Hail GFOP!

I type with fingers stunned at the fact we are 461 days away from the kick off of the Men’s World Cup 2026 and the silence is deafening. I have spent the past two months charging around the United States meeting with many of the leaders doing such incredible work preparing host city after host city. I am blown away by the level of thought going into the preparations. I also share the organizers’ shock about just how silent the drumroll is surrounding the tournament. The Super Bowl gives way to Daytona, which pivots right into Hockey’s Four Nations Face Off Rumble, which slams into March Madness, and so on, and so on. Our U.S. market is sportingly saturated, and our U.S. Men’s National Team has to find a way to break through… 

P.S. More on our plans to make more, much more, noise around the USMNT below… 🇺🇸

ii. Despite the lack of noise, football culture has never been more dizzying. It is with great pride that we are able to announce:

🏆 THE WINNER OF AMERICA’S BEST SOCCER BAR 2024-25 🏆

🍺 Our goal was to do for America’s soccer bars what Michelin has done for restaurants, and with your support, we have done it, GFOPs. We’ve tallied up all your votes – over 23,000 of them – for what you have picked as America’s Best Soccer Bar presented by Michelob ULTRA. This has been a magical process, from your thousands of nominations of bars from all 50 states, seeing the list of the top 10 most nominated bars shake out, and now finally being able to crown a winner has been a thing of wonder. 

Your 2024-25 Men in Blazers Best American Soccer Bar is the legendary Brewhouse Cafe in Atlanta, Georgia. 👑

Few institutions have played a greater role in growing a love of our game in this nation than the American soccer bar. A place where U.S. fans who have fallen fast and hard for the game of football ritually commune at the crack of dawn and form passionate, accepting, joyous cultures. 

It is little surprise that the winner is in Atlanta. A city that, when the Mercedes Benz is full, can feel like the beating heart of football in our nation. The Brewhouse is such a special, passionate place. I have been there — to witness the connection the crowd feels for each other is palpable. It is a shining example of all that is good about a soccer bar. As one nominee wrote to us, “Brewhouse isn't riding a wave of American interest in football — it started the wave.” 

TO CELEBRATE: We are hosting a LIVE PODCAST TAPING at 7:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 25 AT THE BREWHOUSE CAFE and the incredible Rory Smith is joining me. This celebration is free and open to the public, we just ask that you RSVP ahead of time at this link so we can get a sense of just how many GFOPs we'll be sharing a Michelob ULTRA with. Come and join us Atlanta. 🍑🏆

iii. This Sunday, our Everton Special debuts on the Men in Blazers television show on Peacock. The show features an 18-minute short film which covers our return to Goodison Park for one last time at that epic Merseyside Derby 2-2 win. Possibly the most personal film I have ever made. I hope you like it because making it was profoundly moving. The second half of the show is a conversation with my hero, Saint David Moyes. I don’t like to be hyperbolic but he is the leader our world needs right now. 

iv. I am headed to Austin for SXSW on Tuesday. Come and raise a beer with me Tuesday at 1 p.m. at this panel if you are in town.

v. Then I descend upon my spiritual home of New Orleans to keynote Tulane’s Entertainment and Sports Law Conference on Friday. I adore Tulane and have a lot of respect for Gabe Feldman and what he is building there. Come and be with us on this very special day. 

This Week at MiB HQ 📡

We released the second episode of our new series: Club Stories, Presented by Konami eFootball. Podcast and YouTube episodes in which we dive deep into the stories of how your favorite clubs became your favorite clubs. This week: Arsenal. We trace the history of the Gunners and discuss some of its innovators who've had a hand in shaping the modern game, including Arsène Wenger, Ian Wright, and, of course, Thierry Henry. Watch the full episode here. 🔫

ii. On VAMOS, Presented by Michelob ULTRA, Herc sat down with ESPN Mexico's Eric Gomez to discuss the incredible story of how AI at a European casino triggered an investigation that uncovered a massive betting scandal that has rocked Mexican football to its core. A CONCACAF-themed Ocean's 11. Listen to the full episode here. 🇲🇽

iii. Over at The Women’s Game, we put out another great episode of Good Vibes, where Lynn Biyendolo and Sam Mewis recapped the SheBelieves Cup and look ahead to the NWSL season. To make sure you don't miss anything from The Women's Game, sign up for our TWG newsletter. ⚽️

