Manchester City’s nine-match unbeaten run is over, with familiar issues coming to the fore.

On Sunday, Pep Guardiola’s team were beaten 1-0 by Aston Villa, Matty Cash the afternoon’s only scorer, condemning the Sky Blues to a third successive defeat at Villa Park for the first time since 1966.

Midfield was certainly the biggest problem position for the Citizens.

With Rodri still sidelined, and his natural deputy Nico González picking up a knock against Villarreal in the Champions League on Tuesday, Tijjani Reijnders was deployed as a one-man midfield in the Midlands, but struggled both in and out of possession.

So, with crucial and challenging fixtures right around the corner, should Guardiola recall an experienced member of his squad who has been compared to, arguably, the club’s greatest midfielder of the Abu Dhabi-era?

Rodri's importance to Manchester City in numbers

Manchester City’s downturn in results last season was primarily put down to Rodri’s absence, seeing a miserly 73 minutes of action in the Premier League, rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament against Arsenal.

Well, after starting only three Premier League matches to commence this campaign, the Ballon d’Or suffered a hamstring injury at Brentford earlier this month, a major blow for both the team and the player, and the date of his return is not yet known.

Since his debut at West Ham in August 2019, Manchester City have lost only 38 of 237 Premier League matches, with the Spaniard sitting out 17 of these defeats (45%), including 16 of 18 since 5 February 2023 at Tottenham.

In fact, August’s 2-1 reverse at Brighton was the first time Rodri had started a Premier League match and lost for 938 days.

In summary, to reiterate the obvious, he is very important to Guardiola’s team, who are simply not the same without their midfield fulcrum, so with both Reijnders and Nico struggling to fill his void, do Man City have the ideal candidate for this role in their squad?

Manchester City's ideal Rodri deputy

Having spent over £380m across the January and summer transfer windows, many of Manchester City’s existing players have rather been forgotten about.

Well, Mateo Kovačić certainly fits into that category, but he could certainly still be a useful contributor.

After requiring achilles surgery in June, thereby sitting out the Club World Cup, the Croatian international had not been seen in sky blue this season, before coming off the bench against both Everton and Villarreal in the last week or so.

Nevertheless, as the table below documented, Kovačić was a massively important figure in Guardiola’s team last season.

Goals

7

4th

Shots

51

7th

Goals – xG

+4.8

1st

Completed passes

2,020

4th

Key passes

35th

7th

Big chances created

6

8th

Passes into final 3rd

240

4th

Progressive passes

193

3rd

Tackles

74

1st

Interceptions

30

2nd

Touches per 90

87.8

3rd

Average rating

7.31

4th

As the table emphasises, Kovačić was one of Man City’s best performers last season.

Only Erling Braut Håland, Omar Marmoush and Phil Foden scored more goals across all competitions, while he also ranked very highly for chance creation, passing, touches and defensive metrics such as tackles and interceptions, which is a long-winded way of saying he was an all-action midfielder.

During his time at Chelsea, then manager Frank Lampard labelled him “intelligent” while, following a 3-2 win over Fulham 12 months ago, Guardiola described him as a “copy and paste” Rodri.

Meantime, former Man City defender Micah Richards described Kovačić as being “like Yaya [Touré]”, arguably the club’s best-ever midfielder, noting that the Croatian “can beat three players with his skill”, concluding that he is a vitally important player.

In his pomp, especially in the 2013/14 campaign, Touré was untouchable, both literally and metaphorically, possibly the best all round midfielder the Premier League has ever seen and, while he may not be that good, Kovačić certainly shares those same well-rounded characteristics.

Thus, with key games against high-flying Bournemouth, Borussia Dortmund and then beleaguered champions Liverpool all to come in the next fortnight, Kovačić’s return could be the Sky Blues’ under-the-radar secret weapon.

The Citizens travel to Swansea City in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, and it would probably be sensible for Guardiola to give the Croatian a run out, helping to rebuild his fitness, although who knows, those in South Wales may get a glimpse of the lesser-spotted Kalvin Phillips, after his cameo in round three.

