Club World Cup finally arrives as Inter Miami, Lionel Messi kickoff Saturday; USMNT enter Gold Cup struggling

Happy Friday! Tournament soccer is officially underway this weekend with both the FIFA Club World Cup and the Concacaf Gold Cup, both of which come with plenty of questions for the teams and tournament organizers alike. I’m Pardeep Cattry with the latest.

📺 Footy fix

All times U.S./Eastern

Friday, June 13
🇺🇸 NWSL: Houston Dash vs. San Diego Wave, 8 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network
🇺🇸 MLS: Portland Timbers vs. San Jose Earthquakes, 10:30 p.m. ➡️ FS1

Saturday, June 14
🇺🇸 MLS: St. Louis City vs. LA Galaxy, 4:30 p.m. ➡️ Fox
🇺🇸 NWSL: Kansas City Current vs. Racing Louisville, 7:30 p.m. ➡️ Ion
🏆 CWC: Al Ahly vs. Inter Miami, 8 p.m. ➡️ DAZN
🌎 Gold Cup: Mexico vs. Dominican Republic, 10:15 p.m. ➡️ FS1

Sunday, June 15
🏆 CWC: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Atletico Madrid, 3 p.m. ➡️ DAZN
🇺🇸 NWSL: Portland Thorns vs. Washington Spirit, 4 p.m. ➡️ CBS, Paramount+
🌎 Gold Cup: USMNT vs. Trinidad and Tobago, 6 p.m. ➡️ Fox

⚽ The Forward Line

🏆 The game’s most controversial tournament is finally here

Amid pay disputes, player workload concerns, legal action and a lot more, the Club World Cup officially begins on Saturday as scheduled in the Miami area with Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami hosting Egypt’s Al-Ahly.

The question of who will come out with the trophy almost feels secondary to the query about just how everything will go. The first point of intrigue may as well be on the pitch – many expect one of the 12 European teams to walk away with the title, but how they approach the tournament is unknown, especially on the back of lengthy seasons. The strategy from Real Madrid and Inter is something to keep an eye on since both arrive in the U.S. with new managers – Xabi Alonso and Christian Chivu, respectively – and will take charge of their first games with their new clubs during the competition. The 22 non-European clubs will likely take this tournament very seriously, though how competitive they can be against the sport’s heavyweights – fatigued or otherwise – is one of the major uncertainties.

Then there’s everything else, chiefly concerns around attendance. Tickets sales reportedly do not look like what FIFA hoped for when they expanded the tournament, to the point that one can now see Messi in the opener for just $4, according to The Athletic. Crowd size will undoubtedly be something audiences pay attention to in the early days, especially with Messi and a matchup between Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid during the opening weekend. FIFA president Gianni Infantino has remained bullish on the topic in recent public remarks, though a judgment day on ticket sales is rapidly approaching.

• Infantino: “Hard Rock will be full. We will have a great atmosphere. It will be historic. It’ll be two historic teams for very different reasons. The stadium will be full. We got great attention from sponsors and broadcasters, so that when it comes to revenues, everything is perfectly secured. But I’m sure that all those who will come, and there are still tickets available, but many will go out these days.”

There is a lot at stake for FIFA, who will dole out $1 billion in prize money, a figure that represents both their intent and their need to placate the clubs that did not exactly want to take part, as James Benge writes in the Club World Cup explainer.

• Benge: “That might seem an exorbitant fee for a competition usually treated with indifference by European clubs, for whom the Champions League is the greatest prize. … In what Infantino precisely termed ‘the biggest-ever prize money for a football tournament comprising a seven-match group stage and playoff format,’ the winners of the Club World Cup stand to earn up to $125 million for a month’s work stateside. That is slightly greater than the estimated return for those clubs who reached the quarterfinals of this season’s Champions League. In effect for a team such as Real Madrid, this is a chance to double their money for international games.”

This Saturday

🔗  Midfield Link Play

🇺🇸 USMNT begin Gold Cup journey

The U.S. men’s national team will take part in their final competition before next year’s World Cup beginning on Sunday, when they play their first group stage game of the Concacaf Gold Cup. The main objective as they chart out a path to the final on July 6? To finally inspire some confidence about the direction of Mauricio Pochettino’s team with a year to go until a World Cup on home soil.

Pochettino will be tasked with doing that while working with a group of inexperienced players, though results are mixed already. While they showed subtle signs of growth in a 2-1 loss to Turkiye on Saturday, a rotated side completely collapsed in a 4-0 loss to Switzerland on Tuesday and raised new questions about the USMNT’s chances at the World Cup next year. They now enter the Gold Cup in the midst of a four game losing streak, the first time they have notched that many defeats in a row since 2007.

