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Branislav Jasurek, representative of Napoli midfielder Stanislav Lobotka, has clarified the state of the player's relationship with head coach Antonio Conte. Jasurek and Lobotka stole headlines in Italy recently after comments resurfaced of the agent suggesting that his client will leave the club if the coach stays at the helm.

Lobotka's agent raises eyebrows in Italy

Jasurek appeared in a podcast with Slovak website which was recorded in October but gained significant traction in Italy this week. Lobotka's agent's comments sent shockwaves in Naples, as he stated that the combative midfielder could seek pastures new next summer if Conte ended up staying.

"Napoli have invested well in recent times and brought in new players," he said, before questioning Conte's choice to hand Lobotka very little rest amid his struggles with injuries. "That's why I don't understand why Lobotka had to play three difficult matches in eight days before the national team match. They could have given him a little rest and thus he would have been able to play for Slovakia in Northern Ireland. So I'm nervous," Jasurek expressed.

"If Stano wins a third title in Napoli, it will certainly be easier for him to leave, but I don't like to predict these things. He now has a significantly improved contract and could stay at the club for a few more years. But he is already 30 years old and it will be almost unrealistic to physically endure it under Conte. We are still talking about whether it can be managed at all. What Conte requires is brutally demanding. The coach's running requirements in statistics are incomparable."

AdvertisementGetty Images SportJasurek issues clarification, praises Lobotka's dynamic with Conte

Following how big a deal Jasurek's words became within hours of it making the rounds on the internet, the agent was contacted by Jasurek immediately issued a determined clarification, revealing that his words were taken out of context.

"I was very surprised, because the words were taken completely out of context," he assured. "It's true that I participate in a podcast in Slovakia, where we talk about the national team and some players. In that episode I spoke about Lobotka with a lot of appreciation. At the end, I said that it's difficult to work with Antonio Conte, because he's a very demanding coach, but I added that this is positive because he's a winner. Then I joked and said that Lobo might get tired and ask me for a transfer in the summer, but it was clearly a joke.

"Everyone on the podcast understood this, because I am his agent and every transfer is 'work' for me. Anyone who listened to the podcast in the original language would have immediately understood that it was just a joke. I can also assure everyone that Conte is like a father to Lobotka, and this relationship will never change. I am sure they will win many more trophies together."

Lobotka wants to win the Champions League with Napoli

Lobotka, who arrived from Celta Vigo in 2024, has a contract until 2027 with the Partenopei. There's also an option to extend his deal by another year. According to Jasurek, the Slovakia international harbors ambitions of lifting the Champions League trophy with Napoli, drawing parallels between his connection to the club and that of Marek Hamsík.

"Stanislav has the same relationship with Napoli as Marek Hamsik. He sees the city as his second home and has bought a house there. He shows commitment every week, often twice a week, and that's what matters most," Jasurek continued.

"He is already a two-time Italian champion with Napoli and fully believes he can win the title for the third time. He also dreams of the Champions League with this club. He is 30 years old — a time when he wants to lift trophies — and he is at the right club to achieve that."

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Getty ImagesHow's it going for Lobotka and Napoli this season?

The Scudetto holders have been struggling of late, dropping to fourth place after earning just seven points out of a maximum 15 from their previous five league encounters. Per reports, Conte is set to hold talks about his future at Napoli with the club's hierarchy. 

As for Lobotka, the 30-year-old has recently returned to full fitness after spending two weeks on the sidelines due to an adductor injury. 

Manchester City are closely monitoring Ezri Konsa, with it being revealed Aston Villa may now be forced to cash-in on the defender.

Despite the 1-0 loss against Villa last time out, Bernardo Silva was impressed by City’s performance in possession of the ball, but the attacking midfielder made it clear he thought they struggled at the opposite end of the pitch.

Silve said: “I would say we played quite well with the ball. Our offensive concepts were quite good. Even if we didn’t score, we had chances. We made them defend deep, and they struggled in some moments. On the other side of the game, we were really bad defensively.”

That performance may have been a one-off, considering the Blues have conceded just two goals in their last five matches in all competitions, while also keeping a total of seven clean sheets already this season, which suggests they are relatively strong at the back.

However, John Stones is well-known to be injury-prone and Abdukodir Khusanov struggled against Swansea City in the EFL Cup on Wednesday night, making one error leading to a shot and receiving a 6.1 SofaScore match rating, the lowest of any Man City player.

