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The Seattle Sounders' forward received a special halftime tribute during the club's match against Houston Dynamo

Morris was recognized for surpassing Raúl Ruidíaz'sCeremony took place at halftime against Houston DynamoMorris' achievement spans all competitionsGetty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED

During the halftime break of Seattle Sounders' home game against Houston Dynamo over the weekend, Jordan Morris was honored on the field for breaking the club's all-time scoring record.

The Mercer Island native was celebrated for his 87 career goals for the Rave Green across all competitions, surpassing the previous record held by Raúl Ruidíaz. Morris is sidelined by a hamstring injury but was present at half-time for the ceremony.

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Morris wasn’t the only one honored as the club also paid tribute to Nico Lodeiro, prior to kickoff, for his time with the club. Lodeiro spent nearly seven years with the club, winning two MLS Cups and a CONCACAF Champions Cup before leaving for Houston Dynamo prior to the 2025 season.

They also honored Cristian Roldan, after the pre-game warmup, who overtook Zach Scott for the most appearances by a Sounders field player in all eras dating back to 1974 with his 353 appearances.

Getty Images SportWHAT’S NEXT?

Following their draw against Houston Dynamo, Seattle Sounders sit 12th on the Western Conference table with five points after five games played. They have back-to-back-to-back away games next on their cards, first against San Jose Earthquakes on March 29 before going on the road again to face San Diego FC on April 5.

Seattle will also be one of two MLS clubs competing in the 2025 Club World Cup, which begins in mid-June. Lionel Messi and Inter Miami will also represent MLS.

Brisbane is a city that makes room for all comers, offers plenty of bright light, and a variety of paths to jog down

Firdose Moonda24-Dec-2014First light, short shadows, the westward flying plane. Only another sun chaser would understand the true value of those things. The idea of going to a place named after the golden ball of goodness itself appealed to me more than most. Fortuitously, Queensland was the first serious stop on South Africa’s tour of Australia in late 2012.The schedule took us to Sydney for a practice match but Brisbane, in the Sunshine State, was where the real Tests would begin. The locals called it Bris-Vegas in a disparaging reference to tackiness, but I was not going to be swayed so easily. Even if the city lacked soul in the way I imagine the one it is nicknamed after does, it would have warmth of the literal kind, which was fine with me.Sunlight bounced from the streets, complete with bicycle lanes, glistened on the water, and reflected off the mirrored modern structures that made up the Eagle Street Pier. The mall by the water was my introduction to Brisbane and it was every bit as expensive (because it just cannot be called cheap) and nasty as it sounds. The restaurants were flash, the patrons were flush, but it was not just good times that were flowing; the Brisbane River was too and it would prove central to my experience of the city.A river usually comes with a guarantee of an opportunity for exercise and I had previously made use of many. On the Thames’ South Bank, sightseeing was included; on the Zambezi, I shared space with baboons and a pair of elephants, and along the Waikato, moving became a form of meditation. But Brisbane was completely different because the focus was on the physical activity of running and the many interesting ways of performing the seemingly mundane task of putting one foot in front of the other over and over and over again.Walkways at Eagle Street Pier, and the Story Bridge•Getty ImagesNo matter where you start – I began at the aforementioned shopping area – over the course of two weeks, every run can be different because of the 15 bridges that connect the two sides of the city. Some routes meander through the Botanical Gardens, others force you to jostle with cyclists in narrow shared spaces. And then there is the floating walkway between the wonderfully named Story Bridge and Merthyr Street. In glorious sunshine, your eyes are treated to light of a brightness they may not have enjoyed before, footsteps and whirring wheels are the soundtrack, and the sense of community from the many other people doing exactly the same thing was more welcoming than I expected Australia to be.Without delving too deeply into the love-hate relationship between South Africans and Australians, let’s just say there is a level of aggression shared between us. It is evident on the sports field where contests between the two nations often come with some extra needle, but it also exists beyond the boundary. There are almost 150,000 South Africans living in Australia, many of whom moved there when South Africa’s transition into a democracy threatened to become violent, and there is a tension between those who stayed behind and those who left. Of course, we are not the only country that has a significant expat community in Australia because people have been flocking there for generations.My first encounter with an “Australian,” was actually with a Lebanese man, then an Italian, then a Chinese person. All that makes Australia a much more diverse place than it can come across as being.Brisbane has a significant Greek influence. My childhood was spent among people of Mediterranean heritage, so I was intrigued enough to visit the West End. Apart from the fact that it shares a name with what I regard as one of the best part of London, it was where the Greek community settled initially.Restaurants spilling over onto pavements and delicatessens that open up into massive grocery stores stand as a testament to that legacy. One of them, Delta Continental, is located on Vulture Street. The only reason I remember that is because the same road leads to the Gabba. With red and yellow seats, the ground looks like it is trying to be the sun, never mind have people sit in it. I was underwhelmed by it as a venue.The Gabba: more sin than soul•Getty ImagesThey say it used to have much more character before the revamp, which has since swallowed other Australian venues like Adelaide Oval, and I hope they are right. The Gabba I saw had the same garishness as some parts of the city it is in do. There’s too much Vegas and not enough Bris. The most interesting thing about it was an anecdote we unearthed about why the street it sits on has its name: not named after a group of birds that nested there waiting for a carcass, or even a pack of dodgy businessmen, but rather a Royal Navy warship that was in operation during the Crimean War in the 1850s, called the .What was talked up to be a fiery pitch – so much so that South Africa fielded an all-pace attack – turned out to be the opposite. Brisbane was not all sunshine and… well sunshine, either. The second day of the match was washed out, effectively forcing the draw, but that did leave me with more time to explore some of the more charming parts. The Library Bar, the old government house, the Brisbane wheel.Beyond Brisbane’s borders are attractions including a koala sanctuary, the Australia Zoo, which was home to crocodile hunter Steve Irwin, and much further afield, the Gold Coast. The schedule meant I could not get to any of them, and I was particularly disappointed not to be able to bask in the rays of a place that sounds made for nothing else. But that’s just another reason to keep chasing the sun.

