The USMNT legend sat down with GOAL at TST 2025 to discuss Pulisic's Gold Cup absence and more

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Altidore speaks exclusively about the USMNTGives opinion on Pulisic's Gold Cup absenceShares excitement for next calendar year of soccerFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

CARY, N.C. – U.S. men's national team legend Jozy Altidore said he has no issue with Christian Pulisic requesting not to be a part of the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup roster. Rather, the 35-year-old is excited to see the group that there for the tournament, ahead of what he describes as a "massive opportunity" for the national team program.

Speaking at The Soccer Tournament 2025, where he is coaching AFC Bournemouth, Altidore reflected on the AC Milan star’s absence and what it could mean for the USMNT heading into the continental competition.

"Listen, this is an opportunity for the team," Altidore told GOAL. "No one player replaces Christian, and if he needed the time off, he needed the time off. This is a chance for the group to come together and really step up with some big absences."

Altidore also shared his excitement about the next year of the footballing calendar for the country. Beginning in June 2025, the CONCACAF Gold Cup and FIFA Club World Cup will both be held in the U.S., and come next summer, the FIFA World Cup will follow in 2026, with matches played in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.

"It’s a massive opportunity for soccer in this country, and a chance at a real rebirth for the game here. I’m excited, fans are excited, and the players are excited," he said. "It’s a real opportunity and I’m looking forward to it."

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The U.S. roster for the Gold Cup this summer will feature plenty of new faces, amid an injury crisis, along with a handful of regulars being unavailable. In addition to Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, and Gio Reyna are unavailable due to the Club World Cup, while teammate of Pulisic's, Yunus Musah, is absent due to "personal reasons."

In the striker position, the U.S. is particularly going to be tested in the competition. Both Ricardo Pepi and Folarin Balogun are missing out due to injury, and after a tough performance in the March Nations League, Josh Sargent was left out of the squad this summer.

An area where Altidore excelled for the USMNT for over a decade, he believes it's a wide-open race at the moment – but with the group available for Mauricio Pochettino this summer, it's all about opportunity. MLS strikers Patrick Agyemang and Brian White are joined by uncapped 20-year-old prospect Damion Downs, Coventry's Haji Wright and FC Utrecht's Paxten Aaronson.

"The striker position is an interesting one," Altidore said. "It’s hard and not easy to play. There is a group of talented guys there, and any one of them could emerge. I’m looking forward to seeing them all."WHAT ALTIDORE SAID ABOUT TST

Altidore was offered the coaching role with Bournemouth at the 7v7 tournament in North Carolina, thanks to U.S. international Tyler Adams – who plays for the senior team in England – and co-owner Michael B. Jordan, via a personal training initiative they collaborated on.

"The conversation stemmed from all of us at Sogility – a soccer tech training facility – and so Bournemouth was interested in partnering with businesses that are trying to push the envelope in soccer, and we started discussing how we could work together on this," Altidore explained. "There were some conversations with Michael's team, that's who I got in touch with originally, and he's getting more and more into soccer, so there was a lot of synergy there. Our groups are partnered on a couple of other ventures, so that just made a lot of sense."

The Soccer TournamentWHAT NEXT?

The USMNT begins their June slate of matches with an international friendly against Turkey on Saturday as part of their preparation for the Gold Cup.

Altidore, meanwhile, will look to lead Bournemouth out of the Group Stage at TST into the knockouts as they hunt for the $1M prize in the 7v7 competition.

Last summer, Jurgen Klopp left us.

In his place, Arne Slot. Feyenoord had enjoyed back-to-back trophy-winning campaigns with the shrewd tactician at their helm, winning the Dutch Eredivisie before claiming the KVNB Cup, which is the equivalent of the FA Cup.

Klopp’s decision to step down from his job as Liverpool manager after nearly nine years was a tough pill to swallow. Merseyside went into a state of mourning (or a state of jubilation, if you approach it from a Blue perspective).

Mostly everyone expected Liverpool’s empire to collapse, but they have prospered under a new wing, storming through the 2024/25 Premier League season to establish a 12-point lead at the top.

