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Six days. That is the number sitting on top of everything this Friday morning. The friendlies are almost done, the squads are set, the ceremonies are booked, and the world is pointed at North America. The Morning Espresso has a full cup for you today: the USMNT and Germany ahead of tomorrow's match in Chicago, the slow collapse of Eagle Football and what it means for Chelsea, a round of friendlies that handed France and Spain some uncomfortable questions, and a World Cup that is close enough now that you can feel it. Pour a cup. Let's go.

The United States Men's National Team has one more tune-up before the World Cup kicks off, and they drew about the toughest possible opponent for it. Germany comes to Soldier Field in Chicago on Saturday, and the two sides have recent history to draw from.

The last time these teams met was October 2023 in East Hartford, Connecticut, a match that doubled as Julian Nagelsmann's debut as German manager. Gregg Berhalter was still in charge of the Americans that day, and Christian Pulisic gave the U.S. a 27th-minute lead with a 22-yard golazo before Germany responded for a 3-1 win, with goals from Ilkay Gündogan, Niklas Füllkrug, and Jamal Musiala. Nearly the entire U.S. starting lineup from that night, Yunus Musah being the one exception, is back in Mauricio Pochettino's World Cup squad. This group has been together a while. Saturday is about finding out how far they've come.

The Americans come in with some wind at their backs after a 3-2 win over Senegal on Sunday. Christian Pulisic broke out of a scoring drought, Sergiño Dest and Folarin Balogun both found the net, and Ricardo Pepi had arguably his best performance in years. Pochettino acknowledged the team's self-inflicted wounds in that one, conceding through mistakes he expects to clean up, but the result and the attitude gave the camp real energy heading into the week. Joe Scally summed it up well when asked about the choice of opponent: "I think we'd all rather play a better team than a not so good team. Better competition is always more fun, better feeling on the field, just to compare ourselves to some of the best guys in the world."

Germany is not showing up undermanned. Die Mannschaft rolled to a 4-0 win over Finland on Sunday, outshot their opponents 13-0, and barely broke a sweat. Deniz Undav had a brace, Florian Wirtz and Musiala added to the ledger, and Manuel Neuer was rested entirely. Kai Havertz, who Nagelsmann called one of Germany's most important players, sat out as well. He will be ready to start Saturday. The Americans will be facing a very different side than what Finland saw in Mainz.

The player drawing the most attention this week is 18-year-old Bayern Munich attacker Lennart Karl, who has quickly become one of the most talked-about young players in European soccer. Scally, who lines up against Bundesliga opponents every weekend with Borussia Mönchengladbach, has a perspective most Americans don't: "I play against most of them in the league, so I know Germany very well. For me, it almost feels like a bonus league game on the weekend." Karl, for his part, is not short on confidence. "I never crap my pants," he told reporters recently. "I like to gamble. I am not afraid of anything." That kind of fearlessness from an 18-year-old is either thrilling or terrifying depending on which sideline you're standing on.

There's also a fascinating subplot in Nathaniel Brown, the Eintracht Frankfurt left back who was born in Germany to a German mother and an American father. The U.S. federation reached out about a year ago, but Brown's answer was immediate. "My roots are here, and I grew up here," he said in April. "I grew up as a German, so it was always my goal to play for the German national team." Brown has started Germany's last two matches and is firmly in Nagelsmann's plans. Then there is Malik Tillman, who grew up in Germany and plays in the Bundesliga but chose the Stars and Stripes. Two young players, similar journeys, opposite flags.

We will have a special Atlanta Soccer Tonight live on 92.9 The Game from 12-2:15pm from NoFo Brew Co in Gainesville ahead of the Westwood One broadcast on the station. You’ll be able to get our Soccer Down Here Lager cans for the first time this weekend at NoFo locations. Sunday, we’ll be doing a World Cup preview special SDH Live show Sunday afternoon from 2-3:30pm at the NoFo location in Cumming.

