David_vazquez_-_asn_top_-_san_diego_celebration_-_2026-3-11
Morning update

Kids lead SDFC to big win, Pareja out, Mixed results in UCL, USMNT sets WC base, & more

ASN's Brian Sciaretta offers up his thoughts on the top stories in American soccer this week with mixed results domestically and abroad. The best news, however, was the kids sparking SDFC to a great win
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
March 12, 2026
10:05 AM

AS PART OF A BUSY midweek of games and news, ASN has a complete news rundown – ranging from the CONCACAF Champions Cup where San Diego won an amazing game on the backs of young Americans kids to the UEFA Champions League where there were mixed results.

Today, we will start on the domestic side.

 

CONCACAF Champions Cup

 

It was a wasteful and underperforming night in the CONCACAF Champions Cup on Tuesday.

 

San Diego FC 3-2 Toluca
 

This was one of the best CONCACAF Champions Cups games in recent memory for an MLS team against a Liga MX side. In the 12th minute, it was a disaster for San Diego when forward Marcus Ingvartsen conceded a penalty and was given a straight red card for a high kick on Marcel Ruiz that struck Ruiz in the head. Jesus Gallardo converted the penalty and San Diego was down a man and down a goal.

The response from San Diego FC was remarkable, and it was led by a bunch of young kids. David Vazquez equalized and then later put San Diego ahead. Luca Bombino added two assists, including one to Andres Dreyer which put San Diego ahead 3-1. Duran Ferree, 19, made three saves and was only beaten on two penalty kicks (the second of which happened late in the game when Manu Duah was also sent off leaving San Diego to finish the game with nine players.

 

It was an extremely impressive result for San Diego to keep fighting and not fold. A 3-2 advantage might not survive the second leg (which will be played a nearly 9000 feet above sea level) but head coach Mikey Varas has created a team that fights, wins, and is centered around several very young players.

On top of that, San Diego is fun to watch.

And these young players should be in the U.S. picture right now. Bombino is a heavy favorite to be on the Olympic team (which will begin in full later this year to start preparations for LA 2028) while Vazquez and Ferree should compete for spots on the team. Pedro Soma, who was a late substitute, is also in the mix for that Olympic team too.

 

Nashville SC 0-0 Inter Miami
 

Nashville SC did well to hold Messi, De Paul, Berterame and the rest of the Inter Miami machine scoreless. But BJ Callaghan’s team will be disappointed to not score at home despite having the chances. The fact that they only got half the job done means Miami is still the favorite in this series now getting to play the second leg in Florida with an even scoreline to start.

 

Miami goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair made four saves with his biggest coming when he denied U.S. Olympic hopeful Reed Baker-Whiting with a big save off a header late to keep the score 0-0.

 

LA Galaxy 3-0 Mount Pleasant
 

The LA Galaxy dominated possession and shots, but the game was only 1-0 until late when Gabriel Pec added two more goals to complete his hat trick – after scoring the opener in the 6th minute. U.S. youth international Harbour Miller thought he put the Galaxy up 2-0 in the second half but the goal was waived off due to a Joao Klauss handball in the build-up.

 

It wasn’t pretty at all but the 3-0 edge should be more than enough for the Galaxy to prevail in the second leg in Jamaica.

 

Philadelphia 0-1 Club America

Philadelphia lost at home to Club America. The Union are off to a disappointing start in MLS and it shouldn’t be surprising that they lost at home to one of Mexico’s biggest and most successful teams.

 

The Union are still trying to rebuild a base after the offseason departures of start players Tai Baribo, Jacob Glesnes, Kai Wagner, and Mikael Uhre. The Union had several chances to score in this game, with Indiana Vassilev missing a golden opportunity late in the game. The Union outshout Club America 12-7 but between the 19 total shots, only Raphael Veiga found the back of the net when he put Club America up 1-0 in the 20th minute.

LAFC 1-1 LD Alajuelense

In California, LAFC stumbled to a disappointing 1-1 draw at home to LD Alajuelense of Costa Rica. LAFC dominated every metric of the game by wide margins holding a 28-4 edge in shots and lopsided possession edges. But Alejandro Bran gave Alajuelense a 1-0 edge just before halftime from distance. Denis Bouanga equalized early in the second half but that was as much scoring as LAFC could find.


LAFC is seen as a contender in this tournament and is under a lot of pressure to be much better at finishing in the second leg. Homefield is typically a big advantage in this tournament but it is going to be hard for Alajuelense to keep LAFC at bay for another 90 minutes.

U.S. selects World Cup base

 

The U.S. national team will train at the Great Park Championship Soccer Stadium in Irvine, California, throughout the World Cup. The stadium is currently the home of Orange County SC. It is about an hour drive from SoFi Stadium in Englewood where the U.S. will play its first World Cup game against Paraguay on June 12.

 

 

Pareja out in Orlando

 

After a terrible start to the season, Oscar Pareja is out in Orlando. The club announced his departure as being “mutual.”