It couldn’t have gone any better on the league front, but FSG know thunder rumbles in the background, with a spate of problems lining up to disrupt Slot’s project come summer.

Problems need solutions, and Liverpool are rather good at finding them in places others can’t. Some superstars may leave this summer, but fresh faces will join the Reds cause.

Let’s reserve judgement until next season’s well underway. How many times have FSG pulled it off in recent windows?

1 GK – Alisson Becker

It feels like the spot between the sticks shouldn’t be contentious. But oh how it is.

Alisson Becker is a phenomenon, lauded as “the best goalkeeper in the world” by Slot, but Liverpool have signed Giorgi Mamardashvili from Valencia for £29m. He’s replacing the outgoing Caoimhin Kelleher, and he wants top spot.

Two high-level keepers. Just how FSG like it. There could be worse problems to deal with. And in fairness, there are at that.

2 RB – Jeremie Frimpong

We’re going to say it. Sorry, but it’s growing increasingly probable that Trent Alexander-Arnold is going to sign for Real Madrid when his contract expires at the end of the season. Liverpool have Conor Bradley, but they’ll need more depth and Jeremie Frimpong might just be the man for the job.

Recent reports suggest Liverpool are getting ready to make their proposal for the Bayer Leverkusen invincible, who has a €40m (£34m) release clause.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Devastating in attack – The United Stand’s Beth Tucker has dubbed him a “monster in the final third” – and one of the fastest defenders in the business, he’d be perfect for Slot’s fluent and slick system.

3 CB – Ibrahima Konate

Ah, sweet uncertainty.

It’s actually no laughing matter. Real Madrid, bane of Liverpool’s life, reportedly want Ibrahima Konate, and he’s out of a deal in just over one year.

The hulking centre-half has been immense this season, maybe as good as his counterpart beside him. Several months ago, Fabrizio Romano confirmed talks have been long underway and a positive outcome is expected for the Anfield side. So we shall cling to that hope for dear life.

4 CB – Virgil van Dijk

More uncertainty.

Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool’s supreme defender and matchless leader, is also nearing the end of the line. However, he wants to stay; Slot wants him to stay; the fans want him to stay; the squad want him to stay.

Surely we will all be granted our wish. Van Dijk might be approaching his mid-thirties but he’s been extraordinary this season, and the ramifications of losing him would be keenly felt indeed.

5 LB – Milos Kerkez

This is big. Andy Robertson has been a stalwart for Liverpool, but he’s flagging at 31, ran into the dirt across so many tireless years. Milos Kerkez is the perfect replacement.

The i Paper have confirmed Liverpool have made contact and are honing in on the 21-year-old, who is available for around £40m and has been described as “a revelation at Bournemouth” by Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher.

6 DM – Ryan Gravenberch

Ryan Gravenberch isn’t going anywhere. However, there’s no doubt he’s been overused this season and is currently beset by fatigue after playing so many minutes.

Matches (starts)

26 (12)

29 (29)

Goals

1

0

Assists

0

2

Touches*

28.8

65.5

Pass completion

83%

89%

Key passes*

0.6

0.8

Dribbles*

0.9

1.0

Ball recoveries*

2.8

5.2

Tackles + interceptions*

1.5

3.5

Total duels (won)*

2.8 (47%)

4.7 (58%)

Liverpool would do well to sign another midfielder this summer, but it would take some player to dislodge the Dutchman from his starting berth.

7 CM – Alexis Mac Allister

Last year, Argentina international Alexis Mac Allister admitted he would love to play in Spain one day, for Real Madrid or Barcelona.

Just hold your horses, ay Mac. Liverpool hit the jackpot when bringing Brighton’s rising talent to Anfield for just £35m in 2023. He steered the club toward resurgence last year and has been a quiet leader and influence in the centre this season, as Slot’s side head toward the Premier League title.

8 AM – Dominik Szoboszlai

Dominik Szobozlai: Liverpool’s veritable life-blood.

The Hungarian has really come into his own over these past few months, with a gas tank to marvel at and an all-encompassing game that compelled Jurgen Klopp to pay £60m for his services back in 2023.

He’s not going anywhere.

