Women's World Cup reffing controversies are exposing soccer's two most flawed rules

Sometimes all it takes is a spotlight.

More eyes. Higher stakes.

Sometimes they are necessary to illuminate deep-seated flaws, of which soccer has many. And already this June, in a span of nine days, two major events have done just that.

First came the Champions League final. Then, this weekend, the Women's World Cup. Both have given rise to refereeing controversies that have an entire sport quarreling with itself. The latest came Sunday. Not 12 minutes into England's World Cup opener against Scotland, Fran Kirby served up a cross from the edge of the penalty area.

Scottish defender Nicola Docherty was two yards away.

The ball struck Docherty's arm.

After a video review, England was awarded a penalty.

And a wide range of emotions, from confusion to anger, swirled with equal venom across the soccer globe.

Reasonable minds all agree: This should not be a handball. Certainly not in the box. There is no intent. Docherty's arm is in a natural position. She has no time to avoid ball-to-arm contact.

And yet VAR, the video review system t hat has split opinions ever since it was introduced, disagreed.

So fans lashed out at it. Just as they have done for over a year now.

But VAR, a system designed to ensure rule enforcement, isn't the problem. The rules themselves are.

VAR has exposed the handball rule ...

VAR isn't ruining soccer. It's actually exposing two glaring flaws that have existed in the sport's rulebook for decades. Only now, with any contentious incident rolled back 10 times in slo-mo and re-litigated, are those flaws coming to light.

The handball rule has been murky for over a century. Enf orcement was largely governed by unwritten interpretation. The law keys in on the word "deliberate," but nobody quite knew how to define "deliberate." In commentary booths and on social media, "unnatural position" entered the lexicon, but there is no specific definition for that either.

The vagueness allowed referees to make calls situationally, narrowing those definitions in penalty boxes and widening them in midfield. The gray areas were endless and problematic, but the equilibrium palatable – becau se ignored handballs in 18-yard boxes, provided they didn't deny clear goalscoring opportunities, were far less impactful than penalized ones.

But VAR has stripped referees of their interpretive leeway. It has lent power to a rulebook built on ambiguous foundations, incapable of handling the responsibility.

The result is madness – madness that extends beyond the handball rule, into a broader domain: the penalty.

... And, more broadly, the penalty rule

The real problem here isn't specific to handballs. It's that when they occur in the area, the punishment doesn't fit the crime.

That cross that Kirby hit on Sunday? Had it not been blocked, its expected value was still a tiny fraction of a goal. Because it happened to strike a Scottish arm, its worth multiplied exponentially, to roughly 0.75 goals – or whatever Nikita Parris' penalt y conversion rate is.

That, when you think about it, is completely absurd. It's mind-bogglingly stupid. Illogical. Backwards.

The incentives are so perverse that players in Kirby's position, or Sadio Mane's eight days earlier, will soon come to realize: Aiming for an opponent's arm is a more effective strategy than trying to pick out a tea mmate at the back post. Mane probably didn't do that last Saturday, but he might as well have.

Is this how we want the beautiful game to be played?

A similar incentive already compels forwards to hurl themselves to the ground under minimal contact rather than have an off-balance shot at goal. It's an awful trend – but, from a player's perspective, a rational one.

The onus, therefore, isn't on them to reform their ways. It's on soccer's lawmakers to rethink a rule that is only in place because, well, it has been since the 1890s. And because this sport is so senselessly resistant to change.

How the penalty rule should be overhauled

The penalty box is an extremely arbitrary thing. Why, for example, should a foul occurring here be a free kick from this exact position ...

Story continues

... but a foul occurring here be an unobstructed one, 12 yards out from the center of the goal?

The 18-yard box itself can remain for goalkeeper handling purposes. But any foul, handball or otherwise, that does not deny a clear goalscoring opportunity should simply be a direct free kick from the spot of the foul.

The only other tweak required would be an expansion of the definition of "denying a clear goalscoring opportunity," enough to discourage pervasive tactical fouling. This would make punishments proportional to crimes.

How the handball rule should be changed

As for the handball rule, its scope should be reduced. Only intentional ones should be whistled, no matter where on the field they occur. As long as players aren't swat ting at balls, or blocking them like a keeper would, or picking them up and running like an American footballer would, why, exactly, do we need to police them so strictly?

Now, "intentional," to be clear, would include even the slightest instinctive movement of the arm into a position that could possibly make it more likely to come into contact with the ball. But that 50/50 challenge in midfield where the ball randomly pops up and hits an arm? Please, just play on. Even if it puts the handling player at a disadvantage .

But this is the less important suggestion. The penalty rethink is urgent.

VAR, for the most part, has worked. It corrects egregious errors. Unfortunately, itcame with unintended consequences. Those consequences, however, can largely be remedied with a change that, frankly, is long overdue.

We ju st needed major tournaments and VAR to make us realize as much.

– – – – – – –

Henry Bushnell is a features writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Question? Comment? Email him at henrydbushnell@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter @HenryBushnell, and on Facebook.

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Players seeking recognition, respect for their sport at Women's World Cup

PARIS — Seizing on the once-in-every-four-years spectacle, teams at the Women's World Cup are hoping that the attention the sport will get in France will bring about change at home.

But it's not just about soccer. It's about respect.

For the defending champion U.S. women's team, that means a focus on the players' fight for equitable pay. For Australia, that means increased prize money for the most prestigious tournament in women's soccer. And for Jamaica, it means more support for the athletes from a federation that let the team go unfunded, and as a result, dormant, for years.

"It certainly is a platform. It's the biggest stage that we have," Megan Rapinoe said while discussing the U.S. team's ongoing fight. "It's a balance, though, because first and foremost, I think we have this platform and it's as big as it has been because we've been so successful, and on the biggest stages we've been successful."

The U.S. is the defending champion and a three-time winner of the World Cup, which kicks off Friday in Paris. Twenty-four teams will crisscross France over the next month, with the winner decided in Lyon on July 7.

Jamaica, the first Caribbean nation to qualify for a Women's World Cup, is among those teams. The Reggae Girlz want to change the perception of the women's game in a nation that traditionally hasn't valued it: Funding was cut when the team didn't qualify for the 2008 Olympics. The team was revived just five years ago.

Like many teams in the region, Jamaica's women have struggled for basic support, even equipment. There's been little or no compensation for players.

Coach Hue Menzies said the team's first-ever appearance in the World Cup is "actually a cause."

"We want to make an impact socially," Menzies said.

The Americans are largely seen as the leaders when it comes to tackling equity issues — using their status as the top-ranked team in the world. Players have filed a federal lawsuit that accuses the U.S. Soccer federation of discrimination and seeks compensation that's equitable with compensation for the men's national team.

U.S. defender Becky Sauerbrunn sees this World Cup as a turning point.

"I think we have so much further to go, but I think we're at that point right now where, for women's soccer and for this tournament, it's, 'How much can we push this and raise this further? How much more can we get the neutral fan to become the die-hard fan?' Can we get the investors to go from 'Maybe we'll invest in this,' to 'We're absolutely investing in this because we see this as an untapped marketplace?' So I think this is kind of a critical point for us, where we can really take some strides that maybe we wouldn't be able to in a non-World Cup year," Sauerbrunn said.

U.S. coach Jill Ellis was the first to declare that video review should be used at the Women's World Cup after it was used for the first time in 2018 for the men's tournament in Russia. Ellis has also criticized FIFA, soccer's international governing body, for scheduling the finals for the CONCACAF Gold Cup and the Copa America on the same day as the World Cup championship game.

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Golden Knights owner Bill Foley eyes MLS team for Raiders stadium

A hedge fund manager from Boston might not be the only billionaire interested in bringing a Major League Soccer expansion franchise to Las Vegas.

Two independent sources confirmed to the Review-Journal on Tuesday night that Golden Knights owner Bill Foley has engaged in discussions the past several months to land an MLS team that would play in the new Raiders stadium.

Foley could not be reached for comment, but Raiders owner Mark Davis did not discount the idea of the team's 65,000-seat domed stadium, set to open in 2020, being home to the MLS.

"We have 365 days a year to fill in the stadium," Davis said. "We will hopefully be using it for eight (regular-season) dates plus all our playoff games. So that leaves around 353, and then there is (UNLV football).

