09/17/2025
Welcome back, Reds and Blues! The international break is over, and that means the return of league and Champions League footy. How did our clubs fare after a few weeks off?
Chelsea’s start to the season has been a mixed bag. Coming off a summer run to a trophy – and the extra games and miles on legs that entailed – they have at times looked sluggish. And so it continued on Saturday, as they fell behind to Brentford in the first half. This prompted a trio of changes at halftime and the introduction of their talisman Cole Palmer shortly after. This soon paid off, with Palmer slotting home to tie it up. Alejandro Garnacho made his Chelsea debut as a sub and immediately looked lively, running at and consistently beating his man. This led to a Caicedo goal in the 85th that looked to have wrapped things up. Unfortunately, Garnacho is not quite as active and alert on the defensive end, as he let his man sneak to the back post to salvage a point for the Bees. That should not overshadow his otherwise solid outing, and he’ll hope to get into the action against his former club United on Saturday. But Chelsea must first travel to Munich without a full-strength squad and wary of what Nico Jackson has imparted to the Bayern team behind closed doors. Traveling to Munich and then Manchester (even on their current form; more on that below), is no easy task. If they manage good results from those 2, then Maresca may to be able to ring the changes against League One Lincoln City in the Carabao Cup next week.
Manchester United. Surely something has got to give. And given Ruben Amorim’s firm intention to stick with his system or be fired, it seems a change of personnel is really his only option. Despite Bruno having been United’s best player for the better part of the last few years – as well as arguably the most productive attacking midfielder in Europe – it’s obvious to all that he is not suited to the deeper lying role as part of the midfield base of 2. Kobbie Mainoo came on in the 62nd minute and had an immediate impact on a match that was probably already lost. But if he is once again left on the bench in favor of some form of Bruno/Case/Ugarte (2 from 3), then Amorim has only himself to blame. Bruno’s creativity is wasted in such a role. Short of tweaking the system, the only way United will see a different result against Chelsea will be for Amorim to put other players in from the start and give them their chance. With almost no midweek football, there is no excuse for United to not cover every blade and be well-drilled with so many days to train. Are they incrementally getting better and just ran into a rejuvenated City at the wrong time? Or is this all the more fans can expect under Amorim? Saturday is a chance to change the narrative.
Speaking of Saturday… it’s the first edition of the 25/26 season Red and Blue Soccer Chat Derby Watch Party! We’ll be rocking up to Chatham Tap Fishers for front row viewing of what will hopefully at least be an entertaining match. Join us as we get hyped with pre-match fan interviews, halftime hot-takes, and the post-game post-mortem. Friendly banter and flowing spirits will be in abundance. Come join the fun.
The USMNT held 2 friendlies during the international break with South Korea and Japan, respectively. South Korea truly played the US off the park, with their very own star man Son grabbing the headlines. But a regrouped side turned things around against a weakened Japan side. Alejandro Zendejas and Flo Balogun put themselves into the WC26 roster mix with a goal apiece, and Captain America Pulisic looked like the player that has been tearing it up for Milan for the past season. It seems the “rift” with Pochettino is perhaps more smoke than fire. They have friendlies scheduled for October and November with Ecuador, Australia, Paraguay, and Uruguay coming up. A rumored match against Ronaldo’s Portugal is on the horizon after the new year.
The USWNT has 2 upcoming matches with Portugal before facing New Zealand, all in late October.
We’ll be trying not to get bitten or spit on by Luis Suarez, so join us at 7pm live at Chatham Tap or online through Facebook Live and hopefully YouTube Live. You can also catch us at your leisure on our other platforms listed below. Please like, subscribe, and comment wherever you choose to find us. CHEERS!
⚽🍺⚽🍺⚽🍺⚽🍺
https://linktr.ee/theredandbluesoccerchat
https://feeds.captivate.fm/the-red-and-blue-soccer/
https://www.youtube.com/
instagram.com/theredandbluesoccerchat
https://open.spotify.com/show/7gC93OQZpUrk1ZKkHG7bya
https://podcasts.apple.com/.../the-red-and.../id1720060776
https://www.facebook.com/TheEvanAndAaronShow
