Happy Friday! Everywhere you look, there are reminders that the European club season is right around the corner. Case in point? This weekend marks the start of a new Championship campaign and the return of the Community Shield, with Arsenal and Manchester City set to meet in Cardiff, Wales before the Premier League gets going. I'm Pardeep Cattry with a weekend update.
📺 Footy fix
All times U.S./Eastern
Friday, Aug. 14 🏴 Championship: Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. Blackburn Rovers, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+, CBS Sports Network 🇺🇸 NWSL: Gotham FC vs. Kansas City Current, 8 p.m. ➡️ Amazon Prime Video
Saturday, Aug. 15 🌍 Friendly: Newcastle United vs. Bayern Leverkusen, 10 a.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Golazo Network 🇮🇹 Coppa Italia: Venezia vs. Modena, 2:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+ 🇪🇸 LaLiga: Sevilla vs. Rayo Vallecano, 3:30 p.m. ➡️ ESPN Select 🇺🇸 MLS: Nashville SC vs. Inter Miami, 8:30 p.m. ➡️ Apple TV 🇺🇸 NWSL: Portland Thorns vs. Orlando Pride, 8:45 p.m. ➡️ Ion
Sunday, Aug. 16 🏆 Community Shield: Arsenal vs. Manchester City, 10 a.m. ➡️ ESPN 🌍 Friendly: Schalke vs. Real Madrid, 11 a.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Golazo Network 🌍 Friendly: Liverpool vs. Como, 1 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Golazo Network 🏆 WAFCON: Cameroon vs. Malawi, 3 p.m. ➡️ beIN Sports Connect 🇺🇸 NWSL: Angel City vs. Washington Spirit, 9 p.m. ➡️ ESPN 🇺🇸🇨🇦 MLS: Seattle Sounders vs. Vancouver Whitecaps, 10:30 p.m. ➡️ Apple TV
⚽ The Forward Line
🏴 Another exciting Championship season awaits
Getty Images A new Championship season, without fail, comes with the promise of a unique form of entertainment. It is a remarkably grueling league, 46 games awaiting each of the division's 24 teams, the demands all in service of one of sports' most lucrative rewards -- promotion to the Premier League, if all goes according to plan.
There's always a healthy number of Championship teams eyeing promotion, creating a uniquely competitive environment where the table seems to change every week, and the stakes are sky high, with little room for error. The list always includes the newly relegated trio, in this case Burnley, West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers, a group always itching to bounce straight back into the Premier League, though the rate of success always varies. That's because the Championship is always loaded with clubs who are years into their own pursuit to win promotion, be it relative newcomers Wrexham or Middlesbrough, who dropped down to the second tier almost a decade ago.
It makes for a unique landing spot for players, many of whom land in the Championship as a stepping stone to Europe's more prestigious leagues. Their fortunes go hand-in-hand with their clubs more often than not. New Everton midfielder Hayden Hackney is a rare example of a player who can use England's second division as a platform to break into the Premier League with or without winning promotion, but many will likely get their big moment as soon as their teams do. That will be the hope for two members of the U.S.' World Cup team in Max Arfsten and Sebastian Berhalter, who joined Boro this summer after spending the entirety of their careers in MLS, and have a familiar face in fellow U.S. international Aidan Morris. As Chuck Booth notes in his wide-ranging EFL preview, though, the number of Americans in the Championship is not limited to that trio.
- Booth: "Patrick Agyemang's ACL tear will sideline him for a while, but his 10 goals and three assists in his debut season show exactly what Derby County are missing -- and how quickly he could matter once he returns. George Campbell anchors West Brom's defense, and Kristoffer Lund has landed at Birmingham City, where Tom Brady's ownership group has built a club with real Premier League ambition. At 24, Lund is making exactly the kind of move that can put a player back on the USMNT radar. Damion Downs will fight for a regular role at promotion-minded Southampton, while Charlie Kelman looks to take another step forward at Charlton Athletic."
The promotion push begins Friday with Blackburn Rovers' trip to Wolves, an apt place for the season to begin. Wolves, months removed from their last-place finish in the Premier League, have added two Premier League veterans to their team -- Mexico international Raul Jimenez and former England player Kieran Trippier -- in the hopes of returning to the top flight quickly.
What's on CBS Sports Golazo Network
☀️ Morning Footy (Weekdays 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.): Join Golazo Network as it helps fans get their day started on the right foot on the network's flagship morning show with highlights, interviews and the biggest soccer storylines. Morning Footy is also available in podcast form, so you'll never have to miss an episode. 3️⃣ Attacking Third: The leading women's soccer podcast and social brand is now a live studio show. The NWSL season is back, and our coverage of the women's game is stronger than ever. Our analysts will be breaking down the USWNT, NWSL and European domestic season all year long. ⚽ Call it What You Want: Jimmy Conrad, Charlie Davies, and Tony Meola cover all things USMNT and the state of the game in the United States. Catch new episodes live on the Golazo America YouTube channel.
🥅 Scoreline (Daily): Scoreline is the newest place for fans to catch up on all the biggest news and results impacting global football, match highlights from the top soccer competitions and all the can't-miss goals from the day's action, starting Thursday and airing seven days a week. 📺 How to watch: CBS Sports Golazo Network is a free 24/7 channel exclusively dedicated to offering unparalleled coverage of all the top soccer competitions worldwide. You can stream for free on the CBS Sports app, Pluto TV and Paramount+.
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