Maresca, Ugly Ducklings, Open Cup returns, and more: Morning Espresso, 7.8

conversation in yesterday's press conference. I guess he was complaining and trying to say that European teams are at some sort of a disadvantage because of the amount of games that they play, and Chelsea having gone through the europe A Conference League to win that competition last year, they played a lot of games. He said, We've played sixty three games this season. European teams come into this competition differently than South American teams who have played fewer matches.

The conditions are different. Brazilian journalists stood up and said, but Fluminense has played seventy games this season in the same period as your club. That's more games MORESCA had no response. Looked confused, and in the club communication staff took the next question. Look, European clubs are the best in the world, and we know this. This is not a surprise. They have more money than anybody else, so they have the best players. People want to play in Europe.

But at times there is a shocking lack of respect for the game in this hemisphere from way too many people in the world. It's extremely frustrating and it's extremely disrespectful to Fleminince to say something like that, They've played a ton of games. You don't understand the resilient competitions, and it's something we've talked about a lot on the

SDH network. The state leagues that go on before the national league, with the cup competition, with the extensive competitions inconme Ball, they've played more games in the same period of time. Moresco was trying to say that, you know, Brazilian clubs are at the beginning of their season. Well no, not really. They don't really have much of an end to their season. It's just constant competitions. Be more respectful of the game in this hemisphere, please, It's something that

I just beg of you. There's wonderful football being played in this hemisphere. Yes, the best players from this hemisphere want to play in top European clubs. Absolutely, that's where the money is, that's where the bright lights are, that's where the spotlight is. Totally understandable. However, the game is very good in this hemisphere, and there are many players in this hemisphere that are desired by clubs in Europe

like Chelsea. Really hate to see something like this get continually brought up and said, and it's just it's very frustrating. I'm very glad that the journalists from Brazil jumped into the conversation and did not allow a line like that to go without a response, because I mean, facts are facts. Chelsea's young team are trying to get to the final of the Club World Cup. They're taking on Flumenense, who are led by veterans, especially Thiago Silva, former Chelsea center back.

He's forty years old, Fabio the goalkeeper forty four, and he's been brilliant in this tournament. Silva signed for Chelsea in twenty twenty. He was already a veteran at that point. He'd played eight years at PSG, won the Champions League in his first year at Chelsea one hundred and fifty five games for the London club. Left a year ago, helped oversee some of the development of these young talents

that are key now for Inzo Maresca. Mark Kukrea, who was a teammate of Silva's for two years, he told the English media he's a legend of football, top player. They've traded messages about their upcoming match. He says, we have the opportunity to play against him again and hopefully we can do good things, win this game and play in the final. Silva, he initially came up at Fluminense, featured in the team that reached the Copa Libertadores final in two thousand and eight. They lost to Liga Dequito

of Ecuador. Thiago Silva said, if you'd asked me beforehand, if we would have gotten this far, I would have said we were a long way from doing so. It's what he told De Zone after the victory over Al Hilal. He said, we know the financial size of these teams.

The difference is enormous, absurd, but often our collective, the family atmosphere that we have, it gives us strength that you maybe don't think you have Renaldo Gaucho, the manager for Flumidense, said, when I say we're the ugly duckling, with all due respect to all the other clubs, I'm talking about our financial situation. Fluminense is only ten percent of the financial size of these big clubs, so these big clubs have all the resources to sign best players.

Fluminense was trying to stay up not that long ago and prevent getting relegated from the top division in Brazil. But right now they're in fine form. They're unbeaten in their last eleven in all competitions. The only time that they've played English opposition was in the Club World Cup against Manchester City in the twenty twenty three final. They lost four nil in that one Chelsea. They've had kind

of mixed fortunes against Brazilian teams. In this tournament third match against the Brazilian club, they lost three one to flame Ango. They beat Paul Meyris two to one in the quarterfinals. In the other game in the semi finals, killing Inbape. He will come up against Paris on Jaman

for the first time since leaving the club. Shabi Alonzo's Real Madrid Revolution gets its biggest test in this semi final on Wednesday, and Bope should be remembered as a PSG legend, but maybe his legacy is a little tainted by the manner of his departure. He scored two hundred and fifty six goals in seven seasons, but a bitter legal dispute has gone on between Imbape and PSG. Imbape says he's owed sixty four point four million dollars in

unpaid salary and bonuses from his time in Paris. He has dropped the legal proceedings he started this year against PSG for moral harassment. A person with knowledge of the situation told the Associated Press he had a stomach illness earlier in the tournament. He hasn't started yet, but he scored the deciding goal in the three to two win over Dortmund in the quarterfinals, an acrobatic overhead kick. FIFA also announced the punishments for the red carts received in

