Soccer world remembers Diogo Jota; Mauricio Pochettino and USMNT get ready to face Mexico in Gold Cup final
Happy Friday! There's no better pairing than a holiday weekend and a healthy amount of tournament soccer, and there's plenty on the schedule in both the U.S. and on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. I'm Pardeep Cattry with the latest as the games come thick and fast.
📺 Footy fixAll times U.S./Eastern
Friday, July 4🇪🇺 Women's Euro: Denmark vs. Sweden, 12 p.m. ➡️ FS1🇪🇺 Women's Euro: Germany vs. Poland, 3 p.m. ➡️ Fox🏆 CWC: Fluminense vs. Al-Hilal, 3 p.m. ➡️ TNT🇺🇸 MLS: FC Dallas vs. Minnesota United, 8:45 p.m. ➡️ FS1🏆 CWC: Palmeiras vs. Chelsea, 9 p.m. ➡️ DAZN
Saturday, July 5🇪🇺 Women's Euro: Wales vs. Netherlands, 12 p.m. ➡️ Fox🏆 CWC: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Bayern München, 12 p.m. ➡️ TNT🇪🇺 Women's Euro: France vs. England, 3 p.m. ➡️ Fox🏆 CWC: Real Madrid vs. Borussia Dortmund, 4 p.m. ➡️ DAZN🌍 WAFCON: Morocco vs. Zambia, 4 p.m. ➡️ beIN Sports🇺🇸 MLS: Charlotte FC vs. Orlando City, 7:15 p.m. ➡️ FS1
Sunday, July 6🌍 WAFCON: Senegal vs. Congo DR, 10 a.m. ➡️ beIN Sports🇪🇺 Women's Euro: Norway vs. Finland, 12 p.m. ➡️ FS1🌍 WAFCON: Nigeria vs. Tunisia, 12 p.m. ➡️ beIN Sports🇪🇺 Women's Euro: Switzerland vs. Iceland, 3 p.m. ➡️ FS1🌍 WAFCON: Algeria vs. Botswana, 3 p.m. ➡️ beIN Sports🇺🇸 MLS: Seattle Sounders vs. Columbus Crew, 5:15 p.m. ➡️ MLS Season Pass🏆 Gold Cup final: USMNT vs. Mexico, 7 p.m. ➡️ Fox
⚽ The Forward Line♥️ Sports world pays tribute to Diogo JotaDiogo Jota, a Premier League champion with Liverpool and Portugal international, died in a car accident on Thursday in Spain, as did his younger brother Andre Silva. Jota was 28 and Silva was 25.
The tragedy inspired an outpouring of tributes to Jota and condolences to his loved ones, including his three young children and his wife Rute Cardoso, who he married less than two weeks ago. A moment of silence was observed before both matches at the Women's Euro on Thursday including Portugal's clash with Spain, while both teams in that match wore black armbands and many supporters brought images and signs paying tribute to Jota. Many of Jota's teammates and colleagues around the world took to social media to remember their friend, not only for the brilliant player that he was but the impact he left behind as a person.
- Jurgen Klopp, former Liverpool manager: "This is a moment where I struggle! There must be a bigger purpose! But I can't see it! I'm heartbroken to hear about the passing of Diogo and his brother Andre. Diogo was a not only a fantastic player, but also a great friend, a loving and caring husband and father! We will miss you so much! All my prayers, thoughts and power to Rute, the kids, the family, the friends and everyone who loved them! Rest in peace."
- Ruben Neves, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Portugal teammate: "They say that we only lose people when we forget them. I will never forget you."
- Andy Robertson, Liverpool teammate: "For the team and the Club, we'll try to cope with this together… however long that takes. For me, I want to talk about my mate. My buddy. The bloke I loved and will miss like crazy. I could talk about him as a player for hours, but none of that feels like it matters right now. It's the man. The person. He was such a good guy. The best. So genuine. Just normal and real. Full of love for the people he cared about. Full of fun. … I can't believe we're saying goodbye. It's too soon, and it hurts so much. But thank you for being in my life, mate – and for making it better. Love you, Diogo."
