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Fulham boss Ranieri acknowledges fan unrest amid relegation fight

By Kyle BonnFeb 10, 2019, 8:51 PM EDT

Claudio Ranieri is losing the battle against relegation at the helm of Fulham, but that’s not all he’s losing. The fans are turning on him as well.

Fulham fans jeered Ranieri’s substitutions during the 3-0 defeat to Manchester United, and he recognized their unrest in his post-match media availability.

“I know the fans were not happy but I had two players with flu in the week, including Andre Schurrle,” Ranieri said. “I can understand the fans always want their players to play but it’s not always possible. We will work to try and win our next two games. We’re always positive.”

While Fulham fans have taken to Schurrle – winner of January’s Premier League Goal of the Month award for his stunner against Burnley – that’s not all they’re upset about. Fan favorites Tom Cairney and Ryan Sessegnon were both unused substitutes against Manchester United, even with the team playing from behind early on.

Ranieri has said publicly he wishes to play far more direct than his predecessor Slavisa Jokanovic, who became well-liked for his free-flowing, possession-based style of play, to which Cairney and Sessegnon were vastly important. Now, with Ranieri’s style far from that which saw Fulham win promotion to the Premier League under Jokanovic, he has left Cairney and Sessegnon on the bench for multiple matches, causing Fulham fans to question the Italian’s decision-making.

While those two are ball-playing midfielders who are less useful in a more direct setup, they are vital players to the club for the last three seasons, leaving fans wondering whether the manager should adapt more to the squad’s best players. Fans also have become attached to Jokanovic’s style of play, and many opposed the decision to let him go in November, fairly or unfairly giving Ranieri an even shorter lead, and coupled with just one win and five defeats in the last six matches under the new style of play, fans are beginning to lose patience quickly.

What’s more, the club’s porous defense – the worst in the top five European leagues by goals conceded – has capitulated early in matches, conceding inside the opening half-hour in four of their last five matches, including a 14th-minute goal by Paul Pogba that began the Old Trafford defeat on Saturday, with Anthony Martial scoring nine minutes later to double the lead. Cairney and Sessegnon both came off the bench in that game, but not until the final 13 minutes.

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Reports: Mata agrees to stay with Manchester United

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By Nicholas MendolaJun 18, 2019, 3:52 PM EDT

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Manchester United and Juan Mata are going to stay an item.

The 31-year-old has reportedly found common ground with United just days before his contract expired at Old Trafford, having been linked with Barcelona and Newcastle United should he have reached free agent status.

[ MORE: Latest on Rodri, Man City ]

Mata, 31, may be a key piece for a United team which is set for massive turnover this season, and had six goals and four assists in just under 1800 minutes last season.

He’s an extremely consistent player, scoring 50 Premier League goals with 60 assists between the Blues and Red Devils. He’s won the FA Cup and Europa League with both clubs, winning the Champions League with Chelsea and the League Cup with United.

Mata also has a Copa del Rey from his time with Valencia, and is a World Cup and EURO winner with Spain.

At least this way, Mata can be almost completely sure he won’t face a third stint under Jose Mourinho. Mata was sold by Chelsea after Mourinho lost interest in the midfielder, only to see United hire the Portuguese manager.

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Watch Live: 2019 Women’s World Cup – Group C finale

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By Joe Prince-WrightJun 18, 2019, 2:21 PM EDT

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The 2019 Women’s World Cup continues on Tuesday, as the final two games take place in Group C with some heavyweight nations still not assured of a last 16 spot.

[ MORE: Women’s World Cup news ]

Italy have won both of their games so far in Group C, and a point against Brazil in Valenciennes will see them top the group and set up a more favorable path through the knockout rounds. After they let a 2-0 lead slip to lose to Australia last time out, Brazil really need a big win to set them up for the knockout rounds and to guarantee their place in the last 16 but a point will be enough.

Australia are heavily favored against Jamaica but the CONCACAF nation have shown plenty of spirit so far in their debut tournament as they’ve dug deep defensively. The Matildas know a draw will guarantee their spot in the last 16 of the tournament but a morale-boosting win for Sam Kerr and Co. is what the doctor ordered.

