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Barcelona shirt replaces stripes with checkerboard pattern

Associated PressJun 3, 2019, 2:44 PM EDT
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BARCELONA, Spain (AP) Barcelona says its new shirt for next season will be missing its stripe design for the first time in club history.

Instead, the club’s famous blue-and-burgundy colors will be distributed in a checkerboard pattern.

[ MORE: Liverpool looks to lock up Klopp ]

The club says that its first-choice uniform used for home matches has always used some form of stripes until now.

The shirt will be accompanied with blue shorts.

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

VIDEO: Rashford’s VIP Man United trip for American cancer survivor

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By Joe Prince-WrightNov 13, 2019, 12:05 PM EST
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Marcus Rashford is one of the good guys.

We knew that even before this heart-warming gesture.

John Burk is a cancer survivor from the State of Georgia who had never been to Old Trafford to see his beloved Manchester United play.

Now he’s been to the Theater of Dreams. In style.

Last month John’s friends, led by Matt Waymont, reached out to Rashford on Twitter to ask if he could help with tickets as they had raised money to fly with John to the UK for Man United’s clash with Brighton on Nov. 10.

The power of social media did the rest, as Rashford didn’t only get them tickets but gave them a VIP experience for the 3-1 win against Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday. Rashford scored United’s third goal to cap off a sensational trip for John and his friends.

United legends Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand and Wes Brown all got in on the act too, as Rashford and Co. rolled out the carpet for their fans from the USA. They watched the game from Rashford’s private box, ate at Rio’s restaurant, stayed at Neville’s hotel and were given a tour of Old Trafford by Brown.

Take a look at the video below to get a taste of what John and the lads got up to during their incredible trip to Old Trafford.

This is truly wonderful.

Inter Miami to host LA Galaxy in historic MLS home opener

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By Joe Prince-WrightNov 13, 2019, 11:34 AM EST
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Circle March 14, 2020 on your calendar.

It is the day Inter Miami CF will arrive at home in Major League Soccer, which will be over six years since the Florida city was awarded an MLS expansion franchise.

This also means that Inter Miami will begin their inaugural season on the road, as the 2020 MLS campaign is scheduled to being in late February.

[ MORE: All of PST’s MLS coverage ]

On Wednesday it was announced that David Beckham’s MLS franchise will finally play their first home game as an expansion franchise, as they host LA Galaxy at Fort Lauderdale Stadium at 2:30 p.m. ET.

This will be a lovely moment for Beckham, as the team he has co-ownership of will face the MLS team he played for as a Designated Player.

“Futbol comes full circle as Inter Miami faces former MLS club of David Beckham, the LA Galaxy. As a player, the Galaxy was the MLS side of Beckham between 2007-2012. Now, as club owner of inter Miami, Beckham will be supporting alongside the 18,000 in attendance and countless tuning in from afar.”

This will also mark the second time an MLS has played in Miami, as the now defunct Miami Fusion played from 1998-2001 and called Lockhart Stadium (on the same site as Inter Miami CF’s brand new Fort Lauderdale stadium) home.

Beckham’s ownership group are in ongoing talks with the City of Miami and other parties about building their permanent 25,000 capacity stadium on the Freedom Park site close to Miami International Airport. A key vote this week saw the plans for Freedom Park stalled once again, as Beckham continues to struggle to find a permanent home for his team in and around downtown Miami.

Until then the 18,000 capacity temporary stadium in Fort Lauderdale will be home, and when they finally move into a more permanent venue its capacity will be reduced to house their reserve side, while Inter Miami CF’s training ground will be located on the same site.

Many refused to believe Beckham’s Inter Miami CF would ever arrive in Major League Soccer, but he is now their Director of Soccer operations and work on their home in Fort Lauderdale is well under way.

Now that their first home game is scheduled and it is just four months away, it all seems very real.

Danny Rose: I will run down my Tottenham contract

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By Joe Prince-WrightNov 13, 2019, 10:45 AM EST
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Oh, good, just what Tottenham needed. Another contract rebel.

Danny Rose, 29, has told the London Evening Standard he will run down the remaining 18 months of his contract.

In an open and ruthlessly honest interview, Rose revealed that Spurs wanted him to leave in the summer but he wants to leave on his own terms.

Rose didn’t travel with the team for their preseason tour of the Far East and he revealed exactly why that was the case.

“It’s pretty obvious what happened [in the summer]. People upstairs at Tottenham were trying to do what they were trying to do. I’ve said [to them] I’ve got 18 months left on my contract and I’m not going anywhere until my contract has ­finished,” Rose said. “In January, you’re probably going to hear something [about my future]. I’m telling you right now that I’m not going anywhere until my contract is finished. [Tottenham chairman] Daniel Levy told me in the summer there was no new contract for me at Tottenham, which is fine. I respect that. We move on.

“My contract is up in 18 months’ time and I’ll leave the football club then. People [in the media] can save their time ­trying to get stuff ready for January about me being sold. Because I can tell you now: it ain’t happening. I know what people were trying to do in the summer… There were no bids — that was rubbish.”

Wow.

Rose has not held back, at all.

He has started 11 of Spurs’ 16 games in the Premier League and UEFA Champions League this season and although he admitted he has made some big mistakes so far, he said he is very happy playing for Mauricio Pochettino and the two have a very good relationship.

However, this situation adds to the growing unrest in the dressing room with Christian Eriksen, Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld all out of contract next summer, it appears that Pochettino has a growing player revolt on his hands.

It’s not all his fault though, as Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is a stickler for a bargain and was unlikely to let any of the aforementioned players leave on the cheap this summer.

But the product of keeping players against their will and not offering new contracts is that Spurs now have a large chunk of their first team who know they are a) not wanted and b) won’t be able to move until May.

Even though Rose and others know they will be moving on soon, they will of course try and give their all for Spurs. But with an eye on a move, you can certainly understand why Tottenham’s players have dropped their levels by a few percent.

That is all it takes to stop being title and top four contenders to being in 14th place and hoping for a top six finish.

Bernardo Silva banned over Benjamin Mendy tweet

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By Joe Prince-WrightNov 13, 2019, 9:17 AM EST
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Manchester City winger Bernardo Silva has been banned for one-game after being found guilty of breaching FA Rule E3(1).

Silva posted a message on his Twitter account on September 22 with a photo of close friend and City teammate Benjamin Mendy next to a mascot for Spanish confectionery brand Conguitos.

He posted the message “Guess who?” above the photos before deleting it and then saying “Can’t even joke with a friend these days… You Guys…”

Along with the one-game ban, Silva was also fined $64,000 and must complete face-to-face education after admitting the charge.

Below is the FA’s statement in full:

“Bernardo Silva has been suspended for one first team competitive fixture, fined £50,000 and must complete face-to-face education after admitting a breach of FA Rule E3.

“The Manchester City midfielder’s social media activity on 22 September 2019 breached FA Rule E3(1), as it was insulting and/or improper and/or brought the game into disrepute, and constituted an “Aggravated Breach”, which is defined in FA Rule E3(2), as it included reference, whether expressed or implied, to race and/or colour and/or ethnic origin.”

The ban will see Silva miss Man City’s home game against Chelsea on Saturday, Nov. 23 (Watch live, 12:30 p.m. ET on NBC and online via NBCSports.com) and this ban seems more lenient than many were expecting as all parties agreed to the sanctions and Silva’s previous good behavior was taken into account.

Also, here is a look at some of their mitigating circumstances when it came to investigating the situation and handing out the sanctions.