VADO, N.M. – The first hot laps of the decade for the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series were turned in on Thursday night at Vado Speedway Park in preparation for the season opener, the inaugural Battle at the Border.

Forty-two cars took to the track for an extended practice session to shake-down the setups and get a first look at New Mexico’s newest place of race. Drivers were met with some chilly temperatures and a smooth, fast racing surface for the first night of the year in action.

Two-time and defending World of Outlaws champion Brandon Sheppard seemed to be picking up right where he left off, topping the chart with a lap of 13.794 seconds. For never having been to the facility before, like most other drivers in the field, Sheppard sounded quite satisfied with the way his Rocket1 Racing machine took to the new three-eighths-mile.

“It’s going to be an interesting week, for sure. We learned a little bit of stuff on the car for this race track, got better throughout the night and were really fast and consistent every time we went out on the track. That’s really all you can ask for at this point,” Sheppard said.

“The car was really good, just like it was all last year,” Sheppard continued. “We’re definitely happy to come right out of the box and have a fast piece.”

Scott Bloomquist Racing driver Chris Madden had a bit of an up-and-down practice session but was able to get everything ironed out by the final group. He initially took his Drydene Performance Products No. 0M on-track, but discovered an internal issue after only a single lap. Taking it back to the pits, he and the crew diagnosed it with an electrical issue but were able to make repairs to get the car back out for more practice.

Madden has been fighting illness over the past few days, but still is able to suit up for the weekend’s events. Thus, he kept it short and to the point in talking about how each of the No. 0 cars performed on the track in hot laps, as Madden jumped behind the wheel of both his and teammate Bloomquist’s car before the session was over.

“We finally got it figured out and made a pretty good run the last session in my car,” Madden said. “We didn’t have any trouble with Scott’s car, it was good right off the bat.”

While his new, white Drydene No. 0M was being repaired Madden took a round of hot laps in Bloomquist’s traditional black No. 0 and went straight to the top of the leaderboard, clocking in at 13.943 seconds – good enough for second-fastest overall.

The only Outlaw in the field with experience at Vado, Cade Dillard, enjoyed quite a bit of speed in his practice runs, turning in a fast time of 13.996 seconds to put him fourth overall. Having won two modified races at Vado last year, Dillard has the experience edge over the other nationally/regionally touring drivers.

“Some of the things I struggled with in the modified, I had issues with on [the late model], but I was kind of expecting that,” Dillard said. “All-in-all, we had some good times and I feel like we were right there with the majority of the top ones. We’ll just keep working at it and hopefully get a little bit better.”

Now aboard the new Barry Wright Race Cars ICON house car this year, Darrell Lanigan also had a nice showing in his practice outings, posting a fast time of 14.153 seconds to place him ninth overall. As of now, he and the Viper Motorsports crew are just focused on getting used to the new car and the new track.

“It wasn’t bad, we’re just trying to figure out the car and figure out the track,” Lanigan said. “We were definitely close, pretty good there at the end, just trying stuff to see what I like and what the car likes.”

TULSA, Okla. – With 162 of 318 races in the books, the 35th annual Lucas Oil Tulsa Shootout is just past the halfway point, with 157 heat races and five qualifiers contested since the event kicked off on Wednesday evening.

Amounting to 1,306 laps of green flag action, the stage is set for Friday to kick off D and C-Features before leading into Qualifiers and B-Features.

Looking at Thursday’s action, 14 drivers were able to score multiple victories, but only two were able to grab a trio of wins, with Texas teenager Chase Randall winning in Outlaw, A-Class, and Non-Wing competition along with Oklahoma’s Layden Person.

Overall, the most wins on the week goes to Oklahoma City’s Ryan Timms with four.

Out of 608 drivers in competition, 126 have garnered a win in heat or qualifier competition through the first 162 races contested.

Racing resumes on Friday. The River Spirit Expo Center opens at 8 a.m., with racing on track at 9 a.m. The day will begin with Race No. 163 and conclude with Race No. 268.

To view complete results from Thursday, advance to the next page.

AUCKLAND, New Zealand – It didn’t take Tyler Courtney long after finally breaking through at Western Springs Speedway to find his way back to victory lane.

Just four days removed from winning his first midget feature at the .285-mile bullring, Courtney held off a spirited charge from NASCAR Cup Series star Kyle Larson to win Friday’s King of the Springs midget feature at Western Springs Speedway.

The race was the fifth round of the 2019-20 United Truck Parts Int’l Midget Series season.

Courtney took the top spot from Aaron Hodgson on lap six of the 40-lapper and then went to work fending off Larson for the remaining distance.

Though Larson tried and tried again throughout the feature, Courtney was not to be denied, driving away down the stretch and finishing 1.653 seconds ahead of Larson at the checkered flag.

Australian Kaidon Brown completed the podium, followed by Chris Windom, who gave Americans three of the top four finishing positions on Friday.

Hodgson completed the top five after pacing the first five circuits.

Brett Morris Jr., Logan Seavey, Hayden Guptill, Hayden Williams and Nathan Howard completed the top 10.

Other notables in the field included Zach Daum, who finished a lap down in 13th; Michael Pickens, scored 17th after completing just three laps; and Zeb Wise, who retired from the event and ended up last in the 20-car field, finishing only two of the 40 scheduled laps.

The finish:

Tyler Courtney, Kyle Larson, Kaidon Brown, Chris Windom, Aaron Hodgson, Brett Morris Jr., Logan Seavey, Hayden Guptill, Hayden Williams, Nathan Howard, Matthew McCutcheon, Peter Hunnibell, Zach Daum, Shayne Alach, Ryan O’Connor, Travis Mills, Michael Pickens, James Cossey, Travis Buckley, Zeb Wise.

VENTURA, Calif. – Kruseman Motorsports is bringing four cars to the 34th annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals in Tulsa, Okla., Jan. 13-18 inside the River Spirit Expo Center.

Cory Kruseman, owner of Kruseman Motorsports and a two-time winner of the Chili Bowl (2000, 2004), confirmed Friday that Gage Rucker, Tony Gaulda and Andrew Carlson will drive three of the midgets he is taking to Tulsa. The fourth car is still available to rent.

