Looking forward to watching the Barcelona @ PSG match next week (noon PDT Tue. 10/20, I think). I still don't have Paramount+ sluggo, but if that remains the only option, I'll either get it or watch someplace in SF that is showing it. I don't have a dog in this fight, but this is soccer at its very highest level on both sides.

At a much lower level, but of significance to the USMNT's 2030 cycle, Peyton Miller had a great match for the New England Revolution in their 3-2 road victory against Cincinnati, allowing the Revs to clinch a MLS playoff spot (which... ok, that's not worth much).

Miller played mostly right wing instead of the left wing that he usually plays for the Revs, though he switched to the left at times. He had two assists. The first one a good cross after being played into space down the right wing. Good first touch and then nice decision to pick out the trailer on the cross (lead guy may have been offside at first). The second assist was a thing of beauty, cutting inside on a slashing diagonal run from the right (showing decent on-ball skills I haven't really noticed in him) before playing an exquisite through ball for New England's third goal (ruled barely onside by VAR after initially being ruled off). Miller also had a nice header (from the left wing) on a cross that required a great save from the Cincy goalie (not Celentano who maybe had the day off?).

Of course the issue is that Miller probably won't be playing wing for the senior USMNT. We need him at outside back. It didn't look like either of the Cincy goals were his fault, and he had at least one good headed clearance on a cross. Speaking of fault, Cincy's first goal may have been Brooklyn Raines' fault, late to track a charging Cincy back as he ran onto a high bouncing throw-in that got past the forward and the defender locked at the edge of the box.



In other games, I'm curious how Cavan Sullivan and Neil Pierre looked in Philadelphia Union's come-from-behind 3-1 road win over Chicago over the whole match. I noticed that all of Philly's goals came in the second half with Chicago down to 10 men. From the highlights, C Sullivan did have an excellent assist and also a decent near post header off a free kick that was saved. It looked like the Chicago goal was off a cross by C Sullivan's man who he tracked too late (like Raines above). The Chicago scorer was not Pierre's responsibility.

Sullivan did have the speculative long through ball that led a Chicago defender to take down the Philly forward (Iloski) and get a red card. May have been a little harsh and obviously had a huge impact on the second half. Sullivan also had a nice long reversal to his brother Quinn for a good second half chance, and his assist was on a good give-and-go down the left side rather than right, then a cross. Great play even to initiate the give-and-go with a controlled header off a long switch of play. Pierre seemed solid except for one over-commit late that almost led to a Chicago pulling one back (Philly goalie saved it). Regardless, Philly now has something like 12 wins, 2 draws and no losses in their last 14 MLS matches since Richter took over. Announcer said 8 wins in a row.

Justin Ellis did not play in Orlando's 3-3 draw on the road at Toronto - reports are that Ellis is dealing with an 'ailment', not sure if related to the injury he suffered against Canada in the friendly. Adri Mehmeti and Julian Hall's Red Bull New York lost at DC United 2-1.

OneKeg said:

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Looking forward to watching the Barcelona @ PSG match next week (noon PDT Tue. 10/20, I think). I still don't have Paramount+ sluggo, but if that remains the only option, I'll either get it or watch someplace in SF that is showing it. I don't have a dog in this fight, but this is soccer at its very highest level on both sides.

At a much lower level, but of significance to the USMNT's 2030 cycle, Peyton Miller had a great match for the New England Revolution in their 3-2 road victory against Cincinnati, allowing the Revs to clinch a MLS playoff spot (which... ok, that's not worth much).

Miller played mostly right wing instead of the left wing that he usually plays for the Revs, though he switched to the left at times. He had two assists. The first one a good cross after being played into space down the right wing. Good first touch and then nice decision to pick out the trailer on the cross (lead guy may have been offside at first). The second assist was a thing of beauty, cutting inside on a slashing diagonal run from the right (showing decent on-ball skills I haven't really noticed in him) before playing an exquisite through ball for New England's third goal (ruled barely onside by VAR after initially being ruled off). Miller also had a nice header (from the left wing) on a cross that required a great save from the Cincy goalie (not Celentano who maybe had the day off?).

Of course the issue is that Miller probably won't be playing wing for the senior USMNT. We need him at outside back. It didn't look like either of the Cincy goals were his fault, and he had at least one good headed clearance on a cross. Speaking of fault, Cincy's first goal may have been Brooklyn Raines' fault, late to track a charging Cincy back as he ran onto a high bouncing throw-in that got past the forward and the defender locked at the edge of the box.

In other games, I'm curious how Cavan Sullivan and Neil Pierre looked in Philadelphia Union's come-from-behind 3-1 road win over Chicago over the whole match. I noticed that all of Philly's goals came in the second half with Chicago down to 10 men. From the highlights, C Sullivan did have an excellent assist and also a decent near post header off a free kick that was saved. It looked like the Chicago goal was off a cross by C Sullivan's man who he tracked too late (like Raines above). The Chicago scorer was not Pierre's responsibility.

Sullivan did have the speculative long through ball that led a Chicago defender to take down the Philly forward (Iloski) and get a red card. May have been a little harsh and obviously had a huge impact on the second half. Sullivan also had a nice long reversal to his brother Quinn for a good second half chance, and his assist was on a good give-and-go down the left side rather than right, then a cross. Great play even to initiate the give-and-go with a controlled header off a long switch of play. Pierre seemed solid except for one over-commit late that almost led to a Chicago pulling one back (Philly goalie saved it). Regardless, Philly now has something like 12 wins, 2 draws and no losses in their last 14 MLS matches since Richter took over. Announcer said 8 wins in a row.

