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Arsenal are ready to spend big this summer and could now gain the upper hand on Chelsea in pursuit of a talented star plying his trade at the Club World Cup, according to a report.

Arsenal ready to make statement signings

The Gunners hope to establish themselves as a frontrunner in the race for the Premier League title and Mikel Arteta is set to be backed this window as high-profile targets are identified at the Emirates Stadium.

In an honest assessment of his former side’s hunt for a striker, Arsenal icon Theo Walcott has pointed out that the club need to pursue someone in Liam Delap’s mould as they search for a new source of goals.

Benjamin Sesko and Viktor Gyokeres are Arsenal’s two main striking targets, and the latter has given his priority to Arteta’s side following an excellent campaign at Sporting.

That development comes in spite of interest from Manchester United, which will undoubtedly provoke optimism among a support desperate to see the final piece of the jigsaw added over the coming months.

Arsenal approach £170k-per-week forward with Berta ready to pay £53m

The Gunners are making “real moves” for him.

3 ByEmilio Galantini Jun 14, 2025

However, it has to be taken into account that signing a forward isn’t the only requirement to exceed their rivals’ points tally next season; you also need an effective foil to maximise attacking output across the board.

With that in mind, Arsenal now have a winger on their radar that they could steal from under the nose of rivals Chelsea, according to reports.

Arsenal prepare bid to sign Borussia Dortmund star Jamie Gittens

According to reports in Spain, Arsenal are preparing a bid to sign Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens, and he is viewed internally as someone who would fit their philosophy to develop talent over the long-term.

Berta and company are ready to put forward an offer that could amount to roughly £42.5 million, while Chelsea have also been heavily linked with Gittens and came close to signing him before the Club World Cup registration window closed. There have even been claims the Blues still want him and could make a new bid in days.

Jamie Gittens in 2024/25 – Bundesliga (FBRef)

Shot-creating actions

73

Goals-creating actions

10

Progressive carries per 90

5.53

Touches in opposition penalty area per 90

5.53

Successful take-ons per 90

3.57

Labelled “fantastic” by Nuri Sahin, the England Under-21 international registered 12 goals and five assists as Borussia Dortmund left it late to secure Champions League qualification.

Bukayo Saka’s injury issues throughout the campaign demonstrated that additional depth is needed for the Gunners to juggle domestic and European endeavours. Taking that into consideration, what better way for Arsenal to secure another talented outlet out wide than to beat Chelsea to Gittens’ signature.

It’s all change at Manchester United so far this summer, with Matheus Cunha signed, Bryan Mbeumo seemingly on his way and now one struggling striker increasingly likely to depart the club.

Man Utd commence attacking overhaul

Starting by triggering Cunha’s £63m release clause, Manchester United’s attacking overhaul is officially underway. The Brazilian is set to hand Ruben Amorim an instant upgrade in his frontline and could slot straight into one of the two attacking midfield roles in his 3-4-2-1 system. He’s unlikely to be the only fresh face in United’s frontline too.

The Red Devils are also pushing to sign Mbeumo from Brentford with reports going as far as to suggest that they’re willing to offer the talented forward a £13m-a-year salary to join. All of a sudden, from a blunt frontline, Amorim could have two options at his disposal who scored over 15 Premier League goals each last season and two options who should finally push United away from the bottom half next season.

Both have earned plenty of praise in recent weeks as they potentially prepare to combine at Old Trafford and that includes from Manchester United legend Gary Neville, who told Sky Sports: “Cunha and Mbeumo have obviously got Premier League experience. They’ve got plenty of games under their belt. [English football] is not new to them and actually they are the right type.

“When I watch Manchester United wide players, they have to be able to get from box-to-box quickly. They have to be able to run, to travel with and without the ball. Mbeumo and, to be fair Cunha, can do that.”

Man Utd submit bid for once-£57m ex-Man City ace who’s desperate for move

He won six Premier League titles at Manchester City.

ByTom Cunningham Jun 7, 2025

What those arrivals will mean for one player, however, is a likely departure away from Old Trafford to bring an end to what has been a nightmare spell at the Theatre of Dreams.

Hojlund gives green light to Inter Milan move

According to Saturday’s print edition of Corriere Dello Sport, as relayed by TeamTalk, Rasmus Hojlund has now given the green light to Inter Milan, who are closing in on sealing the Dane’s signature in a €40-45m (£33-£38m) deal.

