Gareth Bale has said he feels "more excitement playing for Wales" than he does representing Real Madrid.

The forward expects to feature for his country in their Euro 2020 qualifier in Azerbaijan on Saturday having not played for his club in over a month.

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"With Wales, I'm speaking my own language and feeling more comfortable," Bale said. "I definitely have a bit more excitement. It's like playing with your mates down the park on a Sunday."

Bale has faced widespread criticism in the Spanish media since picking up an injury in the last international break, with many questioning his commitment to the Madrid cause.

Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane said Bale was "not injured, but not available" ahead of the La Liga match against Eibar last weekend.

"I've tried to get back as quick as I can," Bale added. "If there had been a Real Madrid game this week I would've been fit.

"Maybe to them it doesn't look great but it's just a kind of coincidence. If I'm fit, no matter where I am, I'm going to try and play."

Bale has also faced criticism from Spain for his love of playing golf, but the Wales captain said he is not affected by the comments.

"I find it hilarious to be honest, especially some of the pictures and stuff my friends send me," he said.

"On one it said triple bogey -- and I've never had a triple bogey! At least give me an albatross! It's funny."

Sources at Madrid have told ESPN FC that the club are "resigned" to the player's situation, while insisting that he can still play an important role for them.

Earlier this month Zidane said he was counting on Bale's involvement "until the end of the season," ruling out a January departure.

Jurgen Klopp has said Liverpool might have tried to sign Zlatan Ibrahimovic if it were not for the striker's history with Premier League rivals Manchester United.

Ibrahimovic announced this week he was parting ways with MLS side LA Galaxy, whom he joined in 2018 after a two-year spell at United.

"If he hadn't played for Manchester United, then we might have considered him," Klopp told Swedish publication Sportbladet.

"But I'm not even sure he would have wanted to play here -- we're a pretty intense team," the Liverpool coach laughed.

"With that said, I couldn't have had more respect for Zlatan. I love his whole career, love his efforts, love his confidence.

"While it may not always be right, it is entertaining anyway. He's a fantastic character and I really hope he doesn't stop playing football. The world would miss him too much."

- Carlisle: MLS will miss Zlatan, even if he won't miss MLS

LA Galaxy fell to neighbours LAFC in the Western Conference semifinals in October, in Ibrahimovic's last match for the franchise.

The former Sweden international's frustration at the defeat -- which ensured his time with LA Galaxy was just the second club spell without a trophy in his career -- was evident as Ibrahimovic clashed with a fan after the final whistle, grabbing his own crotch while he left the pitch.

The future is unclear for Ibrahimovic, who has previously played for Barcelona, Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Ajax.

Never has a player performed the role of villain better than Zlatan Ibrahimovic, with his quips and his elbows as razor sharp as his finishing. And let's face it, MLS needs villains even more than it needs heroes. In a league that too often is vanilla when it comes to on-field play, Ibrahimovic was a habanero pepper smothered in tabasco.

Around the world, every import is saddled with the question of "Will he settle?" Yet Ibrahimovic showed that query didn't apply to superhumans such as himself, single-handedly adding liquid oxygen to a budding intra-city rivalry with LAFC and igniting it with practically his first touch. And when he was done, he left in much the same manner as he arrived, with bombast and a wink at the same time.

His goals in MLS are indelible, from his 40-yard dart on his debut against LAFC to his karate kick against Toronto FC for his 500th career goal to his bicycle kick against New England. His antics were too, though the likes of LAFC defender Mohamed El-Munir, who needed surgery following an elbow to the face while Ibrahimovic went unpunished, and RSL's Nedum Onuoha weren't at all amused. As for his verbal broadsides, the league probably wasn't a fan of his "I'm a Ferrari surrounded by Fiats," comment, but it got people's attention, as did his remark that Los Angeles could "go back to watch baseball" upon his departure from the LA Galaxy.

The fans loved Ibrahimovic as he signed every autograph, posed for tons of photos and even held a baby or two. He made every Galaxy game a must-see event. But will the Galaxy miss him?

His former club will miss his 30 goals. They'll miss the tickets he sold and the way he helped make the Galaxy and the sport relevant in as fickle a sports town as there is on the planet. As for the baggage that came with him, not so much. Multiple sources said that defender Gio Gonzalez, a midseason acquisition, was never the same after getting verbally lit up by Ibrahimovic shortly after his arrival. Of course, everyone got the hairdryer treatment from the big forward at one point or another, such was the sledgehammer force of his personality.

At U.S. national team camp in Orlando, Sebastian Lletget was asked about Ibrahimovic's departure. It spoke volumes. "Oh, Ibra? Oh man, that guy... I wish him the best, dude. It was a good run." In a sense, this sentiment applies to the devil's bargain the Galaxy made when they signed him. There is only so much Zlatan a team can take before the law of diminishing returns sets in. There's a reason that his longest stint at any one club was four years with Paris Saint-Germain. In most cases, two seasons was enough.

The timing of his departure from the Galaxy feels right for all parties involved. The Galaxy can now begin to retool its roster without the tactical anvil, or the financial constraint, of having Ibrahimovic in their lineup. Manager Guillermo Barros Schelotto can actually have his team press defensively when and if the situation warrants, a tactic Ibrahimovic would never apply. They'll need to find a forward to replace his output but it will no doubt be someone who's more mobile and certainly won't equal the $7.2 million hit on the Galaxy's wage bill. The offensive load can be spread out among several player instead of the everything been drawn towards Ibrahimovic's gravitation pull.

