Hey there! The men’s international break came to a dramatic close on Tuesday with Argentina’s big win over Brazil, while the U.S. women’s national team are gearing up for their next international window with a roster drop. I’m Pardeep Cattry with the latest.
Footy fix
All times U.S./Eastern
Wednesday, March 26
UWCL: Lyon vs. Bayern Munich, 1:45 p.m. 
DAZN UWCL: Arsenal vs. Real Madrid, 4 p.m. DAZN
Thursday, March 27 UWCL: Barcelona vs. Wolfsburg, 1:45 p.m. DAZN UWCL: Chelsea vs. Manchester City, 4 p.m. DAZN
La Liga: Barcelona vs. Osasuna, 4 p.m. ESPN+
The Forward Line
Argentina put four past Brazil
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No Lionel Messi, no problem for Argentina – the reigning world champions collected a 4-1 win over Brazil on Tuesday, the day they also booked their place at the 2026 World Cup. Julian Alvarez and Enzo Fernandez ensured Argentina would have a 2-0 by the 12th minute and though Matheus Cunha clawed one back with a goal in the 26th minute, goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Giuliano Simeone ensured the hosts would come out with a commanding win.
Argentina end this month’s international break with an eight point lead over second place Ecuador and qualified for the World Cup with five games to spare, a testament to the success of their qualification campaign. Though Messi leads CONMEBOL’s qualifying competition with six goals so far, manager Lionel Scaloni has been able to test out what this time looks like without the 37-year-old and the results have been fairly impressive, and Chuck Booth notes that Tuesday’s win was emblematic of those efforts.
- Booth: “Argentina flexed their depth with not only Messi missing out, but also striker Lautaro Martinez who had to withdraw from the squad with an injury. He was in the thoughts of players with Alvarez and Fernandez both doing his celebration when they scored, but it’s clear how much of a team effort this was. Each of their four goals was scored by a different player. Some of the goals were due to defensive breakdowns by Brazil, but those were also caused by Argentina’s smooth passing which even allowed left back Nicolas Tagliafico to get involved with an assist.”
As for Brazil, they end the month in fourth place, nestled inside the top six spots that ensure automatic qualification for the 2026 World Cup. They are six points ahead of seventh place Venezuela, who sit in a playoff spot, and seven ahead of eighth place Bolivia, so a spot in next year’s competition still feels likely, but how well they will do there remains a big question. For all their attacking talent on the pitch on Tuesday, with Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo and Raphinha all getting the start, they took just three shots against Argentina and Cunha’s goal was their only attempt on target.
Argentina are one of four non-host nations so far to book a trip to the 2026 World Cup, with Japan, New Zealand and Iran also earning their place during this month’s international window. As things stand, 41 spots are still up for grabs at the first-ever 48 team edition of the World Cup.
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Rodman returns for the USWNT
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Trinity Rodman will return to the U.S. women’s national team for the first time since last summer’s Olympic Games, joining the group for next month’s friendlies against Brazil. She’s one of the more experienced players on a roster full of relative newcomers as head coach Emma Hayes continues a period of experimentation as the long road to the 2027 Women’s World Cup continues.
Here’s a look at the roster in full.
- Goalkeepers (3): Jane Campbell (Houston Dash), Mandy McGlynn (Utah Royals), Phallon Tullis-Joyce (Manchester United)
- Defenders (8): Alana Cook (Kansas City Current), Tierna Davidson (Gotham FC), Crystal Dunn (Paris Saint-Germain), Emily Fox (Arsenal FC, Tara McKeown (Washington Spirit), Avery Patterson (Houston Dash), Emily Sams (Orlando Pride), Emily Sonnett (Gotham FC)
- Midfielders (6): Korbin Albert (Paris Saint-Germain), Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns FC), Lindsey Heaps (Olympique Lyon), Claire Hutton (Kansas City Current), Jaedyn Shaw (North Carolina Courage), Lily Yohannes (Ajax)
- Forwards (7): Michelle Cooper (Kansas City Current), Ashley Hatch (Washington Spirit), Catarina Macario (Chelsea FC, ENG), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), Yazmeen Ryan (Houston Dash), Ally Sentnor (Utah Royals), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City FC)
Hayes will work with 11 players who have 10 or fewer international appearances including goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce and defender Avery Patterson, who could earn their first caps during this camp. Defender Alana Cook and forward Ashley Hatch, meanwhile, could earn their first minutes since Hayes took the job, demonstrating the head coach’s continuing efforts to widen the player pool as much as possible. That effort also includes working alongside the U-23 USWNT, who will run a camp concurrently with the senior team that is similar to the Futures camp that took place during January.
