FIFA president Gianni Infantino has called for Russia’s ban from international soccer to be lifted.

Russia has not been allowed to participate in FIFA competition since 2022, when the country invaded Ukraine. Nearly four years later, the war between Russia and Ukraine is still ongoing.

UEFA has also had a ban in place barring Russian teams from participating in European club competitions.

But Infantino has said that in his eyes, international bans do more harm than good.

‘We have to,’ he said when asked by Sky News if the ban on Russia should be revisited.

“Definitely. Because this ban has not achieved anything, it has just created more frustration and hatred.”

Infantino added that ‘having girls and boys from Russia being able to play football games in other parts of Europe would help.’

FIFA and UEFA did lift bans of Russian teams at the under-17 level in 2023, provided they play in neutral colors under the name “Football Union of Russia” and in the absence of their national flag, national anthem and national-team kit.

The FIFA president went on to reiterate his opposition not only to Russia’s current ban, but any ban in general.

Infantino even said he’d like to see that stance made permanent in a FIFA rule that would ‘enshrine in our statutes that we should actually never ban any country from playing football because of the acts of their political leaders.’

Infantino’s words also appear to dim the prospects of a FIFA ban for Israel, which some have pushed amid the country’s war in Gaza.

According to Infantino, a ban on Israel would be ‘a defeat.’

The first firing of the 2026 women’s college basketball season has happened.

Virginia Commonwealth University announced Beth O’Boyle’s dismissal on Monday. Rams assistant Kirk Crawford will serve as the interim coach for the remainder of the season.

‘We want to thank Coach O’Boyle for her service to VCU and her dedication to our student-athletes. We will not renew her contract and she will not coach the remainder of the season. We wish her all the best in her future endeavors,” VCU athletic director Ed McLaughlin said in a statement. “We will begin a national search immediately.”

O’Boyle had been the head coach at VCU for 12 seasons, with an overall record of 191-168 which made her the winningest coach in program history. She won the A-10 regular season title in 2019, and in 2021 won the conference tournament to punch the Rams’ ticket to the NCAA Tournament — VCU’s lone trip to March Madness in her decade-plus tenure.

VCU had a 26-win season in 2023-24, but went 12-19 last season and are 8-15 so far this season. The Rams’ dip has come during a time where other mid-major programs around Virginia, including James Madison and city rival Richmond, have experienced consistent success and gone to the NCAA Tournament.

McLaughlin has publicly said VCU will push $5 million in NIL payments towards its men’s and women’s basketball programs. That, coupled with VCU having strong facilities, being in a competitive women’s basketball conference and being close to fertile recruiting ground in the DMV, had multiple agents and coaches describing the opening to USA Today Sports as an “elite” and “great” job.

So, who might fill the opening? Here’s a handful of names worth considering.

Gabe Lazo, Tennessee assistant

Widely regarded as one of the top recruiters in the sport, Lazo seems ready for the big chair. In two seasons at Tennessee, he helped Kim Caldwell sign multiple McDonald’s All-Americans while also pulling in talented players from the transfer portal. Prior to joining the Lady Vols, Lazo worked at Mississippi State, George Washington, Stony Brook and FIU, going to three NCAA Tournaments. After playing at FIU and Division II Barry, Lazo worked as a head coach in the high school and AAU ranks around Miami, where he was a three-time high school coach of the year and led his AAU team to the Nike Nationals. Because of his well-traveled career as a collegiate assistant, connections in the AAU world and reputation as an ace recruiter, Lazo could be a top candidate for several head coach openings this cycle — especially any jobs in his native Florida.

