George Bello and Alex Freeman became the 50th and 51st Americans to play in the UEFA Champions League and before that the European Cup. The post Americans in the Champions League: From Steve Trittschuh to Alex Freeman and George Bello appeared first on Soccer America.
Cristian "Kily" Gonzalez's move to Inter Miami has been agreed for weeks, but a pending work permit is keeping him from officially taking over as head coach. Inter Miami fans hoping to see Cristian “Kily” Gonzalez patrolling the sideline have had to wait longer than expected, even though the Argentine coach’s arrival was announced weeks ago. The delay has left Guillermo Hoyos in charge of the team well beyond what many anticipated when the coaching change was first revealed. The holdup comes down to paperwork: Gonzalez has yet to receive the work permit required to legally coach in the United States, and Inter Miami has stated he will only officially assume his duties once that documentation clears. Until then, the move remains agreed upon but not yet formalized on the touchline. Inter Miami confirmed the agreement with Gonzalez in an official statement in late August, announcing that Hoyos would provisionally continue leading the first team until the new coach and his staff can arrive. With no fixed date yet for when Gonzalez’s visa process will conclude, Hoyos remains the man in charge for Inter Miami’s upcoming matches, continuing to oversee a squad dealing with its own injury concerns while the club awaits the paperwork that will finally hand the reins to its intended long-term coach. Kily González celebrates a goal while coaching Union de Santa Fe. (Getty Images) What’s next for Guillermo Hoyos? Hoyos, 63, has left his own future at the club open for now. Speaking to reporters after a training session, he addressed Gonzalez’s looming arrival directly: “When Kily arrives we will surely get together and talk,” he said, adding that he remains available to the club and the incoming coaching staff to help during the transition period. Inter Miami have not clarified what role, if any, Hoyos will have once Gonzalez takes over, but a club source told AFP that he continues to be held in “high regard” within the organization. Inter Miami’s current season While the coaching situation remains unresolved, Inter Miami’s on-field results have kept the club firmly in contention. The defending MLS Cup champions sit second in the Eastern Conference and third in the overall Supporters’ Shield standings, with a record of 12 wins, four losses and seven draws for 43 points. The attack has been prolific, with Lionel Messi’s 18 league goals leading an offense that has produced 58 goals through the season. The cup competitions have told a different story. Inter Miami’s CONCACAF Champions Cup run ended in March at the Round of 16 stage after consecutive 1-1 draws, and the Leagues Cup campaign also finished early, with just one win in three league-phase matches. The one remaining chance at silverware outside MLS comes on September 16, when Inter Miami host Liga MX champion Cruz Azul at Nu Stadium in the Campeones Cup final.
⚽ Champions League updates from the 8pm BST kick-off⚽ Live scoreboard | Read Football Daily | And email Scott2 min: Arsenal are wearing red shorts. Full marks for considering those with colour blindness, and acting with compassion. It doesn’t look good, mind. It’s just not Arsenal.After a moment to remember the victims of the devastating floods in Nepal, Arsenal get the ball rolling. A blistering atmosphere at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona; did anyone expect anything else? Continue reading...
Lamine Yamal broke Kylian Mbappe's Champions League record for most goal involvements by a teenager during Barcelona's 5-1 rout of Feyenoord. Lamine Yamal has once again rewritten the Champions League history books. The Barcelona winger set a new benchmark for teenage production in the competition during Barcelona’s 5-1 rout of Feyenoord on Wednesday, moving past a mark previously set by Kylian Mbappe. According to OptaJoe, Yamal had already moved to 21 goal involvements in the Champions League with his assist for Raphinha’s opener, the outright most by a teenager in the competition’s history, one ahead of the previous record of 20 held by Mbappe. He then padded that tally further before full time, first with his own free-kick goal and later with a second assist, this one for Gabriel Jesus, finishing the night with 12 goals and 11 assists for 23 goal involvements in the competition. At 19 years old, Yamal continues to accumulate individual records at a pace few players in the tournament’s history have matched, having also become the third-youngest player ever to score a free kick in Champions League history. 🔵🔴©️ Lamine Yamal wears Barcelona’s captain armband at 19 years old… and scores on free kick.First goal as Barcelona captain. Fifth goal of the season for Lamine in five games. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/9eVXJK8G5K— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 9, 2026 Yamal becomes Barcelona’s youngest-ever captain Yamal added another layer to his historic night by wearing the captain’s armband for the first time in an official match, becoming the youngest player ever to captain Barcelona at 19 years and 58 days old, breaking a record held by Bojan Krkic, who led the team in a 2010 Copa del Rey match at 20 years and 56 days old. The armband wasn’t planned to start the game: first captain Raphinha wore it before being substituted in the 71st minute, while second-in-line Pedri had already been withdrawn in the 63rd, and with Eric Garcia suspended and Frenkie de Jong injured, the responsibility fell to Yamal, the club’s fifth captain option this season.
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