MLS will have fewer US World Cup players than ever. Its impact is being felt anyway

The league’s emphasis on youth development has seen its place in the careers of US national team players shift dramatically

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When the United States men’s national team traveled to France for the 1998 World Cup, they did so with 16 Major League Soccer players on their 22-man roster. This was very much by design. MLS had kicked off in 1996 as a fulfilled promise made to Fifa by US Soccer for the right to host the 1994 World Cup. The new league then set about hoarding as many national team players as it could.

In a winless and mirthless tournament in 1998, fraught by a fractious camp, the Americans started an MLS player 21 times in their three group-stage matches, for an average of seven per starting lineup. That number has trended down ever since. In the 2002 run to the World Cup quarter-finals, setting the program’s modern high-water mark, an average of 5.4 MLS players made a start in the USA’s five matches. In 2006, it was 3.33. By 2010, that number had sunk to two; and in 2022, it was only one. In Qatar, the USMNT’s final group stage match against Iran was, in fact, the first time the team had started no MLS players at all at a World Cup since the league’s founding.

Published: April 15, 2026, 11:00 am

Spoelstra says Hornets’ Ball should have been ejected before ending Miami Heat’s season

• Ball appeared to trip Bam Adebayo in Tuesday’s game

• Hornets went on to win play-in game in overtime

Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said LaMelo Ball should have been ejected for tripping Bam Adebayo, leading to an injury that knocked the Heat’s star center out of Tuesday night’s 127-126 play-in tournament loss to the Charlotte Hornets.

Ball fell to the floor after missing a shot on a drive to the basket early in the second quarter, and appeared to reach out and grab Adebayo’s left leg, causing the center to fall on his back. Ball was not called for a foul, and Adebayo remained on the floor as play continued. He eventually walked to the locker room under his own power but did not return.

Published: April 15, 2026, 12:58 pm

Former Alabama star allegedly impersonated NFL’s Penix, Njoku and McKinney in $20m loan scam

Luther Davis, a national champion with the Crimson Tide, is said to have worn wigs and make-up to secure fraudulent loans

A former University of Alabama football star plans to plead guilty later this month to orchestrating an alleged scheme in which he impersonated NFL players and defrauded lenders out of nearly $20m. The alleged scam is described in detail by the US attorney for the northern district of Georgia, including depictions of the former defensive lineman donning disguises during loan closings.

Luther Davis, a member of the Alabama team that won the 2010 national championship game, along with a partner, CJ Evins, “obtained at least thirteen fraudulent loans totaling more than $19,845,000”, the criminal information filing alleges. A criminal information (CI) document is filed by a US attorney when a defendant agrees to waive the constitutional right to indictment by a grand jury and instead proceed by typically entering a guilty plea; both Davis and Evins are doing so according to the court docket.

Aliya Sports said it had no further comment on this article. Sure Sports did not reply to a request for comment.

Published: April 15, 2026, 9:00 am

How the streaming dream turned sports on TV into a costly maze

What began as a fan-friendly revolution has splintered into a confusing, expensive web of subscriptions, blackouts and ads

There was a moment, perhaps a decade ago, when it felt as if sports broadcasting nirvana was near. A world where ordinary fans could access any game on any device, any time, anywhere.

Or near enough, as cord-cutting devastated traditional cable subscription models and viewers who had long been locked into expensive and restrictive TV packages now had choices. Streaming nurtured a diverse and bespoke landscape.

Published: April 15, 2026, 9:00 am

A long-term plan with mixed results: how Matt Crocker’s US Soccer tenure stacked up

The US federation’s sporting director hired Mauricio Pochettino and Emma Hayes, but it’s too early to judge his larger impact

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Sporting directors live in the mid-to-long-term. While the coaches they hire and players they recruit have to deal with the highs and lows of week-to-week performance reviews, the executives watch on and make sure the project hasn’t veered off course. With a club, the rule of thumb is that it can take at least three transfer windows to start seeing tangible evidence of progress under a new sporting director. In international soccer, it often takes multiple cycles.

Matt Crocker arrived at US Soccer in April 2023 pledging to guide the program into a brave new era while acknowledging that initiative would take time to actualize. As it turned out, he never game himself that time. US Soccer announced on Tuesday that Crocker was stepping down as sporting director, and he’s reportedly due to take up a similar position with Saudi Arabia.

