Sports
USMNT 2026 World Cup Big Board 2.0: Balogun, Zendejas on the rise
The September international window was a bit all over the place for the U.S. team, though it did finish on an upbeat note. A poor first-half performance Saturday against South Korea condemned the Americans to a 2-0 defeat, but the team rebounded Tuesday against Japan as attackers Folarin Balogun and Alex Zendejas made the most of their rare starts, contributing a goal each in a 2-0 victory. A change in formation — let’s call it a 3-4-3, with the presumed wingers taking up positions in the pockets underneath the center forward — provided increased defensive stability, though there is still room for improvement.
Such performances, combined with injuries and some players changing clubs, mean there has been movement in the second edition of ESPN’s USMNT World Cup Big Board. There’s also the fact that U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino has said that the time for looking at new players is over, and that he’ll be bringing in a closer approximation of his first-choice squad for the next international window in October.
So let’s take a look at the predicted 26-man squad and which bubble players might still find a way through.
Goalkeepers (3)
Matt Freese | 27 years old | New York City FC
Freese was solid in the two September friendlies, so it’s not a stretch to think that he’s the starting goalkeeper until further notice. However, that’s not to say his role as the No. 1 keeper is completely sewn up. Pochettino’s insistence that no starting spot is safe must be believed given some of the players omitted from recent rosters, but Freese has strengthened his position.
Matt Turner | 31 | New England Revolution (on loan from Lyon)
Turner recently told ESPN, “[I’m] confident that I’ll be back in October if I continue the level I’m playing at.” His form has cooled off a bit after his impressive start to his second stint with the New England Revolution, with his goals prevented per 90 minutes dropping from 0.50 earlier this season to 0.06. He’ll need to return to top form if he is to get back to the top of the U.S. goalkeeping heap.
– Carlisle: Zendejas’ starring role has come at the right time for himself and the USMNT
– O’Hanlon: Top 50 USMNT players, ranked by club form
– Hernandez: With nine months until World Cup, does Pochettino know his best XI?
Zack Steffen | 30 | Colorado Rapids
Steffen has remained consistent throughout the season, and his underlying numbers are slightly better than Freese’s in terms of goals prevented per 90 (0.20 to 0.15), though Freese has been better in terms of save percentage (74.3% to 68.2%). Either way, Steffen figures to be in the mix when October rolls around.
Center backs (5)
Chris Richards | 25 | Crystal Palace
Richards cemented his status as a one of the starting center backs during the September window, as he wasn’t on the field for the Americans’ poor first half against South Korea. The move to a three-center-back system seems to suit him given that he plays in a similar alignment with Palace, though with the U.S. he’s in a slightly different role as the most central of the three.
Tim Ream | 37 | Charlotte FC
Ream is another player for whom the three-back alignment seems a good fit. The formation means there’s less chance he’ll be exposed in terms of pure foot speed, and his leadership and steady passing can be emphasized. Ream’s age has been brought up often as making him a possible liability at next year’s World Cup. But until someone pushes him out, his spot is secure, and he has the trust of Pochettino. At club level, he has helped Charlotte to eight straight wins.
Mark McKenzie | 26 | Toulouse
McKenzie and Toulouse were off to a good start in Ligue 1, posting shutouts in their first two matches. That is, until they ran into the goal-scoring machine that is Paris Saint-Germain, who hammered Les Violets 6-3 in a match that was essentially over at halftime.
PSG have done that to a lot of teams lately, so no shame there. But McKenzie will be one of the players looking to reestablish themselves over the next few weeks.
Cameron Carter-Vickers | 27 | Celtic
Though Carter-Vickers wasn’t responsible for the flameout in the qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League to lightly regarded Kairat Almaty from Kazakhstan — Celtic didn’t concede a single goal and were beaten via a penalty shootout — the fact that he’ll be playing in the Europa League instead doesn’t necessarily help his cause in terms of the level of competition he’ll face. We’ll see how much his previous history with Pochettino helps or hurts him.
Miles Robinson | 28 | FC Cincinnati
Robinson just signed a new long-term contract, so he’s obviously held in high regard in Cincinnati, but he has yet to really make many inroads under Pochettino. An injury saw him omitted from the September window, and he didn’t play much during the Gold Cup, either. Will the likes of Tristan Blackmon supplant him?