the quarter finals and it relates to this match. Dean Houssen will miss the match for Real Madrid, only a one game suspension for him. On the PSG side, they'll be missing Lucas Hernandez and William Pacho, but they will receive two game suspensions, so they are out for the rest of the tournament. Even if PSG gets to the final. Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, it's back for the quarter finals with games on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. Tonight

it's Minnesota hosting Chicago and San Jose hosting Austin. Tomorrow, it's Philadelphia hosting the New York Red Bulls and Nashville SC hosting DC United Gold Cup Final on TV. The Mexico two to one win over the United States average three point seventy three million viewers on Fox, its most watched English language audience in Gold Cup history, also the largest English language audience for soccer on any US network

since twenty twenty four. Fox drew six point four million viewers for the Spain England Euro Final, followed by just over six million viewers for the Argentina Uruguay or Argentina Columbia Copa America final. Both were played on the same day. Mike Moulville, who oversees research and analytics for Fox, noted quote out of home viewing added more than thirty percent to the in home audience for the Gold Cup Final as measured by Nielsen. It's a likely foreshadowing of next summer.

The out of home audiences for the men's World Cup are going to be something else. Let's move over to the women's international tournament roundup. In the Euros, Spain booked their spot in the knockout round a six to two demolition of Belgium two goals, two assists for Alexia Puteas. Tomorrow, the twenty twenty two euro champions England play the twenty seventeen champions, the Netherlands, massive game in the Group of death. If England lose, they would be out in the group stage.

Unless Wales manages a shock result against the French. This is a must win for England. Going to be interesting against a very good Dutch side. The Copa America Feminina that gets started this weekend in Chile. It's the South American Championship, tenth edition of the ten team tournament. The reigning Olympic silver medalists Brazil. They are the dominant team. They've won this eight times. Argentina won the other one

in two thousand and six. This will be two groups of five, will play four group stage games before getting into the knockout rounds. Tournament will go on over the next three plus weeks. The Women's African Cup of Nations the two two of the favorites in South Africa and Nigeria. They won their opening group stage matches over the weekend. Big game tomorrow Zambia faces Senegal. The Copper Queens of Zambia may be deserved more than a two to two draw.

In their opening match they drew with the host Morocco. They sit third in Group A. Senegal won their match, so they are at the top of the table. If Zambia win, this could get really interesting in Group A. Also, the CAAF the African Confederation announced last week that the increase in prize money in this tournament is substantial. The increase in prize money to the winn of the tournament

has gone up by one hundred percent. The total prize money for the competition has gone up by forty five percent. Let's stay in Africa with this update. We talked about the story of Al Helal from Sudan last month on the Espresso. They won the title in Mauritania in the previous season, but the question was are they going to be able to qualify for African competition. This is a team in Al Helal who got deep into the African Champions League in the past season, and it wasn't really

apparent at that point what would happen next. Well, the Football League in Sudan has returned to the country for the first time since civil war broke out in twenty twenty three. It's going to be a month long tournament for eight teams to determine which clubs will compete in continental competition for the twenty twenty five twenty twenty six season.

All the matches are being held in at Barra, which is three hundred and twenty kilometers north of the capitol car tom The country's biggest clubs are Al Hilal and Almeric, who both played in Martina last season. The national team and this is important for players who play for these clubs for the national team as well. They will compete in the African Cup of Nations in Morocco at the end of the year. They're chasing their first ever World

Cup appearance next year. They're tied with Senegal for second place in the group behind Diarra Coongo. In March, Sudan held Senegal to a draw despite not having played a competitive match since November of twenty twenty three. It's a long gap between games. Some of these clubs have dealt

with those similar kinds of gaps. Will keep you posted on Al Hilal and Almerik and the rest of the clubs in this competition to see who will qualify for the African continental competitions including the Champions League coming up. Let's get caught up in silly season. Ol Leones of France. They have confirmed the signing of you Swimen's national team midfielder Lilli Johannes from Ajax three year contract with the club until twenty twenty eight. Leones have been very active

so far. They also signed Corbin Albert from PSG. On Friday, they have secured the signings of Ashley Lawrence from Chelsea, Ingrid Ingen from Barcelona, Jewel Brand from Volfsburg and Marie Antoinette Katoto from PSG. Tottenham Hotspur their bid for Mohammed Kudus that included add ons that only triggered if they won the Champions League or the Premier League. West Ham asked Spurs to come back with a more realistic offer and won sixty million pounds guaranteed. It's a little bit

of a burn this morning. Tottenham Hotspur did make official the signing of Kota Takai from Kawasaki front Dale. Spurs paid just over six million euro to secure the services of the player who a lot of people had as the best player in the j League last season. It's a record sum for a player from the Jay League. He's under contract with the Lily Whites until twenty thirty. Newcastle they have agreed to a seventy five million dollar deal with Nottingham Forest for winger Anthony Elanga. The sources

told ESPN be a big statement for Newcastle. They've struggled to get deals over the line. They're trying to add to their team and avoid the exit of Alexander Esach among others. Elanga has a good relationship with Esak. They play alongside one another for Sweden. Crystal Palace they've agreed to a deal to sign Borna Sosa from IAX for about three million pounds. Croatian defender due to have his medical yesterday. Twenty appearances on loan at Torino last season.