"Major League Soccer and other events would be at the top off our list to help fill those remaining dates. We are open to listening to anything. We owe that to ourselves and the community."

When asked if the Raiders and Foley had engaged in talks about an MLS franchise playing in the stadium, Davis said: "I'd prefer not to speak about anyone who has approached us."

A third source told the Review-Journal that Foley could potentially partner with another party — not the Raiders — on the MLS deal.

This news comes just days after it was announced the City Council will consider on Wednesday whether or not to enter into an exclusive negotiating agreement with Renaissance Companies Inc. on a deal to build a new MLS stadium on the site of Cashman Field.

In that instance, billionaire Seth Klarman of the Baupost Group, a Boston-based private investment partnership he founded in 1982, would purchase the Las Vegas Lights and then pursue an MLS team.

That would entail Klarman paying a league expansion fee in the range of $250 million and then building the soccer-specific stadium, which would be at least another $200 million.

If approved Wednesday, the agreement would be with Renaissance, representing Klarman's interests, for a 180-day negotiating period to create a master plan to develop the 62 acres where Cashman Field exists.

Your typical MLS stadium sits on 10 to 15 acres.

The situation of two competing parties for an MLS team has precedent, as the league entertained two competing expansion bids in Minnesota in 2015.

Dr. Bill McGuire, owner of then second-division Minnesota United of the North American Soccer League, centered his pitch on building a soccer-specific stadium. Minnesota Vikings owners Mark and Zygi Wilf pitched housing the expansion team in a NFL venue: U.S. Bank Stadium, which opened in 2016 and hosted the 2018 Super Bowl.

McGuire won out, and the $250 million, privately financed, 19,500-seat Allianz Field opened in April during Minnesota United's third MLS season.

Team would be tenant

Davis said any MLS team that would play in the NFL stadium would be considered a tenant and have to negotiate any potential revenue streams with the Raiders.

"We have been tenants in the (Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum) and you have seen how that worked out," Davis said. "It's one of the reasons we wanted this new stadium, to be in control of it, whether it's for football or soccer or a concert. "I don't know very much about the MLS as a league, because I have been so focused on the Raiders and Las Vegas, but I think pro soccer as a complimentary event would be fantastic. Along with the MLS, you could have international games with some great teams playing games in the stadium.

"Listen, if the deal with the city works out and it's decided the best thing is for an MLS stadium to be built downtown, I think that's great, too. We want whatever is best for Las Vegas. It seems as though the Lights have done a really good job with their fan base. But we also have over 300 dates to fill, so I'm not dissuaded at all to listen to anyone who approaches us."

Contact columnist Ed Graney at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He can be heard on "The Press Box," ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on Twitter.

Ben Gotz can be reached at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.

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Liverpool rises to the top of European soccer

MADRID — No tears of pain this time, just redemption for Mohamed Salah.

Only 1:48 was needed to banish the Champions League final heartbreak of a year ago.

Once Salah dispatched his early penalty against Tottenham, Liverpool was on the path to a sixth European title with a 2-0 victory Saturday night.

And a year after losing in the final to Real Madrid, Juergen Klopp has his first title after four years as Liverpool manager.

A shoulder injury forced Salah out of the showpiece last year. This time it was Tottenham midfielder Moussa Sissoko's arm that gifted Liverpool the early penalty opening – blocking Sadio Mane's shot after 21 seconds – and Salah converted from the spot after a video review check.

"I have sacrificed a lot for my career," Salah said. "To come from a village, to go to Cairo, and to be an Egyptian at this level is unbelievable for me."

On a hot and humid night in Madrid, Tottenham came to life only in the final 20 minutes of its first European Cup final.

But Liverpool completed the job in the 87th minute thanks to one of its semifinal saviors.

Divock Origi had to accept a place back on the bench despite producing two goals while deputizing for the injured Salah last month. But the substitute had the final big say, rifling a left-footed shot inside the far post.

"Every single player fought hard today," Origi said. "So it's just special."

After two losing finals since triumphing in 2005, Liverpool finally rose to third in the all-time list of European champions behind 13-time winner Real Madrid and AC Milan on seven titles.

Few fans – even from Liverpool – will want to watch just how it was achieved. Both sides had gone three weeks without playing. It showed.

"When we look back on tonight we aren't going to think it was a sluggish game," Liverpool-born defender Trent Alexander-Arnold said. "We are going to think we have just won the European Cup."

Tottenham, which finished 26 points behind Premier League runner-up Liverpool in fourth place, couldn't even get a shot on target until the 73rd minute. That's when Alisson Becker scooped up a spinning shot from Dele Alli, and then made a double-save from Son Heung-min and Moura with 10 minutes to go.

"You have a goalkeeper who makes difficult things look easy," Klopp said. "Thank you very much."

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Americans ready for battle on pitch, in courtroom

The world's best player won't be at the Women's World Cup, but the world's best team will be, with both sides taking a stand for equality.

The U.S. national team, ranked No. 1 globally, will try to defend its title in soccer's premier tournament, which kicks off Friday in Paris. While the Americans make their way around France for the monthlong event, back at home they're all part of a lawsuit that accuses U.S. Soccer of gender discrimination.

Meanwhile, Ada Hegerberg , the first female Ballon d'Or winner for the world's top player, won't be accompanying Norway's national team. She stepped away in 2017 because of what she perceives to be a general disregard for women's soccer by the country's federation. The crux of her frustration is the uneven pace of progress and strategy in the women's game.

Hegerberg, 23, is at the top of her game. She had a hat trick for Lyon in its 4-1 win over Barcelona in the recent Women's Champions League final. In domestic games, she has 211 goals in 208 games.

"We are happy for this debate to raise attention and respect for women's soccer in the world, and I do view it as a big change-maker." said Lise Klaveness, sporting director for the Norwegian Football Federation, "But I just wish she was in our team."

The U.S. team hopes to collectively be a difference-maker, too.

Twenty-eight members of the current player pool filed the lawsuit on March 8 in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, alleging "institutionalized gender discrimination" that includes inequitable compensation when compared with their counterparts on the men's national team.

Because the lawsuit is still in the early stages, it's likely no significant movement will be made until the team returns home.

Megan Rapinoe was asked whether the pay issue puts more pressure on the team — which will already be facing a strong field looking to topple the three-time World Cup winners.

"I think that the huge media splash of the lawsuit is behind us and we're obviously focused on the World Cup," Rapinoe said. "But also it's like this is our life and there are a lot of things that we have to grapple and deal with: Family, friends, partners, media, pressures, games, World Cup, travel. So it's just kind of just one more thing. This team always has a lot of media attention and we've always had a lot of things on our plate, so it's not like it's anything new, or all of a sudden we're getting all the more attention. It's sort of the same for us."

The 24-team tournament will be played at nine stadiums across France over the course of the next month, with the final set for July 7 in Lyon.

THE LAST TIME: The United States won the last World Cup in 2015. Carli Lloyd scored three goals in the first 16 minutes to help give the Americans a 5-2 victory over Japan for their third overall World Cup title, most for any nation since the tournament was introduced in 1991. England was a surprising third-place finisher in Canada.

VAR: In March, FIFA approved the use of video review for the World Cup in France. The Video Assistant Referee system, or VAR, was used at the men's World Cup in Russia last year.

PRIZE MONEY: The prize money for the World Cup will be $30 million (U.S.), of which $4 million will go to the federation of the champion. While the total is double the prize money for the 2015 Women's World Cup, it is a fraction of the $400 million in prize money for last year's men's World Cup, of which $38 million went to champion France. FIFA, soccer's international governing body, says prize money for the 2022 men's World Cup will be $440 million.

TICKET FIASCO: Some fans who ordered tickets to World Cup matches were surprised last month when they discovered their seats were not together. The issue was especially problematic for families bringing young children. After an outcry on social media, FIFA said it would work with the local organizing committee to resolve the issues.

Some fans recently reported tickets that had been delivered electronically were no longer available, with the message: "FIFA and the LOC are currently working on improving the seating arrangements for certain orders for a limited number of matches. If your order is affected, please expect to receive a dedicated communication shortly."