Man City now closely monitoring Ezri Konsa

Consequently, it could make sense to bring in a new centre-back, and City are now closely monitoring Konsa, according to a report from Caught Offside, which states Aston Villa may be forced to cash-in on the centre-back due to financial issues.

Villa are reluctant to sanction the departure of one of their key players, but PSR regulations may force them into a sale, at which point they would be looking to receive a fee of around £40m – £45m.

A whole host of Premier League clubs are in the race for the England international, however, including Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, so there may be fierce competition for his signature.

The centre-back recently put himself in the shop window with a solid performance against City, keeping a clean sheet and bringing Erling Haaland’s remarkable 12-game scoring streak to an end in his side’s 1-0 win at Villa Park.

The 28-year-old made 12 defensive contributions, the joint-highest number of any player, which kept Haaland at bay, while also recording a pass-completion rate of 95%, indicating he could be an ideal fit in a Pep Guardiola system.

Konsa vs City

Number completed

Clearances

6

Blocked shots

2

Interceptions

3

Tackles won

1

The Villa star, who is also capable of playing at right-back, received high praise from Jamie Redknapp last year too, with the Sky Sports pundit saying: “I think he’s shown he’s a versatile player. He’s got a great appetite for the game. He’s also got a lot of desire, tremendous work ethic.”

Konsa, who is represented by the same agent as Omar Marmoush, could be a solid addition to Man City’s backline, but there are doubts over whether he would be a necessary signing, given that Guardiola already has the likes of Stones, Khusanov, Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol to choose from.

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ByDominic Lund Oct 28, 2025

Tottenham Hotspur have identified an alternative attacking signing to Aston Villa star Morgan Rogers after missing out on the England international, according to a new report.

Rogers was reliably reported to be an ambitious target for Spurs last summer following his imperious 2024/2025 season — which saw the forward bag 14 goals and 16 assists in 54 total appearances.

Fabrizio Romano even stated that Thomas Frank’s side, along with Chelsea, were prepared to pay “crazy money” for Rogers.

Following on from that statement, Villa have since confirmed Rogers has signed a new contract until 2031 — gifting Unai Emery a massive boost while dampening all hope of Spurs securing any deal for the foreseeable future.

Tottenham are still reportedly in the market for a new winger and could sign one as early as January, with Frank dealt multiple injury blows since taking over from Ange Postecoglou in the summer.

Dejan Kulusevski

Knee

29/11/2025

James Maddison

ACL

01/06/2026

Radu Dragusin

Knee

22/11/2025

Ben Davies

Thigh

23/11/2025

Kota Takai

Ankle/Foot

23/11/2025

Mohammed Kudus

Knock

23/11/2025

Randal Kolo Muani

Jaw

23/11/2025

Yves Bissouma

Ankle/Foot

23/11/2025

Lucas Bergvall

Concussion

23/11/2025

Dominic Solanke

Ankle

23/11/2025

Archie Gray

Calf/Shin/Heel

23/11/2025

Cristian Romero

Other

23/11/2025

via Premier Injuries

James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Dominic Solanke, Randal Kolo Muani and Mohammed Kudus are all on the treatment table right now. Only the latter appears fairly likely to feature against Arsenal in the North London derby on November 23, considering he was ‘touch and go’ to face Man United, but Kudus interestingly hasn’t been selected for Ghana’s upcoming friendlies against Japan and South Korea.

Tottenham make approach to sign Everton star Iliman Ndiaye

With Rogers off the table as an attacking target, it is believed that Everton’s in-form star Iliman Ndiaye is now attracting their attention instead.

According to reports from Spain, Spurs view the Toffees sensation as an ideal alternative to Rogers, but they could have to fork out close to £70 million for his signature.

The Senegalese has been one of Everton’s players of the season and worth every penny of the £15 million used to bring him in from Marseille in 2024, bagging 15 goals in 50 appearances since joining the club and consistently standing out as a top performer.

Ndiaye has started all 11 of Everton’s league games so far and is one of the undroppables on David Moyes’ team sheet week in, week out.

However, while it may be difficult to convince the Merseysiders to sell, this hasn’t stopped Tottenham making an initial approach for Ndiaye ahead of 2026, according to one Spanish media source.

