Erling Haaland continued his sensational start to the new Premier League season with a brace that helped Manchester City come from behind to beat Brentford 2-1 on Saturday.

Haaland, the Premier League Player of the Month, had netted hat-tricks in his prior two appearances but had to settle for just the two goals at the Etihad Stadium, moving to 99 in City colours in all competitions.

Yoane Wissa had stunned City in the first minute after capitalising on a defensive mix-up, but Haaland was not kept quiet for long.

City’s master marksman had Pep Guardiola’s side back on terms in the 19th minute, before scoring what proved to be the winner before half-time.

Haaland came close to completing another treble and bringing up his City ton, but the champions had to survive a nervy finish to preserve the Premier League’s only 100% record at the top of the table, with Brentford back in seventh place.

Data Debrief: Haaland closing in City ton

While the combination of the post and the palms of Mark Flekken stopped Haaland from netting his 100th City goal and a third consecutive hat-trick, you feel it is only a matter of time before the Norwegian achieves his landmark moment. 

Haaland has now taken his tally to nine goals in the first four league games this season, the most of any player in the opening four matches of a Premier League campaign (overtaking Wayne Rooney in 2011-12 - eight in first four).

It was also the Norwegian's 50th appearance for City at the Etihad. The striker has been directly involved in more home goals than any other Premier League player across all competitions since his home debut in August 2022 (70 – 59 goals and 11 assists).

But Guardiola's side had to come from behind to secure the triumph, with Wissa's goal after 22 seconds was the fastest ever scored in the Premier League against the reigning champions, while it was the first time that City have ever conceded in the opening minute at home in the competition.

Trinidad and Tobago’s interim head coach Derek King and captain Aubrey David were left ruing the Soca Warriors’s sub-par performances in the September window, which has their Concacaf Nations League, League A survival in the balance.

The Soca Warriors, who lost their opening contest 0-4 away to Honduras, were heavily favoured to take three points off French Guiana in the following encounter at home, but they were instead held to a goalless stalemate.

This was much to the disappointment of King, David, and the many spectators that flocked the Dwight Yorke Stadium, as that result left the Twin Island Republic sitting at the foot of Group B on a point. Jamaica (four points), Nicaragua (four points), Honduras (three points), Cuba (two points), and French Guiana (one point) complete the group.

The Soca Warriors now face a must-win scenario in their next two fixtures against Cuba on October 10 and 14 to have a slim chance at making the top two for a quarterfinal berth, but more importantly to avoid relegation to League B.

Having made the quarterfinal in the previous edition of the Concacaf Nations League, David believes there is a need for individual and collective introspection as they need to raise the standard of their game.

"It was a sad result for us. It's a draw, but it feels like a loss for us because three points would have put us in a good position in the group once again. Unfortunately, we didn't get going. We need to reset again because we have two important games coming up,” David said as he reflected on the outcome of their contest against French Guiana.

"I think we as a team have to look at ourselves in the mirror and go back to the drawing board and look at the things that brought us success in the last campaign. I think we need to be humble and have that hunger to get good results,” he added.

Alvin Jones echoed similar sentiments.

"I think each and everyone has to look in the mirror and decide what they want—whether we want to play big football or we just want to compete. I think we have a lot of work to do mentally and physically. Each and every player,” he noted.

Meanwhile, King, who was appointed ahead of the tournament following the dismissal of Angus Eve, felt his team could have done more to secure the three points against French Guiana.

"I think the performance was a bit disappointing. We didn't get three points. We went out there, and we analysed the team. Our ball movement was a little slow, but we still created chances. I think to take us to the next level, we need to raise our intensity, and our ball speed has to be much better to compete with the top teams in Concacaf,” King declared.

Though it is left to be seen if he will still be on the sidelines for the Cuba encounters next month, King backed the players to make the necessary adjustments to secure the desired result.

"The players we selected, I thought it was the best mix for these two games...the important thing is to look ahead as a team. We saw some good things (against French Guiana), so we have to sit as a staff and analyse those two games and continue building from this,” King stated.

