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Reigning MLS Cup champions Atlanta United and Supporters' Shield holders New York Red Bulls lead the field as Major League Soccer kicks off this week

The race for the 2019 MLS Cup will go through the Eastern Conference, and if defending champion Atlanta United has anything to say about it, through Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Tata Martino and Miguel Almiron may have moved on, but the Five Stripes remains the favorites, led by MLS goal king Josef Martinez and newly-acquired Argentine midfielder Gonzalo 'Pity' Martinez.

The New York Red Bulls fell short in their quest to finally win an MLS Cup title last year, but they bring back most of the same squad that set a new league record for points in a season, so another title challenge is a safe bet. Tyler Adams leaving will make things difficult, but the Red Bulls boast the best defense in the league and the ever-reliable Bradley Wright-Phillips.

There are some clear-cut title contenders in the West, led by Sporting Kansas City and the Seattle Sounders, two teams with balanced veteran lineups, and also with the salary cap space to make big acquisitions this summer, if not sooner. Sporting KC has what may be its deepest team ever, but the search for a big-money striker continues. The Sounders struck gold with last summer's signing of Raul Ruidiaz, but Garth Lagerwey has the resources to add another attacking weapon.

The city of Los Angeles could have a say in the MLS Cup conversation as well, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic leading a revamped LA Galaxy and Carlos Vela ready to build on last year's impressive debut season for Los Angeles FC.

Several teams underwent significant roster shakeups, particularly in the Western Conference, where Minnesota United and the Colorado Rapids made multiple big-time acquisitions to push themselves into the playoff conversation.

Those are just two of teams who could be this year's surprise turnaround. The San Jose Earthquakes are another candidate, with new head coach Matias Almeyda leading the way. Orlando City is another team that could see a dramatic turnaround after a disappointing 2018. Toronto FC is just a year removed from being considered the best team in MLS history, so a return to the playoffs could take place, assuming TFC succeeds in finding a suitable replacement to fill the void left by Sebastian Giovinco's departure.

Here is how the 24 MLS teams stack up heading into the 2019 season:

FC Cincinnati1FC CincinnatiThe expansion team made plenty of moves this winter in an effort to put together a respectable roster, but while there is a good nucleus of veterans, it is still going to be a rough debut season for the league's newest team. Fanendo Adi is a solid striker, and Costa Rican midfielder Allen Cruz is a special talent, but head coach Alan Koch will be hard-pressed to turn FC Cincinnati into a playoff team in year one.AdvertisementJonathan Daniel2Chicago FireThe good news for Fire fans is Bastian Schweinsteiger is back and Djordje Mihailovic is poised for a breakout season. The bad news is the Fire's defense looks very suspect and a lack of depth could prove costly for a team that didn't do enough this winter to close the gap on the playoff teams in the MLS Eastern Conference.Montreal Impact3Montreal ImpactAfter falling four points short of the playoffs in 2018, the Impact picked up veteran forward Maxi Urruti to try and help Montreal close the gap. The more pressing concern is how the Impact's revamped defense will perform. Urruti should help Montreal generate more goals, but the defense must be stingy if the Impact are going to reach the posteason.ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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Kim Klement4Orlando CityGone is Kaka, but in steps Nani to help fill the big-name void. Now Orlando City just needs to sort out the defensive woes that plagued the Lions in 2018. The pressure is on Dom Dwyer to perform, but it will be the back-line head coach James O'Connor puts together that will make or break Orlando City's season.

IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla has said Visakhapatnam, Raipur and Kanpur are being looked at as alternative home venues for Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiants

