MLS playoffs begin Friday with Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami in action | Clash of Brazilian stars in El Clasico

Welcome to the weekend! Soccer never stops and the next few days have plenty of big games including El Clasico between Real Madrid and Barcelona as well as the Major League Soccer playoffs. Jonathan Johnson here to bring you the lowdown.

Footy Fix

All times U.S./Eastern

Friday, October 25
EFL Championship: Portsmouth vs. Sheffield Wednesday, 3 p.m.  Paramount+ and CBS Sports Golazo Network
MLS Playoffs: Inter Miami vs. Atlanta United, 8:30 p.m. MLS Season Pass

Saturday, October 26
EFL Championship: Bristol City vs. Leeds United, 7:30 a.m.  Paramount+ and CBS Sports Golazo Network
EFL League One: Charlton Athletic vs. Wrexham AFC, 10 a.m.  Paramount+
La Liga: Real Madrid vs. Barcelona, 3 p.m. ESPN Deportes
MLS Playoffs: La Galaxy vs. Colorado Rapids, 11 p.m. MLS Season Pass

Sunday, October 27
EFL Championship: Norwich City vs. Middlesbrough, 11 a.m.  Paramount+
EPL: Arsenal vs. Liverpool, 12:30 p.m. Peacock Premium
Serie A: Inter vs. Juventus, 1:00 p.m.  Paramount+
Ligue 1: Marseille vs. PSG, 3:45 p.m. beIN Sports
Friendly: USWNT vs. Iceland WNT, 5:30 p.m. TNT

The Forward Line

Big weekend for American soccer

The Major League Soccer playoffs are here with Round One proper of the MLS Cup starting on Friday with an appetizing Inter Miami vs. Atlanta United offering in the first of a best-of-three series. That will be followed over the weekend by LA Galaxy vs. Colorado Rapids on Saturday before LAFC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps as well as Orlando City SC vs. Charlotte FC on Sunday. Lionel Messi and his Herons side is the undoubted pick of the games in this first round with the visiting Five Stripes hoping to pull off an upset over a possible three matchups with the legendary Argentine’s side.

Inter Miami vs. Atlanta United

Given that this is a best-of-three series, Atlanta being one of the few teams to have inflicted defeat on Miami — at home no less — makes this a dangerous tie for Messi and Tata Martino’s side. Thiago Almada and Giorgos Giakoumakis are gone and both played when the visitors beat the hosts earlier in the season, but the other game finished as a draw which suggests that this could still be fairly close over three games. Martino is up against his former side and benefits from having MVP candidate Messi and Luis Suarez at his disposal which has already produced a Supporters’ Shield triumph as well as a new record for the most points in a regular season. The double is arguably expected now, though, and Miami will have to see off one of the few sides that has hurt them.

• Booth on Messi as MVP: “Yes, games played were an issue for Messi, and yes Miami were also able to win some of their games without him but that doesn’t disqualify him from being the league MVP as no player has had a greater impact on their team’s performance than him. Messi’s 16 assists were third in the league while he added an eye-popping 20 goals which was good for second behind Christian Benteke. No player had more than Messi’s 36-goal contributions on the pitch despite Messi playing 1,000 minutes fewer than most of the players around him. If Messi played in a full season, he’d be putting up video game numbers. Intangibles matter for an MVP, and when Messi was able to do what he did on the pitch while also playing a meaningful role in pushing the team forward, he helped ensure that they were in the best position to succeed.”
• Booth on Fray’s comeback: “The fact that Ian Fray is still playing soccer is remarkable. Three ACL tears in consecutive years is enough to end most careers but Fray has returned to the pitch for Inter Miami to contribute as a squad member. Fray was able to score a goal in his first match back on the pitch against the Columbus Crew, and while he may not be an automatic starter for the Herons, what he has fought and persevered through makes him more than worthy.”

USWNT vs. Iceland

A big weekend in U.S. soccer is made even bigger given that the U.S. Women’s National Team is also in action on Sunday with their second friendly against Iceland. Jaedyn Shaw and Sophia Smith struck late to earn the Stars and Stripes a win in their first game since Olympic gold success in Paris with a 3-1 victory over Iceland in Austin, Texas at Q2 Stadium on Thursday. Emma Hayes went with 10 of her gold medal-winning side which gave Alyssa Thompson a chance off the back of an impressive season with Angel City. She did not hesitate to take that opportunity and scored the opening goal after 39 minutes with a solo effort for her first international goal. Iceland equalized in the 56th minute through Selma Sol Magnusdottir before the USWNT put it away late. They are back in action on Sunday with part two of the doubleheader with Iceland at Nashville’s Geodis Park before Argentina at Louisville’s Lynn Family Stadium next Wednesday.

• Cattry on Thompson’s goal: “While this camp is meant to reward the gold medal-winning team, Hayes had the chance to call upon some in-form NWSL players, including Thompson. The Angel City attacker has five goals and seven assists in league play this season, earning a return to the national team and making those minutes count with her first international goal. It will be no easy feat to break into the USWNT’s always-loaded attack, but with time on the clock until the 2027 Women’s World Cup, she’s one of the first players to state her intent on breaking into Hayes’ team. Thompson’s goal also adds to an important theme this year for the USWNT. She’s the fourth teenager to score for the team this year, the most since six teens scored for the team in 2000. The USWNT have historically relied on their veterans but Hayes has criticized the limited minutes for young players, something that has changed in the year-plus since the 2023 Women’s World Cup disappointment.”

