Hail GFOP!  

What a weekend of football in which we feasted on Carabao amidst near mystical scenes. Newcastle United won a domestic trophy for the first time in 70 long years. It was delirious to witness – three generations of Toon fans watched their boys, powered by local lad Big Dan Burn, turn long-held dreams into Wembley action. I looked on with wonder. And not just because it was Liverpool being overrun. But knowing full well as an Everton fan, how the longer you wait, the sweeter these moments feel, and the greater their impact on collective memory.

Newcastle is a proud coal and shipbuilding city that has been buffeted by the same post-industrial agonies as Liverpool. A place where football has felt at times like the one thing holding the city together. I am so happy for Newcastle fans in general, and my friend, Ray Hudson, in particular. Howay the Lads!

Liverpool fans. You know I am a horrible person, but trust me when I say this: I know this has been a terrible week with the PSG-inflected Champions League ouster, and now Arne Slot’s first Wembley trip ending in doom. There will be a temptation to move from celebrating this season of title-winning joy to fretting about the players that need to be replaced ahead of the next campaign. Don’t do it. Football is never rational and big picture. It is always emotional and knee jerk. But what Arne Slot has done as a transformational leader in his first season is nothing short of alchemic and it should be marveled at and savored

👉 We will break all of this down in this newsletter, as well as Arsenal riding the quasi-talismanic Mikel Merino to victory over Chelsea, Everton needing to go on another bus parade to celebrate another late, late draw, and Christian Pulisic’s geometry-defying moment o’ wonder.

📍We are off to Los Angeles this week to CONCACAF it up at SoFi for some Nations League gripple grapple. We have a Jesse Marsch joint dropping midweek and a ton of USMNT coverage to revel in. We are 451 days from World Cup 2026 and have scant few competitive games in which to measure ourselves. Let us savor each and every one.

Courage. And Go! Go! USA!

ROG

Newcastle’s Cup Runneth Over with Carabao 🏆

- Written by Max Bonem

Liverpool 1 - 2 Newcastle

What a difference a few weeks can make. When Liverpool beat Newcastle on Feb. 26, the Reds looked nearly unstoppable, dominating every aspect of the game while the Geordies sat by and idly watched. But now, two and a half weeks later, Eddie Howe’s Newcastle are Carabao Cup champions, raising a domestic trophy for the first time since 1955. While Liverpool still had a domestic double on the brain at kickoff, the Black and White entered their “World Cup final” with a singular focus, and launched the Toon army into the stratosphere with Dan Burn’s first goal of the season in the same week where the 32-year-old was called up to the England squad for the first time. Alexander Isak added another early in the second half that was called offside, but like death, taxes, and Aaron Rodgers eventually ending up in purple and gold, a goal for the Swedish striker was inevitable and he found the back of the net again for Newcastle’s second just minutes later. While Federico Chiesa made it interesting for the Reds at the end, fate had already spoken, allowing Eddie Howe to succeed where 20 other Newcastle managers before him could not in bringing glory back to the Toon for the first time since “Rock Around the Clock” was playing on jukeboxes around the world.

Read: Dan Burn’s dad’s beautiful open letter to his son written before the League Cup Final Newcastle lost back in 2023.

Turn On, Toon In, Drop Out

It was just four years ago when the Saudi Public Investment Fund purchased Newcastle with plans to return them to the promised land by flooding the team with cash and bringing in players like Dan Burn, Kieran Trippier, and, maybe most importantly, Bruno Guimarães – all of whom started for the Toon in the Carabao Cup final. Since then, this team has been on a mission to reestablish itself as a title contender, and with them sitting just a point behind fifth-place City in the league, their plan to return to Europe is inching closer by the week. Maybe no piece in the squad speaks more to this seismic overhaul than the talismanic Isak, a player that many thought Newcastle overpaid for when they bought him from Real Sociedad for roughly $80M in 2022. But between scoring the third-most goals in the league this year and officially putting Liverpool to sleep with his second-half strike in this game, Isak will officially go down as a Newcastle legend, even if Arsenal backup the money truck for him in the offseason.

Beware the Ides of March, Liverpool

A week ago, the Reds treble dreams were still alive. And now? They’re gone like any pints that found their way into the path of the Newcastle faithful Sunday night. A dramatic home loss in the Champions League to PSG that left Liverpool shattered followed by a shellacking at the hands of a side that simply wanted it more leaves Arne Slot’s mob with nothing left besides a rather lopsided league title to focus on after the incoming international break. What version of this utterly dominant force will we see when the Premier League returns two weeks from now? It remains unclear, but with their first match back coming against Everton, it will undoubtedly be one to savor.