You can watch every single game from the tournament live online in Spanish via Telemundo Deportes and via the NBC Sports App. All you have to do is click on the links below.

[ LIVE: Watch every single 2019 Women’s World Cup game ]

Here is your full schedule for Tuesday, June 18 at the Women’s World Cup.

2019 Women’s World Cup schedule

Group C: Jamaica v. Australia – 3 p.m. ET – STREAM LIVE
Group C: Italy v. Brazil – 3 p.m. ET – STREAM LIVE

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Transfer rumors: Bale will not be loaned; Justin to Villa, Leicester; RSL winger to PL

By Joe Prince-WrightJun 18, 2019, 1:27 PM EDT

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The transfer window is officially open again and that means one thing: transfer reports are going to start kicking up a few notches.

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Here’s a look at some of the latest gossip from around the PL and Europe…

Gareth Bale‘s agent has said his client is not going out on loan, after reports linked him with a temporary move to Bayern Munich for the 2019-20 campaign.

Speaking to Sky Sports News from Royal Ascot as he took in the horse racing, Jonathan Barnett had the following to say when asked if Bale, 29, would leave Real on loan this summer.

“There’s more chance of me winning at Ascot than him going out on loan. A loan move is not going to happen,” Barnett said. “I don’t think he wants to go out on loan. He’s got a lovely life and home in Spain. I think it would take something exceptional for him to leave and loans are not on the menu. Obviously, Gareth’s situation at Real hasn’t improved.”

Barnett added that Zinedine Zidane doesn’t want Bale around but didn’t rule out the possibility of him staying at Real beyond this summer and although he didn’t shut down talk of a move to Man United when asked, it doesn’t seem likely to happen given United’s new transfer policy of buying young talent.

“He could fit in there. I think he could do very well – he is still one of the best players in the world. But it is very unlikely,” Barnett added.

Back to the drawing board for Barnett and Bale as they try and figure out a good solution for him for next season, as the player who has won four UEFA Champions League titles with Real in his six seasons in the Spanish capital is far from a fans favorite at the Santiago Bernabeu. With Eden Hazard and others arriving this summer, Bale is being nudged towards the exit door at Real.

Having three years left on his $700,000 per week contract is the major sticking point in any move, as Bale is in no hurry to be forced away to take a huge pay cut.

Aston Villa and Leicester City are battling to sign Luton Town’s James Justin, according to the Daily Star.

The 19-year-old right back was sensational in Luton’s 2018-19 campaign as the won the English third-tier title and promotion to the Championship. Per the report, Villa and Leicester are willing to pay $13 million for Justin with Villa saying he would be challenging for a starting spot right away but the Foxes see him as a player for the future.

A versatile attacking full back who can play across midfield and defense, Justin came through Luton’s academy and made his debut in an EFL Cup win against Aston Villa back in 2016. There are plenty of gems across the lower leagues of English soccer, as the likes of Jamie Vardy, Dele Alli and Harry Maguire have proven in recent years.

Taking a punt on an exciting full back for $13 million is the way to go for teams like Villa and Leicester who have smaller squads and are more than willing to take the time to develop young talent.

A report from our partners at Sky Sports says that West Ham and Newcastle United are interested in signing Real Salt Lake star Jefferson Savarino.

Savarino, 22, is currently on Copa America duty with Venezuela and the report states that he could be available for as little as $8 million. Per the report, both the Hammers and Magpies have sent scouts to watch him play against Brazil at the Copa America on Wednesday.

Savarino has had a decent start to this season with RSL, scoring three times and adding an assist in 13 appearances. He scored for Venezuela against the USMNT in their 3-0 friendly win in Cincinnati on June 9 and given the relative success of Miguel Almiron after his move from MLS to Newcastle, North America’s top-flight is being looked at more regularly by PL clubs.

Is Savarino ready for that step up? He has steadily improved since joining RSL from Zulia in 2017 and has scored six and seven goals in his two previous MLS campaigns. With a transfer fee so low, if he plays well for a dangerous Venezuelan side at the Copa America he could edge close to a move to Europe and it would be tough for RSL to stand in his way.

