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In today's USMNT rumors, Gio Reyna is linked with Ajax, Ricardo Pepi scores a late winner and the USMNT move down in the FIFA rankings.

Matt Miazga has been suspended by the Major League Soccer disciplinary committee for three matches and issued an undisclosed fine for his misconduct following FC Cincinnati’s match against the New York Red Bulls on November 4.

Nominess for The Big Lead's 2023 Sports Media Awards

Wales have enlisted the support of former manager Chris Coleman to help them avoid relegation from the Women’s Nations League. Coleman memorably led Wales to the semi-finals of Euro 2016 and spoke to boss Gemma Grainger and her squad before Friday’s relegation decider against Iceland in Cardiff. Wales need to probably win by a two-goal margin to stay in League A, as well as boost their Euro 2025 qualifying hopes, and Coleman gave the lowdown on his time as men’s team manager between 2012 and 2017 during a 20-minute Zoom call on Wednesday. “One of the things we have done in terms of the mindset and mentality is being fortunate enough to spend some time with Chris Coleman,” Grainger said at her pre-match press conference. “We spoke to Chris around some of the work he did with the men’s team because that journey is so similar to us. “We are two years into a journey that was similar to the one Chris had with our men’s team. It was great for him to speak to the girls about that. “It was interesting to hear him talk about when the team suffered and what that allowed them to do in terms of ‘Together Stronger’ (the national team’s motto) – the real togetherness of the team and what it takes. “He talked about the criticism that team had, and to me that’s a natural part of when a team is successful. “It was a pleasure to speak to him for me as a coach and also for the players.” Wales remain without a point after four games and are bottom of Nations League Group A3 heading into their final two fixtures. Grainger’s side finish their campaign against two-time World Cup winners Germany in Swansea on Tuesday. So overcoming Iceland, who beat them 1-0 in September, represents Wales’ best chance of securing the third spot they need to avoid dropping into League B and head into the relegation play-offs instead. If Wales win by a one-goal margin, bottom spot could end up being determined by goal difference – and Iceland currently have a superior advantage of four in that department. Grainger said: “We are focused on winning. If we win by one goal then we know what we’ve got to do in the second game. “Two goals would mean that we would likely go through on head-to-head. “It’s an ideal game for us because when we qualify for the Euros we’ll go through stages where one-off games will matter. So it’s a great rehearsal against a top team in Europe.” Wales have lost to Denmark twice and Germany away since losing their opening game in Iceland. But Grainger was encouraged by the narrow 2-1 defeat in Denmark last time out, saying: “We finished that game stronger than they did. We scored in the 72nd minute and we really pushed for the equaliser. “The first game against Iceland was one of our best performances since I’ve been here. “The challenge now is to replicate that because the plan is to stay in League A.” Read More Shameful and not right – Saracens boss condemns Owen Farrell treatment The key talking points ahead of England’s Women’s Nations League double-header Kevin Sinfield vows to keep raising funds to combat MND ahead of new challenge Andre Onana – Do the numbers back up the criticism? On This Day in 2004 – Sir Matthew Pinsent announces retirement from rowing Arsenal through to last 16 as Manchester United squander lead again