Published: April 15, 2026, 11:32 am

NFL reporter Russini resigns amid ‘self-feeding speculation’ over photos with Patriots’ Vrabel

• Photos prompted investigation by The Athletic

• Russini seen as one of NFL’s top reporters

NFL reporter Dianna Russini has resigned from The Athletic less than a week after photos of her and New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel prompted an internal investigation at The New York Times-owned sports outlet.

The New York Post last week published the photos of Vrabel and Russini at an Arizona resort and said they were taken before the NFL owners meetings that began in Phoenix on 29 March.

Published: April 14, 2026, 8:23 pm

Ruthless PSG prove that not even Anfield has an infinite capacity for miracles | Jonathan Wilson

Stage was set for one of Liverpool’s classic comeback nights – but not this team against these European champions

Often in the past Liverpool has demanded and Anfield has delivered. Past glories perhaps shouldn’t influence the present, but they do; precedent begets belief. That’s part of the mythos of the great stadiums, how they develop a life and an identity of their own. But a club cannot simply give itself to an arena and hope that it will do the job that players and management and the executive body cannot. No ground, not even Anfield, has an infinite capacity for miracles.

Just because Liverpool came from 3-0 down to beat Barcelona in 2019, there’s no reason to believe they could overhaul a two-goal deficit against Paris Saint-Germain in 2026. Anfield did its bit on a windy night on which early drizzle gave way to teeming rain. The rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone was suitably stirring, the noise from both sets of fans boisterous. But it was not enough.

Published: April 14, 2026, 9:48 pm

‘No fear. Pure fire’: Mikel Arteta rallies wounded Arsenal before Sporting test

Manager calls on players and fans to embrace the chance of Champions League success despite recent defeats

There was a dramatic pause when Mikel Arteta was asked what he wants from the Arsenal supporters against Sporting on Wednesday evening in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final.

After his attempts to rouse them before the early kick-off against Bournemouth at the weekend by telling them to “bring your lunch” backfired spectacularly with a costly home defeat that ended with some fans booing the Premier League leaders off the pitch, this time the message was more considered.

Published: April 15, 2026, 7:00 am

The Spin | Teenager Sooryavanshi from ‘a different planet’ but superstardom not guaranteed

Fifteen-year-old sensation has sent Jasprit Bumrah over the ropes but how he confronts lean patch will be key

When Jasprit Bumrah stood at the top of his mark for the Mumbai Indians against Rajasthan Royals in this year’s Indian Premier League, he was the most complete all-format bowler in history. With a whiplash action that explodes from a staccato run-up like a stick of dynamite from unraveling silk, he fires searing yorkers and steepling bouncers at will. Three balls later, he was the setup for the story’s real protagonist.

Before this moment, Bumrah, winner of five IPLs and two World Cups, had delivered 5,445 balls in T20 cricket for Mumbai and his country. Only 180 of them were sent sailing over the rope for six. That’s a maximum, to use the parlance of the day, every five overs. Since 2013 he has been a walking cheat code, the point of difference in almost every game. None of that seemed to matter to 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

Published: April 15, 2026, 9:32 am

Bournemouth in talks with Marco Rose to replace Andoni Iraola as head coach

• Iraola leaving Cherries at end of the season

• Rose out of work since leaving RB Leipzig in March 2025

Bournemouth are in advanced talks with Marco Rose to replace Andoni Iraola as their head coach. The German has emerged as the leading candidate and a deal for him to take over at the end of the season could be agreed by the end of this week.

Bournemouth have also given strong consideration to moving for Ipswich’s Kieran McKenna but Rose is available now and boasts a strong CV. McKenna’s contract contains a buyout clause and no negotiations can be held with him before the end of the Championship season.

Published: April 15, 2026, 2:07 pm

Who are the greatest footballers never to make an appearance in England? | The Knowledge

Plus: scoring past three keepers in one day, highest ratio of European to domestic titles and a dream result

• Mail us with your questions and answers

“I’ve been wondering: who is the greatest footballer never to make an appearance in England?” muses Cameron Turner. “Did any of the game’s greats go their whole career without visiting the home of football? I think the best bet might be a South American from the 1970s-1990s, though Brazil and Argentina often played friendlies at Wembley.”

This question is difficult to answer categorically, mainly because the internet does not yet provide chapter and verse on every football match played by superstars of the black-and-white era. But it’s also far too interesting to leave on the cutting-room floor, so we’ve given it a go with the caveat that the answers are only 99% correct.

