List of All Articles with Tag 'eppersons'

Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz and Spaniard Enric Mas pulled out of the Tour de France after a crash on Saturday's opening stage...

After years of uncomfortable silence, Tom Brady finally opened up about Bill Belichick's impact on his career with the New England Patriots.There may not be a more storied player-coach combination in NFL history than Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.The pair spent 20 years together with the...

The Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers are taking their on-ice Metropolitan Division rivalry to paper

The Los Angeles Lakers kept two of their best guards

The New York Knicks are trading Obi Toppin to the Indiana Pacers, dealing away a former lottery pick who was loved by fans but never as much by coach Tom Thibodeau

Though Major League Soccer's Secondary Transfer Window officially kicks off on July 5, several teams have begun making changes to their roster.

Injured Australia star Nathan Lyon insisted he had no regrets about risking further damage to his torn calf during his extraordinary...

NHL Rumors: Jonathan Quick signs with New York RangersJonathan Quick is now the backup goalie for the New York Rangers in the 2023-24 season.The terms of the deal were announced when free agency opened on Saturday with Quick signing a one-year, $825,000 deal.Quick, 37, has had an impressiv...

The Arizona Diamondbacks took their series opener against the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night with a 6-2 win.Arizona is in first place in the National League West, and the team has done it with great hitting (sixth in OPS this season).Those bats will have a chance to get hot against Tyler...

Glenn McGrath blasted a controversial decision to disallow a crucial 'catch' by Australia's Mitchell Starc in the second Test at...

The NASCAR Cup Series hits the streets of downtown Chicago on Sunday at the end of a big weekend for the sport that includes concerts and other entertainment

The Lionesses couldn’t hide it, Sarina Wiegman admitted it: England head to the Women’s World Cup with a feeling of disappointment and frustration. A goalless draw against Portugal was not the send-off England wanted after missed chances spoiled the expectant party atmosphere in Milton Keynes. There was always going to be an element of rustiness at play here, five weeks after many of England’s players had their final match of the domestic season. This was England’s first game for two months, a fixture that was arranged with conditioning in mind as much as anything else, with a focus on sharpening combinations ahead of the World Cup rather than results. Had one of those chances fallen in – if Alessia Russo hadn’t been denied by the sliding defender Marques Borges after rounding the goalkeeper, or if Lucy Bronze’s header had drifted inside the post moments later – then of course England would have an outlook that is much, much rosier ahead of the World Cup. But they didn’t, and it means that England suddenly head into the World Cup without a win in two games, both of which have come without a goal. Even though England go into the World Cup as European champions, there was certainly more optimism heading into the Euros last summer. Portugal didn’t win a game at the Euros and although they are an improving side and will be at the World Cup, this was a match that the Lionesses were expected to win and win well. Yet England for the most part played their game and looked threatening. Wiegman’s side showed the way they wanted to play, with the England manager even flashing a look at a system that could be devastating in Australia if it is given another try. Before this warm-up game, the focus was on the selections Wiegman had to make: on whether to go with Alessia Russo or Rachel Daly, or start with Lauren James, Chloe Kelly or Lauren Hemp. Wiegman insisted she came away with more answers than questions, perhaps not at a first-choice striker but certainly in the forward line. James, Kelly or Hemp? Why not all three? The Lionesses drastically improved in the second half when James was moved inside to No 10, with Hemp on the left and Kelly on the right. With James central, the danger flowed from all angles and brought a better balance to the side. “You can tell she can play there,” Wiegman said. “Tight on the ball, powerful, with vision, she did good things.” There was room for improvement too. The England manager also said that James could have been better with her decision-making and final ball but those comments also could have related to anyone at Stadium MK. But the Lionesses routinely got into the right areas: particularly with Hemp and Kelly out wide. All of England’s play was funnelled from there towards the middle, where Russo and Daly shared a half each. Had Daly’s back-post header found the target in the opening stages, set up by Hemp’s duck outside and dink to the back post, then this could have developed into a very different game. Russo had the better opportunities following the break but couldn’t take them, but they are both still world-class options. Wiegman said she wasn’t concerned: the goals will come if they continued to do the right things. And England, for the most part, did that. Georgia Stanway, visibly radiating with confidence after winning the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich this season, clearly enjoyed herself, rolling an audacious nutmeg past a bewildered Portuguese player in midfield in the first half along with a series of clever turns and feints. Her presence in midfield alongside Keira Walsh, who also just looks so assured after her year with Barcelona, was where England were just so on top. Both were taken off when England pressed for a winner, a situation that wouldn’t have happened had minutes not been a consideration. This, after all, was a friendly – it certainly wasn’t a time to panic. But like a lot of the mood ahead of this World Cup, it feels like England’s team for the tournament can go one of two ways: either Wiegman will know her starting line-up by the time the Lionesses play Haiti on 22 July, or there will be an uncertainty in the side that wasn’t there last summer. “We’re not closer now,” Wiegman said when asked if she knew her starting team. “I’m not sure we get closer now.” But England feel close. A couple of goals against Portugal would have made all the difference and created the send-off atmosphere many had arrived for, and that England’s performance largely deserved. Read More Sarina Wiegman has no concerns with England display despite Portugal stalemate Women’s World Cup TV schedule: How to watch every match in UK When is the Women’s World Cup and what are the fixtures?