11 U.S. players are in the world’s biggest club competition
There was once a time where a U.S. men’s national team player being on a Champions League squad list — even if they might have no shot at playing in any actual games — was a very big deal.
It’s safe to say those days are gone, with no fewer than 11 U.S. players on the books for clubs that qualified for this year’s competition.
Sure, in some cases the player in question is probably a major longshot to even dress on gameday, but between Christian Pulisic’s sublime start to life at AC Milan and a USMNT trio at PSV, USMNT fans are likely going to be watching games on multiple screens just to keep up.
Here is the complete list of U.S. men’s players to make it to this year’s Champions League proper:
The defender will miss the USMNT’s friendlies against Uzbekistan and Oman next month
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has said defender Cameron Carter-Vickers will be out eight weeks with a hamstring injury.
Carter-Vickers left at halftime of a league match against Aberdeen on August 13. Following scans, the injury has been revealed to be worse than originally expected.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, Rodgers said that Carter-Vickers, along with fellow center backs Maik Nawrocki (hamstring) and Stephen Welsh (ankle) would all miss around two months.
“It is obviously disappointing for us in terms of Cameron Carter-Vickers, Maik Nawrocki and Stephen Welsh, probably about eight weeks,” Rodgers said.
“Stephen Welsh had an operation just the other day so he has come through that well.
“The other two we were hopeful would come back sooner, but we sought further scans on them and it puts them probably about eight weeks from now.”
With so many injuries in defense, Rodgers said he was hopeful Celtic could bring in reinforcements before the transfer window closes next week.
“I think we have to look at it, there’s no doubt. It’s an area that we are light on,” the manager said.
“When you are losing three players for that length of time, and knowing the number of games we will have and the importance of every game, then it’s definitely something we have to look at.”
Celtic qualified for the Champions League group stage after winning the Scottish Premiership last season. With the group stage set to begin on September 19 and 20, the injured trio will miss the beginning of Champions League play.
Carter-Vickers will also miss the U.S. men’s national team’s friendlies next month, with the USMNT facing Uzbekistan on September 9 and Oman three days later.
Marsch has been unemployed since leaving Leeds in February
If the U.S. men’s national team intends to make Jesse Marsch its new head coach, it may want to get moving.
As the European season comes to a close and teams begin to plan for 2023-24, Marsch has appeared on the radar of at least two big clubs.
Monaco has sacked Philippe Clement after a disappointing campaign in which the Ligue 1 club missed out on Europe entirely. According to multiplereports, Marsch is one of the top candidates to take over at Stade Louis II.
Meanwhile in Scotland, treble-winning Celtic is on the lookout for a new manager after Ange Postecoglou moved on to Tottenham. Marsch is among the top contenders to succeed the Australian, according to Sky Sports.
This presents something of a conundrum for U.S. Soccer, which is methodically conducting a search for its USMNT head coach.
Marsch is considered one of the top candidates for the job, which is now being filled by B.J. Callaghan — the second interim head coach the team has had in 2023.
Callaghan will be in charge for both of the USMNT’s summer tournaments, the Nations League and Gold Cup, which will see him in his position through July at least.
U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker will oversee the coaching search and although he’s said the federation has already spoken to some candidates, he won’t even start his full-time role until August.
Should U.S. Soccer wait until the end of the summer, some names on its list will surely be unavailable. Marsch, who has been unemployed since leaving Leeds in February, looks like he could be one of them.
It’s been a good year for U.S. men’s national team players in Scotland.
Cameron Carter-Vickers and Malik Tillman were both named to the PFA Scotland Premiership Team of the Year for 2022-23, which was announced on Tuesday.
Carter-Vickers was one of seven Celtic players named to the squad, which is not particularly shocking when you account for the club winning the league by 13 points and winning 31 of their 34 matches. Carter-Vickers started 29 of those games, captaining Celtic seven times in the process. With Carter-Vickers in the lineup, Celtic conceded just 21 goals; their only loss to Scottish opposition this season (a 2-0 defeat at St. Mirren all the way back in September) was in one of the rare games he didn’t play.
