Hail GFOP!

Rog writes: This weekend was my annual pilgrimage north to that Magical Kingdom of Portland, Maine. I have headed up there on the regs since 1990, a summer spent as one of those confused yet enthusiastic English counselors at summer camp in Bridgeton, Maine. I adore Portland and Portlanders – they are a soulful, hardy, passionate bunch. The city itself has changed so much in the years since I first explored it, and the food scene is constantly evolving. This year’s stand out meal was the khao soi at The Honey Paw. But the one thing that blew me away this trip was the extent to which the Portland Hearts of Pine, the city’s USL 1 Pro Soccer team, have won over the hearts and minds of the state.  

I have watched Hearts of Pine from afar and commented on their rise a number of times. I once tweeted that their logo is perhaps the single greatest in American sports – both aesthetically, and in terms of the backstory. A couple of years ago, I talked on the pod about just how many football fans I meet on the streets of Portland, and the high percentage of them who have chosen to support Arsenal. I hypothesized that anyone who has spent a winter night in the city knows just how immune to suffering they are. So to see a local team rise and soar – their logo is everywhere across town – is beyond a thrill.  

I have always believed that the best football clubs in the world are a mirror to the locality that surrounds it. The Hearts of Pine are all that. A deft confection of football, welcoming community, and profound sense of place. I met founder Gabe Hoffman-Johnson in his pop-up merch store. He told me that the club have sold 10,000 jerseys this season, an enormous number by any metric in the United States. An immense sign of a football team that is connecting to their community, and a poignant symbol of what is possible in this American soccer future. 🌲

To every GFOP I met on the streets of Portland, thank you. I cannot tell you how large a role your city has played over the years in helping me recharge my energy and sense of love and optimism. 🍻 

ii. Our Thierry Henry interview dropped this weekend. It is really beautiful. Thierry was so reflective and thoughtful, I almost just needed to get out of the way. He is so remarkable to listen to – and the fact that he has played here, and loves New York City, means he is one of the few World Class footballers who truly understands the tectonic plates underneath American football culture. It would be incredible to have a mind like his involved in U.S. Soccer to bridge the gap between the local and the global. 🇫🇷 🇺🇸

iii. I am so excited for Friday night’s live show with David Moyes and Everton Football Club in New York City. The show is sold-out but I know from our mailbag just how many of you are looking for unwanted tickets. Best place to go is our Discord channel where a couple have been offered up. To join fellow GFOPs, just head to this link. You never know who's going to drop into the Discord... we have Becky Sauerbrunn stopping by tonight for an AMA at 7:30 p.m. ET. Blues from around the world are flying in for Friday night, and I can’t wait to meet you. For those who cannot get in, we will be raising a glass at The Brass Monkey on 12th Street (a short walk from the show) where we’ll have the second floor all to ourselves. Come and be with us. 💙

iv. The Women’s Euros have been immense to witness. I can’t stop thinking about Ann-Katrin Berger’s game saving lunge against France. While the penalty kicks have been a work in progress – this was one of the oddest run-ups I have ever seen – the quality of the football has been sparkling. I cannot wait for the semi-finals and am rooting for an England-Spain rumble to cap it all. Huge love to Sam Mewis and her team at The Women’s Game for covering every kick. See the coverage on TWG’s YouTube channel – Sam and Becky Sauerbrunn will go live after the final whistle of England’s brawl against Italy.

v. I was sad to see the news that Washington Post soccer reporter Steven Goff has requested a voluntary buy-out from the newspaper, putting his 40-year tenure at the paper to an end. Steven is a legend of the game in the United States. His byline has been the gold standard as he has approached the task of covering the game we love with an intense rigor and craft. I wish him and his family health and joy at this time of change and cannot wait to see what he does next. 

With wishes for better days ahead. 

