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Morning update

McKennie scores as Juve comeback fall short, Berhalter lifts Vancouver, Haji bags winner, & more

ASN's Brian Sciaretta kicks off your Thursday with some thoughts on the news in American soccer
BY Posted
February 26, 2026
7:00 AM

HAPPY THURSDAY to everyone, there is a lot of news to cover from abroad to the domestic side of things. In Europe there was the Champions League and the Championship as well on the domestic front there the Champions Cup as well as some other news.

Let’s start in Europe

 

McKennie scores, but Juve comes up short

 

Juventus began the second leg of it Champions League Round of 32 matchup on the wrong end of a 5-2 deficit against Galatasaray. While Juventus scored first, it appeared be over in the 48th minute when Juventus was reduced to 10 men when Lloyd Kelly was sent off.

Still needing two goals and down a man, Juventus continued to rally. Federico Gatti scored in the 70th minute to pull the deficit within one.

Then in the 82nd minute, McKennie delivered the dramatic equalizer. It was his fourth goal of the tournament (to go along with four in Serie A). His terrific season continued.



Unfortunately for Juventus, Galatasaray was too much in extra time and scored two goals to move ahead on the aggregate by two.

Still, this game reinforced McKennie’s status within the team as a top Juventus player. Unlike previous seasons, he is not struggling in the second half of the season. Instead, he is continuing to surge.

The big thing with McKennie is what happens next. His contract expires in June and he can sign for any team he wants. He wants a big contract and Juventus now has pressure to sign him. The question Juventus could be dealing with is whether McKennie is playing so well right now because of the motivation for a new deal. Will that motivation continue once he is signed?

Regardless, he is in a great position heading into the World Cup.

 

Balogun & Monaco fall PSG

 

Like McKennie, Folarin Balogun and Monaco are also out of the Champions League. While Balogun scored twice in the opening 3-2 loss to PSG at home, Monaco was in a tough spot heading to Paris for the second leg.

Monaco got off to a strong start and scored first to even the series on aggregate, but PSG eventually took control with two goals in the first 20 minutes of the second half combined with a Monaco red card to Mamadou Coulibaly in the 58th minute. Monaco made it close with a stoppage time goal but it ended 2-2 and 5-4 to PSG on aggregate.

 

As for Balogun, he played 74 minutes and was relatively quiet. He had two shots, but both were from wide positions. His best opportunity came in the 38th minute when he forced a big save.

Overall, Balogun still had a great week with three goals against top French teams in PSG (in the first leg) and Lens over the weekend.

 

Thursday’s action

 

In the Europa League knockouts, Auston Trusty and Celtic will head to Germany needing a miracle to overcome a 4-1 loss in the first leg. Auston Trusty picked up a red card in league play over the weekend which Celtic is appealing.

 

Eric Palmer-Brown and Panathinaikos travel to the Czech Republic after a tough 2-2 draw at home in Greece last week.

In the Conference League, Leon Flach and Jagiellonia Bialystok head to Italy to face Fiorentina after losing the first leg 3-0 at home.

Chris Richards and Crystal Palace host Bosnia’s Zrinjski Mostar after a 1-1 draw in the first leg.

 

Haji lifts Coventry again

 

After Sheffield United scored the opening goal of its home matchup against Coventry, the Championship leaders quickly responded with Haji Wright equalizing four minutes later in the 52nd minute. Jack Rudoni eventually found the winner in the 57th as Coventry maintained its four point lead atop the table with a 2-1 win.

After a cold spell from October through the middle of February, Wright is red hot with four goals in his last three games.

He now has 14 goals on the season and looks very much like he will be in the Premier League next season.



As for the World Cup team, his return to form is critical as Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi are also scoring. He is keeping his name firmly in the mix.

 

Berhalter lifts Vancouver

 

After a 0-0 draw against CD Cartagines in Costa Rica last week, Vancouver rolled in the second leg in Canada. Brian White missed a penalty in first half but the Whitecaps scored twice in the second half to advance. The 2-0 score did not accurately reflect the 15-2 edge in shots for Vancouver nor the 68-32 edge in possession.

The final goal came from U.S. national team hopeful Sebastian Berhalter who looks sharp to start the 2026 season.



Will Berhatler make the World Cup team? That is a big question. He obviously has a shot and he ended 2025 in great form. It seems like a safe play that he will get another opportunity in March. If he plays well again, the chances are very good for him. 
 

Galaxy squeak past San Miguelito

 

MLS teams are thus far perfect in the first round of the Champions Cup but the closest team to being upset was the LA Galaxy who drew Panama’s Sporting San Miguelito 1-1 away in the first leg. Then on Tuesday, the teams played to a 0-0 draw in the return leg in California. Since away goals are still used in this tournament, the Galaxy advanced after a 1-1 final on aggregate.

 

Overall, the Galaxy struggled to create and score despite having a 73-27 edge in possession.

 

Other results in CONCACAF

 

Cincinnati embarrassed the Dominican Republic’s O&M FC 9-0 on Wednesday night for a 13-0 aggregate win. That sets up a big matchup against Tigres in the Round of 16.

 

On Tuesday night, Nashville SC cruised past Atletico Ottawa 5-0 in Tennessee (7-0 aggregate win) to set up a Round of 16 matchup against Inter Miami.

LAFC took its foot off the gas pedal and only defeated Real Espana 1-0 after a 6-1 away in in Honduras the week before. LAFC will next face LD Alajuelense.

 

Bouanga signs LAFC extension

 

Denis Bouanga has been one of the best strikers in the history of MLS. He has 94 goals in 144 games for LAFC and has scored at least 20 goals in each of the last three seasons.

 

Now he will remain with LAFC through the 2027/28 season with a club option for 2028/29.

Smart business for LAFC, who are likely to continue to be very good during that span.

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