President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Friday aimed at maintaining an exclusive time window in December for the annual Army-Navy football game.

Played on the second weekend of December since 2009, it is typically a standalone game on the college football schedule and followed by the Heisman Trophy ceremony later that night. However, discussion about a potential expansion of the College Football Playoff has included an additional round of games that would also be played the same weekend.

The current 12-team playoff has begun with first-round games taking place the following weekend for the past two years. If the CFP is eventually expanded to 24 games, at least one additional round of games will be required.

Complicating matters is that it is also the final weekend that the NFL is not allowed to schedule games on Saturday’s due to the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961.

“Such scheduling conflicts weaken the national focus on our Military Service Academies and detract from a morale-building event of vital interest to the Department of War,” Friday’s order read. “Accordingly, it is the policy of the United States that no college football game, specifically college football’s CFP or other postseason games, be broadcast in a manner that directly conflicts with the Army-Navy Game.”

Before 2009, the Army-Navy game had traditionally been played the final weekend of November or the first weekend of December. It was moved to the second weekend of December to avoid conference championship games and improve television ratings.

Whether Friday’s action is enforceable remains to be seen. Executive orders are only directives for federal agencies and the executive branch, and this order directs the FCC chairperson to work with the CFP committee, the NCAA and media partners to protect the exclusive Army-Navy window.

This year’s Army-Navy game is scheduled for Dec. 12 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The first round of CFP games are scheduled to take place Dec. 18-19.

The Army-Navy game has taken place every year since 1930 and has been contested 126 times overall.

–Field Level Media

Sam Surridge posted a hat trick and Cristian Espinoza had a goal and an assist as Nashville SC raced past visiting Orlando City SC for a 5-0 victory on Saturday.

Surridge, who had two hat tricks in a 24-goal season in 2025, scored once in the first half and twice in the second to help Nashville (4-0-1, 13 points) continue its unbeaten start. Brian Schwake (one save) tallied his third clean sheet.

Orlando (1-4-0, 3 points) mustered just one shot on target to Nashville’s nine. Goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau made four saves but allowed five goals in Orlando’s second 5-0 loss in the last three games. Saturday marked the club’s second game with interim head coach Martin Perelman after mutually parting ways with Oscar Pareja.

After Nashville’s Alex Muyl’s header was saved by Crepeau in the game’s opening minutes, Espinoza fired in his second goal of the season to give the hosts a 1-0 lead at the five-minute mark. Espinoza took a pass from Andy Najar and sent in a screamer from the right of the box over the outstretched Crepeau.

Nashville had three shot attempts before Orlando’s first — a Duncan McGuire shot 14 minutes in.

Following Nolan Miller’s yellow card for aggressive play, Surridge’s penalty kick doubled Nashville’s lead 28 minutes in.

Surridge and Patrick Yazbek each had chances to tack on, but Crepeau saved both shots to preserve the two-goal halftime deficit.

Surridge extended the lead to 3-0 10 minutes into the second half, as he rebounded a loose ball in the box, scoring a left-footed shot.

The Nashville star continued his dominant outing, getting a pass from Espinoza and scoring from the left of the box in the 67th minute to push the margin to four. Warren Madrigal’s second goal of the season gave Nashville a 5-0 lead in the 80th minute.

–Field Level Media

Jonathan Bamba scored his second goal early in the second half and the visiting Chicago Fire earned a 2-1 victory on Saturday against struggling Philadelphia Union.

Hugo Cuypers added his fourth goal late in the first half for the Fire (2-2-1, 7 points) who earned their first away victory of the season after leading the Eastern Conference with nine in 2025.

Chris Brady made three saves as Chicago avenged its elimination by Philadelphia in last year’s first-round playoff series and snapped a four-match winless run against the Union in all competitions.

Milan Iloski scored his first goal for Philadelphia just before halftime. But the Union (0-5-0, 0 points) extended the worst start for a reigning Supporters’ Shield holder, less than 72 hours after their elimination from the CONCACAF Champions Cup with a 1-1 draw at Mexico City’s Club America and a 2-1 aggregate defeat.

Bamba put Chicago in front in the 58th minute.

From near midfield, Cuypers spotted Robin Lod down the right. Lod eventually dribbled into the right edge of the penalty area on his right foot, before cutting back onto his left to cross.

With Cuyper in the center of the box, the cross sailed beyond just him, where Bamba connected with an excellent side-footed volley to beat Andre Blake inside the left post.

Philadelphia pressured for an equalizer, but Chicago came closest to scoring the game’s fourth goal. Maren Haile-Selassie missed narrowly wide on the break in the 63rd minute, then Lod rattled the crossbar from a similar attack in the 82nd.

Both teams scored during the more than seven minutes of first-half stoppage time.

First, it was Chicago through Cuypers.

Lod’s initial pass was deflected out wide, where Andrew Gutman reached it on the left flank.

Gutman drove forward and curled in an outswinging, left-footed cross. Cuypers ran between Philadelphia’s center backs to meet it with a powerful header past Blake from six yards out.

Philadelphia leveled from a long throw-in four minutes later. Alejandro Bedoya flicked on Frankie Westfield’s throw from the right, then Iloski won the second ball as he somehow generated enough power to loop his header over Brady and under the crossbar from near the penalty spot.

–Field Level Media