World Football

The United States women's national team faces its biggest test since the Summer Olympics on Saturday against England.

The trip to Wembley Stadium in London to face the Lionesses is part of a two-game European swing in which the Americans will also take on the Netherlands.

Emma Hayes' side cruised on home soil in three post-Olympic matches, but it was expected to win all of those contests.

England is the No. 2 team in the FIFA women's world rankings behind the USWNT, and it will provide the Americans with one of their toughest matches of the calendar year.

USWNT vs. England Info

Date: Saturday, November 30

Start Time: 12:20 p.m. ET

TV: TNT

Live Stream: Max

Top Storylines to Watch

The USWNT will do battle with England with a short-handed attack.

Lynn Williams is the only striker on the roster with more than 20 international appearances and a double-digit goal tally at the international level.

So, Saturday should provide opportunities for Jaedyn Shaw and Alyssa Thompson, among others, to shine up top.

Sophia Smith, Mallory Swanson and Trinity Rodman have done the bulk of the scoring for the USWNT in 2024, but none of them are on the roster due to injury concerns and the recent conclusion of the long 2024 National Women's Soccer League season.

Conversely, England has Beth Mead, Alessia Russo and Chloe Kelly to choose from at forward. They have 60 international goals between them.

The Americans will be at a disadvantage in the scoring department, but they will still have Lindsey Horan anchoring the midfield and a majority of their first-choice defenders available.

Horan, Naomi Girma, Emily Fox and others in defense and midfield will be the most important players on Saturday.

The onus will be on defending against an England squad that scored on multiple occasions in three of its last four games.

The USWNT has five clean sheets since the start of the Olympics, but it did leak in a goal each in two friendlies against Iceland in October.

A shutout win would be the ideal outcome in Hayes' return to England. She had managed the Chelsea women's team for the last 12 years before joining the USWNT.

It would be more of a statement result than any other post-Olympics final score, but the Lionesses pack a ton more firepower up front and that could be the difference in what is expected to be a close game.

Prediction: England 2, USWNT 1

Lionel Messi-led MLS club Inter Miami officially announced the hiring of Javier Mascherano as head coach on Tuesday.

Inter Miami noted that Mascherano signed a contract that will run through the 2027 MLS season, and Mascherano said the following about accepting the job:

"To be able to lead a club like Inter Miami is an honor for me, and a privilege I will strive to make the most of. I was drawn to the organization's undeniable ambition, and the infrastructure it has to support it. I'm looking forward to working with the people at Inter Miami to help the club reach new heights, and to give the fans more unforgettable moments."

Inter Miami's head coaching position became available last week when previous head coach Gerardo "Tata" Martino left the club due to personal reasons.

Mascherano, 40, began his managerial career in 2021 with Argentina's Under-20 and Under-23 national teams. That included coaching the Argentinian men's soccer team at the 2024 Summer Olympics where they were eliminated by host France in the quarterfinals.

Before becoming a coach, Mascherano enjoyed a highly successful playing career from 2003 to 2020, spending time with multiple major clubs, including Barcelona, Liverpool and Corinthians.

Mascherano had his longest run at Barca, appearing in 203 matches. For all eight of his seasons at Barcelona, Mascherano was teammates with Messi.

Together, they won five La Liga titles and a pair of UEFA Champions League titles, as well as numerous other trophies.

Mascherano and Messi were also teammates on the Argentinian national team for 13 years, and they won an Olympic gold medal together in 2008.

Felipe Cardenas and Pablo Maurer of The Athletic reported last week that Mascherano was expected to be named the next head coach at Inter Miami, and they noted that he and Messi are still close friends.

Inter Miami began MLS play in 2020, and Messi joined the club beginning in the 2023 season after leaving Paris-Saint Germain.

After struggling mightily and failing to reach the playoffs in 2023, Inter Miami took a massive leap forward last season, posting 22 wins, four losses and eight draws, giving them the best winning percentage in a single season in MLS history at .765.

However, Inter Miami were shocked in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, falling to Atlanta United.

With Messi leading the way, Inter Miami are expected to be top contenders again in 2025, and Mascherano could potentially be the coach needed to put them over the top.

Inter Miami will name Javier Mascherano as its next head coach, per Felipe Cardenas and Pablo Maurer of The Athletic.

Mascherano has a long-standing connection with Inter Miami star Lionel Messi.

"The 40-year-old will be reunited with Lionel Messi after the two spent nearly a decade together at Barcelona, winning 19 titles as teammates at the Catalan club," Cardenas and Maurer wrote. "Messi and Mascherano played on the Argentina national team for 13 years and remain close friends."

Mascherano replaces Gerardo "Tata" Martino, who left the club for personal reasons.

Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas made it clear to reporters Friday that "familiarity with Leo and the other stars is an advantage in every aspect."

