Connelly's must-see international soccer: Klopp vs. Xavi

On paper, a three-week international break like the one international soccer has now embarked upon seems pretty fantastic. And unlike virtually every other change the sport takes on, it's actually player-friendly, too.

Because there's less travel to and from camp for the players, you can play as many matches in a three-week break as you can in two two-week breaks. FIFA is attempting to merge the previous September and October breaks into one and, if it catches on, you could conceivably do the same for the November and March breaks too.

I love the thought of having one three-week break in the fall and one in the spring. It would clear up two weeks of the schedule for the players -- or more, if Jurgen Klopp's approach of basically inviting two different batches of players for two matches each becomes the norm -- and it would make the club season less stop-and-start in the fall months.

Now we have to see if everyone actually enjoys it. It seems like a good window. The UEFA Nations League features a number of headline matches -- and Klopp's highly anticipated debut as Germany boss -- but the schedule is fleshed out nicely by qualification matches for the Africa Cup of Nations, a quartet of United States friendlies and Lionel Messi's final international match. There's a lot to follow and potentially enjoy; here's what I'll be following the closest.

- Vickery: South America's next generation of No. 10s
- This international break: Messi's farewell, AFCON qualifying
- Olley: Should England emulate Spain's style or 'embrace chaos'?

The Klopp era begins

Perhaps Germany's recent failures in major tournaments are just proof that odds work as they're supposed to. For seemingly decades, Germany's results suggested the law of averages didn't actually matter. They would stumble early in a tournament, it would end up not hurting them at all, and then they'd shift into gear when it mattered the most.

In the 1974 FIFA World Cup, for instance, West Germany lost to East Germany to finish second in their group, then rolled to the title. In the 1982 World Cup, they suffered a shock loss to Algeria and needed the "Disgrace of Gijon" to make the knockout rounds, then surged to the finals. Even in 2014, before they could issue an all-time 7-1 humiliation to hosts Brazil and beat Messi's Argentina, they drew with Ghana and needed extra time to beat Algeria in the round of 16.

Including the Euros, Germany/West Germany made at least the semis in 19 of 26 major tournaments, including runs of 10-of-12 from 1970 to 1992 and six straight from 2006 to 2016. They usually suffered a hiccup or a close call that they had to overcome, but they almost always overcame it.

Since their run to the semis at Euro 2016, however, Germany's luck has run out. They have played in five major tournaments and advanced to just one quarterfinal and no semis. They suffered basically 15 bad minutes against Japan in the 2022 World Cup and got eliminated because of it despite otherwise playing well. They were statistically the best team at Euro 2024 but lost to Spain in the quarterfinals in part because of a tenuous non-handball call. In the 2026 World Cup, they got football'd in the round of 32, falling to Paraguay on penalties despite a three-to-one shots advantage and a 4.5-to-1 xG advantage.

These things happen if you play in enough tournaments. But for Germany, it went from almost never happening to always happening.

This is the backdrop for the start of the Klopp era.

Poor results create feelings of crisis even if poor fortune is involved, but Klopp is, as far as soccer goes, almost a soothing figure. He inspires quotes like, "I believe that he is simply a very, very special person," and "It's definitely something where you say, 'Hey, cool, that I can now train under Jürgen Klopp,'" and "You have to say, he is one of the best coaches in the world. And when he calls, you can't say no."

He has just about the best reputation in the world for man management, and his tactics of choice are basically the German DNA at this point.

Klopp indeed invited 44 players into camp with the idea of breaking them into two squads and giving each squad two matches. As tends to be the case this soon after a World Cup, the ages in the squad skewed relatively young and inexperienced: Only five of 44 players are 30 or older, 16 are 23 or younger, 15 are in line for their first German cap, and 12 more have fewer than 10 caps.

If anything, however, I was almost surprised that the roster didn't skew even younger than that. Klopp brought on plenty of Germany's most exciting youngsters -- Bayern attacking midfielder Lennart Karl (18), FC Cologne winger Said El Mala (20), Bayern Munich midfielder Tom Bischof (21) and others -- and a few others, such as RB Leipzig midfielder Assan Ouédraogo (20) and RB Leipzig winger Brajan Gruda (22), only missed out because of injury. But torrid AS Monaco forward Paris Brunner (20) didn't get the call, nor did Strasbourg defender Karim Coulibaly (19) or SC Freiburg goalkeeper Mio Backhaus (22). Still, it's a fun, young and experimental group.

Klopp vs. Xavi

Klopp's debut would be interesting even if Germany were starting out with Malta, but his first match is instead far bigger than that: Germany will visit Amsterdam to play the Netherlands in the Nations League, and that means a matchup with maybe the second-most interesting debuting coach.

Former Barcelona star and manager Xavi Hernandez takes over, and while technical director Nigel de Jong openly (and somewhat hilariously) declared at Xavi's introductory news conference that he was their third choice for the job -- Dutch directness is amazing -- the hire made lots of sense. And it was perhaps a sign of progress that the federation didn't just circle back and hire Louis van Gaal or Guus Hiddink again. No one recycles hires like the KNVB; Rinus Michels coached the national team for four different stints, while Van Gaal, Dick Advocaat and Jan Zwartkruis each had three, and Hiddink and Ronald Koeman are among many to have held the job twice.