It is also believed that Spurs are “determined to move quickly” for the versatile 25-year-old who can play out wide, through the middle and even as a striker when required — potentially suggesting that an audacious January move could be on the cards.

Sadio Mane says he rejected a move to Manchester United a year before signing for Liverpool. When the forward was impressing at Southampton, the Red Devils were keen on signing the Senegal international. But Mane has revealed he was "not convinced" by then-manager Louis van Gaal's assertion that he would be a first-team regular.

Mane wanted by Premier League giants

Mane joined Southampton from Red Bull Salzburg in 2014 for just under £12 million ($15.5m), which was a club record fee at the time, and went on to score 25 goals in 75 appearances. But before he headed to Anfield for a fee worth up to £36m ($47m) in June 2016, Mane had the chance to move to Van Gaal's United the year prior. However, he seemingly had doubts that he would play ahead of the likes of Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie, and Angel Di Maria at Old Trafford. The decision to bide his time proved to be a good one as he went on to become one of Liverpool's all-time greats, guiding them to Premier League and Champions League glory in a six-year spell.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportMane unconvinced by Van Gaal's pitch

In addition to Rooney, Van Persie, and Di Maria, United also had attackers such as Memphis Depay and Anthony Martial – which planted more seeds of doubts in Mane's mind.

The Al-Nassr star said, via ESPN: "Manchester United called me that time, I was talking to Van Gaal. I was talking to Van Gaal that time. Rooney was there. And Di María was there. And … and [Memphis] Depay was there. When they failed to get me, they bought [Anthony] Martial. Van Gaal called me and he said, 'Mané, how are you? What are you doing?' He said, "I want you to come to Manchester United. I said, 'Really?' He said, 'Yeah.' I said, 'OK. Now I'm talking to my agent. [Van Gaal said] 'We'll see what is the best, because I know you're a good player and you can help the team, and we can help you also to become better players'.

"And then I said, 'OK, so my question: you have Depay, you have Rooney, you have Di María, you have Van Persie, I think the same. 'So where am I going to play?' That was my question, because me, I want to play. He said, 'I know your talent, you're good. But if you do good training, good impression, you will play. But we have another player which is also good'.

"I was not convinced about his explanation. I talked to the coach, but he told me that I will play if I'm good; if not. But at the time, me, I was not ready, I can say. I was young. I still needed someone to help me more. And one or two more years to become what I want to be. Because I was still in Southampton; I was not consistent. And then we said, 'OK, we'll see'."

Mane could have joined Liverpool's rivals

Mane also revealed he spoke to Tottenham the same summer that United tried to sign him. In fact, the pitch that Spurs put to the Senegalese was more tempting. 

He said: "I have a meeting with Tottenham. At the same time, Mauricio Pochettino called him [my agent] and he said, 'I want to have Sadio to come to Tottenham training ground. And then I go to Tottenham training ground one week after. I see the facility, I meet the coach, I talk to him, and I was more convinced than the Man United project. Because Man United was too many… the problem was too many big players."

What might have been for Mane…

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gettyWhat comes next for Mane?

Since leaving Liverpool, where he scored 120 goals in 269 matches, Mane has played for Bayern Munich, before joining current club Al-Nassr in 2023. Now, he is targeting winning trophies for Cristiano Ronaldo's team. 

He added: "It’s normal to dream big because Al Nassr is one of the best teams in the league. The title, we know [that it’s a target], so we don’t need to talk about it. And, of course, having new players like Kingsley [Coman] and Joao [Felix], which is a dream for us to get them because we need them and we are really happy to have them. For sure, the fans and the club expect a lot, but I have no doubt about it that they will deliver for us. It’s going to be a really exciting season for all of us. We can’t wait to achieve the best things that we want."

