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Atlanta United doesn't have time for another performance that only looks good after the final whistle. Orlando City comes to Mercedes-Benz Stadium tonight with real stakes attached, and after a draw with Miami that felt better than it actually was, three points are the only thing that moves the needle. We'll get you set for that, plus a loaded Champions League slate, a Ballon d'Or shortlist Paris Saint-Germain basically ran away with, and a trip through recent women's soccer news in The Vine.

Lucas Hoyos couldn't see the shot until it was almost on him. Leo Messi had found a lane through traffic in stoppage time of Atlanta's draw with Miami, and by the time the ball cleared enough bodies for Hoyos to react, instinct had to do the rest. He got a foot to it. Junior Alonso cleaned up what was left on the line. Atlanta held on for a 2-2 draw that felt, in the moment, like something worth celebrating.

Tata Martino wasn't interested in relitigating that. But he was clear about what the result actually meant. "We wanted to win more than we wanted to draw," he said this week, and with Atlanta racing the calendar for a playoff spot, that distinction matters more than the two saves that preserved the point. A draw keeps hope alive. It doesn't advance it.

What the Miami match did produce was a first real look at Breel Embolo in an Atlanta shirt, and there was a lot to like. He played all 90 minutes, which Martino admitted wasn't the plan going in. Embolo arrived off a World Cup quarterfinal run with Switzerland with no preseason and a contract negotiation that dragged on for weeks, and Martino was blunt about what that means for expectations: the version of Embolo that shows up in the next few months isn't the finished product. Even so, he was active throughout both on and off the ball and both drew and converted a penalty. Mauricio Amaro and Steven Alzate came on together around the hour mark and gave the midfield the legs it needed, with Amaro doing it on almost no training time after his own registration got tangled in a bureaucratic backlog that has delayed other players this summer around MLS. Martino has been vocal about that part of it, calling it a league-wide problem worth fixing rather than an Atlanta-specific gripe: teams are paying for players they can't yet use.

Now Orlando City comes to Mercedes-Benz Stadium tonight for a 7:40 kickoff, and the profile of the danger is clear enough. Griffin Dorsey and Justin Ellis have combined well down the right flank all season, and Antoine Griezmann gives Orlando a level of individual quality that doesn't need much room to hurt you. Martino's answer to a fullback who attacks well is rarely to sit back and absorb it. "The best way to deal with it is to attack it," he said, which means Miguel Almirón and Elías Báez will need to be both aggressive in the press and willing to give Dorsey defensive work of his own.

Atlanta will be shorthanded tonight. Cooper Sanchez is in concussion protocol after his first-half collision in Miami and is out, although Martino stressed he’s recovering well. Giuliano Galoppo is still waiting on his visa paperwork. Steven Alzate is questionable with an illness (fever according to Martino) after playing well off the bench Saturday. Jay Fortune is back on the field and eligible, though Martino has hinted he may not be a 90-minute option yet. None of it changes what tonight is. Atlanta doesn't have games left to spend on performances that only look good without earning three points in the standings.

Paris Saint-Germain begins its bid for a third straight European crown Wednesday night at Parc des Princes against Slovan Bratislava, and the form line heading in doesn't match the ambition. PSG has taken two points from three Ligue 1 games, conceded six goals, and hasn't won since the season started. Luis Enrique isn't panicking. He's been here before. In each of PSG's last two title runs, the club finished the 36-team league phase in the bottom half of the standings, needed the knockout playoff round just to advance, and still ended up hoisting the trophy in May. "If we only look at the results it's a disastrous start," he said this week, "but as a coach you know how to assess and judge everything that happens on the pitch." Slovan, coached by Yaya Touré in what makes him the first African manager to lead a team into the Champions League main phase, lost all eight games the last time it reached this stage. It's a favorable opener for a team that needs one. It also comes a day after ten PSG players landed on the 30-man Ballon d'Or shortlist, more on that to come.

