Chelsea's Fran Kirby has withdrawn from the England camp in Spain after picking up yet another knee injury.
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Wrexham co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney will be able to lure transfer targets down from the Championship this summer, says Lee Trundle.
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Red Dragons boast big ambitionHollywood stars make funds availableBack-to-back promotions targetedWHAT HAPPENED?
The Red Dragons have always boasted big ambition when it comes to recruitment, as Hollywood superstars make the funds available that turn dreams into reality. Few could have predicted that the likes of Paul Mullin, Elliot Lee and James McClean would be strutting their stuff at SToK Racecourse prior to a stunning takeover in 2021 being completed.
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Wrexham are now setting their sights on promotion into League One, and former frontman Trundle – speaking to , who provide the latest – has said of tempting talent down from the second tier of English football: “I think other players will be tempted to drop down as Wrexham aren't a club who'll be happy to stay in League One. Wrexham want to grow and play Premier League football someday, and I'm sure plenty of players will be attracted to that."
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Reaching the Premier League remains the ultimate goal for all of those associated with Wrexham, and Trundle sees no reason why that target cannot be hit. He added: “Everything about Wrexham indicates that they're setting up to play Premier League football – the owners have said it themselves. I've seen it with Swansea and I was a part of that journey who not only got to the Premier League but also won the League Cup and attained Europa League football! If you had said that 15 years ago, nobody would have believed you and you would have been silly to even say it!
"That's the beauty of football. Wrexham have a strong backing and they know how to grow their brand. They've had Paul Rudd, Will Ferrell, and other actors in attendance, and they're showing the club off as a potential investment. I think that's where they'll move as they continue to climb. There's no reason why they can't go into the Premier League.”
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Wrexham will see the playing field level somewhat if they do step up into League One, with there plenty of big clubs to be found in that division, but there is no sign of impressive progress on and off the field slowing down in North Wales.
After 20 months on the sideline, USWNT veteran Christen Press has provided an injury update for the 2024 NWSL season.
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Press underwent four ACL surgeriesAdded to Angel City preseason rosterStriker provides personal update on social mediaWHAT HAPPENED?
Press has been sidelines since June, 2022 after she suffered a torn ACL injury while playing for Angel City. As a result of complications during recovery, she underwent four different ACL surgeries – with the most recent being in July, 2023. She missed the entire 2023 season and the most recent FIFA World Cup with the USA.
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"Hi folks! As you’ll see, I’m still not yet in team training. Working hard everyday to get back and get ready for the season. Excited for what 2024 will bring! Thanks for the love… please keep it coming🙏🏾"
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Angel City released their preseason player roster Wednesday evening, with Press's name included on the team sheet. As a result, fans of the USWNT and the NWSL side flocked to social media with excitement. However, Press's statement is as clear as possible – and it's that she is not ready to return to the pitch yet.
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ACFC are currently in preseason mode, with the 2024 campaign set to kickoff in March of this year. The entire schedule has not dropped yet, but it's expected to drop within the next week. For the Los Angeles-based club, seeing Press included is a positive look for the forthcoming year.