Your PFA Scotland Premiership Team of the Year – voted for by the players ⬇️👏 pic.twitter.com/nkhDy4sh9E
Tillman, meanwhile, joined Rangers on loan from Bayern Munich this past summer, and has been a clear success at Ibrox. The 20-year-old became a critical part of the recipe for Rangers right away, going on to score 10 times and adding four assists in 28 league appearances. He joined James Tavernier — who leads Rangers in goalscoring despite being their right back — representing the blue half of Glasgow on the team of the season.
While Carter-Vickers has a contract running for the next three seasons at Celtic, Tillman’s future is far less clear. His loan from Bayern expires at the end of the season, and Rangers manager Michael Beale has repeatedly said he’d love to see the club make the move permanent. However, even if Rangers did opt to lay out the required fee, Bayern reportedly has a buy-back clause and could end up retaining him regardless of the Scottish side’s plans.
Not the ideal way to react to conceding a late equalizer
Police are investigating Rangers women’s assistant coach Craig McPherson, who delivered a post-game headbutt to Celtic head coach Fran Alonso following Monday’s 1-1 draw between the rivals.
A late equalizer by Caitlin Hayes earned Celtic a point in the match, which was followed by players and coaches shaking hands on the pitch.
As Alonso was shaking hands, an angry McPherson came up behind him and headbutted the Celtic boss, which led to a minor scuffle as Celtic players rushed in to defend the manager.
Speaking after the game, Alonso told Sky Sports: “Someone pushed me from behind. I never talked to him the whole game.
“I was called a little rat, but I don’t know why.”
In a statement to the BBC, Police Scotland said it had received a complaint over McPherson and added: “Inquiries to establish any criminality are at an early stage.”
The Scottish Women’s Premier League also released a statement, saying: “This incident is currently being investigated by Police Scotland and the Scottish FA. The SWPL will not make any further comment at this time, whilst these investigations are ongoing.”
Watch McPherson’s headbutt on Alonso
🚨 Police Scotland confirm they are looking into the incident after last night's Old Firm where Rangers coach Craig McPherson appeared to headbutt Celtic boss Fran Alonso ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/5tNemK1e5j
The 24-year-old did not travel with his team to Madrid
Celtic defender Cameron Carter-Vickers will miss Wednesday’s Champions League game against Real Madrid with an injury, his coach Ange Postecoglou has confirmed.
Postecoglou said at Tuesday’s press conference that Carter-Vickers picked up the undisclosed injury in a 3-0 win over Livingston on Sunday, and did not travel with the team to Madrid.
“Cameron Carter-Vickers pulled up a bit sore after the game on Sunday,” Postecoglou said. “The artificial pitch wasn’t great for him so we’ve left him home.”
Carter-Vickers is in the midst of a strong season for the Hoops, and has even served as a stand-in captain in recent weeks with Callum McGregor injured.
The 24-year-old’s injury is also a worry for the U.S. national team with just three weeks to go until the World Cup kicks off in Qatar.
Carter-Vickers looks likely to make the USMNT roster and could even be a candidate to start in defense alongside Walker Zimmerman.
Another candidate to start, Chris Richards, hasn’t played since August, with Crystal Palace coach Patrick Vieira saying last week the defender is still 7-10 days from starting training.
Berhalter is now dealing with a fifth injury-related absentee
Cameron Carter-Vickers is the latest player to end up unavailable for the upcoming U.S. men’s national team friendlies against Japan and Saudi Arabia.
The Celtic center back was on Gregg Berhalter’s initial roster, but will not participate in the USMNT’s September friendlies after picking up an as-yet-unspecified injury in training.
Celtic boss Ange Postecoglu told the Daily Record early on Sunday that the 24-year-old would likely miss the USMNT camp, and that they hoped to have him available coming out of the international break.
“We’ll see how he is. I think he’s out of the US camp,” said Postecoglu. “We are hoping, post-international break, he won’t be too far away.”
