Hail GFOP!  

For those of us who live for and love the United States National Team, the past week has been an agony, rife with frustration, disappointment, and a gnawing fear. Last night's 2-1 wilt against Canada meant back-to-back losses on home turf. After Thursday night's humiliating sucker-punch shock against Panama, we expected a response. We wanted to see our boys channel the spirit of hockey's 4 Nations Face-Off 2. This was not it. Credit to Jesse Marsch's Canada who were hungrier, more cohesive, and clinical, and have beaten us twice on the run in the States for the first time since 1985, but this cannot be who we are now – a program where disappointment post-game feels almost normalized, and no cause for additional alarm.

To be clear: the Nations League is not a big deal in and of itself, but with so little competitive football between now and the World Cup, these games mattered. Days after talking about the U.S. becoming the No. 1 team in the world within a decade, we mustered just two shots on goal, and played before a near-empty So-Fi Stadium. I would love to hear where are you mentally on the panic scale between one (giving up hope) and 10 (if we emerge from the group stage intact at the World Cup, all of this will be forgotten)?

I am sure you are in shock. The questions outweigh the answers. How much is on the coach? How much is on the players? How much is systemic? We are here for you, drop us a line with your feelings at [email protected].

ii. I am headed to Atlanta tomorrow to celebrate our award of America's Best Soccer Bar 2024-25. After last night’s performance, I long for the embrace of so many of you GFOPs who will pack the Brewhouse Cafe on Tuesday night. The autopsy will be profound as we drumbeat towards the Gold Cup. At the very time we need to introduce our players to the widest possible sporting audience and make noise, we create only a low-grade moan and anonymity. The McNeese State team manager Amir Khan is better known than any single male American player right now. I hate to say that, but it is true.

iii. On days like this, we need some good vibes. So I am elated to say, this Thursday at 10 a.m. ET we have the premier of our joy-filled conversation with acclaimed author, long-time GFOP, and massive Liverpool fan John Green, whose new book, Everything Is Tuberculosis, is out now. We’re trying something new with this one where you can tune in on YouTube and watch the conversation with us in real time, along with chatting with us throughout the video. Come be with us on the morning of March 27.

Courage,

ROG

O Canada! 😀 O America… 🫠

- Written by Max Bonem

Canada 2-1 USA 🇨🇦🇺🇸

Four days, two poor results, and a million questions left unanswered. Canada and the U.S. met in last night’s CONCACAF Nations League third-place game after losing to Mexico and Panama respectively, and while Jesse Marsch’s boys can leave this tournament with their heads held high – knowing that they made some mistakes, but also showed some real fight – the USMNT look completely identity-less. The U.S. entered as three-time champions of this tournament, and the only nation to ever win it since its inception, and exit as a directionless squad desperate for further opportunities to hone its edges against elevated competition before the start of next year’s World Cup. While it’s certainly not time to panic, it definitely is time to ask the question: Poch, what’s the plan exactly?

Things Are Looking Up For Our Neighbors to the North 📈

The best player on the field on Sunday was Lille star Jonathan David and it wasn’t even close. He scored Canada’s go-ahead goal in the second half (below), marking his record 32nd international goal of his young career. Sure, Marsch was sent off and had to watch the last 15 minutes of the game from the stands, but his squad stood strong and got lucky in the final few minutes as the U.S. missed out on multiple golden opportunities to equalize. They’re young and inexperienced, but this Canada side believe and will continue to improve on this over the next year as they further their recruitment and refine their squad.

444 Days and Counting ⏱️

There were moments of positivity for the U.S. in this one. Patrick Agyemang’s goal (below), in which he became only the fourth player to score in three of his first four career appearances for the national team, came about from some explosive ball movement courtesy of Tim Weah, not to mention the crafty assist from everyone’s favorite new American folk hero, Diego Luna. And yet, all that any USMNT fans are going to remember from this one is how directionless our golden generation looked on the field, how empty the stadium was, and how perplexed Poch appeared on the sideline. Friendlies against Switzerland and Türkiye await in June in the run-up to the Gold Cup – here’s to hoping the squad is healthy, revitalized, and can learn from these recent results on the road to June 2026.

More: Fifa is losing its dignity as Infantino bows to Trump’s ‘Maga World Cup’ dream.

Jiménez Is Him: El Tri Win Silverware at So-Fi 🏆

Mexico 2-1 Panama 🇲🇽🇵🇦

Meanwhile, in the actual title game last night, Mexico became the first team other than the U.S. to claim a Nations League title, doing so in front of more than 60,000 fans at So-Fi Stadium. Panama kept pace with El Tri throughout the game, but the difference maker for Mexico, as he had been in their semi-final clash with Canada as well, was Raúl Jiménez. The Fulham striker scored all four goals for Mexico in their last two wins, including the 92nd-minute penalty to seal the victory last night, bringing a modicum of stability (and some silverware) to a national team that’s looked equally lost at sea over the past few years. But it’s particularly sweet for Jiménez, who suffered a severely fractured skull in November 2020 that nearly ended his footballing career. Now at 33, his finishing form is peaking at the right time for Mexico, who hope this will help them rediscover their confidence and swagger with the World Cup just 444 days away.

