Forgot one from yesterday's fixtures, Lyndon Gooch started for Huddersfield and went 80 with a yellow in a 3-0 strong win. Looks like their promotion chasing form from last season could be still with them.
We officially have a “Johnny Number Five”. Not a bad start, but Atletico will want more. He needs off-the-ball movement to be successful when he is in possession, which may explain why he struggles with the USMNT. We are terrible at it. Berhalter had to spend his first two years teaching guys keys for off-ball movement and people complained about it, but that’s how you get players like Johnny to shine.
Nice first time hit. Tough finish in traffic. Dest is back? 1952063837835842002 is not a valid tweet id
'09 Mathis Albert scored once and assisted twice for Dortmund u19 today. I don't expect him to be playing with the u19's much longer. Should be integrated into the second team in the early part of the campaign and maybe make a first team debut sometime this season at 16 years old
Those clips are super short, so hard to tell, but yeah looked like a couple of dangerous giveaways, a couple of nearlies and half a dozen off passes.
We'll see. Dortmund's brightest prospects tend to skip over Dortmund II and go straight to the first team. Pulisic and Reyna barely played for Dortmund II. If Albert is who we hope he is, he may do the same.
the notable part of that friendly to me was watching Luuk de Jong get introduced to the Porto fans. Our long argument about Pepi versus De Jong is over!! Watch: Porto Stun Fans By Announcing Signing Of Luuk de Jong | Football News - News18
Not to sound negative, but we know guys who were unable to come back from one Achilles injury. Dike has done BOTH Achilles............... The fear here isn't about luck. The fear is he's just broken. Coming back to MLS doesn't really help. [I was reading this article about why we're seeing so many Achilles injuries in sports. Players are getting bigger, faster, stronger. Athletes are getting more muscular. Tendons, like the Achilles, can't handle it. We're not evolving as a species to have stronger Achilless tendons. Soccer, in particular, is full of the sudden starts, stops, and pivots that put extra strain on that tendon. That article said soccer is the most common sport in which players suffer from Achilles injuries, whether minor tendonitis or a rupture. That study showed players who suffered one achilles tear had shorter careers and played fewer matches per season than "contol players" post-injury. Dike has ruptured BOTH. Interestingly, that study found that there was a significantly higher number of left achilles injuries than the right. Presumably because as the right was kicking,, the left is the one under pressure. The same study showed that left ACL tears are more common than right as well.]
I meant more the back passes and lateral passes. I saw only one truly bad pass. But he looked active and involved, which is good.
I have a pet theory that soccer players are overtrained and underconditioned due to the intense performance demands of the sport, the short off season and the increasing number of professional games played by young players. It takes many (adult) years to build a training base adequate to the demands of professional soccer and there is simply no way to do it physically when you also have to perform in lots of matches.
Achilles injuries also take a while to return from...........(and some players never return). Dike ruptured both Achilles. This most recent injury is a a hip. Everything on Daryl Dike is out of whack. Eighty-two per cent of male professional football (soccer) players return to play at the previous level two seasons after Achilles tendon rupture treated with surgical repair | British Journal of Sports Medicine Conclusions 96% of professional male football players who underwent surgery to repair an ATR returned to unrestricted practice and then competition after an average time of 7 and 9 months, respectively. However, 18% did not return to the same level of play within the two seasons following their return, with a higher risk in those experiencing a re-rupture.
Yet professional soccer games are filled with players of all ages. Some people's bodies can handle it, and unfortunately other people's bodies break down earlier through bad luck or due to inherent differences.
The thing is injuries after a major injury like an achilles tend to be the result of that part of the body overcompensating after the injury.
💣🇺🇸 BREAKING: Toronto FC have agreed a deal to acquire American attacker Djordje Mihailovic from the Colorado Rapids, per sourcesDeal is $8m cash trade + $1m add-ons + sell-on %Rapids rejected 2 bids then Mihailovic asked club for the TFC move https://t.co/yhMLsHRqfG— Tom Bogert (@tombogert) August 4, 2025 Toronto FC have agreed a deal to acquire American attacker Djordje Mihailovic from the Colorado Rapids, per sources. Deal is $8m cash trade + $1m add-ons + sell-on % Rapids rejected 2 bids then Mihailovic asked club for the TFC move
I have a theory that going from college soccer to the Championship in a couple of years is too big of a step up for some players. It's not just about matchdays, it's the level of physicality that they put you through in training.
Only on an Earnie Stewart team does an up-and-coming American player force a native legend out. PSV is where American players get real shots to make it.
Simon Rolfes on the new players: "They made a good impression. I think Mark [Flekken] already showed his qualities, Jarell Quansah as well. Axel Tape was the surprise of the first few games. Malik Tillman still missing and set to join in. All in all, they make a good impression… pic.twitter.com/ehhil9EE7r— WerkselfXtra (@bayer04Xtra) August 5, 2025 Simon Rolfes on the new players: "They made a good impression. I think Mark [Flekken] already showed his qualities, Jarell Quansah as well. Axel Tape was the surprise of the first few games. Malik Tillman still missing and set to join in. All in all, they make a good impression and bring to the pitch what we expect of them."
The Championship in particular is also a pretty brutal grind in terms of how often they play games. I believe Tim Ream has said it feels like it takes years off your life. And I’ve also seen some MLS guys who have gone over complain about the quality of the fields.
I can't believe someone the probably grew up playing on turf would complain about Championship pitches. There are a couple that are shared with rugby teams but in general they are excellent. That wasn't the case a few years ago.
Hoppinho started again today……. Maybe he’s locked in that starter spot, went 71 minutes but lost 1-0 to viborg