England's men's club season begins with League One and League Two action; Newcastle's transfer struggles
Happy Friday and Happy August. Oh and you know what that second salutation means, don't you? English men's club football is back! How ever did we cope over those arduous 19 days since the 2024-25 season ended at the Club World Cup? I'm James Benge, here to guide you through the return of the EFL and so much more. Let's get into it!
📺 Footy fixAll times U.S./Eastern
Friday, August 1🏴 League One: Luton Town vs. AFC Wimbledon, 3 p.m. ➡️ Golazo Network, Paramount+🌎 Leagues Cup: Columbus Crew vs. Puebla, 7 p.m. ➡️ MLS Season Pass🇺🇸 NWSL: Seattle Reign vs. Angel City, 10:30 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
Saturday, August 2🏴 League One: Cardiff City vs. Peterborough United, 7:30 a.m. ➡️ Golazo Network, Paramount+🏴 League Two: Walsall vs. Swindon Town, 10 a.m. ➡️ Golazo Network, Paramount+🏴 Premiership: Motherwell vs. Rangers, 12:30 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Network, Paramount+🌎 Leagues Cup: Inter Miami vs. Necaxa, 7 p.m. ➡️ MLS Season Pass🇺🇸 USL Championship: Phoenix Rising vs. Birmingham Network, 8:30 p.m. ➡️ Golazo Network, Paramount+
Sunday, August 3🌍 Friendly: Newcastle United vs. Tottenham, 7 a.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Network, Paramount+🏴 Premiership: Celtic vs. St. Mirren, 11:30 a.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Network, Paramount+🇺🇸 NWSL: Orlando Pride vs. Utah Royals, 10:30 p.m. ➡️ Golazo Network, Paramount+
⚽ The Forward Line🏴 The EFL brings men's club football backIt might not feel like that long since the drama of the play off finals at Wembley, but we have really missed the EFL, which returns tonight. Championship clubs will have to wait a week to get going, the Premier League one further, which means a clean slate in England on which Leagues One and Two can make the mark. Their seasons begin on Friday afternoon as relegated Luton Town host AFC Wimbledon, who rose out of the League Two playoffs in May, at Kenilworth Road.
It promises to be an intriguing way to start the English domestic season proper with the hosts surely ranking among the favorites to return to the Championship this season. The third tier of English football is perhaps missing the ultra high-profile Wrexham and Birmingham City duking it out for promotion as they were last season, but Luton are not short on top talent for the division. No wonder, they are barely a year removed from Premier League relegation. Teden Mengi looked a solid player in the top flight while Nahki Wells has frequently delivered double figures in the Championship.
Still the hangover from double relegation can take a long time to shake off; just ask Sunderland. AFC Wimbledon will be looking to prey on that and the fan-owned club have plenty of momentum. They are determined to keep that party going and make the most of the television audience that is sure to flock to the Football League opener (including in the US, where you can catch coverage on CBS Sports Golazo Network and Paramount+). Manager Johnnie Jackson said as much.
- Jackson: "We're not here to make up the numbers, we want to make a statement. It's on TV -- we know they've picked it because they can see it's a mouthwatering tie with Luton having been where they've been and us getting promoted. They've seen something in this fixture that excites, and it's something that excites us. We want to be successful this season, so this gives us a chance to put a marker down. Big things are expected of them this season, but we want to go there and shock them."
There's plenty more to follow across the course of the weekend too. Cardiff City might be the big beasts of League One this season and will face a tricky opener at home to Peterborough United while Reading, their horizons brightening after a sale to American businessman Rob Couhig and Wycombe Wanderers could be two more vying for promotion to the Championship. The pressure is on for Cardiff and Luton in particular, as Chuck Booth notes in his guide to the new EFL season.
- Booth: "Cardiff will want to make sure that this stay in League One is a short one. The financial differences between this division and the Championship are drastic, and long stays can put bigger clubs on a road of no return to the top flight. Cardiff will need to bounce back quickly, and while Luton don't have the same financial strength as the Welsh side, soon the parachute payments from their Premier League relegation will run out. At that point, even with the renovations and investment that they were able to make while in the top flight, it will be a long road back to the top."
Meanwhile in League Two Barnet and Oldham Athletic are back in the Football League proper for the first time in a long time while a former Premier League team is looking to be on the up after years, perhaps even decades, of slumping. Swindon Town might just be one of the most intriguing teams to watch in England this season, not least because they have the legendary figure of Ian Holloway in the dugout. If not them then perhaps Salford City will be the team to watch, whose ownership group is led by David Beckham and Gary Neville.
