Hail GFOP!

Rog writes: Son Heung-Min is coming to the United States! First of all, MLS got a good one. The first Asian player to become a genuine Premier League star in the social media era. Ten years at Tottenham. What a journey from Gangwon Province, South Korea to North London, defining himself as a buccaneering goalscorer, handshake king, and the heart of the club’s culture. A gent who worked so hard, toiled, and then led his team to victory at the last in that delicious night in Bilbao. 

🗓️ 10 years

🏟️ 454 games

🥅 173 goals

➡️ 101 assists 

🏆 And one much coveted trophy

Sonny was such a rock star in South Korea that Spurs games were broadcast with just his giant head floating above the scoreboard rather than the Tottenham crest, to make sure everyone knew their prince was on the field. It was magical yesterday to witness his emotional farewell in a Seoul friendly against Newcastle. As he was substituted in the 65th minute, both teams instinctively gave him a guard of honor off the field. Even a Spurs camera operator started sobbing as she filmed him.

We were blessed to have Sonny come on our show five times since 2020, and I learned something every time. Listen to him break down his Puskas-winning goal against Burnley. The last time we filmed, we met in person in London. Sonny was genuinely elated that we had come over from the U.S. to shoot with him. We talked about the idea of his legacy at Spurs. He told us that in order to be considered a club legend, he needed to win a trophy because club legends win things. That he achieved the feat in his very last competitive game with the team is the mark of the man.  

Yet, my favorite Son moment was when we asked him to explain his camera celebration. His answer is both about football and about life. Life is short, it is filled with surprises, nothing is forever, our only approach should be to make memories of every moment and to take nothing for granted.

Sonny is said to be in advanced negotiations with MLS – expect him soon to pull on an LAFC cap in one of their signature videos. America, brace yourself for Sonny-mania. There are 326,000 Koreans in LA – it is the  largest concentration outside of Korea according to a serious Google! This is a massive move in both football and cultural terms. That stadium is gonna be packed and proud and delirious and I cannot wait to witness it.  

ii. Incredible to watch the Women’s Copa América final. Brazil were on the precipice, with Colombia 30 seconds away from winning. Up steps 39-year-old Marta to do this. She later delivered victory. We’ll never see another like her: one of the first superstars of women’s football and still proving herself against new generations. 🇧🇷🐐

iii. The joy of my weekend: Watching the delirium as Vermont Green became USL League Two Champions. Just check out the Tifo! More than that, they are a model of what an authentic connection between team, town, and greater mission can look like – an inspiration for all who care about the growth of the game in America. 

Shout out to Max Kissel. In less than a year, the 22-year-old German struck the golden goal in overtime of the UVM Catamounts' historic NCAA title, then joined the Green and caressed the game-winner on Saturday night, seconds into stoppage time. Is there a bigger-game striker in the U.S. men’s game right now? 🏆🌲

In all seriousness, there are incredible scenes all over the lower leagues of American football. Also on Saturday night, in San Francisco, new upstart club Hickory FC beat reigning champion and perennial U.S. Open Cup burrito-lovin’ threat, El Farolito, to capture their first NPSL national title. The club hails from Hickory, N.C., a town with a population of just under 45,000, and are surging. I have recently written about the incredible Hearts of Pine in Portland, Maine, too. There is so much creative energy, fan passion, and intelligent club building in our nation right now. Football’s administrators have to build a long-term plan to harness and support this vision so that the embers of this energy can be fostered and turned into a fire. 🇺🇸

PS: This article was fascinating. How the glut of Club World Cup and Premier League football in the United States has coincided with MLS and NWSL attendance dips.

Finally: Thanks to Henry P. in our Discord channel, who knows just how fascinated I am by great airport carpets… Holy Crap… THEY ARE MAKING TIES OUT OF AIRPORT CARPET NOW!!! 🤪

With wishes for better days ahead. 

