United States manager Gregg Berhalter said he is "a little bit disappointed" at MLS teams that opted to play during the upcoming FIFA international window.

Berhalter announced his 26-player roster on Wednesday ahead of friendlies against Mexico on Sept. 6 and Uruguay four days later. During a conference call with reporters, he disclosed that MLS scheduling issues impacted his roster decisions.

In particular, the Toronto FC trio of Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore and Omar Gonzalez remained with their club, in part, because TFC has road games against FC Cincinnati and New York City FC scheduled during the window.

MLS teams can opt out of playing league matches during international windows if they have the flexibility to schedule games on other dates. That means scheduling more midweek games, which can result in fixture congestion during other parts of the year, and are less desirable given that teams typically draw better on weekends.

- Stream games LIVE on ESPN+
- Inter Miami FC: How the franchise is shaping up

All of that can make the life problematic for the U.S. manager, a former MLS manager with Columbus Crew himself, even though FIFA requires that clubs release players during international windows.

"We're in a difficult position because we're only allowed to play games during a certain time of year," said Berhalter. "One thing I've been a little bit disappointed in is MLS teams opting to play in FIFA windows. I think it's [infringing] on the time we have with players.

"I understand their situation of not wanting to play midweek games during the year, but it also puts us in a difficult spot where we have to make decisions that are difficult for both the player and the club."

Toronto is currently in the seventh and last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, with the three teams in the chasing pack all within four points of the Reds. TFC also had three players get called into Canada's squad as it begins play in the CONCACAF Nations League, creating additional stress on its roster.

"With Michael, Jozy and Omar having two games with Toronto FC, we had to weigh that," said Berhalter. "Part of it was Toronto is in the position they're in, fighting for a playoff spot. We know that some of the other teams have games as well, like Seattle, San Jose, the Galaxy and LAFC and [NYCFC] during this time.

"But we felt that taking three players from one team would severely handicap them, and in this particular case, Michael, Jozy and Omar are some of the more veteran players that have been in games like this before and played in games like this before, and we thought that it would be a good opportunity to get other players involved."

In the current window, LAFC, the LA Galaxy, New York City FC, Real Salt Lake, the San Jose Earthquakes and the Seattle Sounders each had a player called up even though they have games scheduled during that period.

Berhalter has been on the other side of the tug-of-war as well during his six seasons with the Crew, but he admitted that there were instances where he had to insist on certain players being made available.

Berhalter said: "Having worked in MLS, we try to be somewhat accommodating to try to work together with the clubs, but sometimes there's not perfect solutions, and we have to say, 'Okay, this is the way it is.'"

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indianapolis Colts had free agent quarterback Brock Osweiler in for a visit Tuesday, a source tells ESPN's Field Yates.

The Colts are looking for a veteran backup quarterback to play behind starter Jacoby Brissett following the surprising retirement of Andrew Luck last weekend.

The only other quarterbacks on the Colts' roster are Phillip Walker and Chad Kelly. Walker has never played a snap in a regular-season game and Kelly is suspended for the first two games of the season for violating the league's personal conduct policy.

Colts coach Frank Reich gave the indication earlier this week that they would look to upgrade the backup spot.

"Those are all really good things to consider -- that we are considering very strongly," Reich said Monday. "Phil [Walker] has been here for a while so we have a lot of belief and confidence in Phillip. He knows our offense. He knows this locker room. Those are going to be the decisions that we have to make in the next week to 10 days."

Osweiler, 28, went 2-3 as a fill-in starter for the Miami Dolphins last season when Ryan Tannehill was injured. He gave the fan base hope in a period dubbed "Brocktober," which began with him throwing for a career-high 380 yards in an upset overtime victory against the Chicago Bears, but his play leveled off in the following games.

What Osweiler did do, however, is re-establish his career from disappointing starter to reliable backup quarterback. He signed a one-year, $880,000 contract with Miami and competed to make the roster as a backup. Despite a rough training camp, the Dolphins kept Osweiler as their No. 2 QB and he kept them afloat when Tannehill got hurt early in the season.

In 2018, Osweiler completed 63.5 percent of his passes for 1,247 yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions.

Osweiler's biggest NFL contribution came in a similar role. He went 5-2 as a starter in place of an injured Peyton Manning for the 2015 Denver Broncos, helping them earn the AFC's top seed en route to a victory in Super Bowl 50.

That season led to a $72 million contract with the Houston Texans, who traded him to the Cleveland Browns after one difficult season as the Texans' starter. The Browns released Osweiler just before the 2017 season, when he was again picked up by the Broncos and started five games.

