All posts by h716a5.icu

Inter manager Christian Chivu refused to blame goalkeeper Yann Sommer following a disappointing derby defeat to AC Milan, instead praising his team's overall performance and spirit. The Romanian coach also strongly defended his decision to substitute captain Lautaro Martinez early in the second half of the 1-0 loss, insisting the call was tactical and within his rights as manager. Inter now sit fourth in Serie A after their fourth defeat of the season.

Chivu praises Inter spirit despite Milan defeat

Chivu's first Derby della Madonnina as Inter coach ended in a narrow defeat to city rivals AC Milan, courtesy of a Christian Pulisic goal in the 54th minute. Despite the disappointing result, Chivu expressed satisfaction with his team's effort and application. 

"The performance and focus were there, we didn't suffer any counterattacks," he said. "The only time we went for a long ball, Milan scored. But I'll take credit for the good performance from the lads who tried in every way. That's the spirit I want to see."

Inter dominated possession with 64% and managed 16 shots to Milan's eight, with five on target compared to Milan's three. They also won nine corners to Milan's one, highlighting their territorial advantage. However, wasteful finishing, including two shots hitting the woodwork and a missed penalty, ultimately cost them the points.

AdvertisementAFPChivu refuses to blame Sommer for Milan goal

Milan's goal came after Inter goalkeeper Sommer got low to stop a shot from Alexis Saelemaekers, knocking it into the path of Pulisic for an easy finish less than 10 minutes into the second half. Despite the spill, Chivu held off of criticising the shot stopper.

"I'm not talking about individuals, that's not fair. For me, my players are the best, and I could never point the finger at anyone because when you do that, it smells like failure," he said. "We're all in this situation: we could have unlocked it, done better, managed it, but the statistics are what they are. We just have the duty to get back up."

Why was Lautaro Martinez taken off?

A key talking point from the match was Chivu's decision to substitute captain Martinez in the 64th minute, just 10 minutes after Milan took the lead. The Argentine forward has been a pivotal player for Inter, and his early withdrawal drew questions.

Chivu, however, was defiant in his defence of the decision, emphasising it was a tactical choice and not due to injury or poor performance, saying: "Lautaro is fine, it was my decision. He's fine, I took him off for my own technical reasons: can't I change players? Even those on the bench deserve to contribute. It was my decision."

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Getty ImagesWhat next for Inter

The defeat leaves Inter in fourth place in Serie A with 24 points from 12 matches, three points behind league leaders Roma. Chivu acknowledged that the number of defeats is a concern for a club with title ambitions.

"It's clear that four defeats in 12 games is too many. The table is tight, we need to let go of disappointments and overcome frustration, which can leave its mark. I know how much we create and how much we concede," he added.

"Due to my team's characteristics, we attack with many men, and that exposes you to counterattacks. But today we only conceded one, which was fatal. We need to work, improve, better perceive danger, and earn a few more yellow cards."

Inter have now lost three of their last five Serie A matches, a run of form that will need to be addressed quickly to stay in contention for the Scudetto.

Following this derby defeat, Inter will look to bounce back in their next Serie A fixture against Pisa which comes right after their Champions League clash against Atletico Madrid. Chivu's side will need to translate their dominance in possession and chance creation into goals and wins to climb back up the standings. The manager will also be looking for a reaction from his players, particularly in terms of defensive solidity and finishing, to avoid further slip-ups.

The left hander picked up his form from last season with a century in front of chair of selectors George Bailey

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff16-Sep-2025New South Wales batter Kurtis Patterson started his Ashes audition with a sterling century, but the Blues slipped to a two-wicket one-day loss to Tasmania after a record ninth-wicket stand between Bradley Hope and Matt Kuhnemann.Patterson, watched by Australia’s chair of selectors George Bailey, struck 110 from 125 balls in the NSW’s 224 all out. Tasmania, with another Ashes hopeful Jake Weatherald making 28, were reeling at 124 for 8 in the opening game of the Dean Jones Trophy at Cricket Central in Sydney.Related

