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Few surprises as Pochettino names his first U.S. men's national team squad ahead of upcoming friendlies against Panama and Mexico

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Pochettino names USMNT squadMcKennie, Weah and Robinson returnSurging Pulisic leads attackWHAT HAPPENED?

Mauricio Pochettino announced his first set of call-ups for U.S. men's national team squad Wednesday, with the coach selecting 25 players to the October training camp roster. The squad is headlined by the surging Christian Pulisic, who has been on fire in Milan since the USMNT last convened in September for a loss to Canada and draw with New Zealand.

Weston McKennie, Tim Weah and Antonee Robinson all returned to the squad after missing out in September. Former U.S. No. 1 goalkeeper Zack Steffen returns to squad for the first time since 2022 while Gianluca Busio has a chance to make his first appearance since 2023.

Gio Reyna and Chris Richards, meanwhile, have been left out of the team due to injury.

AdvertisementGettyTHE SQUAD IN FULL

GOALKEEPERS (4): Ethan Horvath (Cardiff City/WAL; 9/0), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew; 2/0), Zack Steffen (Colorado Rapids; 29/0), Matt Turner (Crystal Palace/ENG; 45/0)

DEFENDERS: Marlon Fossey (Standard Liege), Kristoffer Lund (Palermo), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), Joe Scally (Borussia Monchengladbach), Auston Trusty (Celtic)

MIDFIELDERS: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Gianluca Busio (Venezia), Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough), Yunus Musah (AC Milan), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven)

FORWARDS: Folarin Balogun (Monaco), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Josh Sargent (Norwich City), Timothy Weah (Juventus), Haji Wright (Coventry City)

GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Despite just being friendlies, there is heightened attention to the upcoming Panama and Mexico matches due to the arrival of Pochettino, who will be on the touchline for the first time. The Argentine's arrival was confirmed shortly before the USMNT's draw with New Zealand last month, ending a weeks of rumors about the team's search for a new head coach.

Pochettino gives the USMNT a legitimate world-class manager, one who has coached at the highest levels of European soccer. He'll no doubt need to adjust his style to the international game, though, and with just over a year-and-a-half remaining before the start of the World Cup, time is of the essence for this USMNT program.

GettyWHAT NEXT FOR THE USMNT?

The U.S. will first take on Panama on Oct. 12 in Austin, Texas before traveling south to face Mexico in Guadalajara three days later. After that, the focus will turn towards November, when the U.S. will play two matches against a to-be-determined opponent in the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinals.

Tottenham Hotspur have been something of a mixed bag this season, but at least the Londoners are well set for a prolonged period of success, having recruited a range of exciting young talents over the past few years.

While there are many teenage talents waiting in the wings, Thomas Frank and Ange Postecoglou before him have succeeded in integrating youth, with the average age of Tottenham’s starting 11 in the Premier League this season 25.2, as opposed to a 27-year-old average during the 2022/23 campaign.

Who could be a better purveyor of this new focus than Micky van de Ven? The 24-year-old has increasingly become a talismanic force for the Lilywhites.

How Van de Ven is becoming the main man at Spurs

Van de Ven isn’t quite a spring chicken, having racked up 51 Premier League appearances, but he’s still well before his prime as a centre-back, and he’s still emerging as a superstar for Tottenham.

The Dutch defender has been described as “world-class” by journalist Sonny Snelling, with his remarkable blend of athletic power and position-bending pace making him a force to be reckoned with.

It is crucial that Tottenham keep him in their ranks over the coming years, with few players more influential than him in the Premier League. It would be difficult for Spurs to sign an even better star to strengthen their backline, after all. Certainly, it would be difficult to find someone capable of mimicking the former Wolfsburg player’s dynamic skills.

Of course, Tottenham’s prudence and promotion of their academy talent has seen them land such a player already.

Spurs have signed a bigger talent than Van de Ven

Van de Ven is a unique profile, but then Tottenham have also signed a singular talent in Luka Vuskovic, with the 18-year-old bearing the skillset to become one of the Premier League’s finest.

Hailed as a “freak talent” and a “freak athlete” for his physical profile by analyst Ben Mattinson, Vuskovic is currently plying his trade out on loan in Germany with Hamburger SV, with Spurs having wrapped up a deal for the youngster in 2023, yet to integrate him into the senior set-up.

While there is much work still to be done, the Croatian prospect has only increased the hype across his first few months in the Bundesliga, having established himself as a core part of Hamburg’s defence, who are 13th after ten matches.

Looking at how the teenager compares with Van de Ven this season, it’s easy to see why there is so much chatter around his name. You might even say Van de Ven is being outperformed by the younger man.

Translation from the Bundesliga to the Premier League can prove a hard task, but Vuskovic certainly has what it takes, and his physical attributes are only going to develop further over the coming years.

