Football

Real Madrid's Champions League title is just the beginning; Emma Hayes starts off on the right foot with USWNT

Published

5m ago

Jun 04, 2024 / 6403 Views

Evan Walker

Happy Monday! With some big games on both sides of the Atlantic in the rearview mirror, it's time to focus on what's ahead, both in terms of international tournaments and some high-profile signings. I'm Pardeep Cattry with the latest.

📺 Footy fix

All times U.S./Eastern

Monday, June 3
🌍 Men's friendly: England vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2:45 p.m. ➡️ FS2

Tuesday, June 4
🌍 Men's friendly: Portugal vs. Finland, 2:45 p.m. ➡️ FS2
🇪🇺 Women's Euro qualifying: France vs. England, 3 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Network
🌍 Women's friendly: USWNT vs. South Korea, 8 p.m. ➡️ Max

⚽ The Forward Line

🏆 Everything's coming up Real Madrid

Real Madrid re-asserted their dominance in Europe by lifting a record 15th UEFA Champions League title on Saturday, beating Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in their trademark style this season -- surviving the opposition's dangerous but wasteful tendencies and capitalizing on their own fleeting moments to emerge victorious. Dortmund were tactically outmaneuvering Madrid, while Karim Adeyemi and Niclas Fullkrug had near-perfect chances to score in the first half. Their inability to convert those golden opportunities just paved the way for Real Madrid to do what they have done all season -- find a way to win anyway. James Benge was at Wembley Stadium to watch it all unfold as Real Madrid predicatbly went from second best to champions of Europe.

Benge: "Outmuscled in too many duels though they were, Madrid's one great strength seemed to be at set pieces. Of course, they made it pay. Already [Dani] Carvajal had given Dortmund terrors at the near post with one flick on. When the opportunity came to try it again, the results were even more impressive. Nacho played the blocker at the near post, Toni Kroos' delivery was spot on and Carvajal got out ahead of Fullkrug to flick home. In an instant, it was as if Madrid realized who they were relative to Dortmund. They were the team that 12 months ago had plucked the brightest star from the Westfalenstadion. They started playing like it. [Jude] Bellingham should have made it two. Vinicius did, paying tribute to Ronaldo with his celebration and Mesut Ozil with a finish bounced into the deck to rise high above Gregor Kobel."

The result confirmed that Real Madrid can always rely on their star power, with Vinicius Junior once again emerging as the main man on a team of world class talent. This marks the second time he scored in a Champions League final, two years after he scored the lone goal in Real Madrid's win over Liverpool at the Stade de France. Thierry Henry argued ahead of the Game that, right now, the Brazil international is the best player in the world, complimenting him on his versatility as well as his reliability.

Henry: "This guy has been doing it for a little while, not only one season. … We all know now what he can do. Nobody wants to be isolated with him in 1-v-1. I think for me, personally, [Real Madrid] is his team. … He can play as a 9, he can play on the right, he can play on the left, he can take penalties."

As if Real Madrid did not already boast a reputation for steamrolling through Europe, their unbeatable status will likely hit another level as soon as this week. The Champions League winners are set to announce the long-awaited signing of Kylian Mbappe any day now, who is expected to transform an already star-studded attack into an eye-popping juggernaut. Real Madrid's constant success arguably forces the question: Do they actually need Mbappe? Jude Bellingham happily entertained the question with broadcasters post-match despite the lack of confirmation on Mbappe's signature, and simply concluded that he's the team's missing piece.

Bellingham: "If that was to happen, it would be amazing. … I think the only little thing we're missing, in terms of that, [is] a clinical [No.] 9. I think if he was to come and give us that, we'd be in a really, really great place. He'd take us to another level. One of the best players in the world, clearly."

🔗 Midfield Link Play

🇺🇸 Hayes starts on a high with USWNT

The Emma Hayes era began on a winning note for the U.S. women's national team, who beat South Korea 4-0 on Saturday thanks to braces from Mallory Swanson and Tierna Davidson. The new head coach prioritized a youthful lineup in her first match, something that may have felt unfamiliar a year ago at the Women's World Cup but reflected the months-long squad refresh led by assistant coach Twila Kilgore with next month's Olympic Games in mind.

The USWNT's attack was in full focus, overcoming the opposition's low block after a slow start to deliver a lopsided victory. Swanson was the standout with her first international goals since she tore her patellar tendon in April of last year, re-asserting herself as the focal point of a new look offense. The goalscorer combined well with fellow Colorado native Sophia Smith, who notched the assist to Swanson's first goal.

Hayes: "I couldn't ask for anything more. [Swanson's] a player I always admired so to get the opportunity to coach her, see firsthand the quality she possesses, but she's a connector. She's really magnetic, as a human being, too, in the way she operates in the team. She can multitask, she can do what she's doing on the pitch. … Soph, she stretched the pitch out really well, thought she linked well with Mal."