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For USMNT, Gold Cup finally brings chance for revival

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Associated PressJun 18, 2019, 12:38 PM EDT

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BLAINE, Minn. (AP) The overarching goal for the fledgling U.S. men’s soccer team, as frequently stated by new coach Gregg Berhalter, has been to improve the perception of this sputtering program within the cutthroat hierarchy of global soccer.

Though a strong performance in the CONCACAF Gold Cup probably won’t move the needle much, the Americans surely would benefit, simply, from winning.

Their opening game against Guyana on Tuesday night at Allianz Field in St. Paul, the new home of Major League Soccer’s Minnesota United, will mark the first competitive match for the U.S. since the infamous defeat at Trinidad and Tobago on Oct. 10, 2017, that kept the team for qualifying for the 2018 World Cup. It follows a stretch of 18 consecutive friendlies.

“There will be some nerves, but for us it’s just about continuing to make progress throughout this tournament,” Berhalter said last week after a training session at the National Sports Center in Blaine, a suburb of Minneapolis. “I think part of our profession is playing under pressure, playing in big events, and this is a great opportunity for us to learn.”

The 20-month gap between competitive games is the longest for the Americans since a 38-month span following a loss to Costa Rica on May 31, 1985, their final qualifier for the 1986 World Cup. Their next match that counted was a draw at Jamaica on July 24, 1988, their first qualifier for the 1990 World Cup.

The U.S. won the biennial Gold Cup in 2017, a sixth title in 14 editions of the championship of North and Central America and the Caribbean. Mexico, the clear favorite, has won seven such crowns.

Before any mental energy can be spent on assessing the ability to compete with their border rival to the south, though, the Americans, who are ranked 30th in the world, must advance from the group stage. On the surface, Panama (75th), Trinidad and Tobago (92nd) and Guyana (177th) don’t appear to be daunting competition, but the way the U.S. team played this month in exhibition losses to Jamaica (1-0) and Venezuela (3-0) there will be no guarantees of automatic wins. The Americans are missing injured players DeAndre Yedlin, John Brooks and Tyler Adams, all first-choice starters.

“If it doesn’t go well you can just feel that more pressure is going to build, more questions will be asked, more scrutiny will be on Berhalter and the federation, and the outside noise is only going to get louder,” said former U.S. midfielder Stu Holden, now a Fox analyst. “That’s why it’s really important that this team has a really good showing in this tournament.”

With the U.S. women leading their side of the world rankings and off to a dominant start this month in France at the Women’s World Cup , the men’s team won’t be able to avoid the comparison game. The Americans can’t mute the fan angst that has followed them for nearly two years, either, but they can at least take a meaningful step forward in the Berhalter era by displaying some potential within the pressing, possession-prioritized style he has rolled out .

“We want to progress. Of course that also means winning the games, but we want to develop our style,” midfielder Weston McKennie said. “Our goal is to make people see U.S. Soccer as something different as what they see now, probably.”

McKennie is one of the 20-year-old up-and-comers the program has staked itself to in the quest to not only return to the World Cup in 2022 but do some damage on the sport’s biggest stage. The other, of course, is Christian Pulisic , who is joining English Premier League power Chelsea from Germany’s Borussia Dortmund for a $73 million transfer fee. That is a record price for an American player.

Veterans of the national side like Jozy Altidore and Michael Bradley are still around, among just six holdovers from the roster that went to Trinidad. They are joined by Pulisic, defenders Omar Gonzalez and Tim Ream, and forward Paul Arriola on what has become a youngster’s team. Getting this team in sync, socially and psychologically, might be just as important of a task for Berhalter as with the technical implementation of his system.

“In warmups, they have to give each other high-fives,” Berhalter said. “We do team events off the field, like going to movies together and going to restaurants together. I think that’s really important to build that team chemistry.”

Now more than ever.

“Everyone right now outside has their opinions about us, and the past couple of games, and that’s perfectly fine,” forward Paul Arriola said. “For us the message stays the game, and it’s staying together as a team. That’s how you’re going to win an international tournament.”

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More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/apf-Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports