ASN’s Brian Sciaretta writes up his ideas on the Leagues Cup semifinals, Weston McKennie’s new deal, Gio in limbo, Paredes and Weah shelved, a trio of Yanks in midweek European video games, and Kayden Pierre shifting nearer to a Genk transfer.
BY
Brian Sciaretta
Posted
August 22, 2024
5:05 PM
SHARE THIS STORY
THE LEAGUES CUP semifinals are over, and the ultimate will likely be between the Columbus Crew and Los Angeles FC after each groups gained convincingly on Wednesday evening. For all of the speak about there being an excessive amount of parity in MLS, the power of those groups reveals that groups can get forward and keep forward. These two groups have been in MLS Cup final yr and they’re the 2 most up-to-date champions. They’ve every made a run to the CONCACAF closing the previous two years, and now each will meet in Leagues Cup.
Positive, there are different good groups within the league ( Cincinnati and Inter Miami) however this league has tiers of groups when it comes to high quality. It’s not high heavy and in 5-10 years, issues may look totally different. However proper now, the league will not be a roll of the cube. LAFC and Columbus are forward of the remaining.
Elsewhere, now we have an harm to a different younger American participant who was pushing for a September call-up and extra gamers in limbo.
Leagues Cup: Crew and LAFC advance
The 2 house groups gained simply on Wednesday as Columbus downed Philadelphia 3-1 and LAFC simply ended Colorado’s run with a 4-0 romp in California.
Listed here are some ideas.
It’s in regards to the high gamers: Just like the MLS playoffs, the knockouts of the Leagues Cup are about Designated Gamers and different high gamers. These gamers have a approach to discover one other gear, and within the semifinals, it was all about one of the best gamers doing their factor. For LAFC, it was Denis Bouanga (DP) and Mateusz Bogusz (TAM) working wild. For Columbus it was Diego Rossi and Cucho Hernandez who scored each objectives. With this league, what wins within the common season vs. what wins within the playoffs are utterly totally different. The Leagues Cup is extra much like the playoffs.
Ask and also you shall obtain ???????? pic.twitter.com/EXQ2qIeoQg
— The Crew (@ColumbusCrew) August 22, 2024
In the meantime, Bouanga and Rossi are tied for the Leagues Cup Golden Boot with six objectives a chunk.
Third place nonetheless key: The Philadelphia Union will host Colorado on Sunday within the Leagues Cup third place recreation in Chester, PA. That recreation will decide which groups will earn a spot within the CONCACAF Champions Cup as the highest three finishers from the Leagues Cup are given spots. That may then release extra spots for different groups.
Ultimate is anybody’s recreation: Columbus destroyed LAFC a couple of months in the past in Los Angeles by a 5-1 rating. It was a humiliation for LAFC and Cherundolo mentioned it might by no means occur once more. However LAFC has been 18W-1L-3D since early Could in all competitions. Now LAFC has Oliver Giroud into the combo and the workforce needs to be motivated after the ugly defeat this season and the loss within the final MLS Cup.
— LAFC (@LAFC) August 22, 2024
Gio Reyna watch
Issues are unhealthy for Gio Reyna proper now. In a brand new report from Bild, it’s mentioned that Borussia Dortmund need to promote Reyna however no deal is imminent: “His future lies elsewhere, but a sale is currently not in sight.”
Reyna hasn’t performed greater than 650 minutes in any of the previous three seasons and he’ll flip 22 this fall. His profession has sadly stalled, and he wants to show the hype over him into significant taking part in time with sustained manufacturing. However it’s a downside as a result of he’s not closed to that and he has had all summer season to discover a new workforce however has but to take action.
As for the nationwide workforce, Mauricio Pochettino may not be as computerized has his predecessor with regards to taking part in time for gamers who’re struggling to play at their golf equipment.
The issues are past the nationwide workforce. Reyna simply must play.
Paredes & Weah injured
Kevin Paredes will likely be sidelined on account of a foot harm and can miss Wolfsburg’s season opener towards Bayern Munich. The harm is anticipated to maintain the current Olympian out till mid-September.
Kicker stories that current #OlyMNT winger Kevin Paredes will likely be out for Wolfsburg till round mid-September with a foot harm. – It’s going to preserve him out of the September worldwide window with the #USMNT https://t.co/FJl6zrKBQh
— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) August 21, 2024
Paredes, 21, is the second winger more likely to be out of motion via the September worldwide window as Tim Weah has a minor hamstring pressure and his subsequent assessments gained’t be till round 10 days.
Tessmann nearing transfer
In response to a number of stories, Tanner Tessmann’s switch saga could be nearing its finish and it may see him go away Italy (the place he at all times was predicted to signal). Now in line with a number of stories, Tessmann is more likely to signal for Lyon in Ligue 1.
