Arsenal are keen to ruin Emma Hayes’ Chelsea swan song as Gunners midfielder Lia Walti has had some fighting talk before the London derby.
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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has used a bizarre "war" analogy to describe in-form star Kai Havertz following his new-found form in red.
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Havertz scores vs Brentford and RC LensConfidence boost for the GermanArteta uses bizarre analogy to describe the playerWHAT HAPPENED?
The Arsenal boss claimed the German international will go to "war" when asked to, despite being a very humble character amongst the squad, following his two goals in as many games for The Gunners over the past week.
AdvertisementWHAT ARTETA SAID
Speaking on the upturn in form for Havertz, Arteta continued to praise the player ahead of the upcoming clash against Wolverhampton Wanderers. “First of all support him, like with any other player, and give him the tools and the time to show his qualities,” Arteta said in Friday's press conference.
“I think that’s what he’s doing. Everything is starting to come together. A lot of the things he was doing right, he’s continued to do and now obviously in front of goal, he’s being very efficient. He’s not someone that wants to be there in the frontline or at least he doesn’t show it in that way, but then if you ask him to go to war, he will be the first one down there, but he doesn’t want to take that credit and I think he deserved that credit on the day."
Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE
The 24-year-old has struggled to find his finest form since arriving at the Emirates Stadium in a eye-watering £65 million move from London rivals Chelsea this summer, with just one goal to his name in red prior to the fixtures against RC Lens and Brentford.
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WHAT NEXT FOR HAVERTZ?
As mentioned, Havertz and his Arsenal teammates are now preparing to host Wolves this weekend, as they look to build on the two impressive victories against Brentford and Lens in the last week. Arteta's side currently sit at the top of the Premier League heading into this weekends fixtures, with Manchester City following closely in second, just one point behind the leaders.
The BCCI has done a u-turn on the appointments of Zaheer Khan as bowling consultant and Rahul Dravid as overseas Test batting consultant
Sidharth Monga15-Jul-20171:39
‘It was a recommendation, not an appointment’ – Vinod Rai
The BCCI has done a u-turn on the appointments of Zaheer Khan as bowling consultant and Rahul Dravid as overseas Test batting consultant; the appointments were announced on July 11.Now, the chairman of the committee of administrators (CoA) has said those were mere recommendations that needed action from the CoA “in consultation with the head coach”. Ravi Shastri, India’s new head coach, meanwhile, is set to get his own support staff as that has been decided “in consultation with the head coach already”.As for Dravid and Zaheer, yet another committee has been formed to decide if they are needed at all, and terms of engagement if they are. The committee, comprising acting BCCI president CK Khanna, secretary Amitabh Choudhary and CoA member Diana Edulji, will have a meeting with Shastri. The meeting will be convened by BCCI CEO Rahul Johri.This is yet another process after a month-long farcical drama finally ended with a definitive BCCI release on July 11. It said, “The BCCI announces the appointment of Mr. Ravi Shastri as the Head Coach, Mr. Zaheer Khan as the Bowling Consultant and Mr. Rahul Dravid who will be the Overseas Batting Consultant (Test cricket) for the Indian Cricket Team.” It was followed by praise for the appointees and gratitude for the cricket advisory committee (CAC) comprising Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman, who had been tasked with identifying the new coach. The release was signed by Choudhary.
Advertisement to be released inviting applications for the jobs of administrative managers of the India, India A and India Under-19. The deadline for applications for the senior team is July 21, and the manager’s term will be one year. The manager will be a college graduate, and will preferably be a first-class or international cricketer who has preferably “successfully” managed a state team in India or an international team. Alternatively the candidate could hold at least 10 years of work experience in public or private sector. “Sound knowledge of cricket and playing conditions” will be non-negotiable.
The committee of Khanna, Choudhary, Edulji and Johri will decide on the India manager on July 22 in Delhi. Before that it will meet Shastri in July 18 and finalise coaching requirements and appointments, and also the financial terms of the coaches’ contracts.
To ensure proper co-ordination and implementation, the CoA has now decided to invite the BCCI office bearers to its meetings.