0 tackles & 0 dribbles: Pep must axe 4/10 Man City star who won just 1 duel

Manchester City were beaten 1-0 by Aston Villa on Sunday, bringing to an end their unbeaten run, and player in particular stood out in a negative way.

ByBen Gray Oct 27, 2025

The Cincinnati Reds took on the Miami Marlins on Tuesday. In the bottom of the first inning Matt McLain hit a home run to give the Reds a 1-0 lead. And yet McLain didn't even get the biggest cheer in the Cincinnati dugout during the half-inning.

That honor went to pitcher Andrew Abbott, who wasn't even scheduled to pitch until Wednesday. The reason? The news reached the dugout that Abbott was going to his first All-Star game.

The news was made official in a tweet from MLB less than an hour later.

Abbott made his MLB debut in 2023 and started 46 games in his first two seasons. This year he is 7-1 with a 2.15 ERA and has thrown one of the only six complete game shutouts in MLB this season. He's given up one or fewer runs in 12 of his 15 starts this year.

Crystal Palace are now genuine contenders to sign Nathan Ake, with an eye-catching raid of Manchester City now being planned.

Palace’s interest in a new centre-back stems from Marc Guehi’s contract situation, with the England international now poised to leave on a free transfer upon the expiration of his current deal next summer, and there are plenty of clubs waiting in the wings.

Liverpool remain keen on the 25-year-old, having come close to getting a deal done on deadline day in the summer, but Arne Slot’s side may now be set to face competition from the likes of Real Madrid and Chelsea.

Steve Parish will, of course, be disappointed to have missed out on a transfer fee for the defender, unless he chooses to cash-in in January, although doing so could harm the Eagles in their quest to compete on all fronts, with the maiden European campaign likely to be of key importance.

Oliver Glasner’s side may not have to worry about bringing in a Guehi replacement until next summer, but they have already started identifying potential options, and Ake has now emerged as a target for the end of the season.

Crystal Palace genuine contenders to sign Ake

That is according to a report from TEAMtalk, which reveals Crystal Palace are now genuine contenders to sign the Man City defender, with their Premier League rivals giving serious consideration to cashing-in.

As such, the door could be open for Palace to get a deal done, with an eye-catching raid to sign the Dutchman being considered once again, having identified him as a target during the summer transfer window.

The Eagles are making sure they are prepared for Guehi’s departure, as it is considered almost a foregone conclusion that he will move on in the summer, with Bayern Munich named as one of the top clubs chasing the Englishman’s signature.

Once lauded as “incredible” by Man City manager Pep Guardiola, the centre-back has found game time hard to come by in the Premier League this season, often being benched or utilised as a substitute.

Crucially, the former AFC Bournemouth man is vastly experienced in the Premier League, having amassed 240 appearances in the competition, and he certainly knows what it takes to win, lifting 14 major honours in what has been a hugely successful career.

At 30-years-old, the City ace is likely to want to play regular first-team football, so it could make sense to seek pastures new in the summer, and there are signs he could be a solid replacement for Guehi.

The only negative is the fact the Netherlands international is over five years older than Guehi and set to turn 31 in February, which means he is unlikely to be a long-term replacement, although he should certainly have a few more years at the top level.

Crystal Palace also targeting Yann Bisseck as Marc Guehi replacement Crystal Palace now keen on "insane" £22m defender who pocketed Erling Haaland

Palace are looking to sign a new centre-back, with Marc Guehi heading for the exit door.

ByDominic Lund Oct 16, 2025

The Ajax fairytale of Erik ten Hag and Marc Overmars will not be rewritten. Both the former manager and director, who were the key architects of Ajax’s dream Champions League run in 2019, have declined offers to return, with Overmars confirming that his chapter with the Eredivisie giants is 'over.'

• Ten Hag turns down return to management

  According to , Ten Hag, who managed the Dutch giants from 2017 to 2022, decided against a return to Amsterdam despite holding discussions with sporting director Alex Kroes. Reports say that the Dutchman concluded that ‘the conditions were not right for a successful partnership’ and therefore declined.