England complete their group games in the inaugural Women’s Nations League over the next few days, playing the Netherlands at Wembley on Friday and then Scotland at Hampden Park on Tuesday. Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the talking points ahead of the double-header. Must-win This competition provides England with the chance to secure Paris 2024 Olympic qualification for Great Britain, should they first finish top of Group A1 – something they are in considerable danger of failing to do. Lying third with six points from four games, three points behind the Dutch and one behind Belgium, they have to win on Friday to stay in contention. They lost 2-1 in the Netherlands in September, and were also beaten in their most recent outing, 3-2 away against Belgium. Relegation threat If England are defeated again by Wiegman’s old side, and Belgium beat Scotland at home the same night, as well as the Olympic bid being over, the Lionesses will be confirmed as entering the Nations League relegation play-offs. After the highs of the last two years under her management, that scenario would represent some come down for the European champions and World Cup runners-up. The Scotland situation While it remains to be seen what the state of play is come Tuesday, a talking point from the word go as England headed into this competition as the one home nation able to claim Olympic qualification for GB has been that their group includes a Scotland outfit with players also holding Paris hopes. England midfielder Keira Walsh has described the situation as “a little bit strange”, but said of Tuesday: “If I’m putting myself in their shoes, it’s a big game against England. They’re going to want to win.” Wiegman’s team beat Scotland 2-1 in Sunderland in their group opener in September. No Bright England, already without Leah Williamson, also for these two games have the player who has skippered the team in her absence, fellow defender Millie Bright, out injured due to a knee issue. Wiegman has confirmed goalkeeper Mary Earps will wear the armband. Mead’s return England also have a big-name player back in the fold, with the fit-again Beth Mead – like Williamson, absent from the summer’s World Cup as she recovered from an ACL injury – having been recalled. Wiegman said it was as if Mead “hasn’t been away” without confirming whether the forward would start or not on Friday. Any appearance would be her first at international level in just over a year for the Euro 2022 Golden Boot winner. Read More Wales call on Chris Coleman in bid to boost Women’s Nations League hopes Shameful and not right – Saracens boss condemns Owen Farrell treatment Kevin Sinfield vows to keep raising funds to combat MND ahead of new challenge Andre Onana – Do the numbers back up the criticism? On This Day in 2004 – Sir Matthew Pinsent announces retirement from rowing Arsenal through to last 16 as Manchester United squander lead again

Perhaps there was a nod to Peter Schmeichel, to Edwin van der Sar, to Alex Stepney, to Manchester United’s three European Cup-winning goalkeepers. Erik ten Hag had just bought a successor, fresh from playing in a Champions League final in Istanbul and Andre Onana arrived at Old Trafford seemingly equipped with a knowledge of his new club’s history. “Manchester United has a long history of incredible goalkeepers, and I will now give everything to create my own legacy in the coming years,” the Cameroonian said. Four months later, after his second Champions League tie in Istanbul in 2023, Onana’s legacy may include torching United’s continental campaign. They are not mathematically out of the Champions League but they are reliant on favours, on two results going their way, on Bayern Munich performing sufficiently poorly to lose at Old Trafford while FC Copenhagen and Galatasaray draw with each other. If a 3-3 draw with Galatasaray was a microcosm of United’s group stage – the capacity to lose leads, to score three goals away from home without winning, the self-destructive streak and the chaotic midfield are all recurring themes – then Onana looks like being the face of failure, the major reason for a probable inability to get through a seemingly friendly pool. Galatasaray, after all, arrived at Old Trafford with two victories in their previous 25 Champions League group-stage games and won. FC Copenhagen had three victories in 21 Champions League group-stage matches before they beat United. And if Onana’s ever-decreasing band of advocates – principally a Dutchman in his fifties – can argue that half of United’s meagre tally of four points stem from his injury-time penalty save from Copenhagen’s Jordan Larsson at Old Trafford, his campaign has featured four major mistakes. There was, after United had started well in Munich, the way he let Leroy Sane’s tame shot squirm under him to set Bayern on their way to a 4-3 win. There was, with United drawing 2-2, the awful, misplaced pass that led to Casemiro’s red card and a penalty in the 3-2 loss to Galatasaray. There were the two Hakim Ziyech free kicks that Onana ought to have held comfortably but which still brought goals on Wednesday. While Ten Hag said he took responsibility for United’s European struggles, Onana should share the blame. Yet if the manager’s transfer policy, and his seeming belief anyone who has played in the Netherlands can excel for United, is backfiring, it is worth noting Ziyech, Onana’s midweek nemesis and a player who scored in the 2019 Champions League semi-finals for Ten Hag’s Ajax, was on the shortlist at Old Trafford in the summer of 2022; instead they spent £86m on the ineffective Antony from – predictably – Ajax. If Onana’s time in Amsterdam felt a huge factor in his move to Manchester, one inexplicable element is that he was available on a free transfer the previous summer. United’s rationale for overlooking him then, that Ten Hag wanted to assess David de Gea, does not fully stack up but allowed Internazionale to make a £43m profit in a year. It also means his troubles are more costly. And in his defence, Onana has the joint most clean sheets in the Premier League, the second-best save percentage; according to post-shot expected goal statistics, only Luton’s Thomas Kaminski has prevented more goals in the division. Yet no one has conceded more in the Champions League. Indeed, Onana has had to retrieve the ball from the back of his net five more times in five Champions League games for United than he did in 13 for Inter. The glaring errors are part of the problem, along with their capacity to prove decisive. Yet so is the sense that shots don’t need to go in the corner of the net to beat Onana: among some agile saves – and a terrific reflex stop early in Turkey was not his first fine intervention in a United shirt – have come a series of goals that another keeper may have prevented. It will be instructive if Ten Hag, whose stubbornness is part of his armoury, decides Altay Bayindir is that other goalkeeper. Another summer signing is yet to make his debut while Onana has played all 20 games this season. But the former Fenerbahce goalkeeper has been on United’s radar for years and is a player they believe they scouted rigorously; he acquitted himself well for Turkey last week against Wales. He may be the pragmatic choice: certainly there are questions if Onana has the conviction or presence required to reassure defenders. But Onana has a symbolic status; he is a flagship Ten Hag signing. Yet, seven years ago, a manager in Manchester brought in a goalkeeper with passing principles from his old club. He proved a liability and Pep Guardiola had to jettison Claudio Bravo. And rather than proving United’s second Schmeichel, the danger is Onana’s legacy is to be remembered as their answer to Bravo. Read More Ten Hag dismisses criticism with insistence that Man Utd team ‘in development’ Manchester United show they have two sides after European stumble – and neither is working Andre Onana – Do the numbers back up the criticism?

