Soccer Recapp Wednesday ⚽️ ☕️

Al Hilal shock City, Fluminense knockout Inter, Maresca fumes over two-hour weather delay, in Club World Cup. Canada crash out, USA advance in Gold Cup. Philadelphia cling to MLS lead 🌏 ☕️

Sports Cappuccino

Jul 02, 2025

Club World Cup 🌎 ☕️

Knock-out Round 🥊

Yes, we’re offering up the same Pep Guardiola quote we used in last week’s newsletter, for a bit of fun:

"I love when I see Botafogo, all the Brazilian teams, Argentinian teams, how they celebrate, how they are together, I love them. I like how all the games are tight, except one or two, and people are surprised, European teams lose. Welcome to the real world. Welcome to the real world my friends.” (Reuters)

Yes, Pep, and everyone, welcome to the real world of the Club World Cup where anything can happen, and any team in the world can knock-out any other team in the world:

Palmeiras 1 Botafogo 0

On Saturday, in the sweltering Philadelphia heat, Paulinho came off the bench and scored the dramatic 100th minute winner as Palmeiras knocked out fellow Brazilians Botafogo to advance to the Club World Cup quarter-finals.

Benfica 1 Chelsea 4

Manager Enzo Maresca should have been happy to advance to the next round with Chelsea’s 4-1 over ten-man Benfica. Instead he was left fuming over the fact that the match was delayed for over two-hours due to a lightning storm in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Paris Saint-Germain 4 Inter Miami 0

On Sunday at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, PSG sent Leo Messi and Inter Miami packing out of the CWC, dominating the first half with four goals, including two from Joao Neves, and then strolling home the rest of the way. Miami were never in this one, as PSG demonstrated why they may be more than European champions, and are in fact looking like the best team in the world right now.

Flamengo 2 Bayern Munich 4

Harry Kane scored a brace in Miami, as Bayern Munich beat Brazilian giants Flamengo 4-2, to advance to the quarter-finals.

Inter 0 Fluminese 2

On Monday, Fluminese stunned Champions League finalists Inter Milan, scoring early in the third minute of the match through German Cano, and then late in stoppage time through Hercules, to become the second Brazilian side to qualify for the quarter-finals.

Manchester City 3 Al Hilal 4

Pep Guardiola was almost tempting the soccer gods when he spoke about how it was possible for European sides to lose in this tournament. And the gods sure came through for Saudi giants Al Hilal, in a thriller in Orlando.

Manchester City and the Saudis exchanged two goals in regular time, to go into extra-time tied at 2-2. And then City’s Phil Foden matched Kalidou Koulidbaly’s headed goal, before Leonardo won it for Al Hilal with the 4-3 goal in the 112th minute.

Real Madrid 1 Juventus 0

On Tuesday, Real Madrid looked more themselves, with Kylian Mbappe returning from illness and academy product Gonzalo Garcia continuing his story book run, by scoring his third goal of the tournament, to lead los blancos to a very professional 1-0 win over Juventus.

Borussia Dortmund 2 Monterrey 1

Borussia Dortmund will face Madrid in the quarter-finals after defeating Mexico’s Monterrey 2-1 on goals by Serhou Guirassy in the 14th and 24th minutes.

CONCACAF Gold Cup 🇺🇸 🇬🇹 🇲🇽 🇭🇳 🏆 ⚽️

Canada 1 Guatemala 1 (5-6 penalties)

USA 2 Costa Rica 2 (4-3 penalties)

Ranked 30th in the world, Canada have been a country on the rise, but they stumbled badly in the Gold Cup. Favoured to beat Guatemala and advance to the semi-finals, they could not overcome a first-half red card to Jacob Shaffelburg, and shockingly lost in penalties.

Meanwhile, 16th ranked USA also needed penalties to get past Costa Rica after the match ended in a 2-2 draw.

The semi-finals are slated for tonight with the US facing Guatemala at 7:00pm ET at Energizer Park in St. Louis.

Major League Americanos 🇺🇸 ☕️

Columbus Crew 1 Philadelphia Union 0

On Sunday, the Philadelphia Union lost for the first time in 11 matches, succumbing to the Columbus Crew on a goal by defender Mohamed Farsi in first-half stoppage time. While it was their first defeat since April 12, 2025, the Union remain in first place overall in Major League Soccer.

Coffee House Convos 🗣️

This Wednesday’s Coffee House Convo question is:

What do you think of Enzo Maresca’s reaction to the two hour weather delay in the Benfica-Chelsea match at the CWC? What will FIFA learn from this summer’s tournament in North America to prepare for next summer’s World Cup?

Please leave your responses in the comments below.