),” Reid said about Mahomes’ progress on Wednesday, via Charles Goldman of A to Z Sports.

Bo Nix’s injury in Denver

Nix is also coming back from injury, though a different one. The Broncos quarterback fractured his right ankle in the final minutes of Denver’s divisional round win over the Buffalo Bills in January.

Jarrett Stidham started in the AFC Championship Game against the New England Patriots, and even though he couldn’t lead the team to victory, Payton decided to keep him as the Broncos‘ backup quarterback for 2026. Sam Ehlinger will be the third-string QB as Denver expects Nix to start against Mahomes’ Chiefs in Week 1.

While Ronaldo confirmed that the 2030 World Cup was his last, he hasn’t retired from international duty yet. At 41, CR7 plans to continue representing his country in the upcoming international windows.

Ronaldo recently revealed this might be his final season playing professional soccer though, so his time with Portugal might be coming to an end as well. But unlike Messi, Ronaldo’s international career isn’t over yet.

Messi and Ronaldo’s international numbers

Both Messi and Ronaldo have left their mark on the international stage. While the Barcelona product is stepping away from Argentina with 207 caps and 125 goals to his name, the former Real Madrid star boasts 146 goals in 233 appearances for Portugal.

We’re talking about the only players in FIFA World Cup history to play in six different editions of the competition. Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo “Memo” Ocha was also called up to six World Cups but, unlike Messi and Ronaldo, didn’t log minutes in each of those tournaments.

Messi and Ronaldo’s international trophies

While Ronaldo enjoyed international silverware before Messi by winning the 2016 UEFA Euro with Portugal, the Argentine star ended up surpassing CR7’s international titles.

Ronaldo added the 2019 and 2025 editions of the UEFA Nations League to his trophy cabinet, but Messi won the big one by leading Argentina to World Cup glory at Qatar 2022, apart from celebrating back-to-back Copa America triumphs (2021 and 2024), as well as the 2022 Finalissima. Additionally, Messi celebrated an Olympic gold medal in Beijing 2008 and the U-20 World Cup title in 2005.

During his introductory press conference on Thursday, Bolavip asked the versatile Spanish veteran whether he approached his former Barca teammates before making this career decision.

“Yes, I spoke with Luis (Suárez), Jordi (Alba) and Busi (Sergio Busquets),” Roberto responded to Bolavip. “They were all very happy.

“Especially with Busi, we spoke in Barcelona at the Ciudad Deportiva (Barcelona’s training ground), with him already working as an assistant with Barça B. He had a very good experience in MLS, and he and his family were very happy in the United States. He told me that I would enjoy it immensely and that I would surely be very well, very happy.”

Barcelona’s footprint in MLS

The wave of Barcelona stars joining MLS started in the summer of 2023, when Inter Miami announced Sergio Busquets just weeks before confirming the high-profile acquisition of Argentine superstar Lionel Messi.

Jordi Alba joined Busquets and Messi shortly after, and in the following transfer window, the group reunited with Luis Suarez. All of them went on to enjoy a fruitful reunion in South Florida, winning the 2025 MLS Cup after enjoying a nice run at that year’s FIFA Club World Cup played on US soil. Busquets and Alba retired after the 2025 season, while Messi and Suarez remain in Miami.

The Galaxy also landed Barcelona academy graduate Riqui Puig in 2022, though injuries have stood on his way recently. Roberto will see more familiar faces around the league, with Robert Lewandowski playing for the Chicago Fire and Antoine Griezmann shining for Orlando City.

Roberto’s experience before MLS move

Roberto, who recorded 19 goals and 43 assists in 373 appearances for Barcelona, joined the Galaxy as a free agent after spending the last two seasons at Italian side Como, where he was coached by former Barcelona teammate Cesc Fabregas.

Roberto arrives in MLS with an impressive résumé from his time in Spain, having won seven LaLiga championships, two UEFA Champions League trophies, and six Copa del Rey titles, among other team honors.

The Galaxy make another high-profile signing

This is also the latest stellar signing for the Galaxy, who had previously landed Mexican winger Hirving ‘Chucky’ Lozano—who praised Messi in his first press conference.

These moves help the organization improve the supporting cast around German star Marco Reus, who already celebrated MLS Cup glory with the Galaxy in 2024. Roberto is joining a team that needs to get results fast, as Greg Vanney’s men sit 12th in the Western Conference standings with 26 points in 22 games.

Reports out of training camp on Wednesday suggest that OBJ stepped up in practice, adding to positive updates from previous days. Harbaugh confirmed Beckham’s great performance, especially this week.

“Odell’s had a good camp. His best week of camp has come this week,” Harbaugh told reporters on Wednesday, via Pat Leonard of NY Daily News Sports.

OBJ shines for NY Giants just before roster cuts

If the reports of Beckham’s great practices weren’t enough, Harbaugh’s comments should give reason to believe in OBJ’s chances of making the Giants‘ 53-man roster.

Beckham impressing in training camp, combined with Austin’s setback, might be the perfect combo to see the former first-rounder stay in NY beyond Sunday, when Harbaugh has to submit his 53-man roster for the 2026 NFL season. Beckham already has the Giants executives’ blessing, and it appears that he impressed Harbaugh as well.

NY Giants’ expected WR depth chart for 2026

Austin’s torn ACL leaves the Giants’ healthy depth chart at wide receiver with Malik Nabers, Darius Slayton, Darnell Mooney, Malachi Fields, Braxton Berrios, and Beckham.

Dalen Cambre and Xavier Gipson are expected to be part of the practice squad, with six wideouts making the active roster. Beckham’s spot appeared to hinge on whether Harbaugh opted to include six or seven wideouts, but with Austin on the sidelines, that may no longer be cause of concern for OBJ. Besides, he made sure to earn consideration with solid auditions in the offseason.

Dan Duggan, who covers the Giants for The Athletic, noted that OBJ had a productive day in training camp just as Austin had to be carted off with what might be a serious injury.

Not only did Beckham catch two passes from Jaxson Dart and two more from Jameis Winston, but he also “started off with a vintage one-handed grab in indy drills,” Duggan wrote on X. “Looked like he had an extra gear today,” he added on the veteran WR.

On top of that, Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post added that, while Braxton Berrios took over in the slot after Austin was carted off, OBJ’s targets “rose” without the former Pittsburgh Steelers wideout on the field. Duggan believes both Berrios and OBJ have chances to be on the final roster with Austin out.

Odell Beckham Jr.’s situation in crowded WR room

Beckham, 33, is facing stiff competition in a crowded WR room. His return to the Giants―who drafted him 12th overall in 2014 before his trade to the Cleveland Browns in 2018―made big headlines this offseason, even if he was never expected to get a big role.

Beckham’s chances of making the 53-man roster were recently revealed, with that possibility seemingly depending on whether John Harbaugh decided to include six or seven wide receivers on the final depth chart.

Austin injury could increase OBJ’s chances in NY

However, Austin’s injury could change the outlook. Originally expected to be one of the main options at WR behind Malik Nabers, an extended absence of Austin could force Harbaugh to shake up the depth chart.

After releasing Ryan Miller during the weekend, the Giants’ WR room includes Nabers, Austin, Darius Slayton, Darnell Mooney, Malachi Fields, Berrios, Beckham Jr., Jalin Hyatt, Dalen Cambre, Xavier Gipson and Isaiah Hodgins.

We’ll have to wait and see whether Austin’s injury is serious enough to make Harbaugh reconsider his pecking order, and in that case, if Beckham Jr. survives the roster cuts on Sunday, August 30.

Altidore, who decided to call it a career in 2023, continues to stay up to date with the beautiful game, especially in the US. Recently, he’s been particularly attentive to Leagues Cup action, as the tournament renewed the MLS-Liga MX rivalry with a new format.

In his interview with Bolavip, Jozy analyzed Inter Miami’s early elimination, as well as the upcoming quarterfinal clashes. And, of course, we also had time to analyze the 2026 World Cup, among other subjects.

Jozy Altidore analyzes the 2026 Leagues Cup group stage

Bolavip: Jozy, let’s talk about the Leagues Cup. Now that the knockout stage bracket is set, what did you think about the new group stage format?

Jozy Altidore: I loved it. I really loved it. I loved that the MLS teams were challenged to go now and play in Mexico and experience these environments where football is life. And I thought, when I saw Toluca, the way they received Seattle, I loved it. I loved the passion of the fans. I loved to see what it meant to them. And at the end of the day, it’s an international prize, which is very, very important to both sides. And I think you’ve seen that with how the tournament has taken place.

Bolavip: You mentioned before the tournament how Inter Miami were favorites, because of course, they have a star-studded team, with Lionel Messi and so on. But it turned out to be quite different for them without Luis Suarez and Messi only starting the first game. What else do you think explains their early elimination?

Jozy Altidore: Well, first, before anything, un gran abrazo a Lionel Messi (a big hug to Lionel Messi). He’s going through something incredibly difficult. And I think for Miami, it’s difficult. When you have your captain, you are… you know, Messi is Messi. One of one. And him not being able to be a part of it for a lot of things…

So I think this year, you have to give a little bit of a pass to Inter Miami. I think they had a lot to deal with, with the passing of his father and him not being able to be the protagonist that Inter Miami needs. So I think that was quite difficult for them. But I think in any other year you would pick Inter Miami to be one of the teams in the last rounds of the tournament. So, I think there was a struggle there for them.

But again, this struggle created a new opportunity. And I think you saw that with teams like Austin FC and Real Salt Lake. I think they took the opportunity to pick up points and find themselves now in the last few rounds playing against some very big teams. So I’m very excited to see how these next matchups on August 25th and 26th take place in the quarterfinal.

Bolavip: Despite this setback for Inter Miami, do you see them as favorites to repeat their MLS Cup title or do you see other threats in the league?

Jozy Altidore: Yeah, I see other threats. But I think the season is a different animal because it’s a long season with the playoffs. So, it’s all about making sure at the right time the team is able to perform at the right level. And I think Inter Miami, with everything that they’ve had to deal with this summer, I’m sure they’re going to start to put it behind them and start to put together better performances now leading into the playoffs.

But football is a funny game. You never say never. And although I think they’re the favorites, anything can happen. We’ve seen Vancouver last year, we’ve seen them already this year performing very well. So I think anything can happen still.

Bolavip: Before the Leagues Cup started you also mentioned Club America as the Liga MX candidate, right? I guess that remains unchanged.

Jozy Altidore: Yeah, I’m 50/50 in my picks. [Laughs] And Club America, I mean, it’s no surprise. I think Club America is one of the biggest teams, if not the biggest team in North America, Central America. And, you know, we see when they play, the fans are traveling to support them. So I think it’s a strong team with a very good, competitive roster, and then they have the fan support as well. So I think they remain one of the more dangerous teams that are left in the draw.

The Chicago Fire’s promising direction under Gregg Berhalter

Bolavip: You also mentioned Real Salt Lake and Austin, but with Miami out, do you see the Chicago Fire, with Robert Lewandowski and a great team, as the strongest MLS candidate to win the Leagues Cup now?

Jozy Altidore: Listen, they’ve won three out of three games. I think Lewandowski is getting more comfortable. They have a good team. They have a good team, they play good football. I think Gregg Berhalter is a good manager. And I think he’s done very well in getting his team to be competitive and play in a clear way with the ball and without the ball.

So I’ve been impressed with Chicago, not only in the Leagues Cup with how they’ve taken in Gregg Berhalter’s ideas. And then, Chicago’s building the stadium. I really like Chicago not only for now, but over the next three, four years, I think it’s an organization that is doing the right things, and it’s gonna be one of, in my opinion, one of the better performing ones. At least we hope so, because of the market, because of what they’re doing to transform that club.

Bolavip: Chicago made a big decision by selling Hugo Cuypers to Monterrey after Lewandowski arrived. What do you think of that decision and how do you see these strikers? Because it will be the main storyline of this quarterfinal clash, right?

Jozy Altidore: Yeah, it’s gonna be interesting. I mean, Cuypers playing his old team, and I don’t know what the situation was there, you know, if they told him he had to leave with Lewandowski coming, I would have imagined they could have played together. But understanding a number nine, sometimes you have to think about what’s best for you. So I understand his decision. And I can’t wait to watch. I urge the fans to make your way to SeatGeek Stadium. Please get out there, watch these games. I think the storyline is going to be really, really cool. And I’m excited to see kind of how they match up against each other.

Bolavip: You recently mentioned Berhalter was a great coach, what do you remember of his tactical vision and how do you see his job in Chicago so far?

Jozy Altidore: Yeah I think, one of the things I’ve always liked about Gregg Berhalter is he wants to play with the ball. He wants to play football. His teams, he wants them to play football. And I think that’s the way, right? That’s the way football needs to be played. The formation he sets, his principles, I think they’re all quite good.

So I’m excited to see now how he plays against Monterrey, which I think is going to be a tougher team than they’ve played. But I think he has all the ability to set up his team tactically to win that game. And then obviously with Lewandowski as your number nine, if you feed him, he will score. So I like Chicago and what they’ve been able to do up to this point, but I think Monterrey will be their toughest test so far.

Mauricio Pochettino’s job with the USMNT

Bolavip: Gregg coached the US Men’s National Team for many years before this experience, and now Mauricio Pochettino has extended his USMNT contract. What do you think about this decision?

Jozy Altidore: Estamos contigo Poch, estamos atrás de ti. Tienes nuestro apoyo. (We are with you, Poch, you’ve got our support). I love Pochettino, I’m a big fan. You know, obviously I have history, we played against each other back a long time ago and then to see him really welcome what it is to be the coach of the US Men’s National Team, the culture, and to do the work, right? It’s not easy.

There’s a lot of work that had to be done and he welcomed that work. And I think it was a job well done. And I think he kind of helped the federation, the players see that there’s still another level that we have to grow to. So, I’m excited to have Poch. I hope he stays for as long as possible. And then that he can build a team that’s really competitive for 2030, whether he’s there or no, because you know, football is crazy.

But having Pochettino work with our federation, work with our young players, help us plant the seeds on how we move forward, I think is invaluable. And so I’m very thrilled that he’s staying with us a bit longer.

Bolavip: How far or how close do you think the US Men’s National Team is from other top teams? The World Cup was a bit bittersweet in that sense, right?