Will Leeds blow it this year? The Championship has been a cruel mistress to the Elland Road outfit down the years but they are now top of the league after 17 fixtures.

It’s been a brilliant recent patch for the Whites who are hoping to exorcise their demons of last term when they were beaten to automatic promotion by Leicester City and remarkably by Ipswich Town who achieved phenomenal campaigns.

Daniel Farke’s men battered Norwich in the play-offs but came unstuck against Southampton, failing to even score in that defeat at Wembley.

Since then, they have bounced back phenomenally well. Their promotion hoodoo, for the second time in the last five years, could be about to end.

Gone is Crycensio Summerville. Gone is the skipper, Liam Cooper, and gone is talented teenager Archie Gray.

However, as their dominant 3-0 win over Luton on Wednesday evening showed, they needn’t worry about their departures for much longer.

Leeds’ best performers against Luton

This was about a dominant performance as you can get from Farke’s side who cemented their lead at the top of the second tier in quite some style.

This is a Luton side who have been way below par under Rob Edwards this term but they are a recent relegated team all the same. To beat any recent Premier League outfit 3-0 is impressive.

The deadlock was broken after ten minutes when Sam Bryam, an unlikely goal scorer found the net with a lovely scissor kick, before Joel Piroe – arguably flattering to deceive as the main striker – made things a great deal more comfortable by scoring just before the break.

Things were rounded off late on by substitute Dan James who is in quite the run of form right now having also provided two assists in the remarkable 4-3 win against Swansea last Sunday.

The goalscorers will no doubt get praise but midfielder Ao Tanaka was exceptional once more, registering 133 touches, the highest of anyone on the field and completing a whopping 113 passes, the second most on the pitch.

