Baby Eagles: Fitter. Happier. More productive.

AMERICAN STATES UNITED

Three weeks from today, the USMNT roster drops. And there is almost TOO MUCH NARRATIVE from our boys abroad to keep track of. Goals, assists, returns to fitness, and for some … the opposite of those things. But, on the whole, this young group does appear to be, as Radiohead would say, “Fitter. Happier. More productive.” And as for our World Cup Champion US Women playing abroad, they stay banging in the goals and factoring into the Ballon d’Or.

This newsletter, which flies every Wednesday, is intended to recap all of the previous week’s action from the Baby Eagles abroad (best Eagles since Philadelphia), as well as our American Women plying their trade overseas. If you like it, we have just one ask: please share it with your friends and encourage them to subscribe. THEY CAN DO SO HERE.

For now, we newsletter:

MASSIVE ATTACK

In just his second substitute appearance of the season for Lille since returning from injury, Tim Weah 🇫🇷 reminded everyone of just how much of a game-changing talent he can be. The 22-year-old winger had two assists (watch one here) in just 26 minutes of action. When Timo plays, it keeps defenders in a perpetual state of backpedaling. He is — simply put — one of our most important and explosive offensive forces.

Now to a gent who we have to think is still on the outside looking in when it comes to the roster: L.A.’s own 24-year-old Haji Wright. He started the Turkish Super Lig 🇹🇷 season hot, only to cool slightly. But this weekend, the gent who came through with Christian, Weston, Tyler, and LDLT lit it up. Wright bagged a brace in Antalyaspor’s 3-2 loss at Alanyaspor, scoring one via a set-piece header, and one via a perfectly-placed, low breakaway shot. That’s seven goals in nine games.

Then there’s this ABSOLUTE WUNDERGOAL from German-American Malik Tillman 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 for Rangers. Tillman picked the ball up in his own half and, like a Son Heung-min cover band, skipped through the Motherwell defense, showing what kind of a rare talent the U.S. has on their hands with the 20-year-old Bayern Munich loanee. 🙌

Want more info on how to watch the Americans Abroad? Look no further, we've compiled a guide for you here.

🎙️”Go! Go! USA! with Brendan Hunt: A Passionate Fans’ History of American Men’s Soccer”. Our newest Podcast on the Men in Blazers Media Network sees Rog and Coach Beard chop it up about the rich history of the men’s game here in the United States. From our semi-final appearance in 1930 all the way through to the present. The first episode drops this Sunday, Oct. 23 on the regular MiB Pod Feed. It is not to be missed. And if you’ve missed the first two episodes of “World Corrupt,” our collaboration with Tommy Vietor and the GFOPs at Crooked Media about the complexities and moral conundrums brought on by a World Cup in Qatar, START HERE.

Meanwhile in Norwich, Josh Sargent 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 just can’t stop scoring. The 22-year-old Mizzou Messi scored a turf-burning, near-post laser against Watford, and now leads the Championship in total goal contributions with 10 (8 goals and 2 assists). Sarge’s WC status did look shaky for a second on Tuesday, as he was subbed off at halftime of the Canaries’ loss at Luton due to injury, but after the match Norwich manager Dean Smith said he expects Fallon d’Or back in action Saturday. 🙏

To Germany next, where Jordan Pefok 🇩🇪 showed some real hold-up-play ability with this assist in top-of-the-table Union Berlin’s impressive 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund. Only downside is Pefok was also subbed off with an injury in the 67th minute, but on Tuesday Union manager Urs Fischer said it wasn’t bad, and made it sound like Pefok will play this weekend.

CENTER BACK IT UP, BACK IT IN

Welcome to the USMNT’s positional House of Pain, where some of our top center-back options are seemingly shut out of the U.S. World Cup squad for reasons unknown.

Tim Ream 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 continues to impress for Fulham — as evidenced by this tweet of appreciation from the club itself — but seems very much on the outside looking in when it comes to Gregg’s WC squad, which is confusing. Watching Ream at 35 is like watching a noble, old knight who just loves battle, and is completely aware of the dangers of warfare, completely aware that his armor will one day be pierced by enough arrows to lose his life on the battlefield. Which is how he likes it. If only Qatar could be that final battlefield.