Jozy Altidore: Yeah, it was difficult, you know. And I use the word ‘fracaso’ (failure). It was a ‘fracaso’ to me, not because the players had a bad tournament, the players had a great tournament. But in the manner we lost that game, when I’m sure the players know that they are capable of much more, it was a bit of a shame, right?

And so I think the biggest thing though is, we have to continue making steps with the national team, but also our youth teams, you know? You can’t just win a World Cup overnight, right? It has to start from the youth. And are we competitive in the Youth World Cups? Are we constantly in the last four, in the last eight of the youth tournaments? Because I think those experiences are important at that age, but also it helps set the tone for the rest of the federation.

So I think you have to build from the ground up, and having more teams now challenge for the Under-17, the Under-20, the Olympics, I think this has to be something of a goal of ours as well to then help feed the national team.

Bolavip: You played in Europe a lot. How important or necessary do you think that is for the growth of the team? Is it relevant or not, really?

Jozy Altidore: Yes. Listen, I think it’s relevant. I think no matter where you play, it’s important to play well. I think the most relevant thing to continue the growth because, you know, we need to make sure that the environment that the players have in the US is an environment that they’re uncomfortable in. Right?

Even though they’re at home, we have to make it uncomfortable with how we challenge them. How we make them play, how we give them ideas to constantly keep feeding, elevating a football mind. And that starts with the coaching, so can we continue to educate our coaches that we have top coaches here that are challenging our young players all the way from, eight, nine years old in the básicos (academy) all the way to the first team.

So for me, it’s improving the coaching and providing environments where the players at a young age are uncomfortable. And then obviously from there, taking them to Europe is going to be very important.

The USMNT strikers and the next World Cup cycle

Bolavip: Does any current player from the USMNT remind you of yourself?

Jozy Altidore: [Laughs] Um… of course, when I watch Balogun, it brings a smile to my face because I think this is a striker that showed he can do everything. And I always wanted to be a striker that can score every type of goal. From a set piece, left foot, free kick, header, penalty kicks. And when I watch Balogun and how he moves and how he plays, he’s dangerous in so many different ways of the game. It was a real joy for me because you need a striker like that.

And also Ricardo Pepi. I think Ricardo Pepi is a different striker, but his hunger… you know, he’s so hungry. You can see every time he touches the field he wants more. And then you also have Haji Wright, who is a different striker but had a fantastic season and another striker that scores goals in many different ways. And so it really pleases me to see that.

I see a little bit of myself in all of these guys, not only in how they play but their journey. You know, from Pepi leaving MLS at a young age, Balogun doing what he’s doing in Europe, and Haji Wright as well. So it’s exciting to see those guys. And I’m very excited to see what they can do in this next cycle and the other new number nines that we’re going to develop going into Madrid 2030.

Bolavip: Do expect many changes for the next World Cup cycle?

Jozy Altidore: Of course. There’s gonna be changes. You know, for a lot of these players, it’s their third World Cup in a row. It’s not gonna be that easy, right? There’s gonna be new blood. I think for obviously some of the more experienced players, maybe it’ll be more of the same, but I think you’re gonna have challenges, you’re gonna have players challenging for places. And, to be honest, you need it. You need it so that the team remains competitive, the team remains strong.

Altidore sees serious potential in Bradley and MLS

Bolavip: And going back to MLS, how do you see the New York Red Bulls, the team that drafted you, and Michael Bradley, your former teammate (on the USMNT and Toronto FC)?

Jozy Altidore: I think Michael has done a great job. I think it’s not easy to go into a team that historically is not spending like the rest of the teams. It’s a first-class organization, but they have a methodology and how they want to bring up the youth players and what they want to do there. So I think for any coach, when you go to Red Bull, you need to have this in the back of your mind. And you need to work in a little bit of a different way. And I think Michael has done a great job.

It’s not easy ever in your first season, especially as a coach, but I think he’s only going to continue to get better. He has great football experience as a player, but also playing with him, the way he’s able to break down a game is like nobody else that I know. And so I’m very bullish on Michael. I think Michael is just a start. And I know some of the results lately haven’t been great, but I think Michael is a national team coach in the future, in my mind.

He’s a coach that is going to start in MLS but also going to coach in Europe in a big league, in my opinion. So, I think Michael is, is, is terrific. I, I really like what he’s doing. Obviously, there’s going to be challenges, but I think he’s really a coach of the future that we have to one, support, obviously be critical of, but support and, and help him as a footballing nation to continue to rise as a coach and get to the next level to give that experience back to the young players.

Bolavip: Do you imagine yourself working with him or in a coaching role in the future?

Jozy Altidore: [Laughs] I don’t know man, I don’t know about that. You know, I have to coach my son now at home, and that’s literally my biggest priority. But I don’t know. I don’t know. It involves a lot of traveling, it’s different. But you never say never. You never say never in this life. We’ll have to see. But he’s doing a terrific job and it’s great to see him go from playing and being like a general coach on the pitch to now being a general and a coach off the pitch.

Bolavip: Yes, you never know. I mean, you can still come back and play, so who knows?

Jozy Altidore: [Laughs] Yeah, listen, I would love to. I never say never in anything. I love the game. I’m a football player first before anything. So who knows.

Bolavip: MLS continues to land big names: Lewandowski, Antoine Griezmann, Alexis Sanchez. What do you think about this?

Jozy Altidore: I think it’s excellent because you’re seeing Lewandowski, you’re seeing Alexis Sanchez, you’re seeing (Heung-min) Son, you’re seeing (Luis) Suarez, Lionel Messi. But then you’re also seeing transfers for big money for players, right? For our young players.

Ricardo Pepi a few years ago went for a big transfer. (Zavier) Gozo from Real Salt Lake, he’s now leaving for a big transfer. So as much as we’re seeing the older players that have these great careers come back and want to play in MLS, we’re also seeing a lot of young players too at the same time now going to Europe for big transfer fees. And that speaks to MLS and the way they develop these players.

WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH JOZY ALTIDORE ON BOLAVIP US:

Building on previous experiences like in Qatar 2022, Ramos followed closely this year’s World Cup as a broadcaster. Now, he continues contributing to the beautiful game’s growth in the country by leading the US National Soccer School.

During his playing days, Ramos made a name for himself as a midfielder who earned 81 caps with the USMNT, including three World Cup appearances (1990, 1994, and 1998).

Tab Ramos analyzes the 2026 World Cup and the USMNT’s performance

Bolavip: What did you think about the USA’s performance and the country hosting the World Cup this year?

Tab Ramos: I think the World Cup was an incredible event. We had a lot of concerns initially because there wasn’t a lot of interest, it seemed, in the country for it. Like a month before the World Cup, it seemed like no one knew it was happening.

But the World Cup, that full month when the World Cup was going on, it was absolutely crazy here. And I think it was definitely the best ever, it was a great event. Every stadium was packed. I was fortunate enough to broadcast a lot of the games out of Philadelphia and out of Toronto, so I was involved heavily in it, and I truly enjoyed it. I think it was definitely one of the best World Cups ever.

In terms of the national team itself, I thought, in general, the national team had a good performance. I thought our first game against Paraguay was likely the best that any US team has ever played at a World Cup, and I think that’s a very positive sign. However, in general, you have to judge the national team by results, and I think the results were just barely okay and really below the expectations.

Bolavip: Did you expect the team to go further, or did you expect at least a better performance against European opposition?

Tab Ramos: Well, I mean, it seems like going to the Round of 16 is the norm for our country here, regardless of the coach that we have. And so, because we brought in Mauricio Pochettino, and he’s one of the highest-paid national team coaches in the world and obviously he has incredible experience overseas, our expectations were a little bit higher than getting to the same place we always get.

We waited for two years in the beginning of Pochettino’s era, as we didn’t get good results. He kept saying, “Well, we’ve got to wait for the World Cup. We have to wait for the World Cup.” And we waited for the World Cup, but in the end, we ended up getting the same results as always. So, in general, I’d have to say this World Cup was below expectations.

Bolavip: And why do you think this was the result?

Tab Ramos: Well, I think what the team showed in the World Cup was exactly what the team had been showing for the past year and a half, which was an up and down of some FIFA windows playing really well, like when we beat Paraguay and beat Uruguay 5-1, and then the next window playing really poorly, like when we lost to Portugal and we lost to Belgium.

And really, that’s probably the last two really noticeable windows, but that really happened throughout Pochettino’s process. And I think the World Cup showed exactly the same. It showed our team playing really well against Paraguay, maybe the best ever, not as well against Australia, and then poorly against Turkey, which you can justify because it was a second team.

But the Bosnia game was barely okay. And then obviously the Belgium game was not a good game. So it sort of showed us the same as it had been shown for the last year and a half.

Pochettino’s contract extension and the USMNT’s direction

Bolavip: What are your thoughts on US Soccer extending Mauricio Pochettino‘s contract?

Tab Ramos: Well, I think first of all, there’s no question that Mauricio Pochettino is a good coach. So, I think we’re lucky to have a good coach. But at the same time, I’m not sure how much research it came down to.

But let me just start with this: I think whenever you hire a coach, there has to be a goal in place, right? What is it that you want from this coach? Right? That’s something that we don’t know.

So, we haven’t had the president of the federation say, “Hey, over the next eight years, we’re looking for this. We’re looking to play this way, or we’re looking for these results.” None of that has been made public in any way.

All we know is that they decided—a group of people decided—that they’re going to keep Mauricio Pochettino, right? But we don’t know if Mauricio Pochettino was kept because the demand was, “Hey, for 2030, the goal is to be a semifinalist or a quarterfinalist,” or because they hired Mauricio Pochettino because Mauricio Pochettino is going to install a new way to play that’s going to translate to our youth national teams and it’s going to change the way we play.

None of that has been said except that Mauricio Pochettino is going to help with the youth programs and help with coaching education. Now, as far as I know, he hasn’t worked in youth programs, nor has he worked in youth education, right?

So, we don’t really know what it’s for. So, I think the best way to answer your question was, if Mauricio Pochettino was not the guy, then who was, right? Because I didn’t have a clear answer.

I think if we don’t have a goal in place, it’s hard to put in candidates. So all of us outside of the national team started to throw in people. Okay, “Thierry Henry or Xavi Hernandez, or it could be Roberto Martinez.” Like, we start throwing names, but really the names don’t mean anything if you don’t have a goal.

And I’m not sure what the process was because we don’t know the goal. Had we known the goal, I think we could have an opinion. At this point, I really can’t have an opinion on whether this is a good hire or not, but I do know that he’s a good coach.

The criticism faced by Christian Pulisic and the Folarin Balogun situation

Bolavip: Going back to the World Cup, what do you think about the criticism that Christian Pulisic faced, especially after the elimination?

Tab Ramos: Well, I think criticism is fair. This is what this game is about, right? I’m sure there were some people who thought that because we played well in the first-round games that the full performance was good enough. And then there’s going to be people that are going to say, “Well, that’s not good enough. I think we got to the same place as other World Cups.”

So, the World Cup was okay. But if you think about it, we got the same place we got in other World Cups, but we were playing at home this time. So at times, you expect to do better than before, not the same. And so, yeah, it seems to me like it’s not necessarily unfair to say that the World Cup was not great.

Bolavip: Do you think that the whole Folarin Balogun situation affected the team negatively?

Tab Ramos: I remember going into that game just looking from the outside, thinking how we had great momentum going into the game regardless of whether Balogun was going to play or not.

And I think if anything, the Balogun situation was a big distraction that I think maybe sidetracked our team a little bit and I think motivated Belgium a little bit more. So I think if anything, I think it had a negative effect on our team for sure.

Bolavip: Do you see now a core group of players for the next World Cup, or do you think that a major overhaul should be done for the next tournament?

Tab Ramos: Well, this is an interesting question because when you look at the roster, we had a roster of 26 players. Fifteen of them will be 30 or older in the next World Cup. Normally, if you look at the stats, teams in general have between five and six 30-year-olds on teams.

So it’s inevitable that there’s going to be eight or ten changes just by stats alone. There’s no question that we’ve now had this generation for two of their, let’s say, prime years, and now there’s likely going to be a lot of changes.

The future of soccer in the US

Bolavip: What kind of impact do you think this World Cup and this generation will make for soccer in the US?

Tab Ramos: I think it will have a huge impact. I think this World Cup will be felt for the next couple decades. Sometimes it takes a little bit of time because I think all of the new people that got to see the World Cup this year—and there were over 50 million people watching our national team by the end—it will certainly have an effect on them, and it takes time.

I mean, if you think in 1994, really no one knew what soccer was in general. I mean, most American people thought that soccer was just the hooligans in England who fought each other in the games. I mean, that’s basically—and I’m, of course, generalizing. Of course, we had some people who knew about the game.

But if you think about it, over the next 20 years, the effects were slowly gaining ground, right? And over the last 10 years, think about all the new stadiums that MLS has built. Think about all the new facilities that MLS teams have built to develop players.

These are all results from the 1994 World Cup. And so some results are immediate. Within a couple years, the league started. Some results take a decade or two. They build their own stadium. The league grows. You have more teams.

So I think it’ll be the same effect this time. And it’ll take time. But I think there’s no question that this World Cup was really positive for the game in this country.

Bolavip: And where do you see MLS in this situation? Do you see the league in a good direction, or do you think that changes should be made to make this league even bigger?

Tab Ramos: I think it depends on what our expectations are of the league, because I think the league is in a good place. I mean, obviously, we know there’s five big leagues in Europe. Those are the best in the world. There’s the Brazilian league, which I put right below them or right on par with some of them because the Brazilian league now has money and great teams. Maybe you put the league in Argentina a little bit below that.

And then I’m not sure that MLS is not competitive with other leagues in the world after that, right? And we could argue about that. You could say, “Well, you know, I think that—I don’t know—the Dutch league is better.” I mean, we could argue about other leagues, but I think MLS is right there.

So, if you take the top six or seven leagues, MLS is right there. So, I think it depends on the expectations. I think MLS is in a good place.

I think where we have to make progress is on the player development front, is on the culture front, because inevitably MLS is the professional league. That’s where everybody goes. But MLS can’t be responsible for all of it. So MLS has to be responsible for having a proper league. And I think we do have a proper league. So I don’t think it falls on them. It falls on the rest of us. It falls on us as soccer and on the rest of us to help MLS with the players that are coming along.

The pro/rel debate

Bolavip: Do you think the promotion/relegation debate is relevant or not?

