Chelsea and Liverpool look to get back on track; Mauricio Pochettino's World Cup USMNT squad begins to form
Happy Friday! It is officially time for clubs to put a strong foot forward or risk a sour taste in the mouth over the men's international break, a fate that will be more avoidable for some teams than others. I'm Pardeep Cattry with a weekend update.
📺 Footy fixAll times U.S./Eastern
Friday, Oct. 3🏴 EPL: Bournemouth vs. Fulham, 3 p.m. ➡️ USA Network🇺🇸 NWSL: Houston Dash vs. Orlando Pride, 3 p.m. ➡️ Amazon Prime Video
Saturday, Oct. 4🇮🇹 Serie A: Inter vs. Cremonese, 12 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+🏴 EPL: Chelsea vs. Liverpool, 12:30 p.m. ➡️ NBC🇩🇪 Bundesliga: Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Bayern Munich, 12:30 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+🇪🇸 LaLiga: Real Madrid vs. Villarreal, 3 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+🇺🇸 MLS: Philadelphia Union vs. New York City FC, 7:30 p.m. ➡️ MLS Season Pass🇺🇸 NWSL: Portland Thorns vs. Bay FC, 10 p.m. ➡️ Ion
Sunday, Oct. 5🇪🇸 LaLiga: Sevilla vs. Barcelona, 10:15 a.m. ➡️ ESPN+🏴 EPL: Brentford vs. Manchester City, 11:30 a.m. ➡️ USA Network🇺🇸 NWSL: Washington Spirit vs. San Diego Wave, 1 p.m. ➡️ ESPN🇮🇹 Serie A: Juventus vs. AC Milan, 2:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+🇺🇸 MLS: LAFC vs. Atlanta United, 9 p.m. ➡️ MLS Season Pass
⚽ The Forward Line🏴 Chelsea, Liverpool target upward trajectoriesAnother pair of Premier League heavy-hitters will take to the pitch on Saturday as Liverpool travel to Chelsea, though neither team is exactly performing like the regional giants they are usually positioned to be. Each side has hit a patch of middling form, which adds several layers of uncertainty to the clash at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea notched just their second win in five games on Tuesday with a 1-0 win over Benfica in the UEFA Champions League but their performances this season have not offered much to write home about. Nine games into the season, they have only reached a tally of two non-penalty expected goals once this season, the attacking output yet to live up to the millions the club spent on a wide range of players. Enzo Maresca's side is also dealing with a sizable disciplinary issue -- they have had a player sent off in three of their last four games, with Trevoh Chalobah unavailable against Liverpool because of his 53rd minute red card in last week's 3-1 loss to Brighton and Hove Albion.
As for Liverpool, the ceiling is theoretically higher this season but if Tuesday's 1-0 loss at Galatasaray in the Champions League is anything to go by, manager Arne Slot has a lot of work on his hands. His imbalanced squad was its most wonky in Istanbul, the team paying the price for Slot's choice to play Dominik Szoboszlai as a right back and Jeremie Frimpong as a right winger, both out of position to varying degrees. The attack seemed to feel the effects of the strategy, too – Florian Wirtz has still been unable to show his best since joining the Reds, pressure mounting on the manager to correct course before the season gets away from him.
How exactly these two imperfect sides match up, though, is the real point of intrigue at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. Both of these teams have conceded a troubling number of goals through six Premier League games – Liverpool have seven goals against while Chelsea have eight – so, in theory, that opens the door for a lucky attacker to get the job done. That will be easier said than done for two teams that cannot always get the desired output from their offense, which makes this a fascinating early test for both sides. There's some reasonable skin the game for both – the Reds have just a two point lead over Arsenal heading into the weekend, while a win can take Chelsea from eighth to fourth as long as other results play in their favor.
All Episodes Now StreamingThe U.S. men's national team's period of experimentation officially came to a close on Thursday as head coach Mauricio Pochettino named his roster for this month's friendlies against Ecuador and Australia. A few notable names are missing for good reason -- Tyler Adams, for example, is out through personal reasons, while Sergino Dest is dealing with an injury -- but the squad is essentially a signal of which players lead the race to make the World Cup roster in eight months' time, some of Pochettino's decisions more surprising than others.
Here's a look at the roster.
- Goalkeepers: Chris Brady (Chicago Fire), Matt Freese (New York City FC), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew), Matt Turner (New England Revolution)
- Defenders: Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew), Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic), Alex Freeman (Orlando City), Mark McKenzie (FC Toulouse), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati)
- Midfielders: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders), James Sands (FC St. Pauli), Tanner Tessmann (Olympique Lyon), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen)
- Forwards: Patrick Agyemang (Derby County), Folarin Balogun (AS Monaco), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Tim Weah (Marseille), Haji Wright (Coventry City), Alex Zendejas (Club America)
Pochettino appears to be settling on a few go-to forwards after a year's worth of trial and error, answering some questions about who might join mainstays Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah on the roster. Folarin Balogun reasserted himself as the USMNT's No. 9 after his performances in September, his first for the national team after an injury-plagued year, while Patrick Agyemang could serve as his understudy in October after missing last month's friendlies through injury. Alex Zendejas follows in Balogun's footsteps as someone who impressed in September and seems to have earned the reward for that. Out of the picture entirely this month is Josh Sargent, who has seen his chances come and go in a USMNT shirt, even as he excels for Norwich City.