Champions Bayer Leverkusen cruised to a 4-1 victory at Hoffenheim on Saturday thanks to a dazzling performance by Victor Boniface.

The Nigerian scored two goals and laid on an assist, ensuring Leverkusen got back to winning ways in their first game since the international break.

The visitors struck twice in the first half an hour for a 2-0 lead, with Boniface setting up Martin Terrier for a tap-in in the 17th minute before turning scorer with a clever finish.

Mergim Berisha, making his first appearances since a knee ligament tear last November, cut the deficit for Hoffenheim just before the break from close range.

Leverkusen restored their two-goal lead courtesy of a penalty, buried by Florian Wirtz in the 72nd minute, after Dennis Geiger fouled Alex Grimaldo in the box.

Boniface then single-handedly dismantled the Hoffenheim defence with a strong run down the left, powering a shot past keeper Oliver Baumann three minutes later to lift Leverkusen to fourth place on six points.

Data Debrief: Normal business resumed

It came as quite a shock before the international break when Leverkusen's 35-game unbeaten streak in the Bundesliga ended, with RB Leipzig handing them their first defeat in 462 days.

But Xabi Alonso's side quickly shook that result off, and extended their impressive unbeaten run on the road - they are now unbeaten in 19 such matches (W16 D3). It is also the first time they have won their first two away games in a Bundesliga season.

Meanwhile, Baumann made his 464th Bundesliga appearance in this match, drawing him level with Toni Schumacher and Lothar Matthaus. This was his 92nd consecutive game in the competition.

Leeds United suffered their first defeat of the Championship season as they were beaten 1-0 at home by fellow promotion hopefuls Burnley.

Daniel Farke’s side came into Saturday's encounter having won back-to-back matches against Sheffield Wednesday and Hull City, but their momentum was halted by their clinical visitors.

Burnley forward Luca Koleosho scored the only goal of the game the day before his 20th birthday.

Koleosho took advantage of a slip from Manor Solomon after 18 minutes, before sprinting 70 yards and drilling a shot past Leeds goalkeeper Ilan Meslier.

That proved to be enough to inflict on Leeds a third home league defeat in six matches going back to last season, despite the hosts applying plenty of pressure as they sought an equaliser.

Burnley's Bashir Humphreys was sent off eight minutes into stoppage time at the end of the match, but Leeds were unable to find a way through.

Elsewhere in Saturday's early Championship kick-offs, Luton Town claimed their first win since relegation from the Premier League.

Teden Mengi's fine early effort from the edge of the penalty area was enough to beat Millwall 1-0 away from home.

While Luton have ground to make up in the promotion race, Oxford United's surprise challenge continues on the back of their 100% home record.

That was maintained with a deserved 1-0 victory over Stoke City, with Idris El Mizouni netting the winner three minutes into the second half.

Wolmer’s Boys secured their second win in as many games when they topped Denham Town High 2-0 in their Zone E Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association/Digicel Manning Cup encounter at Bumper Hall on Friday.

Captain Daquan Duhaney and substitute Addon Daye made the points safe for Jerome Waite’s side, which now moves to six points, same as leaders Tivoli Gardens but with a slightly inferior goal difference.

St Mary’s College (one point), Edith Dalton James (one point), St Jago, and Denham Town, who are both without a point, complete the standings.

Though welcoming the win, Waite believes his Heroes Circle boys still have much to learn, particularly where their mental game is concerned. It is an area he is hoping to improve on as the season progresses.

“It’s a work in progress, and it’s also a learning process for them because we have seen a lot of weakness in that area, so that’s something I’ll have to spend time working on. But we’ll analyse the game, sit down and discuss what we could have done better, where we still need to improve, and then we see how best we can get some more work done,” Waite said.

His counterpart Marvin Tate believes his boys are giving their best under the circumstances, as their preparation has been hindered by violence.

“We hardly got any time on the field to train because players live in adjoining communities which are actually at war. We took time out for a week to camp and it’s actually bringing some fruit because we’ve seen an improvement in the team and going forward we’ll see more improvements,” Tate shared.