Justin Ellis did not play in Orlando's 3-3 draw on the road at Toronto - reports are that Ellis is dealing with an 'ailment', not sure if related to the injury he suffered against Canada in the friendly. Adri Mehmeti and Julian Hall's Red Bull New York lost at DC United 2-1.

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Thanks for the Miller report. In the USMNT asymmetric 4-2-3-1, the left back is often a wingback, so he is half defender, half attacker. I think it is okay to have Miller as a winger for his club. If he can play the right side Freeman can go to center back, the position he was born for. Miller is not the most elegant player, but he is effective, and he has to be considered an important player for 2030 because there is so little at outside back coming through the ranks. No one else I know in the 2009s or older who is based here has emerged, except possibly Gozo as a wingback, which might be his position if his moves don't improve.

Of course I have the Union report. The red was two yellows, both earned. Chicago did a good job mucking up the game so Sullivan did not do that much in the first 30 minutes. But this is his typical pattern. Overall, he made some great runs that opened up the field, and his passing was good. But in this game and the last he looked like one of the gang, not the boss. He could be getting tired or the other teams may be game planning for him or it could be that he is just 17 and younger players are more inconsistent. PIerre was he typical solid self, the goal, per usual, was the fault of Harriel, the other center back who lost his mark. Pierre did make one terrible play where in a 1-v-1 situation he turned his back but stuck his leg out and committed a foul. This happen in my old man league all the time, but at the professional level it is terrible fundamentals. It led to a free kick just outside the box. But it was also the 95th minute and he might have lost his focus. Brady was solid in goal fir Chicago, he only had an outside chance at stopping one goal. I have never seen him not blunder.

The game on Tuesday should be pure joy. Everyone should watch.

sluggo said:

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OneKeg said:

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Looking forward to watching the Barcelona @ PSG match next week (noon PDT Tue. 10/20, I think). I still don't have Paramount+ sluggo, but if that remains the only option, I'll either get it or watch someplace in SF that is showing it. I don't have a dog in this fight, but this is soccer at its very highest level on both sides.

At a much lower level, but of significance to the USMNT's 2030 cycle, Peyton Miller had a great match for the New England Revolution in their 3-2 road victory against Cincinnati, allowing the Revs to clinch a MLS playoff spot (which... ok, that's not worth much).

Miller played mostly right wing instead of the left wing that he usually plays for the Revs, though he switched to the left at times. He had two assists. The first one a good cross after being played into space down the right wing. Good first touch and then nice decision to pick out the trailer on the cross (lead guy may have been offside at first). The second assist was a thing of beauty, cutting inside on a slashing diagonal run from the right (showing decent on-ball skills I haven't really noticed in him) before playing an exquisite through ball for New England's third goal (ruled barely onside by VAR after initially being ruled off). Miller also had a nice header (from the left wing) on a cross that required a great save from the Cincy goalie (not Celentano who maybe had the day off?).

Of course the issue is that Miller probably won't be playing wing for the senior USMNT. We need him at outside back. It didn't look like either of the Cincy goals were his fault, and he had at least one good headed clearance on a cross. Speaking of fault, Cincy's first goal may have been Brooklyn Raines' fault, late to track a charging Cincy back as he ran onto a high bouncing throw-in that got past the forward and the defender locked at the edge of the box.

In other games, I'm curious how Cavan Sullivan and Neil Pierre looked in Philadelphia Union's come-from-behind 3-1 road win over Chicago over the whole match. I noticed that all of Philly's goals came in the second half with Chicago down to 10 men. From the highlights, C Sullivan did have an excellent assist and also a decent near post header off a free kick that was saved. It looked like the Chicago goal was off a cross by C Sullivan's man who he tracked too late (like Raines above). The Chicago scorer was not Pierre's responsibility.

Sullivan did have the speculative long through ball that led a Chicago defender to take down the Philly forward (Iloski) and get a red card. May have been a little harsh and obviously had a huge impact on the second half. Sullivan also had a nice long reversal to his brother Quinn for a good second half chance, and his assist was on a good give-and-go down the left side rather than right, then a cross. Great play even to initiate the give-and-go with a controlled header off a long switch of play. Pierre seemed solid except for one over-commit late that almost led to a Chicago pulling one back (Philly goalie saved it). Regardless, Philly now has something like 12 wins, 2 draws and no losses in their last 14 MLS matches since Richter took over. Announcer said 8 wins in a row.

Justin Ellis did not play in Orlando's 3-3 draw on the road at Toronto - reports are that Ellis is dealing with an 'ailment', not sure if related to the injury he suffered against Canada in the friendly. Adri Mehmeti and Julian Hall's Red Bull New York lost at DC United 2-1.

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Thanks for the Miller report. In the USMNT asymmetric 4-2-3-1, the left back is often a wingback, so he is half defender, half attacker. I think it is okay to have Miller as a winger for his club. If he can play the right side Freeman can go to center back, the position he was born for. Miller is not the most elegant player, but he is effective, and he has to be considered an important player for 2030 because there is so little at outside back coming through the ranks. No one else I know in the 2009s or older who is based here has emerged, except possibly Gozo as a wingback, which might be his position if his moves don't improve.