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But Kuhnemann (56 not out from 71 balls) and Hope (49 not out from 91) produced a stunning unbroken 101-run stand for the ninth wicket to win with four balls to spare.Patterson played two Tests for Australia in 2019 and boasts an average of 144 – he made 30 and 114 not out in his two knocks against Sri Lanka. The left hander was discarded when Steven Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft had served their ball-tampering suspensions.But Patterson returned to Test discussions with prolific run-scoring in the Sheffield Shield last season, compiling 743 runs at 57.15, although is still an outside chance at this stage. On Tuesday, the 32-year-old dominated NSW’s innings – after his century the next-best was former captain Moises Henriques whose 41 from 51 balls featured two sixes. Patterson reached his second career one-day century from 113 deliveries. Tanveer Sangha was the only other NSW batter to reach double-figures.Kurtis Patterson started his season with a century•Getty ImagesTest allrounder Beau Webster took 3 for 41 and white-ball specialist Nathan Ellis 3 for 37.Tasmania’s run chase faltered early with Mitch Owen out for 9 and Webster chopping on for a golden duck – both dismissed by debutant paceman Ryan Hadley in the second over.Sean Abbott, who was captaining NSW, then snared two quick wickets, including a wonderful delivery to take Mac Wright’s off stump, to leave the Tasmanians 42 for 4 after seven overs.Weatherald, who was recently put on the Test radar by selection chair Bailey, put on 54 with veteran Matthew Wade. But Weatherald’s 51-ball innings ended when he smacked a short ball from spinner Ollie Davies straight to Hadley on the deep midwicket boundary.Tasmania’s hopes appeared over when Wade was caught and bowled by Sangha, with Ellis was soon dismissed to leave the visitors 124 for 8 in the 26th over.But Kuhnemann and Hope produced their defining partnership, with the former edging through a vacant slips area for the winning boundary.

The New York Yankees played—and won—on Opening Day with heavy hearts after the death of former Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner's 14-year-old son Miller, who tragically passed away after falling ill on a family vacation in Costa Rica.

Prior to the national anthem on Thursday, the Yankees honored Gardner's son with a moment of silence. After the Yankees' 4-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers, team captain Aaron Judge spoke to reporters and shared some heartfelt thoughts about how much Gardner means to him and the organization, adding that the former outfielder's family has been "on his mind."

"I got a lot of phone calls, texts from other guys that when we were young guys coming up—'What do we do? Do we reach out? What's going on?'" Judge said. "Just because of the way that Brett impacted all of our lives. He may not have been the big superstar with all the All-Stars and MVPs and this and that.

"But this guy was a leader of all of us. A second dad to some guys. He poured everything into every single guy. If you were having a tough time, he was always there for you to be someone to lean on, someone to joke on. His family—they've all been on my mind."

During the game, Judge also appeared to make a special tribute to Gardner when the Yankees fans affectionately known as the "Bleacher Creatures", chanted his name during the traditional roll call in the top of the first inning. When Gardner played for the Yankees, he would acknowledge the fans' chants with a flex move.

Over the last few years, Judge has been honoring Gardner by imitating the flex move when he's been in center field, the position Gardner played when he first made it to the big leagues with the Yankees.

On Thursday, Judge again paid tribute to Gardner with the move, this time from right field.

Gardner's son Miller passed away on the morning of March 21 after he had eaten at a restaurant and had fallen ill. Authorities in Costa Rica continue to investigate his death, but possible asphyxiation was ruled out as of Tuesday.

"We have so many questions and so few answers at this point,” Brett and Jessica Gardner said in a statement Sunday. "Miller was a beloved son and brother and we cannot yet comprehend our life without his infectious smile. He loved football, baseball, golf, hunting, fishing, his family and his friends. He lived life to the fullest every single day."

Liverpool’s issues run far and wide this season, and Arne Slot’s second season is falling from a concern to a calamity. Nottingham Forest pitched up at Anfield on Saturday and won 3-0. That’s six defeats from seven Premier League matches for the champions.

The fact that Liverpool produced a confident and front-footed performance for the first half-hour, before Murillo pounced after a corner, is immaterial. Even the residue of the fluent and coherent and tenacious spine has deserted Slot’s side.

Things can change quickly in football, but on the basis of the current evidence, Liverpool will struggle to secure a place in next season’s Champions League, let alone challenge high-flying Arsenal for the title.

Change is needed, a strange thing to say given the Reds’ record-breaking summer of spending. But with such glaring tactical problems, it feels likely that FSG will authorise a signing or two this winter.