Friday’s Results

Denham Town 0, Wolmer’s Boys 2

Camperdown 1, Haile Selassie 2

Kingston Technical 2, Vauxhall 3

Dunoon 3, Clan Carthy 2

Meadowbrook 0, Penwood 5

Ardenne 0, Eltham 10

Saturday’s Games

Kingston College vs Cumberland @ Stadium East

Jamaica College vs Ascot @ Jamaica College

STATHS vs Calabar @ Boys’ Town

Excelsior vs Bridgeport @ Excelsior

Holy Trinity vs St Catherine @ Alpha

Papine vs St George’s College @ Papine

*All games are scheduled for 3:30pm

Erik ten Hag believes Andre Onana's penalty save was the "turning point" as Manchester United got back to winning ways with a commanding 3-0 victory over 10-man Southampton.

The Red Devils arrived at St Mary's on a two-match losing streak and almost fell behind in the 33rd minute, but Onana guessed correctly to keep out Cameron Archer's tame spot-kick.

The visitors capitalised on their reprieve as goals from Matthijs de Ligt and Marcus Rashford put them 2-0 up at half-time, before Alejandro Garnacho wrapped up the points later on.

Ten Hag was pleased with his team's response and also saluted Rashford, who netted his first goal since March.

"The start was not easy," the United boss told BBC Match of the Day. 

"I think the penalty was the turning point in the game and, not so far after, we scored and that was very important. From that moment on, the game was all ours."

On Rashford's goal, he added: "It's very important. We spoke before the game. It is huge for him, for every striker.

"When the season starts, you want to be on the scoring list. Now he has his first, I'm sure more will come."

Onana was also pleased to see Rashford back on the scoresheet.

"We had a tough season last year, and he was not at his best," he told TNT Sports. "But today, he showed he's a great player - one of the best in the world.

"That's football, that's life. It's now how you fall, it's about how many times you stand up again. I'm really happy for him. Hopefully, he will score many more for the team.

On bouncing back with a win, he added: "Every game when you lose is like it's the end of the world. You have to stay strong, stay together and keep fighting.

"It was very good to save that penalty. It was an important moment for us.

"The most important thing for us is victory. We had a great game and a clean sheet. Hopefully, we will continue playing like this."

Phallon Tullis-Joyce is excited by the job Emma Hayes has already done with the United States and predicts she will have even more success in the role.

Hayes left Chelsea after 12 years in charge in May, going out on a high after leading the Blues to a fifth consecutive Women's Super League triumph on the final day of last season.

It was her seventh title overall with Chelsea, also winning five FA Cups and two League Cups, as well as leading the team to the Champions League final in 2020-21.

Hayes began her tenure as the USA boss in May and helped the team to a record-extending fifth Olympic gold in Paris, as an undefeated tournament ended with a 1-0 win over Brazil in August.

Having made such a bright start to life with the USWNT, Tullis-Joyce, who has never played for her national team, is expecting great things from Hayes.

Speaking at the Barclays WSL's 2024-25 season launch media day, the goalkeeper told Stats Perform: "I think that's incredible for US soccer to have such a notable coach.

"Everyone has seen how great she's done in this league alone, and I'm excited to see what she does with the US Women's National Team.

"She's already done an amazing job, so I can imagine she's going to do so many more great things for time to come, especially for the younger generations."

One of the players who did not feature at the Olympics for the USWNT was Alex Morgan, who recently announced her retirement from football.

Morgan, regarded as a USA legend, is one of the most decorated players in the history of the team, winning back-to-back World Cups in 2015 and 2019 and clinching Olympic gold in 2012.

She is ninth on the all-time appearance charts having earned 224 caps, and since her international debut in March 2010, no player has been involved in more goals for the USA than her (175, 123 goals, 52 assists).

Tullis-Joyce was full of praise for the former striker and explained how she drove her to improve after coming up against her.

"Just massive respect for Alex Morgan, she's definitely a player that I've looked up to as an American," Tullis-Joyce said.

"She was one of the ones that we saw on the national team constantly just shredding goalkeepers left and right.

"Honestly, I'm learning from her how to protect my goal a little bit better. I had the fortunate opportunity to play against her several times.

