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Italian defender Riccado Calafiori has boarded a plane set for London as he travels to England to complete his move to Arsenal.

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Calafiori to join Arsenal from BolognaDefender becomes first Gunners summer signingArsenal set to face Man Utd on SaturdayWHAT HAPPENED?

Calafiori is set to end weeks of transfer speculation by finally completing his £42 million ($54m) move to the Gunners following an impressive season for Bologna and European Championship with Italy. The defender will complete medical tests before signing his contract to begin his new chapter in north London. Arsenal saw off competition from Juventus and Chelsea to agree terms with the Italian, who is capable of playing at both left-back and centre-half.

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Calafiori was been identified by Mikel Arteta as a key target this summer and central to his desire to "upgrade everything" as the Gunners dream of finally beating Manchester City to the Premier League crown. The defender was pivotal to helping Bologna qualify for the Champions League for the first time in 60 years and had been expected to reunite with Thiago Motta at Juventus before Arsenal pipped the Bianconeri to his services. Having secured their man, Calafiori travels to London and then will join the rest of Arteta's squad in the US.

DID YOU KNOW?

Despite playing in the middle of defence for both Bologna and Italy the past year, Arsenal may look to make the most of his qualities at full-back. Calafiori broke through at Roma as a left-back and, given that position was an Achilles' heel in Arsenal's side last season, he may provide an adequate antidote. Although, his versatility could mean he lines up alongside William Saliba at the heart of defence when Gabriel Magalhaes is not available.

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WHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?

Calafiori will not join the club in time for their clash against Manchester United on Saturday. The Gunners will look to offer a glimpse of what their season could look like as some of their key players return to training from international duty. Although both sides are far from full strength, Arteta and Erik ten Hag will not take this game lightly.

Fast-bowling depth to be tested if demanding international schedule goes ahead

Matt Roller13-May-2020England will consider handing international opportunities to fringe players and testing their fast-bowling depth to help them cope with a demanding revised summer schedule of behind-closed-doors cricket.The ECB have made extensive contingency plans in the hope of salvaging a home international season when it becomes safe to do so, with the current ambition of starting a Test series against West Indies on July 8. It is likely that as many as 30 players will be called up to any England squad in order to allow for intra-squad practice games, and the possibility of playing white-ball and red-ball series concurrently remains on the table.ALSO READ: ECB’s Test plans boosted by latest government strategyThat means that England’s depth will be put the test. Mo Bobat, the ECB’s performance director, has been in regular discussions with Chris Silverwood, England’s head coach, and Ed Smith, the national selector, over the past two months, and told ESPNcricinfo that there may be chances for players on the fringes of the national team to allow them to get through a “pretty brutal” fixture list.”We’ve got quite a broad talent pool – some guys that have done really well in the winter on the Lions programme, and plenty of guys knocking on the door, so we may have the opportunity to provide quite a few guys with some international exposure as and when we get to it,” Bobat said.”I get quite excited by that. If it means we’re going to provide international exposure to a new group of players, which we may have to, then I think that’s great. It’s probably common knowledge that we may have to explore things like playing concurrent squads, and that means our depth will get challenged, but I see that as an opportunity.”England’s fast-bowling depth will come under particular strain. Seamers will return to individualised training sessions at county grounds within the next two weeks to allow them as much lead-in time as possible before the planned start of the West Indies series, but with back-to-back Tests likely and players starting from a low base, rotation will be an inevitable feature of the summer.”For some of our fast bowlers, we know we want to get loads through their bodies and their bones need hardening again,” Bobat said. “It’s important to remember what we’re preparing for: we’re preparing for Test cricket, and a schedule that will involve back-to-back Tests. It’s a pretty brutal schedule: it’s not just preparing them to play one Test or a one-day game. It’s incumbent on us to make sure we give the players the best chance of making sure their bodies are in the right place to deal with that tough schedule.”While England have used as many as eight frontline seamers in Test cricket in the last 12 months, there are complications. Both Mark Wood and Jofra Archer were undergoing rehabilitation programmes following injuries when the UK went into lockdown, while Stuart Broad and James Anderson have suggested that returning from the training they are currently doing to international cricket may be harder for them given their age.England’s fast-bowling stocks will be tested this summer•Getty ImagesThat means opportunities for the three seamers handed pace-bowling development contracts by the ECB in January – Olly Stone, Saqib Mahmood and Craig Overton – may be forthcoming, while Ollie Robinson and Brydon Carse, who impressed on the Lions’ tour of Australia, will come into the conversation.The week before the UK went into lockdown, Bobat and Raphael Brandon, the ECB’s head of science and medicine, held meetings with the three seamers’ counties to discuss the outlines of programmes for the season ahead, and while those plans have been thrown off, all three will be considered for squads this year.ALSO READ: Pace-bowling development contracts for Mahmood, Stone, Overton”We know that we want variety in our pace attack, and across that variety we then want depth. It’s as simple as that,” Bobat said. “You can look at those three guys and know that they might have the capability to perform slightly different roles, and they represent depth beneath the guys who are currently in the England team.”The biggest attraction is simply that we think they are three high-quality bowlers. They’re at different stages: Craig has had experience of actually bowling some volume, [so] his needs are going to be different to Olly who’s returning from a couple of injury setbacks. We’re trying to make sure that they get the right amount of cricket to develop skills – as well as their bodies – moving forward.”I don’t think anyone is going to turn down a battery of 90mph fast bowlers, but that one attribute hasn’t been the key driver. If you add those three guys to the many fast bowlers we used this winter, it strengthens our depth. We want to get to our competitive series, like the [2021-22] Ashes as an example, with as many options to pick from as possible.”The ECB had been due to appoint a bowling coach in the early months of this season, but the recruitment process has been paused on account of the pandemic. Instead, England will continue to use short-term consultant coaches, with Richard Dawson, Jon Lewis and Jeetan Patel among those likely to be involved. Patel, Shane Bond and Darren Gough were among those used last winter, with players giving positive feedback about their experience working with them.”We deliberately didn’t rush into [appointments] over the winter in a number of coaching roles that I’d have been looking to fill,” Bobat said. “In the short term, we might use consultants. We’ve got an array of high-quality coaches within the game, and particularly if we’re losing cricket and guys are itching to get involved, it would be good to be able to lean on our county workforce if we need to.”