The slow unraveling of John Textor's Eagle Football empire has entered its most consequential phase, and the numbers coming out of the administration process are staggering. According to filings cited by Bloomberg, Ares Management is owed more than $547 million following the collapse of Eagle Football Group, comprising $400 million in principal and the rest in accrued interest. Administrators from Cork Gully LLP have contacted more than 50 potential buyers for the group's assets, including Olympique Lyonnais and a stake in Botafogo, and report significant inbound interest. The catch: a material portion of those inquiries didn't survive preliminary conversations. Deals this complicated rarely attract the kind of clean, committed buyer that makes a sale move quickly.

The mechanics of how Ares got here are worth understanding, because they tell you something important about where European football's money is actually coming from. Textor funded his acquisition of Lyon in December 2022 largely through private credit structured by Ares, with initial tranches carrying interest rates of 16 and 18 percent using PIK, or payment-in-kind, mechanisms. PIK debt doesn't require cash interest payments. Instead, that interest gets added to the principal, which then compounds further. A $500 million PIK loan at 18 percent becomes roughly $820 million in three years without the borrower writing a single check. By late 2025, the aggregate balance had reached approximately $1.2 billion. When Eagle Football defaulted on around $450 million in October 2025, Ares ultimately exercised its rights and had Cork Gully appointed as administrator in London's High Court on March 27, 2026. No court hearing. No prior notice to regulators. One business day, and the ownership structure of a company controlling Lyon, Botafogo, and RWDM Brussels had changed entirely.

The administrators have now confirmed that unsecured creditors will receive nothing. That includes the clubs themselves, if they hold intercompany claims against the holding company. Every euro Lyon is owed from the group structure is effectively worthless. Ares, secured against all ten charges including the Lyon shares and the Botafogo stake, is the only creditor who will see any recovery. Textor, for his part, has not responded to the administrators' inquiries, which is now part of the public record.

If all of this feels distant from Atlanta United (even though Botafogo owes the club money from the Thiago Almada transfer) and the American soccer experience, consider Chelsea. Football finance expert Paul Quinn, writing for Josimar, lays out in unsettling detail how closely the Chelsea situation mirrors the Eagle Football blueprint. Ares provided $500 million to Chelsea's holding company in September 2023, structured as preferred equity that functions, in substance, much like debt. The total Ares exposure at the holding company level sits at approximately £410 million. Chelsea's pre-tax loss for 2024-25 was £262.4 million, the largest in Premier League history, and the club has posted losses exceeding £200 million in four consecutive seasons. The structure, crucially, sits above the regulated club entity, deliberately designed to stay outside the reach of Premier League financial rules and the newly established Independent Football Regulator. The same deliberate architectural choice was central to the Lyon situation.

Quinn's conclusion is direct: "The door that was wide open at Eagle Football is not obviously shut at Stamford Bridge." Ares has now demonstrated publicly that it will appoint an administrator with no warning when it judges the moment right. The conditions that would change Ares' calculus at Chelsea, two consecutive seasons out of the top four, a sustained commercial decline, a covenant breach at the holding company level, are not unimaginable in the Premier League. None of this means Chelsea is heading toward administration. It means the mechanism exists, the precedent is set, and the people who built that structure know exactly how it works.

Mexico's third goal against Serbia on Thursday night was the kind of team move that makes you sit up straight. A sharp combination between Piojo Alvarado and Julián Quiñones opened the Serbian defense, Quiñones hit the post with his right foot, and Raúl Jiménez was right there to tap the rebound home. Simple finish, but everything that created it was anything but. It was a goal built on movement, timing, and the kind of collective understanding that takes months to develop.

Jiménez has had a complicated road back from serious injury over the years, but when he is healthy and operating in a system that gives him the right service, he remains one of the most dangerous strikers in the CONCACAF region. If Thursday night is a preview of what Mexico's attack can look like at full tilt, with Jiménez as the focal point and creative players moving around him, El Tri will be a genuine handful in the group stage and beyond. The opener against South Africa at Azteca Stadium on June 11 cannot come soon enough.

Thursday's round of pre-World Cup friendlies delivered some genuinely interesting results, with a couple of the tournament favorites doing themselves no favors in their final home appearances. Consider it one last reminder that no one has this thing figured out yet.

