Australia’s foreign legion begin to prove their worth in WSL

Last week, when asked about Sam Kerr’s performance during Chelsea’s Community Shield win over Manchester City, head coach Emma Hayes responded in a way that was at odds with the melodramatic “Wembley nightmare” headlines written in the game’s wake.

“She caused problems and created chances,” Hayes said. “If you’ve got a striker who’s not creating chances, that’s a concern. Sam has been outstanding in pre-season and I expect that she’ll be on the training pitch tomorrow, working on her finishing.”

A week later, it was Kerr’s goal that secured Chelsea’s first point in their opening Women’s Super League clash against Manchester United. Even though – like in the Community Shield – the …

Positives and negatives for England from Euro 2012 opener

England produced a solid display to claim a 1-1 draw with France in Group D of Euro 2012.

In truth the game was a very even affair and a draw was a fair result. However, some England fans and players will be left wondering what if?

Cautious

What if England attacked the French? It seems that Les Bleus regard their defence as their weak link.

England approached the game in typical Roy Hodgson fashion though, very cautious. It won England a very credible point but it doesn’t stop me wondering if we could have won the game.

Defensive

France is a good team but I think there was very little between Roy Hodgson’s men and Laurent Blanc’s team. France are not the worlds best team but England set their team up to defend like they were. The li…

Canada players end strike to continue Qatar 2022 preparations

Canada players have ended their strike to continue preparations for the 2022 World Cup but warned questions have yet to be answered and actions have yet to be taken .

The team, who qualified for the World Cup finals for the first time since 1986, had taken action in a dispute over Qatar 2022 prize money.

As a friendly against Panama had to be called off, Canada Soccer responded to reports players would receive only 10 per cent of the pot it received from FIFA.

Canada Soccer said it had proposed 30 per cent would go to the men s team, 30 per cent to the women s team and 40 per cent to the association.

The players, the association claimed, asked for somewhere between 75 and 100 per cent of the money. A letter from the players asked for 40 per cent.

Prediction: Hungary vs Netherlands

Best Odds: 7/10

Bookmaker:

Getting their Nations League adventure back underway on Friday night, the Netherlands will travel to Hungary on Friday night.

Hungary

Starting with the hosts, while Hungary might have received a string of plaudits when heading into their EURO 24 adventure over the summer, Marco Rossi’s camp failed to find any kind of stability on their major tournament return. Missing out on the chance to book a knockout stage ticket, the Tricolours have also failed to find any kind of Nations League boost. Getting proceedings underway with a nightmare performance against Germany on September 7th as they fell to a 5-0 drumming, Hungary have now claimed just a single victory from any of their previous five appearances across all competitions. Missing…

Gomez: I´m not out of Euro 2012 yet

Germany striker Mario Gomez insists his Euro 2012 campaign is still alive despite losing his place to Miroslav Klose.

The 26-year-old Gomez was preferred to the Lazio veteran for each of his side s three group games but, despite scoring three goals, was dropped for the 4-2 victory over Greece that sealed their place in the final four.

Klose scored against Fernando Santos team and could start again against Italy on Thursday, but Gomez is adamant that he still has a part to play.

I m not out of the tournament yet, he told Kicker. I know that (being on the bench) wasn t good for me, but I can still contribute significantly, and help us take the title.

I will not let it rankle, Miro (Klose) said it perfectly: It s good for the team to have two good striker…

Kylian Mbappe Has No Reason to Be Unhappy with the 2022 FIFA World Cup

Having lost the penalty shootout after a thrilling comeback against Argentina in the World Cup final on Sunday, France were forced to hand the greatest trophy in football over to their opponents, and there s no way to hide the fact that such moments hurt. That goes especially for Kylian Mbappe, the man behind that comeback, who put away two penalties and a brilliantly hit volley to get his team back level after a rather disappointing team performance in the earlier stages of the game.

Speaking before the tournament, the Paris Saint-Germain made an interesting comparison, claiming that football is more developed in Europe than in South America due to the presence of a number of top-quality sides, whereas in South America, Brazil and Argentina notably stand out from the rest. Hi…

On this day in 2016: Steven Gerrard calls time on playing career

Steven Gerrard announced his retirement from playing professional football, on this day in 2016.

The announcement came a little over a week after the former Liverpool captain, then aged 36, had left LA Galaxy, the only other club on his resume.

In a statement, he said: “I can confirm my retirement from playing professional football. I have had an incredible career and am thankful for each and every moment of my time at Liverpool, England and LA Galaxy.”

Steven Gerrard confirms retirement from professional football.

— Liverpool FC (@LFC)

It marked the end of a playing career which saw Gerrard come through the academy system of his hometown club to become a European champion and play for England more than 100 times.

In 2000-01, the mi…

NFL Week 7 Bet Now or Bet Later: Jump On the Bears-Buccaneers Under As Soon As Possible

As we enter Week 7 of the NFL schedule, the shine has worn off many contenders while some surprises successes have bubbled up to the top of the power rankings.

With all that data stacking high and books sharpening their numbers every week, getting the best spread or total for your opinion is how you stay profitable as the 2021 season trudges forward. That’s why I give you my best NFL Week 7 odds to bet now, and the best to bet later.

Cowboys vs Chargers Preseason Picks and Predictions: Get on Right Side of Over-Reaction

The Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Chargers will be sick of one another by the end of the week.

Following two joint practices on Wednesday and Thursday, the two meet for Week 2 of the preseason on Saturday night. 

Both teams got off to a rough start in the preseason, losing their respective openers. Despite the fact that mostly backups will be on the field, there could be an added intensity to this game after competing against one another in practice this week.

Check out our NFL picks and predictions for the between the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday, August 20.

Jets vs Browns Hall of Fame Game Picks and Predictions: Wilson, Streveler Have Jets Flying High

The New York Jets and Cleveland Browns have a lot to prove this upcoming NFL season. Whether or not they choose the Hall of Fame Game to be the first step in that process remains to be seen.

Football bettors get their first taste of NFL action (sort of) with the preseason kickoff tonight, when New York and Cleveland clash in Canton, Ohio.

Don’t expect to see many stars or standouts for either side, which means handicapping this exhibition opener takes some finesse. It also takes discipline and patience. Just because this is the first whiff of NFL odds wagering since the Super Bowl doesn’t mean you should go big with your bets.

I break down the point spread and Over/Under for the NFL Hall of Fame Game and give my best NFL picks and predictions for …