WATCH: Sebastian Berhalter nets first USMNT goal and sets up Alex Freeman’s first international goal on two stunning set pieces

U.S. international Sebastian Berhalter delivered an impressive opening spell in the Americans’ friendly against Uruguay, scoring his first national team goal from a well-placed set piece in the 17th minute. Minutes later, he set up Alex Freeman for his first international goal, assisting on a driven header to give the U.S. an early boost.

Getty ImagesTwo MLS stars deliver big

Freeman’s goal came in his 13th cap for the U.S., with Berhalter’s assist marking his third for the national team. Freeman added another in the 31st minute to complete a strong first-half showing.

AdvertisementWatch Berhalter's first goalWatch Freeman's first goalENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

ImagnWhat comes next?

The fixture is Mauricio Pochettino and Co.'s last of 2025. They will resume action next March. 

Crystal Palace target Tyler Morton amid key update on Adam Wharton's future

Crystal Palace are now eyeing Lyon starlet Tyler Morton as a possible replacement for Adam Wharton, amid a new update on the midfielder’s future at Selhurst Park.

Wharton’s future at Selhurst Park remains up in the air, with a number of Premier League clubs emerging as potential suitors for the midfielder, including Chelsea, and it has now been revealed the Blues are “actively in talks” over a deal.

The 21-year-old was recently called up to the England squad by Thomas Tuchel, having remained a key player for Oliver Glasner’s side this season, with perhaps his most impressive performance coming in the 2-1 win against Liverpool, creating two big chances and making four key passes.

Unfortunately, the Eagles have become accustomed to losing some of their best players in recent years, with Michael Olise moving to Bayern Munich and Eberechi Eze joining Arsenal, and the former Blackburn Rovers man will also continue to attract attention from top clubs if he continues his current performance levels.

Consequently, Glasner & co may have to start thinking about bringing in a replacement, and a report has now given an update on their chances of signing a former Liverpool player…

Crystal Palace eyeing Tyler Morton

According to a report from Jeunes Footeux (via Sport Witness), Crystal Palace are now eyeing a move for Lyon midfielder Morton, a matter of months after he left Arne Slot’s side to sign for the Ligue 1 club.

The French side are currently experiencing financial difficulties, which means they may be tempted to cash-in, should Palace be willing to come to the negotiating table with a ‘substantial offer’.

The Eagles are currently monitoring the 23-year-old closely, as they are preparing for Wharton’s departure in 2026, amid interest from a number of unnamed clubs.

The Wallasey-born midfielder, who is represented by the same agent as Borna Sosa, found it difficult to establish himself as a first-team regular at Liverpool, but he has been a key player for Lyon this season, most recently picking up an assist in a 3-2 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain.

Scout Ben Mattinson has also provided a positive review of the Englishman’s key attributes, saying: “Morton is a complete midfielder with an all-round ability to dictate tempo with his passing, carry forward and win the ball. Particularly his long passing stands out.”

Game time may have been hard to come by at his former club, but the Liverpool academy graduate did manage to impress when given the opportunity, having been singled out for praise for his performance against West Ham United last season.

Morton is at the right age to be a solid long-term replacement for Wharton, but Crystal Palace’s main priority should be to keep hold of their current central midfielder.

Crystal Palace identify Ezri Konsa as Marc Guehi replacement

Seahawks Could Move Two Games Due to Mariners Conflicts

It's not often that the Mariners and Seahawks conflict in October—but this year is different.

Thanks to the Mariners' first American League West Division title since 2001, the Seahawks may have to move two games, according to a Saturday evening report from Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Per Schefter, the Seahawks have home games against the Buccaneers on Oct. 5 and the Texans on Oct. 20 that could conflict with the ALDS and ALCS, respectively—should the Mariners get that far. In the event of a conflict, the Seahawks may have to adjust their kickoffs.

Why is this a problem?

"The infrastructure of the area surrounding the Mariners' T-Mobile Park and the Seahawks' Lumen Field—which are practically next door to each other, a mere one-tenth of a mile apart—is not designed to support two games played at the same time and would create logistical issues that include a chaotic traffic situation along with overcrowding," Schefter wrote.

The last time the Mariners won a division title in '01, the Seahawks were in the middle of a two-year stint at Husky Stadium—home of Washington football—while Lumen Field was being built.