Bangladesh failed to capitalise on a strong start provided by Tanzid

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Sep-20252:27

Jaffer: Bangladesh should have stuck to their previous XI

A wicketless powerplay at a shade under 10 an over allied with a Tanzid Hasan fifty gave Bangladesh the ideal platform, but Afghanistan’s death overs mastery restricted Bangladesh to 154 for 5 in Abu Dhabi.The spin twins of Noor Ahmad and Rashid Khan were exemplary once again, the pair sharing four wickets between them, while going for just 49 runs in their combined eight overs.Related

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Their impact meant Bangladesh struggled to effectively utilise the platform afforded them by a strong opening stand worth 63. Saif Hassan, drafted in for this game struck 30 off 28 balls, but it was Tanzid who really propelled the early stages.Of his first 12 deliveries, half went to the boundary or cleared it. He brought up his seventh T20I fifty off just 28 deliveries. At the halfway stage of the innings, Bangladesh were well set on 87 for 1. But the middle overs proved to be their downfall as the Afghanistan spinners took control of proceedings.Four wickets were lost for 65 runs through the middle overs period, while just 30 runs were mustered at the death.

Baseball is back.

Opening Day of the 2025 MLB season is just a day away, which means the satisfying sound of the crack of the bat, the smell of ballpark food and the sounds of America's pastime will soon be hitting the senses.

Thanks to a frenzied winter meetings and free agency period, there was quite a bit of player movement this offseason, particularly involving the game's biggest names.

Here's a refresher on some of MLB's biggest and most recognizable names who will be sporting new threads on Opening Day and throughout the '25 campaign.

Without further ado, let's play ball!

OF Juan Soto, New York Yankees to New York Mets

After a career year in the Bronx for the Yankees, Soto packed his bags and headed for another of New York's boroughs, Queens and the New York Mets on a record, $765 million contract. Everyone—O.K., maybe not Yankees fans—is excited to see the kind of numbers Soto produces while batting in between Mets All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor and two-time Home Run Derby champion Pete Alonso.

He'll officially don Mets threads for the first time in the regular season when New York travels to Houston to take on the Astros on Thursday.

SP Max Scherzer, Texas Rangers to Toronto Blue Jays

Injuries limited Scherzer to just nine starts in '24, his final season with the Rangers. After hitting free agency for the third time in his career, the three-time Cy Young Award winner in January agreed to a one-year deal with the Blue Jays.

A bout of thumb soreness briefly had Scherzer's status for his first start of the regular season in jeopardy, but the veteran right-hander is expected to toe the rubber in his new threads against the Baltimore Orioles on March 29.

Fans are excited to see if the eight-time All-Star can continue to age like the finest of wines in '25.

SP Justin Verlander, Houston Astros to San Francisco Giants

Verlander's successful tenure with the Astros came to a disappointing end in an injury-riddled campaign in which the three-time Cy Young Award winner was ultimately left off of Houston's wild-card playoff roster.

Verlander will look to return to form with the San Francisco Giants, with whom he agreed to a one-year contract worth $15 million in January.

Not only will the veteran righthander be looking to help the Giants return to the postseason for the first time since '21, but also he will also be continuing his quest to join one of baseball's most exclusive groups: the 300-win club—Verlander sits at 262 career victories.

SP Blake Snell, San Francisco Giants to Los Angeles Dodgers

Snell, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, went from one National League West team to another when he agreed to a $182 million contract with the Dodgers in November, bolstering the defending champions' already strong pitching rotation.

The Dodgers announced earlier this week that Snell would take the ball for the club's stateside opener on Thursday against the Detroit Tigers. That means that MLB fans won't have to wait long to see the star pitcher in his new uniform in regular season action.

OF Cody Bellinger, Chicago Cubs to New York Yankees

Bellinger, the 2019 NL MVP, was one of several big-name additions the Yankees made after the club lost the bidding war for Soto. The '25 campaign will be a special season for Bellinger and his family, as the newest Yankees star's father played for the Bronx Bombers for three seasons beginning in 1999, winning two World Series with New York. Now, the younger Bellinger will come full circle when he dons the pinstripes on Thursday against the Milwaukee Brewers at Yankee Stadium.

3B Alex Bregman, Houston Astros to Boston Red Sox

Bregman stayed in the American League when he inked a $120 million contract with the Red Sox, reuniting the two-time World Series champion with Boston manager—and former Astros bench coach—Alex Cora.

A two-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner, Bregman brings skill at the dish and at the hot corner, as well as experienced leadership to a Red Sox club that looks to be among the AL's most-improved teams entering '25.

The exciting times in Beantown begin on Opening Day against the Texas Rangers, when Bregman will take the field for a regular season game in a different uniform for the first time in his career.

