Atlanta United v New York Red Bulls: Valentino questioning mentality after torrid run

Rob Valentino questioned Atlanta United s mentality after their recent drop in form and hopes to find a solution before meeting the New York Red Bulls in MLS.

The Five Stripes are winless in their last four matches, drawing three in a row before falling to a disappointing 2-1 loss to CF Montreal in midweek.

Sitting 12th in the Eastern Conference, they can still mathematically clinch a playoff spot, but they have to win their final two matches and hope other results go their way.

Valentino was not happy with what he saw from his players against Montreal though, questioning their desire.

We should always be fighting to win the game, and you just can t give up, Valentino said.

I m not going to sugarcoat things, but at the end of the day, I also see…

LA Galaxy v Los Angeles FC: Cherundolo relishing ´exciting´ derby day

Los Angeles FC head coach Steve Cherundolo is anticipating an exciting battle against derby rivals LA Galaxy on Thursday.

The two teams are locked in at the top of the Western Conference, both on 40 points, though LAFC have the slight advantage of a game in hand.

Cherundolo s side are unbeaten in nine MLS matches, winning eight of those, and have won their last two outings by an aggregate score of 9-2.

Asked how LAFC would cope with the threat the Galaxy pose, Cherundolo praised the improvement of their neighbours.

It s our rivals. They re a team that scores a lot of goals, Cherundolo said.

They have weapons, and they ve added to the transitions and got some defensive stability, so they re really a complete team this year.

They re top o…

Neymar must control emotions at Rio 2016 – Juninho

Former Brazil midfielder Juninho says Neymar must display emotional control if he is to deliver his country s first football gold medal at Rio 2016.

Success at the Olympics is the only major football honour to elude the Selecao, with pressure ramped up to break that run on home soil when the football competition kicks off on August 4.

Selecao skipper Neymar s last international tournament ended in disgrace as he was sent off after the final whistle of Brazil s 1-0 Copa America defeat to Colombia in 2015, earning him a four-match ban which ruled him out of the remainder of the event.

Having sat out this year s Copa America to focus on the Olympic Games, former Middlesbrough star Juninho – an Olympic bronze medallist in 1996 says the Barcelona attacker must disp…

Atletico Madrid 1-4 Osasuna: Hosts certain to finish fourth after heavy defeat

Raul Garcia scored in each half as Osasuna secured their first win at Atletico Madrid since 2009, beating the hosts 4-1 in LaLiga on Sunday and handing them their second home loss of the league campaign.

The visitors scored in the 26th minute when Alejandro Catena headed it down inside the box for Garcia to score.

Osasuna doubled their lead in the 52nd minute with Atletico keeper Jan Oblak s block falling to substitute Aimar Oroz for a close-range finish.

Atletico struck back three minutes later with substitute Alvaro Morata scoring off Angel Correa s cross from the left.

But Garcia restored Osasuna s two-goal cushion in the 64th minute, before Lucas Torro sealed the victory, hammering home with his right foot in the 88th.

Osasuna s first win in s…

Who Were the Top 3 Players during Week 2 of the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League?

Week 2 of the 2019-20 UEFA Champions League is now on the books. And while there were some shocking and unexpected results, now it’s time to focus on individual performances.

These were the Top 3 performers during the 2019-20 UEFA Champions League Week 2.

Serge Gnabry

The German winger has improved massively over the last 18 months and he had one of the best individual performances in the history of the UEFA Champions League. Gnabry had an impressive outing during Bayern’s 7-2 rout of Tottenham this past Tuesday, as he netted four goals and assisted another one.

Gnabry scored all four goals during the second half. He netted Bayern’s third goal with a low shot following an impressive run on the left wing, and scored his side’s next goal from inside the b…

Low pleased to avoid fatigue after Euro 2016 campaign

Joachim Low is confident Germany will continue to dominate their World Cup qualifying group after identifying their 2014 triumph as a contributing factor to a slow start to their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign.

After guiding Germany to a fourth World Cup title in Brazil, Low saw his side make a slow start in their quest to reach the European Championship in France, winning just one of their opening three games.

However, the former Stuttgart coach believes the world champions suffered after a gruelling tournament and were better prepared for 2018 qualifying, despite reaching the semi-finals of Euro 2016.

With four matches of their current campaign played, Germany have a 100 per cent record and lead second-placed Northern Ireland by five points in Group C of the Eur…

´I´d like to return to Barca´ – Iniesta confirms plans to go into coaching

Andres Iniesta says he is turning his attention to coaching and would like to return to Barcelona in the future after announcing his retirement.

The 40-year-old most recently played for UAE Pro League club Emirates but chose not to extend his contract to 2025.

Iniesta made 674 appearances for Barcelona in all competitions, the fourth-most in the history of the club, before leaving to join Vissel Kobe in 2018.

The former Spain midfielder initially joined the club aged 12, making his senior debut in 2002, and going on to enjoy a trophy-laden career with the Spanish giants, including winning nine LaLiga titles and four Champions Leagues.

Iniesta went unbeaten for 55 games for Barcelona in LaLiga between September 2010 and April 2012 (W47 D8), the longest run…

Real Madrid star Rodrygo claims to have turned down Barcelona move in 2019

Real Madrid s Rodrygo Goes claims he rejected the opportunity to join Los Blancos eternal rivals Barcelona when leaving Santos in 2019.

Rodryo played a crucial role as Madrid won their 14th European title this season, scoring a remarkable late double in a stunning 6-5 aggregate semi-final triumph over Manchester City before coming off the bench in the 1-0 final win over Liverpool.

The 21-year-old also registered eight goal involvements (four goals, four assists) as Madrid won LaLiga, with only Karim Benzema (27), Vinicius Junior (17) and Marco Asensio (10) outscoring him among his team-mates.

But things could have been very different for the attacker, who has told the podcast Podpah of how he chose the Santiago Bernabeu over Camp Nou when leaving his home coun…

Steelers vs Packers Week 4 Picks and Predictions: Steelers Offense Falls Flat Again

Coming off their thrilling 30-28 victory in Week 3, Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers (2-1 SU, 2-1 ATS) host the banged-up Pittsburgh Steelers (1-2 SU, 1-2 ATS) at Lambeau Field Sunday as a 6.5-point favorite. 

Rodgers and the Pack have found their groove after a humiliating Week 1 loss while Big Ben and the Steelers are trending in the opposite direction and facing big-name injuries on both sides of the ball.

Here are our free picks and predictions for Pittsburgh Steelers vs Green Bay Packers for Sunday, October 3.

Pro Bowl Picks and Predictions: Can NFC Weather Big Losses?

After taking the year off last season, the NFL’s Pro Bowl is back in business and will take place this Sunday in the confines of Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium. Matt LaFleur’s NFC squad sits as 1.5-point underdogs versus Mike Vrabel’s AFC side with a total of 62.5. But will the absences of some of the NFC’s best be enough to jump on the favorite?

Check out our NFL betting picks and predictions for the Pro Bowl on February 6.