Manchester United reportedly want at least £40 million ($52m) before they would consider selling midfielder Scott McTominay.

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McTominay nearly left Man Utd in 2023Could be sold in summer transfer windowRed Devils slap £40m price tag on himWHAT HAPPENED?

United rejected a £30m ($39m) bid from West Ham for the Scotland international last summer before he went onto have his best ever season at Old Trafford – scoring 10 goals and providing three assists. Now, according to The Sun, the 27-year-old is wanted by Tottenham and Fulham, but they will have to stump up at least £40m to secure his services.

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United have already turned down an offer in the region of £15m ($19m) from Fulham but the Red Devils academy product is certainly a gettable target. In fact, United are open to bids for the majority of their first-team squad as they try to bounce back from a poor season. Even though manager Erik ten Hag wants to keep McTominay, he may on the fringes next term.

DID YOU KNOW?

The report adds United are considering selling McTominay to try and balance the books as they look to add to their summer spending spree of £36m ($46m) on striker Joshua Zirkzee and defender Leny Yoro – who joined from Lille for £52m ($67.9m).

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While transfer speculation about McTominay's future is likely to continue, with it yet to be known if Fulham and Tottenham will push ahead to try and sign him, the Scot will prepare for the new season as normal.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is thought to be ready to give the green light for Manchester United to sign a highly-rated "complete" player this summer, according to a new transfer rumour.

Man Utd transfer news

The upcoming summer transfer window promises to be an exciting one at Old Trafford, with Ratcliffe now overseeing football matters after acquiring a 25% stake in the club. The boyhood fan may well be eyeing plenty of business, in order to help the Red Devils to return to the top of the English game, and plenty of players have been linked with moves.

In one audacious transfer rumour that has emerged, United have even been backed to sign Bayern Munich and England superstar Harry Kane at some point in the future, should he seal a return to England. That's according to West Ham coach Kevin Nolan, who said:

"I can certainly see him back in the Premier League. I don’t think Tottenham would have ever have sold him to Manchester United, but for him to go to Bayern Munich, then it’s easier for him to come back from Germany and I think Man United will be his destination."

Napoli striker Victor Osimhen has also been linked with a switch to United, with the Nigerian once again enjoying an impressive season for the reigning Italian champions, scoring 11 goals in 15 starts in Serie A.

Away from possible incoming signings, Ratcliffe will look to bring in a new sporting director, with Dan Ashworth a primary target after being placed on gardening leave by Newcastle United, and it isn't out of the question that Erik ten Hag could be sacked as manager in the summer.

