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There were half-centuries from Shaun Marsh and Josh Inglis but the home side never threatened a huge chase

Andrew McGlashan06-Apr-2021There was no miracle chase from Western Australia. They were bowled out midway through the final session of the last day having never seriously threatened to haul in a mammoth 480. When Cameron Gannon was caught at mid-on it confirmed that Queensland would play New South Wales for the title.Tasmania’s success was shared around to secure their second consecutive victory and suggest that, with some more home advantage next season if all goes well, they could be a title contender.Sam Rainbird, the left-armer who is not always a first-choice pick, produced some beautiful late inswing during the second innings to add the key middle-order scalps of Cameron Green and Mitchell Marsh – both clipping to well-placed midwickets – to his dismissal of Cameron Bancroft the previous evening.As he had been all season, Jackson Bird was impressive and added three more wickets to his tally including Josh Inglis who was brilliantly caught by Tim Paine after an entertaining 54 off 38 balls to cap a fine season for the wicketkeeper.Western Australia’s slimmest of hopes rested on the perfect day – two sessions of brisk accumulation with, perhaps, just three wickets lost to set up a final-session dash for the line with the middle-order power in their side.Partnerships threatened to build but never developed. Sam Whiteman was caught behind early and Shaun Marsh fell shortly before lunch for a well-made half-century.During the afternoon Green hinted that he could produce something significant and briefly put the foot down, but was undone by some smart captaincy from Matthew Wade when he picked out the squarer of two midwickets placed exactly for the strong clip he played off the pads against Rainbird.However, during the course of his 40 he had passed 900 runs for the season and will finish as the leading run-scorer of the competition. There are many more runs to come from that bat.Two overs later Mitchell Marsh fell in almost identical fashion as he picked out the straighter of the two leg-side catchers and it was only a question of how long it would take Tasmania.Ashton Agar, edging to slip, and Inglis both fell before tea then a 48-run stand between the injured Joel Paris and Matt Kelly briefly delayed the end.Jarrod Freeman broke through shortly before the new ball when Paris shouldered arms and had his off stump taken before the quicks returned to wrap it up.

Manuel Neuer has faced severe criticism from Dietmar Hamann, who believes that the ex-Germany goalkeeper has been responsible for some goals.

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Hamann didn't mince words about NeuerHeld him accountable for some goals concededYet Neuer has kept seven clean sheets in a rowFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Former Germany midfielder Dietmar Hamann has delivered scathing criticism of Manuel Neuer's performances for Bayern Munich this season, holding him accountable for some of the goals they have conceded. Neuer retired from the Germany national team following the European Championship last summer, but has retained his place as Bayern's first-choice between the posts following the appointment of Vincent Kompany ahead of the start of the season.

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Neuer has managed to keep seven clean sheets in succession, with his total tally going up to 11 for the season in 17 games across all competitions. The streak started after a rather tough few matches as Neuer conceded three goals in a Bundesliga encounter against Frankfurt and then let Barcelona run riot in a harrowing 4-1 defeat over a month ago.

The 38-year-old is a goalkeeper who loves having the ball at his feet to get involved when his team plays out of the back, while also often rushing off his line to intercept counterattacks, and Hamann believes that his goalkeeping style has cost his team this season.

WHAT DIDI HAMANN SAID

Speaking on Sky Sport (h/t Sport BILD), Hamann said: "There have been several situations this year where Neuer was responsible for goals or where he was lucky, like in Bochum when Kim Min-jae cleared the ball off the line. That means when you play balls over the top of the defence, his timing let him down on one or two occasions."

The former Liverpool defender also analysed Neuer's performance against PSG in the Champions League. "On Tuesday he had two or three situations where the whole stadium held its breath and there was no need. It was absolutely unnecessary to take such a risk there."

Lastly, he had some piece of advice for the Borussia Dortmund forwards ahead of this weekend's Der Klassiker. "It’s definitely something when you have four fast players up front, where you’ll get one or two chances.”