Just Fontaine (France, 1953-60)

Roger Milla (Cameroon 1973-94)

Hugo Sánchez (Mexico, 1977-98)

Romerito (Paraguay, 1979-90)

Abedi Pele (Ghana, 1982-98)

Mia Hamm (USA, 1985-2000)

Michelle Akers (USA, 1987-2004)

Hong Myung-bo (South Korea, 1990-2002)

Published: April 15, 2026, 7:00 am

Streetwise England use tried and tested playbook to find more success against Spain | Sophie Downey

Sarina Wiegman’s side followed up Euro 2025 final glory with another defensively minded win over biggest rivals

As the seconds ran down, the tension was palpable around Wembley. Hearts were in mouths as Hannah Hampton made a world-class save from point-blank range to keep out Edna Imade’s header. Every sinew was stretched by Keira Walsh as she stuck out a head and then a boot to scramble away yet another delivery into the box, every single ounce of energy eked out to protect Lauren Hemp’s third-minute goal, a moment that felt like it belonged to another era of time.

Despite the apparent commotion on the field and the anxiety of the spectators in the stands, there was, however, very little panic evident on the faces of the 11 Lionesses on the field. Instead there was an aura of confidence about them, a true belief that they would get the job done. They cut an image of a team that had been there and done it all before and completed the task at hand on a far more stressful stage than the hallowed Wembley turf.

Published: April 14, 2026, 9:45 pm

Atlético hold off Barcelona comeback after Lookman strike and García red

Defeat never tasted so good. At the end of a battle in which both teams had fought and both had bled, in which they had suffered, a huge banner was unfurled. “We give everything to win the cup,” it said, and, boy, had they.

For the first time, Diego Simeone had seen his team lose a Champions League knockout game at home, but it did not matter: instead there was delirium, the club’s anthem belted out louder than ever before. “You don’t know how lovely it is to be among the four best teams in Europe,” he said.

Published: April 14, 2026, 9:25 pm

Sheffield Wednesday’s prospective buyers in talks over partial lifting of transfer ban before next deduction

• Club under a transfer fee embargo until 2027

• Arise hope takeover will be approved by end of season

Sheffield Wednesday’s prospective new owners, Arise Capital Partners, are in talks with the EFL over a partial lifting of the club’s transfer ban this summer. Wednesday are prohibited from paying any money for new players until January 2027 as a punishment for the multiple late payment of wages by the former owner Dejphon Chansiri.

Wednesday will start next season on minus 15 points in League One, as Arise’s purchase price of £18m does not meet the EFL’s requirement to repay creditors 25p in the pound on exiting administration.

Published: April 15, 2026, 8:24 am

West Brom could be hit with points deduction and relegation after season has ended

• EFL in race against time to hear charges

• Club alleged to have breached P&S rules

West Brom could be given a points deduction that relegates them from the Championship after the season has finished as the club contest charges of breaching the English Football League’s profit and sustainability (P&S) rules.

With the Championship league season concluding on 2 May the EFL is running out of time to hear the charges against West Brom, which relate to an alleged breach of the £39m loss limit in the three-year period culminating in the 2024-25 season. EFL sanctioning guidelines state that any punishment for a P&S breach must be applied in the campaign after it took place, which in West Brom’s case means this season, but the rulebook does not give a definitive cutoff point so it is unclear when the season ends.

Published: April 14, 2026, 7:03 pm

American investor agrees to buy Exeter Chiefs with plans to inject fresh funding

• Members to hold meeting on 7 May to approve deal

• Club in more saleable position after £10.3m loss last year

Exeter Chiefs have finalised a deal with a wealthy American backer to take control of the club, subject to the approval of their membership. An extraordinary general meeting is to be held on 7 May when members will be urged to support the move to sell the 155-year-old club and unlock significant fresh funding.

Insiders are describing the impending multimillion pound investment as “meaningful” at a pivotal stage in the development of English professional club rugby. The existing 10-team Prem is to become a franchise “expansion” league from 2029-30 and the race for new funding is accelerating.

Published: April 15, 2026, 7:00 am

Half-billion dollar BBL sell-off stalls as states urge Cricket Australia to be patient

• Cricket NSW opposed to proposal; Cricket Queensland undecided

• Private investment model could generate up to $100m per team

Cricket Australia has not yet done enough to convince two crucial stakeholders of the merits of selling stakes in Big Bash League franchises, leaving the future of the T20 league up in the air.

Cricket NSW chief executive Lee Germon expressed his opposition to the proposal on Wednesday morning and confirmed the Sydney Thunder and Sydney Sixers would not be involved in a process of valuing the clubs being run by CA.

