The Athletic FC ⚽ is The Athletic’s daily football (or soccer, if you prefer) newsletter. Sign up to receive it directly to your inbox.
🙌 Pulisic free-kick trick earns draw with Brazil
🥔 La Croqueta, through the eyes of Germany’s Musiala
🏟️ Taylor Swift tours the football circuit
🇧🇷 Chelsea’s latest South American import
USMNT Draw Belief: Have Berhalter’s side ‘woken up’ in time for Copa?
You’ll get a dose of deja vu watching the USMNT’s concession against Brazil last night.
A misplaced pass from goalkeeper Matt Turner, Brazil sweeping up the pieces and Rodrygo slipping home a finish on the counter: the U.S. have to find a way of stopping themselves getting toasted in transition.
A 1-1 draw against the Selecao, though? So much better. Or so much better than last week’s 5-1 hammering by Colombia, a result which asked the question of whether the USMNT might be home from the Copa America before their postcards (alright, they’re hosting it, but you get the sentiment).
For one thing, the U.S. don’t tend to leave a scratch on Brazil. Yesterday’s friendly in Orlando broke a streak of 11 straight defeats against the nine-times Copa America winners. Head coach Gregg Berhalter demanded the performance against Colombia be a “wake up call”. It looked like it gave his players a shake.
All eyes now on two things: confirmation of the USMNT’s 26-man squad for the Copa (which should come later today), and their first match of the Copa against Bolivia in 10 days. Show time.
Pulisic’s smart strike
Christian Pulisic talked after the draw with Brazil about holding “each other accountable” — a stock phrase on the back of a heavy beating but also essential with a major tournament looming.
For the USMNT, so much rests on the AC Milan playmaker’s attacking instinct. He came up with their goal last night, via a coordinated and orchestrated move for a free-kick. It caught Brazil napping: the U.S. placing a wall in front of Brazil’s, that wall splitting in two with neat timing and Pulisic hooking a shot to the left of Liverpool’s Alisson, who must have given his defence a coating.
Turner (a mere 11 saves from him over 90 minutes, which tells you the U.S. have plenty of defensive drilling to do) had it right afterwards. There might be talk of this being a golden generation for the U.S. but, as England found post 2000, it’s only talk unless potential amounts to something tangible. “It’s cool to hear,” Turner said, “but we had to prove that.”
For Berhalter, his next move is to reveal which single player from his provisional 27-man squad will be dropped for the Copa. There might have been no soul-searching for him. If Josh Sargent’s foot injury is too much of a concern, that call will make itself.
News Round-Up
Musiala: My Game In My Words – Half-turns and ‘La Croqueta’
You can’t beat a good ‘My Game in My Words’ feature. Ademola Lookman did one with The Athletic in April — and then went on to score a hat-trick for Atalanta in the Europa League final.
On that basis, lump on Germany to win the Euros because Stuart James has written a marvellous MGIMW with Jamal Musiala – the half-turn specialist and a dab hand a La Croqueta (or The Iniesta, if you prefer).
Musiala’s half turns — the trick of letting a pass run across his body before turning away into space — are so effective and a bit of a dream for a string-puller like Toni Kroos. As for his mastery of La Croqueta (above, the two-touch side step which leaves opponents looking daft), it’s effortless. Though not yet at Andres Iniesta levels.
The backstory to Musiala is that he got away from England. As a Chelsea trainee, he played numerous times for England’s youth teams before ultimately declaring for Germany, the country of his birth.
It’s not that Gareth Southgate is short of quality midfielders — but he’d have to find a way of fitting Musiala in.
Swift Cash
(Gareth Cattermole/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management )
I regard Taylor Swift much like I regard Ted Lasso. Not a fan, but the numbers don’t lie — especially not financially.
If you’ve ever wondered why football stadiums are queuing up to host tens of thousands of Swifties, here’s your answer: when Tottenham ran five nights of Beyonce gigs last year, they pocketed £5m ($6.4m). Easy money, and good for the bottom line of profit and sustainability. One thing I’ve thought about, though. What about the impact on the pitches? Don’t they get trashed?
Nick Miller set about investigating this because it’s a subject that had to be dealt with before Travis Kelce’s other half takes her Eras tour to Anfield tonight.
My main takeaway from Nick’s article? David Wagner (former Huddersfield Town boss) was a brave man picking a fight with Little Mix. Don’t ever do that with the Swifties, Dave. They’ll end you.
Chelsea’s $37m teen: Estevao Willian: Boy who hates ‘Little Messi’ moniker
Look out next year for Kendry Paez, the teenager lined up to arrive at Chelsea from Ecuador in 2025. He’s not lacking in confidence.
Nor is Estevao Willian, another 17-year-old who Chelsea are about to sign from Palmeiras in Brazil for almost £29m. The club are constantly active in South America, with mixed success. But this deal — also due to be completed in 2025 — has bags of potential.
Estevao’s track record is one of rapid achievement. He got a Nike sponsorship deal when he was 10. He made his debut for Palmeiras at 16. He’s been dubbed the ‘Little Messi’ — albeit a nickname he hates.
Football’s path is littered with top prospects who fell short or blew up. To look at Estevao’s raw skill, Chelsea’s £29m is worth the risk.
Around The Athletic FC
(Top photo: Rich Storry/Getty Images)
Read the full article here