USWNT aim to make Emma Hayes’ first tournament a success as they go for gold | EFL season begins

Happy Friday! The EFL Championship, League One and League Two kick off this weekend and the United States women’s national team can secure a gold medal at the Olympic Games when they take on Spain. I’m Chuck Booth and we still have a lot to do as European football returns, so let’s get started:

📺 Foot correction

Always US/East

Friday August 9
🥇 Olympic Games (men): France vs. Spain, 12:00 ➡️ USA
Coppa Italia: Sassuolo vs. Cittadella, 12 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network
English Championship: Blackburn Rovers vs. Derby County, 3pm ➡️ Biggest+, CBS Sports NetworkX
English Championship: Preston North End vs. Sheffield United, 3pm ➡️ Biggest+CBS Sports Golazo Network
🇺🇸🇲🇽 Leagues Cup: Toluca vs. Sporting Kansas City, 9pm ➡️ FS1

Saturday August 10
English Championship: Leeds United vs. Portsmouth, 7:30am ➡️ CBS Sports Golazo Network, Biggest+
FA Community Shield: Manchester United vs. Manchester City, 10am ➡️ ESPN+
English League Two: MK Dons vs. Bradford City, 10am ➡️ CBS Sports Goalzo Network, Biggest+
🥇 Olympic Games (women): Brazil vs. USWNT, 11am ➡️ NBC
English League One: Wrexham vs. Wycombe Wanderers, 12:30pm ➡️ CBS Sports Network, Biggest+
USL Championship: Pittsburgh Riverhounds vs. San Antonio FC, 7:00 PM ➡️CBS Sports Golazo Network, Biggest+
USL Championship: Phoenix Rising vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies, 11pm ➡️CBS Sports Golazo Network, Biggest+

Sunday August 11
English Championship, Sheffield Wednesday vs. Plymouth Argyle, 11am ➡️ CBS Sports Golazo Network, Biggest+

⚽ The forward line

🇺🇸USWNT go for gold

The US Women’s National Team will face Brazil in the gold medal match at the Paris Olympics as Emma Hayes looks to make a perfect debut taking over the USWNT. The team needed a late goal from Sophia Smith and heroics in the net from Alyssa Naeher to get past Germany, but one player whose impact cannot be underestimated is Naomi Girma.

Hayes called Girma the “best defender I have ever seen – ever” and it is hard to argue with her on that. Coming out of Stanford, Girma immediately starred for the San Diego Wave to win the NWSL Rookie of the Year and Defender of the Year awards before being named U.S. Soccer Woman of the Year in 2023.

Next on her path is an Olympic medal. Although she is guaranteed at least a silver medal, everything is better in gold. Brazil will get Marta back from suspension for this final, but Sandra Herrera says the USWNT can’t concentrate on her alone:

• Herrera: “There will be a lot of eyes on Marta and that could be exactly what Brazil wants to ensure Angelina can continue her dominance of the midfield. Brazil’s middle third put in inspiring performances on the pitch during the quarter-finals and semi-finals, showing relentless efforts to counter scenarios and facilitate quick transitions. Orlando Pride’s Angelina was a key figure in the increased midfield play. She put in a spirited performance against Spain in the semi-final, covering a lot of ground, and being a unifying presence in moments of transition. Her familiarity with Orlando Pride teammates Adriana and Marta has only increased her impact on the pitch for Brazil.”

If the USWNT defense can continue their excellent performances defensively, the trio of Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith and Mallory Swanson have shown they have enough goals between them to score when it matters.