On the other side of the pitch, the battle to become the USMNT's starting goalkeeper could begin in earnest this month. Matt Freese has made the most of his opportunities as the U.S.' starter during the Concacaf Gold Cup and in the September friendlies, but 2022 World Cup first-choice keeper Matt Turner is back in the mix and finally playing regularly at the club level after returning to the New England Revolution this summer. Pochettino's goalkeepers in October all hail from MLS, making it a near-certainty that a player from the domestic league will start in net at the World Cup.
🔗 Top Stories🗣️ Jurgen Klopp exclusive: In an exclusive 45 minute interview with CBS Sports, Jurgen Klopp said that he has no plans to return to coaching and detailed how his new job as the head of global soccer at Red Bull scratches his managerial itch. Plus, Klopp sounds off on fixture congestion and his boycott of the Club World Cup.
⚽ World Cup ball: Adidas unveiled the Trionda on Friday, the official match ball for the 2026 World Cup in North America. The Trionda is its most customized – and its most tested – World Cup ball yet.
📅 Henry on fixture congestion: Thierry Henry called on FIFA and UEFA to have an "educational discussion" with current players – and not retired professionals – to solve the problem of fixture congestion.
🇪🇺 UCL contenders: There may only be two matchdays in the book in the UEFA Champions League but it's worth asking: Which teams have hinted that they can go all the way based on their first two games? Plus, here are the latest batch of Champions League power rankings after an entertaining week.
🥅 Harry Kane's influence: Here's how a goal from Harry Kane played a big role in Goncalo Ramos' game-winning strike for Paris Saint-Germain against Barcelona in the Champions League on Wednesday.
🔴 Arsenal's evolution: Martin Odegaard's aggression in possession during Arsenal's 2-0 win over Olympiacos demonstrated the evolution of the Gunners' attack as they chase major silverware.
⭐ The Hollywood derby: Friday's match between Wrexham and Birmingham City in the Championship will be a clash between two star-studded ownership groups – and a look at the future of the sport in England.
🆕 UWCL on CBS: The UEFA Women's Champions League is coming to CBS Sports, with coverage kicking off on Tuesday and led by analysts Jen Beattie, Janelly Farias, Darian Jenkins, Kelley O'Hara, and Ali Riley.
💰 The Back Line💵 Best bets- English Premier League: Bournemouth vs. Fulham, Friday, Oct. 3 (3 p.m. ET)💰The Pick: Bournemouth to win (-105): The Cherries may have slowed down after their hot start, drawing their last two matches, but a return to their home stadium will be just the spark that they need to get back on track. Fulham have yet to win a match this season outside of Craven Cottage, and it won't start now. Bournemouth's press is tough to break through, and without Andresa Pereira, Fulham haven't had the strength in possession to truly challenge teams. -- Chuck Booth
For more picks, predictions, expert tips and the latest betting news, don't miss out on CBSSports.com's betting home page.
What We're Watching☀️ Morning Footy (Weekdays 8-10 a.m.): Join Golazo Network as it helps fans get their day started on the right foot on the network's flagship morning show with highlights, interviews and the biggest soccer storylines. Morning Footy is also available in podcast form, so you'll never have to miss an episode.3️⃣ Attacking Third (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday): The leading women's soccer podcast and social brand is now a live studio show. The NWSL season is back and our coverage of the women's game is stronger than ever. Our analysts will be breaking down the USWNT, NWSL and European domestic season all year long. And don't miss Sunday live streams on YouTube as soon as the last NWSL game of the weekend ends.⚽ Call it What You Want (Tuesday and Thursday): Jimmy Conrad, Charlie Davies, and Tony Meola cover all things USMNT and the state of the game in the United States as the country prepares to co-host the 2026 World Cup. Catch new episodes live on the Golazo America YouTube channel every Tuesday and Thursday at 10 a.m. ET.
🥅 Scoreline (Daily): Scoreline is the newest place for fans to catch up on all the biggest news and results impacting global football, match highlights from the top soccer competitions and all the can't-miss goals from the day's action, starting Thursday and airing seven days a week.📺 How to watch: CBS Sports Golazo Network is a free 24/7 channel exclusively dedicated to offering unparalleled coverage of all the top soccer competitions worldwide. You can stream for free on the CBS Sports app, Pluto TV and Paramount+.
cbssports
