Welcome back to Footy Fix, delivering you the best news and stories in the world of American soccer!
This week is an international break. So we will finally get to see Mauricio Pochettino’s USMNT playing in competitive games. We’ve got news on his squad selection, plus news from NWSL opening weekend, an entertaining MLS weekend, and a possible new team in Fort Lauderdale.
So let’s dive in!
This week’s stories
14-year-old Mckenna "Mak" Whitham became the youngest in history in play in the NWSL.
Patrick Agyemang and Diego Luna scored right before joining up with the USMNT.
Sporting Kansas City finally ended their losing streak.
Will Smith will perform at the CONCACAF Nations League final pre-game show.
Brek Shea tells a story about being released from Atlanta United and getting his revenge.
Mauricio Pochettino explained why Alejandro Zendejas didn’t make the squad.
A new professional men’s team is coming to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Former USWNT star Sydney Leroux announces break from soccer due to mental health.
History Made in the NWSL
On Saturday night, history was made in NWSL.
In the first game of the season, NJ/NY Gotham brought in Mckenna "Mak" Whitham— making her the youngest ever to play in the league. She’s only 14.
Whitham is a California native who was homeschooled and played ECNL club soccer. After impressing at the youth level, she trained with several NWSL sides in 2024.
Then, she traveled with Gotham for the Women’s Cup in Colombia. Not only she played in that cup, but at 13, Whitham scored the winning goal vs Deportivo Cali. 👏🏾
She then signed a name, image, and likeness contract with Nike, becoming the youngest athlete in any sport to sign with the company. She also became the youngest signing in NWSL history after penning a contract through 2028 with Gotham last year.
Whitham has dreamed of becoming a professional soccer player since she was eight. It’s impressive how quickly she’s achieved that dream.
USMNT New Boys Catch Fire Before USMNT Camp
Patrick Agyemang and Diego Luna got calls from the USMNT boss Mauricio Pochettino last week, and they answered with goals on Saturday night.
Both players will be joining up with the “A” team of USMNT for the first time, but didn’t start off the season brilliantly. However on Saturday, they both scored their first goal of the season.
Agyemang was a handful for Cincinnati throughout the whole game. He scored the second goal for Charlotte FC, and drew a foul later which got a Cincinnati defender sent off.
Meanwhile, Luna put in a Man of the Match performance for Real Salt Lake as they beat Houston Dynamo. He scored the winning goal.
Next stop for Agyemang and Luna? They will both be jetting off to LA. It’s their first time getting into a camp with Europe-based USMNT players. It’s time to work and drive that they belong there.
Sporting Kansas City FINALLY stopped losing
Sporting Kanas City were on a 10-game losing streak before Saturday night.
Then, they went down 3-0 to Minnesota United at home, and the stadium became mostly empty due to snow. It was looking like a 11th straight loss and miserable night.
NOT SO FAST. SKC made a crazy comeback.
Daniel Salloi got the first goal, it seemed like a consolation. Then Morris Duggan scored an own goal, and SKC players started believing.
And then Dejan Joveljic, the big offseason signing who won the MLS Cup in December, scored a brilliant goal to complete the comeback.
SKC fans who went home will surely be kicking themselves for missing this fantastic game. They ended their losing streak, which started all the way back in September, and got their first point of the season in a dramatic manner.
MLS never fails to entertain.
Nations League has a special guest: Will Smith
Will Smith will be performing at the pre-game show for the CONCACAF Nations League Final.
On Sunday, the CONCACAF Nations League final will be at SoFi Stadium in California. And to make this event more special, Will Smith will be performing before the match.
Will Smith has had a legendary acting career in Hollywood. But don’t forget, he also has Grammy-winning hits like “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” and his latest single “You Can Make It.”
He will entertain fans before the big game and then enjoy the game himself. As an American, he will be hoping to see the USMNT make the final and win it for the fourth time in a row.
Brek Shea’s Atlanta Revenge
Former USMNT player Brek Shea tells a story about being released from Atlanta United because of injury, and then coming with Inter Miami to score against them 🗣️
“The hardest thing I overcame was tearing my ACL at 30 years old,” Shea said on The Ground Training Club instagram page.
“Being on a contract with Atlanta United and starting every game, and then to them telling me they don’t want me anymore because I was injured and I was too old to come back and be the same player.”
“Coming back from ACL is already hard. Having the team tell you they don’t want you anymore is even worse.”
“I struggled for a little bit. And then I just said I’m gonna use this to my advantage. I used all that ammo and put it into my work.”
“I grinded my way back and I ended up in Inter Miami. They took a chance and helped me rehab.”
“I got back healthy and played Atlanta United twice. Won here in Miami, scored against them. Then we played in Atlanta and I [also] scored against them.”
“So I used all that negative, I could’ve went into a hole and just hid. But I turned it into fire, I ate me up.”
Mauricio Pochettino on Alejandro Zendejas
Despite his form for Club América, Alejandro Zendejas hasn’t been included in the latest USMNT squad.
“Sometimes it’s not about improve or not improve. Sometimes it’s about numbers,” Pochettino answered.
“When you can only call 23, it’s really painful because sometimes it’s not only performance. It’s about the balance and how you can connect the characters.”
“But yes, we are going to continue to assess all the players and of course, the difficult thing when you have too many players is to be right and to be clinical when you select players to play.”
“It’s about our feelings, intuition, and how you’re going to project the team to play in different competitions.”
“When we selected these 23 players, it’s because we really believe we can find a very good balance, to compete in our best, and to get the result we want.”
A new soccer team for Fort Lauderdale
A new professional men’s team is coming to Fort Lauderdale, Florida 👀
Last week, the USL and Fort Lauderdale United announced plans to add a men’s professional team.
Fort Lauderdale United currently have a women’s professional team in the USL Super League. They also completed $7 million in upgrades to the 7,000-seat Beyond Bancard Field.
In addition to a men’s professional team, Fort Lauderdale United will also field a men’s pre-professional team in the USL League Two and a women’s pre-professional team in the USL W League this summer.
With Inter Miami grabbing all the attention in the area, it will be interesting to see if Fort Lauderdale United’s men’s team can attract fans.
Sydney Leroux is taking a break
Former USWNT star Sydney Leroux announced that she’s taking a break from soccer to focus on her mental health— which she said was a really tough decision but the best choice.
She also squashed the pregnancy rumors right away.
“This is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to say or admit to myself. But after a lot of reflection, I’ve made the difficult decision to step away from soccer for my mental health,” Leroux wrote on Instagram.
“Anyone who knows me knows I’m a fighter, I always have been. I take pride in pushing through, in showing up, in giving everything I have. But right now, I owe it to myself and my children to take a step back and take care of me.”
“I’ve always prided myself in being honest, authentic, and true to who I am both on and off the field and this moment is no different.”
“To everyone who has supported me, loved me, and believed in me— thank you. This isn’t goodbye. I will be back, just like always, in true Syd fashion.”
Leroux played for the USWNT from 2011 to 2017, appearing in 77 games and scoring 35 goals.
Now 34, she’s with Angel City and had been preparing for the new NWSL season before this sudden announcement. Angel City kicked off their season Sunday night against San Diego Wave.
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