Arun Venugopal in Rajkot14-Apr-2016IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla has said that Visakhapatnam, Raipur and Kanpur are frontrunners to be alternative home venues for Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiants after a Bombay High Court ruling ordered matches after April 30 to be moved out of Maharashtra due to a state-wide drought. He also said Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata were in contention to host the three playoff games – the Eliminator, Qualifier 2 and final – that were scheduled to be played in Pune and Mumbai.Shukla confirmed he would meet with representatives from both franchises in Delhi on April 15 to formulate a revised arrangement, which will later be ratified by the IPL governing council. He said, however, that the Maharashtra Cricket Association and the IPL would request the Bombay High Court for permission to host the match between Supergiants and Mumbai in Pune on May 1 due to difficulties involved in shifting equipment.”Since there is a match on April 29 and May 1 in Pune – back-to-back matches – it will be almost impossible to move the equipment in 24 hours to another venue,” Shukla told reporters in Rajkot. “That’s a technical problem, so we are going to appeal tomorrow to the Bombay High Court if they can allow one more match in Pune. The other matches will be shifted. We decided yesterday that we are not going for an appeal. We will be implementing the verdict given by the court.”Kings XI Punjab were scheduled to play three home matches in Nagpur in May and Shukla said the franchise will shift those games to Mohali and Dharamsala.He also suggested that Jaipur was a prospective venue if either Mumbai or Supergiants expressed interest. “The RCA can’t host the match but the government has approached us to host the match,” Shukla said. “We will put Jaipur also as an option. Let’s see how the franchises react. We can host [matches without RCA being there]. There is a sports council of the government.”Shukla revealed Supergiants had requested the use of Eden Gardens as a home venue but said the IPL rules may not allow it.”Technically, it’s very difficult because it is the designated home ground of a franchise,” he said. “So far two matches of Gujarat Lions are slotted in Kanpur. If these franchises want Kanpur then those two matches will be played in Rajkot.”While Chennai and Ranchi were ruled out, Shukla said he was waiting to hear from the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association on Indore’s availability. “The MPCA secretary is checking with the authorities because the Kumbh Mela is going on and all the security forces have been deployed there.”Shukla said the biggest logistical challenge was movement of equipment: “It is a gigantic exercise. Then all those things – the look and feel of stadium, ticketing, maintenance of ground and wickets – will have to be looked into as well.”The court’s ruling came after a Public Interest Litigation questioned the hosting of matches in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur, and the order affects 13 games in the tournament. Mumbai was scheduled to host four matches after April 30, including the tournament final on May 29. Pune will miss out on six matches, including the Eliminator and Qualifier 2, while Nagpur will not host any fixtures this season.While hearing the PIL filed by Loksatta Movement, a Hyderabad-based NGO, last week, the court sought an explanation from the BCCI and the three state associations on why water should be “wasted” on hosting games when the state faced one of its worst ever droughts. In the next hearing, the court allowed theopening match to be held as scheduled in Mumbai on April 9, but earlier this week asked the BCCI if matches could be shifted out of Pune.In its defence, the BCCI had stated that less water was used to prepare the ground for an IPL game when compared to an international fixture. The board also stated that it intended to use treated sewage water for ground preparation in Mumbai and Pune. Mumbai and Supergiants had also proposed to contribute INR 5 crore to the Maharashtra chief minister’s drought relief fund and supply 40 lakh litres of water to drought-hit areas at their own cost.

Kylian Mbappe has been mocked by Greggs after being accused of daydreaming about steak bakes, with the PSG star told he is “welcome to come 4-1”.

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World Cup winner flopped at St James' ParkSuffered humbling defeatHas become an easy target for criticsWHAT HAPPENED?

The World Cup-wining forward endured a rare off day alongside the rest of his Paris Saint-Germain colleagues as they suffered a humbling defeat to Newcastle in the Champions League. Mbappe never got going in that contest, with the 24-year-old failing to sparkle on a European stage.

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Newcastle had no complaints about that, with Eddie Howe’s side claiming a notable scalp. Their supporters have been revelling in a memorable triumph, while also poking fun at continental rivals. One Magpies fan posted on social media when reflecting on Mbappe’s performance: “I was confident about a win, as I went with a predicted 2-1. The team was just showing off last night though. This fella was just thinking about Greggs steak bakes all night. Right there, he was caught licking his lips thinking of his next one.”

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It did not take long for bakery chain Greggs to respond to that post, with another cheeky jibe aimed in the direction of Mbappe. They said when being made aware of the steak bake claims: “He’s welcome to come 4-1 this morning…”

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WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Mbappe looked stunned at times as PSG collapsed in dramatic fashion at St James’ Park, with a disasterclass from Luis Enrique’s side leaving them with work to do in order to make the Champions League last-16 as they are in the so-called ‘Group of Death’ with Newcastle, Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan.

England captain Harry Kane was denied a penalty against Malta on Friday, and was booked for diving after a challenge from goalkeeper Henry Bonello.

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Kane brought down in the boxAppealed immediately for a penaltyBooked by official, with VAR not interveningWHAT HAPPENED?

Kane interecepted a pass from goalkeeper Bonello in the Malta penalty area and appeared to be nicked on his ankle by the shot stopper's trailing arm as he dived for the ball. The referee, though, saw it differently and booked Kane for diving, much to the bemusement of the Bayern forward. VAR opted against intervening.

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Replays showed that Bonello made contact with Kane's ankle, so there should have been a VAR review at the very least, although the decision was not deemed to be a clear and obvious error. Kane and his team-mates were particularly aghast, and manager Gareth Southgate was also seen questioning the decision with the fourth official.

