ATLANTA – U.S. Under-17 Women's National Team head coach Ciara Crinion has named 20 players for a training camp and two matches in Spain, with the trip running from Jan. 6-15. Seventeen of players named were born in 2009, the birth year cut-off for players to be eligible for the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, which will be staged in Morocco. Goalkeepers (2): Ella McNeal (St. Louis Scott Gallagher; Manchester, Mo. ), Avellina Saunders (Utah Royals FC Arizona; Phoenix, Ariz.) Defenders (7): Sophia Ahrens (St. Louis Scott Gallagher, Fenton, Mo. Forwards (6): Maddie DiMaria (St. Louis Scott Gallagher; Fenton, Mo. The Spartans have added a trio of transfers. Brewer is one of the nation's top prospects. Awards for youth, high school and college soccer. Join the SoccerWire College Soccer Recruiting Search Engine and learn how to be seen OVER 1 MILLION TIMES PER YEAR. Join the SoccerWire College Soccer Recruiting Search Engine and learn how to be seen OVER 1 MILLION TIMES PER YEAR. This site uses cookies to give you the best possible experience but do not collect personal information. By continuing to use the site you agree that we can save cookies on your device. For more information, please read our privacy policy.
The Brazil star has been frustrated at his lack of playing time at the Bernabeu and has been granted his wish to leave in a bid to secure a place in the squad for this year's World Cup in North America, Canada and Mexico. Endrick signed for Real Madrid in the summer of 2024 from Palmeiras after an impressive spell in Brazil where he won back-to-back league titles. In his debut season with Los Blancos, he made 37 appearances across all competitions, including 22 in La Liga, scoring seven goals. However, the current season has seen a dramatic reduction in playing time under Alonso. Since recovering from a hamstring injury that sidelined him for several months, Endrick featured just three times across all competitions for a total of just over 100 minutes in La Liga and Champions League, without scoring. The fierce competition for places with star forwards Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. has meant opportunities were scarce, with the manager often preferring Gonzalo Garcia as a back-up striker. This lack of involvement caused visible frustration for the young star, who ultimately made the decision to seek a loan move for the sake of his development, something his boss understands. Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Alonso said: "Endrick, at this stage of his career, after coming from Brazil to Europe, needs playing time, and I understand why he made that decision and why the club wanted to invest in his development and experience in a competitive league like the French one, at a club where he'll get more minutes. If that allows him to grow as a player... Real Madrid does a great job with players who develop at other clubs and then perform well for the first team. The decision has been made and there's no going back. Get expert previews, data-driven predictions & winning insights with GOAL Tips on Telegram. Endrick has earned 14 caps and scored three goals for the senior Brazil national team, but recently expressed a genuine "fear" of missing out on the tournament if he remained on the bench at Real. In an interview with Brazil legend Romario, the 19-year-old sensation said: "To be honest, what goes through my head a lot is that I'm afraid I won't be in the 2026 World Cup. I hope that next year I can be in the national team and, God willing, we will win the World Cup." He has reportedly told everyone at Real Madrid that he will return and succeed at the club, viewing his story in Spain as far from over. Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting Endrick has made an immediate off-field impact since joining, breaking the club's social media records for his announcement video. Coach Paulo Fonseca has confirmed his new signing is adapting well in training and is highly motivated, though his debut was delayed due to a registration issue and wasn't named in the squad to face Monaco, and is now expected against Lille in the French Cup on January 11. Fonseca explained: "I think he is very good. He started training this week, the adaptation is going very well.
