USWNT look to make Emma Hayes' first tournament a success as they go for Gold | EFL season begins

Happy Friday! The EFL Championship, Leauge One and League Two kick off this weekend and the United States Women's national team can secure a Gold Medal at the Olympics as they take on Spain. I'm Chuck Booth and we've got a lot to get through as European soccer returns so let's get to it:

📺 Footy fix

All times U.S./Eastern

Friday, Aug. 9
🥇 Olympics (men): France vs. Spain, 12 p.m. ➡️ USA
Coppa Italia: Sassuolo vs. Cittadella, 12 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network
English Championship: Blackburn Rovers vs. Derby County, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+, CBS Sports Networkx
English Championship: Preston North End vs. Sheffield United, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network
🇺🇸🇲🇽 Leagues Cup: Toluca vs. Sporting Kansas City, 9 p.m. ➡️ FS1

Saturday, Aug. 10
English Championship: Leeds United vs. Portsmouth, 7:30 a.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Golazo Network, Paramount+
FA Community Shield: Manchester United vs. Manchester City, 10 a.m. ➡️ ESPN+
English League Two: MK Dons vs. Bradford City, 10 a.m.  ➡️ CBS Sports Goalzo Network, Paramount+
🥇 Olympics (women): Brazil vs. USWNT, 11 a.m. ➡️ NBC
English League One: Wrexham vs. Wycombe Wanderers, 12:30 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Network, Paramount+
USL Championship: Pittsburgh Riverhounds vs. San Antonio FC, 7 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Golazo Network, Paramount+
USL Championship: Phoenix Rising vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies, 11 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Golazo Network, Paramount+

Sunday, Aug. 11
English Championship, Sheffield Wednesday vs. Plymouth Argyle, 11 a.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Golazo Network, Paramount+

⚽ The Forward Line

🇺🇸 USWNT go for gold 

The U.S. women's national team will face Brazil in the gold medal match at the Paris Olympics as Emma Hayes looks to pull off a perfect debut taking over the USWNT. The team needed a late goal from Sophia Smith and heroics from Alyssa Naeher in the net to get past Germany, but one player whose impact can't be understated is Naomi Girma.

Hayes called Girma the "best defender I've ever seen - ever" and it's hard to dispute her on that. Coming out of Stanford and immediately starring for the San Diego Wave to win the NWSL Rookie of the Year and Defender of the Year awards, Girma then followed that up by being named the U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year in 2023. 

Next in her path is an Olympic medal. While she's guaranteed at least a silver medal, all things are better in gold. Brazil will get Marta back from suspension for this final but Sandra Herrera says the USWNT can't only focus on her:

• Herrera: "There will be plenty of eyes on Marta and that could be exactly what Brazil want to ensure that Angelina can continue her reign in the midfield. Brazil's middle third has given inspired performances on the pitch during the quarterfinals and semifinals, exhibiting relentless efforts in counter-pressing scenarios and facilitating quick transitions. Orlando Pride's Angelina has been a key feature in the elevated play for the midfield. She delivered a spirited performance against Spain during the semifinal, covering lots of ground, and was a connective presence during transitional moments. Her familiarity with Orlando Pride teammates Adriana, and Marta, has only increased her impact on the pitch for Brazil."

If the USWNT defense can continue their excellent performances on the defensive end, the trio of Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith and Mallory Swanson have shown that they have enough goals between them to score when it matters.

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🔗  Midfield Link Play

✅ A new era of EFL soccer on CBS

Today is the first day of EFL soccer on CBS after a landmark deal brings Championship, League One, League Two, and Carabao Cup matches to CBS Sports networks and Paramount+. From Wrexham's rise through the divisions, Americans galore and more, we'll have it on CBS this season and beyond. To get ready for the new season, James Benge took a look at some fixtures to keep an eye on and one will feature two Americans squaring off with big stakes. Here's what he has to say about Coventry City vs. Norwich City on Aug. 31:

• Benge: "A host of U.S. men's national team talent should give Gregg Berhalter's successor good reason to keep a close eye on the English lower leagues over the next few months. From that perspective there may be no more intriguing game than the match-up between Coventry City's Haji Wright and Josh Sargent of Norwich City, should he still be at the club. Both these forwards parlayed impressive seasons in the second tier into a spot on the Copa America roster but neither forward has quite managed to carve out a starting role for themselves on the international stage. Could another season filled with Championship goals change that? It certainly couldn't hurt and would surely put Wright and Sargent in the shop window with the 2026 World Cup looming large."

The EFL is full of storylines that will be touched on in the lead-up to the richest Game in sport where everything culminates for one team to make it to the Premier League while one may have to break apart the team that they've been building for years due to financial concerns. 

I also took a look at the Americans around the league and one of the newest to join could have quite an impact for their team. Adian Morris joined Michael Carrick's Middlesbrough side from the Columbus Crew and they could surprise some people this season.

• What to be excited about: "It doesn't get much better for a young midfielder than to learn from a legend at their position like Carrick, and it's something to be excited about. Morris has stepped up to meet every challenge so far in his career but the move to England will be among the toughest that he's seen so far. Being able to respond to this will be quite something for the 22-year-old."

🔗  Top Stories

🇺🇸 Mauricio Pocettino to coach the USMNT?: According to reports, the former Chelsea manager could be among the top choices to replace Gregg Berhalter in coaching the USMNT. 

❌ Pepe retires: The iconic Pepe has hung up his cleats after 737 appearances for club and country during his illustrious career. While the silverware has been excellent, he also has been a box office player so we've taken a look at ranking some of his craziest moments. 

🆕 Brazil scouting report: Let's get familiar with Brazil ahead of the gold medal match.

✈️ Attenzione, pickpocket: Mikel Arteta has been known for his unorthodox moments but hiring pickpockets during a team dinner to show his players that they should always be alert is a new one.

💰  The Back Line

💵 Best bets

• English Championship
  💰 THE PICK: Norwich City to win (+130) -- With hopes of promotion, every point matters and for Norwich City, getting the season started on the right foot against Oxford if of the utmost importance. We've already gone into how important Josh Sargent will be for the Canaries but they have so much firepower even outside of him to overwhelm Oxford on the opening day.
• English Championship: Future

💰 THE PICK: Leeds United to win the Championship  (+275) -- Recently relegated teams may be among the favorites to be promoted but for Leeds United, they have a bone to pick after all the relegated teams but them went back to the Premier League. Still boasting a strong squad, the Whites are well poised to run away with the league this season.

📺 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.

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. And don't miss Wednesday live streams on YouTube at 11 a.m. ET.

⚽ 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. You can also catch the show streaming live on YouTube every Monday at 11 a.m. ET.

🥅 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+.