9 RW – Mohamed Salah

Whether Mohamed Salah stays or goes depends on the push-and-pull at the negotiating table. At £350k per week, he’s the highest earner in Liverpool’s history.

Richard Hughes certainly has his work cut out, but we reckon the sporting director will placate the masses by engineering an extension.

10 LW – Cody Gakpo

Luis Diaz is about to enter the penultimate year of his contract and is among the players Liverpool may cash in on this summer, but Cody Gakpo’s going nowhere.

The Netherlands forward sits second in Liverpool’s scoring charts with 16 goals, without question Slot’s standout forward with Salah notwithstanding.

MatériaMais Notícias

da mrbet： Em Sorocaba, o Red Bull Bragantino derrotou o São Bento por 3 a 0 e fechou com a melhor campanha da sua chave. O Bento vive uma realidade diferente e está rebaixado para a Série A-2.

Como fica?

Com 20 pontos conquistados, o Red Bull Bragantino fica na liderança da chave A e agora mede forças contra o Botafogo-SP, em Bragança Paulista.

Enquanto isso, o São Bento ficou com 10 pontos e na 15ª posição e está rebaixado para a Série A-2.

O Jogo

Com uma postura defensiva, o São Bento deu a bola ao Red Bull Bragantino e o Massa Bruta não decepcionou. Com apenas 11 minutos, Bruno Gonçalves fuzilou e colocou o time visitante em vantagem.

O Braga teve a chance de ampliar com Artur, mas o pênalti cobrado pelo atacante parou na defesa do goleiro Zé Carlos.

Nos acréscimos da etapa inicial, após um bate-rebate na área do São Bento, Gustavinho mandou para o fundo da rede, 2 a 0.

Nos 45 minutos finais o drama entrou em ação. Por conta da vitória da Portuguesa, o São Bento entrou na zona de rebaixamento e precisava reagir.

No auge do ‘desespero’, o time da casa teve a chance de diminuir com Branquinho, porém o jogador caiu sentado na hora de finalizar e não colocou a bola na rede.

Com a cabeça no lugar, o Bragantino manteve o controle do jogo e sacramentou a sua campanha na fase de grupos com Praxedes, que deu números finais ao duelo: 3 a 0.

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Mikel Arteta will no doubt plead caution surrounding the signing of any new centre-forward this summer, with it not a guarantee that such a move will instantly propel Arsenal to long-awaited Premier League glory.

Indeed, it is not only through the middle where reinforcements are required, with an upgrade on the left flank also seemingly needed with Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard scoring just ten top-flight goals between them this term.

That said, fans and pundits alike are craving a statement acquisition of a new striker after what looks set to be another second-place finish in the league, with the Gunners having also come up short in the previous two campaigns.

Not since the summer of 2022 have the club forked out for a new number nine, albeit with even Gabriel Jesus not exactly an out-and-out centre-forward, particularly considering much of his work came on the right flank during his prior stint at Manchester City.

With the Brazilian having since been ravaged by injury – with Kai Havertz also currently sidelined – there is a real dearth of reliable options at the Emirates, a fact epitomised by Mikel Merino’s recent shift into a makeshaft target man.

Whether it is the difference between winning the league or not, the Gunners simply must sign a striker. If recent reports are anything to go by, the search has already started.

Latest on Arsenal's striker search

The leading target for the north London side remains that of Alexander Isak, although question marks remain over just how feasible a deal would be for the in-form Swede, considering Newcastle United’s £150m asking price.

With that in mind, the Gunners appear to be looking elsewhere in their extensive search, with Football Transfers naming Bologna’s Santiago Castro as a potential summer option.

As per the report, it is Arteta who is said to be ‘personally pushing’ to seal the signing of the young Argentine, with the Arsenal boss believed to be a ‘huge admirer’ of the promising forward.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

While the piece does mainly focus in on Arsenal’s parallel interest in Atletico Madrid starlet, Adrian Nino, the Spaniard appears more of a project signing, considering he only made his first-team debut for the LaLiga side in January.

Castro, meanwhile, may only be 20 himself, although amid a promising campaign in Serie A, he has seemingly caught the attention of Arteta as someone who could come in and make an instant impact at the Emirates.