Rucker, who resides in Bellflower, Mo., will be a part of the Kruseman team at the Chili Bowl for the second year in a row. A talented kart racer, Rucker made six midget starts last year between the Chili Bowl, the USAC National Midget Series and the Bay Cities Racing Ass’n.

At the Chili Bowl, Rucker will once again be piloting the No. 11K car.

The team welcomed Gaulda and sponsor ProCrop1 to its Chili Bowl lineup on Dec. 30, with Gualda set to possibly make some sprint car starts in 2020 with the Kruseman team also.

Gualda, from Hollister, Calif., rose through the ranks starting in karts and micro sprints and will be making his Tulsa debut. He notched three wins in three states in 2019 and placed fifth in the Sprint Car Challenge Tour standings.

The 20 year old also finished 12th in the Placerville Speedway 360 winged sprint car standings, despite not racing the full schedule.

Like Gaulda, Carlson will also be making his Chili Bowl debut.

The 27-year-old is a professional snowmobile and off-road racer. From Elk River, Minn., Carlson began racing snowmobiles as a four-year-old and got into off-road racing at 15 in UTVs.

Not only will it be the first Chili Bowl for the Snowcross and X-Games competitor, but it will also be his initial time competing in a midget.

Each of the drivers will have a practice session on Monday afternoon. All will race in one of the preliminary nights during the week before coming back for the finale on Saturday.

“We are excited about the 2020 Chili Bowl,” owner Kruseman said. “Right now, we have three talented drivers who have all done well in their respective racing disciplines. They are all very capable of doing well in Tulsa.

“In addition, we still have my own personal No. 21K with an open seat,” he added. “We hope to fill that slot and then look forward to a strong Chili Bowl performance later this month.”

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports has announced their lineup for the Rolex 24 At Daytona.

The team’s No. 52 ORECA 07 LMP2 will be shared by Gabriel Aubry, Nick Boulle, Simon Trummer and Ben Keating.

Frenchman, Aubry made his IMSA debut in 2019 and is no stranger to sports cars as he is currently an FIA World Endurance Championship class points leader. The 21-year-old also competed in the European Le Mans Series, the GP3 Championship and finished second at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2019.

Boulle rejoins PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports, where he earned a second-place finish at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona in the Prototype Challenge class in 2016. In January 2017, Boulle became the first Rolex dealer to win the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona Prototype Challenge. In 2018 he raced for the third time in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona and finished 12th in his class. Boulle debuted in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2018, finishing in eighth in the LMP2 class. He now has two 24 Hours of Le Mans starts under his belt after competing in 2019’s race.

Trummer brings ample sports car seat time to the team as a three-time participant in 24 Hours of Le Mans and a competitor in the FIA World Endurance Championship LMP2 class in 2017, earning the best result of fifth at Bahrain. Trummer finished second in FIA Endurance Trophy for LMP1 private drivers in 2016 with the best result of fifth at Silverstone.

Keating, now 47, is an experienced bronze driver who has won five national championships racing with Viper. He raced in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series in 2011, the American Le Mans Series in 2013 and won his first two national-level sports car races in 2013. By 2015, he was driving at Le Mans, and by 2017 he had his own team there. He has competed in five 24 Hours of Le Mans. Keating will be doing double duty during the Rolex 24 at Daytona driving with PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports in the LMP2 category and driving in a GT Daytona entry.

“I am very excited to kick off the 2020 season with the team this week,” said Team Principal Bobby Oergel. “Thanks to the hard work and efforts of everyone involved drivers and crew, I believe we have a great shot at a run for the team’s second Daytona 24 Hour At Daytona win. Having worked with Gabby, Nick, and Simon previously and knowing that Ben is one of the most successful and hardest working drivers in the paddock we are looking forward to a smooth consistent test and beginning to the month of January. The growth of the category is great to see and really backs up the belief we share along with IMSA to help it be as successful here in the USA as it is around the globe currently.”

Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho has said he is expecting "bad news" regarding the extent of Harry Kane's hamstring injury.

Kane limped off in the second half of the 1-0 defeat to Southampton on Wednesday and the club said he will not feature in the FA Cup clash against Middlesbrough on Sunday.

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When Mourinho was asked about the extent of the striker's injury at a news conference, he replied: "I don't know yet, I think maybe later today we have news.

"But if you ask me just my feeling, good news or bad news, I am more bad news than good news, what the player felt, Harry Kane leaving a match the way he did.

"He didn't think twice, didn't take him two seconds to realise the severity of the situation."

Tanguy Ndombele and Danny Rose will also miss the FA Cup tie through injury but Son Heung-Min is available after serving his three match ban for a red card against Chelsea last month.

Spurs have lost four of their last eight matches in all competitions but Mourinho is relaxed about the club's situation and sees similarities to when Jurgen Klopp took charge of Liverpool in 2015.

"The end of this season is not the end of the world," he added. "Klopp arrived in October 2015, eight transfer windows, lots of players coming and going, and lots of time for him to get across his philosophy, training methods, his fingerprints.

"In the first season they finished sixth or eighth and four years later they are the best team in the world. So no panic, calm. I have lots of experience, the club has lots of experience, Mr Levy has lots of experience.

"But I don't want to compare us with Liverpool, I just want to ask for calm. Some teams are at the end of a cycle, some are in a transition, some are at the start. These are different scenarios."

Manchester United pair Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial were sent home from training on Friday just 15 minutes after arriving after being struck down with illness, sources have told ESPN.

Lingard and Martial arrived at Carrington on Friday morning but were ordered home just minutes later after being checked over by club medical staff.

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It is a further blow for manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer ahead of United's FA Cup third round tie at Wolves on Saturday after losing influential midfielders Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay to injury.

"There are a couple of niggles, well not niggles, illnesses and colds, which is normal for this time," Solskjaer told a news conference on Friday.

"I'll have to see who wakes up tomorrow [Saturday] and feels OK. Today [Friday] we have got a training session as well."

