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Good morning ahead of my trip Fayetteville, where I’ll be at the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center watching Mauricio Pochettino's youngest camp in years get to work. It's a fitting place to start today, honestly, because the whole morning keeps circling back to the same question in different jerseys: who's actually running the show, and who's just getting the chance to.

In Fayetteville, it's 23-year-old Gio Reyna and 25-year-old Sebastian Berhalter suddenly being asked to play veteran to a room full of teenagers. In Madrid, it's the opposite instinct entirely, Spain just handed Luis de la Fuente six more years because the safest bet in world soccer right now is the guy who already won everything. In Barcelona, it's a Champions League defense being mounted by whoever's left after half the roster that won it walked out the door. And across the women's game on both sides of the Atlantic, it's a real argument about whether all the money and talent flooding in is actually developing the next generation, or just standing in the way.

Let's get into it.

Mauricio Pochettino's 28-man squad checked into the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center in Fayetteville this week with an average age of 22 years, 9 months, the kind of number you'd expect from an U-23 team, not the group about to face Peru in Orlando on Sept. 26. Eleven of those players are 21 or younger. Three play in Europe, the other eight in MLS, teenage phenom Cavan Sullivan among them. The whole thing got younger still when 22-year old Damion Downs was called in from St. Louis City to replace an injured Ricardo Pepi.

Somebody has to be the grown up in that room, and this month, that job belongs to Gio Reyna and Sebastian Berhalter. Reyna is 23. Berhalter is 25. Neither expected to be cast as elder statesmen this soon, and Reyna said as much when a reporter mentioned that newcomer Justin Ellis called him his favorite national team player growing up. "It makes me feel a little bit old," Reyna said, "but it's nice to have them here."

Both are also adjusting to new clubs overseas, which makes the mentorship role a little more complicated. Reyna has found consistent minutes at Strasbourg for the first time in years, starting the team's last four matches after what he described as a “desperate” stretch trying to get more time on the field. Berhalter is settling into Middlesbrough alongside three American teammates, calling it "almost like a fake European experience" since he spends so much time with his own countrymen anyway.

Pochettino has been direct about why he keeps reaching this young. "Lamine Yamal was a world champion at 19, so why shouldn't we take players who are 16, 17 or 18," he said when he unveiled the roster, framing it as opportunity rather than experiment. New England's Carles Gil, who now has two teenage teammates in the pool himself in Peyton Miller and Brooklyn Raines, told AS: physically, some 17 and 18-year olds are already ready for this level. Twenty-two players 18 or younger have made their MLS debut this season alone.

Peru is Saturday in Orlando. Chile, Mexico and Canada follow. However this 2030 World Cup cycle turns out, it's starting this week on Georgia soil with the least experienced U.S. roster in years, and new faces taking on leadership roles at young ages.

Spain's federation announced Monday that it has extended Luis de la Fuente's contract through 2032, a unanimous board decision that ties the World Cup winning coach to the national team through two more European Championships and the 2030 World Cup Spain will co-host with Portugal and Morocco. The 65-year-old has lost exactly one final since taking over in 2022: last year's Nations League defense, on penalties to Portugal. Everything else, he's won.

That résumé is why federation president Rafael Louzán didn't hesitate to call him the most decorated coach in Spanish national team history. De la Fuente took the job after Spain's round of 16 exit to Morocco at the 2022 World Cup, following a decade coaching the country's youth setups, and has won 38 of 50 matches since, with a European Championship in 2024, a Nations League title, and in July, Spain's second World Cup, a win over Argentina in New Jersey that stretched an unbeaten run to a record 38 games. "After 14 years with us, a long-term future at the federation is something Luis de la Fuente deserves," Louzán said.

De la Fuente himself sounded like a man who considers the job unfinished. "We are not satisfied with what we have achieved so far," he said at Monday's announcement in Madrid. "The best is yet to come." He pointed specifically to 2030 and 2032, the World Cup on home soil and the Euros beyond it, and promised to "give it everything I've got."

There's no time to sit with the extension. Spain travels to England on Saturday in its first match since lifting the World Cup, then hosts Croatia three days later in Seville to open Nations League play, followed by the Czech Republic in Oviedo on Oct. 3 and a return trip to Croatia to close the window. The next real target is 2028, and a chance for this group to join the Spain sides that won Euro 2008, the 2010 World Cup, and Euro 2012 in one uninterrupted stretch.

The Women's Champions League league phase opens Tuesday, 18 teams playing six games apiece, the top four advancing straight to the quarterfinals and the next eight fighting through a playoff round for the final berths. The final lands in Warsaw next May, and the current champions will not have it easy to defend their title. Barcelona beat OL Lyonnes 4-0 in Oslo last season for a fourth Champions League title, Ewa Pajor and Salma Paralluelo each scoring twice in the second half to put it away. Barcelona opens its defense Wednesday at home to Paris FC.