iv. On the platform formerly known as Twitter, we gave away a signed James Trafford Burnley jersey. Congratulations, Mike Gardulla, you’re our lucky winner! Speaking of Burnley’s No. 1, Trafford conceded his first goal in an astonishing 14 games this week in Burnley's 2-1 win over Cardiff City, dashing the Cincinnati Bengals fan's dreams of having Burnley part-owner JJ Watt come out of retirement for his beloved team. To relive the focus, intensity, and sheer insanity it takes to maintain defensive perfection for that stretch in the rock 'em, sock 'em world of the British Championship, check out Burnley's Keeping the Faith YouTube series, with a new Trafford-focused episode dropping later today.

v. Another week, another round of thank yous to everyone who read, rated, and sent us feedback on our new Monday Raven. It has been a true joy bringing all of you our thoughts from the past few weekends of football. We’ll see you again this Monday when we’ll recap the full slate of Premier League action, preview next week’s biggest Champions League round-of-16 second-legs, and share a few more of the best worldies from around the game. 🐦‍⬛

To the Football 🍻

Manchester United vs. Arsenal (Sunday, 12:30 p.m. ET, NBC)

Ruben Amorim’s greatest achievement is to make United defeat feel almost customary, expected, and no cause for additional alarm. United’s worst Premier League season rumbles on. Where does this rank as one of Arsenal’s most frustrating? Mikel Arteta’s “Dead Body” are 13 points behind Liverpool after dropping points and failing to score in their last two league games. This will be the hair helmet’s 200th game in charge. A 7-1 first-leg Champions League victory against PSV was good for what ails ye. But did they use up the entire allotment of March’s Arsenal goals in one game? 

More: Manchester United fans will wear black to protest how the club is “slowly dying.”

Rogstradamus 🔮: 2-0 Arsenal. Come for the two set-piece goals, stick around for the radically honest Amorim post-match quotes. 

Nottingham Forest vs. Manchester City (Saturday, 7:30 a.m. ET, USA)

Time travelers from early-2024 would not believe me: This is a knife fight for a Champions League place between two teams who could not have taken more different journeys, nor utilized more contrasting styles to be there. Forest don't want to touch the ball. Their 40.1% average possession is the lowest in the league. Manchester City crave it. Their 60.4% average is the highest. The Tricky Trees have not won in over a month since blasting seven past Brighton. City have stabilized, losing just two of their last 10 in the league. The only thing that is for sure, at kick off, the City ground will be vaguely audible from all points around the globe.

Rogstradamus 🔮: Manchester City leak early but come back to squeak one out 2-1. “Forest are so, so good.”

Chelsea vs. Leicester (Sunday, 10:00 a.m. ET, USA)

The Enzo Maresca Memorial Derby. The reverse fixture — a 2-1 win for Chelsea at the end of November — led to Leicester firing Steve Cooper. Can the Bald Chess King see off another of his successors, poor gaunt Ruud Van Nistelrooy, loser of five straight league games? Chelsea have been bad—but not Leicester bad. Ruud will hope the Conference League tie, in which a flailing Chelsea somehow beat Copenhagen, scoring twice off 0.36 xG, will be a distraction.  

Rogstradamus 🔮: It won’t. Chelsea win 2-0. Cole Palmer scores again for the first time since mid-January!

Tottenham vs. Bournemouth (Sunday, 10:00 a.m. ET, Peacock)

Pity Dominic Solanke. He left little Bournemouth for the big time, and finds himself six places and 10 points behind the resplendent Golden War Cherries as they swagger into North London. After an insipid 1-0 Europa League defeat in the first leg at AZ Alkmaar (courtesy of a Lucas Bergvall own goal), a passive Spurs feel woozy again. They managed just one shot on target and poor Solanke limped off with a back problem on his return after seven weeks out with a knee injury. It’s always lightest just before the dark. 

Rogstradamus 🔮: 2-1 Chez. Tyler Adams long range banger. 