The struggling forward has looked desperate for a fresh start for at least a year, as have several others in a Manchester United shirt. Unlike some around him, however, Hojlund is seemingly set to get his wish courtesy of Inter Milan.

Appearances

95

Goals

26

Assists

6

After scoring 26 goals and creating another six in 95 appearances across the last two years, to say that Hojlund has far from lived up to his £72m price tag would be a major understatement. Many expected the Dane to lead United’s frontline for years to come. As it happens, though, he may have lasted just two years before moving back to Italy.

Given that the struggling forward earns a reported £85,000-a-week at the club, INEOS should be keen to clear his salary from their wage bill to make room for the likes of Cunha and Mbeumo this summer.

A rampant Newcastle United made it five wins on the bounce in all competitions, smashing Manchester United 4-1 at St James’ Park to re-establish themselves in the top four of the Premier League as they look to end the season in the Champions League qualification places.

Despite Eddie Howe’s absence, hospitalised by a recent illness, his side showed plenty of fight, having 48% possession, generating 2.09 xG, creating five big chances and taking 12 shots in the game.

Newcastle limited Man United to just nine shots, only creating one big chance and generating 0.61 xG despite having more of the ball.

It was the quality of Harvey Barnes that got Newcastle back ahead after going in at half-time drawing 1-1, with the 27-year-old putting in a brilliant display that could keep Anthony Gordon out of the team for at least another week.

Harvey Barnes' performance vs Man Utd

Barnes has very rarely started many games this term but he saved arguably his finest display in a Toon shirt for the visit of Manchester United, scoring two fabulous goals.

He put in a very efficient performance for the Magpies, only having 38 touches in the game, taking two shots, both of which were on target and both of which resulted in goals for the Newcastle star.

Performance in Numbers

Want data and stats? Football FanCast’s Performance in Numbers series provides you with the latest match analysis from across Europe.

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The English winger has made 33 appearances for Newcastle this season, scoring eight goals, providing three assists and totaling 1,534 minutes played.

After scoring against his former side last week and providing assists against Brentford and West Ham, Barnes has been a huge part of Newcastle’s success in recent weeks.

But he isn’t the only Newcastle star who put in a huge shift against United, as there was another player at the opposite end of the pitc, helping the Magpies keep out any threat coming the other way.

Performance in Numbers

Want data and stats? Football FanCast’s Performance in Numbers series provides you with the latest match analysis from across Europe.

Expand Collapse 8/10 Newcastle star was as good as Barnes

While Barnes was a rampant threat at the top end of the pitch, the players at the back also deserve praise, most notably Carabao Cup final hero Dan Burn.

The boy from Blyth has been instrumental for Howe’s side this season, making 38 appearances, scoring once and contributing to 14 clean sheets in his 3,254 minutes played.

The 32-year-old defender was brilliant again on Sunday, putting in an 8/10 performance against Manchester United, as noted by The Shields Gazette, who wrote of his display that it he was ‘typically dominant in the air and remained on the front foot’.

Burn was first to everything that came into the box from a United perspective, winning all eight of his aerial duels contested, making six clearances, stepping in to intercept three times and winning his only ground duel of the match.

Dan Burn vs Manchester United performance

Stat

Burn

Minutes

90

Touches

57

Accurate Passes

35/43

Long Balls

2/5

Key Passes

1

Ground Duels Won

1/1

Aerial Duels Won

8/8

Interceptions

3

Tackles

1

Clearances

6

Stats taken from Sofascore

This solidity at the back gave Newcastle confidence, coming out in the second half and dispatching of Man United with ease, finding three more goals and only allowing the Red Devils to take five shots, generating a total of 0.31 xG in that half.

Whilst Barnes was key for Newcastle going forwards, Burn gave the Magpies a strong foundation to work from, something he has done brilliantly all season.

It is likely the England central defender will be key in their final six games as Howe’s men look to secure Champions League football.