Of course I have the Union report. The red was two yellows, both earned. Chicago did a good job mucking up the game so Sullivan did not do that much in the first 30 minutes. But this is his typical pattern. Overall, he made some great runs that opened up the field, and his passing was good. But in this game and the last he looked like one of the gang, not the boss. He could be getting tired or the other teams may be game planning for him or it could be that he is just 17 and younger players are more inconsistent. PIerre was he typical solid self, the goal, per usual, was the fault of Harriel, the other center back who lost his mark. Pierre did make one terrible play where in a 1-v-1 situation he turned his back but stuck his leg out and committed a foul. This happen in my old man league all the time, but at the professional level it is terrible fundamentals. It led to a free kick just outside the box. But it was also the 95th minute and he might have lost his focus. Brady was solid in goal fir Chicago, he only had an outside chance at stopping one goal. I have never seen him not blunder.

The game on Tuesday should be pure joy. Everyone should watch.

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Unfortunately the casual fan is not going to sign up with Paramount+ to catch midweek noontime CL action...

PSG plays Gio Reyna's RC Strasbourg at 8:15am PST on Saturday, looking forward to you guys' reports on that game as I will be out in the country (and back home for the Wake game). Barca gets Betis, so the teams will be equally rested. PSG has fallen behind a bit in L1 (5th place, but only 3pts behind 1st place Monaco) so I am not sure if they hold back their starters in anticipation for the Barca game.

Some French conspiracy theorists are claiming that PSG is tanking their domestic league start in order to generate more interest into Ligue 1, which they have thoroughly dominated, to the point that revenues have fallen due to that...

Cal88 said:

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sluggo said:

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The game on Tuesday should be pure joy. Everyone should watch.

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Unfortunately the casual fan is not going to sign up with Paramount+ to catch midweek noontime CL action...

PSG plays Gio Reyna's RC Strasbourg at 8:15am PST on Saturday, looking forward to you guys' reports on that game as I will be out in the country (and back home for the Wake game). Barca gets Betis, so the teams will be equally rested. PSG has fallen behind a bit in L1 (5th place, but only 3pts behind 1st place Monaco) so I am not sure if they hold back their starters in anticipation for the Barca game.

Some French conspiracy theorists are claiming that PSG is tanking their domestic league start in order to generate more interest into Ligue 1, which they have thoroughly dominated, to the point that revenues have fallen due to that...

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Midweek soccer action got me through the pandemic. Was it just me? I know, I am a sicko. I even remember that the German league started up first. I believe Reyna was playing for Dortmund at the time. It was so weird with no crowds you could hear the players and coaches talking.

I think some games are on in Spanish for free. I don't have those networks right now. But I have almost everything else. Which include beinsports for the PSG/Strasbourg game. I will record it and watch at some point.

A little more on the Union. They are 12 wins, 2 draws, and 0 losses (with 8 wins in a row) after Ryan Richter took over for the previous coach who did not start Sullivan. They were 1, 4, and 10 before that. The turnaround is staggering. I don't know of any team in any sport with this kind of turnaround. They also benefitted from Pierre returning from overseas.

Sullivan said he was terrible during the game. I think he was okay, but the last 2 games have not been like the previous 5. I think he might need a rest. Even though he is young, he has not played at this physical level regularly in his life. His mentality is the best.

He must have been destroying people in practice out of anger before he got the starting position. I wish tape of this was released on the internet.

https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/50189867/usa-cavan-sullivan-mls-record-goal-contributions

I don't have ESPN+ but most of the La Liga matches this Saturday are on ESPN Deportes so I can stream them. Will probably use that to watch the Barca at Betis at 9am PDT on Saturday. But probably not Atletico at Espanyol at 5am or Villareal hosting Elche at 7:15am even though I'd like to watch Johnny Cardoso and Alex Freeman respectively.

By contrast, I don't have beIn or Fubo (and have no plans to get them), so I probably won't watch PSG at Strasbourg (and Gio Reyna) at 8:15am. I don't have Paramount+ either, but I'll make time on Tuesday to watch Barca @ PSG at noon on Tuesday at a sports bar or something. All the other matches will have to be highlights only for me as usual.

Speaking of watching highlights, some Europa League results involving US players:

Lech Poznan 0 v Bayer Leverkusen 4: Malik Tillman finally scored on Leverkusen's second goal, though it was a messy goal that Tillman got after a deflection, had his own shot deflected back at him, and then put it in nearly point blank (also nearly deflected out). Tillman did set up substitute left wing Moreira for two golden opportunities which Moreira missed. And Tillman also had a decent hockey assist on Leverkusen's fourth goal. Somewhat promising as Tillman has been pretty bad for Leverkusen so far this season. Of course, maybe Lech Poznan just sucks, no clue.

Lyon 3 v Crystal Palace 2: Chris Richards played the whole match at right center back in a back three, and honestly, Lyon was slicing up Palace's defense pretty good. The first goal was not his fault, but he did get toasted by Japanese winger for Lyon, Nakamura a couple times, the second one leading to an assist for Lyon's second goal. The third goal was just a mess for the Palace defense and Richards is as easy to blame as anyone, though he ended up alone guarding two forwards at the 6-yard box. Richards did have a decent glancing header shot off a corner, but was too close to center and the Lyon goalie saved it. Tanner Tessman played the last fifteen minutes or so for Lyon and there was no sign of Zavier Gozo for Palace, not even on the bench.

RB Salzburg 0 v AC Milan 4: Christian Pulisic did not start but came on as a sub in minute 60 with the score 3-0. Yunus Musah made the bench only. Did not watch highlights - box score only.

