Erik ten Hag finally shown the door at Manchester United | Ballon d’Or drama with Vinicius Junior and Rodri

Hey there! There was no shortage of entertaining games over the weekend, but Monday’s news means the week is already off to a busy start. I’m Pardeep Cattry with the latest.

Footy fix

All times U.S./Eastern

Monday, Oct. 28
Women’s friendly: Germany vs. Australia, 1 p.m. Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network
Ballon d’Or, 3 p.m. Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network
MLS Cup playoffs: FC Cincinnati vs. NYCFC, 6:45 p.m. FS1
MLS Cup playoffs: Seattle Sounders vs. Houston Dynamo, 9 p.m. FS1

Tuesday, Oct. 29
Women’s friendly: Italy vs. Spain, 1:15 p.m. Paramount+
Serie A: AC Milan vs. Napoli, 2:45 p.m. Paramount+
MLS Cup playoffs: Columbus Crew vs. New York Red Bulls, 6:45 p.m. FS1
MLS Cup playoffs: Real Salt Lake vs. Minnesota United, 9 p.m. FS1

The Forward Line

The end is finally here for Erik ten Hag

Erik ten Hag’s troubled tenure as the Manchester United manager finally came to an end on Monday, with the team’s 2-1 loss at West Ham on Sunday serving as the final straw before he was fired. Ruud van Nistelrooy will lead United on an interim basis, though the team’s 14th place spot in the Premier League table suggests there’s much work to be done for United to move on from the ten Hag era.

The Dutchman got off to a strong start with United, leading them to a third place finish at the end of the 2022-23 season and lifting the EFL Cup, but things soured quickly the following year. The Red Devils crashed out of the UEFA Champions League and finished eighth in the Premier League, notching their lowest-ever league finish. Ten Hag surprisingly won last season’s FA Cup though it did little to suggest that United were on the right track. Yet, United’s higher-ups opted to keep the manager around – he signed a new deal in July and the club spent more than $200 million on players of ten Hag’s liking. Unsurprisingly, the plan did not work – ten Hag led the Red Devils to their worst-ever Premier League start and is out, just three months after receiving a vote of confidence.

The race to hire ten Hag’s successor is officially underway, with the likes of ex-England manager Gareth Southgate and current Brentford boss Thomas Frank being name-dropped. It is unclear how quickly United will act to hire a new manager, though the vacancy is just one of several problems facing the club. The clearly ill-fated decision to stick with ten Hag for an additional 115 days was a costly one between his extension, severance package and transfer strategy, glaringly so as Ratcliffe leads a cost-cutting mission that included layoffs to other staff and stripping Sir Alex Ferguson of his role  as ambassador. As James Benge writes, it will not be easy for van Nistelrooy or ten Hag’s eventual successor to escape the mess left by the previous manager and the club’s higher-ups.

• Benge: “Whether these were signings championed by the manager is rather beside the point. They were evidently additions that fit into a profile established by a manager who had hung on by a thread. Ruud van Nistelrooy and the eventual permanent successor are going to have to work out what to do with a center forward who doesn’t get goals, a center back whose immobility was routinely exposed at Juventus and Bayern Munich and the collection of mixed talent with whom United had drifted away from the top six. Even for a club of their means, loading up the roster and balance sheet at a time when their footballing identity had not been set — either by the manager or those above him — seems an almighty waste.”

Though the ten Hag era at United comes to its expected end, the club seems to have unlocked a new layer of mismanagement and instability that is beginning to define them.

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  Midfield Link Play

The suddenly very competitive race for the Ballon d’Or

A collection of the world’s top players will gather in Paris on Monday for the Ballon d’Or ceremony, as the exciting uncertainty around the winners of the men’s and women’s awards dominates the pre-ceremony conversation.

This year’s award on the men’s side marks a new era for the game as neither Lionel Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo were named to the 30 player shortlist, teasing years of competition to come as a handful of competitors vie for the title of the game’s best player. The 2024 ceremony has been clouded by claims that someone, somewhere actually knows who the eventual winner is, though the murmurs have been in conflict with each other. What feels clear amongst the chatter is that this year’s competition is a two-horse race between Vinicius Junior and Rodri, two players with reasonable arguments for the prize but do not feel like a certain thing.

Vinicius was a crucial member of Real Madrid’s double-winning team last season with 24 goals and nine assists, including a goal in June’s UEFA Champions League final. He’s also emerging as the face of the club’s new-look Galacticos, though Brazil’s unimpressive quarterfinal exit at the Copa America could hurt his case. City, meanwhile, lifted only the Premier League trophy last season but Rodri cemented himself as the most important player on Pep Guardiola’s dominant team, and made up for it by winning the Euros with Spain and being named the player of the tournament.