OF Kyle Tucker, Houston Astros to Chicago Cubs

Tucker was dealt from the Astros to the Cubs in a December 2024 blockbuster, ushering in a new era for the three-time All-Star. Tucker, who boasts a career .868 OPS and has a Gold Glove and World Seres title on his resume, is among the game's best outfielders. MLB fans have already seen Tucker in Cubs threads in the regular season during the Tokyo Series against the Dodgers, but the 27-year-old will make his stateside debut with the club against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Opening Day.

SP Corbin Burnes, Baltimore Orioles to Arizona Diamondbacks

After an All-Star season with the Orioles, Burnes, who owns a house in Arizona, inked a $210 million contract with the Diamondbacks this offseason. The '21 NL Cy Young Award winner and one of the game's best pitchers, Burnes is the ace the Diamondbacks rotation was missing. Because of what Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo called a "technical error" on his part, Burnes won't make his debut for the club until April 1 against the Yankees.

SS Willy Adames, Milwaukee Brewers to San Francisco Giants

After four seasons with the Brewers during which he blossomed into the one of the best power-hitting shortstops in MLB, Adames cashed in with the Giants on a franchise-record, $182 million contract this offseason. He'll make his Giants regular season debut on Opening Day against the Cincinnati Reds.

Honorable MentionsPaul Goldschmidt, Max Fried, Devin Williams – YankeesGarrett Crochet, Walker Buehler, Aroldis Chapman – Red SoxAnthony Santander – Blue Jays

Tottenham’s unbeaten Champions League run came to a dramatic end at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday night against PSG, but there were positives to take from the thrilling encounter.

The European champions were rocked by Thomas Frank’s plucky Spurs side, who gave Luis Enrique a real nightmare, with PSG mounting two separate comebacks to secure a pulsating 5-3 victory.

Midfielder Vitinha claimed a memorable hat-trick, with PSG having to rely on moments of sheer quality just to overcome the north Londoners in France.

Frank’s men stunned the home side by taking a deserved lead on 35 minutes through Richarlison, who headed home from close range after brilliant build-up play involving youngsters Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray. The Brazilian’s opener looked set to give Spurs a halftime advantage, but Vitinha crashed in a spectacular 25-yard equaliser via the crossbar just before the break.

Randal Kolo Muani

8.7

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia

8.4

Vitinha

8.4

Willian Pacho

8.1

Joao Neves

8.0

via WhoScored

Tottenham regained their lead five minutes into the second period when Randal Kolo Muani fired home against his parent club, converting the rebound after Gray’s effort was cleared off the line. However, PSG responded immediately with a devastating 13-minute blitz that turned the contest decisively in their favour.

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Spurs want to back their under-fire manager.

ByEmilio Galantini Nov 26, 2025

Vitinha curled home his second goal after being afforded excessive space to cut inside, before Fabian Ruiz completed the turnaround six minutes later following a costly turnover from Pape Matar Sarr outside his own penalty area. William Pacho then extended PSG’s advantage to 4-2 after Tottenham failed to clear Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s corner adequately.

Kolo Muani bundled his way through to drill home his second goal with 18 minutes remaining, briefly offering Spurs hope of salvaging something from the match. Those aspirations were dampened moments later, when Cristian Romero’s handball gifted PSG a penalty, which Vitinha confidently converted to complete his hat-trick and seal all three points.

The loss was Tottenham’s first in nine Champions League matches and leaves them sitting 15th in the league phase standings. Despite showing attacking intent and twice taking the lead, Frank’s young side were ultimately undone by defensive lapses during crucial moments in the second half.

Kolo Muani’s man of the match display against PSG, a club he’s still under contract with, gave Spurs major hope that they could have the answer to their striking problems after all.

The Frenchman, who’s suffered repeated injury setbacks since joining on loan, bagged his first goals for the Lilywhites and proved a real mence against one of the continent’s top sides.

However, Kolo Muani wasn’t Tottenham’s only bright spark on the night.

Thomas Frank praises "very impressive" Archie Gray in Tottenham loss to PSG

Speaking in his post-match press conference, Frank reserved special praise for Gray, who linked up with Bergvall for Spurs’ opening goal of the contest and provided real energy in midfield.

The 19-year-old has spent most of this season out with a calf injury so far, and before that, found it hard to get consistent first-team minutes with Joao Palhinha, Rodrigo Bentancur, Pape Sarr and Bergvall all ahead of him in the pecking order.