E o Rômulo? Abel Ferreira cita montanha para reforço escalar no Palmeiras

MatériaMais Notícias

O meia Rômulo jogou apenas poucos minutos com a camisa do Palmeiras, na derrota por 1 a 0 para o Internacional, na Arena Barueri. Desde que chegou ao Verdão, após a disputa do Paulistão, o novo camisa 20 pouco ganhou chances de Abel Ferreira e parece estar longe de começar a ser utilizado.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasPalmeirasJornal espanhol mostra em números ‘pior versão’ de Endrick em São Paulo x PalmeirasPalmeiras30/04/2024PalmeirasApós início de tabela difícil, Palmeiras faz campanha que já rendeu título brasileiroPalmeiras30/04/2024PalmeirasDiretor da base confirma que joia do futsal do Palmeiras vai ganhar chance no campoPalmeiras30/04/2024

➡️ Tudo sobre o Verdão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Palmeiras

Na coletiva após o empate por 0 a 0 com o São Paulo pelo Brasileirão 2024, o técnico do Palmeiras respondeu os motivos que estão fazendo o meia Rômulo estar demorando para receber chances no Verdão.

– Ele está no Palmeiras por mérito dele, mas tem que subir a montanha. Muito bom jogador, muito bom finalizador. Na altura certa, vai jogar. As minhas decisões não são pensando no Endrick, no López, no Rony, no Veiga. Quando tenho dúvidas, tenho uma frase na minha sala: “O que é melhor para o time?”. O melhor para o time é ele ter a oportunidade para trabalhar em uma das melhores equipes brasileiras. Calma! Só isso que peço. – disse Abel Ferreira na sala de coletiva do Morumbis.

continua após a publicidade

Rômulo chegou ao Palmeiras com uma grande expectativa da torcida após uma ótima passagem pelo Novorizontino, figurando até na seleção do último Campeonato Paulista pela campanha que fez com o time do Interior.

➡️ A boa do Lance! Betting: vamos dobrar seu primeiro depósito, até R$200! Basta abrir sua conta e tá na mão!

O meia de 22 anos assinou um contrato de cinco anos com o Palmeiras e agora trabalha a parte física e tática para começar a ganhar mais minutos por parte da comissão técnica de Abel Ferreira.

continua após a publicidade

Tudo sobre

BrasileirãoBrasileirão 2024PalmeirasRômulo

Padres Address Closer Robert Suarez Potentially Tipping Pitches to Red Sox

During the Padres' game against the Red Sox on Saturday, the broadcast captured a glimpse of a Red Sox coach using two side-by-side pictures to denote the difference between Padres closer Robert Suarez's fastball and changeup setups.

The Padres led 4-3 until Suarez, a two-time All-Star closer and the current MLB leader in saves, came in during the 9th inning and gave up a run. Though the Padres went on to win the game in extra innings, Suarez was credited with a blown save and concerns emerged from the outside that Suarez tipping pitches allowed Boston to tie things up.

It's unclear if the Red Sox were actually able to take advantage of Suarez's cues, but the Padres still got the win and are not overly concerned.

“I think it’s overblown," Padres manager Mike Shildt said, via Dennis Lin of "You can look at it and slow it down, and you can take a picture of it. Go do it in front of 40,000 people in real time and with an athlete that’s moving and see how successful you are. I do think there’s people and there’s teams and players that are good at it, but I also think that even if it’s slightly there, it’s really hard to pick up in live competition.”

The Padres were also aware of the possibility of Suarez tipping pitches before Saturday's game, and had already worked on adjusting his tendencies throughout the season.

“The whole year,” Padres pitching coach Ruben Niebla said, via Lin. “That’s one of our things in spring training where we’re like, ‘Hey, this is what you do to tip pitches.’ And … through the course of the year, when you’re working through battles or however you want to put it, some tendencies start showing back up. And we’re always cross-checking, cross-checking, cross-checking.

“In the heat of the battle, sometimes that’s the last thing (pitchers) might be thinking about," Niebla added. "You know, it might show up. But overall, I think we’ve been really good as a team.”

أول تعليق من فينيسيوس جونيور بعد فوز ريال مدريد على بلباو في الدوري الإسباني

علق الدولي البرازيلي فينيسيوس جونيور، لاعب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي ريال مدريد حول فوز فريقه أمام أتلتيك بلباو ضمن منافسات الدوري الإسباني.

وحقق الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي ريال مدريد، فوزًا مهمًا على حساب أتلتيك بلباو، بثلاثية نظيفة، في المباراة التي جمعتهما ضمن منافسات الدوري الإسباني.