Courage,

ROG

The EPL Transfer Window Temperature Check 💰

By Tommy Stewart

Marcus Rashford ➡️ Barcelona (On Loan)

It’s always sad when a long term relationship comes to an end, but both Marcus Rashford and Manchester United needed this. Everyone will have a side in the Amorim vs. Rashford saga, but the Mancunian local’s relationship with his boyhood club was bruising before the Portuguese coach arrived; no amount of couple’s counseling or Aston Villa loan spells were going to amend that. Rashford has every tool a footballer requires to succeed at the apex of the game, and Barcelona is heaven for those who apply those abilities in front of a fanbase who appreciate and demand beauty as a birthright. The 27-year-old faces the same sort of challenges that Gary Lineker did when he was the last English player to play for the Catalonians between 1986 and 1989: finding a place in an XI that is a who’s who of world class attacking players. The right wing will be occupied by Lamine Yamal, where Rashford has never thrived anyway, and in his best position on the left is another Ballon d’Or contender, Raphinha. His next best bet is to establish himself as Barca’s next great No. 9, but in his way stands the immutable Robert Lewandowski, 36-years-young with no sign of wear. It’s a good omen that Rashford is willing to take a wage cut to make the impending move, which initiates as a loan, with the Spanish champions having a $35 million option to buy next summer should he thrive in Catalonia.

Noni Madueke ➡️ Arsenal ($65.5 Million)

Like your mom ditching the mall when she discovered the ease of buying everything from Amazon, Mikel Arteta now almost exclusively shops at Chelsea (see: Havertz, Raz, Jorginho, and Kepa). Not every purchase has been a success, but they usually arrive quickly and seamlessly, and although it’s hard to know whether Noni Madueke is a bargain or not yet, it seems like smart business. England manager, Thomas Tuchel, appreciates his talents, and at 23, he can be molded by Arteta to become a loyal soldier. It will take everything he has and more for Madueke to regularly displace England teammate Bukayo Saka on Arsenal’s right wing, but in order to challenge on four fronts in a season where it feels like the Gunners must finally catch their flowers and graduate from bridesmaid to bride, they need to double-up with quality in all areas of the pitch.

Florian Wirtz ➡️ Liverpool ($156 Million)

On June 20, Liverpool made German attacking midfielder, Florian Wirtz, the Premier League’s most expensive ever signing, paying Bayer Leverkusen a record $156 million for a player more coveted than an Oasis ticket in Manchester. It’s a credit to their magnetism under Arne Slot that they won the big transfer battle of the summer, seemingly with minimal effort, despite competition from both Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. With 23 goal contributions for last season’s Bundesliga runners-up, his numbers are impressive without totally dazzling, but when you witness the footballing capabilities this 22-year-old possesses, you begin to comprehend why the Premier League champions were willing to break records to secure his services. Slot didn’t disrupt the peace established by Jürgen Klopp when he joined Liverpool last summer, but he did adjust the complexion of his chessboard, shuffling pieces and improving players like Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai, who occupied the No. 10 position that Wirtz will likely assume this season. It would be cruel for the Hungarian with the Hollywood looks to lose his place in the side, but for Liverpool to expand their horizons across Europe, a meatier squad is a necessity.

Bryan Mbeumo ➡️ Manchester United ($95.5 Million)

When trusted transfer experts revealed it was former-Brentford attacker Bryan Mbeumo’s personal desire to join Manchester United over Champions League competitors, Newcastle and Tottenham Hotspurs, many football fans said “Her!?” Despite their inherent self-assuredness that’s a symptom of being former rulers of the land, United supporters themselves were pleasantly surprised by the news, but the arduous nature of the elongated transfer was less of a shock. Now that the $95.5 million deal has been confirmed, the 25-year-old Cameroon international can join up with Ruben Amorim and his side for their pre-season tour of the USA, where we should get a teaser trailer of where across United’s sparse attacking line “Uncle Bryan” will fit in. That question’s almost extraneous for now, though, because goals are football’s most potent currency, and he scored 20 of them in the Premier League last season; his new club’s joint top scorers in the division were Amad Diallo and Bruno Fernandes with only eight each. With he and Matheus Cunha, Amorim has injected his squad with Premier League proven strength that should at the very minimum see them improve on last season’s 42 points, the fewest they’ve accumulated since the last time they were relegated in 1974.