Courage,

ROG

The Transfer Merry-Go-Round Starts to Slow 🎠

By Tommy Stewart

Jorrel Hato ➡️ Chelsea $49 Million 

Jorrel Hato reportedly had interest from Liverpool and Arsenal before electing to ply his trade at Chelsea for, on paper at least, the next seven years. He follows Jamie Gittens, João Pedro, Liam Delap, Mamadou Sarr, Dário Essugo, Estêvão and Kendry Páez through the Stamford Bridge door, and the fact that he’s chosen the Blues over the Premier League’s top two speaks to their rapid recent progress under Enzo Maresca. The 19-year-old Dutch defender, who operates primarily as a left back, but can also play in the center of defense, said, “Chelsea is the best place for me, so I’m very happy.” His signature puts Chelsea just behind Liverpool as Europe’s second top spenders this summer at $327.4 million, with their rotating carousel policy of signing, loaning out and selling players under Todd Boehly finally starting to make a semblance of sense to the rest of the football world. The signing’s also got Chelsea fans, whose transfer stomachs clearly aren’t full yet, yearning for more new blood, after RB Leipzig’s electric attacking midfielder, Xavi Simons, commented on the club’s official post announcing Hato’s arrival saying, “Miboy ❤️”. Football fans choose their own narratives, but this flirtation is a clear indication that Chelsea may still have more business to do before the transfer window closes.  

Benjamin Šeško: Newcastle or Manchester United? 🤔

Benjamin Šeško is sat in the corner of the club as two alphas compete in a dance-off for him, each wearing their best aftershave and promising him the world, as he weighs his options, knowing that he can go home with whoever he chooses. Newcastle are one of those candidates and they’ve made their intentions clear early on, offering RB Leipzig $92.8 million, including add ons, for his signature, as a more considered Manchester United check their online banking to see if they can afford the cab fare home. They’ve not made an official offer for the 22-year-old Slovenian striker yet, but despite United’s declining looks and status in recent years, they’ll always have the old charm that they’ve traded off for so long, the same charisma that convinced Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo to join them this summer. Šeško’s open to both projects, but the old twinkle in Manchester United’s eye reportedly has them as primary candidates. What is clear, however, is that both teams need a man of his skillset badly. He’s long been a name that’s appeared on the wishlist of major European clubs, and between accumulating 21 goals and six assists in all competitions last season, as well as being at the right end of the age scale, we’ll likely be seeing the Slovenian in the Premier League next season.

Alexander Isak Update 🔮

“The Sopranos”, “Breaking Bad”, and “Succession” now have a contemporary bedmate when it comes to edge-of-your-seat, episodic drama, and that is Alexander Isak’s will he, won’t he Newcastle transfer saga. Isak missed the club’s pre-season tour of Asia, probably presuming the deal might be done by now, and although he’s returned to training today at Darsley Park, the Swedish striker will likely be left out of Eddie Howe’s first team until a resolution is found. Liverpool had a $146-million offer rejected by Newcastle, and with no return bid as of yet–the Magpies are reportedly unwilling to settle for anything less than $199 million–we’re stuck in a stalemate. Toon legend, Alan Shearer, has chipped in with his thoughts on the fiasco, unsurprisingly preferring that the 25-year-old move on so that the club can do the same: "No individual is bigger than any football club, and if he doesn't want to be there, fine, get what you can and get him out and say, 'Thanks very much.'" More importantly, last night Howe said, “No player can expect to act poorly and train with the group as normal.” We don’t know what the next twist is, but expect this water-cooler transfer to drag right down to the window’s wire. 

📬 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.

The Premier League Pre-Season Winds Down 🏟️

Manchester United 2-2 Everton

Manchester United fans will be encouraged by their pre-season so far, where they’ve gone undefeated as winners of the Premier League Summer Series that also included Everton, Bournemouth and West Ham. However, their captain Bruno Fernandes, a man who sometimes appears to only have a fork in a world full of soup, isn’t. Although he acknowledged improvements across the three games in the USA, after this 2-2 draw with Everton, where he opened the scoring with a hop, skip and jump penalty, the United captain said the team is, “…Not [in] the place it needs to be. It was crystal clear we needed more competition for the players that were here, more quality to get everyone to step up a little more to get to the XI.” Everton’s manager David Moyes is on the same page of a different book, as he told Rog in New York that he needs 10 or 11 new players if his team are to get to the level he wants them at this season. They displayed the dogged quality that Moyes’ teams often do, winning the ball back high for last season’s best player, Idrissa Gueye, to whip in a perfect cross to the far post for Iliman Ndiaye to finish and level the score. Mason Mount, who has a now-or-never season ahead of him at United, curled a beauty into Jordan Pickford’s far corner, before Everton replied again with a counter-attack that was finished by United’s Ayden Heaven for an own goal after some very puzzling defending, as goal scorers Ndiaye and Fernandes threw silly pushes and angry eyes at each other on the halfway line. 

