Hello there! The first men’s international break of the year is officially underway so it’s time to gear up for a big week for the U.S. men’s national team, but not before a look back as the first trophy of the season was handed out in England. I’m Pardeep Cattry with the latest.

📺 Footy fix

All times U.S./Eastern

Tuesday, March 18
🇪🇺 UWCL: Real Madrid vs. Arsenal, 1:45 p.m. ➡️ DAZN
🇪🇺 UWCL: Bayern Munich vs. Lyon, 4 p.m. ➡️ DAZN

⚽ The Forward Line

🏆 Newcastle’s 56 Year Trophy Drought Is Over

Newcastle United won their first trophy in five decades on Sunday, upsetting Liverpool to win the EFL Cup at London’s Wembley Stadium two years after losing to Manchester United in the final of the same competition.

The Magpies were the better team in just about every meaningful metric on Sunday, especially so in attack – they outshot Liverpool 17 to seven after ceding possession to the Reds, outdoing them on expected goals (1.84 to 0.89) and ultimately outscoring them two to one. Lifelong Newcastle fan Dan Burn and star striker Alexander Isak gave them a 2-0 lead by the 53rd minute, while Liverpool’s only goal came in the fourth minute of stoppage time from Federico Chiesa.

Slot: “This game went exactly the way they wanted it to be. A fight, with a lot of duels. If we played 10 times through the air against them, they win it nine times because they are stronger than us…”
(Translation: If played against them in the air, they’d dominate.)

Newcastle’s new piece of silverware is validation for the work they have done this season, steadily becoming one of England’s most in-form teams and proving that en route to the podium at Wembley. The victory comes three-plus years after Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund, took over the club and hired Eddie Howe to oversee the new project on the pitch.

🔗 Midfield Link Play

🇺🇸 USMNT Gears Up for Nations League Showdown

The U.S. men’s national team will convene in the Los Angeles area this week as they build up to the Concacaf Nations League Finals, a competition that could serve as crucial preparation for the 2026 World Cup.

Head coach Mauricio Pochettino is working with the senior team for the first time since November, with his current roster offering a glimpse at which players are leading the way in the race to secure a spot in the upcoming World Cup squad. The group includes the likes of Tyler Adams and Gio Reyna, who will work with Pochettino for the first time since he took the job last fall and present the Argentine with lineup questions as the team gears up for their semifinal against Panama on Thursday.

While Adams and Reyna are likely to take up spots in midfield, Pochettino may introduce new ideas for the players in front of them. He may take the opportunity to give Yunus Musah minutes as a wide player, something Pochettino has mentioned before about a player whose USMNT experience has been primarily as a central midfielder.

Injuries have given opportunities to players like Patrick Agyemang and Brian White, who are among six players from January camp to join the senior squad for the Nations League.

🔗 Top Stories

• 🔴⚪ Newcastle’s big night: More on Newcastle’s triumph in the EFL Cup final, in which they fully outplayed Liverpool…
• 🆕 Boston’s name change: A new name for Boston’s NWSL team in the coming weeks.

The summary of the article is that Newcastle United has successfully ended their long wait for a trophy, marking a significant shift in their trajectory as a football club.