USMNT and Mauricio Pochettino prep for Concacaf Nations League; Canada’s Bev Priestman out over drone scandal

Hello there! The games may not have begun just yet during the men’s international break, but Concacaf’s shenanigans are already making headlines. I’m Pardeep Cattry with a North America-themed midweek update.

📺 Footy fix

All times U.S./Eastern

Wednesday, Nov. 13
🇪🇺 UWCL: Real Madrid vs. Twente, 12:45 p.m. ➡️ DAZN
🇪🇺 UWCL: Celtic vs. Chelsea, 3 p.m. ➡️ DAZN

Thursday, Nov. 14
🇪🇺 UNL: Greece vs. England, 2:45 p.m. ➡️ FS1
🌎 WCQ: Paraguay vs. Argentina, 6:30 p.m. ➡️ Fanatiz
🌎 CNL: Jamaica vs. USMNT, 8 p.m. ➡️ TNT

⚽ The Forward Line

🇺🇸 Decisions, decisions for Pochettino and USMNT

The U.S. men’s national team’s Concacaf Nations League clash with Jamaica this month feels more and more like a potential showcase for the team’s depth, who will essentially be auditioning for new head coach Mauricio Pochettino as the prep continues for the 2026 World Cup.

Pochettino will be without a handful of players through injury, while Timothy Weah will miss Thursday’s first leg in Jamaica through suspension. A new-look lineup seems almost certain on those terms alone, though the head coach’s suggestion that the likes of Tim Ream and Yunus Musah could slot in at fullback means that not only new players, but new ideas could be on display. The situation poses the threat of disrupting the hierarchy for multiple positions established under Pochettino’s predecessor Gregg Berhalter, with pressure on some of the USMNT’s long-time starters to hang onto their roles.

That group includes goalkeeper Matt Tuner, who has long been the team’s first choice but has been under scrutiny in recent years. The 30-year-old Turner left MLS for the Premier League two years ago but has struggled for regular minutes at the club level since and as Charlie Davies notes on Morning Footy, his recent loan move to Crystal Palace has not inspired more confidence in his chances.

• Davies: “You don’t have time to waste. You are a back-up [at Crystal Palace]. You’re a back-up. It’s a horrible move. He went from a back-up at Nottingham Forest – he was a back-up when they were bottom of the table, fighting for survival. … He was in a bad situation as a third string to now, Crystal Palace is terrible, fighting for survival … and he’s still not going to play.”

For his part, Turner did start both of the USMNT’s friendlies in October, which were Pochettino’s first games in charge. The goalkeeper also believes he is building a strong rapport with Pochettino and is making his case to continue as the USMNT’s staring goalkeeper, even as he struggles for playing time at the club level.

• Turner: “My situation over the last 12 months has been inconsistent, to give it a nice, plain word, at the club level. That’s been a great challenge for me and [Pochettino’s] just shown an understanding for the position that I’ve found myself in but also, he’s not in the business of giving handouts. He’s not handing these last games in October just because, ‘He might need it for his confidence, to show himself.’ No. I’ve shown up to training, I’ve done well and I’ve proved that I can play for him and play in his style.”

The goalkeeper position will be one of several to keep an eye on over the next week as Pochettino balances the need to advance in the Nations League with the task of building towards the future. Ricardo Pepi, who scored in the USMNT’s 2-0 win over Panama in October, will be another player of focus as the likely starter in attack while Folarin Balogun and Josh Sargent deal with injuries.

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🔗  Midfield Link Play

🇨🇦 Bev Preistman’s out, John Herdman’s in trouble

The Canadian Soccer Association said Tuesday that Bev Preistman will not return as the head coach of the women’s national team, one of several announcements bundled with the findings of an independent investigation into a years-long drone spying scheme by staff with Canada’s men’s and women’s national teams.

Priestman received a one year ban for directing assistant coaches Jasmine Mander and Joey Lombardi, who also will not return to the team, to spy on New Zealand during the Paris Olympics, a scandal that revealed a long-time practice by Canada’s national teams of spying on opponents. The independent investigation, commissioned by Canada Soccer, corroborated the events that took place in France, as well as a previously-known incident that took place at the Copa America in June. The latter incident was described as “very different from what occurred at the Olympics” by investigators, who deemed it was not directed by head coach Jesse Marsch. The lone individual responsible for spying before Canada’s Copa America game against Chile had his credentials revoked, and CONMEBOL fined Canada Soccer for the incident.

The independent investigation focused on incidents from June 2022 to the present, revealing that unnamed staff members also used drones to spy on opponents during unspecified competitions from June 2022 to March 2024. Considering the scope of the probe, though, several reported incidents of spying went unaddressed. A notable exception includes an incident of spying during the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics in 2021, which was revealed in a report by TSN over the summer. Investigators said “there was no information presented in the investigation” that staff members spied on opponents en route to the women’s team’s gold medal run, but also admitted that “the investigation was not a full review of whether surreptitious surveillance was used at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.”

The limited focus of the investigation also means that reports identifying ex-men’s and women’s national team head coach John Herdman as the mastermind behind the spying operation were not covered in the findings. The findings, though, revealed that Herdman did not participate in the investigation “due to scheduling conflicts” and that he is currently the subject of disciplinary proceedings at Canada Soccer. The specifics around that case, though, were not shared.

🔗  Top Stories

❌ Coote removed: UEFA removed referee David Coote from his Nations League assignments after a video of him disparaging Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp led to his suspension.

🇺🇸 USMNT stock watch: Ahead of the USMNT’s games against Jamaica, here’s a look at players who need to impress as preparations for the 2026 World Cup continue.

🇫🇷 Tough times for Mbappe: Between hsi poor form at Real Madrid and his exclusion from the France national team, it’s worth asking: What’s gone wrong for Kylian Mbappe?

🔴🟠 Roma’s next move: After sacking Ivan Juric, here’s a look at Roma’s search for their third manager of the season.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Dispatch from England: Manchester City and Arsenal‘s poor run of form maybe means a near-perfect Liverpool the favorites to win the Premier League title. Plus, here’s a look at Charlie Davies’ predictions for the top six.

🇦🇷 Influencer investigation: Argentine club Riestra is under investigation for “lacking respect for soccer” after playing influencer ‘Spreen’ as part of a publicity stunt.

⚖️ Ben Yedder sentenced: Monaco’s Wissam Ben Yedder was sentenced to a two-year suspended prison term for sexual assault while intoxicated.

💰  The Back Line

💵 Best bets

• UEFA Nations League: Greece vs. England, Thursday, 2:45 p.m.
  💰 THE PICK: Harry Kane to score (+135) – England are undoubtedly focused on reversing course after losing to Greece at home last month, so count on their most reliable goalscorer to play a big part on Thursday. Harry Kane’s in fine form this season with 17 goals in 16 games for Bayern Munich this season, making him as easy a pick as any to score on Thursday.
• CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifying: Paraguay vs. Argentina, Thursday, 6:30 p.m.
  💰 THE PICK: Lautaro Martinez to score (+150) – Argentina are the favorites to hang onto their spot atop CONMEBOL’s World Cup Qualifying table by beating Paraguay on Thursday, especially because they have a wide range of goalscorers to rely on. Lautaro Martinez, with six goals for Inter this season, could be one to keep an eye on, especially after scoring eight goals since June for the national team.

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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