Matches (starts)

11 (11)

8 (8)

Goals

3

1

Assists

0

0

Clean sheets

3

2

Touches*

69.9

82.5

Accurate passes*

54.6 (92%)

53.0 (86%)

Chances created*

0.2

0.8

Dribbles*

0.3

0.3

Recoveries*

3.7

4.4

Tackles + interceptions*

2.3

1.6

Clearances*

3.4

9.8

Duels (won)*

3.1 (53%)

8.9 (72%)

With this in mind, we might consider the 6 foot 4 teenager to have what it takes to become Tottenham’s leader at the rear, ahead of Van de Ven, ahead of Cristian Romero.

In fact, WhoScored believe that Vuskovic’s performances have been so impressive that he gets into the European Team of the Season so far, higher-rated, in fact, than Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhaes beside him.

Not just a warrior at the back, in the words of U23 scout Antonio Mango, much like Van de Ven, he is “turning into a goal machine” having netted seven goals on loan at Belgian side KVC Westerlo in 2024/25.

Though Vuskovic still has some developing to do, there’s no question that he’s a potential superstar, and if he does come to partner the Dutchman down the line, he might even outstrip him.

Spurs have their new Parrott in academy star who's been "compared to Kane"

This Tottenham Hotspur youngster could be a future star in North London despite his struggles this season.

ByDan Emery Nov 20, 2025

Board to seek views of states during SMA on conducting further domestic tournaments

Nagraj Gollapudi24-Dec-2020In a positive development for India’s domestic cricket, the BCCI has not yet given up on hosting the Ranji Trophy despite the Covid-19 pandemic severely affecting the calendar. Recently the BCCI announced it would be conducting the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (domestic T20s) from January 10 to 31 in bio-secure bubbles across India. It would then seek views of the states after the league phase of the SMA Trophy on conducting further domestic tournaments.It is understood board president Sourav Ganguly himself voiced strong support for conducting the Ranji Trophy, the premier domestic tournament, at the BCCI’s AGM in Ahmedabad on Thursday. Ganguly told the members that the BCCI and the states must explore all options to host the Ranji Trophy. It is expected the BCCI would follow the SMA Trophy with the Vijay Hazare Trophy (domestic 50-over tournament) and the Ranji Trophy, if possible.The BCCI also has plans to conduct age-group and women’s cricket during the IPL which his scheduled for April-May next year. As a shot in the arm for domestic players – both men and women – the BCCI decided to compensate players for the loss of cricket during the pandemic. What that compensation would be, will be worked out once the BCCI has finalised the domestic calendar.Related

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: time to audition, fine-tune for IPL and T20 World Cup

Sourav Ganguly 'doing well', to be discharged from hospital on Wednesday

Fate of Ranji Trophy hangs in balance

Prospects of Ranji fading, Syed Mushtaq Ali from January 10

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: Teams divided into six groups

The BCCI has also decided to increase the retirement age for domestic match officials and scorers from 55 to 60. Meanwhile, the medical insurance for players in domestic cricket has been raised from INR 5 lakh to INR 10 lakh.Setback for BCCI’s cricket operations
The BCCI’s cricket operations team has thinned down further after the board “terminated” the contract of KVP Rao, assistant manager, cricket operations. Rao, a former Bihar bowler, is the second senior official the BCCI has lost from its cricket operations team this year. Former India wicketkeeper Saba Karim had told the board he would leave his post of general manager, cricket operations, in January after he had officially resigned in July.Rao informed the state associations about his departure on Thursday, about an hour before the BCCI’s AGM started in Ahmedabad.Rao’s sacking comes only two weeks prior to the start of the Indian domestic season with the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, from January 10. Rao, one of the senior-most BCCI officials, was the backbone of domestic cricket operations – right from planning the calendar, venues and the format to the execution.Rao, who took 212 first-class wickets, was with the BCCI for nearly a decade. He was the tournament operations manager for two global tournaments in India: the 2013 Women’s World Cup and the 2016 Men’s T20 World Cup. He was also one of the planners for the exhaustive domestic calendar across all formats and age-groups in 2018-19 for both men and women involving more than 2000 matches.That the separation was not amicable was made clear by Rao in his email to the state associations. In the email, Rao said the BCCI had decided to “terminate” his contract on December 22 which he called “the best day of my life as this termination will provide me ample opportunities to further my profession skills elsewhere.”

The 36-year-old Pole shows no signs of slowing down as he ensured Barcelona secured a seventh-straight La Liga win after edging past Getafe.

Robert Lewandowski scored his seventh goal of the season as Barcelona went four points clear at the top of La Liga thanks to a 1-0 win over Getafe.

The Azulones had drawn three of their last five matches against Barcea and started the game brightly, with Inaki Pena – who replaced the injured Marc-Andre ter Stegen – the busier of the two goalkeepers. However, somewhat against the run of play, Lewandowski continued his red-hot streak after he pounced on David Soria's blunder in the 19th minute to fire the hosts ahead.

