Some mornings this newsletter has one obvious lead. This isn't one of those mornings, and that's fine, because today is really about looking closer: at why corners have stopped swinging out, why Italian defenses can't buy a clean sheet, why Leeds are sitting in the Premier League's top three, and why Bayern Munich decided restraint was overrated for Oktoberfest. Add in a full slate of Georgia soccer and the usual run around the world, and there's plenty here worth your first cup.

The game never stops and neither do we. Welcome to the SDH Network, Around the Corner from Everywhere. Morning Espresso is brought to you by Kaiser Permanente, Georgia's partner in building healthier, more connected communities. Together We Thrive.

For years, the out-swinging corner was the safe, sensible choice: pull the ball away from traffic and away from the goalkeeper, then let a runner meet it with room to work. This season, that approach is close to extinct.

Only 8.2 percent of Premier League corners through the first month of the season have been out-swingers, according to The Athletic data notebook published this week. That number keeps shrinking. Back in 2021-22, nearly a third of all corners, 33 percent, curled away from goal. Now it's the exception, and this marks the fifth straight season the outswinger's share has declined.

The logic makes sense once you watch for it. Set piece departments are now standard across the league, and nearly everyone has landed on the same answer: crowd the goalkeeper, set picks and screens in a tight space, and manufacture chaos inside the six yard box instead of trying to out-organize a defense from the outside in. An in-swinging corner aims at the goalkeeper's airspace instead of away from it, which turns the delivery into a fight for contact rather than a contest of technique.

There's a wrinkle here that has nothing to do with a whiteboard. Teams have also been trending toward smaller, more technical goalkeepers who are comfortable in buildup play, a response to how much possession now runs through the goalkeeper's feet. Ask a goalkeeper to double as a passer first, and you may also be making him easier to overwhelm in his own box on a corner kick.

The numbers complicate the story a little, and this is where my gut and the research start to disagree. A 2023 breakdown from The Analyst captured the split at its purest: Arsenal, already committed to the in-swinger, took 154 of their 165 crossed corners that way and scored 13 goals worth 11.0 expected goals. Liverpool ran the opposite play that same season, sending in 155 of their 212 crossed corners as out-swingers, and still scored 12. The goal totals came out almost even. But a broader meta-analysis of a dozen studies found out-swinging corners are significantly better at actually producing a shot in the first place, even though the eventual scoring rate barely moves. In-swingers create fewer chances that tend to be sharper. Out-swingers create more chances that are each a little less likely to go in. The math nets out close to even, which raises a real question: is the league's stampede toward chaos actually the smarter play, or has the sport's growing consensus just not caught up yet to what the out-swinger still does well?

None of this is really new, even if the numbers are moving faster than ever. Sweden's run to the semifinals of the 2023 Women's World Cup leaned hard on in-swinging corners, using a size advantage to win first contact and let the scramble do the rest. What's changed is that the rest of the sport has caught up to what Sweden already knew. New rules this season were supposed to clamp down on the physical grappling that makes in-swinging deliveries so effective. So far, that hasn't pushed teams back toward the out-swinger. Nine of the league's 20 teams are yet to deliver a single out-swinging corner this season. The trend line isn't bending back. It's getting steeper.

Italy has spent decades living with a reputation it can't shake: cautious, structured, allergic to goals. Catenaccio, and all that. Four rounds into this Serie A season, the league has stopped playing along with the stereotype.

For the first time in history, neither Serie A nor Serie B has produced a single 0-0 draw through their opening four rounds. Through 40 Serie A fixtures, teams have combined for 121 goals, an average of just over three per game, and there hasn't been a single penalty or VAR on-field review in the first 31 matches. The Premier League has already had four scoreless draws in that same window, La Liga three. Serie A has actually produced six draws total this season, more than most leagues manage, it's just that not one of them has finished scoreless.