Arsenal's trip to Napoli turned into an ordeal before a ball was even kicked. A technical failure in the United Kingdom's air traffic control system grounded nearly 300 flights Tuesday and left Mikel Arteta's squad waiting for hours at their London Colney training ground before they could get to the airport, pushing their arrival in Naples to around 9:30 p.m. local time and forcing the club to scrap Arteta's pre-match press conference entirely. They'll arrive as the only club that went unbeaten through last season's league phase, eight straight wins, and as the team that beat Napoli to the finish line for continental credibility even after falling in the final. Napoli has its own problems. Scott McTominay had a procedure this week to treat an irregular heartbeat, and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa is dealing with a physical issue, which leaves Massimiliano Allegri piecing together a midfield of Kevin De Bruyne, Billy Gilmour, Stanislav Lobotka, and Antonio Vergara. Allegri, who has lost both of the finals he's coached in, was characteristically dry about facing a team fresh off winning the Premier League: "I had the fortune of two finals. I lost both of them."

Liverpool and Atletico Madrid run it back from last year's opening matchday, when Virgil van Dijk's stoppage-time header won it 3-2 at Anfield. New Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola gets his first taste of the competition in charge, while Diego Simeone, closing in on fifteen years at Atletico, starts his fourteenth straight Champions League campaign still chasing the one trophy that's twice slipped away from him in the final, both times against Real Madrid. Across town in Spain, Barcelona hosts Feyenoord in a match with its own personal thread. Feyenoord coach Giovanni van Bronckhorst spent four years as a player at Camp Nou and won the Champions League there in 2006. He's walking back into the building tonight as the opponent.

The rest of the night's card fills out with Sporting Lisbon hosting Galatasaray, Stuttgart taking on Champions League debutant Viking of Norway, and Manchester United gearing up for Thursday's return to the competition for the first time since December 2023, against Azerbaijani champion Sabah FK. Marcus Rashford trained normally Wednesday after coming off with what manager Michael Carrick called "a bit of something" against Everton, while Luke Shaw got a scheduled rest day ahead of a quick turnaround into Sunday's visit from Manchester City.

France Football released the 30-man and 30-woman shortlists for the Ballon d'Or on Tuesday, and the men's side has an obvious headline: ten of those thirty names play for Paris Saint-Germain. That's not a typo. Ousmane Dembélé, last year's winner, headlines a group that also includes Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes, Willian Pacho, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, João Neves, Fabián Ruiz, Vitinha, and new arrival Ferran Torres, who scored Spain's winner in the World Cup final over the summer. Asked to name his own top three, Dembélé left himself off the list entirely. He didn't leave much doubt about where he expects the trophy to land anyway. "I don't think the trophy is undecided," he said. "I think it will remain in the hands of a Paris Saint-Germain player." The ceremony moves to London on Oct. 26, the award's first time outside Paris, marking 70 years since England's Stanley Matthews won the inaugural edition in 1956.

Lionel Messi made the list again at 39, and it's worth discussing because it would not be crazy to see him win it. The eight-time winner led Argentina to the World Cup final, where they fell to Spain, and closed out his year by winning MLS Cup with Inter Miami. He's the active record holder and still finding ways onto the ballot. Kylian Mbappé, whose France side lost to that same Spain team in the semifinals, made his own kind of history at the tournament, passing Messi for the most goals in World Cup history at 22, doing it in fewer games, and finishing as the tournament's outright top scorer with nine.

Harry Kane had the kind of season that usually wins these things outright: 73 goals for club and country, a Bundesliga, German Cup, and German Super Cup treble with Bayern Munich, and a run to the World Cup semifinals with England. Rodri is on the list too, and his case is straightforward. He won the tournament's Golden Ball as Spain lifted the World Cup, one of five Spanish champions nominated. Notably absent: Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and Luka Modrić, the three other active Ballon d'Or winners, none of whom made the cut this year. No goalkeeper made the main list either, which keeps Lev Yashin's 1963 award standing alone. The Yashin Trophy, the separate award for the world's best goalkeeper, does have its own shortlist, and it's got a genuine underdog story in Cape Verde's Vozinha, nominated after helping his country advance out of the group stage, up against Spain's World Cup winner Unai Simón, Argentina's Emiliano Martínez, and fellow African nominees Yassine Bounou and Édouard Mendy.

The women's list carries just as much weight. Alexia Putellas, Ewa Pajor, and Melchie Dumornay lead the favorites, while the biggest name missing is Aitana Bonmatí, the reigning three-time winner, left off after an injury-hit season that cost her most of the year. She returned in time for the end of Barcelona's quadruple-winning campaign, which included another Champions League title, and Barca still landed eight players on the shortlist despite Bonmatí's absence.