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A Few Weekend Worldies, Just for You 🚀🥅

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

Hope You Packed Your Eurail Pass 🚄

UEFA World Cup Qualifying

England 2-0 Albania 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇦🇱

Thomas Tuchel’s England era has officially begun and his team got off to a great start in World Cup qualification with a nifty 2-0 win over Albania under the lights at Wembley. Eighteen-year-old Arsenal wunderkind Myles Lewis-Skelly notched the first goal, becoming the youngest player to score on his senior debut for England in the process. The other came from England captain Harry Kane, who is 13 years Lewis-Skelly’s senior, securing his 70th international goal in the process and continuing to write the record books as England’s all-time leading goal scorer.

UEFA Nations League

Germany 3-3 Italy (5-4 on aggregate) 🇩🇪🇮🇹

Germany squeaked into the semis on aggregate after surrendering a three-goal lead to Italy in the second half Sunday evening, although they also scored one of the slickest goals of the tournament (below). Next up for the DFB: a semifinal battle with Portugal in June.

Portugal 5-2 Denmark (5-3 on agg.) 🇵🇹🇩🇰

Portugal scored twice in extra time against the Danes to punch their ticket to the next round of the Nations League, while Cristiano Ronaldo extended his all-time international goal record by notching his 136th for the FPF, despite missing a penalty earlier in the match.

France 2-0 Croatia (2-2 on agg., France advance 5-4 on penalties) 🇫🇷🇭🇷

After losing 2-0 on the road in Croatia in the first leg, Kylian Mbappé led Les Bleus to a 2-0 win in Paris to even up the aggregate score. France then secured passage to the Nations League semis against Spain with a 5-4 win in penalties in front of the French faithful.

Spain 3-3 Netherlands (5-5 on agg., Spain advance 5-4 on penalties) 🇪🇸🇳🇱

Without a doubt the wildest game of the weekend: three penalties during regulation, another goal from 17-year-old Barca phenom Lamine Yamal in the 103rd minute, and a penalty shootout to close things out. Spain took it 5-4 on pens and head to the semis looking every bit like last year’s Euros-winning side.

NWSL Is Already Heating Up 🔥

It was another massive weekend in 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:

• In NWSL, Kansas City Current (who finished fourth last year in the regular season) beat Washington Spirit (who finished second) 2-0 with goals from the inimitable veteran midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta and a 98th-minute contribution from NWSL’s record-setting goalscorer, Malawian forward Temwa Chawinga. 

• Real Madrid are having a big week. After beating Arsenal in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal, they bested Liga F giants Barcelona 3-1 to claim their first-ever victory in El Clásico.

• A new seven-a-side women’s league is launching. “World Sevens Football” sets off with a tournament in Portugal May 21-23 ahead of the UWCL Final, with the winner collecting a $5M prize.

Want 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 📺 

World Cup Qualifying - UEFA

England vs. Latvia (Today, 3:45 p.m. ET, Fubo) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇱🇻

One game under Tuchel, one win in the World Cup qualifying group stage. This is only the beginning of England’s journey towards the 2026 World Cup, but after a confident victory against Albania, today they’ll go up against the number two team in their group, Latvia. Tune in at 3:45 p.m. to see if Myles Lewis-Skelly can make even more history in his second senior international appearance.

World Cup Qualifying - CONMEBOL

Argentina vs. Brazil (Tuesday, 8:00 p.m. ET, Telemundo) 🇦🇷🇧🇷

One of the greatest international rivalries in the world, Brazil come into this one in second place in the CONMEBOL standings, one spot directly behind the reigning World Cup champions, Argentina. No Lionel Messi or Neymar in this match, but expect some fireworks from Raphinha, who is currently one of the most in-form players in the known universe.

It’s MiB Trivia Time 🤔

Welcome to our new-ish weekly trivia game. 

This week’s question is: This week, one men’s national team became the first to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. What country does that team hail from and how many consecutive World Cups have they now qualified for?

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

Last week’s answer: The player we were looking for was Cristiano Ronaldo, who played on the Portuguese national team alongside current AC Milan manager Sérgio Conceição in 2003 (CR7’s debut season) and played with his son Francisco, currently on loan at Juventus from Porto, this past weekend. Unfortunately we didn’t receive any correct responses to the question, but luckily we’ve got another one this week for you to try your hand at.

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, Johan Cruyff's polka single, and Franz 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.

This week, it’s Cruyff’s “Oei Oie Oei (Dat Was Me Weer Een Loei)” (Oi Oi Oi, he surely hit that ball).

Cruyff, the centrifugal force of the Dutch “Total Football” side who shook up the 1974 World Cup, had a preternatural confidence and Jedi-like ball control that terrified teams on the field. On the evidence of this single, behind his gaunt, long-haired cool lay the heart of an oompah-band aficionado. This track fuses a rasping brass band with an enthusiastic, if not tuneful, beerhall chorus. Cruyff is unruffled throughout, despite the presence of the outsize pair of headphones he sports on the record cover. Perfection.