That second statistic was only bettered by captain Pascal Struijk who in keeping a clean sheet boasted 116 accurate passes and 132 touches. If that wasn’t enough the Dutchman also won seven duels.

Touches

132

133

Passes completed

116

113

Long passes completed

5/7

5/7

Duels won

7/10

4/8

Dribbled past

0x

2x

It wasn all plain sailing for Farke and Co but one selection dilemma, in particular, deserves attention.

Chalkboard

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

What to do with Brenden Aaronson

Brenden Aaronson’s tale as a Leeds United player has been a strange one, let’s put it that way.

Signed by fellow countryman Jesse Marsch when they were still in the Premier League, things began promisingly for the attacking midfielder when he scored a late winner against Chelsea.

It feels like from that very moment things have never quite worked out as the American would have hoped.

A loan spell in the Bundesliga last term did bring back some confidence, although it was a surprise when Farke decided to revive the player’s career over the summer, reintroducing him into the squad.

Last season he was involved in just four goals for loan side Union Berlin and to the 24-year-old’s credit he has already bettered that in Leeds colours since returning to the setup, scoring four times in 2024/25 and registering one assist.

Sadly, the USA international isn’t quite delivering at the moment and regularly frustrates the masses at Elland Road.

That was the story once more on Wednesday evening when Aaronson struggled despite the 3-0 win.

Farke suggested that his work rate was “unbelievable” but that delusion just provoked understandable groans from the Leeds supporters.

Ultimately he was not that impressive, handed an average 6/10 match rating by Leeds Live reporter Beren Cross who wrote that there were ‘some good bits and bad bits from the American’ which rather sums up his career at the club.

Minutes played

84

Touches

60

Accurate passes

35/41 (85%)

Key passes

2

Crosses

1/3

Long balls

0

Shots on target

1

Dribble attempts

1/3

Ground duels won

3/10

Aerial duels won

0/1

Possession lost

15x

Fouled

2x

During his 84 minutes on the field, Aaronson did produce two key passes but in a game where the hosts had 20 shots, only one of them came from his boot.

Perhaps the worst two stats where the number of duels he won (4/13) and the number of times he gave away the ball (15).

With Blackburn to come at the weekend, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him back in the starting XI given Farke’s praise. However, it should be the time to drop him to the bench.

Better options await in the shape of James, Mateo Joseph or Largie Ramazani.

Better than Tanaka: Leeds ace who made 116 passes was the real hero v Luton

The Leeds United man put in a fantastic performance against Luton on Wednesday.

ByDan Emery Nov 28, 2024

Javier Mascherano has reacted to the “not human” conditions that Lionel Messi and Inter Miami had to contend with when visiting Kansas City.

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• Match was postponed by 24 hours
• Temperatures still dipped below freezing
• Messi netted only goal of the game

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Herons saw the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions Cup clash with Sporting KC postponed by 24 hours due to forecasts of heavy snowfall. The game did eventually go ahead, but temperatures dipped to five degrees Fahrenheit (-15C) by kick-off, with wind chill making it feel like -5 degrees Fahrenheit (-20C).

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The mercury dipped even further to what felt like -8 degrees Fahrenheit (-22C) during the game, with both sets of players having to contend with frigid conditions that made putting on a show difficult. Mascherano was among those left freezing on the bench.

• WHAT JAVIER MASCHERANO SAID

  Inter Miami’s Argentine coach told reporters after seeing his side collect a hard-fought 1-0 win: “I'm very proud because I think it's impossible to play in these conditions. It is not human, you know, so I'm very proud because they gave me 100% with intensity, with a lot of attitude, so we are happy. We are in the half-time of the qualifiers, so now try to rest after a very difficult game for us.”

• Getty Images Sport
  

  DID YOU KNOW?

  Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi, who faced reports of wanting to skip the game at one stage, netted the only goal of the game in Kansas – his first competitive strike of 2025. Mascherano added on the all-time great stepping up again in an hour of need: “Fantastic [goal], I think maybe for the people that know him, it's normal because he did things like this or goals like this 1,000 times, but we are very lucky to have him in our team.”