Bologna boss Thiago Motta has emerged as an option to replace the Dutchman once the season is over, guiding his team to fourth place in Serie A, and Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi is also among the targets.

Ratcliffe ready to approve Man Utd move for midfielder

According to The Sunday Mirror [via Sky Sports], Ratcliffe 'is set to approve a record-breaking offer of just over £100m' to secure the signing of Benfica midfielder Joao Neves this summer.

A record-breaking deal of over £100m is mooted, with the 19-year-old considered one of the most exciting young midfielders in European football, being hailed by former coach Luis Castro:

"My friends ask me if Kokcu cost 25 million euros, how much will Joao Neves cost. He will be worth much more than €25 million. He can play in any championship in the world. (He’s) a complete and very intelligent player. The Premier League is the best league in the world, and not only would he be able to adapt, but he would also play and shine."

1. Paul Pogba

£89.3m

2. Antony

£80.8m

3. Harry Maguire

£74m

4. Jadon Sancho

£72.3m

5. Romelu Lukaku

£72m

6. Rasmus Hojlund

£62.8m

7. Casemiro

£60.1m

8. Bruno Fernandes

£55.3m

9. Mason Mount

£54.6m

10. Anthony Martial

£51m

Midfield is an area of the pitch that may well need improving soon, with both Casemiro and Christian Eriksen both in their 30s, so Neves could be viewed as Kobbie Mainoo's long-term partner in the middle of the park, completing 89.7% of his passes in the Primeira Liga this season and averaging two tackles per game.

South Africa’s captain has only praise for her side after falling narrowly short in rain-affected game

Annesha Ghosh at the SCG05-Mar-2020After going down to Australia in a thrilling, rain-shortened semi-final at the T20 World Cup, South Africa captain South Africa captain Dane van Niekerk made it clear she would “rather lose than get a free pass” into the tournament’s final.Van Niekerk’s views came in the wake of a five-run defeat for her side, having been set a DLS-calculated chase of 98 in 13 overs, with Australia having batted a full 20 overs to put on a competitive 5 for 134. Only hours earlier, the washed-out first semi-final had facilitated Group A-toppers India’s qualification into their first T20 World Cup final, at the expense of England, and heightened concerns the second match in the double-header at the SCG would end similarly.With rain forecast through the evening, the requirement of a minimum of 10 overs a side for the semi-final to yield a result kept defending champions Australia on tenterhooks. The hosts’ innings had only just ended when a heavy spell of rain arrived, forcing a 40-minute delay and eating into the overs available for the South Africa chase. As with India, a washout in their semi-final would have propelled South Africa into Sunday’s final on the basis of group position.ALSO READ: ‘Hope there’s going to be a rule change’ – Knight on reserve days”I am not going to sit and lie and say, ‘You don’t think about it,'” van Niekerk said, when asked if her team had been thinking about the possibility of qualifying for the final via a washout. “I have to give credit to the groundstaff; they did absolutely everything to keep us on the park. And we are here to play cricket. I’d rather lose than get a free pass into the World Cup final.”Before the game, van Niekerk had unequivocally lined herself up on the side of the debate that argued in favour of reserve days for world tournament knockouts. “To lose out because of weather is probably not ideal,” she said on Wednesday. “And I don’t think it should be like that. I believe in the future, semi-finals and finals should definitely have reserve days.”Merit, and not the elements, eventually decided the outcome of closely contested Australia v South Africa face-off. Laura Wolvaardt revived a flagging chase with an enterprising 27-ball 41 not-out after coming in at No. 5, with South Africa teetering at 3 for 24 in the fifth over. By the end of the ninth over, the required run rate had peaked at 10.75 runs an over, but two fours from Wolvaardt in the 10th injected much-needed impetus into the chase. Vitally, an outcome in the game was by now guaranteed.With 32 needed off the last three, Wolvaardt kept South Africa in the hunt with an array of picture-perfect drives and straight-batted brisk hits, even as she lost partners at the other end and another incoming round of drizzle started titling the odds in Australia’s favour. A six off the last ball of the 12th over reduced the equation to 19 off the last over, which eventually proved five runs too many for South Africa to alter their winless record against Australia in international cricket.For van Niekerk, though, the character in Wolvaardt’s fightback – and through the tournament where South Africa won three out of their four completed league games – stood out as a highlight of their campaign.”I don’t have to [do anything to keep her confidence up],” van Niekerk said. “She is a smart kid. First of all, she loves the game of cricket. The fact that she gave up medicine to play cricket, that says a lot. She loves cricket, she just wants to bat all the time, and gets upset if she doesn’t bat.”She gets upset when she sits on the side and it showed in this World Cup. She wanted to be out there. She apologised for not getting the last runs [laughs]. She couldn’t have done anything more. She’s been brilliant; she’s my pick of the tournament as well.”Laura Wolvaardt played a stunning innings•Getty ImagesWith the big-hitting Chloe Tryon coming in as low as No. 6, questions over the order of the line-up lingered after South Africa came up short again – for the second time across the three most-recent world tournaments, their semi-final in the 2017 ODI World Cup also having ended in “heartbreak”.But van Niekerk defended the batting order. “No. I feel like Sune [Luus] and Wolfie did really well,” she said. “They changed the momentum in the middle and then at the back end of the innings. I was still quite confident when Chloe went out there even with the last over; it’s three hits away, especially for somebody with her power.”She miscued a full toss; nine out of ten time she would hit that probably on top of the roof. That’s the nature of the game. It’s never easy to come in and just swing away, no matter how strong you are. Chloe came in at the right time. I think the second half of the last over was bowled in brilliantly. That stopped the momentum a bit.”On the eve of the semi-final, van Niekerk had backed her team – “the best” South Africa have had in a while – to make the final, even though she had conceded they were “babies” compared to four-time champions Australia. But the chasm in experience between the No. 1-ranked team and South Africa ultimately cost them another shy at a maiden title.”They are experienced in knockout games,” van Niekerk said. “Let’s be honest, we’ve only been in three [semi-finals]; they’ve played countless. I have to give them credit, their plans were spot on. The way they started their tournament [losing to India], to where they are now – it tells you about the quality of their team.”You can never write off the No. 1 team in the world, and they showed tonight why they are, and why they came back. At one stage, it was our game to win, and theirs to lose. [They] turned the tables again. It comes with experience, and confidence. I believed they are the deserved No. 1 team at the moment.”