There's a real NWSL thread running through this list, too, and it's worth Atlanta's attention since roster building for the 2028 squad will be starting soon. Rose Lavelle earned her first nomination since 2019, when she finished eighth, after leading Gotham FC to its second NWSL title and scoring the game-winning goal in the final. Zambia's Barbra Banda picked up her third straight nomination off a season with the Orlando Pride that included her 14th goal of the year, a new single-season scoring record for the club. Malawi's Temwa Chawinga, fresh off winning back-to-back NWSL MVP and Golden Boot honors with the KC Current, added the most recent WAFCON Golden Boot to her résumé along the way.

Even the goalkeeper conversation has an NWSL accent. KC Current's Lorena, the reigning NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year, put together a record 869 consecutive shutout minutes and 16 clean sheets, including nine in a row, and she's up for the women's goalkeeper award alongside Gotham's Ann-Katrin Berger, who's been nominated both years the award has existed.

Formiga: Brazil 2027 Can Change the Landscape of South American Soccer: Brazilian great Formiga, who played in a record seven World Cups, called next year's tournament in her home country "a tremendous opportunity to change the landscape of South American football" for young players across the region. The 2027 World Cup will be the first held in Latin America, opening at the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro on June 24, in a country that banned women from playing organized soccer until 1979.

Netflix Closing In on Andrés Cantor for 2027 World Cup Coverage: The Hollywood Reporter reports Netflix is nearing a deal with longtime broadcaster Andrés Cantor to call Spanish-language coverage of the 2027 Women's World Cup, with a possible role in December's tournament draw as well. Cantor has called 14 FIFA World Cups across a 26-year run at Telemundo, a contract that's expected to end in the coming weeks.

U.S. Women's Beach Soccer Trains at the Blank Center This Week: The U.S. Women's Beach Soccer National Team is holding an 18-player camp Sept. 8-13 at the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center in Fayetteville, its first camp at the new facility. The roster includes Peachtree City's Carlie Banks, a former U.S. Futsal National Team member making her beach soccer debut, and follows the team's 12-3 win over Trinidad and Tobago in June, its first-ever home match on U.S. sand.

USA Faces Japan at Noon in U-20 World Cup Group Play: The U.S. (FS2, Peacock in Spanish) needs a result after opening with a 2-1 loss to Italy, a match in which Chicago Stars forward Micayla Johnson became the first American to score in three straight FIFA youth World Cups. Japan, which has finished no lower than fourth in its last five U-20 World Cup tournaments, opened with a 2-1 win over New Zealand. The U.S. closes group play Sept. 12 against New Zealand in Sosnowiec.

Lewandowski and Messi Headline Fire-Miami Showdown Tonight: Chicago Fire FC (3rd in the East, 38 points) hosts Inter Miami CF (2nd in the East, 43 points) at Soldier Field Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. ET on Apple TV. Messi, who tallied two assists in Saturday's 2-2 draw at Atlanta United, became the first player in MLS history with at least 30 goal contributions in three separate seasons, while Robert Lewandowski has 5 goals and 2 assists in his first eight MLS appearances since arriving from Barcelona.

DC United and Columbus Meet in a Playoff Scramble: Nine Eastern Conference clubs are separated by just eight points in the standings, and 12th-place D.C. United (5-7-10) hosts 13th-place Columbus (6-12-5) Wednesday night with both teams' postseason hopes on the line. Columbus snapped a four-match losing streak with a 3-0 win over Colorado behind newcomers Gonzalo Tapia and Santiago Rodríguez, while D.C. has scored just twice in its last four matches and remains without Tai Baribo, who's out with a knee injury. Columbus is unbeaten in nine straight meetings against D.C. dating to 2021.

Janssen Makes Timbers History With a Hat Trick: Portland Timbers striker Vincent Janssen earned MLS Player of the Matchday honors after becoming the first player in club history to record a hat trick in a league match, doing it in a 5-4 win over Minnesota United that snapped a 522-game drought without one dating to Portland's 2011 expansion season. The Timbers, eighth in the West and two points above the playoff line, host St. Louis City SC Wednesday at 10:30 p.m. ET on Apple TV.

SDH AM — Live now on YouTube and Twitch: Jon Nelson runs through the midweek MLS slate, with MLSSoccer.com's Dylan Butler and the Kansas City Star's Daniel Sperry joining in Hour 2 to dig into KC Current and Sporting KC, a good primer before tonight's own busy schedule kicks off.