Celta Vigo 1 v Juventus 2: Weston Mckennie started (notably at right wing-back in a 3-4-2-1 before apparently switching to attacking midfielder once Juventus was down) and played the whole match and was the captain, which is a good sign that he is fit. It was a come-from-behind road win for Juventus. Mckennie did not figure in either Juve goal. The Celta Vigo early goal may have been his fault for letting his man get position in the box to receive a pass and make the assist to a wide open scorer (who Juve left unmarked, not sure whose fault).

Bournemouth 3 v Sturm Graz 0: Tyler Adams played the first 69 minutes. Score was 1-0 when he left.

Benfica 4 v Celtic 1: Auston Trusty played the whole match at left center back in a back 4. Did not watch the highlights, though giving up 4 goals is not great.

Marseille 0 v Olympiacos 1: Tim Weah started at right back in a 4-man back line for Marseille and played the whole match in the home loss. Not a good start to the season for Marseille or Weah.

Superb first touch by Yamal today, and great goal:

Lamine Yamal. 😮‍💨💎 pic.twitter.com/QcXa7oyqce

— Instant Foot ⚽️ (@lnstantFoot) October 17, 2026

LE DRIBBLE ET LA FRAPPE SUR UN PAS 🤣🤣

C’est un but de malade mental pic.twitter.com/x5Rgx1YAps

— 𝗕𝗮𝗿𝗰̧𝗮 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀 (@BarcaFRNews) October 17, 2026

💥GOAL ! BETIS SEVILLE ! 0️⃣-1️⃣ ! BARCELONA

| ⚽️ LAMINE YAMAL
| 🅰️ JULES KOUNDE

#Barça pic.twitter.com/1j07iADlEf

— Karim 🇸🇳 (@krmdiop) October 17, 2026

Ok, back home after leaving a Cal Football game at halftime for the first time in my life, and I'm in my 50s. That's all I have to say about that.

I did watch pretty much the whole Betis - Barca match this morning, admittedly streaming on my phone on ESPN Deportes, mostly while doing aerobic exercise at the gym. Here's my non-expert opinion, much of which is very subjective anyway as you'll see:

Barca's front six, starters and subs (so more than six actual players), are obviously an extravagantly talented group. The first goal by Yamal, and to a lesser extent the fifth goal by Olmo were just outstanding individual tour de forces. As a team they are far better than almost any opponent they face, and Real Betis is no slouch! Betis is currently 3rd in La Liga, just behind Barca and Atletico and just ahead of Real Madrid. Barca may only be tested by a couple opponents this entire season, starting this Tuesday against PSG.

Barca's offense is also audacious. They have so much individual talent that their players try unusual incisive passes and moves that most would not, and they actually pull it off a decent percentage of the time.

BUT, and you knew there was going to be a but... I just don't see it with this symphonic Mozart thing you are talking about, sluggo, or at least I only see it rarely. The only goal today that was a true work of art from the TEAM, and not just an individual great play like I've seen elsewhere from other individuals like Messi or Mbappe, was the third goal which Gabriel Jesus finished by passing it into the net. So on that goal specifically, I briefly saw what you mean. There were also a few other instances like that during the match which did not result in goals. But most of the match was not like that. In fact large parts of it were just pretty much the basic stuff you'd expect when an outstanding team plays a very good one. Good to watch Barca's offense, but nothing life-altering, given that I don't actually care about either of these teams.

Which gets me to Barca's defense. They have Cubarsi, who is on par with their stars on offense. Perhaps one or two others. But overall, their defense is kind of... crap. Well maybe not crap, but very undisciplined. It's clearly their weakness, and as someone who has played in the back four or holding midfield my entire playing life, and whose son plays outside back right now in high school on a very good defensive team, I feel almost irrationally offended that so talented a team can look so bad at times on D. The main feeling I get from their defenders is that they all wish they could be on offense (and they probably could, on most teams).

Now maybe it's also unfair because again, Real Betis are very good, and were playing at home. Betis were not going to lie down simply park the bus - they were going to try to attack. Betis really should have had 3 goals, but a great long range volley goal was taken away by VAR due to a preceding, relatively incidental handball. The right call, but it does not make Barca's defense any less slapdash.

So I'm glad I watched, and I did enjoy it. Barca has spectacular talent. But I think I'm fine watching extended highlights to get my exposure to all that talent, given again that I don't actually give a flying F about Barca or any of their players specifically (same with PSG), only their great soccer skill. An exception being this Tuesday, when I will make a point to watch Barca play at PSG, which should be dramatic.

Tons more soccer over the weekend with US players. No time to cover it all, but here is a bunch:

Gio Reyna's first half goal gives Strasbourg an inevitably temporary lead on a rotated PSG side who bring more starters in for the second half and surge ahead for the 3-1 road victory.

Alex Freeman started again at right back for Villareal in their 0-0 La Liga home draw against Elche and played all 90 minutes, leading the team in touches and duels won. Villareal dominated possession and had an xG edge of 2.15 to 0.26, but could not put one in.

17yo Mathis Albert came in at minute 70 for the injured Karetsas in Borussia Dortmund's 0-0 Bundesliga road draw against Union Berlin. Dortmund also dominated possession and had an xG edge (not as much as Villareal's), but could not put the ball in the net.

Johnny Cardoso did not play or make the bench for Atletico Madrid in their 1-0 La Liga road win at Espanyol, but that is perhaps understandable as Cardoso had played the full match for Atletico both last weekend and again mid-week Champions League against ManU. I think/hope Cardoso will be back again in Atletico's Tuesday Champions League match at Stuttgart.