On July 13, an unnamed source from the CoA – which was about to be reduced from three to two members – was quoted as saying that the CAC had exceeded its brief in appointing the two consultants. On the same day, the CAC wrote an email to the CoA expressing its displeasure, and saying it had appointed Dravid and Zaheer after discussions with Shastri.On July 15, the CoA met some BCCI officials in Delhi, and then its head Vinod Rai confirmed the u-turn. “There is no such thing as a contract yet,” Rai said, when asked if the appointments of Zaheer and Dravid had been put on hold. “It is not an appointment. The recommendation has been made. And the CoA has to act on the recommendation. That recommendation will be acted upon in consultation with the head coach.”When asked if Shastri had demanded his own support staff, Rai said: “The support staff has been decided in consultation with the head coach already. There is going to be a core support staff, which will be fielding, batting and bowling, which has been decided. Any other ancillary etc, he [Shastri] will be coming back tomorrow [from England] and we will decide.”It has been widely reported that Shastri wants B Arun back as the bowling coach. Arun, Shastri’s team-mate from Under-19 and India days, was India’s bowling coach during Shastri’s previous stint as team director too.Rai’s latest assertions, though, go against yet another BCCI release, titled “COA hails CAC coach recommendation”, sent on July 12. The email was not signed by any person, but it said, “The Cricket Advisory Committee has made its recommendation regarding the coach. It is a comprehensive recommendation covering all aspects of the coaching requirement of any team. They have applied themselves to the cause at hand with dedication and commitment. This is exactly what we had expected from a committee of such distinguished cricketers. On behalf of all interested in ‘Cricket India’, BCCI and the COA, I thank them for the service so willingly rendered by them. We accept their recommendation in totality.”The release went on to use the term “new combination”. “Now that they have made the choice, we sincerely feel that the new combination will steward the team to number 1 position in the World Cup,” the release said. “We need to put the immediate past events to rest and wish the team, the Captain, coach and support staff a very ‘happy Innings’ in the run up to the World Cup.”The BCCI’s tweets on July 11:
The CoA’s role in the coach-appointment saga has been curious to say the least. On July 10, the day the candidates were interviewed, the CAC had announced in a press conference that it needed more time and more consultation with captain Virat Kohli before it could decide on the coach. The following morning, though, various BCCI officials confirmed that they were asked by the CoA to announce the name of the new coach “as soon as possible”. The name of Shastri as new coach was then announced late on July 11.”I don’t know what exactly happened because I was not in the country at that time,” Rai said about the sudden change in timelines. “The CAC decided to decide the next day; they made the announcement.”When asked if the CoA had given any instructions, Rai said, “We need not go into the details of any of those things. There was a process, that process was followed, and the announcement was made well in time.”Explaining the CoA’s role in the whole matter following the announcement of the appointments, Rai insisted on calling them “recommendations”.”Recommendations have come to the CoA, it will be discussed with the office bearers, and it is only courtesy that we discuss with the head coach as to who the other coaches should be,” he said.When told of the CAC’s displeasure with the new turn of events, especially because, according to the CAC, it had consulted Shastri before making its choices, Rai confirmed Shastri had indeed been consulted, but only by the CAC.”It is a fact that he was consulted,” Rai said. “There was some conversation that took place. I can’t clarify on that because I was not a part of it. We didn’t know. We had left it entirely to the CAC to decide, we were told that he was consulted, but since we were not privy to it…”When asked about the CAC’s letter to the CoA, which expressed severe disappointment with the media reports attributed to the CoA, Rai neither denied nor confirmed receiving such correspondence. “CAC members have corresponded a lot with the CEO, and me also,” he said. “Some of the emails have come to me, some have been copied to me. We reacted to each one of those things.”Rai went on to add that they needed to check if Dravid and Zaheer were in conflict of interest if given these roles. “The fact of the matter is they have made a recommendation,” Rai said. “Before we put that recommendation into fact, we have to find out conflict-of-interest issues, their willingness issues, their availability issues. We have to do that.”When asked if the CAC hadn’t already spoken to the two, Rai said, “They may have spoken; we haven’t. Rahul, I am sure, is engaged elsewhere. Zaheer is also engaged elsewhere. So we have to ascertain their availability.”
