Sure, it’s a big weekend for football, and you’d better believe we’re paying attention to it. There’s a host of crucial NFL games as the league schedule heads into its final five games, and we’re already off to a great start after the Detroit Lions roared their way to a convincing conquest of the upstart Dallas Cowboys last night. The NCAA will finally let us know which dozen teams will be moving on the College Football Playoff bracket after eight of their conferences determine their champions, some of which will actually be consequential beyond bragging rights.
But in soccer, those playoffs have already commenced, and we’re now down to the Elite Eight among men and the Final Four among women. And beginning this afternoon, we’re gonna have a flurry of significant matches to pare that field down further. BLEACHER REPORT’s Taylyn Hadley offered up these tidbits about the women that will grace what has arguably become the Mecca for distaff kicks, Kansas City:
The 2025 NCAA Division I women’s soccer semifinals:
- No. 2 TCU vs. No. 3 Florida State
- No. 1 Stanford vs. No. 2 Duke
Junior forward Mia Minestrella earned All-ACC First Team honors this season after leading Duke to the NCAA College Cup for the second straight year, capping a 3-0 win over Washington with her sixth tournament goal and an assist. Jasmine Aikey and the Stanford Cardinal have dominated the NCAA Tournament, beating three of their four opponents by four or more goals. The senior midfielder has recorded either a goal or an assist in every tournament match, helping Stanford reach the NCAA College Cup with five goals so far.
The men’s field has been way less chalky, with nary a number one seed remaining; in fact, the highest-seeded team that’s competing this week is #4 Maryland. Among the other survivors are a #16 (Furman), a #15 (North Carolina State), a #14 (Akron) and two unseeded combatants (Washington and St. Louis). Not exactly a Murderers’ Row, but intriguing if one loves an underdog.
They both pale in comparison to what we’ll be seeing unfold beginning at noon Eastern time today, with pomp, circumstance and a certain uber-fan set to assemble in our national’s capital. THE ATHLETIC’s Greg O’Keefe set the stage:
Finally here we are — World Cup draw day. This is the point at which excitement for next summer’s World Cup goes up another level as we get to see the paths countries must take as they bid for glory in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Amid all the pomp and glitz FIFA can muster, onlookers around the world will tune in to find out which groups their teams are in, and what matches they can look forward to.
FIFA has assembled a star-studded cast to host the event. Comedian Kevin Hart, model Heidi Klum, and actor Danny Ramirez will be on stage, while there will be live performances from Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, along with pop stars Nicole Scherzinger and Robbie Williams. North American sporting icons Tom Brady, Eli Manning, Wayne Gretzky, Shaquille O’Neal and Aaron Judge will help conduct the draw, which will be led by former Manchester United and England player Rio Ferdinand, alongside host Samantha Johnson. FIFA president Gianni Infantino will be overseeing proceedings, but with U.S. President Donald Trump also expected to be present, it is possible he too will be involved.
If you can somehow stomach that, your reward will be another more modest international showdown for MLS supermact that will grace a soon-to-be-extinct temporary Fort Lauderdale pitch tomorrow afternoon. Or at least so says the nameless wordsmith from the ASSOCIATED PRESS:
For Lionel Messi, the MLS Cup final on Saturday will represent some endings. And, quite possibly, a new beginning. Messi and Inter Miami will take on Thomas Muller — one of his longtime rivals — and the Vancouver Whitecaps for Major League Soccer’s championship. It’s the first final for both clubs, which means MLS is about to have a first-time champion. But for Messi, it’s the end of a couple eras. It’s the last match planned at Inter Miami’s current home, with the team set to move into a still-under-construction stadium near Miami International Airport next season. And barring some serious changes of heart, it’ll be the last time he gets to play with longtime teammates Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets — they’re both retiring after Saturday — and possibly Luis Suarez as well.
It’s also arguably the beginning of the end of another era–an era where soccer championships of any kind are being decided in December. MLS has decided to align with the rest of the world and commence a fall through spring regular season beginning late next year. And given the desire for college talent to actually have the chance at a professional career–ideally in this country–it would seem to make sense that a similar pivot will eventually occur on the NCAA’s part. A schedule that parallels that of baseball or lacrosse is an easy fit even for colder-weather climate colleges.
And besides, if fans and hardcores can handle the elements in Europe, they certainly should be able to handle them in Vermont. Well, at least in downtown Miami.
Courage…