  Ten Hag, who is currently a free agent after being sacked by Bayer Leverkusen just three games into his tenure in September, had been heavily linked with a sensational return to Amsterdam. Ajax were eager to bring back their most successful manager in recent years following the dismissal of John Heitinga last week. The 55-year-old also reportedly rejected an approach from Premier League side Wolves, who are looking for a new manager after sacking Vitor Pereira. 

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  Overmars closes door on Ajax return

  Earlier, the former Ajax director had also ruled out a comeback. Speaking to , Overmars confirmed that he was approached to make a return to Amsterdam but claimed that his chapter with the Eredivisie giants is 'over.'

  "That's happened once before, and now again, and by several people," he said. "By whom? Yes, they're people in important positions, but I'm not going to say who, because then it would just become another political game internally. For me, it's over."

  Overmars resigned in February 2022 following revelations of inappropriate behaviour. His exit marked the end of an era at Ajax, a period when he and Ten Hag built a vibrant young side featuring Andre Onana, Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt, which famously reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2019. However, that fairy tale run ultimately marked the breakup of Ajax’s golden generation, as key players soon departed for major clubs across Europe. 

  The 52-year-old also opened up about Ajax's struggle this season and said that it 'pains' him to see the club struggling.

  "The current situation at the club is very painful for me. I find it difficult to talk about it," Overmars said.

  "I worked there for 10 years, minus two months, and we built something wonderful together. Seeing how things are going now, and everyone just killing each other, is heartbreaking. The respect I get from the supporters is great, and I find it truly wonderful. It's true that I couldn't have imagined it would go this way. I don't read much these days, but I heard there were eight managers after Erik. Well, that's a Dutch record, I think."

• Ten Hag’s turbulent managerial spell since Ajax

  After leaving Ajax in 2022, Ten Hag took charge of Manchester United, where he initially enjoyed success by ending the club’s six-year trophy drought with a Carabao Cup win, followed by the FA Cup next season. However, his clashes with Cristiano Ronaldo and later Jadon Sancho strained his position at the club and among United fans. His failure to make progress in the Premier League or European competitions eventually led to his dismissal in October 2024. 

  His next stint as manager was with Bayer Leverkusen, which lasted just two league matches before his sudden sacking in September, leaving his managerial reputation in question. 

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  Ajax’s crisis deepens amid search for new manager

  Ajax’s poor season has increased the pressure to find a new manager. The Amsterdam club sit fourth in the Eredivisie, 11 points behind leaders PSV after 12 matches. They have only five wins so far and lost 2-1 to Utrecht in Fred Grim’s first game as interim coach. In the Champions League, they are bottom after four straight defeats.

  Meanwhile, sporting director Kroes has also said he will step down, with his final task expected to be appointing a new permanent manager. According to reports, former Wolfsburg boss Paul Simonis is among the frontrunners for the role. Ajax’s next fixture is at home against Excelsior on November 22.

Manchester United continue to eye a move for Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba, with the Seagulls star’s thoughts of joining the Red Devils clear.

Baleba was a strong target for the Red Devils during the summer transfer window, with Ruben Amorim eyeing a move for a natural Casemiro replacement, ahead of his contract expiring next summer.

But in the end, the 21-year-old decided to remain at Brighton for the time being, where he was compared to Leicester City legend N’Golo Kante by Adam Virgo when he joined in 2023.

“For me, he’s not a Caicedo, he’s not like that at all. For me he’s more like an N’Golo Kante, in terms of his power and his pace to get around, he covers so much ground. He can certainly be slightly better on the ball, so he’ll have to adjust his game in that way but Brighton always do their due dillegence in terms of finding players of this age. He’s a typical Brighton signing.”

There is every chance that Baleba leaves Brighton sooner rather than later, though, potentially even in 2026, and a new update has dropped regarding United snapping him up.