As Hayes continues to tinker with fresh faces and new ideas, the goalkeeper position remains an area of focus after Alyssa Naeher’s international retirement at the end of 2024. Hayes has stuck to the group she brought along for the SheBelieves Cup and previously targeted this June as a time when she hopes to lock in her choice as the USWNT’s new starter, meaning the pressure’s on to make the most of their opportunities both at the club level and with the national team.
- Hayes: “Each of the goalkeepers that are competing for spots, listen, if you think about this prior to when even Alyssa [Naeher] made the number one her own, it takes a period of time to be able to solidify that. And I think it’s fair to say we’ve got a lot of really good quality goalkeepers. Who will emerge from that as the number one? Don’t know, but they have to take their chances when they get them. This is a performance-related business, and each and every opportunity they get, they have to make the most of it, because, of course, that will impact my decision-making as we progress and this camp, there will be changes in goal again.”
The USWNT will first play Brazil on April 5 at SoFi Stadium, where the grass fields used for the Concacaf Nations League will stay in place, before a second game against the 2027 World Cup hosts on April 8 at PayPal Park in San Jose.
Top Stories
USWNT’s experience gap: USWNT head coach Emma Hayes outlined the plans she has to bridge the experience gap between the veterans and the newcomers, including picking a leadership council and leading some unique exercises once camp is in session.
Introducing Boston Legacy: Boston’s incoming NWSL team will be called Boston Legacy FC, undergoing a name change after initially being introduced as BOS Nation FC last fall.
Alexander-Arnold to Madrid: Trent Alexander-Arnold is likely to join Real Madrid in the summer after his contract with Liverpool expires, a move that feels like a natural fit for the player and his future club.
Davies tears ACL: Canada’s Alphonso Davies tore his ACL in the third place match of the Concacaf Nations League against the USMNT on Sunday, ruling out for the next six months.
Banda faces hateful language: The Orlando Pride’s Barbra Banda was the victim of hateful language from a fan during the team’s game at NJ/NY Gotham FC, with both teams and the NWSL expressing support for the player.
USMNT rewind: Some of the USMNT’s biggest players did not fare well in the latest edition of stock watch, while their poor CNL outing means the Gold Cup becomes an all-important opportunity to impress ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
England win again: Thomas Tuchel wrapped up his first international break with England with a second win, marking a perfect start to their World Cup qualifying campaign.
Teams of the week: Debhinha was among the standouts over the weekend in NWSL play, while Kelvin Yeboah earned himself a place in the MLS team of the week.
Juventus’ crisis: Here’s an explainer on the state of things at Juventus after the club fired Thiago Motta and hired Igor Tudor over the weekend.
Open Cup on CBS Sports: CBS Sports will air the U.S. Open Cup though the 2026 season, with matches appearing across CBS Sports Network, Paramount+ and CBS Sports Golazo Network starting with the third round of this season’s competition.
The Back Line
Best bets
- UEFA Women’s Champions League: Arsenal vs. Real Madrid, Wednesday, 4 p.m. THE PICK: Less than three goals scored (+115) – In arguably the most intriguing matchup of the week, Arsenal need to come back from the surprise 2-0 deficit they suffered in Madrid last week. It creates a fascinating scenario at Emirates Stadium, where Arsenal will be under real pressure to score while Real Madrid will likely do whatever they can to keep a clean sheet, which makes things fairly unpredictable when the game actually begins. A prediction that there will be fewer than three goals on Wednesday feels like it hits the sweet spot – there’s enough room to account for Arsenal to mount a comeback or for Real Madrid to hang onto their lead and complete the upset.
For more picks, predictions, expert tips and the latest betting news, don’t miss out on CBSSports.com’s betting home page.
What’s on CBS Sports Golazo Network
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Call it What You Want (Monday and Thursday): A weekly podcast where Jimmy Conrad, Charlie Davies and Tony Meola cover all things USMNT and the state of the beautiful game in the United States. You can catch the show streaming live on YouTube every Monday at 1 p.m. ET and Thursday at 6 p.m. ET.
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