Alexi Lalas has slammed Portugal boss Roberto Martinez for sticking with Cristiano Ronaldo upfront throughout their entire Euro 2024 campaign.

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Portugal knocked out in quarter-finalsRonaldo played every gameLalas branded Euro 2024 a "charity game"WHAT HAPPENED?

Ronaldo endured a nightmare tournament at Euro 2024, despite playing every game. The Al-Nassr star failed to score and only managed to provide one assist, in his side's 3-0 group stage win over Turkey.

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Ronaldo was left in tears against Slovenia after missing a penalty, before scoring in the shootout to send Portugal into the quarter-finals, where they were beaten on penalties by France. And Lalas believes Martinez should have dropped the 39-year-old early on at the tournament, instead of turning it into a "charity" exhibition.

WHAT LALAS SAID

Ex-USMNT international Lalas said on his State of the Union podcast: "When it comes to Portugal and Ronaldo in this tournament, they have no one to blame but themselves. And when I say ‘themselves’, ultimately it rests with Roberto Martinez. He made his bed and that bed was with Ronaldo in it. He leaned into it all tournament and propped him up at every chance he could get, including playing him in that third [group stage] game, trying to get him a goal. If it was not a player called Cristiano Ronaldo, in any other circumstance, that player would’ve been taken off the field. Not necessarily because he’s not good, but strikers are there to serve a purpose. And obviously, the ultimate purpose is to score goals, or at the very least to be dangerous."

He added: “Sometimes there also comes up a point where you need to mix it up, and you have other arsenal on the bench that you bring in. Maybe it’s a like-for-like, maybe it’s a different type of person up there. In this case, that wasn’t done. I don’t know if it was out of fear or out of respect or a combination of all of it.

"What you ended up having in this tournament was a charity game set up for Ronaldo and that’s not even fair. This is a situation that Roberto Martinez created and Cristiano Ronaldo accepted and certainly didn’t do anything to change. Ultimately, it hurt Portugal."

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Ronaldo will head back to Saudi Arabia to prepare for the 2024-25 season with Nassr, as questions rage over his future with the Portuguese national team. He has yet to win a major trophy with Al-Nassr, who were beaten to the Saudi Pro League title by Al-Hilal last term.

A high-level football consultant has spoken of his surprise at the latest news he has heard from Nottingham Forest, ahead of a potential points deduction.

Nottingham Forest facing points deduction

The Reds are fighting for their Premier League survival, preparing to welcome leaders Liverpool to the City Ground on Saturday, but it is hard for Nuno Espirito Santo and his players to focus solely on on-pitch matters.