Mithali Raj and Veda Krishnamurthy powered India to 265 and their bowlers put in a clinical performance to take India into the semi-final
The Report by Varun Shetty15-Jul-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Mithali Raj and Veda Krishnamurthy’s 108-run stand made the difference for India•Getty/ICCSuzie Bates’ decision to bowl first in a virtual quarter-final seemed to work out perfectly for the first hour. But Mithali Raj’s sixth ODI hundred – a decidedly positive innings, formed on the foundation of two century partnerships, with Harmanpreet Kaur and Veda Krishnamurthy – lifted India to 265. It was a total that became increasingly daunting with every passing over of New Zealand’s chase.They found themselves three-down in the 11th over and after a brief, ineffective resistance from Amy Satterthwaite and Sophie Devine, they unraveled quickly to lose by 186 runs. Left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad, brought in to replace Ekta Bisht after warming the bench for six games, finished with a career-best 5 for 15.Raj admitted that she too would’ve bowled if the toss had gone her way. But when she came out to bat, though, it didn’t appear like the conditions played on her mind despite India losing Punam Raut and Smriti Mandhana early. The wickets were more to do with New Zealand’s discipline than prodigious movement either in the air or off the pitch. In fact, the first signs of swing came when Suzie Bates came on in the 11th over. And even those gentle awayswingers didn’t cause Raj any trouble.She creamed drives all day long, to the covers ring for a while, but eventually through them. Raj’s conscious effort to keep her strike rate in the vicinity of 80 shone through. Her fifty against Australia on Wednesday – 69 off 114 – was called out for lack of intent, and it was clear she wanted to put it to rest. So, she did. This didn’t necessarily mean India were any quicker. In fact, the run-rate hadn’t even crept past four-per-over at the end of the 30th.Raj was the aggressor, but at the other end was the promoted Harmanpreet whose longest innings of the tournament up until Saturday was a 23-ball knock against Pakistan. When she middled them, they sounded sweet, but she struggled to find the gaps. And so, once again, it looked like India were falling to the old trap of relying too much on boundaries. And the feeling was amplified when they lost two wickets in the first two overs of the batting Powerplay. Harmanpreet, who battled through injured left hand to make a half-century, chipped one back to Kasperek, Deepti Sharma fell to a stunning Rachel Priest catch, and 153 for 2 turned to 154 for 4 in the space of nine balls.India set themselves up for 250, but losing quick wickets left them with the possibility of finishing around 230 again. Raj dropped anchor and Veda Krishnamurthy looked awkward, poking and prodded to 11 off 16, before two dominant hits off Amelia Kerr in the 43rd over injected momentum. Satterthwaite dropped her on 32 at the start of the 46th, Lea Tahuhu’s chest-high full toss offered her a free-hit soon after, and by the end of the over, she had motored to 46. The first ball of the next over was drilled flat over long-on and New Zealand were now visibly anxious. Fielders ran in from the boundary and let balls bounce over them and different varieties of length balls were served in the buffet.Raj hit one boundary after the 39th over, and it came in the last over. By then, she had trotted through to her sixth ODI century. Both her and Krishnamurthy fell in that last over, but India had put up 265. Both their innings were the deflating kind – Krishnamurthy’s an ungrateful butchering, Raj’s a controlled suffocation.And Krishnamurthy was there again, during New Zealand’s chase. Bates, looking to flick Shikha Pandey’s first delivery, found the leading edge to first slip. New Zealand couldn’t find a way back – Priest hit one back to Jhulan Goswami in the next over, but the old cricketing cliche of “chasing pressure” was upon New Zealand before they could get their eye in. The ball was swinging now. And drifting, and dipping, and turning. Satterthwaite hung in, like her role demands, but No. 4 Katey Martin looked out of place all along; she’d seen one too many dot balls, and was promptly down the pitch to hit one to Kaur at midwicket.New Zealand’s hopes rested on Satterthwaite and Devine; they seemed to know this as they decided caution would be the best way forward. Raj, sensing this, unleashed her spinners on the pair. India rattled through 17 overs in an hour. The score was 51, the required rate 6.51. Gayakwad swooped in on Satterthwaite’s vulnerability and got one to spin away from her after she had stepped down. That was the start of New Zealand’s crash.The nail found the coffin in the 20th over. Gayakwad switched to over the wicket, tied Devine down to three dot balls, then pushed one wide. It was meant to turn away from the big slash through the off side, and that’s exactly what Devine did. It was too far away. She sliced it, teasingly behind Deepti at extra cover. It was India’s day, and this wasn’t getting away from the 19-year-old. She got under it, reached for it with a dive and held on. New Zealand had nothing further to offer against Gayakwad.
Chelsea may be 'stuck' with out-of-favour midfielder Hakim Ziyech this summer even though they are keen to ship him out of Stamford Bridge, according to journalist Paul Brown.