Neil Harrow, LIU head coach

Harrow is in his first season coaching the Long Island Sharks, but is having a ton of success. LIU is 8-2 in Northeast Conference play this season — the third time since 2012 they’ve had that many conference victories. But before arriving at FIU, Harrow was the associate head coach at James Madison for three years, where the Dukes went 79-26 and played in the NCAA Tournament in 2023, then made a run to the WBIT quarterfinals in 2025. Harrow was also an assistant at Troy for seven seasons, helping the Trojans earn four NCAA Tournament bids. A native of Scotland, he has also coached professionally in Spain and spent a season as an assistant for the WNBA’s LA Sparks. If LIU goes to March Madness in Harrow’s first season, his hire would be an easy sell.

Erin Dickerson-Davis, William & Mary head coach

Last season, Dickerson-Davis did something no other coach had done before: She took William & Mary to the NCAA Tournament. She’s 60-55 in four seasons as the head coach in Williamsburg, Virginia, which has historically been a difficult place to build a winning basketball program. Dickerson-Davis had a winning record in conference play in her first two seasons though, then guided the Tribe to the Coastal Athletic Association Tournament championship last season. A native of Chicago and a graduate of Northwestern, she was a candidate for the DePaul opening last season after the retirement of Doug Bruno, but she’s spent the majority of her coaching career on the East Coast. Dickerson-Davis had stops at Furman, La Salle, Towson, Georgetown and Wake Forest before landing the head gig at William & Mary. She’ll check a lot of boxes for VCU’s search committee.

Roneeka Hodges, Connecticut Sun assistant

If VCU wants to go outside the box, few assistant coaches in the WNBA have better reputations than Hodges, widely seen as a rising star in the coaching ranks. After a lengthy playing career that began with the now-defunct Houston Comets and ended with a club in Spain, Hodges worked two seasons in college basketball as an assistant at Old Dominion and Colgate, then landed on the New York Liberty’s bench. After the Liberty won the championship in 2024, she left for an assistant gig with the Connecticut Sun where she has an expanded role and more responsibilities. This year, Hodges is also a head coach in Unrivaled, guiding Phantom BC. VCU could do worse than taking a chance on Hodges.

Other potential names to watch: Howard head coach Ty Grace, Villanova assistant Michelle Baker-Sword, Johns Hopkins head coach Rodney Rogan, Illinois assistant Britney Anderson

SAN FRANCISCO − The NFL’s European football invasion will continue on to the mainland this year, as the league announced on Feb. 2 it will stage its first regular-season game in Paris. The matchup wasn’t fully revealed, but the New Orleans Saints will comprise half of it.

“Bringing a regular season game to Paris in 2026 marks an exciting next step in the continued expansion of the league’s global footprint,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in a statement.

“Paris is one of the world’s greatest sporting and cultural cities with tremendous success in hosting global events that unite fans on the biggest stages. Playing our first‑ever regular season game at the impressive Stade de France, together with the New Orleans Saints, underlines our continued global growth ambitions and we look forward to bringing the NFL to our passionate fans in France.” 

NFL’s first Paris game to be played at Stade de France

The Stade de France that Goodell referenced will be the site of the contest and serves as the country’s national stadium. Located just outside Paris in Saint-Denis, it is the country’s largest stadium and can accommodate nearly 80,000 spectators. It opened in 1998 and hosted that year’s World Cup. It is the only stadium to have hosted a FIFA World Cup, Rugby World Cup, UEFA Champions League Finals and UEFA European Championship Finals. It was also used for the 2024 Olympic & Paralympic Games.

The Saints have international marketing rights in France as part of the league’s Global Markets Program.

“We are excited to be selected to play in the first regular season game to be held in France,’ said Saints owner Gayle Benson in a statement.

“This moment is special not only because of the strong cultural connection between Louisiana and France, but also because we will compete before a growing Saints fan base in Paris. I am grateful to the NFL, Commissioner Roger Goodell and the French Government, especially Laurent Bili, Ambassador of France to the United States, Samuel Ducroquet, Ambassador of France to Sport, for helping make this historic event possible.”

New Orleans’ opponent and the date of the game will be announced when the league’s 2026 schedule is released this spring. The NFL has already committed to eight international games next season.