France looked comfortable enough in the first half against Ivory Coast in Nantes, with Rayan Cherki scoring a sharp goal just before halftime to give Les Bleus the lead. Then Didier Deschamps made sweeping changes at the break and his side fell apart. Guela Doué, brother of France winger Désiré Doué, equalized in the 53rd minute, and Manchester United's Amad came off the bench to complete the comeback six minutes from the end, finishing a cross into the far corner for a 2-1 Ivory Coast win. To be fair, France rested most of their PSG players following last weekend's Champions League final, and Deschamps was philosophical about it. "It's a reminder, if we needed one, not to think we're better than we are," he said. Ivory Coast, making their first World Cup appearance since 2014, will face Germany in Group E and showed they are not coming to participate.

Spain fared only marginally better in La Coruña, drawing 1-1 with Iraq in their final home match before the tournament. Ferran Torres gave the reigning European champions an early lead, but Iraq's Merchas Doski produced a moment of real quality, picking up the ball on the left and lifting a shot over goalkeeper Joan García from outside the box. It was Doski's head-up awareness that made it special, spotting García off his line and punishing him for it. Spain pushed for a winner in the second half and couldn't find one, leaving their home crowd frustrated. Coach Luis de la Fuente was without Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, Pedri, Rodri, and several others, and he used the occasion to hand senior debuts to eight players. "Today was about sensations and giving opportunities to other players," he said. "Tomorrow we're in the United States, and that puts our focus exactly where it needs to be." Spain will face Peru in Puebla on Monday before their Group H opener against Cape Verde on June 15, though questions about Yamal's fitness from a hamstring injury continue to hover.

Mexico was the one major side that left Thursday with its confidence fully intact. El Tri rolled past Serbia 5-1 at the Estadio Nemesio Diez in Toluca, racing from 1-0 down to a dominant win on a night that included two Serbian own goals and a Luis Chávez thunderbolt to close things out in the 89th minute. Johan Vázquez headed in the equalizer, Raúl Jiménez tapped in the third, and 22-year-old Brian Gutiérrez was one of the standouts on a night Mexico looked sharp and cohesive. Coach Javier Aguirre kept the mood grounded: "Beyond the result, we're on the rise. We're in good spirits, a positive attitude, and physically fit." Mexico opens against South Africa at Azteca Stadium on June 11.

One friendly with implications well beyond the scoreline was Iran's 2-0 win over Mali in Antalya, Turkey. Goals from Saeid Ezatolahi and Ramin Rezaeian gave Team Melli a clean result, but the team's actual participation in the World Cup remains unsettled. Iran has received visas to enter Mexico and will base themselves in Tijuana, after U.S. authorities declined to host them in their originally planned Arizona base. Visas for the United States, where Iran plays group matches against New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles and Egypt in Seattle, had not been confirmed as of Thursday. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there was "no problem" with the players entering the country, but Washington will not permit staff with ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to accompany the squad. Iranian FA president Mehdi Taj said the federation would weigh its options if visas are not issued before the tournament opener against New Zealand on June 15.

Six days. That is all that stands between us and the opening kick of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and the final pieces are falling into place across three countries. The tournament is almost here, and the details that have been building for months are suddenly very real.

On The Field

Argentina finds itself in an unusual place heading into the final week: back at the top of the FIFA Rankings, sitting at 1,874 points after France's loss to Ivory Coast and Spain's draw with Iraq bumped the Albiceleste past both. The problem, at least historically, is that no team has ever arrived at a World Cup ranked first and gone on to win it. Not Brazil in 1998. Not France in 2002. Not Germany in 2018. The curse is real, and Lionel Scaloni's camp has its own reasons for quiet concern beyond superstition. Midfielder Nicolás Paz is dealing with persistent left knee discomfort that has kept him from training at full intensity, and Scaloni has already been in contact with Aston Villa's Emiliano Buendía, who is among a group of reserve players stationed nearby, ready to be called in if Paz cannot pass his medical tests before Argentina's June 11 opener.

Neymar will not make the trip to Cleveland for Brazil's final pre-tournament friendly against Egypt on Saturday. The 34-year-old Santos forward is managing a calf problem and will remain at the team's New Jersey training base while his teammates get one last look before the tournament begins. His inclusion in Carlo Ancelotti's squad was already one of the most debated decisions of the entire World Cup cycle, and every injury update between now and the opener against Morocco on June 13 will be watched closely.

