Now sitting third place in Group B, the USMNT must beat Iran tomorrow at 2 p.m. ET in order to advance to the knockouts.

National teams aside, chaos was the name of the game over the first few days of World Cup play, with a plethora of off-field controversies paired with perhaps the biggest upset in tourney history. Our jaws are still on the floor.

Monday’s World Cup opening 1–1 draw with Wales didn’t go as planned, but throw your jersey in the wash and prepare to get hurt again hyped for the USMNT’s next group stage match vs. England, Friday at 2 p.m. ET.

ICYMI, Qatar’s men’s FIFA World Cup kicked off yesterday with a lavish opening ceremony featuring emcee Morgan Freeman, K-pop star Jungkook and soldiers on camels.

After squaring off against continental rivals to qualify for a spot at the quadrennial competition, 31 teams join Qatar, our problematic hosts, for the month-long tournament in hopes of being crowned world champs.

The fallout from last month’s Sally Yates investigation into systemic abuse in the NWSL continued on Wednesday with new reporting that front office members at Racing Louisville FC (including the current president) enabled a culture of abuse under head coach Christy Holly.

Ahead of what will likely be his final World Cup, Portugal icon Cristiano Ronaldo’s making the wrong kind of headlines amid his monthslong fallout with Premier League team Manchester United.

The USWNT saw (their own former players’) tweets about their recent struggles, and they took that personally, avoiding the wrong kind of history with yesterday’s 2–1 friendly win over Germany.

For the first time in 19 years, the top teams from the Western and Eastern Conferences will face off for the MLS Cup when LAFC hosts the Philadelphia Union tomorrow at 4 p.m. ET. Battle of the best.

The Portland Thorns are the first-ever three-time NWSL champions after defeating the Kansas City Current 2–0 to close out a challenging, but transformative season.

Today’s the day — the NWSL Championship kicks off tonight at 8 p.m. ET, so we’re here with all the deets before the Portland Thorns and Kansas City Current take the pitch. Can’t wait.

October isn’t just about postseason baseball. It’s also the most exciting time of year for the North American soccer leagues, with the NWSL and MLS nearing their title games.