وواجه ريال مدريد نظيره أتلتيك بلباو، مساء اليوم، الأربعاء، في إطار منافسات الجولة 19 المقدمة من بطولة الدوري الإسباني.

واستضاف ملعب “سان ماميس” مباراة ريال مدريد بقيادة تشابي ألونسو وأتلتيك بلباو، في الجولة الاستثنائية من “لا ليجا”.

اقرأ أيضًا | كورتوا بعد الفوز على بلباو: كانت بمثابة نهائي.. وهذه حقيقة الخلاف مع ألونسو

بتلك النتيجة، رفع ريال مدريد رصيده إلى النقطة 36 في المركز الثاني بجدول ترتيب الدوري الإسباني، بفارق نقطة وحيدة عن برشلونة المتصدر.

ونشر فينيسيوس جونيور، صورة له عبر حسابه الشخصي الرسمي على موقع التواصل الاجتماعي “انستجرام” وعلق عليها: “هذا ريال مدريد”.

وأكمل: “الأهداف ستعود، نراكم في ملعبنا يوم الأحد.. هلا مدريد”، كما علق على هذه الصورة كلًا من كيليان مبابي وكاريراس وهويسن زملائه في الفريق.

'It was forbidden for him to leave' – Mikel Arteta admits he forced Leandro Trossard to turn down summer transfer after Belgian kickstarted Tottenham thrashing

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta admitted after his team's north London derby win over Tottenham that he prevented Leandro Trossard from leaving the club in the summer transfer window. Trossard was linked with a move away from the Emirates Stadium as the Gunners invested heavily in their squad, but Arteta did not want him to depart. The Belgium international has been in good form so far in the 2025-26 season and shone again in the win over Spurs.

Eze and Trossard down Spurs

Trossard opened the scoring for Arsenal against Tottenham in the 36th minute on Sunday at the Emirates before Eberechi Eze bagged a hat-trick to complete a 4-1 win. The victory moves Arsenal six points clear of Chelsea at the top of the Premier League table as Arteta's men aim to end their long wait for the title. Eze was one of a host of big-name signings at Arsenal this summer, with the likes of Viktor Gyokeres and Noni Madueke also arriving, leading to speculation Trossard could move on. Bayern Munich, Fenerbahce and Besiktas were just some of the clubs believed to be interested in Trossard, however, the 30-year-old ended up staying and has even been rewarded with a pay increase and a new contract that runs until 2027.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportArteta refused to let Trossard go

The Arsenal manager spoke about the situation after the game at the Emirates and admitted there was "no chance" he would have sanctioned an exit for Trossard. He told reporters: "For me it was forbidden for him to leave. No chance. I know the player that he is, and surrounded with the players that we have, he's a player that is going to make a difference for us. I fully agree. It was one of the best games, so aggressive with and without the ball, so effective, he could have scored another one or two goals, and he was involved in so many positive actions. So that's what we need. As I said, I think individually the players were excellent today."

Trossard enjoys 'perfect night' against Spurs

Trossard could not hide his delight after victory over Spurs and admitted it was a perfect day for the Gunners. He told the club's media: "I enjoyed that a lot! I think it was important to get that goal. After that it gave us the edge to go on and score more goals, to create chances. I think we were dominant before, but obviously that gives you that extra bit of confidence to go and win the game. It was a perfect night for us. It was a really good game overall in every aspect, from defence to attack. We're really happy with all the goals we scored as well.

"It was just joy. Everyone was cheering, there's not much to say about it. That's what we really wanted and it's nice that we could give this back to the fans. The atmosphere was amazing, it was so good, they pushed us forward as well. So yeah, it's a really good night today.”

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Arsenal unbeaten when Trossard scores

Trossard's goal continued an incredible record for the Belgian for Arsenal. The 30-year-old has now scored 32 goals for Arsenal and has never been on the losing side when he has found the back of the net for the Gunners. Arsenal have won 24 and drawn eight of the games in which Trossard has struck since his arrival at the club from Brighton in 2023.

West Ham get Crysencio Summerville injury update after eight-word message from insider

West Ham have been handed an injury update on Crysencio Summervile after the winger missed their 2-2 draw with Bournemouth last weekend.

The Hammers have rediscovered hope in their battle against relegation after an impressive three-game unbeaten streak that has breathed new life into their campaign under new manager Nuno Espírito Santo.

