Analysis

Pep Guardiola has never been one to mince his words, but his tone after Manchester City were ripped to shreds by tiny Bodo/Glimt on Tuesday was almost apocalyptic. While he did point out that his side were missing 11 players for their trip to the Arctic Circle and was hugely complimentary of their victors, he laid out the state his team are in right now in no uncertain terms.

GOAL spoke to several of the USMNT's key MLS-based stars about how they approached time off knowing what was to come.

The 2026 World Cup will be unlike any before it - bigger in size and scope, without a clear favorite, and staged in some of the most iconic venues in world sport. Here’s everything worth knowing.

Even though they had waited three years to beat Manchester City at Old Trafford and far longer to do so with such authority, Manchester United's emphatic victory in last weekend's derby was the easy part. Any team, especially one with a new manager who is steeped in the club's glorious history, can get up for a match with their biggest rivals and win it.

Liverpool are in a mess all of their own making. The Reds knew that they were short on senior centre-backs last summer and had ample time to address the problem before the close of the transfer window - yet they waited until deadline day to finalise a move for Marc Guehi. So, when Crystal Palace pulled the plug on the deal at the 11th hour, Liverpool were left in the very, very precarious position of needing Ibrahima Konate to continue performing at a high level, Joe Gomez to stay fit and teenage summer signing Giovanni Leoni to make an immediate impact at Anfield.

Mason Greenwood is preparing for arguably the most high-profile match of his Marseille career so far as Premier League champions Liverpool arrive on the south coast of France. But while the Champions League clash will be talked up as an audition for England's World Cup squad in some grubby corners of the internet, the reality is that the damage done to Greenwood's reputation in his homeland is irreparable - regardless of his exploits at Stade Velodrome.

GOAL Convo: Tillman looks forward to an important 2026 after shining for an ambitious LAFC side and getting a rare chance with the USMNT last year.

Mic'd Up: The former USMNT striker talked about the pre-World Cup mindset, the U.S. striker situation and why Mexico will always be the team under the most pressure.

Inter Miami finally lifted MLS Cup in 2025. After reloading in the transfer market, the Herons are built not just to repeat - but to dominate in 2026.

"We’ve known Jobe [Bellingham] for several years, and of course we have followed his progress very closely. He has taken another huge step forward in his development over the last year, and even at the age of 19 he has become a real leader," Borussia Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl said after Bellingham's £28 million ($37m) transfer from Sunderland in June. "His commanding presence in central midfield is remarkable, and he will improve our team in various systems."

This is Legacy, GOAL’s podcast and feature series following the road to the 2026 World Cup. Every week, we dive into the stories and legacies that shaped football’s greatest nations. Today we look at Spain’s search for a new symbol, 16 years after the golden glow of 2010. From Andres Iniesta’s magic in Johannesburg to the rise of a fearless teenager lighting up Barcelona, it’s the story of Lamine Yamal, and how one young prodigy could lead La Roja back to the top of the world...

Erling Haaland has already conquered most Champions League records, but Manchester City's trip to Bodo/Glimt on Tuesday offers him a chance to break new ground by becoming the first Norwegian player to score against a Norwegian team in the competition's history. Even though Bodo is a 24-hour drive from Haaland's hometown of Bryn and way up in the Arctic circle, this is still a homecoming for the nation's most famous athlete.

Before last season, very few casual fans would have been aware of Pafos FC's existence. The Cypriot outfit played in Europe for the first time in their 11-year history, reaching the last 16 of the Conference League, and followed up that impressive run by clinching their maiden league title. The latter achievement earned Pafos a spot in the Champions League qualifying rounds, and helped attract one of the most famous footballers of his generation.

With the 2026 World Cup just months away, GOAL looks at the state of Canada's full back positions.

As the Champions League picks back up again, GOAL's writers look at the state of the competition and make some big predictions as the group phase draws to a close.

The Champions League, Europa League and Conference League are back and GOAL breaks down what's at stake for Americans playing in the competitions.

Chelsea are on the hunt for a new central defender to lead their backline. This ought to have been a top priority after Antonio Rudiger left for a free to Real Madrid in 2022, and it was a need only exacerbated when Thiago Silva returned to Fluminense two years later. Yet it is a priority they have continued to neglect until now, as the man who they want to fill that void at the back is Jeremy Jacquet.

GOAL runs the rule over the British players earning a living away from their homeland, with plenty more stars deciding to leave their comfort zones in search of a better footballing life elsewhere. The Premier League is still obviously one of the world's most entertaining divisions and the Championship can prove fantastic for development, but there are more options out there.

GOAL reviews the major takeaways from Americans playing in Europe, including some important goals from two strikers in the Championship.

Before heading off to represent Morocco at the Africa Cup of Nations, Brahim Diaz thanked Real Madrid fans for all of their support in 2025 before adding, "See you all next year, full of excitement." However, the player and his club's supporters could not be experiencing more contrasting starts to 2026. While Brahim was bursting with joy after Morocco beat Nigeria on penalties on Wednesday to move just one win away from ending the nation's 50-year wait for a second AFCON title, Madridistas were exploding with rage after watching their team suffer a second demoralising defeat in five days.

GOAL looks at the biggest storylines among Americans Abroad, including Pulisic looking to get back on track against Lecce.

The USMNT Transfer Notebook tracks American player movements, with latest developments for those in the U.S. national team pool

Darren Fletcher played alongside twin brothers Rafael and Fabio da Silva while at Manchester United, but little did he know that many years later, his own twin sons would be vying for a place in the Red Devils' first team. Fletcher opted against playing either of his sons, Jack or Tyler, during his brief spell as interim coach, perhaps out of fear of accusations of nepotism.

Manchester City fans sure have enjoyed watching Manchester United’s demise over the past 13 years, with each new coach that has failed at Old Trafford giving the Blues plenty of fresh material to sing about on the terraces.

Every summer, Brentford seem to dance with death. They almost always sell off at least one of their best players and don't usually replace them, at least in a like-for-like sense. Yet since they were promoted to the Premier League in 2021, the Bees have never really faced the threat of relegation back to the Championship. It was, however, only this past summer that they were widely tipped to battle the drop.

After a frustrating year in Liga MX, Cade Cowell told GOAL why a Red Bulls move could reignite his career and put his USMNT World Cup ambitions back on track.

GOAL sat down with the centerback to discuss why he left Nashville SC to join Toronto FC and his ambition to play in another World Cup.

While effectively ruling himself out of the running to take over at Real Madrid, Jurgen Klopp pointed out that "the coaching market is being reshuffled" right now - because Xabi Alonso isn't the only manager to lose his job at an elite European club since the turn of the year. On January 1, less than six months after lifting the Club World Cup, Enzo Maresca was fired by Chelsea after publicly criticising his employers. Just four days later, Manchester United also got rid of Ruben Amorim for speaking out of turn.

EXCLUSIVE: Yan Diomande tells GOAL how his unlikely American journey - from UPSL fields to RB Leipzig - shaped one of Europe’s fastest-rising stars.