It took all of second half stoppage time Thursday night, but Chicago Fire FC finally punched its ticket into the Leagues Cup Quarterfinals, and with it, the entire knockout bracket was set. That's where we start today, along with José Mourinho's return to the Bernabéu as La Liga kicks off, South Africa and Ghana punching their tickets toward the Women's World Cup, some sharp new nostalgia from adidas and MLS, and a stretch of days right here at home that's going to keep us running from Marietta to Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

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Puso Dithejane had already put Chicago Fire FC ahead in the 67th minute. He got the last word too. Deep into second-half stoppage time at SeatGeek Stadium, a move that started with center back Joel Waterman finding Jonathan Dean on the right wing worked its way through Robin Lod and Anton Salétros before landing at Dithejane's feet at the far post, wide open, in front of a Cruz Azul backline that had no answer left. Chicago won 2-1 over the reigning Liga MX champions, and with it claimed the No. 1 seed out of MLS heading into the Leagues Cup knockout rounds.

That result, and one more shootout in Texas a few hours later, finished the job. After three matchdays of exclusively MLS versus Liga MX play, the field for the Leagues Cup 2026 Quarterfinals is complete: Chicago Fire FC against CF Monterrey, Toluca FC against Austin FC, Club América against Columbus Crew, and Club León against Real Salt Lake. Eleven clubs, seven from MLS and four from Liga MX, were still fighting for one of the eight spots entering Thursday's final slate. Chicago finished with a perfect three wins in regulation for nine points, matched only by Club León on the Liga MX side.

Austin FC's path to the quarterfinals came the hard way. The Verde and Black played Club América even for 90 minutes at Q2 Stadium, fell behind on a deflected Kevin Alvarez cross, and pulled level in the 67th minute on a curling finish from Myrto Uzuni that would have looked at home in any of Europe's top leagues. It took a shootout, and eleven straight converted attempts, before goalkeeper Brad Stuver guessed right on Cristian Borja to send Austin through 6-5. Interim coach Davy Arnaud, who has Austin playing a five-man back line unlike anything the club has shown in MLS play this season, credited a group that has looked like a different team in this competition than the one currently sitting 14th in the Western Conference. "These guys have belief and see that they can win games," Arnaud said. "That's a powerful thing."

The Quarterfinals kick off August 25 through 27, with dates, kickoff times and venues still to be announced. From there, the four winners advance to Semifinals on September 1 and 2, with the Third Place Match and Final set for September 6. The stakes go beyond a trophy. The Leagues Cup champion, runner-up and third-place finisher will each punch a ticket to the Concacaf Champions Cup.

José Mourinho left the Santiago Bernabéu in 2013 as one of the most feared managers in the world, a man who had won eight league titles, seven domestic cups and three European trophies across his first 13 years in management. In the 11 years since, that résumé has produced exactly one league title, with Chelsea, along with a Europa League and a Carabao Cup at Manchester United and a Conference League at Roma. Real Madrid brought him back anyway this summer, betting that some version of the old certainty can steady a club that finished last season in total disarray.

He inherits real talent to work with. Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham are still there, and Madrid spent close to €225 million this summer building around them, including a club-record fee for Ivory Coast winger Yan Diomande, plus Marc Cucurella, Ibrahima Konaté, Denzel Dumfries, Bernardo Silva and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Opta's prediction model still makes Madrid the second favorite for the title at 31 percent.

Barcelona is the favorite, at 45.6 percent, and the case is straightforward. Hansi Flick's side has won the last two La Liga titles and returns most of the group that just helped Spain win the World Cup, Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Gavi, Pedri and Pau Cubarsí among them. Robert Lewandowski left this summer for Chicago Fire, but Barça replaced him on paper with Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi. A third straight title would be the club's 30th all time, six shy of Real Madrid's record of 36.

Atlético Madrid sits a distant third at 8.6 percent. Backed by American investment group Apollo Sports Capital, Diego Simeone's club has spent big this summer on Morten Hjulmand, Lee Kang-in, Alejandro Grimaldo and an imminent deal for Cristian Romero, but the summer's defining storyline has been who Atlético might lose rather than who it is adding. Julián Álvarez asked to leave during the World Cup, and while Atlético insists he is not for sale, Barcelona is already lining up alternatives in case that changes. Álvarez was left out of Atlético's most recent friendly squad, which tends to mean something.

