Kylian Mbappe’s nose takes center stage at Euros and Lionel Messi prepares to chase another Copa America

Happy Juneteenth! It’s almost time to be permanently glued to your screens. The Copa América begins on Thursday with defending champions Argentina taking on Canada, delivering a double dose of football to accompany the Euros. I’m Pardeep Cattry and I check in midweek as the summer of football gets into full swing.

Football correction

All times US/East

Wednesday, June 19
Euros: Germany x Hungary, 12pm FS1
Euros: Scotland x Switzerland, 3pm Fox
MLS: FC Cincinnati x Philadelphia Union, 7:45 pm FS1
NWSL: Angel City vs. Racing Louisville, 10pm CBS Sports Network

Thursday, June 20th
Euros: Slovenia x Serbia, 9am FS1
Euros: Denmark x England, 12pm FS1
Euros: Spain x Italy, 3pm Fox
Copa América: Argentina x Canada, 8pm FS1

Friday, June 21st
Euros: Slovakia x Ukraine, 9am Vix, Fubo Sports

The hotline

Lots of goals and broken noses at Euro

Mbappe ready to mask

Two days after France’s 1-0 victory over Austria on Monday in the opening match of the Euros, Kylian Mbappe’s broken nose remains the main topic of conversation as Les Bleus worry about his availability for the rest of the group stage.

France’s medical staff and coach Didier Deschamps have spent much of the last few days offering updates on Mbappe’s condition, and another is expected on Wednesday. So far the news is mixed – he has not been ruled out of the entire tournament and does not require immediate surgery, but his availability for France’s high-stakes Group D match against the Netherlands on Friday “remains uncertain” . Here’s more on the medical team’s initial statement on the World Cup winner’s condition.

• French medical team: “Kylian Mbappe has a broken nose. He is back in camp with the rest of the squad and will undergo treatment in the coming days without undergoing immediate surgery. A mask will be constructed to allow the French national number 10 to consider resuming competition after a period of treatment.”

Playing without Mbappe in the most competitive game of the group stage is far from ideal for France, especially as he created the opportunity that led to Maximilian Wober’s own goal in the opening game. However, Deschamps is not without options. Olivier Giroud seems to be his most obvious replacement even at the age of 37, but he is still in good form after scoring 17 goals and nine assists this season for AC Milan. Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele, who started on Monday, can also be counted on for goals – Griezmann scored 24 goals for Atletico Madrid last season, while Dembele provided 12 assists for Paris Saint-Germain.

End-to-end action

France’s victory is in line with the other favorites to win the tournament, most of whom won their opening matches. That includes Portugal, who began their Euro campaign with a comeback win over the Czechs thanks to Francisco Conceição’s stoppage-time winner. However, not all the top-ranked teams fared well: Belgium lost 1-0 to Slovakia despite having 16 shots, marking the most lopsided victory in the competition’s history based on the FIFA rankings.

It wasn’t the only historic moment in Germany this week either. Romania claimed their first Euro victory in 24 years by beating Ukraine 3-0 on Monday, while Turkey spoiled Georgia’s debut at a major tournament with a 3-1 victory that could go down as one of the most fun of the competition. On Wednesday morning, Albania drew dramatically 2-2 with Croatia as both teams won the first points of the competition.

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Argentina begins defense of Copa América title

The Copa América starts on Thursday with all eyes on – who else? – Argentina, which could be in a major tournament with Lionel Messi for the last time.

Expectations are high for Argentina, three years after winning the Copa América and a year and a half away from winning the World Cup. However, they didn’t earn the top spot in Chuck Booth’s power rankings just because of their recent history – Argentina have found a way to combine experience with promising youngsters in recent years, demonstrating that they are much more than just a one-man team. only.

It is unlikely that Messi, who will turn 37 next week, will stop being the center of Argentina’s attention while he is with the national team, but coach LIonel Scaloni has managed to close the age gap that exists in his multigenerational team. Their Copa América squad includes promising young strikers such as 19-year-old Alejandro Garnacho, who scored 10 goals and five assists for Manchester United last season, and Valentin Carboni, who spent last season at Monza on loan from Inter and has two caps for the national team. Messi himself praised Carboni’s talent after the 4-1 victory over Guatemala last week, and CBS Sports Golazo Network contributor Felipe Cardenas jokes that he could play an important role in this summer’s competition.