Karnataka captain Vinay Kumar ran through the Mumbai line-up with a hat-trick across two overs, after he opted to bowl in the quarter-final in Nagpur
Bharath Seervi07-Dec-20170:43
Quickinfo – Vinay, Karnataka’s hat-trick hero
0.6: Prithvi Shaw has three hundreds this season but even with 30 hundreds this is a poor shot. He flayed at the first ball away from his body, and he does so again just after getting an inside edge onto his pad. This is short of a length, outside off, Shaw’s feet are rooted, but he looks to punch this away through cover. The ball shapes away enough to take a thick edge for Karun Nair to swallow at first slip. Shaw’s feet are in the air at the time of contact as he looks to reach this ball away from his body.Prithvi Shaw c Karun Nair b Vinay Kumar 2
Fall of wicket: 6 for 1 (0.6 overs)2.1: Jay Bista repeats the mistake Shaw made. This is an identical delivery to the one that got Shaw. Short of a length, just outside off, and he looks for a cover drive off the back foot. Just like Shaw, his feet don’t move and are airborne when he makes the connection. This ball doesn’t shape away as much as the last one, and the edge is finer, which is why there is confusion at slips. Nair waits for wicketkeeper CM Gautam to go for the catch to his right, but he doesn’t. And then belatedly Nair sticks his left hand out, and the ball sticks. Vinay is on a hat-trick.Jay Bista c Karun Nair b Vinay Kumar 1
Fall of wicket: 7 for 2 (2.1 overs)2.2: Mumbai have sent in fast bowler Akash Parkar ahead of specialist batsmen. Are they looking to unsettle Karnataka bowling or are they protecting their batsmen, who should be out there and negotiating this period? Either way this plan is short-lived as Vinay bowls an unplayable delivery to complete his hat-trick. This is full, shaping up as an outswinger, pitches full and on off. Parkar plays for the outswinger, but the ball lands on the seam and changes its direction to seam in and hit him plumb in front. Tenth Ranji hat-trick for a Karnataka bowler. Mumbai in tatters.Akash Parkar lbw b Vinay Kumar 0
Fall of wicket 7 for 3 (2.2 overs)Vinay Kumar became only the sixth bowler to take a hat-trick in the knockouts in Ranji Trophy history and the first captain to do so. The last hat-trick in the knockout stages of the Ranji Trophy was seen way back in the 1993-94 pre-quarterfinal by Bengal’s Sagarmoy Sensharma against Delhi.
Bowler Team Against Season Stage ResultCT Sarwate Holkar Bihar 1948-49 Quarter final WonB Kalyanasundaram Tamil Nadu Mumbai 1972-73 Final LostAR Bhat Karnataka Mumbai 1981-82 Semi final Won (first inns)SP Mukherjee Bengal Hyderabad 1989-90 Semi final Won (first inns)S Sensharma Bengal Delhi 1993-94 Pre quarter final Won (first inns)R Vinay Kumar Karnataka Mumbai 2017-18 Quarter final -A hat-trick against Mumbai’s batting is a very rare occurrence. Vinay’s hat-trick is only the third against Mumbai in over 500 Ranji matches and the first since Raghuram Bhat’s in the 1981-82 semi-finals. Incidentally, all three hat-tricks against Mumbai have come in the knockouts. The first one by B Kalyanasundaram was in the final of 1972-73 season.Vinay now has two Ranji hat-tricks. His first was against Maharashtra in 2007-08. He is only the fourth bowler to take multiple hat-tricks in Ranji history and second for Karnataka after Anil Kumble. Others to have more than one hat-trick are: Joginder Rao (three) for Services and Pritam Gandhe (two) for Vidarbha. Vinay’s hat-trick is overall the tenth for Karnataka in Ranji, the most by any team. The next highest is six hat-tricks for Bengal and then five each for Delhi, Haryana and Tamil Nadu.
Bowler Against Venue SeasonAR Bhat Mumbai Bangalore 1981-82J Srinath Hyderabad Secunderabad 1989-90A Kumble Andhra Visakhapatnam 1991-92A Kumble Orissa Rourkela 1997-98A Katti Kerala Thalassery 1998-99R Vinay Kumar Maharashtra Ratnagiri 2007-08A Mithun Uttar Pradesh Meerut 2009-10S Aravind Tamil Nadu Bangalore 2014-15HS Sharath Haryana Mysore 2015-16R Vinay Kumar Mumbai Nagpur 2017-18With his first wicket of the day, Vinay went past Erapalli Prasanna’s 370 wickets to become Karnataka’s third-highest wicket-taker in Ranji Trophy. Now only Sunil Joshi (479) and BS Chandrasekhar (437) are ahead of Vinay. He is already the leading wicket-taker among fast bowlers in Ranji Trophy history.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has set a Premier League record following his side's Boxing Day victory over Burnley.
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Liverpool beat Burnley 2-0Nunez and Jota score in winKlopp sets Premier League recordWHAT HAPPENED?