What's the latest transfer news involving Hakim Ziyech?
As recounted by talkSPORT, Ziyech was set to move to Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr before his move collapsed owing to a knee injury found while he was doing his medical at the club.
In turn, Chelsea have now missed out on the chance to inherit a transfer fee of £8 million, while Ziyech himself would've earned £9 million from the switch to the Middle East.
For the second time in a year, the £100k-a-week ace has now missed out on a transfer away from Stamford Bridge at the last second, as he was set to join Paris Saint-Germain on loan in January before a technical issue with paperwork scuppered the deal, as per Sky Sports.
Ziyech has taken a swipe at Al Nassr on social media in the aftermath of his failed medical, posting a story on Instagram with the caption "Knee problems, right?" accompanied by two laughing face emojis, as per The Daily Mail.
Chelsea bought Ziyech from Ajax back in 2020 for an initial fee of £33.6 million, rising to £36.6 million in add-ons, though he has endured a tough spell in SW6, as per BBC Sport.
Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Brown believes that Chelsea could be met with the awkward scenario of Ziyech potentially being stuck at Stamford Bridge in light of his knee issue being uncovered during a medical examination.
Brown told FFC: "Most of the interest that's come in for Ziyech over the last year or so has been to take him on loan and I think a lot of clubs who may have been interested before would be wary at this news that has come up in his medical, so it's really not good news for Chelsea who want him out and not great news for Ziyech either. He might be stuck at the club; we'll see."
Does Hakim Ziyech have a future at Chelsea?
Ziyech has struggled to make a major impact at Stamford Bridge since joining Chelsea back in 2020 and an exit from his current employers would be a wise move to get his career back on track if possible.
In his time in west London, Ziyech has amassed 107 appearances in all competitions for the Blues, registering 14 goals and 13 assists, as per Transfermarkt.
More unfortunate news could be set to come the way of Ziyech, with Chelsea believed to be in the market for an attack-minded midfield option this summer, which could push him further down the pecking order in SW6.
Celta Vigo midfielder Gabri Veiga is of interest to Chelsea and has been identified as a potential replacement for Mason Mount following his move to Manchester United, as per The Guardian.
Corriere dello Sport via METRO claim that Roma's Paulo Dybala is also on the Blues' radar and he could be available for a cut-price fee of around £10 million if his release clause is activated.
There looks to be no way back for Ziyech at Chelsea; however, potential suitors for the Dronten-born ace may now dry up due to his knee issue.
Callum Hudson-Odoi has still got breakout potential in the Premier League, journalist Dean Jones told FootballFanCast.
The forward, who spent last season on loan with Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen has recently been linked with a summer switch to Nottingham Forest.
What is the latest transfer news regarding Callum Hudson-Odoi?
According to a report from the Athletic, the Chelsea wide-man has decided to leave the club this summer.
The 22-year-old has been with the club for 14 years, having joined the club at the age of eight. However, the player understands that at this point in his career, he has to be playing regular first-team football, and he most likely will not be doing that at Stamford Bridge next season.
There are a number of clubs interested in the former England youth international, with Forest and Fulham offering potential Premier League football. Another shock move could be the reunite with former Chelsea youth products Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Fikayo Tomori at AC Milan this summer.
Whilst the London club have not yet decided on the fee they want for Hudson-Odoi, the forward only has one year remaining on his deal, so this summer represents the final chance for the club to make some money off of the forward who has a €15.00m (£12.8m) market value according to Transfermarkt.
Another report states that the club may sensationally ask the player to halve his wages in order to terminate his contract and leave him free to join any club as a free agent. New manager Mauricio Pochettino doesn't see the winger being good enough to have an impact at Chelsea next season.
Journalist Jones has said that we are still yet to see the full version of Hudson-Odoi yet.
What does Dean Jones think about Callum Hudson-Odoi?
When asked about whether Hudson-Odoi to Nottingham Forest would be a good signing, Jones was full of praise for the winger, citing the potential that he has.
The transfer insider told FootballFanCast: "I still think Hudson-Odoi has got breakout potential in this league. I mean, we've obviously seen him before, but I don't think we've seen the full version of him over a long enough period to know exactly what he would be capable of.
He's still so young, this is a player that should really be playing Champions League football right now. If he had fulfilled his potential and not had injuries."