Sarina Wiegman is confident England are ready for the task ahead of them as they prepare for Friday’s must-win Nations League clash with the Netherlands at Wembley. The Lionesses are third in Group A1 after four games, having been beaten 2-1 in September by the Dutch and 3-2 last month by Belgium, who they trail by three and one point respectively. Failure to beat the Netherlands in their penultimate group fixture will end their hopes of the first-placed finish they require to have a chance of securing a Paris 2024 Olympics qualifying spot for Great Britain, and boss Wiegman told a press conference: “I think the team is ready. “We’re really excited to play at Wembley tomorrow. I think the camp so far from Monday to now has gone really well. “We’re very clear on how we want to play and what we want to do; I see good things on and off pitch, and that gives me confidence that we’re really ready for tomorrow, and of course we all know what we have to do.” She added: “If you look at the games I don’t think we played really poor, just in moments we didn’t get it over the line and then we got some losses – which is not good, we want to do better. “In football, just as in life, you have ups and downs, and what we want to do is get to the high again, and that is what we are going to try to do.” With Millie Bright having withdrawn from the squad last week due to a knee injury, goalkeeper Mary Earps is set to captain the side. There are a number of defenders in the squad with only a few caps between them, and when asked about a lack of experience at the back, Wiegman said: “With the World Cup, you played the team you think are going to win, and then you change to win the game. “That has also been the case in the Nations League, so we didn’t have that many opportunities at international level to try out things. Of course we do that in training sessions, and we see the players in the Women’s Super League. “I think if it’s needed, they’re ready, and they know what is being asked of them. I hope in the future of course they get the opportunity to play. “Last year around this time we had friendlies, we played lots of players. We are not in that situation right now. “ An experienced player Wiegman has back in the fold is Beth Mead, the Golden Boot winner when England won the Euros in 2022 who, having missed their run to the World Cup final during the summer, has been recalled after recovering from an ACL injury. Wiegman said it was as if Mead “hasn’t been away” without confirming whether she would start or not on Friday. Mead has 50 caps – a landmark fellow forward Lauren Hemp will reach if she plays a part against the Dutch. And the 23-year-old said: “It would be a surreal feeling. To do it at Wembley – there’s no better place. It would be an incredible feeling. “Looking back, a lot of the big games I’ve had have come at Wembley. There’s a lot at stake (on Friday). We know as a group what’s expected of us. I feel like when we’re put under pressure, a lot of the time, we do the job. “I’ve been to an Olympics before so I’ve experienced it once. I want to experience it again.” After Friday’s contest against Wiegman’s former side, England conclude their group games by playing Scotland at Hampden Park next Tuesday. Read More Andre Onana – Do the numbers back up the criticism? On This Day in 2004 – Sir Matthew Pinsent announces retirement from rowing Arsenal through to last 16 as Manchester United squander lead again Erik ten Hag says Manchester United ‘have to learn’ from Galatasaray draw Man Utd set to face Galatasaray in Champions League despite bad weather Luke Donald humbled by players’ support for his return as Ryder Cup captain