Martial and Lingard are both now doubtful for the trip to Molineux -- where United were knocked out of the FA Cup last season -- while Pogba, McTominay, and Axel Tuanzebe have already been ruled out.

Solskjaer has said Sergio Romero will play in goal in place of David De Gea and Mason Greenwood is also set to start.

This has been a strange first half to the 2019-20 Premier League campaign. After last year's exhilarating two-club race for the title, Liverpool have dropped two points and are 13 points clear of second-place Leicester with a game in hand. FiveThirtyEight gives Jurgen Klopp's side a 96% chance of winning their first Premier League title, and they've played only 20 of 38 games. The rest of the top flight are struggling to catch up.

Six sides have sacked their respective managers after West Ham dismissed Manuel Pellegrini last weekend, which ties the league record for the most firings before Jan. 1. Over the first 20 years of the Premier League, there was not a single season in which four or more managers were sacked by the new year. Over the past seven seasons, that's happened five times, including 16 sackings over the past three years. It's one thing when relegation candidates make changes, but most of the sackings this season have been by clubs who expected to contend for places in the top four, such as Arsenal, Everton and Tottenham.

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The days of the Big Six, at least for now, are numbered; there's a "Big Two" with Liverpool and City, and a huge swath of clubs below them. It's made for an entertaining first half, and today, I'm going to hand out awards for the best and worst of the Premier League campaign so far.

Jump to: Best signing | Worst signing | Best goal | Young newcomer | Best XI | Best player

Best signing of the season

This award honors the best transfers involving a player who is new to his club. That means no players who were on loan last season before completing a permanent transfer (like Raul Jimenez of Wolves or Leicester's Youri Tielemans) or players returning from loan, like most of Chelsea's new faces. The size of the fee also matters: acquiring a starting center-back for £3 million is naturally much better business than signing one of similar caliber for £75 million.

Frankly, it was a struggle to find many great transfers for Premier League clubs this season. The summer was not an impressive window, with several major clubs idle while investments made by sides like Arsenal and Spurs have generally failed to deliver early returns. (Editors' note: All transfer figures are the listed prices at Transfermarkt.)

5. Allan Saint-Maximin, FW, Nice to Newcastle United (£16.2 million): Although Saint-Maximin will miss several weeks with a hamstring injury and has one goal in 823 minutes for a struggling Newcastle side, his breathtaking pace on the left wing has made him a critical part of his new team's counter-attacks this season. The highlight of Saint-Maximin's season was likely giving Kyle Walker fits in the 2-2 draw vs. Manchester City in November. He's averaging 4.5 successful dribbles per game, the third-best mark in the Premier League this season behind Adama Traore and Wilfried Zaha.

4. Rodri, MF, Atletico Madrid to Manchester City (£63 million): It's incredible to see how far the Spanish international has come in a short amount of time, given that he became a first-team regular at Villarreal only two years ago. Consecutive breakout seasons in Spain with Villarreal and Atletico Madrid led Rodri to become City's record signing. While he was realistically signed as a long-term replacement for Fernandinho as City's holding midfielder, he also has been used as a makeshift central defender alongside the 34-year-old Brazilian, who is expected to leave after the season.

Unsurprisingly, Rodri has racked up gobs of passing volume during his debut season at the Etihad. The 23-year-old is averaging 86.2 pass attempts and 79.6 completed passes per 90 minutes, which tops all Premier League midfielders. Teammates Oleksandr Zinchenko and Ilkay Gundogan are right behind him, which is a reminder of just how significantly City dominate possession, but Rodri's stepped into the starting XI for one of the most demanding, impatient clubs on the planet and looks like he belongs. While he's not a bargain, Rodri could be a long-term building block.

3. Aaron Wan-Bissaka, DF, Crystal Palace to Manchester United (£49.5 million): While United have been a work in progress this season, Wan-Bissaka has shown up and delivered exactly what United would have hoped for when they signed him this summer: tackles, tackles and more tackles. The 22-year-old hasn't contributed much as an attacker, but he's neck-and-neck with Leicester's Ricardo Pereira in averaging 4.1 tackles per 90 minutes. Wan-Bissaka ranks in the top four among right-backs in both tackle percentage and successful duel percentage this season. He hasn't had to defend as frequently as he did while playing for a more conservative Palace side last season, but Wan-Bissaka is still the best defensive right-back in the division.

2. Neal Maupay, FW, Brentford to Brighton, (£19.8 million): After a slow start to his career with the Seagulls, Maupay has hit a rich vein of form since the start of December. Maupay contributed three goals and an assist across six starts; by using TruMedia's post-shot expected goals on target model, he has been worth 4.0 xG since matchday 15, which ranks fourth in the division. The 23-year-old tends to score in bunches -- he knocked home nine goals in his first six matches with Brentford in the Championship last season -- and has already expressed his desire to play alongside Kylian Mbappe in France's Olympic team this summer. On this form, he has a right to be in Tokyo.

1. Dean Henderson, GK, Manchester United to Sheffield United (loan): While Henderson was on loan with Sheffield United last year and helped them get promoted to the Premier League, the 22-year-old returned to his parent club and signed a new long-term deal before going back on loan to the top-flight newcomers this summer. His form for Sheffield has been good enough for some United fans to call for Henderson's return to the club as a replacement for David De Gea.

Henderson himself has made the odd mistake here and there, but he has been a crucial part of the league's third-stingiest defense behind Liverpool and Leicester City. His 75.0 save percentage ranks him third in the Premier League behind Alisson and Hugo Lloris, while Henderson has forced opposing attacks to underperform their expected goals mark by 7.2 xG this season, which tops all keepers in the division..

Worst signing of the season

Likewise, this list considers both a player's performance and how much was spent to acquire him. I've generally tried to avoid signings who have been dealing with injuries, like Arsenal's Kieran Tierney, Everton's Jean-Philippe Gbamin or Tottenham's Tanguy Ndombele.