Should Hudson-Odoi head to Nottingham Forest?
A move to Nottingham Forest could be the perfect move for Hudson-Odoi to get his career back on track.
The Premier League side finished 16th last campaign, but received many plaudits for their front-footed style of play, with players like Morgan Gibbs-White, Brennan Johnson, and Taiwo Awoniyi thriving under manager Steve Cooper.
The winger has previously worked under Cooper on the international level with the England Under 17's, where Hudson-Odoi won the under-17 World Cup in the summer of 2017, featuring as part of a squad that included names such as Marc Guehi, Phil Foden, Jadon Sancho, Angel Gomes, Emile Smith-Rowe, and current Forest star Gibbs-White.
The 22-year-old was set for stardom after breaking onto the scene under Maurizio Sarri in the 2018/19 campaign. The forward was so impressive early on in his career that German giants Bayern Munich submitted a loan offer that included the option to buy the Englishman for £70m which Chelsea rejected. However, since rupturing his Achilles Tendon, the forward has struggled to reach those heights again.
A loan move to Leverkusen was tried last season, however, one goal and one assist across 21 appearances was a very disappointing return. The forward still gave some statistical glimpses into his quality though, with his 4.71 progressive carries and 2.02 successful take-ons per 90 still impressive numbers when compared to wingers across Europe's top five leagues. There clearly is still an incredible player there, he's just waiting for the right manager and situation to showcase it.
Forest could lose Johnson to Brentford this summer according to reports, and Hudson-Odoi could be a risk worth taking to fill that void, as if he can begin to realise his potential at the City Ground, then the club may have a potential world-class player on their hands.
Three players from Pakistan’s Champions Trophy-winning team have been roped into the upcoming Caribbean Premier League which begins on August 4: Babar Azam has been named a replacement for the injured Chris Lynn for the Guyana Amazon Warriors, while St Kitts and Nevis Patriots have called up Mohammad Hafeez in place of Ben Cutting and Hasan Ali for Kieran Powell.Babar, with an average of over 50 in ODIs and T20Is, has been a consistent performer for Pakistan in the white-ball format. He averaged 32.33 for Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League this year, producing a number of match-winning knocks in their run to the semi-finals.Warriors head coach Roger Harper rued the absence of Lynn, who scored 454 runs in the tournament last year, but said he found Babar’s talent “exciting”. “We are hugely disappointed to lose the talent of Chris Lynn to shoulder injury, he was the leading scorer last year and we were happy to have him back,” Harper said. “However, we are extremely delighted in getting a world-class replacement in Babar Azam. He is one of the most exciting batsmen in the world and we are sure that he will be a huge success for us at Hero CPL 2017.”Seamer Hasan Ali, who will be taking Powell’s place, claimed 3 for 19 in the Champions Trophy final, and was the leading wicket-taker in the tournament with 13 scalps at 14.69. Powell is set to miss the tournament to play the Test series in England, which coincides with the CPL schedule.With Cutting out injured since the IPL in April, Mohammad Hafeez will be back in the CPL, already having had a two-season stint with Warriors in 2013-14. The experienced Hafeez had made 57 not out as his team beat India by 180 runs in the Champions trophy final.Patriots CEO Richard Berridge, said: “We have been fortunate to get such high-quality replacements that more than cover those players that we have lost. The Patriots management team feel this is the best squad that we have had going into a Hero CPL season.”
West Ham United have rightly prioritised signing a holding midfielder to replace Declan Rice this summer, but the need for a new striker is surely very high on David Moyes' list of targets.
Who are West Ham interested in signing?
Denis Zakaria appears to be on his way to the London Stadium from Juventus – offsetting the £105m departure of Rice to Arsenal – as does Real Betis centre-back Luiz Felipe.
In terms of attacking players, though, options appear to be few and far between as far as West Ham are concerned. United appear to have missed out to Newcastle United over the signing of Harvey Barnes from Leicester City, whilst links with the likes of Callum Hudson-Odoi and Matheus Franca have gone quiet.
However, according to Football Insider, Moyes is pushing hard for West Ham to sign Strasbourg striker Habib Diallo.
The report suggests that Brentford are also showing a strong interest, with Thomas Frank's side on the lookout for a striker to fill in – and possibly then play alongside – Ivan Toney during his spell in the stands for breaching the FA's betting rules.
Who is Strasbourg striker Habib Diallo?