The why is mostly about who is calling the games. Referees have been told to let play flow, and the numbers back it up: Serie A is averaging 22.5 fouls per match this season, tied with the Bundesliga for the fewest of any major league. La Liga sits at 24.5, the Premier League at 23.4, and MLS, for reference, lands right in that range at 23.9. Fewer whistles for marginal contact means fewer cards and fewer stoppages breaking up rhythm. Less officiating friction has, in effect, meant more room for actual soccer, and the early scoring numbers show it.

Week four supplied the loudest evidence yet. Inter Milan looked finished at Udinese, down 2-0 inside 16 minutes after James Abankwah headed in unmarked and Jurgen Ekkelenkamp doubled it with a close-range finish. Then the champions simply overwhelmed them. Carlos Augusto pulled one back with a long-range strike into the bottom corner, Nicolò Barella leveled before halftime, and Inter scored three more in the second half through Marcus Thuram, Francesco Esposito, and Ange-Yoan Bonny before Idrissa Gueye's stoppage-time consolation made it 5-3. That's seven goals in one match, and it wasn't even the week's only statement result. Roma won 2-0 at Torino behind Donyell Malen and Niccolò Pisilli to stay perfect through four matches, setting up a top-of-the-table showdown with Inter this Saturday at the Stadio Olimpico, both sides sitting on 12 points. Como, meanwhile, followed their winning Champions League debut against RB Leipzig with a 2-1 win over Parma, goals from Jacobo Ramón and Kaiki Bruno lifting Cesc Fàbregas's side to third.

Roma coach Gian Piero Gasperini, previewing Saturday's meeting with Inter, put it about as plainly as a coach can: "It is an opportunity for us to measure up against the best and show we can do better than in recent performances." Given how this season has gone so far, that one game alone might produce more goals than most leagues see in a month.

Leeds United have been unbeaten and dangerous for weeks, but Monday's 4-1 demolition of Newcastle made the case that this is more than an early-season mirage. The result moved Daniel Farke's side to eight points, four behind leaders Arsenal, and up onto the podium in third place. Newcastle, for their part, dropped to 12th, an uncomfortably familiar spot for a club that finished exactly there a season ago.

The game was decided almost entirely in a chaotic 14-minute window before halftime. Leeds broke through in the 32nd minute in fortunate fashion: Ao Tanaka's shot deflected first off Sean Steur, then off Lewis Miley, looping past goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek for what was officially ruled a Miley own goal. Three minutes later, Dominic Calvert-Lewin rose to head home a Justin cross, only for the ball to clip Jayden Bogle's hair on its way in, which meant the goal actually went to Bogle instead. Calvert-Lewin got his name on the board for real deep into first-half stoppage time, finishing low and hard off a scramble from a long throw-in, his eighth career goal against Newcastle. Three goals in 14 minutes, and the match was functionally over by the break.

Noah Okafor put it fully out of reach early in the second half, meeting a flicked-on Ethan Ampadu throw-in with a half-volley that curled in off the post. Substitute Bazoumana Toure pulled one back in the 89th minute, recovering from a slipped first touch to prod home a low Justin cross, but it did nothing to change the shape of the night.

For Newcastle, this fits an uncomfortable pattern. The Magpies lost Bruno Guimarães, Sandro Tonali, and Anthony Gordon over the summer, brought in Matthias Jaissle to try to rebuild around what's left, and four matches in, the results look a lot like last season's: a 12th-place finish, now a 12th-place start.

For Leeds, it's the opposite story. Unbeaten in the league and dominant at Elland Road for months now, a promoted side sitting third after four matches is exactly the kind of early-season detail worth watching, with the obvious caveat that it's still just four games.

Every fall since 2021, Bayern Munich has released a specialty kit to mark Oktoberfest, or Wiesn, as it's actually called on the ground. Most years lean tasteful: soft golds, restrained trim, a wink at Bavarian tradition rather than a shout. This year's edition drops the wink entirely.