Speaking at halftime of ESPN‘s broadcast of the Columbus Crew hosting the Portland Timbers, Berhalter confirmed that Carter-Vickers would not participate in friendlies against Japan (September 23 in Dusseldorf) and Saudi Arabia (September 27 in Murcia).
“Cam will be out of this camp, which is unfortunate,” said Berhalter. “We wanted to get him in and get him around the group this camp, but unfortunately he won’t be in. We are working on a replacement as we speak.”
Who will Berhalter call in to replace Carter-Vickers?
There was no immediate announcement of the USMNT’s choice to replace Carter-Vickers, but it stands to reason that Berhalter will add a center back to a squad that is currently down to just three (Aaron Long, Chris Richards, and Walker Zimmerman) rather than boosting numbers at a different position.
Mark McKenzie and Erik Palmer-Brown feel like the leading candidates at this point. While McKenzie has been in and out of Genk’s lineup so far this season, he has more of a history under Berhalter. However, Palmer-Brown has started every game for Troyes in Ligue 1, which may be enough to see him push ahead in what is probably a last chance to stake a claim on a World Cup spot for both players.
Berhalter also mentioned Matt Miazga as someone he’s been monitoring after announcing his squad, meaning the FC Cincinnati man is also a candidate here. While Berhalter also mentioned Fulham captain Tim Ream, it came with a note about how the style of play Ream does well in is not a good mesh with the USMNT’s system. A similar situation is likely to keep John Brooks out of the reckoning, even after the USMNT veteran sealed a move to Benfica.
Who said goalkeepers need to be able to pass in the modern game?
Joe Hart may not be the most accurate passer in the world, but at least he’s quick to apologize.
Following his side’s 1-1 Champions League draw with Shakhtar Donetsk, the Celtic goalkeeper offered a self-deprecating mea culpa to a reporter he struck with an errant pass attempt during the warm-up.
“Sorry! I was begging to say sorry but you didn’t turn around,” Hart said to reporter Ingrid Halstensen, who was looking straight into the camera when Hart’s attempt to distribute out to his right missed its intended target, bouncing into the unsuspecting Danish journalist instead.
“Literally my goalie coach is probably five yards (away),” said Hart before dunking on himself and, arguably several clubs that have employed him. “Yeah, that’s why my career’s gone where it’s gone.”
Hart was rather infamously dropped by Pep Guardiola almost immediately when the Spaniard took over at Manchester City, owing to the passing ability required of any goalkeeper in his system. Since then, he’s undergone multiple loans and short stays before joining Ange Postecoglu at Celtic, where he has established himself as first-choice for the Scottish champions.
Watch Hart roast himself while apologizing
Joe Hart apologizes to the reporter from last night – blaming his distribution for the fact that the ball hit her before adding “that’s why my career has gone where it’s gone” 🥲pic.twitter.com/bcKLlE18Kj
La rivalidad entre el Celtic y el Rangers es mejor conocida como “The Old Firm” . El ‘derby’ escocés tiene muchos factores para hacer de este clásico uno de los históricos del futbol mundial. Ambos equipos son los más ganadores de Escocia, el …
La rivalidad entre el Celtic y el Rangers es mejor conocida como “The Old Firm”. El ‘derby’ escocés tiene muchos factores para hacer de este clásico uno de los históricos del futbol mundial.
Ambos equipos son los más ganadores de Escocia, el Rangers con 54 ligas y el Celtic con 51. Representan a la ciudad de Glasgow y a uno lo apoyan protestantes y al otro católicos y ¡vaya que eso enciende pasiones!
Foto ví @shotongoal247
Rivalidad más allá de lo inimaginable
En el mundo hay muchos partidos ‘clásicos’ de gran rivalidad, pero ninguna como la del Celtic vs Rangers pues enfrenta a católicos contra protestantes, irlandeses contra unionistas, republicanos contra nacionalistas y a la clase obrera contra la burguesía.
Foto vía @Rosario_Plus
El Rangers fue fundado primero, en 1872 y el Celtic en 1887 y fue la fundación de este último equipo la que generó la rivalidad de manera casi inmediata, es decir, ¡se odian desde hace 132 años!
