USMNT midweek viewing guide: Carabao Cup, final impressions

There’s no MLS league matches this midweek due to the All-Star Game, but we have early Carabao cup action, DFB-Pokal, qualifying for the Champions, Europa, and Conference Leagues, and trips to Argentina and Chile.

Let’s get into it! Here’s a snapshot of USMNT players in action. Injured players are highlighted in red, dual nationals in blue.

Tuesday

• Norwich City v Bournemouth, 2p: Josh Sargent and Norwich host the newly-relegated Cherries in the Carabao Cup.
• Ferencváros v Young Boys, 3p on Paramount+: Henry Wingo is fit for this Champions League qualifier for Ferencváros, but Jordan Pefok might not play for Young Boys after being injured in the first leg. Pefok would love to get back on the field as World Cup qualifying roster decisions loom. Young Boys lead 3-2 on aggregate.
• Nottingham Forest v Wolves, 3p: Ethan Horvath started Forest’s first Carabao cup match, a 2-1 win over fourth-tier side Bradford City. It will be a significant step up to Premier League opposition.

Also in action:

• FSV Zwickau v Viktoria Berlin, 1p: Johan Gomez and Bryang Kayo face off in Germany’s third tier.
• Patronato v CA Banfield, 1:15p on Paramount+, fuboTV, Fanatiz, Sling TV: Joel Soñora and Banfield are on the road for this one, only picking up 2 points from their last 4 games.
• Birmingham City v Fulham FC, 2:45p: Tim Ream was subbed out do to injury Saturday, while Antonee Robinson provided an assist. We’ll see if both are fit and ready for Carabao Cup duty.
• Huddersfield Town v Everton, 2:45p on ESPN+: Duane Holmes and Huddersfield face a tall task in their Carabao Cup opponents, the Toffees.
• Morecambe v Preston North End, 2:45p: Matt Olosunde and Preston also have Carabao Cup action, although he may not be fit to play.
• QPR v Oxford United, 2:45p: Charlie Kelman and Andre Dozzell host Oxford in the Carabao cup.
• Ludogorets v Malmö, 3p on Paramount+: While Romain Gall may not play in this Champions League qualifier, it’s important for his club to advance. They already hold a 2-0 advantage.
• PSV v Benfica, 3p on TUDN, Paramount+, fuboTV: The long wait for Richie Ledezma’s return continues, and in the meantime PSV trail Benfica 2-1 in Champions League qualifying.
• Atlético Tucumán v Independiente, 5:45p on Paramount+, fuboTV, Fanatiz, Sling TV: Alan Soñora has started two straight for Independiente, who are top of the Argentine table after 7 matches. Here’s a quick video of Soñora’s most recent performance.

Wednesday

• Bremer SV v Bayern Munich, 2:15p on ESPN Deportes, ESPN3, fuboTV, Sling TV: Chris Richards could see the field as Bayern face fifth-tier side Bremer. There’s a decent chance youngsters Taylor Booth and Malik Tillman could, as well. Tillman made the bench for Bayern’s match Sunday, and Booth had an assist and forced two own goals with the reserves on Friday.
• Brøndby IF v RB Salzburg, 3p on Paramount+: Brenden Aaronson scored late to give Salzburg a 2-1 lead in this Champions League qualifier. It remains to be seen if Christian Cappis will be available for Brøndby; he is part of a 5-player covid outbreak for them.
• West Brom v Arsenal FC, 3p on ESPN+: Folarin Balogun has played in both the Gunners’ EPL matches so far; their Carabao Cup opponents are the Boing Boing Baggies (one of the best club nicknames in all of world soccer).
• MLS All-Stars v Liga MX All-Stars, 9:30p on FS1, UniMás, fuboTV, Sling TV, Univision NOW: Most of the MLS All-Star team isn’t US-eligible, but it does feature names like Pepi, Turner, Zimmerman, Sands, Cowell, Araujo, Roldan, and Miles Robinson. The Liga MX side features Gignac, US-eligible striker Santiago Muñoz (rumored to be Newcastle-bound), as well as El Tri regulars Memo Ochoa, Jesús Gallardo, César Montes, and Rogelio Funes Mori.

Also in action:

• Ajaccio v Caen, 1p: Niko Gioacchini and Caen have 9 points from their first 4 in Ligue 2.
• Antofagasta v Palestino, 2p: 22-year-old New York-born attacking mid Andrés Souper has come off the bench in Antofagasta’s last two. The club sits sixth in the Chilean top tier after 16 games, which would qualify them for Copa Sudamericana.

Thursday

• AS Roma v Trabzonspor, 1p: Bryan Reynolds and Roma lead this Conference League qualifier 2-1.
• Galatasaray v Randers FC, 2p: DeAndre Yedlin and Galatasaray are tied 1-1 with Randers in Europe League qualifying.
• Tottenham Hotspur v Paços de Ferreira, 2:45p: Cameron Carter-Vickers got the start for Spurs in Conference League qualifying last week, but didn’t cover himself in glory as Paços de Ferreira jumped out to a 1-0 lead.
• Royal Antwerp v Omonia Nicosia, 3p: Sam Vines and Mix Diskerud meet in another Europa League qualifier, with Mix’s Cypriot side leading Antwerp 4-2.

Also in action:

• Maccabi Haifa v FK Neftchi, 1p: Josh Cohen and Haifa go into this Conference League qualifier tied 3-3 on aggregate.
• Gent v Raków Częstochowa, 2p: Ben Lederman is out injured, but Raków will hope to seal a Conference League berth without him, up 1-0 from their home leg.
• Union Berlin v KuPS, 2:15p: Malick Sanogo’s club side Union are already leading this Conference League qualifier 4-0, and a place in the competition could lead to an earlier debut for Sanogo later this season due to fixture congestion.
• Aberdeen v Qarabag, 2:45p: Christian Ramirez and Aberdeen trail 0-1 in Conference League qualifying.

That’s it! Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments below. Let’s see who impresses this week!