Anthony Elanga ➡️ Newcastle United ($74 Million)

Newcastle have had eyes for the Swedish winger with a Mancunian accent, Anthony Elanga, since last summer. In his two years at Nottingham Forest, the 23-year-old has been a recurring nightmare for Premier League left backs, combining natural pace and power with vital goalscoring and assisting abilities, particularly last season, where he racked up 17 goal contributions in the league. A fee of $74 million seems just about right, especially with the added premium of it being an inter-league transfer, and with Eddie Howe’s side holding the League Cup, and with Champions League football on the horizon, there has never been more expectation for the Magpies to expand on their steady upwards trajectory since the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) bought them in 2021. Part of the reason he’s joined Newcastle is to link up with his compatriot, Alexander Isak, a striker who has more eyes on him than a Coldplay kisscam, but if he stays, and the two can work in tandem, there will be plenty more sleepless nights for defenses across the land.

📬 Enjoying The Raven? Check out our other Men in Blazers newsletters:

☀️ The Women’s Game: Everything you need to know about women’s football, straight to your inbox every Tuesday.

🇺🇸 USMNT Only: Your weekly update on the most important topics in the U.S. men’s game, all leading up to next year’s World Cup.

More Great Football from Around the World 🌍

Women’s Euros 🇪🇺

Spain 2-0 Switzerland 🇪🇸🇨🇭

Euro 2025 hosts, Switzerland, were technically the away team in their capital city of Bern on Saturday, wearing a changed white strip as opposed to their usual red, which was adorned by World Cup holders, Spain. The word “technically” is doing a lot of heavy lifting there, because based on the sound and color of the Wankdorf Stadium, the Swiss had congregated to do everything in their power as fans to beat one of the great modern international football teams. They somehow survived 65 minutes of Spanish swarms, which contained a repeat scene in this tournament in a perplexing penalty miss, as well as the post saving them twice, until the sheer attacking prowess of the favorites broke them. Super-sub, Real Madrid’s Athenea del Castillo calmly finished after a beautifully weighted backheel assist by Aitana Bonmatí, who relentlessly reminds the world why she’s a two-time Ballon d’Or winner. Five minutes later, Spain were rewarded again for their utter dominance of possession and play, resulting in a 20-yard curled effort from Barcelona’s 23-year-old forward, Clàudia Pina, someone who herself should one day be competing for the biggest individual prizes in the women’s game.

France 1-1 Germany (Germany Win 6-5 on Penalties) 🇫🇷 🇩🇪

When international tournament football throws up games like this, where all you can do is marvel at the skill, drama and commitment exerted by both teams, it is a truly undefeated spectacle. The scoreline doesn’t reveal quite how much happened in Basel on Saturday, but in a break from footballing tradition, German defender Kathrin Hendrich’s 13th-minute red card for hair-pulling in the box didn’t kill the game, it kind of defined it. France’s Grace Geyoro defeated the Women’s Euros penalty demon, just about beating veteran goalkeeper, Ann-Katrin Berger, who went on to put on one of the great goalkeeping performances of all time. Ten minutes later, a well-rehearsed Germany corner was flicked on by the head of Chelsea’s Sjoeke Nüsken, and scrimping on set pieces while merely surviving against an in-form France at the back, seemed to be a promising methodology for the third-highest ranked team in the world. France had goals either side of half time ruled out by VAR for offside and in the 68th minute, German’s 10 women were awarded a penalty, which unsurprisingly at this point, was brilliantly saved by Pauline Peyraud-Magnin, but the moment of the match that will be replayed for generations was her opposite number, Berger’s miracle save. It was a display of skill where time froze, and notional laws of physics were redefined, pumping the Gotham FC ‘keeper with the momentum to be her country’s hero for another strange penalty shootout in this tournament. Berger saved two and scored one in the shootout, crowning herself as her country’s hero to tee up a dream match against Spain in the semi-finals.

For more women’s football coverage, sign up for our weekly newsletter dedicated to The Women’s Game here and subscribe to our TWG podcast here.

