Wednesday's soccer news previews the USMNT vs Mexico friendly, Chelsea exits and AC Milan advances in the Champions League, and Championship scores.
USMNT vs Mexico, the Champions League, and the Championship
Wednesday’s soccer news starts with the USMNT in action later tonight against Mexico (10pm ET – TBS) in the debut of the Continental Clasico. While the USMNT plays annual out of window friendlies in January, the last time they had a game in April was against Mexico in 2015. DeAndre Yedlin and Jordan Morris both started that game, with Morris scoring in the 2-0 win.
In a press conference on Tuesday, USMNT coach Anthony Hudson spoke about the two days of training prior to tonight’s game and what that means for tactical adjustments.
That’s the situation for both teams, with the expectation that we’ll see familiar tactical setups though the USMNT made alterations in March to its 4-3-3. “I’m sure on their side they’re not going to want to give too much away, or they’re going to change something before the semifinal, and that’s fine,” Hudson said of Mexico with the teams meeting in the Nations League on June 15.
Moving to the UEFA Champions League, Christian Pulisic was on the bench for Chelsea’s 2-0 home loss to Real Madrid, exiting at the quarterfinal stage 4-0 on aggregate. Real Madrid scored in the 58th and 80th minutes.
Sergino Dest is with the USMNT and wasn’t in the squad for AC Milan’s 1-1 draw at Napoli, advancing 2-1 on aggregate. Olivier Giroud scored for Milan in the 43rd with Napoli equalizing on the night three minutes into stoppage time.
Lynden Gooch’s Sunderland drew 1-1 at home with Huddersfield Town in the Championship. Duane Holmes wasn’t in the squad for Huddersfield Town. Joe Gelhardt scored for Sunderland in the 35th and Josh Koroma equalized for Huddersfield Town in the 59th.
Auston Trusty wasn’t in the squad for Birmingham City’s 1-0 win at Millwall. Lukas Jutkiewicz scored in the 28th minute. Daryl Dike is injured, missing West Brom’s 2-0 win at Blackpool. Brandon Thomas-Asante scored in the 18th and Taylor Graham-Hickman doubled the lead in the 60th.
