👋 👋 👻 Happy Friday the 13th. To make things even more spooky, there’s still no top flight club soccer. Luckily this is the sport that never sleeps and there’s no shortage of footy content to cover. Today we look at how the USMNT convinced Germany to meet them in Connecticut, we round up Europe’s top goal scorers, pull out the archives for a heartfelt story about Diego Maradona, and highlight a prime partnership 🤝.

Today’s the day. The final day of our giveaway is here. On Monday we’ll announce the winner of a vintage soccer jersey for their favorite team. Haven’t participated yet? No worries, entries for the raffle end at 11:59PM EST tonight, so you still have time to get referrals in and you also earn an additional entry by shouting us out on your Instagram story 😉😉

USMNT

USMNT vs Germany

✈️🌎 Germany flies to East Hartford, Connecticut. The USMNT first friendly match of the international break will be against Germany, tomorrow at 3:00pm EST. The Americans will be without their captain Tyler Adams due to injury and it’s time to see who will step up to the plate. Let’s highlight two players to keep an eye on.

💪⏩ Ex Arsenal player, Folarin Balogun. An airline’s refusal of letting his then pregnant mother fly at 7 months pregnant, lead to Balogun being born in Brooklyn and not London. He had the option to play for Nigeria, as that’s where his parents were born and he also had the opportunity to play for England, where he grew up. He decided to go with the USMNT and has been in great form for his club, AS Monaco. He comes to the international break with 3 goals in 5 games, and we’re excited to see what he’ll cook up with Pulisic and Weah up top.

🏆🥷 Yunus Musah. Musah has captured the hearts of Milan fans with his recent playing form. His start in Italy was a slow one, but recently he has been getting more minutes and is coming off two great games as a starter. AC Milan currently sits in first place and Musah and his fellow country mate, Pulisic, have had key roles in making it happen. At only 20 years old, Musah promises to be a key part of the puzzle for the upcoming Copa America in 2024 and the World Cup in 2026.

International Break Round Up

Goals Galore: Europe’s Top Scorers

⏳ As the 2023/2024 football season unfolds, Europe's top five leagues are heating up and showcasing a blend of emerging talents and seasoned veterans dominating the scoring charts. With no club soccer, due to the international break, here’s a round up of the top goal scorers in each of Europe’s Top 5 leagues.

1️⃣ Bundesliga. The German league showcases an astonishing performance by Serhou Guirassy of VfB Stuttgart, amassing 13 goals already. Harry Kane from Bayern Munich with 8 goals and a trio at 7 goals – Jonas Wind of VfL Wolfsburg, Victor Boniface of Bayer 04 Leverkusen, and Leroy Sané also from Bayern Munich are trailing behind​.

2️⃣ Serie A: Inter Milan's Lautaro Martínez has taken Serie A by storm with 10 goals. He's followed by Victor Osimhen from Napoli with 6, while Romelu Lukaku from Roma, Domenico Berardi from Sassuolo, and Nicolás González from Fiorentina are all tied with 5 goals​.

3️⃣ Premier League. The Premier League exhibits a fervent battle for the top scorer title, with Erling Haaland of Manchester City leading the pack with 8 goals, closely followed by Son Heung-min from Tottenham Hotspur and Alexander Isak of Newcastle United, both with 6 goals​.

4️⃣ La Liga. In Spain's top tier, Jude Bellingham of Real Madrid tops the chart with 8 goals. Álvaro Morata from Atlético Madrid, Takefusa Kubo of Real Sociedad, Bryan Zaragoza from Granada, Joselu also from Real Madrid, and Robert Lewandowski from Barcelona are all knotted at second place with 5 goals apiece​.

5️⃣ Ligue 1. Kylian Mbappé from Paris Saint Germain is leading in Ligue 1 with 7 goals. He's closely followed by a quartet each netting 5 goals - Akor Adams from Montpellier, Wissam Ben Yedder from Monaco, Mostafa Mohamed Abdallah from Nantes, and Mousa Tamari Sulaiman also from Montpellier​​.

From the Archives

A Hero’s Legacy, and the Twist of Fate

🌞🐐💙 Diego Maradona, both a myth and a legend all in one man. Known for making magic on the pitch during his time with Argentina National Team and SSC Napoli, and commonly known for his controversies off the pitch. However you may not know that Maradona was man of the people, just ask the City of Naples.

💰️💸🤌 It was the summer of 1984, fresh off a world record fee arriving to Napoli from FC Barcelona, when El Pibe de Oro caught wind of a young Napoli fan, one-year-old baby Luca Quarto, who had a serious life-threatening health concern necessitating a costly 20 million IT Lira surgery. Maradona arranged to play in a local charity match along fellow Napoli teammates to help raise proceeds for Luca’s surgery. However, Napoli staff attempted to block Diego and Co. from playing in the match, in fears of injuries. But in typical Maradona fashion, Diego went against their concerns and played anyways. With reports that Diego paid the release clause in the club’s insurance contract himself thus paving the way to the pitch.

✌️❤️‍🩹🙌 Dubbed the mud match, played on a field in the outskirts of Acerra. The charity match brought in about 10,000 fans for a thrilling 4-0 victory with Diego bagging two goals for his team. The match reportedly raised 15 million IT Lira and Diego fronted the rest for the operation and travels costs. Luca ultimately underwent the much needed surgery in France which proved to be successful.

👶👮🗝️ Where is Luca now? The lad who once referred to Maradona as his second father and similar to his second father, his life also took twists and turns. Now 38-years-old, Mr. Quarto finds himself on house arrest with his citizenship revoked after getting arrested in Northern Italy for drug trafficking with a pending trial scheduled for later October. Nonetheless, the charity match was memorialized with a statute dedicated to Maradona in memory of his heroic antics.

Partnerships

Haaland Hydrates with Prime: A Partnership That Packs a Punch

🥇 First-Ever Deal: Norwegian soccer star Erling Haaland has recently inked an endorsement deal with none other than Prime Hydration. This partnership marks a significant milestone for both Haaland and Prime Hydration, as the brand's first-ever sponsored footballer.

🥤 🧃 The Brand: Prime Hydration, founded by media personalities KSI and Logan Paul, has been expanding its presence in the soccer world and already secured partnerships with top teams and fighters. This collaboration with Haaland further solidifies Prime Hydration's position in the industry.

 👥 💥 The Collab: This collaboration between Haaland and Prime Hydration makes sense as they all share a young audience. It's worth noting that the deal has faced some backlash due to concerns about the product's health implications. However, despite the controversy, this deal demonstrates how soccer players are becoming influential figures in the world of style and endorsement. Can we expect Halaand to swap the cleats for some gloves and get in the ring with Logan Paul or KSI? Probably not, but we can expect to see more partnerships along this scale in the future.

Around The Web 🕸️

▶ Cristiano Ronaldo 🤝 Stefon Diggs; the SIUUU celebration has crossed sports and has takeover the NFL.

▶ Take a moment for what matters most, or that’s what Norwich City did with their latest launch raising awareness for World Mental Health.

▶Eh what’s up doc? Real Madrid gaffer Carlo Ancelotti wants you to call him Doctor now.

▶ The Trefoil Adidas logo is back with the latest release from Liga MX Tigres

Tell a Friend, Get Rewarded!

Share our newsletter with your friends and family, and get rewarded for doing so. Ending on October 13th, the more you refer, the more entries you receive to enter the raffle for a chance to win a vintage soccer jersey for the team of your choice.

We will announce the winner and give them a week to reply and claim their prize!

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