Outside backs (4)
Sergiño Dest | 24 | PSV Eindhoven
Dest has been excelling at club level for PSV Eindhoven, but the September window showed the highs and lows of his game. He looked dynamic going forward, but his positioning contributed directly to the two South Korea goals. That said, the change in alignment should suit him well, emphasizing his strengths in attack while mitigating his defensive weaknesses.
Antonee Robinson | 28 | Fulham
Robinson’s recovery from offseason knee surgery came too late for the September window even as he finally saw the field for Fulham. The expectation is that by October, he will be back to his marauding best, regardless of how the U.S. team lines up.
Alex Freeman | 21 | Orlando City SC
Freeman continues to get reps from Pochettino and looked solid in the Japan victory. But his inclusion on the final roster might come down to whether Pochettino prefers Yunus Musah in a wing back spot. If that’s the case, the Atalanta player looks set to get the nod given his greater level of experience.
Max Arfsten | 24 | Columbus Crew
Arfsten continues to get steady playing time under Pochettino, and the change in formation puts him in a role nearly identical to the one he fills with his club. The fit was evident against Japan, as it was his cross that Alejandro Zendejas hammered home for the first U.S. goal. With Robinson returning to full fitness, Arfsten’s minutes should decrease. But he has still come a long way in terms of World Cup consideration, and his defending has shown steady improvement.
Midfielders (5)
Tyler Adams | 26 | AFC Bournemouth
Adams finished the window better than he started it. Good thing, because questions were beginning to be asked given his recent performances in a U.S. shirt, particularly against Mexico in the Gold Cup final and Saturday against South Korea. The season has started well for Adams at club level, and his form should continue to improve.
Weston McKennie | 26 | Juventus
Of all the players that Pochettino left home in September, McKennie is one whom the U.S. manager seems most intent on lighting a fire beneath. Right now, the midfielder is very much a squad player for Juventus, having been a late-game substitute in both of Juve’s league matches. He was also part of the Nations League debacle in March, which Pochettino admits caused him to rethink the national team.
McKennie remains a talented player, but he needs to break through (again) at Juve to make sure he retains his spot.
Johnny Cardoso | 23 | Atlético Madrid
Last month, the Big Board called Cardoso an “enigma” because of how he’s been unable to replicate his club form with the U.S. Nothing has changed in that regard. Cardoso makes the cut because of the club he plays for, and the potential that he carries. So far, he has been used consistently by Atletico manager Diego Simeone, but at some point, Cardoso will need to deliver for Pochettino. October would be the perfect time for him to pull a Zendejas or a Balogun and stake his claim for more minutes.
Yunus Musah | 22 | Atalanta (on loan from AC Milan)
Musah’s desire to stay with AC Milan finally gave way to reality, as he completed his loan to Atalanta just before the closing of the summer European transfer window. The irony is that Musah was starting to get some decent playing time with Milan at wing back, but the hope is that his versatility will see him get minutes in Bergamo. That trait also sees him go from bubble player in the last version of the Big Board to making the squad now.
Tanner Tessmann | 23 | Lyon
Tessmann was another omission for the September window, which was confounding since he seemed to be the next man up to replace McKennie. He’s off to a solid start with Lyon, most recently in an impressive 1-0 win over Olympique Marseille.
Attackers (5)
Christian Pulisic | 26 | AC Milan
“All is forgiven” was the message coming out of the window regarding Pulisic and Pochettino’s relationship. The new formation also seemed to fit the Milan attacker well — he was back to running in the open field against Japan, and he benefitted from having Zendejas by his side. He’s one of the few players whose spot on the roster is written in ink, not pencil.
Tim Weah | 25 | Marseille
Could Zendejas’ gain be Weah’s loss? It’s possible. The Marseille defender/winger has been rather ordinary of late with the U.S. and squandered some decent chances against South Korea. He was an unused sub against Japan, clearing the way for Zendejas to shine. Weah’s pace is not easily replaced, so he’ll likely have a spot on the roster, but there’s real competition now for his spot in the starting lineup.
Malik Tillman | 23 | Bayer Leverkusen
Tillman was another injury casualty, though he returned to the Leverkusen lineup right before the start of the window. He even scored his first goal for the club in a wild 3-3 draw with Werder Bremen on Aug. 30. Tillman appears to be a Pochettino favorite, but he’ll need to continue to deliver for Leverkusen for him to keep that label.
Diego Luna | 22 | Real Salt Lake
Has Luna hit his ceiling at the international level? He might very well have, given his inability to influence the South Korea game much in a starting role. He fared better coming on as a sub against Japan, and that might be his best role going forward: a late-game chaos agent who can change the tempo of a match. For now, it’s time to retrench with his club.