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Stats highlights from New Zealand’s eight-wicket win in the first Test against India in Bengaluru

Sampath Bandarupalli20-Oct-20241:15

Manjrekar: Rohit not at his tactical best in Bengaluru Test

3 Test wins for New Zealand in India in 37 matches. Their previous two wins were in Nagpur in 1969 and Mumbai (Wankhede Stadium) in 1988.2 Years in which India have lost more than one Test at home in the last 20 years. Their eight-wicket defeat in Bengaluru was their second in 2024, having lost to England in Hyderabad in January. They had previously lost two successive home Tests to England in 2012.24 Years since a visiting team has successfully chased a target of more than 100 in India. South Africa did it last, in Mumbai in 2000. Between then and now, India successfully defended targets of more than 100 in 23 out of 32 home games, with nine draws.4.83 Economy rate of India’s spinners in the Bengaluru Test against New Zealand. Only once have India’s spinners had a higher economy in a Test where they bowled 300-plus balls: 5.60 against South Africa in Centurion in 2010. The previous highest for India’s spinners in a home Test was 4.53 against England in Visakhapatnam earlier this year.4.93 Economy rate for spin bowlers of both teams in Bengaluru – the second highest for spinners in a Test where they bowled 600-plus balls. The Lahore Test between Pakistan and India in 2006 had spinners conceding at 5.13 runs an over.2005 Previous instance of India losing a Test at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, against Pakistan in 2005. India played eight Tests at this venue since then, winning five while three ended in a draw. New Zealand had played three Tests in Bengaluru previously, and lost each of them.

Delayed Test hundred only asserts cricket’s unhealthy obsession with numbers but Gill is here to stay

Sidharth Monga16-Dec-20222:34

Jaffer: Gill will be India’s next big batter after Kohli

It’s folly to try to sum up an innings through one shot, but Shubman Gill’s reverse-sweep on 95 might come pretty close. Not quite the innings, but the situation Gill’s career was in, and his attitude towards batting.This was the first time Gill had been on 95 in Test cricket. Despite looking at home in Test cricket, Gill came into the game with only 11 matches and an average of 30.47 to his name. The other time he reached the 90s was an under-rated innings that set up India’s historic chase at the Gabba 2020-21.Related

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'I rotate strike well against spin' – Gill open to middle-order role in ODIs

There has since been realisation that Gill’s best station might be the middle order, but India haven’t yet been able to accommodate him there. The one time he might have played in the middle order, an opener got injured and he had to open again. Shreyas Iyer grabbed the middle-order slot with both hands.Teams try to if they can, but they generally don’t exist to accommodate players. It is players who have to make themselves useful for teams. And you get rare chances to make yourself useful to this Indian team if you are a batter. For one, India play only five of them. They also like to give incumbents a decent run. That is where Gill would have known this Test – thanks probably to the injury to Rohit Sharma – could perhaps be that one last opening for a while.India won the toss, got off to a good start, Gill again looked a million dollars, but then ended up top-edging a paddle sweep – a shot he plays well. It wasn’t quite a loose shot or anything, but it was still his 11th score of 20 or more without a hundred.Gill was conscious of the missing big scores. He told the host broadcaster he was talking to Virat Kohli before the match about how he hasn’t yet scored a Test hundred. It seemed like he might have missed out on that chance but the Bangladesh tail hung in long enough into the third morning to discourage India from enforcing the follow-on.After he came good in some really testing conditions in Australia in his first series, you wouldn’t probably begrudge Gill a chance to get one on the board against a dispirited attack who are 254 behind already and are carrying two injured bowlers.”Once the field was up, I knew a ball in my area, I will hit it over the top,” Gill said about his shot to get to the hundred•Associated PressStill, no hundred is an easy hundred. Every Test innings deserves some respect. Gill accorded this one the required respect by starting off watchfully. He was 17 off 54 when he hit his first boundary. Once the runs started coming, though, they flowed. He scored 93 off the next 98 balls.”When lunch happened, my first 50 balls I was batting at around 13,” Gill said. “By the time I had faced 100 balls, I was about 70. It was all about pacing the innings and knowing when to attack. Because the bowlers are going to get tired after a particular period of time. As a batter you have to know when is the right time to attack.”The 90s wasn’t probably the time to attack. Watchfully he took five singles to move from 90 to 95 in 14 balls. This is when probably Bangladesh sensed some nerves or signs of play that went against Gill’s nature. So Mehidy Hasan Miraz went round the wicket to see if he could draw a mistake. Immediately Gill pulled the reverse-sweep, the first of his innings, because of the big gap at point. It is a shot he has played only eight times in all his T20 cricket, only three times in Tests.Gill is a classic batter, but he is also a modern batter. You can’t tie him down for long by bowling one side of the wicket. It didn’t look like a reverse-sweep of a reluctant reverse-sweeper. It went clean through point for four to take him to 99.”There weren’t too many different thoughts [in the 90s],” Gill said. “It was all about how I can get to my hundred. For me it was all about how I can play according to the field. See where they are trying to bowl to me, and to be able to score runs from there.”It was very instinctive when the bowler went round the wicket, and I saw a gap between point and third man. And I went for the reverse sweep, which was quite unconventional. I didn’t play a reverse-sweep in the whole innings and then I thought I will play the reverse sweep because the fielders weren’t there.”And then once the field was up, I knew a ball in my area, I will hit it over the top.”Now that Gill has got his first Test hundred – always a matter of when and not if – it is time to acknowledge cricket’s unhealthy obsession with hundreds. It should not be such a big psychological barrier for talented young batters. If Gill had got there in Brisbane and had followed up with similar numbers, would the estimation of his batting prowess change? Or if he hadn’t got the hundred in Chattogram and had got out on 95, would it have been any easier to decide who will make way if Rohit returns for the second Test?

