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Jurgen Klinsmann faced a lot of criticism after the US had lost their opening match against Colombia in Copa America 2016. They deserved all the flak from the press and the fans alike. The USA were whether they would at all qualify from a strong group that also feature strong opponents in Paraguay and Costa Rica.

Back to the walls, the fightback began. The US regained control of the group with a thumping 4-0 win over Costa Rica on Match Day 2. And with Colombia securing a passage to the quarterfinals with a 2-1 win over Paraguay, the task became clearer: get a win over Paraguay and the job is done.

The hopes and expectations were there but very few had thought the US would go on to top the group. A dramatic turnaround in…

Prediction: Leganes to win 2-0

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Real Betis and Leganes will lock horns with each other in La Liga this week. The match between Manuel Pellegrini’s side and Borja Jiménez’s team will be held at Estadio Benito Villamarín and is scheduled to kick off at 8 pm UK time on Friday.

Real Betis

Real Betis are a big club in Spain and have a very strong fanbase. Although the Andalucian club are not expected to challengee for the La Liga title, they tend to be among the mix who aim to end up in the European places in the league table.

Betis finished as high as seventh in the La Liga table last season. Manuel Pellegrini’s side, though, are in dire form at the moment. Los Verdiblancos are 17th in the standings with two points fro…

Brentford made light of Ivan Toney s absence to start their 2024-25 Premier League campaign with a 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace, as Yoane Wissa netted a second-half winner.

Bees talisman Toney was left out of the hosts’ squad for Sunday’s game at Gtech Community Stadium, with Thomas Frank confirming before kick-off that decision was made due to transfer interest in the striker.

But his absence was not felt as Bryan Mbeumo opened the scoring just before the half-hour mark, cutting onto his favoured left foot to stroke into the bottom-left corner.

However, Palace – who saw strikes from Eberechi Eze and Odsonne Edouard disallowed in either half – came on strong in the second period and levelled through Ethan Pinnock’s own goal.

The Eagles were c…

Viktor Gyokeres should focus on continuing to shine for Primeira Liga leaders Sporting CP and not be tempted by a move away, according to former Portugal defender Jorge Andrade.

The Sweden striker has been a revelation since his move from Coventry City in 2023, topping the league s scoring charts with 29 goals last season as the Lions won the Primeira Liga title.

Gyokeres has netted 12 times already for club and country this term, including in his last eight outings after scoring on his Champions League debut in Tuesday s 2-0 win against Lille.

Liverpool and Arsenal are reportedly keen on landing the 26-year-old s signature, though Andrade – speaking at the Thinking Football Summit organised by Liga Portugal – believes Gyokeres should stay put.

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Belgium will kick off their new UEFA Nations League campaign on Friday with high hopes of finally securing some elusive silverware. The Red Devils face Israel in their opening fixture, though the match will be held in Hungary due to ongoing security concerns.

With strong competition from Italy and France in League A Group 2, Belgium will be keen to start with a win to set the tone for the campaign.

Belgium

Belgium’s Euro 2024 journey ended in disappointment, exiting in the first knockout round to fierce rivals France. This defeat deepened the frustration of Belgian fans, as questions linger over whether coach Domenico Tedesco can steer this golden generation towards silverware.

Tedesco’s debut tournament in charge…

Inter full-back Yuto Nagatomo was most pleased by the fact his side s defence kept a clean sheet in Saturday s 5-0 Serie A win over Parma.

Nagatomo, who has been criticised for neglecting the defensive side of his game at times, played the full 90 minutes at left back in the victory which continues Inter s improvement in form.

It was important to get through the game without conceding. If you don t concede then obviously you can t lose and it s easier for everyone, including our team-mates in attack, Nagatomo told the club s website.

We didn t let the opposition have many chances, we kept our balance, and I m sure that the team will keep on improving.

The Japanese added it was a good start to the new year for the Italian giants who started the 2011-1…

Smith joins a club entering their third MLS season, with former Premier League players Ashley Westwood and Scott Arfield among those in Charlotte’s squad.

Leicester fan favourite Christian Fuchs serves as one of his assistants, having retired in North Carolina and joined the coaching staff after skippering the team during their first campaign.

Smith joins them in Charlotte with a determination to help the team grow and improve on last season’s wildcard defeat at the start of the MLS play-offs.

“I think one of my drivers has always been to prove people wrong and try and get to that next level all the time,” the former Norwich, Brentford and Walsall manager said.

“I was fortunate enough to coach Brentford and build a team that Thomas (Frank) event…

Eddie Howe blamed a poor first-half performance from Newcastle United as they fell to a 3-1 Premier League defeat to Fulham on Saturday.

The Magpies four-game unbeaten run to begin the season their best top-flight start in 29 years was ended at Craven Cottage.

Raul Jimenez gave Fulham the lead with less than five minutes played and Emile Smith Rowe added a second 17 minutes later.

Harvey Barnes gave Newcastle hope a minute into the second period, but Reiss Nelson sealed the three points for the home side in added time.

Asked if his side ultimately lost the game in the first half, Howe told BBC Sport: I think we did. It was a slow start and the first goal was a killer blow for us.

It was a poor goal for us to concede; we need to do much better. Th…

Laurent Courtois was pleased to see CF Montreal stop the bleeding with Saturday s goalless draw against Nashville SC, but he knows more is needed when they host D.C. United on Wednesday.

Montreal are winless in their last nine matches across all competitions (four draws, five losses) and sit 13th of 15 teams in the Eastern Conference.

They did at least snap a four-game losing streak with that stalemate, and Courtois wants them to use that result as a platform.

I heard a couple of guys talking about stopping the bleeding and I hate it, but it s the reality of the moment, said Courtois.

We re happy in the sense that we were able to get back to our standards of commitment and competitiveness, but we know that we need more at home, so we have to get back t…

Sweden edged closer to the last 16 of Euro 2020 after a 1-0 victory over Slovakia in St Petersburg on Friday.

After beating Poland on matchday one, Stefan Tarkovic s side knew another victory would secure their place in the next round before their final group game with Spain.

But it was Sweden who produced more of a consistent attacking threat – certainly compared with their goalless draw with Spain, when they had just 15 per cent of the possession – as they sought to avoid going four consecutive European Championship games without scoring.

Alexander Isak was their most threatening player and it was the Real Sociedad striker s clever throughball that saw Robin Quaison fouled by goalkeeper Martin Dubravka, allowing Emil Forsberg to win the contest from the…