The US were on the verge of losing two straight at home, but second-half goals from Ashley Sanchez and Mallory Swanson salvaged a draw

It was nearly time for the panic button. Maybe not to press it, but to acknowledge that it’s within reach. A listless, shorthanded US women’s national team were struggling against Spain, down 2-0, and facing the ignominy of two straight losses at home after being badly exposed in Saturday’s 2-0 defeat in Washington DC.

Then two players who had just returned to the team after long absences turned the tide. Ashley Sanchez and Mallory Swanson, after international goal droughts of 1,648 days and 801 days respectively, each scored in the second half to earn a 2-2 draw with the reigning World Cup champions.

France’s always-cool winger has crowds hanging on his every move – adulation that means more than any title could

When I was younger, I wanted to be the captain on my football team because back then, I assumed that the armband was given to the best player. It was a goal of mine for so long that, even as my youth teams won tournaments and trophies, and I won top scorer and best player awards, I still felt unsatisfied because someone else always had the armband. Whenever I saw another teammate sprinting around with the armband on, I took it as an indictment.

I had forgotten this childish way of thinking until France v Belgium in the Uefa Nations League last week. Ousmane Dembélé, who was wearing the armband for France, was particularly active. Had it not been for the wastefulness of his teammates, he would have had several assists during his time on the field.

The winger is 28, and younger teammates are rising into the high-pressure spots he has usually occupied

Usually, the second weekend of October sees Christian Pulisic flanked by compatriots as the Star-Spangled Banner plays. Last year, he was involved in US friendlies against Ecuador and Australia. But this year, with Fifa having folded the October window into September, Pulisic didn’t have the chance. On Sunday, his pre-match music was O Generosa, the Serie A anthem, which he observed with a soft smile.

Mark Twain’s first visit to Italy left him describing the country as “a vast museum of magnificence and misery”, and it’s a fitting summary of Pulisic’s three-plus years with Milan. The magnificence: 43 goals and 25 assists in 138 appearances. The misery: just one trophy since he arrived in July 2023, a 2025 Supercoppa Italia held in Saudi Arabia.