Much like last season, Gray responded with a solid performance when called upon last night, and it could be time for the Englishman to earn Frank’s starting nod much more often.

The former Leeds United sensation was given a baptism of fire under Ange Postecoglou last season when asked to play multiple unfamiliar roles during Spurs’ 24/25 injury crisis, and he’s done arguably done enough to earn the club’s favour.

With the 2026 World Cup just round the corner, Gray will be hoping that he can potentially stake his claim in Thomas Tuchel’s squad, but he’ll need Frank’s faith with more game time.

The announcement is only for the first two rounds of the Ranji Trophy, and, in any case, Vaibhav Suryavanshi might not be around for the whole season because of the Under-19 World Cup early next year

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Oct-2025Vaibhav Suryavanshi has been named Bihar’s vice-captain for the first two rounds of the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season that kicks off on October 15. The squad will be led by batter Sakibul Gani.The appointments came just two days prior to the start of the season after the Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) had to make a late scramble to appoint a selector, on an ad hoc basis, to join a two-member panel following a BCCI order. The BCA has been directed to appoint a five-member selection panel at the earliest.Suryavanshi’s elevation came on the back of a rich run of form for India Under-19 on the tour of Australia, where he contributed fast starts up top. He smashed a 78-ball century in the first four-day match in Brisbane and finished as the second-highest run-scorer of the multi-day series, scoring 133 runs in three innings as India won 2-0.Related

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Prior to that, Suryavanshi was also among the runs in England, hitting 143, the fastest century in youth one-dayers, in Worcester this July. In five matches, he amassed 355 runs at a strike rate of 174.01, comfortably finishing as the highest run-getter of the series.Suryavanshi, 14, has played just five first-class games since debuting in January 2024 at 12 years and 284 days, but has aggregated just 100 runs in ten innings, with a best of 41. India Under-19 commitments have meant Suryavanshi is yet to have a straight run of games in India’s premier first-class competition.Earlier this year, Suryavanshi hit the headlines by becoming the youngest centurion in men’s T20s when he hit 101 off 38 balls for Rajasthan Royals against Gujarat Titans in Jaipur in an IPL 2025 game.Having made history just a few months earlier for being the youngest to be picked in the IPL at 13, Suryavanshi featured in seven games in the 2025 edition, all as an opener. He made 252 runs at a strike rate of 206.55.Bihar endured an abysmal 2024-25 season, finishing with no wins. They managed a solitary point in seven games – losing six of those outright to be relegated. Bihar are part of the Plate league, and will open their campaign against Arunachal Pradesh in Patna, before taking on Manipur in Nadiad from October 25.Suryavanshi’s temperament and run-scoring ability have elicited calls for him to be a part of a more established first-class structure in India. There have been murmurs of a possible switch from Bihar. However, for now, the BCA is keen on doing all they can to retain Suryavanshi in a bid to return to the Elite league.Suryavanshi is unlikely to feature in the entire Ranji season as he’s also in the running for a berth in India’s squad for the Under-19 World Cup in early 2026.Bihar Ranji Trophy 2025-26 squadPiyush Kumar Singh, Bhashkar Dubey, Sakibul Gani (capt), Vaibhav Suryavanshi (vice-capt), Arnav Kishor, Ayush Loharuka, Bipin Saurabh, Amod Yadav, Nawaz Khan, Sakib Hussain, Raghvendra Pratap Singh, Sachin Kumar Singh, Himanshu Singh, Khalid Alam, Sachin Kumar

Lionel Messi and Thomas Müller strolled into the final, but the semifinals still left us plenty to unpack – including fresh questions about Hirving ‘Chucky’ Lozano’s future in San Diego.

And just like that, the stage is set. The Vancouver Whitecaps and Inter Miami will play for the MLS Cup on Saturday afternoon. That’s a tasty one: Lionel Messi on one side, Thomas Müller on the other, two legends anchoring two genuinely strong teams gearing up for a proper final.

But what about the games that got them here? MLS delivered two highly watchable – if not particularly close – semis over the weekend. Miami battered NYCFC, 5-1. Vancouver saw off San Diego 3-1. The results were perhaps a little predictable. But the margin of victory for both games? Not a chance. Still, it sets things up pincely – and does provide a forum for reflection. NYCFC were underdogs, and actually made a decent account of themselves in the game. SDFC could have played Vancouver even, but a couple of rough breaks – and the fact that they dealt with the reported internal turmoil of strife between their head coach, Mikey Varas, and their star player in Hirving 'Chucky' Lozano – made things trickier. 

