Informational/Did You Know

The Chicago Red Stars will host Bay FC in the first-ever NWSL match at Wrigley Field on June 8.

"Playing at Wrigley Field will be the event that fans of the Red Stars, Cubs and Chicago sports won't want to miss," Red Stars president Karen Leetzow said in a news release on Tuesday.

United States women’s national team legend Ali Krieger is returning to the field and will play for the U.S. Women’s team in TST (The Soccer Tournament) this summer.

Krieger, who retired after winning the NWSL Championship with Gotham FC last season, is dusting off her boots for one last dance.

TST had its inaugural 7-on-7 competition last year and was a smashing success drawing in tons of fans for the $1 million tournament.

The Portland Thorns signed forward Sophia Smith to a two-year contract extension Tuesday, making her the highest paid player in the NWSL, ESPN reported.

While Smith's deal runs through the 2025 season, the contract will include an option for 2026.

The question on many soccer fans’ minds these days is “when will Messi retire?” and the Argentina star has provided an answer (sort of).

Lionel Messi is still producing highlights on what feels like a weekly basis with Inter Miami but has given fans a clue about his retirement situation.

When speaking with Big Time Podcast the 36-year-old said that it’s not a certain age that will mark his retirement, but his play will be the determining factor.

When will Messi retire?

Chelsea and United States women’s national team forward Catarina Macario returned from an ACL injury this month and has already bagged two goals and an assist for her club.

Macario, who had been out injured since summer 2022, made her long-awaited Chelsea debut on March 3 in the FA Women’s Super League, scoring a late goal. She then found the back of the net again with the winner vs. Everton on March 10.

On Tuesday she provided her first assist for her new club as Chelsea defeated Ajax 3-0 in the Women’s Champions League.

Soccer fans in the United States are getting spoiled this summer. Not only will the Copa América be hosted in the States, but some of the world’s biggest clubs have announced summer tours in the USA.

Top teams like Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and AC Milan will all play games stateside this summer.

The friendlies will take place at the end of July and start of August meaning there won’t be any overlap with the Copa América or Euros. Both international tournaments conclude on July 14.

The 23-player roster for the United States men’s national team’s upcoming games in the Concacaf Nations League was revealed on Wednesday. The roster had several surprises including the return of Tyler Adams and Josh Sargent.

Gregg Berhalter appeared on CBS’s pregame coverage of the UEFA Champions League and took questions from Kate Abdo, Thierry Henry, Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards about the squad he selected.

“This was the hardest roster we’ve ever had to pick based on the players in form,” Berhalter said.

Weston McKennie is in some of the best form of his career as the USMNT and Juventus midfielder has lit up Serie A this season.

He’s arguably been the best player for Juventus in the 2023-24 campaign and one of the top midfielders in the Italian league. One McKennie statistic raised eyebrows among fans.

Since the start of the calendar year only one player in Europe’s top five leagues has more assists than him. Kevin De Bruyne.

Christian Pulisic found the back of the net again for AC Milan on Sunday as he bagged the winner in the Italian side’s 1-0 victory vs. Empoli in Serie A at San Siro.

In the 40th minute Milan forward Noah Okafor found the American star open at the top of the box with a clever cutback pass. 

Pulisic didn’t get the full contact on his shot he would’ve hoped for, but the soccer gods were on his side as a deflection off Empoli’s Sebastiano Luperto saw the ball trickle into the goal.