West Ham United’s upcoming fixtures

Date

Liverpool (h)

November 30th

Manchester United (a)

December 4th

Brighton & Hove Albion (a)

December 7th

Aston Villa (h)

December 14th

Manchester City (a)

December 20th

The turnaround began with a crucial 3-1 home win over Newcastle at the start of November, ending a dismal 248-day wait for a London Stadium victory. Lucas Paqueta’s strike and Sven Botman’s own goal overturned Jacob Murphy’s early opener before Tomas Soucek sealed the points in stoppage time.

The victory was significant not just for the three points but for demonstrating resilience after falling behind early, a scenario that had previously prompted capitulations against Chelsea, Tottenham and Brentford.

Six days later, West Ham delivered another comeback against Burnley, grinding out a vital 3-2 victory. After Zian Flemming’s header put the visitors ahead, Callum Wilson equalised before halftime with his eighth career goal against Burnley. Soucek then produced another crucial intervention, bundling home with thirteen minutes remaining before Kyle Walker-Peters wrapped up all three points just minutes from full-time.

The momentum continued at Bournemouth, where Wilson tormented his former club with two excellent first-half goals. Although Nuno’s side surrendered their two-goal advantage through Marcus Tavernier’s penalty and Enes Unal’s late equaliser, the 2-2 draw extended their unbeaten run to three matches.

West Ham have now got eleven points from their last twelve games, climbing out of the relegation zone on goal difference.

Striker could join West Ham for £30m after giving Bayern Munich and Man City nightmares

He’s emerged as one of their arguable best options.

ByEmilio Galantini Nov 26, 2025

Nuno has brought defensive organisation and tactical discipline that was absent under his predecessor Graham Potter. Wilson’s form has been crucial too. Despite initially not being fancied by West Ham’s boss (ExWHUemployee), the summer signing has now bagged four goals in his last three matches.

Jean-Clair Todibo and Max Kilman have improved recently as well, among others, with vice-chair Karren Brady’s decision to push for Nuno’s appointment now paying dividends.

Nuno is on record suggesting that Summerville will be a crucial player for West Ham, and the winger had started every Premier League game for West Ham’s new boss before last weekend’s draw.

ExWHUemployee shares Summerville injury update out of West Ham

Nuno will be keen to have him back to face Liverpool this weekend, and the consensus is that may well be likely.

However, ExWHUemployee has shared an update erring on the side of caution.

Writing via his Patreon, Ex claims that, while Summerville’s injury is perceived as minor, an eight-word message from one of his sources suggests that there is a degree of uncertainty.

If Summerville isn’t fit enough to take part against Liverpool, Nuno will likely call upon Brazilian talent Luis Guilherme, as he did against Bournemouth last Saturday.

"Rotten" Thelwell signing is Rangers' biggest waste of time since Dowell

There were a few interesting names on the teammates when Glasgow Rangers announced their U19 side to take on St Mirren on Monday night, as several first-team players were involved.

Dujon Sterling made his long-awaited return from an Achilles injury to start at centre-back alongside fellow first-team defender Clinton Nsiala, although the young Gers then found themselves 3-0 down at half-time, and went on to lose 4-2.

Along with those two central defenders, attacking midfielder Kieran Dowell played his first match since August, having been out through injury, after Russell Martin opted to keep hold of him in the summer.

Why Rangers should have sold Kieran Dowell

Since moving to Ibrox from Norwich on a free transfer in 2023, the English playmaker has failed to prove his worth to the Scottish giants on the pitch, which is why he should have been moved on before this season.

In almost two-and-a-half years at Rangers, Dowell has produced more goals and assists out on loan (ten for Birmingham) than he has for the Gers (five), per Transfermarkt.

The left-footed dud has scored two goals and provided three assists in 38 games for the club, including no goals and one assist in six matches under Martin this season.

His contract is due to expire at the end of the season, per Transfermarkt, and it remains to be seen if he is a part of Danny Rohl’s plans, with the likes of Djeidi Gassama, Mikey Moore, Oliver Antman, Nedim Bajrami, Findlay Curtis, and Thelo Aasgaard ahead of him in the pecking order.

Should his deal expire next year without him working his way back into the team to make a big impact at Ibrox, Dowell may well be looked back on as a pointless signing due to his lack of contributions on the pitch.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Meanwhile, one of Kevin Thelwell’s summer recruits currently looks like he is on course to be the biggest waste of time for the Light Blues since Dowell, Joe Rothwell.