Pareja has been Orlando City’s head coach since December 4, 2019 and built the team into a respectable playoff team after rough spells under Jason Kreis and James O’Connor. Prior to his arrival, the club had never qualified for the MLS playoffs but they did so every year since his hiring.

The downfall for Pareja came in the second half of last season and into the start of this year when the club has won just once in 14 games. In 2025, the club was sitting in a strong position but faded into the wild card spot where they lost to Chicago.

 

As one of the most respected figures in MLS, Pareja will likely find a new job within the league – if he wants one. Meanwhile, he leaves Orlando in a much better place than when he took the job.

As for what’s next for Orlando, assistant coach Martín Perelman has been appointed interim head coach. But with the season still salvageable, we will see soon if the club has a successor in mind.

Banks in Limbo


More "dual national panic" is centered around top USMNT prospect Noahkai Banks, 19, who is amid a breakout season for Augsburg. The latest news came from Kicker which reported that Banks is unlikely to be on the USMNT roster for March as he is still undecided about representing the U.S. or Germany. Born in Hawaii, Banks was raised in Germany where his mom played for Germany's national basketball team and his step-father player for Germany's handball team. 

There are couple key factors to understand. First, Banks cannot really explore playing for Germany because even if he plays for Germany's youth team in a real game, he would have to file a one-time switch with FIFA since he played for the United States at the 2023 U-17 World Cup. Second, Pochettino doesn't seem as if he wants to be very aggressive in recruiting dual nationals. He wants players to be desperate to play for the USA. 



If Banks is not called up by the U.S. team come March, it paints a bleak picture of his USMNT future. If he cannot commit to the U.S. team at such a big moment, it doesn't suggest his heart will ever be with the U.S. team. But will the fans or other U.S. players even want him on the team after not showing up for a big moment. 

We will know soon, and the good news is that this likely won't linger. 

 

Tottenham fans serenade Pochettino

 

U.S. national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino traveled to Spain to watch Tottenham face Atletico Madrid in the Champion League. On his way to the Spanish capital, he was on a flight with Tottenham fans who serenaded him with songs of “we want you back.”

Tottenham was blown out in the game 5-2 and are fading into an unexpected relegation battle. Spurs fans have made no secret of their desire to rehire Pochettino after the World Cup.


 

Yanks in the Champions League

 

Several Yanks kicked off their Champions League Round of 16 first legs this week.

 

Tillman concedes penalty

 

Bayer Leverkusen had to settle for a 1-1 draw with Arsenal when they conceded a later equalizer in the 89th minute after U.S. international Malik Tillman conceded a penalty.

Tillman entered the game in the 74th minute for Bayer as it was looking to score a second goal and take a clear advantage back to London for the second leg. But Tillman’s poor tackle on Noni Maduek resulted in a penalty for Arsenal.

It continues what has been a wild first season for Tillman with the Bundesliga club. He has gone through stretches where he has looked elite and then he has had stretches of being benched and/or playing poorly. This was more of the later.

For the U.S, it is concerning because you simply do not know what version of Tillman you are going to get in big games.

 

Cardoso and Atletico roll

 

With Pochettino in the stands, Johnny Cardoso played all 90 minutes for Atletico Madrid on Tuesday in a convincing 5-2 win over Tottenham, who were awful.

Cardoso did not stand out as much as many of his teammates, but he was still important to the tactical approach Diego Simeone used in this game. He sat deeper and made some important passes to help in attacking build-ups. Defensively, he worked with his teammates to shut down Tottenham.

The best guess is that Pochettino was impressed and it would seem like a March call-up is coming. That doesn’t mean there aren’t questions about Cardoso’s potential role within the U.S. team. Does the role he has at Atletico translate over to the USMNT? If no, can he fit into another role?

The problem for Cardoso is that he has been in the U.S. setup since 2021 and is yet to have a big performance with the team.  Can Pochettino bring someone to the World Cup who is yet to fit in with the team over last several years?

If Cardoso gets the call-up in March, he really is under pressure to play well. He has the ability to do so, but cannot afford to simply be a passenger.

 

Musah subbed into ugly Atalanta loss

 

Atalanta’s Champions League run is essentially over as the Italian club lost to Bayern Munich 6-1 at home. Yunus Musah has been difficult to read as of late with up and down performances but he came into this game in the 55th minute with Atalanta already trailing 4-0.

Of course, such analysis of his performance is useless as the intensity was drained from the game by the time he entered and he didn’t do anything of note. It will be a close call if Atalanta wants to bring Musah back next year after his loan from AC Milan expires.

 

Banned for Life

 

Earlier this week, MLS banned Derrick Jones and Yaw Yeboah for life for violating the league’s gambling policy. While both on Columbus in 2024, the league's internal investigation found both players bet extensively on league games in 2024 and 2025- including games involving the Crew.

Jones, 29, represented the United States at the 2017 U-20 World Cup and is currently without a club. Yeboah, 28, is now playing in China.

 

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