Goals in either half from Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota sent Liverpool to the top of the Premier League with a 2-0 victory over Burnley. As a result, according to Opta, Klopp is now six for six on Boxing Day fixtures – the outright most by a manager with a 100 percent win rate on this day in the Premier League's history.
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After two straight draws with Manchester United and Arsenal at home, Liverpool returned to winning ways with the victory at Turf Moor. They are two points ahead of the second-placed Gunners, although Mikel Arteta's men could leapfrog the Reds if they beat West Ham on December 28.
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On the flip side, according to Opta, Burnley are the first side in English top-flight history to lose as many as nine of their first 10 home games of a season. Vincent Kompany's side sit 19th in the table following their promotion from the Championship this summer.
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Liverpool have played their last match of 2023 but kick off 2024 with a home clash against out of form Newcastle United on January 1, whereas lowly Burnley round off their year away to high-flying Aston Villa on December 31.
Manchester United should sell Scott McTominay to West Ham United this summer according to Mark Goldbridge
The Scottish international has been at United his whole career but could depart this summer.
What position does Scott McTominay play?
The 26-year-old is a very versatile player with plenty of experience, having made over 200 career appearances across central defence, central midfield and even centre forward for both club and country.
Last season was a difficult one for the midfielder, as following the arrivals of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen, McTominay made just 10 starts in the Premier League, with his remaining 14 appearances coming off the bench, When factoring in the recent signing of Mason Mount as well as the rumoured interest in the Morocco international Sofyan Amrabat, game time will be even harder to come by for the midfielder.
McTominay has impressed every manager he has worked under, with Jose Mourinho stating back in 2018:
"But at the same time I felt we needed quality on the ball, building from the back, and Scott McTominay has that quality. Everything that left his foot was correct. He’s a special character, a special personality that a team in a negative moment needs, do my other players have that mentality? Not all of them. Everybody is a different person. Scott McTominay is a kid with a special character, very humble, aggressive in a positive way, brave, he’s a special kid."
Reports have stated that Erik ten Hag is willing to let the player depart Old Trafford this summer should a club pay the £40m asking price set, with West Ham United reportedly eying up the player as a potential Declan Rice replacement following his £105m move to Arsenal. Hammers boss David Moyes is reportedly a big fan of the midfielder, however, the Irons aren't willing as of yet to reach the Red Devils asking price
Speaking on The United Stand YouTube channel, Goldbridge stated that he doesn't want United to play hardball over a McTominay transfer as the club wouldn't see that amount of money for McTominay again:
"If West Ham are interested and they want him for £30m, find a middle ground. I don’t mind us saying £40m but we’re going to come down to £32m but don’t say we’re going to reject £35m or £30m because you want £40m.
"As I said before, McTominay hasn’t had a good game in about a year, he’s not an established first team player, he’s worth about £30m and if we don’t take the money for him now you’ll never get that money again so that’s why United need to be negotiating a deal."
Who will replace McTominay at Manchester United?
There are two real options to replace the Scot next season.
One is already at the club in Kobbie Mainoo. The 18-year-old has risen through United's youth setup and really made his mark on the club's current pre-season tour, with an assist against Arsenal in the sides 2-0 win last week the culmination after two solid performances against Lyon and Leeds. Legendary Man United player Bryan Robson was quick to praise the midfielder after his display against the Gunners, saying:
"I was really impressed, against a team like Arsenal. He’s not a kid who comes into the team as a central midfield player who just goes chasing about trying to impress the manager and all that. He just played, used his football intelligence, and he can have a good career. That’s not me trying to put pressure on the kid.”
The strength in depth at the club could allow the youngster to be developed slowly and given the correct opportunities to develop whilst working day in day out with some of the best midfielders in the Premier League.
The club could also find a solution in the transfer market. Fiorentina midfielder Amrabat is reportedly keen on making the switch to Old Trafford with the club interested in the 26-year-old who had an impressive campaign for both club and country last season. The player was vital to Fiorentina as they made it to both a Coppa Italia final and the Conference League final, whilst he was named in the World Cup Team of the Tournament as Morocco became the first African side to make the semi-finals of the World Cup in history.
