Hello and welcome to the start of another week, James Benge here to guide you through it (at least from a soccer perspective). We might be at the height of summer, but football isn’t finished with us just yet. We’ve got Women’s Euro, Club World Cup, a transfer window that’s heating up, and a USMNT defeat in the Gold Cup final to chew on. Let’s get into it!
📺 Footy Fix
All times U.S./Eastern
Monday, July 7
🇪🇺 Women’s Euro: Spain vs. Belgium, 12 p.m. ➡️ FS1
🇪🇺 Women’s Euro: Portugal vs. Italy, 3 p.m. ➡️ Fox
Tuesday, July 8
🇪🇺 Women’s Euro: Germany vs. Denmark, 12 p.m. ➡️ FS1
🇪🇺 Women’s Euro: Poland vs. Sweden, 3 p.m. ➡️ Fox
🏆 CWC: Fluminense vs. Chelsea, 3 p.m. ➡️ DAZN
⚽ The Forward Line
🇺🇸 USMNT Outplayed by Mexico in Gold Cup Final
The next time the U.S. men’s national team plays a competitive match will be on June 12, 2026, at SoFi Stadium, kicking off their home World Cup campaign.
Despite an fast start with a fourth-minute goal from Chris Richards, the U.S. fell to a 2-1 defeat against Mexico, who secured both the Gold Cup and Nations League titles this year.
Mexico dominated the match, outshooting the USMNT 12-5 and gaining more possession with 65 more passes completed in the opposition half. The decisive winner came from Edson Alvarez in the 77th minute, with no call made on a controversial penalty that left coach Mauricio Pochettino frustrated.
Davies: “Overall, this was a terrible performance. This was difficult to watch…”
Additionally, the USMNT was not fielding its A team, missing key players such as Christian Pulisic and Antonee Robinson. The focus for Pochettino was to gauge the potential of new talents like Diego Luna, Malik Tillman, and Matt Freese, who may feature in future matches.
The U.S. now looks ahead to face South Korea and Japan in September, aiming to create positive momentum after a disappointing end to this international season.
As predicted by Pardeep Cattry, improvements should be made as they prepare for competition.
🔗 Midfield Link Play
🇪🇺 As Women’s Euro Heats Up, Can Anyone Stop Spain?
Spain looks set to carry their winning momentum into the next match as they face Belgium…
