Manchester City stake their claim to be Club World Cup favorites; USMNT face test from defensive Costa Rica

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Manchester City stake their claim to be Club World Cup favorites; USMNT face test from defensive Costa Rica

Ladies and gentlemen, The Weeknd! Friday is just around the corner, the best day of the week, all the more if we have so much football for us. The US, both WNT and MNT, are in action while the knockout phases of the Club World Cup start on Saturday. I’m James Benge, now we’re leaving!

📺 Footy fix

Always us/eastern

Friday June 27
🌍 Friendly: Spain vs. Japan, 3 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Network

Saturday 28 June
🏆 CWC: Palmeiras vs. Botafogo, 12 pm ➡️ Dazn
🏆 CWC: Benfica vs. Chelsea, 4 p.m. ➡️ Dazn
🇺🇸 MLS: FC Dallas vs. San Diego, 8:30 pm ➡️ MLS Season Pass
🌎 Gold Cup: Mexico vs. Saudi -Arabia, 10:15 pm ➡️ FS1

Sunday June 29
🏆 CWC: PSG vs. Inter Miami, 12.00 hrs ➡️ Dazn
🏆 CWC: Flamengo vs. Bayern Munich, 4 p.m. ➡️ Dazn
🌎 Gold Cup: USMNT vs. Costa Rica, 7 pm ➡️ FS1
🌍 Friendly: USWNT vs. Republic of Ireland, 9 p.m. ➡️ Max

⚽ The forward line

🏆 Are Manchester City the World Cup favorites of the club?

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With the group stage of the Club World Cup at the end, it still feels preventive to draw conclusions at the top of Europe. So many of the suspected contenders look like they make adjustments for next season or a little uninterested, which leads to a severe punishment from their Brazilian opponents. And then there is Manchester City. The side of Pep Guardiola is the only one that comes from the early trips of the competition with a record of three wins of three and as the man himself could acknowledge, there has been no performance states that has been more extensive than theirs in a 5-2 demolition of Juventus.

Guardiola: “It has been a long time since we had such a performance on and next to the ball. The players were dedicated and we are happy to beat a top. This is just one game, but I think the players again felt what it was like to be a good team. The conviction always comes from your performances, not your past.”

However, the dominance city showed a throwback to their past. With 76%, they created 24 shots worth a ridiculous 3.92 expected goals. Jeremy Doku created on the left -hand flank and Savinho was not much less effective towards him. It is early days before Rayan Ait Nouri, but what a clear start he has made, which shows the game -intelligence to vary his position so that he was a touchline hugger in one passage of the game, an extra midfielder the next.

In the meantime, Rodri’s return was encouraging. If he didn’t look completely like the player he was before the ACL injury of September, that is not a big surprise. That player was the best in the world, the obvious candidate for the balloon d’Or or he then claimed. This time -out the Spain International gave the ball neatly and looked strong in the game. What is even more important for Guardiola, it was about what did not happen to Rodri.

Guardiola: “In the last few games we have admitted many transitions, but it did not happen this time. Everyone knows how important Rodri is. He is one of the best players in the world. If they are not in a team, they will be missed.”

The Stadsbaas would be the first to insist that nothing that happens would make up for a disappointing season in the Etihad. Just crowned world champions seems to be a realistic prospect for this team. Topping Group G meant avoiding Real Madrid in the round of 16, it also meant that it came from the side of the bracket that Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich contained. The draw is open for City, which in the round of 16 opposite Al-Hilal are confronted for a difficult but non-feared quarterfinals against Inter Milan or Fluminense. Again, it seems that the team is managed by Guardiola the one who is defeated on the largest stage.

New episode Monday

🔗 Midfield link game

🇺🇸 USMNT attack is confronted with a real test

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After being interrupted by the group phases, the USMNT is in the Gold Cup Knockouts with what a difficult match against Costa Rica can be. The Ticos Did not set the tournament on fire and if you scrub three penalties from their ledger, their attack looked a bit too little in their first three games.

But again, perhaps what is the most instructive for the challenge that the side of Mauricio Pochettino is confronted with is how Costa Rica did it against Mexico in a 0-0 draw. Against a team with superior offensive talent, they did what they have done so often in recent years: deep deep keylor navas to make the rescues needed. It has paid off, the keeper of the experienced who denied each of the four efforts on his goal, while those who delivered him did a good job to ensure that it has 69% possessed from Mexico resulting in only 13 shots worth 1.45 xg. You would not win on such a competition title, but you could absolutely see it work in a knockout game, maybe two.

To overcome such a crime, the American B team attackers must click in the same way as (largely) done in the group phase. In short, this is the game for Malik Tillman to assert itself as the Number 10 with the World Cup in the Horizon. As PARDEEP CATTRY explains, He seems to be the right player, with the right coach, in the right system:

Cattry: “Tillman seems to be the first real benefactor of the arrival of Pochettino, who seems to use the player in a way that can remember part of Christian Eriksen or parte Alli when the Argentinian was in charge of Tottenham Hotspur. It has so far worked as a charm as a charm of their Gold Cup run.”

Of course it costs more than just one player for the US to negotiate for their quarterfinals, let alone the draw against Canada or Guatemala that could follow. Patrick Agyeman has received many good shooting positions, while Brenden Aaronson and Diego Luna have offered creative sparks. Continue in the quarterfinals and these players can use a serious place in the Pochettino world cup plans.

🔗 Top stories

🇺🇸 USWNT Brush Ireland aside: As extensive as you could wish for the side of Emma Hayes in Denver, Rose Lavelle made her back in a 4-0 win. They will be confronted again on Sunday with the Republic of Ireland.

📝 New deal for Ronaldo: Cristiano Ronaldo has signed an extension of two years at Al-Nassr, Commit the attacker to the Saudi side until he is 42. His salary remains remarkably unchanged compared to that of his previous deal.

🌟 NWSL team of the week: Flowers for people like Kayla Sharpes and Sam Coffey Sandra Herrera’s newest team of the week.

👀 Tillman aimed for Reyna: It has been an important summer in the fight to be the starting number 10 for Mauricio Pochettino, Would Malik Tillman have won the race before the start jersey?

🇫🇷 Giroud on the way home: Olivier Giroud is almost an end to a frustrating saying in MLS, He is in conversation to become a member of Ligue 1 Side Lille.

📆 EFL laminations come: A lot to look forward to from August 1 – This is how the opening weekends look out of the EFL.

🇦🇷 Messi’s PSG Reunion: Prior to Lionel Messi who comes across Paris Saint-Germain, it’s time to look back at the big man Highlights from his time in France. Both (and is and is)

🏆 CWC Hub: Do you want to stay informed of the games, the talk points and the rankings? Here Everything you need to know about the Club World Cup.

💰 The back line

💵 Dear bets

Club World Cup: PSG vs. Inter Miami, Sunday, 12.00 pm
💰 The choice: PSG to win 3-0 (+700) -This is perhaps the most unclear knockout matches of the club World Cup and can really become a tough victory if the mood takes the European champions. Expect to cruise in an early lead, one that they will add and when needed.

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

📺 What we look

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