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England took a 1-0 lead through an own goal from Enrico Pepe and will hope to see the victory out. Given Malta's standing in the international game, one has to think that Kane will be out to boost his own goal tally.

Chris Cairns has acknowledged that his name has been linked to allegations of corruption and has said allegations against him “are a complete lie”

ESPNcricinfo staff20-May-2014Chris Cairns, the former New Zealand allrounder, has acknowledged that his name has been linked to allegations of corruption and has said allegations against him “are a complete lie.”The recently reported testimonies of Lou Vincent and Brendon McCullum in the ICC’s investigation of spot-fixing and match-fixing allegations have both mentioned a Player X in their statements to the anti-corruption and security unit. Cairns won a High Court libel trial in 2012 against Lalit Modi, after the latter accused him of match-fixing.Following the emergence of Vincent’s claims last week, reportedly given as part of a plea-bargain with the ICC, which revealed the scope and scale of the matches implicated, the revealed details of McCullum’s testimony where he explained how he was approached in India during the first year of the IPL and then in Worcester during New Zealand’s 2008 tour of England by the same player and asked whether he would be interested in fixing cricket matches. McCullum said that player had been a “hero” of his.”I am aware that Lou Vincent and Brendon McCullum have made a range of allegations against a cricketer dubbed Player X,” Cairns said. “It is well known that the ICC/ACSU has been investigating allegations of corruption and my name has been linked by others to these allegations. I am being asked whether I am Player X.”Based on the limited information I have received during this investigation, I believe it is being alleged that I am that player. These allegations against me are a complete lie.”Cairns had, in April, confirmed that he had had a recent meeting with Scotland Yard investigators but refused to divulge the reasons for the meeting.New Zealand Cricket reacted angrily to the leak of McCullum’s testimony.”New Zealand Cricket is dismayed that Brendon McCullum’s testimony to the International Cricket Council has been leaked to the media,” the board said in a statement. “We can confirm that Brendon is not under investigation by the ICC and his testimony has actually been applauded by them. NZC has 100% confidence in our captain and his role in tackling corruption.”McCullum’s testimony is part of the ICC’s ongoing investigation into allegations of match-fixing and spot-fixing. In December last year, Vincent confirmed that he was involved in an ICC anti-corruption investigation and in February, Vincent reported that he had been approached by an illegal bookmaker during the 2013 Bangladesh Premier League. Vincent is also reported to have told investigators of attempted fixing in England’s Twenty20 Cup and Pro40 competitions.

David Warner has indicated that Australia will look to add to their 326-run lead on the fifth morning before declaring, with events from the Adelaide Test fresh in their mind

Brydon Coverdale in Melbourne29-Dec-2014Australia will have the Adelaide Test in the back of their minds on the final day in Melbourne, where they will begin the morning with a lead of 326 and three wickets in hand. Aggressive declarations are not unknown to the Australians but they will look for further runs on the fifth day, with a draw enough for them to win the series and India having shown solid chasing form in the first Test.On a deteriorating drop-in pitch at Adelaide Oval, India were set 364 and were bowled out for 315, Virat Kohli’s century not quite enough as Nathan Lyon bowled Australia to victory. But the MCG drop-in pitches tend to hold up better and the surface should still be good for batting on day five, which is likely to discourage the Australians from setting India too achievable a target.”We saw in the Adelaide Test how well they fought there and luckily we got the breakthrough because it could have been a different story,” David Warner said of Kohli’s wicket in the Adelaide Test. “They would have gone one-nil up. We know what their batting line up is like: Kohli and Rahane put on a great partnership.”They had their luck but they went on with it and got big scores. That is in the back of our mind. We know the positive brand of cricket they are playing now and we have got to come out with the ball and either dry it up or take those ten wickets … I think we need a few more runs than what we have got on the board at the moment.”Warner made 40 on the fourth day at the MCG and his 57-run opening stand with Chris Rogers helped the Australians get away to a solid start, although Ishant Sharma, R Ashwin and Umesh Yadav bowled to their plans and made life difficult for the batsmen. Warner said the surface was still playing well for batsmen.”It’s still a very good batting wicket,” he said. “There’s not much sideways movement with the new ball but when the ball gets older and a bit softer there’s a bit of reverse swing and I think that is going to be the key when we take the field, to try to get that ball going a bit, dry up the runs and get ten opportunities.”That is the way we are going to try and win the game. Obviously the new ball is crucial and we’ve got to make the most of it. Extra zip with the new ball, I don’t think there’s going to be sideways movement at all. Depending on the weather there might be a bit of swing but I don’t think that is likely.”Ashwin said India would be positive in their approach on the final day and would play for the victory they require to get back into the series with only one match left to play.”Any score on the final day is going to be tricky,” Ashwin said. “It’s a Test match and … it’s going to test every single aspect of your game and your attitude. It’s going to be hard work, but we’re up for it – we’re here to win games of cricket. We’ll be positive and try and see where we can go.”

