Soccerwise Minutes
September 18, 2026
With plenty of pretty important soccer played in the middle of the week, cups on the line, and a massive international window for the kids just around the corner, there’s lots to cover this week!
Headlines:
- 🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲The USMNT roster is finally here. And it’s all about the youth, average age 22 years & 9 months. Check out the full roster.
- It was a youth movement for this camp, featuring Philly’s youngsters, Cavan Sullivan (16) and Neil Pierre (18), and wonderkids with Julian Hall (18) and Adri Mehmeti (17) from Red Bull New York.
- It doesn’t stop there! We’ll see the debuts of some young Yanks abroad, including first time call-ups like Zavier Gozo (19) at Crystal Palace and Mathis Albert (17) at Borussia Dortmund.
- The roster features 12 players from MLS teams; we can’t list them all, but how about Nashville goalkeeper Brian Schwake and New England’s Peyton Miller and Brooklyn Raines, to name a few.
- Of course, there are players missing, some from injury (and maybe for other reasons), so no Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, or Folarin Balogun.
- Sad days 😢 for one American fan favorite, though, as Diego Luna is out for the rest of the MLS season with a torn meniscus. Tough break for Luna and RSL, who are struggling massively after the World Cup break..
- The U.S. Open Cup Final is set: Columbus Crew SC will host St. Louis City SC on Oct. 21. Mark your calendars. 🗓️
- It might not have been a magical night for Orlando in the Open Cup, but burgeoning USMNT prospect Justin Ellis was in the middle of a very nice goal. Ring ring, Poch is calling!
- Miami won another trophy, but it was the postgame dust-up between Messi and MLS commish Don Garber that has people talking. 😳
- Yanks abroad, 🇪🇸Johnny Cardoso put together a tidy little performance in his first start of the season with Atlético Madrid. He also picked up an assist in a 4-0 win over Osasuna.
- And the US U20s World Cup run came to an end in Poland on Wednesday morning. Seattle’s Ainsley McCammon scored a screamer, but the US went down on pens 5-4 to Brazil in the Round of 16.
- Finally, former USWNT Head Coach Vlatko Andonovski was not out of work for long. He’s set to be named the Chicago Stars Chief Soccer Officer. Read all about it here from Jeff Kassouf at ESPN.
Midweek Rewind:
A quieter midweek, but here’s what you might have missed. Open Cup, Canadian Championship, Campeones Cup and NWSL After Dark.
- St. Louis is headed to its first-ever final; they dispatched Colorado with ease on the road, grabbing a 3-0 win in the Open Cup semifinals. That makes it 17 games unbeaten across all comps.
- Meanwhile, it has been an MLS season to forget for the Crew, but they are headed to their fourth Open Cup Final, and their first since 2010.
- Columbus’ big stars came to play in their win at home over Orlando. Josef Martinez scored his first goal for the club, and then new designated player Brais Méndez delivered the dagger to give the Crew a 2-1 win.
- Our MLS friends to the North had a showdown in the Canadian Championship. CF Montreal has been anything but stellar in the league. A nice consolation prize, knocking off Vancouver 3-2 on aggregate to punch their ticket to the Canadian Championship.
- And Messi was doing Messi things again, scoring his 100th goal with Miami, leading the Herons to the Campeones Cup on Wednesday night with a 2-0 win against Cruz Azul. Headers all around: one for Messi and one for set-piece specialist Casemiro.
- NWSL’s midweek matches delivered some drama. Bay FC rallied from a 2-0 deficit with a 95th equalizer from Taylor Huff to earn a point on the road at Denver.
- A missed opportunity for Denver, despite Janine Sonis scoring her 11th goal of the season as a left back. The Summit face an uphill climb now five points off the playoff pace.
- For Angel City, it was a huge three points and an exclamation point for Taylor Suarez, who scored just 21 seconds after entering the match, putting a bow on a 3-1 win over Seattle to keep them alive in the playoff race.
Pochettino Makes Big Moves, Snubs Top MLS Talent
The US Men’s National Team today announced Mauricio Pochettino’s 28-man squad for September and October friendlies, with plenty of fresh faces making the list, including 13 uncapped players. The 16-year-old elephant in the room is Cavan Sullivan, who makes the team after scoring five and assisting two in his last five MLS matches. Sullivan is one of the youngest players to ever make the roster, and joins Pochettino amid swirling discussion over his ascendance in the last few months. Given his age, talent, and the coach’s task heading into a new cycle, his inclusion is hardly a surprise.