5. Albian Ajeti, FW, Basel to West Ham (£7.8 million): Truth be told, it wasn't easy to narrow down the many disappointing West Ham summer transfers to the two who make it onto this list. While Pablo Fornals has looked more impressive in recent weeks and Sebastian Haller has scored six goals, Ajeti has barely looked playable when West Ham have brought him onto the pitch.

In 122 minutes as a substitute behind Haller, Ajeti has taken one shot and contributed 0.1 xG for the Hammers. Pellegrini didn't seem to even trust Ajeti as a backup by the time he was sacked, while David Moyes didn't bring Ajeti on during Wednesday's 4-0 win over Bournemouth. Rumors are already circulating that the club would love to sell in the summer.

4. Nicolas Pepe, FW, Lille to Arsenal (£72 million): I'll be the first to say that it's too early to judge whether he'll ever live up to his club-record transfer fee. At 24, though, Pepe isn't one for the future. The winger was supposed to make an immediate impact after arriving from France, yet recently deposed Arsenal skipper Unai Emery didn't seem to trust Pepe as a regular starter. The Ivory Coast international was anonymous for most of Emery's final few months with the club, contributing one goal and two assists across his first 13 appearances.

With Mikel Arteta taking over for Emery, the hope is naturally that he'll get the most out of Pepe. While Arteta initially gave Reiss Nelson opportunities on the wing, Pepe promptly delivered his best performance of the season on New Year's Day, scoring the first goal in Arsenal's 2-0 win over Manchester United and being named man of the match. A few more performances like that will turn the tide for Pepe, who needs to get regular minutes to prove what he can do.

3. Joelinton, FW, Hoffenheim to Newcastle (£39.6 million): Getting Newcastle owner Mike Ashley to spend has been virtually impossible, which led manager Rafa Benitez to quit the club in June. While Newcastle spent about £30 million more than they recouped on player sales last summer, their biggest move seems bizarre. Of all the players Newcastle could have chosen to sign to keep Benitez happy, the striker they chose to add after Rafa's departure for a club-record fee of £40 million is a guy who scored seven goals in 2,136 minutes as a Bundesliga player last season.

There's more to Joelinton's game than scoring goals, but on a club that's trying to play counter-attacking soccer under Steve Bruce, the Brazilian rarely even comes close to looking like he's going to score. The 23-year-old has one goal and two assists in just over 1,600 minutes played this season, and while he's second on the club with 22 chances created, Joelinton hasn't made enough impact as either a goal scorer or a creative force.

Bruce has shifted former record signing Miguel Almiron to the right side to clear out space for Joelinton's frequent forays back into center midfield, which has neutered the former Atlanta United star's effectiveness after a wildly promising debut half-season. Expected goals suggest Joelinton's been more valuable than his solitary goal indicates, but this has still been a very disappointing signing given the outlay for a club that has scored 20 times in 21 games.

2. Roberto, GK, Espanyol to West Ham (free): While free transfers can be only so harmful, few signings seem to directly result in both a manager and a director of football leaving the club. When 2018-19 keeper of the year Lukasz Fabianski went down with a torn hip muscle, the Hammers were forced to turn to Roberto, who was signed from Malaga over the summer at the behest of their director of football, Mario Husillos.

Outside of an Ali Dia-style interloper, it's hard to remember a player who was shown to be out of his element faster than the former Atletico keeper. West Ham players reportedly questioned Roberto's aptitude after his first practice session. Roberto started seven matches and lost six of them, allowing 16 goals in the process. I have some sympathy for the Spanish veteran, who made three saves in one-on-one situations and was working behind an attack that generated only seven goals in those seven matches, but one of the key reasons Husillos was fired was Roberto's subpar performance. It's unlikely he'll ever make another appearance for the Hammers.

1. Moise Kean, FW, Juventus to Everton (£24.8 million): Has a universally lauded signing ever gone south so quickly? Kean was seen as a huge coup for Everton when director of football Marcel Brands landed the 19-year-old from Juventus last summer. While Kean wasn't expected to start every match as part of a deep Everton attack under then manager Marco Silva, the Italian international was supposed to further his development within Everton's ambitions to play in the Champions League. Instead, Silva has been sacked, Everton are battling relegation and Kean has played a full 90 minutes once during his time on Merseyside.

Kean has started three times and contributed a lone assist across 458 Premier League minutes this season. Along the way, he was dropped from the squad altogether for disciplinary reasons. After taking over as manager, countryman Carlo Ancelotti might coax something better out of Kean, but it seems more likely that Kean will leave England to further his career. He has become the scapegoat for owner Farhad Moshiri's disappointing new era in Everton.

Goal of the season

5. Andre Gray, Watford vs. Norwich, Nov. 8: Watford didn't have many bright moments under Quique Sanchez Flores' brief second stint with the club, but their first win of the year included an absolutely sublime finish from their English international. Gray has contributed only two goals in a disappointing season, and he has been exclusively used as a substitute over the past month, but few strikers have the sort of running, jumping back-heel in their locker that Gray used to score against Norwich.

4. Tammy Abraham, Chelsea vs. Southampton, Oct. 6: This brilliant chip from Chelsea's leading striker is almost a mirror for a goal Jamie Vardy scored against Bournemouth in August. Vardy was on the run and found himself with a keeper desperately stranded in no man's land, but I love watching Abraham's rainbow of a chip just that much more. There's virtually no window for Abraham to even attempt this, let alone lob a sumptuous strike over Angus Gunn. Defender Maya Yoshida is back to clear the ball off the line, but Abraham was so inch-perfect with his finish that he rendered Yoshida irrelevant.

3. Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Brighton vs. Chelsea, Jan. 1: Brighton have been waiting for their Iranian attacker to get going after a wildly disappointing start in England. After he failed to tally a goal or an assist during his debut season in the Premier League, new manager Graham Potter and a hamstring injury kept Jahanbakhsh out of the team for the skipper's first three months at the club.

With the holiday fixtures forcing Potter to rotate his team, he finally gave the former AZ star a chance to impress and Jahanbakhsh has responded with goals in two of his first three appearances this season. The 26-year-old will likely get more opportunities to make his mark in the new year, but he's unlikely to score a better goal than his overhead equalizer vs. Chelsea on New Year's Day.

