What a weekend. The emotional highlight was the rock-em-sock-em Wrexham-Chelsea game, but huge love to bottom-of-League-One Port Vale, who delivered the true ecstatic exclamation point of the round, and made so many of you Google, “Where Port Vale?” As their official account pointed out, the minnows are now three wins away from European football. That is the magic that compelled us to ensure the streaming services got a workout over the last 48 hours. My life was bouncing between ESPN to Paramount+ to ESPN to HBO Max for the USWNT, as close as I’ll get to doing a triathlon. 

I was honored to watch the Wrexham game in Boston with the local fan group, Boston Reds. The Wrexham story is one we have been blessed to cover deeply at MiB. I have glimpsed its power countless times at the stadium, but this was the first time I have communed with American fans and it was remarkable to experience. A gaggle of Patriots fans – who became hooked by the documentary and are now in deep – going over often to experience games in person, and watching every Championship matchup to scout future opponents. Their fanaticism as devout as it is fresh. 

I found it all so much fun to experience, especially in contrast to watching an Everton game which is a human agony on the deepest level. Wrexham are good for the heart. This was just effervescent pure fan wonder that I witnessed with naivety and delight. Also, I watched the game at McGonagle’s in Dorchester – an Irish restaurant attempting to redefine Irish cuisine and receiving the accolade of being hailed as one of the New York Times’ 50 best restaurants in the U.S. I met the chef, Aidan McGee, who is a genius. The fish and chips is the best I have had outside of the UK and the spice bag is a must-eat dish in life. ☘️

ii. I was in Boston to interview Brentford owner Matthew Benham at The MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. Benham rarely speaks, so to go deep on his philosophy, analytics thinking, transfer ideology, and managerial selection was to glimpse something revelatory. The conversation will go live on our platforms on Thursday, and I hope it brings every fan of every team a glimmer of hope. 🐝

iii. Launch week for my book was some odyssey. It was a three Marriott hotel week! I am so giddy to see the book in your hands, out there in the world. I can’t tell you how much I love your emails and tweeted photos about how you are experiencing it and the World Cup memories it is stirring for you. Keep sending them to [email protected] and if you have not yet snapped up a copy, please grab one here. 📚

iv. And now, three outstanding weekend goals from around the world that are very much worth your time:

🇪🇸 Let this curling beauty be another reminder that Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal is an alien sent to Earth to defy the laws of footballing physics. Chef’s kiss x100.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 You’d think rewatching this perfect half-field lob from Swansea City's Liam Cullen would get old, but you’d be very wrong. 

🇵🇹 Porto’s 17-year-old Oskar Pietuszewski broke out an Allen Iverson-inspired crossover and finish that left the Benfica defense in awe. Kid’s got mad skills.

v. Also, ATLANTA! Join us March 27 as our country-wide countdown tour rolls into town for Soccer’s Coming Home: 76 Days Out LIVE, presented by Bank of America, the Official Bank of the FIFA World Cup 2026™. It’s going to be a magical night breaking down the massive summer that lies ahead of us. Get your tickets here. ✌️

vi. Lastly, we have David Moyes coming on this week. Email us your questions for my football dad at the email above. 💙

Courage,
ROG

PS - This Messi x “The Wire” mashup is truly outstanding. 👌

By Tommy Stewart

Wrexham 2-4 Chelsea

When Sam Smith put Wrexham 1-0 up to send the STōK Cae Ras into the stratosphere, Chelsea knew they were in for a fist fight. With the match perfectly poised at 2-2 on the verge of extra time, George Dobson’s tired attempt at a tackle looked more like an effort to chop Alejandro Garnacho in half – a challenge that might be forgiven in the Championship, but with VAR watching like Sauron’s eye, he rightly saw red.

The Argentine recovered to put his side ahead in extra time before VAR once again poured cold water all over the cup’s magic when Lewis Brunt’s equalizing header was found to be a toenail offside. Phil Parkinson’s 10 men almost took the World Champions the whole way, but with João Pedro’s 18th goal of the season, the Welsh dragons were buried. For a proud Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac, it felt like a dress rehearsal for a club who aren’t just dreaming, but demanding, Premier League football in the near future.

More: The Blues won the game, but the Red Dragons won the award for best commentary.

Newcastle 1-3 Manchester City

Harvey Barnes' sixth goal in nine should’ve been a platform for Newcastle to build on, but City flexed their frightening squad strength at St. James’ Park on Saturday. Despite making 10 changes to his side, Pep’s starting XI was saturated with international talent hungry to prove what their manager’s been missing out on, and Savinho took his chance with a bizarre tap-in to gut-punch the Magpies before halftime. An assertive Omar Marmoush brace in the second half was laughably good according to his manager, whose touchline histrionics earned him a two-match ban after a sixth booking of the season. While Pep’s side gun for the quadruple, Eddie Howe said Barcelona’s visit to St. James’ Park tomorrow is the biggest game in his club’s history; he knows unless they can perform miracles in Europe, Newcastle’s season is in danger of quietly petering out.

Port Vale 1-0 Sunderland

Port Vale are accustomed to underdog status, having perennially lived in the shadow of neighbors and former Premier League residents, Stoke City, but the 57 league positions dividing them and Sunderland seemed a stretch. The lowest-ranked side left in the FA Cup are bottom of League One and they battled into extra time with Bristol City only five days before this fixture to get here. Ben Waine was the difference in that match and the New Zealand international, who grew up a Newcastle fan, paid homage to his hero Alan Shearer with not only a decisive header that the Toon legend would be proud of, but the celebration to match. His goal puts Port Vale into their first FA Cup quarterfinal in 72 years as Sunderland’s comedown from their early-season high hits its lowest ebb.