Some Absolute Weekend Worldies 🚀 🥅

There were a lot of great goals this weekend, but these three get top marks:

Mid-Week Matches Worth Faking a Meeting for 📺

Women’s Euros Semi-Finals 🇪🇺

England vs. Italy (Tomorrow, 3 p.m. ET, FOX) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🇮🇹

Sarina Wiegman’s England side have grown into this tournament, and after shading a strong Sweden squad in a surreal penalty shootout in last week’s quarter-final, have what many would consider a favorable route to the final in the Stade de Genève against Italy tomorrow. Their main concern will be the fitness of captain Leah Williamson, who suffered an ankle injury in their last outing, but after training with the Lionesses today, worries about whether this team’s leader will make the crunch-tie have been somewhat quelled. Superstars like Lauren James, Ella Toone and Lucy Bronze will have to combine confidence with caution against an Italy side who have surprised many by reaching the latter stages of this Euros, with their compact 3-5-2 formation and target, the iconic Cristiana Girelli, up top. Much of what they do well goes through Bayern Munich midfielder Arianna Caruso, who England’s Georgia Stanway knows well from club football. The Lionesses experience in knockout competition under Wiegman, as well as their abundance of quality, should see them reach a third international final in their last three tournaments, but Italy have proved that they are not to be underestimated.

Germany vs. Spain (Wednesday, 3 p.m. ET, FOX) 🇩🇪 🇪🇸

According to FIFA’s rankings, Germany vs. Spain is a battle between the third and second-best national teams in the women’s game (respectively), which based on the reams of talent on show, looks just about right. In Zurich’s Stadion Letzigrund, this is legacy vs. modernity, with eight-time winners of this competition Germany at times scrambling through, while world champions Spain have only left doubts as to how they’re not ranked at the top of FIFA’s charts, scoring 16 goals in Switzerland, and almost as crucially only conceding three. As well as quality, Germany have resilience and doggedness in abundance, but to prevent Spain’s irresistible attacking weaponry of Esther González, Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmatí, their goalkeeper, Ann-Katrin Berger, must somehow muster another miracle performance as she did against France in the quarters. 

Introducing Pet FC’s Newest Members 🐶

We have partnered with the two-legged people at Purina to create Pet FC, a new initiative where we will be featuring YOUR four-legged friends that show a true love of football on par with their human counterparts. Got a furry companio we should know about? Tell us about them here.

This week’s winners are Tobin and Dempsey. The sibling English Cream Golden Retrievers – named after U.S. Soccer legends Tobin Heath and Clint Dempsey – live in Schenectady, NY, with their human Katrina and love going to soccer games. They take after their namesakes, too: Dempsey brings the energy and physicality, while Tobin is creative and stealthy. 🇺🇲

Do you have a great football story involving your favorite four-legged friend? Click the link below to submit your pets and pet stories and we will be regularly featuring the best of the best here in the Raven and on our social channels. What's more, we have Purina prize packs for every pet featured.

Submit your Pet FC stories here ♥️

Some Non-Football to Start the Week Off 📖

• Could You Have Landed a Job at Vogue in the ’90s? 24/30 is a perfectly respectable score. 👀

• Completely engrossing: ‘A relentless, destructive energy’: inside the trial of Constance Marten and Mark Gordon.

• How can we make this Gen Z's fault? Nobody wants to hang out on TV anymore.

• The Partiful Happiness Index: The Death of Partying in the U.S.A.—and Why It Matters. 

• Reach out, touch faith: Personal Belgians.

• The Menagerie Lurking in Rural America. Did we learn nothing from Tiger King?

It’s MiB Trivia Time 🤔

This week’s question: Following a host of big money moves between Premier League clubs so far this summer, what is the biggest ever transfer from one team in the Premier League to another? 

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

Last week’s winner: Congratulations to last week’s winner, William Conine, who was the first to correctly identify that Cole Palmer was the England player who scored for the Three Lions when they lost 2-1 to Spain in the Euro 2024 final. The patch is in the post. 📦