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The U.S. women’s national team will close out January with a friendly against 45th-ranked Chile in Santa Barbara, Calif., marking the program’s first international match in the city. The USWNT will face Chile at UC Santa Barbara, the same campus where the team first held a training camp in 1991 before winning the inaugural FIFA Women’s World Cup in China.

Getty Images Sport'Not a common occurrence'

While Santa Barbara is new for a match, the USWNT have frequently held training camps at the college campus and even played the UCSB women's soccer team that same year they went on to win the 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup title. 

“Playing in a city for the first time is not a common occurrence at this point in our history," Hayes said, "So I know our players will enjoy being in beautiful Santa Barbara and our staff are really looking forward to January camp and these matches against two tough South American countries."

AdvertisementGetty ImagesUSWNT's history with Chile

While the USWNT do not have a long history with Chile, the teams have met before – just three times. Chile are ranked 45th in the world and fifth in CONMEBOL, behind Brazil, Colombia, Argentina and Paraguay. Their last meeting came in the group stage of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, when the U.S. won 3-0. Before that, the sides played two friendlies in 2018.

Getty Images'Focused on maximizing every minute'

It’s no surprise that 2026 will carry plenty of weight for the USWNT, who will soon enter the countdown toward the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup. To set the tone early, Hayes’ side will play two January friendlies – first against Paraguay and then against Chile.

The Americans enjoyed a historic 2025, finishing with a 12-3-0 record. Hayes also capped her first full calendar year in charge with 25 wins.

“This is the start of an important year for our team, and as always, we’re focused on maximizing every minute we get with the players,” Hayes said.

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Getty ImagesWhat will 2026 bring?

The USWNT finished the 2025 calendar year with back-to-back victories over Italy. Hayes once again experimented with new players and personnel to close out the year, and admirably gave 43 players their senior debuts in 2025, the most in a single year since 2001. 

There will likely be a shift to more familiar rosters through 2026 as Hayes fine-tunes her playing pool.

The left hander, who doesn’t hold a state contract, hit 35 sixes in a remarkable display in Sydney on Saturday

Andrew McGlashan04-Oct-2025Former Australia Under-19 batter Harjas Singh, who was part of the side that won the World Cup in South Africa last year, produced an extraordinary display in Sydney grade cricket on Saturday with 314 off 141 balls, including 35 sixes, for Western Suburbs.The phenomenal display from the left hander, who top-scored with 55 in the World Cup final against India, came against Sydney Cricket Club at Pratten Park. The next highest score in the innings was 37.For a little while there was a discrepancy with the online scoring available – perhaps Singh’s onslaught had created a meltdown – but his final tally was confirmed as placing him third on the all-time list in New South Wales Premier first grade history, behind Victor Trumper’s 335 in 1903 and Phil Jaques’ 321 in 2007.It is also comfortably the highest limited-overs score in first grade premier cricket anywhere in Australia.The match was available to follow on YouTube via a single-camera stream (it’s worth noting the current India A vs Australia A series isn’t available to watch) and there was a roar of delight from Singh when he brought up his triple century with a six off left-arm spinner Tom Mullen.

Dead set carnage from Harjas Singh for Wests today. https://t.co/i6CjWS03K1 pic.twitter.com/vyTnwzWRma

— Tom Decent (@tomdecent) October 4, 2025

Folarin Balogun scored a crucial goal to put the United States Men’s National Team ahead 2-1 against Paraguay during the November 2025 international window. The strike was Balogun’s third goal in his last four appearances, with Gio Reyna creating the chance moments after ending his own scoring drought with the USMNT’s opener – his first goal since March 2024.

GOALUSMNT’s aggressiveness

The goal originated from Diego Luna’s aggressive pressing, which forced Paraguay into a turnover deep in their own half. Luna’s pressure allowed the USMNT to regain possession in a dangerous area, setting the stage for a swift counterattack. Reyna picked up the ball from Balogun’s hold-up play and attempted a cutback pass. Although the initial pass was blocked, it deflected back to Balogun, who quickly slashed a left-footed shot into the net.

