Messi was controlled for most of game 2, and there is an ominous sense that the Herons can be easily beaten in one-off matches

It took 89 minutes for Lionel Messi to get half a look at goal. Nashville had marked him expertly throughout most of their first-round playoff fixture. They had, in fact, done all of the classics. There was the man-on-man defense. There was the carefully pieced together rotational fouling. They cut off passing lanes, nudged him here and there.

Some of the tackles were a little stronger than they needed to be. There is no playbook for stopping Messi – no one can. But for nearly the full game, Nashville came pretty close. Until they didn't.

All it took was one lapse. Messi was double-teamed at the top of the box. Nashville allowed him half a yard on left foot. Before the defenders could realize they were going the wrong way, the ball had been smashed into the back of the net. 

And in any other situation, that would have been the turning point. Except, rather than serving as the moment that got them sent home from the playoffs, this was a brief blemish on what was, otherwise, a remarkably efficient 90 minutes from B.J. Callaghan's side.

This is a better Miami than last year. They are more organized, more resolute defensively. But Nashville showed over the weekend that they can be beaten in much the same way. Miami might have retooled, re-worked their side, and made some smart signings, but they are still very much the same vulnerable team. 

Getty Images SportThe long ball

There are some goals that coaches hate to concede.

If your side is the victim of sparkling play, intricate move, or one virtuosic piece of skill, there is only so much that can be done. Messi dribbles five Madrid defenders and then slots home at the Santiago Bernabeu? Fine. Diego Maradona rounds the keeper and connects to beat England? Sure. A Cristiano Ronaldo bicycle kick sends you out of the Champions League? Unplayable. 

But perhaps the one unforgivable goal – in any circumstance – is the long ball over the top. It is, in the modern constructs of soccer, so preventable. Put enough pressure on the passer and it shouldn't be on. Even if you don't, then the defensive line should be organized enough to spring an offside trap. And even if it comes down to that, the goalkeeper should be able to react quickly enough to clear his lines.

So much for that. Miami went 0-for-3 against Nashville after just eight minutes Saturday night. Hany Mukhtar received the ball, had time to ponder space, angles, weight, flight, test the direction of the wind and inspect the state of the grass before he launched a ball over the top. The Miami defense stepped forward and then didn't.

Sam Surridge, a direct No. 9 who is not known for his speed, scampered in behind. Inexperienced goalkeeper Rocco Rios Novo hesitated. Surrdige rounded him. Rios Novo swept his legs. It was among the easier penalties the referee will ever give. Surridge converted, 1-0, and no one had really broken a sweat. 

AdvertisementGetty ImagesA recognizable formula

That would be annoying on the best of days for Javier Mascherano. It's a silly goal to concede. The issue is, Miami have been letting up some version of it for months now. In fact, it's how Atlanta United beat them a year ago. Miami have tried to change so many things since then – personnel, formation, the actual manager – but they are so simple to play through.

Mascherano, in fairness, tried to counter that against Nashville. So he set up a little more defensively. Sergio Busquets, he realized, does not have the legs to cover ground in an open game. So he asked the defensive midfielder to play as a de-facto third center back, shifting Miami to more of a 5-3-2 than 4-4-2. In theory, that offers a bit more solidity.

But there were two problems. The first is that Busquets, for all of his soccer smarts, is not a centerback. He doesn't understand the movements of a backline. He doesn't get how to spring an offside trap. When a large English forward makes a simple diagonal run over his left shoulder, he doesn't have the insticts to coordinate with his two fellow center backs to ensure he's offisde. 

The second is far more basic. Miami decided, in an interesting stroke of defensive judgement, to not mark the opponent's best player. Mukhtar is a wonderful creative player in a league packed with them, and when he dropped deep to receive the ball, no one tracked him. Luis Suarez didn't get across. Tadeo Allende just watched.

The Miami defense, in effect, admired as he played a truly lovely ball over the top. It was a lovely piece of work, but also such a preventable one – especially for a team with MLS Cup ambitions. 

Getty'Balon a Messi'

The second goal was even cheaper. Miami were working their way back into the game. They had a couple of half chances denied. But then, on a corner, lumbering right back Josh Bauer strolled into the box, got ahead of his man, fluffed his lines once, and then had time to recover, poke home, and make it 2-0.