Perhaps, he could well follow in the footsteps of a certain Alexis Sanchez in an Arsenal shirt…

Why Castro would be a good signing for Arsenal

While the Gunners did actually pluck Sanchez from Barcelona back in 2014, the Chilean did mirror his fellow South American by initially plying his trade in his homeland with Cobreloa, before then making his name in Italy at Udinese.

The now veteran forward – who has ended up back at the Italian outfit in the twilight of his career – notably scored 12 goals and provided a further ten assists in the 2010/11 Serie A season, before being poached by Barca, having typically operated as a centre-forward or second striker.

Castro, meanwhile, has followed a similar path after starting out in his native Argentina with Velez Sarsfield – for whom he scored nine goals in 64 games – prior to making the switch to Bologna last year, going on to score eight times and register four assists in Italy’s top flight in 2024/25.

Games (starts)

29 (25)

Goals

8

Assists

4

Goal frequency

266 mins

Big chances missed

6

Big chances created

3

Key passes*

0.9

Touches*

27.1

Now valued at around €30m (£26m), according to reports in January, Castro is well on course to emulating Sanchez’s final season at Udinese, with now perhaps the chance for Arsenal to pounce – rather than signing him later down the line, like they did with Sanchez.

Having been described as the “complete forward” by analyst Ben Mattinson, the 6 foot machine does mirror the ex-Arsenal man in also being able to feature on the flanks, ensuring he could also rival the likes of Martinelli and Trossard in that left-wing berth.

Not just an “instinctive finisher”, in the words of Mattinson, the Buenos Aires native may also prove a valuable addition due to his innate link-up play, as shown by the fact that he ranks in the top 10% of strikers in Europe’s top five leagues for pass completion.

A composed presence both in possession and in front of goal, Castro could certainly be worth taking a punt on. With Arsenal having seen the success of signing Sanchez, amid his return of 124 goals and assists in just 166 games for the club, the capture of a potential successor will hopefully prove just as fruitful.

With 20 goals and assists in 46 games for Bologna since signing back in January 2024, the 20-year-old could well be a wildcard solution.

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Sarfaraz’s 66-ball innings lit up the afternoon but ended in heartbreak after he was run-out with Jadeja seeking a 100th run

Sidharth Monga15-Feb-20242:41

Manjrekar: Rohit’s mental toughness was admirable

On the first day of the third Test, India’s batting finally came together but not without an early alarm. Down at 33 for 3 on a pitch that was full of runs and with two debutants to follow, India were looking at possible trouble. But a 204-run partnership between Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja for the fourth wicket – India’s first century stand of the series – took them to 326 for 5 at stumps. Rohit and Jadeja got centuries while Sarfaraz Khan made a sparkling debut, hitting 62 off 66, before being run-out.This was the first time since 1999 that India had three players in the top seven who had played fewer than two Tests. That in mind, Mark Wood gave England a leg-up when he got rid of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill – India’s only centurions this series before Thursday- with the new ball. Gill, in particular, got a ball that swung in and then nipped away, that took the outside edge. These two scalps doubled Wood’s tally of wickets in the first six overs of a Test innings.The early-morning moisture that had assisted Wood possibly helped Tom Hartley grip one in his ninth over, which took the front edge from Rajat Patidar. A day before the Test, Jadeja had said England were not a difficult side to beat. The team management asked him to go out and demonstrate it from No. 5 in the ninth over, the second-earliest he has walked in to bat in a Test innings, and the earliest in the first innings.Related

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A promotion to Jadeja made double sense: protect the debutant Sarfaraz and also introduce a left-hand batter. Coming back from possibly the first time he has missed a Test with a hamstring injury, and having to deal with a family dispute gone public, Jadeja would have been excused for having a lot on his mind when he joined Rohit, but he batted with the most unencumbered mind: just purely reacting to the next ball in an old-school fashion.Rohit, who had got off to a smashing start, had to do unconventional things at the start of the partnership. Wood tried to bounce him with a fine leg, a deep backward square leg and a deep forward square leg. For once, looking at the score and the situation, he decided not to hook and had to wear one in his helmet grille. He charged at James Anderson to cut down the movement, on one occasion chipping one just out of mid-on’s reach. With Hartley, he flicked in the air and against the turn. The first attempt brought four, the second an edge to slip, which Joe Root dropped.Mark Wood was the pick of the England bowlers on the opening day•BCCI