The NFL, which played its first games in Ireland and Madrid in 2025, also announced a new multiyear agreement to continue playing in Madrid.

What international games will the NFL play in 2026?

One game in Melbourne, Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, featuring the Los Angeles Rams as one of the participating teams.

One game in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil at the Maracanã Stadium.

One game in Munich, Germany at FC Bayern Munich Arena.

Three games in London, U.K.  

One game in Madrid, Spain at the Bernabéu Stadium – home to Real Madrid C.F.

One game in Paris, France, at the Stade de France Stadium, featuring the New Orleans Saints as one of the participating teams.

One of the more accomplished offensive minds in college football over the past 20 years is calling it a career.

Florida State offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn — who previously served as the head coach at Auburn, Central Florida and Arkansas State — is retiring, the university announced on Monday, Feb. 2.

The 60-year-old Malzahn just completed his first year as the Seminoles’ play-caller.

‘After 35 years, it’s time for me to step away from coaching,’ Malzahn said in a statement. ‘I am excited to spend more time with my family and focus on the next chapter of my life. I want to thank Coach Norvell for giving me the opportunity to coach at such a prestigious program. I will continue to follow Florida State, and I believe great things are ahead for the program under Coach Norvell’s leadership and for the offense under Tim Harris.’

Though the Seminoles struggled as a team in Malzahn’s lone season in Tallahassee, finishing 5-7 after a 3-0 start, most of their problems weren’t on offense. Under Malzahn’s watch, the Seminoles averaged 33 points per game, the 22nd-best mark among 136 FBS teams. Unsurprisingly for a Malzahn unit, Florida State excelled on the ground. Its 472.1 yards per game were the sixth-most in the country and its 218.7 rushing yards per game were the program’s most in a season since 1995.

Malzahn is most known in the sport for his eight seasons as the head coach at Auburn, where he went 68-35. The highlight of that run came in his first season in 2013, when he led a Tigers program that went 3-9 the previous season to an SEC Championship and a berth in the BCS national championship game, where they lost 34-31 to (oddly enough) Florida State. That season, he won several major national coach of the year awards.

He had previously been the offensive coordinator for Auburn’s 2010 national title team. Behind Heisman Trophy winner and future NFL MVP Cam Newton, a Tigers offense that didn’t feature much NFL talent beyond its prodigious quarterback averaged 41.6 points per game (fourth in the FBS) and 284.8 rushing yards per game (tied for fifth in the FBS).

After being fired at Auburn in 2020, Malzahn went to UCF, where he went 28-24 in four seasons from 2021-24 before stepping down to become Florida State’s offensive coordinator. He began his college head-coaching career at Arkansas State, where he went 9-3 in his lone season in 2012 before returning to Auburn.

Malzahn, who went 105-62 as an FBS head coach, was previously the offensive coordinator at Arkansas and Tulsa before arriving at Auburn in 2009.

Before entering the college ranks, Malzahn was a wildly successful high school coach in Arkansas, winning three state championships.

SMU coach Rhett Lashlee — who played for Malzahn at Shiloh Christian School in Springdale, Arkansas and later was his offensive coordinator for four seasons at Auburn — lauded his former coach in a post on social media, saying Malzahn ‘transformed how the game is played across the country at the high school level.’

‘You’ve always won — I’m not sure any one offensive coach has had more impact on the game in our country for the past three decades,’ Lashlee wrote. ‘Most importantly, you had a lasting impact on the players you led. I’m thankful I’m one of the many who got to call you ‘coach’. You truly used your impact in a positive way.’

Why is Gus Malzahn retiring?

Though he’s retiring at a relatively young age, he was well-compensated for much of his college coaching career. After the 2017 season at Auburn, he signed a seven-year, $49 million extension. When he was fired by the university three years later, he was owed $21.4 million, which was the largest buyout in college football history at the time. He was expected to make $1.5 million in his first and ultimately only season at Florida State.

