Another Academy player who hasn't made the grade
Also tried to read an article on Gazette live and wasn't able to as it is described as a Premium Article and needs a subscription. Is this new?
It seems strange to me that English teams would go to the USA to play friendlies against other English teams. Maybe they're hoping that the recent World Cup excitement will be continuing and that they can cash in on it?
It'll be interesting to find out what the attendances were and how much the tickets cost.
Another Academy player who hasn't made the grade
Also tried to read an article on Gazette live and wasn't able to as it is described as a Premium Article and needs a subscription. Is this new?
i had exactly the same experience. This is now the second article cloistered away in their new premium section for £5 a month. I assume that most of the interesting new stuff will disappear behind this pay wall.
It appears as if the Northern Echo is open. Dominic Shaw writes for them, and he is generally up to date.
https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/sport/football/middlesbrough/
he also has a podcast You Are My Boro.
utb
This is maybe why Berhalter is coming
https://www.tiktok.com/@kalendoestiktok/video/7574460317808266551
😂 Well there are good moves and then a few dodgy ones too - at least Boro will have a well choreographed midfield by the looks of it…
Am I right in thinking Boro are playing a pre season friendly against Huddersfield this afternoon “behind closed doors”.
Come on BORO.
BERHALTER
We are being told that Berhalter appears to have a decent pedigree . Age 25, played in the World Cup, has 18 caps for USA, joined current club 4 years ago playing around 160 games and scored 20 goals. Sounds to be a first teamer alongside Morris. And all for around £1m. Sounds too cheap even with his contract expiring soon.
Whats the catch? The American league is far from the standard of the Championship and so I’m cautiously optimistic hoping he’ll be a decent signing but not in the Morris standard. Time will tell.
PHILIP OF HUDDERSFIELD
🤔🤔🤔
@exmil. Yes. Which according to the club website they lost 1-3 😎
Boro v Huddersfield kick off was 1pm.
Game was split into two 60 minutes half’s, Hellberg used two different 11’s for each half.
Whittaker equalised Huddersfield opener to finish the first 60 minutes 1-1.
Huddersfield scored twice without reply in the second 60 minutes.
Come on BORO.
Here are some pictures from the match:@exmil. Yes. Which according to the club website they lost 1-3 😎
https://www.mfc.co.uk/news/2026/july/25/lankshear-gets-first-minutes-in-training-game/
Up the Boro!
A more detailed report from Huddersfield website:
https://www.htafc.com/news/2026/july/25/report--middlesbrough-1-3-town-/
Come on BORO.
It seems strange to me that English teams would go to the USA to play friendlies against other English teams. Maybe they're hoping that the recent World Cup excitement will be continuing and that they can cash in on it?
It'll be interesting to find out what the attendances were and how much the tickets cost.
Yes certainly does sound like a money-making exercise - just reading about Liverpool playing Sunderland in Nashville yesterday - tickets were priced at between $129 and $392 for a pre-season friendly that didn't include World Cup players. Apparently the official attendance was quoted at around 25,000 in a stadium that holds 30,000 - though the reporter deemed the crowd as being "sparse" with plenty of empty seats.
Final score: Liverpool 4 - 2 Sunderland
Thanks for the link - I've not being observing matters during the summer but is this Boro's new all-red kit without a chest band for next season? Plus new sponsors called Midnite?
Yes this is the new home kit. Midnite are an online gambling company.
https://www.mfc.co.uk/news/2026/july/06/colours-of-this-love--boro-s-2026-27-kits-revealed/
@werdermouth The new home kit has sold in all-time record level. Perhaps the 150th anniversary and new crest.
BTW, here is more about the new, yet to be announced midfielder called Sebastian Berhalter:
Up the Boro!
Thanks Jarrko, a really interesting piece on Berhalter. You could scarcely get a more positive set of recommendations, both personal and professional, than those. I was a bit unsure of him solely on the grounds that his name was a little too close to Barlaser for my liking. But we could certainly do with someone who is prepared to work his socks off on set-pieces, as well as being a good character who provides plenty of midfield energy and a decent shot.