Alejandro Zendejas | 27 | América
Zendejas was probably the biggest winner of the window for the U.S., parlaying a rare start into a Man of the Match performance against Japan. Pochettino himself said Zendejas is “in the race” for a World Cup roster spot. But Zendejas knows now is no time to take his foot off the gas, and a stellar month with Club América would further cement his spot.
Forwards (4)
Folarin Balogun | 24 | AS Monaco
Balogun was the other player (next to Zendejas) who did plenty to raise his stock in September. The U.S. attack just looks so much more dynamic with him on the field thanks to his ability to stretch defenses, as well as hold the ball up and give teammates an outlet. Pochettino would never say this, but the starting striker spot is now Balogun’s to lose, as long as he can stay healthy.
Ricardo Pepi | 22 | PSV Eindhoven
Like for Robinson, the September window came a little bit too soon for Pepi, as he had just returned to the field after a lengthy recovery from knee surgery. The goal for Pepi this month is to build on the 49 minutes he has logged so far this season, as well as get on the scoresheet. That would make it difficult for Pochettino to leave him at home.
Champions League tilts against Union Saint-Gilloise on Tuesday and Bayer Leverkusen on Oct. 1 should reveal plenty about where Pepi’s form is.
Josh Sargent | 25 | Norwich City
The club vs. country conundrum continues for Sargent. He leads the English Championship with five goals but can’t for the life of him find the net for the U.S. team. Now he looks to have fallen down the depth chart underneath Balogun and could fall further if Pepi regains his form. All Sargent can do is continue to toil away for Norwich City and hope he finally breaks his international streak at some point. One wonders, though, if he has run out of chances with the U.S. team.
Haji Wright | 27 | Coventry City
Wright is hot on the heels of Sargent for the goal-scoring lead in the Championship, having tallied four times in the league this season. His ability to play on the wing helps his case, but he’s another player whose spot looks vulnerable.
On the bubble
Patrick Schulte | Goalkeeper | 24 | Columbus Crew
Timing has proved to be everything for Schulte, with Freese seizing the starting spot after Schulte got injured before the Gold Cup. Columbus has been scuffling a bit of late too (just 1-3-2 in their past six games). Barring someone else getting hurt, he figures to be on the outside looking in.
Auston Trusty | Center back | 27 | Celtic
Celtic’s aforementioned elimination from the Champions League hit Trusty the hardest. The center back already lost his starting spot to Liam Scales, and while the Europa League still beckons for the Hoops, it’s not the same platform as the Champions League. He’s basically waiting for others to falter so he can get another look.
2:38
Nicol: Pochettino’s comments were mind-blowing
Steve Nicol questions Mauricio Pochettino’s approach as USMNT manager but finds positives in Japan victory.
Tristan Blackmon | Center back | 29 | Vancouver Whitecaps
Blackmon rebounded from having shaky moments against South Korea to a solid, if unspectacular, performance against Japan. It’s possible he gets called back in, but that is in many ways dependent on the performances of others. A strong finish to the club season will give Pochettino something to ponder.
Joe Scally | Outside back | 22 | Borussia Mönchengladbach
This is one player whom the formation change doesn’t help. It’s not that Scally can’t play as a wing back at all — he has done so at times in the past for Gladbach — it’s just that players such as Dest, Musah and Freeman seem better suited to the role. Scally wouldn’t be an ideal fit as one of the three central defenders, either. Hence a move to the bubble list.
Caleb Wiley | Outside back | 20 | Watford (on loan from Chelsea)
Wiley was in line to be the primary backup to Robinson at left back, but a back injury has delayed his start to the season. With other candidates stepping up, he’s got some serious catching up to do.
Cristian Roldan | Midfielder | 30 | Seattle Sounders
Roldan’s 90-minute stint against Japan was the surprise of the window, given that he was a late addition. In that match, he provided tenacity and range — his seven recoveries were a team high — and was involved in the buildup to Zendejas’ goal. Is there more to come? That seems a reach given the likely return of several players, but Pochettino is now known to be an admirer, so anything is possible.
Luca de la Torre | Midfielder | 27 | San Diego FC
De la Torre was expected to get more time in September, but Pochettino opted to deploy Sebastian Berhalter and Roldan alongside Adams instead. The San Diego midfielder is still in contention for a World Cup place because of how he keeps possession, but he seems to be sliding down the depth chart and thus moves to bubble status.