Baleba "clearly" wants to join Man Utd

Speaking to TEAMtalk, transfer insider Dean Jones claimed that Baleba “clearly wants” to seal a move to Man Utd, but they won’t pay £100m for his services.

“It is being talked about again that Baleba is a priority target, but it has to be stressed that they [United] are not paying £100million for him any time soon. The player clearly wants the move, and their attempt to turn his head in the summer has worked, but his form has actually been worse since then, and so I do not see United going close to the level Brighton value him at.

“The message remains clear that United want a midfielder in January and also a midfielder in summer. So they are working on targets that are attainable in each of those, and the ones from the Premier League seem unattainable in January. That’s how the picture is for now.

“Obviously, these things can change, but Baleba is going to have to be very patient here because a lot is going on. United do still like him; they do still think he would suit the role, but his form and valuation do not match up at the moment. And on top of that, Brighton don’t want to sell him in January.”

Baleba may not have necessarily found top form this season, possibly because of his head being turned by a move to United, and he should continue to be looked at as a leading option to be Casemiro’s successor.

Forget Bruno and De Ligt: Man Utd "monster" is looking like a new captain

This Manchester United star is now looking like captain material for Ruben Amorim this season.

By
Dan Emery

Nov 17, 2025

The Cameroonian has been hailed as “wonderful” by Alan Shearer, and his box-to-box midfield brilliance could add so much to the Red Devils’ side, coming in as a long-term signing with world-class potential.

No Casemiro; Guehi & £100m "monster" sign: Man Utd's dream XI after January

Allrounder also takes two wickets as concerted bowling display helps set up return to Finals Day

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay06-Sep-2025

Lancashire Lightning are through to Finals Day and – 10 years on from their first – will get the chance to win a second Vitality Blast title next Saturday having beaten Kent Spitfires by three wickets chasing 154 in an engaging Emirates Old Trafford quarter-final.England fringe fast bowler Luke Wood struck with the first ball of a contest which saw the Spitfires scramble to 153 all out in 20 overs, the left-armer finishing with an excellent 3 for 29.No Kent batter reached 30 and they were unable to deny a Lightning side also including star man Liam Livingstone, James Anderson and Phil Salt a 10th Finals Day appearance.Like Wood, fellow England international Livingstone was key to Lancashire’s victory in front of a 12,000-plus crowd. Having returned 2 for 21 from four overs of spin, he helped recover their chase from 5 for 2 with a brilliantly destructive 85 not out off 45 balls with seven sixes. The hosts won with nine balls remaining.Livingstone is the only member of this Lancashire team to have won the Blast in 2015.Lightning made the perfect start, as Wood had Tawanda Muyeye caught at mid-off with the first ball of the match. It was the second time he had struck with the first ball of an innings in this campaign.Kent then scored runs at a decent rate but lost wickets at key moments. Daniel Bell-Drummond miscued Anderson to backward point, Zak Crawley was caught behind having gloved a pull at Jack Blatherwick and Livingstone’s first ball ousted a sweeping Sam Billings caught at deep square leg, leaving the score at 71 for 4 in the ninth over.Joe Denly had started nicely, including lofting Blatherwick’s first ball for six over long-off. But he also fell – on 28 – to strengthen Lancashire’s grip at 81 for 5 after 10 overs, miscuing a similar shot to long-off against Tom Hartley’s left-arm spin.The trend continued. Joey Evison muscled sixes off the spinners but fell for 27 to a smart boundary catch at long-off from Wood off Livingstone with the score on 115 in the 15th.Grant Stewart also hit two sixes in a brisk 25 before playing on to Tom Aspinwall, who struck twice with his seamers. And Kent had to try and bat the overs out, which they did. Still, their total had the feeling of being well short after Wood struck twice in the last over to remove Fred Klaassen and Nathan Gilchrist caught at deep midwicket.But visiting hopes were raised as they reduced the Lightning to 5 for 2 inside two overs of the chase as Stewart’s seam had Salt caught at deep backward square leg pulling and Klaassen’s left-armers forced Luke Wells to play on off his thigh pad.Klaassen was superb for 3 for 14 from four overs.Livingstone, on 15, top-edged a pull at Gilchrist into the back of his neck shortly afterwards and underwent a concussion check but carried on.He lost captain Keaton Jennings caught on the scoop against the outstanding pace of Klaassen – 31 for 3 in the fifth over – before taking the sting out of the situation in dynamic fashion.He took on the legspin of former county colleague Matthew Parkinson, three times smashing him over long-on for six in the ninth over as he reached his first fifty of this season’s Blast off 25 balls and took the score to 84 for 3.Experienced Australian Ashton Turner holed out off Evison almost immediately afterwards, but Kent desperately needed Livingstone’s wicket.It didn’t arrive, and even Parkinson getting Michael Jones for 28 off 16 balls and Hartley in the 14th over, leaving Lancashire 118 for 6, wasn’t enough to turn the game.Livingstone hammered Parkinson over long-on – and over The Point conference building – for six more, and his knock confirmed that Lancashire will play Somerset or Birmingham Bears in the semi-final at Edgbaston.