Folarin Balogun subbed in at minute 66 for Monaco down 1-0 at the time on the road to Lorient in Ligue 1, and that's how the match finished. Can't wait for Balogun to get out of Monaco to a team that will play him more. Wish he had gone to Everton.

Anotonee "Jedi" Robinson started and played the whole match at left back in Fuham's 1-0 home Premier League win over Hull, a match Fulham dominated.

Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah both started in AC Milan's 3-2 home Serie A win over Atalanta, both subbing out at minute 75 with Milan up 3-1. No goals or assists for either, though.

Later edit to add stuff for more US players:

Weston Mckennie played the whole match in Juventus' disappointing 3-0 Serie A home loss to Lazio, who admittedly is looking good this season. Juve did win the xG battle 0.74 to 0.55, but Lazio were much more opportunistic.

Tyler Adams played nearly the whole match (subbed at minute 89) in Bournemouth's 2-0 Premier League domination (xG 4.32 to 0.07) of Sunderland who admittedly were down to 10 men after 17 minutes (already 1-0 at that point). The upcoming mid-week match between Bournemouth and AC Milan should be interesting with Pulisic, Musah and Adams all possibly being involved.

By contrast, Chris Richards and Crystal Palace were humiliated by Brighton in a 5-0 road loss. Richards played the whole match in the middle of a 3-centerback group. I don't have the heart to watch the highlights, but a terrible start to the season by Palace. And of course Zavier Gozo is nowhere to be seen. Someone said he's playing with Palace's U-21s.

Diego Kochen's Lyngby squad went up 3-0, then held on for a 3-3 draw at home in a Danish League match with Nordsjaelland (I think I spelled that right). Doesn't sound great, but Kochen apparently saved a penalty at the death to preserve the draw.

Malik Tillman came in as a sub in the 73rd minute with the scored tied 1-1 in Bayer Leverkusen's 2-1 Bundesliga home win against Freiburg (Freiburg's first league loss of the season).

Sergino Dest played the whole match in PSV's 2-1 road Dutch Eredivisie loss to ADO Den Haag. PSV were up 1-0 until a red card put them on the back foot for the second half. Ricardo Pepi still injured.

Tim Weah played the whole match at right back and had 2 assists in Marseille's 5-2 Ligue 1 win at Angers.

Tanner Tessmann played the whole match and scored a goal as Lyon hung on for a 2-1 home Ligue 1 win over Nice despite being down to ten men after 70 minutes.

In MLS:

Justin Ellis comes back from injury and off the bench in minute 70 and notches a pretty counterattack through-ball assist for Orlando's last goal in a 4-1 home win over DC United. I did notice that at minute 65, DC United subbed in winger Oscar Avilez at wing for his second appearance (started DC United's last game in a win). Notable because Avilez is 16 (2010 birth year).

I'll let sluggo give a full report on Philadelphia Union's 2-2 draw with Charlotte, though I did see that 17yo Cavan Sullivan nearly got the go-ahead goal in the dying minutes after being played through on a nice run, but he had to take it with his right (off) foot and the Charlotte goalie got his leg outstretched for a nice save. Earlier in the second half, Sullivan should have had an assist on a close-range cross but Damiani blasted a point blank shot straight up into the crossbar. And a bit later, Sullivan had a sweet goal called back on a borderline offside call.

As far as I could see, Neil Pierre was not at fault for either goal and had at least a couple nice defensive plays. Malik Jakupovic came in for the last 20 minutes or so (game went 102 minutes!).

Red Bull New York continued their shaky play with a 2-0 home loss to Toronto. Lots of shots but no goals for Justin Hall, and 17yo Adri Mehmeti was pulled at halftime.

Peyton Miller started at right wing for the New England Revolution's 1-0 home win against the Chicago Fire, then at left wing to start the second half, and finally back to left back at the end of the match when the Revs were defending the lead. Had a couple nice runs, though on one, he made the wrong choice on who to pass to. He had a couple good shots that needed to be more than good in order to score (one went just wide and the other was saved). Couple nice clearances, megged a guy. Not awesome, but not bad by Miller from the highlights. Dude is legit fast, at least for the MLS. Brooklyn Raines seemed to have a decent defensive match and is a solid 2028 U-23 Olympic team candidate (Miller would be too if he's not on the senior USMNT by then). Two other potential 2028 U-23 Olympic team candidates are New England's two starting center backs these days, I think. Josh Wynder and Ethan Kohler, assuming Neil Pierre will also be on the senior USMNT. Revs now solidly in third place in the eastern conference of the MLS, pushing Chicago down into fourth place.

I appreciate your player reports. You are very comprehensive. I am more game focused. I just finished watching the Union. Here is my report:

Sullivan-Good game but not a great game. Charlotte was more athletic than Philadelphia, and that caused some missed passes. That will be one of the last steps for Sullivan, learning how to beat more athletic players with skill. He did make some nice runs, some nice passes, some good steals, had one goal called back where he was barely offside, and nearly scored at the end as OK mentioned.
Pierre-Like a wall on defense. I don't think he made one mistake. The two goals were directly due to mistake by his co-center, Harriel. Once he is with McKenzie next season (unless he leaves), they will give up very, very few goals.
Jakupovic-Best I have seen him play in the 15-20 minutes he got. Looked like he belonged Looks to have grown, both by adding weight and height, must be at least 6'4'' by now. Won some headers. I think he will be good next season. Will be great to see him in the U17 WC next month.
Westfield- played, i guess, perhaps. Actually had a nice shot on goal that was kick saved.