Sebastian Berhalter | Midfielder | 24 | Vancouver Whitecaps
It was always going to be an uphill battle for Berhalter given the candidates he was going to have to get past, but he slid further down the pecking order during the September window, mostly because of his performance against South Korea. It’s one thing to succeed in the Gold Cup, and quite another to do it against World Cup-caliber opposition. Aside from his ability on set pieces, there’s not enough else in his game to warrant getting called up in October.
Gio Reyna | Attacker | 22 | Borussia Mönchengladbach
Reyna finally secured a move away from Borussia Dortmund and has been reunited with childhood friend Scally at Gladbach. Good for him. The relationship with Dortmund was bad for both parties. Now comes the hard part: actually getting onto the field and then staying healthy once that happens. Neither of those things is guaranteed, but succeeding on both counts will determine whether Reyna gets called in for the October friendlies.
Patrick Agyemang | Forward | 24 | Derby County
Agyemang’s move to Derby County was hailed as a necessary step in his development. We haven’t seen him since the move was completed in July because of hernia surgery. Meanwhile, other forwards are either finding form (Balogun) or healing up (Pepi). There still seems a need for a battering-ram type of forward, but Downs seems further ahead at the moment.
Damion Downs | Forward | 21 | Southampton
Downs looked lively coming on as a sub against Japan and probably should have scored late after working a slick one-two with Luna. He’s still waiting for his first goal with new club Southampton, and he needs to make an impression now with other forwards healing.
You know it’s probably going to be Arsenal or Manchester City for the Premier League title; Burnley and someone else for relegation; and one of, like, eight or nine different teams for the final two or three UEFA Champions League places.
These are the races that matter. These are the races we talk about. They frame everything that happens with a given club: Is the manager keeping the team safe from relegation? Are the new signings boosting the midtable club into the European places? Can that new striker put that already-excellent team over the top in the title race?
But in reality, clubs don’t function in this way. Or at least, they shouldn’t function in this way. They’re signing players, developing talent, and acquiring coaches with a multi-year view into the future. If everyone only cared about this season, every player in the league would be 27 years-old.
So, today, we’re going to rank all 20 Premier League clubs based on how the future looks. This isn’t a prediction for who is going to win the league in a couple of years — that wouldn’t be fun since we’d be stuck picking someone from the so-called Big Six. Instead, it’s a ranking of how likely a team is to have self-defined successful seasons in the future.
To create the rankings, we’ll use a combination of four inputs:
• Squad age: The team’s average age, weighted by minutes played this season, via FBref.
• Young talent: The combined Transfermarkt value of the team’s players aged 23 and under.
• Managerial stability: A combination of how likely the current manager is to be at the club in a few years and how confident we should be that the club would be able to replace their current manager with the right guy.
• Club health: A combination of how highly I think of the ownership and the team’s decision-makers, the state of the team’s financial health, and how likely they are to be relegated at some point.
We’ve ranked each club in each of the four categories, added them up, and came up with the following list. Let’s get to the Premier League Future Power Rankings!
– Who’s really to blame for the mess Liverpool are in
– UWCL draw reaction: Who’s path is smoothest?
– FIFA only harming itself with World Cup ticket prices
Overall score: 14
• Squad age: 5
• Young talent: 4
• Managerial stability: 3
• Club health: 2
Reason for hope: It doesn’t feel like any of their recent moves have been major successes. There’s no clear young star on the roster like Moisés Caicedo or Alexis Mac Allister. And teams aren’t knocking Brighton’s doors down to hire Fabian Hurzeler, either.
But despite all of that, the club is currently in 10th, and they have the seventh-best expected-goal differential in the league. Midtable might be the floor for a team that, according to FBref, has the fourth-lowest wage bill in the Premier League. Still, they still have a ton of young potential on the roster. If two of them become stars at the same time, this could be a Champions League club.
Reason for concern: Take all of that and spin it around. They haven’t whiffed on any signings, but the club has some more money now, thanks to its continued presence in the league and the growing financial gap between the Premier League and everyone else. And as Brighton have started to spend more on transfers for individual players, there haven’t been any real hits.
There’s a chance — a small one — that their player-identification model doesn’t work higher up the market.
Overall score: 19
• Squad age: 2
• Young talent: 11
• Managerial stability: 5
• Club health: 1
Reason for hope: Last season, Brentford’s per-game expected goal differential was plus-0.09. This season, Brentford’s per-game expected goal differential is plus-0.09. Did I mention that they lost their manager to Tottenham and their best player to Manchester United over the summer?