The roster that has to defend it looks different. Alexia Putellas, the two-time Ballon d'Or winner who captained Barcelona to that Oslo win, left for London City Lionesses this summer. So did defender Mapi León. Ona Batlle signed with Arsenal. And Paralluelo, one of the two players who scored the goals that beat Lyon in the final, is now on the other side of that rivalry after signing with Lyon herself. Coach Pere Romeu, who re-signed this offseason, isn't pretending the losses don't matter. "A fundamental piece of our squad has gone," he said, "but the club as a whole is way more important than any player or coach." Aitana Bonmatí remains the anchor, even sitting out this year's Ballon d'Or shortlist after winning it the previous three years while she recovers from a broken leg. Barcelona has reached seven of the last eight Champions League finals and won four, and every loss it has taken since 2023 has come from an English club: Chelsea, Manchester City, and Arsenal.

That's the shape of the challenge this season. Manchester City is back in the league phase after missing it entirely last year, arriving off a first Women's Super League title in a decade under new coach Andrée Jeglertz. Lyon, still stinging from that 4-0 final loss, rebuilt around Caroline Weir, signed away from Real Madrid after she scored 20 goals there last season. Weir could make her Lyon debut Wednesday at Swiss club Servette. "It starts now," she said. "It's exciting that the games are coming a little bit quicker."

Opta's supercomputer likes Barcelona to make it five, giving the Catalans a 41.2 percent chance of winning it again, with Bayern Munich next at 17.3 percent and Chelsea and Manchester City rounding out the group given real odds. A fifth Champions League would pull Barcelona level with the club's men's team on European titles. Getting there means doing it with a rebuilt spine and defeating former stars along the way.

The Champions League returns this week, and the story hovering over it isn't about who's favored. It's about who's actually playing. On the WSL's opening night, London City Lionesses beat Manchester United with a starting XI that included zero English players, the first time a club has done that on the first day of a season. Two days later, Tottenham won at West Ham with only one British starter. The question now spreading well beyond England: is the talent flooding into some leagues actually developing the players who are supposed to inherit it?

On the Field: Ten years ago, when Manchester City last won the WSL title, they did it with an all-British lineup. Since the league turned fully professional in 2018, and the Lionesses' Euro 2022 win supercharged its revenue, clubs have gone shopping across Germany, Sweden, Japan and Australia, and this summer Alexia Putellas left Barcelona for London City's checkbook. The share of homegrown starters in the WSL has fallen under a third over the last three seasons, a trend that doesn't show up anywhere else in Europe: 61 percent of Première Ligue starters were French last season, 63 percent of Frauen-Bundesliga starters were German, 69 percent of Liga F starters were Spanish. Birmingham City manager Amy Merricks put the tension plainly: the league needs the talent to keep growing, but that same talent blocks the pathway for the kids coming up behind it. Manchester City's Andrée Jeglertz was even blunter about where his priorities sit. "When it comes to team selection, I always need to pick the team that gives us the best chance of winning the game," he said. "If that contains eight young and promising English players or zero, I don't care. I just want to win the game."

Off the Field: England is already feeling it. Seven of the players who started this June's 4-0 loss to Spain, a result that cost England automatic qualification for the 2027 World Cup and now means navigating a playoff starting against Greece in October, also started the Euro 2022 final four years earlier. Sarina Wiegman has capped 21 players since taking over in 2021. Only three have become established starters. The pipeline problem showed up again at youth level this month, when England's U20s were knocked out in the round of 16 by Nigeria. The FA's response so far is a mandated minimum of eight homegrown players per WSL squad, which critics like former striker Ellen White say is already too low, and a plan letting academy sides play in the National League starting in 2027-28.

It's not just an English problem. The U.S. is having a version of the same conversation after its own U20 team was eliminated in the round of 16 this month, extending the country's title drought in that tournament to 14 years. USWNT head coach Emma Hayes has zeroed in on the 17-to-21 age bracket as the place American development is breaking down, and she said as much before the tournament even kicked off. The mechanism is nearly the reverse of England's. Where the WSL's problem is imported talent crowding out academy prospects, American teenagers are turning pro earlier than ever, the last two U20 World Cup rosters featured a record eight professionals apiece, but the NWSL still caps rosters at 22 to 26 players with no reserve league and no second division to guarantee any of them real minutes. Hayes's message to those players has been consistent regardless of where they land: "I don't care where you are playing, but you need to be playing."

Different symptoms, same diagnosis. England has the talent pouring into its domestic league and nowhere for its own kids to stand. The U.S. has kids turning pro younger than ever and nowhere for them to actually play consistently. Both leagues are learning that depth on a roster sheet and development on the field are not the same thing.