Liverpool vs. Southampton (Saturday, 10:00 a.m. ET, Peacock)

A welcome respite as the sandwich filling between two PSG Champions League legs, this game of first vs. worst follows Le Grand Heist in Paris. A goalkeeping act of high performance art by Alisson who faced 27 shots, 10 on target. In a game in which Liverpool defended desperately, quaking before PSG as if they were Plymouth Argyle, before stealing the game in the 87th minute via bit part Harvey Elliott netting 47 seconds after coming on. All the motifs of Liverpool’s Magical Carpet Ride of a season were there: Arne Slot’s substitution changing the game, mental fortitude, and profound efficiency after creating 0.0 xG until Elliott came on. Liverpool appear to be a team of destiny in the most profound of ways. Southampton are the antithesis and should be a chance for Slot to rest key players. Give Endo a chance up front you coward!

Rogstradamus 🔮: 2-0 Liverpool. Same as it always was.

Wolves vs. Everton (Saturday, 3:00 p.m. ET, Peacock)

Wolves appeared to have escaped the threat of relegation. Then Matheus Cunha lost the plot and his team must stumble on without their everything. Enter St. David Moyes who has Everton on their longest unbeaten run since 2016-17. It feels so good to want to watch Everton again. To miss them when they don’t play, as opposed to feeling a guilty relief. Let’s do this thing. 

Rogstradamus 🔮: Wolves 1-0. Speaking my worst fears into existence to diffuse them.

📺 Full Premier League Broadcast Schedule here.

📧 Enjoying The Raven? Check out our other Men in Blazers newsletters.

We’re Beefing Up Our USMNT Coverage Running into 2026 🇺🇸

Because the U.S. Men’s National Team does not have to qualify for the World Cup, we are deprived of their narrative building in the run up to the tournament. There is a profound void. Yet there is one platform who has filled it by building a community of meaning around the USMNT over the last seven years: USMNT Only. I have long been blown away by the intelligent creativity and informed passion and insight that has built around it, and am elated that we have been able to build this strategic partnership with the platform in the run up to 2026 and beyond. Our goal is to support the creators to do more of what they know how to do, and to deepen the connectivity around this — the single most dominant and authentic community of United States fans — in our nation’s history. Follow USMNT Only now on Instagram and Twitter and enjoy this conversation I had with the founder, Arthur Kogan, who is one of the most brilliant, hard working football social savants I have encountered. This interview has been condensed for clarity.

RB: How did USMNT Only come about? Where did this journey begin?

Arthur Kogan: Honestly, I got REALLY into the USMNT during the 2018 World Cup qualifying run. I started the account some months before that night in Trinidad and it was only because I had NO idea at the time what players were in the pipeline, there wasn’t really any coverage of it on social and I just wanted to know who the ‘next stars’ were going to be, the young players at the time — Weston McKennie, Sergino Dest, Tyler Adams, etc. The players who are the face of the team in 2025. And that’s why I started the account. It was more for myself, really, and it allowed me to self-educate and really dig into the up-and-coming players for the U.S. and it all took off from there. I think it just filled a void and a need for all USMNT fans who share the same dream as me: see the U.S. men one day win a World Cup. 

RB: You've amassed a community of over 750K people across your social channels. What have you clicked into that's made your platform such a powerful fan voice in the USMNT world?

AK: It was just about filling a void and doing it right. It was a lot of fun, and it was exciting to just have the opportunity to watch young players, some of which were academy players at the time, or playing for youth national teams, and trying to predict who the next stars of the team would be. Fans of the account enjoyed that as well — so it grew into its own community of diehard USMNT supporters who all want to see the team be the best in the world one day. And broadly speaking — I also wanted to give the USMNT the type of coverage that the biggest American sports leagues receive from the traditional sports media in this country. Soccer is the biggest sport in the world, and American players deserve that type of coverage. And it turns out, there are a ton of fans who’ve been hungry for that kind of coverage for a long, long time.

RB: 461 days out from the 2026 World Cup, how are you feeling about the sport's relevance in American culture and about the USMNT's chances of being adopted by the country with the tournament quickly approaching?

AK: The reality is that soccer fandom in this country is still a ways behind the NFL, the NBA, and college football. And sure — the country will care and tune in during the World Cup — but you’re not a proper footballing country if most fans don’t care outside of once every four years. The World Cup is a cultural moment, everyone will tune in, but I think if you polled all sports fans in this country and asked them to name the coach of the USMNT or three players on the roster, most would struggle. Sports fans in this country will rally around the team like they always do when it’s World Cup time. But that’s our chance to win them over, make fans for life, and convince young kids watching all around the country that soccer is the sport they want to play growing up. The question is if we’ll seize that opportunity and take advantage of what will be the biggest sporting event this world has ever seen — and it’s in our backyard. 