The 2026-27 Wiesn jersey is built around an abstract floral explosion, blurred bouquets in red, white, blue, yellow, and green scattered across a black base, held together by the Adidas trefoil and a bespoke "FC Bayern Wiesn" crest. Last season's shirt, a cream and green design, was tied to something specific: the club's 125th anniversary alongside the festival's 190th. This year's kit isn't commemorating anything except itself. It's a celebration of the atmosphere, the colors, and the general chaos of a few million people drinking beer out of liter glasses in tents.

The kit anchors a full Oktoberfest collection: matching jackets, cardigans, sweatpants, genuine leather lederhosen shorts, heavy wool boot socks, even dirndl dresses for fans who want to go the distance.

Bayern will debut the kit Sept. 18 against Union Berlin at the Allianz Arena, one day before the 191st Munich Oktoberfest opens its gates on Sept. 19. The collection is already on sale.

Macario's Long-Awaited San Diego Debut Will Have to Wait: San Diego Wave FC placed forward Catarina Macario on the NWSL's season-ending injury list Monday due to an ongoing knee issue, ruling out a hometown debut in 2026. Macario joined the Wave in March on a $300,000 transfer from Chelsea and a deal through 2030 worth roughly $8 million guaranteed, believed to be the largest cumulative contract in NWSL history. She underwent a minor knee procedure earlier this year and hasn't played a competitive match since December.

Alexander Shaw Has a Decision Looming: Colombia or the U.S.?: Inter Miami midfielder Alexander Shaw is being pursued by both the United States and Colombia at the Under-20 level ahead of the 2027 U-20 World Cup, a source confirmed to ESPN. Shaw helped the U.S. Under-20 team reach this year's Concacaf U-20 Championship final, scoring in a 5-0 win over Cuba, but has also trained alongside Colombia's senior team as a sparring partner during the World Cup. Inter Miami has previously declined Colombia U-20 call-ups that conflicted with MLS regular-season play.

Cavan Sullivan Keeps Rewriting the MLS Teenage Record Book: Philadelphia Union midfielder Cavan Sullivan was named MLS Player of the Matchday for the first time after a brace and an assist in a 5-0 win at San Diego FC, pushing him to 12 goal contributions over his last seven matches, the longest such streak by a teenager in league history. At 16 years and 351 days old, Sullivan is the third-youngest Player of the Matchday winner ever, behind only Freddy Adu and Santino Quaranta, and his 17 goal contributions this season sit three shy of Diego Fagúndez's teenage single-season record.

SDH AM, Tuesday, 9:05 a.m. (YouTube & Twitch): It's #RedClayTuesday, and Jon Nelson spends the full two hours on Georgia college soccer, welcoming Columbus State women's coach Jay Entlich and Life University men's coach Alex Pama in Hour 1, then Apple TV's Kacey White and Georgia Southern women's coach Chris Adams in Hour 2 to break down the early Sun Belt season.

Training Ground Dispatch & Notebook, Later today (soccerdownhere.net): Giuliano Galoppo speaks publicly for the first time since joining Atlanta United, and I'll be at training to bring it to you firsthand.

Atlanta Soccer Tonight, Tonight, 10 p.m. (92.9 The Game & the Audacy app): We're digging into what actually went right in Atlanta's scoreless draw at D.C. United, and what's still missing, before the club heads to Portland this weekend to face the Timbers.

Hamano Powers Georgia to a Signature Draw: Senior midfielder Honoka Hamano was named SEC Co-Offensive Player of the Week after her 15th-minute strike from outside the box helped Georgia salvage a 1-1 draw against No. 2 Vanderbilt on Sept. 10, just the program's second-ever result against a top-two opponent. Mya Townes and Kiera Staude assisted on the goal, Hamano's team-leading fourth of the season.

North Georgia Sweeps PBC Player of the Week: North Georgia had a big week in the Peach Belt Conference. Senior Grace McGill earned the women's honor after two assists in a 6-0 win over Tusculum and a two-goal second half in a 4-3 win at USC Beaufort, giving her five goals and a conference-leading five assists this season.