By then, Miami were in familiar territory. To be sure, it is a good thing to be able to rally from a deficit, and get back into a game. Comeback victories are noble, character-building and good fun. But there is also something to be said for not allowing yourself to get there in the first place. And Miami tend to be good at working their way into games.

But this is the playoffs, and teams tend to not only be quite good but also more tactically drilled than they might otherwise be in the slog of the season. Miami's signature technique to get themselves out of a hole is a reliable one, tried and tested for nearly 20 years on a football pitch by now: get the ball to Lionel Messi. There is nothing wrong with that. In fairness, it's kind of what you have to do.

Except Nashville knew this. In his younger years, Messi would be able to counter whatever defensive job was done on him. If he was marked close to goal, he would drop deep. If he was caught in tight spaces, another teammate would make a run to clear them up. There was also the stark reality that you could give a triple teamed Messi the ball and watch him dribble around everyone. 

But this is Messi at 38, with older legs. He can't truly be stopped, but he can be controlled. And Nashville did just that. After going up 2-0, they were content to let Miami have the ball. The Herons worked all sorts of angles, but seldom got the ball to their main man in any sort of dangerous area. And when he did have it, he was crowded out.

Messi doesn't win foot races these days. He also can't quite accelerate away from players like he used to. Nashville prepared for that. By the end of it all, Messi didn't complete a single dribble, and finished with just four touches in their box. 

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

GettyLimited options elsewhere

A year ago, this would all have been less of a concern. When Suarez first came to MLS, he looked a player reborn. The end of his La Liga tenure and the spell at Gremio had been tough on him. It was an easy assumption that he might retire. But he looked fresh in spring 2024, and made an immense impact in his debut season.

There was a sense that, even when Messi wasn't quite firing, Suarez could help out. And indeed, when the Argentine missed more than a month of action with an ankle injury, Suarez provided. He was, back then, a clear second weapon – a guy you had to be equally aware of. 

Now, though, that's not quite the case. Suarez is still a solid MLS striker, but his numbers have fallen off a cliff. It's not just the goals – he has an agreeable 10 – but the underlying stuff. He is underperforming his expected goals tally. His shots on target per 90 minutes has halved, while the volume has stayed more or less then same.

Suarez has outperformed his statistical assumptions – the mark of a good striker – in six of his last seven seasons. This one, he is underperfoming them for the first time since 2018.  The result is that defenders can cheat a little. Suarez still needs marking, but you can afford to give him a little extra space.

The ground can be covered to close him down. He certainly isn't running in behind anymore. His 10 assists certainly count for something, but Suarez, the goal threat, is no longer quite there. 

يحل فريق برشلونة ضيفًا على خصمه سيلتا فيجو، في إطار مباراتهما ببطولة الدوري الإسباني لكرة القدم، موسم 2025/26، وذلك مساء الأحد.

تأتي تلك المباراة في ختام منافسات الجولة الثانية عشر من بطولة الدوري الإسباني، لذلك الموسم، على ملعب “بالايدوس”.

ويحتل برشلونة المركز الثالث في جدول الدوري الإسباني، في الوقت الحالي برصيد 25 نقطة، بينما يمتلك سيلتا فيجو 13 نقطة في المركز الثالث عشر. تشكيل برشلونة المتوقع أمام سيلتا فيجو في الدوري الإسباني

حراسة المرمى: فويتشيك تشيزني.

خط الدفاع: جول كوندي، رونالد أراوخو، باو كوبارسي، بالدي.

خط الوسط: مارك كاسادو، فرينكي دي يونج.

خط الوسط الهجومي: لامين يامال، فيرمين لوبيز، ماركوس راشفورد.

خط الهجوم: فيران توريس.

ويُمكنكم متابعة أحداث مباريات اليوم لحظة بلحظة من مركز المباريات من هنـــا.

Arsenal continued their strong run of form in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

Mikel Arteta’s side played host to Greek outfit Olympiacos and picked up their second win of the campaign.

The Gunners ran out 2-0 winners in the end, and while they could have scored plenty more, the visitors put up more of a fight than some would have been expecting.

