Hello there! The UEFA Women’s Champions League got off to an entertaining start as OL Lyonnes notched a big win at Arsenal on Tuesday, while Chelsea headlines Wednesday’s action as Matchday 1 comes to a close. Europe’s top women’s teams are not the only ones keeping busy, though, with the U.S. men’s national team gearing up for two high-caliber friendlies this month. I’m Pardeep Cattry with a transatlantic update.
📺 Footy fix
All times U.S./Eastern
Wednesday, Oct. 8
🌍 WCQ: Libya vs. Cape Verde, 9 a.m. ➡️ FIFA+
🇪🇺 UWCL: Twente vs. Chelsea, 12:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇪🇺 UWCL: Wolfsburg vs. Paris Saint-Germain, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+, CBS Sports Network
🇺🇸🇨🇦 MLS: LAFC vs. Toronto FC, 10:30 p.m. ➡️ MLS Season Pass
Thursday, Oct. 9
🌍 WCQ: Somalia vs. Algeria, 12 p.m. ➡️ FIFA+
🌍 Friendly: England vs. Wales, 2:45 p.m. ➡️ FS2
🌍 WCQ: Czechia vs. Croatia, 2:45 p.m. ➡️ Fubo
🌎 WCQ: Honduras vs. Costa Rica, 10 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
⚽ The Forward Line
🇪🇺 OL Lyonnes draw first blood, Chelsea target win
The new UEFA Women’s Champions League season got off to an entertaining start on Tuesday as the headlining act of Matchday 1 – OL Lyonnes’ trip to Arsenal – living up to the hype. Lyon took advantage of the Gunners’ poor run of form and notched a 2-1 win in England to kick off their European campaign, extending the hosts’ winless streak to four games. The Gunners got on the board after just seven minutes when Alessia Russo scored, but Lyon took advantage of Arsenal’s mistakes to take a 2-1 lead by the 23rd minute.
It was a standout performance from Lyon under new manager Jonatan Giraldez, but if one player stood above the rest, it was Melchie Dumornay. The Haiti international scored a brace to complete Lyon’s comeback, but it was her versatility that led the way for the visitors at a crucial point in the game, according to Darian Jenkins.
- Jenkins: “Not only can she play up top, she plays in the middle of the pitch at that [No.] 10 position sometimes when Lyon switches things around and she deserves all of her flowers just because I think she led this team when everyone was looking for someone to score or just put things into the attack.”
Barcelona joined Lyon as a fellow heavy-hitter to notch a win on Tuesday, theirs an unflinching 7-1 win against Bayern Munich. The attention turns to the Netherlands on Wednesday as Twente host Chelsea as the Blues begin their quest to win the Women’s Champions League for the very first time. Chelsea will be without a handful of mainstays, including U.S. women’s national team stars Naomi Girma and Catarina Macario, though their roster is still stacked with talent. Aggie Beaver-Joens already has four goals this season while manager Sonia Bompastor should have the likes of Sam Kerr, Sandy Baltimore and USWNT forward Alyssa Thompson at her disposal. Thompson has four games under her belt since joining the Blues last month but is awaiting her first goal for the club, with Wednesday’s trip to Twente an opportune time to snap the drought.
Matchday 1 Continues…
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🔗 Midfield Link Play
🇺🇸 Competition for playing time in USMNT’s attack
The U.S. men’s national team’s upcoming friendlies against Ecuador and Australia will serve as another round of auditions for the World Cup hopefuls who cracked this month’s roster, the competition heating up in several positions with eight months to go, including who starts in attack.
Christian Pulisic remains a go-to in the early weeks of another strong season with AC Milan, so far posting six goals and two assists in eight games under new manager Massimiliano Allegri. The rest, though, seems up in the air because head coach Mauricio Pochettino has a handful of in-form players at his disposal, perhaps most notable among them Haji Wright. The 27-year-old is back with the national team for the first time since Pochettino’s first games in charge a year ago, injuries hampering his ability to participate more. He returns in style, though – he has nine goals and one assist in 11 games for Coventry City this season, the Sky Blues currently top of the table this season. That forces the question – where does Wright fit on the field?
Wright admitted on Tuesday that he has yet to have that conversation with the USMNT coaching staff, adding he does not have a preference between a central role as a striker or a place on the wing.
- Wright: “I’ve been playing primarily striker [for Coventry] this season, so that’s where I see myself, but if I’m asked to play out wide or take a step back and play as a 10, that’s all fine with me. I feel comfortable in all positions.”
There’s not exactly an open vacancy in either spot, though, underscoring a refreshed sense of competition for World Cup roster spots even if Pulisic has a stronghold on a starting role. In the forward position, Wright will contend with Folarin Balogun, who reasserted his claim on the No. 9 position with a goal and assist against Japan last month, and Patrick Agyemang, one of the up-and-comers whose stock has risen considerably in the last year. On the wing, mainstay Tim Weah remains in the mix while Alex Zendejas made a case for himself during the 2-0 win against Japan. What exactly Pochettino and his staff view as Wright’s best position is an open question for now, though the head coach could begin to answer that question this week as he begins to implement his final plans for the USMNT.
🔗 Top Stories
🇪🇺 UWCL starts with a bang: Here’s a look at what happened during Tuesday’s action in the Women’s Champions League, with Juventus joining Lyon and Barcelona on the list of big winners and OH Leuven coming back to salvage a draw at Paris FC.
🇪🇸 Jordi Alba retires: Spain international and Inter Miami player Jordi Alba will retire at the end of the MLS season, becoming the latest of Lionel Messi’s friends to hang up his boots.
🟡 Darlington Nagbe steps away: Alba was not the only MLS standout to announce his retirement on Tuesday – four-time MLS Cup winner Darlington Nagbe will do the same at the conclusion of the season.
🗣️ Klopp talks World Cup: During his exclusive sit-down with CBS Sports, Jurgen Klopp discussed the pressures the World Cup coaches will face in a results-oriented job – and compared France’s 2018 World Cup-winning team to Burnley to make his argument.
🌴 Messi’s 2025 season: As Lionel Messi racks up goals and assists for Inter Miami, it’s worth asking: Where does his 2025 season rank amongst the best-ever MLS campaigns?
🇲🇾 Malaysia’s doctored documents?: FIFA accused the Malaysia FA of doctoring documents to field seven ineligible players during an Asian Cup qualifier against Vietnam in June.
💰 The Back Line
💵 Best bets
- UEFA Women’s Champions League: Twente vs. Chelsea, Wednesday, 12:45 p.m.
💰 THE PICK: More than 4.5 goals scored (+198) – Chelsea arrive in the Netherlands as the heavy favorites in their opening match of the Champions League season, bolstered by the fact that they are one of the top contenders to win the whole thing. It helps that they have hoarded some of the best attacking talent they could find – Aggie Beaver-Jones is off to a strong start this campaign with four goals, while Sam Kerr has already bagged her first goal since returning from an ACL injury and Sandy Baltimore has also opened her account. U.S. women’s national team star Alyssa Thompson, meanwhile, is still looking for her first goal of the season so no matter which combination of attacking talent manager Sonia Bompastor runs with on Wednesday, the Blues have what it takes to run up the score at Twente.
For more picks, predictions, expert tips and the latest betting news, don’t miss out on CBSSports.com’s betting home page.
Tomorrow and Friday 👀
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