Preview

LISBON - Portugal named former Belgium coach Roberto Martínez as their new manager on Monday and the Spaniard said he would sit down with Cristiano Ronaldo to talk about his future in the team.

Martínez, 49, replaces Fernando Santos, who left his job after Portugal suffered a shock defeat by Morocco in the World Cup quarterfinals.

"I appreciate the enthusiasm and ambition with which he (Martínez) received the invitation," Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) President Fernando Gomes told a news conference as Martínez stood next to him.

BERLIN - Borussia Dortmund forward Sébastien Haller is back in team training and ready to make his competitive comeback following surgery and treatment for testicular cancer.

The striker was diagnosed during a pre-season training camp in July and had been signed only weeks earlier by Dortmund for an initial fee of $33.24 million.

NEW YORK - Veteran forward Alex Morgan heads a largely inexperienced roster as the U.S. women's national soccer team kick off 2023 with two friendlies on the road against World Cup co-hosts New Zealand.

The United States are gunning for an unprecedented third straight World Cup title — and fifth overall — when the tournament kicks off in less than 200 days, after a frustrating end to 2022.

PARIS - France striker Kylian Mbappé has shrugged off Argentina keeper Emiliano Martínez's taunts after the World Cup final, saying he did not "waste energy on such futile things" as he awaited the return of Paris Saint Germain teammate Lionel Messi.

Mbappé became the second player to score a World Cup final hat-trick as he dragged his country back into the match with a late second-half double and an extra-time penalty, which was still not enough as Argentina prevailed in a shootout.

TOKYO - Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu will remain in charge of the Asian team for another World Cup cycle, the country's football association announced on Thursday, with the aim of breaking new ground after a number of near misses.

That Moriyasu would continue in the role came as little surprise after he led Japan to victories over former World Cup winners Germany and Spain during the finals in Qatar en route to topping what was considered the most difficult group at the tournament.

Major League Soccer opens a new season on Feb. 25 looking to ride a wave of interest from the Qatar World Cup as the league's 29th franchise St Louis SC makes its debut.

The first match of the 2023 campaign sees Nashville SC and MLS most valuable player Hany Mukhtar hosting New York City FC followed by the "El Tráfico" derby between MLS Cup champions Los Angeles FC and Los Angeles Galaxy at the Rose Bowl.