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Philadelphia Union's 2026 MLS season before (L) and after (R) the World Cup.

Philadelphia Union results before the break for the World Cup - won one, drawn four, lost ten (Transfermarkt).

Philadelphia Union MLS results after the World Cup break - won 12, drawn two, lost 0 (Transfermarkt)

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Philadelphia Union's 2026 MLS season before (L) and after (R) the World Cup.

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Reposted by James Nalton

SickosFC @sickosfc.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

Great game between Australia and New Zealand to kick off the World Cup. Some great attacking play - rugby at its best. Shame BBC or C4 didn't pick up coverage in the UK, where outside rugby league circles you'd barely know it's happening. #RLWC

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You’ve seen stutter step penalties but how about this stutter walk penalty in the Caribbean Cup semifinal?

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Yeah, the Rugby Union World Cup is on ITV, and the sport generally enjoys much broader media coverage despite being the less entertaining of the two codes.

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James Nalton @jdnalton.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

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Bet Guardiola liked that goal. Ndiaye and Bouaddi really good since coming on for Man City.

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James Nalton @jdnalton.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

So Araujo - Jacquet is Liverpool's best centre-back pairing?

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The Soccer Times @nysoccertimes.com · 14/10/2026

US Soccer is launching a women's national domestic cup competition called the Arthur M. Blank Crest Cup. It will be a single-elimination knockout format, culminating in a championship final with a prize of $1.1 million for the winner and a path to the Concacaf Champions Cup.

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Jason Anderson @jasondcsoccer.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

I've always said the Champions League is best enjoyed on artificial turf in Norway

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James Nalton @jdnalton.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

Viking 2-0 up against Bayern. Scenes.

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James Nalton @jdnalton.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

MLS has a mechanism for owner operators to spend as much as they want on certain players, and CFG don't even use that to its full extent. If anything, the criticism would be that they don't spend enough at NYCFC (on the team at least).

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James Nalton @jdnalton.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

Some of this weekend's football coverage in today's Morning Star.

Morning Star newspaper page with match reports from Arsenal v Leeds, Chelsea v Bournemouth and Alessia Russo named England player of the season

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Philippe Auclair @philippeauclair.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

"Creative" being defined here in a way which suits their purpose, agenda and personal interest. There is nothing remotely "creative" in generative AI. Prompts "produce" content, they do not "create" it.

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Philippe Auclair @philippeauclair.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

For example, AI "music" is proliferating on streaming platforms, especially Spotify, with thousands of new "tunes" registered every day by specialist companies, diminishing the already small pool of income which used to be distributed among actual musicians.

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James Nalton @jdnalton.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

Nashville really inflating their xG with a couple of those close-range goals this weekend! Saad's had an xG of 0.93 and an xG on target of 1!

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Read this banner in the voice of Clay Davis

Banner at Anfield ahead of Liverpool v Man City saying "cheats", but with 114 £ signs instead of the "E"

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Man City were on just 0.15 xG and 4 shots in total before the red card.

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Liverpool just gone after the sending-off. The system they were playing was so effective that you didn't notice they had so many first-teamers missing, but the man-to-man nature of it meant the red card did for them.

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Probably the most niche Oasis reference so far. Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt.

Liverpool fans with a banner reading:
"And until you've repaid
The dreams you bought for your lies
You'll be cast away
Alone under stormy skies"

Lyrics from the Oasis song Where Did It All Go Wrong

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Another goal for the Premier League's best striker, Thierno Barry.

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Thought they'd be random tap-ins or something, but seems Alonso's turned him into David Beckham.

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I think it might have been D'yer Wanna Be A Spaceman. Quite funny that they left it in.

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It's not. They're saying the commercial power will be diminished

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One thing I keep hearing is how this could affect the Premier League's commercial power, as if this is a bad thing. The over-commercialization of the league has only had a negative effect on supporters of these clubs, so I think dialing that back would actually be a positive for the game.

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I have the capacity to write additional columns or features weekly/monthly if any editors are interested.

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Man City guilty verdict should be a catalyst for Premier League ownership change

As a freelancer, I have one column per week for the paper, so had this written for a week or so before this, as last week's was my Super League Grand Final piece. Jonathan Liew and John Nicholson have also written things with similar sentiments since, and are linked in the article, online here.

morningstaronline.co.uk

THE Manchester City case should serve as a warning that the game needs a reset in terms of who owns controlling stakes in its clubs.A verdict came through last week that Man City have been found guilt...

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If City's appeal fails, this guilty verdict is a seismic event in top level football, the type that should provide an opportunity to rethink how clubs are owned, how the game is run, and who it is for. This weekend's Morning Star column.

Morning Star newspaper page with the headline: City verdict should be the catalyst for change at the top.

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Some Might Say, Acquiesce, Headshrinker, (It's Good) To Be Free, and Talk Tonight are in the setlist, as the bridge between Definitely Maybe and (What's the Story) Morning Glory?

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Barry Walsh @bazwalsh85.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

The Live By The Sea gig in Southend from early 1995 is also on Disney+. A good snapshot of Oasis' early years just before things really kicked off in 95/96 with the chart battle with Blur, Wonderwall and Don't Look Back In Anger, (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, and Maine Road and Knebworth gigs.

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It's an excellent documentary. If you're watching it with someone who's not a fan, watch Supersonic first, then watch this. This is definately the best quote from it

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Matt Slater @mjslater.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Noel Gallagher speaking in the Oasis documentary: "Most of the press have never really understood what Oasis was. I don't, half the time. I don't know what it is, but I know what it isn't. It's not some right-wing thing. All are welcome. It's about the 'we' and 'us'."

Still of Noel and Liam Gallagher being interviewed in the Oasis documentary, Don't Look Back In Anger on Disney+

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Don Garber was the star turn at a sports biz summit in London this week. The outgoing MLS boss discussed the league’s sketchy start, 2001 reboot, signing a “foundational” Beckham & “transformational” Messi, flipping the calendar, the Apple deal & World Cup legacy. www.nytimes.com/athletic/767...

nytimes.com

Don Garber on the World Cup legacy, Lionel Messi and MLS’ future: ‘We’re sitting at the head table now’ (Gift Article)

MLS commissioner Garber reflects as he prepares to leave a league unrecognisable from the one he joined in 1999 as a "non-soccer guy".

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James Nalton @jdnalton.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Yet another break for domestic club football. Doesn't seem that long since the last one.

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James Nalton @jdnalton.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

The Sun is still banned from Liverpool and Everton.

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Have seen it happen in MLS too, especially since Messi arrived.

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Yeah, I don't mind so much these days (hence risking kicking off about it publicly haha), but it's a big story for the paper and those working for it to cover on the back of decades of coverage. It's more the principle- them turfing out regulars because others suddenly want multiple reporters there.

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The press box has a capacity, so it will go to another outlet, often one that isn't a regular but is considered more high-profile. Truth is, we don't really know why it happens, despite the editor asking for years for an explanation from the club.

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Yeah, also ironic that it "sells" itself on socialism.

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It's probably unprofessional to raise this publicly, but it's been happening for years, and I would guess we are the only national daily newspaper that won't have a reporter there (some will have two), when you'd think we'd be at the top of the list.

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