Rohit will argue this was just the luck he needed after the lack of it in the first two Tests. By then, the early movement had begun to die down. Just after that miscued chip off Anderson, Rohit went back to punch him through extra cover for four, an emphatic sign that he was in.Jadeja never looked less than in. The two took India to lunch without further bother. Just after lunch, Rohit became the 14th man in this series to hit a six. The added responsibility of being the leader of an inexperienced line-up had messed with his approach a little, but now though, we were seeing the usual Rohit. There were timely lofts, some paddle sweeps, and a lot of back-foot runs. His second six took him past MS Dhoni’s 78, with Virender Sehwag as the only Indian ahead of him.Once there was spin from both ends, Jadeja began to catch up too, hitting a six in the final over of the middle session, the first wicketless session of the series. Immediately after tea, Rohit brought up his 11th hundred with two easy couples off two short balls from Rehan Ahmed. For a long time, the team management would have hoped for the batters to not take risks and just benefit from the inevitable loose balls the inexperienced spin attack was bound to dish up. A little like how Rohit brought up his hundred.It was happening now with ease, especially for Jadeja. England had to go back to Wood’s pace. A top edge from Jadeja cleared long leg, who was 20 yards in off the fence. Rohit was getting freebies from Rehan. Fifty runs came in 11 overs after tea without having to break a sweat. Then Rohit pulled one off Wood that was probably not short enough to pull. It skidded on, got big on him, and was caught at midwicket.Sarfaraz Khan picked the lengths early against spin•AFP/Getty Images

Out came Sarfaraz with whispers already around his game against quick short-pitched bowling. That Wood began with a deep fine third, two men deep on the hook, a short leg and a catching forward square leg suggested it was not a mere whisper. Around the wicket he went and looked to bounce Sarfaraz. He ducked the first three nonchalantly. Towards the end of his spell, Wood insisted on one more over. Sarfaraz ducked again before bunting the surprise yorker down the ground.With pace out of the way, Sarfaraz displayed remarkable skill against spin, helped no doubt by Ben Stokes’ attacking fields. A series of one-twos followed: a loft over the infield followed by going deep into the crease to take a single off the seemingly inevitable shorter delivery. The feet moved perfectly according to the trajectory of the ball, the sweep was out early, and the lofts down the ground were executed perfectly. Before one realised, Sarfaraz had a fifty off 48, the joint second-quickest for an India debutant.Another byplay had begun to develop. Jadeja had got stuck in the 80s and 90s. In the time that Sarfaraz scored 50, Jadeja had got only 12. He had three hundreds, but four dismissals between 80 and 99. He almost became passive. Had Hartley reviewed his lbw shout against Jadeja, he would have got him out lbw pad-first on 93.Finally, on 99, Jadeja called Sarfaraz through for an impossible single and unsuccessfully sent him back. Looking at India still leaving the door ajar, Rohit threw his cap in disgust in the dressing room. Jadeja got to the hundred next ball, but the celebrations were subdued since Sarfaraz was gone just one delivery before. Jadeja knew there was more work to do on day two, walking back unbeaten on 110 with Kuldeep Yadav by his side.

“This is how pitches need to be,” he said of Pallekele where Sri Lanka notched up consecutive 300-plus totals

Madushka Balasuriya12-Feb-2024Two matches down and two matches the team batting first has scored over 300. This isn’t common in Sri Lanka, and for it to happen in consecutive games is even rarer – in fact, there have been only 10 instances across 358 ODIs in Sri Lanka, prior to this series, where two consecutive games have seen a score of 300 or more.In terms of games where 350 or more runs have been scored by the team batting first, Sri Lanka’s 381 in the first ODI was the first such score since 2018 – in total there have been just nine such scores on Lankan soil, and only four of those belong to Sri Lanka.By contrast, last year’s World Cup alone saw 13 totals of 350-plus – there were 24 such totals in every other World Cup combined. Suffice to say, this is clear indicator in which direction the game is heading, at least in terms of what batters are increasingly capable of.Related