Lyon is certainly one of France’s largest workforce and certified for the Europa League this yr by advantage of a sixth place end in 2023/24.
Capitaine des Etats-Unis au tournoi olympique, le milieu défensif Tanner Tessmann est sur le level de signer à l’OL.?? https://t.co/1pkpcWly8P https://t.co/1pkpcWly8P
— Le Figaro Sport (@Sport24Team) August 22, 2024
Tessmann has been on the lookout for a transfer up after guiding Venezia to promotion into Serie A final season and captaining the U.S. Olympic workforce. It stays to be seen how lengthy it might take him to get settled into his new workforce in France – ought to the transfer occur.
McKennie to signal a brand new Juve deal
It’s now extensively reported (and confirmed through Jeff Carlisle at ESPN), that Weston McKennie will signal a brand new contract with Juventus via 2026 thereby stopping him from ending the August window nonetheless at Juventus whereas within the final yr of his contract. ASN has heard the identical info.
McKennie, who turns 26 subsequent week, will now start the method of getting reintegrated into the primary workforce underneath Thiago Motta. McKennie was a daily underneath Max Allegri final season, however his taking part in time declined on the finish of the season underneath Motta. Then all summer season, McKennie was linked to numerous different golf equipment however nothing ever materialized (with McKennie turning down affords). He additionally then went on to have a poor Copa America.
However what’s fascinating about this saga is that McKennie and Juventus have been in a recreation of rooster with who would cave earlier than the window? Would McKennie settle for a transfer away from Juve or would Juve provide him a brand new deal? In the long run, McKennie gained – for the second straight summer season.
Yanks overseas on Thursday
A number of People have been concerned in European video games on Thursday.
George Bello went 90 minutes for LASK in a 1-1 draw with Romania’s FCSB in a Europa League qualifier. This isn’t a great consequence for LASK within the first leg, which they hosted in Austria. They now must do higher in Romania.
Mit einer kurzfristigen Änderung starten wir ins Play-off-Hinspiel: Jörg #Siebenhandl beginnt anstelle von Tobias #Lawal, der sich beim Aufwärmen verletzt hat______________________________ ???ASK 0-0 ????????FCSB #ASKFCSB #UEL 1′ pic.twitter.com/XageeY579H
— LASK (@LASK_Official) August 22, 2024
Lennard Maloney went the ultimate 29 minutes for Heidenheim in a 2-1 away win over BK Hacken in Sweeden. That is the primary ever European recreation for Heidenheim, which is able to now start its second season ever within the Bundesliga this weekend.
Johnny Cardoso began and performed 63 minutes for Actual Betis in a 2-0 win over Kryvbas within the first leg of their Convention League qualifier. Kryvbas was the house workforce on this recreation, however because of the Ukrainian battle, the sport was performed in a impartial location of Kosice in Slovakia.
Pierre to Genk
Kayden Pierre, 21, is about to hitch Genk from Sporting Kansas Metropolis.
???????? Kayden Pierre arrival to #KRCGenk was Michel Ribeiro’s (ex-assistant coach of the Genkies) challenge on the very starting. ???????? #MLS expertise will begin with Jong Genk however rapidly being built-in to Thorsten Fink workforce. ???? Genk at the moment finalizing the share on the longer term… pic.twitter.com/lrijMyKC1t
— Sacha Tavolieri (@sachatavolieri) August 22, 2024
It is not a transfer many noticed coming as Pierre has by no means performed greater than 1000 minutes for Sporting Kansas Metropolis’s first workforce in any season since becoming a member of the membership. He first started with the membership’s academy workforce in 2017 and signed a homegrown deal in 2021. His solely worldwide appearances have been a couple of U-20 camps in 2021. In recent times he has struggled with a couple of accidents and likewise fell behind fellow Michigander Jake Davis for SKC’s proper again place.
This transfer took place via Michel Ribeiro who was an assistant coach to Peter Vermes in Sporting Kansas Metropolis earlier than he returned to his native Belgium to educate Genk.
It looks as if a great transfer for all events. Pierre will get to go away SKC for an additional journey, Genk get a challenge that doubtless didn’t value a lot, SKC will get to off-load a participant they didn’t play a lot and can now retain a future sell-on if Genk is ready to develop and promote Pierre.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25778916/Kristy_Acuti_Filter_DONE.jpg?w=150&resize=150,150&ssl=1 "Brownies & Frownies as Browns fall to Steelers with a number of areas failing the others")
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25780698/wXu9nH.png?w=150&resize=150,150&ssl=1 "Sunday Night time Recreation Thread: Chargers vs Chiefs")
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25800549/Screenshot_2024_12_21_at_10.58.15_AM.png?w=330&resize=330,220&ssl=1 "Faculty Playoff Thread 12/21")