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UCL roundup: PSG falls to Bayern, but wins group; Two PL sides advance

By Matt ReedDec 5, 2017, 5:16 PM EDT
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Only four spots remain open ahead of the Round of 16, following Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League action.

Manchester United, Roma, Basel and Juventus each booked their place in the knockout phase of this season’s UCL competition, after all four clubs picked up victories on the day.

[ MORE: Russia FA chief Mutko banned for life by IOC ]

The Red Devils managed to finish atop Group A after completing a 2-1 comeback over CSKA Moscow at Old Trafford. Jose Mourinho’s men went behind on the stroke of halftime, but responded after the break through Marcus Rashford and Romelu Lukaku finishes.

Fellow Premier League side Chelsea had already booked its place in the Round of 16 prior to Tuesday’s match, however, the team’s draw against Atletico Madrid was only good enough for Antonio Conte and Co. to finish runners’ up in Group C.

Elsewhere, PSG dropped its second consecutive match in all competitions, falling to Bayern Munich in Germany, 3-1. However, the result wasn’t enough for the Parisians to surrender their top spot in Group B. Both sides have advanced to the knockout round, and could potentially be paired against one another in the Round of 16.

Group A

Manchester United 2-1 CSKA Moscow
Benfica 0-2 Basel

Table

1. Man United — 15 pts (Advanced)
2. Basel — 12 pts (Advanced)
3. CSKA — 9 pts (Europa League transfer)
4. Benfica — 0 pts

Group B

Bayern Munich 3-1 PSG
Celtic 0-1 Anderlecht

Table

1. PSG — 15 pts (Advanced)
2. Bayern — 15 pts (Advanced)
3. Celtic — 3 pts (Europa League transfer)
4. Anderlecht — 3 pts

Group C

Chelsea 1-1 Atletico Madrid
Roma 1-0 Qarabag

Table

1. Roma — 11 pts (Advanced)
2. Chelsea — 11 pts (Advanced)
3. Atletico Madrid — 7 pts (Europa League transfer)
4. Qarabag — 2 pts

Group D

Barcelona 2-0 Sporting CP
Olympiacos 0-2 Juventus

Table

1. Barcelona — 14 pts (Advanced)
2. Juventus — 11 pts (Advanced)
3. Sporting CP — 7 pts (Europa League transfer)
4. Olympiacos — 1 pt

Report: Bristol City offers $4m for USMNT GK Steffen

Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
By Nicholas MendolaJul 19, 2018, 10:46 AM EDT
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Championship side Bristol City has lodged a $4 million bid for Columbus Crew and USMNT goalkeeper Zack Steffen, according to MLS insider Sam Stejskal.

Viewed as a potential long-term American No. 1 for his country, Steffen has thrived at Columbus since returning from a stint at Freiburg in Germany.

[ USMNT: More accolades for Pulisic ]

Stejskal reached Columbus coach Gregg Berhalter, who said multiple teams are interested in Steffen but did not confirm the Bristol City bid. Berhalter said, “We want to be a place where we get players and we develop them and we help them advance in their careers, wherever that may be.”

Steffen, 23, starred at Maryland before making the move abroad. He’s proven a fantastic young pro with a knack for stopping penalty kicks.

Bristol City finished 11th in the Championship last season with 30-year-old goalkeeper Frank Fielding, who had played 153 league matches for the club since 2013 and led the club to promotion from League One in 2015.

Some have openly questioned whether the Championship is a clear upgrade from MLS — don’t count this typer in that group — but this does seem like win-win for Columbus and Steffen if the player wants the move. The Championship has been good for the development of several American players including Tim Ream, DeAndre Yedlin (on loan from a Premier League club), and Lynden Gooch.

Premier League jerseys 2018-19: All the new PL Kits

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By Joe Prince-WrightJul 19, 2018, 10:04 AM EDT
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There are just 24 days to go until the new Premier League season kicks off and 19 of the 20 teams have released at least one new jersey.

[ LIVE: Stream every PL game ] 

With so many fresh kits out there, it’s tough to pick a favorite but take a good look through all of the new threads below.

These are all of the confirmed new Premier League jerseys for the 2018/19 campaign.

Arsenal

Bournemouth

Brighton & Hove Albion

Burnley

Chelsea

Cardiff City

Crystal Palace

Everton

Fulham

Huddersfield Town

Leicester City

Liverpool

Manchester City

Manchester United

Newcastle United

Southampton

Tottenham Hotspur

Watford

West Ham United

Wolverhampton Wanderers

USMNT’s $72m Pulisic amongst Top 8 U-21 values in world

AP Photo/John Raoux
By Nicholas MendolaJul 19, 2018, 9:49 AM EDT
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USMNT and Borussia Dortmund star Christian Pulisic is among the most valuable U21 players in the world, according to a new study.

Pulisic’s value of $71.7m is eighth-highest in the world, and he is the first American to be named to the list.

[ MORE: Adam takes shot at Shaqiri ]

The group SoccerEx uses data driven by Prime Time Sport’s Football Value Index, and it has issued U21 value reports for about a half decade. Previous winners are Dele Alli, Anthony Martial, Leroy Sane, and Raheem Sterling.

The report deals with players born after Jan. 1, 1997, and claims to account for “personal attributes and pitch performances, using player’s current personal information and the performance of both current season and the previous one.”

That does answer the question of whether being American and carrying interest from a massive country might bump up the value a bit, though there’s little doubt Pulisic is a star (though media value is just a small part of their formula).

It comes as little surprise that PSG’s Kylian Mbappe is No. 1, coming off an amazing season for club and country which could see him win the Ballon d’Or.

Pulisic is ahead of Top 20 players Cenzig Under (Roma), Patrick Cutrone (AC Milan), Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid), and Premier Leaguers Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool) and Ryan Sessegnon (Fulham).

The seven ahead of Pulisic: Gianluigi Donnarumma (7, AC Milan), Federico Chiesa (Fiorentina), Malcom (Bordeaux), Gabriel Jesus (Man City), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), and Mbappe.

This is not meant to be the latest in an eternal list of shouts at the USMNT, but imagine how high Pulisic could’ve ranked had he been able to take the stage at the World Cup in Russia.

Real Salt Lake coach Mike Petke suspended, fined

Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images
Associated PressJul 19, 2018, 8:25 AM EDT
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NEW YORK (AP) Real Salt Lake coach Mike Petke has been suspended an additional game and fined $10,000 by Major League Soccer for on-field misconduct during a game against Minnesota United.

[ MORE: Alisson on the brink of joining PL giants Liverpool ]

The suspension announced Wednesday follows an automatic one-game game ban for being ejected from the Utah club’s 3-1 road loss Saturday night.

Petke was fined for abusive and profane language directed at officials, uncontrollable behavior when he was ejected and public criticism of officials during a postgame press conference. Real Salt Lake also was fined $10,000 fine for social media posts.

Petke will miss games Saturday night against Colorado and July 28 against San Jose.