Despite that record, Sunday’s match against Trinidad and Tobago is supposed to be winnable, even for a roster that is mostly made up of players with fewer than 30 international appearances. The pressure is on the inexperienced group of players, though, to make an impression over the next month with spots on the World Cup squad technically on the line. This week’s matches have not erased the fact that the USMNT enter the Gold Cup a few months removed from two disappointing outings in the Concacaf Nations League that raised questions about competitive edge and created demand for up-and-comers to challenge some of the mainstays.

The veterans on the Gold Cup roster, though, could play a big part over the next month. That is especially true for Tyler Adams, who remains crucial to the USMNT’s success, no matter the selection of teammates around him. That was true against Turikye, when he came on at halftime for Johnny Cardoso and ensured the U.S. looked more resilient in the back. He was sorely missing against Switzerland and there’s still a question of if he will be available on Sunday – he sat out Tuesday’s match with a foot injury and there is currently no update on how serious the injury is, though Pochettino said on Monday that they “hope it’s not a big issue.”

🔗  Top Stories

🏆 CWC preview: Here’s a look at the top 10 stars to watch at the Club World Cup and an overview of the new rules and regulations, which includes a referee body cam.

🇺🇸 USMNT check-in: With one year to go until the World Cup, there’s still plenty of room for improvement for the USMNT, leaving Mauricio Pochettino with a lot of work to do.

🗣️ Pulisic responds to Donovan: Christian Pulisic said criticism of his commitment to the USMNT is “way out of line” and admitted that he offered to join the team for their pre-Gold Cup friendlies but was rebuffed by the coaching staff. Plus, Canada’s Jesse Marsch stirred the pot by saying he has not had to deal with any players requesting time off ahead of the Gold Cup.

✍️ KDB to Napoli: Kevin de Bruyne has completed a move to Napoli after exiting Manchester City on a free transfer.

↕️ NWSL power rankings: The Kansas City Current and the Washington Spirit top the latest batch of the NWSL power rankings, outpacing the rest of the league with strong starts.

🏟️ World Cup grass: A grass field grown specifically for the Club World Cup was installed at MetLife Stadium this week, with the tournament serving as the perfect trial run for next summer’s World Cup.

🇬🇱 Concacaf rejects Greenland: Greenland head coach Morten Rutkja joined Morning Footy to discuss their rejected proposal to join Concacaf and the implications for the country’s soccer scene.

🏳️‍🌈 Celebrating pride month: Luke Klipp, the former president of LAFC Pride Republic, joined Morning Footh to discuss the ways MLS can better support fans in the LGBTQ+ community.

💰  The Back Line

💵 Best bets

• Club World Cup: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Atletico Madrid, Sunday, 3 p.m.
  💰 THE PICK: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to score (+230) – UEFA Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain open their Club World Cup journey with their hardest match of the group stage against Atletico Madrid. Expect Luis Enrique’s side, then, to run with the strategy that led them to a historic treble on Sunday, one in which their unique attacking style takes center stage. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is crucial to that strategy, scoring seven goals since joining the club in January, and is very likely to add another when they play their first game since winning Europe’s most prestigious club competition.

For more picks, predictions, expert tips and the latest betting news, don’t miss out on CBSSports.com’s betting home page.

📺 What we’re watching

📺 What’s on CBS Sports Golazo Network

☀️ Morning Footy (Weekdays 8-10 a.m.): Join Golazo Network as it helps fans get their day started on the right foot on the network’s flagship morning show with highlights, interviews and the biggest soccer storylines. Morning Footy is also available in podcast form, so you’ll never have to miss an episode.

☀️ Morning Footy (10 a.m. ET): A special edition of Morning Footy, the network’s flagship morning show with highlights, interviews and the biggest soccer storylines, will kick off Golazo Network’s coverage of the big game. Morning Footy is also available in podcast form, so you’ll never have to miss an episode.

🏆 Champions League Today (1 p.m. ET): Kate Scott hosts pregame studio coverage alongside analysts Thierry Henry, Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards. Coverage from Allianz Arena in Munich begins at 1 p.m. ET on Paramount+ and CBS Sports Golazo Network, followed by coverage on the CBS and Paramount+ beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET.

⚽ The Champions Club (5:30 p.m. ET): Poppy Miller, Mike Grella, Nigel Reo-Coker, Tony Meola and Jimmy Conrad for live reactions and match analysis as they break down all the action from the Champions League final.

🥅 Scoreline (7 p.m. ET): Scoreline is the place for fans to catch up on all the biggest news and results impacting global football, match highlights from the top soccer competitions and all the can’t-miss goals from the day’s action, airing seven days a week.

📺 How to watch: CBS Sports Golazo Network is a free 24/7 channel exclusively dedicated to offering unparalleled coverage of all the top soccer competitions worldwide. You can stream for free on the CBS Sports app, Pluto TV and Paramount+.