Aggression against spin and a calculated approach to the chase set up a famous Ireland win

Matt Roller at the Ageas Bowl04-Aug-2020A partnership of 214 in 32.4 overs in any run chase is pretty good, not least against the world champions in their own backyard. Both Andy Balbirnie and Paul Stirling had inked their names into Irish cricket’s history books long ago, but they double-underlined them with thick marker pen at the Ageas Bowl.Coming into this series, Stirling and Balbirnie had scored two-fifths of Ireland’s ODI runs since the start of 2018. Stirling averaged 45 in wins and 36 in defeats; Balbirnie’s disparity was even more stark, at 56 and 26 respectively.In the first ODI, both were out within 2.1 overs batting first, and with them went their chances as Ireland slumped to 28 for 5. Things were little better in the second, with Stirling slashing to backward point and Balbirnie suffering what he labelled a “brain fade”, steering behind as he pulled out of a cut shot to James Vince’s medium pace.ALSO READ: Stirling, Balbirnie set up famous Ireland chaseParticularly crucial was their ability to attack against spin. In the first two ODIs, Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid had come on against an exposed middle order who had little choice but to play tentatively, nudging them around at a paltry 3.26 runs per over.But Balbirnie and Stirling, the experienced heads, are both exceptional players of spin bowling, averaging 48 and 102 against spinners in ODIs over the last two years. Both have had to overcome struggles against one Afghan spinner in particular – Stirling against Rashid Khan, Balbirnie against Mujeeb Ur Rahman – but constant exposure on difficult pitches has forced both to improve.”That’s one of the benefits of playing Afghanistan so often,” Balbirnie said coming into the series. “You get the opportunity to play against world-class spinners on a regular basis, you learn different things and learn how to play them in different scenarios.”We play a lot of cricket in those conditions,” he added on Tuesday. “We have qualifiers in the UAE, and then wickets in Ireland tend to spin, so you need to learn to play them well. It’s something that we’ve done quite well. As long as we continue to take the positive option, I’ll be happy.”ESPNcricinfo LtdWhere Rashid had previously eased into a rhythm, on this occasion Stirling heaved two of his first ten balls for leg-side sixes. Balbirnie swept hard either side of square, too, piercing the gap between the two sweepers off Ali time and again.Ali brought back the seamers to stymie the flow of runs, and managed to dry up the boundaries. Stirling nudged Curran off the pads for one to bring up his hundred off 96 balls, barely celebrating with the job only half-done.Balbirnie, meanwhile, rotated brilliantly. Only 48 of his 113 runs came in boundaries, and he was generally more than happy to push ones and twos to the four men out; Stirling pounded the empty stands, and got off strike when he could.”Adil Rashid is such an important bowler to this England team,” Balbirnie said. “He’s a world-class operator. We knew that he was a threat, but we didn’t want to see him off and sit back to him – we wanted to play positively.”That’s the way Paul plays his cricket, and I was happy to just play along with him and play to my strengths rather than playing out of my game. He’s a great communicator out there. We always talk to each other and see where our options are.”Stirling has been a wild thing for much of his career; a top-order firestarter who burned bright, but rarely long. As he has grown older and wiser, he has reined in his attacking instincts and his returns have burgeoned as a result: until the end of 2016, he averaged 32.90 with a strike rate of 92; between then and the start of this series, those figures were 42.70 and 80.While it would be wrong to paint this as a lesson in moderation – he was given two lives courtesy of James Vince, and scored the bulk of his runs through midwicket – Stirling clearly knew that the task lay on his shoulders. His hundred celebration was a picture of restraint, sheepishly raising his bat with Balbirnie encouraging him to acknowledge the dressing room’s applause more than he had.His record against England had never been particularly impressive – 195 runs in 10 ODI innings previously – and during lockdown had told ESPNcricinfo that he thought results would be secondary in this series. “It’ll be almost trying to put on a show,” he said.Andy Balbirnie notched up his sixth century in ODIs•AFP via Getty ImagesWith nine fours and six sixes to his name, there was no question that he did that. He hit Rashid for three of them, but reserved special treatment for Willey, carting him for 37 runs from the 26 balls he faced. The only criticism could be that both centurions fell within three overs of each other, but with Kevin O’Brien’s cool head at No. 5, that proved not to be a problem.”I love batting with Paul,” Balbirnie said. “He’s my favourite player to bat with. When he’s in that sort of mood, you can go under the radar a bit. He’s a huge asset.”Balbirnie himself deserves much of the credit for this win. He took the call to drop his predecessor, William Porterfield, ahead of the series, and stuck with his youth policy even after moderate returns in the first two games; in the field, he was attacking throughout, bringing men into catching positions whenever a wicket fell.But with the bat, he has come into his own in the last two-and-a-half years. His average since the start of 2018 is now 41.4, with six hundreds to his name. Ireland could not ask for a better man to lead them forward into this new era.