Tab Ramos: I don’t. I personally don’t think it’s relevant, to be honest. And the reason I say that is because to have a true pro/rel, everyone has to be involved in that.

And what do I mean by that? What I mean by that is that if you and I want to start a team with our friends, we should be part of the pyramid of true pro/rel, right? We start with our friends in the corner and we bring ten friends, and our team does well, and then we bring a couple kids from the outside, and our team gets bigger, and then we go into the sixth division and we do well, and then we have a chance.

That’s true pro/rel. But if pro/rel is going to be, let’s say the USL, puts all their teams together and they move up and down within their teams, I just don’t really think that means anything. I don’t think that’s the true value, the true spirit of pro/rel.

Bolavip: What can you tell us about your program with the US National Soccer School?

Tab Ramos: Well, we have a program here in which we have the kids. First, it’s academic. So, the kids come to school in the morning. They eat lunch with us.

We have a high-performance group that works on all of their levels. It works with the kids on the analytics of their training sessions, works with them on the activation every day, so they don’t get on the field without the proper activation. And then in the afternoon, they’re on the field for two or two and a half hours every day.

I truly feel that this country, and in particular with a new wave of thinking of—not of workload, we’re always worried about workload, and other countries train more than we do.

We have to remember that still today, a lot of the greatest players in the world come from Africa and South America, regardless of whether the best teams come from there or not. And the reason those are the best players is because they have more contact with the ball. They have more hours with the ball. And so we’re here to provide that.

We’re not a club. We’re a school. The kids are here and do about 8 to 10 hours of training, sometimes 12 hours of training with us, just on the field every week. Plus, then they go to their clubs. So, I think that we’re providing all of the hours that young players can’t do on their own.

Bolavip: Are you planning, besides this project, to return to coaching on the professional level?

Tab Ramos: No, I don’t want to return to coaching at all. I found that I did my full professional coaching pathway, from coaching nine-year-olds all the way to coaching U-18s for many years. Then, as you know, I coached the national teams for many years. I was a youth technical director for many years.

And then I always thought, like every coach, I always thought, “Well, you got to move up, you know? So, the next step is to go into the pros.” And then you realize, at least for me, I got hit by the fact that it really wasn’t so much about me and my coaching style.

When you go into the professional world, it has a lot to do with the roster that you have and the roster that you can get. And by no means am I taking responsibility away from myself. Maybe I just was not a great professional coach. Maybe that’s what happened.

But I do realize that I know just as much as everybody else. But when you don’t have a roster, in the end, it’s difficult to be successful. And here’s the bad part about it. The bad part about it is that you take it all home with you, and you’re worried about the players 24/7, and you don’t sleep, and it’s all day and night to be a coach, and it’s very, very difficult. I really don’t want to live through that again.

WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH TAB RAMOS ON BOLAVIP US:

And while Bellingham settled in perfectly at the Bernabeu, the same cannot be said about Trent Alexander-Arnold yet. That’s why Bolavip asked McManaman not only about Jose Mourinho‘s return to Madrid, but also about his expectations for the former Liverpool star this year.

“I think Trent Alexander-Arnold will be fine, he had a couple of injury problems last year,” McManaman responded to Bolavip during a press conference with international media outlets organized by LALIGA and ESPN.

“He never went to the World Cup and was unhappy about that, but he’s had a really good summer off, working very hard. And I think the structure with Jose Mourinho will really help. I think it will help the fact that he’ll have a right midfielder, who we think will be Yan Diomande, in front of him. I think that structure will help.”

McManaman also optimistic about Anthony Gordon’s potential at Barcelona

McManaman can relate to Alexander-Arnold, even if the former found success with Madrid earlier than the latter. Both share a strong Liverpool connection, having made it all the way to the Reds’ first team from the academy before taking their talents to La Casa Blanca.

Another fellow countryman McManaman can identify with is Anthony Gordon, even if the winger is playing for Real Madrid’s lifelong rivals Barcelona. McManaman also had encouraging words for Gordon as he enters his first season in LALIGA.

“As for Anthony Gordon, I wish him all the best, he’s from the same area where I grew up in Liverpool, he’s from an area called Kirkdale,” McManaman said. “So I wish him all the best, I know he played a couple of preseason games and he’s impressed. He’s quick, he’s strong, and the longer he stays at Barcelona, I think he’ll excell. So I wish him all the best, I hope he has a fantastic season.“

McManaman, the first English player to win the Champions League with a non-English club, has been a source of inspiration for new players moving to Spain. His comments should only give Alexander-Arnold and Gordon all the confidence they need to have a strong season in Spain.

The Barcelona legend played an instrumental role in Spain’s 2008 European Championship triumph before the country’s first-ever World Cup win in South Africa 2010. Years later, a renewed Spanish team led by coach Luis de la Fuente won the 2024 Euros in Germany before claiming the ultimate glory in US soil this year.

Bolavip asked Puyol what advice he would share for this Spanish team based on his experience, as Spain couldn’t replicate their 2010 World Cup success in Brazil 2014.

“Well, winning again after already winning is always very difficult, but I think this generation is very young,” Puyol responded to Bolavip during a press conference held by LALIGA and ESPN. “We were at a more mature age, so we didn’t have as much time, whereas I think this generation still has one or two World Cups left to reach its peak and be at the top.

“The youth system in Spanish football is very good; great players are always emerging. So I think we have a bright future ahead of us.“

Puyol’s legacy and Spain’s post-2010 World Cup era

Puyol, who also addressed Mourinho’s return to Real Madrid, earned 100 caps for Spain and left an indelible mark in world soccer. He’s also remembered for his unforgettable time at Barcelona, having captained the Blaugrana side for 10 years (from 2004 to 2014).

He couldn’t participate in Spain‘s Euro 2012 victory due to injury, but his contribution to those glorious days was still unquestionable. However, Spain suffered a shocking group stage exit at the 2014 World Cup, bringing a sudden ending to an extremely successul run.

Flash-forward to 2026, Puyol believes the new generation of Spain has a chance to keep the success going. There’s still a long way to go for the next World Cup though, and first, this Spanish team will have to defend its Euro title like Vicente del Bosque’s men did back in 2012.

Puyol, who captained Barcelona from 2004 to 2014, knows perfectly well what is like to face a Madrid side led by Mourinho. In his response to Bolavip, the legendary defender made it crystal clear how highly he thinks of the Portuguese manager.

“Well, we’re talking about a great manager,” Puyol said when asked by Bolavip about his memories facing Mourinho and how dangerous his return to Madrid can be for Barcelona. “I met him at Barcelona when I was young and coming through the academy, and when I made it to the first team, we could already see that he knew a lot about football.

“Then he went to other clubs, built a good résumé, and eventually arrived at Real Madrid, where Real Madrid had a very good team. We were going through a very strong period, and I remember a great rivalry and many individual battles. The Barça-Madrid rivalry is huge, but in those years, on top of that, it was Guardiola against Mourinho, Messi against Cristiano, and two great, great teams.

“So we’ll see how he does now. I still think Barcelona have a very good team and will be able to have a good season, but it’s clear that one of their biggest rivals is Real Madrid, and with Mourinho they could be stronger.”

McManaman believes that Mourinho ‘needs to finish above Barcelona’

McManaman, who made 158 appearances for Real Madrid from 1999 to 2003, has a deep understanding of the expectations surrounding Mourinho in his second stint at the club.

“He needs to win,” McManaman responded to Bolavip. “It’s simple as that. He needs to beat Barcelona, he needs to win the league. I don’t necessarily think he needs to win the Champions League, but he needs to finish above Barcelona.

“He’s been brought in because the last two years have been disappointing. So he needs just to get the best out of the players, but more importantly, it’s to finish above Barcelona. He has to do it instantly. Real Madrid can’t go three years without winning anything. So Jose has to hit the ground running and he has to be successful straight away. That’s what he’s been brought in for.”

McManaman is being realistic. Those are the standards at Real Madrid. If not, just ask Carlo Ancelotti. Carletto may have led the club to its 15th UEFA Champions League/European Cup title in 2024, yet one bad season the next year sealed his fate. Well, it was a bad season for Real Madrid’s standards. Finishing second in LALIGA and failing to win either the UCL or Copa del Rey led to Ancelotti’s departure and Xabi Alonso’s hiring in 2025.

Alonso didn’t last long though, and his replacement, Alvaro Arbeloa, couldn’t deliver major silverware either. Mourinho, who won three titles (LALIGA, Copa del Rey, and Spanish Super Cup) in his first stint in Madrid, now has to bring back glory days immediately.

Puyol, who also talked about Spain’s future, knows Mourinho’s return poses a threat to Barcelona and McManaman understands that winning the Champions League might be a tall ask, but anything less than a league title could be all she wrote for the Special One. Needless to say, this LALIGA season will be must-watch for world soccer.

“Nashville are a really good team,” Bradley said in response to Bolavip. “Obviously, by a lot of standards, you would say they’ve been the best team in the league so far this year. And so we’re excited for the opportunity to test ourselves against them.“

Nashville displayed a dominant performance on Saturday, handing Miami a 4-1 defeat to increase the gap with Messi and company to five points in the East.

“You know, obviously Miami is another really good team. That was a big match, and I thought on the night Nashville put a lot into it and really made the game hard for Miami,” Bradley added.

Bradley admires Nashville’s style of play

With 43 points in 19 games (W13, D4, L2), Nashville is also in pole position for the Supporters’ Shield title. Bradley is a big admirer of what B.J. Callaghan is doing in the Music City.

“I think Nashville’s football ideas, in terms of having guys in the center of the field, in between the lines, the understanding between their attacking players of how to be fluid and how to balance who wants the ball to their feet and who’s running deep and then how that gets complemented by fullbacks moving into the attack. I think that part is all pretty interesting,” Bradley said.

“So we’re going to continue to look really closely at them, make sure that our players are prepared in the best possible way, and be ready as always when the whistle blows to go after them and to go after the game in a really strong, aggressive way.“

Adri Mehmeti highlights veteran support for Red Bulls’ youngsters

Bradley, who was promoted this year after leading the reserve team to glory in the 2025 MLS Next Pro season, has been working with many young players making their first steps at the pro level.

17-year-old Adri Mehmeti, for instance, has been a sensation for the Red Bulls with one goal and three assists in 18 MLS games in 2026. When asked by Bolavip about Bradley and the veteran leadership on the team, Mehmeti stressed how important the seasoned players are for the younger members of the squad.

“Support has been great from everybody,” Mehmeti said. “I mean, all the staff, all the experienced players. Emil (Forsberg), (Eric Maxim) Choupo-Moting, all the vets, Tim (Parker), Dylan (Nealis). You have a lot of guys that have been helping all of the younger guys this season in a really good way, giving us the confidence when we go into games. We don’t shy away and we just play our football. We play free, and it’s really good that they have our back in every way possible.“

“Well, Lionel Messi is a great player. He was named the world’s best many times, so I think that with him it’s a whole different story. I admire and respect him a lot,” Lozano said in response to Bolavip, before making it clear that he’d love to represent Mexico again.

“And of course, as long as I continue playing, I will be available for Mexico,” Lozano added. “If they believe it’s the best for the national team for me to be there supporting and helping the team, of course I will be there. I will never say no [to Mexico]. But well, this is a process.“

Lozano hopes to stay on Mexico’s radar with LA Galaxy move

Lozano, 31, joined the Galaxy on loan as a Designated Player through December 2026 with a permanent trade option. The winger hasn’t seen action since November 2025, as a fallout with the coaching staff ended his playing time in San Diego.

“Now that I’ll have the opportunity to play, I believe that they’ll see what I can do, how I find myself, and that way they’ll decide if it’s good having me on the national team or not,” Lozano continued. “I will work a lot to be there, I love to be with the national team, I’m passionate about it, but only time will tell.“

Lozano’s lack of minutes in 2026 cost him a spot on Mexico’s World Cup roster. Javier Aguirre decided not to call up the winger since he stayed with San Diego instead of leaving for a team where he could see the field.

Lozano’s last Mexico game: Will he make it to the 2030 World Cup?

Things may change now with Rafa Marquez replacing Aguirre and Lozano finally moving to a different club. The former PSV star’s last appearance for Mexico came in a November 2025 friendly against Uruguay (0-0), when he had to be subbed off right before halftime due to a muscle injury.

From then on, the team moved forward without him. Lozano will turn 35 in 2030, which suggests that it could be his final opportunity to play one last World Cup with Mexico before it’s too late.

In the meantime, Chucky isn’t closing the door on his country. On the contrary, one of the reasons he’s joining the Galaxy is to impress Marquez and prove he can still contribute on the international stage. As Lozano said, only time will tell us how this plays out.

“We were able to watch the first four games of the league this year and you see that we have to be able to adjust to what the game brings because you’ll see a different shape, one that’s tough for us to predict going into the match, but even throughout the game that they might change shape, or the way they’re building up, and the way they’re defending,” Richter started his response to Bolavip.

“And for us, that we’re able to be flexible and able to adapt to what we see in the game. So, we try to give them the picture, but that’s up to Kai and the guys also in some moments that they have to recognize the situation and organize that piece themselves on the field.“

Richter, who was named interim head coach by the Union in late May, expects Cruz Azul to challenge his players with a style of play that is rarely seen in Major League Soccer.

“Something that you don’t see so much every week at MLS is this type of fluidity and this type of changes, and one that I’m excited to see how we adapt to, and I think we’ll be successful if we’re able to adapt accordingly,” Richter added.

Wagner embraces underdog mentality vs. Cruz Azul

Wagner, meanwhile, had no problem in admitting that Cruz Azul are strong favorites for this clash. The 29-year-old, who returned to Philadelphia as a Designated Player in July following a brief stint with English side Birmingham City, still believes in the Union’s chances to produce an upset.

“We have the coaches who talk us through the game, we had a film session and for me, it’s just like we have to bring our best moments on the field, we have to defend good, we have to attack good, we have to be all leaders on the field all together,” Wagner responded to Bolavip. “And we know Cruz Azul will be the favorites for that game. They are one of the biggest teams in Mexico, and we’re really happy to face them tomorrow to see what we are capable of.