Hayes' post-match analysis was chiefly focused on making progress, constantly mentioning that there's a lot of room for growth for individual players as well as the team as a whole. The head coach said that her first five days with the team were very tactic-heavy, identifying that one of her priorities was set pieces. That focus paid off -- Davidson's two goals came off of set pieces, making her the first defender to score a brace since Julie Ertz in 2016.

The USWNT return to the pitch against South Korea on Tuesday, which will be the team's final game before Hayes names the Olympic squad. What Hayes plans to gather from this final tune-up remains to be seen, though. There was limited experimentation with the personnel she chose on Saturday -- Catarina Macario made her first start in 781 days and was convincing in her 60 minute shift, but Rose Lavelle filled in strongly for the final 30 minutes to keep the competition alive in one area of the pitch. Alex Morgan sat out Saturday's game entirely, but Hayes explained it was precautionary to ensure she could participate come Tuesday.

From Hayes' point of view, it's clear there's plenty of work to do before and after the Olympics, but she also admitted that things are so far, so good.

Hayes: "I've trained them quite hard this week and I think with the altitude, the heat and the training, I thought there was a little lethargy, but I thought the team stuck at it. I thought we were controlled in what we did in the first half, we stuck to the structures, we stuck to the coaching. Felt at times, maybe we could've played in behind in the right moments but going from underplaying to overplaying is usually the first step … Everybody did what I asked of them."

🔗 Top Stories

🏆 UCL parting shots: Here's praise for Jude Bellingham and Carlo Ancelotti, Dani Carvajal's dream for more titles, a look back at the top moments of the season and a glance at who might be in the running to lift next season's trophy.

🇺🇸 USWNT's big win: The player ratings for the USWNT's win over South Korea are in and it's good news for everyone, including new head coach Emma Hayes.

🎠 Coaching carousel: Chelsea officially hired Enzo Maresca after his successful spell at Leicester, Jose Mourinho has a new gig at Fenerbahce and Napoli are set to hire Antonio Conte.

🇫🇷 No Mbappe at the Olympics: Thierry Henry named his preliminary roster for the Paris Olympics, leaving out Real Madrid-bound Kylian Mbappe.

🇲🇽 Pachuca win CCC: Pachuca lifted their sixth Concacaf Champions Cup title on Saturday, battering MLS' Columbus Crew 3-0 to do so.

💰 The Back Line

💵 Best bets

Euro 2024: champions
💰 THE PICK: England to win the Euros (+320) -- England begin their final preparations for the Euros on Monday, when they face Bosnia and Herzegovina in their penultimate friendly before the tournament begins. The Three Lions enter the competition as the favorites to win the whole thing, and arguably for good reason since they boast one of Europe's best teams at full strength. Though manager Gareth Southgate has yet to whittle down his preliminary roster to 26, England will likely head to Germany with some of the game's most exciting emerging talents in Jude Bellingham and Cole Palmer, as well as the always-reliable goalscorer Harry Kane. It's an exciting group of players that makes them the team to watch at this summer's competition.

📺 What's on CBS Sports Golazo Network

☀️ Morning Footy (Weekdays 8-10 a.m.): Hosts Susannah Collins, Charlie Davies, Nico Cantor and Alexis Guerreros help fans get their day started on the network's flagship morning show with highlights, interviews and the biggest soccer storylines. Morning Footy is also available in podcast form, so you'll never have to miss an episode.

📦 Box 2 Box (Weekday afternoons): The news-driven show quickly recaps all the latest headlines from around the world with panelists previewing the top matchups of the day. Catch Box 2 Box on CBS Sports Golazo Network on the CBS Sports app, PlutoTV and Paramount+.

3️⃣ Attacking Third (Monday, Thursday): The leading women's soccer podcast and social brand is now a live studio show. The NWSL season is back and our coverage of the women's Game is stronger than ever. Our analysts will be breaking down the USWNT, NWSL and European domestic season all year long.

👟 Kickin' It (Tuesdays): CBS Sports Golazo Network's unfiltered interview show releases Tuesday. Hosted by Kate Abdo, Clint Dempsey, Mo Edu and Charlie Davies, the group chat candidly with the biggest names from the Beautiful Game and share their stories from on and off the pitch.

⚽ Call it What You Want (Monday night): A weekly podcast where Jimmy Conrad, Charlie Davies and friends cover all things USMNT and the state of the beautiful game in the United States.

🥅 Scoreline (Daily): Scoreline is the newest place for fans to catch up on all the biggest news and results impacting global football, match highlights from the top soccer competitions and all the can't-miss goals from the day's action, starting Thursday and airing seven days a week.

📺 How to watch: CBS Sports Golazo Network is a free 24/7 channel exclusively dedicated to offering unparalleled coverage of all the top soccer competitions worldwide. You can stream for free on the CBS Sports app, Pluto TV and Paramount+.

🎽Shop Now: Elevate your game-day style, shop curated collections inspired by Golazo Network. Paramount will receive a portion of sales.