Hansi Flick's side looked fairly comfortable afterwards and nearly made it 2-0 when Lamine Yamal's curling effort was expertly pushed away by Soria just before the hour mark. The winger also hit the crossbar and captain Raphinha spurned a good chance late on, but in the end, Barca were lucky to secure the victory as substitute Borja Mayoral failed to put away a golden chance at the death.

The Blaugrana now have 21 points from a possible 21 as their electric start to the season continued on Wednesday.

GOAL rates Barcelona's players from Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys…

AFPGoalkeeper & Defence

Inaki Pena (7/10):

Was alert to the danger Getafe offered in the first 15 minutes, as he positioned himself well in the Barca goal. A solid outing for the back-up shot-stopper.

Jules Kounde (7/10):

Looked composed at the back and his cross led to Barcelona's opener. Had some good battles with Getafe striker Uche.

Pau Cubarsi (7/10):

The teenage centre-back didn't have a great deal to do on the night as Barca largely kept Getafe's attack in check.

Inigo Martinez (6/10):

Struggled at times with the physical Uche and was caught in possession on a couple of occasions, but never looked hugely under threat.

Alejandro Balde (7/10):

Barca were thankful to his defensive covering early on as he swept up the danger nicely. He also showed off some incisive passing in attack.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportMidfield

Marc Casado (7/10):

Was busy in the centre of the park and resisted Getafe's press with relative ease. Helped his team win the midfield battle.

Eric Garcia (6/10):

Had a fairly quiet game and then missed a glorious chance to make it 2-0 as he ballooned a close range-effort well over the bar.

Pablo Torre (7/10):

Made some well-timed forward runs to try and unlock Getafe's defence and looked lively when given the chance to attack.

Getty Images SportAttack

Lamine Yamal (7/10):

There was a sense of excitement every time he touched the ball, but the 17-year-old was somewhat subdued in the first half. Was brilliantly denied by Soria and hit the crossbar for good measure in a much-improved second half.

Robert Lewandowski (8/10):

Was in the right place at the right time to take advantage of Soria snatching at the ball and give Barca the lead. The veteran put in another impressive display as his sparkling form continued.

Raphinha (7/10):

Barca were making more inroads down the left in the first half and much of that was down to Raphinha's directness. Drifted more centrally to try and facilitate his side's attacks and was a threat from dead ball situations; but wasted a big headed chance in the game's dying embers.

AFPSubs & Manager

Ferran Torres (7/10):

Worked hard when he came on but didn't get many chances to shine.

Pedri (7/10):

Was neat and tidy on the ball.

Hector Fort (6/10):

Was under the cosh when introduced.

Gerard Martin (N/A):

Didn't have much time to make an impact.

Hansi Flick (7/10):

Got the win his side just about deserved, but it wasn't the most convincing display and his substitutes didn't have a particularly big impact.

All the gory numbers from the eight T20 World Cup 2024 games hosted by the Nassau County International Stadium

Sampath Bandarupalli13-Jun-2024137 for 7 Canada’s total against Ireland was the highest across the eight matches in New York. Ireland’s 125 for 7 in the chase during the same game is the only other instance of a team scoring 120-plus at this venue.Nassau County Stadium became the first venue without a 140-plus total after hosting eight or more games in a men’s T20 tournament. The previous lowest ‘highest total’ at a venue was 141 at the Desert Springs Cricket Ground, which hosted twelve matches of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Europe Region Qualifier in 2021.7.86 India’s run rate during their successful chase of 97 against Ireland. It was the only time a team had scored at above seven an over across the 16 innings in New York.113 The total South Africa defended successfully against Bangladesh, the lowest successfully defended total by any team at the Men’s T20 World Cup in a full 20-over game. India successfully defended 119 a day before South Africa’s effort. This was the joint-second lowest total defended, alongside Sri Lanka’s 119 against New Zealand in 2014.82-15 Wickets taken by fast bowlers and spinners at the Nassau County stadium. The fast bowlers bagged 82 wickets in 236.1 overs, averaging 15.71 and taking a wicket every 17.2 balls, while the spinners bowled only 61.2 overs across the eight matches, taking 15 wickets at 25.46 while striking once every 24.5 balls.

Chelsea are believed to be in discussions over signing a “very mature” England international ahead of 2026, which interestingly comes amid Romeo Lavia’s injury nightmare.

Lavia was hauled off after just eight minutes during Chelsea’s 2-2 midweek draw with Azerbaijani minnows Qarabag in the Champions League, which could slap the Belgian with yet another lengthy lay off.