“Like I said, we are in a good run of form in the moment, but to be clear, they are the favorites tomorrow. But we like to be the underdogs, we like the mentality to come as the underdogs and yeah, I’m ready for the game. Hope the boys are ready too, I will make sure I get them ready for tomorrow.“

Philadelphia and Cruz Azul’s recent form

Even though Wagner is putting the pressure on the opponents, the Union head into their Leagues Cup debut in excellent form. Under Richter, Philadelphia is riding on a three-game winning streak, having won all three MLS fixtures played at home after the World Cup break.

Last time out, Cruz Azul suffered a tight 2-3 loss to Atlante in Liga MX play, but before that, Joel Huiqui’s men claimed two league wins as well as the Campeon de Campeones title against Toluca.

As the defending Liga MX champions, Cruz Azul are widely seen as favorites not only to get a victorious start against Philadelphia, but also to challenge for the Leagues Cup title. Wagner is aware of that, but he’s embracing the underdog status. Let’s wait and see what happens Thursday night.

“Yeah, he’s been coming in with a lot of good energy, positive energy, good vibe, and also his quality that he brings from playing the game in Europe, World Cups and Champions League, he has some really good experiences,” Jansson said in response to Bolavip.

Jansson, who boasts over 200 appearances for Orlando and has been team captain since 2024, praised Griezmann’s positive impact both on and off the field.

“(He is) mainly also a really good guy in the locker room to have around. Humble, always ready to do the work. So it’s been a great addition to our team, we’re happy to have him, and hopefully we can continue to build together with him for the future,” Jansson said.

Griezmann looking to make Leagues Cup impact

Griezmann scored in his MLS debut to contribute in Orlando’s 4-0 road win over the San Jose Earthquakes and played the full 90 minutes in the 1-0 home victory against Nashville before recording an assist in the 2-3 loss to the New York Red Bulls in New Jersey.

Now, the former Atletico Madrid star is set to make his Leagues Cup debut when Orlando hosts Monterrey on Wednesday, August 5, at 7:30 PM (ET).

We’re talking about the tournament Lionel Messi won with Inter Miami in 2023, during his first year with the South Florida team. Will Griezmann emulate the feat with the in-state rivals this season?

A report by Matt Gelb, Andrew Baggarly and Charlotte Varnes for The Athletic suggests Arraez will play second base for the Phillies, which may explain why the Yankees couldn’t land the four-time All-Star.

The report claims that teams interested in Arraez were told about his desire to continue at second base, which already made the Yankees run from behind in the Arraez sweepstakes. With that position covered by Jazz Chisholm Jr., the Bronx Bombers couldn’t meet Arraez’s position demands.

The Phillies were aware of his intention to stay at second base and made the deal regardless. Now, they’re seemingly guaranteeing Arraez’s request and have different ways to do so, including options where Harper doesn’t move to the OF.

How Phillies can adjust their lineup with Arraez at 2B

The first option, which includes Harper moving to the OF, would be with Bryson Stott playing third base, moving Alec Bohm to first base and having Harper on the right field.

However, per The Athletic, the Phillies could simply move Stott to third base and keep Harper at first base by trading Bohm before the deadline. Another option the Phillies have reportedly “discussed internally” is moving Stott to the outfield, with Harper and Bohm staying on the infield corners.

There are more ways than one for the Phillies to make room for Arraez at his favorite position. And even though it requires creativity, this situation makes sense. After all, we’re talking about the player who’s leading MLB with a .324 hitting average in 2026.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post notes that the Phillies have too many infielders now, which is why a possible solution would be moving Harper to the outfield. The important part is that Harper is “thought to be willing” to make this change.

Currently second in the National League East at .527, the Phillies’ postseason aspirations are getting a huge boost with Arraez, and Harper would be doing the team a favor with such a move. However, the Phillies can still play Arraez at second base without necessarily moving Harper to the outfield.

Luis Arraez’s stats heading into Philadelphia

Arraez was one of the biggest names to watch heading into the MLB trade deadline. A four-time All Star, the left-handed infielder has established himself as the best at his job in 2026.

Hitting .324 with four homers, 47 RBI and an .801 OPS this season; Arraez is also a two-time Silver Slugger Award-winner with a career batting average of .318, boasting 40 home runs and 348 RBIs. The numbers speak for themselves as the Phillies’ rotation just got a massive upgrade.

Arraez’s contract arriving in Philly

Arraez, who turns 30 in April 2027, is arriving in Philly under the $12 million, one-year deal he signed with the Giants in February. Only time will tell us whether his performance with the Phillies earns him a new paycheck in the City of the Brotherly Love. If not, he will hit free agency next year.

Full terms of the Arraez trade to Phillies

Jayson Stark of The Athletic adds that, along with Arraez, the Phillies are landing right-reliever Caleb Kilian, whereas the Giants get prospects Ramon Marquez and Marty Gair in return.

“It’s too early to say,” Bradley admitted Thursday in response to Bolavip during his media availability before Saturday’s MLS fixture against Orlando City. “I think time will tell, and the thing that I say anytime I get asked about this is actually very simple: the game is growing in a huge way in this country. Everything is trending in a really positive direction.

“And yeah, there will be improvement and there will be continued growth after the World Cup. But ultimately, we are moving things forward in a really positive way. The league, our national team, the level of individual players, the level of media attention, of pure number of fans who are interested in our sport.“

2026 World Cup sets record-breaking numbers in the USA

FOX confirmed that the 2026 World Cup final shattered TV records across the USA, as an average of 38.937 million viewers tuned in on Spain’s overtime win over Lionel Messi’s Argentina. This represents the most-watched soccer telecast in U.S. history and a 132% increase compared to FOX’s broadcast of the Qatar 2022 final, in which Argentina beat France on penalties.

The USMNT‘s campaign also set record figures, with the team breaking the record for most-watched soccer telecast in American history twice. First, an English-language TV audience of 26.4 million watched the Round of 32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to Nielsen Media research, the number increased to 33.086 million ⁠viewers for the Round of 16 loss to Belgium.

On top of that, the stadiums were sold out for these games, and soccer took center stage in American sports media. The question now is whether this growing interest in soccer will continue after the World Cup.

Bradley optimistic on the future of soccer in the US

“Everything is going in a really good direction, and ultimately, that doesn’t hinge on a little bit of a post-World Cup boom,” Bradley said. “There will be positives that come from the World Cup, but ultimately the progress is going forward in a really good way, no matter what.“

The 1994 World Cup led to the creation of MLS. Two decades after the league’s inaugural season, it’s fair to wonder what kind of impact the 2026 World Cup will produce in the game.

“You know, I have a lot of respect for Inter Miami,” Berhalter said in response to Bolavip during his Monday press conference. “They have a great squad, they’ll most likely be missing a couple players in (Lionel) Messi and Rodrigo De Paul, although you never know with Messi and Rodrigo De Paul, I wouldn’t be surprised if they somehow played in the game.“

Messi and De Paul are among the Argentine players who didn’t fly back to Buenos Aires after the World Cup final, in which a 10-man Albiceleste side lost to Spain 1-0 in extra time.

However, neither of them is expected to return to club action soon. Messi went back to his native Rosario to rest and spend time with his family after a grueling World Cup run, whereas De Paul’s immediate plans remain unknown.

Lewandowski expected to make MLS debut with Chicago in Miami

Despite Berhalter’s cautious approach, Messi and De Paul are most likely to miss Inter Miami’s first games after the World Cup. Meanwhile, Lewandowski is expected to make his MLS debut for Chicago in Miami.

“We’ll see on Wednesday how long he can play,” Berhalter said of the Pole superstar, who arrived in the Windy City as a free agent after his contract with FC Barcelona expired.

Asked by Bolavip if Lewandowski’s arrival puts Chicago on the same level or at least closer to the defending MLS Cup champions, Berhalter said Wednesday’s game could be a good measuring stick, even if Messi and De Paul don’t play.

“Well, we’re going to see on Wednesday night where we are, right?” Berhalter said. “But for us, we just want to keep getting better. One thing I can tell you about Robert is, (he has a) tremendous work rate. When you think about a guy coming into the team who was jet lagged all last week, and he’s pushing the guys in training. We’re doing fitness stuff, he’s pushing that, he’s doing extra work.

“So you can see why he’s been a pro, and you can see why he’s scored more goals than anyone in Europe in the last 15 years, because he’s an absolute pro on the field and in the training sessions. He’s been high quality, scoring goals, and he looks like a great player.”

Kickoff between Inter Miami (9-4-2, second in the East with 31 points in 15 games) and Chicago Fire (8-2-4, third with 26 points in 14 games) is set for Wednesday, July 22, at 7:30 PM (ET) at Nu Stadium in Miami.

Reigning UEFA Euro champions Spain were expected to take on defending Copa America and World Cup champions Argentina in a Finalissima scheduled for March, just before the World Cup. That event was ultimately suspended, but it didn’t stop these heavyweights, who are among the list of World Cup winners, from finding a way to face each other.

By winning their respective groups at the 2026 World Cup, Spain and Argentina found themselves on opposite sides of the knockout stage bracket, and every victory since then led to this moment. Before we see who emerges victorious in New York, on Bolavip, we invite you to choose your favorite player from each nation by position.

Goalkeeper: Unai Simon or Emiliano Martinez?

Unai Simon has conceded just one goal en route to the final, while Emiliano Martinez has already helped Argentina win the World Cup in 2022. Who are you choosing?

Right-back: Pedro Porro or Nahuel Molina?

Pedro Porro arrives in the final with two goals to his name after being named MVP of the semifinal win over France. Nahuel Molina played an important role for Argentina at Qatar 2022 and is one win away from helping to repeat the feat.

Center-back: Pau Cubarsi or Cristian Romero?

Pau Cubarsi has contributed to Spain’s strong defense throughout the tournament. Meanwhile, 2022 world champion Cristian Romero has once again been Argentina’s best defensive player this year.

Center-back: Aymeric Laporte or Lisandro Martinez?

Aymeric Laporte provides veteran experience in a young Spanish team. As for Argentina, Lisandro Martinez has formed a formidable duo with Romero and even contributed one goal and an assist in Argentina’s hard-fought Round of 32 win over Cape Verde.

Left-back: Marc Cucurella or Nicolas Tagliafico?

Marc Cucurella has established himself as Spain’s starting left-back, making his presence felt both on offense and defense. Nicolas Tagliafico remains Argentina’s trusted option at the position, having earned that role in the Qatar 2022 triumph.

Midfielder: Rodri or Leandro Paredes?

Rodri is the one who pulls the strings in the middle of the park for a Spain team that dominates the ball like few teams do. 2022 world champ Leandro Paredes has proven that age is just a number for players of his caliber, showing that his experience and class are still valuable for Argentina.

Midfielder: Fabian Ruiz or Rodrigo De Paul?

Luis de la Fuente benched Pedri to start Fabian Ruiz in the quarterfinals, and the PSG midfielder proved the coach right by scoring against Belgium, which earned him a starting spot in the semifinal against France. Even if his performances haven’t been outstanding in 2026, Rodrigo De Paul is still a veteran leader with championship experience for Argentina.

Midfielder: Dani Olmo or Enzo Fernandez?

Dani Olmo is another playmaker who gets things going for Spain in offense. A key contributor at Qatar 2022, Enzo Fernandez remains instrumental for Argentina. His last-gasp winner against Egypt and the dramatic equalizer against England explain why La Albiceleste are dreaming with another World Cup title.

Midfielder: Alex Baena or Alexis Mac Allister?

After being an unused substitute in the goalless debut vs Cape Verde, Alex Baena has started every game for Spain, providing one goal and an assist. In Argentina, Alexis Mac Allister has been untouchable for Lionel Scaloni, mostly because of his aerial game.

Forward: Lamine Yamal or Lionel Messi?

Lamine Yamal‘s numbers leading to the final (one goal vs. Saudi Arabia) may not be impressive, yet every time he touches the ball, you can feel that something is going to happen. That sensation is even bigger with Lionel Messi, who has broken all kinds of records with yet another legendary World Cup performance at 39.

Forward: Mikel Oyarzabal or Julian Alvarez?

Mikel Oyarzabal has been prolific for Spain, with five crucial goals on the road to the final. Just like in 2022, Julian Alvarez started behind Lautaro Martinez but eventually made his way back to the starting eleven, scoring a crucial overtime goal against Switzerland in the quarterfinals.

Coach: Luis de la Fuente or Lionel Scaloni?

Luis de la Fuente put Spain back on their feet by leading the country to European glory in 2024 before reaching the 2026 World Cup final. Lionel Scaloni was his student for the UEFA coaching license but the Argentine manager arrives with even more accolades, being the architect of the most successful Albiceleste side in history.

Haaland’s goal for Norway to eliminate Ivory Coast in the Round of 32 saw him score in a World Cup knockout stage fixture in seven fewer appearances than Ronaldo on the global stage.

The Al Nassr star has played in eight World Cup knockout stage matches with Portugal but couldn’t find the net in any of those games, and couldn’t provide an assist either. With two wins, one draw (which ended in a penalty shootout win), and five losses, the tournament has been elusive for the 5x Ballon d’Or winner.

Ronaldo chases first World Cup knockout stage goal

At 41, Ronaldo will chase his first goal at a World Cup knockout stage when Portugal take on Croatia on Thursday, July 2nd. The veteran striker scored twice in the group stage, with both goals coming in Portugal’s 5-0 win over Uzbekistan in the group stage.

Haaland’s impressive numbers with Norway

Haaland, meanwhile, is making noise in his very first World Cup appearance. At 25, the Manchester City star scored four goals in the group stage before adding another one to his tally in the Round of 32.

Haaland now boasts an impressive 60 goals in just 53 international games, matching Kylian Mbappe’s number of goals for France in 48 fewer caps. Right now, the Norwegian striker and Lionel Messi are the only players at the 2026 World Cup with five or more goals.

Instead, Belgium are starting Charles De Ketelaere with Jeremy Doku returning to the lineup after missing the Iran fixture, while Leandro Trossard is once again starting as the other winger.

What happens against New Zealand tonight will determine Belgium’s future in the tournament, as the team aims to avoid another World Cup disappointment after Qatar 2022.

Lukaku’s 2026 World Cup games with Belgium

Lukaku didn’t start for Belgium against Egypt but made an impactful appearance in the second half, putting pressure on the opponents as his side was trailing 1-0. Shortly after he came off the bench, Belgium found the equalizer that sealed the 1-1 draw.

The former Chelsea striker then started against Iran but couldn’t find the net, with Belgium settling for a goalless draw that forces them to get a positive result against New Zealand in Vancouver tonight.

