A goal against PSG is proof on the scoresheet of what can be seen on the teamsheet: at long last, Reyna is getting consistent minutes

For an entire four-year cycle, to write about Gio Reyna was to write about his potential – especially the nagging feeling that it was going unfulfilled. Once hyped as possibly the greatest prospect in US men’s history, a series of injuries kept him from simply taking the field, much less making his mark on it.

Since his emergent 2020-21 season, when he logged nearly 2,000 Bundesliga minutes running alongside Erling Haaland, Jude Bellingham, and Jadon Sancho, Reyna finished each of the ensuing five seasons without even cresting 630 league minutes. “Rotational” became a generous descriptor for his role at Nottingham Forest on loan, and then last season with Borussia Mönchengladbach. Still, Gregg Berhalter and Mauricio Pochettino kept involving Reyna with the US squad based on that pesky potential – betting that, on his day, he still had the raw talent to do what few compatriots could.

The lack of cohesion in the center of the park is evident for the US, with Emma Hayes continuing to try different combinations

The discourse around the US women’s national team may have been a harsh one if not for a fourth-half surge against Spain.

In the latest of their back-to-back bookings, where Emma Hayes’ team plays the same opponent twice, Spain looked far more confident and effective than the four-time champions. Both teams were missing a handful of crucial players; Naomi Girma and Sam Coffey headlining the US’s absentees, while Aitana Bonmatí, Mariona Caldentey and Clàudia Pina were among Spain’s.

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.

Crystal Palace’s American import had never lived anywhere but Utah before moving to London. Now, he’s aiming for more Premier League minutes

Much has changed in Zavier Gozo’s life since May.

Back then, Gozo was a day removed from learning he wasn’t among Mauricio Pochettino’s 26 selections for the World Cup, having just made what proved to be his third-to-last appearance with boyhood club Real Salt Lake.

The United States winning four of four benefits many that were involved, and may hurt those who were left behind

Cavan Sullivan

A chippy and at times ugly friendly nonetheless gave Mauricio Pochettino’s side four wins out of four, with another young player making the difference.

Before 1878, a referee trying to get players’ attention was left to waive a white handkerchief in the air. It was an imperfect practice, asking an infractor to be self-aware enough to look for a doffed doily after hard contact. The game forever changed when Joseph Hudson, a Birmingham-bred tool maker who founded Acme Whistles, showed up to an FA Cup match in 1878 with his signature product in tow.

On Tuesday, nearly 150 years after Hudson’s innovation, referee Steven Madrigal paid the architect a hearty tribute.

The post-World Cup youth movement has paid off with historic plays that, for the moment, feel natural, sustainable and needed

From the outside, a moment like the one Cavan Sullivan produced Saturday seemed to be pulled directly from dreamland. Turns out, it pretty much was.

“I was amazed. I was excited,” the 17-year-old said of learning he’d start for the US men’s national team against Mexico, in what would become a 3-0 win. “I texted my family right after, and after lunch, I took a nap. Before I go to sleep, I visualize and try to manifest good things for the night. Some things come to fruition, some don’t.”