Hello there! The USMNT is officially back in action in the new year, and the UEFA Champions League will join them this week ahead of a thrilling finish to the league phase. I’m Pardeep Cattry with the latest to start the week.
📺 Footy fix
All times U.S./Eastern
Monday, Jan. 20
🏴 EPL: Chelsea vs. Wolves, 3 p.m. ➡️ USA Network
Tuesday, Jan. 21
🇪🇺 UCL: Monaco vs. Aston Villa, 12:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network
🇪🇺 UCL: Liverpool vs. Lille, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇪🇺 UCL: Benfica vs. Barcelona, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇪🇺 UCL: Atletico Madrid vs. Bayer Leverkusen, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
⚽ The Forward Line
🇺🇸 MLS-heavy USMNT beats Venezuela
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The U.S. men’s national team put the work of their annual January camp to good use on Saturday, beating Venezuela 3-1 as a handful of players on the MLS-heavy roster started to make a case for themselves as national team regulars.
Eight players made their international debuts on Saturday, while all three goal-scorers – Jack McGlynn, Patrick Agyemang and Matko Miljevic – notched their first goals for the USMNT. That trio raised their stock as the competition for roster spots at the 2026 World Cup heats up, though McGlynn arguably led the way after a strong display in midfield. As Chuck Booth writes, that showing not only included his stunning goal but his leadership qualities.
- Booth: “Always a player who is willing to show off his skill, Jack McGlynn stepped up when the USMNT needed him most. With the team struggling to string passes together, McGlynn ripped a shot from outside the box finding the back of the net with venom. The Philadelphia Union midfielder then played in a great pass to also setup Matko Miljevic for a goal of his own. Doing that after a discussion on who would take the penalty that Partick Agyemyang drew and walking off the pitch with his arm around Miljevic after his miss shows a mature player who is ready to break through.”
The 21-year-old McGlynn has been part of the USMNT’s youth set-up for some time, including as a member of the U-23 team that reached the quarterfinals of the Paris Olympics last summer. He is among the players to watch from that Olympic team as several players aim to gain a foothold in the senior team’s player pool, and McGlynn in particular could fill a role in a midfield that has felt unresolved since the 2022 World Cup.
McGlynn and the other players in January camp will have one last chance to impress on Wednesday against Costa Rica. A spot on March’s Concacaf Nations League roster could be on the line, which will mark the first time Pochettino will have access to the entirety of the senior national team pool in 2025.
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🇪🇺 Champions League approaches a thrilling finish
The UEFA Champions League returns on Tuesday after cutting its winter break short, but that’s not the only new feature of the competition in the new year. The penultimate round of the first-ever league phase will take place this week, with a batch of consequential matchups on the schedule before a chaotic final batch of games next week.
The biggest surprise of the league phase so far has been the performance of several continental heavyweights, who face the risk of elimination by the end of the month if they cannot turn their fortunes around. Real Madrid, in 20th place, have a fixture against Red Bull Salzburg that should help them improve their standing, but the real headlining act of Matchday 7 is 22nd-place Manchester City’s trip to 25th ranked Paris Saint-Germain.
This week’s circumstances alone feel like enough to declare the league phase a success, delivering a new dose of entertainment to the competition. It is not only that top teams have avoided cakewalks to the league phase finish line; as James Benge writes, their losses are other teams’ gains, and some surprise teams might finish inside the top eight as a result.
- Benge: “Why such difficulties for the big teams? It might just be because the little guys have nothing to fear. Take Madrid’s opponents on the final matchday, a Brest side whose professional status was only restored in 2004. In the old format the lowest ranked team in the competition in coefficient terms would have been paired with the big hitters of Pots One and Two, a little misfortune with who came in the third group and the journey of a lifetime could have been a slog. Instead a little fortune from the draw and they turned games against opposition from Pots Three and Four into six points from six. Momentum has been on their side ever since. As [RB] Leipzig can attest, when and where you get your games might well matter more in the league phase but the little guys have a chance now.”
The top eight berths will be the focus of Tuesday’s action, especially as 11th place Atletico Madrid try to crack into the group when they host fourth-ranked Bayer Leverkusen and first place Liverpool challenge eighth-ranked Lille.
🔗 Top Stories
✍️ Transfer market latest: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s move to Paris Saint-Germain is official, Neymar is working on a return to his boyhood club Santos and Viktor Gyokeres might be a good fit at a struggling Manchester United.
🔴 Arsenal stumble again: Arsenal tied with Aston Villa on Saturday, perhaps signaling the death knell on their quest to win the Premier League title.
🇫🇷 Barcola shines for PSG: Bradley Barcola scored his first goal of the season in Paris Saint-Germain’s win over Lens on Saturday, stepping up as Kvaratskhelia is poised to take his spot on the field.
👎 United, Spurs struggles continue: Manchester United’s Ruben Amorim said his side is “maybe the worst team” in the club’s history after yet another defeat, with opponents no longer fearing them. Coupled with Tottenham Hotspur’s Sunday loss, the high-profile struggles of both teams reveal years of mismanagement by each club’s leaders.
🇪🇸 Atletico’s rise: Atletico Madrid sit just two points behind Real Madrid in La Liga, making them genuine title contenders now that the second half of the season is underway.
🏆 Naeher’s latest accolade: Alyssa Naeher won the U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year award for 2024, earning the award after a standout final year with the USWNT that included winning Olympic gold.
🇺🇸 Introducing the U.S. Way: U.S. Soccer unveiled the U.S. Way, a strategy with the 2026 World Cup and the 2027 Women’s World Cup in mind.
🌴 Messi scores again: Lionel Messi scored in Inter Miami’s preseason win over Club America, taunting the opposition fan base in his celebration.
⚽ Weah on the scoresheet: The USMNT’s Timothy Weah scored for Juventus in their 2-0 win over AC Milan in Serie A action on Saturday.
🟰 MLK Jr. Day: In observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Morning Footy crew picked the soccer players they feel embody the activist’s legacy.
💰 The Back Line
💵 Best bets
- UEFA Champions League: Benfica vs. Barcelona, Tuesday, 3 p.m.
💰 THE PICK: Lamine Yamal to score (+260) – With nine goals and 12 assists already this season, it’s hard to bet against Lamine Yamal as the teenager settles in nicely to the pace of top-level soccer. Expect him to play a big role again as Barcelona aim to improve their standing inside the top eight, and perhaps to bag another goal along the way. - UEFA Champions League: Atletico Madrid vs. Bayer Leverkusen, Tuesday, 3 p.m.
💰 THE PICK: Patrick Schick to score (+250) – Bayer Leverkusen enter Matchday 7 in fourth place and on a 13 game unbeaten run, so they will undoubtedly like their chances on Tuesday in Madrid. Count on Patrick Schick, who has nine goals this season, to play an important role for them as they look for another statement win in the competition.
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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