Gus Malzahn age

Malzahn, born Oct. 28, 1965, is 60 years old.

Who is Tim Harris?

Harris is being elevated to offensive coordinator after spending the 2025 season as Florida State’s pass game coordinator and wide receivers coach.

Harris followed Malzahn from UCF, where he was the Knights’ offensive coordinator during the 2024 season. That unit averaged 30.4 points per game, ranking it in a tie for 49th among FBS teams. He had been UCF’s co-offensive coordinator from 2021-22 before leaving for one season to be the running backs coach at Miami.

According to his biography on the Florida State website, he’ll continue to serve as the Seminoles’ wide receivers coach.

Like Malzahn, Harris got his start in the high school ranks, spending six seasons at Booker T. Washington High School in Miami. In his first and ultimately only season as head coach there in 2014, he guided the program to a 14-0 record, a Florida 4A state championship and a No. 2 national ranking by USA TODAY.

“Coach Harris has a complete understanding of the offensive scheme, and his ability to effectively share that knowledge with his players will continue to be a benefit for our offense,” Norvell said in a statement.

Ten-time Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson turned to social media on Sunday, Feb. 1, to refute any connection with notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after his name was referenced the Justice Department’s latest release of Epstein files.

Several emails from Epstein and his personal pilot, Larry Visoski, were among the millions of pages of documents published by the DOJ on Friday, Jan. 30. In them, the two discussed Wilson’s interest in buying Epstein’s Gulfstream G-IV private jet in 2019.

‘NOPE!!! ABSOLUTELY NOT! Not TODAY satan!’ Wilson wrote In his Feb. 1 post on X, acknowledging he did discuss a potential purchase with ‘some random plane broker,’ but saying he ‘had no idea whose plane’ it was.

According to the Justice Department emails, Epstein had given Visoski permission to show Wilson the plane on Jan. 25, 2019, and that during the flight Wilson ‘took many photos and video’ with his wife, Ciara.

Visoski’s email to Epstein two days later said, ‘Russell Wilson (Seattle SeaHawks quarterback) is calling Gary non-Stop since his viewing yesterday. He wants your GIV.’

Visoski also discusses a possible timeline for a sale, noting that Wilson ‘wants to sign his new contract with Seattle SeaHawks before letting the media and his team know that he is Purchasing a Plane.’

Later that spring, Wilson did end up signing a four-year, $140 million contract extension with Seattle that made him the NFL’s highest-paid player at the time.

Wilson eventually did purchase a different Gulfstream G-IV. The Seattle Times reports that FAA records show the aircraft was registered to Seattle-based West2East 330 LLC in December 2020.

Publicist Stephanie Jones, whose firm represents Wilson, told the Times in an email Sunday afternoon that the Super Bowl 48 champion ‘never purchased the aircraft, nor was he aware that any aircraft discussed by third parties had any connection to Epstein.’

Wilson, 37, is a 14-year NFL veteran who began last year as the New York Giants’ starting quarterback but was later benched for rookie Jaxson Dart. He is set to become a free agent this offseason.

Barry Trotz is retiring from his role as general manager of the Nashville Predators.

The announcement was made at Bridgestone Arena on Feb. 2, alongside CEO Sean Henry and majority owner Bill Haslam.

Haslam indicated the search for the new general manager would begin immediately and that Trotz would assist in the search through the end of his contract in 2026-27.

Trotz, 63, took over as general manager in 2023 after the retirement of David Poile. Trotz was the first coach in Predators history, coaching from 1998 until 2014, then become the team’s second ever general manager in 2023.

When Trotz took the job, he made a flurry of changes in an attempt to change the locker room culture.

Matt Duchene’s contract was bought out, Ryan Johansen was traded to Colorado, and the team signed center Ryan O’Reilly. The moves worked to transition the team away from the previous core and into a new look.