Martin Odegaard believes his “amazing” midfield partner Declan Rice is already proving his worth after Arsenal eased into the Champions League knockout stages. England international Rice, a £105million summer signing from West Ham, was among a host of standout performers as the Gunners secured top spot in Group B with a 6-0 demolition of French club Lens. Arsenal captain Odegaard has been impressed with the instant impact and consistency of his 24-year-old team-mate, who has been ever-present in the Premier League and Europe this term. “It’s brilliant – I think he’s been amazing since he came here,” the Norway international said of Rice. “Every game he’s showing his qualities. He’s a great player, a great guy, so a great addition to the squad.” Rice was afforded a rest for the final 15 minutes on Wednesday evening as in-form Arsenal won their pool with a fixture to spare, four days after going top of the Premier League. Odegaard volleyed home the last of the rampant hosts’ five first-half goals against last season’s Ligue 1 runners-up before Rice’s replacement Jorginho converted a late penalty to complete the rout. The former Real Madrid playmaker says the Gunners are constantly striving to produce statement performances. “Every time we play we want to send a message,” said Odegaard. “Of course, we want to win every time we play and we want to put on performances like this. “The way we started the game was brilliant. We had complete control of the game with the ball. We played with a really high rhythm and intensity and we were effective in front of goal. “The last few games we’ve been really good defensively and we wanted to show even more on the ball and to get some more goals as well. “We did that and we knew what we were playing for and we saw the motivation and the hunger out there.”

Chelsea are prepared to recall Andrey Santos from Nottingham Forest.

Scotland are safely through to Euro 2024 after finishing second in qualifying Group A. Steve Clarke’s side were beaten only once across their campaign and secured a famous victory over Spain to help book their place at next summer’s tournament. Their 17-point tally sees them go into Pot 3 for the draw for the Euros. They will not face any of the other five nations in that pot in the group stages of the competition. With three play-off qualifiers still to be confirmed, the pots look like this: Pot 1: Germany (hosts), Portugal, France, Spain, Belgium, England Pot 2: Hungary, Turkey, Romania, Denmark, Albania, Austria Pot 3: Netherlands, Scotland, Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Czech Republic Pot 4: Italy, Serbia, Switzerland, Play-off winner A, Play-off winner B, Play-off winner C So what is the toughest possible draw for Scotland? While the pots are based on qualifying form, and thus a useful gauge of team quality, we will go by Fifa’s world rankings to determine the best and worst case scenarios for Clarke and his team. The toughest possible draw for Scotland (current world ranking 36th) would be: France (2nd), Denmark (19th), Italy (9th). On paper, the easiest draw would be: Germany (16th), Albania (62nd), Kazakhstan* (100th). *Kazakhstan are part of qualifying play-off Path C When is Euro 2024? The 17th edition of the men’s Euros will be held in Germany between 14 June and 14 July. Which cities are hosting fixtures? Berlin Munich Hamburg Dusseldorf Frankfurt Cologne Stuttgart Gelsenkirchen Leipzig Dortmund Read More When is the Euro 2024 draw and what are the pots? Who has qualified for Euro 2024 - and which nations still could? Scotland sign off on successful Euro 2024 qualifying campaign with six-goal thriller Is Scotland vs Norway on TV? Channel, time and how to watch Erling Haaland ruled out of Norway match – only a week before Man City v Liverpool Steve Clarke praises Scotland for keeping their heads after late draw in Georgia

