KICK OFF |
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HERE’S YOUR WORLD CUP STARTER PACK
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It’s less than six months out for the World Cup, and we can’t shut up about it. In a way, America is depending on it. To be fair, the panic is a bit much. All World Cups are good in some way. They all mean something to their country. Every nation, no matter what, benefits from them. There will be more soccer fans in the United States because of this big, slightly bloated 48-team thing. BUT where do you start? How do you even explain it? Break it down? Before you can talk about the pressing structure of New Calendonia, you probably need to know what the tournament is, and how it works. If you’re a new fan to the sport, we’ve got you covered…
Hindle & Tolmich: “World Cups are about teams, but they're also about star power. From Pelé in 1958 to Diego Maradona in 1986, Kylian Mbappe in 2018 and Lionel Messi in 2022, the tournament has been a forum to seal greatness. This is a strange generation in that sense. Messi, for so long, was the guy who could never win it, but by leading Argentina to a title in 2022, sealed his reputation for good. Everything else now feels like a bonus for the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner.”
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INTER MIAMI, WHO KEEP BUYING EVERYONE
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What do you do when you win MLS Cup? Some might rest on their laurels or stick with the same guys. Let’s run it back, eh, lads? Well, that sometimes leads to a little regression. Running in place in sports is dangerous because everyone else tends to catch up. Inter Miami, then, have gone for the hyper-upgrade. Yet instead of adding the big stars, they’ve invested in a number of shrewd signings who will, no doubt, make the best team in MLS a little bit better. Smart stuff, and GOAL talked to people around the club on why they’re going to run it back…
Hindle: “After winning MLS Cup last year, Miami have retooled to a frightening degree. They lost two franchise cornerstones in Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets, and have used that money - and more - to go big. A plethora of expensive signings and a few smarter moves have seen the best team in Major League Soccer get even better. On paper, they look close to unstoppable.”
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THE MOST IMPORTANT OFFSEASON OF YOUR CAREER
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Breaks are nice. This is the bit for MLS players where they get to chill a little. One of the benefits of playing in the North American league is its offseason, two pure months without football. There’s room to train individually, or maybe, even - and yes, this is allowed - not run relentlessly for 90 minutes, three times per week. Of course, they’re taken seriously. But this one might mean a little more, if only because there are World Cup spots on the line. So, how have USMNT hopefuls spent the last few months? GOAL’s Ryan Tolmich asked them to find out…
Tim Ream, to Tolmich: “You have an understanding of who your opponents are, what the friendlies are, what that final push looks like. You can't look too far ahead, though. You have to be back doing the things you need to do in the offseason to prepare for preseason and then, obviously, going into a World Cup. It's more about focusing on what the whole year is and what that looks like. It's nice to wrap your head around that, but you can't start without looking at what you have right in front of you. Mentally, it's great, but what do you have to do to get to that point? That's where I think a lot of guys are at right now.”
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WE KNOW WHO IS GOING TO WIN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
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Nine months ago, when this newsletter first graced the world with its presence, there was a story about the Champions League and its favorites. One club out of contention, this author argued, was PSG. Well, they went and won the thing. So what do we really know here? Then again, that’s the fun of “takes”, right? We don’t really know anything, but it’s great to act like you do - at least sometimes. With that, here’s GOAL’s updated Champions League power rankings. Sure, Arsenal are at the top, and oh my, PSG are slipping again…
Mark Doyle: “It's difficult not to be a little perturbed by PSG's recent displays. They've looked tired at times, which is understandable after such a gruelling schedule in 2025, and it's no coincidence that they're in real danger of missing out on automatic qualification for the last 16.”
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EMMA HAYES HAS A LOT OF GOOD FOOTBALLERS
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Right, Emma Hayes. We like her, yeah? She’s the Brit who went to America, came back, went to America again, and is now coaching the USWNT and making it all look relatively easy. Sure, she should get most of the credit. But it sure helps when you have a wonderful group of athletes at your disposal. You can only coach what you’ve got… and Hayes has, well, a lot to work with. But for the sake of argument, who’s the best player in the pool? Is it Trinity Rodman, who dealt with injuries in 2025, yet is still brilliant? Is it Rose Lavelle, who is scoring for fun? Or is Naomi Girma leading the way? GOAL’s Celia Balf ranks the top 10…
Balf: “As the USWNT opens 2026 with January friendlies in Southern California and the SheBelieves Cup looming in March, attention is increasingly turning to November’s CONCACAF W Championship - the gateway to World Cup qualification. With roles still being defined and the depth chart in flux, the internal pecking order has never been more interesting.”
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TAI BARIBO IS THE NEW FACE OF D.C. UNITED
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There’s no good way to spin it: D.C. United were the worst team in MLS last year. They were, at times, woefully bad, lacking at both ends of the pitch. They won five games all year(!!) It was tough to watch - even as a neutral. Well, they’ve responded by spending, retooling, and trying to get something going. And the early pieces look quite good. Chief among the money spent is a cool $4 million on former Philadelphia Union striker Tai Baribo. He’s a fascinating guy, someone with a tricky past driven by an immense self-belief and absolutely bloody adamant that he can score a bunch of goals. GOAL profiled the guy who wants to take D.C. to new heights…
Hindle: “D.C. United offered the most compelling pitch. In fact, they ticked all three boxes in a way that no other club indicated they could. And so, the Nation’s Capital club believes it has found a new face of the franchise. Baribo finally has his forum to be the undisputed star. And in a team that has indicated by transfer activity alone that it intends to compete, it might just be a perfect match.”
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VIDEO REVIEW |
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A woeful penalty that is worth watching again. What are you doing, Brahim Diaz?
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AROUND THE GROUNDS |
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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 |
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Shoutout to Marseille for the wonderful TIFO before their game vs. Liverpool. Get it because the Beatles are from Liverpool?
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POSTMATCH HIGHLIGHTS |
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Wanna play a World Cup game? So do we…
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MATCHES NOT TO MISS |
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January 24: Premier League, Liverpool vs. Bournemouth, 12:30 p.m. — USA Network
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January 24: La Liga, Real Madrid vs. Villarreal, 3 p.m. — ESPN+
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January 25: Champions League, Man United vs. Arsenal, 11:30 a.m. — Peacock
- January 25: Serie A, Juventus vs. Napoli, 12 p.m. — Paramount+
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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