Estevao

8.2

Alejandro Garnacho

7.5

Leandro Andrade

7.4

Matheus Silva

7.0

Marko Jankovic

7.0

via WhoScored

Enzo Maresca didn’t provide a definitive update on the ex-Man City gem’s condition in his pre-match press conference ahead of Wolves, but admitted the situation is a “painful” one.

Lavia launched a water bottle in frustration after being taken off against Qarabağ, and it’s hard to blame him.

Since joining Chelsea in a near-£60 million deal over two years ago, Lavia has failed to complete a single 90 minutes — missing a total of 87 matches and being sidelined for 568 days.

Chelsea have been tipped to sign a new midfielder since Lavia was sidelined once again, but journalist Graeme Bailey says it is something they’ve been considering for a long while as Maresca’s side look to bring in more competition for Enzo Fernández and Moises Caicedo.

Dario Essugo is also out for a “long time” after undergoing surgery on his thigh, with Maresca suggesting he could remain out until January.

In light of this, Chelsea are believed to be weighing up their options, and they apparently hold a serious interest in Crystal Palace sensation Adam Wharton.

The 21-year-old’s excellent 23/24 campaign earned him a spot in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the Euros, but injuries have somewhat stifled his development since then, even if he’s still considered to be one of the country’s brightest up-and-coming talents in the engine room.

Chelsea "actively in talks" with Crystal Palace over Adam Wharton

The Blues are expected to be in the race for Wharton next year, and journalist Aaron Ramiro now claims that they’ve gone a step further already.

According to his information, Chelsea are “actively in talks” with Palace over a deal for the ex-Blackburn Rovers starlet, and the Eagles are talking about the possibility of Trevoh Chalobah going back to Selhurst Park as a makeweight in negotiations.

The England international is very highly-rated by his peers, and Palace have apparently slapped a £100 million price tag on his head to ward off suitors.

How Wharton plays this season will greatly determine whether Chelsea would be willing to get anywhere near that valuation, but former Palace teammate Eberechi Eze is convinced that he’s set for a bright future and already “very mature” for his age.

Carlos Correa is going back to where it all started.

The Minnesota Twins dealt the three-time All-Star shortstop to the Houston Astros in a blockbuster move before the trade deadline, reuniting him with the team with whom he spent seven seasons and helped win the 2017 World Series.

Correa was reportedly a big fan of the reunion as he waived his no-trade clause to return to the Astros. "I let [the Twins] know there was only one team I would allow that to happen," Correa said.

Astros star Jose Altuve was also pumped about the Correa trade and shared a simple, two-emoji reaction on his Instagram Stories.

On Thursday night, Altuve reposted a graphic of Correa in an Astros jersey who was pointing to his wrist to signal, "It's time." Altuve added two clock emojis in the caption:

It should come as no surprise that the Astros second baseman is excited about the move given that the two were good friends and teammates from 2015 to '21.

Prior to the deadline deal, Altuve said he hadn't spoken to Correa about returning to Houston but did speculate on a potential reunion.

"Correa’s a guy with a lot of history here in Houston," Altuve said Wednesday. "He’s a great player, a great human being, great teammate, so I think anything that happens, I hope it’s the best for him and for us."

They were deemed to have overshot the time limit by four overs and Afridi, Pakistan’s captain, accepted the sanction without contest

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Nov-2025Pakistan have been fined 20 per cent of their match fee for maintaining a slow over-rate in the first ODI against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi on Tuesday, the ICC said in a statement on Wednesday.Match referee Ali Naqvi imposed the sanction after Shaheen Afridi’s side was found to be four overs short of its target in an innings that ultimately took over four hours to complete. Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct states that players are fined five per cent of their match fee for each over their side fails to bowl within the allotted time.Pakistan had one extra fielder brought into the ring after the 46th over of Sri Lanka’s innings as the first ODI went the distance. Wanindu Hasaranga’s half-century kept the visitors in the hunt until the final over of the contest despite looking like Pakistan would coast to victory after Sri Lanka lost their seventh wicket still 88 runs adrift.Related

Agha, Rauf upstage Hasaranga as Pakistan win thriller to go 1-0 up

SLC threatens players with 'formal review' if they leave Pakistan; remaining matches postponed by a day

The charge was levelled by on-field umpires Alex Wharf and Asif Yaqoob, with Sharfuddoula acting as third umpire and Rashid Riaz as fourth. Afridi accepted the sanction without contest, meaning no formal hearing was required.The second ODI was supposed to take place on Thursday. However, some Sri Lanka players expressed a desire to leave on Wednesday night following a terror incident in Islamabad, the city they are staying in. It led to a late-night meeting between the PCB chairman and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Sri Lanka’s players, who were ultimately persuaded them to stay when the SLC threatened any players who left with disciplinary action. As such the second and third ODI’s were pushed back a day, and the following T20I tri-series, which also includes Zimbabwe, will begin a day later.