A late Australia fightback or Lee and Kasprowicz’s finishing act? Which Test was better? Vote now!

ESPNcricinfo staff16-May-2025Update: This poll has ended. The ENG-AUS 2005 Nottingham Test moves into the round of 16.The Trent Bridge thriller, 2005It was a Test of two halves.The first 11 sessions were about England’s march to a 2-1 lead in the fourth game of the Ashes. The 12th and final session, in which England were chasing a small(ish) target, was dragged into a great fight from the time Shane Warne took the wicket off his first ball. Had Australia won, they would have retained the Ashes with a game to spare.England were so dominant that they forced Australia to follow on after being bowled out for 218 inside 50 overs. Andrew Flintoff’s 102 off 132 balls and Geraint Jones’ 85, had propelled England to 477. In the third innings, Australia rode on half-centuries from Justin Langer, Michael Clarke and Simon Katich to post 387 and set England a target of 129.It wasn’t a cakewalk for England, though.The fourth innings lasted only 31.5 overs, where Brett Lee and Warne led a courageous Australian fightback. There was a period of calm when England moved from 32 for 1 to 103 for 4. But when Lee dramatically dismissed Kevin Pietersen and Flintoff to leave England at 111 for 6, Australia sensed a comeback. In the next over after Flintoff’s dismissal, Warne – who had by then picked up three wickets – removed Jones. It was left to Ashley Giles and Matthew Hoggard to fight it out. Slowly, they picked off the runs even as Lee peppered Hoggard with a mixture of bouncers and yorkers. Giles hit the winning runs, a flick through the onside for two, to the delight of a joyous England balcony.Lee and Kasprowicz steal a thriller, Johannesburg, 2006
The white-ball leg of this series was remembered for the 438 game, but in Tests, Australia earned a 3-0 clean sweep against South Africa.After two dominating performances in Cape Town and Durban, Australia were challenged in Johannesburg. In a scene of Edgbaston revisited, Brett Lee and Michael Kasprowicz buried their Ashes nightmares with a 19-run eighth-wicket partnership to secure victory in a fascinating Test.In the first innings, Lee scored a fighting 68-ball 64 at No. 9 after Michael Hussey’s 72, to stretch the visitors’ total but they were eventually all out for 270, thanks to Makhaya Ntini’s six-wicket haul. This was after South Africa posted 303 in the first innings.Set 292 for a win, Hussey’s 89 and Damien Martyn’s 101 had laid a platform for Australia. However, Australia stumbled at the fall of Hussey’s wicket, going from 198 for 2 to 275 for 8. Kasprowicz walked out to meet Lee with 17 to go.The duo overcame the 2005 flashbacks as Lee finished with an unbeaten 24 and Kasprowicz remained 7 not out.

