List of All Articles with Tag 'al'

The 2023 Leagues Cup Group Stages are complete, and the knockout round bracket is set for competition.The MLS and Liga MX have been fighting and clawing to get out of the group stage and move onto the knockout round of the Leagues Cup. There have been many memorable moments and heartbreak everyw...

The New York Mets have already been active at the trade deadline by dealing away a few key players. Which three players could be next?The Mets have taken the deadline by storm, trading away multiple starters. These moves include Max Scherzer and David Robertson, both of which held tremendous val...

Republic of Ireland defender Megan Campbell was “gutted” not to be able to join her nation at the Women’s World Cup but believes the team’s participation at the tournament is a “catalyst” to inspire the next generation of football fans. The centre-back for Liverpool and the Republic was not chosen as part of Vera Pauw’s squad for the tournament in Australia and New Zealand after being unable to recover in time from an unspecified injury. The Republic crashed out of the tournament with just one point from three group-stage games after Monday’s goalless draw with Nigeria, but despite this Campbell said the support shown for the team has been “incredible”. “I joined in with many thousands of other fans from Ireland as the whole country was backing the team and watching the games, and the amount of Irish support Down Under has been incredible,” the 30-year-old told the PA news agency. “What an opportunity for the girls to be able to put Ireland on the biggest stage possible and it’s only the start for this team. “It’s a catalyst, hopefully, for building for the future generations.” She also commended the quality of football at this year’s World Cup, describing it as a “great spectacle” following England’s win over China in the final round of the group stage. Campbell said England had “come out all guns blazing” after beating China 6-1 on Tuesday. “I think it’s been a great spectacle for women’s football and shows how close the games have been… in general the scorelines have been quite narrow so this shows that the level is improving all over the world,” she said. Campbell felt the Lionesses experienced “a lot of pressure” going into this year’s World Cup, following their European Championship win, but said they had successfully achieved their objective of winning every group-stage match. “I think they probably have a lot of pressure coming into the tournament off the back of winning the Euros and that was to be expected, obviously, because they have done so well,” she said. “But it’s about winning games in the group stages, and that’s what they’ve done and they’ve managed to achieve that by getting nine points out of nine.” In a bid to make women’s football more visible, particularly in schools, Campbell and Czech Republic and Chelsea midfielder Katerina Svitkova joined more than 100 schoolgirls at Alexander Stadium in Birmingham on Tuesday to inspire the next generation of children to play football. “It’s been a lovely atmosphere here. Probably close enough to an atmosphere Down Under, I’d say, as the kids are quite loud,” Campbell said. The Republic and Liverpool player said there were some “hidden talents” at the Football Fun Day event brought together by Visa and HSBC. “There have been some girls who probably haven’t played football before for a team who will now sign up for teams because they love being here and feel inspired by the day,” she said. “I think the job’s complete, and we’ve probably done a really good one if girls now want to play football.” She hopes increased visibility of women’s football will create new role models for young children to be inspired by. “With the women’s football team doing so well, it’s great to have this off the back of it to inspire the next generations,” she said. “That’s what this is about, trying to inspire the next generations to play football but also just for girls in general and in life to have models to look up to regardless of if it’s football or not.” She also hopes that more visibility of the Women’s Super League will help to inspire more children to watch the game. “I think the league will only grow this year and participation will increase, which is the most important thing overall. “It’s about the here and now, but it’s also about the future generations and what we can provide for them.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Johnny Sexton will feel uneasy about missing warm-up matches – Paul O’Connell Sarina Wiegman hails England adaptability after big win over China There’s nothing to it – Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp on Kylian Mbappe loan link

With the trade deadline coming down to the wire, the following players are swirling around the MLB rumors mill.The MLB trade deadline expires at 6 PM E.T., so teams across the league are hammering the phone lines in hopes of improving their team before the final buzzer sounds.For teams in th...

As the MLB trade deadline nears on Tuesday, several teams are in pursuit of elite starting pitching. Look no further than Eduardo Rodriguez.Eduardo Rodriguez has been one of the best pitchers in the American League this season for a reason. However, in order to send him elsewhere, the Detroit Ti...

