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We are tracking teams that still have not nailed down qualifying spots for the 2026 men’s FIFA World Cup…

Netherlands head coach Ronald Koeman has officially announced the convocation for the World Cup qualifying game that will see his men face Poland and Malta in pivotal matches to ensure advancement to the following stages of the competition. Among the names listed by Koeman, there are many surprises, but also players who have been confirmed at the center of the project, and finally stars coming back from injuries that kept them away from the field.  

The 2003 goalkeeper Robin Roefs and Sem Steijn, attacking midfielder and captain of Feyenoord, were called for the first time to represent their country. A moment to remember and cherish for the rest of their life, as it represents one of the highest accomplishments a soccer player can achieve and testifies to their growth on the field.  

Returning from injury are both Jurrien Timber and Bart Verbruggen, who had missed the games against Malta and Finland, and Memphis Depay, who suffered a Hamstring injury that kept him out of the game for 20 days, causing him to skip four games for Corinthians.

Massimo Bellew

Washington Spirit

The Washington Spirit kicked off their first game in the CONCACAF W Champions Cup with a 7-0 victory over Alianza Women FC, a club from El Salvador that has won 10 league titles. Forward Rosemonde Kouassi scored a hattrick as the Spirit finished the game with 27 shots. They held Alianza to just one.In the NWSL, Washington earned three points with a win against Bay FC, while the Orlando Pride and San Diego Wave dropped points. This leaves Washington in second place, two points ahead of San Diego. All of the goals came in the first half for the Spirit, entering the break with a 3-1 lead. The scoring did not continue in the second half however, as Bay FC would draw one back early on. Washington held out for a narrow 3-2 win.Georgia’s own Croix Bethune scored her first goal of the season after dribbling from the midfield into the Bay FC box before slotting a shot into the bottom corner. This was her first goal since returning from an injury that sidelined her for eight months. She suffered a torn meniscus after throwing the first pitch at a Washington Nationals baseball game in August 2024.There are nine games left in the NWSL season and the Spirit trail league leaders KC Current by 12 points. While a league title looks unlikely, Washington still have four remaining games in the group stage of the CONCACAF W Champions Cup group stage.

Ethan Wright

Wake Forest men’s soccer bears a 2-0 record after opening the 2025 season with some nonconference play at home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The Demon Deacons overtook the Central Florida Knights 2-1 in a down-to-the-wire match Sunday evening then 2-0 against Oral Roberts Thursday evening. On Sunday, sophomore Ryan Belal and junior Jeffery White waited until the 75th and 82nd minutes to put points on the board for Wake Forest, despite outshooting UCF 9-4 during the goalless first half.

“Our press was pretty effective when it was good, and it was really good today,” head coach Bobby Muuss said in a news release. “Our press led to the first goal, and obviously a great individual effort from (White) to get the second.”

Wake Forest is now 113-19-12 at home under Muuss’ instruction, establishing what could be considered the most difficult college soccer stadium to play in, considering W. Dennie Spry Stadium has hosted more wins than any other team in the nation since Muuss took over before the 2015 season. Thursday evening showcased goals from sophomore Jose Perez and junior Tate Lorentz and a mere three shots from the Golden Eagles. Redshirt sophomore Jonah Mednard earned his first career-start in goal on Sunday and his second on Thursday, securing his first clean sheet.

Clarke Central High School graduate redshirt freshman goalkeeper Owen Barnett did not see the field either evening. Barnett chose Wake Forest over schools like Michigan, Stanford, Virginia and Clemson. Yet, the goalkeeper has not entered a match yet for the Demon Deacons.

The Tar Heels seem to be on the up this week as they have won two matches after their loss to the University of Georgia on August 21. North Carolina defeated Rice University 4-0 before beating UNC Greensboro with the same score just four days later. Camie Maynor played a few minutes in each match.

Georgia native Lauren Malsom was absent after having solid minutes in the three previous matches, but this was not due to injury. She along with Riley Kennedy, another UNC freshman, have both been called up to the U.S. Under-17 Women’s National Team for two international friendlies. The United States defeated Spain in the first of these friendlies 2-0. Malsom scored a goal in the 80th minute to seal the win for the national team. While she may be away from her current college team, she is continuing to prove herself on the national stage. Malsom will return to the Tar Heels after August 31, when the final friendly match is to be played.

Covenant men
The NAIA No. 1 Covenant College opened its season with a 2-1 win over Oglethorpe University on Friday at Emory University’s Sonny Carter Invitational. Junior forward Jackson Bostrom and sophomore forward Lyndon Tucker each scored for the Scots.

