We Will Use This International Break to Praise Ourselves
We Will Use This International Break to Praise Ourselves
Nobody cares about the Nations League. Check out these classic clips from the first 24 episodes of The Football Weekend.
It’s another international break that absolutely no one asked for, just a few weeks into a club season that follows a bacchanal of national-team action over the summer. To add insult to the injustice, most of the matches here are in the Nations League, a competition not many of us can get worked up about in the best of times, and some of these federations have even had the unmitigated gall to arrange Friendlies. At least the South Americans are playing World Cup qualifiers.
All this unremarkable action gives us the chance to look back on two dozen episodes of The Football Weekend. Along the way, we’ve been lucky to host some bold-faced names and clever football minds: commentators like the legend CLIVE TYLDESLEY, who joined ahead of calling his 30th Champions League final for CBS and Paramount+. Or DEREK RAE of ESPN, who’s also the voice of FIFA/EAFC and gave us a look behind the curtain at how they create the commentary for those famous games.
ROBBIE EARLE came by twice during the Premier League title race he was covering for NBC and spared an unusual tale about his own career at the top level. FOX Sports analyst and former USMNT midfielder STU HOLDEN joined up ahead of Copa América this summer, and The Athletic’s CARL ANKA hopped on to paint some scenes from on the ground in Germany at EURO 2024.
And JON CHAMPION, who also covers the Premier League for NBC, hopped on before calling the FA Cup Final for ESPN and shared his favorite stadiums to work in, including Goodison Park:
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FRIDAY
FRANCE vs ITALY
2:45pm ET, 7:45pm UK
Two of Europe’s great powers face off in the magnificent and powerful competition of the Nations League. Surely there’s some intricate explanation for how high performance in this competition matters for EURO 2028, but I refuse to give it to you.
If you’re seeking a (possibly) more end-to-end encounter, there’s also WALES vs TÜRKIYE on at the same time.
URUGUAY vs PARAGUAY
7:30pm ET, 12:30am UK
Yes, the South American authorities have the decency to at least use this window for World Cup qualifiers, and while there’s a clear favorite here, URUGUAY vs PARAGUAY is fun to say out loud.
Plus, this looks like a final appearance in La Celeste for El Pistolero, Luis Suárez, one of the truly outstanding strikers of the modern era. He likes to chomp human flesh, but he’s also gobbled up more than his share of goals and assists, one of those rare center forwards with both deadly finishing for himself and five-star service for his teammates. Besides, that nutmeg and that over-the-shoulder flick are enough to make you forget about all the simulation and the shithousery.
BRAZIL vs ECUADOR
9pm ET
La Tricolor of Ecuador were one of those squads who really made this summer’s Copa América sing. They were all pace and power and—in 17-year-old Kendry Paez—outrageously precocious technical wizardry. Eventual champions Argentina required penalties to knock them out, and all in all it was a far better showing for them than their opponents here.
Brazil were poor at the Copa, no doubt about it, and the Canary Yellow kings are in real need of a shot in the arm. They’re a point behind Ecuador in the qualifying table with just seven points from six games, and they’ve lost three in a row to Uruguay, Colombia, and Argentina respectively. Surely head coach Dorival Júnior’s position is under serious threat.
SATURDAY
WREXHAM vs SHREWSBURY TOWN
10am ET, 3pm UK
A bit of club football, you say? The Hollywood starlets of Wrexham are cruising up the Football League pyramid, though a long and grueling League One season has only just begun. The Red Dragons are second in the table on goal difference with 10 points from four matches, and they’ll expect to dispatch the Shrews—known to those who know as “Salop”—at the Racecourse Ground.
IRELAND vs ENGLAND
12pm ET, 5pm UK
Here’s a Nations League bout with very little significance when it comes to social and political history. Jokes, of course, and we can safely assume that all kinds of people—the Scots! the Welsh! half the known world!—will be supporting the Irish here.
In case you’re curious, this one takes place in the context of Nations League B, to which England were relegated a couple years back in an episode that Gareth Southgate’s haters seized upon with relish. Can interim manager Lee Carsley restore their honor in this high and mighty competition?
GERMANY vs HUNGARY
2:45pm ET, 7:45pm UK
Back to Nations League A here, thank God, though if Hungary’s performances at EURO 2024 are anything to go on, this may not be much of a contest. Some fools (including this writer) pegged the Hungarians for dark horses in Germany, but they lost twice and swiftly made their exit. The hosts topped that group, bludgeoning the Hungarians along the way, and they played some of the standout football of the tournament. They were just unfortunate to run into Spain at the quarterfinal stage.
USA vs CANADA
4pm ET, 9pm UK
This one is a dreaded FRIENDLY, a truly unnecessary fixture that will benefit from one juicy storyline in particular: Canada’s American coach, Jesse Marsch, is firing shots across the bow of the U.S. Soccer Federation. He’d already blasted the process by which he was passed over for the job and Gregg Berhalter was rehired, but now that GGG’s gone, Marsch has poked at the new process which has (maybe?) secured the services of Mauricio Pochettino, calling it “strange.”
He already had the last laugh as his Canadians dramatically outperformed their southern neighbors this summer at Copa América, and the indications are that Marsch isn’t messing around one bit. Next up for them after the USA are the other North American powers, Mexico. The USMNT, on the other hand, will follow this up with…New Zealand.
SUNDAY
SWITZERLAND vs SPAIN
2:45pm ET, 7:45pm UK
If you get the chance to watch the freshly crowned European champions, I suppose you take it. Spain were the great entertainers at EURO 2024, deserving winners by every metric, but the Swiss are always difficult opponents and acquitted themselves quite well this summer. Murat Yakin made the case that he is one of the best coaches in international football over that month or so in Germany, but few tacticians can scheme their way past this Spain team. As Graham Hunter explained on the show a couple weeks back, they’ve got the attitude to go with the ability.⚽︎