Gabriel Jesus is unconcerned about Arsenal reportedly coveting other strikers as he seeks to stay fit and translate his prolific Champions League form into the Premier League. Brazil international Jesus took his European tally to four goals in as many appearances by claiming the Gunners’ second in Wednesday evening’s 6-0 demolition of French side Lens. Yet the former Manchester City forward has found the net just once in the top-flight this term amid absences due to knee and hamstring injuries. Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been linked with potential moves for Napoli’s Victor Osimhen and Brentford’s Ivan Toney, in addition to an audacious bid to sign Paris St Germain star Kylian Mbappe. Jesus dismissed the significance of the transfer speculation and insisted he offers more than just goals as he defended his scoring record. “This happens you know, maybe it can be agents talking about a lot of things,” he said. “I’m not the most experienced, but I think I have seen a lot of things in football. “Sometimes it is like this, it happened when I was at City even with (Sergio) Aguero and me scoring. I was scoring a lot and people was linking everyone. So here, I don’t care about this. “I know my qualities and I know what I can bring to the team. I can score and I can also help with other things, like opening spaces. But the only people who can see it are those who watch the game and understand. “Those who don’t understand we will say that: ‘Oh he didn’t score today’. But maybe I run and open space for someone and, let’s be honest, I don’t miss a lot of chances. “I think it is not about ‘he doesn’t know how to score’. Sometimes I have to be more in the box, that is the one thing I am working on.” Premier League leaders Arsenal booked a Champions League last-16 spot as Group B winners with a thumping midweek win at Emirates Stadium. Jesus assisted Kai Havertz’s opener and then doubled the advantage with a composed finish before Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard added further first-half finishes, prior to Jorginho’s late penalty. The 26-year-old feels comments he made last week regarding his goal-scoring ability in the aftermath of his country’s World Cup qualifying defeat to rivals Argentina were misinterpreted. “I spoke after the game against Argentina – and people don’t understand sometimes and people took it out of context and said ‘Gabi, his strong point isn’t scoring’,” he said. “I said this, but not in that way. I have other qualities as well, but I can score guys! “Obviously I want to score every game, if it’s possible a hat-trick. But that’s not the reality. “Now my main target is to keep fit because I know I can help everyone here. I’m sleeping better, I’m eating better.” Jesus was a Champions League runner-up with City in 2021 and says the Gunners – beaten finalists in 2006 – must believe they can go all the way in the tournament. “If you talk about experience in this competition, Arsenal have reached the final in their history,” he said. “They didn’t win but Arsenal is big. Arsenal can go and face strong teams, playing good. That is enough to believe. “First we have to believe and then go there and try to win the games.” Read More Andre Onana – Do the numbers back up the criticism? Lancashire sign Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon for 2024 season We have to own it – Scott McTominay urges Man Utd to atone for Galatasaray draw Keira Walsh ‘feeling fresh’ before latest round of Women’s Nations League games He’s amazing – Martin Odegaard hails ‘brilliant’ Declan Rice impact at Arsenal On This Day in 2004 – Sir Matthew Pinsent announces retirement from rowing

Bruno Fernandes delivers a brutally honest assessment of Man Utd's 3-3 draw with Galatasaray.