"Honestly, she just seems like such a great person. And I wish her all the best in her retirement, especially after what she's done for women's football."

Manchester United halted their two-game losing run with a 3-0 victory over 10-man Southampton at St Mary's, with Matthijs de Ligt, Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho on target.

United emerged from the first international break of 2024-25 14th in the Premier League table following defeats to Brighton and Liverpool, but they got back to winning ways after surviving an early scare on the south coast.

Making his first Premier League start, Tyler Dibling won a penalty for Southampton in the first half, but Andre Onana kept out Cameron Archer's tame kick and the momentum shifted from there.

De Ligt headed in his first United goal just two minutes later, then an excellent Rashford strike, curled into the bottom-right corner from the edge of the box, gave them breathing room. 

Garnacho came off the bench to add to Southampton's woes in the second half, with Jack Stephens' wild lunge on the Argentine resulting in him being shown a straight red card with 11 minutes to play.

Garnacho then got himself on the scoresheet six minutes into stoppage time, lashing into the roof of the net after Diogo Dalot found him with a cutback from the byline.

Data Debrief: Rashford back in form

Rashford's dip in form in 2023-24 was a major contributing factor in United finishing a lowly eighth in the Premier League, the forward netting just seven league goals after plundering 17 the previous campaign.

However, he showed supreme confidence for his 41st-minute strike, which gave United a two-goal cushion at a crucial moment.

That effort ended a run of 12 games for United without a goal for Rashford, who had only previously endured two longer droughts for the club – 17-match runs that ended in January 2017 and August 2022.

Three of Rashford's last four Premier League goals have come from outside the penalty area, and since the start of 2022-23, only Eberechi Eze (eight), Phil Foden (seven) and Kevin De Bruyne (six) have scored more such goals in the competition than his five.

Lamine Yamal said that it would be impossible to reach Lionel Messi’s level during his career, despite having been through an incredible breakout season.

The 17-year-old made 37 league appearances for Barcelona last season and was thrust further into the public eye as he helped Spain win Euro 2024 in Germany.

Yamal, who was 16 for much of the tournament having celebrated his birthday before the final, swept the boards at the competition, winning Young Player of the Tournament, Goal of the Tournament and was also named in the Team of the Tournament.

The teenage sensation also laid on four assists in seven appearances over the summer and has made a decent start to the 2024-25 season as one of Barcelona’s main men.

In four LaLiga appearances, he has scored once and supplied four assists, with his 11 chances created a total only bettered by team-mate Raphinha (12) and Vinicius Junior (15) in the division.

Such form and media attention has led to inevitable comparisons with footballing legend Messi, who made his competitive debut for Barcelona at 17.

The Argentine went on to score over 600 goals for the club across 17 seasons, winning 34 trophies, while he came to be widely considered as one of the greatest footballers of all time.

But Yamal has been quick to reject the comparison between himself and his Argentinian predecessor, claiming that although he enjoys the comparisons, it is not possible to reach the standards he set.

“I like that they compared me to the greatest player in the history of football, but I want to be myself,” Yamal told Spanish TV station Antena 3.

“Reaching Messi’s level is impossible.”

Despite Yamal’s understandable suggestion that he will be unable to reach the same heights as Messi, the winger still showed his self-confidence in the interview.

Somewhat bizarrely, he was pictured as a six-month old baby with Messi in a charity calendar in 2007, with photos having since gone viral.

Speaking about the experience, the teenager joked that he was able to pick up some of his footballing ability through Messi.

“He passed along some of his powers to me. I still have a lot to give,” said Yamal.

Despite being just 17 years old, Yamal has already played 55 times for Barcelona and, having made such an impression on world football over summer, interest from other clubs is an inevitability.

Yamal’s contract with Barcelona runs until 2026, with a reported release clause of £1bn, while sporting director Deco is keen to renew it when he turns 18.

But the teenager has made clear that he has no desire to leave the Catalan giants, wanting to remain with them for the rest of his career.

“I don’t want those €120m [bids] because then I would have to leave Barca,” said Yamal.

“I hope to never have to leave. I want to be a legend.”