Xavi's brand of ball at Barcelona wasn't nearly as aggressive (or fun) as his successor Hansi Flick's, but it was more expansive than the more paranoid brands of possession ball deployed by recent Dutch coaches like Van Gaal or, especially, Koeman. And conveniently, Xavi has succeeded Koeman before, at Barcelona in late 2021. We can make some semirelevant comparisons. Xavi's 2022-23 and 2023-24 Barça teams were far more assertive defensively than Koeman's 2020-21 Barça, attacking opponents further up the pitch and playing with a higher defensive line. It helped to create more high-value scoring opportunities, too: Despite not having Messi, who left at the end of the 2020-21 season, Xavi's Barça ranked first in the league in xG per shot compared to fifth for Koeman's team. And despite the increased risk, they also allowed fewer goals (0.8 per match) than Koeman (1.0).

Increased defensive intensity and more proactive attacking could look pretty good on a squad that features players on lots of possession-friendly clubs, such as Liverpool (Ryan Gravenberch, Cody Gakpo, Jeremie Frimpong and Virgil van Dijk), PSV Eindhoven (Guus Til, Lutsharel Geertruida and Ruben van Bommel) and Borussia Dortmund (Joey Veerman). I also think it benefits younger players such as Chelsea's Jorrel Hato, Feyenoord's Gjivai Zechiël and Sunderland's Brian Brobbey more than the extremely paranoid tactics that Koeman deployed during the Netherlands' World Cup elimination against Morocco. His formation was ostensibly a 3-4-2-1, but it played more like a 5-4-1 and honestly felt more like a 9-0-1 at times, with Brobbey isolated up top and managing 13 touches in 71 minutes. Xavi isn't Flick, but he's not that either.

The beginning of a really fun USMNT cycle -- or at least, as fun as a USMNT cycle can be

Four friendlies await for a new, young U.S. men's national team in this window -- against Peru, Chile and Concacaf rivals Mexico and Canada. Here are three quick thoughts on the coming window.

1. This is the fun part. If you've ever attempted to discuss the USMNT online, you know that the vibes grow pretty toxic pretty quickly. Maybe that's a sign of the U.S. being a perfectly advanced soccer country, but it's still rough. But this should be by far the most enjoyable international break of the entire four-year World Cup cycle. For one thing, results simply don't matter yet. You always want to beat Mexico and Canada, of course, but we're basically 3.8 years away from the next World Cup. The stakes are low, and individual performances mean more than final scores. And there are lots of intriguing individuals to follow.

2. This is the deepest class of American youngsters MLS has produced. Of the 28 players Mauricio Pochettino called up for these four matches, 13 are looking for their first cap with the national team, and four more have made 10 or fewer appearances. And even more than Klopp, Pochettino went young here -- 15 players, over half the squad, are 22 or younger. Yesterday's youngsters are today's steely-eyed veterans.

Pochettino made these choices, in part, because now's the time to make them. But he also did it because he had no choice. This crop of youngsters is too good, and he needs to find out what he has. Cavan Sullivan isn't just a productive player for his age (which is, for another few days, 16); he has legitimately been one of the two or three best players in MLS since the World Cup ended. Adri Mehmeti (17) and Julian Hall (18) have been two of the five or six best players on a probable MLS playoff team at Red Bull New York. New England Revolution's Peyton Miller (18) and Brooklyn Raines (21) are regular starters for the second-best team in the MLS Eastern Conference, and Miller has the third-most goals and assists on the team. Neil Pierre (18) is an aerial duels god for Sullivan's Philadelphia Union, and Frankie Westfield (20) is a regular chance creator. Justin Ellis (19) leads Orlando City SC, another likely playoff team, in assists and successful one-on-ones in the box. Zavier Gozo (19) logged six goals and four assists for Real Salt Lake in just 1,417 minutes and already transferred to the Premier League (Crystal Palace).

Outside of MLS, Cole Campbell (20) has started all four matches for SV Elversberg, one of the Bundesliga's early pleasant surprises, and Mathis Albert (17) created three chances with a whopping 14 progressive carries for Borussia Dortmund in a recent DFB Pokal win.

The depth of the USMNT's young star power means fans no longer have to count on one guy to come through. And over these coming four matches, we'll get to watch a lot of youngsters trying to put their best foot forward under the watchful eye of veterans such as Antonee Robinson, Tyler Adams and Chris Richards.

3. The defenders are the most important. Sullivan is the most tantalizing U.S. prospect MLS has ever produced, but if there's a "This one guy needs to be amazing" prospect among the youngsters, it might be Pierre. The player pool in central defense worries me and, at 6-foot-5, Pierre is a towering, if still quite lanky, presence. Over 11 starts in all competitions this season, he has won 73% of his aerial duels, but he has also been a wall against oncoming attackers, winning 79% of all ground duels. He averages a solid 11.7 defensive interventions per 90 minutes, and he has scored four goals, including three from set pieces.

