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PSG barely had time to unpack from the World Cup before winning another trophy Wednesday night. College soccer kicked off across Georgia. Malawi is one win from history. And the SDH Network is spread across the metro area today, Atlanta United's training ground, the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center in Fayetteville, broadcasts galore for the team. Nobody in this sport got an offseason. Here's what you need to know.

Paris Saint-Germain are back-to-back European Super Cup champions after grinding out a 2-1 win over Aston Villa on Wednesday in Salzburg, joining Real Madrid and AC Milan as the only clubs to have repeated as Super Cup winners. It is the 13th trophy of the Luis Enrique era in Paris, and it came from a squad with multiple members that barely had time to recover from the World Cup before boarding a plane to Austria.

The match itself felt like a heavyweight fight. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, rested and sharp after having the summer off, cut inside and lashed a rising shot past Marco Bizot in the 20th minute for the opener. Villa answered before the break through 17 year old Brian Madjo, who had already missed two clean look before finally converting John McGinn's cross with a first time volley. Désiré Doué settled it in the 61st minute, running onto an Ousmane Dembélé pass and curling a finish into the far corner. The goal was initially flagged offside before a VAR review confirmed Matty Cash had played him on.

Madjo's night was the story underneath the story. The teenager only got here after an eight month fight with FIFA, which blocked Villa from registering him following his January move from Metz over international transfer rules for players under 18. Villa took the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and won the appeal earlier this month, clearing Madjo to make his club debut on one of the biggest stages in the sport. He spent the rest of the night giving PSG's back line problems, hitting the post before finally breaking through.

Doué, for his part, framed the win as a floor, not a ceiling. "We're very happy," he said. "The main objective is to win everything this year." PSG do not have long to enjoy it. They play Lens in the Trophée des Champions on Sunday, while Villa turn their attention to a Premier League opener at Brighton on August 23, with reinforcements reportedly on the way before the transfer window closes.

One interesting subplot was while multiple PSG players played in the World Cup final and third-place match and made themselves available for the Super Cup, Aston Villa was without Ollie Watkins, Ezri Konsa, and Emiliano Martinez after Emery gave them four weeks off following their World Cup duty. "But, at the same time, I think PSG are going to be in the same situation like us,” he said before the match.

Malawi's remarkable debut run at the Women's Africa Cup of Nations continues. The Scorchers, ranked 153rd in the world and playing in the tournament for the first time in program history, beat Algeria 3-1 in Wednesday's semifinal to reach Sunday's final against Cameroon in Rabat, Morocco.

The Chawinga sisters carried Malawi there. Captain Tabitha Chawinga, who plays her club soccer for Lyon, opened the scoring in the 33rd minute with an acrobatic finish, then added a second in the 76th to complete her brace. Her sister Temwa, who plays in the NWSL for the Kansas City Current, rounded the goalkeeper and slotted home an empty netter just before halftime to make it 2-0. Algeria's Ikram Adjabi pulled one back in the 60th minute, but it was not enough. Both sides finished the match down a player after red cards in the first half.

Cameroon reached the final the harder way, needing penalties to get past Morocco after a scoreless draw through extra time. Goalkeeper Michaely Bihina was the difference, saving a Morocco penalty in the 118th minute to force the shootout and then stopping three more attempts in the shootout itself. It is Cameroon's fourth WAFCON final, after finals losses in 2004, 2014 and 2016, all three to Nigeria.

Both finalists have already punched their tickets to the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil, along with semifinal losers Algeria and Morocco. For Malawi, reaching a first WAFCON final is already history. Winning it Sunday would be one of the greatest upsets women's international soccer has seen.

Tabitha Chawinga's opener in Malawi's WAFCON semifinal is the kind of goal that captures the world’s attention. In the 33rd minute, the Scorchers' captain rifled a left footed overhead volley off the crossbar and down into the net, the finish that put a first time tournament qualifier into the lead. It's a moment that will be replayed in Malawi forever.

Wednesday was not kind to last year's Leagues Cup finalists. Defending champion Seattle led Chivas Guadalajara 1-0 on a Gallatin Sandnes goal before Luis Gabriel Rey and Santiago Sandoval scored twice in 11 second half minutes to end the Sounders' title defense. Runner-up Inter Miami fared worse. Daniel Pinter's 42nd minute goal had Miami in front, but León erased it after the break and then did it again, with Daniel Arcila scoring twice, including an 83rd minute winner, to complete a perfect nine point Phase One and send Miami home 3-2. Lionel Messi had entered at halftime with Miami still leading.

