1. That's how quickly everything – and nothing – can change
Liverpool were on the verge of running away with the Premier League when last weekend’s games kicked off. They had maintained a perfect record without playing well. Crystal Palace were able to turn their dominance into three points. Then Galatasaray kept a rare clean sheet against Arne Slot’s men. That Champions League defeat was followed by Saturday's 2-1 loss to Chelsea. Liverpool won't even enter the international break at the top of the Premier League table.
Somehow, some way, their inability to control games was going to hurt them eventually. Saturday turned out to be that day, with Liverpool conceding the dramatic late goal rather than scoring it. Though the title race now has a different feel, not much has actually changed. Liverpool need to fix their issues if they're going to repeat. Arsenal must prove they've evolved to dethrone them. Both things were true two weeks ago, and both are still true now.
2. The Union give off serious Leicester City vibes
A club parts ways with a highly successful manager. It replaces him with someone who was recently fired. There were notable accomplishments on his resume, but no one expected much of anything. Led by a collection of unheralded players, the team gets off to a fantastic start. It climbs to the top of the table. No one thinks it will last. Every time the team is on the brink of faltering, it regroups and goes again. It holds off some of the sport’s biggest names and wins with games to spare.
That story obviously describes 2015-16 Leicester City, the greatest underdogs in sports history. It also applies to the 2025 Philadelphia Union. The Union actually made a profit on their biggest transaction, trading Daniel Gazdag to Columbus and signing Bruno Damiani. Stop and think about that for a second. The final similarity is what got overlooked about both clubs. Leicester’s “Great Escape” ended with a 14th-place finish, not a last-second survival. The Union have been one of Major League Soccer’s most consistent teams in the 2020s. These magical seasons didn't come entirely out of nowhere. The internal confidence that comes with winning was there even if no one else shared it.
3. This is what the Open Cup is all about
Wednesday’s U.S. Open Cup final was a meeting between two cities that had never won a major professional sports championship of any kind. Nashville SC had a publicly stated goal of bringing Tennessee its first major professional title. That goal was accomplished thanks to goals from their two stars, Hany Mukhtar and Sam Surridge. They beat four Major League Soccer teams – including the Supporters' Shield winners – to do it too.
The victory is validation of everything the club has done in its short history. A team trophy was the only thing missing from Mukhtar’s resume. For most of its time in MLS, Nashville has been a good-not-great team that is difficult to play against and done a lot right. Those types of clubs often get stuck with plenty to be proud of and nothing tangible to show for it. The Open Cup presents the easiest path to changing that, and this year's edition was a prime example of why it needs to be preserved.
4. It's only getting worse at Nottingham Forest
Ange Postecoglou has been in charge at Nottingham Forest for seven games. They have not won any of them, losing to Championship side Swansea City in the Carabao Cup, taking one point from two games against promoted teams in the Premier League and getting beat at home by Midtjylland in the Europa League. Forest are currently one point clear of the relegation zone with a visit from Chelsea and a trip to Bournemouth to close out the month of October.
Postecoglou himself said he won't be in the job very long if he doesn't get results. Forest are already in more danger of being relegated than Spurs ever were and sit 25th in the Europa League league phase. Postecoglou has managed 80 Premier League games. He's won 31 of them and lost 37. In the past season-plus, he's lost 25 of 42 and won just 11 times. There is way too much at stake for Forest to allow this to continue much longer.
5. Mauricio Pochettino finally gave the people what they want
The group of players called into the October camp by U.S. men's national team manager Mauricio Pochettino is as close to an “A” squad as possible. It's the type of squad most people assumed would be in the September camp. By continuing to experiment, Pochettino gave himself even less time with many of the players who will likely be on the World Cup roster. Maybe even more importantly, they will get less time playing with each other.
There will be an added level of pressure on the team heading into its games against Ecuador and Australia because these are the only data points available. Pochettino keeps telling everyone to trust him and his process. He now has to deliver results. If it looks like it has for the past two years, the chance to build any kind of excitement or momentum around this team heading into the summer is likely gone. Friendlies shouldn't mean this much, but here we are.