Phallon Tullis-Joyce believes learning from Mary Earps during her time at Manchester United has her well-placed to step up as the Red Devils' new number one.

Earps, who spent five seasons with United, joined Paris Saint-Germain in July upon the expiry of her contract at the Women's Super League side. 

During her time with the Red Devils, she made 102 appearances in all competitions, keeping 46 clean sheets in the WSL in that time. 

The 31-year-old scooped the Golden Glove in the 2022-23 campaign, while also helping United lift the Women's FA Cup in her final season with the club.

Tullis-Joyce spent just one year alongside Earps after arriving from the Seattle Reign last year, with all four of her appearances coming in the League Cup. 

But speaking at the Barclays WSL's 2024-25 season launch media day, the American told Stats Perform her time with Earps has her well-prepared for this season.

"I was fortunate enough to train with Mary for an entire season, learn from her, learn from the staff as well," Tullis-Joyce said.

"Four of us together just being able to hold a high standard has already helped me in that preparation for this season."

Head coach Marc Skinner is backing Tullis-Joyce to fill the seismic gap left by Earps, a statement that filled the American with confidence. 

"Yeah, definitely very, very grateful to our staff," Tullis-Joyce started.

"I mean, right from the start, when I got there, they were very clear about their intentions and where I was at and where they wanted to see me progress to.

"I'm just super happy to be with the squad."

United are looking to improve on an underwhelming campaign last year, finishing fifth and 15 points adrift of the Champions League qualification places. 

Only Manchester City (15), Chelsea (18), Arsenal (20) and Liverpool (28) conceded less than United's 32 goals in the league, but their inconsistent results proved costly. 

Tullis-Joyce acknowledged their showing last term fell below the mark, but highlighted the Red Devils' FA Cup success as a solid foundation to build on this season.

"We're taking this step by step," Tullis-Joyce said.

"These players have been grinding it out during this pre-season.

"We're pushing our limits, and we obviously have our sights set on the absolute best that we can perform as a squad and that's where we're at for the season."

Eddie Howe believes Newcastle are yet to hit "top gear" this season despite taking seven points from their first three Premier League games, as they look to continue that strong start against Wolves at Molineux.

Newcastle made light of Fabian Schar's red card to beat Southampton on the opening matchday, then downed Tottenham 2-1 after earning a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth.

Those results have the Magpies fifth in the early-season standings, yet Howe still sees room for improvement as far as their performance levels are concerned.

Newcastle have faced a Premier League-high 54 shots in 2024-25, with their average of 18 shots conceded per game their highest on record in a single campaign (since 2003-04).

At Friday's pre-match press conference, Howe said: "We've had some very good results, we're really pleased with the start we have made in what is a difficult league.

"Performance-wise, we haven't hit top gear. We are going into a spell where we have difficult games away from home.

"It's been a very tough start for Wolves. They played very well in their last game against Nottingham Forest.

"They're always tough opponents, I've got lot of respect for Gary O'Neil and the job he has done there. He is very tactically astute so we will be prepared for a tough game."

Wolves, meanwhile, needed three games to pick up their first point of the season in a 1-1 draw with Forest, having opened with defeats to Arsenal (2-0) and Chelsea (6-2).

Boss O'Neil expects a difficult test against a team with plenty of attacking talent, hailing Magpies forward Alexander Isak as one of the best in the league.

"They have an abundance of quality attacking players. Isak is one of the best number nines in the league for me, so they are a team that are going to test us, definitely," O'Neil said.

"I'm looking forward to getting back to Molineux, getting back to the group that we know we're going to work with from now until January, at least, and seeing if we can start to upset a few people like we like we managed to last season."

PLAYERS TO WATCH 

Wolves – Andre

Wolves harbour a doubt over captain Mario Lemina ahead of Sunday's game, which could mean Andre is called upon for his full debut after joining from Fluminense.

Between his Serie A debut in September 2020 and his departure, Andre ranked first for possession won (756) and successful passes (6,574) in the Brazilian top flight, as well as second for touches (8,440) and fourth for dribbles completed (164).

Newcastle – Alexander Isak

Isak has been directly involved in 18 goals in his last 20 Premier League appearances (15 goals, three assists). 