Leeds United are on a roll at the moment. Daniel Farke’s side have gone unbeaten in their last two games, beating Chelsea and drawing against Liverpool, with both games coming at Elland Road.

The game prior to playing the Blues, Manchester City only beat them due to a stoppage-time winner.

At the start of the gameweek, the Whites were out of the relegation zone. Now, a clash away to Brentford in the prime time slot on Sunday afternoon represents a chance for the West Yorkshire side to put even more distance between themselves and the drop zone.

Leeds will not have a full squad for their trip to West London to face the Bees, however.

Leeds’ team news vs. Brentford

Unfortunately for Farke, he has a few players missing for the game against Keith Andrews’ side. Someone who remains sidelined after picking up an injury in November is midfielder Sean Longstaff.

He is yet to recover from the calf injury he suffered against Aston Villa.

The Whites will also be without winger Daniel James. He suffered a long-term injury against Man City, with the hamstring tendon issue keeping him out for at least two months.

Leeds will be hoping to have him back sooner rather than later, but that layoff could be longer depending on whether he needs surgery.

The player who might have made it back for this game was Lukas Nmecha. However, Farke confirmed that the striker’s injury has “still not completely healed,” before going on to confirm that the German is “definitely out” against Brentford.

That is a huge blow for Leeds. Although he missed the game against Liverpool, Nmecha has been one of their most in-form players.

He’s bagged four goals in 14 Premier League games this season, a tally surpassed by no other Leeds player.

Despite these injuries in attack, there is a Leeds forward who Farke might well need to drop after a poor performance against Liverpool.

The Leeds star who Farke must axe

Despite managing such a brilliant result against Arne Slot’s side last weekend, there was one Leeds player in particular who struggled to make an impact.

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That was a rarity across the board, with Farke’s side generally impressing.

It was a really poor performance from Noah Okafor. The Swiss star was one of Leeds’ summer additions from AC Milan, but he has struggled to hit the ground running since moving to West Yorkshire.

25-year-old Okafor, who earns £72.5k per week at Elland Road and is one of the top earners, has only managed two goals for the club so far.

Those have come in 12 Premier League appearances, including the club’s 800th in the competition against Tottenham Hotspur.

Against Liverpool, Okafor put in a 5/10 performance and ‘didn’t add a huge amount’, according to Graham Smyth of The Yorkshire Evening Post.

He did struggle to get into the game, having just 14 touches, completing five out of six passes and losing the ball five times.

Touches

14

Passes completed

5/6

Number of times ball lost

5

Duels won

2/6

Shots

2

Expected goals

0.13xG

It was certainly a disappointing performance from the Swiss attacker, who showed great promise in the first few days of his Leeds career, with content creator Alex Moneypenny even suggesting that he is “so close to exploding”.

Perhaps playing as a number nine alongside Dominic Calvert-Lewin is not how to get the best out of him.

If Farke is to drop Okafor this weekend against Brentford, there are options to replace him despite the injury issues.

Wilfried Gnonto is the most likely one, with the Italian getting back to full fitness after a fitness issue himself. Jack Harrison could also slot into the team, although he might not thrive as a number nine, or Farke could even bring teenager Harry Gray into the fold.

Regardless, Leeds will want to keep this impressive, and crucial, run of form going.

