Every week, Dos a Cero will help get you prepped for the best European matches involving the USMNT star players.
As a reminder, we rate matches on how interesting they are for USMNT fans, based on:
1) How big a star the player is, and how confident we are he will play
2) How interesting the match is from a neutral perspective
Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah headline again, with a big match versus a high-quality Italian side in Lazio. We get a 2-for-1 special in the Championship, as USMNT fans can check in on Josh Sargent and Haji Wright at the same time when Norwich takes on Coventry. We also get a rare opportunity to see Cameron Carter-Vickers play a quality team, when Celtic and Rangers renew one of soccer’s most passionate rivalries.
We think Chris Richards is highly likely to start after Chadi Riad’s injury this week, and Chelsea looks capable of putting Palace under real pressure. A true test for Richards. Lastly, we get an opportunity to see Jedi raid forward, as we expect Fulham to pin newly promoted Ipswich Town back. Watch his crossing quality, that’s where we need him to get more consistent for the USMNT.
There were several other games that earned honorable mention this week. They are big matches, but we just aren’t confident enough that our USMNT talent will feature for them to make the Top 5.
* Juve vs. Roma will be a huge match in Italy (Sun, 2:45P ET, Paramount Plus). However, with Weah out injured and McKennie likely on the bench there may be limited USMNT nexus here.
* Dortmund takes on Werder Bremen (Sat, 9:30A ET, ESPN+, in one of the Bundesliga’s best fixtures. Same problem though – we just don’t know how much Gio will play. If he does, it’s definitely worth a watch
* Johnny Cardoso and Real Betis take on Real Madrid (Sun, 3:30P ET, ESPN+). Cardoso will likely appear off the bench, but any chance to watch an American take on Real Madrid is pretty effing cool.
Enjoy! We’ll be back to recap the action on Monday!
most recent usmnt Player Updates
10.4 – Weekend Recap
The last match window before the USMNT all gather in Austin for Pochettino’s first camp was action packed.
Pulisic scored, and was Milan’s best player, again! It’s almost every game this year he’s been either the best player by the data or as voted by fans. …But we get some bad vibes from his teammates twice stripping him of the PK responsibility against the coach’s orders. Theo Hernandez and Tammy Abraham both had their PKs saved by David de Gea – so they probably should have let Pulisic, who is 10/10 in his career, take them.
September 2024 “team of the month”
This is basically how the USMNT would line up in our first matches under Pochettino – if he made his decisions based ONLY on current club form. He obviously won’t do that – but it’s a cool way to look at who is playing well, and who isn’t, for the USMNT.
10.4 – Weekend preview
Best matches of the weekend, brought to you by #DosACero. This is the final match window before the guys head to #Austin for the FIRST CAMP WITH POCHETTINO. Here’s hoping for a strong set of performances, with everyone coming in hot. LFG!