Stats highlights from the fourth day in Galle, when Sri Lanka made a strong start in their chase of 370

S Rajesh19-Jul-2014110 – The largest first-innings deficit for Sri Lanka in Tests which they’ve ended up winning. There’ve been only two instances of Sri Lanka turning around 100-plus run deficits into wins, and both were in matches when they batted first and got out cheaply: against Pakistan in Faisalabad in 1995 they were all out for 223 and conceded a lead of 110, but won by 42 runs, while against England at Headingley last month they were bowled out for 257 and conceded a lead of 108, but won by 100 runs. 58 – The largest first-innings deficit for Sri Lanka in Tests in which they’ve batted second and won the game. That happened at the SSC in Colombo against West Indies in 2005, when the visitors batted first and scored 285, and then bundled out Sri Lanka for 227. In their second innings, though, West Indies were bowled out for 113, and Sri Lanka chased down 172 losing only four wickets. 1 – Number of times, since their readmission to international cricket, that South Africa have lost a Test match after taking a first-innings lead of more than 100. The only such instance was against Australia in Port Elizabeth in 1997, when South Africa scored 209 and then bowled Australia out for 108, but ultimately lost the Test by two wickets. (This excludes the Test when South Africa forfeited an innings against England in Centurion in 2000.)300 – The highest fourth-innings total in Galle, by Pakistan in 2012. They lost that Test by 209 runs.1018 – The number of Test runs for Kumar Sangakkara in 2014, in 13 innings, at an average of 92.54. He is the first to go past 1000 Test runs for the year – the next-best is Angelo Mathews with 693.87.93 – AB de Villiers’ strike rate in South Africa’s second innings (51 off 58 balls), which is the third-best among South Africans who’ve scored 50 or more in a Test innings in Sri Lanka.68.50 – The average partnership in a Test innings between Sangakkara and Kaushal Silva. In 11 partnerships, they’ve added 685 runs, with one century and five half-century stands. The last three partnerships (including this one) have yielded 97, 98 and 96 runs.8 – The number of wickets in the match for Dilruwan Perera, the Sri Lankan offspinner. It’s the first instance of eight or more wickets in a match for a Sri Lankan right-arm spinner in almost four years – the last such instance was in August 2010, when Suraj Randiv took 9 for 162 against India in Colombo.

Arsenal’s excellent start to the 2024/25 campaign continued on Saturday afternoon after a 3-1 victory over Southampton in the Premier League at the Emirates.

Despite falling behind, goals from Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka allowed Mikel Arteta’s side to maintain their unbeaten start to the new term.

The Gunners have picked up where they left off in 2023/24, hoping to end their two-decade wait for a league triumph – but after two near misses in a row, could they finally go one better?

Undoubtedly, Arteta will be reliant upon star men like Saka, who, as demonstrated yesterday, is capable of single-handedly changing a game with his goal and two assists.

However, as the lengthy season progresses over the coming months, one player could receive an increase in first-team minutes – potentially building on his excellent start to life at the club.

Ethan Nwaneri’s recent emergence at Arsenal

Before the 2022/23 season, youngster Ethan Nwaneri would’ve been an unknown quantity to many, but two years on, he’s now one of the most exciting talents currently plying his trade in England’s top flight.

The midfielder made his debut back in September 2022 as a 15-year-old, making him the youngest Premier League player in the process – but it’s the 2024/25 season that has seen him flourish in Arteta’s side.

Nwaneri has made two substitute appearances in the league, making a huge impact from the bench against Leicester with his restricted minutes, but he showcased his talents more efficiently when given the opportunity from a starting role.

He made his first start for the Gunners during the Carabao Cup clash against Bolton Wanderers last month, starring throughout and looking way beyond his years.

The academy graduate scored twice during the 5-1 victory over the League One outfit, taking full advantage of the club’s injury issues which have seen Mikel Merino and Martin Odegaard spending time on the sidelines.