Bournemouth 0-2 West Ham 

It was a flattering scoreline for West Ham, but that won’t bother Graham Potter, who will take any grain of positivity he can into the new season as he looks to reset his side, who struggled badly last year. Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth team have been operated on by some of the Premier League’s big boys this summer, and despite there likely being more surgery to come, they appear to be set on playing the same freethinking attacking football that won them so many admirers last season. They dominated possession and shots at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, but they don’t possess a player like Jarrod Bowen, who can often win games when he decides it’s time for them to be won. West Ham’s captain will be gunning for a place in Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad back in the U.S. next summer, and his assist to Niclas Füllkrug, followed by his own brilliant finish, a controlled volley from an angle where he made the difficult look simple, will carry him with confidence into the new season.

Tottenham 1-1 Newcastle 

A football match did happen here, but it was a total sideshow for the Son Heung-min farewell party. The former-Spurs skipper chose his own adventure and won, capping his 10 years at the North London club by leading his team to Europa League glory, their first trophy in 17 years, before playing his final game for them yesterday at the Seoul World Cup stadium in his home country of South Korea. Last season’s top-scorer and the man whose goal won that coveted trophy for Tottenham in Bilbao, Brennan Johnson, slotted in the opener from outside the box in the fourth minute, celebrating with a dedication to his departing captain. The vibes were immaculate, but more pertinently for his new manager, Thomas Frank, this could represent a passing of the baton and the emergence of a new talismanic figure; the air to Sonny’s throne. It also threw cold water over a Newcastle side, who then woke up and started to play smooth, counter-attacking football, which led to an equalizer from Harvey Barnes. Frank’s squad had the odd chance as the Toon Army continued to use Barnes as an avenue down the left-hand side, but Newcastle’s 62% possession couldn’t surmount to another goal as Son got his flowers with a 65th-minute exit, where he was serenaded by players from both teams.

Join Sam Mewis & The Women's Game LIVE in NYC 🗽

Join Sam Mewis for The Women’s Game Live! presented by Ally THIS THURSDAY, August 7 at Racket NYC, featuring special guests Rose Lavelle, Emily Sonnett, England's EUROS Champion Jess Carter, standout goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger, and the incredible Katie Nolan. It’ll be a night celebrating the rising stakes of one of the NWSL’s fiercest East Coast rivalries: Gotham FC vs. Washington Spirit. The history. The stars. The storylines. All live on stage.

🎟️ Only a few tickets left, grab yours before they’re gone!

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 📺

Feyenoord vs. Fenerbahçe (Wednesday, 3 p.m. ET, Paramount+)

Champions League qualifiers at this preliminary stage seldom offer up fixtures between two clubs of this size, so the first leg of this tie between Dutch giants Feyenoord, and José Mourinho’s Turkish kings, Fenerbahçe, is a rare treat that’s worth your time. Two feisty sets of fans and a pair of silver foxes will collide in the dugouts, as Mourinho comes head-to-head with a man who often gave his teams nightmares: former Arsenal and Manchester United striker, Robin van Persie. Come for the fire, stay to see whatever recently recruited Fenerbahçe striker, Jhon Durán, has up his sleeve.

Birmingham City vs. Ipswich Town (Friday, 3 p.m. ET, Paramount+)

Tom Brady’s Birmingham City were a cheat code in last season’s League One, seemingly strolling to promotion, but the Championship is notoriously labelled “the toughest league in the world” for good reason. Their finances and sporting structure will of course be beneficial, but it’s an unforgiving division that guarantees nothing - just ask Luton Town, who passed the Blues on their way back down to League One, two years after playing in the Premier League themselves. Kieran McKenna knows the Championship well, so his side, fresh from a year in the Prem, shouldn’t suffer the same fate as Luton, but a trip away to Brady’s Blinders is currently as tough a start as any.

Some Non-Football to Start the Week Off 📖

• Why are quiet spaces disappearing? I don't know, I honestly can't hear over the Labubu vs. Lafufu TikToks you're watching at MAXIMUM VOLUME.

• Four days at the World's Strongest Man competition. Mitchell Hooper's thighs are bigger than my sofa. 

• The return of the spoof: Can comedy’s silliest sub-genre make a comeback? Shirley you can't be serious?

• What It Takes to Crew the Hardest Race on Earth. Whatever it is, I don't have it.

It’s MiB Trivia Time 🤔

This week’s question: The SPL returned this weekend. Who has won the most Old Firm derbies between Celtic and Rangers?

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

Last week’s winner: Congratulations to Crystal Quinn, who was the first to correctly answer that the highest-attended match in U.S. history was Manchester United vs. Real Madrid in 2014 at the Michigan Stadium with an attendance of 109,000. The patch is in the post, Crystal. 🚛

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