Tucker entered the match in the 36th minute and scored two minutes later off an assist from midfielder Sawyer Felton, who had subbed in at the 29-minute mark. In the second half, senior forward Whitt Thisdale connected with Bostrom in the 52nd minute to double the lead.

Oglethorpe responded in the 81st minute with a goal from Nick Krull, assisted by defender Owen VanMarter. The pair combined for four shots in the final nine minutes but couldn’t find the equalizer. Senior goalkeeper Eli Honeycutt made three saves to secure the win.

Earlier this week, Covenant topped the Collegiate Conference of the South preseason poll with 34 points and four first-place votes, edging out Belhaven University by one vote.

The Scots face Emory next on Saturday, Aug. 29, at 7p.m. in Atlanta.

Wesley Webb

Division III’s No. 4 Emory pulled off a dramatic comeback Friday night, defeating No. 2 Columbus State 3-2. Madison Teng tied the match in the 86th minute, and Mikayla Camp converted a penalty kick one minute later to give the Eagles the lead.

Jaymie Frith opened the scoring for Emory, while Emory Bozutti assisted both second-half goals. The Eagles outshot the Cougars 6-3 and overcame a yellow card to secure the win.

The victory marks a strong start to the season and a statement win over a Division II opponent.

Virginia Miller

Georgia Gwinnett split its first two matches of the 2025 season, opening with a 4-0 road win at Montreat before falling 1-0 to the NAIA’s No. 21 Truett McConnell at home.

In the win, goals came from Bellarmine transfer Katharine Lindenberg, forward Camila Madriz Figueroa, captain Kayla Maguire and returning scorer Natalie Maguire. Lindenberg scored early to give the Grizzlies a halftime lead, and three second-half goals in a 16-minute span extended the margin.

Truett McConnell proved a tougher test. Georgia Gwinnett outshot the Bears but couldn’t convert, as a 64th-minute penalty from senior Annabel Trauschke sealed the result. The Grizzlies struck the crossbar twice in their push for an equalizer but came up short.

Now 1-1, Georgia Gwinnett heads to Savannah on Saturday to face top-ranked SCAD in a rematch of last year’s NAIA tournament opener.

Jack Little

 Georgia Southern dropped its only match of the week, falling 2-0 to No. 13 Arkansas. The Eagles struggled offensively, managing just four shots on goal compared to the Razorbacks’ 24.

Goalkeeper Natalie Heckathorn received a yellow card in the 61st minute, while Arkansas scored both goals in the first half—Erin Bailey in the opening minute and Camila Palacios in the 39th. Georgia Southern recorded 10 saves in the match, while Arkansas had just two.

The loss brings the Eagles to 2-2 on the season ahead of their Sunday matchup against UNC Wilmington.

Frankie Hennessy

Georgia Southern men

Georgia Southern opened its season with three consecutive clean sheets, starting with a 2-0 win over Charlotte. Freshman midfielder Emil Seedorff Sorensen and sophomore forward Ricky Louis each scored in the opener.

The Eagles followed with a 0-0 draw against UNC Wilmington, despite being outshot 17-8. Goalkeeper Nate Martinez recorded four saves to preserve the shutout, while defender Noah Holmstrøm earned Defensive Player of the Week honors for his performance and added an assist in the opener.

Sorensen scored again in a 1-0 road win over Wofford. The Danish midfielder previously played for Thisted FC before transferring to Georgia Southern. Martinez was only called on for one save in the match.

The Eagles (1-0-2) host Stetson and travel to North Florida in their next two games.

Ethan Wilcox

Georgia State women
Georgia State has opened the season with a 3-1 record, including back-to-back shutouts over West Georgia (3-0) and Kennesaw State (4-0). The Panthers travel to South Carolina on Sunday to face the unbeaten Gamecocks (4-0-1) in a nonconference matchup.

Captain and 2024 All-Sun Belt selection Aaliyah Faddoul starred in the opener, recording three assists and a goal in a 7-0 win over Truett McConnell. Since then, she’s registered 11 shots on target but has yet to score or assist.

Hina Suzuki and Sunniyah Tucker have led the offense. Suzuki has scored four goals in four games, while Tucker leads the team in combined goals and assists, also with four. Suzuki was named Student-Athlete of the Week by GSU Athletics after netting four goals in just 141 minutes of play.

Georgia State is averaging 3.7 goals per game with a goal differential of plus-13. Goalkeeper Ariana Anderson has posted consecutive clean sheets, including a six-save performance against West Georgia.

The Panthers sit fourth in the conference standings, a strong start compared to last season’s 0-3-1 opening.