Liverpool search for winter signings

With Ibrahima Konate so horribly out of sorts and free to talk to overseas suitors in January, out of contract at the end of the season, there is an understandable anxiety about Liverpool’s defensive depth, let alone the stability of the backline.

This club’s reputation as masterful strategists has disintegrated over the past few months. The squeals of delight from rival fans are loud, and it goes without saying that it’s crucial that sporting director Richard Hughes gets it right if dipping back into the market come January.

Liverpool need a centre-back, sure, but that’s not the extent of their issues, with Slot actually hinting in the past week that his club’s transfer arm may extend in a different direction.

Well, according to Spanish sources, Liverpool are preparing to launch a statement bid for Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise, who has been earmarked as an alternative to Antoine Semenyo, admired by FSG and with a £65m release clause that becomes active in January.

Liverpool might have broken the British transfer record on Alexander Isak this summer, but they are now looking to smash that once again with a deal for the French winger, who is valued at €200m (about £177m).

Change is needed at Anfield, and with Olise added to the fold, the intensity and sparkle that have been so sorely lacking may be rekindled.

What Olise would bring to Liverpool

Liverpool have been lacking something out wide this season, and a large part of that has been the failure to effectively replace Luis Diaz.

Diaz, sold to Bayern Munich this summer, was so dynamic and dangerous, and in his new teammate Olise, Liverpool could restore that style of wide forward to their set-up.

Olise has been described as “easily a top-five right winger in the world” by analyst Ben Mattinson, and with the need for a Mohamed Salah replacement intensifying, this could be the perfect move to go for, the Les Bleus star only continuing to go from strength to strength.

Whether Liverpool opt for the cheaper route in signing Semenyo remains to be seen, but this would be a statement, and Olise has proven his capacity to succeed in different systems and different areas.

Of course, there is a big difference between playing for Bournemouth and starring for Bayern Munich. The Cherries are an attractive and impressive outfit, but they lack the offensive freedom of Die Roten at the peak of the Bundesliga.

Goals scored

0.63

0.55

Assists

0.63

0.27

Shots taken

4.62

1.91

Shot-creating actions

6.82

3.28

Touches (att pen)

7.55

3.64

Pass completion (%)

81.6

69.4

Progressive passes

6.40

3.55

Progressive carries

5.45

3.19

Successful take-ons

2.31

1.91

Ball recoveries

4.72

5.28

Tackles + interceptions

1.36

1.82

Olise would be able to transfer his elite-level experience back over to the Premier League, where he has played so spectacularly before, and provide Slot’s side with creative and physical upgrades, echoing Semenyo’s skills in that regard.

But he would also give Liverpool the Diaz-like presence they have missed since the summer. The Colombian’s energy and core strength made him a fearsome Premier League winger, and with 17 goals and eight assists across all competitions last term, he was instrumental in propping up Slot’s reputation.

Podcast host Ryan Dilks said five years ago that Olise was a “superstar in waiting”, destined for the top, and now that has been put into practice, with the 23-year-old in his second season at Bayern and currently boasting nine goals and ten assists across 18 matches in all competitions this season.

It cannot be understated how much of a detrimental effect Diaz’s sale has had on Liverpool’s form and fluency this season. Olise would fix that. As per Sofascore, he has won 4.4 duels per game in the Bundesliga this season. His final season in the Premier League with Palace? Olise averaged 5.7 duels per match.

Liverpool are crying out for this kind of winger, and while Semenyo would add qualities that the club need, Olise is equally tenacious and physical, and he’s far superior from a technical standpoint and proven as one of the game’s most prolific wide forwards around.

Liverpool have slipped and slid into a morass of their own making. There are many circumstances surrounding this current crisis, but Slot is making many questionable tactical decisions and the players themselves have lost every shred of confidence and work-rate, two fixed points of the Dutch coach’s successful first season in charge.

It’s clear that there isn’t enough width and energy down the flanks, and so Olise could be the perfect Semenyo alternative to replace Salah by handing back to Merseyside a bit of Diaz-esque flair.

Semenyo upgrade: Liverpool want to sign "the best youngster in the world"

Liverpool look set to make a move for another elite-level youngster this January.