On a ground known for gargantuan batting feats, Karnataka and Punjab will be hoping their pacers can take early advantage of a seaming track, as they look to consolidate the second position in Group A

The Preview by Karthik Krishnaswamy13-Dec-2013On December 23, 2012, Sachin Tendulkar announced his ODI retirement. On the same day, in a Ranji Trophy match in Hubli, Amit Mishra and Jayant Yadav scored double centuries in a 392-run eighth-wicket partnership against Karnataka.On October 11, 2013, a day after Tendulkar announced that he would soon leave Test cricket as well, Cheteshwar Pujara scored his third first-class triple-century, for India A against West Indies A in Hubli.Two matches into its life as a first-class venue, the KSCA Cricket Ground has already gained a reputation for gargantuan batting feats. Both matches, however, began with a flurry of wickets falling to seam bowling.When Yadav joined Mishra at the crease, Haryana were seven down for 168 on the first day; six of the seven wickets had fallen to Karnataka’s quicker bowlers. Before Pujara took over for India A, their seamers had taken nine out of 10 wickets in bowling West Indies A out for 268.According to Karnataka batting coach, J Arunkumar, conditions here for his side’s clash against Punjab might well follow the same pattern. “It looks like a 50-50 wicket,” he said.Over the rest of his conversation with the press, Arunkumar broke that ratio down further. This, he said, was “a good batting wicket; you can get a few runs here if you get through the initial phase.” How much of a role would the spinners play? “Maybe not much. On the first couple of days it will assist the medium-pacers and then the spinners could come in.”Punjab captain, Mandeep Singh, meanwhile, saw the seamers prospering early on as well. “It looks like a fast bowlers’ kind of a wicket. Doesn’t swing much, but has good bounce.”Karnataka and Punjab sit second and third on the Group A table, separated by just two points. Both teams will enjoy themselves if the pitch behaves as predicted. Seamers have dominated both teams’ wicket tallies.Punjab’s fast men have taken 54 wickets at an average of 24.39, with Sandeep Sharma and VRV Singh being particularly productive. Their spinners have taken 25 wickets at a slightly better average of 24.32, but Harbhajan Singh – who has 18 wickets from three matches – is still recovering from a shoulder injury and won’t feature in the match.For Karnataka, the seamers, led by Abhimanyu Mithun – who has 22 wickets from five matches – have grabbed 56 wickets at 26.82. Their two main spinners, left-armers KP Appanna and Abrar Kazi, have between them taken 12 wickets at 47.00. “That’s because the wickets have not been conducive,” said Arunkumar. “It’s also because of the time of the year; it swings more and there’s more grass on the wicket. But the spinners have been very disciplined, keeping it tight. It puts pressure on the opponent while the seamers attack at the other end.”Arunkumar said the team management would have a tough call to make between the two left-arm spinners, and a tougher one between quick bowlers HS Sharath and Ronit More. In Karnataka’s last two matches, they have each taken a five-wicket haul. But Vinay Kumar, who missed Karnataka’s last three games thanks to international commitments and his wedding, is back to lead the side, with one of the two likely having to make way.Karnataka have dropped Kunal Kapooor, who made centuries in both innings here last season, but has a top score of 25 in his last five innings, and are likely to hand a first-class debut to Karun Nair. Their batting, overall, has been inconsistent, with only two of their frontline batsmen, KL Rahul and Manish Pandey, averaging more than 40.It’s been much the same for Punjab,with four of their batsmen having scored a century, but only one, Jiwanjot Singh, has a 40-plus average. Both teams, therefore, will want their batsmen to do well collectively, in a game that could prove decisive on the road to the quarterfinals.

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Tottenham Hotspur have refused to follow up on interest in Hull City midfielder Jarrod Bowen, according to Football.London’s Alasdair Gold (4.19pm).

Gold claims that Spurs decided at an internal meeting not to pursue a deal for the 22-year-old. He added that the club watched him in every game he played over the past month, as Spurs look to return to a transfer model of signing English players.