TOO MANY TOURNAMENTS: FIFA has also been criticized for scheduling the World Cup final on the same day as the Copa America final in Rio and the CONCACAF Gold Cup final in Chicago. U.S. coach Jill Ellis pointedly said: "In my own personal opinion, playing three big matches in one day isn't supporting the women's game. So, there you go."

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Liverpool 2018/19 Review: End of Season Report Card for the Reds

© OLI SCARFF/GettyImages TOPSHOT-FBL-EUR-C1-ENG-LIVERPOOL-TROPHY-PARADE

Goodness me, that was incredible.

With banging heads being nursed, skin being pinched and bosses everywhere sceptically reading messages about sudden illnesses (and definitely not hangovers) preventing employees from coming to work on Monday, let's take a look back at the year that was for Liverpool.

Here's an evaluation of the Reds' finest season in recent (and not so recent) memory with an overall grade for the report card.

League Performance Premier League - 2nd ​ © PAUL ELLIS/GettyImages FBL-ENG-PR-LIVERPOOL-ARSENAL

Pretty much perfect. Everyone saw that Jurgen Klopp's team had the potential to go up a gear or two after impressing in 2017/18, but closing a 25-point gap on ​Manchester City seemed like fantasy.

While the ​Reds fell just short of making the impossible a reality, it hardly felt like failure at all. 

Ultimately City's robotic brilliance, a Vincent Kompany wonder strike and the tightest of goalline decisions stopped Liverpool from lifting their first league title in 29 years, but really if you can't enjoy this season's achievements without a medal then maybe football isn't for you.

Liverpool registered their highest-ever Premier League points total (97) and third highest in the division's history, lost only one game all season (to the eventual champions) and took the title race to the final day. 

© Catherine Ivill/GettyImages Mohamed Salah,Sadio Mane

On an individual level, Mohamed Salah retained his Golden Boot, sharing it with teammate Sadio Mane, while Alisson won the Golden Glove and Virgil van Dijk was named PFA Player of the Year.

With 30 wins out of 38, there were plenty of highlights, but the victories over Everton, Arsenal and Tottenham, in particular, stand out.

Only the most pernickety of observers would criticise Liverpool's domestic campaign, with draws against Leicester and West Ham the 'lowest' points in a season that demanded perfectionism.

Carabao Cup - Third Round ​

© Jan Kruger/GettyImages Eden Hazard

The Carabao Cup has never been particularly high on Klopp's agenda, despite getting to the final in his first season as manager.

A second-string Liverpool were undone at home by Maurizio Sarri's ​Chelsea, with Eden Hazard taking centre stage way back in September.

The seemingly Madrid-bound Belgian scored one of his best goals in a Chelsea shirt to seal a 2-1 win at the death at Anfield, while the Blues went all the way to the final, gifting the world with Kepa-gate

No defeats are nice obviously, but this one was really more of a shrug, be grateful for less fixture congestion and move on.

FA Cup - Third Round ​

© Catherine Ivill/GettyImages Ki-Jana Hoever

Liverpool fared no better in the FA Cup this season, going out to ​Wolves (for the second season in a row) at Molineux in the third round.

Amid injuries to a host of defensive players, 16-year-old Ki-Jana Hoever even got a run out for Liverpool as they lost 2-1, courtesy of goals from Raul Jimenez and Ruben Neves.

The Reds have not gone further than the fourth round of the world's oldest cup competition under Klopp (last making the semis in 2015 and final in 2012) and you have to wonder if this is a tournament he will start taking more seriously next season.

Continental Cup Performance

Champions League - Winners ​

© OLI SCARFF/GettyImages FBL-EUR-C1-ENG-LIVERPOOL-TROPHY-PARADE

Let's talk about six, baby. 12 months on from the heartbreak of Kiev, Liverpool are European champions!

If 2017/18's European run seemed a tad fortuitous, 2018/19's proved Liverpool are clearly now one of the continent's very best sides and deserved winners.

Klopp's side survived another group stage scare, losing all three away games to Paris Saint-Germain, ​Napoli and Red Star Belgrade, meaning they had to a rely on a 1-0 victory over the Italians (and the thigh of Alisson) on the final gameweek to qualify for the knockouts.

From there on, however, it was vintage European Liverpool, as Bayern Munich and Porto were bested before one of the all-time great Champions League comebacks (or Red-montada) against Barcelona.

A sea of Liverpool fans made it to Madrid for the final, hoping to avenge the ghosts of Kiev in the city of their conquerors.

​Tottenham proved stern opponents, but Liverpool's experience and class shone through as they kept Spurs at arm's length after ​Salah's very early penalty.

It wasn't a pretty final, devoid of the big chances and huge controversy to entertain the neutrals, but Liverpool and Klopp will be delighted to take the perfectly boring victory after too many drama-heavy near misses in recent years.

There are no shortage of contenders for this, with nearly everyone playing their best season to date.

Alisson has reset the standard (and price tag) for an elite keeper, while lung-busters Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold are arguably the best full backs in the world right now. With a combined total of 28 assists this season, the pair laid on almost 25% of all Liverpool's goals in 2018/19.

Less heralded stars like Joel Matip, Gini Wijnaldum, Roberto Firmino and Divock Origi all shone when it mattered, while Jordan Henderson demonstrated that having a funny run doesn't mean that much really. Salah's 'difficult' season resulted in a second Golden Boot and a goal in the Champions League final.

However, if I have to single someone out... I won't. Instead, let's give it to both Virgil van Dijk and Sadio Mane.

Van Dijk's price tag raised eyebrows 18 months ago, but he is now truly the best on the planet in his position and often looks like a different species of superhuman when casually brushing off strikers.

To sum up his ridiculous imperiousness this season, no player has completed a dribble past Van Dijk in 64 appearances in all competitions for Liverpool. Mad.

Mane, meanwhile, has established himself as the Reds' key attacker and has added a ruthlessness to his finishing that has been lacking in previous seasons. His goal against Bayern and back-heel chip against Watford were joys to behold.

Worst Player © Clive Brunskill/GettyImages Daniel Sturridge

No-one really disgraced themselves, while it feels somewhat petty to pick negatives out of this season, but nits must be picked for the purpose of this report card and Daniel Sturridge was ultimately a bit of a disappointment after a bright start.

After his belter against Chelsea, it looked like Sturridge might even have played his way into an unlikely contract extension before he quickly disappeared again, with Origi becoming Klopp's go-to attacking sub and the redemption story of the year.

Naby Keita too will be expected to pick up his form next year, after a slow transition to English football.

The Manager © Matthias Hangst/GettyImages Jurgen Klopp

As Henderson put it after the Champions League final, it would be ​'impossible' to imagine Liverpool winning the Champions League without Klopp.

This team is made in the German's image and he really is an absolutely perfect fit for the club, with his high-press attacking football now backed up with defensive steel and (at last) a trophy.

There is talk of ​a new contract. Most of Liverpool right now would be happy for it to be a lifetime one.

Overall Grade

Can it be anything else?​

A

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Quest for equity will be the theme of this Women’s World Cup

The world's best player won't be at the Women's World Cup but the world's best team will be, with both sides taking a stand for equality.

[ WOMEN'S WORLD CUP PREVIEW: Groups A, B and C | Groups D, E and F ]

The U.S. national team, ranked No. 1 globally, will try to defend its title in soccer's premier tournament, which kicks off Friday in Paris. While the Americans make their way around France for the monthlong event, back at home they're all part of a lawsuit that accuses U.S. Soccer of gender discrimination.

Meanwhile, Ada Hegerberg , the first female Ballon d'Or winner for the world's top player, won't be accompanying Norway's national team. She stepped away in 2017 because of what she perceives to be a general disregard for women's soccer by the country's federation. The crux of her frustration is the uneven pace of progress and strategy in the women's game.

Hegerberg, 23, is at the top of her game. She had a hat trick for Lyon in its 4-1 win over Barcelona in the recent Women's Champions League final. In domestic games, she has 211 goals in 208 games.

"We are happy for this debate to raise attention and respect for women's soccer in the world, and I do view it as a big change-maker." said Lise Klaveness, sporting director for the Norwegian Football Federation, "But I just wish she was in our team."

[ U-20 WORLD CUP: Ukraine, Ecuador, Senegal advance to QF (video) ]

The U.S. team hopes to collectively be a difference-maker, too.