The MLS side of the bracket is starting to take shape. Columbus and Real Salt Lake have already clinched two of the league's four automatic knockout spots. LAFC punched a ticket of its own, grinding past Querétaro on penalties after Denis Bouanga's second half equalizer, a goal that also moved him past Messi as Leagues Cup's all time leading scorer with 15. Monterrey stayed alive with a stoppage time winner from Hugo Cuypers, though the Rayados still need help elsewhere to survive.

The last two spots for both leagues come down to Thursday. Austin, hosting Club América, and Chicago, hosting Cruz Azul, control their own fate outright: a win or a draw in either match clinches a Quarterfinal berth. On the Liga MX side, León and Toluca have already advanced, with Toluca cruising past FC Dallas 3-1 behind goals from Alexis Vega, Federico Viñas and Erick Gutiérrez. Draws for La Maquina in Chicago or Las Aguilas in Austin will be enough for them to advance. Monterrey and Juarez are waiting to see if either slip up tonight.

The Netherlands have gone outside the country for their next manager for the first time since 1978, hiring Barcelona great Xavi Hernández to replace Ronald Koeman. Xavi has signed a four year deal that will carry him through Euro 2028 and the 2030 World Cup, and he becomes the Oranje's first foreign head coach since Austrian Ernst Happel led them to the 1978 World Cup final.

Koeman stepped down after the Netherlands were eliminated in the last 32 by Morocco on penalties at this summer's World Cup, extending a run of near misses for a program that has lost three World Cup finals, more than any nation in history without a title, and four Euro semifinals since its only major trophy in 1988. Before landing on Xavi, the federation reportedly held initial talks with former Liverpool boss Arne Slot, who chose to stay in club football.

Xavi's own résumé needs little introduction. He won the World Cup with Spain in 2010 and back to back European Championships in 2008 and 2012, then built a managerial career that started with Qatari club Al Sadd before he returned to Barcelona in 2021, replacing Koeman there as well. He led Barça to the 2023 La Liga title before a trophyless follow up season got him replaced by Hansi Flick in 2024. This is his first job since.

The connection to Dutch football runs deeper than the job title suggests. "As someone who received his training at the Barcelona academy, with strong influences from Johan Cruyff and Rinus Michels, among others, I feel a special connection to Dutch football," Xavi said. "You could say that I am a bit of a son of Dutch football." He specifically credited Louis van Gaal, who gave him his Barcelona debut, and Frank Rijkaard as influences on both his playing and coaching development. The combination of influences makes for an interesting story to see if Xavi can restore a more entertaining version of Dutch football.

Xavi's first match in charge comes September 24, a Nations League clash with rivals Germany at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam.

Chicago Stars Move On From Sjögren, Turn to Báez as Interim: The Chicago Stars have parted ways with head coach Marin Sjögren and assistant Anders Jacobson with the club sitting last in the NWSL standings at 4-13-1. Assistant coach Karina Báez, in her third season with the club and a former head coach of Pumas UNAM Femenil, takes over as interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Former Stars coach Lorne Donaldson returns as interim director of coaching, and Nicole Lukic, most recently head coach of the now-folded USL Super League side Spokane Zephyr, joins as a full-time assistant.

U-17 USWNT Opens Fayetteville Camp Tonight Against Mexico: The U.S. Under-17 Women's National Team kicks off its final training camp before World Cup roster selection tonight at the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center in Fayetteville, Georgia, taking on Mexico at 5 p.m. ET. I’ll be on the broadcast, join me on the U.S. Soccer YouTube channel. The camp also features Canada and Chile, all three of whom will join the USA at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in Morocco this fall. Head coach Ciara Crinion will trim the 24 player group to a final 21 following the matches.

Whitecaps Add Serbian Midfielder Cvetkovic on U22 Deal: Vancouver has signed midfielder Aleksa Cvetkovic from Serbian club OFK Beograd to a U22 Initiative contract through 2029-30, with a club option for an additional year. The 21-year-old posted seven goals and nine assists across 73 appearances for OFK Beograd over the past two seasons.

SDH AM, live from Marietta (Today, 8:30 a.m., SDH YouTube and Twitch): Jon Nelson is on the road for this one from the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground. Long-time Mercer men's head coach Brad Ruzzo joins the abbreviated show, plus a full breakdown of last night's college soccer and Leagues Cup action.