With that said, almost everyone who featured for the hosts put in a strong showing, including someone who could end up becoming a new Bukayo Saka for Arsenal.

Saka's rise at Arsenal

Saka was handed his Arsenal debut by former manager Unai Emery back in November 2018. He came off the bench in a game away to Ukrainian side Vorskla Poltava, and then made his full debut for the club a few months later at home against Qarabağ.

However, while the Hale Ender showed some real promise early on, he didn’t make all that many appearances under the now Aston Villa coach.

In fact, before Arteta was appointed in December 2019, the dynamic winger had made just 16 appearances for the first team, most of which came on the left-hand side, either in left midfield or at left-back.

Fortunately, the 24-year-old began to be moved over to the right more in the following campaign, and by the start of the 2021/22 season, he was well and truly established as the Gunners’ first-choice right-winger.

More than that, though, the youngster would then develop into the team’s most important attacking outlet, a role he still fulfils to this day, as reflected in his incredible numbers.

For example, despite still being only 24 years old, the talismanic winger has made 269 appearances for the North Londoners to date, scoring 72 goals and providing 72 assists.

Unfortunately, with him being so key to the club’s attacking threat, the last couple of years have seen opposition teams double and triple up on him, making it far harder for the incredible talent to create opportunities for Arteta and Co.

The good news is that Arsenal have added more quality to the side to help mitigate that problem, including someone who could be like a new Saka for the side.

The Arsenal star becoming a new Saka

Arteta and Andrea Berta did well to add a few new attacking talents to this Arsenal squad over the summer, from the direct and tricky Noni Madueke to the versatile and mercurial Eberechi Eze.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

However, when it comes to the player who has the best chance of embodying some of the things that make Saka such a star for this team, it has to be Viktor Gyokeres.

Now, some of you will rightly point out that the pair play in different positions, and that, as things stand, the former Sporting CP star has not scored as many goals as some would’ve hoped.

Yet, there are still elements in his game that are similar to the Hale Ender’s, most notably his gravitational effect on the game.

That might sound like an odd way to talk about a footballer, but this essentially means that, just as the Englishman has spent the last few years being double and triple-teamed by defenders, the Swedish international is already dragging opposition defenders all over the pitch this season.

He might not be scoring with the regularity that some would like, but the 6 foot 2 “powerhouse”, as described by data analyst Ben Mattinson, is already starting to make the right runs, get into the correct positions, and this, combined with the fact that he has a lethal shot on him, means that defenders cannot leave him alone.

This was on full display on Wednesday night, particularly for the first goal, as his charge towards the penalty area saw two defenders converge on him and left space for Gabriel Martinelli to tap the ball into the back of the net after his shot was saved.

Just imagine the gravitational impact he’s going to have on defenders when he’s up to speed and putting away the chances so many know he can.

Ultimately, Gyokeres isn’t on the same level as Saka and has plenty of differences in his game with the Englishman.

However, he is one of the few players capable of striking a similar level of fear into opponents and one of the few attackers who’ll force them to converge on him.

Outclassed by Odegaard: Arteta must drop Arsenal dud who lost the ball 14x

Arsenal secured a 2-0 win over Olympiacos in the Champions League.

1

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Oct 2, 2025

Shea Lacey has been “tearing it up” in Manchester United training, leaving Ruben Amorim impressed, following a behind-the-scenes change from the manager.

Amorim has been blending youth with experience in his starting XI so far this season, with the likes of Amad Diallo and Leny Yoro emerging as regular starters, alongside Casemiro, and the Brazilian midfielder has enjoyed a resurgence.

At the moment, the manager seems to have found the right balance, as United have won three games on the spin in the Premier League, and their summer signings have been particularly impressive, with Bryan Mbeumo scoring a brace against Brighton & Hove Albion last time out.

Given that Matheus Cunha is also now off the mark, it may be difficult for any other forwards to force their way into starting contention, but a youngster has started impressing in first-team training…

Lacey impressing Amorim in Man Utd training

As reported by GiveMeSport, Amorim has made a behind-the-scenes change by introducing more and more youth players to first-team training, with the manager eager to restore the link between the academy and the senior squad.