Twenty-eight members of the current player pool filed the lawsuit on March 8 in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, alleging "institutionalized gender discrimination" that includes inequitable compensation when compared with their counterparts on the men's national team.

Because the lawsuit is still in the early stages, it's likely no significant movement will be made until the team returns home.

Megan Rapinoe was asked whether the pay issue puts more pressure on the team – which will already be facing a strong field looking to topple the three-time World Cup winners.

"I think that the huge media splash of the lawsuit is behind us and we're obviously focused on the World Cup," Rapinoe said. "But also it's like this is our life, and there are a lot of things that we have to grapple and deal with: Family, friends, partners, media, pressures, games, World Cup, travel. So it's just kind of just one more thing. This team always has a lot of media attention, and we've always had a lot of things on our plate so it's not like it's anything new, or all of a sudden we're getting all the more attention. It's sort of the same for us."

The 24-team tournament will be played at nine stadiums across France over the course of the next month, with the final set for July 7 in Lyon.

The last time

The United States won the last World Cup in 2015. Carli Lloyd scored three goals in the first 16 minutes to help give the Americans a 5-2 victory over Japan for their third overall World Cup title, most for any nation since the tournament was introduced in 1991. England was a surprising third-place finisher in Canada.

Video review

In March, FIFA approved the use of video review for the World Cup in France. The Video Assistant Referee system, or VAR, was used at the men's World Cup in Russia last year.

Prize money

The prize money for the World Cup will be $30 million, of which $4 million will go to the federation of the champion. While the total is double the prize money for the 2015 Women's World Cup, it is a fraction of the $400 million in prize money for last year's men's World Cup, of which $38 million went to champion France. FIFA, soccer's international governing body, says prize money for the 2022 men's World Cup will be $440 million.

Ticket fiasco

Some fans who ordered tickets to World Cup matches were surprised last month when they discovered their seats were not together. The issue was especially problematic for families bringing young children. After an outcry on social media, FIFA said it would work with the local organizing committee to resolve the issues.

Some fans recently reported tickets that had been delivered electronically were no longer available, with the message: "FIFA and the LOC are currently working on improving the seating arrangements for certain orders for a limited number of matches. If your order is affected, please expect to receive a dedicated communication shortly."

Too many tournaments

FIFA has also been criticized for scheduling the World Cup final on the same day as the Copa America final in Rio and the CONCACAF Gold Cup final in Chicago. U.S. coach Jill Ellis pointedly said: "In my own personal opinion, playing three big matches in one day isn't supporting the women's game. So, there you go."

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Soccer: Liverpool beats Tottenham for 6th European Cup

MADRID — No tears of pain this time, just redemption for Mohamed Salah.

Only 108 seconds were needed to banish the Champions League final heartbreak of a year ago.

Once Salah dispatched his early penalty against Tottenham, Liverpool was on the path to a sixth European title with a 2-0 victory on Saturday.

And a year after defeat in the final to Real Madrid, Juergen Klopp has his first title after four years as Liverpool manager.

A shoulder injury forced Salah out of the Kiev showpiece last year.

This time it was Tottenham midfielder Moussa Sissoko's arm that gifted Liverpool the early penalty opening — blocking Sadio Mane's shot after 21 seconds — and Salah converted from the spot after a video review check.

"I have sacrificed a lot for my career," Salah said. "To come from a village, to go to Cairo, and to be an Egyptian at this level is unbelievable for me."

On a hot and humid night in Madrid, Tottenham came to life only in the final 20 minutes of its first European Cup final.

But Liverpool completed the job in the 87th minute thanks to one of its semifinal saviors.

Divock Origi had to accept a place back on the bench despite producing two goals while deputizing for the injured Salah last month. But the substitute had the final big say in the Spanish capital, rifling a left-footed shot inside the far post.

"Every single player fought hard today," Origi said. "So it's just special."

After two losing finals since triumphing in 2005, Liverpool finally rose to third in the all-time list of European champions behind 13-time winner Real Madrid and AC Milan on seven titles.

Few fans — even from Liverpool — will want to watch just how it was achieved.

Both sides had gone three weeks without playing. It showed.

The sharpness was deficient, as was the ability to string passes together.

"When we look back on tonight we aren't going to think it was a sluggish game," Liverpool-born defender Trent Alexander-Arnold said. "We are going to think we have just won the European Cup."

Tottenham will have only regrets as its luck run out after a season of comebacks and great escapes in the competition with a squad that had no additions.

"A little bit unlucky," said Mauricio Pochettino, who remains without a trophy in management. "To start a Champions League final from the start 1-0 it's a tough situation, it changed completely the plan."

Lucas Moura's goal in Barcelona in December carried Tottenham into the round of 16. The Brazilian's hat trick last month then completed a turnaround against Ajax. The reward in Madrid was a watching brief from the bench for two thirds of the game.

Instead, Harry Kane was thrust into the starting lineup despite 53 days without a game since limping off with an ankle injury in the quarterfinal first leg against Manchester City.

The striker was largely anonymous as Tottenham, which finished 26 points behind Premier League runner-up Liverpool in fourth place, couldn't even get a shot on target until the 73rd minute.

Alisson Becker scooped up a spinning shot from Dele Alli and made a double-save from Son Heung-min and Moura with 10 minutes to go.

"We should have put more craziness in our performance," Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris said. "It took too much time to put Liverpool in difficulty."

It was Liverpool's goalkeeping that made the difference, showing $85 million was well spent on Alisson by American owner John Henry after Loris Karius was banished for making costly mistakes in last year's final.

"You have a goalkeeper who makes difficult things look easy," Klopp said. "Thank you very much."

No wonder Klopp was relieved after six losing finals, stretching back to his spell at Borussia Dortmund.

"Did you ever see a team like this? Fighting with no fuel in the tank," the German said.

Victory against Tottenham came six years after Dortmund was beaten by Bayern Munich in the Champions League final.

Klopp is now European champion for the first time.

"I am so happy for my family," he said. "They suffer every year when we go to a final, the last game of the season."

The penultimate game saw Klopp miss out on ending Liverpool's 29-year English title drought by a point to Manchester City in the Premier League title race.

"We are doing good stuff," Klopp said on the field amid the celebrations in Madrid. "People are always saying, 'Why didn't you win anything?'"

They can't anymore at Liverpool.

Read More

Big-time soccer comes to the Naval Academy

Big-time soccer has come to the Naval Academy this week, and it's pretty darn cool.

Head coach Gregg Berhalter has brought the United States Men's National Team to the Naval Academy for a week of training. An initial wave of American players arrived Monday to begin eight days of training at Navy in advance of next Wednesday's "friendly" against Jamaica at Audi Field in D.C.

I had just sat down on the bleachers at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility when I looked down on the field and spotted none other than Landon Donovan, arguably the greatest soccer player in United States history.

Donovan, who made 157 appearances for the U.S. National team and played in three World Cups, is attending this week's training sessions as an "observer" while naturally using his vast experience to help mentor the many young players now in the program.

After failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the United States Men's National Team has conducted a major overhaul and reboot. Berhalter, who represented the U.S. at the 2002 World Cup and was previously head coach of the Columbus Crew, was hired as program manager last December.

Berhalter has revamped the roster and brought in a ton of young talent, some of which was on display during Wednesday's training session at Navy. Jonathan Amon, a 20-year-old forward from Summerville, South Carolina who plays in the Danish Superliga, was one of the most impressive performers with his explosive speed and quickness.

Of course, the American's 40-man preparation camp roster also includes several proven veterans, many of whom were not in attendance on Wednesday. None of the U.S. players currently playing Major League Soccer are available yet while those that play professionally in the English Premier League or German Bundesliga have been given additional time off by Berhalter since they only just completed their seasons.

Perhaps the most recognizable player on the field on Wednesday was defender Omar Gonzalez, a former University of Maryland standout now playing for Atlas of the Liga MX, the top-level league in Mexico.

Other players with significant international experience already here in Annapolis this week include defenders Matt Miazga (Chelsea, English Premier League) and Tim Ream (Fulham, EPL) along with forward Josh Sargent (Werder Bremen, German Bundesliga).

Simply put, it was quite a coup for the Naval Academy to be chosen to host the U.S. National team for a week of training. Navy men's head coach Tim O'Donohue is good friends with BJ Callaghan, a member of the USMNT technical staff.

