Connections: Soccer Edition hints & answers: Friday, August 28, 2026

Updated: Friday, August 28, 2026 · Hints reviewed by Omer Liban · New puzzle daily — free from The Athletic. · Puzzle editor: Will Jeanes.

This page has every level of help for the Connections: Soccer Edition puzzle of Friday, August 28, 2026: 3 spoiler-free hint tiers that narrow things down step by step, followed by the complete answers with explanations — each behind its own tap-to-reveal card.

Stuck on today's Soccer Edition? Work the tiers below exactly like regular Connections — one answer per group, then the themes, then the full explained solution — revealing only what you choose. (Yes, it's the football one — 'soccer' is just the branding.)

Connections: Soccer Edition is The Athletic's football version of Connections — four colour-coded groups from easiest 🟡 yellow to trickiest 🟣 purple, all about the beautiful game: players, clubs, competitions, moments. Free to play.

Soccer Connections hints (August 28, 2026)

1One answer from each group

Yellow (easiest): one of its answers is “ATLANTA”.
Green (easy): one of its answers is “SANTA CLARA”.
Blue (tricky): one of its answers is “GÜNDOĞAN”.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay): one of its answers is “HEAPS”.

2Category hints (no answers)

Yellow (easiest): the theme is “Cities with an mls team”.
Green (easy): the theme is “Portuguese clubs”.
Blue (tricky): the theme is “Premier league-winning captains”.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay): the theme is “Current uswnt players”.

3One full group revealed

Yellow (easiest) — the connection is “Cities with an mls team”, and its four answers are: ATLANTA, NASHVILLE, HOUSTON, SEATTLE.

Soccer Connections answers — August 28, 2026

★Today's full Soccer Connections answers, explained

Yellow (easiest) — the connection is “Cities with an mls team”. The answers: ATLANTA, NASHVILLE, HOUSTON, SEATTLE.
Green (easy) — the connection is “Portuguese clubs”. The answers: SANTA CLARA, BENFICA, SPORTING CP, PORTO.
Blue (tricky) — the connection is “Premier league-winning captains”. The answers: GÜNDOĞAN, VIDIĆ, KOMPANY, MORGAN.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay) — the connection is “Current uswnt players”. The answers: HEAPS, LAVELLE, RODMAN, FOX.

The puzzle, explained

The purple group works because HEAPS, LAVELLE, RODMAN, and FOX are all current USWNT (US Women's National Team) players—Casey Murphy, Rose Lavelle, Trinity Rodman, and Megan Fox are legitimately on the roster. The trickiest part is that RODMAN and FOX are totally common surnames that could trick you into thinking they're about celebrities (Dennis Rodman, Megan Fox the actress), which is classic Connections misdirection. LAVELLE might seem like it could connect to some other category, but it's really just the player's last name. The real bait here is that all four words feel like they could belong to other groups, but there's no other connection that actually works—you really do have to know (or figure out) that these are all current USWNT players to crack it.

Next in today's routine: Today's Puzzle Answers → · every game's answers on one page. New puzzle daily — free from The Athletic. Bookmark this page for tomorrow's hints. Or play Soccer Connections on the official site.

More of today's puzzles

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Soccer Connections — common questions

What is Connections: Soccer Edition?

The Athletic's football version of Connections, launched in June 2026: sixteen answers, four hidden groups, all of it football — players, clubs, competitions, kits, iconic moments. Free to play, and separate from the sports edition.

Is Soccer Connections about football?

Yes — 'soccer' is the branding of The Athletic's US newsroom, but the puzzles are thoroughly football: Champions League history, World Cup winners, grounds and managers all feature.

What do the colours mean in Soccer Connections?

Same as every Connections: yellow is the easiest group, then green, then blue, and purple the trickiest — typically wordplay or a link designed to catch fans out.

Previous Soccer Connections puzzles

Full Soccer Connections archive (109 puzzles) → · How to play Connections: Soccer Edition →