1 ByEthan Lamb Nov 24, 2025

Forde returns after recovering from a shoulder injury, while Springer has been drafted in because of injuries to other seam bowlers

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Nov-2025Matthew Forde returns from injury and Gudakesh Motie has been left out for remedial work on his bowling action as West Indies announced their 15-member squad for the five-match T20I series against New Zealand, scheduled from November 5 to 13.Forde, who hasn’t played any cricket since July, has completed rehab following a shoulder problem. His recall comes alongside the inclusion of Shamar Springer, drafted in to strengthen a seam attack depleted by injuries to Ramon Simmons and Jediah Blades, both ruled out of the tour. Springer has two wickets from two T20Is so far, the last of which took place in October 2024. Forde has 17 wickets from 13 T20Is.Related

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Motie, the left-arm spinner, has been omitted following what CWI described as a “recent dip in form” linked to technical issues in his action. On the tour of Bangladesh, he had figures of 0 for 44, 3 for 65 and 1 for 53 in three ODIs, while bowling just one over for 11 runs in a lone outing during the T20I series.He will work with specialists from the Royals Sports Group to address those concerns ahead of the SA20 in December, where he will represent the Paarl Royals. According to CWI’s statement, Motie is still expected to play a “key role” for them at next year’s T20 World Cup. The decision to leave him out of this tour was also related to pitches in New Zealand not being conducive to spin.A new face in the management set-up is Krisnan Hurdle, a clinical psychologist appointed as Mental Skills and Performance Coach beginning with the New Zealand tour. The role, first announced in October, was identified as a key step after an emergency board meeting earlier this year.Right-arm seamer Forde – who picked up a shoulder injury in the summer – is one of only two fast bowlers in the squad alongside Jayden Seales, but allrounders Jason Holder, Romario Shepherd and Springer add to their seam-bowling options. Shamar Joseph is sidelined after experiencing discomfort in his shoulder while training in Bangladesh last month.Led by T20I captain Shai Hope, the batters on the tour are Brandon King, Alick Athanaze, Ackeem Auguste, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford and Amir Jangoo.The spin department will be manned by Roston Chase, Akeal Hosein and Khary Pierre.West Indies’ five-match T20I series against New Zealand starts with back-to-back games at Auckland’s Eden Park on November 5 and 6, followed by two fixtures at Nelson’s Saxton Oval on November 9 and 10, before wrapping up at Dunedin’s University Oval on November 13. They recently completed their maiden 3-0 sweep in an away T20I series by beating Bangladesh.West Indies T20I squad
Shai Hope (capt), Alick Athanaze, Ackeem Auguste, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Amir Jangoo, Brandon King, Khary Pierre, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd, Shamar Springer.

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has suggested that Liverpool's sharp decline in form has come off the back of the Reds partying in Ibiza before their Premier League title-winning season had ended. The Reds were deservedly English champions just over six months ago as Slot's swashbuckling team swept aside the competition. Now, the outlook is far bleaker and the Dutchman has come under fire.

Liverpool's results spiral out of control

After Liverpool won the league at a canter in late April, they failed to win any of their last four Premier League matches. Before the season was up, manager Slot took a trip to Ibiza, and ended up partying with Wayne Lineker. Fast forward to the present, and Liverpool are 12th in the table and have lost six of their last seven league matches in 2025-26. Now, Red Devils icon Scholes has hit out at Slot for his end-of-season actions.

He said on The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast: "I think this started towards the end of last season, do you remember when they won the league? The bad form started, they went away, went to Ibiza or something. Honestly, Arne Slot was DJing. DJing in Ibiza. But that’s before the season’s done, that’s what I mean. I think that’s disrespectful, before the season’s done. I think it’s classless."

AdvertisementGetty Images SportSlot blames himself

While Slot hasn't addressed the topic of going to Ibiza, the Dutchman did admit he is feeling responsible for his side's "ridiculous" slump in form. The former Feyenoord boss has a lot of credit in the bank after guiding the Reds to the title last season, especially without properly strengthening the squad. But after spending more than £400 million ($527m) on players this summer, his position in the Anfield dugout is increasingly being scrutinised. 

Ahead of Wednesday's Champions League clash with PSV Eindhoven, he said: "I would describe it as ridiculous, almost. Something I did not expect to be in. Not at any club I was going to work at, let alone Liverpool. That is unbelievable. If you can find an excuse, you will never find enough excuses to make you perform like this. Unexpected for the club, for me and everyone. But I am working at a club where if you need to face it, this is the best club to face it. The harder it gets at a club like this, the more we are together to achieve the things Liverpool usually achieve."