Mansfield Town 1-2 Arsenal

With Mansfield’s patchwork Field Mill stadium, homemade tin foil trophies in the stands, and two schoolboys on the pitch in Arsenal’s Max Dowman and Marli Salmon, this tie ticked so many Magic of the FA Cup™️ boxes. Noni Madueke perforated the League One side’s brave defense just before halftime, but a generational upset felt feasible when 16-year-old Salmon gifted the ball to opportunistic Mansfield sub Will Evans, who scored a goal that his grandkids’ grandkids will be talking about. Dowman dominated all afternoon, but it was Eberechi Eze who laid Nigel Clough’s side to rest with a banger worthy of winning any game, meaning Arsenal’s quadruple quest marches on.

Wolves 1-3 Liverpool

For Arne Slot, the FA Cup offers his side the most tangible chance of a trophy this season, and they had one foot in the quarterfinal when Andy Robertson’s strike from distance opened the scoring. Mohamed Salah bagged his second goal of the week at Molineux soon after and Wolves were no longer at the door when Curtis Jones scared them off for a third. Hwang Hee-chan’s consolation came too late and Liverpool tasted warm revenge after their calamitous Premier League loss to the Championship-elect side only days before.

Elsewhere in the FA Cup: Fulham 0-1 Southampton, Leeds 3-0 Norwich City

🇪🇸 La Liga: Real Madrid captain Federico Valverde’s heavily deflected 95th-minute winner at Celta Vigo cemented the adage that “they all count,” because despite its messy nature, Álvaro Arbeloa has probably never presided over a more crucial goal. Los Blancos were temporarily just a point behind Barcelona, who replied on Saturday by escaping Bilbao with a narrow 1-0 win after a Lamine Yamal standard that to anyone else would be a classic.

More: Madonna answers Celta Vigo’s prayers with lost shirt.

🇮🇹 Serie A: Thanks to Pervis Estupiñán’s first AC Milan goal and a by-any-means-necessary Max Allegri defensive masterclass, the Scudetto title race is back open for business after an Oscar-worthy night of storytelling in the Derby della Madonnina. Inter Milan’s Serie A lead is down to seven points and the Rossoneri have now done the double over their little brothers for the first time since 2011 as the battle at the top heats up again. After a 2-1 win at Cagliari, Cesc Fabregas’ Como have leapfrogged Roma to enter the top four for the first time, as the Lombardi lakes side continue to confound all expectations.

🇩🇪 Bundesliga: Bayern Munich’s headlock on the Bundesliga is so firm that even without the injured Harry Kane, they swatted away Borussia Mönchengladbach 4-1 with four different goal scorers. Kane’s knock to his calf should be minor enough for a return in the Champions League against Atalanta tomorrow, but in the league they remain 11 points ahead of Borussia Dortmund, who won 2-1 away at FC Köln.

FA Cup - West Ham vs. Brentford (TODAY, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

It’s East vs. West London in an FA Cup fifth-round tie that is a welcome distraction from a relegation battle royale for West Ham, and an added accoutrement for Europe-chasing Brentford, in what could end up being their greatest-ever season.

UCL - Galatasaray 🇹🇷 vs. Liverpool 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (Tuesday, 1:45 p.m. ET, Paramount+)

Galatasaray welcome Liverpool to hell tomorrow, although they may be acclimatized after playing Wolves away twice in four days. Arne Slot’s Premier League title defense has been weaker than airport wifi, but Liverpool have always had an intrinsic bond with the Champions League, winning it six times in their history; number seven would secure both Slot’s job and his legendary status. Victor Osimhen scored the winner when the Istanbul side beat Liverpool earlier in the tournament, and he’s warned the English champs his team “will fight” to defeat them again.

UCL - Atlético Madrid 🇪🇸 vs. Tottenham 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (Tuesday, 4 p.m. ET, Paramount+)

Tottenham’s European and domestic duel personality is equally intriguing and frustrating, the seeds of which were sown during last season’s Europa League win and poor domestic showing. It seems hallucinogenic that Spurs have kept five clean sheets in their last six UCL matches, but Atléti’s Metropolitano is a vociferous inferno that Conor Gallagher probably wishes he’d never left.

UCL - Newcastle 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 vs. Barcelona 🇪🇸 (Tuesday, 4 p.m. ET, Paramount+)

When five-time UCL winners Barcelona visited St. James’ Park in September, Marcus Rashford’s brace painted the Toon Blaugrana, and it’d be unsurprising if the Mancunian winger bullied them again tomorrow as he so often has. After emerging victorious from two quick-fire rounds with the red and blue of Manchester over the past week, the Magpies will feel quietly confident, especially as they possess the tournament’s second top goalscorer in Antony Gordon.

This week’s question: Who is the top goalscorer in the history of the Milan derby?

Email us with your answer for a chance to win a much-coveted MiB patch!

Last week’s winner: Congratulations to James Larsen, who was the first to correctly answer that Rog’s beloved Everton have received the most red cards in Premier League history, overtaking Arsenal this season! Your patch is in the post, James. 📬

🐦‍⬛ We’ll see you on Wednesday for the Champions League. In the meantime, keep sending your stories and questions to [email protected].

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