Atlanta United Media Match, live from the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground (Today, 10 a.m., Atlanta United YouTube): The whole SDH crew is on site for this one. I'm on the call with Mike Conti, with Jon working the sideline, for the club's annual Media Match. No Jarrett Smith sadly, we won’t see his usual shenanigans on the pitch. Can Nick Aliffi, Madison Crews, or Sofia Cupertino live up to Jarrett’s legacy of absurdity in the match? We’ll find out together.

U.S. U-17 Women's National Team vs. Mexico (Today, just before 5 p.m., U.S. Soccer YouTube): I'm heading to Fayetteville for this one. It's the first match of the camp that decides who represents the USA at the U-17 World Cup in Morocco this fall, and it's happening right here in Georgia.

Mercer Opens Season With Win Over Jackson State: Payton Nutzman scored twice in the first half, a 32nd minute penalty kick and a 42nd minute finish off an assist from freshman Bella DeSantis, to lead Mercer to a 2-1 win over Jackson State in Jackson, Mississippi. It marked Nutzman's first competitive match since a season ending injury last October. Mercer turns to West Georgia on Sunday.

West Georgia and Jacksonville State Play to 1-1 Draw: Noemi Casique opened the scoring for the Wolves off an assist from Morgan Setzer, and goalkeeper Emily Sanabria made a program record 12 saves in a season opener, but Jacksonville State equalized with 4:44 to play. West Georgia hosts its home opener Sunday against Mercer at University Soccer Field, with free admission.

Georgia Southern Rallies Past North Florida: Down 1-0 at halftime, Georgia Southern scored twice in the second half to beat North Florida 2-1 at Bo Pitts Field. Addison Comer tied it in the 53rd minute before Paisley Cathey buried the winner from distance in the 84th, her second straight season opening goal.

Kennesaw State Falls to No. 21 Memphis: Kennesaw State opened its season with a 2-0 road loss to No. 21 Memphis, with Ai Kitagawa scoring from open play and a penalty kick. Goalkeeper Charlee Bernal climbed into the program's all time top five in saves during the match.

Georgia State Drops Opener at UAB: Georgia State fell 4-2 at UAB despite second half rally goals from Aaliyah Faddoul and Brielle Delgado that briefly tied the match at 2-2. The Panthers return home to host Truett-McConnell on Senior Day Sunday at the GSU Soccer Complex.

Bundesliga's 50+1 Rule Survives Antitrust Review: Germany's federal competition authority, the Bundeskartellamt, ruled that the Bundesliga's 50+1 ownership rule remains compatible with German and EU competition law. The rule requires club members to hold majority voting rights, blocking single investors from taking controlling stakes. The authority flagged the league's inconsistent handling of existing exceptions, including Bayer Leverkusen, Wolfsburg, RB Leipzig and Hannover 96.

Lukaku Completes Move From Napoli to Fenerbahçe: Romelu Lukaku has been sold by Napoli to Fenerbahçe for a reported 6 million euros plus add ons, flying directly to Istanbul after medical tests in Belgium. The 33 year old scored 14 goals in 45 games for Napoli after joining from Chelsea in 2024, helping the club win Serie A and the Supercoppa Italiana. He signs a one year deal with an option for a second season.

Atlético Madrid Agree Deal for Tottenham's Cuti Romero: Atlético Madrid have reached agreement to sign center back Cristian "Cuti" Romero from Tottenham for a potential 40 million euros, a fixed 35 million plus up to 5 million in variables. The 28 year old Argentina international became Spurs captain in 2025 and won the 2025 Europa League during his five seasons at the club.

Zlatko Dalić Named UAE Head Coach: The United Arab Emirates have appointed Croatian manager Zlatko Dalić as head coach, replacing Cosmin Olaroiu. Dalić led Croatia to the 2018 World Cup final and a third place finish in 2022 before departing after this summer's round of 32 exit. He previously coached in the UAE with Al Ain, winning the domestic league title in 2015.

Celta Vigo's Season Opener Postponed Over Pitch Damage: Celta Vigo's La Liga opener against Osasuna has been postponed after a fungal outbreak damaged the playing surface at their stadium. The match, originally set for Sunday, has been rescheduled for August 27. Celta said high temperatures in recent weeks worsened turf that had already been treated for the issue.

The World Cup ended less than a month ago, and already there's a new trophy in Paris, a new coach in Amsterdam, a new season underway on college campuses across Georgia, and a new generation of players fighting for World Cup spots less than an hour from downtown Atlanta. The calendar is fighting for its life right now. The game truly doesn't stop, and neither do we, out at the Training Ground this morning, on the sideline or on the pitch in Marietta, on the broadcast in Fayetteville tonight. That's the job, and it's a good one.

Jason