Paraguay is back at the World Cup for the first time in 16 years, and coach Gustavo Alfaro made sure everyone understood what that means. At a press conference this week that ran nearly an hour and a half, Alfaro spoke about his country's long wait with genuine emotion. "We don't have expectations, we have hope," he said. "I know what this country feels, I know what 16 long years of waiting, frustrations, sorrows, curses, watching a World Cup on television are like." Paraguay opens against the United States on June 12 in California.

Off The Field

FIFA unveiled the design for the new pre-match ceremony that will debut at the World Cup, and it is a meaningful change from what fans are used to. Rather than only the starting eleven gathering at the center circle, every player in the matchday squad will stand together for the national anthems, oriented in a 360-degree setup designed to give every seat in the stadium a distinct vantage point. Players will enter through dedicated arches from the tunnel closest to their dugout, and visual elements including large country flag banners and handheld flags will frame the moment. Later rounds of the tournament will add pyrotechnics and colored smoke. The idea is to make the anthem moment feel like it belongs to the whole squad, not just the eleven names on the teamsheet.

The opening ceremonies are set, and the lineups are genuinely impressive. Shakira and Burna Boy headline in Mexico City ahead of the tournament opener between Mexico and South Africa on June 11, joined by a roster that includes J Balvin, Maná, Lila Downs, and Alejandro Fernández among others. The U.S. ceremony on June 12 at SoFi Stadium features Katy Perry, LISA, Rema, Anitta, and Future ahead of the American opener against Paraguay. Alanis Morissette and Michael Bublé close out the trio of shows in Toronto that same day before Canada faces Bosnia and Herzegovina.

And for Lionel Messi, adidas has given his farewell a proper send-off. The brand officially released the F50 Messi 2026 "El Último Tango" boots on Friday, a design inspired by the boots he wore at his very first World Cup in Germany in 2006. White base, sky blue patches, gold accents, and a set of sharp Three Stripes styled to look like claws. The name says it all. The Last Dance.

Two of the NWSL and MLS's most prominent front office stories took new turns this week, and neither reflects particularly well on the state of professional soccer leadership in this country.

Gotham FC officially fired general manager Alyse LaHue following an NWSL investigation tied to the league's anti-harassment policy. LaHue had been away from the club recently, and while the specific details of the complaint remain confidential, the investigation has now concluded with her removal. LaHue issued a statement through her attorney denying all allegations. Vice chair Ed Nalbandian is overseeing day-to-day operations in the interim. The timing adds pressure to an ownership group that now needs to find a successor capable of handling both the business and soccer operations that LaHue had rebuilt from a difficult starting point.

In Philadelphia, suspended Union sporting director Ernst Tanner remains away from the club despite technically becoming eligible for reinstatement on June 1. The Guardian is reporting that Tanner has not yet completed the league-ordered restorative practices training that was a condition of his return, following a suspension stemming from an MLS investigation that found he violated league policies and standards of professional conduct. Owner Jay Sugarman indicated last week that any conversation about Tanner's future at the club would have to wait until that process runs its course, and noted that Tanner had already been planning to return to Germany at the end of his contract year anyway. The Union, who have had one of the worst starts in franchise history, named former academy director Jon Scheer as sporting director and fired head coach Bradley Carnell in recent weeks. The club sits last in the Eastern Conference and does not return to play until July 22.

Jon Nelson is live this morning on SDH AM starting at 9:05 on YouTube and Twitch, with a loaded guest list. Niko Moreno from Pulso Sports joins the show, along with Landon Southwick calling in from Salt Lake City with his on-the-ground perspective from the two South Korea friendlies in Utah. Jon will also have sound from MLS Commissioner Don Garber in Montreal, where the league has been weighing in on the Olympic Stadium situation and CF Montreal's future.

Tonight at 10, Atlanta Soccer Tonight returns to 92.9 The Game for another live edition. We will preview the USMNT match against Germany in Chicago, dig into what Thursday's round of pre-tournament friendlies actually told us, and more. Catch it on the radio or on the 92.9 YouTube channel.