The lack of a clear-cut winner also makes the women’s award an equally captivating story to follow. Reigning champion Aitana Bonmati has a strong case after winning the UEFA Women’s Champions League with Barcelona, though Spain’s failure to medal at the Olympics could thrust a wide array of players into the winners’ circle instead. That’s where things become incredibly uncertain, though – players like U.S. women’s national team stars Trinity Rodman and Mallory Swanson are being name-dropped after winning gold in Paris, while Bonmati’s Barcelona teammate Caroline Graham Hansen is also being showered with praise. There’s also adoration for the Orlando Pride’s Barbra Banda, who has excelled in her first NWSL season, though it’s unclear which way the voting body will lean.

Attendance issues could also plague the ceremony this season. Rumors are rampant that Real Madrid’s delegation, which includes seven nominees for the men’s award, could skip the ceremony after hearing that Rodri will win the prize, while several nominees for the women’s award will be absent. For a second year running, the Ballon d’Or ceremony was scheduled during a women’s international window, creating scheduling conflicts. While Bonmati could be available after skipping Spain’s friendlies over fixture congestion concerns, England manager Sarina Wiegman said it was “disappointing” that the organizers did not take their schedule into account. Three England players are up for the award, though nominee Lauren James could be in Paris while nursing an injury.

  Top Stories

Barcelona thrash Real Madrid: Barcelona won 4-0 in El Clasico on Saturday as the title race tilts in their favor, resetting expectations for a star-studded Real Madrid side in the process. The game, though, was marred by racist abuse directed towards Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal.

Ten Hag post-mortem: More on Manchester United’s decision to fire Erik ten Hag, his not-so-impressive tenure at the club, his potential successor and why the club’s structure makes correcting course much easier said than done.

USWNT win again: The USWNT came from behind to beat Iceland 3-1 on Sunday, with Racing Louisville rookie Emma Sears notching a goal and an assist on her international debut.

Arsenal, Liverpool draw: Arsenal’s defensive strengths may have cost them as they tied 2-2 with Liverpool in Premier League action on Sunday.

Thrilling Derby d’Italia: Inter and Juventus tied 4-4 on Sunday, with USMNT star Tim Weah scoring in the first half of the high-scoring game.

PSG beat Marseille: Paris Saint-Germain picked up a 3-0 win over Marseille on Sunday, restoring the French champions’ confidence after a midweek draw with PSV in Champions League action.

KDB to MLS?: MLS expansion side San Diego FC has reportedly held talks with Manchester City’s Kevin de Bruyne as they prepare for their first season in 2025.

RIP Holden Trent: Philadelphia Union goalkeeper Holden Trent died aged 25, his family announced Saturday, after being admitted into intensive care earlier that week.

  The Back Line

Best bets

• MLS Cup playoffs: Seattle Sounders vs. Houston Dynamo, Monday, 9 p.m.
  THE PICK: Jordan Morris to score (+170) – The Seattle Sounders will aim for the win to kick off this best-of-three series, though it will be no easy feat against the Western Conference’s second-best defense. That’s where Jordan Morris comes in – he leads the Sounders with 13 goals this season, making him a reliable player to count on, especially with home field advantage.
• MLS Cup Playoffs: Columbus Crew vs. New York Red Bulls, Tuesday, 6:45 p.m.
  THE PICK: Columbus Crew to win 2-1 (+700) – The Columbus Crew are the easy favorites in this side, but not only because of their three-game winning streak and their status as the reigning MLS Cup champions. A rotated Crew beat the Red Bulls just two weeks ago, a strong sign that Wilfried Nancy’s full-strength team will deliver the goods on Tuesday. They might not make it out with a clean sheet, though – the Red Bulls have scored in each of their last seven games.

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

What’s on CBS Sports Golazo Network

 Morning Footy (Weekdays 8-10 a.m.): Hosts Susannah Collins, Charlie Davies, Nico Cantor and Alexis Guerreros help fans get their day started 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.

3⃣ Attacking Third (Monday, Thursday): The leading women’s soccer podcast and social brand is now a live studio show. The NWSL season is back and our coverage of the women’s game is stronger than ever. Our analysts will be breaking down the USWNT, NWSL and European domestic season all year long. And don’t miss Wednesday live streams on YouTube at 11 a.m. ET.

Call it What You Want (Monday night): A weekly podcast where Jimmy Conrad, Charlie Davies and friends cover all things USMNT and the state of the beautiful game in the United States. You can also catch the show streaming live on YouTube every Monday at 11 a.m. ET.

 Scoreline (Daily): Scoreline is the newest 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, starting Thursday and 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+.