The season actually starts Saturday, with Alavés hosting Getafe at 1:30 p.m. ET, though the two biggest clubs will not be involved right away. Real Madrid opens at Espanyol on August 22 and Barcelona visits Elche the day after, both delayed because their World Cup players reported back late. Everyone else, Sevilla, Villarreal, and a Racing Santander side returning to the top flight after 14 years away, gets going this weekend instead.

Fall seasons are creeping back onto the calendar all over Georgia, rec leagues setting rosters, club teams easing back into preseason, college seasons underway. There's a specific feeling that comes with that first cool morning at the fields, coffee in hand, watching somebody you love figure the game out one touch at a time.

So tell us: what are you most looking forward to this fall? A first practice, a rivalry night under the lights, a Saturday sideline with a thermos and a lawn chair? Hit reply and let us know. We read every one, and we'll share some of our favorites in a future issue.

South Africa needed a boot stretched to its absolute limit to make it official. Deep into stoppage time Thursday, with Nigeria pressing for an equalizer, goalkeeper Kaylin Swart got just enough of her left foot on a Michelle Alozie effort to keep it out. The save sealed a 2-1 win and sent Banyana Banyana into the intercontinental playoff pool for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil, the product of a moment of brilliance from Ronnel Donnelly, who sprung Hildah Magaia in behind in the 56th minute, and Magaia squaring for Thembi Kgatlana to finish. Captain Refiloe Jane thought she had put it away in the 77th before a stoppage time red card and a converted penalty from Christy Ucheibe made the final minutes far tenser than they needed to be.

Ghana got there as well, and needed a VAR review to do it. Ivory Coast took an early lead on an Inès Konan penalty, then had what looked like a Ghana equalizer waved off when replay showed the Ivorian goalkeeper still had control of the ball on a botched punch. Princess Marfo, who had conceded the first penalty, made up for it with a headed equalizer before halftime, and Josephine Bonsu won it from the spot in the 72nd after another VAR check caught a handball in the box. The 2-1 win keeps alive Ghana's hope of a first World Cup appearance since 2007.

Both results came in a playoff between WAFCON's four beaten quarterfinalists, set up specifically to determine which two nations would join the tournament's four semifinalists on the road to Brazil. Those semifinalists, Cameroon, Malawi, Morocco and Algeria, are already through, having qualified outright. Cameroon faces tournament debutant Malawi in Sunday's WAFCON final, a matchup that says plenty about how much the depth of the women's game on the continent has grown.

The path from here is its own gauntlet. South Africa and Ghana will be two of six teams, alongside two from Asia and one each from Oceania and South America, competing at a centralized venue in November and December. Only the top two advance to a second phase in February 2027, where they will face a European side, another from South America, and two from CONCACAF for the tournament's final three spots.

The result Nigeria left behind carries its own weight. The Women's World Cup has been played nine times, and the Super Falcons had been there for every single one, all the way back to the inaugural tournament in 1991. Thursday's loss to South Africa ends that streak. For the first time in the history of the competition, Nigeria will not be at the World Cup.

The steel and glass grid that once arched over the Houston Astrodome, the self-declared Eighth Wonder of the World and the building where professional soccer in Houston actually began, is showing up on a kit this month. It is one small piece of the third iteration of the adidas x MLS Archive Collection, unveiled Thursday, which this year turns its attention to eight clubs and the specific cities that shaped them.

The collection has grown fast since its 2024 launch. Austin FC, CF Montréal, Chicago Fire FC, Houston Dynamo FC, Orlando City SC, Philadelphia Union, Real Salt Lake and Vancouver Whitecaps FC join 15 clubs already featured in past drops, bringing the total to 23. Every club in this year's release gets a new third kit and a matching jacket, both available now on adidas.com and MLSstore.com, with the kits set to appear on the pitch throughout the rest of the 2026 season.