Naturally, the American squad needed to train somewhere in this area in advance of next Wednesday night's match with Jamaica and Callaghan asked O'Donohue if the Naval Academy could serve as host.

"I went back-and-forth with administration about whether we could do it. Fortunately, everyone was very supportive of bringing the national team here," O'Donohue said.

Of course, the timing was ideal as the U.S. National team wanted to begin training on Memorial Day. That was three days after Naval Academy graduation and plebe summer has yet to start.

"Had the timing been any different, it might have been difficult," O'Donohue admitted.

One of the prerequisites for hosting a United States National Team training camp is a top-notch facility and Glenn Warner is certainly that. However, the playing surface had to be upgraded to national team specifications and Eric David of Navy's facilities and operations department was responsible for making that happen.

USA Soccer sent in a specialist named Jerad Minnick to work with David on how to get the grass just right, which was a painstaking process.

"Eric David was the man behind the scenes working to make this happen. He and the grounds crew worked day and night to get this field to the point where the national team could train here," O'Donohue said.

Naturally, David picked up some expertise with regard to creating a top-flight soccer surface that will benefit Navy moving forward. "This has definitely been an eye-opening experience for how to maintain the field," O'Donohue acknowledged.

There are many other positives for the Naval Academy, not the least of which was the invaluable exposure that comes from having the United States Men's National Team on campus. On Monday, all the players and coaches posed for a group photo on the steps of Bancroft Hall and posted it to the USMNT official site.

"I just thought it would be a great thing for our program as a whole. We're showcasing our facility and it's a great opportunity for many of our players to come out and watch training sessions at the highest level of our sport," O'Donohue said. "It's an exciting thing for our program and I don't think there is any question it helps with recruiting that we're involved with high-level soccer."

Two Navy soccer players were given the chance of a lifetime on Wednesday morning. Because so many players have not arrived for camp yet, Berhalter needed a couple bodies for practice and agreed to give a couple midshipmen a shot.

Forward Jacob Williams (Millersville) and defender Tyler Collins (Crofton), a pair of rising sophomores who are both Anne Arundel County residents, were able to put on the United States practice uniform and participate in the nearly two-hour training session.

"Honestly, it was the most amazing experience. This is just a whole different level of soccer," said Williams, who played at Old Mill High. "The quality of players here is incredible. Everyone plays at such a high tempo and is able to move the ball with such pace. The speed and quickness is unreal."

Williams, who was the 2018 Patriot League Rookie of the Year, said he learned all sorts of things that will help him improve as a player.

"This has been the best moment of my life by far. This one session may have been it, but boy was it worth it," he said. "It showed me how much more I have to do to get better. We all want to be at this level and I realize how much work is required to make that happen."

Donohue and his assistants are learning as well. They have been the ultimate flies on the wall, hanging around the U.S. coaching staff and picking up all sorts of tricks of the trade. Just watching a national team practice is a lesson as a drone is utilized to capture overhead footage for review while GPS devices were placed all over the field to accumulate various performance metrics of the players.

"For me and my assistants, from a coaching education point of view, to have Coach Berhalter and his staff here for a full week and to be able to come out and watch how they approach a practice situation is invaluable," O'Donohue said. "There are a lot of little things we can pick up and possibly implement into our program."

O'Donohue noted how Berhalter conducts on-field meetings prior to each training session to discuss the objectives for the day and what various drills were going to be conducted. Carin Gabarra, Navy's wildly successful women's soccer coach, was also spotted in the stands taking copious notes.

Eric Ruden, Navy's Deputy Director of Athletics, was instrumental in setting up the week-long training session and handled many of the key logistics. Ruden noted the Naval Academy Office of Special Events had to approve the proposal. So it certainly didn't hurt that Captain Donald Kennedy, Director of Special Events, is a huge soccer fan and was eager to make this happen.

"As it routed through the various departments on the yard, we were fortunate that everyone thought it would work," Ruden said. "U.S. Soccer did not put a lot of demands on the Naval Academy. They just wanted a pure soccer setup that was self-contained. We were able to offer exactly what the coaching staff was looking for and it's our pleasure to have the United States Men's National Team here at the academy."

Navy has hosted numerous specialty athletic events in recent years, most notable The NHL Stadium Series ice hockey game between the Washington Capitals and Toronto Maple Leafs. Navy also hosted an exhibition baseball game between the Washington Nationals and Boston Red Sox.

"I think the Naval Academy Athletic Association has proven it can put on a special sporting event and that's a credit to the entire staff," Ruden said.

Speaking to the media following Wednesday morning's training session, Berhalter praised the Naval Academy for its overall hospitality and confirmed the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility was an ideal training site.

"It was an easy decision on a lot of levels to come here to the Naval Academy. You have a beautiful city in Annapolis and the backdrop of this field is incredible," Berhalter said. "This facility and the playing surface are both excellent."

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Summer Soccer Sign-Up; Sports Injury Prevention; More Local News

At Patch, we believe that some of the best and most useful content comes from our Patch communities. Here's a roundup of some of the best content from Patch Contributors and Posters from the past week.

Patch is the perfect platform for blogging about your favorite activities, writing a book or restaurant review or getting the word out for an upcoming event.

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I Can Eliminate One Prez Candidate Right Away: Michael Bennet

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Bucks Owner Is in the Best Bind: His Soccer Team Also Has a Big Game

A chilly welcome for Edens would not have been surprising, given the former Cleveland Browns owner Randy Lerner's disappointing 10-year tenure as the Villa chairman from 2006 to 2016. But Edens has thus far dodged the usual suspicion and rancor from English soccer fans that often greet American owners, largely because he and Sawiris bought out the Chinese businessman Tony Xia, whose approval rating in two seasons sank to Lerner levels.

Another factor: Aston Villa fans were recently treated to a 10-match winning streak, longest in the club's 144-year history, which vaulted Villa into the four-team playoffs for the third and final promotion spot to the Premier League. The British broadcaster Jonny Gould, who doubles as director of the Aston Villa Supporters Trust, asserts that Edens and Sawiris have ushered in "a decade's worth of improvements in 10 months."

"They have take n us from certain double relegation, bankruptcy and easy pickings for other clubs to take our best players to stand on the edge of an unlikely return to the big time," Gould said Thursday. "The fun, inspiration and good times are back at Villa Park after a decade of decline and slumber."

Reviews of Bucks ownership are also on the rebound. In the 2017 off-season, the elevation of Horst to general manager was portrayed as a compromise of three controlling partners who could not agree on an external hire. Of the three, only Edens attended Horst's introductory news conference. Two years later, at age 36, Horst is a contender for N.B.A. executive of the year.

"I'm not the kind of person who says, 'I told you so,'" Edens said. "That's not how I spend my life. But I feel really good that the decisions we've made around him turned out the way they did."

On Frida y, Edens was just focused on trying to work out whether he should fly from Toronto to England on Sunday, or settle for arranging a soccer watch party on Monday morning in Milwaukee, if the Bucks find a way to force that Game 7.

"One of the other owners told me, 'No one's going to feel sorry for us,'" Edens said. "There's no sympathy out there, because it's a wonderful position to be in."

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World Cup can be a tipping point for the women’s game – but only if investment follows

For women's soccer to truly catch on it needs more than just momentum from what will undoubtedly be a landmark tournament in France

Women's soccer is having something of a moment across the globe.

In Europe, awareness of the women's game is at an all-time high as fledgling leagues begin to establish themselves in areas of the world that are already passionate about the sport.

In March, 60,739 fans watched a league match between Atletico Madrid and Barcelona. A week later, 39,027 showed up for a Juventus league game against Fiorentina. Earlier this month 43,264 watched Manchester City defeat West Ham in the Women's FA Cup final.

Editors' Picks

Meanwhile, the National Women's Soccer League continues to establish a foothold in the United States as it reaches its seventh season and looks to expand in 2020.

This all leads up to the Women's World Cup in France, which is set to kick off next week. France, one of the favorites to lift the World Cup and home to the world's best club team in Lyon, appears to be another country ready to be overtaken by a wave of interest in the women's game.