Osweiler, who is entering his seventh season, was drafted by the Broncos in the second round (57th overall) of the 2012 draft.

ESPN's Cameron Wolfe contributed to this report.

Kobe Bryant says he has "no beef" with Shaquille O'Neal after comments came to light that Bryant thought he could have won 12 NBA titles if the dominant big man had Bryant's legendary work ethic.

Bryant tweeted Wednesday that their old feud remains in the past and there's "nothin but love" between him and his former Los Angeles Lakers teammate.

There is no beef with @SHAQ I know most media want to see it but it ain't gonna happen. Ain't nothin but love there and we too old to beef anyway #3peat

— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) August 28, 2019

The duo that won three consecutive championships together were trending after a quote that Bryant made during an appearance at the PHP Agency convention in Las Vegas surfaced this week. On July 29, Bryant said he could have had "f---ing 12 rings" and that O'Neal would be "the greatest" had he spent more time in the gym.

"He'd be the greatest of all time, for sure," Bryant said. "He'd be the first to tell you that. This guy was a force like I have never seen. It was crazy. A guy at that size, generally guys at that size are a little timid and they don't want to be tall, they don't want to be big.

"Man, this dude was, he did not care. He was mean. He was nasty. He was competitive. He was vindictive. He was ... yeah, I wish he was in the gym. I would have had f---ing 12 rings."

When the video was posted by lakers24ever on Instagram, O'Neal chimed in twice.

"U woulda had twelve if you passed the ball more especially in the finals against the pistons #facts," O'Neal commented.

O'Neal added: "You don't get statues by not working hard"

But Bryant tweeted his clarifying remark and also retweeted a comment noting that he was complimentary of O'Neal throughout his appearance.

Bryant and O'Neal won three consecutive championships from 2000 to 2002 and played together from 1996 to 2004 before O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat. Bryant wound up with five titles before retiring after the 2015-16 season.

O'Neal also chimed in on Twitter, though his comment may just stir up trouble with former and newly-signed Lakers center Dwight Howard.

It's all good bro, when I saw the interview, I thought you were talking about Dwite, is that how u spell his name lol

— SHAQ (@SHAQ) August 28, 2019

The first 16 IAAF Diamond League champions of 2019 will be crowned in Zurich

IAAF Diamond League action heads to Zurich’s Weltklasse meeting on Thursday as the first of the two finals takes place, with 16 champions to be crowned.

The annual Swiss test is set to become the sole venue for the final in 2020 and 2021 but for now it shares staging the showpieces with Brussels (on September 6).

READ MORE: Zurich to host single Diamond League final in 2020 and 2021

Dina Asher-Smith faces another world-class line-up in the 200m as the multiple European champion takes on Shaunae Miller-Uibo, the Bahamian athlete who won at the Diamond League in Birmingham this month, together with Olympic champion Elaine Thompson, Blessing Okagbare and Dafne Schippers.

There is big British interest in the men’s 100m, too, with Adam Gemili and Zharnel Hughes due to take on Noah Lyles, Yohan Blake, Justin Gatlin and others.

A couple of Britons also go in the women’s 1500m. Eilish McColgan and Jemma Reekie take to the Swiss track in a line-up that is
headed by world record-holder Genzebe Dibaba, Konstanze Klosterhalfen and Jenny Simpson.

British 5000m champion McColgan will be hoping to attack the four-minute barrier with Reekie also in fine form lately after her European under-23 double victory and runner-up result from the British Championships behind Sarah McDonald.

Another British 5000m champion, Andy Butchart, goes in his specialist event against Selemon Barega, Joshua Cheptegei, Hagos Gebrhiwet and Yomif Kejelcha.

It is perhaps the strongest 5000m line-up of 2019 and Butchart will be aiming to crack the 13-minute barrier for the first time.

Laviai Nielsen, the British 400m champion, is in a tough one-lap field that includes Salwa Eid Naser – the Bahrain athlete who has run 49.17 this year.

The 400m hurdles promises a great clash, too, with world record-holder Dalilah Muhammad up against fellow American Sydney McLaughlin.

A tasty clash looks likely in the men’s long jump with Miguel Echevarria facing Luvo Manyonga, Thomas Montler, Ruswahl Samaai, Zarck Visser and Miltiadis Tentoglou.

In the men’s high jump Mutaz Essa Barshim is entered, while Yulimar Rojas leads the women’s triple jump field.

There is a great field in the men’s pole vault, meanwhile, with Sam Kendricks, Piotr Lisek, Renaud Lavillenie and Mondo Duplantis.

The men’s javelin sees Birmingham Diamond League winner Cheng Chao-tsun up against Germans Thomas Röhler, Andreas Hofmann and Johannes Vetter plus Estonian Magnus Kirt.