Maisie Gold

Georgia State fell 3-1 on the road to UNC Asheville on Aug. 26. Asheville struck twice in the first half and held off the Panthers with strong defense and key saves.

Midfielder Samir-Mohammed Djeha scored his first goal of the season in the 63rd minute, assisted by Diego Soza and Virgil Dall’Agnol. A late penalty kick from Rodrigo Mendes sealed the win for Asheville.

Goalkeeper Marin Loan made several key saves to keep the game close. The Panthers received two yellow cards for the second straight match, continuing a trend of disciplinary issues.

Georgia State faces Winthrop next on Aug. 30.

Cortland Tollman

North Georgia opens its season Sept. 4 against NCAA Division II Coker, aiming to build on last year’s success. UNG was ranked No. 3 in the Peach Belt Conference preseason poll after finishing second last season.

Coker enters with a strong résumé, including a 13-game win streak last year and a final record of 15-1-3. They scored 51 goals in 18 matches, with their only loss coming against Lynn in a match marked by multiple cautions.

UNG returns key players including Aram Lara (PBC First Team, USC All-Southeast Region Second Team), Maxwell Mitchell (PBC Second Team), and Jorge Sandoval, who had five goals and four assists last season.

Two PBC commissioners picked UNG to win the conference this year, and the team is ready to prove last season’s success was no fluke. Kickoff against Coker is set for Sept. 4 at 7 p.m.

Massimo Bellew

The Concorde Fire Platinum U17 Boys has played three games in their 2025 season. Their first game was a win 3-1 against the No. 7-ranked South Carolina Surf. Then they stayed in South Carolina with a 2-1 win against No. 4-ranked South Carolina United. Finally, their third game was a tie with No. 3 Carolina Elite Soccer Academy.  These two wins and a draw put them at second place in the ECNL Southeast Regional League behind the United Futbol Association. The boys have a break until Sept. 7 where they will face off against the Concorde Fire Premiere Team and work to boost their standing in the Southeast Regional League.  

Virginia Miller

Last week, the Southeast Regional U18 girls conference of the Elite Club National League (ECNL) kicked off its first few regular season games, with Gwinnett Soccer Academy sitting at No. 3 in the overall standings. In their first game of the season on Aug. 23, Gwinnett went up against Charlotte Soccer Academy, ranked No. 2 in the league, ending in a 4-4 draw at Pleasant Knolls Middle School.Gwinnett played in their second game the following day on Aug. 24 against No.5 ranked Carolina Elite Soccer Academy (CESA) at Mesa Soccer Complex, coming off with a 1-0 victory.
Tomorrow, Gwinnett Soccer Academy will be playing No. 9 ranked Alabama Football Club with two losses so far this season at 3 p.m. at Dunnavant Valley Fields. No. 6 ranked United Futbol Academy in Cumming on the other hand had its first game on Aug. 24 against Atlanta Fire United, ending in a 1-1 draw at Fowler Park. Tomorrow, United Futbol will face No. 4 ranked South Carolina United at South Forsyth Soccer Complex.No. 8 ranked Concorde Fire Premier Soccer Club based in Atlanta started their season, playing No. 4 South Carolina United with a 2-2 draw at Southeastern Freight Lines Complex on Aug. 23. Their following game, however, they lost 0-2 to No. 1 South Carolina Surf Club. Tomorrow, Concorde will have a chance to get back on track in a game with No. 10 ranked Concord Fire Platinum at Georgia Soccer Park at 1 p.m.

Gianna Uvari

As the 2025-2026 ECNL Boys Southeast Conference season gets underway, Atlanta Fire United leads in the rankings with wins over United Futbol Academy and GSA. Concorde Fire’s Premier and Platinum teams secure the next two out of the top three spots. Concorde Fire Platinum shared a draw with No. 6 CESA Triumph in its most recent match but beat SC Surf, last year’s ECNL Southeast Conference champion, 3-2 in the season opener. 

Six teams will take the pitch again on Sep. 6. No. 6 CESA Triumph plays No. 5 GSA at 1 P.M. for a highly anticipated matchup. At 5 P.M., No. 7 SC Surf will take on No. 4 NTH-NASA and No. 8 and No. 9 United Futbol Academy and South Carolina United will go head to head. 

Looking at the first two weekends of results from ECNL Regional League, better known as ECNL-R, Boys Southeast Conference, SC Surf, CESA Triumph, NTH NASA, Concorde Fire Premier, Concorde Fire Platinum, and GSA all shared individual wins – the biggest win being 5-1, CESA Triumph over Concorde Fire Premier.  

 Drew Renner