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And now, finally, Sri Lanka seems to be catching up – or at least that’s the hope, after the first two high-scoring surfaces offered up at Pallekele.”After we came back from the World Cup, the first thing we spoke about was the pitches,” said Charith Asalanka, whose 74-ball 97* had played a large part in their 155-run win in the second ODI.”We were generally used to pitches where scoring more than 300 was a challenge. But if we take the pitches we’ve played on [in] this series so far, those concerns seem to have been addressed to a large extent.”And indeed they have. While the surfaces in Colombo for last month’s series against Zimbabwe were still of the slower variety, the home crowds in Pallekele have been witness to rare high-scoring affairs. And after Afghanistan’s stirring chase in the first ODI – where they fell short by 42 runs, but still managed to record their highest ever ODI total – they might have been in line for another on Sunday night but were denied by a collapse of epic proportions in which they went from 128 for 1 to 153 all out.That was down to a disciplined effort by the Sri Lankan bowlers, who stuck to their plans of keeping things tight, letting the required rate rise, and then picking up wickets when Afghanistan were forced to accelerate. And Asalanka is acutely aware that bowling more on such pitches is a boon not just for their batters, but for the bowlers as well.”Even today, they [Afghanistan] were in a good place in terms of their batting but as they were trying to accelerate I think we bowled well to get them out. But this is how pitches need to be, because when we go to play international tournament[s] we’re generally going to get wickets where you need to score more than 300.”So to be able to do that we need to have practised in our home conditions. If we do more of that then it’s going to be easier for us to compete in ICC tournaments. More than that I think even our bowlers are starting to learn how to bowl on good batting wickets.”

Good news, Tottenham Hotspur fans, the season will be over in about two months.

It’s not been the campaign the Lilywhites’ faithful would have been hoping for this year, as instead of building on their fifth-place finish in the Premier League last term, Ange Postecoglou’s side look set to finish in the bottom half.

With that said, there are undoubtedly reasons to be optimistic for the North Londoners, as, when fit, the likes of Guglielmo Vicario, Micky Van de Ven, James Maddison and Dominic Solanke make an exciting spine.

Moreover, amid the seemingly endless stream of injuries the club have had to deal with this season, a number of youngsters have stood up and stood out.

As a result, they’ve made it onto Goal’s NXGN 2025, a list that celebrates the 50 best wonderkids in world football.

Where Tottenham's best talents rank on 2025's NXGN list

Starting with the highest-placed Spurs player on the list, who is not out on loan, brings us to the incredible Archie Gray, who is placed at 13th on the list.

The former Leeds United star joined Tottenham for around £30m in the summer, and while he is a midfielder by trade, he’s stepped up in a big way amid the club’s defensive injury crisis, making 38 first-team appearances, 31 of which have come in the backline.

Moreover, while the Durham-born gem has impressed fans and pundits alike with his performances and ability on and off the ball this term, his attitude and mentality have been equally encouraging and suggest he could be a future leader in N17.

Moving up four places to 17th on the list brings us to the brilliant Lucas Bergvall.

The Swedish maestro signed for the club in an £8.5m deal last winter but joined up with the squad in the summer, and so far, he’s looked entirely at home in a top-five league.

Yang Min-hyeok

#43

Luka Vuskovic

#26

Mikey Moore

#22

Lucas Bergvall

#17

Archie Gray

#13

The former Djurgården star has made 38 appearances for Postecoglou, in which he’s scored one goal, provided four assists and looked like a bonafide future superstar.

Despite being so young, the Stockholm-born gem looks entirely assured on the ball and, as analyst Ben Mattinson puts it, ‘can change a game through his creativity or goal-scoring ability.’

With that said, another of the North Londoners’ teenage talents made it onto the list, someone whose value has skyrocketed this season.