Sometimes you need that break in football to showcase your skills, with Nwaneri doing exactly that in recent weeks, giving Arteta a real decision to make about potentially including him from a starting role in the Premier League after the upcoming international break.

It could allow the boss to end the Arsenal career of one player who unfortunately has failed to make a huge impact since his big-money move to North London.

Nwaneri's rise is bad news for £34m flop

Portuguese ace Fabio Vieira joined Arsenal in a £34m deal back in the summer of 2022, with high expectations placed on him due to his price tag.

However, two years on, it’s safe to say that the move didn’t go to plan for the 24-year-old, who is now currently back on a season-long loan at Porto, the side that the Gunners bought him from.

Vieira has only featured 49 times for Arteta’s team since his big-money transfer, often unable to dislodge Odegaard from the starting lineup, largely having to settle for minutes off the bench.

Fabio Vieira’s stats per competition for Arsenal
Competition	Games	Goals	Assists
Premier League	33	2	4
Europa League	8	1	2
Champions League	3	0	0
Carabao Cup	2	0	1
FA Cup	2	0	2
Community Shield	1	0	0
Total:	49	3	9
Stats via Transfermarkt

The midfielder, who earns £45k-per-week, registered 12 goal contributions during his first two seasons in the capital, but it appears his career at the club could be coming to an unfortunate end.

His loan move this summer is undoubtedly a wise one to allow him to gain valuable first-team minutes to aid his development, but it’s also a signal that he’s no longer part of Arteta’s plans moving forward.

Given Nwaneri’s recent impact on Arteta’s side, it could see Vieira fall further down the pecking order upon his return to the Emirates next summer, giving him an even harder task of forcing himself back into the Spaniard’s plans.

Whilst he was a player who demonstrated real promise during his early days at the club, it’s safe to say the move hasn’t worked out as both parties would’ve imagined.

Arteta could look to offload him permanently to prevent a huge loss on the fee they forked out on him two years ago, which could see more trust added in Nwaneri to become a consistent first-team member over the coming months to allow him to continue on his current trajectory.

It's not Havertz: Arsenal may have just unearthed their next Ozil

Arsenal have a new assist king this season.

1

By
Matt Dawson

Oct 6, 2024

Plays of the day from the second semi-final, between Australia and India in Sydney

Sharda Ugra in Sydney26-Mar-2015The thudDavid Warner had sung the Australian anthem with gusto and emotion, drawing himself up to attempted Matthew Haydenesque heights, and arrived at the crease, suitably pumped up. It was clear, he wanted to dominate, he wanted to win the confrontation. He had pulled Umesh Yadav for a six off the last ball of his first over. He was ready to do it again. At the other end, his sombre companion Aaron Finch was holding him up, tied into a knot by Mohammed Shami in the third over, four dot balls in a row. When Warner got to face Yadav in the next over, he was twitching. The ball was short but not short enough, its leading edge finding Kohli under it, to thousands of hollering Indian fans. Warner’s mini-mini-drama was over.The review
Aaron Finch missed a ball which, in his innings, was not news itself. But when this happened, and he was given not out, Ravindra Jadeja was incensed. He thought Finch was plumb in front. It seemed like MS Dhoni disagreed. He thought the ball was outside off stump. But Jadeja would not stop pleading, so Dhoni gave in. It looked like he just couldn’t be bothered arguing any more. The first replay made the Indians cheer, as did the second. It was only the third replay that showed that the ball had hit outside the off stump. The Australian fans laughed at the Indian fans.The spill
The new ball has habitually provided Australia with at least a couple of chances for wickets, and in this tournament it has been a rarity for them to be spurned. After Shane Watson’s low snare off Rohit Sharma was deemed to have grazed the turf, Shikhar Dhawan advanced to Josh Hazlewood and found himself in no sort of position to do anything other than edge a well-pitched delivery going across him. It was one of those edges that might have been taken by first slip but was definitely within the wicketkeeper’s range, and so Brad Haddin leapt across to claim it. But his gloves were either too firm or too eager and the ball bounced out of them and firmly to ground. Haddin was disconsolate, and Australia worried – it was a chance that should have been snaffled.The talking to
Something about Suresh Raina’s entry to the middle, after Rohit Sharma’s wicket, stirred Mitchell Starc to anger. After a relatively sedate over to Ajinkya Rahane, Starc’s next had the bowler firing down three short balls at Raina. The third was slower and wider than the first two, and was called by umpire Kumar Dharmasena, but the follow-up was far more venomous than the ball itself, as Starc followed through extravagantly and delivered strong words in the direction of Raina. Another wide followed, and after Starc had finished the over with a ball on the stumps, he was spoken to most pointedly by Dharmasena about his overt aggression. Starc did not take entirely kindly to it.

