GOAL asked stars all over North American soccer to weigh in with predictions for the Super Bowl between KC and Philly
The Super Bowl is nearly here, and the eyes of the sporting world will be on New Orleans on Sunday night as Patrick Mahomes, Jason Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs take on Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley and the Philadelphia Eagles.
For decades, the Super Bowl has been as much of an event as it is a game. No matter who you are, no matter where you are, it's Super Bowl Sunday, and most Americans will be tuning in.
That extends to American soccer, too. Some of American soccer's top stars, like millions of others, will be tuning in. Everyone has a reason to watch, whether that's the game itself, the holiday culture around it or, the outrageous advertisements or – for some on this list – the halftime show featuring Kendrick Lamar.
Ahead of the big game, GOAL surveyed a group made up of familiar faces from North American soccer to discuss the upcoming game, their allegiances and what Super Bowl Sunday means to them.
Getty Images SportSUPER BOWL PREDICTIONS
GOAL spoke with a diverse group of players with varying allegiances, and the results were fairly split. Still, the Eagles held a slight edge among this pool of American soccer stars. While the Chiefs' dominance has won over many, a narrow majority backed Barkley, Hurts, and the Eagles. Consider the picks:
DANIEL SALLOI (SPORTING KC FORWARD): I think the Chiefs will win it. It’s going to be a tough game but you can just never count Mahomes out and he’s one of the best quarterbacks ever. He’s wanting to be the GOAT and this is his moment, this is a special game for him and the whole team so I really think they’re going to win it.
MEGAN RAPINOE (USWNT LEGEND): Honestly, I don't really care who wins. I think it cool when players and teams are great, and one of the teams is going for a three-peat so that would be cool, but I don't know. The commercials are going to be great and I'm really excited for Kendrick Lamar!
HIRVING 'CHUCKY' LOZANO (SAN DIEGO FC FORWARD): Eagles!
PATRICK AGYEMANG (CHARLOTTE FC FORWARD): I'll take the Eagles.
MAURICE EDU (FORMER USMNT MIDFIELDER, APPLE TV ANALYST): I feel like we're witnessing a generational type of player in Mahomes, and it's hard for me to bet against that. I love that Jalen Hurts is back in another Super Bowl. That's dope, but my prediction is KC gets it done, but I think it's closer than a lot of people think. Mahomes is the difference-maker yet again and continues to get closer and closer to that GOAT conversation. The fact that he's made it all look so easy, it almost is discrediting because everything they've done is so hard.
ROMAN BURKI (ST. LOUIS CITY SC GOALKEEPER): Chiefs because Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs just know how to win in the playoffs.
MIKEY VARAS (SAN DIEGO FC HEAD COACH): I don’t have a crystal ball, but it’s hard to bet against Patrick Mahomes.
SEBASTIAN LLETGET (FC DALLAS MIDFIELDER): I would like to see Philly win it, but it's getting really hard to doubt Pat Mahomes' greatness.
KEATON PARKES (NYCFC MIDFIELDER): Eagles because of Saquan Barkley.
LUCA DE LA TORRE (SAN DIEGO FC MIDFIELDER): I'll go with the Chiefs
MATEUSZ KLICH (ATLANTA UNITED MIDFIELDER): I would like Mahomes to get his three-peat. He really is such a great player.
KELLYN ACOSTA (CHICAGO FIRE MIDFIELDER): I hate to say this because I am a Cowboys fan, but I have to say the Eagles because my girlfriend is from Philly. She's a die-hard fan.
PAUL ARRIOLA (SEATTLE SOUNDERS WINGER/WING BACK): The Eagles, just because Saquon is on another level right now.
MATT FREESE (NEW YORK CITY FC GOALKEEPER): The Eagles because they deserve it.
AJ MARCUCCI (NEW YORK RED BULLS GOALKEEPER): Philadelphia Eagles. They have the best defense in the league, averaging 11.6 PPG given up on turf. They are a better team than the 2022-2023 team that lost to the Chiefs. They have a generational offensive line and running back, while also having a top-three tandem WR core in the NFL. Also, almost every player has prior Super Bowl experience and Jalen Hurts is trying to prove something in this game.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportWHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE TEAM?