CheekySport’s Joel claims Spurs badly need to invest in January after not having “the balls” to beat Arsenal. Check out his uncensored opinion in the video below…

Bowen has enjoyed a breakthrough season at Hull, per Transfermarkt, scoring 14 goals and providing three assists in 29 Championship appearances thus far this season.

Tottenham appear set, however, to again fail to make a signing in this transfer window.

Chairman Daniel Levy also failed to sign a single player in the summer, leaving Lucas Moura as the last player to move to Spurs, when he joined from PSG in January 2018.

And Spurs fans have been left fuming as they face up to another transfer window of disappointment.

Calum MacLeod helped Scotland beat Kenya by seven wickets with nine balls to spare to clinch the T20 series 2-0 in Aberdeen

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Jul-2013
ScorecardCalum MacLeod helped Scotland beat Kenya by seven wickets with nine balls to spare to clinch the T20 series 2-0 in Aberdeen. After restricting Kenya to 100 for 8, Scotland started slow in their chase. They lost their first wicket in the seventh over at the score of 32 and still needed 49 from the last eight overs when second wicket fell in the 12th over. MacLeod continued at the other end to make sure Scotland reached the target with ease, by scoring 16 off the first three balls of the 19th over to finish the chase.After opting to bat, Kenya lost four wickets in the first seven overs, including two ducks, which put them under pressure straightaway. Duncan Allan scored 18 after that but their last four contributed only 15 runs together. Collins Obuya was unbeaten with a 42-ball 38 which took them to 100 but it wasn’t competitive enough. Calvin Burnett finished with 3 for 18 and Majid Haq picked up two wickets.

A round-up of the second day’s play of the ninth-round Group A games of the Ranji Trophy 2013-14

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Dec-2013
ScorecardFile photo: Rahul Dewan hit 19 fours during his unbeaten 136•AFPFifties from opener Karun Nair and Stuart Binny helped Karnataka take a first-innings lead after they were struggling at 73 for 4 against Delhi.Nair and Binny added 127 for the fifth wicket after Rajat Bhatia, Ashish Nehra and Varun Sood struck early on the second morning. The pair brought up the partnership in 30.4 overs, with Binny smacking seven fours and six sixes on his way to a 94-ball 88. Nair, on the other hand, played a more sedate innings, taking 195 balls for his unbeaten 92, the batsman’s maiden-first class fifty.Delhi’s bowlers managed just one breakthrough after their early haul, as Nehra dismissed Binny a few minutes before close of play, with Karnataka three runs short of the first-innings lead. Nair then played out the remaining overs with Shreyas Gopal as Karnataka finished at 226 for 5.
ScorecardHaryana’s hopes of avoiding relegation to Group C received a major boost on Tuesday, as their opener Rahul Dewan’s unbeaten century helped the team secure a first-innings lead against Odisha in Bhubaneswar.Dewan struck 19 fours during his 136 not out, and added 143 for the opening wicket with Avi Barot as Haryana began their innings strongly. Barot made his way to 60, with seven fours and a six, before falling to Niranjan Behera. Niranjan delivered another blow soon after, dismissing Sunny Singh for 6, as Odisha tried to claw their way back into the game.Dewan, however, put up another big partnership – an unbroken 141 for the third wicket with Sachin Rana – to take the visitors to 294 for 2, with a first-innings lead of 52 to carry into the penultimate day. Rana himself contributed 83, blasting eight fours and four sixes.Odisha, who themselves need at least a point to stay from going down, had begun the day at 221 for 9, but could add only 21 to that score, as Deepak Behera fell for 33 to end the team’s innings at 242.
ScorecardPunjab made good progress in their quest to qualify for the quarter-finals, after making 516 in the first innings and reducing Jharkhand to 210 for 9 on the second day in Dhanbad.Punjab, who began at 380 for 4, lost Mandeep Singh early for 45, but were buoyed by a sixth-wicket stand of 66 between Siddarth Kaul and Gurkeerat Singh. Kaul hit five fours and two sixes before eventually being dismissed for 50 in the 110th over. For Jharkhand, Shahbaz Nadeem picked up four wickets but went for 165 runs from his 39.5 overs.The hosts, in reply, were comfortable at 173 for 2 thanks to Rameez Nemat’s 81 and Ishank Jaggi’s 51, but Nemat’s wicket in the 46th over triggered a collapse and Jharkhand lost the next seven wickets for just 37 runs. Gurkeerat and Rajwinder Singh shared eight wickets between them for Punjab.Read the full report of the Gujarat v Mumbai match here: Abdulla takes six, but Mumbai in trouble