Reason for concern: They’ve outscored their opponents by one goal since they were promoted back in 2021. Given their wage bill — estimated by FBref to be the smallest in the league — that’s an incredible level of relative performance. But Brentford still haven’t shown the upside that we’ve seen from Brighton. One season of bad luck could still plunge them down into a relegation battle.
Overall score: 20
• Squad age: 9
• Young talent: 7
• Managerial stability: 1
• Club health: 3
Reason for hope: So much has gone wrong this season. Every key player has spent time on the sidelines. It’s increasingly looking like summer signing Viktor Gyökeres just isn’t good enough to play consistent minutes for a team at this level. And Manchester City have already passed them on goal differential.
… But despite all of that, they’ve clearly been the best team in the Premier League so far: a plus-1.09 xG differential, while no one else is even at plus-0.8.
Reason for concern: They’re all-in. After multiple seasons with one of the youngest rosters in England, this team’s average age is just, well, average. Gyokeres has attempted two shots in the Premier League in his last five appearances, and with sizable fees already invested into Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus, they might be stuck with what they currently have at center forward.
Overall score: 23
• Squad age: 1
• Young talent: 1
• Managerial stability: 14
• Club health: 7
Reason for hope: They’ve collected more young talent than probably any other club in Premier League history. And those double No. 1 rankings don’t even include all of the great prospects over at Strasbourg, the ownership group’s other club in France.
Reason for concern: It’s still unclear whether the people in charge know how — or even want — to turn that talent into a team that could genuinely win domestic and continental trophies. Their current accounting books would violate the Premier League’s new squad-cost-ratio rules, and I don’t know if Enzo Maresca is the right guy for this job or if Chelsea know who his best replacement would be, either. We know Chelsea’s future is filled with talent — but we don’t know a whole lot beyond that.
Overall score: 25
• Squad age: 14
• Young talent: 3
• Managerial stability: 4
• Club health: 4
Reason for hope: Now, here’s the club where everything has gone wrong this season. Almost none of the new signings have played well. Most of the guys from last year’s team look worse. Mohamed Salah might leave the club — and might have already left the company of the best players in the world. Manager Arne Slot can’t find any of the right buttons to press. They’ve already lost more games than they did all of last season.
And yet: they’re two points back of fourth place in the Premier League and tied for sixth place in the big Champions League table.
Reason for concern: This was the first real transfer window for new-ish sporting director Richard Hughes. The club spent a ton of money — and they got significantly worse.
The Alexander Isak signing, in particular, was a massive departure from the way Liverpool usually do things: a record-breaking fee for an already-in-his-peak-years, injury-prone player with system-fit issues. Their transfer moves no longer deserve the benefit of the doubt.
Overall score: 29
• Squad age: 3
• Young talent: 15
• Managerial stability: 6
• Club health: 5
Reason for hope: The two more subjective rankings here are a combination of inference and what I know from people I talk to in the sport. But Bournemouth were willing to move on from a beloved manager who saved them from relegation because they (1) knew they got lucky, and (2) thought they’d identified a better option.
This kind of decision only gets made when a club really knows what it’s doing, from top to bottom. Most of the soccer world thought it was madness when they fired Gary O’Neil. Now, pretty much every club in the world would be willing to hire Andoni Iraola.
Reason for concern: The top-end talent seems to have dried out, and we’re already seeing it both from their results and performances this season. I trust Bournemouth to go through a rigorous process of identifying an eventual Iraola replacement — I trust they’ve already done it, too — but what does this team look like with a different coach and without players who will go on to start for PSG and Real Madrid?
Overall score: 31
• Squad age: 3
• Young talent: 2
• Managerial stability: 13
• Club health: 13
Reason for hope: After an era-ending season where the squad looked old and Pep Guardiola couldn’t find any solutions for a team that frequently got trampled by the Premier League’s increasing athleticism, City have turned the roster over in one offseason. They’re back to being title contenders — at home and abroad.
Reason for concern: There are those 115 Premier League charges still hanging over the club, and Pep Guardiola’s contract expires at the end of next season.
Man City have such financial power that they’ll always be competitive, but we’ve never seen a club with this much money be transformed into the vision of one man before. What happens when Pep leaves? And what punishment might the league still have in store for its most dominant club?