2. Moussa Djenepo, Southampton vs. Sheffield United, Sept. 14: The hope at Southampton is Djenepo emerges as the worthy replacement for another former winger at the club in Sadio Mane. It's obviously way too early to make those sort of comparisons, but Djenepo's second Premier League goal in two matches was one the Liverpool star would have been proud to score.

It's a wonderful combination of balance and vision; Djenepo shows incredible strength on the ball for a 143-pound winger in fending off a foul from Oliver Norwood immediately after winning the ball. Djenepo then shakes himself away from Norwood, takes John Egan and Jack O'Connell both out of the play with feints, and delivers a perfect finish past Henderson into the far corner.

1. Son Heung-Min, Tottenham vs. Burnley, Dec. 7: It's been an emotionally exhausting few months for the South Korean international; Son was sent off after accidentally breaking Andre Gomes' ankle with a challenge in September, and while that red card was rescinded, the 27-year-old was again red-carded for kicking out at Antonio Rudiger just before Christmas.

In-between those moments, Son has scored a series of absolute blinders for an oft-frustrating Spurs side. The pick of the bunch is his instant classic of a goal against Burnley, with the club's reigning Player of the Season dribbling all the way from the edge of his own 18-yard box into Burnley's before summoning a controlled finish into the corner. It's the sort of goal that might inspire your grandmother to insist on a marriage proposal.

Young newcomer of the season

I put this award together last year to try to create a better version of Young Player of the Year, which inevitably goes to players who have already established themselves as Premier League stars. In an attempt to develop something closer to the traditional American Rookie of the Year awards, players are eligible for this award only if they're 23 or younger at the beginning of the season and haven't played 1,000 or more minutes at this level before the 2019-20 campaign. The latter rule notably eliminates Tammy Abraham from consideration, although plenty of other Chelsea players are candidates. In fact, three Chelsea players unsurprisingly make this list, starting with ...

5. Mason Mount, MF, Chelsea: While Mount's production has slowed after a remarkable start to the season, the 20-year-old has emerged as a significant creative force and a player who could eventually become the next Frank Lampard in the service of his skipper. Mount excelled under Lampard at Derby last season, so it's no surprise that the former Chelsea star called on Mount as a key contributor to start the campaign. Mount responded with four goals in his first eight Premier League starts.

He has quieted down since then, adding one goal and two assists across his ensuing 1,005 minutes of football. He has created 31 chances this season, more than any other player at or below Mount's age. Lampard has generally stuck with Mount when healthy, even given the logjam of creative players Chelsea have playing behind Abraham. In all, Mount has generated 7.8 expected goals plus assists through Jan. 1; the only players 20 or younger who have been more productive in the big five European leagues so far this season are Victor Osimhen, Kylian Mbappe and Jadon Sancho.

4. Fikayo Tomori, CB, Chelsea: The other Chelsea starlet who impressed on loan at Derby, Tomori was the Championship club's Player of the Season last year. Tomori has taken the next step forward with his parent club, earning his first England cap and signing a long-term deal to stay at Stamford Bridge. He clearly has been Chelsea's best option at center-back and ranks fourth in the league among center-backs in adjusted tackles made for every 1,000 touches by opposing players. Tomori can still stand to improve some in the air, but he's a very promising center-back prospect.

3. Emi Buendia, FW, Norwich City: Norwich have stuck with the open, attacking style that won them the Championship last season, and while they're likely to go down as the current 20th-placed team in the Premier League, they've won more than a few admirers. Buendia, who was signed to replace James Maddison after the English star left for Leicester, has been the focal point of their attack from the right wing.

The list of players who have created more chances than Buendia's 62 in the Premier League this season is short: Kevin de Bruyne. That's it. Buendia is tied with Son for third with seven Premier League assists and he doesn't neglect his defensive duties. Buendia has blocked a league-high 42 passes this season and famously dispossessed Nicolas Otamendi to set up Norwich's third goal in their win against Manchester City. Norwich might go down, but I don't think Buendia will be joining them in the Championship.

2. Caglar Soyuncu, CB, Leicester: Who thought Leicester would sell Harry Maguire and get better at the back?

The Foxes have allowed 19 goals in 21 matches after replacing Maguire and aging former captain Wes Morgan with Jonny Evans and 23-year-old Soyuncu. When Leicester sold Maguire, it seemed likely that the club would either sign a replacement or hand the job over to fellow prospect Filip Benkovic, who had impressed on loan at Celtic while Soyuncu was playing for Leicester's reserves. Instead, Soyuncu stepped in and made an immediate impact.

While the Turkish international is still learning, few defenders in the Premier League have his mix of size and speed or his ability to close down attackers. Soyuncu has won 77.8% of his aerial battles in the defensive third, which ranks sixth among Premier League center-backs. He's also fifth among players at his position in ball recoveries and third in successful tackles. After fending off interest in Maguire for two years before selling him for a club-record fee to Manchester United, Leicester are playing the same game with Soyuncu.

1. Christian Pulisic, FW, Chelsea: You've heard of him, right? It took Pulisic some time to earn Lampard's trust and get into the Chelsea team, but after scoring a hat trick on Oct. 26, Pulisic was a regular in the lineup before Lampard rotated the team during the holiday fixtures. Three of Pulisic's five goals came in that match and he has no assists to this point, but Pulisic has generated 0.71 expected goals plus assists per 90 minutes this season, which ranks 11th in the league among players with 1,000 minutes or more played. While Pulisic's first couple of months on the bench were agonizing for American fans, the 21-year-old superstar is doing just fine.

Team of the season

I'll have to make some tactical tweaks and move players around to fit everyone I want in the starting XI here, but given the talent on display, I don't think anybody will mind. We're playing a 4-2-3-1, and as you might suspect, plenty of our players are wearing red ...