Diallo is a man in demand after scoring 20 goals in 37 Ligue 1 appearances last season, making him the sixth-highest scoring player in the French top flight, with Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe (29) leading the way.
The 28-year-old was responsible for 39% of all of Strasbourg's Ligue 1 goals last season, as per WhoScored – only Alexandre Lacazette (42%) and Folarin Balogun (47%), for Lyon and Reims respectively, were more relied upon by their teams.
According to FBref's player comparison tool, Diallo's statistical profile is very similar to that of Fulham's Aleksandar Mitrovic – a player West Ham would no doubt love to have up top next season.
Indeed, the pair scored at the exact same rate of 0.63 league goals per 90 minutes last season – Diallo in Ligue 1 and Mitrovic in the Premier League – while both chipped in with one assist each.
Diallo found the target from more of his shots (40% compared to 31.8% for Mitrovic), though there was very little between them in terms of aerial duels won (46.1% for Diallo, 48.8% for Mitrovic).
Indeed, FBref ranks Diallo in the top 11% of all forwards across Europe's top five leagues for aerial duels won last season (4.22 per 90 minutes), while he is in the top 17% in terms of non-penalty goals scored (0.53 per 90).
To put that in some perspective, Gianluca Scamacca – the flop striker that Diallo would effectively be signed to replace at West Ham – ranked in the bottom 41% in both metrics with 1.65 and 0.29 respectively.
Thought to be available for around £20m this summer, West Ham could bring in a player who boasts similar qualities to Mitrovic – and is therefore a huge upgrade on what they have.
Recently described as a "reliable" striker by Strasbourg head coach Frederic Antonetti, moving for Diallo seems a no-brainer as far as the Irons are concerned.
The new coach hasn't officially started yet, but there's plenty to keep an eye on in this first camp since her hiring was announced
The first U.S. women's national team camp of the Emma Hayes era is here. Well, kind of. Hayes won't actually be leading the team; she's still got a Chelsea campaign to worry about. Still, this is the first camp with some sort of direction since Vlatko Andonovski's departure and there's finally some certainty around the USWNT after the World Cup disaster.
The U.S. will face China in a pair of friendlies, with interim boss Twila Kilgore remaining in charge. She'll hold onto her post until Hayes' arrival ahead of the Olympics and, in the months until then, the USWNT will be building and building towards their new coach finally joining up.
That makes these games the first of several friendlies the U.S. will play pre-Hayes, but her fingerprints will likely be all over whatever the USWNT does. The camp is already an interesting one, with several veteran faces being left out of the squad, while several young stars have been handed opportunities to impress the new coach, wherever she'll be watching from.
But what will Hayes be looking for? What sort of things will she be keeping an eye on on her way to the Olympics? GOAL has you covered…
GettyThe goalkeeper situation
Alyssa Naeher isn't here, which is a clear signal that the USWNT is starting to plan for the future.
Naeher has been the starter since the 2019 World Cup cycle but, at 35, her time is coming to an end. The bad news is that there's no clear-cut successor, but the good news is that there are plenty of good goalkeepers in the pool.
Casey Murphy, Jane Campbell and Aubrey Kingsbury are the three called into this camp, with the first two being particularly intriguing.
The 27-year-old Murphy has gotten some experience, earning 16 total caps and going to a World Cup, but has never really been the starter. She has started three games so far this year, though, indicating that the pre-Hayes regime saw her as next up.
Campbell, meanwhile, joins the team fresh off a NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year win. Campbell was outstanding for the Houston Dash this season, nearly setting a record for fewest goals conceded, but has just seven camps to her name. She was on the roster for the 2021 Olympics but seems due for another shot after a strong season.
As for Kingsbury, at 32, she doesn't seem like she'll be a long-term successor, although she could be the bridge through the Olympics next summer. The same could be said for Naeher, though, who you wouldn't write off ahead of one last tournament.
Overall, it's an interesting position with plenty of good choices, and Hayes will be keeping a close eye on the keepers as she prepares to choose a direction to go with when it comes to her No.1.
AdvertisementGettyAn inexperienced midfield
The three most experienced midfielders in the squad have 309 caps between them. The bottom five? Just 11. Knowing that, we're going to learn something new about several key players in the pool.