Then there’s 2014 WC alum John Brooks 🇵🇹, who got his first start for Benfica over the weekend, and had this genuinely sublime footballing moment in the Portuguese side’s cup win over Caldas.

And it doesn’t stop there. Cameron Carter-Vickers 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 is CAPTAINING Celtic regularly these days, while Mark McKenzie 🇧🇪 is anchoring the stingiest, top-of-the-table defense in Belgium.

All of these gents were thrust further into the spotlight over the weekend by THIS CLIP of presumptive starting USMNT CB Aaron Long giving up a late match-winner in the New York Red Bulls’ playoff match against FC Cincinnati. Was Gregg checking Twitter? We’ll know Nov. 21.

✈️🚆🚗 Men in Blazers This Cup’s for You Tour. We are hitting the road and going on a World Cup Tour, visiting New York, Philadelphia, D.C., Austin, Atlanta, St. Louis, LA, San Francisco, Seattle and Nashville to re-live the day's on-field narrative, celebrate each city’s distinct football culture, and we’re going to do it all with the help of some very special guests. TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE.

NEWS AND NOTES

• Christian Pulisic 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 didn’t play in Chelsea’s last two matches, despite scoring an impressive goal against Wolves on Oct. 8. 💔💔

• Tyler Adams 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 and Brenden Aaronson 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 both played all 90 in Leeds’ loss to Arsenal. Despite Heat Map Jesus and Pork Roll Pele playing magnificently against the Gunners, the result leaves Leeds in 15th place.

• Weston McKennie 🇮🇹 also played the full 90 in Juventus’ Turin Derby triumph over Torino, but he played just 45 minutes apiece in key matches against AC Milan and Maccabi Haifa.

STATIONARY BIKE SET 🚑

A couple of key players for the U.S. continued to play their way back to full fitness this past week. ​​Gio Reyna 🇩🇪 made his second substitute appearance since returning from injury, coming on in the 82nd minute of Dortmund’s loss at Union Berlin. And Yunus Musah 🇪🇸 started twice in four days for Valencia after returning to action from injury the week prior. That said, there are a few potential squad players who are out hurt, including Crystal Palace CB Chris Richards 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿, who has been missing since Aug. 27. Palace boss Patrick Vieira 🗣️: "(Richards) has started doing some work on the field, but is still a couple of weeks short."

📺 THE MEN IN BLAZERS TV SHOW IS BACK. The second episode of our ninth season hits Peacock Saturday. And the guest line up is Erling Haaland, Harry Kane and Aaron Ramsdale. And a reminder you can binge previous episodes with the likes of John Oliver, Will Ferrell, RZA, Emma Hayes and so many more HERE.

U.S. WORLD CUP CHAMPIONS PLAYING IN EUROPE

After wrapping up an international break that saw the USWNT suffer friendly losses to England and Spain, a few of our Lady Eagles returned to action in Europe. And while the U.S. defeats were tough to swallow, the great Lindsey Horan 🇫🇷 applied a little salve to our wounds when she scored a perfectly-placed half-volley for Olympique Lyon in their 3-1 win at Bordeaux Sunday. It was Horan’s third goal of the season for the French leaders.

Also, special shoutout to Horan’s Lyon teammate, and USWNT standout, Cat Macario 🇫🇷 for finishing ninth in 2022 Ballon d’Or voting. Don’t be surprised if the prolific 23-year-old forward wins one of her own in the next few years.

PARTING SHOTS

If Ryan Malone 🇩🇪 has his way, Germany may have their own Jay DeMerit story in the works. The 30-year-old Malone, who played college soccer at D-III Springfield College in Massachusetts, scored his first goal of the season for Hansa Rostock in their 2-2 draw with Greuther Furth Friday. The Chicopee (Massachusetts town in which he was born) Chiellini has bounced around the German lower leagues since 2015, and now finds himself in the 2. Bundesliga, just one tier below the likes of Bayern and BVB. Viel Gluck, Ryan!

Also, Aron Johannsson 🇮🇸 scored again for Valur in Iceland’s top flight. Watch the Iceman’s goal HERE (sans audio). If ArJo makes it three in a row this Saturday against Breidablik, then we’ll consider converting this into a weekly Valur newsletter.

📰 GFOPs, what can we be doing better? We want to grow and develop this letter together with you. Let us know what you’d like to see more of, less of, different, other. Our suggestion box is always open. Courage.