Poch aims high, Leverkusen wins again and Messi bags a brace upon his return
Kick your Monday off with all the news from this past weekend
Happy Monday!
With this month’s international window over, the focus returned to Europe’s top five leagues.
On the other side of the Atlantic, Lionel Messi returned to action for Inter Miami after injuring his right ankle in this last July’s Copa America final against Colombia.
Here are the highlights from this past weekend:
Pochettino takes over as USMNT coach
Mauricio Pochettino is aiming high.
The Argentine officially began his tenure as U.S. men’s national team coach on Friday, saying his players should aspire to win the World Cup.
“We are here because we want to win. We are winners,” he said during a 48-minute introductory news conference in New York after agreeing to a contract through the 2026 World Cup. “We are going to compete and compete is completely different than to play.”
He added, “We have many examples next to us we need to follow” — citing the USWNT, winners of four World Cups, as an example.
Pochettino will coach a national team for the first time in his career, becoming the 10th U.S. manager in 14 years and the first foreign-born one since Jurgen Klinsmann in 2011. Pochettino was hired to replace Gregg Berhalter, who was fired in July after a poor Copa America.
Pochettino will only have eight one-week training periods between now and the World Cup. The Americans have never won a World Cup and only reached the semifinals once — their best finish ever — at the inaugural edition of the tournament in 1930.
Bayer Leverkusen learns to win again
Victor Boniface scored a brace on Saturday as Bayer Leverkusen defeated Hoffenheim 4-1 to rebound from a rare Bundesliga defeat, while RB Leipzig dropped points for the first time this season in a scoreless draw with Union Berlin.
Ahead of playing Feyenoord in its Champions League opener on Thursday, Leverkusen got back to winning ways after a 3-2 defeat to Leipzig in its last game. That had been the first time Xabi Alonso’s title-winning team had lost a Bundesliga game in 15 months.
Boniface set up Martin Terrier for Leverkusen’s first goal and scored himself soon after, beating defender Alexander Prass before he put the ball past Oliver Baumann.
Mergim Berisha’s goal for Hoffenheim in the 37th minute cut Leverkusen’s lead to 2-1 and Alonso’s team nearly conceded another. Alonso’s men took control of the game after the break and a penalty kick from Florian Wirtz and another goal from Boniface sealed the 4-1 win.
Bayern Munich, however, are in first place with nine points (three wins in as many matches) after routing Holstein Kiel 6-1 on Saturday. Harry Kane recorded a hat trick in Bayern’s road victory.
Messi returns to action after two months
Lionel Messi — the other famous Argentine now in America — returned to action after an ankle injury kept him sidelined for most of the summer.
In fact, he marked his return from injury with two goals and an assist to help Inter Miami to a 3-1 win against Philadelphia Union.
After the game Messi, who now has 14 goals in 13 games this season, admitted he was “a little tired.”
“I really wanted to come back, I had been off of the field for a long time,” he added. “Little by little, I was training with the group, feeling good and that's why we decided that I would start, and I'm very happy.”
Elsewhere, the Los Angeles Galaxy fought back from two goals down to beat rivals LAFC 4-2 in El Traffico.
In other news: Marcus Rashford snapped a 12-game barren run in front of goal as Manchester United beat Southampton 3-0 in the Premier League on Saturday. Rashford doubled United’s lead at Saint Mary’s after Matthijs de Ligt’s scored his first for the club. Substitute Alejandro Garnacho scored a third in the sixth minute of stoppage time. The win came after back-to-back defeats for United in a disappointing start to the season. Arsenal, meanwhile, edged Tottenham 1-0 on the road Sunday in the North London derby thanks to a goal by Gabriel in the 64th minute. … The new-look Champions League returns to action starting Tuesday. The opening round — featuring a single table — will feature 36 clubs, four more than last season. Defending European champions Real Madrid host VfB Stuttgart on Tuesday to start the tournament. … Meanwhile, Real Madrid said it will temporarily stop holding concerts at its renovated Santiago Bernabeu Stadium after neighbors complained about the loud noise. Three concerts by Spanish pop stars will be pushed back from November to December, while the South Korean music show Music Bank scheduled for Oct. 12 has been canceled. The decision came after those who live near the stadium had complained about the noise.