Thus, Okafor may be rotated out of the side after a poor showing last weekend, with Farke choosing someone who can have more of an overall impact.

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Daniel Farke could sign his next Ethan Ampadu at Leeds United by landing this explosive Premier League star.

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Bilal Sami replaces Saleem in Afghanistan’s squad for the three-match series in Abu Dhabi

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Oct-2025Afghanistan’s right-arm fast bowler Mohammad Saleem has been ruled out of the upcoming three-match ODI series against Bangladesh in Abu Dhabi due to a groin (adductor) overload.As a result, Saleem will report to the ACB’s High Performance Center for rehabilitation, a release by the Afghanistan Cricket Board said.In Saleem’s place, right-arm medium-pace bowler Bilal Sami will be joining Afghanistan’s squad for the ODIs against Bangladesh.Twenty-three-year-old Saleem has played two ODIs so far, with both of those matches coming against Bangladesh in July 2023. He last played for Afghanistan in his solitary Test, which was against Sri Lanka in Colombo in February 2024.Saleem’s replacement Sami, meanwhile, has played for Afghanistan only once, which was on ODI debut against Zimbabwe in December 2024. Sami, 21, has played 25 List A games, where he has 44 wickets at an average of 25.72. He represented Afghanistan Under-19 at the World Cup in 2022, where he got four wickets in five matches.Sami was recently in action at the Ghazi Amanullah Khan Regional One Day Tournament, Afghanistan’s domestic List A competition, which ended in September. There, he was his team Speen Ghar Region’s second-highest wicket-taker with ten wickets at an average of 22.90, and an economy rate of 4.97.Afghanistan’s first ODI against Bangladesh will take place on Wednesday, October 8.

The Mexican-American playmaker survived injury, contract issues, and free agency across 13 clubs, and is finally ready to walk away from the game

Rodrigo Lopez was sleeping in a closet. 

He was in his late 20s, and one of thousands of footballers who every year get syphoned out of the professional game. He had tried everywhere: MLS, PDL, USL, before it was properly USL. And after his final contract ended at Los Angeles Blues – and no deal imminent – he had, in effect, given up. 

Things were bleak. He had a girlfriend and a kid to look after. His bedroom was, quite literally, a tiny room, usually used for storage, in a house shared with his now-former teammates. 

“There was a big, big master bedroom. It was in Orange, California, and the closet was kind of big, to be honest,” Lopez told GOAL.

So, he made it his home. Soccer, it seemed, was out of the picture. 

Then, against all odds, a phone call came. It was Sacramento Republic, a new franchise with big goals. They wanted veteran experience in their team. Lopez had been around the block, and figured to add the kind of leadership they craved. He took a while to accept. But he was eventually swayed, put pen to paper, and moved a couple of hundred miles north. 

And that is how the USL’s greatest player’s career took off.

• Sacramento Republic FC
  

  The epitome of greatness

  “Greatness” is worth defining here. There are a few out there who can lay a claim to that title. Didier Drogba played in USL. So did Tim Howard. Diego Luna, Tyler Adams, Alphonso Davies, Ricardo Pepi and Joe Cole all – at some point – suited up for a USL Championship club. 

  But if greatness is about longevity, work ethic, and a resistance against father time, then Lopez’s career stacks up against pretty much anyone out there. He played for six USL clubs, amassed over 400 appearances, and spent seven seasons at Sacramento Republic. His success there from 2014-2015 helped him achieve a career-defining Liga MX stint – and the fulfillment of his childhood dream. 

  And more broadly, Lopez’s career speaks to the unpredictability of American soccer. He took pay cuts, wasn’t paid at all sometimes, played through pain, recovered from at least two potentially career-ending injuries, and worked other jobs to help supplement his growth. There were 13-hour days to keep himself sharp, and training sessions were forced through to avoid benching due to knocks. And by the end of it all, now, 38 years old, Lopez knows it’s time to go. 

  “It's time. I didn't want to risk any more injuries and I didn't want to go play anywhere else, and have to come back later on. I just wanted to settle with my family now,” he said.

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• Sacramento Republic FC
  

  'How hard can it be?'

  It really should have ended in 2014, though. The American soccer system had picked Lopez up, thrown him from club to club, and spat him out. He flirted with the academy of then-MLS’s Chivas, and had a brief cameo in MLS itself, but he was otherwise the prototype of the USL journeyman. Lopez was nearly 30, living in someone else’s house, and supporting a family. That really should have been it. 

