Sports
Pulisic on Poch: ‘Not as much drama as you think’
Christian Pulisic has downplayed the controversy between himself and Mauricio Pochettino, saying his relationship with the United States coach is good.
A star USMNT player, Pulisic decided to skip the Concacaf Gold Cup to rest after two long seasons with AC Milan. He offered to play in a pair of friendlies ahead of the tournament, which Pochettino rejected because he wanted to keep one group together. Pulisic was then criticized by some former American players.
Pulisic returned to the national team this month and started in a pair of friendlies, assisting in the second goal in Tuesday night’s 2-0 win over Japan.
“We have good conversations,” Pulisic told reporters of his relationship with Pochettino. “Honestly. Probably what you guys experience and what the media sees is a bit not exactly what we experience. Things are good. We spoke. We had a normal camp and everything is good between us, good between the team.
“There’s probably not as much drama as you guys think there is.”
The winger, who turns 27 on Sept. 18, made his national team debut in 2016 and has 32 goals in 80 international appearances. He scored the lone U.S. goal at Trinidad on the night the Americans failed to qualify for the 2018 tournament and scored in the 1-0 win over Iran at the 2022 World Cup.
“I love this team. It’s everything to me,” he said. “I’ve been here for quite a long time. I’m getting to see some new guys, getting to bond with some old players. Even seeing [Cristian] Roldan again, it’s so cool for me.
“For me personally, I don’t feel like a step was lost.”
Pulisic had not spoken with reporters since last spring.
– Poch defends U.S. players: ‘Criticize me,’ not them
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– Balogun, Zendejas lead United States to big win over Japan
In explaining in June why he wouldn’t accept Pulisic for the friendlies against Turkey and Switzerland, Pochettino said: “I am the head coach. I am not a mannequin.”
“I think it’s behind us, all that happened in summer, and I think now we need to look forward,” Pochettino said last month after announcing his September roster.
“We all made a mistake in some time, because we read the situation in a different way,” Pochettino added last Friday. “The most important is that when you are intelligent people, if we want to move on and do the right things — I want to be intelligent.”
Pochettino had said ahead of camp that he did not speak with Pulisic over the summer.
“Obviously, national team can be tough because you don’t spend day-to-day together,” Pulisic said. “So I think in the camps we’ve come in, got to know each other and starting to just, yeah, learn each other, learn the team, and, yeah, how we can both help each other as best we can to go forward and try to win. So, I’d say it’s good.”
Sports
Aroldis Chapman says he’d ‘retire on the spot’ if ever traded back to Yankees
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Aroldis Chapman was a major piece of the New York Yankees’ resurgence in the late-2010s as he was the man the team called out of the bullpen to close out games.
But Chapman’s failure to close out the Houston Astros in the 2019 American League Championship Series will forever be seared into the minds of Yankees fans. It would be unlikely that they would want him back in the bullpen regardless of his comments on Monday.
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New York Yankees relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman (54) throws against the Houston Astros during the ninth inning in game four of the 2017 ALCS playoff baseball series at Yankee Stadium on Oct. 17, 2017. (Robert Deutsch/USA TODAY Sports)
The two-time World Series champion told the “Swing Completo” podcast in Spanish that he would “retire on the spot” if he was traded back to the Yankees.
“No way. Not even dead,” he said, via the New York Post. “If I were told that I was being traded to New York, I’d pack my things and go home. I’ll retire right on the spot if that happens. I’m not crazy. Never again.”
2025 WORLD SERIES MVP ODDS: OHTANI FAVORED AFTER GAME 2; YAMAMOTO SURGES

Boston Red Sox pitcher Aroldis Chapman (44) relief pitcher throws a pitch during the eighth inning against the New York Yankees during game one of the Wildcard round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 30, 2025. (Brad Penner/Imagn Images)
Chapman explained he felt “a lot of disrespect” while playing in the Bronx. He said he got along with the players and manager Aaron Boone but had an issue with how the “bosses” conducted business.
“I got along well with all the players, never had a problem with anybody, even the manager. We’re friends and we talk and everything,” he said. “The bosses are the ones who make those decisions.”
He pitched for the Yankees from 2017 to 2022.

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman (44) pitches against the New York Yankees during the ninth inning at Fenway Park on Sept 14, 2025. (Brian Fluharty/Imagn Images)
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Chapman won a World Series with the Texas Rangers in 2023. He pitched for the Boston Red Sox in 2025. He had a 1.17 ERA with 85 strikeouts.
He will turn 38 before the 2026 season begins.
Sports
Ex-ICC match referee exposes India’s role in manipulating cricket rulings
Former ICC match referee Chris Broad has revealed that he was once instructed to favour India by showing leniency on a slow-over rate penalty.
Broad, who oversaw 622 men’s international matches across formats, disclosed in an interview with The Telegraph, describing it as a startling example of India’s influence in cricket.
The former England cricketer did not specifically mention the match, in which India were around four overs behind schedule and were on the verge of being penalised, but he received a phone call and was instructed to show leniency with the team.
“India were three, four overs down at the end of a game, so it constituted a fine. I got a phone call saying, ‘Be lenient, find some time because it’s India’. And it’s like, right, OK. So we had to find some time, bring it down below the threshold,” Broad stated.
“The very next game, the same thing happened. He [Sourav Ganguly] didn’t listen to any of the hurry-ups and so I phoned and said, ‘What do you want me to do now?’ and I was told ‘just do him’,” he added.