A Hundredth Meeting, An Ugly Affair 🔫📈 

Arsenal 1 - 0 Chelsea

Any other time of the season, a top-four London derby clash would be considered must-see TV, and yet, Arsenal and Chelsea lived up to their “second fiddle” label with a match that made Mo Salah’s 0.0 xG in the Carabao Cup final almost look impressive. Two teams who both needed to acquire a proper No. 9 midseason to refocus their injury-plagued attacks and two teams who did no such thing. Instead, Arsenal dubbed Mikel Merino their new target man, whose goal in this match means he now trails only Salah (five) and Omar Marmoush (four) in league goals scored since moving to the No. 9 spot. Even with 60% possession, Enzo Maresca’s Cole Palmer-less squad (who was out with an injury) only managed two shots on target in their 100th meeting with Arsenal, which was two fewer than the number of fouls Blues defender Wesley Fofana could’ve been booked for over the course of the clash. Chelsea lose their fourth away in a row and have now gone through five managers since they last beat the Gunners, while Mikel Arteta’s team get their first league win in four and maintain their four-point lead over thriving third-place Nottingham Forest. 

Manchester City 2 - 2 Brighton

Two teams living dream seasons, but only one who wish they never had to wake up. Brighton traveled to the Etihad for this one, a place where they’ve never won in 14 attempts. In fact, the Seagulls have lost more games and conceded more goals to Manchester City than any other Premier League team. And yet, Fabian Hürzeler’s formation-fluid squad came in winners of four in a row, while City look lost in limbo after their big loss to Forest last weekend. What transpired was four goals, each with its own story. There was Elring Haaland’s penalty to kick things off, as he became the first PL player to reach 100 goal contributions in fewer than 100 games. An absolute sink-Pep’s-battleship hit from Estupian to level the score, followed by Omar Marmoush’s latest reminder that he is the Egyptian pharoah-in-waiting. Unfortunately, Abdukodir Khusanov ended things with an own goal – the Uzbek’s latest reminder of the steep adjustment required in the Premier League.

Fulham 2 - 0 Tottenham

Let us begin at the end. In a season where Spurs are officially marching towards a Europa League title or bust, Sunday’s loss to a very well-coached Fulham was their 15th of the season – only the three relegation teams currently have more. But how Big Ange and the boys got there made it even worse. A visibly frustrated Spurs squad looked lost after surrendering a first goal to Rodrigo Muniz, but it was the second, scored by none other than former Tottenham stalwart Ryan Sessegnon, that pushed their winless streak in the league to three games and left Spurs supporters to focus solely on their Europa League quarterfinal three weeks from now. Their dreams of a first trophy since 2008 remain intact, however delicately, for now.

Leicester City 0 - 3 Manchester United

Ruud van Nistelrooy’s whiplash season continues. The United legend was hired by Leicester to hopefully inject a bit of the magic he displayed during his short run as the Red Devils’ interim manager earlier this season. And yet, after Sunday’s beatdown at the feet of Ruben Amorim’s suddenly confident-looking squad, Leicester are now on a run of seven straight home defeats, all without scoring a single goal. For those playing at home, the Foxes are the first team to do that since 1888, just nine years after the lightbulb was invented. Rasmus Højlund landed his first goal in 21 games, Alejandro Garnacho comfortably added a second, and Bruno Fernandes scored his fifth goal in eight days. United’s next three league games are against Forest, City, and Newcastle, but for the first time in a while, Amorim’s army looks cohesive – and the United supporters are very much here for it.

And Now, Rog’s Super Chill Thoughts on WTF Happened to Everton this Weekend 💙

Everton 1 - 1 West Ham

Rog writes: A game that meant nothing and everything. Both teams safe with nothing to play for. Apart from revenge. David Moyes welcoming the Hammers for whom he delivered European glory, but then let him go. John Oliver always tells me, "Spite is the greatest human motivator." Moyes wanted this one. I will be honest, the football was slovenly for much of the match. When the Hammers took the lead via one telepathic moment of quality between Bowen and Soucek, I told myself, it did not really matter. Only when Everton scored in the 91st minute, courtesy of the magical surging Jake O'Brien, did I realize exactly how badly I did want it. And so we end our fifth-to-last game at Goodison Park, maintaining our nine-game unbeaten run, the club's best since 2017. Everton are now above both Manchester United and West Ham in the Moysey Revenge Tour. The football may not always be poetic, but the craic is at 90.

📧 Enjoying The Raven? Check out our other MiB newsletters here.

A Few Weekend Worldies, Just for You 🚀 🥅

There were a lot of great goals this weekend (we see you, Haji Wright), but these are three of our favorites. Got one we should check out? Send it our way.

On the Continent 🇪🇺

🇮🇹 Serie A: Inter maintain their top spot with a rather chippy win over third-place Atalanta, Juventus fall to fifth after losing 0-3 to Fiorentina, and Napoli hold onto second with a 0-0 draw against Venezia. Ninth-place AC Milan also picked up a 2-1 win over Como, which included Christian Pulisic’s 15th goal of the season and a return to football for Dele Alli that did not go as planned. With the score, CP11 becomes only the second Milan player ever with 15 goals across all comps in both of his first two seasons with the club, following the one-and-only Zlatan.

🇪🇸 La Liga: Real Madrid surrendered 23 shots to Villareal, but squeaked by with a 1-2 win thanks to a brace from reinstated French captain, Kylian Mbappé. However, they fall to second after Barcelona reclaimed first by beaing a wounded Atlético Madrid 4-2 on the road.