SALLOI: The Chiefs. The very first time the Chiefs won it, we went to the KC Power and Light District – it was such a big party, you just enjoy it with your friends. At that point I didn’t even know what the chances were of winning it, I was just rooting for the Chiefs in general. Unbelievable fourth-quarter comeback, it made it a special night. After, the city was buzzing, I’d never seen it like that.
AGYEMANG: The Pittsburgh Steelers.
LOZANO: The San Francisco 49ers.
LLETGET: I'm from the Bay, so it's the 49ers obviously.
BURKI: Carolina Panthers
PARKES: The Cowboys.
EDU: I grew up a Niners fan because my uncle lived in The Bay. That was the first game I ever went to. A lot of my friends are Rams fans, so I go to games with them every now and then. I live in Vegas, but I'm not a Raiders fan. Can't do it.
VARAS: The San Francisco 49ers.
KLICH: When I first moved to D.C., I started following the Commanders. That was my first time going to see an NFL game live, so I had to stay loyal to them.
ACOSTA: Dallas Cowboys (with a sad face)
ARRIOLA: My closest allegiance is LA Chargers (Arriola grew up in San Diego). Really, though, there's no favorite team at the moment.
FREESE: You can probably guess that one with my other answers: Eagles.
MARCUCCI: Philadelphia Eagles
Getty Images SportBEST OR WORST SUPER BOWL MEMORY?
SALLOI: My worst was when the Chiefs played Tampa. I was in Hungary and I stayed up to watch the game. By halftime, it was like 3 a.m., I was like ‘Oh this is not good, we’re not even touching the ball… Let me wait for The Weeknd performance’, which was amazing. Then I was like ‘I’ll watch the first Chiefs drive and if we score I’ll stay up and if not I’ll go to bed.’ I went to bed, we lost bad. That was not fun.
AGYEMANG: David Tyree's helmet catch in Super Bowl XLII.
LOZANO: My favorite NFL moment is when Shakira and Jennifer Lopez performed at the Halftime Show in Miami in 2020
PARKES: The Cowboys every single year! Actually, I'm mostly disappointed that I wasn't born earlier to watch the Cowboys actually be good. It's hard to be a Cowboys fan.
EDU: It's not necessarily my favorite memory, but the one that comes to mind. Low-key, I was annoyed. Patriots and Seattle. The play was to give the ball to Beast Mode (Marshawn Lynch). That's the one that comes front and center and sticks out the most.
BURKI: Disappointment would be the 2016 Super Bowl watching my favorite team Panthers lose the way they did.
VARAS: My favorite memory is that 49ers team with Deion Sanders, Steve Young, and Ricky Watters, and winning the Super Bowl with that group.
LLETGET: My biggest memory is Super Bowl disappointment: the 49ers losing to the Chiefs last year.
KLICH: Since the 49ers bought Leeds, I have a soft spot for them from my time there. I really wanted them to win it last year.
ACOSTA: Worst is easy: the Cowboys not making it since the 90s.
ARRIOLA: I got sick on the day of the Super Bowl when it was in San Diego and missed the entire game because I was throwing up. I ended up just falling asleep.
FREESE: The biggest disappointment was 2006: Eagles losing to Patriots.
MARCUCCI: My favorite Super Bowl memory is the 2017-2018 season. I watched Super Bowl 52 at Connecticut College, where I went to school. Watching the game at a New England school, where the Eagles beat the Patriots. I ran across campus in a Carson Wentz jersey and Eagles pajama pants screaming ‘Go Birds’ all the way to my friends' dorms.
Getty ImagesLOOKING AHEAD
Did this group get it right? Will Mahomes and the Chiefs make it a three-peat? Can Hurts and the Eagles get them back after falling to this same opponent two years ago? We'll see if this group of American soccer stars is right come Sunday night.
