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Soccerwise Minutes

Soccerwise Minutes

August 28, 2026

Headlines:

  • Julian Hall had been linked to some big European clubs, but the young Red Bull New York forward is staying put, reported by Tom Bogert, signing a contract extension through the end of 2027.
  • Kevin Kelsy is on his way out of Portland and heading to Rangers in Scotland, also reported by Bogert on Wednesday. The Rose City striker will net the Timbers a fee of $13 million plus add-ons. 
  • And in a massive intra-league move, Sporting KC acquired Owen Wolff in a trade with Austin FC. Going back to Texas is a whole lotta cash - up to $7.6 million in return. More on that on Soccerwise’s Thursday show.
  • FIFA announced that the 2027 Women’s World Cup draw will take place on Dec. 11 in Rio de Janeiro.
  • Three’s a crowd, but what about four? The Middlesbrough American boys are getting a fourth roommate. 22-year old Rokas Pukstas is making the move to the Championship to join Berhalter, Arfsten and Morris, Bogert shared Wednesday.
  • Celtic saw their UEFA Champions League dreams dashed by American-born former MLS striker Samuel Adeniran. From up 4-0 on aggregate to down 5-4, Adeniran’s brace sealed LASK’s spot in the next round, sending fellow American Auston Trusty and Celtic out.
  • Across the pond, USWNT and Arsenal defender Emily Fox was named to the PFA Women’s Team of the Year for the second season in a row. WSL play kicks off Sept. 4.
  • Women’s UEFA Champions League play is also underway. USWNT defender Naomi Girma scored her first ever Champions League goal, helping Chelsea earn a 5-2 win over Real Sociedad in their first leg of Champions League qualification.
  • And some quick NWSL news, The Guardian reported that Brighton head coach Dario Vidosic is the leading candidate to become the next Angel City head coach.

Midweek Recaps:

  • It was a clean sweep in the Leagues Cup quarterfinal round for Liga MX sides as they won all four matches. For the first time since the Leagues Cup expanded in 2023, a Mexican club will lift the trophy.
  • On Tuesday, Hugo Cuypers new team CF Monterrey got the best of his old side the Chicago Fire with a 2-1 win. Monterrey missed a penalty, but found a breakthrough in the first half before Philip Zinckernagel leveled things in the second half, but Rayados prevailed with a 83rd minute winner.
  • Real Salt Lake put out a strong lineup with hopes of advancing against Club León, but it was not enough as the 2023 Concacaf Champions League winners grabbed a 3-0 win against RSL at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Tuesday evening. 
  • Brad Stuver stood on his head, but two red cards upended Austin FC’s hopes of progressing in the Leagues Cup. Toluca scored twice in the second half to earn a 2-0 win in Harrison at Sports Illustrated Stadium.
  • For a Leagues Cup nightcap, Columbus Crew SC did its best against a hostile crowd in Carson, but Brais Méndez missed a game-tying penalty in the first half, and Club América held off the Crew in the second half to earn a 2-0 win.
  • NWSL after dark was in full force on Wednesday night as the North Carolina Courage took down Angel City FC 2-0 behind a brace from Golden Boot leader Ashley Sanchez. For more on Sanchez, check out Tuesday’s NWSL episode.

Story of the Week: NWSL Trade Grades

By: Cat Bush

Now that we’re two-thirds of the way through the 2026 NWSL season, there’s a large enough sample of games to revisit some of the most important trades from last offseason and judge how they’ve turned out. So, let’s take a look at one of the more expensive trades from the winter and evaluate the move for all involved. 

Canadian international Jordyn Huitema, who joined Chicago Stars from the Seattle Reign for a total fee of $500k — $200k in allocation money and $300k in intra-league transfer funds. After trading Ludmila, Chicago’s top goalscorer in 2025, the Stars had to make a big move to fill the #9 spot. Signing Huitema, a striker with just 13 goals in four NWSL seasons, is hardly a statement signing, but it worked out for Chicago; the club spent just 63% of Ludmila’s base fee on Huitema but replaced 80% of her goals per 90 production. In 12 NWSL starts, Huitema logged four goals, but the success was short-lived. Less than halfway through the season, Huitema suffered a heartbreaking ACL injury, and since then, her absence has been felt in the Stars’ frontline. 