Since the first game in that run (on Boxing Day last year), only Erling Haaland (20) and Cole Palmer (17) have scored more than the Swede (15) in the competition.

MATCH PREDICTION – NEWCASTLE WIN

Entertainment should be a given at Molineux, where both teams have scored in all nine previous Premier League meetings between Wolves and Newcastle.

It is the most-played specific fixture in the competition's history to never feature a clean sheet, while Newcastle have only failed to score once in their last 23 Premier League matches – in a 2-0 defeat at Crystal Palace in April.

No Premier League team is on a longer current run without a shutout than Wolves, meanwhile, with O'Neil's men conceding in each of their last 15 matches.

Wolves have only won one of their last 13 league games, drawing three and losing nine, and are winless in their last six (one draw, five losses). At home, they have lost five of their last six (one win), having only lost four of their previous 19 (11 wins, four draws).

Newcastle have won three of their last five Premier League games against Wolves, drawing the other two, and they enter Sunday's match as favourites.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Wolves – 30.3%

Newcastle – 44.5%

Draw – 25.1% 

After an eventful first 100 days in charge of Napoli, Antonio Conte says hard work is his first requirement ahead of the Partenopei's trip to Cagliari on Sunday.

Conte endured a difficult start to his Napoli career, overseeing a heavy 3-0 defeat to Verona on the opening matchday of the Serie A season.

However, victories over Bologna (3-0) and Parma (2-1) have Napoli looking up, and they could now win three straight league games under a single head coach for the first time since February 2023 – when they went on to win the Scudetto under Luciano Spalletti (eight in a row).

At the end of a tumultuous period that also saw Victor Osimhen leave for Galatasaray on loan and Romelu Lukaku join as his replacement, Conte feels the foundations have been laid for future success.

Speaking at Friday's pre-match press conference, Conte said: "We worked not only on the pitch, but also a lot off it. We had to work and we worked hard.

"I am satisfied, these 100 days have given us a direction. I know what awaits me, the expectations on me, but my only weapon is work."

Having won league titles at Juventus, Inter and Chelsea, Conte knows expectations around the Partenopei have been heightened by his arrival.

"I carry a lot of pressure with me. Having won in the past, people add one and one and get two, and expect this regardless," Conte said.

"It's a responsibility, I don't shirk from it, but I live it in a serene way. I expect continuity of performance and results, and continuity from the squad."

Conte also hailed the impact of Lukaku, who came off the bench to score a late goal in their victory over Parma ahead of the international break, just two days after his arrival.

"He used the international break to try to get in full swing on a physical and tactical level. There was great commitment, he also came in during his free time," he said of the striker.

"He is improving in everything and we will see, there are still two training sessions and then I will decide if he will start."

Borussia Dortmund's work rate out of possession was key as they went top of the Bundesliga by beating Heidenheim 4-2 on Friday, according to coach Nuri Sahin.

BVB moved onto seven points from their first three league games under Sahin with their victory at Signal Iduna Park, as Karim Adeyemi scored twice in between strikes from Donyell Malen and Emre Can.

Since losing 1-0 to Schalke in 2004, Dortmund have not lost any of their last 37 Bundesliga home matches played on a Friday, tying the Bundesliga record. 

Only Werder Bremen had previously remained unbeaten at home on Fridays through 37 Bundesliga matches in a row, doing so from 1984 to 1991.

"It was a deserved win and a very good start for us but then we shut the door and I told my players that Heidenheim will not give up. So we had to keep stepping on the gas," Sahin said in his post-match press conference.

"We had a few chances and we could have finished it off earlier but we dealt well with the pressure."

Dortmund, who had new signing Serhou Guirassy in the lineup for the first time following his recovery from injury, quickly took a two-goal lead in the first 17 minutes, Adeyemi teeing up Malen for the opener before getting his first of the encounter shortly after.

"We measure our players also on assists and goals but we can only defend well if the players press. Karim took the momentum from his Germany Under-21 performances with him," Sahin said.

"The first half was our best performance so far but we want to develop further."