The Spurs teen whose value has skyrocketed

So, as we’ve already spoken about the incredible Gray and Bergvall, it should come as no surprise that the final Spurs teen – who isn’t on loan – to make it onto the list is Mikey Moore, who sits in 22nd place.

The 17-year-old is one of the most highly rated prospects in English football at the moment, and when you take a look at his record in junior football, it’s not hard to see why.

For example, in 34 appearances for the Lilywhites’ various youth sides, the teenage phenomenon has scored 21 goals and provided 15 assists, resulting in a simply sensational average of 1.05 goal involvement every game.

Games

24

5

5

Goals

19

2

0

Assists

13

2

0

Goal Involvements *

1.33

0.80

0.00

Moreover, while he hasn’t featured as frequently for the first team as some of his young teammates have this term, he’s looked good when he has.

In just 16 appearances, totalling 632 minutes, the “fearless” winger, as dubbed by teammate James Maddison, has scored one goal and provided two assists, coming out to an average of a goal involvement every 210.66 minutes, which isn’t bad going for someone so young.

Moreover, even when he hasn’t produced a goal or assist, he has blown people away, as it was in the first league phase game against AZ Alkmaar that Maddison compared the Hotspur Way talent to Neymar Jr of all people while he’s also received glowing comparisons to Spain’s Lamine Yamal.

Finally, such an incredible record with the youth teams and impressive cameos for the first teams have seen the Englishman’s value explode this season, with Transfermarkt pricing him at just €1m, or about £800k, in October and €15m today, which is about £12.6m, or a staggering 1475% increase within a single campaign.

Ultimately, while things haven’t gone as well as they could have this season, Tottenham have several sensationally talented youngsters in their squad, including the increasingly valuable Moore.

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Zimbabwe have called up the uncapped duo of middle-order batter Brian Bennett and fast bowler Trevor Gwandu in their squad of 15 for the three T20Is against Ireland in Harare starting Thursday. This will be Zimbabwe’s first series after they recently failed to qualify for next year’s T20 World Cup. Zimbabwe had finished third in the seven-team Africa Region Qualifier that saw Namibia and Uganda progress to the main tournament.Experienced batter Craig Ervine, who had played just one game at the qualifying tournament before picking up a groin injury, is fit again and retained in the squad.The Zimbabwe squad saw four changes overall: legspinner Brandon Mavuta and batting allrounder Tony Munyonga earned recalls, whereas fast bowler Tendai Chatara, left-arm spinner Wellington Masakadza and opening batters Innocent Kaia and Nick Welch were dropped.Related

• Zimbabwe fail to qualify for 2024 T20 World Cup; Uganda make it

Kaia and Welch had played three games each in the Africa qualifiers and scored just 62 and 39 runs respectively. Masakadza also featured in three games whereas Chatara got one, but they both picked just one wicket each and leaked over eight runs an over.Mavuta, who has played nine T20Is, featured in the home ODIs against Netherlands earlier this year but last played a T20I in May 2022, at home opposite Namibia. He has recently been scoring runs and picking up wickets for Rhinos in the domestic circuit and also helped them reach the Pro50 Championship final. He finished the tournament with a batting average of 65 while scoring 195 runs in six innings, including three fifties, and was also his team’s top wicket-taker with a tally of 15 and an economy rate of just 4.84.Munyonga, too, was prolific in the tournament; he finished as the second-highest scorer with a total of 389 runs that earned him an average of 55.57, with the help of one century and three half-centuries. Munyonga has played 13 T20Is and makes a comeback after last playing against the same opposition he will play next – Ireland – also in a home T20I series earlier this year.Bennett, 20, has played just five T20s so far and has also represented Zimbabwe Under-19s and Under-25s. Gwandu, 25, opened the bowling for Southern Rocks recently, for whom he played eight Pro50 Championship games and picked up 17 wickets, the second-most in the tournament.The three T20Is will be played on December 7, 9 and 10 before the ODIs on December 13, 15 and 17, also in Harare.Zimbabwe T20I squad for Ireland: Sikandar Raza (capt), Brian Bennett, Ryan Burl, Craig Ervine, Trevor Gwandu, Luke Jongwe, Clive Madande, Wessly Madhevere, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Brandon Mavuta, Carl Mumba, Tony Munyonga, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava, Sean Williams

Sandro Wagner will step down as Germany's assistant coach in June and has already been approached by Augsburg to take over as head coach.