The 40-year-old wants youngsters to start pushing for places in the first team, and Lacey, an 18-year-old winger, has been impressing staff and teammates, with one source saying: “He’s been tearing it up – fearless, creative, and always looking to make something happen. He’s really caught the eye.”

Amorim has personally taken notice of the starlet, and there is a feeling he could be introduced to the match-day squad before the end of the campaign if he maintains his current standard.

Bringing through youth players is in United’s DNA, with the ‘Class of 92’ famously going on to play a major role in Man United’s dominance of English football during the Sir Alex Ferguson era.

As such, it is always good to see youngsters progress through the ranks, and the Liverpool-born winger is held in high regard by scout Jacek Kulig, who singled the Englishman out for praise after his debut for the Three Lions U17 side.

Not only has Lacey impressed in first-team training, but he is also off to a flying start in the Premier League 2 this season, picking up two goals and an assist in his opening four games.

With Mbeumo and Cunha impressing, the England U20 international may find it tricky to get into the starting XI in the Premier League, but it would be good to see him get a run out in the FA Cup later this season.

Shea Lacey could take the #7 shirt off Mason Mount Watch out Mount: Man Utd's "incredible" talent can steal the no.7 shirt

Manchester United have a star on their hands who could take the number seven shirt off Mason Mount.

ByEthan Lamb Oct 17, 2025

Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain were beaten 2-1 by 10-man Bayern Munich in the Champions League at Parc des Princes on Tuesday. Luis Diaz scored both goals in an impressive first half but then saw red just before half-time for a reckless challenge on Achraf Hakimi. PSG hit back after the break, pulling one goal back through substitute Joao Neves, but Bayern managed to hang on for all three points.

• AFP
  

  Bayern beat PSG despite red card for Diaz

  Bayern dominated an incident-packed first half and will wonder how they made it to the break only 2-0 ahead. Diaz needed less than four minutes to break the deadlock, firing home after Lucas Chevalier had blocked a shot from Michael Olise following a quick counter.

  The German giants kept getting in behind PSG and saw Aleksandar Pavlovic fire narrowly wide and Serge Gnabry hit both posts with one shot before Diaz bagged his brace. This time he caught Marquinhos napping, nicking the ball off the dawdling Brazilian's toes and then slotting another strike home.

  Josip Stanisic thought he’d made it 3-0 just before the break but saw his effort ruled out for offside, before Diaz went from hero to villain. The Colombia international lunged in two-footed on Achraf Hakimi in a challenge which saw the PSG star helped off the pitch in tears and the referee brandish the red card for Diaz after a VAR check.

  The dismissal saw Vincent Kompany take off the influential Gnabry at half-time for Tom Bischof, with the new man booked almost immediately after arriving. PSG went on to enjoy plenty more possession but struggled to work Manuel Neuer in the Bayern goal initially.

  Goncalo Ramos and Joao Neves were sent on as Luis Enrique tried to find a way back into the game and the breakthrough eventually came. Neves halved the deficit on the volley after a great ball in from Kang-in Lee with just 15 minutes of normal time remaining.

  The goal gave PSG hope and the chances continued to come. Neves headed another opportunity wide as PSG kept on pushing for an equaliser but Bayern clung on for a huge win against the defending champions.

Advertisement

• The MVP

  Diaz was Bayern's best player in the first half but his senseless red card ended his claims for the MVP award. Instead it goes to Bayern team-mate Dayot Upamecano, who was rock-solid in the heart of the backline, particularly during the second half when the visitors played a man down and faced all sort of pressure from the defending European champions.

• The big loser

  Marquinhos deserves a mention for an error-strewn game but there's no doubt that Diaz overshadowed the Brazilian with his needless red card. Bayern were absolutely cruising heading into the break with a 2-0 lead and having also seen PSG lose talisman Ousmane Dembele to injury. Diaz had played a starring role for Bayern but a reckless and needless foul on birthday boy Hakimi looks to have caused a serious injury to the PSG defender and left Bayern having to play the second half a man down. The Colombian will also now face a suspension in the Champions League which will be a blow to Bayern ahead of their next fixture in the competition against Arsenal.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• AFP
  

  Match rating (out of five): ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Despite securing their first league win of the season last time out, Glasgow Rangers are still reportedly set to look at one particular candidate to replace Russell Martin.