In the women’s shot put, Lijiao Gong faces Christina Schwanitz among others.

The men’s 800m features Kenyans Wycliffe Kinyamal, Ferguson Rotich and Emmanuel Korir, plus Nijel Amos of Botswana.

Beatrice Chepkoech, the world record-holder, leads the women’s steeplechase entries but world champion Emma Coburn is among her rivals.

Finally, Karsten Warholm, Kyron McMaster and Rai Benjamin are set for a cracking 400m hurdles clash in the last major event on the programme.

The action got under way the evening before the full programme, with the women’s pole vault competition taking place at Zurich’s main train station.

Anzhelika Sidorova won with first time clearance of 4.87m to break the meeting record and set an indoor personal best.

British record-holder Holly Bradshaw finished fifth with 4.72.

Entry lists can be found here.

Ben Te'o's decision to call time on his England career by moving to French side Toulon "stinks", says former England back Ugo Monye.

The New Zealand-born centre, 32, signed a short-term deal with the French Top 14 side shortly after being left out of Eddie Jones' World Cup squad.

It means Te'o, who was involved in an off-field altercation at an England camp earlier in August, cannot be called up as an injury replacement.

"I'm disappointed," said Monye.

"I think it is borderline disrespectful. For me, playing for your country is the pinnacle. It is something that millions of people dream of doing and only a few get a chance to do so.

"You can't come and swear allegiance to the country and then the moment things get a bit bumpy, catch the next flight to the south of France. It doesn't sit well with me at all."

Te'o switched from rugby league to union in 2014 and won his first England cap two years later.

Since then, he had been continually picked by Jones but the former British and Irish Lion is now reportedly set to play for Japanese side Sunwolves after his Toulon contract is finished.

Te'o was without a club after leaving Premiership side Worcester at the end of last season, but Monye does not think this excuses his behaviour.

"I know he doesn't have a club and he doesn't have finance, but I'm sure he could have offered his services to a Premiership club as a World Cup joker, he could have got a club," he added on BBC Radio 5 Live's Rugby Union Weekly.

"There are those sitting on standby waiting for a phone call and keeping fit because the World Cup is something they all want to be part of. After the patience and investment that was put into him, to effectively stick his fingers up to the Rugby Football Union is not great.

"England have been great to him and my understanding is that he did not make a phone call to let them know he was off to Toulon, I think that is poor."

'Willi Heinz will want to be number one'

Te'o's absence from the World Cup squad came as a surprise to some, as did Gloucester scrum-half Willi Heinz's inclusion in the 31-man group.

England head coach Jones tried out several number nines as back-up for starter Ben Youngs and eventually settled on 32-year-old Heinz before the World Cup warm-up matches began.

And after Youngs put in a shaky performance during England's 57-15 win against Ireland, experienced England scrum-half Danny Care, who was left out of the squad, said Heinz "is not there to make up numbers".

"If he is in the best form as a scrum-half between him and Ben, he is gong to play," added Care.

"I think Ben would understand that. I think Ben would have to play quite poorly and Willi would have to play well when he came on for that to happen.

"But Willi Heinz will want to be number one. If Ben has another game like at the weekend, then you never know, Willi is knocking on the door and will be asking questions of the coaches."

Mako Vunipola is set to miss England's final Rugby World Cup warm-up game against Italy with a hamstring injury.

The prop suffered a small tissue tear against Ireland, shortly after making his long-awaited comeback from another hamstring problem.

He is only expected to be out for around 10 days which shouldn't affect his involvement in the World Cup.

Exeter's Ben Moon has been called up as cover ahead of the match at St James' Park, Newcastle on Friday 6 September.

Moon is part of the squad flying to Treviso on Wednesday for another warm-weather training camp, with Charlie Ewels, Matt Kvesic and Joe Marchant - who are not part of the World Cup squad - also involved.

Meanwhile England still hope wing Jack Nowell will be fit to travel to the World Cup, despite Exeter Chiefs boss Rob Baxter admitting he was "touch and go" for the showpiece in Japan.

Despite cautious optimism from the England camp, Nowell's recovery from the ankle injury suffered in the Premiership final in May has been far from smooth.

Earlier this month, the player admitted he pushed himself "too hard" in a bid to be fit for the World Cup.

England had expected him to feature in part of this month's warm-up schedule, but now accept he will only be available for the opener against Tonga on 22 September at the earliest.

With Ruaridh McConnochie also recovering from injury, Jonny May, Anthony Watson and Joe Cokanasiga are the only fit wingers in the squad.