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DID YOU KNOW?

On the other end of the spectrum were words from iconic goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, who had nothing but praise for Neuer after he kept another clean sheet in Bayern's 1-0 win over PSG.

"He is brilliant! Seven games without conceding a goal, that's a fantastic stat," Schmeichel told BILD. "He is still absolutely world class! If you look at the way he played for his team against Paris, the way he cleaned everything up at the back. He is always reliable, regularly gets the fans on their toes. He even created a chance when he came out almost to the halfway line and hit a great long ball. I've always liked him and it looks like he's back in his best form."

Fulham have trolled Arsenal with an old cliche after scoring a 21-pass goal during the two sides' 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage.

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Fulham draw 1-1 against ArsenalScore a 21-pass goal to take leadFulham troll Arsenal with old clicheFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Arsene Wenger's Arsenal were very well-known as a team that preferred to play very 'non-English' football as they liked to rotate the ball and hold possession instead of hoofing the ball. The style of play became a running gag and in the famous British sitcom 'The IT Crowd', where Richard Ayoade's character Moss said: "The thing about Arsenal is they always try and walk it in."

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During Marco Silva's side's 1-1 draw against Arsenal at Craven Cottage, Raul Jimenez scored the opener in the 11th minute after Fulham strung together a move that consisted of 21 uninterrupted passes before the goal. The Cottagers have now posted a video of that goal with the caption: "Thing about Fulham is, they always try and walk it in," in a sort of nod towards the old cliche.

WHAT SILVA SAID

Speaking to the media, Silva said: "It's always tough when we play against them but they know it will be tough too. We create a difficult scenario for them.

"We have to be honest and fair. On the ball, it was one of the games we had less time on the ball. [But] we scored a very good goal."

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR FULHAM?

Silva's side have been in good form since the start of the season and are currently in 10th place. The Cottagers will be in action next when they take on league leaders Liverpool on Saturday.

Captain’s innings leaves Worcestershire on the ropes in dominant day for champions

Andrew Miller09-Apr-2021Worcestershire 43 for 3 (Cook 3-14) trail Essex 490 for 9 dec (Westley 213, Wheater 87) by 447 runsGraham Gooch, the eternal overlord of all he surveys at Chelmsford, was holding court on the balcony at fine leg throughout the second day of Essex’s season opener. “You have to earn your right to score runs in April,” he observed with his connoisseur’s eye, as Tom Westley clicked through his gears with the sort of poise and acceleration that can only have pleased the county’s most famous taskmaster.If Gooch also had something to say about “daddy hundreds” as he chewed the fat with his host of fellow Essex grandees, Keith Fletcher and David Acfield among them, then he muttered those particular words while the wind was picking up and blowing in the wrong direction off the Can.But Westley, for whom that phrase is set to take on a more literal meaning come September, needed no cajoling from the otherwise empty stands, to put a very paternal mark on his team’s first innings of the season.By the time he’d holed out to deep midwicket in the evening session, in Essex’s half-hour surge before their inevitable declaration, Westley had racked up the small matter of 213 runs from 408 balls, in a shade under nine hours of determined accumulation. By the time Worcestershire had limped to 43 for 3 at the close, victims of a savage late surge of three wickets in five balls from Sam Cook, his efforts seemed positively Brobdingnagian.It was Westley’s second double-century, and his second highest score – behind the 254 he made, also against Worcestershire, in 2016 – and in his second season as county captain (after taking over from Ryan ten Doeschate after Essex’s 2019 Championship victory) he had overhauled in a single visit to the crease the 173 runs he made during his lean run in last year’s Bob Willis Trophy triumph. He’s earned his right to more than just runs in April with this performance.Resuming on 207 for 3, with Worcestershire’s bowlers already leggy from some fairly fruitless first-day exertions, Westley was not kept waiting for his first century since September 2019. Joe Leach found a tight line to keep things honest from the Hayes Close End, but Charlie Morris – an intermittent menace on the opening day – strayed all too often on to those run-hungry legs, gifting two early flicked fours to get the juices flowing before a soft-handed deflection through the gully carried Westley to 98.Related