“Hay gente que insiste en que otras rivalidades futbolísticas pueden generar tanta intensidad como los choques entre Rangers y Celtic… Créanme, no hay nada comparable”, comentó en alguna entrevista en Inglaterra Sir Alex Ferguson.
La religión originó todo
La fundación del Celtic vino por un marista irlandés con el objetivo de colectar recursos para un comedor comunitario que atendía a inmigrantes irlandeses en Escocia, de ahí que su escudo lleva el trébol de cuatro hojas y los colores de Irlanda. De inmediato el equipo dividió la ciudad y se identificó con los católicos irlandeses de izquierda.
Foto vía @mirondo9
El Rangers por su parte, había sido fundado 15 años antes sin tintes religiosos, pero tras la marcada afiliación del Celtic el consejo de dueños del equipo decidió que el equipo representaría a los protestantes de Escocia y la rivalidad en la cancha pasó a ser rivalidad en la vida de una ciudad.
Fue creciendo poco a poco el odio pero alcanzó su punto más amargo en 1912 cuando un astillero local puso como regla dejar de contratar católicos, en apoyo a los aficionados protestantes del Rangers que ahora tenían competencia por empleos con los inmigrantes del Celtic.
El negocio de la rivalidad
El nombre del duelo fue bautizado en 1909 como ‘The old firm of Rangers-Celtic Ltd’ por el periódico ‘The Scotish Referee’ tras una final de Copa de Escocia entre ambos clubes que permaneció empatado por dos partidos en una muestra descarada de amaño que terminó con la afición invadiendo el terreno de juego en protesta por lo ocurrido.
Foto vía @mirondo9
‘La vieja empresa del Rangers y Celtic’ ha sido bastante lucrativa para ambos equipos durante todo este tiempo, de ahí el mote al ‘derby escocés’.
En el campo se odian, pero fuera de él, hacen negociaciones en conjunto, es decir se benefician económicamente de manera mutua pues finalmente es una pasión que deja millones.
Negocian contratos de televisión de manera conjunta, incluso han compartido patrocinadores en sus camisetas en la misma temporada, pues las marcas no quieren que la afición de uno u otro equipo estigmatice su producto por patrocinar al otro club, así que patrocinan a ambos.
Por su parte el Rangers es el equipo de la burguesía, el que apoya a la corona británica, en el Ibrox Stadium se ven banderas y símbolos del Reino Unido, ondean la ‘Union Jack’ durante el ‘Old Firm’ y están hermanados con el Chelsea de Londres.
Durante bastantes décadas el Rangers tuvo la norma de no contratar futbolistas católicos, el propio ‘Gulit’ Peña tuvo que pedir un permiso especial para poder jugar con el Rangers en 2017 siendo católico.
Pasión manchada con sangre
En 132 años de rivalidad han sido muchos los episodios desafortunados cuando se enfrentan estos dos equipos, desde miles de peleas en bares entre ultras radicales hasta el lamentable incidente del 2 de enero de 1971, llamado ‘El desastre de Ibrox’.
Foto vía @115x75yardas
Parecía un derbi más pero no lo fue, el partido se jugó en casa del Rangers, estaba igualado 1-1 y así parecía que iba a quedar, sin embargo cerca del final el Celtic marcó un gol y cuando pensaban que tenían la victoria amarrada e incluso la afición local ya abandonaba el Ibrox Stadium, vino el empate milagroso del Rangers que provocó el delirio de la afición.
Durante los festejos se produjo una avalancha de gente en la que murieron 66 personas asfixiadas entre las que se encontraban varios niños así como más de 200 heridos en el capítulo más negro de la historia de estos dos equipos que es recordada cada que se enfrentan con un minuto de silencio.
Foto vía @podium_EE
Así pues podremos hablar del Barcelona vs Real Madrid, del Boca vs River del Flamengo vs Fluminense pero nada se compara con la rivalidad que Rangers y Celtic se tienen y el odio que se profesan más allá de un campo de futbol.