Pierre hasn't mastered the ball progression duties of the job just yet, but he's already checking quite a few boxes. And with Noahkai Banks choosing to play for Germany instead of the U.S., Pierre's emergence as a reliable national team piece would be the single best development of this window.

Checking in our Cape Verde friends

A big summer tournament is like summer camp -- we make a new batch of friends, grow close to them and then leave for home (club soccer) and lose touch with them until the next summer. Cape Verde was one of the coolest stories of the World Cup, with players such as goalkeeper Vozinha and Sidny Lopes Cabral, scorer of the wondergoal against Argentina, becoming nearly household names for a moment. But then summer camp ended.

Depending on your viewing preferences, you might have encountered some of your Cape Verde friends in club play. The 40-year-old Vozinha made a ballyhooed move to Chilean power Colo Colo and has allowed one goal in two starts. Cabral was on the pitch for 18 minutes during Trabzonspor's 4-0 stomping of Galatasaray -- which featured a Mo Salah hat trick -- last week. Winger Jovane Cabral has quickly become a contributor for Brazil's Grêmio. Veteran defender Pico Lopes remains a stalwart for League of Ireland-leading Shamrock Rovers. Still, Cape Verdean players remain a diaspora of sorts, scattered among mostly minor leagues.

For the first time since the Argentina match in Atlanta, they'll be back in action together this week. And the band is definitely getting back together -- 21 players recorded more than 30 minutes at the World Cup, and they've all been called up to Cape Verde's AFCON qualification squad. (That includes captain Ryan Mendes, despite a rape investigation, which is quite appalling.) They'll play a pair of AFCON qualification matches, first playing at Mali on Friday then hosting Rwanda. It will be their first home match since the World Cup and should be a fun occasion.

AFCON qualification as a whole starts with a bang: Of the five possible matchups between teams with the best combined FIFA rankings -- No. 6 Morocco vs. No. 84 Gabon, No. 31 Ivory Coast vs. No. 65 Ghana, No. 24 Egypt vs. No. 87 Angola, No. 53 Mali vs. No. 64 Cape Verde, and No. 29 Algeria vs. No. 90 Zambia -- all will take place, on the home field of the higher-ranked team, on either Thursday or Friday. The top two teams from each four-team group advance, so the stakes aren't too high here, but it's a fun way to start. And a lot of the matches will air in the U.S. on either beIN Sports or beIN Sports Extra.

10 international matches to watch

There's certainly quite a bit to follow over the next two weeks, but if your time is limited, here are the 10 matches you should absolutely track.

1. Sept. 24: Germany vs. Netherlands (UEFA Nations League): For all the reasons mentioned above. Whatever Klopp feels is his better of two teams will likely get the nod for this one.

2. Sept. 24: Curaçao vs. Costa Rica (Concacaf Nations League): Just as watching Cape Verde will be a bit of a reunion, checking in again on Eloy Room and Curaçao will have similar vibes, and they start their Concacaf Nations League journey with a big one against a Costa Rica team looking to engineer a rebound.

3. Sept. 25: Cape Verde vs. Mali (AFCON qualification): Your friends from Cape Verde will have their hands full against Brentford's Mamadou Sangare, Paris FC's Lassine Sinayoko and an ambitious Mali squad.

4. Sept. 26: Spain vs. England (UEFA Nations League): The UEFA Nations League was created in part to conjure up more high-profile matches between major tournaments, and I'd say it did its job here. Spain's first match as reigning World Cup champs will come at Wembley against a World Cup semifinalist.

5. Sept. 26: Peru vs. USA (Friendly): A first look at the kids!

6. Sept. 27: Portugal vs. Norway (UEFA Nations League): Another big early pairing. Between Portugal, Denmark, Norway and Wales, only two teams will advance to the Nations League quarterfinals, so Norway will need to hold serve in this one. And if you thought we were done with the "Why do Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal continue this dance together when it is clearly holding the team back and is damaging his reputation" show ... think again! He's in the squad. Of course he is. He did, after all, only say that his World Cup journey is over. He could try to hold on for Euro 2028.

7. Oct. 2: Italy vs. France (UEFA Nations League): Roberto Mancini's second stint as Italy's head man begins with a pretty rugged window: Belgium, at Türkiye, at France, Türkiye. Half of his 34 call-ups are 24 or younger, so we'll see how quickly they can get going. And I'm thinking Zinedine Zidane's talented-as-ever France will be worth watching, too.

8. Oct. 3: Mexico vs. USA (Friendly): Obviously.

9. Oct. 6: Benin vs. Argentina (Friendly): Messi's "last tango" -- a massive star who knows when to call it quits, how refreshing -- will likely be the most emotional match of the window.

10. Oct. 6: Canada vs. USA (friendly): The window closes with another rivalry game of sorts for the U.S. Let's see if the vibes are as bright and optimistic in a couple of weeks as they are now.