Liverpool's leaky defence

They come into this PSV test off the back of a 3-0 hiding at the hands of lowly Nottingham Forest. Captain Virgil van Dijk said the players are letting their manager down and together they have to get the club out of this "mess". Incidentally, last season, Liverpool conceded 41 goals on their way to the Premier League title. This term, they have already shipped 20 goals in their opening 12 matches. As a result, manager Slot said this was unacceptable and took responsibility for their soft underbelly. 

"Conceding far more goals than last season. The amount of goals we have conceded and the amount of goals from set-pieces is close to ridiculous for a club like us," he told reporters. "The biggest one is the goals we concede. From open play, we are still able to generate enough chances to get a result. I take the responsibility and feel guilty for it.

"It's difficult to say at this moment [what we can learn from these defeats]. I have said quite a lot of times, there are certain things that you can do better but this hasn't helped and hasn't been of use. You can think of quite a lot of reasons why you have lost. From our perspective, at Liverpool Football Club, it is not acceptable. It is a situation you do not want to have. Now it is time to start winning matches again but you have to do a lot to win a match. The simple things, they must do better. That is what we are not doing and that is quite easy to solve. Simple football is the most difficult thing."

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Getty ImagesWhat comes next for Liverpool?

Wednesday's home clash against PSV provides a perfect opportunity for Liverpool to bounce back from their latest defeat. They then round off the month away to West Ham in the Premier League on Sunday. If they can win both of these fixtures, the gloom may lift a touch around Anfield. If not, Slot could be under huge pressure to keep his job.

Boston Red Sox rookie outfielder and baseball's top prospect Roman Anthony made his major league debut on Monday night, going hitless in four at-bats, while driving in a run on an RBI groundout in Boston's 10-8 extra innings loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.

While Anthony already notched his first career RBI, he had to wait until Tuesday night to collect his first hit at the major league level. On his first at-bat of the night in the bottom of the first inning, Anthony took a Ryan Pepiot changeup the other way, hitting an RBI double into left field off the Green Monster.

Anthony's first hit of his career helped the Red Sox jump out to an early 2-0 lead on Tuesday night.

Anthony's family was unable to be at his first major league game on Monday night, as the rookie was not called up until late in the afternoon, just a few hours before first pitch.

Even though they couldn't attend his first career major league game, they were front-and-center by the Red Sox dugout on Tuesday night, taking the atmosphere in after Anthony drove in two runs.

Clearly there were plenty of emotions from the family after seeing the top prospect's first career hit.

There will certainly be plenty more hits to come for Anthony as he formally embarks on his major league career.

Manchester City are now preparing a move for an “incredible” Premier League player, following a direct request from Pep Guardiola.

Man City stepping up pursuit of new attacker

Man City are looking to maintain the pressure on Arsenal at the top of the table, and Phil Foden could be key to their chances of reclaiming the Premier League title, having received high praise from Guardiola after the victory against Sunderland.

The 54-year-old said: “Phil is incredible. He is scoring a lot of goals. He came to me after the game and said he didn’t feel well today and look what happened how he runs, in behind, regain the ball.”

“When he is in this momentum and this mood, he is a gift and a diamond. He is top.”

Although City have been very impressive from an attacking point of view this season, with Erling Haaland also impressing, they remain keen on bringing in additional attacking options, and a number of targets have been identified ahead of the January transfer window.

Target

Current club

Goal involvements in 2025-26

Estevao

Chelsea

6

Arda Guler

Real Madrid

8

Antoine Semenyo

AFC Bournemouth

9

Yan Diomande

RB Leipzig

11

According to a report from Spain, Everton’s Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has also been identified as a priority target, with Pep directly requesting the signing of the attacking midfielder, given the level of his performances this season.

The Man City boss is willing to push to make the move happen, such is his level of interest, although the Toffees remain in a strong negotiating position, with Dewsbury-Hall contracted until 2030, having arrived from Chelsea for £28m back in the summer.

City are particularly fond of the Everton star’s versatility, with Pep regarding him as a ‘complete midfielder’, who would be a perfect fit in his system.