AdvertisementWatch the goalGetty ImagesBalogun’s scoring form

Balogun’s goal reinforces his growing importance to the USMNT attack. With three goals in his last four appearances, the Monaco forward continues to show reliable scoring form at the international level. His link-up with players like Reyna also underscores the expanding attacking options for Mauricio Pochettino ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

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Getty Images SportUSMNT builds momentum

The goal against Paraguay and their subsequent 2-1 win reflects the USMNT’s growing confidence and attacking dynamism under Pochettino’s guidance. They will face Uruguay next on Nov. 18 in their final international game of the calendar year.

Big names are missing due to the Asia Cup and India A’s multi-day series against Australia A

Ashish Pant10-Sep-2025Big picture: Big names missing in finalWith a host of big names either playing the Asia Cup or getting ready for India A’s red-ball series against Australia A, the Duleep Trophy 2025-26 final at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru is expected to be a low-key affair. Both South Zone and Central Zone have brought in reinforcements after their respective semi-finals.Central Zone have made four changes, with Vidarbha seamer Nachiket Bhute, Madhya Pradesh’s Kumar Kartikeya and Kuldeep Sen, and Rajasthan’s left-arm spinner Kukna Ajay Singh getting into the mix. They come in for Yash Thakur, Harsh Dubey, Khaleel Ahmed and Manav Suthar, who have departed for the four-day series against Australia A in Lucknow.South Zone, meanwhile, have brought in Karnataka’s R Smaran and Tamil Nadu’s C Andre Siddarth in place of Devdutt Padikkal and N Jagadeesan.Related

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Central Zone’s batting looks formidable. Three of the four highest run-scorers in the tournament belong to them: Danish Malewar (294), Rajat Patidar (268) and Shubham Sharma (252). The bowling, however, is severely depleted, with four of their frontliners out of the final.The onus will be on offspinner Saransh Jain, who got a match haul of 8 for 205, and, with that, the Player-of-the-Match award in the semi-final against West Zone, to continue his form. Central Zone will also hope for Deepak Chahar to get back among the wickets. The seamer has had a lukewarm Duleep Trophy so far – two wickets in three innings at 58 – and hasn’t found much movement with the new ball.South Zone have an inexperienced batting unit, and will bank on Tanmay Agarwal, Ricky Bhui and captain Mohammed Azharuddeen to get some runs. The bowlers, led by quick Gurjapneet Singh, were impressive in the semi-final against North Zone, and will hope to continue their wicket-taking form.Central Zone have only played at Ground B, which has a black-soil pitch, while South Zone have previous experience of playing at Ground A, which will host the final, and has a red-soil pitch. Both teams dominated their respective semi-finals, qualifying by virtue of a first-innings lead.The Duleep Trophy final will be live streamed on the JioHotstar app.Rajat Patidar has a strike rate of 106.34 in the Duleep Trophy this season•PTI In the spotlight: Rajat Patidar and Mohammed AzharuddeenWith scores of 125, 66 and 77, Rajat Patidar has been in impressive form in the Duleep Trophy. He is third on the run charts, while his strike rate of 106.34 is the highest for any batter to have played more than six balls in the tournament. Patidar’s captaincy has also stood out in both games, but with many of his frontline bowlers missing, it will be tested in the final.South Zone captain Mohammed Azharuddeen missed out on an excellent batting pitch in the semi-final. He will want to make amends. Azharuddeen, who will also keep wicket with Jagadeesan away, had a terrific Ranji Trophy 2024-25, scoring 635 runs at 70.55 in Kerala’s run to the final. He also entered the Duleep Trophy on the back of a decent Kerala Cricket League, where he recorded 253 runs in eight innings.Team news: Central’s new bowlersSouth Zone could send Shaik Rasheed to open alongside Tanmay, while Smaran could come into the middle order. Salman Nizar was struck on the knee during the semi-final, and had to be carried to the dugout. If he fails to recover in time, they could bring Siddarth into the XI.South Zone (probable): 1 Shaik Rasheed, 2 Tanmay Agarwal, 3 Mohit Kale, 4 R Smaran, 5 Ricky Bhui (vice-capt), 6 C Andre Siddarth/Salman Nizar, 7 Mohammed Azharuddeen (capt, wk), 8 Tanay Thyagarajan, 9 Gurjapneet Singh, 10 Vasuki Koushik, 11 MD NidheeshDeepak Chahar has two wickets at an average of 58 in this season’s Duleep Trophy•PTI Central Zone are unlikely to tinker with their batting order, but will have to field almost a fresh bowling unit. While Chahar is likely to hold on to his place, Kartikeya, Kuldeep and Aditya Thakare could all come into the side.Central Zone (probable): 1 Aayush Pandey, 2 Danish Malewar, 3 Shubham Sharma, 4 Rajat Patidar (capt), 5 Yash Rathod, 6 Upendra Yadav (wk), 7 Aditya Thakare, 8 Saransh Jain, 9 Deepak Chahar, 10 Kumar Kartikeya, 11 Kuldeep SenPitch and conditions: Runs galoreThe surface at Ground A has been excellent for batting. Neither of the two Duleep Trophy games played there had a fourth innings, with only 45 wickets falling across the quarter-final and the semi-final. According to the weather forecast, there could be a mix of cloudy skies and rain showers throughout the five days of the final.Quotes”There was something for the fast bowlers, especially when they were hitting the seam – it was moving in and out. But we need to be really patient for that one ball. We know that it is a flat wicket, but we also know that there will be something in between.