PSG had a scratchy 3-1 win over Strasbourg. The game was even until Dembele came on in the 60th minute and took over. PSG held out about half their starters preparing for Barca, but they all eventually got in. Reyna was good. His goal was a near post shot from 45 degrees that was a keeper error. Still he made a nice run to get in that position. He was once was surrounded by three defensive players and still kept possession. It is weird that he is playing for a mid-table team like Strasbourg, he should be playing for a team for like PSG. He is that good now that his movement has returned.

Barca was also scratchy in its 5-2 win over Betis. I think they were distracted by PSG on Tuesday and Madrid on Sunday. They did not play their typical champagne football. Don't make too many inferences from their worst game of the season. Betis is okay, but Barca is really playing against itself. Barca is not Barca without Raphina, who made a brief appearance after being out, and Cancelo, who only is used when absolutely needed to save his energy. I expect more from them next week, even with the better competition.

Good stuff. Edited my post above to add several more entries for other US players in Europe this weekend, including Mckennie, Adams, Richards, Tillman and Kochen.

OneKeg said:

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Tons more soccer over the weekend with US players. No time to cover it all, but here is a bunch:

Gio Reyna's first half goal gives Strasbourg an inevitably temporary lead on a rotated PSG side who bring more starters in for the second half and surge ahead for the 3-1 road victory.

Alex Freeman started again at right back for Villareal in their 0-0 La Liga home draw against Elche and played all 90 minutes, leading the team in touches and duels won. Villareal dominated possession and had an xG edge of 2.15 to 0.26, but could not put one in.

17yo Mathis Albert came in at minute 70 for the injured Karetsas in Borussia Dortmund's 0-0 Bundesliga road draw against Union Berlin. Dortmund also dominated possession and had an xG edge (not as much as Villareal's), but could not put the ball in the net.

Johnny Cardoso did not play or make the bench for Atletico Madrid in their 1-0 La Liga road win at Espanyol, but that is perhaps understandable as Cardoso had played the full match for Atletico both last weekend and again mid-week Champions League against ManU. I think/hope Cardoso will be back again in Atletico's Tuesday Champions League match at Stuttgart.

Folarin Balogun subbed in at minute 66 for Monaco down 1-0 at the time on the road to Lorient in Ligue 1, and that's how the match finished. Can't wait for Balogun to get out of Monaco to a team that will play him more. Wish he had gone to Everton.

Anotonee "Jedi" Robinson started and played the whole match at left back in Fuham's 1-0 home Premier League win over Hull, a match Fulham dominated.

Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah both started in AC Milan's 3-2 home Serie A win over Atalanta, both subbing out at minute 75 with Milan up 3-1. No goals or assists for either, though.

Later edit to add stuff for more US players:

Weston Mckennie played the whole match in Juventus' disappointing 3-0 Serie A home loss to Lazio, who admittedly is looking good this season. Juve did win the xG battle 0.74 to 0.55, but Lazio were much more opportunistic.

Tyler Adams played nearly the whole match (subbed at minute 89) in Bournemouth's 2-0 Premier League domination (xG 4.32 to 0.07) of Sunderland who admittedly were down to 10 men after 17 minutes (already 1-0 at that point). The upcoming mid-week match between Bournemouth and AC Milan should be interesting with Pulisic, Musah and Adams all possibly being involved.

By contrast, Chris Richards and Crystal Palace were humiliated by Brighton in a 5-0 road loss. Richards played the whole match in the middle of a 3-centerback group. I don't have the heart to watch the highlights, but a terrible start to the season by Palace. And of course Zavier Gozo is nowhere to be seen. Someone said he's playing with Palace's U-21s.

Diego Kochen's Lyngby squad went up 3-0, then held on for a 3-3 draw at home in a Danish League match with Nordsjaelland (I think I spelled that right). Doesn't sound great, but Kochen apparently saved a penalty at the death to preserve the draw.

Malik Tillman came in as a sub in the 73rd minute with the scored tied 1-1 in Bayer Leverkusen's 2-1 Bundesliga home win against Freiburg (Freiburg's first league loss of the season).

Sergino Dest played the whole match in PSV's 2-1 road Dutch Eredivisie loss to ADO Den Haag. PSV were up 1-0 until a red card put them on the back foot for the second half. Ricardo Pepi still injured.

Tim Weah played the whole match at right back and had 2 assists in Marseille's 5-2 Ligue 1 win at Angers.

Tanner Tessmann played the whole match and scored a goal as Lyon hung on for a 2-1 home Ligue 1 win over Nice despite being down to ten men after 70 minutes.

In MLS:

Justin Ellis comes back from injury and off the bench in minute 70 and notches a pretty counterattack through-ball assist for Orlando's last goal in a 4-1 home win over DC United. I did notice that at minute 65, DC United subbed in winger Oscar Avilez at wing for his second appearance (started DC United's last game in a win). Notable because Avilez is 16 (2010 birth year).

I'll let sluggo give a full report on Philadelphia Union's 2-2 draw with Charlotte, though I did see that 17yo Cavan Sullivan nearly got the go-ahead goal in the dying minutes after being played through on a nice run, but he had to take it with his right (off) foot and the Charlotte goalie got his leg outstretched for a nice save. Earlier in the second half, Sullivan should have had an assist on a close-range cross but Damiani blasted a point blank shot straight up into the crossbar. And a bit later, Sullivan had a sweet goal called back on a borderline offside call.

