KICK OFF
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A DESERVED BALLON D’OR FOR DEMBELE?
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We promise that we won’t beat this thing to death. But the Ballon d’Or is a once-a-year thing, and people care. So, Dembele won it, besting Lamine Yamal. This seems like a nice story. Dembele was an immense talent who was lost for a while, wandering the post-apocalyptic, dystopian wasteland of Barcelona after Messi left. Then PSG snatched him and things steadily improved. Last year, Dembele totaled 35 goals and 16 assists in all competitions. He also put in some elite defensive work for a team that won a treble and broke a Champions League curse. Yamal might be a better pure footballer, but it’s hard to argue with resume. GOAL’s Sean Walsh outlined why the voters ultimately made the right choice - even if Yamal’s time will come.
Walsh: “Luis Enrique's side will be remembered for years to come for their tiki taka-lite style based on fluidity and slick possession football, and at the forefront of their success has been Dembele. With the Ballon d'Or now judged on a seasonal basis - as should have always been the case, thank you, France Football - it is a campaign that has logically concluded with Dembele lifting the prestigious Golden Ball in his homeland.”
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CHRISTIAN PULISIC, BALLIN’ LIKE CRAZY
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Don’t lie. You don’t really watch Serie A. It’s a frustrating league, frightfully slow and defensive. This is not the place you look for out-and-out attacking football. Instead, it's for the nerds, the chronically online lot who enjoy breaking down the defense that Max Allegri sets up in (OK, it’s me). There are a load of good players there. And right now, Christian Pulisic is one of the best. His attacking numbers over the past two seasons are second only to Lautaro Martinez, and Allegri seems to be getting the best out of the American. Watch this space, because this could be Pulisic’s best year yet. GOAL took a look at Pulisic’s strong start, and what it could mean for the USMNT in a World Cup year.
Hindle: “Yes, it’s early in the season. Yes, Milan aren’t weighed down by European football. And yes, new manager Max Allegri has rotated with glee. But Pulisic is pacing this squad, enjoying the best start to a season of his career, and putting the memories of a beleaguered summer behind him.”
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THAT KLINSMANN KID WHO COULD GET HIS USMNT SHOT
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Admit it, you forgot about Jonathan Klinsmann. He’s the coach’s son, the guy who makes the cut because of his dad. He will never make it in the USMNT, not really. Not so fast? Klinsmann was out of the U.S. side for years. He wasn’t even playing for his club teams. In 2024, though, he joined Cesena, then of Serie C. It seemed to be last-chance saloon. But they have since been promoted, and Klinsmann got a deserved U.S. call up. GOAL’s Ryan Tolmich caught
up with the goalie, who at 28, might just be getting started.
Tolmich: “Klinsmann's story, generally, is one of a player chasing opportunities that never really went his way. Not until now, at least. He's seized his chance with Cesena in Italy. That earned him a opportunity with the USMNT earlier this month. That's how he sees things now - as an opportunity. Finally, at age 28, Klinsmann is beginning develop into the player he always wanted to be. Does that result in more USMNT chances going forward? Perhaps, perhaps not. But, after rejoining the USMNT this month, it's worth dreaming.”
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PREDICTING FUTURE BALLON D’OR WINNERS, ALREADY
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Time to move on, then. Thanks for the memz, Dembele. Congrats on the award. Now, who’s next? This is the stuff we want: the projections, the takes, the cursory analysis. We won’t know who is even in the running for the next Ballon d’Or until January. It will likely be shaped by 2026 World Cup success, too. But let's look ahead, anyway. And why just next year? GOAL’s Mark Doyle predicted the next 10 winners.
Doyle: “Lamine Yamal won his second consecutive Kopa Trophy on Monday night, while at the same time finishing as runner up in the men's Ballon d'Or vote to Ousmane Dembele. This is not normal, of course. The kid is still only 18, which makes us think that we're witnessing the dawning of a new era of domination by a single player. Indeed, Yamal's prodigious talent has already provoked predictions that the winger anointed Lionel Messi's heir - even by the man himself - might even surpass the Argentine's historic haul of eight Ballons d'Or."
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A THRILLING VERSION OF THE GAME YOU LOVE
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Some are discovered via Facebook (there’s an old sentence). A few are brought in by word of mouth. But they all come to the game somehow, hundreds breaking into the world of amputee soccer, a seven-a-side version of the game. It’s a wonderful world, full of bicycle kicks, volleys and quick movement. But it’s also defined by its individual stories, players born without a leg or an arm who routinely represent the national team in World Cups. GOAL looked at the
captivating amputee soccer scene that is only growing in the U.S.
Hindle: “There are myriad barriers to playing the game: race, socioeconomic status, gender tend to be the obvious ones. But what if you’re an athlete with a disability? Well, amputee soccer has an answer, and it’s only becoming more pronounced.”
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CAN MLS AND USL COEXIST IN THE SAME CITY?
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You’ve probably heard of FC Dallas. They are an MLS club with a fine heritage, a couple of U.S. Open Cups and countless playoff appearances over the years. They are also a talent factory, giving rise to some of the best players in American soccer. Well, a USL club is also coming to the area. FC Dallas are buried in the suburbs. Atletico Dallas come from the streets. GOAL reported on how two clubs can coexist in the same market.
Hindle: “FC Dallas play in the sparkling suburbs, nearly 40 miles from the city. Atletico Dallas, meanwhile, forges its identity in the streets. Their team, they hope, will be packed full of locals, kids that grew up on blacktops and searing sun, shuffled into a first team of adoring fans. A massive metropolitan area, they insist, needs a second team that represents the core of the city.”
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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 did OK. I guessed four out of eight scores correctly, and got the goal difference right on all four (my genius knows no boundaries). Here goes for this week…
Brentford 2-1 Man United
Bournemouth 2-0 Leeds
Atletico Madrid 1-3 Real Madrid
Monchengladbach 1-3 Frankfurt
New York Red Bulls 1-2 NYCFC
Nashville 3-1 Houston Dynamo
LAFC 2-0 St. Louis City
FC Cincinnati 3-1 Orlando City
Join a league and COMPETE against ME (!) HERE (!!)
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WHAT THEY SAID |
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VIDEO REVIEW |
Google “stayed hit” and this probably comes up.
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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 |
A baffled Arne Slot looks at Hugo Ekitike, who got a second yellow for taking his shirt off after scoring a winner against Championship club Southampton. We think it’s funny. The rest of the world did not.
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THE RONDO TOPIC OF THE WEEK
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How much of what you know about footballers is a complete lie? We asked an MLS legend.
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MATCHES NOT TO MISS |
Sept. 27: Premier League, Liverpool vs. Crystal Palace, 10 a.m. - Peacock
Sept. 27: LaLiga, Atletico Madrid vs. Real Madrid, 10:15 a.m. - ESPN+
Sept. 27: Serie A, Juventus vs. Atlanta, noon ET - CBS
Sept. 28: Premier League, Arsenal vs. Newcastle, 11:30 a.m. - USA
- Sept. 28: Serie A, Milan vs. Napoli, 2:45 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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