🇩🇪 Bundesliga: After Bayern knocked Leverkusen out of the Champions League mid-week without even breaking a sweat, the German giants retained their top spot in the domestic league with a chill draw, while second-place Leverkusen won a seven-goal battle against Stuttgart, and Mainz climbed into third ahead of Eintracht Frankfurt on goal difference.

Gotham Make NWSL History ⚽️

It was another massive week in the world of women’s football. In case you missed any of it, here’s what you need to know, courtesy of our good friends over at The Women’s Game:

• It was a huge first weekend back for the NWSL with last year’s first and second-place teams both picking up victories and Gotham setting a new record by subbing in the league’s youngest-ever player.

• England’s undefeated top-of-the table team, Chelsea, beat Manchester City 2-1 at Pride Park to collect the 2025 League Cup trophy. 

• USWNT and Washington star forward Trinity Rodman has confirmed that at some point, she’d like to play football abroad, following a recent exodus of American stars to European leagues.

Want to get more women’s football updates sent straight to your inbox each week? Subscribe to The Women’s Game newsletter.

Matches Worth Faking a Meeting for 📺 

There is a lot of international football happening this week, but here are six matchups that we will absolutely be blocking off our calendars–and maybe missing rec league–for, along with one player to watch and where to catch each game:

Concacaf Nations League

USA vs. Panama (Thursday, 7:00 p.m. ET, Paramount+) 🇺🇸🇵🇦

While Antonee Robinson might be the best player on the pitch for this one, we want to see what Josh Sargent does. Big Red has 17 G/A in 23 games in the Championship this season, while also recently wearing the captain’s armband for Norwich.

Canada vs. Mexico (Thursday, 10:30 p.m. ET, Paramount+) 🇨🇦🇲🇽

Like two neighbors stuck on either side of the loudest house on the block, Mexico and Canada have some things in common, while also seeming to be going in opposite directions in terms of football development. But let’s not overcomplicate this, Alphonso Davies is one of the most exciting players on the planet when he’s healthy and at the moment, the Bayern stalwart is thriving.

UEFA Nations League

Croatia vs. France (Thursday, 3:45 p.m. ET, FOX Sports) 🇭🇷🇫🇷

A rematch of the 2018 World Cup featuring the return of Kylian Mbappé to the French national team for the first time in six months. And yet, it’s Ousmane Dembéle, who after last week’s PSG performance away at Liverpool suddenly looks like a force that’s been completely unleashed.

Denmark vs. Portugal (Thursday, 3:45 p.m. ET, FOX Sports) 🇩🇰🇵🇹

With all due respect to the Danes, we’re not tuning in to watch you. Instead, this one is all about what Portugal’s absolutely electric left winger Rafael Leão can and will do. Also, keep an eye out for 17-year-old Geovany Quenda. He was one of Ruben Amorim’s great successes while at Sporting and he just signed a contract to join Chelsea next season.

Italy vs. Germany (Thursday, 3:45 p.m. ET, FOX Sports) 🇮🇹🇩🇪

Does it get more classic than this? While the Kimmich/Gnabry/Sané era appears to be reaching its peak, it’s Germany’s next crop of stars that are set to take over the mantle soon enough. Florian Wirtz is sidelined with an ankle injury, meaning Jamal Musiala will have a lot of opportunities to make a big impact in the center of the pitch.

Netherlands vs. Spain (Thursday, 3:45 p.m. ET, FOX Sports) 🇳🇱🇪🇸

The Eighty-Years-War Memorial Derby, let’s gooo! Spain might just be the best team in the world, while the always interesting Netherlands is… in a bit of a transition. Xavi Simons is a bright spot for the Oranje, but his glow is nothing compared to the radioactive blinding light beaming from Spain’s 17-year-old Lamine Yamal, not to mention their 22-year-old winger Nico Williams. Get your popcorn–or maybe some patatas fritas–ready.

It’s MiB Trivia Time 🤔

Welcome to our new-ish weekly trivia game. 

This week’s question is: Amidst the slew of international games this week, one player will do something incredibly rare by featuring in a squad alongside the son of a former national team teammate. Who is that player, and who are the father and son that he has now played with at opposite ends of his career?

Respond to this email with your answer and we’ll send one lucky correct responder a coveted MiB patch.

Last week’s answer: Nottingham Forest last qualified for Europe in 1994-95 (when they also finished third in the league), playing in the UEFA Cup the following year. Congrats to GFOP Alex Owen on winning the second MiB trivia challenge.

Rog’s Record Bin 🎶

Rog writes: I have a massive collection of Football vinyl. I scour eBay in my late-night hours attempting to track down Pelé's lost albums, Cruyff's polka single, and Beckenbauer's love songs with the tenacity of George Smiley. Over the next few weeks, I will share some of my favorites for your listening delight.

Let's start with the classic Rod Stewart taped with the 1978 Scottish World Cup Squad headed to Argentina: “Ole Ola”.

A single I adore for the cover design and just how virile Rod looks, but also, as an enormous football fan, how giddy he, a global superstar, appears to be with the players he adores. Also this: the way the Scottish accent allows this lyric to rhyme: "Ole ola, Ole ola, We're gonna bring that World Cup back from over there."