"I spoke to Lionel on Saturday after he and Tata had spoken," Mas said, per The Athletic. "I asked him, 'What is important to you and what is important to get the best out of our roster and starting XI. How do we improve?' Leo shared his thoughts with me. This is a very attractive position for a coach. We got it down to three final candidates by Tuesday. Familiarity with Leo and the other stars is an advantage in every aspect."

Mascherano most recently coached Argentina in the Summer Olympics, where they fell in the quarterfinals to eventual silver medalist France. Argentina won two matches and lost one in group play before falling 1-0 to France in the knockout round.

He had also led Argentina's Under-20 and Under-23 teams since 2021, winning 28 matches, losing 12 and drawing 10.

Inter Miami just had the best regular season (by winning percentage) in MLS history, winning 22 matches, losing four and drawing eight for 74 points in 34 matches.

However, ninth-place Atlanta United stunned Inter Miami in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, winning two games to one.

The table is certainly set for Inter Miami to find success, especially with Messi still around. His chemistry with Mascherano can certainly help matters as well as the club looks for its first-ever MLS Cup.

Cristiano Ronaldo may not be plying his trade in one of the best leagues in the world anymore, but the Portuguese star continues to enjoy a following that rivals almost any athlete around.

On Thursday, Ronaldo published an interview with noted YouTuber MrBeast. The video garnered more than four million views within three-plus hours of its release.

MrBeast has more subscribers than any other channel with 331 million and counting. He marveled at how quickly Ronaldo amassed a sizable audience base with 67.5 million subscribers only months after launching his account.

"Honestly, I thought you were gonna do 20-30 million in the first month," MrBeast said, per TMZ Sports. "When you did 60, I was like, 'Oh my gosh.' The most ever gained before in a month was 20 million, and that was us."

Between all of his social media accounts, Ronaldo surpassed 1 billion followers in September and became the first person ever to hit that benchmark.

MrBeast might want to take a few pointers.

Pep Guardiola has agreed to a two-year contract extension with Manchester City, the team announced Thursday. The deal will keep him with the club until June 2027, according to insider Fabrizio Romano.

Guardiola said in a press release announcing the extension:

"Manchester City means so much to me. This is my ninth season here; we have experienced so many amazing times together. I have a really special feeling for this football club.

"That is why I am so happy to be staying for another two more seasons.

"Thank you to everyone for continuing to trust and support me – The Owner, The Chairman Khaldoon, Ferran, Txiki, the players and of course the fans… everyone connected to Manchester City. It has always been an honour, a pleasure and a privilege to be here.

"I have said this many times before, but I have everything a manager could ever wish for, and I appreciate that so much.

"Hopefully now we can add more trophies to the ones we have already won. That will be my focus."

Guardiola's contract was previously set to expire in 2025, and he said last May that he was "closer to leaving than staying" at the end of the deal.

Manchester City hired Guardiola ahead of the 2016-17 season. He has since led the club to six Premier League titles.

Should he take the option on his new deal, Guardiola could now be on track to remain with City through 2027.

The news comes after City lost 2-1 to Brighton on Nov. 9,..

The loss marked the continuation of City's unprecedented struggles in league play following a loss on Nov. 2 to Bournemouth, which represented the club's first league defeat in almost a year.

After dropping decisions to Brighton and Bournemouth in Premier League Play, and losing to Tottenham and Sporting Lisbon during the stretch, Manchester City has now lost four straight games across all competitions for the first time since 2006.

This is the first time any Guardiola-managed club has undergone a four-game losing streak, per ESPN. That goes back to 2007, when Guardiola began his managerial career as the head of Barcelona B.

Man City still sits five points back of Liverpool for the Premier League standings lead, and Guardiola said after the Brighton loss that he does not believe the streak because his team is "playing bad."

Instead Guardiola pointed toward injuries to players including Jack Grealish, Ruben Dias and John Stones, along with the ongoing absences of Oscar Bobb and reigning Ballon d'Or winner Rodri, impacting the team, per ESPN.

Manchester City has lost executive Omar Berrada to Manchester United, and director of football Txiki Begiristain is expected to leave the club at the end of the season, The Athletic's David Ornstein and Lee reported on October.

The upcoming departure of Begiristain, who played alongside Guardiola at Barcelona, has sparked rumors surrounding the manager's future with the club as well as City's ability to remain a Premier League title contender.

Now that Guardiola is on track to remain with the club, City will focus on gaining ground in the Premier League race. League play resumes on Nov. 23 with a home game against the Spurs.

Head coach Tata Martino is reportedly leaving Inter Miami "effective immediately" for "personal reasons," according to Tom Bogert of GiveMeSport.

Lionel Messi and Inter Miami finished the MLS regular season atop the table with a league-record 74 points but were upset by No. 9 seed Atlanta United in the opening round of the playoffs, ending their season in shocking fashion.