England boss Sarina Wiegman lauded the Lionesses’ adaptability after a system shake-up sparked a thumping 6-1 victory over China at the Women’s World Cup. The Lionesses had not scored more than once in their opening two matches but came alive on a crisp night in front of 13,497 at Adelaide’s Hindmarsh Stadium to seal top spot in Group D. Wiegman took a gamble as she swapped England’s usual 4-3-3 for a 3-5-2 formation, and she was rewarded with goals from five different players including a brace from Chelsea prodigy Lauren James, who also picked up three assists. “I think we are growing into this tournament,” said Wiegman, whose side will travel back to their Terrigal, New South Wales base camp before flying to Brisbane to meet Nigeria in the knockout stages. “I think tonight we had a great performance. Of course we made a choice and went for it. “Everyone really believed in it [the formation] straight away and you could see that on the pitch. They were really excited about it. We want to use the qualities of the squad as optimal as possible. The team showed they were really adaptable. “I think you could see from the whole team that we were enjoying ourselves, you could tell that we were really connected, the ball is going around and we have different ways to go in attack, and of course Lauren James was one of them when she scored the goals. “You saw that the team was enjoying every goal, except the one from China.” Alessia Russo got things started for England after just four minutes, while a dangerous-looking Lauren Hemp marked her return to Wiegman’s starting XI by doubling England’s advantage. James struck her first after 41 minutes, but was denied a retrospective hat-trick after Australian referee Casey Reibelt turned to VAR and the stoppage-time strike was chalked off. Lucy Bronze, who was ruled offside in that build-up, found herself at the wrong end of another call to the monitor after the restart and was aggrieved when she was punished for a handball and China were awarded a penalty, converted by Wang Shuang. Chloe Kelly and Rachel Daly wrapped up the victory with late strikes. Bronze said: “I knew it hit my hand, but it wasn’t deliberate. “Unless I cut my arm off I don’t know how I get my arm out the way. Again, we sit down with referees every tournament to discuss the rules, the rules are if I’m trying to put my hand next to my body. “I said to the girls she’s going to give the penalty because it hits my hand but [England keeper] Mary [Earps] was behind me, if I was trying to hit the ball away I would have hit my hand in the air. I knew it wasn’t deliberate but I guess she just wanted to give me a yellow card for fun. Hopefully I can continue doing that and take it into the next round Lauren James “It wasn’t a fun game in that respect, the referee for me. So, I was quite disappointed with that game to come off with that performance. The most important thing is we won, we’re through to the next game, no one else got injured.” James, who became the first England player to be directly involved in five or more goals in a game at the men’s or women’s World Cup, admitted it would have been the icing on the cake to complete the hat-trick. She said: “I was disappointed in the moment obviously but that’s football for you. In the moment I just had to be focused for the game to continue. “I think just playing with freedom, just enjoying my football and I think tonight showed that. Hopefully I can continue doing that and take it into the next round.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live There’s nothing to it – Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp on Kylian Mbappe loan link It’s what dreams are made of – Lauren James ‘buzzing’ as England reach last 16 Willie Peters to spare star Hull KR players against Wigan with cup final in mind

Wyndham Championship picks and best bets at Sedgefield Country Club this week as we have an outright, Top 10, One and Done, and more PGA Tour expert picks for golf.We've arrived at the last event of the PGA Tour regular season with the FedExCup Playoffs beginning next week in Memphis. But t...

Southampton have rejected a second bid from Liverpool for midfielder Romeo Lavia.

As the Atlanta Braves near the MLB trade deadline, there's increasing chatter that a deal might be likely.Atlanta is one of the best teams in baseball, so there's an argument to be made that standing pat, or making small deals to improve the roster, is the best bet for Alex Anthopoulos...

Marcus Stroman was once a leading player thought to be available at the MLB trade deadline. His last few starts have left lots to be desired.Plenty thought Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Marcus Stroman's first several starts in 2023 were a fluke, and that he'd quickly slow down througho...

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has laughed off suggestions the club are in the running to put together a loan deal for Kylian Mbappe. France captain Mbappe has been subject of a world-record £259million bid from Saudi Arabia club Al Hilal, but Paris St Germain could also be open to a temporary move ahead of the possibility of seeing him leave for nothing next year at the end of his current contract. Chelsea and Barcelona are understood to be among the clubs trying to put together deals for Mbappe, who is reported to have already agreed a deal to sign for Real Madrid on a free transfer and so secure a 160m euro (£138m) signing-on fee. Anfield has also been touted as a possible destination for the coming season, but Klopp has been quick to pour cold water on those rumours. “We laugh about it,” Klopp told Sky Germany as he prepared the squad for the final match of their pre-season Asia tour against Bayern Munich in Singapore. “I can say that I think he’s a really good player, but the financial conditions don’t suit us at all. I wouldn’t like to ruin the story now, but as far as I know, there’s nothing to it. “It’s possible that someone else from the club is preparing something and wants to surprise me…that hasn’t happened in the eight years that I’ve been here. That would be the first time.” With Jordan Henderson having left the club to join Saudi side Al-Ettifaq, managed by former Reds skipper Steven Gerrard, Virgil van Dijk is set to captain Liverpool next season. Klopp revealed he handed the Dutch defender the armband for his leadership – and for his looks. “Virgil has everything to wish for to be a captain of a football club,” boss Klopp told the Liverpool’s website. “Number one, he’s probably, let me have a think, definitely the best-looking captain in the Premier League, which is important for team pictures! “But, of course, personality-wise everything is there. He wants to be a leader, he is a leader. “He has to step up, like all of us have to step up because we were used to things how they always were and now we have to create something new – a new structure, a new culture – and that’s really exciting. He will play a massive role in that – he has to.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live It’s what dreams are made of – Lauren James ‘buzzing’ as England reach last 16 Willie Peters to spare star Hull KR players against Wigan with cup final in mind The key issues raised by five unforgettable Ashes Tests

The Baltimore Orioles might be viewed as the third-place team in the running for Justin Verlander, but a few connections should help them stand out.On Monday night, the Baltimore Orioles emerged as a possible fit for Justin Verlander. Then, Jon Morosi confirmed early deadline morning: The Oriole...