Champions Bayer Leverkusen travel to Hoffenheim on Saturday while Bayern Munich, on six points, will look to make it three wins from three games when they take on newly-promoted Holstein Kiel.

FC head coach John Herdman insists his team need to maintain their discipline if they want a playoff run in MLS, starting against Austin FC on Saturday.

Toronto currently sit eighth in the Eastern Conference but are four points behind Orlando City.

They have struggled to get going since being knocked out of the Leagues Cup in the group stage, winning just one of three games since returning to MLS action.

After a disappointing 3-1 defeat to D.C. United last time out, Herdman says they need to learn how to keep their high level of performance going to the very end of games.

"In a playoff run, you have to be disciplined in the last 30 minutes of games, whether it's decision-making to change and adapt with players coming in and changing positions, or the team allowing itself to get stretched," Herdman said.

"We struggled with that against D.C. If you're going to push for a genuine playoff run, you have to respect that defending part of the game, you cannot allow yourself to get stretched."

Meanwhile, Austin are 11th in the Western Conference, having followed up a win over Nashville SC with a 1-0 defeat to Vancouver Whitecaps.

With the end of the regular season coming closer, Josh Wolff acknowledged his players know just how important it is for them to get points on the board.

"Every game is critical, home and away. In both conferences, you can see the playoff line, and it's all relevant," Wolff said.

"We, like many teams, have to make the most of these opportunities. You have to start the game in a good way and go there with the intention of getting three points because the home team have their own intentions."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Toronto FC – Deandre Kerr

Deandre Kerr scored his 10th regular-season goal for Toronto in the loss to D.C. United on August 31.

At 21 years old, Kerr is the second player to reach double-figure goals for the Reds before turning 22, along with Ayo Akinola (13 goals).

Austin FC – Julio Cascante

Austin failed to register a shot on target in their 1-0 loss to Vancouver on August 31, the fourth time this season the Verde have not hit the target in a match.

Julio Cascante came off the bench and had one of Austin's six shots, with his effort having the highest expected goal rate of 0.35.

MATCH PREDICTION: AUSTIN FC WIN

The only previous meeting between Toronto and Austin was a 1-0 home win for the Verde in May 2023. Gyasi Zardes scored the game's only goal in second-half stoppage time.

Austin earned a 2-0 win at Nashville in their last away match on August 24. Austin last won consecutive away matches during a four-match road winning streak in June-July 2022.

Meanwhile, Toronto have lost five of their last six home matches (W1), including a 3-1 loss to D.C. United on August 31. Toronto have lost 13 regular-season home matches since July 2023 (W7), more than any other team in that time.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Toronto FC – 34.6%

Draw – 25.9%

Austin FC – 39.5%

New United States boss Mauricio Pochettino has outlined his ambition to win the World Cup with the co-hosts in two years' time and is excited by the opportunity.

Pochettino was named the manager of the USA on Tuesday in his first role since parting company with Chelsea in May.

The Argentine, who previously enjoyed a successful five-year spell in charge of Tottenham, leading them to a Champions League final, oversaw a sixth-placed Premier League finish in his only season at Stamford Bridge.

And with the USA acting as hosts alongside Canada and Mexico for football's most prestigious tournament in 2026, Pochettino believes his players should harbour ambitions of winning the entire event.

"We need to believe in big things that we can win, not only a game but the World Cup," Pochettino said.

"If we don’t, the journey will be difficult. We have to think big. That is the only way to put your talent in the service of the team. It is a massive challenge."

The USA women's team won the World Cup in 2015 and 2019 and claimed Olympic gold this summer in Emma Hayes' first tournament as manager.

Pochettino, who knows Hayes from the period in which they both managed Chelsea's senior teams, reserved special praise for her, while also wanting his players to be inspired by how successful the women's team had become in recent times.

"In Emma, we have the best coach in the world," said Pochettino.

"The women's team has won everything. We need to match them. They need to be our inspiration, not only with results but in the way they create the philosophy to defend the country, the badge and the culture.

"We want to create something special."

Pochettino's first game in charge will be a friendly versus Panama at the Q2 Stadium in Austin on October 12.