Palace they've signed the Argentine goalkeeper Walter Benitez from PSV on a free. They're understood to be in talks with Sporting over a potential forty five million pound move for the Ivory Coast defender Usman Diamande. That could depend on the future of Mark Gahe Liverpool are chasing the England defender whose contract expires next summer, so if Pallas is going to get anything for him, they need to do

it this summer. Byron Munich they are back in for Chelsea forward Christopher and Kunku, according to The Athletic Understandable. With Jamal Musiala out due to injury. His surgery was successful yesterday. Byron has not added Niko Williams. He's going to stay at Athletic Club in Bilbao. They were not able to add florianverts. They're going to want to add more attacking depth now with Musiala out in Kunku makes sense. Real Madrid's captain Luka Modrich he will join Milan after

the Club World Cup. Max Allegri confirmed on Monday. He announced in May Modrich that he would be leaving Madrid after the Club World Cup was done. That might be after tomorrow's match against PSG, it might be after the final on Sunday. Allegri, in his first press conference as Milan manager, told reporters Madrich will arrive in August. He is an extraordinary player. I would agree. Saudi Pro League club Alhallal they have agreed to buy Tao Hernandez from

Milan for a fee of twenty five million Euro. They chased this before the Club World Cup, weren't able to get it done. Ernandez wanted to see if other European clubs are interested. I guess they weren't, so now he will go to Saudi Arabia and join Al Hellal Nottingham Forest. They have reportedly reached an agreement with Paul Metris to sell Paraguayan winger Ramon Sosa. According to John Percy of the Telegraph, this will be a ten million pound deal

for the twenty five year old attacker Pomus. They want to get some more attention. They added Aaron Ramsey and now they are chasing Kaylor Novas. Reports indicate that Novas has already started pressuring Nouele's old boys to leave Argentina. He wants to go to Pumas in Mexico. Cost could be up to seven million dollars, which is a crazy amount of money for a goalkeeper of his age. But if Pumas is this aggressive. Oh, very interesting if they get Kayler Novas and Aaron Ramsey and who knows what

else they try to bring in Nelson Delsa. He was one of the stars at the Club World Cup. From there, there's interest from European clubs and signing him this summer. According to Diego Medina of Two Dayna, he's been sought out by at least four different teams who have approached to learn about his contractual situation twenty million dollar release clause. Monterrey are in no rush to sell. River Plate and Porto were two clubs that were interested and put off

by that release clause. Last one in the other category, which is where John Texter typically lives, he is reportedly involved in talks to buy Watford. He's talking to Gino Pozzo, the club's owner. Where the money will come from is another story, but yes, Sheffield Wednesday is also desperately in need of new ownership. I don't know if he wants to take that one on, don't know if he could meet that sale price, because that one seems to be a really crazy situation that likely is going to end

in severe tragedy with a club probably going bust. Watford maybe not on text buys it. Who knows Watford might want to talk to the folks at Leone and possibly at both the Fogo as well, and maybe others. John Texter's Eagle Football group was in the process of changing the name of their Belgian club, but that has been pushed back and they're going to keep the historic name

or somewhat historic name of the club, Molenbeek. Keeping that in there because they actually have a deal on the stadium to they must have Moldenbeek in their name, so that's another reason why that one is staying where it is. John Texter just continuing to make good copy for us here at the Morning Espresso. I'm sure there will be more from John Texter and many many others coming up in future editions of The Morning Espresso. So here's your

schedule the rest of the week. We'll have a training ground dispatch later today from Marietta and Atlanta United as they get ready to head to Toronto on the weekend. Myself and Madison Cruise will be at training this morning along with our own Caroline Hood. We'll updated and everything that we see today on training ground dispatch later this

afternoon tonight. Atlanta Soccer Tonight returns on ninety two nine in a game, and the Oudyssey app at ten pm will update you on what happens today in the Club World Cup. We'll look ahead to Madrid and PSG, and we'll get into any other news that breaks as the day goes on, which is all very very possible. So no Morning Espresso on Wednesday morning. The Espresso will be back on Thursday after Atlanta United to play on Wednesday night.

You'll be able to listen to that broadcast on the SDH Network on our Mixler channel or by going to Soccer down Here dot net and clicking listen. Very very busy week ahead. Thank you for being a big part of it here on the SDH Network, and big thank you to our friends at Oglethorpe University for sponsoring the Morning Espresso