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GOAL looks at the biggest storylines among Americans Abroad, including a Premier League matchup of USMNT stars

It's difficult to overstate Cole Palmer's importance to Chelsea, but it's probably reflected in how determined head coach Enzo Maresca has been to have him at his disposal this season despite a persistent, niggling groin injury. The Blues have now paid a significant price for that over-reliance on the 23-year-old, with the attacker - who has already been sidelined for close to a month - now ruled out until December, in a crushing blow to his club and his World Cup hopes.

Pep Guardiola longed to see Jack Grealish return to being the player he was when he helped Manchester City sweep to the treble. He waited and waited, and now has finally got his wish, albeit not in the way he would have hoped. Grealish feels like a brand new player away from City on loan at Everton, even more influential than in 2023, a talisman for his new club rather than just one of many stars.

It's a weird time to be Endrick. The immensely talented Brazilian was supposed to be part of a new era, but instead finds himself in complete limbo. He hasn't played for five months, and everything suggests that he probably should have left over the summer. Injuries and a reluctance from the manager to play him have resulted in successive games sat on the bench, and now the 19-year-old faces a huge decision on his future.

Vasco da Gama sensation Rayan Vitor is already into the third season of his senior career, despite only turning 19 on August 3, which is not a normal occurrence in the Brazilian Serie A, or indeed any other top league in the world. Rayan's star has also risen rapidly despite Vasco facing one of the most turbulent periods in their history, with financial uncertainty undermining the team's efforts since key figures from U.S. investment firm 777 Partners were removed from the board in May 2024.

Of all factors explaining the chasm between Manchester United and Liverpool right now, not one can compare with the differing approaches to appoint their latest managers. Liverpool were compelled to hire Arne Slot after consulting a highly sophisticated data model developed by a Harvard-educated physicist. United, meanwhile, recruited Ruben Amorim largely because of the vibes.

Arsenal will be relieved to have hit the international break after their sluggish form continued on Thursday, albeit in a 2-0 victory at Benfica that got their Champions League title defence up and running. The Gunners have found things tough as of late, winning just one of their last five games coming into this fixture, and those struggles continued in a rather toothless performance in Portugal despite goals from Beth Mead and Alessia Russo.

It's unlikely that Maya Le Tissier didn't see the discourse around her going into Manchester United's Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid. After Sarina Wiegman said she saw the Red Devils' captain as more of a right-back, rather than a centre-back, the conversation was unavoidable, with everyone from Ian Wright to the Man Utd social media admin getting involved to wonder just why the England boss doesn't see Le Tissier as a serious contender for a starting role in the heart of the Lionesses defence. Perhaps it even served as fuel for the player herself, because she was outstanding in the 1-0 win in Spain that maintained United's perfect start to their first ever UWCL campaign.

Mic'd Up: The former national team star says the USMNT are far from a finished product under Pochettino, even as squad starts to find form

With the World Cup just eight months away, GOAL looks at how the U.S. squad might look next summer

There was more than just a hint of excitement in the air as the final stages of the match at Liberty Stadium approached in January 2013. The score was 0-0 between the home team Swansea City and Champions League holders Chelsea. But with the Swans having won the first leg of their League Cup semi-final 2-0 at Stamford Bridge, they were within touching distance of preparing for a final appearance at Wembley.

The end of the October international window is upon us, club football fans. Get ready for four more weeks of Premier League fun before we're lulled back into the November break. Fortunately, there's non-stop action before then to look forward to, beginning with some mouth-watering fixtures this coming weekend, including Manchester United's trip to Liverpool.

With two open-play goals in their last three games, a lot of the talk coming into Chelsea's Women's Champions League clash with Paris FC on Wednesday night was about the dominant force in English football, and one of the front-runners for this trophy, not being quite themselves in front of goal. But Sonia Bompastor's Blues were able to quieten those doubters in their final game before the international break, with a 4-0 victory over the Parisians at Stamford Bridge.

Hayes is using the October friendlies to form a side that more closely resembles the XI that will feature at the 2027 World Cup

The competitive La Liga fixture, to be held in Miami, comes after years of conflict over a possible match outside of Europe

Canada and Colombia played to a scoreless draw at Sports Illustrated Stadium, but on a weeknight in New Jersey, the score wasn't the point

The USMNT boss has a roster emerging that he can trust, with several playing their way into - or out of - World Cup contention

Thomas Tuchel has done the bare minimum expected of him when he was appointed as England manager one year ago: Qualify for the 2026 World Cup. Tuchel has done it with minimal fuss, too, as the Three Lions have won all six of their competitive games to top their qualifying group with two games to spare. It has not always been pretty, but that will count for little once the tournament gets going next summer.

England are going to the 2026 World Cup, and they are going there in style after another 5-0 win away from home as Latvia became the latest victims of a team that is well and truly taking shape under Thomas Tuchel. The Three Lions have booked their place at next summer's bonanza in North America with two games to spare after winning their first six qualifiers, without conceding a single goal in the process.

When Chelsea signed Ellie Carpenter in the summer transfer window, one of the first thoughts for many was: What does this mean for Lucy Bronze? Eight years younger than the Lionesses star, Carpenter firmly established herself as a world-class right-back during a trophy-laden five-year stint with Lyon. Was she now moving to London to usurp one of England's biggest names?

The challenges of September are in the rearview mirror, as Wright scored twice and the U.S. dominated possession to beat Australia

The Coventry City striker took charge when his national team needed him most, scoring once in each half to seal important win

Portugal failed to wrap up 2026 World Cup qualification after conceding a late Hungary equaliser to draw 2-2 in Lisbon. Roberto Martinez's side had initially come from behind to get in front, courtesy of two Cristiano Ronaldo goals that set a new all-time World Cup qualifying record, and were on the brink of booking their ticket to North America thanks to Armenia's defeat to Ireland providing the extra nudge required. But Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai intervened at the death and it means Ronaldo and co. must now wait until November for their next chance instead.

Who's hot, who's not? GOAL ranks all 14 teams across the National Women's Soccer League

A typically insatiable Harry Kane fired England to the 2026 World Cup as the captain scored twice in the 5-0 hammering of Latvia which extended the Three Lions' 100 percent record in qualifying. Kane, who had missed Thursday's friendly win over Wales with an ankle injury, returned to set a new England record by scoring more than once for the 13th time in international football to move on to 76 goals for his country.

The U.S. have been knocking at the door, but what needs to change to finally open it? That question remains after another exit

As Sarina Wiegman prepared to announce her first England squad since the Lionesses triumphed at the European Championship back in July, one of the biggest questions surrounded Millie Bright. After missing that triumph, citing physical and mental fatigue as she withdrew from selection, would the Chelsea captain be available again? Three months on, we have our answer.

Brazil surrendered a two-goal lead as a complete second-half collapse resulted in a humiliating 3-2 friendly defeat to Japan in Tokyo on Tuesday. Carlo Ancelotti's side had looked supremely comfortable at the break courtesy of fine strikes from Paulo Henrique and Gabriel Martinelli, but they conspired to throw away their advantage - crumbling under pressure from their spirited hosts. The second defeat of his tenure already, Ancelotti has his work cut out as preparations for the 2026 World Cup ramp up.

"La France, c'est vous." Translated as 'France, is you', that was what French president Charles de Gaulle told footballer Rachid Mekhloufi in 1968. Mekhloufi had just led his Saint-Etienne side to the double, and the reward was an audience with the most powerful man in the country. For Mekhloufi, this sentence brought things full circle. Now he was both Algerian and French; 10 years earlier, he had - in a sense - been neither.