GK Martin Dubravka, Newcastle: One of those players is not Alisson, who narrowly misses out while playing behind a dominant back line. Dubravka, on the other hand, has had more to do than any other keeper this season; he leads all Premier League keepers in saves (87), saves caught (12) and saves in the box (64). Dubravka has allowed 33 goals, but he's ninth in save percentage and seventh in forcing the opponent to underperform its expected goal totals. Even during Wednesday's 3-0 loss to Leicester, Dubravka was arguably Newcastle's best player on the pitch. He's the biggest reason Newcastle aren't in more of a relegation fight right now.

RB Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool: Let's start with one of the most remarkable players in Europe. Alexander-Arnold's created 59 chances from right back this season; the only other defender in the big five European leagues to create more than 32 is Digne. Alexander's eight assists, 6.35 xA and 10.27 expected goals and assists are also well ahead of any other defender in a major European league. He's become yet another playmaker for a club who, quite frankly, need to share with the rest of the division.

CB James Tarkowski, Burnley: Tarkowski has been absolutely essential for Burnley this season; he ranks third among center-backs in both percentage of duels and tackles won behind Van Dijk and Vertonghen, who has played nearly 700 fewer minutes than Tarkowski. Tarkowski's also third among center-backs in clearances out of his own defensive third and ranks in the top 10 for interceptions per 90 minutes and interceptions per 1,000 touches. Tarkowski's goal is to make it into the England team for the upcoming European championships; on this form, it'll be hard for Gareth Southgate to keep him out.

CB Virgil Van Dijk, Liverpool: You were expecting somebody else? The only center-back to win a higher percentage of his aerial duels this season is Jan Vertonghen, and while Liverpool hardly need Van Dijk to score, he has added three goals this season. I'm not sure I need to explain this one too much.

LB Lucas Digne, Everton: Digne and Andrew Robertson are in a bruising competition to determine the league's best left-back. I narrowly gave Robertson the nod last year, so I'm leaning slightly in the opposite direction this time around. Digne's completed 67 passes into the box for a struggling Everton side, which is second among Premier League defenders this season and fifth among all players. He hasn't scored after chipping in four goals a year ago but Digne's created 46 chances to Robertson's 30. We could very easily have four of the first five players in this team come from Liverpool, which says a lot about the rest of the league's chances of keeping up.

CM Wilfred Ndidi, Leicester City: While the 23-year-old doesn't cover quite as much ground as N'Golo Kante did during his Premier League-winning season with Leicester, Ndidi is about as defensively dominant as Kante was during his breakout campaign. The Nigerian paces all players with 84 tackles and 7.25 tackles per 1,000 opposing touches this season. His 4.75 interceptions per 1,000 opposing touches also top the Premier League. With Maddison and Tielemans bombing forward, Ndidi is the perfect counterbalance. Anything attacking from Ndidi is a bonus, but he has added two goals for Leicester this season.

CM Kevin de Bruyne, Manchester City: Thankfully back from his injury-hit 2018-19 campaign, de Bruyne has been the most valuable creative force in the league this season. His 12 assists are four more than any other player in the top flight, while the only other player with more combined goals and assists is Jamie Vardy, who also takes Leicester's penalties. De Bruyne doesn't take spot kicks for City but does just about everything else. What a player.

FW Raheem Sterling, Manchester City: Second in combined expected goals and assists behind Marcus Rashford, it's a bit of an upset that the City star has picked up only one assist in 2019. Of course, given that he has created 32 chances from open play this season, I suspect the 4.6 xA Sterling has generated this season suggest his teammates have let the England international down with their finishing.

The days where people would try to claim that Sterling wasn't an effective finisher, thankfully, are numbered. Sterling has scored 11 goals against 11.7 xG this campaign. Going back through the start of last season, Sterling has 28 goals against 26.5 xG. He's still somehow in his age-24 season. Critics are running out of things to invent that Sterling can't do or hasn't done; next on the list, realistically, is winning the Champions League.

FW Mohamed Salah, Liverpool: Salah isn't leading the league in goals (as he did in 2017-18) or expected goals (as he did last season), but this is just a boring, ho-hum season in which the Egyptian superstar has 10 goals and 10.5 xG in 1,442 minutes. Using a post-shot xG model, which accounts for where a shot is placed, Salah has been the third-most productive scorer in the league behind Vardy and Rashford.

FW Sadio Mane, Liverpool. Bobby Firmino is neck-and-neck with Mane. Firmino has 14.1 expected goals and assists in 1,629 minutes; Mane has 15.6 expected goals and assists in 1,586 minutes. Mane's been way more productive in terms of on-field results, though, producing 11 goals and six assists to Firmino's six goals and four assists. Mane has 10 goals from open play to Firmino's three. Mane's also created 36 chances to Firmino's 23.

Fundamentally, this leaves us in a quandary. Mane and Sterling both play on the left. Salah plays on the right. Firmino, who plays in the middle, should probably be in here for one of the three attackers. I can't bring myself to take any of them out, which means I'm going to move Salah to the center and let Mane and Sterling pick sides. If you want to sub Firmino in for Mane or Salah, you can.

ST Jamie Vardy, Leicester City: After Leicester won the title, I wrote that the club should have sold Vardy to Arsenal after his career season, given that he was a 29-year-old striker coming off of an outlier season who relied heavily on his pace and work rate.

Well, I was wrong. Leicester held on to Vardy and while he continued to play at a high level, the English international has hit new heights. Just days away from turning 33, Vardy has scored 17 goals in 19 matches for Leicester, four more than any other player. Vardy also leads the league in goals from open play and post-shot expected goals. He has been absolutely lethal for Leicester, and even though the Foxes have scored five goals in two wins with Vardy away from the team and caring for his newborn daughter, it's difficult to imagine Leicester launching any sort of challenge for Europe without their star striker. He might be the most irreplaceable player in the top flight.

Substitutes: Alisson (Liverpool), Ricardo Pereira (Leicester City), Caglar Soyuncu (Leicester City), Declan Rice (West Ham United), Jack Grealish (Aston Villa), Roberto Firmino (Liverpool), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)

Player of the season

5. Sadio Mane, FW, Liverpool: I went back-and-forth between Mane and Sterling here; honestly, I would rather have made this a top six than leave either one of them out. Between the two of them, though, Mane's been more effective in terms of actual production, while Sterling's been better in generating expected production. Mane's created more chances and been more efficient in 86 fewer minutes than the former Liverpool star. Again, you could easily put Sterling here and I wouldn't argue.