The U.S. men's national team will meet Mexico in the Concacaf Gold Cup final on Sunday, not only marking the regional heavyweights' first meeting in the final in four years, but also presenting as perfect an opportunity as any for a young USMNT to finish their summer on a high.
Mauricio Pochettino's side earned their spot in the final after a 2-1 win over Guatemala in the semifinals on Wednesday, one that offered a mixed bag for an inexperienced version of the USMNT. Diego Luna stole the show with a brace in the opening 15 minutes, continuing his meteoric rise with the national team and furthering his case for a spot on next year's World Cup roster. The 21-year-old now has three goals and four assists in 11 appearances for the USMNT, performances that will likely Pochettino roll out a new-look midfield over the next few months, one that will likely include fellow Gold Cup standout Malik Tillman – and may exclude Gio Reyna, barring a strong run of form for club and country over the next year.
Sunday will offer the best opportunity for Luna, Tillman and company to impress and notch perhaps the first statement-making win of Pochettino's tenure with the USMNT, as well as a chance to work on their areas of improvement. While Pochettino's experimental Gold Cup roster has allowed him to successfully identify new options in attack, there's a lot to be desired in defense. Luna's first half brace ensured the USMNT would survive a nervy defensive showing against Guatemala but Mexico are likely to pose a stronger test not only for World Cup hopefuls, wingbacks Max Arfsten and Alex Freeman, but the center backs who are likely to make next year's roster, Chris Richards and Tim Ream.
There will be positives to take away from this summer's run no matter Sunday's results but for the USMNT to chart a true redemption arc after a year of disappointing results, lifting the final piece of silverware available to them before the World Cup will be key.
🔗 Top Stories♥️ RIP Diogo Jota: On the pitch, Diogo Jota was not only an accomplished player but one who epitomized the beautiful game at its best and will be remembered for his always entertaining style of play.
📰 Partey charged: Former Arsenal player Thomas Partey was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault in the U.K. based on incidents that took place from 2021 to 2022.
🇺🇸 USWNT beat Canada: The USWNT collected a 3-0 win over Canada on Wednesday as a young group impressed yet again in Emma Hayes' era of experimentation.
🏆 CWC quarterfinals: With the last eight teams standing at the Club World Cup, here's a ranking of the quarterfinal matchups that await this weekend.
🔵 Chelsea's 20 strikers: No, that's not a typo – Chelsea currently have 20 strikers on the books and as the pressure mounts to offload some, here's a ranking of each and every one of them.
💰 The Back Line💵 Best bets- Club World Cup: Real Madrid vs. Borussia Dortmund, Saturday, 4 p.m.💰 THE PICK: Vinicius Junior to score (+130) – Real Madrid are the clear favorites to advance to the Club World Cup semifinals, likely to beat Borussia Dortmund little more than a year ago in the UEFA Champions League final. Vinicius Junior scored that day and he's likely to do so again on Saturday at MetLife Stadium, especially as Xabi Alonso's attacking vision for Real Madrid starts to take shape. Kylian Mbappe's ability to start remains unclear but Vinicius has been a constant in the lineup at the Club World Cup, alongside breakout talent Gonzalo Garcia, making him as good a choice as any to add another goal to his increasingly stellar record for Los Blancos.
For more picks, predictions, expert tips and the latest betting news, don't miss out on CBSSports.com's betting home page.
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☀️ Morning Footy (10 a.m. ET): A special edition of Morning Footy, the network's flagship morning show with highlights, interviews and the biggest soccer storylines, will kick off Golazo Network's coverage of the big game. Morning Footy is also available in podcast form, so you'll never have to miss an episode.
🏆 Champions League Today (1 p.m. ET): Kate Scott hosts pregame studio coverage alongside analysts Thierry Henry, Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards. Coverage from Allianz Arena in Munich begins at 1 p.m. ET on Paramount+ and CBS Sports Golazo Network, followed by coverage on the CBS and Paramount+ beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET.
⚽ The Champions Club (5:30 p.m. ET): Poppy Miller, Mike Grella, Nigel Reo-Coker, Tony Meola and Jimmy Conrad for live reactions and match analysis as they break down all the action from the Champions League final.
🥅 Scoreline (7 p.m. ET): Scoreline is the 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, airing seven days a week.
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