Liverpool appoint Andoni Iraola: The former Bournemouth manager signed a two-year contract at Anfield on Thursday, becoming the only candidate approached by sporting director Richard Hughes. Iraola led Bournemouth to three consecutive top-half Premier League finishes and Europa League qualification before leaving at the end of his contract this summer. Arne Slot was sacked after a fifth-place finish in his second season following his title-winning debut campaign.

Liverpool pursue Yan Diomandé: Liverpool have made contact with RB Leipzig over the 19-year-old Ivory Coast forward and are currently in the strongest position with the player. Leipzig have maintained that it would take a bid exceeding €130 million to move him, and the club holds no release clause in his contract through 2030. Paris Saint-Germain also retain strong interest but are not as far along in discussions.

FIFA+ launches on DAZN: The two organizations officially merged FIFA's content platform into DAZN, creating what they are calling the Global Home of Football. The service will deliver roughly 8,500 live football events annually alongside archive content from past World Cups, including full match replays and previously unseen footage. The 2026 slate includes the U-20 Women's World Cup in Poland, the U-17 Women's World Cup in Morocco, and the U-17 World Cup in Qatar.

Florentino Pérez on Real Madrid investment: The Real Madrid president told the Financial Times that a proposed sale of five percent of the club through a new subsidiary would function more like a sponsorship than a traditional investment, with no governance role for outside investors. Pérez made the comments ahead of a June 7 member election in which the ownership proposal has become a central issue against challenger Enrique Riquelme. The club's valuation in the proposal stands at more than €10 billion.

Barcelona could return to Argentina: The club has received an invitation to face River Plate at the Monumental in Buenos Aires on August 7 or 8 as part of their preseason schedule, according to ESPN. It would mark Barcelona's first appearance in Argentina since 1964 and their first meeting with River Plate since the 2015 Club World Cup final. The club ruled out the usual U.S. or Asia summer tours due to the World Cup calendar.

AC Milan in talks with Ralf Rangnick: La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Rangnick has expressed openness to taking the technical director role at San Siro but wants a decision from the club by next week. The 67-year-old hopes to bring Southampton's Johannes Spors and Manchester United head scout Christopher Vivell with him, and has named Oliver Glasner as his preferred coaching choice. Mauricio Pochettino is also a candidate for the head coach position, and club leadership has already met with representatives of both Glasner and Pochettino.

Andy Robertson joins Tottenham: The Scotland captain will join Spurs on July 1 after nine years at Liverpool, where he won the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, and Club World Cup among other honors. Robertson, 32, had been vice-captain at Anfield in his final season. He captains Scotland into this summer's World Cup, their first appearance at the tournament in several years.

Yaya Touré close to Slovan Bratislava role: The former Manchester City and Barcelona midfielder is reportedly one step from becoming head coach of ŠK Slovan Bratislava, according to journalist Matteo Moretto. Touré has built his coaching resume through assistant roles at Olimpik Donetsk, Akhmat Grozny, Tottenham's academy, Standard Liège, and most recently with the Saudi Arabia national team under Roberto Mancini. Slovan Bratislava are Slovakia's dominant club and will compete in Champions League qualifying next season.

Six days. The World Cup is six days away, and today's edition is a good reminder of how much is already in motion. Germany arrives in Chicago tomorrow, the ceremonies are set, the squads are mostly locked, and the soccer world is pointed in one direction.

Start your Friday morning with Jon Nelson on SDH AM, live right now on YouTube and Twitch. Tonight, join us on 92.9 The Game at 10 for Atlanta Soccer Tonight, where we will preview the USMNT against Germany and break down what this final week of friendlies actually told us. You can also catch it on the 92.9 YouTube channel if you are not near a radio.

We will see you on the other side of the weekend.

🎵 Song of the Day: "Last Dance" by Donna Summer

Adidas named Messi's final World Cup boots "El Último Tango," and if that is not a last dance, nothing is. Donna Summer's 1978 classic starts slow and reflective before it opens up into something joyful and urgent, which feels about right for where we are six days out from the World Cup. Turn it up.

Jason