Ruben Amorim has challenged Matheus Cunha to raise his game after a slow start to his Manchester United career and to avoid being too affected by social media criticism over his lack of goals and assists. Cunha has scored only one goal for the Red Devils following his £62.5m move from Wolves in the summer but will have the chance to increase his account against West Ham on Thursday.

• Cunha set to return against West Ham

  Cunha missed United's last two games against Crystal Palace and Everton due to a knock to the head he sustained in training but was seen back with his team-mates at Carrington on Wednesday preparing for the next game against the Irons. It is the second spell Cunha has had on the sidelines following his big-money move from Wolves and Amorim admitted that the Brazilian forward has a lot more to give.

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  Cunha 'thinking too much about numbers'

  Amorim told a press conference: "I think he has more levels to go. He's in the different club, different pressure, but I think he copes with that really well. He was struggling because he was not scoring and because of social media views, he was thinking too much about the numbers, but the influence that he has in the team is so important for us. But I think I think Cunha has so much to grow defensively and offensively."

• Amorim addresses Yoro 'frustration'

  Amorim also addressed Leny Yoro, who was visibly distraught on the sidelines at Selhurst Park on Sunday after being hooked at half-time against Crystal Palace, having given away the penalty from which the Eagles took the lead in United's eventual 2-1 victory. Amorim welcomed Mason Mount giving support to Yoro but he also hinted that the defender is too sensitive. 

  The coach explained: "It's really important [the support from Mount]. Of course, I also spoke with him because he thinks too much. He makes some mistakes in the game, and then he struggles because he's too young and he wants to do everything so well. He’s growing, with games and with setbacks, it’s not easy for him as a young guy. 

  "He cannot give that to the people the way he came to the bench, he understands that but he was really frustrated. On the good side it shows that he cares, he knows it wasn’t his best game but he did some things well and I showed him that also. He’s fit and ready for the next challenge."

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• AFP
  

  Cunha has opportunity to boost numbers in coming weeks

  Cunha's only Premier League goal for United came in the 4-2 win over Brighton in October but the Red Devils have a relatively kind set of fixtures coming up in which he can boost his numbers. On Thursday they host a West Ham side who are 17th in the Premier League table and have only one away match all season. Next Monday Cunha faces an emotional return to former club Wolves, who have fallen on hard times since he departed for Old Trafford.

  Wolves have taken just two points all season and are still without a victory. If they continue on their current rate of results they will break Derby County's unwanted record of taking the fewest points in Premier League history.

Barcelona have been handed both relief and pain ahead of their crucial Champions League tie against Chelsea. On one hand, they have Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford back in the squad, but they will yet again miss the services of their talismanic midfielder Pedri, who has been sidelined since late October.

• Rashford's presence is important against Chelsea

  Rashford, after a decent outing with England in the November international break, missed Barcelona's 4-0 win against Athletic Club at Camp Nou due to illness. However, he has now recovered from the flu and has been included in Barca's squad that will travel to London to face Enzo Maresca's Chelsea. Rashford, who enjoyed a dismal last few days at United, is currently a menace to Barca's opponents. Ever since his loan move in the summer, he has secured six goals and nine assists across La Liga and the Champions League. In the latter, he has been in ecstatic form, nailing four goals and two assists in the four outings. His involvement against Chelsea will be crucial, and Flick will be dependent on him for goals, as he has already scored six times against the Stamford Bridge-based side. Adding to that, his five assists against the Blues will be a great statistic to keep Maresca's men on their toes.