But many moves by Trotz came under heavy scrutiny. The decision not to sell Alex Carrier at the deadline in 2024, then sign him over the summer, then trade him just two months into the next season. The decision to sign Juuse Saros to an eight-year contract, instead of transitioning to Yaroslav Askarov in net. Losing Dante Fabbro in waivers to Columbus. Trading Luke Schenn to the Penguins for a third round pick, then seeing the Penguins immediately flip him for a second round pick. It was hard to find wins among the many apparent losses.

The timing of this decision sets up a challenging rest of the season. With the Predators’ record at 25-23-6 (56 points) and four points out of the final wild card spot, they are within striking distance of the playoffs. But in the ultra competitive Western Conference, their chances of a deep playoff run are slim. Trotz has indicated he’s been willing to listen to offers on players like O’Reilly, Michael McCarron, and Michael Bunting at the trade deadline, which is on March 6.

Coach Andrew Brunette told media that he was shocked to hear the news.

‘I was surprised as everybody else,’ Brunette told reporters at Bridgestone Arena on Feb. 2. ‘I wasn’t expecting that today.’

As the team looks for its next general manager, it will be worth noting if they keep with tradition and stay within the ‘Predators family’ or if they look outside of the organization.

Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex atjdaugherty@gannett.com. Follow Alex on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @alexdaugherty1. Also check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds.

When people think about rivalries in college sports, Duke versus North Carolina immediately comes to mind. But if the thought is narrowed to women’s basketball, one could make the case that, like football, the Tar Heels’ fiercer rival is NC State.

UNC versus Duke is a rivalry of mutual respect. The Wolfpack versus the Tar Heels is more like a blood feud.

And in women’s basketball, North Carolina and NC State are both programs’ most common opponents. They’ve been playing at least once a season since 1975.

Over the past few years, the games between NC State and UNC often draw sellout crowds, extra media attention and impressive television ratings. Both teams have been NCAA Tournament regulars and ACC contenders.

Before last season, the Tar Heels and Wolfpack played twice every regular season in the ACC’s old pod system. But with the additions of Stanford, Cal and SMU, the league’s scheduling model shifted, and now every women’s basketball team plays each other once outside of one protected rival that they see twice.

For UNC, that’s Duke and for NC State that’s Wake Forest.

So, for the second straight year on Monday night, the Tar Heels and Wolfpack will meet for their only regular season meeting. NC State hosts UNC in its annual Play4Kay game — in honor of former Wolfpack coach Kay Yow — at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

But when she spoke to reporters a few days ago ahead of this crucial matchup, UNC coach Courtney Banghart floated an idea: Could the Tar Heels and Wolfpack go back to playing twice in the regular season? Could they play a non-conference game at a neutral site?

“(NC State coach) Wes (Moore) and I both have an appetite to figure out how we play this game twice,” Banghart said Friday. “Especially in the NIL era, if we can find a sponsor. You know, do we play this game in Greensboro and allow our players to reap some benefit of a great rivalry that they, in part, have chosen these schools because of?

‘I’m fairly certain that both sides know the value of this game. So, the fact that we’re playing it once, not great.”

There was a time, from 1971 to 1981, that the men’s ACC teams in North Carolina played annually in the “Big Four Tournament” in Greensboro, North Carolina, often in December.

And playing an in-conference opponent in a non-conference game isn’t unheard of. South Carolina and Texas played in November in Las Vegas in the Player’s Era Tournament. Virginia and NC State played a non-conference game in football this past season.

If Banghart, Moore and the leaders at UNC and NC State can figure out the logistics, a non-conference game between the Tar Heels and Wolfpack wouldn’t just generate buzz and remind fans of how things used to be decades ago — it could be a real money maker.

And in college athletics in 2026, that matters.

Do-it-all star has Navy eyeing NCAA Tournament bid

There are two players in women’s basketball this season averaging at least 17 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals per game, doing a little bit of everything at an incredibly high level.

One of them is Sarah Strong, UConn’s star sophomore forward, a player that every fan of the sport in the country knows.