"Incredible" Dewsbury-Hall impressing at Everton

Lauded for his “incredible interplay” with Jack Grealish by writer Garrett Post earlier this season, the 27-year-old has kicked on since arriving at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in the summer, chipping in with four goals and three assists in 15 Premier League outings.

Worryingly for Everton, however, the Englishman was withdrawn early in the first half against Chelsea on Saturday afternoon, after clutching his hamstring.

With the Shepshed-born midfielder potentially set for a spell on the sidelines, pursuing him in January wouldn’t be ideal, and there are doubts over whether City even need to bring in another attacking midfielder.

Foden has been fantastic this season, amassing nine goals and five assists in 20 matches across all competitions, while Pep also has the likes of Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders at his disposal.

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As such, there is arguably little point in signing Dewsbury-Hall, and strengthening in defence may be a better idea, having conceded a combined six goals in the victories against Leeds United and Fulham.

The World Test Championship is likely to expand to 12 teams from 2027

Tristan Lavalette11-Nov-2025The next World Test Championship (WTC) cycle is likely to feature all 12 Full Members in one division after plans to split nations into two tiers failed to gain widespread support, while a resurrection for the short-lived ODI Super League is also on the cards.A working group, led by former New Zealand batter Roger Twose, tasked with addressing pressing issues over cricket’s three formats provided recommendations to the ICC board and Chief Executives’ Committee (CEC) during last week’s quarterly meetings in Dubai.There had been a sense of urgency behind it with countries already having started conversations for bilateral series that will be part of the next WTC cycle (2027-29).A two-tier system, which has cropped up in talks periodically for over a decade, was again among topics discussed when the working group was formed at the ICC annual conference in July.But doubts over whether a funding model could be implemented contributed to scuppering the two-tier model. It had been mooted that India, England and Australia could support those in division two through a financial distribution, but those talks did not go far.Nations likely to occupy division two, such as West Indies, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, were opposed to the idea due to the likely lack of playing opportunities against the bigger nations.Promotion and relegation was also a thorny issue, the big three concerned about the financial impacts of relegation.”We wouldn’t want, as England, we may go through a fallow period, and that means, what, we fall into Division Two and we don’t play Australia and India?” ECB chief Richard Thompson told the BBC in August. “That couldn’t happen. There has to be a sense that common sense needs to play out here.”Instead the working group has proposed a 12-team WTC, with Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and Ireland, potentially part of an expanded league for the next cycle, which begins in July 2027. The teams will be expected to play a minimum number of Tests – the exact number is not yet known – during the cycle. No extra funding is likely to be available for hosting Tests – which has been part of the struggle for members such as Ireland.”It guarantees that everyone is playing Test cricket,” a board director told ESPNcricinfo. “Those that really want to play the format now have opportunities and there is an incentive for other teams to play them.”There were also developments on the white-ball formats, with the ODI Super League possibly to be revived, having been scrapped following the 2023 World Cup.The 13-team league, which only began in July 2020, had been developed in a bid to create more context for the waning 50-over format. But it fell by the wayside amid an increasingly cramped calendar much to the chagrin of smaller Full Members and Associates.The proposal did not detail how many teams would be part of a new league, which can only return from 2028.”The Super League could help revitalise the 50-over format,” one administrator said. “Maybe the problem is not that the format is necessarily dead, it’s finding the proper structure.”There does not appear to be any push to increase the number of teams at 50-over World Cups, which will be a 14-team competition in 2027 after being limited to just ten in the previous two editions.The T20 World Cup is also set to remain at 20 teams even though there is a push from some administrators to incrementally increase it by four, with the aim ultimately of getting to 32 teams.Hall of Famers Matthew Hayden and Hashim Amla with the WTC mace•ICC via GettyAssociate members have also put forward a proposal into revamping the T20 World Cup qualifying format. In a similar concept to the men’s Olympic qualifying pathway, and commonly seen in other major sports, a global qualifier would determine the final spots and may feature not only Associates but Full Members who did not automatically qualify through rankings.A global qualifier is hoped to provide a revenue source for Associates, while appeasing some Asian nations who believe the current regional pathway limits their chances of qualifying for T20 World Cups.Associate administrators hope the global tournament can be part of the qualification process for the 2028 T20 World Cup.Despite having some influential support, with leagues popping up around the globe, the 90-minute T10 won’t be an official format.The board is expected to debate these issues at the next ICC meetings early next year.

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.