Off the Pitch

The Netherlands left first choice goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen out of their European Championship squad after he tested positive for COVID-19 with coach Frank de Boer not prepared to risk how long he needs to recover.

Cillessen tested positive in a control test last week and has gone into self-isolation, missing out the week-long training camp in Portugal where the Dutch are preparing for their Group C matches against Austria, North Macedonia and Ukraine.

Netherlands manager Frank de Boer has drawn some criticism after refusing to allow his players to undertake medicals needed to complete transfers until after the Euros. 

With the 2021 Champions League Final between Manchester City and Chelsea on Saturday, this week has been full of conjecture over the future of the competition. While the Super League appears to have (mostly) died down, a few fairly major changes to Champions League rules could be on the cards, including away goals, substitutions and a “Final Four.”

A Clint Dempsey Nations League crossover is on the cards for viewers. The on-air talent team for the Concacaf Nations League dropped and has a plethora of familiar faces and former USMNT members.

CBS Sports Sets Concacaf Men’s Nations League Finals Announcer Lineup, Featuring Former USMNT Legendshttps://t.co/kDKJoF50VU pic.twitter.com/HrZHmiKYGx

ROME — Inter Milan coach Antonio Conte has terminated his contract one year early just days after leading them to their first Serie A title in 11 years, the club said on Wednesday.

Conte, who joined Inter in May 2019, agreed to depart after Italian media reported he had been left unhappy with plans to reduce investment and cut costs due to the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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A Uruguayan footballer in hotel quarantine dangled himself from the window of his room on the 11th floor to escape a blaze before being rescued by Buenos Aires firefighters early on Tuesday, his club Rentistas have said.

Midfielder Francisco Duarte had tested positive for COVID-19 along with teammates Andres Rodales and Damian Malrechauffe on their arrival in Argentina to face Racing Club de Avellaneda in the Copa Libertadores.

Olivia Moultrie is a 15-year-old soccer phenom who has been training with the Portland Thorns since 2019 after Nike signed her to a nine-year endorsement deal. Moultrie has been denied from signing with a team due to the National Women’s Soccer League’s age rules, but that could soon change.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan was one of the best midfielders in Europe during the 2020/21 season with Roma. The attacking midfielder’s 28 goal contributions (15 goals and 13 assists) was the second highest among midfielders in Europe sitting only behind Bruno Fernandes.

Statistically, the 2020/21 season was Mkhitaryan’s most productive in half a decade. That’s why it came as such a shock to him that he would be sitting out of future national team duty. 

Mkhitaryan expressed his frustrations on Twitter after receiving the news that he’d been snubbed.