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  Pedri remains a concern for Flick

  Pedri, who is not only admired by the Barca faithful but also by opposition managers, will be sidelined for this fixture too. He sustained a tear in the distal femoral biceps of his left leg in late October, and the Clasico was the last time he featured. He is a vital cog in Flick's machinery, as he has hardly missed games under the German coach. The femoral biceps are part of the hamstring group at the back portion of the thigh, and this is not the first time he has succumbed to such an injury. Previously, in September 2021, he suffered a hamstring injury, which kept him out for three months. However, he is said to be recovering well and, as per , has entered the final stage of his recovery.

• Maresca hails Pedri and Flick before continental tie

  Maresca, a Spaniard himself, has been an admirer of Pedri, who is often treated as one of the finest midfielders of his generation. The Chelsea boss, before the Barca game, spoke highly about Pedri and also of Flick's Barca. 

  "It’s not only a loss for Barcelona, it’s a loss for football because he has incredible quality," he said. "Flick’s Barca looks spectacular to me. Whenever I watch them, you can always learn something. Last year, they won La Liga and reached the Champions League semifinals. They do many things well, and they are a team that always wants to take the initiative. We will try to do the same."

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  Two other crucial members reintegrated into the squad

  Club captain Frenkie de Jong, who has been one of Flick's most trusted personnel, served his suspension against Athletic Club and is set to make a return for the Chelsea game. Full-back Alejandro Balde, who received a blow to his head last week and was taken off at the lemon break, has travelled with the team to London.

Martin O’Neill has now confirmed that he will “step aside” when Celtic find their next manager and revealed that there has not been any talks with the club about taking a permanent role.

O’Neill insists he has no idea whether he will remain at the helm for Celtic’s next match against St Mirren amid reports that the Hoops have stepped up their search for a new permanent manager.

The 73-year-old has been in caretaker charge of the Scottish champions for the last four games since Brendan Rodgers resigned two and a half weeks ago.

It has been reported this week that the Celtic board have been interviewing candidates, with Columbus Crew head coach Wilfried Nancy emerging as the new bookmakers’ favourite.

Other names mentioned includes Kieran McKenna at Ipswich Town and Kjetil Knutsen. Whether the Hoops can lure either of those names away from their current positions at Portmand Road and Bodo/Glimt is the question that everyone’s asking.

Reports have claimed that Knutsen wants to at least complete his side’s Champions League campaign, which could end in January in the earliest scenario. Meanwhile, there have been no signs that McKenna will be leaving Ipswich anytime soon.

As Celtic’s search goes on, O’Neill has continued to roll back the years. In his four matches, the 73-year-old – assisted by Shaun Maloney and Mark Fotheringham – has overseen two Scottish Premiership victories, a Europa League defeat by Midtjylland and an extra-time win over 10-man Rangers in the Premier Sports Cup semi-final.

Celtic now tracking Maeda replacement who Jamie Carragher called "special"

The Bhoys are in search of attacking quality.

ByTom Cunningham Nov 14, 2025

The final against St Mirren takes place on December 14 and there are some who would like to see the veteran remain in charge for the Hampden showdown in order to add to his trophy haul from his glittering first spell in charge in the early Noughties.

O'Neill insists no talks with Celtic board

To no surprise, O’Neill has been questioned a number of times about the Celtic job, but his answer remains the same. He will “step aside” as soon as the club no longer need him and, despite rumours, there have been no talks about the permanent job.

The 4-2-3-1 tactician has done a solid job so far and may yet get the chance to continue that job after the international break, but admitted that he’s not bothered whether he’s in charge for the Scottish Cup final in December, saying: “I am a romantic and have been a romantic all my life. I know the history of football and all of those particular things but that doesn’t bother me one jot.”