Broad, who served as the ICC match referee until February 2024, further shared that he was ‘very happy to carry on’, but his contract was not renewed by the apex body.
“I was very happy to carry on,” Broad remarked. “But for 20 years, I dodged a lot of bullets, both politically and physically. I look back and I think, ‘you know, 20 years is quite a long time to be doing that job’,” Broad continued.
The former referee then went on to claim that the management became ‘a lot weaker’ against India’s financial influence after the departure of former South Africa cricketer Vince van der Bijl as the ICC umpires manager.
“I think we were supported by Vince van der Bijl (ICC umpires manager) while he was in position because he came from a cricketing background, but once he left, the management became a lot weaker. India got all the money and has now taken over the ICC, so in many ways,” he claimed.
“I’m pleased I’m not around because it’s a much more political position now than it ever has been,” Broad concluded.
Sports
Transfer rumors, news: Juventus eye move for Chelsea’s Gusto
Juventus are looking at a move for Chelsea defender Malo Gusto, while Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski has been linked with Manchester United, but the club’s minority owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, has shot that down. Join us for the latest transfer news and rumors from around the globe.
Transfers home page | Men’s grades | Women’s grades
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TRENDING RUMORS
– Juventus are keeping tabs on Chelsea right back Malo Gusto, according to Calciomercato. The France international is viewed by Juve as a potential alternative to Atlético Madrid‘s Nahuel Molina, whom the club came close to signing back in the summer. With captain Reece James returning to form and fitness in the right back position, the Blues may sanction Gusto’s exit if a suitable offer arrives.
– Manchester United minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has blocked a shock move for Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski, reports The Daily Mirror. Lewandowski, 37, is expected to become a free agent next summer, and won’t be short of potential suitors if he does. However, United won’t be among them as things stand, with Ratcliffe keen to “not repeat the mistakes of the past” by signing a player toward the end of his career. The Poland international has scored 73 league goals for Barcelona since joining in 2022 on a free transfer from Bayern Munich.
– Barcelona and Arsenal are set to battle to sign 15-year-old Montpellier striker Lacine Megnan-Pave, according to L’Equipe. Megnan-Pave has caught the eye with his performances for Montpellier’s U19 side, where he has scored twice in five games, and the 6-foot left-footed forward could have a choice to make in the near future. Though Barcelona and their La Masia academy are tipped to get the deal over the line first.
– Bayern Munich are among the clubs considering a bid to sign FC Cologne winger Said El Mala in January, Sky Germany has revealed. El Mala, 19, is under contract at the club until June 2030, so his transfer is valued above the €40 million mark following an electric start to the Bundesliga season. As things stand, Cologne are not willing to entertain January offers that would see the 19-year-old return to the club on loan for the remainder of the season.
– Tottenham Hotspur may look to replace striker Dominic Solanke in the January transfer window, Football Insider reports. The England international hasn’t impressed new Spurs boss Thomas Frank, although his ongoing fitness issues have not helped matters. The club hope to bring in a new forward when the transfer window reopens, with former Brentford star Ivan Toney among those linked in recent weeks.
EXPERT TAKE
1:37
Moreno: Yamal ran his mouth before El Clásico and didn’t perform
ESPN’s Alejandro Moreno believes Lamine Yamal’s El Clásico performance didn’t match his pre-match words.
OTHER RUMORS
– Santos are set to evaluate the technical conditions of extending Neymar‘s contract at the club, according to club president Marcelo Teixeira. (O Globo)
– Bukayo Saka is edging closer to agreeing to a record-breaking new contract with Arsenal. He is set to become the club’s highest-ever paid player, with a salary of over £300,000. (Football Insider)
– Barcelona are yet to decide whether they’ll sanction a loan move for winger Roony Bardghji. Stuttgart were previously in advanced talks to sign the 19-year-old and could be among his suitors if Barca place him on the loan list. (Sky Germany)
– Tottenham are tracking FC Porto striker Samu Aghehowa, 21, but Arsenal, Newcastle and Nottingham Forest are also interested. (Caught Offside)
– Manchester United midfielder Casemiro, 33, looks set to leave for free at the end of the season as the club won’t extend his contract. (Football Insider)
– Roma are interested if Manchester United are willing to sanction a loan deal for forward Joshua Zirkzee. (TBR)
– Tottenham and Manchester United both made £50 million bids to sign Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo in the summer, which were rejected. (Telegraph)
– Out-of-favor Brentford midfielder Fábio Carvalho could return to the Bundesliga in January, and a loan move is being explored. (Sky Germany)
– West Ham United are keen on signing Barcelona wonderkid Pedro “Dro” Fernández in January. (Alan Nixon)
– Aston Villa want to sign winger Morgan Rogers, 23, to a new contract quickly. (Football Insider)
– A Juventus scout was present at Saturday’s match between Udinese and Lecce to monitor midfielder Arthur Atta. The 22-year-old has impressed so far in Serie A this season, with three goal involvements in eight matches to date. (Nicolo Schira)
– AC Milan are planning on signing a center back and a striker in the winter transfer window. (Nicolo Schira)
– Wolverhampton Wanderers insist manager Vítor Pereira is “not under immediate threat” of being sacked, despite the club’s poor start. (TalkSPORT)
– Peterborough United have held talks with former Swansea City manager Luke Williams over the vacant manager’s post. (Sky Sports News)
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