Lionel Messi and Inter Miami dumped out of MLS playoffs; NWSL’s big four all advance to playoff semifinals

Happy Veterans Day! The men’s international break is officially here, but nor before a thrilling round of playoff action took place in the U.S. over the weekend. I’m Pardeep Cattry with the latest.

Footy fix

All times U.S./Eastern

Tuesday, Nov. 12
UWCL: Juventus vs. Arsenal, 12:45 p.m. DAZN
UWCL: Manchester City vs. Hammarby, 3 p.m. DAZN

The Forward Line

Playoff season in full swing in MLS, NWSL

The postseason delivered on the entertainment value in the U.S. over the weekend, but while the favorites came out on top in the NWSL Playoffs, the biggest surprise of the weekend came courtesy of MLS.

Atlanta United oust Inter Miami

Atlanta United pulled off the biggest upset of the MLS Cup Playoffs so far on Saturday, beating Supporters’ Shield winners Inter Miami in South Florida after a thrilling 3-2 win.

Miami out-possessed and outshot Atlanta, taking 25 shots to the opponent’s nine and generating 2.77 expected goals to Atlanta’s 1.76. The back-and-forth nature of the game, though, meant the game kept slipping out of reach. Matias Rojas’ 17th minute goal was canceled out by Jamal Thiare’s equalizer just two minutes later, and matters grew worse when Thiare had Atlanta in the lead by the 21st minute. Their flurry of shots finally led them to a 65th minute equalizer from Lionel Messi, who was influential with seven shots on Saturday. That momentum switch was fleeting, too – Bartosz Slisz scored Atlanta’s game-winner just 11 minutes later.

Atlanta withstood Miami’s attack thanks in large part to 40-year-old Brad Guzan, who made nine saves on Saturday and became only the second-ever goalkeeper to make eight-plus saves in multiple playoff games in a single season. The result completes a remarkable turn of form for Atlanta, who are the lowest-seeded team in the Eastern Conference after a far from ideal season, as Chuck Booth writes.

• Booth: “From selling Thiago Almada and Giorgos Giakoumakis to firing head coach Gonzalo Pineda and needing help to make the playoffs, the Five Stripes weren’t supposed to be in this series against Inter Miami but they not only made it but they were able to hold their own. [Sergio] Busquets being unavailable for the second game and only being fit enough to come off the bench in this one hurt the defensive shape for Miami, and while the attackers performed well, Guzan was there to stop everything that came his way.”

Atlanta will face Orlando City in the conference semifinals, when the competition switches to a single-elimination format. New York City FC will host the first edition of the Hudson River Derby in the playoffs when they take on the New York Red Bulls, who surprisingly ousted reigning MLS Cup champions Columbus Crew last week. In the West, LAFC will face the Seattle Sounders and the LA Galaxy will take on Minnesota United.

NWSL’s top four make up final four

Each of the top seeds advanced in the NWSL Playoffs over the weekend, though it was not exactly smooth sailing for most of them. Though the Orlando Pride advanced with an unfussy 4-1 win over the Chicago Red Stars, the Kansas City Current, the Washington Spirit and NJ/NY Gotham FC all advanced after closely-contested games.

The Pride will face the Current in the semifinals, who survived the North Carolina Courage’s push for goal after Temwa Chawinga’s eighth minute strike ensured they would carry a 1-0 lead until the final whistle blew. Chawinga’s availability, though, will loom over this matchup for the next week. This season’s top goalscorer has been carrying a knee injury for several weeks now, playing only the first half of the Current’s win over Gotham in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup final on Oct. 25 and missing out on their win over the Red Stars on Nov. 3 entirely. She played all 90 minutes against the Courage on Saturday but after being treated for an injury late in the game, questions around her fitness remain.

The Spirit will meet Gotham on the flip side of the bracket after surviving competitive games of their own. The Spirit beat expansion team Bay FC 2-1 after extra time on Sunday, picking things up in the second half after Bay’s low block stumped them in the first and then responding strongly after Asisat Oshoala gave Bay the lead in the 82nd minute by finding an equalizer just four minutes later through Tara McKeown. Later on Sunday, Gotham dominated against a defense-oriented Portland Thorns team and eventually got a 2-1 win with stoppage time winner from Rose Lavelle.

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  Midfield Link Play

Pochettino picks familiar faces for Nations League

The U.S. men’s national team are officially back to work in Orlando, Fla., where the group are preparing for their Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal tie against Jamaica, which will mark the first competitive games the team will play under new head coach Mauricio Pochettino. He called upon a batch of mainstays for the home-and-away series, with roster selections influenced considerably by injuries.