RB: In a dream world, how do you hope the 2026 World Cup will change Americans' relationship to the national team and game as a whole? Outside of the USMNT's performance, what impact do you believe hosting the World Cup here for the first time in 30+ years will have?

AK: Ultimately I just hope that the World Cup here will catapult soccer in this country to another level. Solidify the sport as the third biggest in the U.S., behind basketball and football, and put us in a position to continue to grow — and with that, an increased interest in MLS and our own domestic league. The key is to get broad sports fans to care outside of every four years. The performance of the U.S. in that tournament will dictate a lot of that. Will it be, ‘wow, this is incredible’ or ‘welp, maybe we’ll be better in four years’? If even a small percentage of the kids watching in 2026 fall in love with the game and stick with it, that could transform the U.S. soccer landscape for the next generation.

RB: Godspeed Big Arthur, and follow USMNT Only now.

More Football, Did Ya Say? ⚽︎

• Serie A wants to play regular season games in the USA within two years. More than anything, this is what will change football in the United States. The moment the first top-five league game is played here, a dam will have burst, and the tectonic plates underlying football will shift forever.

• Prodigy who played with Bellingham eyes redemption under Maradona’s son. Is that a movie elevator pitch or an article? Epic narrative loading.

• Love this from Bologna: Every child born in Bologna from January 2025 will be gifted their own team shirt before returning home from hospital.

MiB Mad Libs 📝

This week’s phrase is: If I could advise Ruben Amorim on one thing, I would tell him “___________”.

Email me your entries. Winner gets a coveted MiB Patch. 

Last week's winner: Jon Stout. 

“Now that the title is wrapped up, the most exciting thing about the rest of the Premier League season is watching that wiener dog run across the advertising boards at the Vitality Stadium.” 

Savor the patch Big Jon. I needed the joy in that response more than I can say. 😉

PrizePicks: Best PP Since Pablo Picasso ✅

Charlie Kipp writes: The Premier League is back to its regularly scheduled programming with the weekend football we know and love. It’s somehow March already, which means that you have enough evidence on all the teams and players to turn that insight into cash with our friends at PrizePicks - for me, it’s the classic Champions League qualification clash between Man City and Nottingham Forest where we like Chris Wood MORE than 2 Shots Attempted.

A shoutout, as ever, to the Premier League scriptwriters who knew that off the back of a dull (am I allowed to call it that?) FA Cup Fifth Round weekend, we’d want to cannonball back into League football with a match that has real stakes. What none of us, besides the scriptwriters, predicted was that said match would be between City and Forest, 7:30am ET on USA Network - where the winner will feel that their Top Four aspirations are all but certain. Eyes on Kiwi Kane, 33-year-old Chris Wood, to keep his miracle season alive by being in-and-around the goals for the Tricky Trees. It’s time to start believing, Forest fans. Chris Wood MORE than 2 Shots Attempted.

If you haven’t joined PrizePicks, CLICK HERE and use code MiB for a first deposit match up to $100.

More Big Games to Watch Around the Globe 🌍

Wrexham vs. Rotherham (Saturday, 10:00 a.m. ET, Paramount+) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

11 league games remain in Wrexham’s quest for a third successive promotion. A win on Tuesday, coupled with Birmingham’s defeat of Wycombe at the weekend, leave Rob and Ryan’s boys two points off League One’s automatic promotion slots. Saturday they host South Yorkshire side Rotherham, who may play at the New York Stadium, but are FAMOUSLY not located in New York. The Millers sit 14th in the league, but have two wins on the bounce under manager Steve Evans, who’s back at the club for his second spell after leaving in 2015. 

🗣️ Incredible Wrexham event in New York City: Come and watch NEXT WEEKEND at the Wrexham AFC vs. Wycombe Wanderers Watch Party with Wrexham legend Ben Foster and the magical giant Humphrey Ker. All of this powered by our friends at STōK Cold Brew Coffee. Sign up here.