The other is Zanai Barnett-Gay, a junior guard for the Navy Midshipmen, whose leadership and versatility is a key reason why coach Tim Taylor’s squad is eyeing March Madness.

“When I was in middle school, in high school, I wasn’t always the best person on my team, but I knew I could play defense, so I kind of embraced that,” Barnett-Gay told USA Today Sports. “And then later on, scoring came.”

On Saturday, the 5-foot-8 guard from Glen Dale, Maryland, had 11 points, five rebounds and three assists in Navy’s win over Loyola, its eighth victory in its last nine games. The Mids are 9-1 in conference play this season, sitting atop the Patriot League.

“She’s the linchpin of it,” Taylor said of Barnett-Gay. “I feel good about where we can be and where we can go, because I know this team can get better and better.”

For folks who follow the mid-major ranks closely, Barnett-Gay is a known commodity. She was the Patriot League Rookie of the Year in 2024, won the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year award last season, and was Preseason Player of the Year this season. Barnett-Gay’s scoring is actually slightly down but her field goal percentage, rebounds and assists are all up. That’s because Barnett-Gay’s teammates have developed and improved, and she’s able to put her skills and energy into other areas of the floor.

College basketball at the service academies is the last remaining vestige of how things used to be across the sport. Navy has zero transfers and its players aren’t eligible for money from NIL or revenue sharing. The Mids do things the old fashioned way: They recruit high school talent and develop them over four years. They can’t accelerate a rebuild via the transfer portal.

So, Taylor’s first few seasons at Navy were bumpy, including a 1-29 campaign in the 2022-23 season. Then Barnett-Gay arrived, and last year the Mids had their first winning season under Taylor at 19-12.

“A couple years ago, we sat down and asked ourselves, like, ‘What’s going to be our identity?’ Defense is something that we can always do,” Barnett-Gay said. “So, we’ve decided to lock in on that, and that’s just been our culture and identity since.”

This year, a strong freshman class arrived to reinforce what Taylor had been building. Zoe Mesuch, a 5-foot-5 guard from Clintondale, New York, is Navy’s second-leading scorer this season. Of the seven Midshipmen who play more than 17 minutes per game this season, two are seniors.

Navy hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament since it went to three straight under former coach Stefanie Pemper from 2011 to 2013. With Barnett-Gay leading the way, the Mids have the chance to start a new streak.

“It goes without saying,” Barnett-Gay says. “We want to be first in the league, win the championship and then go dancing in March.”

Hot seat watch

Add Boston College and UCF to the list. Multiple sources told USA Today Sports that both of these jobs are likely to open in March.

Joanna Bernabei-McNamee’s Eagles are 4-19 this season, 0-10 in ACC play and riding a 15-game losing streak. This is her eighth year leading the team and she’s had two winning seasons, one coming in 2020 when the NCAA Tournament was canceled due to COVID-19, and the other in 2022 when the Eagles were left on the wrong side of the bubble. In the four seasons since then, BC is 16-48 in ACC play.

At UCF, the Sytia Messer era has not gone as planned. The Knights are on-pace for their fourth consecutive losing season as they’re currently 2-8 in Big 12 play. UCF is 48-61 since Messer was tapped to succeed Katie Abrahamson-Henderson. Messer was previously an assistant under Kim Mulkey at Baylor and LSU.

Tip-ins

Louisville is 11-0 in conference after beating Cal on Sunday, their best start in program history in ACC play. In the two seasons Cal and Stanford have been in the league, this Cardinals team becomes just the third in the ACC to win both games on their California road swing.
Stanford associate head coach Tempie Brown is adding the role of general manager to her responsibilities with the program. Her additional duties will include management of NIL and revenue strategy, roster and scholarship optimization and operational and infrastructure alignment. Brown played at Michigan, has spent nearly three decades in college coaching and has worked as a high school athletic director.
Montana State’s Taylee Chirrick tallied 31 points, 12 rebounds and 11 steals in a win over Portland State on Saturday. Those are all career-highs for the sophomore and her steals are a single-game record in the Big Sky Conference.

