Newcastle end trophy drought with EFL Carabao Cup victory; USMNT start Nations League preparation for Panama

Hello there! The first men’s international break of the year is officially underway so it’s time to gear up for a big week for the U.S. men’s national team, but not before a look back as the first trophy of the season was handed out in England. I’m Pardeep Cattry with the latest.

📺 Footy fix

All times U.S./Eastern

Tuesday, March 18
🇪🇺 UWCL: Real Madrid vs. Arsenal, 1:45 p.m. ➡️ DAZN
🇪🇺 UWCL: Bayern Munich vs. Lyon, 4 p.m. ➡️ DAZN

⚽ The Forward Line

🏆 Newcastle’s 56 year trophy drought is over

Newcastle United won their first trophy in five decades on Sunday, upsetting Liverpool to win the EFL Cup at London’s Wembley Stadium two years after losing to Manchester United in the final of the same competition.

The Magpies were the better team in just about every meaningful metric on Sunday, especially so in attack – they outshot Liverpool 17 to seven after ceding possession to the Reds, outdoing them on expected goals (1.84 to 0.89) and ultimately outscoring them two to one. Lifelong Newcastle fan Dan Burn and star striker Alexander Isak gave them a 2-0 lead by the 53rd minute, while Liverpool’s only goal came in the fourth minute of stoppage time from Federico Chiesa. It was a game plan that suited Newcastle, as Liverpool manager Arne Slot noted after the game.

• Slot: “This game went exactly the way they wanted it to be. A fight, with a lot of duels. If we played 10 times through the air against them, they win it nine times because they are stronger than us. “We were outplayed, in their style. That is true. That is what you can call outplayed, they won more duels than us. Outplayed for me is if you don’t touch the ball and they play through you every time you press them. That for me is outplayed. But I agree if you say they deserved to win because the game went the way they wanted it to go.”

Newcastle’s new piece of silverware is validation for the work they have done this season, steadily becoming one of England’s most in-form teams and proving that en route to the podium at Wembley. The victory comes three-plus years after Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund, took over the club and hired Eddie How to oversee the new project on the pitch, a ride that has been bumpy at times but has allowed him to prove his worth as a manager on the rise. He has notched a handful of statement wins as the Magpies manager, including their dominant semifinal outing against Arsenal, and has had the benefit of working with talent like Isak, who once again put his star on display on Sunday. The EFL Cup triumph feels like a statement of intent for a Newcastle team that’s not only the middle of a top four race, but may have even loftier ambitions.

• Howe: “Hopefully with one can come more. There’s no guarantee but it proves we can do it. I’ve never had any doubts about our ability to lift our game but you don’t get many shots at this. Today we had to try to take our opportunity. That’s where the players delivered under pressure, so impressively. They proved that we can mix our game against the very, very best. The challenge for us is to try to get there more often, lifting our game like we did today.”

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🇺🇸 USMNT gear up for Nations League showdown

The U.S. men’s national team will convene in the Los Angeles area this week as they build up to the Concacaf Nations League Finals, a competition that could serve as crucial preparation with the countdown to the 2026 World Cup well and truly underway.

Head coach Mauriico Pochettino is working with the senior team for the first time since November, with his current roster offering a glimpse at which players are leading the way in the race to crack the 2026 World Cup squad. The group includes the likes of Tyler Adams and Gio Reyna, who will work with Pochettino for the first time since he took the job last fall and present the Argentine with a handful of lineup questions as the team gears up for their semifinal against Panama on Thursday (7 p.m., Paramount+).

While Adams and Reyna are likely to take up spots in midfield, Pochettino may introduce some new ideas as it pertains to the players in front of them. He may take the opportunity to give Yunus Musah minutes as a wide player, something Pochettino has mentioned a few times about a player whose USMNT experience is almost exclusive to being a central midfielder. Christian Pulisic, frequently utilized as a winger under predecessor Gregg Berhalter, could move central, while the goalscoring spotlight will likely land on Josh Sargent this time around.

In the absence of the injured Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi, Sargent is the presumed starter up top, especially considering his form with Norwich City this season. He has 12 goals and five assists in 25 games for the Canaries this season, playing a big role as his side targets a promotion push despite currently sitting eight points outside of the top six in the Championship. The injuries have afforded opportunities to the likes of Patrick Agyemang and Brian White, who are among six players from January camp to join the senior squad for the Nations League and have the chance to keep themselves in the conversation with just over a year until the World Cup on home soil officially begins.

🔗  Top Stories

⚫⚪ Newcastle’s big night: More on Newcastle’s triumph in the EFL Cup final, in which they fully outplayed Liverpool to win their first trophy in nearly six decades, plus how Liverpool’s season is still in good shape despite the loss.

🆕 Boston’s name change: Boston’s incoming NWSL team will announce a new name in the coming weeks, officially doing away with the name Bos Nation FC after introducing the branding in October.

🔴⚫ Pulisic scores again: USMNT standout Christian Pulisic scored in AC Milan’s 2-1 win over Como and also committed his future to the club as he enjoys a second strong season in Italy.

🔵🔴 Barcelona’s comeback: Barcelona came back from 2-0 down against Atletico Madrid to win 4-2, with Lamine Yamal scoring the game-winning goal in the dramatic game.

🌊 Wave rebuild begins: After a rough 2024 season and a busy offseason with a few major departures, the San Diego Wave’s rebuild under new head coach Jonas Eidevall officially began with a 1-1 draw against Angel City.

🌴 Messi on the scoreboard: Lionel Messi notched his first MLS goal this season in Inter Miami’s win over Atlanta United, and did so in impressive fashion with a chip.

🇫🇷 PSG win Le Classique: Paris Saint-Germain stayed unbeaten in Ligue 1 for another week after an impressive 3-1 win over Marseille.

💰  The Back Line

💵 Best bets

• UEFA Women’s Champions League: Real Madrid vs. Arsenal, Tuesday, 1:45 p.m.
  💰 THE PICK: More than three goals scored (+105) – Arsenal are definitely the favorites in this matchup, though the margin of victory is a big question considering Real Madrid were able to keep the margins tight in group stage defeats earlier this season. Predicting that there will be more than three goals feels like a sweet spot, offering enough flexibility for a tightly-contested match or one in which one side is clearly better than the other.

For more picks, predictions, expert tips and the latest betting news, don’t miss out on CBSSports.com’s betting home page.   

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