KICK OFF
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GIO REYNA, WHO WE NOW ALL FEEL BAD FOR
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Pour one out for Gio Reyna, who was thought to be THE guy at Borussia Monchengladbach, a dude handed a second chance by a coach who insisted that he was happy to have him. Well, that coach just got fired. Should we be happy about a coach getting the sack after three games at the helm? Not at all, but Erik Ten Hag was booted by Bayer Leverkusen a few days before, so it’s all fair. For Reyna, it’s time for another new manager, another new system, and another new problem. GOAL is starting to feel bad for the guy.
Hindle: “This can be a ruthless game, and, whatever you might think about the relative quality of a head coach, three games is simply too short of a span to make such a rash decision. Seoane, surely, deserved more time. Not that any of this is Reyna's to control. In fact, this is painfully out of his hands. And in that light feels especially unfair. Reyna took a risk leaving Borussia Dortmund. He moved for a football project that was supposed to revive his career. And now, the central figure in that project has been ousted. That Reyna revolution - such as it was - is under threat after just one start.”
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WHAT IS IT ABOUT SERIE A?
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Is it a coincidence that CONCACAF’s best players call Serie A home? No, like, genuinely think about it: Christian Pulisic, Jonathan David, Santi Gimenez, Weston McKennie… all of them are in the Italian top flight. More CONCACAF stars start in Serie A than in any other big five European league. Why? Is it circumstance, guys chasing money? Is it ownership, with Serie A practically begging for American investment? Or is it the fact that Serie A is gritty and tactically flexible, and maybe that’s just what North America is really good at? GOAL looked at the allure of the Italian league.
Hindle: “Jonathan David could've had his pick of clubs. Serie A was the league he chose. And that's no coincidence. It represents something of a trend in North American soccer. More players from CONCACAF's big three nations - the United States, Mexico and Canada - play in Serie A than any other top five European league, including the likes of David, Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah and Santi Gimenez. What began in the mid 1990s with Alexi Lalas has expanded over the years, and with a bulk of the U.S. and Canada's best players now featuring for Italian clubs, only seems set to continue.”
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THE KID FROM DALLAS WHO WAS BIGGER THAN MESSI
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When he was 18, Lee Nguyen was a pretty good footballer from Dallas, on the precipice of a European career. But in Vietnam, he was, well, everything. He played against Lionel Messi at the 2005 U20 World Cup. And in the Vietnamese papers, only one guy made headlines (and he wasn’t from the Barcelona academy). Nguyen’s career was a whirlwind: clubs in the Netherlands, Denmark, Vietnam, MLS, Vietnam (again). He’s now coaching, and enjoying it. But he still gets spotted in Vietnam. GOAL profiled a player the “streets” will never forget.
Hindle: “Messi has the fame associated with being the greatest footballer of all time. Nguyen, meanwhile, is still recognized - his playing career now over - as perhaps the best player of Vietnam descent to ever kick a ball. He played in the Vietnamese league for three years, and MLS for eight more. Toss in a European and college stint, and his journey has been captivating - if not as successful as Messi’s magnificence.”
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PAXTEN AARONSON MADE THE MOVE MOST TOLD HIM NOT TO
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Paxten Aaronson is 22. He’s a good footballer, on the bubble of the USMNT. This summer seemed a big one for him. He was good at Utrecht, but never likely to make it at his parent club, Frankfurt. Most would have looked for a move elsewhere in Europe. Aaronson decided to go to Colorado in MLS. A few eyebrows were raised. What could the Rapids offer him, outside of a decent payday? Well, there’s something to be said for being a big fish in a small(er) pond. GOAL’s Ryan Tolmich talked to Aaronson about his decision.
Tolmich: “Fans don't always see athletes' careers through the same lens. They often want players to be challenged, to deal with the pressures of Europe, to test themselves to help maximize their talent. In Colorado, Aaronson faces a new kind of pressure. With the Rapids, Aaronson can no longer be just a guy. He has to be THE guy. He's no longer fighting for a place. He's fighting to prove that he can be a star attraction."