Perhaps the biggest surprise was Brooklyn Raines, a 21-year-old defensive midfielder from the New England Revolution. Raines has spent plenty of time in the USMNT’s various youth ranks, but has rarely captured headlines in the same manner that other first-timers on this list have. Tellingly, Raines joins Mehmeti as the one of two lone defensive midfielders behind Tyler Adams, and may represent an attempt by Pochettino to introduce more players in that position after only taking one backup this summer.
Up top, Pochettino has also opted for less experience, with Ricardo Pepi being the only capped forward. Justin Ellis joins as a creative #9 with 11 assists this year for Orlando City, while Julian Hall is more of a traditional goalscorer, having netted nine times for the Red Bulls this year.
Several notable players missed out on the call up, beyond the obvious. Niko Tsakiris, who returned from injury in mid-August, has been one of the best attacking midfielders in MLS this season, and is still just 21. He’s shown promise in past seasons, but despite finally putting it together this year, didn’t get the call from Pochettino. Another Red Bulls player and center back, Justin Che, has had an excellent campaign in MLS this season, but didn’t make the roster either. This camp will represent the biggest generational shift since the introduction of Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, and the cohort that has led the squad the past two World Cups. The big question for this camp is likely to be—can this new generation surpass its predecessors?
Weekend Watchlist:
New York City FC vs. Red Bull New York, MLS (Fri., Sept. 18, 7:30 p.m. ET, Apple TV): Hudson River Derby baby, bragging rights are on the line! The young kids fresh off their USMNT call up at Red Bull New York visit Golden Boot contender Nicolás Fernández Mercau and a New York City FC squad suddenly in a precarious playoff position The Pigeons haven’t lost at home in the regular season to their rivals in five years, however.
FC Dallas vs. Austin FC, MLS (Sat., Sept. 19, 8:30 p.m. ET, Apple TV): It’s a Copa Tejas showdown. FC Dallas is surging, and, well, here comes Austin FC just one point out of a playoff spot out of nowhere. Plus, Petar Musa is still in the Golden Boot hunt, trying to chase down Messi.
North Carolina Courage vs. Gotham FC (Sat., Sept. 18, 5:30 p.m. ET, ION): What happens when unstoppable force, Ashley Sanchez, meets immovable object, Gotham FC, and their league-best defense? Well, you can find out on Saturday when these two teams square off. Next goal for Sanchez will be #20.
Colorado Springs Switchbacks vs. New Mexico United, USL Championship (Sat., Sept. 16, 8 p.m. ET, Apple TV): It’s a battle of second and third out West, as second-place New Mexico is looking to chase down the top spot in the West, but Colorado is just five points back and hot on their tails with Golden Boot co-leader Khori Bennett ready to lead the line.
#13 Old Dominion vs. #4 South Carolina, Men’s College (Fri., Sept. 18, 7 p.m., ESPN+): Two undefeated teams enter; who will leave unscathed? It’s a big-time matchup in the Sun Belt Conference as the highest-scoring team in the country plays host to the Gamecocks.
Goal of the Midweek:
Seattle Reign’s Sofia Huerta casually unleashes an absolute rocket. 🚀
Where the Soccer Rabbit Holes Took Us:
Each Friday, we try to bring you an interesting story or article we came across highlighting our favorite sport. Whether it’s something on the field or off it, you never know what you might find.
Quick Links, Kickback:
- Soccerwise: David Gass and your Kickback family have you covered all things MLS, NWSL and U.S. Soccer.
- First Touch: Your American home for the global game. Join us every week for First Touch Dispatch and First Touch Weekly with Susannah Fuller for the stories and conversations shaping soccer around the world.
- 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.
Quick Links, Kickback Partners:
- Happy Foot, Sad Foot is your go-to podcast for LAFC. Check out their weekly pod and some pretty sweet merch.
- Out West, San Diego Futbol has you covered for all things San Diego FC. San Diego’s #1 source for all things soccer.
- Five Stripe Final has your coverage of Atlanta United. Check out their Substack and listen to their podcast to keep up to date.
- And for our friends on the East Coast, The Blazing Musket covers soccer across New England, from the Revs to Legacy and a whole lot of love for the USL.
- SixOneFive Soccer has you covered as they continue to recap Nashville’s historic run. The Music City men are headed to Toronto midweek, and they have you covered.
- Check out Sounder at Heart as they provide all the coverage for the Boys in Rave Green, keeping you up-to-date as Seattle looks to make a playoff push.
- TopBin90 is your main source for Charlotte FC and beyond. Also, with college soccer season now in full swing, they can keep you up to date with College Soccer News.