Overall score: 37
• Squad age: 12
• Young talent: 12
• Managerial stability: 7
• Club health: 6
Reason for hope: They’ve lost Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze in consecutive summers. And somehow, the more talent they lose, the better they get:
• 2023-24: minus-0.09 xG differential per game
• 2024-25: plus-0.30 xG differential per game
• 2025-26: plus-0.48 xG differential per game
Reason for concern: Oliver Glasner isn’t long for London — South London, at least — and Palace’s track record with coach hirings is mixed before the Austrian arrived to replace Roy Hodgson. While Palace seem to have a better handle on Championship prospects than anyone, their young-talent pipeline is starting to dry up. With Marc Guéhi expected to leave either in January or after the season, how many more star departures can they weather?
Overall score: 38
• Squad age: 6
• Young talent: 5
• Managerial stability: 16
• Club health: 11
Reason for hope: If Spurs had Brighton’s budget, we would be raving about all of the young talent they’ve built up over the past couple years. In fact, only Brighton and Chelsea have more 23-and-under players with an estimated market value of €10 million or more.
If you’re going to run off a bunch of disappointing seasons in a row, you need to be building for the future while your results are in the tank. Spurs have at least done that.
Reason for concern: They’re … getting worse? Here’s their expected goals differential, or xGD, over the past three seasons:
• 2023-24: plus-0.13 xGD/game
• 2024-25: minus-0.12 xGD/game
• 2025-26: minus-0.43 xGD/game
Former club chairman Daniel Levy is gone, but the club’s long-term performance level is lower than it’s been at any point this century.
Overall score: 40
• Squad age: 6
• Young talent: 10
• Managerial stability: 10
• Club health: 14
Reason for hope: Sunderland aren’t your typical relegation survivor. Sam Allardyce isn’t on the sidelines, and Gareth Barry isn’t playing in the midfield. Instead, they’re managed by Regis Le Bris, who had never coached in England before and had only been the manager at one other club before joining Sunderland.
And — OK, sure, Granit Xhaka is basically their Gareth Barry. But beyond him, this isn’t a roster of late- and post-peak Premier League vets. Just two of their most-used 11 players are in their 30s and almost everyone who comes off the bench is 25 or younger.
Reason for concern: Although they’re currently in eight place, they have the 17th-best xG differential in the Premier League. And that’s after a season in the Championship when they ranked seventh by the same metric. Now, xG isn’t a perfect indicator of team performance, but clubs that overperform their aggregate chance quality tend to eventually come crashing back to Earth — at some point.
Overall score: 41
• Squad age: 10
• Young talent: 6
• Managerial stability: 15
• Club health: 10
Reason for hope: They figured out how to fix the attack in a single summer. Last season, United scored 44 goals in 38 matches. This year, they’ve scored 30, and they’ve only played 16 games. For the first time in a long time, United identified a problem, threw a bunch of money at it, and actually got the result for which they were hoping.
Reason for concern: Five Manchester United players have created a combined 3.0 expected goals and assists so far this season. Four of them are 26 or older, two of them are 30-plus (Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro), and Ahmad Diallo is the only one (23) who still hasn’t hit his prime.
They’re going to have to replace Bruno and Casemiro over the next couple seasons, and by the time they figure it out, their two major attacking signings from this summer, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, could already be aging out of their primes.
Overall score: 43
• Squad age: 18
• Young talent: 14
• Managerial stability: 2
• Club health: 9
Reason for hope: Here’s how many points every Premier League team has won since Oct. 24, 2022:
In other words, Aston Villa have been one of the four best teams in the Premier League since Unai Emery replaced Steven Gerrard.
Reason for concern: They’re really old — and they’re on a gonzo heater right now. I have no doubt that Villa’s weird style of play — high line with little pressure, slow possession but also lots of through balls — is fooling the models that measure these things, but Villa are three points off the table despite, uh …
Can they retool as the roster gets older and the results inevitably start to go against them?
Overall score: 44
• Squad age: 16
• Young talent: 9
• Managerial stability: 11
• Club health: 8
Reason for hope: If Lewis Hall can stay healthy, Newcastle might have the best pair of young fullbacks in the Premier League — if not the world.
Both Hall and Tino Livramento are already fantastic passers, and I think the single-best predictor of whether or not a young player will have a successful career might be how much progressive passing they do. Livramento is 23, Hall 21, and they both rank in the 84th percentile or better among all players at their position across Europe’s Big Five top leagues for progressive passes completed.
Reason for concern: That’s really it? Nick Woltemade has been OK to start his career, Anthony Gordon is a solid Premier League player, but every other key contributor to this team is at the end or already past his peak years.