Arsenal and England star Eberechi Eze has revealed his toughest ever Premier League opponent. Speaking exclusively with Adebayo Akinfenwa on GOAL's Beast Mode On podcast, Eze admitted how difficult it was to play Kevin De Bruyne whenever Crystal Palace faced Manchester City, before their respective summer 2025 moves. The Belgian midfielder is widely considered to be one of the best overseas players to ever grace the English top flight.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Eze explains his toughest Premier League opponent

  With the Premier League one of the most coveted competitions in the game, a number of world-class stars have graced England's top tier since its 1992 inception.

  However, Kevin De Bruyne stands out to Eze as the hardest player he has ever come up against. De Bruyne is considered to be one of the greatest midfielders to ever play in the Premier League, having enjoyed a trophy-laden 10-year spell with Manchester City between 2015 and 2025 before departing Pep Guardiola's side for Napoli at the end of his contract in the summer.

  De Bruyne made GOAL's Team of the 2020s So Far alongside the likes of Mohamed Salah, Kylian Mbappe and Virgil van Dijk, and Eze has spoken fondly of the "high-level thinker".

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  'You can tell that he's a high-level thinker'

  Asked by Akinfenwa who his toughest opponent in the Premier League has been, Eze said exclusively to GOAL'sBeast Mode On podcast: "I'm gonna [Kevin] De Bruyne, you know. To play the way he was playing, to do the things that he was doing for that amount of time… yeah, not easy. You can tell that he's a high-level thinker. These are the type of players I’ve looked up to from young, so definitely a special player.

  "Probably the player you're coming up against and you're like, ‘he's got solutions to problems I hadn't even given him yet’. He's a special guy."

  De Bruyne made an impressive start to life with Napoli following his summer switch to Italy, scoring four goals in his opening eight appearances. However, the Belgian is unlikely to feature for the defending Serie A champions again this year, having suffered a serious thigh injury while scoring a penalty in an eventual 3-1 win over Inter last month.

• Eze could have replaced De Bruyne at Man City

  Eze and De Bruyne's paths could well have crossed, albeit briefly, with Manchester City last year. The Belgian reportedly had a lucrative contract offer from Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad as the creative star entered the final year of his deal at the Etihad Stadium.

  While De Bruyne ultimately stayed at City for the 2024-25 season, the Cityzens had earmarked Eze as a potential replacement for the former Chelsea and Wolfsburg man in case had he taken the Saudi giants up on their offer.

  Crystal Palace, though, were reluctant to cash in on Eze, who also sold Michael Olise to Bayern Munich that same summer. Ultimately, Eze remained at Palace and played a starring role in their FA Cup success over City in May before securing a move to Arsenal in August.

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• Watch the full episode

Mauricio Pochettino made it loud and clear that the USMNT are about the collective rather than the individuals after Sebastian Berhalter and Alex Freeman stepped up with breakout performances.

TAMPA, Fla. – Mauricio Pochettino's press conference wasn't indicative of a 5-1 win. There was no celebration and, in truth, no joy. It was, in a word, feisty, as the U.S. manager laid down a marker for players, media, and fans. It was, in that sense, a challenge for everyone to recognize that the U.S. Men's National Team is a squad, not a select group of individuals.

Pochettino fought back against the idea of "regulars". Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, and Tim Weah, among others, weren't here, for sure, but, on Tuesday, it was the USMNT that beat Uruguay. Regardless of who wears the shirt, who's in the team, or who scores the goals, it's the USMNT. Nothing changes.

"I don't want to be negative, but I hate that: 'no regular players'," Pochettino said. "What this means is that the USA is playing, the national team. We have to stop with that mindset. Every time that we make our decision and pick our starting XI, the U.S. Men's National Team is playing. I think after one year, you need to really know me and that I hate to talk this way. It's disrespectful. I think we need to give credit to all of the guys who were involved today."

That message, quite clearly, resonates. After making nine changes following the win over Paraguay, Pochettino's USMNT came to play. They scored four first-half goals and one in the second to stun an overmatched Uruguay, outplaying them at every turn. It was, in a word, relentless.