Weston McKennie is picking the right time to be in the form of his life.

With his club future up in the air, the U.S. men’s national team midfielder has put together an outstanding run with Juventus in recent weeks.

The 27-year-old is ensuring he will have a payday coming at the end of the season – whether or not the club writing the check is Juventus.

McKennie is also sending a message to USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino, who has opted against calling him up in two of the past three international windows.

The midfielder’s outstanding run leads off this week’s Five.

Weston McKennie stays red hot

McKennie scored an acrobatic scissor kick in a 4-1 win over Parma on Sunday, Feb. 1, extending his prolific run in front of goal.

McKennie has now tied his career high with six total goals this season, including three goals and three assists in his last 10 Serie A games.

The run has come as his contract has entered its final six months, with no resolution on his club future imminent.

McKennie has said he wants to stay with Juventus, and his play over the last few months is surely convincing club hierarchy that he is worth a significant investment.

But Juventus has a history of undervaluing McKennie, who is also reported to have suitors both in Italy and abroad. His value seems to be increasing by the week.

Malik Tillman’s big week

Tilllman is back among this week’s Five, but in a much more positive fashion after the American took his season goal tally from three to six in the span of just two games.

The 23-year-old had a huge week for Leverkusen, scoring a brace in a midweek Champions League win over Villarreal before again finding the net in Saturday’s 3-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt.

Leverkusen booked a spot in the Champions League knockout round playoff, where it will face Olympiacos. On Saturday, Tillman helped his side move to within a point of the Bundesliga’s top four.

Tillman wasn’t scoring tap-ins, either. His first goal against Villarreal was of the scrappy variety, but his second and his goal against Frankfurt were from the top drawer.

Gianluca Busio shines in Serie B

We haven’t mentioned Gianluca Busio much this season after he was relegated to Serie B for the second time during his Venezia career.

The midfielder had some interest from top-flight clubs but ultimately stayed with Venezia, where he’s continued to prove his quality despite the drop in divisions.

Busio now has two goals in three after scoring in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Carrarese, a result that took Venezia to the top of Serie B as the yo-yo club chases a third promotion to Serie A in six years.

At 23, Busio already has nearly 150 appearances between Serie B and Serie A. He still has time to develop into a consistent force in a top-four league.

That may happen again with Venezia next season but if the club falls short of another promotion, Busio may still be with a top-flight club in 2026-27.

The Johnny Cardoso dilemma returns

Who is Johnny Cardoso? Is he the player who has repeatedly failed to impress with the USMNT, or a regular starter for one of Europe’s biggest clubs?

Right now, Cardoso is once again both.

After struggling with injury for much of his debut campaign with Atlético Madrid, the 24-year-old has now started three consecutive league matches. That includes a 90-minute effort in Saturday’s scoreless draw with Levante.

Cardoso is still finding his footing with Atlético, but has clearly earned some level of trust under Diego Simeone.

The same can’t be said for Mauricio Pochettino, who has yet to see the best of Cardoso. Right now, MLS options like Sebastian Berhalter and Cristian Roldan appear to be ahead of Cardoso for the USMNT. If the Atlético midfielder keeps featuring for his club, it’s fair to wonder if that will continue.

Folarin Balogun chipping in with assists

Folarin Balogun has still yet to score a goal for Monaco in 2026, but the forward is still finding ways to make himself useful.

Balogun tallied a key assist for Monaco in Saturday’s 4-0 win over Rennes, setting up Ansu Fati for the opener at Stade Louis II.

It was Balogun’s second assist in four games as struggling Monaco won in the league for the first time since November.

Balogun will have to eventually break his goal drought if Les Monégasques are to truly go on a run, but the 24-year-old is at least doing enough to ensure he’s a lock starter at present.

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