Kickoff is set for 4:00 PM (ET), just like the other fixture in Group E between Curacao and Ivory Coast, who will be playing a few miles away in Philadelphia. With no forecast of rain and a temperature around 82°F (28°C), great conditions are expected for this soccer game.

The official capacity of the New York New Jersey Stadium for the 2026 World Cup has been listed at 80,663. The official portal shows the game as sold out, so a full-house is expected for Ecuador vs. Germany today. La Tri need to beat the European giants, but a win would be an upset considering Ecuador’s FIFA ranking, especially compared to Germany’s position.

Ecuador need an upset over Germany

Ecuador face a challenging task after going winless in their first two group stage games. A late loss to Ivory Coast in their debut was followed by a goalless tie against Curacao, which put La Tri in a tough spot.

With only one point in two games, Ecuador need to beat Germany as a draw probably won’t be enough to finish as one of the eight best third-place teams. A loss will eliminate Sebastian Beccacece’s men.

Germany already thinking about Round of 32

Germany, on the other hand, are in a comfortable position, having already secured first place in Group E. The tiebreak rules determine that, even if they lose and Ivory Coast win today, Germany would still hold the upper hand thanks to their win over the African side on Matchday 2.

Group E standings ahead of Matchday 3

With kickoff set for 4:00 PM (ET), Curacao and Ivory Coast will be playing under high temperature (around 86°F/30°C). Forecasts for Philadelphia indicate partly cloudy skies with 35% humidity. More importantly, The Weather Channel suggests there’s no chance of rain, so there would be no need for FIFA to activate the weather protocol.

The official capacity of Philadelphia Stadium for the 2026 World Cup is 68,324. The primary box offices show the game as sold out, so a packed stadium is expected today. And since both Curacao and Ivory Coast have a chance to qualify for the next round today, there are reasons to watch this game.

Curacao’s situation

Curacao held Ecuador to a goalless draw on Matchday 2, which allows them to head into the group stage finale with Round of 32 hopes. The team coached by Dick Advocaat has one point, which gives it reason to believe.

However, anything short of a win probably won’t be enough for Curacao. While a loss will eliminate them, a draw would also leave them in a tough spot. Finishing the group stage with only two points might not be enough to be one of the eight best third-place teams.

Ivory Coast can’t rest on their laurels

Ivory Coast, on the other hand, are in a stronger position thanks to their 1-0 win over Ecuador on Matchday 1. The African side almost pulled off an upset against Germany but ended up losing the game, so the team now has three points in two games.

Ivory Coast cannot finish higher than second due to the tiebreak rules, and a draw will be enough for them to seal that position. However, a loss could see them fall to third or fourth place, depending on Ecuador’s result against Germany. If Ivory Coast lose and the South American side wins, the Africans will be out of the World Cup.

Group E standings before Matchday 3

Spence is playing with a protective jaw guard because he suffered a broken jaw during a Premier League game against Chelsea in May. The Tottenham full-back was elbowed by Liam Delap while challenging for a high ball, resulting in the injury.

The hit didn’t force Spence to miss games though, as the player has been playing with the protective mask since then. In fact, Spence revealed his broken jaw will take three months to heal, so he’ll continue wearing the protective jaw guard for a while.

The use of protective masks at the 2026 World Cup

The custom-made jaw guard used by Spence isn’t the only one of its kind seen at this year’s World Cup. For instance, Austria defender Stefan Posch was also seen wearing this type of mask against Argentina.

Many players have been wearing protective pieces of equipment at the start of the tournament. Sebastian Caceres has been sporting a mask for Uruguay, just like Luca Zidane did in Algeria’s debut against Argentina.

There are masks allowed by FIFA, which is why different players have been wearing them at the 2026 World Cup.

Saka isn’t playing from the get-go against Ghana today because he is still recovering from an Achilles injury sustained in March.

That issue has limited the winger’s playing time, though he came off the bench for England against Croatia in their World Cup debut. Chances are that he enters today’s game against Ghana in Boston in the second half as well. At the end of the day, a win, draw or loss will have different implications for England.

Tuchel expects Saka to start on Matchday 3 vs. Panama

While Thomas Tuchel expects Saka to be ready to start in the group stage finale against Panama, the England coach admitted that the Ghana fixture may have come too soon for the Arsenal sensation.

“Bukayo is getting better and better. He is more and more free in his movements. He feels no more pain,” Tuchel said. “He was able to do both our training sessions on the last two days on the highest levels.”

Without Saka, Arsenal teammate Noni Madueke is once again starting on the wing for the team also referred to as the Three Lions. Anthony Gordon will be the other winger with Marcus Rashford and Eberechi Eze alongside Saka on the bench.

“Always united,” Ronaldo wrote on Instagram as he shared a picture with his teammates in training, all of them smiling during the session.

Ronaldo had already showed optimism after the tie against DR Congo, but his post comes at a special moment considering the countless stories involving the Portugal national team that surfaced during the week.

Noise around Ronaldo, Portugal after DR Congo draw

Ronaldo’s scoreless game and Portugal’s failure to win gave plenty to talk about. Many are urging Roberto Martinez to bench the veteran striker, but Martinez showed strong support for Ronaldo.

Even French legend and now World Cup analyst for FOX Thierry Henry had something to say about Ronaldo, suggesting that the Portuguese star often concentrates too much on his individual performance instead of prioritizing the team.

More controversy followed Portugal’s 2026 World Cup debut with Ronaldo’s sister reportedly calling out the rest of the team for not passing the ball to the striker, with social media posts implying that she also liked a post that criticized Bruno Fernandes’ behavior on the field.

Joao Neves also made noise by telling the press that Ronaldo isn’t different from the rest of the Portugal players, as Cristiano fans flooded Neves’ social media with negative comments following his statements.

Ronaldo, Portugal ready to turn the page

Either way, as the team captain, Ronaldo made sure to shut down the outside noise for a while. The 41-year-old knows that Portugal have two group stage games to play, and there’s still time to get back on track.

Ronaldo and Portugal return to action on Tuesday, June 23, when they take on Uzbekistan at 1 PM (ET) in Houston. A win would see them take a strong step towards the round of 32, but anything short of that will once again put Cristiano and his team in the eye of the storm.

Unlike Saka, who is dealing with an achilles issue, the decision to bench Rashford appears to be tactical. Despite making an impression at Barcelona last season, the Manchester United product isn’t a regular starter on the English national team. Follow England vs Croatia live with us for minute-by-minute coverage and updates!

Even though Saka’s absence could’ve opened the door for Rashford, Thomas Tuchel opted to start Noni Madueke and Anthony Gordon as wingers to support star striker Harry Kane.

England’s depth for the 2026 World Cup

The English roster for th 2026 World Cup is stacked, and Tuchel even dared to leave some notable names off the list. For instance, Cole Palmer won’t be playing for England at the World Cup.

England have enough depth even with big names out, as Phil Foden isn’t on the World Cup squad either. The bench against Croatia includes Rashford, Saka, and Eberechi Eze, who is also a substitue due to a tactical decision.

England’s lineup to face Croatia: Jordan Pickford; Reece James, John Stones, Ezri Konsa, Nico O’Reilly; Elliot Anderson, Declan Rice; Noni Madueke, Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon; Harry Kane.

Luka Modric starts for Croatia

Croatia, on the other hand, will be led by veteran midfielder Luka Modric while another seasoned player like Mateo Kovacic will be waiting for an opportunity on the bench.

Croatia’s lineup: Dominik Livakovic; Josip Sutalo, Luka Vuskovic, Josko Gvardiol; Josip Stanisic, Luka Modric, Mario Pasalic, Ivan Perisic; Petar Sucic, Martin Baturina; Petar Musa.

Saka isn’t starting for England against Croatia today because he’s reportedly dealing with an achilles issue. Earlier in the week, Rob Dorsett of Sky Sports reported that the ongoing injury prevents the Arsenal star from starting and finishing games. Arsenal teammate Eberechi Eze isn’t starting either.

With this in mind, English fans can still hope to watch Saka step in at some point in the second half. It will probably depend on the result, as a win, tie or loss against Croatia will have different implications for England.

Saka replaced by Arsenal teammate Noni Madueke

With Saka on the bench, Thomas Tuchel is leaning on an Arsenal teammate of the star winger, starting Noni Madueke for the Three Lions’ 2026 World Cup debut. Tuchel could’ve given the chance to Marcus Rashford, but the Manchester United product will watch kickoff of England vs Croatia on the bench alongside Saka.

England’s starting lineup against Croatia: Jordan Pickford; Reece James, John Stones, Ezri Konsa, Nico O’Reilly; Elliot Anderson, Declan Rice; Noni Madueke, Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon; Harry Kane.

Mateo Kovacic not starting for Croatia

Croatia’s starting eleven also shows there will be a notable absentee, with Manchester City midfielder Mateo Kovacic starting on the bench.

Croatia’s lineup: Dominik Livakovic; Josip Sutalo, Luka Vuskovic, Josko Gvardiol; Josip Stanisic, Luka Modric, Mario Pasalic, Ivan Perisic; Petar Sucic, Martin Baturina; Petar Musa.

Following Monday’s training session, Jenny Taft of FOX Sports reported that Pochettino provided a positive update on Pulisic.

“Mauricio Pochettino came over to tell us he is good, so a good sign for Christian Pulisic ahead of their match against Australia on Friday,” Taft said, adding that Pulisic had a modified training and did individual work.

Pulisic’s halftime exit in USA’s 2026 World Cup debut raised concern

Pulisic stole the show in the first half of the USA’s 4-1 win over Paraguay in Los Angeles, helping the team go to the break with a 3-0 lead. However, “Captain America” was nowhere to be seen in the second half.

Pochettino brought some relief by explaining that Pulisic was subbed off as a precautionary measure, pointing to a knock he suffered right before halftime.

USMNT fans breathed an even bigger collective sigh of relief when Pulisic himself provided an update, letting everyone know that it wasn’t something serious.

In fact, the former Chelsea star dared to address his availability for USA vs. Australia. Even though he couldn’t guarantee it 100%, Pulisic suggested that he’d be ready for the USA’s second group stage match.

USA’s next game will be crucial for Group D standings

The USMNT is leading Group D with 3 points and a +3 goal differential thanks to its comprehensive victory over Paraguay, followed by Australia, who upset Turkiye 2-0 on Sunday. The USA and Australia clash on Friday, June 19, at 3:00 PM (ET) at Seattle Stadium.

While Yamal’s World Cup debut at 18 shares similarities with Messi, who made his first World Cup appearance at the same age by coming off the bench as well, the Argentine star did help his country win. Ronaldo also won in his debut.

Yamal didn’t start for Spain against Cape Verde as he arrived in the World Cup recovering from injury, but his entry in the second half, replacing Gavi after 71 minutes, proved too late. Despite having 23 shots (eight on target) and 74% possession, Spain had to settle with a bittersweet draw in their 2026 World Cup debut.

Messi’s World Cup debut

Messi entered the 2006 World Cup group stage game against Serbia and Montenegro on June 16 after 75 minutes, contributing one goal and an assist in Argentina’s 6-0 victory. Yamal couldn’t break the deadlock for Spain.

Ronaldo’s first World Cup game

Ronaldo, on the other hand, was 21 in his first World Cup game, starting for Portugal against Angola in the group stage of the 2006 tournament on June 11. CR7 couldn’t score, picked up a yellow card, and was subbed off after 60 minutes as Portugal won 1-0.

Messi, Ronaldo make World Cup history in 2026

Flash-forward to 2026, Messi and Ronaldo stand as two of the three players with most World Cup participations (six), sharing the record with veteran Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo ‘Memo’ Ochoa, who was also called up six times.

Messi arrives in the 2026 edition with 13 goals in 26 World Cup games. While it took him a while, he ultimately led Argentina to the promised land with a sensational performance at Qatar 2022.

Ronaldo, meanwhile, boasts eight goals in 22 World Cup matches as he heads into the 2026 tournament chasing an elusive title. In his first participation in 2006, Ronaldo helped Portugal finish fourth. That remains Cristiano and Portugal’s best World Cup result to date.

According to journalist and author Romain Molina, the Tunisian soccer federation is parting ways with the manager following the disastrous debut against Sweden, who beat Tunisia 5-1 on Sunday. Journalist and transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano later confirmed that Lamouchi is officially out.

This makes the 54-year-old the first coach to be fired at the 2026 World Cup, with his dismissal coming immediately after the debut. It also marks the end of Lamouchi’s tenure after just five months and five games at the helm, a period in which Tunisia celebrated only one victory, with one draw and three losses.

Reported tension behind Lamouchi’s firing

Word on the street is that there’s more than meets the eye behind Lamouchi’s firing, as the loss to Sweden was reportedly just the final straw amid rumors of internal tension within Tunisia.

Tunisian radio station Mosaique FM reports that Tunisian delegation leaders called for an emergency meeting to discuss the manager’s future, while a witness revealed seeing a fight between Lamouchi’s son and a fan.

Not the first time Tunisia fire a coach at a World Cup

Tunisia had already fired a manager during a World Cup once, having removed Henryk Kasperczak from the coaching position in 1998. The difference is that, on that occasion, they did so after two games instead of one.

A 2-0 loss to England followed by a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Colombia sealed Kasperczak’s fate, but the team still returned home in the group stage after a 1-1 tie against Romania with Ali Selmi at the helm.

What’s next for Tunisia at the 2026 World Cup

Bottom of Group F with no points and a -4 goal differential, the 45th ranked nation on the FIFA ranking faces a steep hill to climb to reach the knockout phase. Tunisia’s next game will be on Sunday, June 21 (12 AM ET) against Japan (2nd with one point), before closing out the group stage against the Netherlands (3rd with one point) on June 25 (7 PM ET).

Tunisia’s new coach at 2026 World Cup

Lamouchi’s replacement has yet to be revealed, but Mondher Kebaier is expected to take over on an interim basis. The local 56-year-old already coached the national team from 2019–2022. Tunisia have a big decision to make.

India isn’t playing at the 2026 World Cup because it failed to qualify for the competition via the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) qualifiers.

The Blue Tigers couldn’t make it past the second round, finishing third in Group A behind Qatar (who ultimately made it to the World Cup with a bunch of naturalized players) and Kuwait.