Over the last few months, Pochettino hasn't built an XI; he's built a pool. Every player in that pool, quite clearly, believes they have a chance at the World Cup. On Tuesday, that belief helped create the USMNT's best result of the Pochettino era, one that allowed them to close the year on a high.

"This is his first year and a half, and knowing how he built this roster, he's had this team here to be intense and be able to compete," Alex Freeman said after the match. "It feels good for all of us to have that connection. We know that, every game, every part of it is going to be intense. I feel like we're all building connections, and we're going to build right into the next games and then the World Cup.

"Knowing we've had these outcomes lately, we've [gone unbeaten] in five games against top 40 teams, so that shows we're a team that's hard to beat. No matter what competition we go against, we're hard to beat."

That's the big takeaway from Tuesday: the USMNT, as a whole, has become tough to play against and, with the World Cup looming, there's plenty for Pochettino and his staff to be happy about.

"That's the main thing that we've been focused on, is [building] that DNA, and that grit, that hard-working mentality, because that's us, that's us as a country, and that's us as a team," Diego Luna told

GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from Raymond James Stadium…

AFPWINNER: Sebastian Berhalter

Set pieces, set pieces, set pieces – they're important after all. It helps when you have someone who is apparently very good at them, and Berhalter might actually be just that. 

In a matter of minutes, Berhalter scored one from a set piece and set one up with a perfectly hit corner. It's the type of danger Berhalter has shown he can bring, but in truth, Berhalter had never shown anything quite like this even at his best in MLS. 

Up first was the free kick. Positioned on the left-hand side, Berhalter played it short to Sergino Dest, who laid it off right back to him. The Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder proceeded to smash a shot right into the back of the net, netting his first international goal. The celebrations after were emphatic, but Berhalter wasn't done. Just four minutes later, Berhalter whipped in a corner kick right to a wide-open Freeman, and the Orlando City star did the rest to make it 2-0.

"We wanted to make a statement," Berhalter said postgame. "We wanted to show what U.S. Soccer is about. We had a chance to go out here and give everything we had and show that we're ready."

Two goals in four minutes, and for a player fighting for a World Cup spot, this was a hell of a statement. It will surely leave Pochettino pleased. Berhalter has already shown he can bring the fight; now he's shown he can bring some goals, too, against an excellent Uruguay team.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportLOSER: Cristopher Fiermarin

Uruguay are looking for a goalkeeper. That much was made clear by their call-ups this month. In total, the group had eight caps between them heading into these games. After watching Santiago Mele start the 0-0 draw with Mexico, Fiermarin was given the nod on Tuesday.

He'll wish he hadn't. The 27-year-old goalkeeper wasn't at fault for all of the USMNT goals, but he surely did little to prevent them as he, like the rest of Uruguay's team, looked slow, lethargic, and, by the end of the first half, a little bit shellshocked.

There are times in a game like this where a goalkeeper can make one good save just to calm things down. That never happened. As goal after goal sailed past the goalkeeper, Uruguay seemingly got worse, ultimately leading to a dreadful scoreline and even worse performance.

Getty Images SportWINNER: Alex Freeman

The Orlando City defender broke out in MLS season as a dynamic, goal-threatening attacking fullback. We hadn't gotten a full glimpse of that yet in a USMNT shirt – despite playing in the 2025 Gold Cup. Yet, on Tuesday night, Uruguay had absolutely no idea how to handle the 21-year-old defender.

Freeman scored his first two USMNT goals on Tuesday, scoring one from a set piece and one from open play. The first came via a header, one perfectly placed thanks to a great ball in from Berhalter. The second, though, was all his. After receiving a pass just past Manchester United's Manuel Ugarte, Freeman then put Barcelona star Ronald Araujo on skates to create the space needed to fire his second into the back of the net.

"Before the game, you see the players and go 'Wow, he plays in the Prem, he plays in La Liga, they play in the Champions League', and, going into the game, you just try to get that out of your system and not think about it," Freeman said. "You think about you because it's you and him at the end of the day. If I'm able to think like that, I think it gives me confidence in myself. I'm not overthinking it, but I'm just trying to do my best to try and win my duel. At the end of the day, it's just me doing that and trying to play like I'm the best player on the pitch in my mind in every game."