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Ed Barnard entered the attack and got the slips chattering briefly when he induced a nervy inside-edge down into the crease, but it was a brief illusion of fallibility. Another overcooked delivery in the same over was flicked out behind square leg to cue a roar from the Essex dressing room that more than compensated for the absence of acclaim in the ground’s emptier corners.And from thereon in, Westley found a freedom to his game that he had been keeping under wraps throughout his drily responsible first-day foray. Barnard was sumptuously driven, hard through long-on, before Leach – who unleashed a cry of frustration after being picked off with soft hands through third man – was banished from the attack one over later as Westley added further boundaries through midwicket and extra cover, each with a liberated flourish.He wasn’t the only batsman to sense an opportunity to put the hammer down. Paul Walter couldn’t quite make his intentions stick, as he was caught at second slip for 38 off Barnard, but ten Doeschate came clattering down the pavilion steps, as if he and Darren Stevens, over at Wantage Road, had made a pact to promote the cause of home county 40-somethings. His first full over, off Dillon Pennington, was rifled for 14 runs with three emphatic fours, and Pennington came in for further punishment, including a violent pull behind square, before Brett D’Oliveira’s understated legspin extracted a plumb lbw.Essex by this stage had marched past 300, and Westley made it his business to keep them marching onwards, as Morris’ return was greeted with three more fours, the pick of them an angled drive through the covers that carried Westley on to his highest score for five years. His 150 came up with another flick off the pads, and when Daryl Mitchell entered the attack with his lesser-spotted offbreaks, Westley was waiting to pound him dismissively down the ground twice in three balls.Adam Wheater, working the angles and chivvying the score along in a 157-run stand for the sixth wicket, was an even-paced foil as Westley closed in on his 200. Leach returned to the attack, and attempted to hide the ball outside off in a bid to force an error, but it was too late in the day for such subtleties. Twice in three overs, he was thrashed over the off side as Westley was happy to go fishing, the second of which was a clumping connection in front of square to unleash the dressing room’s vocal chords once more.The end of the innings became a bit of a thrash, as Essex shipped four wickets in six overs, three of them caught in the deep including Wheater for 87 to cue the declaration. He was perhaps still ruing his missed century when, from the second delivery of Worcestershire’s reply, Wheater shelled a sitter behind the stumps as Mitchell fiddled outside off to Jamie Porter. The let-off seemed to have emboldened Worcestershire as they saw off the new ball with few further alarms, to hint at a peaceful conclusion to the day.Not so fast. In the 14th over, Cook switched to the Hayes Close End to dramatic effect. His third ball jagged back wickedly to confound Mitchell on the back foot, and bowl him for 16 to a half-leave, before Tom Fell and Gareth Roderick – the latter on his Worcestershire debut – were picked off for ducks in consecutive deliveries. Simon Harmer at second slip and Westley himself at third transcended the chilly conditions to make two sharp chances look easy. Two days of the season gone, and Essex as a whole are doing likewise.

It's been a very busy summer for Manchester United this year, as Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Co have wasted no time improving and overhauling the squad.

The Red Devils have already welcomed Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, Noussair Mazraoui and Matthijs de Ligt, but based on recent reports, they are looking to make even more signings before the window slams shut next week.

One of the stars touted for a move to the club would be a game-changer for Erik ten Hag's midfield and a dream teammate for last summer's second most expensive purchase, Mason Mount.

Manchester United transfer news

According to a recent report from TEAMtalk, the Red Devils are pushing ahead to sign Paris Saint-Germain star Manuel Ugarte.

In fact, the report claims that the talks between the two clubs are 'very advanced' at this stage and that United Sporting Director Dan Ashworth is playing 'a leading role in negotiations.'