The only thing that we can say for sure about the EFL is that plenty of its many, many storylines will seem utterly unpredictable at the start of the season. Whatever they do prove to be, you'll be able to follow them all with CBS Sports and the Golazo Network.
Tonight and SundayWe're now two weeks out from the start of the Premier League season, is panic starting to set in for some of the league's biggest clubs? You'd be surprised if it wasn't at Newcastle United, where Alexander Isak's willingness to move on threatens to be the cherry on top of the total lack of sundae at St. James' Park. The Swede is training at his former club Real Sociedad while his leading suitors Liverpool have reportedly seen an opening offer rejected. One suspects that that is not the end of matters.
Perhaps Newcastle might be able to stomach the loss of one of the Premier League's top strikers if they had a clear path to a primary alternative. That does not look like being the case with Manchester United making eyes at Benjamin Sesko at a time when, as CBS Sports reported on Thursday, they do not have to sell to buy the RB Leipzig striker. Sesko is ready to move on and has dismissed interest from Saudi Arabia to focus on a possible Premier League move. Worst of all for Newcastle, he is said to favor a switch to Old Trafford.
It is not as if Newcastle came into this window with nothing to do before the Isak drama. They needed to at least strengthen their frontline by replacing Callum Wilson and adding wing depth. So far only the latter has been managed with the signing of Anthony Elanga. But as the likes of Bryan Mbeumo and Joao Pedro turn them down, Eddie Howe is forced to make do and mend in attack. His goalkeeper options are being strengthened by a loan deal for Aaron Ramsdale, but the club would have preferred James Trafford. The new right sided center back is also nowhere to be seen as Howe tries to preach patience.
- Howe: "It's really important we fill those positions as quickly as possible, but also with the best people possible. Again, I would probably urge the club to make the right decision over speed, because the long term is the most important for Newcastle. We are working effectively, albeit in a very different way. We've got people who are very actively involved at board level filling those gaps. So I don't think we're necessarily harmed by what is going on, it's just the window and the transfer market itself is the problem, not workings behind the scenes."
To make Newcastle's struggles worse, their great rivals have been impressively active in recent days. On Friday morning Sunderland announced the signing of Robin Roefs, the outstanding goalkeeper in the Netherlands last season, a deal that came hot on the heels of Granit Xhaka trading Champions League football with Bayer Leverkusen for the battle against relegation at the Stadium of Light. With two weeks to go it rather seems like almost everyone in the Premier League is getting better except for Newcastle.
🔗 Top Stories🧐 League One and Two guide: Ready to dive into the third and fourth tier of the English game? Let Chuck Booth be your guide on the fallen giants, promotion contenders and Americans to watch out for.
🇸🇮 Manchester United's Sesko move: Ruben Amorim's side have made Sesko their leading target as they look to strengthen their attack and there is reason for confidence that a deal can be done.
💸 Worst transfers ever: On the subject of the market, here's 10 signings that will live on in history for all the wrong reasons.
😮 Inter Miami claim dramatic win: The Leagues Cup began in style for Lionel Messi and company as they won 2-1 over Atlanta United.
📊 NWSL predictions revisited: We're at the midway point in the league season so it's time to look back at Sandra Herrera's pre-season predictions with a critical lens. That Temwa Chawinga call is looking strong.
👀 Brady slams Rooney: Tom Brady didn't hold back in assessing the first hire as Birmingham City coach during his part-ownership tenure, describing Wayne Rooney as "entitled" and "lazy". Yikes.
⚪️ Frank makes an impact: There wasn't too much to glean from Tottenham's 1-0 win over Arsenal in a preseason friendly but perhaps one facet of Spurs' game stood out: the danger they posed from dead balls.
💰 The Back Line💵 Best bets- EFL League One💰 THE PICK: Wycombe Wanderers to be promoted (+600) -- It has been a summer of ambition in Buckinghamshire, where the backing of Georgian billionaire Mikhail Lomtadze has led to nine signings, including former Borussia Dortmund academy player Bradley Fink. At the time of writing the in-demand Richard Kone is also on the Wycombe books as a side who were Wrexham and Birmingham's nearest rivals for much of last season bid to build on last season's run to the semifinals of the playoffs.
For more picks, predictions, expert tips and the latest betting news, don't miss out on CBSSports.com's betting home page.
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