Taylor Harwood-Bellis has been left out of Unai Emery's Champions League squad, just two days after expressing his 'excitement' at the prospect of playing in Europe's elite competition.
Football journalist Julien Laurens believes playing in Serie A "could work and play to Nick Woltemade strengths", with the Newcastle forward having joined Juventus on a season-long loan deal. Germany international Woltemade joined the Magpies last summer but has struggled to bed into the Premier League. Juventus will pay Newcastle a £3.5m loan fee for Woltemade, but do not have the option to buy the 24-year-old.
After the USA won the inaugural U-20 Women's World Cup in 2002, Soccer America's Scott French compared forwards Lindsay Tarpley, Heather O'Reilly, Kelly Wilson to the "Triple-Edged Sword," heroes of the USA's inaugural Women's World Cup-winning team in 1991: Michelle Akers, April Heinrichs and Carin Jennings. Head coach Tracey (nee Bates) Leone, who also played on the 1991 team, became the first American to win a soccer world championship as both a player and head coach. The post SA Archives (2002): USA wins first U-20 Women’s World Cup appeared first on Soccer America.
A half a dozen Americans in Europe are regulars on the USWNT that will attempt to qualify in November for the 2027 Women's World Cup. The major summer move was Lindsey Heaps' departure from OL Lyonnes to her hometown Denver Summit. Moves to Europe include San Diego Wave keeper Leah Freeman to Lazio and Lexi Missimo to Les Marseillaises in France and Tyler McCamey to Barcelona from Dallas Trinity. The post WOMEN’S SOCCER: Americans in Europe’s big 5 leagues appeared first on Soccer America.
After being appointed as new Inter Miami coach, Cristian "Kily" Gonzalez will become the third person to coach Lionel Messi after sharing the pitch as a teammate. Lionel Messi is set for his third managerial change at Inter Miami as Cristian “Kily” Gonzalez steps into the head coaching role to succeed Guillermo Hoyos. With his arrival in South Florida, Gonzalez becomes just the third person in soccer history to have played alongside Messi before taking charge of him as a manager. On Thursday, August 27, Inter Miami announced in an official club statement that an agreement was reached to appoint Cristian “Kily” Gonzalez as the club’s new first-team head coach. While contract duration details remain undisclosed, the former Argentina international will assume his duties on the touchline once work authorization is finalized. A former international teammate, Gonzalez joins an exclusive fraternity of figures who shared the pitch with Messi before guiding him from the dugout. He joins a list that was first established by Lionel Scaloni taking over the Argentina national team, followed by Javier Mascherano during his recent managerial stint with Inter Miami. The most prominent name on the list is Mascherano, who ranks fifth all-time in matches played alongside Messi with 414 shared appearances. The defender and forward partnered extensively for Argentina’s senior team, claimed Olympic gold together at the 2008 Beijing Games, and anchored FC Barcelona’s dominant era before reuniting when Mascherano assumed Inter Miami’s head coaching position in 2025. Lionel Messi, Javier Mascherano and Luis Suarez of Barcelona celebrate with the UEFA Champions League trophy. (Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) Scaloni initiated this trend when he took charge of the Argentina national team in 2018, eventual helping Messi capture his first major international trophies with the Albiceleste. Prior to his managerial tenure, Scaloni shared the pitch with Messi during the forward’s infamously brief 2005 international debut against Hungary, a 2006 friendly against Angola, and their final match together against Mexico at the 2006 World Cup. Finally, Kily Gonzalez shared the field with Messi while representing Argentina during 2005 World Cup qualifying, featuring alongside the young prodigy in a 2-0 win over Peru and a 1-0 loss to Uruguay, which marked Gonzalez’s final international match. While former teammates like Pablo Aimar, Walter Samuel, and Roberto Ayala have coached Messi as assistants in Argentina, the list of head coaches remains exclusive to Scaloni, Mascherano, and now Gonzalez. Messi’s performance being coached by former teammates Playing for managers who were once peers on the field highlights Messi’s remarkable career longevity, while creating a unique dynamic in the locker room. Nevertheless, the Argentine forward has consistently produced staggering individual output under former teammates, establishing high expectations for Gonzalez’s tenure in Miami. Under Scaloni’s stewardship with Argentina, Messi featured in 79 international matches, generating 60 goals and 26 assists. Beyond the individual numbers, that partnership yielded historic silver, with Messi finally capturing his maiden major international trophies, including the 2021 Copa America, 2022 Finalissima, 2022 FIFA World Cup, and 2024 Copa America. Mascherano assumed management of Inter Miami ahead of the 2025 campaign following Gerardo Martino’s departure, concluding his stint in April 2026. Across 57 matches under Mascherano’s direction, Messi delivered 51 goals and 25 assists for the Herons, a stretch highlighted by the franchise capturing its first MLS Cup in late 2025.
David Ruiz opened up about his limited role at Inter Miami this season and his ambitions with the New York Red Bulls. David Ruiz is looking to jumpstart his career after a difficult 2026 season with Inter Miami, completing a loan move to the New York Red Bulls with an option to make the deal permanent at the end of the year. The Honduran midfielder addressed the media for the first time since the move on Thursday, opening up about what led him to seek a change of scenery. The 22-year-old, who rose through Inter Miami’s academy to the first team in 2023, saw his playing time shrink dramatically this season, appearing in just 11 of a possible 28 matches with only three starts and no goals or assists to his name. That marks a steep drop from his earlier seasons in Miami, where he contributed a goal in six appearances during the club’s 2023 Leagues Cup triumph and added a goal and two assists across 28 games during the 2024 Supporters’ Shield-winning campaign. Ruiz’s momentum was also disrupted by injury, as a hamstring problem kept him out of Inter Miami’s run to the 2025 MLS Cup title, a trophy he watched Lionel Messi and his teammates lift without him. With his opportunities limited again this year, the midfielder ultimately decided a move away from Miami was the best path to reviving his career. David Ruiz opens up about Inter Miami’s coaching instability after joining New York Red Bulls pic.twitter.com/pKM3rAk0eJ— Bolavip US (@bolavipus) September 3, 2026 Asked by Bolavip about his goals heading into this new chapter, Ruiz didn’t hold back. “Yeah, I’m looking to come, add my little grain of rice, being able to come and work hard and fight for a position,” he said. “And yeah, I just come with the mentality to win and make it to the playoffs”. He now joins a young Red Bulls squad currently sitting eighth in the Eastern Conference, hoping regular minutes under Michael Bradley can put his career back on track. Noah Allen also departs Inter Miami Ruiz wasn’t the only academy product to leave Inter Miami around the transfer deadline. Defender Noah Allen, the club’s all-time appearance leader with 133 outings across all competitions, was sold to Eastern Conference rival Chicago Fire. The 22-year-old had been with the organization since 2019, working his way up from the academy to become a fixture in Miami’s backline, and won both the 2023 Leagues Cup and 2024 Supporters’ Shield during his time with the club.
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