Hello and welcome, summer is rolling on, and I’m Chuck Booth here to help get us to the end of the Club World Cup. The second spot in the final will be decided as one of Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain will join Chelsea, while the Women’s Euro goes on alongside qualifiers for the European continental competitions. But there’s no time to waste, so let’s get to it!
📺 Footy fix
All times U.S./Eastern
Wednesday, July 9
🇪🇺 Women’s Euro: England vs. Netherlands, 12 p.m. ➡️ FS1
🇪🇺 Women’s Euro: France vs. Wales, 3 p.m. ➡️ Fox
🏆 CWC: PSG vs. Real Madrid, 3 p.m. ➡️ DAZN
🇺🇸 U.S. Open Cup: Philadelphia Union vs. New York Red Bulls, 7 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Network
🇺🇸 U.S. Open Cup: Nashville SC vs. D.C. United, 9 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Golazo Network
Thursday, July 10
🇪🇺 Women’s Euro: Finland vs. Switzerland, 3 p.m. ➡️ Fox
🇪🇺 Women’s Euro: Norway vs. Iceland, 3 p.m. ➡️ FS1
⚽ The Forward Line
🏆Chelsea roll into the Club World Cup final
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Half of the Club World Cup final is set after Joao Pedro and Chelsea defeated Fluminense 2-0 on Tuesday. The impressive run of the Brazilian side has come to an end at the hands of one of their own youth products as Joao Pedro announced himself to Chelsea’s crowded group of attackers. Filling in for the suspended Liam Delap — who also just joined the Blues this summer — Joao Pedro dazzled with his finishes to help push Chelsea into the Club World Cup final on Sunday. There, he’ll square off with one of Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid, but there’s no better way to start his Chelsea tenure. Pardeep Cattry writes that moments like this one are exactly why Joao Pedro was signed:
- Cattry: “Chelsea signed the 23-year-old exactly for moments like this, with manager Enzo Maresca explaining pre-match that he views Joao Pedro as someone who can play across the front line and could be one of the “four, five players scoring 10, 12 goals each [rather] than just one striker [who can] score 40 goals.” It is perhaps the most logical way to explain the Blues’ transfer strategy, since they literally have 20 attackers on the roster right now. Maresca’s desire to have goals from multiple sources is practical, maybe even downright necessary as they spend next season in the UEFA Champions League. Even if they offload a few, though, Chelsea’s current situation means there will be incredible competition for playing time over the course of the next season – and Joao Pedro is wasting no time rising to the top of the pack.”
Joao Pedro joined the Fluminense system at 10, before making his professional debut in 2019. Breaking into England with Watford and Brighton, he’s now looking to be a key part of Chelsea’s setup in the coming season while giving manager Enzo Maresca tough decisions to make. That wasn’t the only connection between the two clubs, with former Chelsea defender Thiago Silva captaining the Brazilian side during this tournament. Self-labeled the “ugly ducklings” of the tournament due to their finances, this run to the semifinals for Fluminense is one to remember.
This Club World Cup has been a celebration of South American soccer, with their fans making themselves known wherever in the United States there teams may have been playing, but as we get to the business end of the tournament, the European clubs are rising back to the top. This is a tier that Chelsea want to return to. After being out of the Champions League since 2022-23, the Blues will be returning this coming season, and there would be no better way to announce themselves than by capping off this marathon season by hoisting the Club World Cup. They last won the earlier version of this competition in 2021 by defeating Palmeiras in the final and could now add another trophy to the 2024-25 season after already winning the UEFA Conference League.
Live tonight
🔗 Midfield Link Play
🇫🇷 Kylian Mbappe and Paris Saint-Germain square off
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The reigning European champions, Paris Saint-Germain, will take the pitch on Wednesday for arguably the most anticipated match of this tournament. Outside of a slip-up facing Botafogo, Luis Enrique’s men have rolled through anything in their path, but facing Kylian Mbappe and Real Madrid will be sure to bring emotion.
The Parisians have accomplished their goal of winning the Champions League despite Mbappe’s departure on a free transfer in the summer of 2024 but Mbappe is the top scorer in club history while being one of the best attackers to ever don the French sides jersey. It was a messy exit from PSG but that’s not something that Luis Enrique is dwelling on as they meet. As Cattry writes, there’s no need to dwell on the past after already reaching the top of European soccer.
- Cattry: “The PSG manager, like many, refrains from speaking about other teams’ players at length, but Mbappe also feels like old news at this point for the French champions. Since his departure, PSG have a new look that was the foundation of their run to win the trophy that once eluded them and still escapes Mbappe’s reach — the UEFA Champions League. Enrique and his players have spent the last few days going back and forth debating who made the secret sauce, the players choosing him and him picking the players in return. Things are as nice as they could be for PSG, France’s first treble winners who are now the team to beat at the Club World Cup.”
This tournament has been a trying one for Mbappe, with him not featuring until the knockouts due to spending time in the hospital with acute gastroenteritis. The time has been one where Xabi Alonso could see what he has in Gonzalo Garcia who has four goals and an assist in this tournament but matches like this one, facing PSG are when Mbappe will be needed to be at his best.
🔗 Top Stories
🧉Messi’s future in doubt?: Lionel Messi is under contract until December with the Herons but could Saudi Arabia emerge ahead of the 2026 World Cup? Francesco Porzio has the latest.
💰The transfer window is in full swing: Arsenal may be closing in on Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres but who could be some other players to be on the move? Porzio takes a look.
💰 The Back Line
💵 Best bets
- U.S. Open Cup: Philadelphia Union vs. New York Red Bulls, Wednesday, 7 p.m.
💰 THE PICK: Philadelphia Union to win (-106) — The Union are moving closer to a chance at a cup final, facing their rivals in the New York Red Bulls. Playing this match in the friendly confines of Subaru Park, the Union will throw everything that they have at ending the match in regulation, especially with another match against the Red Bulls right around the corner during the weekend. With striker Tai Baribo returning to health at the right time, the Union will have enough to pull out a result.
For more picks, predictions, expert tips and the latest betting news, don’t miss out on CBSSports.com’s betting home page.
📺 What we’re watching
Paramount+
📺 What’s on CBS Sports Golazo Network
☀️ Morning Footy (Weekdays 8-10 a.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.
☀️ Morning Footy (10 a.m. ET): A special edition of Morning Footy, the network’s flagship morning show with highlights, interviews and the biggest soccer storylines, will kick off Golazo Network’s coverage of the big game. Morning Footy is also available in podcast form, so you’ll never have to miss an episode.
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