As far as I could see, Neil Pierre was not at fault for either goal and had at least a couple nice defensive plays. Malik Jakupovic came in for the last 20 minutes or so (game went 102 minutes!).

Red Bull New York continued their shaky play with a 2-0 home loss to Toronto. Lots of shots but no goals for Justin Hall, and 17yo Adri Mehmeti was pulled at halftime.

Peyton Miller started at right wing for the New England Revolution's 1-0 home win against the Chicago Fire, then at left wing to start the second half, and finally back to left back at the end of the match when the Revs were defending the lead. Had a couple nice runs, though on one, he made the wrong choice on who to pass to. He had a couple good shots that needed to be more than good in order to score (one went just wide and the other was saved). Couple nice clearances, megged a guy. Not awesome, but not bad by Miller from the highlights. Dude is legit fast, at least for the MLS. Brooklyn Raines seemed to have a decent defensive match and is a solid 2028 U-23 Olympic team candidate (Miller would be too if he's not on the senior USMNT by then). Two other potential 2028 U-23 Olympic team candidates are New England's two starting center backs these days, I think. Josh Wynder and Ethan Kohler, assuming Neil Pierre will also be on the senior USMNT. Revs now solidly in third place in the eastern conference of the MLS, pushing Chicago down into fourth place.

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Weah had a great outing apparently:

ILS ONT TOUS SORTI LE MATCH PARFAIT 🤯💯

12 joueurs ont décroché la note maximale de 100/100 sur @Sorare ce week-end. 👏

De SINAYOKO 🇲🇱 à Luis DÍAZ 🇨🇴, en passant par RABIOT 🇫🇷, WEAH 🇺🇸 ou encore KIMMICH 🇩🇪, ils ont affolé les compteurs.

Selon vous, qui a signé la plus grosse… pic.twitter.com/U7EZvl8reC

— Actu Foot (@ActuFoot_) October 19, 2026

Do you want to see the Greatest juggle a soccer ball, then a tennis ball, then a golf ball? Of course you do.

Classic!

Barca vs PSG in 10 minutes.

Barca (back to front, left to right, my guess:
Garcia
Cancelo Martin Cubarsi Espart
Bernal
Pedri
Olmo
Gordon Raphina Lamal

This is not Barca's strongest lineup. Rodri in place of Bernal and Fermin in place of Olmo are two obvious places. They play Madrid over the weekend (Sunday at 1pm pacific, probably on ABC/ESPN) so they are somewhat holding back. Or maybe they don't wan't to take the chance of losing at full strength. Or maybe there are knocks.

PSG:
Safomov
Hernandez Pacho Marquinos (?) Hakimi
Neves Vitinha Fabian
Kvartshekalia Doue Dembele

I don't know PSG as well, so I might have the formation slightly wrong. I think they are at full strength.

Enjoy!

The Barca president came out and said that this was the biggest matchup in club football, a CL final lineup early in the season, both teams are going to go all out. Unfortunately I can't take time off to watch it at work this afternoon.

Dembele out with injury for PSG and now Olmo for Barca, both in the 20 to 30 min range into the first half.

Torres comes in for Dembele and Lopez for Olmo.

Man, Torres should have scored there. Barca goalie Garcia "saves" it with his face. Terrible, undisciplined defending by Barca, as I've noticed before.

Raphinha also should have scored earlier on a sweet outside-of-the-right-foot cutback, though that was a tougher chance and a more routine save by PSG's Safonov.

Doue scores! 1-0 PSG.

Edited to add:

Lots more chances back and forth. Remains 1-0 PSG at half. Great chances for both clubs, but I think PSG are deservedly ahead. A whopping 10 shots on frame (to 2 by Barca).

At halftime, the game is breathtaking. PSG has definitely had the better of it. They were better for the first ten minutes, the Barca was better for the next ten, then PSG was better for the rest of the half. Joan Garcia, who I think is the best keeper in the world, has kept Barca in it with four great saves. Safonov for PSG stopped Fermin on a 1-on-1 with a great save, but otherwise has not had to do anything great. Neither team is backing off, it is full speed, full pressing the whole time. PSG is a little faster. They are playing a risky game that I think will leads to some goals in the second half. On the goal that they got, it was a brilliant effort by Doue, I don't think it was anyone's fault.

Pedri has been the best field player for Barca, who definitely miss Rodri. Bernal is in a little over his head. Yamal's passing has been off. Raphina looks dangerous but has not seen enough of the ball.

I can't wait for the second half. I am lucky that I am my own boss, more or less.

I said PSG was at full strength. They are missing Nuno Mendes, the best outside back in the world. But other than that ...

Xavi Espart ties the game up. He is one of the four teenagers starting for Barca. Maybe that was a strategy to combat PSG's speed.

Kvartshekalia just went out with what looked like a serious knee injury. I did not see the play. I hope he is okay. I hate when great athletes get injured.

Barca just brought in Rodri, Adeyemi, and Gavi. Nice to have a bench like that.

What an incisive pass by Fermin Lopez by the way on the give-and-go for that Espart goal!

PSG pulls ahead again, 2-1 off a corner! And then Yamal equalizes not long after! 2-2.

And then Vitinha puts PSG ahead 3-2... Getting dizzy.