That's due to the potential points deduction that could come Forest's way for a possible breach of the profitability and sustainability rules (PSR), with Gary Neville admitting that he thinks a punishment is inevitable.

Should that happen, it would immediately throw Forest into the relegation zone behind Luton Town, with a return to the Championship potentially setting the club back years.

Everton have already been docked 10 points, which has been reduced to six for now, and it does feel increasingly as though financial punishments could decide the relegation battle.

Consultant stunned by Nottingham Forest news

Speaking to Football Insider, elite football consultant and former Everton CEO Keith Wyness said he fully expects Nottingham Forest to receive a six-point hit, revealing he has heard it is down to issues with just one transfer and is therefore too harsh of a penalty.

"I’m afraid it does look like that Forest will receive a six-point penalty. It seems to be a pretty minor breach and I think it’s over one player from what I’ve been reading. I think there’s any doubt there’s going to have to be some sort of points deduction unless there are mitigating circumstances I’m not aware of.I still believe that’s the wrong sort of penalty.

"I think it’s draconian and I would hope that the commission hearing this understands that a suspended points deduction may be the best way forward or a transfer ban or a fine. I still believe this is too harsh."

There does seem to be a worrying inevitability about Forest being docked six points, considering Everton have already suffered that fate this season, as mentioned, but Wyness' comments do suggest that Reds supporters could feel hard done by.

The fact that the punishment reportedly revolves around one player immediately seems harsh, however, rather than a number of iffy dealings by the club, and it makes you wonder how clubs like Manchester City continue to receive no bans or points deductions, considering they have 115 charges against them.

Nottingham Forest star had one of his best game under Nuno vs Man Utd

He’s failed to reach the levels he achieved at times last season.

ByEthan Lamb Feb 29, 2024

For now, Forest supporters simply have to sit and wait, hoping that they avoid having points taken away from them, and the hope is that Nuno and his players can create a siege mentality in every Premier League game remaining, starting in what should be a raucous atmosphere at home to Liverpool this weekend.

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has enjoyed an excellent time in the Midlands since taking over in October 2022, with particular success coming in the transfer market.

During his regime so far, the likes of Pau Torres, Moussa Diaby and Youri Tielemans have all joined the club, despite bigger teams showing interest, while he has managed to ship out some unwanted players, either permanently or on a temporary basis.

One such name is that of Morgan Sanson, who joined French side OGC Nice on a season-long loan deal last summer after an underwhelming spell in England.

Morgan Sanson’s Aston Villa statistics

The midfielder joined the club from Marseille in January 2021 for a transfer fee in the region of £16m as Dean Smith needed some fresh legs in his side and the Frenchman looked like he could turn out to be a shrewd investment.

During the first half of the season for the French giants, Sanson had scored twice and grabbed three assists, and it looked as though Smith had signed a player who could offer a serious attacking threat from the heart of the midfield.

He only played nine times during his first six months at Villa, however, which yielded zero goal contributions, but with a solid pre-season behind him, the 2021/22 season looked to be his time to shine.

It wasn’t to be. Throughout the whole campaign, Sanson played just 12 times, while he ranked in a lowly 19th spot for accurate passes per game (12) among his teammates in the league, along with finishing 17th for key passes per game (0.1) and ninth for tackles per game (1.2), proving that he failed to showcase his true talents.

The 29-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan at Strasbourg, before joining Nice in the summer, and it is clear he has rinsed the club dry during his time at Villa Park so far.

Morgan Sanson total cost at Aston Villa

Not only did the Midlands side shell out £16m for the player in 2021, but he has since earned £4.7m in wages after making the move to the Premier League.

This combined total of £20.7m is a massive figure for someone who has failed to make a lasting impression at the club and the quicker they move him on permanently, the better.

Not only that, but Sanson has played just 23 times for the club, scoring once, which means he has cost Villa a grand total of £900k per game, a complete waste of money.

Emery appears to have a much better understanding of the transfer market than previous Villa managers, and this should see the club avoid signing players such as Sanson in the future.

Wage Burners

Football FanCast's Wage Burners series explores the salaries of the modern-day game.

His contract expires at the end of next season and this summer represents the most logical time for the Spaniard to sell him on and try and recoup some of the £16m that was spent in January 2021.

Depending on who is interested, they will likely have to take a massive loss on the midfielder, who has rinsed the club dry over the previous 36 months.