The first era of Saudi ownership at the club was an on-field success; they were in a relegation battle when the new owners came in; they’ve been a top five team in the league since. But that version of Newcastle looks like it’s reaching its conclusion. What comes next?
Overall score: 51
• Squad age: 8
• Young talent: 8
• Managerial stability: 18
• Club health: 17
Reason for hope: They’re even younger than they look. Among the 14 players who have featured in at least 400 minutes this season, just two are older than 30: 33-year-old keeper Mats Selz, who has played every minute of all but one match this season, and 34-year-old striker Chris Wood, who has only started seven games but pushes the average age up since he’s so old.
Nikola Milenkovic and Ibrahim Sangaré are both 28, but the other 10 players are all 25 or younger. A lot of their big signings from this summer haven’t featured much yet, and many of them are 23-and-under, so there’s potential for Forest to get even younger
Reason for concern: This is the worst-run team in the league because of the guy who owns it. Now, there are a bunch of smart people working at Forest, and you can see it shine through in every fourth or fifth signing they make — hello, Elliott Anderson! — but they’re already on their third manager of the season.
Sean Dyche has stabilized the club after the philosophical whiplash from Nuno Espirito-Santo to Ange Postecoglu, but owner Evangelos Marinakis is a complete wild card who is liable to do something ridiculous at any moment. The only reason they aren’t lower is that they’re five points clear of the relegation battle.
Overall score: 52
• Squad age: 18
• Young talent: 13
• Managerial stability: 9
• Club health: 12
Reason for hope: David Moyes has been willing to play Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Ilman Ndiaye, and Jack Grealish … and a center forward all at the same time. While they’re still waiting for one of those strikers to start producing, KDH, Ndiaye, and Grealish all rank in the top 15 in the league for expected assists created. That’s something to build on!
Reason for concern: Grealish is only on loan, and this is tied with Villa and Fulham for the oldest team in the league. Everton signed a bunch of young prospects this summer, but Thierno Barry, Tyler Dibling, and Adam Aznou have combined to start 10 matches this season. Dibling has only played 80 minutes; Anzou hasn’t played at all. There is some young talent on this roster — internal solutions to the aging issue — but can we trust Moyes to integrate the next generation?
Overall score: 60
• Squad age: 13
• Young talent: 20
• Managerial stability: 12
• Club health: 15
Reason for hope: Leeds were one of the all-time great Championship sides last season, and they were one of the most popular picks I can remember for a promoted side to stay up. They’re currently just one spot clear of the relegation places, but they’ve been significantly better than that.
Through 16 matches, their total xG differential is just minus-1.0 — a fantastic mark for a team that was in the second-division last season, and the 11th-best differential in the league so far.
Reason for concern: Wilfried Gnonto is the only player under the age of 25 who has even played a single minute for Leeds this season. And he’s only started four matches. Part of the reason Leeds were so good last season and why their underlying performance has been so impressive is that they’re built to win right now. But beyond the next couple of years, the cupboard is almost completely bare.
Overall score: 61
• Squad age: 18
• Young talent: 19
• Managerial stability: 8
• Club health: 16
Reason for hope: After Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta — or, the managers for the two best teams in the league — Marco Silva is the Premier League’s longest-serving manager. They’re only ranked eighth in my managerial-stability rating because Fulham’s previous managerial hiring history is total chaos, but while he’s there, Silva secures the club’s floor.
This might not sound like a compliment, but it is: We can be confident that Marco Silva is not going to make Fulham worse than the aggregate talent on their roster.
Reason for concern: Outside of midfielder Joshua King, there’s no young talent making any kind of impact. And, well, there’s not much peak-age talent, either. Seven of Fulham’s 11 most-used players are 29 or older. Unless they start signing some younger players and integrating them into the club soon, the bottom could fall out — especially if someone else decides they want to hire Silva.
Overall score: 65
• Squad age: 14
• Young talent: 16
• Managerial stability: 17
• Club health: 18
Reason for hope: They spent a combined €66 million on a pair of 21-and-under prospects, Mateus Fernandes and El Hadji Malick Diouf, this summer, and both of them pretty much immediately became two of the most important players on the team. For a club that’s too long obsessed over acquiring famous older players like Niclas Füllkrug, the identification and subsequent integration of Fernandes and Diouf is a notable, positive change.
Reason for concern: They’re terrible? Simon Tinsley’s projections give the Hammers a 50% chance of being relegated. Per FBref, West Ham are paying higher wages than half of the teams in the league, and they’re currently a coin-flip away from lugging an expensive, aging roster down to the Championship.