Interestingly, the report has also revealed that while the three-time European Champions initially walked away over the French side's valuation of £51m for the midfielder, they are now willing to pay that to get the deal done.

It's certainly a lot of money, but the £101k-per-week dynamo could bring a lot of stability to Ten Hag's midfield this season and, therefore, help get the most out of his teammates, including Mount.

Why Ugarte would be a dream teammate for Mount

Now, Ugarte could end up being a dream teammate for Mount for any number of reasons, from his impact in training, overall game or even just his personality, but there is one fundamental reason why he'd be so good for the Englishman's game, and that's his defensive output.

This is because, while the former Chelsea ace is a versatile player, it's clear that his favoured positions on the pitch are in central and attacking midfield, although, with 186 appearances in the latter, that's his most effective position overall.

So, if Ten Hag wants to get the absolute most out of him this season, he'll want his focus to be firmly on happenings at the sharp end of the pitch and not what's happening in his own half and with the PSG ace in his team, he won't need to.

In his career so far, the "defensive monster", as Statman Dave dubbed him, has started 177 games in defensive midfield, 11 in central midfield and one at centre-back, so there is very little ambiguity about his best position.

Moreover, some of his most impressive underlying numbers further cement that he is at his best when playing as a number six.

Tackles

4.19

Top 1%

Tackles + Interceptions

6.09

Top 1%

Ball Recoveries

8.10

Top 1%

Dribblers Tackled

1.85

Top 1%

Tackles Won

2.34

Top 2%

Interceptions

1.89

Top 3%

For example, according to FBref, which compares players in similar positions in Europe's top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League, the 23-year-old "machine" as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, sits in the top 1% of midfielders for tackles, ball recoveries, tackles plus interceptions and dribblers tackled, the top 2% for tackles won, and the top 3% for interceptions, all per 90.

Lastly, while it is a lot of money to spend on someone who didn't play a lot of football last season, he's still relatively young. According to research by The Athletic, defensive and central midfielders do not hit their peak until about 25, meaning he has another two years before he should be at his best and at least another five after that until he noticeably declines.

Ultimately, if United want to get the most out of their attacking players this season, including Mount, then signing a mobile and combative six should be a priority. Therefore, Ratcliffe and Co should do what they can to get this deal for Ugarte over the line as soon as possible.

Man Utd won the lottery with "genius" star worth 12x more than Eriksen

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Chelsea are also believed to be edging closer to an agreement over signing a £40 million player who wants to make the move to Stamford Bridge, with deadline day proving to be rather hectic at the club.

Chelsea striker search taking dramatic deadline day twists

Enzo Maresca's side could still end up bringing in a prolific new number nine, but it is currently unclear as to who that could be.

Chelsea could bid for £100,000-a-week forward instead of Osimhen and Toney

The west Londoners’ transfer plans hinge on Al-Ahli.

ByEmilio Galantini Aug 30, 2024

Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli have agreed deals for both Brentford striker Ivan Toney and Napoli star Victor Osimhen, who have also reportedly been chased by Chelsea in the build-up to deadline day.

Toney is set for a medical with Al-Ahli ahead of a proposed £40 million move to the Middle East, while Napoli have also accepted the club's proposal of an initial £57 million, which could rise to £67 million including add-ons.

"The Al-Ahli offer to Osimhen is a €30m salary on a four-year deal," wrote reliable journalist Ben Jacobs on X.

Appearances

25

Goals

15

Assists

3

Shots Per 90

3.86

Key Passes Per 90

1.05

Successful Take-Ons Per 90

0.73

WhoScored

"There are €40m in bonuses on top taking the total package to €160m. Al-Ahli also prepared to sanction a release clause. Osimhen has agreed to terms but is waiting to see whether Chelsea counter. Al-Ahli offer to Napoli has been accepted. It is €68m plus add-ons taking the total package close to €80m."

