I have a theory as to one reason (of many) the England National Team tends to underperform in major tournaments: the players all play in the same league. Every England international plays in the Premier League. One might argue this breeds familiarity and is therefore good for the national team, but I think it leads to a lack of stylistic variety in the team and makes the payer pool stagnant. It's basically like inbreeding, is what I'm saying.
The 2025 USMNT Nations League roster was announced on Tuesday with head coach Mauricio Pochettino selecting the 23 players who will aim to defeat Panama in the semifinal and the winner of Mexico/Canada in the final.
There were plenty of questions heading into the roster announcement with a litany of injuries including the likes of Ricardo Pepi, Folarin Balogun and more. Here are the 23 players Pochettino called upon.
Goalkeepers:
The GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) debate in soccer seems to always revolve around Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The latter has added more fire to the debate during an interview with El Chiringuito where Ronaldo said that no player is more complete than him.
The United States men’s national team defeated Venezuela 3-1 in a friendly at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Flordia, on Saturday with several players impressing for the Stars and Stripes.
Saturday’s friendly was outside of the traditional FIFA international windows meaning big name players like Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and others weren’t available. Many USMNT fans dislike the annual January friendly the team does and refers to it as “Camp Cupcake.”
All players on the roster are domestic-based and play in Major League Soccer.
Whether you’re a die-hard American soccer fan or a casual enjoyer, you might be curious about the best US soccer players. American players have been excelling in the world’s top leagues this season. Here are the ones to watch in 2025.
Honorable mentions: Johnny Cardoso, Sergiño Dest and Malik Tillman
10. Chris Richards
A Cristiano Ronaldo Ligue 1 comment is making the rounds on social media after the Al Nassr star forward said the Saudi Pro League is superior to France’s top flight. He then doubled down and said that Ligue 1 only has PSG, and the rest of the league is “finished.”
The comments were made during the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai, UAE, on Friday. Ronaldo, who was named Best Middle East Player 2024 at the award show, was asked about where the Saudi League ranks compared to a league like France’s Ligue 1.
CR7 didn’t hold back.
Weston McKennie is on Cloud 9 after scoring a fabulous scissor kick goal against Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday. His biggest haters, Leeds United fans, appear to be in shambles on social media.
After Wednesday's game McKennie did an interview with CBS and was asked by Micah Richards about his loan spell with Leeds United.
Landon Donovan, one of the most iconic figures in U.S. soccer history, has shared his thoughts on the current situation of U.S. men's national team star Gio Reyna and why a move to Major League Soccer might be the right next step for the Borussia Dortmund player.
The Los Angeles Galaxy won their sixth MLS Cup as they defeated New York Red Bulls 2-1 on Saturday in front of their home crowd at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. If you didn’t tune into the game, you missed out.
We personally know several people who didn’t watch for ridiculous reasons like, “Oh Lionel Messi isn’t playing I’m not interested!” or “Dude I can’t watch, Texas vs. Georgia is going to be on!”
The United States women’s national team drew England 0-0 in front of a packed Wembley Stadium on Saturday during a friendly. The game saw a tactical chess match between the head coaches as well as a Lindsey Horan bicycle kick attempt.
USWNT fans were brutal online toward the star U.S. midfielder as she failed to make an impact on the game.
The 30-year-old captain looked sluggish in midfield, had several wayward passes that missed the mark, scored a goal while offside and of course, the bicycle kick attempt.