Overall score: 69
• Squad age: 11
• Young talent: 18
• Managerial stability: 20
• Club health: 20
Reason for hope: I, uh, their roster isn’t that old? I’m struggling here …
Reason for concern: They have two points through 16 matches, they’ve scored the fewest goals, and they’ve conceded the most goals. Both of the sites I’ve mentioned put their probability of being relegated north of 96%.
Overall score: 72
• Squad age: 17
• Young talent: 17
• Managerial stability: 19
• Club health: 19
Reason for hope: They’re only six points from safety, and stranger things have happened … right?
Reason for concern: According to FBref’s Stathead database, which goes back to the 2017-18 season, only three Premier League teams have posted a per-game xG differential below minus-1.0: Norwich City in 2021-22, Southampton last season, and Burnley this year. Those other two teams? They both finished in 20th.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has opened registration for foreign players interested in participating in the 11th edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
“The foreign player registration window for the 11th edition of the PSL is now officially open,” the cricket body said in a statement issued on Friday.
The announcement comes as the league enters a “historic expansion” phase, with the addition of two new franchises, opening the door for greater international participation in what is set to be the league’s largest season to date.
The PCB said the expansion to eight teams will create significantly more roster spots and earning opportunities for overseas players.
“Agents and independent players are encouraged to complete their registration before January 20, 2026, to be included in the Player Pool,” the PCB said, adding that the registration link is available on its official website.
Launched in 2016, the PSL will feature eight teams for the first time in its 11th edition. The auction for the two new franchises is scheduled to be held in Islamabad on January 8 and will be broadcast live, the board said.
Earlier, the PCB had extended the deadline for bids for the two new franchises by a week, citing strong interest from investors in Europe, the United States and the Middle East.
The extension was announced by PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi on his official X account, who said the deadline had been moved from December 15 to December 22.
With the upcoming expansion, the PSL will undergo its first major structural change in seven years, officially increasing the number of franchises from six to eight.
Real Madrid defender Éder Militão is “100%” confident he will be fit in time to play at the 2026 World Cup.
The Brazil international ruptured the biceps femoris tendon in his left leg during Madrid’s 2-0 league defeat against Celta Vigo on Dec. 7 and could be sidelined until April 2026.
Using crutches, Militao, arrived in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday and told reporters: “No return date has been set. The priority is the World Cup.
“Doing things well so I can come back strong. [I’m] 100% confident.”
“When fit, Militao, who played at the 2022 World Cup, has been a regular in Brazil’s squads.
“Militao, 27, has struggled with serious injuries in recent seasons. In August 2023, he tore his left ACL and only returned to action in March 2024. Last season, he was sidelined for eight months after tearing his right ACL and damaging his meniscus.
“Carlo Ancelotti, who coached Militao at Madrid before taking over the Brazil national team in May, recently warned his players that only those that are “100 percent fit” will make Brazil’s World Cup squad.
– Rating 2025’s Christmas sweaters from top soccer teams
– Mbappé moves within one goal of Ronaldo’s Madrid record
– Real Madrid beat Talavera in Copa as Mbappé closes on Ronaldo record
Militao is expected to miss Brazil’s international friendlies against France and Croatia in the March international window.
Five-time winners Brazil begin their World Cup campaign against Morocco on June 13 in New York. They face Haiti six days later in Philadelphia before their final Group C game against Scotland in Miami.
Nigeria’s textile imports up 47.43% YoY in Jan-Sept 2025
Young people to be hit hardest by UK’s ageing society, report suggests
Simon Cowell responds to ‘staged’ December 10 show accusation
-
Business6 days agoHitting The ‘High Notes’ In Ties: Nepal Set To Lift Ban On Indian Bills Above ₹100
-
Politics1 week agoTrump launches gold card programme for expedited visas with a $1m price tag
-
Business1 week agoRivian turns to AI, autonomy to woo investors as EV sales stall
-
Sports1 week agoPolice detain Michigan head football coach Sherrone Moore after firing, salacious details emerge: report
-
Fashion1 week agoTommy Hilfiger appoints Sergio Pérez as global menswear ambassador
-
Sports1 week agoU.S. House passes bill to combat stadium drones
-
Business1 week agoCoca-Cola taps COO Henrique Braun to replace James Quincey as CEO in 2026
-
Tech1 week agoGoogle DeepMind partners with UK government to deliver AI | Computer Weekly