Here’s the roster in full.

• Goalkeepers: Diego Kochen (FC Barcelona Atletic), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew), Zack Steffen (Colorado Rapids), Matt Turner (Crystal Palace)
• Defenders: Mark McKenzie (Toulouse), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace) Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Auston Trusty (Celtic)
• Midfielders: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Gianluca Busio (Venezia/), Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough), Yunus Musah (AC Milan), Tanner Tessmann (Olympique Lyon), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven)
• Forwards: Cade Cowell (Guadalajara), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Brandon Vazquez (Monterrey), Tim Weah (Juventus), Alex Zendejas (Club America)

Despite the familiarity of the roster, though, the USMNT could line up in new looks this month. Timothy Weah, for example, is suspended for the first leg in Jamaica on Thursday after picking up a red card during the Copa America group stages, while injuries to the likes of Josh Sargent, Folarin Balogun and Haji Wright means that attacking spots are up for grabs. This could be a major moment for Ricardo Pepi, who scored in Pochettino’s first game in charge last month, but the opportunity’s ripe for many. Brandon Vazquez and Alex Zendejas, for example, could see more minutes after impressing as late additions to the October roster.

Pochettino might also be willing to try some things out in defense. He called up just two natural fullbacks in Antonee Robinson and Joe Scally, but might experiment with his players’ tactical flexibility this month.

• Pochettino: “I think today, football in the last few years, you see the teams like Manchester City, Arsenal and company, I think we can see that a center back can play like a fullback. Tim Ream, [in Charlotte FC’s MLS Cup Playoffs game against Orlando City], was playing like a fullback. For me, he’s a center back but he was playing the left fullback. He can play. Depends on the dynamics of the game … I think we all agree that Yunus Musah can play wingback, maybe right back. Against Real Madrid [in last week’s UEFA Champions League match], he performed in a fantastic way and they won the game with [AC] Milan. I think he’s another player that can perform there, can play.”

  Top Stories

Coote suspended: Premier League referee David Coote has been suspended after a video circulated on social media appeared to show him verbally denigrating Liverpool ex-manager Jurgen Klopp.

Yohannes picks USWNT: 17-year-old midfielder Lily Yohannes has officially opted to represent the U.S., the country of her birth, at the international level. She is in the process of obtaining Dutch citizenship after moving to the Netherlands at age 10, but has never been eligible to represent the European nation.

Countdown to NWSL Championship: With the semifinalists locked in, here’s a ranking of the potential matchups at the NWSL Championship in less than two weeks’ time.

Juric sacked: Roma are once again on the search for a new manager, firing Ivan Juric just weeks after hiring him on Sept. 18 to replace Daniele De Rossi. Roberto Mancini is considered a favorite to fill the vacancy.

Winless streaks in England: Manchester City lost to Brighton on Saturday, making it the first time Pep Guardiola has suffered four defeats in a row, while Arsenal’s draw with Chelsea on Sunday makes them winless in four and continues to highlight the absence of Martin Odegaard.

Slot on top: In praise of Arne Slot, who has Liverpool atop the Premier League and Champions League standings as his near-perfect start at the club continues.

Conte on VAR: Napoli manager Antonio Conte complained about the intervention of VAR in his team’s draw with Inter on Sunday, referencing the call to award Inter a penalty that they eventually failed to convert.

  The Back Line

Best bets

• UEFA Women’s Champions League: Juventus vs. Arsenal, Tuesday, 12:45 p.m.
  THE PICK: Less than 2.5 goals scored (+105) – Thing have not always gone right for Arsenal this season, but they still boast an impressive defensive record through seven WSL games, conceding just five goals along the way. Expect them to bring that defensive stability to their Matchday 3 fixture at Juventus as they eye a second win in a row in Europe.
• UEFA Women’s Champions League: Manchester City vs. Hammarby, Tuesday, 3 p.m.
  THE PICK: More than 4.5 goals scored (+115) – Manchester City are off to a strong start this season, currently leading the WSL table after scoring 16 goals in in seven games. Their high-scoring tendencies should come in handy against Hammarby, who have conceded nine goals in two UEFA Women’s Champions League games so far, so expect a lot of goals in Manchester on Tuesday.

For more picks, predictions, expert tips and the latest betting news, don’t miss out on CBSSports.com’s betting home page.   

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