4. Jamie Vardy, ST, Leicester City: The league's top goal scorer. Rashford has generated a league-high 14 expected goals, putting him more than two goals ahead of anybody else in the league, but Vardy has 14 goals from open play to Rashford's eight. Abraham, who narrowly missed out on the substitutes bench for the Team of the Season, is the only other player in the division with more than 10.

3. Trent Alexander-Arnold, RB, Liverpool: The arrival of Van Dijk has freed up Alexander-Arnold to be a creative force while simultaneously making it a less notable story. Liverpool's defense has unquestionably improved after Van Dijk's arrival, but one of the other key reasons Liverpool has morphed from a very good team into the best side in the world, though, is that Alexander-Arnold has developed into a devastating attacker. When the big three has an off night, Alexander-Arnold is always surging forward to create opportunities that weren't really there during that Salah season. Liverpool spending £76 million to sign the best center-back in the world was a pretty smart idea. Developing arguably the best right-back in the world at the same time has somehow gone under-reported in the process.

2. Virgil Van Dijk, CB, Liverpool: It's telling that we're still counting the individual players and instances when an opposing attacker has dribbled past Van Dijk. The total is now four in two-plus seasons, including a whole season without a single player dribbling past Van Dijk during the 2018-19 campaign. By a tiny margin, you might argue that Van Dijk and the Liverpool defense were better last season than they have been through the first half of 2019-20, but Van Dijk is still well ahead of the pack.

1. Kevin de Bruyne, CM, Manchester City: While Liverpool are unquestionably a deeper and more talented team than City at this point, there's just nobody in the Premier League who bosses a game from midfield at this point like de Bruyne. The former Chelsea trainee simply does everything you would ask from one of the best players in the sport. He scores world-class goals. He creates chances for other players; de Bruyne's 73 chances created are 11 more than any other player has created this season. De Bruyne has made 101 successful passes into the box this year; Alexander-Arnold's at 102 and nobody else has topped 75.

De Bruyne moves anywhere and everywhere and is a threat to score or create a scoring opportunity from just about anywhere in the attacking third. About the only hole you can poke in de Bruyne's game is that he's not a great tackler, although he's certainly willing to try. As good as Liverpool are, the only thing they might lack is a box-to-box midfielder as good as City's talisman.

Another year, another overhaul for the Cleveland Browns, who started the 2019 season with hope of an epic turnaround but ended it in search of a new coach and a new general manager ... again.

Given that more or less every call I made or text I sent this week had something to do with the NFL's coaching carousel, I wanted to make this week's column a collection of things I'm hearing from various sources about the various situations. And I wanted to start in Cleveland, where they just can't seem to get this thing right, and tell you what I'm hearing about their latest efforts to do so.

As owner Jimmy Haslam said in his Thursday news conference, the Browns' plan is to hire a coach first and then a general manager. This sounds backward to old-thinking NFL types, but it's a very new-thinking NFL move that's working already in several places.

Four of this year's 12 playoff teams -- the 49ers, Seahawks, Bills and Chiefs -- are franchises with which the coach either picked the GM or had significant input on who it would be. Two others -- the Texans and Patriots -- are teams on which the coach is the GM. Although there's a more traditional-looking power structure in place in New Orleans, it's clear that head coach Sean Payton has significant say in personnel acquisition.

Most NFL teams understand how important it is that the head coach and front office be of one mind on the salary cap, roster structure and other issues. But increasingly, there are those who believe the head coach should be the center of the power structure because he's the front-facing one, the day-to-day hands-on one, the one who's more visible in public, in the locker room and on the practice field. It's the head coach who's in charge of putting the organization's plan and vision into practice, so it stands to reason that he should have a strong hand in establishing that plan and that vision.

This is where the Browns find themselves as 2020 dawns. As they did last year when they went looking for a head coach, they're casting a wide net. On Thursday, they interviewed former Packers coach Mike McCarthy and Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman. This weekend, they will head to San Francisco to interview 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. After that will come Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, either Sunday in Buffalo if the Bills win Saturday's playoff game or Monday in Cleveland if they lose.

The Browns also plan to interview Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who, like Daboll, can't interview until next week because his team is playing this weekend. They've asked permission to interview Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, but that interview has not yet been scheduled. And don't rule out Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski, who is in the same boat as McDaniels and Daboll but got an extremely long look from the Browns for this job a year ago. Sources tell me that there were people in the Browns' building strongly in favor of hiring Stefanski, but now-former GM John Dorsey had final say and picked now-former head coach Freddie Kitchens.

Based on the conversations I've had with people close to this situation, I'm watching McCarthy, McDaniels, Daboll and Saleh as the strongest Browns candidates, though the Stefanski candidacy remains viable and interesting.

If McCarthy is the guy, the name I'm told to watch for as a potential GM is that of Jon-Eric Sullivan, the co-director of player personnel in Green Bay. McCarthy, of course, knows him from his time with the Packers.

If McDaniels is the guy, he could conceivably come with someone from New England, such as player personnel director Nick Caserio or pro scouting director Dave Ziegler. Daboll also has New England roots and could end up paired with someone from the Patriots' front office or even former Chiefs GM Scott Pioli, who worked in Cleveland and New England with Bill Belichick before he left for Kansas City.

It's also thought by many around the league that Cleveland could go with someone such as Andrew Berry, the Eagles' vice president of football operations, who worked in the Browns' front office from 2016-18 and remains well-regarded by ownership and other members of the front office.

A key element to watch is the influence of Browns chief strategist Paul DePodesta, whose tenure in Cleveland predated that of Dorsey. DePodesta and Berry arrived in Cleveland around the same time, when the Browns were trying to go analytics-heavy under then-GM Sashi Brown. Stefanski is perceived as a coach who's open-minded on analytics, and several sources say he was a favorite of DePodesta's during last year's interview process. McCarthy has spent much of his year off from coaching diving into analytics and studying new approaches, and he surely will be selling that to the Browns and other potential employers this time around.