"The viewers, the knowledge about French soccer, especially the women is incredibly different now," said USWNT midfielder Lindsey Horan, who played at Paris Saint-Germain between 2012 and 2016.

"The fact that it's getting more and more popular is Europe is amazing, especially because it's such a soccer culture in Europe."

That culture has been dominated by men's soccer for decades though and as U.S. forward Alex Morgan found during her time at Lyon in 2017, it isn't going to simply change overnight.

"Playing there two years ago you saw that it was growing but there was still sort of that untapped potential as well, and I think that things were being held back a little bit culturally," Morgan said.

"I think that this tournament can change a lot of people's minds."

There will undoubtedly be new fans drawn to the women's game by the World Cup, and increasing cultural openness to women's sports has brought us to what seems like a tipping point for women's soccer worldwide. But there is only one thing that will ensure the sport continues to grow after a jubilant team lifts the World Cup trophy on July 7 in Lyon. 

Money.

The World Cup has the power to create a flood of interest in the sport, but history has shown that kind of surge can't be sustained on buzz alone.

In 1999 the Women's World Cup came to the United States and generated massive crowds and money, as the U.S. team became a nationwide phenomenon en route to winning the title.

In the wake of that tournament, the Women's United Soccer Association was formed the next year. Initially propped up by millions of dollars in investment, the WUSA went belly-up just three years later as investors grew skittish at the prospect of sinking more money into the league.

At the same time Major League Soccer, the men's league formed in 1996, lost massive amounts of money and would have gone out of business in the early 2000s were in not for a huge injection of capital by a few owners. Today, MLS is thriving and looking to expand beyond 30 teams in the near future.

Quite simply, the women's game needs more investors like those involved in MLS, and fewer like those involved with the WUSA. 

"You're getting these incredible moments but the thing that's going to sustain that is big investment," U.S. forward Megan Rapinoe said.

"I think it's investment, big-time investment, not just from a financial perspective but from an intellectual perspective as well.

"You have to build a solid business and oftentimes women's sports has just bootstrapped so hardcore and the budgets are so tight that you can't expect to have a business and increase your budget like a half a percent every year. That's just not going to work."

Rapinoe spotlighted two teams, one at home and one abroad, who can be examples for other owners to follow.

"I think that teams like the Utah Royals, teams like Lyon really put an investment in it and then the product on the field can grow with the product off the field."

Outside of those two teams, in the French top flight, the NWSL, and other leagues in countries where there will be a flood of interest after the World Cup, a rising tide will lift all boats.

"In France having a competitive league will help," Morgan said. "I think for now there are only two or three teams that can really compete at the top. Obviously Lyon is just incredibly dominant and just the best club team in the world, so it's kind of getting the rest of those teams up to speed.

"For all of us it's just continuing to create a stable and growing league in our own countries. In the U.S. we're seeing that as well. We want to make sure that it continues to grow at a pace that's not too accelerated but is not stagnant."

The World Cup is going to be a huge event all over the world and will – once again – spark questions about whether the women's game has truly arrived.

Article continues below

To get a real answer to that question, one only needs to follow the money.

"It's exciting to have these huge crowds and the game growing as much as possible but I think the next step needs to be taken, otherwise you're just going to get these exciting moments that don't have any way to really be fully realized or sustained," Rapinoe said.

"I'm hopeful for the next part of it."

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Review: Why DAZN is essential for boxing fans

DAZN has been a game-changer for boxing fans in the U.S. and around much of the world.

Before DAZN launched in the U.S. last September, there was no way to legally stream most European boxing matches, and there wasn't a ton of boxing to watch in general. Sure, HBO and Showtime showed big-time fight cards a couple of times per month (maybe) and there was the occasional PPV fight, but ESPN was largely out of picture and the major broadcast networks rarely carried the sweet science. (HBO has since thrown in the towel altogether.)

But DAZN came out swinging, promising to showcase 100 fight cards per year and signing some of the biggest names in all of boxing.

DAZN doesn't simply show boxing and MMA cards, though. In the U.S., it features MLB highlights along with more niche sports like gymnastics and snooker. In other parts of the world, DAZN subscribers can watch the NFL, PGA Tour, and world-class tennis and soccer.

All of that speaks to the quantity of DAZN's content—by the numbers, it's hard to argue against the value the service provides—but what about the quality? How does the app actually perform when it matters most and how intuitive is it to use?

Here's what I've learned from streaming on DAZN and what you should know before signing up for the service.

DAZN price

DAZN got rid of its free one-month trial in March and changed its pricing structure, but serious combat sports fans are still getting their money's worth. If you commit to a year-long subscription, you'll pay $99.99 annually. But if you'd rather go month-to-month, it'll cost you $19.99 per month. (Obviously, if you pay for a full 12 months at once, you'll save $140.)

How does that stack up to the competition? Depending on the service you use to subscribe, Showtime costs anywhere from $10-$15 per month, but the network hasn't shown quite as much boxing in 2019 as it has in year's past (and let's be honest, the matchups it has shown have been lacking).

ESPN+, meanwhile, costs $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year, and its boxing library and documentary films are extensive. But it doesn't broadcast as many fights as DAZN per year, and oftentimes, when a fight is broadcast on the ESPN network, only the undercard is available on ESPN+. The service does get much higher marks for MMA, however, exclusively hosting UFC Fight Night events per year.

DAZN is more expensive than ESPN+, but it also shows more combat sports on a weekly basis.

TRY DAZN

How DAZN works

DAZN makes it simple to watch. All you have to do is download the DAZN app and log in with your subscription credentials. You can view it in a variety of ways (smartphones, tablets, computers, and game consoles), and it allows you to peruse live events on two devices at the same time. To watch the live stream from your TV, you can use Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.

If you'd rather watch it on your computer, DAZN works on Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, Internet Explorer, and Opera. It's also available on iOS and Android phones and tablets.

DAZN interface

DAZN's interface is easy to use, and with a few quick swipes on a mobile device, you can find exactly what you need, whether it's MLB highlights, pre-fight documentaries, classic fights, boxing and MMA press conferences, or the other sports DAZN offers (cricket, soccer, pool, and snooker).

I mostly use it on my iPhone (and sometimes on an iPad), and it's awfully intuitive. There's a daily schedule tab so you know exactly what and when to watch, and a tab that allows you to bounce around from sport to sport.

My biggest complaint is  the schedule tab. It tells you what time a boxing event will begin streaming, but it doesn't display the fights that are actually being broadcast. That means it's a bit of a guessing game for the exact time of the fights you might want to see and what fights you might want to skip.

What to watch on DAZN

I'm a huge boxing fan, and I've covered the sport for various outlets (both local and national) throughout my journalism career. So, that's mostly why I watch DAZN, and there's been plenty to keep me occupied. Consider this three-week stretch.

In back-to-back-to-back weekends, DAZN will have broadcast two high-level World Boxing Super Series fights that included a potential rising U.K. star in Josh Taylor and one of the world's most powerful punchers in Naoya Inoue; a match featuring rising U.S. prospect Devin Haney that ended in a knockout of the year candidate; and the heavyweight championship bout between Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz Jr.

But that's not it.

On May 4, Canelo Alvarez—the most popular fighter in North America—beat Daniel Jacobs for the middleweight championship on DAZN. On June 8, 160-pound star Gennady Golovkin will make his DAZN debut.

TRY DAZN

That number of high-level championship fights in such a short amount of time on one broadcasting service is not something I can ever remember experiencing.

Plus, with the video library that DAZN possesses, you can watch classic fights like Oscar De La Hoya vs. Julio Cesar Chavez from 1996 and Manny Pacquiao vs. Ricky Hatton from 2009. There are also plenty of behind-the-scenes features, including documentaries on the upcoming Joshua-Ruiz fight and press conference footage.

MMA also plays an important role in DAZN's coverage. While UFC has entered into an exclusive partnership with ESPN, DAZN does host Bellator's biggest events. Make no mistake, Bellator features talented fighters in exciting fights, including Michael "Venom" Page, and aging legends like Fedor Emelianenko. Are they the most significant MMA fights? Not really. But are they fun to watch and worth the price of admission? Sure.