From the Reign’s perspective, the club banked $500k in total funds while clearing key roster space with Huitema’s move. The Canadian was one of the worst-ranked strikers in the league in 2025 per the goals added metric and had just three goals in 23 appearances. Fishel has managed to stay healthy and has matched that tally in just 16 games, with the Reign acquiring Ami Diallo as backup from ASEC Mimosas. 

Likewise, Huitema herself has benefitted from the trade as well. The 25-year-old struggled in Seattle after joining from PSG in 2022, and when the Reign completed a blockbuster deal to sign Mia Fishel last year, the writing was on the wall. Chicago had an open #9 spot, and a fresh start helped Huitema reach one of the best per-game goalscoring rates of her career. 

Overall, Huitema was an underperforming player who found a fresh start in a new city. Her numbers went from league-bottom to respectable, and the fee was a win for both Chicago and Seattle. Huitema’s heartbreaking injury puts a pause on fully evaluating the trade, but the move has overall been a positive for all involved. We give it an overall grade of B+.

Weekend Watchlist:

Nashville SC vs. FC Cincinnati, MLS (Aug. 29, 8:30 pm ET, Apple TV): Nashville is red hot and stays home to take on a Cincy team climbing the Eastern Conference standings. It's always a tight affair when these two match up with stars colliding in Evander vs. Hany Mukhtar and Sam Surridge.

San Diego FC vs. LA Galaxy, MLS (Aug. 29, 10:30 pm ET, Apple TV): Is it a comeback or is it revenge? Either way it's the return of Chucky Lozano taking on his former team as the Galaxy and San Diego both look to make a late season push for the playoffs.

Kansas City Current vs. North Carolina Courage, NWSL (Aug. 29, 6:30 pm ET, ION): Saturday Soccer brings you a clash of two of the best goal scorers in the women’s game. Reigning Golden Boot winner Temwa Chawinga is back for KC and welcomes current Golden Boot leader Ashley Sanchez’s and North Carolina to CPKC Stadium.

Louisville City FC vs. Detroit City FC, USL (Aug. 29, 8:00 pm ET, ESPN+): Detroit City FC’s flying high after a win over league-leaders Tampa Bay as they pay a visit to Louisville. There’s no love lost between these two teams after two meetings already this season, and their first meeting at Lynn Family Stadium since Detroit’s stunning 2025 playoff win. 

No. 19 Duke vs. No. 6 Georgetown, Men’s College Soccer (Aug. 30, 6:00 pm ET, ACCNX): The last time these two teams squared off it was anything but boring. Georgetown led 2-0 in the 84th minute, but in a thrilling comeback or a complete meltdown, it was Duke that scored twice in 15 seconds to earn a 2-2 draw last September.

Santa Clara vs. No. 17 UCLA, Women’s College Soccer (Aug. 30, 1:00 pm ET, ESPN+): Two historic women’s soccer programs do battle as Santa Clara plays host to the Bruins. UCLA has dominated the series of late as the Broncos search for their first win against the Bruins since 2019.

Goal(s) of the Week:

So nice, she did it twice? Two clinical finishes for Ashley Sanchez with a pair of spectacular assists.

Where the Soccer Rabbit Hold Took Us:

  • Soccerwise: David Gass and your Kickback family have you covered all things MLS, NWSL and U.S. Soccer.
  • First Touch: Kickback’s global soccer platform got bigger this week First Touch Weekly, the best audio coverage in twenty minutes of the global game. This week, the Stadio crew joins host Susannah Fuller!
  • Tom Bogert, The Athletic: No one better to keep you up-to-date on all of the silly season news from MLS!
  • Tactics Free Zone: Matt Doyle is your go-to analyst for all MLS action.

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Jamie Larson
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