  In the meantime, he worked construction. His father was a professional soccer player in Mexico, who moved the family to Southern California to work on a farm when Lopez was 11 months old. It’s a cliche, but Lopez knew the definition of sacrifice. 

  That didn’t mean it suited him, though. Lopez’s first day working on a site wasn’t the best. For one, he didn’t really look the part. He pulled up in a BMW, complete with fresh sneakers, nice jeans, and a clean tee, ready for what he believed would be a calm day on his new job. His friend immediately told him to get changed – and sent him home. 

  “He was like, ‘Hey, get your ass in the car. Go home, get your worst pair of jeans, go buy some boots, get the dirtiest shirt you have, and come back,’” Lopez recalled. 

  Lopez spent all day wheeling dirt around from one place to another. How difficult could this be? He thought before his first shift. Well, 12 hours later, he had an answer. 

  “I was like ‘wow this is hard’,” he said. 

  Still, it paid the bills. There was still room for soccer, too, in the form of a Sunday league not too far from home. 

  But then, the kid from Santa Barbara, California, was offered a lifeline. Graham Smith, who was building a new franchise in Sacramento, rang Lopez up. His team was getting off the ground, and he needed Lopez to bring some valuable experience. 

  Lopez hesitated. The new coach, two-time MLS MVP winner “Preki”, had cut him in a previous life. The money wasn’t great. He would walk into a new locker room, making less, with a coach who, historically, didn’t rate him. Lopez thought Preki’s criticism was harsh back in the day. The Serbian-born coach questioned his defensive work rate. Lopez disagreed. Going back would require work – and swallowing a fair bit of pride. 

  Those around him told him to wake up. 

  “I was talking to my family, my wife, and my parents. They were like, ‘They're offering you the chance of a lifetime, you'd be the first player signed, this could change your life, if you really put the work into it, and you go in there focused, you could prove everyone wrong, ’” Lopez said. 

  What followed was something out of a movie montage. Lopez put in 13-hour days to make it all happen. It was a taxing routine: gym in the morning, work all day, run on the beach or in the mountains at night. Toss in soccer on the weekends, and Lopez showed up to his new side feeling invincible – sharp and ready to perform. 

  “It was crazy how strong I felt, how good I felt. The last month or two that I was preparing to go to preseason with Sacramento, I was flying, man, and I showed up to preseason and I killed it,” Lopez said. 

  The Republic were excellent in year one. And Lopez was the architect. He was an MVP finalist and an all-league selection. He made the team of the week four times and captured the playoff MVP. They also won the USL Championship – just for good measure. 

  “And,” he paused. “The story changes there.”

• Sacramento Republic FC
  

  Liga MX offers a new dawn

  That might have been it. Lopez was the star for Sacramento, the best player in the league. He was in a successful setup that could offer him good soccer for, in theory, years to follow. He also lived in his native state and close enough to familiar territory. 

  But other options beckoned. The San Jose Earthquakes were so impressed by one of his U.S. Open Cup games against them that they offered to buy him just two days later. They also promised him that he would start for the club week in, week out. Sacramento offered to let him go. Lopez declined the offer. 

  That’s because he had always wanted to play in Liga MX. It was not only a childhood dream but also a nice story. His Dad had played pro in Mexico in the 80s and 90s. He grew up watching Mexican soccer. Lopez remembered the roar of the crowds and smells of the stadium from visits to watch Mexican club teams play during his formative years. A Liga MX move would complete the cycle, son following father.

  “I grew up watching Mexican soccer. My dad played with a lot of the players that played for the national team and stuff like that. So every time they went to LA, we would always go and see them and visit them. So I was kind of around them a lot,” he said. 

  He had represented the U.S. at youth levels, but he felt like he belonged in a league south of the border. 

  And the paycheck wasn’t bad either. 

  “The money was just life-changing,” Lopez joked.

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• Sacramento Republic FC
  

  A mixed Mexican career

  So, the options came in. He had a chance to renew with Sacramento in 2015, but he declined it on the understanding that a Mexican side would make an offer. The Chicago Fire also enquired, and an NASL team was willing to spend big. By the end, he had to choose between two Mexican clubs. 

  The first was Atlas, an established power, in the first division, whom most of his family had rooted for. The other was Celaya, a club with a fine history but stuck in the second tier. Atlas couldn’t promise minutes. Celaya could, and with Mexican soccer still in a promotion-relegation system, they offered the same cash and a chance to make it at the big time. 