As Jacobs writes, Chelsea could still land a deal for Osimhen, depending on whether the Nigerian decides to fully accept a move to the Pro League or stay in Europe with the west Londoners.

Therefore, it is up to the Blues to make a swift counter-bid, and if that is to the 25-year-old's liking, it appears as if Toney will go to Saudi and Osimhen would potentially join Chelsea. There were murmurs of Al-Ahli potentially signing both strikers, but Fabrizio Romano and others have moved to state that only one high-profile forward will be going there.

Amidst all of this deadline-day drama, there is still the very real possibility that Chelsea strike a last-minute move for Man United outcast Jadon Sancho.

Chelsea have been in talks for Sancho today with Raheem Sterling's future in the balance, and Sky Sports now have another update on the situation.

Chelsea edging closer to agreeing Jadon Sancho deal

According to the broadcaster, Chelsea are edging closer to agreeing a deal for Sancho before the 11pm cut-off.

"Chelsea are edging closer to an agreement with Manchester United over the signing of Jadon Sancho after further talks, according to Sky Sports News' Dharmesh Sheth," wrote the broadcaster on X.

"Permanent and loan options are still on the table."

It is believed United would ideally want around £40 million to sell the 24-year-old, while reports elsewhere state that Sancho wants to join the club and has been waiting for an opportunity to do so.

The versatile defender could be the next jewel of the club's esteemed Cobham academy, but they have a fight on their hands to keep him

Seven months ago, Josh Acheampong seemed primed to become the next Chelsea talent to step off the production line at Cobham as he made his senior debut for the club three days shy of his 18th birthday. Now, his future with his boyhood club seems far less certain.

The versatile defender is the latest prodigious right-back that the Blues' famed academy has produced in recent years, following in the footsteps of Reece James, Tino Livramento and Tariq Lamptey.

But while the club will hope he follows the same trajectory as club captain James, uncertainty around his future means he could end up following the latter two through the Stamford Bridge exit after just three senior appearances as Chelsea's European rivals circle.

GettyWhere it all began

Born in London in May 2006 to Ghanaian parents, Acheampong has always been Chelsea. He joined the Blues' development centre programme at Cobham at Under-8 level and has been with the club ever since.

Emerging as a versatile defender capable of operating at centre-back, right-back and wing-back, Acheampong impressed throughout the age grades at Chelsea and his England youth career has followed a similar trajectory.

By the age of 16 the youngster was already a regular in the U18s, catching the eye with a stunning left-footed strike into the top corner against Tottenham in the U18 Premier League in the 2022-23 season. It seemed like just a matter of time before he would make his breakthrough.

AdvertisementThe big break

In 2023-24 – still just 17 – Acheampong became part of Chelsea's U21 set-up as he continued to star for the U18s, who would go on to win the southern Premier League title for their age group.

At the beginning of 2024 he was rewarded with his first professional contract – a two-year deal tying him to the club until 2026 – and in March he was included in the first-team squad against Newcastle, although he was left on the bench.

Acheampong's senior and Premier League debut soon followed, though; three days shy of his 18th birthday, the teen was introduced as a late substitute by former head coach Mauricio Pochettino in the 2-0 victory over Tottenham, coming on to a standing ovation at Stamford Bridge.

Even in just 12 minutes on the pitch he demonstrated his defensive prowess, cutting out a dangerous cross, blocking two powerful shots and winning a crucial ground duel as the Blues saw out the victory.

GettyHow it's going

While Acheampong went on the pre-season tour to the USA and had been considered third in Chelsea's right-back pecking order behind Malo Gusto and injury-plagued captain James, he hasn't kicked on under Enzo Maresca in 2024-25, making just one first-team appearance before December.