• Cardenas: “Messi trained him throughout the first half. They were on the same side and every now and then Messi would just gesture with his hand, tell him to go out a little more, tell him to snuggle up a little. … Messi really values ​​his talent. He came out after the game and said, ‘This is a player we need to look after, we need to take advantage of.’ He’s been watching him since his under-20 days.”

Argentina will open its title defense against Canada, in Atlanta, the first match of a favorable group that includes Chile and Peru. The path to the final also looks likely for the defending champions – other favorites to win the competition, such as Brazil, Uruguay and Colombia, are all on the other side of the draw. Argentina’s aim, then, will be to build a long-awaited era of dominance in international football, especially if it is Messi’s competitive farewell.

Top stories

Anti-Discrimination in MLS: Black Players for Change Executive Director Allen Hopkins Jr. stops by Morning Footy to describe the new anti-discrimination policy in MLS and room for improvement in the hiring of Black coaches and executives across the league.

Check-in in euros: Here’s the latest batch of Euro power ratings, as well as a discussion of the incredibly competitive nature of the competition until here. Plus, here’s a look at the favorites England It is France It is Belgium post-defeat.

World Cup Preview: Here are predictions for every Copa América game, a look at the must-see group stage games and a list of the 20 Golazo 100 players who will be in the spotlight in the US this summer.

NWSL solo efforts: Last weekend’s NWSL action involved high-profile players, with Gotham’s superteam era finally beginning and rookie Ally Sentnor breaking through for the Utah Royals.

Transfer talk: Englishwoman Kiera Walsh is set to join Arsenal, who are in talks with Barcelona over a move, while Giorgos Giakoumakis joins Cruz Azul from Atlanta United.

McBride on Kicking: USMNT legend Brian McBride was Kickin’ It’s latest guest and discussed his souvenirs from the 2002 World Cupfrom him first impressions of Clint Dempseyfrom him best XI of all time and the expectations for the 2026 World Cup.

The back row

Best Bets

• Euro 2024: Spain x Italy, Thursday, 3pm
  THE CHOICE: Álvaro Morata will score (+195) — At 31, Álvaro Morata has finally become a reliable goalscorer. He arrives at the Euros after a 21-goal season with Atletico Madrid and scored in Spain’s 3-0 victory over Croatia on Saturday, making him the ideal choice to score in a high-stakes clash against defending champions Italy.
• Copa América: Argentina x Canada, Thursday, 8pm

THE PICK: Argentina will win 2-0 (+500) – The opening of the Copa América is about to be an uneven game between the current champions and a promising Canada. Expect Argentina to get the job done with little fuss, with strikers like Lionel Messi and Lautaro Martinez able to ensure they open the competition strongly.

What’s on CBS Sports Golazo Network

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Box 2 Box (Weekday afternoons): The news-based program quickly recaps all the latest headlines from around the world, with panelists predicting the day’s top matchups. Catch Box 2 Box on CBS Sports Golazo Network on the CBS Sports app, PlutoTV and Paramount+.

3⃣ Attacking Third (Monday, Thursday): The main women football podcast It is social brand now it’s a live studio show. The NWSL season is back and our women’s soccer coverage is stronger than ever. Our analysts will analyze the USWNT, NWSL, and European domestic seasons throughout the year.

Kicking (Tuesdays): CBS Sports Golazo Network’s Unfiltered Interview Show Launches Tuesday. Hosted by Kate Abdo, Clint Dempsey, Mo Edu and Charlie Davies, the group chat candidly with the biggest names in the Beautiful Game and share their stories on and off the field.

Call it whatever you want (Monday night): A weekly podcast where Jimmy Conrad, Charlie Davies and friends cover all things USMNT and the state of the beautiful game in the United States.

Punctuation (Daily): Scoreline is the newest place for fans to keep up with all the biggest news and results impacting global football, match highlights from major football competitions and all the unmissable goals from the day’s action, which starts Thursday and goes live air for seven days. one week.

How to watch: CBS Sports Golazo Network is a free 24/7 channel exclusively dedicated to offering unparalleled coverage of all the world’s major football competitions. You can stream for free on CBS Sports app, Pluto TV It is Paramount+.

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