Happy Monday, folks.

What a way to head into a break. Arsenal's perfect start ended at Brighton, City won an eight-goal thriller to go three clear, and Spurs are officially bottom of the Premier League. Now the club game goes quiet until October 10 while the players head off to their national teams.

Here's what's on tap today:

Pull up a stool. Let's tap in.

Big Tony has worked the door at The Tap-Inn longer than some of my regulars have been legally allowed to drink. I pay his wages. I bought him the good winter coat. I taught him to spot a fake Delaware ID at forty paces.

But consider that about four times a year, Big Tony’s hometown bar calls me and says they need him for a couple of shifts. I have to say yes, and I don't get a cent for it.

If he comes home with a busted knuckle and a black eye, he's still on my payroll and I’ve to deal with the consequences. That’s international soccer.

In the very first edition of The Tap-Inn, almost a year ago, I explained the international break in one line. It's LeBron, Steph and KD leaving their NBA teams to play for Team USA at the Olympics, except soccer does it during the season, about four times a year.

This time, it's the first international window since Spain beat Argentina in the World Cup final back in July. It's also longer than usual: FIFA merged the September and October windows into one 16-day stretch, so teams can play up to four games instead of two. That's why there's no Premier League until October 10.

This also means the USMNT are back. The last time we saw them, 30 million people tuned in to watch them lose 4-1 to Belgium in Seattle.

“I need to see our boys win a game of socccer again, Joe. And I need it NOW.”

Well you’re in luck. Saturday against Peru in Orlando is the first step on a brand new four-year road to the next World Cup in 2030. But until then, why do clubs just have to lend their players to a whole different team?

Soccer's rulebook belongs to FIFA, and FIFA's members aren't clubs. They're national federations, like US Soccer.

FIFA's own regulations say clubs must release players for official international dates, and they don't get a dime for it. The country covers the flights. The club keeps covering the salary.

The countries got here first. The first official international game, Scotland vs. England, was played in 1872. England's Football League, the world's first professional league, didn't kick off until 1888 (yes, football - it's in their name, so we'll allow it).

Flip that for American sports. The NHL didn’t allow players to go to the 2018 Winter Olympics because the league itself voted not to pause its season to let players go forth and represent their countries. In soccer, the leagues would never have gotten a vote.

“And what happens if someone gets hurt when they’re away?”

Then the club picks up the tab. Just ask AC Milan.

Christian Pulisic, arguably the biggest name in American soccer, picked up a bone bruise and a small fracture in his right leg in that Belgium game. He missed Milan's preseason and sat unused on the bench for their first three league games. Milan kept paying him the whole way through.

Players who went deep at the World Cup had a short summer holiday, then went straight into a new season. So in a sense, clubs have only just gotten some star players back and now they're handing them over again for three weeks. It’s easy to see why some clubs aren’t happy.

First camps after a World Cup are also when coaches like to experiment. Pochettino, fresh off signing on for four more years, has called up a dozen first-timers, including 16-year-old Cavan Sullivan.

On Friday I'll pour you a full viewing guide for the break, from the USMNT to England taking on the world champions to my own Ireland.

So, is it fair? It all depends which side of the bar you're standing on.

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/ˈfɝst ˈkæp/ 🔊

noun · soccer

Definition: A player's first appearance for his national team. Every game after that earns another cap, so "58 caps" means 58 games for your country. The USMNT record belongs to Cobi Jones, with 164.

Origin: In 1886, the FA (English soccer's governing body) agreed to give every England player a white silk cap with a red rose on the front. Most countries stopped handing out actual hats. The name stuck.

USED IN A SENTENCE

"He's 16, he's in the squad, and if he gets off the bench Saturday, that's his first cap. At 16, I was just happy to make JV."

It was Matchweek five over the weekend, the last round before the break, and two perfect records became one.

See the full table here.

Back in August, when we covered how to buy a soccer club, I told you soccer ownership is nothing like the NFL. A great example of that came on Wednesday.

Clearlake Capital, the private equity firm that already owned most of Chelsea, bought out co-owners Todd Boehly and Mark Walter.

You'll know the other two names. Boehly and Walter co-own the LA Dodgers, and Walter sold the Lakers last month for $12.5 billion. The pair reportedly walk away with around $1.3 billion, in a deal valuing Chelsea at about $6.7 billion including debt. Boehly steps down as chairman.

Here's the part worth circling. In the NFL, investment funds can own 10% of a team, tops. In England, one now runs one of the most famous clubs in the world. The club says nothing changes day to day. On the field, a change wouldn't hurt, Friday's 3-0 loss at Brentford means one point from their last three league games under Xabi Alonso.

Club and country: Fulham and the USA

What to watch for this weekend: The USMNT's first game of the new cycle, against Peru on Saturday in Orlando. In a roster packed with first-timers, Robinson is an old hand, with 58 caps.

Fact: He was born in Milton Keynes, England, and raised in Liverpool. He's American through his dad, who grew up in New York. In 2018, England's under-21s and the USMNT invited him to camp at the same time. He picked the US.

Nickname: As for "Jedi," his dad let the kids on his youth team choose their own nicknames, and five-year-old Antonee loved Star Wars.

Toast: A Freshchester Pale Ale from Captain Lawrence, brewed a short drive from White Plains, where his dad was raised. May the froth be with you.

Follow him here: @antonee_jedi

⚽ Goal of the Week: As if being a Tottenham fan wasn’t tough enough already, they’ve to put up with conceding wondergoals like this. Emi Buendia, take a bow.

🎉 Fanzone: Wrexham fans welcomed Southampton, kicked out of last season's playoffs for spying on rivals' training, with "You only win when you're spying." Think Patriots Spygate, minus the Super Bowls.

📅 On This Day: September 21, 1949: Ireland beat England 2-0 at Goodison Park, the first team from outside the UK to beat them at home.

🐶 Underdog Corner: Coventry won their first Premier League game in 25 years.

👕 Wardrobe Watch: Ahead of Saturday, a tip of the cap to the USA's 1994 World Cup denim away shirt, stars and all, which adidas brought back this year for a new generation to love or hate.

🔗 Most Clicked from Friday: Roy Keane Ends Håland's Career In Manchester Derby

And as always, thank you for stopping by the Tap-Inn. Sláinte.

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