Another international break with familiar questions for USMNT; World Cup qualifying intensifies globally

Hello! The international break of the men here is good and real, the focus square on the World Cup 2026, because the qualification continues in a handful of continents and the rest remains busy with all the important friendly competitions. I am Pardeep Cattry with an update before international competitions come fat and fast.

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Wednesday 3 September
🌎 CWCC: Washington Spirit vs. Vancouver Rise, 7 pm ➡️ CBS Sports Network” Paramount+
🇺🇸 USL Championship: Hartford Athletic vs. Indy Eleven, 7:30 PM ➡️ ESPN+

Thursday September 4
🌍 WCQ: Bulgaria vs. Spain, 2.45 pm ➡️ FS2
🌎 WCQ: Brazil vs. Chile, 8:30 PM ➡️ Universo
🌎 WCQ: Guatemala vs. El Salvador, 10.30 pm ➡️ CBS Sports Network” Paramount+

⚽ The forward line

🇺🇸 USMNT’s rush -hour competition is (again) central

Head coach Mauricio Pochettino of the American gentlemen has perhaps invoiced this international break as the last chance to check inexperienced players before the World Cup, but the newest roster is led by a few familiar faces, and a year old dilemma that will be exactly the USMNT that the world cup supplies?

The competition is probably due to four players – Patrick Agyemang, Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi and Josh Sargent – and while Agyemang is recovering from Hernia surgery and Pepi is in the early stages of a return of a knee injury this month. Balogun has the opportunity to adjust for the national team for the first time after a year of injuries and is perhaps still the leader for the job, although Sargent is theoretically a stiff challenge.

Sargent has five goals in four games to start the season with Norwich City, while he stayed in the championship club after having attracted interest elsewhere in the summer, including Van Bundesliga Club Wolfsburg. The task for him now is to translate that form into the national team -Sargent enjoyed a 15 target season with the last campaign of Norwich, but saw his USMNT opportunities come and go, where the Concacaf Gold Cup schedule this summer was missed in what Pochettino at that time described as a “football decision”. The friendly matches of this month are the last in a decreasing number of chances for Sargent to break an international goals dating from November 2019.

• Sargent: “I would probably lie if I said that I didn’t think about it. Of course it was a while ago. I am doing so well at the moment at club level. I keep reminding myself how well I do there. I know I can score goals and I know it is a matter of time that I will score for the national team, so I will just keep my head and continue working. [the Gold Cup omission] As a rest in the low season and running the ground with Norwich to ensure that I am back in the next camp and I think I have done that very well at club level and that is why I am here. “

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🌍 World cup qualifying continues

A handful of teams was able to book their spots this month on the World Cup 2026 while the qualification tournaments continue, with many of the national teams in the world focusing on the 35 places at the next summer’s competition that are still for the taking.

The qualifying tournament of Zuid -America is coming this month, with three teams still in the mix for one guaranteed place in the World Cup and an extra berth in the Intercontinental Play -Ooff. Colombia is the favorites to take that guaranteed place and can come across the finish line as soon as they organize colleague -member Bolivia in Barranquilla. Los Cafeteros has a five -point lead compared to Bolivia (and a four -point advantage compared to Venezuela), a victory enough to collect the last guaranteed place at the World Cup. That would leave Venezuela and Bolivia to let it go for a place in the play – off when the Conmebol qualifying run ends, each with a tough fight to climb – Venezuela will organize Colombia, while Bolivia will welcome Brazil in the qualifying final.

In the meantime, there are four more games in Africa in the first qualifying round, but two regulars could do the job this month if all things to their benefit lifts. Morocco, the semi -finalists of 2022 World Cup, are ready to be the first team of the continent to book their place at the 2026 tournament with a victory over Niger on Friday plus a loss of Tanzania for Congo on the same day. Egypt could come to them on Tuesday if they win the two games on their plates this month against Ethiopia and Burkina Faso.

There are no spots for picking up in Europe or North America, although every continent starts this month of large qualifying stages. A handful of tough hitters in Europe will actually start their qualifying trips in the coming days, including the last three teams of the continent to win the World Cup, Germany and Spain, while Portugal also makes the list when teams start to compete for the 16 places available to them. In Noord -America, the third qualifying round starts this month and ends in November with three teams booking their spots on the World Cup and two more Playoff spots later for the taking. After the three hosts, Costa Rica focus on back-to-back World Cup trips, while Concacaf Nations League finalists Panama and regional heavyweights Jamaica are among the favorites to complete the track by November.

🔗 Top stories

🇺🇸 Usmnt -players en route: Here is a retrospective of the transfer news of USMNT players this summer and where these players go from here as the countdown goes to the World Cup.

🏟️ New home from Chicago Stars: The Chicago stars of the NWSL play their home games at the Northwestern Medicine Field next season and depart from Seatgeek Stadium.

✍️ Transfer window last: The window is closed in the top five competitions of Europe, which means it is time to decide who the winners and the losers of the summer were, to hand out a number of superlatives … and to pay attention to Turkiye?

1️⃣1️⃣ NWSL’s best: Ludmila and Gotham FC of the Chicago Stars Esther Gonzalez earned a place in the NWSL team of the week after some impressive work during the weekend.

👋 Management expenditure?: The Premier League season is perhaps only three games old, but with West Ham and Nottingham Forest already in crisism mode, is it time to ask – are respective managers Graham Potter and Nuno Espirito Santo on the hot chair?

💰 The back line

💵 Dear bets

• World Cup qualification: Bulgaria vs. Spain, Thursday, 2.45 pm
  💰 The choice: more than 3.5 scored goals (+134) -Spain will start their World Cup qualifying area in Bulgaria on Thursday, the lowest ranked team in group E of UEFA World Cup qualification. Road trips can sometimes become complicated, but the ruling European champions have all the tools they need to overcome all the bumps, especially with Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams in the team. Expect an impressive victory for Spain in Eastern Europe, while the road to the World Cup 2026 officially starts for the title candidates.

For more choices, predictions, expert tips and the latest bet news, you don’t miss the homepage of CBSSports.com.

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