Sources: Middleton expected to miss opener​

Rodri has said Pep Guardiola’s contract extension is “an important incentive” for him to continue at Manchester City but left the door open for a transfer to Real Madrid by calling their reported interest “an honour.”

Rodri, who tore his right ACL in September, celebrated the news that Guardiola signed a two-year deal to remain at the Etihad stadium through June 2027.

“It is a joy that Pep has decided to continue,” Rodri, 28, told Cadena Ser radio in Spain. “It’s clear that he has been the most influential coach of my career. It’s a joy for the club and for the Citizens for him to continue for at least two more years. When I signed there [with City in 2019], they told me that Pep would only stay for one or two years…”

When asked about his future, Rodri, the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner, said: “My focus is on my recovery. I have two years left on my contract, the time is approaching to sit down and speak again. It’s clear that it [Guardiola’s contract extension] is an important incentive. I feel very valued at the club. For the time being I’m very happy.”

Rodri, who joined City in the summer of 2019 from Atletico Madrid, in fact, does not rule out ending his playing career at the Etihad even if he is a target of Real Madrid next summer.

Asked if he would consider joining Madrid, Rodri said: “Obviously when Madrid, the best and most successful club in history, calls you, it is an honour. You always have to pay attention. But obviously of course not. I don’t look too far ahead but it’s a possibility that I could perfectly end my career in England.

“It’s a country that has given me everything, I have fallen in love with football there. The club is spectacular, not just from a sporting level but how it’s structured. I feel comfortable and loved there. But Spain is my country. I am always aware of the League, the level of the teams is growing more and more. I’ve been lucky to play in both leagues, to have the best coaches in the world and I feel very satisfied.”

Rodri, who was voted the best player at Euro 2024 after leading Spain to the title, is aiming to return before the end of the season.

“Right now I’m not thinking about football, about winning,” he said. “I’m just thinking about giving myself a chance to recover to regain the level I had before.

Asked if he could return to play in March or April, Rodri said: “Yes. From a mental standpoint, my aim is to play this season. Each year, the seasons are longer. I don’t know how much I will be able to contribute but having the Nations League and the Club World Cup in June and July, I think I will be able to do so.”

City have struggled without Rodri.

The club are second in the Premier League, five points adrift of leaders Liverpool, and are 10th in the Champions League group standings.

“It’s clear that we are going through a negative spell,” Rodri said. “It’s not the first time. If there’s a team that has shown that it can bounce back it’s our team. I have no doubt that we will come out of this. We have a strong team. I’m eager to return in order to give the team encouragement.”

Javier Mascherano is set to become the new head coach of Inter Miami in the upcoming days as the two parties finalize contract negotiations, sources have confirmed to ESPN.

Mascherano will leave his post as manager of Argentina’s youth team to lead Lionel Messi and the Herons throughout the 2025 campaign. He replaces Gerardo “Tata” Martino, who exits the club after a year and a half due to personal reasons.

Inter Miami kicked off the search for a new head coach Nov. 16 just hours after co-owner Jorge Mas and president of football operations Raúl Sanllehi were informed of the departure of Martino.

“I found out on Friday, I had a conversation with Gerardo Martino on Saturday morning at 11 a.m.,” Mas said in a news conference Friday. “Our coaching search started at 11:01.

“We had a list; this is an extremely attractive job and position for a coach. We got it down to three final candidates by Tuesday and we made — David Beckham, Raúl, my brother José Mas and myself — made the decision two days ago and we will announce the coach in the next few days. Knowing that this isn’t our first coaching search, I’ve been involved in interviewing the world’s greatest since 2019.”

Mas emphasized that the team did not prioritize Major League Soccer experience, but instead looked for a leader who could manage the locker room well considering the caliber of players on the roster.

Before finalizing the name, the Inter Miami co-owner looked to Lionel Messi for advice on how to proceed with the candidates.

“Experience in MLS would be good, but I don’t think it’s the principal criteria. I think it’s more about how you manage the roster with unlimited potential,” Mas said. “I spoke to Leo on Saturday after he and Tata spoke. I asked him what is important to you and what is important to get the best of our roster. How do we improve? Leo shared with me his thoughts, not dissimilar to what I explained.

“Without a doubt a familiarity with Leo and the other stars is an advantage in every aspect. I want Leo to feel comfortable with the new trainer and coach. We went out and spearheaded that. Leo gave me what I asked him, which is input. But that was his involvement and engagement with me.”

Mascherano and Messi played together for eight seasons at Barcelona and also competed regularly for the Argentina national team.

In Spain, Mascherano and Messi inspired Barcelona to the 2011 and 2015 Champions League titles and five LaLiga trophies.

Mascherano, who also played for Liverpool and West Ham, led Argentina’s U23s to the quarterfinals of the soccer competition at the Paris Olympics in August.

KANSAS CITY, Missouri — Cincinnati, Cleveland and Denver are the three finalists to become the NWSL’s 16th team, commissioner Jessica Berman announced on Friday at CPKC Stadium.

The league is in the final stages of a yearlong expansion bidding process and a decision is expected in the coming weeks.

The team will begin play in 2026 alongside another expansion team from Boston.

“As we think about the geographic footprint of our country, we know that a 14-team league is not where we will end up,” Berman said.

“All the men’s leagues are 30-plus teams for a reason, and in order to build the kind of national exposure, visibility and media deals that we think this league deserves and our fans deserve, we know that we need to be in more markets.”

Multiple sources told ESPN that the expansion fee could approach $100 million for the team selected.

Boston and Bay FC, which began play this year, paid $53 million to enter the league last year. Cincinnati, led by MLS’ FC Cincinnati ownership, announced on Thursday that basketball star Caitlin Clark is part of the bidding group’s investors.

“Her accomplishments and contributions to women’s sports is incredible, historic,” Berman said. It’s changed the game for everyone and she’s amazing. Having her interest in the NWSL is an honor.”

Boston and the city that joins them will be the first expansion teams in league history to not have the benefit of an expansion draft to build their rosters.

Allocation money is being phased out of the NWSL; historically, expansion teams were given extra allocation money (effectively cash) to help them build out their roster.

Berman said that the league is developing mechanisms to help the expansion teams launch in spring 2026, but she declined to say what those are.

“We are developing mechanisms to ensure that those teams can be competitive, as we think about the value of expansion and the importance of setting those teams up for success both on and off the pitch,” Berman said.

Cleveland and Denver hope to build stadiums and play in temporary venues upon launching in 2026 if their bid is accepted, multiple sources said.

The group in Cleveland, which multiple sources also consider to have a strong bid, recently announced that it acquired the downtown land on which it intends to build a stadium.