A 2-1 loss to Qatar on June 12, 2024, officially eliminated India from 2026 World Cup contention. Qatar, on the other hand, went on to qualify for the competition as the No. 56 ranked team on the FIFA ranking.

Has India ever played at a FIFA World Cup?

India has never played at a FIFA World Cup. The closest the country came to being represented in soccer’s biggest tournament came in 1950, when it secured automatic qualification after all the other teams in its AFC qualifying group withdrew.

However, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) ultimately followed its fellow Asian teams’ decision and withrew as well. In the end, the 1950 World Cup in Brazil was played with no Asian teams.

The 9 AFC teams at the 2026 World Cup

With India failing to make the cut, the nine AFC representatives at the 2026 FIFA World Cup are Australia, Iraq, Iran, Japan, Jordan, South Korea, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Uzbekistan.

China isn’t playing at the 2026 World Cup because it failed to secure a berth via the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) qualifiers. The Asian nation finished bottom of its group in the third round, ending its hopes for an automatic World Cup place or a ticket to the fourth round of the qualifiers.

A 1-0 loss to Indonesia in Jakarta on June 6, 2025, officially eliminated China from 2026 World Cup contention, forcing the nation to wait for at least another four years to return to the global scene.

Which AFC teams are playing at the 2026 World Cup?

With China missing out on a 2026 World Cup berth, nine teams made it to the tournament via the AFC qualifying process:

• Australia
• Iran
• Japan
• Jordan
• South Korea
• Qatar
• Saudi Arabia
• Uzbekistan
• Iraq

How many World Cups has China played?

China boasts only one appearance in FIFA World Cup history, having played in the 2002 edition hosted by South Korea/Japan. China finished bottom of Group C with losses against Brazil, Turkiye, and Costa Rica with no goals scored and nine goals conceded.

Coach Ronald Koeman has opted to bench Depay in favor of an attacking trio composed by Cody Gakpo, Donyell Malen, and Crysencio Summerville.

This will force the 32-year-old to wait for an opportunity to come off the bench later in the game. Follow our live blog of Netherlands vs. Japan for minute-by-minute updates to see if Depay enters the game!

Depay’s activity with Netherlands prior to 2026 World Cup

Even though we’re talking about one of the faces of the Netherlands national team, Depay hasn’t seen much international action in 2026. A hamstring injury ruled him out of the March friendlies, and he played only 45′ minutes in the pre-World Cup window.

Depay came off the bench for the second half of the Netherlands’ 1-0 loss to Algeria and was an unused substitute during the 2-1 win over Uzbekistan before the 2026 World Cup debut against Japan.

Depay’s international stats and World Cup history

Still, we’re talking about an icon for the Dutch side. Depay arrives at the 2026 World Cup with 109 international caps under his belt, boasting 55 goals and 36 assists for the Netherlands.

This will be Depay’s third World Cup participation, having already represented his country in 2014 and 2022. In 2018, he watched the tournament from home as Netherlands failed to qualify for the competition.

With three goals and one assist in nine World Cup games, Depay hopes to improve his stats in 2026, even if he’s not starting in the debut against Japan.

“Thank you, my God… thank you for giving me the chance to experience this once again,” Neymar wrote on Instagram hours before kickoff at the New York New Jersey Stadium.

Despite the injury preventing him from playing for Brazil against Morocco in East Rutherford on Matchday 1, Neymar is still thankful for the opportunity to play at another FIFA World Cup in his career.

Neymar’s unexpected 2026 World Cup call-up

Neymar’s gratitude makes sense, considering that his 2026 World Cup presence looked unlikely before a last-minute change of heart by Carlo Ancelotti. Despite dealing with physical setbacks over the last few months, Carletto ultimately opted to include Neymar on his roster, even though it meant leaving Joao Pedro out.

Neymar hasn’t played for Brazil since October 2023, when he sustained a serious knee injury that kept him on the sidelines for months — and pretty much affected his career since then.

Ancelotti constantly snubbed Neymar in his call-ups, which is why many feared that Ney wouldn’t make the World Cup squad either. The former Barcelona star made the cut though, and even with an injury affecting him at the start of the tournament, his potential return later in the group stage creates expectations in Brazil.

Neymar’s World Cup history

2026 marks the fourth World Cup appearance in Neymar’s career, as the winger had previously represented the Selecao in 2014, 2018, and 2022. His first appearance was cut short by a devastating back injury before Brazil suffered a blowout 7-1 loss to Germany in the semifinals.

2018 saw Ney help Brazil reach the quarterfinals, where they lost to Belgium. In 2022, the team once again failed to get past the quarterfinals as Croatia pulled off an upset on penalties.

Neymar arrives in the 2026 edition with eight goals and four assists in 13 World Cup games. Will he improve this stats and help Brazil reach the promised land this year? Only time will tell us.

One of the eight 2026 World Cup matches to be played in New York, Brazil and Morocco will be the first teams to test this venue, which will also be home to the grand final on July 19.

With an 82,500 capacity, the New York New Jersey Stadium will host four more group stage games before a round of 32 and a round of 16 fixture. Needless to say, both nations certainly hope this won’t be their last game in NY.

Soccer returns to the New York New Jersey Stadium

Usually known as MetLife Stadium, the arena is temporarily changing its name to comply with FIFA rules throughout the tournament, just like every other venue hosting 2026 World Cup games. A stadium used to host NFL games from the New York Giants and New York Jets, it will now take center stage in world soccer.

This place has already become quite familiar for the soccer community though, having hosted several Copa America Centenario games in 2016 — including Chile’s penalty shootout win over Lionel Messi’s Argentina in the final — as well as FIFA Club World Cup matches in 2025, capping off with Chelsea’s 3-0 win over PSG in the decider.

Group C schedule

Shortly after Brazil and Morocco play in East Rutherford, Group C action will continue when Haiti and Scotland square off at the Boston Stadium in Foxborough.

On June 19, Brazil will play Haiti in Philadelphia while Morocco face Scotland in Boston. June 24 will bring the group stage finale with Haiti and Morocco meeting in Atlanta while Brazil and Scotland lock horns in Miami.

The Bay area will then be home to Group J and Group D matches, with Austria, Jordan, Paraguay, Algeria, Turkiye, and Australia all visiting the iconic stadium in California.

With an estimated 69,391 capacity according to FIFA, the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium will be home to the first 2026 World Cup game that doesn’t involve a host nation.

The reason behind the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium name

While usually known as Levi’s Stadium and home to the emblematic NFL franchise San Francisco 49ers, the venue is temporarily being renamed to comply with FIFA rules like every other stadium hosting 2026 World Cup matches. The soccer governing body requires all stadiums to remove references to sponsors that aren’t official FIFA partners.

Group B schedule

With the Qatar and Switzerland game in San Francisco a day after Canada’s debut against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto, Group B will continue in different cities.

On June 18, Switzerland will play Bosnia and Herzegovina at Los Angeles Stadium while Canada take on Qatar at BC Place Vancouver. The group stage finale on June 24 will once again see Canada play in Vancouver (this time against Switzerland), whereas Seattle Stadium will be home to Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Qatar.

Even though the San Lorenzo de Almagro sensation didn’t start most of the World Cup Qualifying games for La Albirroja, his sudden evolution at the club level put him on the map for the World Cup.

A position once held by the likes of Jose Luis Chilavert and Justo Villar, the goalkeeper job in Paraguay could have a new owner in Gill, if he lives up to the expectations in his country.

How old is Orlando Gill?

Born on June 11, 2000, Gill is 26 years old at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The Paraguayan city where he was born, San Lorenzo, proved that name wouldn’t be a coincidence in his life and career.

How tall is Orlando Gill?

Gill is 6 ft 6 in tall (1.98 m). His height is the first thing that stands out whenever he takes the field, and is also one of the reasons he plays goalkeeper. As a kid, Gill played forward or midfielder, but once he put on the gloves, he never left the position between the sticks.

Where does Orlando Gill play and what’s his contract?

Orlando Gill has been at Argentine side San Lorenzo de Almagro since January 2024, and according to Transfermarkt, his contract expires in December 2027.

Before taking his talents to Argentina, Gill made his first steps at his hometown team of the same name of his current club, San Lorenzo.

Orlando Gill’s journey towards the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Gill was called up to the Paraguayan 2026 World Cup roster after earning six caps for his country, playing in five friendlies and one World Cup Qualifier. The goalkeeper made his international debut on September 9, 2025, starting in a 1-0 friendly win over Peru.

Gill steps up for Paraguay at the World Cup

Gill started all three group stage games for Paraguay at the 2026 World Cup. Following a tough debut that ended in a 4-1 loss to the USA, Gill recorded back-to-back clean sheets as La Albirroja beat Turkiye 1-0 before holding Australia to a goalless draw, which allowed the team to advance as one of the eight best third-place teams.

But an even bigger day was in store for Gill. With the world watching, the San Lorenzo goalkeeper delivered a memorable performance to help Paraguay upset Germany in the Round of 32.

Not only did Gill make six saves to force the penalties after a 1-1 draw in 120 minutes of action, but he also came up with two crucial saves in the shootout to help Paraguay win the series (4-3).

Gill saved the opening penalty taken by Kai Havertz before guessing Nick Woltemade’s intention. Those two saves were instrumental before Jonathan Tah sent his shot over the crossbar, paving the way for Jose Canale’s winner.

The team coached by Hugo Broos still has two games left in the group stage to try and redeem itself from this tough debut. On June 18, South Africa will face Czechia in Atlanta.

The group stage finale will be on June 24, when they take on South Korea in Guadalupe. Since even the eight best third-placed teams advance from the group stage, South Africa can still make their way to the World Cup round of 16.

South Africa down two players after 2026 World Cup debut

Even though they are still in contention for a knockout stage spot, South Africa will have to face Matchday 2 without two players who started against Mexico.

Because a red card at a World Cup means at least a one-game suspension, both Sphephelo Sithole and Themba Zwane will miss the Czechia fixture after being sent off against Mexico.

They weren’t the only ones to see the red card in the opener though, as Cesar Montes left Mexico down to 10 men for a total of three red cards in the 2026 World Cup opening match.

Group A standings after Mexico’s win

With this result, Mexico are leading the Group A standings with three points while South Africa will have to wait for the result between South Korea and Czechia to see where in which spot they finish Matchday 1.

Argentina made the announcement on social media Thursday, following days of speculation after a muscle injury ruled Leonardo Balerdi out of the tournament.

At 29, Senesi will be playing at a FIFA World Cup for the first time in his career, having failed to make the cut in Qatar 2022. Following a great Premier League season at Bournemouth, the San Lorenzo de Almagro product agreed to join Tottenham as a free agent before getting this call-up.

Senesi rejected Italy to play for Argentina

This will certainly feel like a full-circle moment for Senesi after giving up the chance to play for Italy. Back in 2022, the Azzurra tried to recruit the defender before the Finalissima against Argentina.

But Senesi had also received an invitation to the Argentine national team camp. And even though he knew the chances of making the World Cup squad in Argentina were slim, the center-back rejected Italy to maintain any hope of playing for his home country.

Senesi was on Argentina’s side in the Finalissima, which La Albiceleste won 3-0 against Italy, but didn’t log minutes. He eventually watched Qatar 2022 from home, but four years later, his decision to remain eligible for Argentina is paying off.

Senesi’s experience with Argentina

Senesi boasts just three caps with Argentina, all three of them in friendlies. His international debut came in June 2022, when he played 28 minutes of a 5-0 friendly win over Estonia.

More than three years later, Senesi made his first start during a 1-0 friendly victory over Venezuela in October 2025. His latest appearance came in March 2026, when he played the full 90 minutes of a 2-1 friendly win over Mauritania. It wasn’t a great night for the defender, who was booked in the second half, but it still didn’t prevent him from joining Messi and company for the 2026 World Cup.

Marcos Senesi’s journey towards the 2026 World Cup

The Concordia, Entre Rios native started his career at the San Lorenzo academy, the same place where Qatar 2022 champion and former Atletico Madrid star Angel Correa made his first steps before rising to stardom.

Senesi made his pro debut in 2016 and by 2018, he had already established himself as a starter. Dutch giants Feyenoord forked out €7 million to sign him in 2019, and 116 appearances later, Bournemouth spent €15m to bring him to the Premier League.

With six goals and 10 assists in 128 games, Senesi proved his worth in England and not only caught Tottenham‘s eye but also made a strong case to receive greater consideration from Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni. Now, he’ll try to help Messi repeat as world champion.

On May 13, Guatemala’s soccer federation (Federacion de Futbol de Guatemala) released a statement explaining that the Austria friendly had to be called off because FIFA didn’t approve the fixture.

“The Guatemala national team is preparing to play several high-level international friendly matches in U.S. territory during the FIFA match window of June 2026. As part of the match schedule, a game against the Austria National Team had been programmed for June 10. However, the FFG has received a notification stating that FIFA does not endorse the staging of said match,” the statement read.

Guatemala’s June friendlies without the Austria game

Without FIFA’s approval to play a third game in the June international window, Guatemala had to settle with the two friendlies they were authorized to play in the United States.

On June 4, Luis Fernando Tena’s men suffered a 3-1 loss to Czechia at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey. Three days later, Guatemala were handed a 3-0 defeat by Ecuador at Scotts Miracle-Gro Field in Columbus, Ohio.

Even though the results weren’t great, these games allowed Los Chapines to test themselves against strong teams set to compete at the 2026 World Cup, unlike Guatemala.

Thefore, a third match against another World Cup opponent like Austria would’ve further helped Tena’s team, which is aiming to grow with the 2030 World Cup Qualifying cycle in sight.

Austria’s June activity before the 2026 World Cup

Without the Guatemala fixture, Austria seized the pre-World Cup international window to face Tunisia, who are also playing in the 2026 event. It was a 1-0 win for the European side, which is now ready to compete in Group J against defending world champions Argentina, Algeria, and Jordan.

Nigeria’s lineup against Portugal, instead, will feature other names who hope to contribute for the next World Cup Qualifying cycle: Maduka Okoye; Semi Ajayi, Calvin Bassey, Bruno Onyemaechi; Wilfred Ndidi, Alex Iwobi, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, Tochukwu Nnadi, Christian Akpan; Moses Simon, Akor Adams. Follow Portugal vs Nigeria live with us for updates and minute-by-minute coverage!