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🔗 Link play in midfield

✅ A new era of EFL football on CBS

Today marks the first day of EFL football on CBS after a historic deal brings Championship, League One, League Two and Carabao Cup matches to CBS Sports networks and Paramount+. From Wrexham’s rise through the divisions, Americans galore and more, we’ll have it on CBS this season and beyond. In preparation for the new season, James Benge watched some of them fixtures to keep an eye on and one will feature two Americans facing off against each other with high stakes. Here’s what he has to say about Coventry City vs. Norwich City on August 31:

• Benge: “A host of talent from the U.S. Men’s National Team should give Gregg Berhalter’s successor good reason to keep a close eye on England’s lower leagues in the coming months. From that perspective, there is perhaps no more intriguing matchup than the match between the Coventry City players Haji Wright and Norwich City’s Josh Sargent, if he were still at the club. Both forwards have spent impressive seasons in the second tier and secured a spot in the Copa America squad, but neither striker has. has managed to carve out a starting role for itself. Could a new season full of championship goals change that? That certainly wouldn’t hurt and would certainly put Wright and Sargent in the spotlight now that the 2026 World Cup is on the horizon.”

The EFL is full of storylines that will be discussed in the build-up to the richest game in sport, with everything culminating with one team making the Premier League, while the one team they have built may have to be broken up. for years due to financial concerns.

I also took a look at the Americans throughout the league and one of the newest members can make quite an impact on their team. Adian Morris joined Michael Carrick’s Middlesbrough side from the Columbus Crew and they could surprise some people this season.

• What you can be excited about: “It doesn’t get much better for a young midfielder than to learn from a legend in his position like Carrick, and that’s something to be excited about. Morris has been committed to taking on every challenge in his career so far, except for the move to England.” It will be one of the hardest he has faced yet. Being able to respond to this will be quite something for the 22-year-old.”

🔗 Top stories

🇺🇸 Mauricio Pocettino to coach the USMNT?: According to reports, the former Chelsea manager could be among the top picks replacing Gregg Berhalter in coaching the USMNT.

❌ Pepe retires: The iconic Pepe has hung up his boots after making 737 appearances for club and country during his illustrious career. While the silverware was excellent, he was also a box office player, so we looked into it ranks some of his craziest moments.

🆕 Scouting report Brazil: Let’s get to know Brazil prior to the gold medal match.

✈️ Attention, pickpocket: Mikel Arteta is known for his unorthodox moments, but hiring pickpockets during a team dinner Showing his players that they must always be alert is new.

💰The Back Line

💵 Best bets

• English Championship
  💰 THE CHOICE: Norwich City wins (+130) — With promotion hopes every point matters and for Norwich City it is paramount to start the season well against Oxford. We’ve already discussed how important Josh Sargent will be for the Canaries, but they have enough firepower even outside of him to overwhelm Oxford on opening day.
• English Championship: future

💰 THE CHOICE: Leeds United win the championship (+275) — Recently relegated teams may be among the favorites to be promoted, but Leeds United still have a bone to pick after all the relegated teams went back to the Premier League. The Whites still have a strong squad and are well prepared to win the competition this season.

📺 What’s on CBS Sports Golazo Network

☀️ Morning Footy (Weekdays 8-10am): Hosts Susannah Collins, Charlie Davies, Nico Cantor and Alexis Guerreros help fans get their day started on the network’s flagship morning show with highlights, interviews and the biggest football storylines. Morning Footy is also available in podcast formso you never miss an episode again.

3️⃣ Attacking third (Monday, Thursday): The leading ladies football podcast And social brand is now a live studio show. The NWSL season is back and our coverage of the women’s game is stronger than ever. Our analysts will analyze the USWNT, NWSL and European domestic seasons throughout the year. And don’t miss it Wednesday livestreams on YouTube at 11 a.m. ET.

⚽ Call it what you want (Monday evenings): A weekly podcast featuring Jimmy Conrad, Charlie Davies and friends cover all things USMNT and the state of the beautiful game in the United States. You can also watch the show live on YouTube every Monday at 11 a.m. ET.

🥅 Scoreline (Daily): Scoreline is the latest place for fans to keep up to date with all the biggest news and results impacting global football, match highlights from the best football leagues and all the unmissable goals from the day’s action, which starts on Thursday and airs for seven days a week.

📺 How to watch: CBS Sports Golazo Network is a free 24/7 channel solely focused on providing unparalleled coverage of all the top football leagues worldwide. You can stream for free on the CBS Sports App, Pluto TV And Biggest+.