Five Stripes Countdown — 6:30 p.m. on 92.9 The Game, the Audacy app, and SiriusXM channel 176: Madison Crews and Abe Gordon set the table for Atlanta United hosting Orlando City at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with kickoff, Mike Conti and me on the call, at 7:40 p.m.

And one more thing: SDH Network is a finalist for Best Media Organisation, Broadcaster/Rightsholder, at the 2026 Football Content Awards, standing alongside outlets like Amazon Prime Video, BBC Sport, ESPN FC, and DAZN. Public voting makes up half the final result, so if you've got a minute, cast a vote before the Oct. 3 deadline.

Atlanta United 2 put together their most complete performance of the second half, beating Connecticut United FC 4-1 to move into third place in the MLS NEXT Pro Eastern Conference at 13-8-5. Daniel Chica opened the scoring in the 22nd minute, heading home a free kick delivery from Andrew Jardines, and Atlanta pulled away once Connecticut's Tanyi was sent off in the 54th minute for kicking out at Matthew Senanou. Own goals from Michael Boamah and Lukas Kamrath sandwiched a Cameron Dunbar finish in the 85th, Dunbar's ninth goal of the season and his fifth straight match with a goal or an assist, set up by Enzo Dovlo's driving run down the flank.

The bigger story might be who's making these plays happen. Atlanta's midfield down the stretch, Andrew Jardines, D.D. Sibrian, Josh Kwon, and Ignacio Suárez-Couri, is largely made up of players who opened the season as backups. Head coach José Silva pointed to that growth after the win. "The team is growing," he said. "It's not done, but the playoff is almost done, and now it also gives us the opportunity to fight for the second or third spot."

Wynalda Takes Over at Nõmme United: Former U.S. international Eric Wynalda, 57, has been named head coach of Estonian Premium liiga club Nõmme United. Wynalda earned 106 caps and scored 34 goals for the U.S. across three World Cups (1990, 1994, 1998) and is a member of both the CONCACAF Team of the Century and the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame. Atlanta United’s Adyn Torres is there on loan and scored in their 2-1 win.

Liverpool Swaps Standard Chartered for Turkish Airlines in Record Shirt Deal: Liverpool will replace Standard Chartered with Turkish Airlines as its primary shirt sponsor starting in 2027-28, a five-year deal reportedly worth more than $405 million, at least $81 million per season, making it the most valuable shirt sponsorship in world soccer. It's Liverpool's first sponsor change in 17 years, following a Standard Chartered deal that paid $68 million annually since its last renewal in 2022.

Amrabat Steps Away From Morocco Over Coaching Dispute: Midfielder Sofyan Amrabat has made himself unavailable for Morocco's upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, saying he won't play under current coach Mohamed Ouahbi, though he insists he isn't retiring from international soccer. The Ajax midfielder started just one match at the World Cup as Manchester City's Ayyoub Bouaddi has cut into his playing time, and Morocco opens qualifying against Gabon on Sept. 25.

Boca Takes a 1-0 Edge Over São Paulo Into the Copa Sudamericana Second Leg: Merentiel scored in the 51st minute to give Boca Juniors a 1-0 win over São Paulo at La Bombonera in the first leg of their Copa Sudamericana quarterfinal. The teams meet again next Tuesday at Morumbi, with the winner facing either Independiente Santa Fe or Vasco da Gama.

Messi Nearing Deal to Buy Second Division Club Eldense: Lionel Messi has reached a preliminary agreement to take over Spanish second division side Eldense, pending due diligence and approval from Spain's National Sports Council. It would be Messi's first professional club investment, following his purchase of fifth-division Cornellà earlier this year, and it comes as Eldense searches for a new coach after parting ways with Claudio Barragán this week.

Much of this edition is happening somewhere else, Paris, Naples, Elda, Mexico City. Tonight's business is right here. Atlanta United needs three points more than it needs another performance that only looks good in isolation, and Orlando City is walking into Mercedes-Benz Stadium as the team standing between this group and the games that actually matter.

Five Stripes Countdown gets going at 6:30 on 92.9 The Game, the Audacy app, and SiriusXM channel 176, with Madison Crews and Abe Gordon setting the table. Kickoff is 7:40, and Mike Conti and I have the call.

Song of the Day: "In Between Days" by The Cure. That's exactly where Atlanta sits in the standings tonight, and the only way out of it is a result.

Jason