United, per Sky Sports, are trying to sign Baleba in the January transfer window. Fabrizio Romano claimed in December that United have "not stopped discussing" the idea of signing the midfielder, who had an asking price in excess of £100 million ($135m), ahead of the window. In January, though, United are said to understand that a deal is incredibly difficult and is not expected to progress before the summer window. Now, Barber has claimed that he and the Brighton hierarchy have no desire to let Baleba leave, either in the January window or in the summer, even if he does accept that he will likely have interested parties given his talent. Speaking to talkSPORT, he said: "No call from Old Trafford. No call from anyone connected to Manchester United. We have no plans or desire to sell Carlos in this window, or in any future window, but we know he's a talented player and he's got a lot of options ahead of him in the future. For us right now, he's an important player in the second half of the season and we're looking forward to getting him back from AFCON." Get expert previews, data-driven predictions & winning insights with GOAL Tips on Telegram. Speaking about the speculation over his move to United in the summer, he said: "I don't think it affected me negatively, but I had a lot of pressure on me. Did I put too much pressure on myself? It's good for me, because now I have to get through this slightly stressful period, get back on the horse, and continue working hard." He said: “The only thing that we will try to bring now – and in the end of the season – are players that are perfect for our future,” Amorim said ahead of United's trip to Aston Villa on Sunday. It's not going to be like that. So I don't know what is going to happen, but it's possible that we can do something. “I'm just focused on the next game. We lost some characteristics that are hard to find.” Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting In the summer, owner Tony Bloom confirmed United's interest, but said they did not ever come close to matching their valuation. He said: “There was interest from Manchester United, and we said that he wasn't available this summer and they went away. So we've had many bigger sagas in the past. But Carlos Baleba, his improvement has been immense.
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When a footballer retires, many fans wonder about the next step in their career. For most, finding a new job within the game seems to be the most natural route – so it is no surprise when a player goes on to try their hand at management. The Italian defender captained Italy to World Cup glory in 2006 and is one of just three defenders to have won the Ballon d'Or trophy. Cannavaro enjoyed stints at some of Europe's biggest clubs, including Juventus and Real Madrid. However, in retirement, he chose a path few would have predicted – taking charge of Uzbekistan for their first ever World Cup. Cannavaro's appointment came despite the fact that Uzbek-born Timur Kapadze led the nation to qualify for its first ever World Cup tournament. Signing a two-year-contract for the White Wolves, Cannavaro will be hoping that his bold move results in success for the Central Asian country. Nolberto Solano - better known as Nobby - is considered a cult hero by Newcastle United fans, who remember him for his impressive left foot and love of playing the trumpet. However, since retiring, Solano has hung up the boots and placed the trumpet to one side to try his hand in management. Having taken charge of several clubs since retiring in 2012, Solano's most recent step into the managerial role of Pakistan has surprised many. Solano's first task was to lead Pakistan's Under 23 side into the U23 Asian Cup, however, following an 8-1 defeat to Iraq, and subsequent defeats to Cambodia and Oman, it is clear that a big task lies ahead for the Peruvian. Nobby Solano was popular at Newcastle and here, performs with his salsa band in 2005 Following his retirement in 2013, McCarthy took on a number of coaching roles, including the position of a first-team striker's coach at Manchester United from 2022-2024. Benni McCarthy was forwards coach at Old Trafford between 2002 and 2024 Dwight Yorke is mainly remembered as a Manchester United treble winner, for his deadly partnership with Andy Cole and his off-the-pitch partying which earned him the nickname ‘all-night Dwight'. However, Yorke's post-playing career has seen him demonstrate his professionalism, taking on the head coach role of his home nation Trinidad and Tobago. As a player Yorke was part of an exciting Trinidad and Tobago team that qualified for the 2006 World Cup. Dwight Yorke formed a fine United partnership with Andy Cole, and is now boss of Trinidad John is currently the manager of Caribbean Island country St. Lucia's national team. Stern John represented Trinidad as a player but is now boss of Caribbean rival St Lucia Sylvinho, the former Brazilian international - who played for European giants Arsenal, Barcelona, and Inter Milan - is the current head coach of Albania. Known for his defensive intelligence and attacking full-back runs as a player, he is now bringing his tactical acumen to a national side eager to punch above its weight in Europe. Sylvinho joined Barcelona in 2004 after leaving Celtic, and is now manager of Albania By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.