The best jerseys in this collection are the ones that go looking for a specific memory rather than a generic one. Houston's kit pairs that Astrodome ceiling pattern with branding from the club's 2006-07 championship run, marking 20 years since its first MLS Cup. Orlando City layers its 1980s wordmark, a nod to the city's original soccer team, over the space-age curves of the 1994 World Cup's Questra match ball, finished in the red the Lions wore when they won their first USL trophy in 2011. Vancouver goes furthest back of all, reviving the identity of the Vancouver 86ers with a bold blue and yellow build, a pacific dogwood worked into the chest crest, and a jocktag marking 40 years since the 86ers were founded in 1986. The Whitecaps debut that kit on the pitch Wednesday, August 19 against Houston Dynamo FC at BC Place, and the first 2,000 fans through the gate get a special edition 86ers headband.

The rest of the class leans just as local. Austin FC steps away from its core colors entirely for "The Violet Crown," the sunset glow that has defined the city's skyline for over a century. Real Salt Lake pulls from Utah's ski culture and the mountains around it. CF Montréal throws back to 1993 and the club's first road game as the Montréal Impact. Chicago Fire FC remixes its 2000 away kit with a bold "CHICAGO" wordmark across the chest, and Philadelphia Union goes full 90s cream with a snake wrapped Liberty Bell. "We didn't design these to just be third jerseys," said Griffin Claes, adidas's senior designer for club and MLS. "They are pieces for fans to rep the authentic energy, landmarks and pride of their home cities, whether they're in the stands or out in their communities."

Amari Manning Scores, U.S. Draw 1-1 with Mexico in U-17 International: Manning’s goal from the spot opened the scoring after Maddie DiMaria earned a penalty in the second half for the U.S., but Mexico leveled the match with a header from Mia Urbano off a Zoe Sanchez corner kick. Both teams started their final preparation for the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco in October in Fayetteville, GA at the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center. The U.S. will be back in action on Sunday night at 8 p.m. against Chile. I’ll be on the call and you can watch on the U.S. Soccer YouTube channel.

Minnesota United Brings Back Aziel Jackson: The Loons acquired the 24-year-old American midfielder on loan from Polish top-flight side Jagiellonia Białystok for the rest of the 2026 season, with a purchase option attached. Jackson, a Minnesota homegrown signing from 2021, returns after a loan spell with the Vancouver Whitecaps that produced one goal and three assists in 14 matches, and also has MLS stints with Columbus Crew and St. Louis City on his résumé.

LAFC Signs Armindo Sieb From Bayern Munich: The 23-year-old Germany international forward joins LAFC under contract through 2028-29, with a club option for 2029-30. Sieb recorded 22 goals and seven assists in 128 appearances across stints with Mainz 05 and Greuther Fürth before his move to Bayern.

Orlando City Trades Tahir Reid-Brown to St. Louis City: The 20-year-old Orlando native and homegrown defender moves for up to $450,000 in general allocation money, including a $150,000 guarantee in 2027 GAM, performance-based add-ons, and a sell-on percentage retained by Orlando. Reid-Brown joined the club's academy in 2020 and has represented the United States at the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup.

New England Revolution Add Tylon Smith on Loan: The Revs acquired the 21-year-old South African defender from England's Queens Park Rangers through the 2027 MLS season, with a purchase option included. Smith came up through Stellenbosch FC before joining QPR in 2025, where he made 10 appearances in the Championship.

SDH AM (9:05 a.m., SDH YouTube and Twitch, National Sports Broadcast Network): Jon Nelson is joined by Diego Pessolano and Danny Higginbotham of Apple TV's MLS coverage to break down the Leagues Cup quarterfinal field and the weekend ahead in league play.

Training Ground Dispatch and The Notebook (this morning): I’m at Atlanta United training, where Tata Martino and Alexey Miranchuk speak to the media afterward. Follow along on Instagram for the Dispatch and at soccerdownhere.net for the full Notebook writeup.

Atlanta United 2 vs. NY Red Bulls II (pregame 3:30 p.m., broadcast 4 p.m., soccerdownhere.net/listen): Jon Nelson opens the pregame before Madison Crews and I call a critical MLS Next Pro Eastern Conference matchup live from the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground in Marietta.