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Article continues below

Article continues below

• Wagner to quit as assistant coach role with Germany
• Augsburg keen to appoint him as head coach
• Ex-Bayern striker reportedly turned down Hoffenheim

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to journalist Florian Plettenberg, former Bayern striker Wagner, who is currently the assistant to Julian Nagelsmann at the German national team, is the 'top candidate' to become Augsburg head coach next season. Furthermore, Wagner has also turned down advances from one of his former clubs in Hoffenheim.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The future of current Augsburg manager Jess Thorup is clouded in uncertainty at the moment, with Plettenberg reporting on Thursday that an "internal analysis" was being conducted at the club to evaluate the futures of both Thorup and sporting director Marinko Jurendic. Augsburg's higher-ups are unhappy with the sporting progress in recent weeks, with "no consensus regarding future strategic squad planning, including transfers and overall squad structure."

  While Thorup remains in charge for the time being, Augsburg are believed to be desperate to acquire the services of Wagner, who is touted as a highly talented young tactician. Although Augsburg reportedly have made an offer, the 37-year-old has not yet signed the contract, despite turning down Hoffenheim.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Wagner has already announced his decision to leave his role as the assistant coach of the German national team after the Nations League in June, eyeing a future in management at the top level. The Munich-born ex-German international began his journey in coaching by taking over fourth-tier outfit SpVgg Unterhaching in 2021, guiding them to promotion to the 3. Liga in 2023. He left Unterhaching to become the head coach of the Germany U20 team, before being appointed as Rudi Voller's assistant for Die Mannschaft just months later, in September 2023.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR SANDRO WAGNER?

  Wagner will hope to bow out on a high by helping Nagelsmann & Co. win the Nations League next month. He'll be in the dugout discussing tactics and instructions with the Germany NT head coach on June 4 in the semi-final against Portugal.

ATLANTA — In August of 2019, Atlanta general manager Alex Anthopoulos got an email from his vice president of scouting, Dana Brown, suggesting the team sign a 28-year-old lefty out of independent ball. Also, the guy was recovering from the yips.

This idea made no sense. Even if the kid was any good, there were two weeks left in the minor league season. Why would they sign a dude who would be a free agent in two weeks?

Anthopoulos called Brown. “He pushed and he pushed and he pushed,” said Anthopoulos.

On Aug. 15, Atlanta signed Tyler Matzek to a two-year minor league deal. On Saturday, he got the six most important outs of the season.

“I think it’s paid off,” said Anthopoulos, champagne goggles pushed onto his forehead, NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONS T-shirt stinking of beer. His club had just finished off the Dodgers, 4–2, in Game 6 of the NLCS to capture Atlanta’s first pennant since 1999.  Left fielder Eddie Rosario, who hit .560 in the series, was still clutching the NLCS MVP trophy. But Anthopoulos wanted to talk about someone else.

“Not to take anything away from [Rosario], but Tyler Matzek—unbelievable,” he said. “Both of those guys could have been co-MVP.”

Reliever Luke Jackson had another idea. “He should get a giant backpack award,” he said. “I should be placed in there.”

Indeed, Matzek entered the game to clean up the mess Jackson had made. With a three-run lead, Jackson had allowed a double, a walk and another double. When manager Brian Snitker emerged from the dugout, Jackson felt only relief. “Thank you,” he told the skipper. “I can’t buy an out right now.” Besides, he knew who was on his way: “Tyler Nutsack,” Jackson said. “That’s what everyone calls him, because he’s got to drag those huge balls out to the mound every night.”

He does mean every night. On Wednesday, Matzek tied the record for consecutive games pitched to start a postseason, with eight. He got Thursday off because Los Angeles routed Atlanta in Game 5. But on Saturday, when it seemed the game would slip away, that for a second straight year the team would choke away a 3–1 NLCS lead over the Dodgers, Snitker raised his left arm and called for the most unlikely man on the roster.