It is reported that Amrabat will cost around £21.4m and that the club have beaten out competition from clubs around Europe and in Saudi Arabia for the player's signature.
USWNT star Midge Purce signed autographs for Serena Williams' daughter after the team's comfortable win over China.
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USWNT outclassed China 3-0Midge Purce gave autograph to Serena Williams' daughterEmma Hayes will take charge of the team in the summerWHAT HAPPENED?
Sophia Smith opened the scoring before Lindsey Horan and Trinity Rodman contributed with two more goals as the United States women's national team registered a comfortable 3-0 win over China in a friendly on Saturday.
Tennis legend Williams was in attendance for the game and after the match, her daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. could be seen taking an autograph from USWNT and Gotham FC forward Purce.
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While current Chelsea manager Emma Hayes is yet to take charge of the USWNT side, her impact and influence were all over in the team's comprehensive win over the Chinese. Last week, Hayes flew to Florida to meet the team in person but was not around for Saturday's game as she returned to the UK to focus on the Blues.
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For now, Twila Kilgore will continue to remain in charge of the team as interim head coach and once the English manager arrives next summer, she will serve the team in the capacity of assistant manager.
Kilgore's side are set to face China in another friendly match on Wednesday which will be the team's last competitive match in the ongoing calendar year.
Leandro Paredes begged Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni to "change his mind" and reconsider his potential resignation.
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Scaloni hinted at potential resignation after Brazil winSuggested he is not at 100 per centParedes wants the coach to brush aside resignation thoughtsWHAT HAPPENED?
In a bombshell interview, after masterminding Argentina's 1-0 win over Brazil in World Cup qualifying, the Albiceleste manager revealed that he "has to think a lot about what to do", suggesting that he might relinquish his post of head coach for the national team. His comments sent shockwaves among the players and fans as they hold Scaloni in the highest regard after the tactician guided them to their third global crown in Qatar 2022. Paredes urged Scaloni to think long and hard about leaving the national team and hoped that he would continue at the helm.
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Speaking to the media after the match, Paredes said: "We didn’t talk to Scaloni. We are aware he’s the head of the group, let’s hope he stays there, that he makes the decision to stay because he is very important. He will have his reasons but we are more than grateful. Let’s hope he changes his mind and stays with us.”
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Argentina have been flourishing since Scaloni took over the reins. After a disappointing result against Uruguay last time out, the manager showed that he can boost his troops to script a comeback even in the most hostile of conditions. They are currently at the top of the World Cup qualifying group and hold a massive eight-point lead over sixth-placed Brazil, who have lost three consecutive matches under Fernando Diniz.
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JUAN MABROMATA/AFP via Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR SCALONI & ARGENTINA?
Scaloni's remarks came in the aftermath of a match marred by off-the-pitch violence at Brazil's Maracana stadium. His words could be a repercussion of the complete breakdown of law and order at the stands as he did not share anything definitive about his potential resignation. Although it does raise questions about his future the Argentina faithful will be hopeful that their successful World Cup-winning coach isn't leaving the team anytime soon.
