Welcome to a new week! Between the Women's World Cup semifinals, the return of the Premier League, and Neymar's headline-stealing transfer to Saudi Arabia, there's never a dull moment in the soccer world. I'm Pardeep Cattry with bringing you the latest ahead of a busy week.
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📺 Footy fix
All times U.S./Eastern
Monday, August 14
🏴 EPL: Man United vs. Wolves, 3 p.m. ➡️ USA Network
🇮🇹 Coppa Italia: Spezia vs. Venezia, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇪🇸 La Liga: Atletico Madrid vs. Grenada, 3:30 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+
🇧🇷 Brasileirão: Palmeiras vs. Cruzeiro, 6 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
Tuesday, August 15
🏆 World Cup: Spain vs. Sweden, 4 a.m. ➡️ Fox
🇺🇸 Leagues Cup: Philadelphia Union vs. Inter Miami, 7 p.m. ➡️ Apple TV+
🇧🇷 Brasileirão: Athletico Paranaense vs. Cuiaba, 7 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
Wednesday, August 16
🏆 World Cup: Australia vs. England, 6 a.m. ➡️ Fox
🏆 UEFA Super Cup: Man City vs. Sevilla, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
⚽ The Forward Line
Women's World Cup semifinals set
The Women's World Cup heads into its penultimate stage early Tuesday morning with four teams who would be first-time champions if they go all the way. Sweden take on Spain in the first semifinal after a particularly difficult path that included taking out the U.S. women's national team and an in-form Japan. The match boasts tactical intrigue -- Spain prefer to dominate in possession, which could set up Sweden to go back to the playbook from their round of 16 match against the USWNT when they held on to a 0-0 score despite facing 22 shots, 11 on target.
The next day, hosts Australia play their first-ever World Cup semifinal against tournament favorites England. The Matildas showcased their credentials for the title after upsetting France in the quarterfinals, but face a Lionesses side that just might be peaking at the right time. England have struggled to score at times Down Under and narrowly escaped a round of 16 exit by beating Nigeria on penalties but showed their skill and resolve after going down against Colombia to win 2-1 in the quarterfinals. As Sandra Herrera wrote in her latest batch of power rankings, they are very much the team to beat.
- Herrera: "The Lionesses rallied down a goal against a skillful and inspired Colombia squad to win their quarterfinal round. Manager Sarina Wiegman has done a good job of managing the team, perspective, and expectations. It doesn't hurt to have absolute ballers on your squad in Ella Toone, Lauren Hemp and Alessio Russo."
The biggest question at this point in the tournament, though, is how big a factor home-field advantage could be. Australia are the first host nation in the Women's World Cup semifinals since the USWNT in 2003 and captured the hearts and minds of their nation in record-setting fashion. The team has played in front of packed stadiums, including nearly 50,000 in Brisbane for the quarters, and averaged more than four million viewers on television for the victory over France, which was the most-viewed program of the year so far in Australia.
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🔗 Midfield Link Play
Neymar agrees to Saudi Arabia move
Neymar's unhappy spell at Paris Saint-Germain is coming to a close, but in surprising fashion: the star is set to swap the city of lights for Riyadh and become arguably the highest-profile addition to the Saudi Pro League since Cristiano Ronaldo's arrival.
Al-Hilal will fork over around $98 million to PSG for Neymar's services, and the player is set to earn $219 million annually, which is comparable to Ronaldo's salary at Al-Nassr. Neymar eyed a move back to Barcelona at one point this summer while Chelsea also explored the idea of signing him, but a move to Saudi Arabia remained a distinct possibility. As James Benge wrote, the deal is finally getting over the line after Al-Hilal's long pursuit to sign the player:
- Benge: "PSG will receive a fee said to be worth $98 million, a significant upswing on the $47 million Al-Hilal had initially hoped would be enough to seal the deal. … CBS Sports first revealed that an Al-Hilal delegation had traveled to Paris in an attempt to persuade Neymar that he should make the move to the kingdom. Lines of communication remained open between player and suitor though Al-Hilal's interest briefly cooled when they offered €1 billion for what would have amounted to a season-long rental of Kylian Mbappe."
Despite Neymar's history of injuries, the 31-year-old arguably has much to offer European clubs at full fitness. He seems to be hamstrung by his salary demands, following high-earning periods at Barcelona and PSG, which is a particular pain point the Saudi Pro League can exploit. That is especially true for Al-Hilal, one of four clubs controlled by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund.
The Saudi Pro League has recently reaped the rewards for attracting players like Ronaldo and Neymar through broadcast agreements in the United States and U.K. with Fox Sports and DAZN, respectively. These are major victories for Saudi Arabia as they continue to use sports as part of a campaign to advance their interests around the world. Neymar's signature is the strongest sign yet that the country is changing the landscape of the sport as we know it, but it also comes as another reminder that many will overlook Saudi Arabia's human rights record in the process. Saudi Arabia is far from the only nation to use sports in this way, of course, but it's hard to argue that anybody else is doing it quite so aggressively, and expensively.
Here are some more headlines to start the week.
🔗 Herrera breaks down Sweden's success at the World Cup.
🔗 Benge analyzes the momentum shifts and tactical choices from Chelsea vs. Liverpool.
🔗 Benge looks at Arsenal's narrow win over Nottingham Forest.
🔗 Moises Caicedo is finally getting his long-awaited move to Chelsea.
🔗 Jurgen Klopp defended his decision to substitute Mohamed Salah in Liverpool's draw.
🔗 Chuck Booth has more from the Premier League's opening weekend.
🔗 Kevin de Bruyne picked up another injury in Man City's win over Burnley on Friday.
🔗 Kylian Mbappe is no longer in exile at Paris Saint-Germain.
🔗 Herrera stopped by Attacking Third and makes the case for Canada's Bev Priestman to coach USWNT.
🔗 Attacking Third recaps the trash talk between the Netherlands and the USWNT.
🔗 Morning Footy examined Sweden's strengths in their win over Japan at the World Cup.
🔗 The Morning Footy squad praised Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson following his first Premier League match.
🔗 Morning Footy discuss Harry Kane's move to Bayern Munich, as well as other improvements the German champions need to make to their squad.
🔗 The Morning Footy crew chat about Newcastle's top-four hopes after a huge weekend win.
💰 The Back Line
💵 Best bets
- Women's World Cup: Spain vs. Sweden, Tuesday, 4 a.m.
💰 THE PICK: Both teams to score (+115) -- Both teams have showed off their attacking abilities during this tournament, but through very different styles. Spain love to possess and have scored 14 goals en route to the semifinals, while Sweden have 11 goals with a direct but patient style that includes prowess on set pieces. Expect a fascinating tactical clash -- and goals. - Women's World Cup: Australia vs. England, Wednesday, 6 a.m.
💰 THE PICK: Only one goal scored (+240) -- Neither Australia nor England have developed a habit of running up the score during this World Cup, especially with England missing Lauren James through suspension. Expect this match to be as fiercely contested as the ones before it.