Calderon Keeps Building on That Bicycle Kick: On the men's side, Isaac Calderon earned his own PBC Player of the Week nod after two goals and an assist in the 3-3 draw with Lander that produced his ESPN Top 10 bicycle kick, plus the opener in a 2-0 win over USC Aiken. Calderon leads the conference with six goals, 14 points, and two game-winning goals as the No. 2-ranked Nighthawks stay unbeaten.

Soccer Soul Sisters: A Dalton Friendship Written Into Georgia Gwinnett's Attack: Georgia Gwinnett sophomores Alliyah Rosales and Kendra Delgado have been teammates since meeting on the first day of sixth grade in Dalton, Georgia, and are now roommates on the same college team eight years later. The pair helped Georgia Gwinnett win last year's Continental Athletic Conference tournament title as freshmen and have already combined for a goal this season, with Delgado assisting Rosales in the opener.

Reinhardt Routs Bluefield Behind a Ramalaine Brace: Chandler Ramalaine scored twice, including the opener in the 25th minute, as Reinhardt outshot Bluefield 24-6 in a 6-1 rout to open Appalachian Athletic Conference play. Dylan Griggs, Nyck Waits, Russell Joseph, and Bryan Koster also scored for the Eagles, who improved to 3-1 overall and head to Milligan Saturday for their next conference match.

Pro Ref Benches the Manchester Derby VAR: Matt Donohue, the VAR who admitted an "error of judgment" in awarding Manchester City's derby-winning goal at Old Trafford, has not been appointed to a Premier League match this weekend, along with assistant Blake Antrobus. Pro Ref conceded Donohue should have sent referee Michael Oliver to review the monitor over Enzo Fernández's offside position in the buildup to Erling Haaland's goal; the pair won't be back on a top-flight match until at least Oct. 10, after the international break.

De la Fuente Closing In on a Contract Through 2030: Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente is in the final stages of talks on a new contract that would keep him in charge through the 2030 World Cup, which Spain will co-host with Portugal and Morocco. Since taking over in December 2022, De la Fuente has won the Nations League, Euro 2024, and this summer's World Cup, making Spain the first nation to hold both the men's and women's World Cup titles at once.

Camp Nou Beats Wembley for the 2029 Champions League Final: UEFA awarded Barcelona's renovated Camp Nou the 2029 Champions League final over Wembley, one year before Spain co-hosts the 2030 World Cup. The 2028 final returns to Bayern Munich's Allianz Arena, Lyon will host the 2028 Women's Champions League final, and Cardiff gets the 2029 women's final.

Rome Eyes an 80,000-Seat Stadio Olimpico for Euro 2032: Sport e Salute is preparing a roughly €150 million renovation of Rome's Stadio Olimpico ahead of Italy and Turkey's co-hosted Euro 2032, aiming to push capacity back to around 80,000. The FIGC must trim 16 submitted stadium projects down to five by an Oct. 1 funding deadline, with Rome considered a strong candidate alongside Turin, Milan, and Naples.

Lens Set to Move On From Toppmöller After Six Games: RC Lens is expected to sack manager Dino Toppmöller after just six games in charge, per L'Équipe, with Les Sang et Or sitting 10th in Ligue 1 on one win, one draw, and two losses. Assistant Yannick Cahuzac is set to take over for Friday's match against Monaco.

Today’s Morning Espresso is all over the place. From spreadsheets and corner kicks to a Bavarian floral print to two childhood friends from Dalton still playing together in college at Georgia Gwinnett, it shows how endless the connections in this game really are. It’s always around the corner from everywhere in all that we do.

Be on the lookout for reports from the training ground later today and join me for AST tonight on 92.9 The Game & the Audacy app.

Song of the Day: "u + me = <3 " by Olivia Rodrigo. No real reason for this one other than it's what I can't stop playing right now, off an album that takes you through the full emotional rollercoaster of a relationship. This is the happy side of the hill, right before everything falls apart on the other end.

Jason