Matthew Waite and Dillon Pennington share seven wickets after Azhar Ali’s 235

ECB Reporters Network21-May-2022

Matthew Waite in his bowling action•Getty Images

Worcestershire overwhelmed Leicestershire by an innings and 259 runs with more than a day to spare in the LV=Insurance County Championship match at New Road. The home side collected a maximum haul of 24 points to secure their second Championship victory of the campaign.They established a first innings lead of 429 after plundering 120 from 20 overs before Saturday morning’s declaration half an hour before lunch on 577 for 6 – their highest ever total against Leicestershire.Then some fiery bowling from Dillon Pennington, a career Championship best return of 4 for 35 from loanee Matthew Waite and a series of superb catches saw Leicestershire crumble for a second time.”It hurts and this is the lowest point of my head coach role,” Paul Nixon said. “That wasn’t a first-class performance. We have to do some soul searching. We have to reflect and we have to be honest. Our discipline with bat and ball wasn’t good enough.”Worcestershire dominated in all departments with Azhar Ali’s double century the bedrock of their innings and taking the Pakistan batter’s run tally to 465 in the last four innings.Related

Barker's half-dozen leads Hampshire to victory as Somerset fold

They looked a side capable of mounting a promotion challenge although they will undoubtedly encounter stiffer opposition than that on offer from Leicestershire.The visitors never recovered from opting to bat on a helpful pitch after winning the toss and being bowled out for 148. They remain anchored to the foot of the table without a win heading into the break from four-day cricket and the launch of the Vitality Blast campaign.Worcestershire resumed on 456 for 3 and club captain Brett D’Oliveira added only two to his overnight 52 before he became Wiaan Mulder’s fourth scalp of the innings but Azhar, who resumed on 202, set the tone with a succession of boundaries.He eventually played on to Chris Wright to end his marathon nine-and-a-quarter-hour knock on 225 and left the arena to a standing ovation and the congratulations of several Leicestershire players.An innings full of class spanning three days and 350 balls included one six and 22 fours and was Worcestershire’s highest individual score since Moeen Ali’s 250 versus Glamorgan at New Road nine years ago.Ed Barnard made a breezy 26 as Worcestershire topped the 500 mark for the first time in nine years before the allrounder hooked Wright down long leg’s throat but the significant acceleration was provided by Ben Cox.He cleared the long Cathedral side boundary for the first of his three sixes and two more maximums off new Leicestershire red-ball captain, Callum Parkinson, hurried him to a 42-ball half century. Worcestershire surpassed their 121-year-old record score against Leicestershire of 561 before the declaration.Leicestershire needed a solid start but Rishi Patel managed only a single before he was plumb lbw to Pennington.Hassan Azad had denied Worcestershire victory in the opening day of the season at the Uptonsteel County Ground with an undefeated century so Worcestershire’s joy was understandable when the opener on 18 was brilliantly caught and bowled by Charlie Morris, who was slightly wrongfooted but adjusted to hold onto the low chance one-handed away to his left.There was no respite for Leicestershire and Colin Ackermann, deposed as captain this week, tried to work Pennington to leg and was lbw.