The Browns continue to believe that they have a roster talented enough to win if they beef up the offensive line and get someone in who can get Baker Mayfield's development back on the right track. Expect an offense-minded head coach, and don't be surprised if the Browns lean toward someone who has done the head coach thing before after how badly it went with the inexperienced Kitchens in charge in 2019.

Other coaching/front-office search notes from around the league:

Dallas Cowboys

As I write this Thursday evening, the expectation around the league is still that the Cowboys will move on from coach Jason Garrett, whose contract expires Jan. 14. That they have not yet done so is a source of great consternation to their fan base and to the outside world in general. We're accustomed to these things being done a certain way, after all. If you're getting rid of your coach, you do it the Monday after your season ends. You don't have a week's worth of meetings with him about it.

But these are the Cowboys, and they obviously do things their own way. Plus, Garrett has been head coach for 10 years, has been on the staff since 2007, and he played there in the 1990s. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has made it very clear that his relationship with Garrett goes beyond football. Moving on from this particular coach will not be an easy thing for Jones to do.

But move on we still believe he will. By not extending Garrett's deal before or during the season, Jones made it clear that Garrett had to show something this season. Missing the playoffs with a roster Jones thought was Super Bowl-worthy surely sealed Garrett's fate. It's a matter of when, not if, and the people to whom I spoke Thursday were extremely skeptical of the idea of Garrett staying around in a front-office role.

The question of who will replace Garrett is shrouded in mystery, but here are some things I believe about the Cowboys' eventual search, based on conversations with sources close to the situation:

• I wouldn't be surprised if it were a defense-minded coach, given the level of disappointment the organization felt about the way the defense performed this season. A change in defensive philosophy could be welcome, and it's possible that the Cowboys would want to stick with offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and give him a second season to blossom. Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen and Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier could get looks.

• I'm keeping an eye on Sunday's Vikings-Saints game. If the Vikings lose, there are people around the league who wouldn't be surprised to see Jones take a run at coach Mike Zimmer, a former Cowboys defensive coordinator for whom Jones feels a strong affinity. Zimmer has a year left on his Vikings contract, so it's possible that the Cowboys would have to trade a draft pick for him in this scenario, but don't rule it out. If the Saints lose, Allen could be a possibility, as could assistant head coach Dan Campbell, who played for the Cowboys from 2003 to '05 and had a brief stint as interim head coach of the Dolphins in 2015.

• We can't rule out the college guys, including Urban Meyer, Lincoln Riley and Matt Rhule, assuming Rhule isn't too far down the road already with another team.

New York Giants

Signs keep pointing to Rhule here, though I know Carolina remains interested as well. He spent one year as assistant offensive line coach in New York in 2012 under Tom Coughlin, and he has roots in the area. The question will of course be who will come with him to shepherd the development of second-year quarterback Daniel Jones.

Although the Giants aren't looking for an offensive playcaller to be their coach this time -- they've tried that twice in a row, with poor results -- much of their decision-making will necessarily be governed by what's best for Jones.

Washington

In the same vein, Ron Rivera's choice for offensive coordinator in Washington bears watching, as the development of Dwayne Haskins is a major part of the story to come there. I'm told that current offensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell is a possibility to remain in that role, but that's not certain.

It also was interesting to hear Rivera, in his introductory news conference, refer to "a couple good veteran quarterbacks" who might get a shot to play. Alex Smith remains on Washington's roster, with $16 million in guaranteed salary coming this year. From what I understand, Smith has not given up on the idea of playing again, and if his recovery from that horrific broken leg in late 2018 moves along, he could be a factor in Washington's QB picture next season. Don't rule it out.

The question of general manager in Washington is also up in the air. The team did some research into former Texans GM Rick Smith, though it sounds as if the interest there has cooled. They also did some background work on our ESPN colleague Louis Riddick as a possible candidate for that spot.

Carolina Panthers

You continue to hear Rhule's name here, as well as those of McDaniels, Bienemy and Daboll, among others. And of course, Carolina has already interviewed McCarthy a couple of times.

Carolina is in no apparent hurry and is looking to add some folks to its front office around GM Marty Hurney. I still have my eye on Titans VP/player personnel Ryan Cowden as a potential front-office hire in Carolina, given his roots in the Panthers organization.

Houston Texans

Keep an eye out for a potential front-office restructuring in Houston. Although coach Bill O'Brien is likely to retain personnel control, there remains a strong chance of him luring Caserio away from New England for a GM or personnel role. Caserio's contract expires this offseason, so the Patriots wouldn't be able to keep him away from Houston this time.

R.J. Hampton has been medically cleared for full contact in the Australian NBL, while LaMelo Ball remains out for the indefinite future, sources told ESPN.

Hampton, No. 7 in ESPN's top 100 draft prospects for 2020, has been cleared by doctors to resume full basketball activity after recovering from a hip injury and was a partial participant in two practices this week, sources told ESPN.

He has been sidelined since early December but will travel with the New Zealand Breakers on a road trip to play the South East Melbourne Phoenix and Cairns Taipans this weekend, although it's currently unlikely he plays in Melbourne. Hampton will be slowly reintegrated with a minutes restriction for the immediate future. The Breakers are 1 1/2 games out of the playoffs with 10 games to play.

Ball, ESPN's No. 1 draft prospect for 2020, is still in a walking boot and on crutches as he has been instructed not to put any weight on his foot for at least another two weeks as he recovers from the bone bruise injury he suffered in practice in early December, sources told ESPN.

Once he has shed the walking boot, Ball will begin rehab but may have only a limited amount of time before the end of the Illawarra Hawks' regular season on Feb. 14. The Hawks are in last place, 4 1/2 games out of the NBL playoffs, with 10 games remaining, meaning that their season may essentially be over by the time Ball is cleared for basketball activity.

Most decision-makers of NBA teams vying for top draft selections did not have an opportunity to evaluate Ball in the 16 preseason and regular-season games he played in Australia and will likely need to see him play during the pre-draft process in May and June to feel comfortable with his candidacy as a top pick.