On the bench, the following players will hope to impress coach Eric Chelle: Francis Uzoho, Arthur Okonkwo; Abdullahi Bewene, Zaidu Sanusi, Emmanuel Fernandez; Frank Onyeka, Raphael Onyedika; Philip Otele, Terem Moffi, Paul Onuachu.

Osimhen, Lookman have yet to play at a World Cup on the senior level

Once again, Osimhen is missing the World Cup as Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2026 edition. At 27, the Galatasaray star has yet to play at the senior global tournament, having made an impression as a youngster in the 2015 U-17 World Cup played in Chile.

Lookman, only a year older than Osimhen, is also waiting for his first senior World Cup appearance. Perhaps the 2030 edition sees the duo redeem themselves and put the country back on the map as Nigeria‘s last World Cup appearance to date came in 2018, when they suffered a group stage exit.

Ronaldo starts ahead of sixth World Cup appearance

Ronaldo, on the other hand, is preparing to play in his sixth World Cup as he chases an unprecedented record. If he scores in the 2026 edition, CR7 will become the first player in tournament history to score in six different World Cups.

The fact that he’s already making a sixth appearance is also setting a record, one he’s sharing with Lionel Messi and Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa. But the Portuguese needs just one goal to secure an exclusive record of his own.

A 10-year NFL veteran, Ismail played for the Ravens from 1999 to 2001 and started all four playoff games during Baltimore’s first title run, including the 34-7 win over the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV ― recording a 44-yard catch that set up a field goal from 47 yards out to extend the Ravens’ lead to 10-0 before halftime.

“The Missile” enjoyed the most productive years of his NFL career in Baltimore, recording 191 catches for 2,819 yards and 18 touchdowns in 47 appearances (44 starts). Now an analyst covering his former team, Ismail speaks with Bolavip about the Ravens‘ moves ahead of the 2026 NFL season.

Ismail analyzes the Ravens’ 2025 season

Bolavip: Before we get into the upcoming season, I would like to know your thoughts about last year. What do you think went wrong for the Ravens?

Qadry Ismail: Boy, where do I begin? I think the year started off with extremely high expectations. A lot of the pundits in the media were saying that the Ravens were built to win a Super Bowl. They drafted some really good quality players. They had a ton of guys returning and basically they went into the year with the idea of “this is a Super Bowl or bust” proposition. At the owners’ meeting, Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti was like, “Hey, Super Bowl or bust, let’s go. I’m ready.”

Whereas, I think John Harbaugh, who was in his 18th season as the Ravens head coach, he kind of tempered it a little bit. And I think that tempering mindset, in my opinion, when you’re talking about a highly competitive, win-at-all-cost type of league and situations that you present yourself and you present your players with for him to temper it… I think it kind of set the tone for what would transpire once the regular season started.

And so regular season starts and I think the offense looks good, strong, and sound, but there was some chinks in the armor of the offense. Lamar Jackson clearly being the star player that he is, he was amazing and did some amazing things, but I could see where when it was crunch time and time for them to be at their best, his offensive line failed him.

And because of that failure, the Buffalo Bills got the better of the team. The defense that no longer had Mike Macdonald as their defensive coordinator, they just didn’t look the part. And I think the dysfunction on the defensive side of the football, coupled with the fact that you had an offensive line that just couldn’t get into a strong solid rhythm against an upper tier defense, it just led to a 1-5 start. And that 1-5 start led into a year where Lamar Jackson was in and out of the lineup because of injuries.

I think the way in which their general manager Eric DeCosta did his free agency with certain players, primarily Jaire Alexander, from a cornerback aspect of things who you thought he was going to be really a strong piece to the puzzle for the defense, that didn’t work out.

Cooper Rush, who was Lamar Jackson’s backup, that turned into a very poor move and decision. Tyler Huntley comes in and really sparks the team to a couple victories before Lamar Jackson does get back into the fold.

But the failure for John Harbaugh and his staff, offensively and defensively, to, number one, say the elephant in the room: You just don’t have the right combination at offensive guard on both sides of the ball. You then defensively you can’t make your decision on what you really want to be as a defense. They had a major injury in (Nnamdi) Madubuike with his cervical spine injury and not really sure whether or not he was even going to play again.

I think all of that amounted to an opportunity to still go to the playoffs in Pittsburgh and you miss a 44-yard field goal because you didn’t have pretty much the right management of game play. And what I mean by that is, that shouldn’t have been a 44 yarder. It should not have been over on the, I believe it was the left hash, and I think that they were supposed to kick it on the right hash.

You pretty much put the season in the hands of a, I don’t know how much he was making, $800,000 kicker compared to a 36 and 60 some odd million dollar Hall of Fame running back and quarterback.

I think that there was an abject failure on the coaching and yeah, I think it led to the dismissal of John Harbaugh. Steve Bisciotti was very clear that he didn’t want to have another disappointing year and that empty feeling and so he decided to make a change and now you have Jesse Minter. Hope springs eternal, “The King is dead. Long live the King.”

All right, here we go, Jesse Minter! He’s touted as being a guy who understands defense, but more importantly, he understands relationships, building those relationships and making sure guys understand their expectations. As a team and as an individual, as a unit and as an individual, as a collective group and as an individual.

So whether you’re receiving group, an offensive line group, D-line group, defensive back group, linebacker group, you guys are a collective of individuals that need to understand one another. Whether you’re a unit, defensive side of the ball, offensive side of the ball, special teams side of the ball, you got to understand your assignments and your roles. So collectively, that forms that team and hopefully Jesse Minter can get it done.

John Harbaugh’s firing and eventual move to New York

BV: And how did you feel when John Harbaugh was fired and immediately found a new home on the New York Giants?

Ismail: I think when you have a resume like John Harbaugh, a Super Bowl winning coach, a coach that has sustained excellence in the playoffs ― up until last season, really had a good strong track record of being competitive, and his teams typically are well prepared and all that ― you’re going to gain and garner the interest of other teams.

And obviously with the Giants, their failures to get a head coach to sustain their level of excellence when it comes to their organization and when it comes to how they like to do things, I think it was a no-brainer for them to figure out that John Harbaugh would be a good fit for them.

I think for the Ravens and my personal opinion and feelings, yeah, he was a good dude and I think that there’s nothing that I can say that he did bad to me or anything personal or anything along those lines. But I think that at some point in time, your message gets stale. And as the message gets stale, you’ve got to reinvent yourself. He did it, but I think that in his reinvention he missed the mark, and it showed up in so many ways, in season as well as in the offseason.

The expectations on Jesse Minter and the new coaching staff

BV: Like you said, he spent many years at the helm and before him there was Brian (Billick), who also spent a very long time at the helm of the Ravens. How confident are you in Jesse Minter now to have another long tenure as head coach?

Ismail: Well, Martin, the times that I’ve spent with him, it seems like he’s got it all together. And again, when I say all together, sure, he’s had his growing pains, his ability to kind of go through the fire, and that refiner’s fire, you get some impurities that come to the top, it gets wiped away and then you have a better person, better product.

I think for Jesse right now, it looks like, yeah, he’s able to navigate, if you will, some of the things that are going to be coming his way. And his staff, it looks like his staff is a really cool staff that he put together.

But I would say he’s like a new battleship. You know, when an admiral commissions a battleship and now it’s no longer on a dock and they send it into the water and there’s the buoyancy of it all and it’s like, “All right, that’s great.” Then the captain of the ship is in charge of it.

You got your first mate and you got all your officers and you got your different people who are in charge of the different things of running the ship. That’s great. But you’re not seaworthy until you really put yourself under the test. And whether it be some sort of conflict that you have to deal with or if it’s some sort of issue at sea with regards to weather, regardless, you’re not seaworthy yet until you’ve gone through those experiences and really tested it.

So right now, yeah, the honeymoon is great. I could say a whole bunch of great things about Jesse Minter, but until he goes into Pittsburgh and experiences that, or plays against Cincinnati and experiences that. The NFC South is the main core of their schedule that they’re going to be playing.

And so with that, okay, how are you going to do when you’re playing against those guys? What does it look like when you’re playing on prime time? What’s going to happen when you have your first critical decision to make and all those things with both him as well as his offensive coordinator and Declan Doyle. We’ll see.

BV: Apart from Harbaugh’s exit and Jesse Minter’s arrival, the Ravens now have Declan Doyle as offensive coordinator and Keary Colbert as the new wide receivers’ coach. How do you think these changes will affect Lamar Jackson this year?

Ismail: I’m curious to see how the Ben Johnson-Sean Payton molding will bring Declan into the conversation of working with Lamar Jackson. And what I saw last year with Caleb Williams and the way the Chicago Bears formulated their offense, it looked great, and he made some incredible plays. I loved the mixture of run and pass. I loved all of it. Declan had a huge hand in preparing the offense throughout the week. It was Ben who called the plays, but now Declan gets an opportunity to be the guy.

And so with the experiences of two strongminded offensive people in Sean Payton and in Ben Johnson in the back of his mind, I think that he’s going to serve the next iteration of the Lamar Jackson era really well.

And then yeah, his assistant coaches on his staff, the Keary Colberts of the world, I know they have their responsibilities of articulating his vision to, in this particular case, the receiving core. They’ve got a really good receiving core led by Zay Flowers.

Again, if you’re looking at Chicago’s offense, if I’m a receiver, I’m drooling, because I’m like, “All right. We’re gonna have some plays that are going to be pushing the ball down the football field.” We’ll have some quick game, but I like how we can run some routes and get an opportunity to make some big plays.

The lack of playoff success with Lamar Jackson

BV: And why do you think Lamar and the Ravens couldn’t succeed in the playoffs yet? What do you think they need to get over the hump once and for all?

Ismail: I think the elephant in the room… There has to be an unwillingness to waver off of what you do best. And I think in the playoffs, whatever the reason, coaching as well as execution, they seem to waver off of what they do best. And teams in the playoffs, they try to take away your strength.

Teams that win in the playoffs, literally, they’re the ones dictating their strength to you. Period. End of discussion. “Oh, you’re going to try to take this away. That’s great. Well, here we go. We’re about to show you why you cannot.”

And I think that’s something that the Ravens, in the Lamar Jackson era, have done at times. They have Tennessee at home, they don’t play well, Tennessee beats them. They go to Tennessee, they whoop up on Tennessee. Buffalo seems to be in an enigma, where you think that they’re going to play extremely well, but they make these critical mistakes and then in the end they don’t execute to win the game.

But they got there because why? They got past the divisional round or the wild card round by whooping up on the Pittsburgh Steelers. You’re a number one seed going up against the Kansas City Chiefs at home. You have an opportunity to just be you. You got a defense that is incredible. You got the number one ranked offense, number one ranked defense, and for the first time in history, the team that failed to get to the Super Bowl, let alone even winning it, you now have to hang that hat on you.

And so with Jesse Minter’s new offense, new defense, new way of doing things, yeah, I think he has to have a resolve that says “whatever we are, we’re going to be that when we get into the playoffs and we’re going to impose our will on the other team.“

Expectations for 2026

BV: The AFC has been very challenging for the Ravens all these years. How far do you think the Ravens will go this year considering all the changes in the conference?

Ismail: The AFC, yes, had been ruled by Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes. I think the shift overall, globally in the league, has been an interesting one where you’re seeing a kind of tipping back towards the defense. And Mike Macdonald is certainly one of the teams that you would say is ahead of the class. Obviously, what the Philadelphia Eagles did the year prior and whooping up on the Andy Reid-led Kansas City Chiefs certainly made the blueprint be evident.

I think bigger picture-wise, when you look at all those teams, whether it be the Broncos, whether it be the Patriots, whether it be, even the Bills to a certain degree, the Texans, they all have a defensive front that if you don’t run the football or if you don’t control the line of scrimmage with your upfront five and the pass protection ability of it and be accurate with the football, you’re going to have a long day. That’s just how it is.

And so I think for Jesse Minter, he’s going to implement some of those philosophies that we see across the AFC and across the NFC. I think that’s going to be great for this defense and I believe they’re going to give the offense an opportunity to have short fields. As opposed to always having to, you know, relinquish the ball and now you’ve got to go 70-80 yards. I think this team will be opportunistic. I think this team will be giving the Ravens offense a lot of short fields which is going to be advantageous to the team as a whole.

BV: Rushing was very important the year you won the Super Bowl. How important do you think that Derrick Henry will be, or that at least he should be this year for the Ravens?

Ismail: I think the running game and what Derrick Henry presents is just incredible. Top-notch. Unbelievable. And I say it because of this: Anytime you’re an offensive line and you’re having trouble when the wind blows and you’re trying to block air and you’re missing, that’s a problem. Let that sink in a little bit.

So I think this year with Declan Doyle, I think what he has is Dwayne Ledford, their offensive line coach, and I think Eric DeCosta by drafting Vega Ioane as a right guard, bringing in John Simpson as the left guard, still up for debate what it’s going to look like at center, but for running game purposes, if I am Derrick Henry, I’m like, “All right, bet. Here we go. We’re going to do some things.”

Now, they don’t have the traditional pullback any longer. They have let Pancake Pat Ricard go and they’re going to bring in a multi-look uh tight end group. But besides that, I think that yeah, it’s imperative that they run the football, run it effectively, and I think that they will.

The Lamar Jackson – Michael Jordan analogy

BV: And what do you think of Lamar running with the ball? Do you think that he should do it less, just to protect himself, or do you like when he suddenly scrambles and gains yards on his own?

Ismail: He’s the greatest dual-threat quarterback to ever play the game. So, why would I want to take a strength away from the greatest to ever do it? Did Michael Jordan set the tone early in his career by dominating at the rim? Yes. Did he change up from a longevity aspect of things and do his fadeaway jumper? Yes. Did he come back to dominating at the rim when he needed to? Absolutely.

My point in that analogy is this: Lamar Jackson early in his career did what he needed to do for his strength and for what the team needed. He has certainly evolved into the player that he is today. And I think the next phase of his game is to be like Jordan in that fadeaway jumper. What does that look like? Because you also need to have that dominant go to the rim style of play, too. That’s where I think I’m excited to see what it’ll look like in Declan Doyle’s offense.

BV: Would you have liked to play with Lamar?

Ismail: God, yes! Absolutely. In my career, I played with Warren Moon, Hall of Fame quarterback who in my mind I don’t ever remember him throwing a bad ball ever. I played the latter part of my career with Peyton Manning and that was an awesome thing as well from a pure, just let’s take advantage of the defense, period. Now, well, let’s go to the line of scrimmage and let’s have the entire playbook at our disposal and we’ll change the play so the defense can’t hone in on us. Those two quarterbacks were just incredible, incredible, incredible.