We'll start with Savannah DeMelo and Sam Coffey, the two we've actually seen before. DeMelo responded to her World Cup challenge in a big way and, despite having only six caps, feels like she's a part of this group. Coffey, meanwhile, is pushing for a spot, having been ignored for long stretches last cycle. Can she be the No.6 the USWNT has been looking for?
And then the final three: Korbin Albert, Olivia Moultrie and Jenna Nighswonger.
Albert joined PSG a year ago and has started to break through, while Nighswonger is fresh off an NWSL title with Gotham FC. All eyes will be on Moultrie, though, the Portland Thorns teenage prodigy who seems destined to play a part for the U.S. sooner or later.
Which of those three can join Coffey and DeMelo to push for an Olympic spot? It's one of the more fun positional situations in the U.S. pool.
GettyAnother go for Fishel and Shaw
We saw a hell of a lot from Mia Fishel and Jaedyn Shaw last camp. Both newcomers scored goals to open their USWNT accounts, and the hope is that they were the first of many.
Now's the tough part. Can they do it again?
Fishel, of course, already has a relationship with Hayes as she plays for her at Chelsea. Hayes won't need to learn too much about Fishel's game, but she will learn about how she handles stepping into this USWNT environment. The international level is a totally different game and Fishel, who has scored goals in bunches in her young club career, has to prove she can carry that over.
As for Shaw, she faces insane competition on the wings, but can you really bet against her? The Olympics may come a bit too soon but, then again, maybe they don't. A strong camp here would put her right into contention.
Fishel and Shaw are the two youngsters with the best chance of breaking through by next summer, and both can take a big step forward with a strong camp this month.
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Getty ImagesA Morgan-less attack
Speaking of Fishel, it seems she'll get minutes as the starting striker. For years, those minutes have belonged pretty exclusively to Alex Morgan. She's not in camp though. What will that look like?
It's one of the biggest storylines of this camp, Morgan's exclusion. It doesn't mean the writing is on the wall with her, as she very well could be back in the picture by the Olympics, particularly if the young players don't prove they're ready. However, we haven't seen a USWNT without Morgan in over a decade, so it's hard to imagine what it even looks like anymore.
Her absence will leave a leadership void, particularly among the forwards. Who steps up there? Her creativity and composure, despite her goal drought, could leave a hole atop the field. Which striker can fill that?
Fishel, Sophia Smith or Ashley Hatch will be playing in that spot, and all three have different sorts of points to prove. So will Morgan, whenever she does come back into the fold.
Former India batsman Mohinder Amarnath has quit the steering committee tasked with the responsibility of forming the players’ association
ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jun-2017Former India batsman Mohinder Amarnath has quit the steering committee tasked with the responsibility of forming the players’ association.Amarnath is understood to have left because of his commentary assignments. “He wants to do [those assignments]. He can’t do both,” a member of the Committee of Administrators told ESPNcricinfo.With two other members of the steering committee – Diana Edulji and Anil Kumble – already having recused themselves, the committee is now down to one; only its chairman, former union home secretary GK Pillai, remains. While Edulji opted out because of her role as a member of the CoA, Kumble withdrew after he had taken over as India coach.The CoA will now approach the Supreme Court for direction. “There is no steering committee as such as of today. We will be approaching the court to see what needs to be done,” the official said. “We will mention this in our status report that will be submitted to the court. Whether another sub-committee is created or the CoA is entrusted with the task, it is up to the Supreme Court to decide”.The steering committee was established in early 2016 to oversee the formation of the players’ association in accordance with the recommendations of the Lodha Committee. It was asked to “identify and invite all eligible ex-cricketers to be members, to open bank accounts, receive funds from the BCCI, conduct the first elections for office bearers, communicate the names of BCCI-player nominees to the board”.The Lodha Committee felt it was important to give the players “a voice” to express their concerns but barred them from forming a “trade union of any sort”. The committee also recommended the need to advance the welfare of players, including insurance, medical and other commercial benefits. While there was strident opposition to the recommendation initially from the BCCI, the board later “unanimously” accepted it at its special general meeting on October 1.The official said the CoA had also established a sub-committee to look into the registration and regulation of player agents. The Maharashtra Cricket Association’s Abhay Apte and BCCI CEO Rahul Johri are understood to be in the sub-committee, which has three members at the moment. Two more members will be added on later, comprising representatives of the players’ association. “The sub-committee of three members will carry out the duties till the players’ association is formed,” the official said. “Once the players’ association is formed two of its members will be drafted into this panel”.