Wednesday cannon fodder: nutmeg rout demands

World Cup

Sweden strike late against Chile after torrential rain stops play | Football | The Guardian
Kosovare Asllani and Madelen Janogy scored for Sweden against Women’s World Cup debutants Chile after heavy rain forced the players off the field.

Champions USA will not find a talent-packed World Cup easy | Football | The Guardian
Um

Alex Morgan scores 5 in USWNT’s 13-0 domination of Thailand to open World Cup | Pro Soccer USA
There will be tougher games, but this was a romp.

Netherlands’ Jill Roord pounces at the last to break New Zealand hearts | Football | The Guardian
The Netherlands left it late in a 1-0 win against New Zealand at the Women’s World Cup.

Nikita Parris and a nutmeg so good she deserves player of the tournament now - Planet Football
England’s World Cup opener saw a moment of real quality from newly-arrived Lyon forward Nikita Parris in the first half of the game.

Christine Sinclair is ready to set goal-scoring record at the World Cup - SBNation.com
The unassuming Canadian striker is the World Cup’s quietest megastar.

England captain Steph Houghton demands more televised games to help boost women’s football | FourFourTwo
The Lionesses’ opening World Cup game against Scotland set new records for a women’s game with a prime-time terrestrial spot.

Premier League/England

If England can’t always be the best, at least they can be the weirdest - Planet Football
Gareth Southgate was meant to make England more sensible. He has done anything but.

Gossip: Man Utd ‘in a hurry’ to complete £202.5m triple swoop - Football365
Man Utd are signing a right-back, a centre-half and a central midfielder for more than £200m. Yup.

Daniel James joins Manchester United a huge prospect but with work to do | Football | The Guardian
A remarkable FA Cup goal for Swansea changed his career, and he is now at Manchester United.

What do you need to run a sustainable EFL club? Luck, says Stevenage owner | Football | The Guardian
Phil Wallace is trying to raise £1.2m through selling 12% equity in the club to fans.

Europe

Euro 2020 qualifying: Belgium’s Lukaku and De Bruyne see off Scotland | Football | The Guardian
A quick roundup of the other tournament stuff happening now.

Champions League: Preliminary round draw made 10 days after Liverpool triumph - BBC Sport
A preliminary round draw for next season’s Champions League took place on Tuesday - but when do British teams enter the fray?

MLS/Americas

FC Juarez buys Lobos BUAP, takes spot in Liga MX
Second division FC Juarez will be play in Liga MX starting from the 2019 Apertura, after it bought first division club Lobos BUAP.

Never mind Brazil, we can’t wait to see Josef Martínez at Copa América - Planet Football
Josef Martínez is the sort of forward you dread playing against, purely due to his ability to go from zero to goal so quickly.

Squizzato: Canada enter 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup with expectations | MLSsoccer.com
The Concacaf Gold Cup knockout stage isn’t a pie-in-the-sky dream for Canada—it’s the bare-minimum expectation.

Warshaw: Crowning each team’s best player through first half of 2019 | MLSsoccer.com
We take a look at the 24 top performers of 2019 so far — one for every team around the league.

Other

Lionel Messi edges out Cristiano Ronaldo to head Forbes top 100 highest paid athletes - BBC Sport
Barcelona’s icon is the world’s highest paid athlete earning £100m in the past 12 months, according to the Forbes top 100 ranking.