Lecce vs. AC Milan (Saturday, 12:00 p.m. ET, Paramount+) 🇮🇹

Things went from bad to worse in last week’s outing against Lazio where fans protested the club’s American ownership. An 85th-minute goal from Samuel Chukwueze seemed enough to rescue a point after Strahinja Pavlovic was sent off, but it proved too little too late as former Chelsea star Pedro scored the winner in the 98th minute to take all three points back to Rome. Sky Sports Italia reports Sérgio Conceição is set to make some big changes for Saturday’s trip to Lecce, with Yunus Musah expected to be benched and Christian Pulisic set to take the number 10 role.

More: In other USMNT news, Sergino Dest is officially BACK for PSV this weekend after almost a year of rehabbing from a grueling ACL injury.

The Women's FA Cup is upon us! 🏆

Four games stretch across this weekend in the quarterfinals of the Women’s FA Cup. Defending champions Manchester United host WSL 2 side Sunderland (Saturday, 12:15 p.m. ET, Youtube), a former powerhouse in women’s football that helped produce such stars as Jill Scott, Steph Houghton, and Lucy Bronze. In the other three matches, it’s an all-WSL clash between City and Aston Villa (Sunday, 8:30 a.m. ET, ESPN+/Youtube), followed by a London derby between WSL league-leaders Chelsea and bottom-of-the-table Palace (Sunday, 10:30 a.m. ET, Youtube). Arsenal v. (still-manager less) Liverpool rounds out the quarterfinal fixtures at Meadow Park (Sunday, 10:30 a.m. ET, Youtube).

Take a Piece of Goodison Park with You 💙

Goodison Park is more than a stadium - it’s a theater of dreams, triumphs, and unshakable loyalty. As Evertonians prepare to bid farewell to their historic home, our good friends at Christopher Ward invite fans to honor the emotional highs and unforgettable moments etched into Goodison’s hallowed turf with a timepiece as timeless as the memories it holds. The Goodison Park Watch isn’t just a watch; it’s a celebration of emotional times. Every detail captures the essence of Goodison’s greatest games, from legendary victories to the roar of a devoted crowd. Click here to learn more.

Not Football and All the Better for It 📖

• Outside reporter went on a date at a ski resort with over 400 singles. Pretty sure this was an 80s rom-com starring Andrew McCarthy.

• The Tale Of The Early-Round KO Of Muhammad Ali’s Champburger. Underrated pub quiz question: What was Muhammad Ali's burger restaurant called? 

• Why Is This the Most Controversial Restaurant in London? Only controversy I can detect is why isn't that SODA BREAD in my HAND right NOW?

• Loved this profile of the Kansas record factory owner whose goal is "saving the world from bad sound." Come for the quotes like "I've never cried listening to a CD," stay for the debate about Steely Dan.

• I Used to Teach Students. Now I Catch ChatGPT Cheats. (Furiously taps this sticker).

• James Harrison, Australian blood donor whose ‘golden arm’ helped save 2.4 million babies, dies at 88. These are the kinds of people we should be naming airports after. 

• I read this book and LOVED it: I’ll Come to You a Novel by Rebecca Kauffman: A story beautifully told of a mid-1990s family struggling through the frictions of their relationships. The emotional detail is so rewarding. The end a little rushed, but perhaps because the characters are so artfully written, it feels hard to lose them. Rebecca Kauffman sees everything and wallows in the contours of human loneliness. I admire her work immensely. Read more here and grab a copy here.

• This Song Powered Me Through the Week: “Flowers” by Nathaniel Rateliff & Gregory Alan Isakov. What a combo. At Rashford x Asensio levels.

Dear Rog... GFOPs Write ✍️

Benjamin Landry writes: I listened with general delight to your breakdown of the triumvirate of Liverpool contract talks on Monday. But in the closing minutes, enjoyment turned to dismay when you suggested that the city of New Orleans needed a Pancake Day for Mardi Gras. Have you not heard the Good News of Beignets? Or King Cakes? Both Mardi Gras foods far exceed poor, deflated pancakes, both in terms of deliciousness and xH (expected hospital visits for cardiovascular check-ups). Aside from the blasphemy, I enjoyed the show very much.

Rog writes: Big Ben. Thank you for setting me straight. I did not know the beignet was a pancake cousin. English pancakes are just — that different. If you or other readers have a good recommendation for dinner in New Orleans, email me as I am all ears ahead of this week's trip there. 

Keep sending your stories and questions (and restaurant recs) to [email protected].

To Better Days Ahead for All.

Let’s not take a moment watching football together for granted and make great memories,

Big Love,

Courage.

ROG 

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