Martin responds to Rangers fan backlash

Even after Max Aarons netted a last-gasp winner against Livingston, the travelling Rangers fans chanted against Martin. In their eyes, one win changes nothing. There’s still plenty of work for the Southampton manager to do before he gets his own supporters back onside. Whether he’ll earn the results or the time to do that is the big question.

After a disastrous start, the Gers have picked up two wins in their last three games and have the chance to secure back-to-back victories against SK Sturm Graz in the Europa League this Thursday.

The focus will then move straight back to the Scottish Premiership, when Rangers will play host to a struggling Falkirk in what is another must-win game.

For now, despite what the fans think, Martin believes he still has the faith of the players, having told reporters following Sunday’s win: “All I can say to that is… Hibs, and today in the first half is the best we’ve been. So it suggests to me that the players are desperate to do it and improve.”

Rangers star was "like the best of Zidane", now he's worse than Barron

This Rangers star who was once compared to Zinedine Zidane is now even worse than Connor Barron.

1 ByDan Emery Sep 30, 2025

That may not stop the 49ers from considering all their options, however. So far, their first managerial appointment in Scotland hasn’t exactly gone to plan and the likes of Kevin Thelwell are already reportedly set to look at one candidate who could arrive to replace Martin.

Rangers to "look at" Steven Gerrard

As the pressure persists on Martin, the 49ers and Rangers are set to “look at” Steven Gerrard, according to former scout Mick Brown. The former Liverpool midfielder endured an impressive spell as Gers boss from 2018 to 2021 and could now make an incredible return to replace Martin.

Brown told Football Insider: “Gerrard is always going to be one Rangers look at. He knows the club well, knows a lot of the staff and people around the place, and he was very well-liked by the fans when he was there as well, I’m sure the fans would love it if he came back.

“He did a good job during his time there, obviously won them the league and then got a move elsewhere which didn’t quite work out.

“I think he’s exactly the type of manager they need, because he’s somebody who the fans and the players can get behind and somebody who is going to push them forward.”

Gerrard is, of course, the last manager to win the Scottish Premiership at Rangers and dethrone Celtic, so a return wouldn’t be a bad idea for the 49ers. As for the 45-year-old, himself, he could certainly do with some managerial redemption after failed spells at Aston Villa and Al-Ettifaq.

Grab your glove, hop on your bike and race to Steele Stadium—because the iconic franchise is officially coming back to a neighborhood near you.

Playground Productions, a production company dedicated to creating family-friendly content, announced Tuesday that the beloved video game series is returning "in the coming months" with the same aesthetic of the games released in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

“We're incredibly excited to reintroduce to a new generation of players,” Chris Waters, chief product officer at Playground Productions, said in a statement. “We're taking great care to preserve the look and feel that made the original games so special while updating them with modern features and gameplay that today's audience expects. I can’t wait for fans to see what we’re building on the Playground.”

The original game titled was released in 1997, debuting the iconic cast of "Backyard Kids" characters like Pablo Sanchez, Stephanie Morgan, Kenny Kawaguchi, Pete Wheeler and more. Originally developed by Humongous Entertainment and published by Atari, the franchise later added games for soccer, basketball, football and hockey.

In 2001, Backyard Sports partnered with MLB to feature one player from all 30 teams in in addition to the 30 fictional characters, portraying each big leaguer as the kid versions of themselves. Randy Johnson, Tony Gwynn, Ken Griffey Jr. and Cal Ripken Jr. were among the athletes featured in the first edition. The other games followed suit, partnering with the MLS, NBA, WNBA and NHL to feature other athletes from those sports, including Kevin Garnett, Lisa Leslie, Brandi Chastain, Cobi Jones, Jerry Rice and Joe Sakic, among many others.

Gerrit Cole signed a massive nine-year, $324 million contract with the New York Yankees in December 2019. On Thursday night, he helped the Yankees get back to the ALCS for the second time since he signed, giving up six hits and one run in seven innings in the series-clinching victory.

After the game Cole let his hair down and celebrated. By the time he got to the podium to speak with the press, he was in great spirits. To put it simply, the vibes were immaculate.