That is a result of a contract standoff; despite Acheampong only signing that first senior deal in January, the Blues had opened talks to secure his long-term future and avoid losing one of their next generation of academy stars for nothing, amid reported summer transfer interest from the likes of Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain

However, those talks reached an impasse, prompting the club to take action to force the player to put pen to paper. Acheampong was frozen out not only at senior level, but also in the U21s, where he would have expected to be a guaranteed starter.

Speaking in October, Maresca said: "It’s a shame. It’s so important for the club that our intention is not to lose him. The first thing we need to do is to find a solution for his future. The most important thing at this stage is to get minutes, enjoy and to play football. I really like Josh and I would really like to have him here with us but it is not possible.”

Six weeks on, there seemed to be light at the end of the tunnel; Acheampong was pictured in first-team training in November and he finally returned to the fold for the U21s at the end of the month. Then, in mid-December he started and impressed alongside of a number of other academy players included in a heavily-rotated side that beat Astana in the Conference League after a 3,500-mile trip to Kazakhstan.

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GettyBiggest strengths

"Josh has a fantastic attitude towards developing further and is strong mentally," Chelsea's official profile of Acheampong reads. That is certainly reflected in his progress through the age grades for both club and country.

Predominantly a right-back, the youngster's versatility is also a great strength as he is capable of covering at centre-back or pushing up the pitch into a wing-back role. Once his contract standoff comes to an end, he could actually become a very useful asset for the Blues amid James and Wesley Fofana's injury troubles.

His debut cameo against Spurs demonstrated what Chelsea describe as "his comfort in possession of the ball and his ability in one-v-one defensive situations, stepping in to create overloads and initiate attacks", while his rangy 6'1 frame means he covers ground quickly and is physically imposing.

Maresca believes he has what it takes to make the cut: "I think Josh potentially can become a top player," the Italian said recently. "He is still 18, so still very young, so many things can change for him, but he can potentially be (a) very important thing for Chelsea."

Leeds United ended their unbeaten start to the 2024/25 campaign with a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Burnley at Elland Road in the Championship on Saturday.

Daniel Farke’s side had drawn against Portsmouth and West Brom and beaten Sheffield Wednesday and Hull City in their first four matches of the season.

That run came to an end, however, as Luca Koleosho scored the only goal of the game in the first half, with a composed finish into the bottom right corner after a slip from Manor Solomon at the other end.

The Tottenham Hotspur loanee had an unfortunate moment for the goal but he was not the worst player on the pitch for Leeds, as the rest of his performance was promising.

Manor Solomon's game in numbers

Solomon lost his footing around the halfway line to allow Koloesho to race through and score past Illan Meslier, with weak covering defending from his teammates.

However, the winger had plenty of positive moments in the game and showed nice touches and turns on the ball to make things happen for Leeds in the final third.

The Spurs loanee created three chances and completed 86% of his chances, whilst completing all three of his dribble attempts, and this shows that he was largely impressive in his use of the ball.

He also won six of his seven duels on the ground and made two tackles to help out his team defensively, which shows that the forward was strong out of possession and worked hard for the team.

Meanwhile, Wilfried Gnonto, on the other flank, was the real villain for the Whites with his disappointing performance at Elland Road on Saturday.

Wilfried Gnonto's performance against Burnley

The Italy U21 international struggled to make any impact at the top end of the pitch and will surely be frustrated with his lack of threat in the final third.

Gnonto had one glorious chance to find the back of the net in the first half, after Brenden Aaronson slipped the ball through to him, but he failed to beat James Trafford with a left-footed effort that hit the goalkeeper.

The Italian winger had three shots in total and failed to score, missing one ‘big chance’, and also ended the match with zero key passes (chances created) to his name.

Minutes played

90

Pass accuracy

81%

Key passes

0

Big chances missed

1

Duels won

7/14

Possession lost

16x

As you can see in the table above, the attacker endured a rough afternoon, losing half of his duels and giving the ball away 16 times, without making any real contributions in the final third.

Whereas, Solomon, despite his slip for the goal, created three chances for his teammates and won the vast majority of his duels to keep hold of the ball for Leeds.