Atlanta league administrator Venu Pisike won re-election in the other place up for grabs, securing a three-year term as an individual director on the board

Peter Della Penna16-Feb-2020Former USA batsman Srinivas Salver has replaced former national team fast bowler Usman Shuja as male player representative in the lone change in the USA Cricket board after results of the recent election were announced on Saturday night. Atlanta league administrator Venu Pisike won re-election in the other place up for grabs, securing a three-year term as an individual director on the board.Shuja’s loss is a stunning reversal from 2018 when he ran unopposed to win a unanimous vote for an initial one-year term. On this occasion, Salver, 35, won the vote by almost a 3 to 1 margin, claiming 34 votes from current or former players compared to Shuja’s tally of 12. Nine players abstained from voting after having registered. Another 43 players who would have been eligible to vote in the election simply refused to renew their USA Cricket membership in order to be eligible to vote.According to multiple sources, Salver was the preferred candidate among the majority of the current USA squad. Having last represented USA in 2018, Salver has built and maintained strong relationships with most of the current and recent players who have represented USA. Shuja, 41, played his last match for USA in 2014 and could not maintain enough support beyond the previous generation of players.Shuja had been the head of the influential cricket committee when the USA Cricket board was formed in 2018. But in the middle of 2019, he was replaced in that role by Atul Rai. It was around this time that Pubudu Dassanayake resigned as USA head coach and was replaced initially by Kiran More, with strong backing from Rai, before More’s assistant coach James Pamment took over from More in an interim capacity.Pisike’s re-election was expected thanks to a sizeable portion of the registered membership hailing from his Atlanta power-base. Of the 725 registered voters, 203 were tied to either the Atlanta Cricket League or the Atlanta Georgia Cricket Conference. That support went a long way to him claiming a total of 369 votes compared to just 31 votes to Texas candidate Ather Naqi. A total of 325 eligible voters abstained from voting.The voting numbers are a drastic drop-off from the inaugural USA Cricket board elections in August 2018. Approximately 5500 members were eligible to vote for the previous election, but USA Cricket experienced an 87% drop in membership renewals ahead of this election. In 2018, USA Cricket had asked for a $35 annual membership fee before ultimately deciding to wave the fee ahead of the registration deadline to be able to vote in 2018.USA Cricket then lowered the fee to $10 for renewal by July 31, 2019. After extending the renewal deadline until the end of August, the governing body still could not convince members to join or renew in the same numbers as 2018 and instead experienced an 87% drop in membership.The USA board is expected to hold an annual general meeting in New York on February 21. There was no AGM held in 2019 after board elections were delayed six months, from August all the way until February 2020.

Christian Pulisic lost his cool after seeing the USMNT bow out of Copa America, with the AC Milan forward saying he “can’t accept” certain decisions.

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Hosts crash out at the group stageBaffling decisions by officialsTempers frayed during Uruguay clashGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

Referee Kevin Ortega and his team of officials became unfortunate stars of the show as the United States suffered a 1-0 defeat to Uruguay. Ortega allowed play to continue when brandishing a yellow card at one stage, while no VAR referral was made when awarding the only goal of the game to Mathias Olivera despite evidence to suggest that he may have strayed marginally offside.

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Pulisic, as captain of his country, led protests throughout a frustrating outing against Uruguay that saw the USMNT crash out at the group stage. He told reporters afterwards of being left baffled by some big calls: “Honestly, I mean I saw things that I've never seen before right in front of my eyes today that I just I truly I can't believe. It's not why we lost; we're not out of this tournament because of officiating. But really, I've just seen things that I just really – I mean I think everyone can just admit I don't know what I'm looking at. I don't know what they're calling. I don't know what he's – he gives no explanation. He's doing things that I just can't accept.”

Ortega snubbed a handshake offer from Pulisic at the final whistle, with the 25-year-old adding on that incident: “He wouldn't shake my hand. It's normal – I mean, I guess.”

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USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter said of the decision to award Olivera’s goal despite obvious questions regarding his position on the field: “It's pretty crazy, really. I don't understand it. You know, I feel like I know the rule pretty well. I feel like we had the pictures that are showing how the rule could be interpreted and it's an offside goal. It's disappointing, it really is, but you know, that happens in football and we have to live with it, obviously.”

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WHAT NEXT?

The USMNT have become the first Copa hosts, since the group stage was introduced in 1993, to miss out on a place in the knockout rounds. They have plenty of work to do heading forward if the potential within their ranks is to be unlocked.