Soccer Monday: USMNT embarks on Gold Cup defense, trouble for Brazil and is Saudi Arabia bankrolling Chelsea?
A look at all the big issues affecting the world's most popular game
Good morning and happy Monday! You may have noticed our new Soccer Monday logo at the top of the newsletter. Hope you like it!
With that out of the way, let’s get into it. Another busy weekend of soccer across the globe to get to.
Here are the top stories from this past weekend:
3. USMNT embarks on Gold Cup defense
A week after capturing the CONCACAF Nations League, the USMNT hope to add the Gold Cup to their trophy case. You can read my full Gold Cup preview here.
The Americans nearly got off on the wrong foot against Jamaica on Saturday night in Chicago, needing a goal from Brandon Vazquez in the 88th minute to salvage a draw.
The U.S., which has fielded a B team so many of its European-based players can take a break following a long club season, had 15 wins in 16 previous Gold Cup openers, They only blemish a 1-1 draw against Panama in 2017.
The U.S. will next play Saint Kitts and Nevis on Wednesday in St. Louis.
In other Gold Cup action on Sunday: Trinidad and Tobago blanked Saint Kitts and Nevis 3-0 in Fort Lauderdale to temporarily take control of Group A. Meanwhile, in Group B, Mexico, with Jaime Lozano installed as coach just a week ago, cruised to a 4-0 win against Honduras in Houston.
2. What happened to Brazil?
It was a little more than six months ago when Brazil, a five-time World Cup winner, crashed out of Qatar 2022 after losing to Croatia on penalties in the round of 16. Making matters worse was Argentina winning the whole thing.
Brazil finds itself at a crossroads. Maynard is injured, the team has no couch and a 4-2 defeat to Senegal last week in a friendly signaled a new low.
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti is reportedly headed to La Selecao, but said they must wait until next summer. That would mean another year with no full-time coach and little time to prepare for the 2024 Copa America. Walter Casagrande, a former player-turned-pundit, has demanded the issue be “resolved quickly.”
The Guardian noted the following just last week:
When Sadio Mané wrapped up Senegal’s 4-2 win this week, the commentators on Brazilian TV station Globo fumed about the state of the team, with the former Brazil player turned pundit Caio Ribeiro blaming the team’s lack of a permanent head coach. Whereas other countries changed managers swiftly after the World Cup, the Seleção are led by an interim manager, Ramon Menezes, who normally heads the under-20s.
Menezes steered the youngsters to glory in the South American Under-20s Championship this year, but his success has not continued in the top job. The previous manager, Tite, lost just six of his 81 games; Menezes has overseen two defeats in three games.
What next for Brazil? Only time will tell. The problem is that time is running out.
1. Is Saudi Arabia funding Chelsea?
That’s the question The Athletic put forward in a recent article that’s worth a read.
This is a key part of the article:
The idea that Chelsea may be “cheating” football’s financial fair play (FFP) rules by selling their surplus stars for inflated fees to PIF-controlled Saudi Pro League (SPL) clubs — and that PIF is happy to pay those fees because it “protects” its investment in Clearlake — appears to have taken hold among a broad constituency of fans and rival teams.
Missing out on Lionel Messi hasn’t slowed Saudi Arabia’s ambitions this summer to lure players away from Europe. Having already signed Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, the oil-rich Saudis — amid accusations of sportswashing — are also targeting others.
Midfielder N’Golo Kante became the latest stellar player to head to the Saudi Pro League, leaving Chelsea and signing a three-year contract to play alongside Benzema at Al-Ittihad.
Amid reports that the Premier League demanded extra assurances Chelsea were not owned by the Saudis, the London club are under pressure to offload players after last season’s spending spree.
The club is looking to sell off goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, defender Kalidou Koulibaly and winger Hakim Ziyech to Saudi clubs. Chelsea owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital have found in Saudi Arabia a helpful partner, but one that will continue to come under increased scrutiny as more players move to the Middle East.
In other news: UEFA has announced that the Under-21 European Championship will feature VAR and goal-line technology starting with the quarterfinals. The decision comes after a massive officiating blunder in last week’s group-stage match that denied Italy a goal in the waning minutes of a 2-1 defeat to France. … FIFA announced that the 2025 Club World Cup will be played in the United States. The expanded tournament will feature 32 teams and be played a year before the U.S. host the World Cup. The Copa America will also take place in the United States next summer. … With less than a month to go before the Women’s World Cup kicks off, the USWNT unveiled the roster that will compete in Australia and New Zealand. The team will feature a mix of young players and veterans as the U.S. aims to win the World Cup for a third straight time.