Absolute shocking goal for Lamine Yamal, who has not had a good game. Goes high from close range, nothing the keeper can do.

Can't believe I missed that game, GOALFEST!

Makes sense with both teams pressing, some tired legs in the last 20min, and with the kind of finishers on the field...

PSG take control 4-2 on a Fabian Ruiz goal off a cross with only a few minutes left. While it has been a great match-up, PSG have clearly been the better team, to my eyes.

Goal before that was a beaut

VITINHAAAAAAAAA MAIS QUEL BUT EXCEPTIONNEL BORDEL 😭😭😭 CE MEC EST UN GÉNIE DU FOOTBALL il nous sort encore un chef-d’œuvre contre le Barça en Ligue des champions ??? NON MAIS LES ÉMOTIONS VITINHA TU ES IMMENSE ❤️💙#PSGFCB #FCBPSG #UCL pic.twitter.com/uawAdpNntq

— Bilal 🇩🇿 (@BiarusZ) October 20, 2026

great solo run Yamal before that

🎥 FC Barcelona 2 - 2 PSG

⚽️ Lamine Yamal pic.twitter.com/vI8oRTfPzK

— Barça Spaces (@BarcaSpaces) October 20, 2026

It sounds like this was the game we expected, lots of fireworks! (and the good guys won ; ) )

Cal88 said:

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It sounds like this was the game we expected, lots of fireworks! (and the good guys won ; ) )

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Everything I expected but not the winning team. Barca will have to do more to knock the kings off their perch. I hope Kvaratskhelia is okay, he could not put any weight on his injured leg. Barca could not control the midfield, and with that, their defenders were exposed. May have to replace Cancelo with a more defensive outside back. Anthony Gordon was bad, not strong enough for the game, would like to have seen Adeyemi as the starter. But the better team today won, that is for sure. And despite injury to three starters during the game.

OneKeg said:

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PSG take control 4-2 on a Fabian Ruiz goal off a cross with only a few minutes left. While it has been a great match-up, PSG have clearly been the better team, to my eyes.

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A PSG threepeat would be the stuff of legends, joining the dynasties of DiStefano's Real, Cruijff's Ajax, Beckenbauer's Bayern and Zidane's Real - the greatest clubs of all time.

Cal88 said:

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OneKeg said:

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PSG take control 4-2 on a Fabian Ruiz goal off a cross with only a few minutes left. While it has been a great match-up, PSG have clearly been the better team, to my eyes.

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A PSG threepeat would be the stuff of legends, joining the dynasties of DiStefano's Real, Cruijff's Ajax, Beckenbauer's Bayern and Zidane's Real - the greatest clubs of all time.

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They were scary good today. And without Nuno Mendes.

No great Barca teams on your list?

sluggo said:

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Cal88 said:

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OneKeg said:

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PSG take control 4-2 on a Fabian Ruiz goal off a cross with only a few minutes left. While it has been a great match-up, PSG have clearly been the better team, to my eyes.

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A PSG threepeat would be the stuff of legends, joining the dynasties of DiStefano's Real, Cruijff's Ajax, Beckenbauer's Bayern and Zidane's Real - the greatest clubs of all time.

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They were scary good today. And without Nuno Mendes.

No great Barca teams on your list?

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Those are the only teams in history to have won the CL and its predecessor Champions Cup 3 times in a row (or more, in the case of the 1950s Real five-peat), bona fide dynasties.

Ok, you two probably aren't interested after that classic PSG-Barca match, but here's how some US players of note did in other Champions League matches today:

Alex Freeman came in as a sub at minute 60 in Villareal's narrow 4-3 road loss at Liverpool. Liverpool was already up 3-2 when Freeman entered, so it was 1-1 after he was in.

Johnny Cardoso came in as a sub at minute 69 in Atletico Madrid's 1-1 road draw at Stuttgart. When Cardoso entered the match, the score was already 1-1 but Atletico were down to ten men, so Cardoso helped defend the draw, down a man (meaning also that he has coach Simeone's trust to do so).

Sergino Dest played the whole match at right back for PSV Eindhoven in their 1-0 road win at Porto.

Mathis Albert made the bench but did not play in Dortmund's 2-1 road win at Sabah.

sluggo said:

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Cal88 said:

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It sounds like this was the game we expected, lots of fireworks! (and the good guys won ; ) )

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Everything I expected but not the winning team. Barca will have to do more to knock the kings off their perch. I hope Kvaratskhelia is okay, he could not put any weight on his injured leg. Barca could not control the midfield, and with that, their defenders were exposed. May have to replace Cancelo with a more defensive outside back. Anthony Gordon was bad, not strong enough for the game, would like to have seen Adeyemi as the starter. But the better team today won, that is for sure. And despite injury to three starters during the game.

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Torn ACL most likely, out for the season...

Cal88 said:

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sluggo said:

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Cal88 said:

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It sounds like this was the game we expected, lots of fireworks! (and the good guys won ; ) )

---

Everything I expected but not the winning team. Barca will have to do more to knock the kings off their perch. I hope Kvaratskhelia is okay, he could not put any weight on his injured leg. Barca could not control the midfield, and with that, their defenders were exposed. May have to replace Cancelo with a more defensive outside back. Anthony Gordon was bad, not strong enough for the game, would like to have seen Adeyemi as the starter. But the better team today won, that is for sure. And despite injury to three starters during the game.

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Torn ACL most likely, out for the season...

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Ugh. That is what I feared. I went to take my lunch out of the microwave and missed the play.