USWNT stick the landing

BY TOM HINDLE / GOAL US STAFF WRITER

Welcome to another edition of The Rondo, GOAL's weekly newsletter for U.S. soccer fans. There’s a bit of everything: stories that matter, insightful coverage, and the best - and sometimes funniest - of the beautiful game, right into your inbox.

Happy Halloween. Soccer is spooky. This sport can be frightful, defined by its jump scares, surprises, twists and turns. Sometimes, it’s just gore, like Liverpool fans watching from behind the sofa as their team lose six out of seven. It can also be a psychological thriller, as was the case for Barcelona and Real Madrid fans who experienced a horribly tense Clasico. Often, it’s just a freak show of a game, like the back and forth of MLS playoffs. And then this week, the scariest thing of them all: Lionel Messi decided to give an interview. Has anything been more appropriate to mark All Hallows' Eve?

Here’s what you need to know, and some stuff you really don’t… but will enjoy anyway.

KICK OFF

USWNT COMPLICATE THINGS, BUT STICK THE LANDING

So, regarding the whole rhetoric pushed by this writer about the USWNT being the most convincing thing in American soccer? Yeah, that aged well. Emma Hayes picked a full strength(ish) squad for a trio of friendlies, and swiftly lost the first game to an underwhelming Portugal. They rebounded in short order, in fairness, winning their next two games by a combined score of 9-1. So, where does that leave everyone in the player pool? Certainly, Lily Yohannes impressed. But that could be bad news for the veteran Lindsey Heaps. GOAL’s Ryan Tolmich broke down the state of the team.

Tolmich: “It's getting harder to label Lily Yohannes as 'next instead of 'right now. Even at 18, Yohannes doesn't just look like a USWNT player; she looks like a USWNT starter, and it might be time to acknowledge that fact. She just makes everything look so easy, from long passes to receiving the ball in tight spaces. That level of technicality isn't supposed to be easy. To the contrary, it should take years to develop and refine. And just as amazing, Yohannes is still learning."

GIO REYNA KEEPS GETTING IN HIS OWN WAY

We really should encourage athletes to speak up. It’s good for them and good for sports. These people have opinions, and, within reason, should express them. Unless they’re just being very silly. Gio Reyna is Exhibit A of when it’s best to abstain. The American is still a controversial figure in the U.S. for his antics at the 2022 World Cup. He was asked about just that last week, and instead of brushing off the question, apologizing, or doing literally anything but answer it, he decided to point fingers. Seriously, mate, just say “I. Am. Sorry.” It’s not that hard. GOAL intellectualized a very silly comment.

Hindle: “There are hundreds of better replies. Most of them would probably start with some version of "I'm sorry." Or at least don't take the bait, pass on the answer. But once again, he pinned the blame elsewhere. This was a chance to close a chapter of sorts, to look towards the future, for a great talent of U.S. soccer to rebuild his image. Instead, Reyna only reinforced the public perception - fair or not - that this is a character who lacks the maturity and accountability. Not the spot to be in with the 2026 World Cup less than eight months away."

GETTING NERDY OVER THE USMNT

You can tune this bit out if you don’t like numbers. But this is a fluid game that is hard to pin down. Soccer isn’t stat heavy, compared to other sports. It’s also really hard to make anything out of the minutiae behind it (unless you are a true intellectual like this writer). Yet there are certainly some numbers to pace it all, and if you feel the need to get just a little bit argumentative about, say, the relative finishing ability of Folarin Balogun, then there’s a slew of data. Tolmich did just that, taking a look at the underlying numbers for Americans Abroad - a collection of data that proves, in totality, that these guys might be quite good…

Tolmich: “But in limited time last season, he rebounded to score four goals in 615 minutes, putting him right back at .59. This season, in 419 minutes, Balogun has netted twice while also providing an assist, putting him at .43 goals per 90 and .64 goal contributions per 90. What does that mean? It says that his USMNT performances aren't outliers."

LIONEL MESSI AND SPEAKING UP

Lionel Messi doesn’t do enough media, right? Like seriously, this guy should really just say more things, because we all need him to say stuff and thus change the course of soccer. Of course, some athletes don’t like to talk. If you’re Messi, you don’t really need to. Well, since signing a new contract in Miami, he has given two (!!) interviews. Most of his words have been exquisite PR. But he made something of a serious-ish statement, suggesting that MLS clubs should be allowed to spend as much money as they want. It’s hardly a revolutionary thought, but for Messi, it’s a step out of the ordinary. GOAL opined on why Messi’s rare words could yet make a difference.

Hindle: “This is a tired point, to a large degree, and Messi isn't the first to make it. MLS probably should do something about its salary cap rules. But Messi's claim here doesn't read like a careful consideration of financial markets, or the general state of American soccer or flag-waving for the best interests of all 30 MLS teams. Rather, this sounded an awful lot like a footballer who wants his own way, a player who doesn't talk, speaking up to push for the kind of signings he wants. The funny thing? Now might actually be the time for MLS to listen."

DAVID WAGNER IS MORE THAN JURGEN KLOPP’S BEST MATE

There is change afoot in Red Bull soccer. Jurgen Klopp stepped up as head of global football at the start of the year, and has steadily gone about repositioning the handful of clubs worldwide. One of his biggest moves? Hire a journeyman manager - who was also the best man at his wedding - to a key role. David Wagner is head of youth development at RB Leipzig. But he’s also a seasoned coach who played for the USMNT. GOAL talked to Wagner about his journey, coaching style, and why America is the next frontier of talent.

Hindle: “He has coached in the Champions League, Europa League, Premier League, Bundesliga, Swiss Super League, 3. Liga. and English Championship. But in July, it was time for a change of pace. His time as a player ended in 2006. He has been in head coaching roles since 2011. And when lifelong friend Klopp started a high-profile job as head of gobal soccer for Red Bull on Jan. 1, a natural opportunity opened up. Red Bull, under the tutelage of one of the greats, with a fine academy to work with, was an easy sell.”

GOALKEEPER MATT FREESE’S RAPID RISE

Less than a year ago, Matt Turner was still the USMNT’s No.1. Remember those days? Well, times are different now, and there’s a new lanky guy in net. Matt Freese grabbed the position in full, and after a few memorable showings at the Gold Cup, looks every bit an international-caliber starting goalie. That’s a big statement, and also a big responsibility, if you play for the USMNT, which prides itself on developing goalies. But Freese has taken on that challenge. It’s something he talked to Tolmich about in an exclusive interview.

Freese, to Tolmich: “There hasn't been a lot of time for reflecting. It's not even that I've been so busy that I haven't been able to physically take time to reflect on it. It's that I've chosen not to reflect on it much. I probably won't really think or reflect on these moments and a lot of these accomplishments, if you can call them that, until I'm 41 and done playing. I want to play until I reach 40. I want to accomplish a lot of things before then. I'm not patting myself on the back before the job is done, and that job isn't going to be done for another 13 or 14 years.”

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 scores. Get them all correct and there’s a $100,000 on the line. Last week, I posted a miserable 40 points (I’m rubbish at this thing). Here goes for this week…