The Pakistan Cricket Board’s independent biomechanics facility, installed at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), is in line to obtain accreditation from the ICC
Umar Farooq13-Apr-2017
Last year, the Kenya offspinner James Ngoche underwent testing of his bowling action at the LUMS biomechanics facility•ESPNcricinfo Ltd./Umar Farooq
The PCB’s independent biomechanics facility, installed at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), is in line to obtain accreditation from the ICC. The testing facility has been acknowledged by the world body after two officials from Pakistan underwent a two-day workshop in Pretoria last month.The facility has fulfilled the technical requirements in terms of equipment and expertise to procure official accreditation. It operates with 16 motion-capture high-speed infrared cameras and two high-speed video cameras in compliance with the ICC’s requirements. Other mandatory preconditions laid down by the global body include the availability of an indoor area with enough space to allow a player to perform their full run-up, a three-dimensional motion-analysis system with a minimum of 12 high-speed cameras, along with the recruitment of qualified personnel experienced in using such systems and implementing the ICC testing protocol.So far, LUMS has been implementing its own model of assessment on cricketers but the ICC required it to align with the governing body’s protocol that mandates quality checks and calibrated trials during assessment using specialised kit. Professor Mian Awais, Head of the biomechanics facility at LUMS, and PCB representative Hissan ur Rehman attended an exclusive two-day workshop – involving four sessions primarily aimed at introducing the ICC protocol regarding bowling assessment and data processing – at the High Performance Centre in the University of Pretoria, to oversee the administration of the test centre.The idea of reviving the biomechanics lab came up after Pakistan found themselves saddled with several cases of suspect bowling actions in the recent past. Among the high-profile internationals to have undergone reassessment for illegal action, Mohammad Hafeez has returned with a remodelled action, as has Saeed Ajmal – the latter, however, has been a diminished force and has not played for Pakistan since 2015. According to the PCB, the stock of offspinners available at the domestic level also includes a significant number with suspect actions.In 2015, the ICC accredited five centres around the world – in Brisbane, Cardiff, Loughborough, Pretoria and Chennai – as testing facilities for the global body with a view to reviewing bowlers reported for suspect bowling actions. The PCB initiated the process of establishing the biomechanics facility in the country by entering into a partnership with LUMS – where equipment worth USD 460,000 had been lying unused from 2008 to 2016 – as it needed to have an independent testing facility of its own.Pakistan could have been the first Asian country to have a high-profile biomechanics facility, but construction of the laboratory and financial mismanagement impeded its progress. LUMS, however, helped make up for lost time by re-gathering the equipment and making it functional by conducting tests on over 20 domestic cricketers so far. The centre has also tested the Kenya offspinner James Ngoche, whose bowling action was declared illegal by the ICC in 2015.
Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi have been told what they need to do in order to emulate USMNT legends Jozy Altidore, Clint Dempsey and Brian McBride.
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U.S. looking for a reliable goalscorerTwo players of potential in that mixIcons of the past showed how it's doneWHAT HAPPENED?
The Monaco and PSV strikers are currently competing for the No.9 spot in the United States national team. Both are proven goalscorers at club level, but are relative newcomers when it comes to the global stage. They have been on target for their country – with efforts recorded during the latest international break – but are also working on unlocking full potential.
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Balogun has pledged allegiance to the USMNT following a tug of war with England – with the New York native netting twice through four appearances for his country – while Pepi is up to nine goals from 18 outings.
WHAT THEY SAID
Former USMNT goalkeeper Tim Howard has told the : “When you look at the history of the USMNT, our success has always been built on consistent goalscorers – someone who can do it in friendlies, someone who can do in CONCACAF World Cup qualifying, someone who can do it on the world stage. Sometimes, in this current team, you can do it by committee because they have so many good wingers and midfielders, but ultimately the USMNT has to have a Clint Dempsey, a Jozy Altidore, a Brian McBride – where in moments, going into a game that might be against an opponent where you might not dominate the ball, you are looking at and saying ‘If in two hours we have won this game, I know he’ll have scored’. We have seen it down the years – Jozy Altidore put five people on his back and scored, Clint Dempsey pulled a rabbit out of the hat, Brian McBride stuck his head in a place that he shouldn’t have. There has always been that down the years for the last two decades. What’s missing from this current group is that, and I think it was missing going into the World Cup. What I do think about Balogun and Pepi is, they can start to sharpen each other. If one scores, then the other is thinking ‘I’ve got to get the bit between my teeth and make sure I keep pushing’. That then sends them back to their clubs and they push harder. A recognised goalscorer, someone who does it consistently, is greedy and hungry and doesn’t want to come off the pitch, is angry when they don’t get the ball, that’s the type of No.9 that the U.S. needs. I think those two can do it. I like the look of them. They both present different options.”
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Ex-Sunderland and Toronto FC frontman Altidore scored 42 goals for the USMNT in 115 appearances. Former Fulham and Seattle Sounders star Dempsey hit 57 in 141 games, while McBride – who represented Columbus Crew, Everton and Fulham in his club career – managed 30 in 96 caps.