These statistics show that Gnonto was even worse than the Spurs man and that it was a performance that may now leave Farke thinking about whether he should remain in the starting XI next time out.

Leeds forward was sold for mega £20m, now he's being outscored by Struijk

The Whites raked in a huge fee for the player who struggled to produce in front of goal.

ByDan Emery Sep 12, 2024

The USMNT fullback is drawing interest from English side Plymouth ahead of the transfer window, sources tell GOAL

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Plymouth pursuing USMNT fullbackSparta Prague already submitted offerReynolds expected to draw more interest before transfer windowFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

U.S. international and Westerlo fullback Bryan Reynolds could be on the move with the January transfer window set to open in less than an a week.

Sources told GOAL that Plymouth have made an approach to sign Reynolds on an initial six-month loan as the club looks to fight off relegation from the English Championship. It is expected that Reynolds will be the subject of multiple bids this window from around Europe, with Plymouth being just the latest to make a push to sign the Westerlo defender.

GOALcan also confirm that Sparta Prague have also reached out to Westerlo about Reynolds, with the two sides agreeing to speak more about the terms of a deal once the winter break begins in the Belgian league. The Czech club's initial offer came it at around $2.08 million (€2 million), but Westerlo are expecting a larger fee for the defender after paying € 3.5 million to sign the American from Italian side Roma.

Belgian outlet GVA was first to report Sparta Prague's interest in Reynolds.

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Reynolds has been with Westerlo since 2022, having initially joined on loan from Roma. He made 34 appearances in that first season, prompting the Belgian side to make a permanent move for him ahead of the 2023-24 season.

The 23-year-old fullback, who initially left FC Dallas for Roma in 2021, was in high demand during the summer transfer window, too, with clubs in England, France and Turkey interested in signing him. GOAL confirmed that Hull City were one club that previously pursued Reynolds in the summer.

On the international level, the 22-year-old fullback has earned seven caps for the USMNT. He was a member of the Gold Cup squad in 2023, but wasn't called in by either Gregg Berhalter or Mauricio Pochettino in 2024.

GettyDID YOU KNOW?

Prior to his move to Roma, Reynolds was the subject of interest from several of Europe's best, including Roma and Juventus. He ultimately ended up in Rome, but his time in Italy was derailed when Paulo Fonseca, the manager who signed him, was replaced by Jose Mourinho – who was public in his criticisms of him. Fonseca is now coaching Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah in Milan.

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AFPWHAT NEXT FOR REYNOLDS?

Reynolds was fantastic in Westerlo's final game of 2024, assisting two goals, including one to fellow American Griffin Yow. Unfortunately, though, Westerlo would fall 4-3 to Club Brugge despite Reynolds' heroics.

The club is now off until Jan. 11 for the Belgian Pro League's winter break.

After an ordinary start, the New Zealand bowlers too got into the swing of things