Sunderland stalwart Luke O'Nien has brutally trolled Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma following their heated post-match clash at the Stadium of Light. Despite racking up an expected goals tally of 2.25, their highest in a Premier League game in which they failed to score since March 2022, City were unable to break down a Sunderland side who claimed a hard-fought point. The result saw Guardiola's team slip four points behind league leaders Arsenal, something the manager was not best pleased about. He said after the contest: "It is a tough place to come. The amount of chances we missed in the six-yard box, not difficult ones... We didn't do what we talked about in the first half but in general it was a really good game. It was better second half, the guys did everything. They are a bit heads down, but we have to be heads up because in three days we have a difficult game against Chelsea. We created enough - the two chances from Savinho in the second half, Jeremy [Doku], Josko [Gvardiol], Phil [Foden] and Erling [Haaland]. City were, naturally, frustrated at failing to pick up all three points on New Year's Day and it was evident that their frustrations got the better of them when Italy international Donnarumma squared up to unused substitute O'Nien at full-time, having been irked by some timewasting on the touchline. And now, the Mackems hero has gone viral for his cheeky comments aimed at Donnarumma on Instagram. He wrote on Friday: "Nice of their big man to run the length of the pitch to wish me a happy new year. Few fancied Sunderland to stay up this season after all three promoted sides have been relegated for two campaigns in a row. But Regis Le Bris has got the north east outfit flying high in the Premier League, and much of that has been down to their excellent home form. The seventh-placed Black Cats are unbeaten in their own backyard this term, winning five and drawing five of their fixtures. That has included draws with Arsenal, City, Aston Villa, and more, something Le Bris is proud of. He said: "It was a good game against a really strong opponent who are one of the best in Europe. They created many chances but the character was good. They were excellent a few weeks ago at the Etihad and it was impossible to escape their counter-press. We are growing and learning from different experiences. It's a question of experience as the standards in our team are high. They're [the home crowd] really important, especially in defensive moments. Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting Second-placed City will hope to bounce back from this disappointing result when they host Chelsea at the Etihad on Sunday, whereas Sunderland travel to Tottenham on the same day.
Unsurprisingly, some Manchester United fans didn't react well to the perceived slight on their club. One comment on Hojlund's Instagram photo with more than 14,000 likes sarcastically congratulated the Dane for finding his 'level' before adding, "[The] Premier League is too difficult for amateurs." The idea that it's easier for strikers to score goals in Serie A is obviously debatable but the online trolls were perfectly entitled to point out that leaving United hadn't really been Hojlund's "decision". Throughout the summer, he was very vocal about his desire to stay and "fight for his spot" - only to be forced out of Old Trafford by manager Ruben Amorim following the £74 million ($99.5m) acquisition of Benjamin Sesko. However, even if Hojlund ultimately had little say in his United exit, what's already abundantly clear is that moving to Napoli was the best thing he could have done. "There were more storied clubs interested" in his services, according to the Partenopei's sporting director Giovanni Manna. But Hojlund felt a move to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona was "exactly what I need right now in my career" - and it's already proven an inspired choice. Indeed, a permanent £38m ($51m) move, which is dependent upon Champions League qualification is pretty much "a formality" in Manna's eyes - because while Sesko is now struggling even more than the Dane ever did under Amorim, Hojlund has been reborn in Italy thanks to Antonio Conte... When Hojlund scored on his Napoli debut, Antonio Conte quipped that he had been hoping all along that signing the forward would bring his team the same good fortune as another Old Trafford outcast, Scott McTominay, who had played a starring role in the Partenopei's surprise title triumph in his first season at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. McTominay has openly admitted that he felt he had been "misprofiled" in Manchester, repeatedly used as a defensive midfielder - and even a centre-back on occasion. Conte, though, could see that the Scot had "goals in his DNA" and he couldn't have been