Published: April 15, 2026, 6:37 am

‘No longer viable’: Super Rugby team Moana Pasifika to be axed at end of season

• Franchise founded in 2020 confirms operations will cease

• Club cites ‘financial, operational, and strategic realities’

Moana Pasifika have confirmed the Super Rugby franchise will fold at the end of the season, citing “financial, operational, and strategic realities”.

“Despite the tireless dedication of players, staff, and supporters, it is no longer viable to continue the franchise at this level of competition,” the team said in a statement.

Published: April 15, 2026, 12:38 am

Arne Slot fears ‘really bad’ Ekitiké injury and laments missed Liverpool chances

• Liverpool out of Champions League after loss to PSG

• Ekitiké carried off with suspected achilles injury

Arne Slot once again lamented Liver­pool’s wastefulness in front of goal after they were knocked out of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain and suffered the added blow of losing Hugo Ekitiké to a potentially serious injury.

Liverpool produced a vastly improved second-leg display against the European champions but exited at the quarter-final stage after a 4-0 aggregate defeat. Ousmane Dembélé scored twice late on to extinguish Anfield’s hope of another European comeback.

Published: April 14, 2026, 10:59 pm

Championship: Southampton see off Blackburn and close gap to Ipswich

• Saints three points off second after 3-0 home win

• Ipswich slip to 2-0 defeat at battling Portsmouth

Southampton moved three points off automatic promotion after a 3-0 victory over Blackburn, coupled with Ipswich’s 2-0 defeat at Portsmouth. Southampton extended their unbeaten run to 18 games in all competitions with a comprehensive victory at St Mary’s, secured by first-half goals from Cyle Larin and Ryan Manning and a late strike from Cameron Archer.

The Southampton manager, Tonda Eckert, made five changes to the team that beat Derby 2-1 on Saturday, but there was no disruption to the relentless rhythm that has catapulted the club up the Championship table and earned an FA Cup semi-final spot.

Published: April 14, 2026, 9:52 pm

Arteta insists Arsenal must prove to themselves they have title mentality

• ‘We have to show on the pitch that we have the mindset’

• Manager unsure when Saka will return from injury

Mikel Arteta has admitted Arsenal must prove to themselves they have the right mindset to win the Premier League title, but revealed there are major doubts over when Bukayo Saka will return from an achilles injury.

The England forward will miss the second leg of Arsenal’s Champions League quarter-final against Sporting on Wednesday and looks set to be sidelined for Sunday’s crucial Premier League showdown with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. Pep Guardiola said after City’s win over Chelsea last Sunday, which cut Arsenal’s lead to six points, that their recent resurgence is “about mindset, not tactics” as he attempts to win a seventh title in England.

Published: April 14, 2026, 9:45 pm

Atlético Madrid 1-2 Barcelona (agg 3-2): Champions League quarter-final, second leg – as it happened

Atlético Madrid held onto to reach the semi-finals against 10-man Barcelona on a pulsating night in the Spanish capital

I always feel sorry for the young mascots on Champions League nights. They are living the dream but having to dress like a credit card.

The teams are primed in the ‘tunnel’ which is more spacious than my house.

Published: April 14, 2026, 9:28 pm

Javier Mascherano resigns as Inter Miami manager months after winning MLS Cup

• Mascherano coached one full season with Messi in Miami

• Inter Miami have been off to a slow start in 2026

Javier Mascherano has stunningly stepped down as Inter Miami’s manager, just months after leading the team to their first MLS title.

In the club’s announcement of the move, Mascherano said he was leaving for “personal reasons,” though later on the announcement specifies that his coaching staff will also depart the club.

Published: April 14, 2026, 5:19 pm

Boss of the Bronx: the turbulent reign of George Steinbrenner, baseball’s ultimate showman

A new book looks at how an eccentric shipping magnate ushered in a long run of success for the New York Yankees

George Steinbrenner could be quite the pitchman – whether selling New York to free agents or starring in Pepto-Bismol TV ads alongside Billy Martin. And now a new book remembers the late Yankees owner and the dynasty he founded.

The Bosses of the Bronx: The Endless Drama of the Yankees Under the House of Steinbrenner flows from the pen of sports journalist and author Mike Vaccaro. As the New York Post’s lead sports columnist for more than two decades, Vaccaro has witnessed the Steinbrenner dynasty from a rarefied perspective – the journalistic equivalent of a seat along the third-base line.

Published: April 14, 2026, 9:00 am