Paul Green Joins Bay FC: Bay FC named Paul Green its chief football officer Monday, hiring the former Chelsea head of women's football who spent 12 years working alongside USWNT coach Emma Hayes and helped the club win 19 trophies, including eight league titles and six FA Cups. Green will oversee all soccer operations for a Bay FC side that sits 13th in the 16-team NWSL with five games left this season.

Gyasi Zardes Retires: Longtime USMNT forward Gyasi Zardes announced his retirement Sunday after a career that included 106 goals in 328 MLS matches and MLS Cup titles with the LA Galaxy in 2014 and Columbus Crew in 2020. He added 14 goals in 68 caps for the U.S. national team and won the Concacaf Gold Cup in 2017 and 2021.

Inter Miami Lands American Airlines: Inter Miami signed a multiyear deal naming American Airlines the club's first official airline partner and a founding partner of Nu Stadium, including naming rights to a new American Lounge spanning the West Stand. The partnership also launches Inter Miami CF Perks, letting AAdvantage members redeem miles for tickets and access travel packages tied to away matches.

By the time you read this, I’ll be on my way to Fayetteville. I will be covering the USMNT, camped out at the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center while Madison Crews heads to Marietta for Atlanta United training. It's a split squad kind of day for us, and honestly, that's the fun part of this job. We'll have updates rolling on SDH social all day from both ends.

Jon Nelson kicks off SDH AM at 9:05 on YouTube, Twitch, and the National Sports Broadcast Network with Red Clay Tuesday, and this one's worth your time even if you don't follow college soccer closely. Georgia Gwinnett's Steve DeCou leads off, then at 10:30 Jon sits down with Arkansas-Pine Bluff's Fred Locario for a conversation on what soccer actually looks like at HBCU’s. In between, he's got the full MLS recap and a first look at the call-ups already shaping this weekend's slate.

Then tonight, I'm back on 92.9 The Game for Atlanta Soccer Tonight with Madison, and we've got a lot to get to: Atlanta United's weekend, Atlanta United 2 punching its ticket to the playoffs, all of it. Big day. Let's get into it.

Netflix Eyes Men's World Cup Rights: Netflix chief content officer Bela Bajaria said the streamer is interested in bidding on future FIFA Men's World Cup rights, adding that Netflix has a "great partnership and relationship with FIFA." Netflix already holds U.S. English and Spanish rights to the 2027 and 2031 Women's World Cups, and FIFA is expected to bundle the next two men's tournaments into one rights package.

Barcelona Approves €510 Million More for Camp Nou: Barcelona members approved an additional €510 million in financing to finish the Spotify Camp Nou redevelopment and cover the financial fallout from construction delays. The move could push the club's total debt to roughly €2.68 billion, with about €1.8 billion tied directly to the stadium project.

Tebas Pushes Back on Real Madrid Referee Complaints: La Liga president Javier Tebas rejected Real Madrid's public criticism of officiating in Sunday's 2-1 derby loss to Atlético Madrid, calling Dean Huijsen's red card "undeniable" and saying the club "didn't lose because of those actions." Tebas also criticized Real Madrid's television channel for what he called unfair pressure on the referee.

Xhaka Dropped From Switzerland Squad Over Fake Vaccine Certificate: Sunderland midfielder Granit Xhaka has been left out of Switzerland's squad for upcoming Nations League matches after admitting he obtained a fabricated Covid-19 vaccination certificate. The 33-year-old, who has 152 caps, said he is cooperating with authorities and could face legal consequences.

Azmoun Returns to Iran Squad: Striker Sardar Azmoun has been recalled to Iran's national team, four months after being controversially left off the World Cup roster. Azmoun, who has scored 57 goals in 91 caps, will look to feature in upcoming friendlies against Uzbekistan and Russia.

Eritrea Presses On With Diaspora Squad After Defections: Eritrea will continue Africa Cup of Nations qualifying with a squad built almost entirely from diaspora players after seven players defected following a March match against Eswatini. The team faces Kenya on Saturday and hosts South Africa on Sept. 30 in Cairo, since Eritrea lacks adequate home facilities.

That's the morning. A USMNT camp in Fayetteville that's asking a couple of 23 and 25 year olds to be the wise old heads. Luis de la Fuente locked in through 2032 because Spain isn't done winning things. Barcelona defending a Champions League title with half its stars playing somewhere else now. And on both sides of the Atlantic, the same uncomfortable question about whether all this money and talent pouring into the women's game is actually building up the next generation of talent.

Madison and I are out in the field today, Marietta and Fayetteville, so keep an eye on SDH social if you want the real-time version of all this. Jon Nelson's got you covered on SDH AM starting at 9:05, and we’ll be back tonight on 92.9 The Game for Atlanta Soccer Tonight. Thanks for starting your Tuesday with us.

Song of the Day: "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol. A slow builder for a day that's mostly about patience, Reyna and Berhalter easing into leadership, De la Fuente betting six more years on something already finished at the top, Barcelona putting itself back together piece by piece.

Jason