Asked what was "running through" him at the moment, Cole could barely contain himself.

"Fired, I mean fired up. Had a couple IPAs, like with the boys. Sprayin' some champagne, I mean like, this is the, this is the greatest!"

This is just the third postseason series the Yankees have won since they singed Cole. Last year they didn't even make the playoffs.

Cole started Game 1 for the Yankees, which they won, but he gave up three earned runs in five innings. Putting together Friday night's performance in the series-clincher must have felt extra sweet. But then again, who wouldn't feel good after having a few IPAs with the boys?

Bob Costas is retiring from baseball play-by-play broadcasting after an iconic 44-year career, according to a report from Andrew Marchand of , which was confirmed by Costas.

Costas, who is enshrined in Cooperstown as a broadcaster for his legendary career, told that he would prefer to formally address his status at a later date, but did confirm that he was in fact retiring. Costas's final MLB call was when the New York Yankees won Game 4 of the ALDS against the Kansas City Royals on Oct. 10 to clinch a spot in the ALCS.

The 72-year-old Costas will still be seen from time-to-time on MLB Network, where he will serve in an emeritus role as a studio analyst. Costas has been MLB Network's lead play-by-play announcer since the network's inception in 2009.

Costas's contract as a play-by-play announcer with MLB Network was up at the end of the 2024 season, but he made his decision that this would be his final year prior to the season beginning, according to Marchand's report.

Costas began his play-by-play career 44 years ago, and has called three World Series and 10 league championships in his career.

Everton have found goals hard to come by from their strikers under David Moyes this season, and they could now be set to target a clinical forward in January.

After a run of frustrating results, the Toffees knew that their clash against Fulham came with added pressure to claim three points in front of an expectant home crowd at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

The Cottagers had their fair share of chances, though Everton prevailed comfortably against Marco Silva’s men courtesy of goals from Idrissa Gana Gueye and Michael Keane.

Speaking post-match, Moyes made it clear that his side are keen to become more clinical to improve their Premier League position as they seek to add high-calibre stars similar to Jack Grealish and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall as part of their long-term strategy.

“We don’t want to lose what we’ve had – desire, heart, commitment – but I think we had to try to find a way of getting a little bit better at certain things, and I think we have to build. Look, I trust the owners will help us in all the windows as we go forward and we’ll try to make things better as we go along.

“We need to get people believing in Everton like we do, like the supporters here do, and what we want us to be in the future. To do that we need to keep picking up the wins and attracting top players like Kiernan and Jack Grealish and players of that ilk. We need to keep attracting that level of players to come to the club.”

Still, their profligacy in the final third is a concern. Beto has netted just twice this campaign, while £27 million summer signing Thierno Barry has yet to score since arriving on Merseyside.

There is a feeling that Everton could be further up the table than their current mid-table predicament with a little more luck in front of goal, and they may now have identified a potent answer to their scoring problem.

Everton eyeing move for FC Midtjylland striker Franculino Dju

According to Football Insider, Everton are keen on FC Midtjylland striker Franculino Dju after his haul of 18 goals this term for the impressive Danish outfit.

Adding further context, Toffees officials were present to watch the Guinea-Bissau international against Celtic last week, where he expertly beat Kasper Schmeichel with a curled strike to seal a 3-1 victory for the hosts in the Europa League league phase, where they sit at the summit.

Everton’s strikers in comparison with Franculino

Beto

2 goals in 13 appearances

Thierno Barry

No goals in 13 appearances

Franculino

18 goals in 25 appearances

Clearly, there is a vast difference between Franculino and both of Everton’s current forwards when it comes to the sole measure of goals. Iliman Ndiaye leads the way for the Toffees with four strikes this season, though the fact that Michael Keane is their joint-second top scorer tells a story in itself.

Intriguingly, Moyes is reportedly keen to offload Beto in January and Barry may not be far behind him if his poor form continues, creating room for new reinforcements in mid-season.

Everton have also entered the race for a renowned European forward

Undoubtedly, the Toffees’ boss has made comments on Everton’s ambition at a telling time, and Franculino could well be an excellent solution amid his return of 51 goals in 98 appearances for his current employers.