more correct, with McTominay scoring 13 times during last season's Scudetto success. Crucially, Conte is just as confident that he can do something similar with Hojlund. "He's a 22-year-old who was on the sidelines at Manchester United," the Napoli boss enthused after Hojlund's winner against Genoa on October 5. There's no denying that Hojlund underwhelmed during his two-year spell at United. Rio Ferdinand was among those that felt Hojlund had also become far too concerned with trying to outmuscle opponents. "I get frustrated watching because he's always trying to fight the defender and have contact," the former United centre-back told TNT Sports. It hadn't always been like that, though. There were flashes of the potential star United thought they were buying from Atalanta during a debut campaign in which he became the youngest player in Premier League history to score in six consecutive games. Furthermore, despite looking utterly bereft of confidence by the tail end of last season, Hojlund remained steadfast in his belief that he could "deliver goals" on a consistent basis for United. Not every striker is scoring 100 goals at the age of 22. I'm starting to develop and become even better at the basics." There's certainly been a noticeable improvement in his link-up play at Napoli, with David Neres having already scored three times from Hojlund assists so far this season. "Conte gives him confidence and is making him grow," Luca Nigriello, a scout and member of the Sport Entertainment Group agency that represents the Denmark international, told TuttoNapoli. He has always been a striker of depth, as seen at Atalanta. Now he is adding movements that are more typical of the penalty area, more like a central reference point, almost like Lukaku." Of course, all No.9s are judged by their strike-rate and, as Hojlund pointed out in a slightly strange ketchup analogy, the goals are starting to flow again for him. Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting Hojlund's overall tally of nine goals is hardly remarkable - even if does mean he's already just one away from matching his entire 2024-25 tally for United - but what is noteworthy is that Sunday's decisive double at Cremonese means he's now netted five times in his last five appearances in all competitions. Consequently, the past comparisons with Erling Haaland no longer seem quite so farcical, with even Kevin De Bruyne stating Hojlund is "quite similar" to his fellow Scandinavian striker. "Both are left-footed and like to attack space," the former Manchester City attacking midfielder said, "and I think that Rasmus has a lot of quality." As Hojlund himself wrote after the October 1 win over Sporting CP at the Maradona, "'Hojlund scores twice in the Champions League after two assists from Kevin de Bruyne' was not on my 2025 bingo card!" However, Hojlund has continued to thrive without De Bruyne's through-balls and that's clearly down to the "fact that he is now on a well-functioning team", as Denmark coach Brian Riemer put it, while Sesko is being starved of service at Amorim's United. "I honestly believe Hojlund could have been a 25-goal-a-season striker for Manchester United," Old Trafford icon Peter Schmeichel told Sky Bet. "When players like [Alejandro] Garnacho or [Marcus] Rashford got the ball, they looked only to shoot. But what more could he do without service? Christian Vieri is adamant that Hojlund has it in him to become "one of the best five strikers in the world". "He can score goals, but he knows how to attack deep and wear down defences," the ex-Italy striker told the Gazzetta dello Sport. Giampaolo Pazzini, meanwhile, says Hojlund is, thanks to Conte, the "strongest striker in Serie A alongside Lautaro Martinez". "He has undergone an incredible transformation since his arrival," the former Inter and AC Milan striker told Sport Mediaset. "He has always been a good player, but with great instinct, great power, he was something of a wild horse. Hojlund certainly has an impressive work ethic - which is unsurprising for someone that idolises Cristiano Ronaldo. Compatriot Christian Eriksen has argued that Hojlund deserves his current good run of form not only because of everything "he went through at United" but also all of the effort he's put in on and off the pitch. It was also telling that when he opened his Napoli account, a number of his former United team-mates, including Bruno Fernandes and Harry Maguire, were quick to congratulate him on an Instagram post entitled "First day at the new job didn't disappoint". There have been ups and downs since then but when Hojlund says joining Conte's Napoli was exactly what he needed at this particular point in his career, it's impossible to disagree. Leaving United may not have been his decision but it's unquestionably proven a blessing in disguise.