USMNT find out their Copa America fate; LAFC head to Columbus Crew to try and win back-to-back MLS Cups

Hi there! Let’s get ready to jump into a jam-packed weekend of soccer as Friday kicks off quite a slate. I’m Chuck Booth with a recap of the latest, plus a look at what’s coming up.

Footy fix

All times U.S./Eastern

Friday, Dec. 8
Serie A: Juventus vs. Napoli, 2:45 p.m.  Paramount+

Saturday, Dec. 9
Premier League: Aston Villa vs. Arsenal, 12:30 p.m. NBC
MLS Cup final: Columbus Crew vs. LAFC, 4 p.m. FOX

Sunday, Dec. 10
WSL: Arsenal vs. Chelsea, 7:30 a.m.  CBS Sports Golazo Net
Premier League: Tottenham vs. Newcastle, 12:30 p.m. USA
  La Liga: Barcelona vs. Girona, 9 p.m. ESPN+  

USMNT to meet Uruguay in Copa America group stage

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The Copa America draw didn’t disappoint for many reasons on Thursday night. Not only was there a bit of a mixup that caused Bolivia, Jamaica, and Honduras/Costa Rica to be shuffled around at the end so that there was no group with three or more Concacaf teams in it, but the United States found out their group for the competition. Consisting of Uruguay, Panama, and Bolivia it’s a balanced but tough group that will give the USMNT a challenge right out of the gate in the competition.

Here are their matchups for the group stage:

Bolivia — June 23 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX
Panama — June 27 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta
Uruguay — July 1 at Arrowhead Stadium in KC

Without World Cup qualifiers, this is an excellent chance for the USMNT to test themselves against top opposition, and also for Gregg Berhalter to have a chance at a signature win as well. Being pitted against the number 11 team in the world, a resurgent Uruguay coached by Marcelo Bielsa, is one of the best World Cup like tests that a team can get and that’s an exciting prospect.

Despite getting pitted with Uruguay, Pardeep Cattry does like the draw for the USMNT.

Cattry: “All things considered, this is a relatively favorable draw for the USMNT. They will be favored against Bolivia and Panama, but a simple win will not be enough to impress onlookers hoping for a strong showing not just next summer, but at the 2026 World Cup. Berhalter will be expected to lead his side to dominant victories in the first two matches and ensure the USMNT are in a position of strength to advance to the quarterfinals before they take on Uruguay.”

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󠁧󠁢󠁥 Columbus vs. LAFC for all the MLS marbles

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Sticking with domestic soccer, Saturday will see the Columbus Crew and Los Angeles FC clash at Lower.com field. The Crew seek their first MLS Cup title since 2020 while LAFC can become the first repeat champions since their cross town rivals the LA Galaxy in 2012. It’s not easy to repeat as a league champion especially on the road but with a forward like Denis Bouanga on your side who has scored 37 goals and assisted 13 more in all competitions, LAFC can believe, at a minimum, there will be goals.

The Crew have their own talisman in Cucho Hernandez who has 23 goals and 10 assists in all competitions, and he’s an example of how what Wilfried Nancy has been able to do in his first season in charge of the club has been so impressive. They moved on from one of the best players in club history in Lucas Zelerayan when Saudi Arabian money came calling, and were able to sign and integrate Diego Rossi and Julian Gressel to keep the creative forces going. And now they’re in the final.

When it comes down to what may define the game, it could be the midfield. When the Crew made MLS Cup in 2020, Darlington Nagbe missing the match due to COVID gave a start to a young Aidan Morris who shined in midfield. Now that they’re back at this stage and not only is Morris more experienced and now a critical part of the team, but Nagbe now has a chance to make up for missing that game in 2020 in front of his home fans.

The trio of Timmy Tillman, Ilie Sanchez and Kellyn Acosta will have something to say about that as the Black and Gold have one of the most balanced midfield themselves but whoever wins this midfield battle will lift MLS Cup on Saturday. But, as Charlie Davies explained on Morning Footy, the Crew are the team to beat here.

Davies: The Crew not only have an advantage int he way that they play, the style of play, because they’re going to keep the ball, try and neutralize the transition play of Denis Bouanga, but I think, in terms of having that crowd behind them, not having to travel, they’re going to feel real comfortable in this game. So I think this is going to be a tight one, I think the advantage is with the Crew right now.

  Top Stories

A tale of two wingers: Napoli and Juventus face off on Friday and Francesco Pozio has a break down of the two teams’ star wingers, and what their production says about their respective sides.

MLS Cup: LAFC’s Ilie Sanchez joins Box 2 Box to talk LAFC’s preparation for the final against Columbus Crew on Saturday.

Manchester City’s implosion: City put in what might have been the worst performance of Pep Guardiola’s managerial career on Wednesday, losing 1-0 to Aston Villa.

 Tottenham implode again: The early promise of Ange Postecoglu’s time at Tottenham has soured as the winter months rolled in. Spurs have now lost four out of five, after blowing a lead to Wet Ham on Thursday.

Angel City add another kid: The Los Angeles NWSL side already has one Thompson, in young attacker Alyssa, and now they’ve added her younger sister Gisele. The defender opted to turn pro, foregoing a college career at Stanford.

 NWSL schedule: NWSL released its schedule plans for the 2024 season and the big news is that during a break for a summer Olympics, the league, combined with international teams will host their own tournament, with details still to be finalized.

Alisson getting healthy: Ahead of schedule, Liverpool’s Alisson is back in training, though manager Jurgen Klopp isn’t sure if he’ll be ready for Saturday’s Crystal Palace matchup.

Best bets

MLS Cup: Columbus Crew vs. LAFC, Saturday, 4 p.m.
THE PICK: Both teams to score (-140) — Goals are what these teams do best, and while sometimes finals can see scoring come at a premium, both teams will hit the back of the net in MLS Cup. Bouanga and Cucho are the most likely scorers for this event but this is quite a playable number for two teams that prioritize attacking.
Premier League: Aston Villa vs. Arsenal, Saturday, 12:30 p.m.
THE PICK: Both teams to draw (+270) — Undefeated at home and with Unai Emery facing an Arsenal side that he used to manage, the motivation will be there for Aston Villa to seek out a win to firmly establish themselves as title contenders, but Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal finds a way to snag points out of tough situations consistently and they’ll do just that again in a draw at Villa Park.

What’s on CBS Sports Golazo Network

 Morning Footy (Weekdays 8-10 a.m.): Hosts Susannah Collins, Charlie Davies, Nico Cantor and Alexis Guerreros help fans get their day started 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.

 Box 2 Box (Weekday afternoons): The news-driven show quickly recaps all the latest headlines from around the world with panelists previewing the top matchups of the day. Catch Box 2 Box on CBS Sports Golazo Network on the CBS Sports app, PlutoTV and Paramount+. 

3⃣ Attacking Third (Monday, Wednesday and Friday evening): The leading women’s soccer podcast and social brand is now a live studio show. Just because the NWSL season is over doesn’t mean that our coverage of the women’s game is going anywhere. Our analysts will be breaking down the USWNT. NWSL offseason and European domestic season all winter long.

 Kickin’ It (Tuesday, 7 p.m.): CBS Sports Golazo Network’s new unfiltered interview show returns Tuesday Hosted by Kate Abdo, Clint Dempsey, Mo Edu and Charlie Davies, the group chat candidly with the biggest names from the Beautiful Game and share their stories from on and off the pitch. 

 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+.