It was certainly a statement performance from the player who was named the MLS Young Player of the Year Award this season. There will be a lot of big nights for Freeman ahead, but it'll be hard to have one bigger than this one, as the 21-year-old was the star of the show.

"I am so happy because today he scored twice," Pochettino said,  "but, in a way, I think you need to analyze the way that he plays. He can play like a third center back. He can go forward on the side. How difficult is it for the opponent to stop him from going inside and playing? When he has the ball, the team [can exhale]. He's so strong."

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Getty Images SportLOSER: Marcelo Bielsa

Ahead of the match, Pochettino was asked about his relationship with Bielsa. The two Argentines worked together at Newells, where Pochettino was a player under the legendary manager. He described the now-Uruguay coach as something more than a mentor; he described him as some sort of mythical figure, one that even he defers to when they come face to face.

"Always, my admiration and my respect are massive," Pochettino said Monday. "I cannot consider him like a friend. I cannot consider him like another normal person. It's a bigger respect. I speak with him like a man that you admire, like one that is your hero. He's the type of person that you wait [to] talk to. You always wait for him to say hello and then you say hello."

The USMNT showed Bielsa's side no such respect on Tuesday as they battered them thoroughly. And, through it all, Bielsa could only watch, frustrated, from his seat on his cooler.

Bielsa, of course, is known as "El Loco" for a reason. Behind closed doors, he will be none too pleased with this. There will be ramifications, no doubt, even with the World Cup on the horizon. This was a bad night for him, but more importantly, it was a bad night for Uruguay's players, who will now feel his wrath as a result.

Essex 325 for 5 (Allison 98, Pepper 54*) vs WarwickshireCharlie Allison fell two runs shy of a century in an effective batting display by Essex on the second day of their Rothesay County Championship match with Warwickshire at Edgbaston.Advancing towards the draw that would secure their Division One status, Essex closed on 325 for 5 with Allison’s 98 off 175 balls heading an impressive collective effort. No batter scored fewer than 25 while Michael Pepper made 54 not out (94), Dean Elgar 48 (111) and Matt Critchley 47 (64).After a washout on the first day and, judging by the weather forecast, very little play likely on the third, this match appears nailed on for a draw which would send both teams into next week’s final games safely clear of the bottom two.In their last home match of the season, Warwickshire chose to bowl and were unlucky not to take more than one wicket in the morning session. Olly Hannon-Dalby in particular maintained high pressure, conceding just three runs from his first seven overs, but the ball frequently beat the bat rather than taking the edge.Elgar and Paul Walter added 41 in 14 overs before the latter was lured into driving at a wide ball from Nathan Gilchrist and edged to wicketkeeper Alex Davies.Elgar moved diligently to 48 in 144 minutes then perished in similar fashion to his opening partner. The left-hander edged Gilchrist to second slip where Rob Yates accepted his 15th Championship catch of the season.When Tom Westley drove around an Ethan Bamber yorker, Essex were 111 for 3 but Allison and Critchley ensured there was no collapse with a measured partnership of 98 in 25 overs. Critchley was closing in on his 33rd first-class half-century when he nicked an excellent ball from Michael Booth to Davies.Allison found another resolute partner in Pepper. Both scored Championship centuries against Warwickshire at Chelmsford in July and this time they added 77 in 20 overs.Allison, having spent quite some time in the 90s, then attacked the wrong ball from Bamber and Rob Yates accepted his 16th championship catch of the season. That proved to be the only wicket with the new ball.Again, Warwickshire’s seamers bowled well without much luck but Pepper completed his half-century in the day’s penultimate over and Essex can be well-satisfied with a strong day’s work by their batters.Without Shane Snater (calf injury) and Sam Cook, who sustained a broken thumb during the Hundred, Essex are giving a first class debut to seamer Charlie Bennett.