"It's not a success when you lose in the quarterfinal round," Martino told reporters after Inter Miami was eliminated from the playoffs. "If one thinks about where we were last November, there has been progress for the club, not just the team. If one considers the expectations we had for these playoffs, we've come up very short."

Inter Miami has already seen changes in key positions during 2024. Raul Sanllehi was appointed as president of football operations in June, likely spelling the eventual end for current sporting director Chris Henderson.

There is also the question of how much longer the team's current core group of Messi (37), Luis Suárez (37), Sergio Busquets (36) and Jordi Alba (35) will continue to play.

The hope for Inter Miami, of course, is that Messi's presence alone has made the club a destination for other big-name talents around the globe, much as co-owner David Beckham once provided for the Los Angeles Galaxy. Messi's stardom is unrivaled, of course, but he will also be uniquely impossible to replace once he retires, whenever that may be.

For now, however, the team is left to find a replacement for the 61-year-old Martino, who in two seasons led the team to a 2023 Leagues Cup title and helped turn around what was once a cellar-dweller club.

The addition of Messi is primarily credited with inspiring that change, and for good reason—he posted an absurd 20 goals and 16 assists in just 15 league starts this season. How much credit Martino—who previously managed Barcelona and the Argentina and Mexican national teams, among other high-profile appointments—deserves for the turnaround is harder to gauge, though he certainly caught plenty of blame for the team's early playoff departure.

Whether that played into his decision to leave or not is less clear. But Inter Miami is now left to fill his position as they hope to maximize the years they have left with Messi.

The United States Men's National Team is moving on to the CONCACAF Nations League semifinal after taking down Jamaica 4-2 on Monday.

Monday's meeting was the second of a two-legged match. The United States won the first leg 1-0, meaning it won the quarterfinal matchup 5-2.

The USMNT got off to a fast start thanks to star Christian Pulisic, who scored in the 13th and 33rd minute to make it an early 2-0 lead.

Ricardo Pepi made it 3-0 in the 42nd minute, scoring his third goal in as many matches as the young player continued his rise to stardom.

After Jamaica's Demarai Gray scored early in the second half, Tim Weah gave the United States some insurance with a goal in the 55th minute.

Gray notched another goal in the 68th minute to make it 4-2, but Jamaica didn't have quite enough to mount the comeback.

After the win, fans had high praise for Pulisic, Pepi and the USMNT for advancing to the semifinal.

With the win on Monday, the United States has now punched its ticket for the Nations League Semifinals, which take place in March. The USMNT also advanced to the Gold Cup in June.

As the march toward the 2026 World Cup continues, new coach Mauricio Pochettino is building momentum. After a handful of friendlies earlier this fall, he finally got the chance to coach a competitive match for the first time last week against Jamaica. He now has a pair of solid outings to look back on and he'll look to keep winning moving forward.

The United States men's national team will try to complete the sweep of Jamaica in the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals on Monday.

The Americans downed Jamaica 1-0 in Thursday's first leg behind a fifth-minute goal from Ricardo Pepi.

Mauricio Pochettino's side needs a result in St. Louis to confirm its spot in next year's Nations League semifinals.

USMNT vs. Jamaica Info

Date: Monday, November 18

Start Time: 8 p.m. ET

TV: TNT

Live Stream: Max

Top Storylines to Watch

The Americans have two wins and one loss under Pochettino's direction.

Thursday's 1-0 win over Jamaica marked the second clean sheet in a victory for the USMNT under the former Tottenham Hotspur boss.

The USMNT defense only allowed two Jamaica shots to go on net in the away contest in Kingston.

The strong defensive play should translate to Monday's game in St. Louis, where you would assume the Americans would play much better since they are on home soil.

Pochettino's side created four shots on goal out of 11 attempts in the first home game under the new manager in October against Panama.

Goals from Ricardo Pepi were the common denominator in the attack for both of the victories.

Pepi has another opportunity in front of him on Monday to lead the American attack because of the lack of depth at the position on the November roster. Brandon Vazquez is the only other true striker in the squad.

A third goal in four games would do wonders for Pepi's stock within the USMNT going into 2025. The Americans are still looking for a top goal scorer to take charge in front of Christian Pulisic and others in midfield.

Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Yunus Musah should be expected in the USMNT XI on Monday. McKennie might have more freedom to go forward to play with Pulisic and Pepi since the game is on home soil.

There could be change at center back since Chris Richards and Miles Robinson sat on Thursday. Tim Ream and Mark McKenzie anchored the back line in Kingston.

Matt Turner got the nod in goal on Thursday, Another start and clean sheet would boost his stock in a crowded battle for the No. 1 goalkeeper position.

A victory on home soil is expected, regardless of who is in the lineup, and that will put the USMNT into the Concacaf Nations League semifinal.

The USMNT is the only winner of the Nations League since it was introduced in 2019. The semifinals and final take place on March 20 and 23 at Sofi Stadium.

Prediction: USMNT 2, Jamaica 0