Btw I won't be subscribing to the Gazette's Premium option. The number of articles I have read there that are of premium quality over the past few years could have been counted on the fingers of one hand, whereas they are a regular weekly feature of this blog.
Indeed any Diasboro contributor could write Gazette articles in their own head at any time. The first half is generally a contextual recap of what everyone already knows, followed by, say a precis of what someone who is not as well as informed as we are, such as Alan Shearer, Danny Murphy or an ex-Boro pro like Pallister or Mendieta has said in an interview or an off-the -cuff remark.
The only downside for me is that I may be unable to keep my usual tabs on the extent to which the club is using the local media to plant stories intended to pull the wool over supporters' eyes, as well as other PR purposes
@mw-in-darwin Although all red was how I remember playing in before Jack Charlton had the white chestband introduced, I have to say that i prefer designs that incorporate the band in some way or another. Plain red could be almost anyone. Glad to see the back of the previous shield based badge though.
I think the kit looks quite good design-wise with the gold trim but I think the lack of any white chest-band or even white trim threw me a little as it made it lack any real Boro identity - especially as the Huddersfield kit was unmistakably Huddersfield.
Personally, I think Boro should stick with the chest-band as that is what easily identifies the club for over 50 years now.
Thanks for that link and Berhalter sounds like he will be a very good addition on and off the pitch - perhaps the man to adequately replace Hackney too!
Incidentally, I liked the sound of those Normatec compression boots (image below) to accelerate muscle recovery that Berhalter uses - though they cost about a grand but maybe I can persuade Mrs Werder I'm worth it...
@werdermouth. That means you must be L’Oreal 3 as Mrs P is L’Oreal 1 and I am L’Oreal 2! 😎😂
I must say I’m finding the Gazette infuriating right now.
They have put a T logo and ‘Premium’ on some key articles, but now I’m getting a blocking panel on others which tells me I have no free articles remaining. This panel is impossible to remove, as it has no X anywhere to cancel it. The ‘Back to Homepage’ link just takes you back to the main Teesside news home page, which I very rarely use. I then start again, try the article again (which isn’t labelled T or premium) and get the same result. So even some of those articles they are not marking as paid-for choices are being blocked.
As I’ve used the site as my main source of Boro news for years - as we all have, no doubt - I’m in a quandary. Like you, Len, there are many articles I really can’t be bothered with, while some others are essential reading, but I’m very loathe to pay for the few I want to read.
Any solutions, anyone? Are there alternative reliable Boro sources, other than mfc.co.uk and the Echo?
@clive-hurren you could try PressReader which has a great deal of material on sport from many publications.
Monthly subscription is around £30 but if you have a library card in the UK access is free.
Chris
Does anyone know when the subscriptions are available for Boro Live? And what are the costs?
I hope they will let us know before next friendly match so that it can be included in the subscription. I know the League Cup match at home to Wrexham won't be included in the subscription - at least the Cup matches have never been available before.
I hope the club informs about its Boro Live better and earlier then in the recent past.
Up the Boro!
@jarkko. No news from MFC to date. I have been checking the website daily for the last two weeks.
As I understand it, this weekends friendly will be available via Riverside Live but not aware of the cost; as you say, hopefully they will announce that Riverside Live passes will be available to purchase this week for 2026/2027 and include the friendly game.
The Wrexham game is available on Sky sports so not sure if you will be able to pick up a live stream from elsewhere. 😎
No sooner had I posted the above when MFC announced the Riverside Live arrangements and prices for the 26/27 season!
JARKKO Please note the following:
“Please note that in a change to previous seasons, video streaming is not available seasonally or for any individual match in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland or Iceland, where rights are held exclusively by the local broadcaster Viaplay.”
“Prices
- Early Bird Video Season Pass (available until 31 August): £140
- Video Season Pass (31 August onwards): £180
- Audio Season Pass: £45
- Single Match Video Pass: £10
- Single Match Audio Pass £2.50” 😎
Boro have finally completed the signing of Sebastian Berhalter on a 4 year deal UTB.
Come on BORO.
BERHALTER
Very impressive first interview with Berhalter who handled all the questions very maturely.
Makes a change from the usual “I’m excited to be here”, “can’t wait to get started” etc
hilip of Huddersfield 👍😄