Atlanta United vs. New York Red Bulls (pregame 6:30 p.m. on 92.9 The Game, kickoff 7:40 p.m.): Abe Gordon and Madison Crews set the table before Mike Conti and I call Atlanta United's first home match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in three months.

No. 19 Georgia opened its 32nd season of competition Thursday night with a scoreless draw at Illinois, a result that marked the second time in three seasons the Bulldogs have opened a season with a 0-0 tie, following the same outcome against Pitt in 2024. Georgia outshot the Fighting Illini 10-9 in front of 758 fans at Demirjian Park, with sophomore Hannah Folliard making three saves to keep a clean sheet in her own season debut.

The chances were mostly front loaded. Six of the match's seven shots on goal came in the first 36 minutes, before Georgia took over territorially in the second half, outshooting Illinois 6-3 down the stretch. The Bulldogs' best look came in the 62nd minute, when senior Emma Pettersen's shot was just knocked away by Illinois goalkeeper Izzy Lee, and freshman Maya Woolforde nearly won it outright in the 80th on a breakaway that rolled just wide of the post.

Thursday doubled as a debut night for a reshaped Georgia roster. Five Bulldogs made their first collegiate appearances, starter Grayson Rogers and reserves Mona Childs, London Crawford, Lilly Osifodunrin and Woolforde among them, while transfers Gabbi Ceballos, Pettersen, Honoka Hamano and Kieryn Jeter all made their first appearances in a Georgia uniform. Ceballos led the team with three shots in that debut, and fifth year Sage Glover returned to the field after a leg injury cut short her season a year ago.

Georgia stays in Big Ten country this weekend, traveling to face Minnesota on Sunday, August 16. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. Eastern, streaming live on B1G+.

Ferran Torres Set to Leave Barcelona for PSG: Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain have reached a deal in principle worth around €50 million for forward Ferran Torres, with the move expected to close in the coming days. Torres, who scored Spain's winning goal in the World Cup final, will play under Luis Enrique again and is expected to fill the No. 9 role vacated by Gonçalo Ramos's move to AC Milan. His departure leaves Barcelona, who already lost Robert Lewandowski to Chicago Fire this summer, without a clear starting striker.

Djed Spence Completes Move to Inter Milan: Tottenham Hotspur defender Djed Spence has landed in Italy to finalize a transfer to Inter Milan worth around €30 million. The 26 year old, who impressed at right back for England at the World Cup, is expected to sign a five year deal as the club's replacement for Denzel Dumfries, who left for Real Madrid this summer.

South Korean Players Push for a Fall to Spring K League Calendar: South Korea's Pro Footballers Association is calling on the K League to shift to a fall through spring schedule after a heat wave produced a record 42.5 degree Celsius day in Yangsan this month. A union survey of 536 players found 86.2 percent said the summer heat placed a physical burden on them, with dizziness and dehydration the most common symptoms reported during matches.

Leicester City's Owners Look to Sell the Club: King Power, which has owned Leicester City since 2010, is seeking more than £200 million for the club, according to the BBC. The 2016 Premier League champions have fallen to League One after back to back relegations, including a six point deduction last season for breaching EFL spending rules.

Independiente Fires Gustavo Quinteros: Independiente dismissed coach Gustavo Quinteros after a 4-0 loss to Atlético Tucumán eliminated the club from the Copa Argentina, with postgame comments blaming the club's heavy roster turnover cited as a factor in the decision. Quinteros finishes his spell with a 14-8-10 record, and former players Rubén Darío Insúa and Omar De Felippe are the early names mentioned as possible replacements.

The next few days are going to test how many places soccer can happen in Atlanta at once, and how many places we can be to talk about it. Atlanta United 2 is in Marietta this afternoon, Atlanta United is back at Mercedes-Benz Stadium tomorrow night for the first time in three months, and the U.S. U-17 women's national team is back in action again on Sunday. We plan on being there, or on the air, for every bit of it.

Song of the Day: "Band on the Run" by Paul McCartney and Wings. A crew that's out the door and moving between three different fields over the next few days earns a song about running.

Jason