Facundo Cambeses of Racing is called up and with Emiliano Martínez not fully fit, Scaloni has decided to include four goalkeepers in the team. The 28 year old goalkeepers has previously played for the Argentina U20 and Argentina U23 teams.
Lautaro Rivero of River Plate is also called up for the first time. The 21 year old centre-back not played for an Argentina youth team.
Aníbal Moreno of Palmeiras is also included. The 26 year old midfielder has also previously played with the Argentina U20 and Argentina U23 national teams.
Marcos Senesi also returns to the Argentina national team for the first time in over three years.
In the city of Naples, Florida, a group of Argentines has created a space to connect through football, culture, and social gatherings. The initiative, called Argentinos Naples Club, was founded by Carlos Adducci, a Rosario native and former football coach and video analyst who has lived in the United States since 2019.
From Rosario to Naples
“I was born in Rosario in 1982,” Adducci said. “I started playing football at five years old at a neighborhood club near my house. That’s where my interest in the sport began.”
After several years working in Argentina’s football system, including with Deportivo Morón alongside coach Walter Otta, Adducci moved to Florida. “They had offered me to come to Naples United a few times before. In 2019, everything lined up — a club wanted me as a coach, and my daughter got a gymnastics scholarship in Naples,” he explained. “It was supposed to be one year, but it’s been almost seven.”
Photo courtesy of Argentinos Naples Club.
Origins of the club
Argentinos Naples Club began informally with weekly football matches. “It started with twelve or thirteen people who met on Fridays to play and eat choripán,” Adducci said. “Now it’s around one hundred people every week. We rent two full-size fields, and we call it ‘fútbol chori.’”
As participation increased, Adducci and others decided to formalize the group. “The club isn’t a football team,” he clarified. “It’s a social and cultural space for the Argentine community in Naples. Football is the meeting point, but the goal is to build community.”
Activities and events
The club was officially established in December 2023, during an event celebrating the first anniversary of Argentina’s World Cup win. “We organized a party with a DJ at a local restaurant,” Adducci said. “Since then, we’ve held three events with live music. The idea is to promote Argentine culture and also give space to local or regional bands, whether from Naples, Miami, or Orlando.”
The organization also supports local Argentine businesses. “We help promote restaurants and food ventures owned by Argentines in the area,” he said. “Some work from home, others have established restaurants.”
Photo courtesy of Argentinos Naples Club.
Watching the national team
Football remains a central activity for the group. “For the Copa América final between Argentina and Colombia, we gathered about 80 people in a restaurant here,” Adducci said. “Some decided not to travel to Miami for the match, so we watched it together in Naples.”
The club is now preparing for the 2026 World Cup. “Tickets will be expensive, especially for Argentina’s matches, so we’re planning a FanFest here,” he said. “If we gather 100 or 150 people, that’s already a success for us, because Naples has around 90,000 residents and the Argentine community is relatively small.”
Exequiel Palacios has renewed his contract with Bayer Leverkusen.
Palacios joined Bayer Leverkusen in 2020 from River Plate for €17 million and has renewed until 2030 with the club. Bayer Leverkusen announced that the Argentine signed a renewal on Friday.
With Bayer Leverkusen, Palacios was part of the legendary team which won the 2023-2024 Bundesliga title. He is presently out injured until the end of the year.
Aston Villa defeated Feyenoord 2-0 away in Rotterdam in the second round of the Europa League group stage. Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez was announced as the starting goalkeeper but did not take the field.
The Argentine world champion felt calf tightness during the warm-up and chose not to risk it. As a result, Marco Bizot started in goal, with Martínez not even on the bench.
His situation comes just hours before Lionel Scaloni announces the Argentina squad for the upcoming friendlies in the United States against Venezuela and Puerto Rico.