Of note for baseball fans, DAZN also has a new program called ChangeUp, which offers real-time highlights from around the MLB and a live look at games in progress. It's hosted by former Baseball Tonight anchor Adnan Virk and Scott Rogowsky (of HQ Trivia fame). As noted in our review, "[I]f you're the type of fan who would rather check their phone than take a seventh-inning stretch or generally approve of new efforts to speed up the game, you'll find ChangeUp to be more your pace." 

DAZN review: The final verdict

It's a great time to be a boxing fan. There is so much boxing to take in most weeks—thanks in large part to DAZN—that it's almost impossible to watch everything the sport has to offer. DAZN has also exposed fans to European fights and fighters that would have been impossible to see in the U.S. otherwise.

The only major criticism DAZN has faced in the last several months was during the Alvarez vs. Jacobs fight. Despite what DAZN said about the service handling the influx of new subscribers, plenty on Twitter complained about the quality of the stream and about the app not working after they had just subscribed. I have experienced occasional buffering issues (and sound-to-video sync-up issues), but I have yet to see a live sports streaming service—including ESPN+ and Showtime—that doesn't suffer from minor issues from time to time. That's just one of the hidden costs of streaming.

The broadcast team of Brian Kenny and Sergio Mora also faced criticism for their supposedly pro-Alvarez commentary. But HBO and ESPN also have been criticized in the past about showing favoritism to one fighter or another, so to me, that's not a big deal. I watched that fight and didn't notice anything particularly jarring.

Our editorial team has tested DAZN across most of the devices offered, including PlayStation 4, a Samsung QLED TV, the iPad and iPhone app, and via DAZN's site using Google Chrome. The consensus has been that DAZN offers a quality streaming experience and the prestige of a PPV event with its picture quality, audio, and broadcast team.

Here's the bottom line: Getting to watch Alvarez, Joshua, and Gennadiy "GGG" Golovkin for about $100 a year is an incredible deal. It's basic math: If you watched all those fighters individually on PPV—which all have fought on in the past few years—you could spend as much as $300-4000 per year.

For that reason and also so much more, if you're a boxing fan, DAZN is a must-have.

TRY DAZN

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VAR at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France: What to know about video replay reviews and how they will work

The video assistant referee, better known as VAR, has become a big discussion in soccer for the better part of the last five years. Almost every major league and tournament has it already or is soon to be accepting and implementing VAR. The 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France will be no different.

Although many men's leagues uses VAR, no domestic or international women's competition uses VAR currently, so it will be new to almost everyone involved in the 2019 Women's World Cup.

This is not the first World Cup that VAR has been used in, so players, coaches and fans should be prepared on how the technology will help and how much time it will add to games. 

Here's a look at how VAR works: 

VAR was first introduced at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. The video system can review four types of calls: goals, penalties, straight red cards and mistaken identity. Throughout the course of the 2018 World Cup, 455 incidents were checked (7.1 per game) and there was 20 VAR reviews, averaging about one review every 3.2 matches. Seventeen of those calls were changed.

FIFA statistics showed that VAR helped referees call the game at an almost perfect rate. With VAR, referees made the correct call 99.35 percent of the time, compared to 95.6 percent without VAR. 

There was a concern that VAR will slow down the game too much with long breaks, but that is a fallacy. The average time of the reviews was 81.9 seconds. 

VAR had a big impact on penalty kicks, as it is one of the hardest calls to make in a split-second. Nine penalty kicks were awarded from VAR in the 2018 men's tournament, which had the most penalty kicks of all time. There were 29 penalties taken, up from 13 kicks from the penalty spot in Brazil 2014.

Any player that signals the hand gesture for VAR is automatically handed a yellow card.

The first game of the Women's World Cup will be on June 7 between the host country France and Korea Republic. You can stream every match via fuboTV (Try for free).

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Fantasy Soccer Podcast: Sat, June 1 DraftKings MLS Preview

This article is part of our Fantasy Soccer Podcast series.

Andrew Laird and Schuyler Redpath preview Saturday's seven-game MLS slate on DraftKings, including whether or not Josef Martinez is worth paying up for in cash games because Atlanta United is hosting the Chicago Fire.

You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher, and if you like what you hear, please rate and review it!

Intro and outro music: Above and Beyond by Silent Partner

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including â€" but not limited to â€" games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Andrew M. Laird plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: kingmorland, DraftKings: andrewmlaird, Yahoo: Lairdinho. Schuyler Redpath plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: DraftKings: MONEYMACHiNE, FanDuel: coincollector, Play The Six: DraftKicks, Yahoo!: DraftKicks.

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Arsenal faces Chelsea in Europa League final

Arsenal faces Chelsea in Europa League final | FOX Sports

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Fantasy Soccer Podcast: DraftKings UCL Final Preview

This article is part of our Fantasy Soccer Podcast series.

Andrew Laird and Jordan Cooper preview Saturday's UEFA Champions League final between Liverpool and Tottenham, including why building the optimal lineup is likely a terrible strategy for winning the $50K GPP.

You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher, and if you like what you hear, please rate and review it!

Intro and outro music: Above and Beyond by Silent Partner

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including â€" but not limited to â€" games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Jordan Cooper plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: blenderhd, DraftKings: blenderhd. Andrew M. Laird plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: kingmorland, DraftKings: andrewmlaird, Yahoo: Lairdinho.

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Vegas considers stadium-area plan, bid for MLS soccer team

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Las Vegas is considering giving a developer exclusive rights to develop a proposal to reshape an aging downtown stadium area to boost a bid for a Major League Soccer expansion franchise.

The City Council plans to vote Wednesday whether to give The Renaissance Companies Inc. six months to come up with a plan involving Cashman Field, which opened in 1983 as a Triple-A baseball stadium and now houses the minor-league soccer team Las Vegas Lights FC.

The surrounding 62-acre (25-hectare) mixed-use development could also include hotel and apartment space, Mayor Carolyn Goodman told the Las Vegas Review-Journal .

Lights FC owner Brett Lashbrook told the newspaper the plan would have him sell his United States Soccer Federation team to an investor represented by Renaissance.

Lashbrook said Friday the goal is for the club to move up to the MLS and play in a new stadium built on the development site.

Documents show the investor would be Baupost Group LLC, a hedge fund managed by Massachusetts billionaire Seth Klarman, the Review-Journal said.

Goodman and Lashbrook said Lights FC soccer, which started as an expansion team last year, has benefited the Cashman Center area north of downtown and shown that professional soccer is popular in the city.

Lashbrook told the Las Vegas Sun he expected the council will approve the agreement and said he was excited about the growth of soccer in Las Vegas.

MLS began with 10 teams in 1996 and now has 24 teams. It plans to expand to 30 franchises, and league Commissioner Don Garber said last month that Las Vegas; Charlotte, North Carolina; Phoenix and Detroit were being considered for the last spot.

In 2015, the league passed in 2015 on a Las Vegas bid that involved a proposed $201 million soccer stadium on vacant land west of downtown.

Cashman Field hosted Triple-A farm teams in the Pacific Coast League called the Stars under the San Diego Padres, and the 51s under the Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays and New York Mets.

Baseball moved this year to the new Las Vegas Ballpark in the suburban Summerlin community of northwest Las Vegas. The team is now called the Las Vegas Aviators and is affiliated with the Oakland Athletics.

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LIVE Transfer Talk: PSG jump queue for Ajax ace De Ligt

The Premier League transfer window is open. You can click here to review all the latest transfers and keep up to date with all the latest gossip below.

When does the window open in Europe? | QUIZ: Which club should you join?

TOP STORY: PSG make de Ligt No. 1 target

According to reports at Sport, Paris Saint-Germain have made Ajax defender Matthijs de Ligt their No. 1 transfer target this summer.

The 19-year-old has been linked with moves to Barcelona and Manchester United, but PSG now look set to open negotiations with the Dutch champions following talks in Doha between senior Parisian officials regarding the club's transfer strategy.

A €70 million fee is rumoured to be the minimum that Ajax would be willing to accept for their top defensive asset, but with so many of Europe's biggest sides in the race for the Netherlands international, that price is set to rise even further.

Defensive signings look set to make the bulk of PSG's transfer dealings this summer following a disappointing showing in the Champions League, and with captain Thiago Silva nearing his 35th birthday, manager Thomas Tuchel is keen to recruit a long-term replacement.