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El Clasico is here

In a weekend a big matchups across Europe and beyond, nothing comes bigger than El Clasico and the hallowed soccer fixture gets its first outing of the season on Saturday when Real Madrid host Barcelona at Santiago Bernabeu in La Liga. It is Barca who lead the way after a fast start to life under Hansi Flick, but Los Blancos are improving under Carlo Ancelotti and could close the current three-point gap with a victory this weekend which would also continue their strong record against their Catalan rivals. Last season’s Spanish topflight double included a 3-2 win for Real over Barca in Madrid and the Blaugrana have not won on enemy turf since early 2022. 

A Vinicius Junior-inspired 5-2 midweek fightback at home to Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League suggested that Real are in rude form despite Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham’s respective struggles for form, but Barca remain in brilliant form and demolished Bayern Munchen 4-1 in the UCL as Flick enjoyed going up against his former club. With more players coming back from injury and an in-form Raphinha, the visitors will feel confident as they go to Madrid before taking on local rivals Espanyol next. A potential six-point lead over Real will be very appealing but Real are unbeaten with seven wins and three draws from their 10 La Liga outings to sit second behind Barca who have won nine of 10 games despite significant injury issues.

• Cattry on Raphinha: “In the most star-studded game on Matchday 3 of the UEFA Champions League, one star wasted little time shining brighter than the rest — Raphinha. Barcelona’s 4-1 win over Bayern Munich on Wednesday was chiefly a showcase for the Brazilian’s skillset as he scored a hattrick, skillfully finding the back of the net on each occasion. He set the tone in the first minute, receiving a slick pass from Fermin Lopez deep in the opposition half before darting towards goal without a defender in sight. The finish, which came from close range after running around goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, was the easy part. Raphinha and Barcelona ran the playbook again and again against Bayern, making a long run from the left flank for his second goal in the 45th minute and then on the counterattack in the 56th minute. Wednesday’s hat trick brings Raphinha’s total to nine goals and six assists in 13 games this season, averaging a goal or assist every 71.5 minutes.”

  Top Stories

 Puig’s resurrection act: Barca’s impact on MLS goes beyond Lionel Messi and friends as Riqui Puig has turned LA Galaxy into contenders with 13 goals and 16 assists as the Galaxy finished second in the Western Conference.

 Mancini leaves Saudi Arabia post: Roberto Mancini and the Saudi Arabia national team have parted ways after string of poor results — the Italian won Euro 2020 with the Azzurri but it just did not work out here.

Deadly Darwin: Why Darwin Nunez’s Champions League performance for Liverpool comes at crucial time ahead of Arsenal Premier League clash with the Uruguayan on target on Wednesday and now expected to do the same vs. the Gunners. 

Champions League Power Rankings: Bayern Munchen and Juventus fall as Real Madrid and Barcelona climb ahead of El Clasico — here is how all 36 teams stack up after Matchday 3.

 UEFA Champions League Wednesday takeaways: Liverpool stay perfect and quietly dominate the League Phase and Barcelona won big while Aston Villa joined the Reds at the top of the League Phase table.

The Back Line

Best Bet

• EPL: Arsenal vs. Liverpool, Sunday, 12:30 p.m. ET
  THE PICK: Liverpool to win and both to score (+450) — Arsenal vs. Liverpool in the Premier League this weekend could have a huge impact on the title race and Gunners boss Mikel Arteta is without star defender William Saliba which is potentially very problematic for the hosts. The France international is suspended after his straight red card in defeat to Bournemouth while Riccardo Calafiori limped off during the UEFA Champions League win over Shakhtar Donetsk. On top of that, Kieran Tierney could have been a squad option before he got sidelined for the remainder of this season and Takehiro Tomiyasu has suffered a setback in his return from a knee injury. Jurrien Timber’s status appears to be up in the air with the Netherlands international yet to feature since the October international break. Then there is star man Bukayo Saka who Arteta consider “unlikely” to be ready in time for Sunday’s big one. With only Gabriel seemingly confirmed as ready, Liverpool must fancy their chances of hurting Arsenal with Darwin Nunez back in form after a strong Champions League showing for Arne Slot’s men.

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

What’s on CBS Sports Golazo Network

 Morning Footy (Weekdays 8-10 a.m.): Hosts Susannah Collins, Charlie Davies, Nico Cantor and Alexis Guerreros help fans get their day started on the network’s flagship morning show with highlights, interviews and the biggest soccer storylines. Morning Footy is also available in podcast form, so you’ll never have to miss an episode.

3⃣ Attacking Third (Monday, Thursday,): The leading women’s soccer podcast and social brand is now a live studio show. The NWSL season is back and our coverage of the women’s game is stronger than ever. Our analysts will be breaking down the USWNT, NWSL and European domestic season all year long. And don’t miss Wednesday live streams on YouTube at 11 a.m. ET.

 Call it What You Want (Monday night): A weekly podcast where Jimmy Conrad, Charlie Davies and co. cover all things USMNT and the state of the beautiful game in the United States. You can also catch the show streaming live on YouTube every Monday at 11 a.m. ET.

 Scoreline (Daily): Scoreline is the newest place for fans to catch up on all the biggest news and results impacting global football, match highlights from the top soccer competitions and all the can’t-miss goals from the day’s action, starting Thursday and airing seven days a week.

 How to watch: CBS Sports Golazo Network is a free 24/7 channel exclusively dedicated to offering unparalleled coverage of all the top soccer competitions worldwide. You can stream for free on the CBS Sports app, Pluto TV and Paramount+.