  He performed well there, and a year later, two more offers came in – both from first division sides. Lopez didn’t necessarily want to leave, but the offer to play top-flight soccer immediately was hard to turn down. 

  Once again, he was left with a choice. Toluca and Queretaro both wanted him. The latter would have given him immediate playing time. But Toluca appealed more – mostly because of family ties. 

  “I remember every Sunday waking up and watching them play. My wife's dad is a Toluca fan. So I don't know, something reeled me into Toluca,” he said. 

  Lopez penned the deal, and had one of the best preseasons of his life. Sure, he was 30 – basically an unheard of age to debut in the Mexican top flight – but everything was clicking. There was competition for spots, but Lopez was right in the mix. 

  And then, in the penultimate preseason friendly in the United States, disaster struck. He felt a sharp pain in his heel and could barely walk after the match. Lopez hobbled to the plane, convinced that something was wrong. He prepared for a spell out and was already accepting the likelihood that his debut had to wait. 

  But then, when they landed back in Mexico, the GM and owner met him on the tarmac, and told him that he had done enough to start the season opener against his boyhood club, Chivas. 

  “I got goosebumps. I started getting kind of nervous, but I was like, How am I going to play if I can't even move? I couldn't walk,” he said. 

  He went to see the club doctor the next day and was told, definitively, not to train. Lopez needed an MRI. Playing would be a massive risk. But the assistant coach ran in and implored him to lace up. They had injuries at the position. Never mind the fact that this was also the opportunity of a lifetime. 

  It helped, too, that Lopez had played through pain before. As a teenager, he broke his nose during a Rondo. Back then, the assistant checked that he wasn’t bleeding and sent him back into the drill. 

  “I had the gauze in my nose, the whole thing, purple eye. People probably thought I was in a fight or whatever. The next day I had to be back in training,” he said. 

  In that spirit, Lopez just jogged around the pitch, ignoring the sharp pain in his foot. 

  “I put on my runners. I go out there. I'm, like, barely jogging in pain,” he recalled. 

  The injury got worse, day by day. He needed injections to get through a scrimmage. But he somehow managed to start the first game of the season. His whole family was there, delighted for him. 

  But Lopez couldn’t even pass the ball. He labored through 30 minutes and was hooked. 

  “I did what I could,” he admitted. 

  Lopez enjoyed 10 games of glory before fizzling out. In most games, he was the first sub. He knew he wasn’t anywhere close to his lofty potential. And by that time, other players had recovered. Lopez was on the bench. The dream – at least in Mexico – was over. There was one other stop, a brief cameo with Veracruz. But they were in dire financial trouble. Lopez didn’t get paid for seven months. He still hasn’t been fully compensated. The club folded in 2019.

Alex Bregman is one of the hottest names still available on MLB's free-agent market. Earlier this week, MLB Network insider Jon Heyman reported that the Boston Red Sox are among the most likely landing spots for Bregman, along with the Detroit Tigers.

Bregman, 30, has spent each of his nine MLB seasons with the Houston Astros. He's unlikely to return to the Astros, however, after the team signed Christian Walker to a three-year, $60 million deal.

Bregman has a relationship with Red Sox manager Alex Cora after he was the bench coach in Houston in 2017. In an appearance on , Cora was asked what a player like Bregman would do for the Red Sox.

"Well, I can not go into specifics on the free agent," Cora said as Bregman remains unsigned. "But I think he's a pull hitter that puts the ball in play and is a good defender. The intangibles are the intangibles, we all know that. He's a winner, since LSU and all the way to the Astros."

Cora was then asked where Bregman, or a player like Bregman (as the manager couldn't talk pointedly about a current free agent), would play positionally, as there could be defensive overlap with Boston's longtime third baseman Rafael Devers.

"Rafy Devers is our third baseman," Cora responded. "Alex was a Gold-Glover at third base, and we all know that, but in 2017 I had a conversation with him. He needed to play third because of [Carlos] Correa and [Jose] Altuve. I always envisioned Alex as a Gold-Glover second baseman."

"You know, his size, the way he moves, it felt like 'you will be a second baseman' but he has played third base at a high level so we'll see where he ends up."

Bregman also has a strong relationship with the manager of his other reported top suitor, A.J. Hinch of the Tigers. Hinch managed the Astros from 2015 to '19 and has newfound success in Detroit after the Tigers made an improbable playoff run last season.

No matter where Bregman ends up, he'll be a welcomed addition.