LIVE BLOG

08.47 BST: ICYMI - Inter Milan have appointed former Juventus and Chelsea manager Antonio Conte, the club announced on Friday.

Conte replaces Luciano Spalletti, who was sacked earlier this week after two seasons with the club. The Nerazzurri finished fourth in the Serie A standings on the final day of the season thanks to a 2-1 win over Empoli, qualifying for the Champions League.

Meanwhile, Manchester United have told Inter it will take £80m to sign Romelu Lukaku, sources have told ESPN FC, as the striker is the top summer target for Conte now he is in charge.

play

1:56

Dan Thomas and Gab Marcotti discuss reports that Antonio Conte isn't factoring Mauro Icardi in his plans at Inter next season.

08.30 BST: Cadena Ser report that Antoine Griezmann reached an agreement with Barcelona in March to join this summer.

According to the Spanish radio station, the Atletico Madrid forward had been negotiating with Barca since November 2018. They claim there is documented proof that the agreement between the France international and Barcelona was signed in March, before Atletico's Champions League elimination at the hands of Juventus in the quarterfinals of the competition.

Griezmann announced at the end of the season he would leave Atletico after five seasons at the club but did not reveal his next destination. His release clause will drop from €200m to €120m on July 1.

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2:09

Gab Marcotti and Sid Lowe say Sergio Ramos had to clear the air after Real Madrid president Florentino Perez claimed the Los Blancos defender had asked to be released.

PAPER TALK (by James Capps) Real pull of out Felix deal to pursue Hazard move

Marca claims Real Madrid have ditched an attempt to sign Benfica wonderkid Joao Felix to fully focus on a move for Chelsea forward Eden Hazard.

Los Blancos were prepared to pay about €80m for the highly coveted 19-year-old, and also offered to loan Felix back to the Portuguese league champions next season.

- When are the Premier League fixtures published?- When does the new Premier League season start?- Who qualifies for Europe from the Premier League?- When does the transfer window close?

But Benfica knocked back the bid, demanding Zinedine Zidane's side pay the full €120 million asking price. The impending arrival of Hazard means Real are well-stocked with attacking options, and it's believed that has also played a role in their decision to pull out of a deal.

News of Madrid's withdrawal from negotiations still leaves many of Europe's elite clubs in the hunt for Felix's signature. Manchester City, Juventus and Barcelona are all credited with an interest in the player, who is set to make his senior Portugal debut in the UEFA Nations League finals in June.

Coutinho earmarked as Hazard replacement

Chelsea have identified Barcelona winger Philippe Coutinho as the man they want to replace the outgoing Hazard -- providing they can avoid a looming transfer ban. Despite signing for Barca just 18 months ago for a whopping £142 million, Coutinho has already been deemed surplus to requirements following a disappointing spell at the Camp Nou, but that hasn't deterred Stamford Bridge bosses from pinpointing the former Liverpool man as the player to fill the Hazard void.

The prospect of a two-year transfer ban still hangs over the west Londoners, although Chelsea insist they are innocent, and are prepared to go the Court of Arbitration for Sport to clear their name.

Any such appeal is likely to delay an official ban, paving the way for a move for Brazil international Coutinho, regardless of whether manager Maurizio Sarri remains at the club.

Tap Ins

- Marca claims Chelsea's Marcos Alonso has agreed to a move to Atletico Madrid, after being left out of Sarri's side for their Europa League final victory over Arsenal. With left-backs Lucas Hernandez and Filipe Luis both set to leave Diego Simeone's squad this summer, Alonso appears to be have been lured by the prospect of being a regular starter in La Liga.

- Monaco are interested in a move for Tottenham Hotspur right-back Serge Aurier, according to reports at Calciomercato. The Ivory Coast international has been in and out of Mauricio Pochettino's side this season, and could be tempted by a return to Ligue 1 after winning back-to-back league titles with PSG.

- Incoming Inter Milan manager Antonio Conte is plotting a raid of his former club Juventus for winger Juan Cuadrado, according to reports at Calciomercato. The Colombian has just a year remaining on his contract in Turin, and his positional flexibility is seen as a big plus for Conte, who deployed the former Chelsea player in a right wing-back role during his successful three-year stint as Juve manager.

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Soccer greats Eric Wynalda, Paul Caligiuri reunite at US Open Cup

The latest installment of Eric Wynalda's "This Is Your Soccer Life" comes Wednesday when he will lead Lights FC onto the Cashman Field pitch to face Orange County in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

The knockout tournament has entered its third round. During the second, the Lights defeated amateur side Cal FC, which Wynalda formerly managed.

In the third round, he'll match coaching wits with Paul Caligiuri, his roommate when both starred for the U.S. Men's National Team.

The Las Vegas manager is a major advocate of the tournament renamed in honor of Major League Soccer founder Lamar Hunt in 1999, though Hunt probably is more famous for owning the Kansas City Chiefs and having pro football conference championship trophies named for him.

A defining feature of the U.S. Cup is that it is open to all domestic sides, regardless of payroll or the size of the sponsor patch on the jersey. Orange County will be sporting a Dairy Queen logo on theirs — probably all you need to know in handicapping the match.

The winner most likely will receive a fourth-round match against a MLS team and perhaps a free Blizzard.

"I have an affinity for this competition; I love it, and not just because I have a good track record," said Wynalda, who directed Cal FC to a 1-0 victory over MLS side Portland Timbers in the 2012 U.S. Open Cup — still considered the biggest upset in the history of an ancient tournament that began in 1914.

"In this particular game, I'm (coaching) against my mentor. This is my guy."

Soccer twins

Wynalda and Caligiuri are practically joined at the soccer hip. In addition to having been roomies, each has scored major goals in the evolution of U.S. soccer.

Caligiuri, who played 14 years as a defensive midfielder for the national team, produced the "shot heard round the world." He scored the only goal in a victory at Trinidad and Tobago that propelled the U.S. into the 1990 World Cup in Italy, its first berth in soccer's biggest event since 1950.

Four years later in the World Cup, Wynalda tallied on a free kick to give the U.S. a 1-1 tie against Switzerland in front of 73,425 at the Pontiac Superdome.

Caligiuri scored the national side's first World Cup goal in 40 years during a loss to Czechoslovakia. Six years later, Wynalda notched the first goal in MLS history for the San Jose Clash.

Both played professionally in Germany when there were few American exports.

They went into the National Soccer Hall of Fame together in 2004, and later sought to to reshape domestic soccer as president of the U.S. federation. Neither got the job, and thus find themselves tying to prove their coaching mettle while developing raw talent in soccer's minor leagues.

"Neither Eric nor I are looking at this as being a game about us," Caligiuri said. "But certainly it does draw a lot of attention because of the impact of what we've done."

Mickey vs. Willie

It's soccer's version of Mickey Mantle vs. Willie Mays, if Mickey were managing the Double A Richmond Flying Squirrels and Willie the Long Island Ducks of independent baseball.

Orange County FC is affiliated with the National Premier Soccer League, which is amateur in almost every way. The team's home grounds are a modest park on the UC Irvine campus and a high school soccer field in Irvine. Either makes fading 10,000-seat Cashman Field look like Wembley Stadium.

"When you look at this game, it's like David vs. Goliath, amateurs vs. the pro team," Caligiuri said. "My guys are blue-collar guys who get up when it's still dark outside (to work real jobs)."

Caligiuri, whose sisters Roberta and Lori are school teachers in Las Vegas, said most of his players will have to take off work for three days just to play against the Lights.

"So they're losing money, having to make an additional sacrifice to live out this dream," he said.

Likewise, Eric Wynalda is willing to chase the dream to the touch line. He badly wants to go up against another MLS side in the next round. And he hates to lose. But should David cast a stone from inside the 18-yard box that beats Goliath, he'd almost be willing to live with it.

"It'll be sad to beat him, but I'll actually be happy if he wins as well — and I very seldom say that," Wynalda said of his buddy Caligiuri. "Either way, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is very special to both of us.

"This is one of those games we'll probably be talking about for years."

Contact Ron Kantowski at rkantowski@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0352. Follow @ronkantowski on Twitter.

U.S. Open Cup

What: Las Vegas Lights FC vs. Orange County FC

When: 7 p.m. Wednesday

Where: Cashman Field

Tickets: www.lasvegaslightsfc.com

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