Celtic hold talks to sign "talented" manager who's like a young O'Neill

South-coast club handed reprieve by Durham after Rahul Chahar takes ten in the match

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay27-Sep-2025

Surrey 147 (Washington 3-5, Abbott 3-27, Fuller 3-46) and 281 (Albert 63, Abbott 5-72) beat Hampshire 248 (Washington 56) and 160 (Orr 48, Chahar 8-51) by 20 runsHampshire were given an unlikely reprieve from relegation to Rothesay County Championship Division Two after Durham fell apart at Yorkshire.The south-coast county were resigned to the drop after losing to Surrey by 20 runs, which left Durham only requiring a draw at Headingley. But they sensationally slumped to 85 all out to allow Hampshire to stay in Division One for the 2026 season.Ironically, Hampshire’s last brush with the drop, in 2016, saw them finish in the relegation places but be reinstated after Durham were sent down over financial issues.Surrey only needed one wicket on the final day, which Rahul Chahar managed with the 42nd delivery of the day when he had James Fuller caught behind. In doing so, the India spinner claimed a career-best 8 for 51 – Surrey’s third best bowling figures of the 21st century – and ten wickets in the match.The defeat, with relegation seemingly nailed on, looked like it would compound Hampshire’s horror September. The county had been deducted eight points in the Championship for breaching the ECB’s pitch regulations, before losing in two men’s finals and a women’s final.They also saw popular head coach Adi Birrell announce he would leave the club after seven years at the helm. The South African was gifted a bull for his farm back in his homeland by the players on the final morning of the Surrey match.Instead of Hampshire, Durham will now join Worcestershire in playing in Division Two next season.Ben Brown, who took over the four-day captaincy at short notice after James Vince stepped away from red-ball cricket before the start of the season, said it had been “a really challenging year”, topped off by the Cricket Discipline Panel’s decision to dock points for a poor Utilita Bowl pitch in May – described by Brown as “unjust”.”It has been a really challenging year, off the field as well as on it,” Brown said. “There has been a lot to manage.”Then there is the points deduction on the wicket, which I stand by that it was unjust. That I feel difficult to cope with as a player. People work hard in professional sport and to have essentially clipboard stuff take eight points off us… You want sport to be decided as sport not someone deciding whether grass is right or wrong.”We have been playing under pressure for the last month with no time to think or train, and it has ended up with us losing two finals and looks like we will be going down. Everyone will need time to get their head around it before making a plan to make things better.”Requiring 33 runs to beat Surrey, 32 runs – ie. a tie – would likely have been enough to see Hampshire them remain in Division One on their own steam.Fuller and Brad Wheal were the only Hampshire batters left – the former had shaken off the collapse and dealt with Chahar carefully for 29, while Wheal had stoically blocked 22 balls before bad light brought an unsatisfactory end to the third day, and left plenty with a sleepless night.Chahar bowled the first over of the day and Fuller almost edged the first ball. A swept four eased the nerves, before Wheal nicked his first delivery to first slip – but it narrowly fell short.Fuller and Wheal looked at ease, albeit turning down a bounty of singles, until Fuller attempted to cut Chahar and edged behind to Ben Foakes.Only Kemar Roach’s 8 for 40, and Martin Bicknell’s 9 for 45 were better since the turn of the Millennium. Chahar, on Championship debut, also took ten wickets in the match.”A lot of the disappointment was last night and then today there was just a small chance in a tough situation for Fuller. It was more runs than it looked and was a tall order today,” Brown said. “We should have made a better fist of it. The new hard ball spun quite a lot and we didn’t deal with it. We were a lot of pressure in the run chase and we couldn’t stem the tide of wickets in the middle of the innings.”

Their team Timor-Leste has had a tough start to international cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Nov-2025Timor-Leste’s Suhail Sattar, 50, and Yahya Suhail, 17, are the first father and son duo to play together in an international match. They achieved the unique feat, and batted together, in Timor-Leste’s first international match, against hosts Indonesia in Bali on November 6.Yahya and Sattar, though, are not the first parent and child to play together in an international match. The Switzerland women’s team had a mother-daughter duo – Metty Fernandes and Naina Metty Saju – playing six T20Is together this year.There are other instances of father-son duos playing with each other – as well as against each other – in domestic cricket. Shivnarine Chanderpaul and his son Tagenarine played 11 first-class games together for Guyana, with Shivnarine even captaining his son in a game against Windward Islands at Providence Stadium in March 2014.More recently, in the 2025 Shpageeza Cricket League final, Afghanistan’s Mohammad Nabi played against his son Hassan Eisakhil.Timor-Leste have had a rough start to international cricket, suffering ten-wicket defeats in each of their first three games.