Sidharth Monga19-Jun-2021
We have only had a little over two sessions’ worth of cricket on the first two days of the World Test Championship final, but what we’ve had has been high-quality cricket worthy of the occasion. When bad light curtailed the second day to just 64.4 overs after the first day was washed out, India, asked to bat in challenging conditions against a deep attack, were 146 for 3 and, you’d suspect, the happier side.New Zealand will be disappointed but not despondent: it could have been worse after a 62-run opening stand between Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill as Tim Southee and Trent Boult got off to an uncharacteristically indifferent start. Towards the end of the day, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane looked sublime in fading light, playing the ball delightfully late and biding their time as New Zealand didn’t offer easy scoring opportunities. No batting duo now has more fifty-run stands for the fourth wicket or lower.It was one of those “good toss to lose” days, but it turned out both sides would have liked to have had a bowl after the pitch had been under covers for two days and with the sun unlikely to make an appearance. The coin fell Kane Williamson’s way, but his opening bowlers didn’t get his side off to a desired start.Part of it was possibly down to proactive Indian openers. By repeatedly walking down the pitch to meet the ball before it had swung, they made a statement to Southee and Boult. When they tried to bang it in short – which was not often – Gill pulled with disdain.New Zealand are the most economical attack in this WTC cycle. They keep the runs down and then let the subtle skills of their bowlers take. Here, though, both Southee and Boult went searching too often with the new ball. Did the batsmen upset their rhythm? Did they feel the pressure of expectation when your captain hands you the ball in such conditions? It is anybody’s guess, but Rohit and Gill punished them every time they pitched too short or too full, which was often. By the time Williamson brought on his first-change bowler, Kyle Jamieson, India had 37 on the board in 10 overs.The first maiden of the innings was the 12th, bowled by Boult; then Jamieson and Colin de Grandhomme added one each on top of it. Not long after, Jamieson drew the first fatal error from India. Rohit pushed away from the body for the first time in his innings, edging the outswinger, but not before giving India their first 60-plus opening stand in England in over a decade.There might have been the mildest of question marks against Neil Wagner’s inclusion in the final XI because in early summer conditions in England you hardly need his trademark method of hustling batters with short-pitched bowling. However, within three balls of his introduction into the attack, Wagner vindicated his selection. He swung the first ball back into Gill and then, from the exact same length, the third ball held its line. Gill had to play at it because of the earlier swing, and BJ Watling – playing the final match of a stellar career – pouched a catch behind the wicket. India had now lost two wickets for one run.A fascinating spell of play followed either side of lunch. Cheteshwar Pujara went about his usual business, taking 36 balls to get off the mark and then showing intent to upper-cut Wagner. At the other end, Kohli, who has mastered the quickest and the scariest of bowlers, had to swallow his ego and play maiden after maiden from de Grandhomme’s dibbly-dobblies.de Grandhomme bowled with just the right (lack of) pace and amount of movement to nag Kohli, who had previously faced 10 balls from him in Test cricket for one run and one lbw dismissal. Here, too, de Grandhomme seemingly tried to set up the same, bowling outswingers from middle and off. Once he nearly took the edge, but that ball that shapes up to swing one way and then seams the other didn’t arrive. Kohli faced 21 balls from de Grandhomme for just four runs, but didn’t once try to hit out.Pujara saw out Jamieson, then made Wagner switch to bouncers, one of which got him in the head as he looked to hook, which he rarely does, but just ask Australia what usually happens when Pujara battles through a tough phase. With a five-man attack, though, New Zealand kept coming back at him. The next test was Boult, who had got Pujara out four times for 48 runs outside India. Today, the first he bowled to Pujara was right on the money: swinging in for the lbw, Pujara seemed to have covered the swing, but it seamed some more after pitching, beating his inside edge and trapping him in front.Rahane can be a flashy starter, but he got a gift down the leg side first ball, which he clipped away. A general indicator of where Rahane’s form is how late he plays the ball early in his innings. He was in no hurry here. Except for a near run-out early in the piece, there was nothing flashy from him.The player of the day, though, was at the other end. On that calendar it might have been over 18 months since Kohli has scored an international hundred, but he has batted as well as anyone in this period. It was on display here again. Except for a mini phase in the stop-start final session when he began to push at Southee outswingers, Kohli looked in control against everyone.New Zealand’s response was to block his scoring areas. The cover drive and the flick through midwicket were well guarded. So Kohli had to wait for the errors in length. He did. But even when they erred, they fed possibly the only shot that Kohli doesn’t relish: the cut. However, Kohli kept scoring through point with pushes and punches. The conditions demanded for nothing short of Kohli’s best: even the 60-over-old ball swung under the clouds.Close to eight hours have already been lost in the Test, but they can be made up with an extra half hour added to the remaining days and a whole reserve day in the bank. Any further interruptions will start eating into the Test, which, going by the quality of the contest in the limited time we have had, will be a massive shame.