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GERMAN AMERICANS WHO ARE UP NEXT
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Damion Downs and Noahkai Banks aren’t the first dual-nationals to play for the USMNT. They certainly won’t be the last. But they are alike in many ways. They’re both, basically, still kids, good enough to crack the U.S. squad, and hoping to work themselves into the XI for the World Cup. They are also both in unfamiliar territory. Germany is home, but the U.S. is on their chest. Tolmich talked to the duo about forging a fast friendship with the USMNT.
Tolmich: “Both, admittedly, are still settling in. Downs, fresh off a USMNT breakthrough at the Gold Cup, recently joined Southampton in a huge move on the club level. Banks, meanwhile, is fighting for his own breakthrough at Augsburg in the Bundesliga. On the international level, both have legitimate paths towards a World Cup in positions. September, then, might just have been the first of many moments alongside one another for the USMNT's newest German-Americans, who have much in common. Both are shy, but both have stories to tell as they begin to write their chapters with the USMNT.”
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ONE WEEK OF UCL, MANY, MANY MORE TO GO
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Right, so who wins this thing? PSG absolutely obliterated Inter in the Champions League final last year. Surely that makes them faves this year, yeah? Well, it’s not quite that simple. There are, as it turns out, some bloody good teams in Europe. And even if the first week of UCL football didn’t yield any immense surprises, there are still movers and shakers as the group phase gets going (spoiler: Madrid might not be that good). GOAL’s Mark Doyle
delivered the UCL power rankings.
Doyle: "What a statement of intent! Paris Saint-Germain began the defence of their title without a couple of key players from last year's final rout of Inter - but Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue weren't missed at all. Bradley Barcola and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia weren't both brilliant in the 4-0 demolition of Atalanta - and the same goes for Luis Enrique's fantastic full-backs Nuno Mendes and Achraf Hakimi. While the Club World Cup could claim more injury victims over the course of the season, PSG have serious strength in depth and are also in the enviable position of being able to regularly rest players due to the fact that Ligue 1 is so easy for them. Bottom line: PSG are very well-placed to win a second consecutive Champions
League."
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PLAY GOAL8 |
So there’s this thing called GOAL8. What you do is pick a bunch of scorelines for games that are randomly generated by our very clever machine known as the internet. Eight games, eight scorelines. Get all eight correct and there’s a $100,000 on the line. Last week, I was rubbish. I picked three correct winners (OUT OF EIGHT!!), and got just one margin of victory right, all for 60 meager points. Anyway, here goes for this week:
And it gets BETTER, because you can join a league and COMPETE against ME (!) HERE (!!)
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WHAT THEY SAID |
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VIDEO REVIEW |
Yeah, Hugo Lloris totally meant this...
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HOUSE OF GOAL IS HERE |
BREAKING NEWS: GOAL is hosting an event in New York City this weekend. We will spend two whole days watching Premier League football, drinking Modelo, and gorging on proper English pies (trust me, guys, they’re good!) There will also be five-a-side footy, a LIVE episode of The Rondo podcast, and PLENTY of other entertainment. The good news is that it’s free and there are STILL a few tickets remaining for Saturday and Sunday. Join us!
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AROUND THE GROUNDS |
A few other things you need to know to impress your pals at the bar, ruin your social feed or generally be a snob about this sport:
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CHECKING THE MONITOR |
What do you do when your team concedes a last-second winner away from home? If you’re Diego Simeone, the answer is “fight the fans.” Nice one, Diego.
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THE RONDO TOPIC OF THE WEEK
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We asked fans to rage bait us. This went well.
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MATCHES NOT TO MISS |
Sept. 20: Premier League, Liverpool vs. Everton, 7:30 a.m. - USA Network
Sept. 20: Premier League, Man United vs. Chelsea, 12:30 p.m. - USA Network
Sept. 20: MLS, Inter Miami vs. D.C. United, 7:30 p.m. ET - Apple TV+
- Sept. 21: Premier League, Arsenal vs. Manchester City, 11:30 a.m. - Peacock
That’s all for this edition of The Rondo. Irritate me directly with questions/comments/insights/incorrect opinions @tom_Hindle_
Cheers for reading!
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