Now, if I were playing with Lamar, my goodness. I would absolutely love it. I think it would be amazing. I think the early iteration of Lamar where he was more leaning towards running the football rather than throwing it, I probably would pass on that.

But the Lamar Jackson that has, I don’t know how many perfect passer rating games he has, but I know he’s like, if not number one or at least top two of all time, I want to be a part of that. That guy who, man, he slings it, and he will find you.

I want to be a part of that guy and yeah, I want it where teams are so nervous that he’s going to run that you’re in man-to-man situations and let’s eat! As a receiver, you should be drooling because you know all you need to do is make one guy miss to have a big play on your hands.

Ismail’s experience playing with great QBs

BV: You recently mentioned Peyton Manning, you also overlapped with Brian Johnson and even Dan Marino during your stint with the Dolphins. What was your experience with them, and who was the one who impressed you the most?

Ismail: Hall of Fame wise, Warren Moon, I had a good amount of success with. Dan Marino, I wasn’t nowhere near in the conversation of playing on the team with him, he and my good friend OJ McDuffie had a really awesome connection. I mean, that was his guy and OJ was on point with it.

Dan was just incredible arm talent. I mean, say what you want about today’s quarterbacks, but Dan was doing it back in the day where you had to take some vicious hits as well as your receivers weren’t just running free wide open across the middle, because you had guys that were able to take your head off, and it was just a different game back then, but he thrived in it. So that to me says an awful lot.

I loved playing with Peyton. You can put yourself in a position where if it’s cover two and you got a man route, I mean, it’s easy to change it, but not many quarterbacks have the IQ to change it. Payton had the IQ to change it at a moment’s notice. So, I loved that about him. And it was just fun playing with him. Again, like I said with Warren, you just never had a bad ball and he was just fun. That was amazing, playing with him.

But you’re going to think, this is where my success was with two quarterbacks. One was Elvis Grbac and the other was Tony Banks. And both of those guys, while not Hall of Famers, like it felt great to have the moniker of being their go-to receiver, to being the number one threat and that playmaker for those guys. That to me was amazing. So yeah, I would say in my time, those people really stood out to me.

Analyzing the current game

BV: You recently mentioned some changes in regard to today’s quarterbacks. How much do you think the game has changed from your era to today? Not only at quarterback, but also at wide receiver.

Ismail: Quarterback, I mean, well, the rules are now where you just have so much more protection. You know, it used to be like a badge of honor to go across the middle, and you just get hit by the safety, and you kind of get up and brush yourself off, and your body is like, “Oh my goodness, I just got lit up. But I’m not going to let him know that.” And you just sit there and you try to be tough and you just got hit. Now you can go across the middle and you’re not going to get laid out and leveled like you did back in the day.

So yeah, I think the game has certainly changed. The press coverage, man-to-man coverage, the way it used to be compared to now, the defense will be defensive holding or defensive pass and interference. Although they have strengthened the pass interference as well, nowadays, oh man, I feel like this era of football resonates with me more than my era of football. I respect it.

I respect those guys, the numbers that they put up, you know, the Marvin Harrisons, the Chris Carters, the Jerry Rices, the Randy Mosses, the Isaac Bruces of the world. I mean, I’m naming some dudes right there. You know, those were my vintage of guys. And man, the numbers they put up were just incredible. The Michael Irvins of the world, they were ballers and just tough, tough, tough receivers, great route runners, smart players. For me, I felt like I would have played so much better and more aggressive in this style of football, in this era.

BV: And who are your favorite wide receivers today?

Ismail: I would say Jaxon Smith-Njigba just jumps off the page at me. I mean, he kind of has that old school style to him, you know? He just reminds me of some of those route runners that I just mentioned. He has a flair for the dramatic. He can just make catches, you know, kind of Larry Fitzgerald back in the day made catches for the Arizona Cardinals. You know, Jaxon Smith kind of looks like that guy who can do that.

I like Zay Flowers here at the Ravens. I think he’s a dynamic playmaking kind of a guy. The guys that came before this current group were the Julio Jones of the world, the Odell Beckham Jrs, the Andre Johnsons, the Reggie Waynes. I mean those dudes, I appreciate their game too. Those some big boy receivers that commanded the presence on the field, commanded the attention of the defense.

I think a guy who had a brief moment of fun in the sun if you will was AJ Brown for the Philadelphia Eagles. I appreciate his game. I kind of like DeVonta Smith, Smitty, as they like to call him up in Philadelphia. To me, the way he plays, with his stature and size, but his toughness and his just his smart football IQ and his ability to make catches. Like goodness, I really appreciate his game as well.

So yeah, there are some guys there that came before this era and then this current group of dudes, the Mike Evans of the world, the big, tall receiver that just year in and year out just shows up. I’m curious to see what he’s going to do with the 49ers, but he continually shows up. I like this group of receivers and what they bring to the table.

Ismail’s memories from Super Bowl XXXV

BV: What do you remember about Super Bowl 35? What did it mean to you, and how much did it forge your bond with the Ravens?

Ismail: That entire year was interesting. Interesting in this regard: it was one of the greatest years of my career, but it was the most challenging of my career.

I had the best teammates ever assembled on a team and it was led by Rod Woodson, Shannon Sharpe, and Ray Lewis. We had a mixed bag of just funny, eclectic, crazy dudes from the Tony Siragusa, the Sam Adams, offensively, Shannon Sharpe, we had just like a weird mix of dudes and it worked, and we had a coaching staff that just blended all of us together.

I think it was challenging for me as an individual because I came off of my first 1,000-yard receiving year. I was ready to do it again. We had to change at quarterback. Trent was a guy who was just going to manage the game. He wasn’t going to do anything outside of the game that was going to put the team in harm’s way, which is what we needed. Once Jamal Lewis got going, it was like, “yo, here’s our formula. Here’s what we’re going to do.”

But selfishly, I had a high grade two MCL sprain that really set me back as far as just my play, the ability for me to be a speedster and make big plays. While I did make plays, while I was the team’s leading receiver and all those things, my numbers weren’t where I wanted them to be and just my play overall, like I knew that, “man, I’m not at 100 because of this knee injury.” And I knew it, and it was frustrating, and it was tough, and it was hard, like recovery and everything. That year challenged me so much mentally. Yeah, it was the hardest year ever.

Yet there was something to say about going each and every game and just winning, and winning, and winning, and winning, and winning. And getting into the playoffs and winning, and winning, and winning, and hoisting up the AFC Championship Trophy out in Oakland and you’re looking around like, “Wait a minute. What’s next?” Oh, oh, we’re going to Tampa. We’re going down and we’re gonna be playing against the New York Giants. “Oh, wait a minute. They’re going to the Super Bowl?” Like I thought we were gonna play the Minnesota Vikings.

The jersey behind me is the jersey that I wore in the Super Bowl with the grass stains on it and all that. And I got the Wheaties box over here. You ain’t getting a Wheaties box as a runner up. You only get a Wheaties box if you win. So to be on it, to be a part of it, it was amazing. And yeah, got the hardware to show it. So fun, fun, fun, awesome group of men to win a championship with.

WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH QADRY ISMAIL ON BOLAVIP US:

According to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post, the Giants were unaware that Dart would make this appearance, and consider this situation as a “misstep” by the second-year quarterback.

“This was a misstep by Dart, in the eyes of the Giants,” Schwartz wrote. “This was not a Giants pep rally. There was no need for him to interject anything about his team. This was not the Giants Town Hall held a few days earlier, where talk of ‘kicking the Cowboys’ (expletive)’ was embraced, even by Harbaugh. There is a time and place for everything.“

The report claims that while Dart neither sought nor needed the Giants’ approval after receiving an invitation from Trump’s camp, the team would have advised him of two things: “1) be aware of the ramifications and 2) remember you are representing yourself and not the Giants.“

Jaxson Dart’s appearance made noise

Taking the stage at Rockland Community College in the New York metropolitan area, Dart greeted the crowd with “Big Blue Nation” and “Go Big Blue” references before presenting Trump as the “45th and 47th President of the United States,” with the President later referring to the 23-year-old as a “future Hall of Famer.”

Abdul Carter’s reaction on X immediately went viral, though teammates then made an effort to reduce the tension. Jermaine Eluemunor addressed Carter’s response to Dart, suggesting that the Giants’ locker room is “fine.”

Things cooled down even more when Carter himself downplayed the situation, revealing he and Dart are on good terms.

Not an ideal situation for the Giants in a year where they hope to make a statement in the NFC East, but with so many months to go before Week 1, perhaps all of this will be water under the bridge by September.

Bolavip got to ask Martino about the possibility of a reunion in Atlanta following his team’s 2-0 loss to Columbus Crew on Sunday.

“The truth is that I have a lot of affection for the group we worked with in Atlanta during 2017-18. Probably every player from that era who’s still active is something to watch, to pay attention to,” Martino responded to Bolavip during his postgame media availability.

“We haven’t sat down with the front office yet to know in which situation we find ourselves in. It’s a position where we already have Emmanuel Latte Lath as DP, we have other strikers in Cayman (Togashi) and Sergio Santos, and I also use Aleksei Miranchuk as striker,” added Martino, who left the door open for Martinez despite Atlanta’s current situation.

“Therefore, it’s a position that is already crowded with players, and today I shouldn’t have a positive answer. But well, I won’t rule it out because Josef is a natural-born goalscorer. He’s a player I know well and he’s active in an important league like the Mexican league.“

Josef Martinez reportedly hitting free agency

Earlier in the week, Felipe Cardenas of The Athletic reported that the Venezuelan striker has mutually parted ways with Liga MX side Club Tijuana, adding that Martinez would welcome a return to MLS.

Martinez, who turned 33 on May 19, has recorded only one goal in 9 appearances (one start) since moving to Mexico in January. That may explain why he could become a free agent during the upcoming World Cup break.

Martino, Atlanta have great memories of Josef Martinez

The Venezuelan’s connection with Martino and Atlanta may matter more than his recent numbers. Martinez played an instrumental role in the team’s 2018 MLS Cup win under Tata, winning both MLS MVP and Golden Boot with 35 goals in 38 games.

Martinez left an indelible mark in Atlanta, ending a five-year stint in 2022 with 111 goals in 158 appearances. He stayed in MLS, playing for Inter Miami (2023), CF Montreal (2024), and San Jose Earthquakes (2025) before trying his luck in Liga MX, but none of those teams saw him at his best like Atlanta did. Now it could be a good moment for one last dance.

“I think it’s no secret that we’ve been in communication with Robert,” Berhalter responded to Bolavip during his media availability after Chicago’s 2-0 road win over CF Montreal on Saturday.

“We think he’s a fantastic player. We think that they would be a great, a top pairing in this league. So you never know. I think there’s a lot still to be done, but we admire Robert, and we think he’s a fantastic player, one of the best strikers ever.“

Lewandowski confirms Barcelona exit

On Saturday, Lewandowski confirmed through a lengthy message on social media that he’s leaving Barcelona this summer.

“After four years full of challenges and hard work, it’s time to move on. I leave with the feeling that the mission is complete. 4 seasons, 3 championships. I will never forget the love I received from the fans from my very first days. Catalonia is my place on earth,” Lewandowski wrote.

“Thank you to everyone I met along the way during these beautiful four years. A special thank you to President Laporta for giving me the chance to live the most incredible chapter of my career. Barça is back where it belongs. Visca el Barça. Visca Catalunya.”

Set to turn 38 in August, Lewandowski will not play in the FIFA World Cup this summer as Poland failed to qualify for the tournament. But after more than a decade at the highest level of European soccer (Borussia Dortmund from 2010-14, Bayern Munich 2014-22, Barcelona 2022-26), he looks ready to start a new chapter elsewhere.

Chicago had been mentioned as a potential suitor for Lewy once his deal expired, and Berhalter had no problem in confirming that the interest is real.

Cuypers in excellent form for Chicago

The team is already in a great situation with Cuypers in amazing form, as the Belgian striker extended his scoring streak to 10 games by netting Chicago’s second goal in Montreal on Saturday.

Cuypers, 29, is currently leading MLS with 13 goals, boasting two more than Inter Miami star Lionel Messi and FC Dallas’ Petar Musa. Needless to say, an attacking duo of Cuypers-Lewandowski would give a massive boost to Chicago’s aspirations.

“Well, I’m sure he’s getting a lot of advice from his father (former USMNT manager Bob Bradley), and he’s got some great pedigree,” Berhalter said during his Thursday media availability.

“He probably doesn’t need my advice, but, you know, coaching is a journey, and he’s a smart guy, and for him, it’s just a continual journey to keep learning and keep improving.

“And if you could do that as a human being, as a coach, I think you’ll position yourself well. But it’s been fun watching him, really the first of this generation to get an opportunity to be a head coach in MLS, and it’s really nice to see,” Berhalter added.

When Bradley impressed Berhalter on the USMNT

Bradley was only 18 when he met Berhalter for the first time. Just a month before the 2006 World Cup, Bradley was invited to the USMNT training camp as the senior roster prepared for the big tournament in Germany.

Eventually, Berhalter went on to coach the US national team and in 2018-2019 overlapped with Bradley, who captained the Stars and Stripes in 48 of his 151 international caps.

“I remember the 2006 World Cup, he was joining the team to train with us before we left for Germany, and I sat next to him at one dinner and I remember just talking to him and hearing from him and, at that time, he was wise beyond his years,” Berhalter said in 2023 when Bradley announced his retirement from soccer.

Bradley still taking first steps as a coach

After hanging up his boots, Bradley served as an assistant to his father Bob at Stabæk Fotbal. His first head coaching came with the New York Red Bulls II, leading them to their first-ever MLS Next Pro championship in 2025.

That earned him a promotion to the MLS team after a tough year in which it missed the playoffs. The NYRB are still a work in progress under Bradley, sitting 11th in the Eastern Conference with 12 points in 11 games.

Berhalter, on the other hand, is looking to build on Chicago’s playoff run from last year as his side sits fourth in the East with 17 points in 10 games. This, in addition to his experience on the managerial role, makes Berhalter’s advice useful for a young coach like Bradley, who’s navigating a challenging start in MLS.