Why Joe Rothwell has been a poor signing for Rangers

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, of course, because the idea of the signing of Rothwell on paper seemed solid. A technically sound central midfielder who could control the game in midfield, with experience in the Premier League and the Championship.

However, the midfield technician, signed on a permanent deal from Bournemouth, has not been able to deliver quality performances for the Light Blues on a consistent basis, as he has seemingly struggled with the intensity and speed of the football in Scotland.

It is always difficult to predict how a player will adapt to the intensity of the league, which is why so many players, like Dowell, flop after good spells elsewhere, and Rothwell has followed in Dowell’s footsteps as another player who has fallen short of the physical requirements.

Successful dribbles

4

Bottom 42%

Touches in the opposition’s box

4

Bottom 26%

Tackles

7

Bottom 26%

Duels won

16

Bottom 25%

Duel success rate

47.1%

Bottom 39%

Ball recoveries

22

Bottom 36%

Possession won in the final third

1

Bottom 19%

As you can see in the table above, the English central midfielder ranks poorly among his positional peers in a host of metrics based around physicality and mobility.

These statistics show that Rothwell, who has no goals and two assists in 19 appearances for Rangers, does not have the speed or mobility to consistently compete against other midfielders in the Scottish Premiership.

The 30-year-old dud, whom Heart & Hand content creator David Edgar described as “rotten”, has been an unused substitute in all three of the league matches that he has been available for during Rohl’s tenure.

This suggests that the German head coach has not been too impressed by the English dud, which means that his future could be thrown into doubt in January should his game time not improve.

Thelwell signing is a bigger waste of time than Chermiti & Miovski at Rangers

This Glasgow Rangers flop is a bigger waste of time this season than both Bojan Miovski and Youssef Chermiti.

ByDan Emery Nov 24, 2025

Therefore, this Thelwell signing looks like the biggest waste of time at Rangers since Dowell because he is an experienced player who has not made an immediate impact on the pitch, and now looks to be surplus to requirements already.

Peake performance: 19-year-old batter shows his talent

Fergus O’Neill completed an excellent match with the bat to help seal the chase after Jordan Buckingham had come within a whisker of a hat-trick

AAP07-Oct-2025Victoria 343 for 9 dec (Handscomb 103, O’Neill 64, Harris 61, Pope 3-87) and 231 for 6 (Peake 70*, Buckingham 3-43) beat South Australia 350 for 9 dec (Hunt 126, Lehmann 113, Perry 4-75) and 223 (Nielsen 52, Warren 5-69) by four wicketsTeenager Oliver Peake guided Victoria to an impressive four-wicket win over reigning Sheffield Shield champions South Australia.The highly regarded Peake could have been out first ball, but instead played an early career-shaping knock to steer Victoria to the tricky chase of 231 at Adelaide Oval on Tuesday.Related

  • Fergus O'Neill averages 20 with the ball, but can he play Test cricket?

  • Hatcher and Hadley inspire New South Wales to victory

  • Debutant Chaudhary earns Tasmania draw after Weatherald's second fifty

After barely surviving a hat-trick ball to begin his stay, the 19-year-old showed composure beyond his years to finish unbeaten on 70 from 147 deliveries.Seamer Fergus O’Neill (33*) provided great support for Peake in an unbeaten 84-run partnership for Victoria, who lost Sam Harper at an important time when the wicketkeeper was batting well.O’Neill hit the winning runs in the dying stages of day four, upsetting SA in their first match since breaking their 29-year Shield drought in March.It was only Peake’s second Shield game for Victoria, and fifth first-class match, after playing three matches for Australia A this year. His clutch performance would have delighted Australian selectors, who have been tracking the young gun’s progress closely.It came after SA quick Jordan Buckingham (3-43) fell agonisingly short of a hat-trick, with Henry Hunt dropping a sharp chance at short leg.After dismissing former Test players Marcus Harris and Peter Handscomb in consecutive balls, Buckingham had the opportunity to make history. Peake clipped the hat-trick ball off his legs, but Hunt put down the reflex chance to deny Buckingham and change the momentum of the chase.In the first innings, Handscomb posted an outstanding innings in a reminder he might not be done at international level. Handscomb, whose most recent Test was against India in March 2023, faced 180 balls and hit seven fours and two sixes.But SA captain and Test hopeful Nathan McSweeney endured a poor Shield opener, out for a duck and 6.