Still, are the results fair? And is this the dream final? GOAL U.S. writers take a look at a fun weekend of conference finals, and look ahead to what should be a captivating MLS Cup in another edition of… . 

Getty Images SportWhich was the more convincing win: Miami or Vancouver?

Tom Hindle: Miami, no question. That was probably the most dominant performance have turned in all season. Messi didn't have his best game whatsoever, and they still battered an opponent in NYCFC that has been in excellent form of late. Five goals, one real chance conceded, and they look in their best form heading into the biggest game of the year. 

Ryan Tolmich: Both impressive and both, in a way, somewhat expected. Miami and Vancouver are both so far ahead of the teams they beat, which is what makes this such a fun MLS Cup final. As for the more convincing, it's probably Miami, largely because it was just the perfect reminder that they can light up a team unlike any other in MLS history.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportWhat do San Diego and NYCFC need to do this offseason to go a step further?

TH: San Diego got almost everything right. Perhaps the only thing that derailed things a bit was a bit of defensive frailty that Vancouver exposed. So, yeah, avoid injury, maybe bring in a little center back, and they're contenders next year. As for NYCFC, things look a little trickier. Can Maxi Moralez be counted on to stick around longer? Is Alonzo Martinez going to play any part next season? They need to invest in the attack to get close to where they were this year – even if manager Pascal Jansen did a fine job. 

RT: San Diego will be looking at all of this and wondering "what if?". They had a star striker in Milan Iloski, but now he's in Philly because they were unable to keep him permanently. If they had him, would the outcome change? Maybe not, but it surely would have helped. As for NYCFC, they're close. The big task this offseason will likely be sorting out striker and midfield additions following crucial injuries. If they can do that, they'll be fine.

Getty Images SportDoes Chucky Lozano have a long-term future in SDFC?

TH: If he behaves, yes! The Mexican star was supposedly in, shall we say, disagreement with Mikey Varas on a few occasions this year. If that relationship is properly mended, then they should be able to run things back in 2026. But disgruntled superstars can be a real issue, and with Anders Dreyer around, Chucky might not be the go-to guy, anyway. 

RT: It's looking rocky, at the very least. He wasn't quite the elite presence many would have expected and, towards the end of the season, there was a clash with the coaching staff. Because of that, it's fair to at least wonder if this partnership is one that's going to work in the long run. If it doesn't, Lozano will have options. San Diego will, too, and they've shown a real ability to scout and sign talent. Lozano or no Lozano, one would bet on the club making the right call based on just this one year of evidence.

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Getty Images SportIs it fair to say that Miami are now a good defensive team?

TH: Not really. A couple of defensive good games doesn't make them unreal at the back. But they certainly have found a vital sense of balance from front to back. Let's see if they can keep a good Vancouver team quiet, and then let's talk.

RT: Let's not get carried away! This team still has its frailties, and the path to an MLS Cup is likely outscoring the Whitecaps, not shutting them down. Are they passable defensively? Sure, but no one is mistaking them for some shutdown side. Ultimately, this is a group that defends via its attack, which should scare any opponent into being just a little bit more cautious, given the talent on the field.

Juan Soto found himself involved involved in another base running lowlight during the New York Mets game against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night. With a runner on first in the bottom of the first inning, Soto hit a line drive to right-center and Chicago centerfielder Michael Taylor attempted to make a diving catch.

Taylor did not get there in time to make the catch, but he did trap the ball, which really confused the Mets. Soto, who might have been looking at an extra base hit when the ball left the bat, thought he was out, so he got out of Nimmo's way as he hustled back to first, having also thought the ball was caught.

When the ball got back to the infield the White Sox touched second and then tagged Soto while Nimmo stood on first.

According to home plate umpire Sean Barber, in the end Soto was ruled out for passing Nimmo. And despite the fact that the centerfielder, second baseman and shortstop all handled the ball on the play, it went down as an unassisted lineout to first baseman Miguel Vargas on a ball that was hit 354 feet into the outfield.

Somehow the Mets went on to score four runs in this inning.