Most important of all, the end of the Ibrahimovic Era will allow the Galaxy to invest in the weaker aspects of the roster, including a dedicated defensive midfielder that would free up Jonathan dos Santos to move further upfield. The backline was a shambles for much of the season -- expect money to be spent there as well -- but it will be interesting to see if some performances will improve now that Zlatan is gone.

As for MLS, the league finds itself without a big-name European star player for the first time since 2007 when David Beckham arrived, though there is plenty of time for that to change in this offseason. (And no, Thierry Henry joining the managerial ranks with the Montreal Impact doesn't count.)

The presence and subsequent departures this year of Ibrahimovic, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Wayne Rooney shows that the league still has an affinity for star power and one suspects they will go down that road again, but MLS is clearly in a better place than it was before Beckham arrived, be it the 16 teams that have been added (or are set to be added), the numerous stadiums and training facilities, and the higher quality of players.

Zlatan didn't create the momentum that the league was experiencing; he merely accelerated it. But MLS survived the departures of Beckham, Henry et al and the same is true with regards to Zlatan, regardless of his final cutting remarks. After all, next season marks the league's 25th season and two new teams, including Beckham's Inter Miami, will enter the fray and invariably sign star power of their own.

Was MLS better for having Zlatan around? You bet. But the game waits for no one, and come next season, a new set of heroes and villains will need to emerge.

On a conference call with the media on Tuesday, U.S. Soccer Federation sporting director Earnie Stewart had a Chip Diller moment. Despite some poor results by the U.S. men's national team, including a humbling loss to Canada, Stewart said Gregg Berhalter's job as manager is safe no matter what the results of the next two games are, and that the U.S. was making progress.

It's Stewart's duty to back the work of Berhalter, of course. He hired him, after all. But Stewart's assessment flies in the face of reality. Even if the U.S. gets the wins it needs against Canada on Friday (7 p.m. ET, watch live on ESPN2) and Cuba four days later, and thus advances to the semifinals of the CONCACAF Nations League, the team has at best treaded water and more accurately taken a step backward in 2019. The insistence on playing out of the back seems misguided. The competitiveness that was once the U.S. team's hallmark has nearly evaporated.

Most sobering of all is the fact that while the U.S. roster has plenty of good players, outside of Christian Pulisic, there are few -- if any -- great players. There aren't any Clint Dempseys or Landon Donovans coming to this team's rescue. That last aspect isn't Berhalter's fault, but it does magnify mistakes, and there have been a few.

Here are 10 questions that need answering for the U.S. as it goes forward.

1. Is Berhalter the right man for the job?

It's looking more and more like he isn't. New England Revolution manager Bruce Arena was right when he said in October that Berhalter was running the national team like it was a club team. Berhalter has been stubborn in terms of his style despite the scant time he gets with the team, but Stewart is clearly intent on keeping him on board for the foreseeable future.

The U.S. manager's chances of survival hinge on his willingness to find a pragmatic streak. Soccer is a results-driven business; Berhalter needs to win any way necessary rather than insisting on his ideal way of playing. Sure, the U.S. reached the final of the Gold Cup, but that was a case of the Americans dispatching teams that they should beat on a regular basis. Against the likes of Mexico, other than the first 25 minutes of the Gold Cup final, the U.S. has come up well short, and last month's defeat to Canada revealed that his side continues to lose ground to its regional competitors. Berhalter needs to accept the realities of what the player pool is handing him and regroup.

2. What have we learned about Berhalter's approach?

So far Berhalter has been too rigid in his tactics and squad selection. The September friendly against Mexico was a case in point, when he praised his side for continuing to play out of the back even as it became evident that the U.S. didn't have the ability to play through El Tri's press. There needs to be a mix of playing direct and indirect, depending on what the opponent gives you. Against an Uruguay team that was content to sit back, the U.S. wisely engaged in a patient buildup. Against Canada, the U.S. was guilty of some brutal giveaways in its own half that led directly to goals.

Then there's the broader question of whether the U.S. has the personnel -- and perhaps more importantly, the time -- to implement what Berhalter is asking of his players: to control the game by way of long spells of possession and unbalancing opponents to create goal-scoring opportunities through the individual brilliance of Pulisic and utilizing the wings. Against run-of-the-mill CONCACAF sides, it does. Against better teams, it doesn't. This isn't a surprise. It sums up the state of the U.S. team going back 40 years. Berhalter and the U.S. need to show more flexibility in terms of their style.

3. Does Berhalter know what his first-choice XI is?

Only in bits and pieces. I'd say roughly half of the starting lineup in his preferred 4-3-3 has solidified, while the remaining positions are open with varying degrees of competition. Some of that is health-induced, with the absence of Tyler Adams especially problematic. Here's a stab at a starting XI assuming Berhalter has a full complement of players to choose from:

Zack Steffen; DeAndre Yedlin, Aaron Long, John Brooks, Sergino Dest; Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, Christian Pulisic; Jordan Morris, Jozy Altidore, Paul Arriola.

4. Which players form his core?

Steffen is the entrenched starter in goal. Brooks, health permitting, will take up one of the center-back spots, while Yedlin has reclaimed his position at right-back. McKennie, Adams and Pulisic have to be on the field in some form or another, although they haven't all been in camp together enough for Berhalter to settle on how that will be done.

McKennie thrives as a No. 8 with his box-to-box running. Adams is the midfield engine adept at breaking up plays and his passing has improved to the point of him being able to link defense and attack. Pulisic is the creative linchpin, although he could use some help in this area.

5. Which positions are still unsettled?

Left-back remains a sore spot, with Dest looking to be shoehorned into that position even though he plays on the opposite flank for Ajax. The center-back situation is more solid, with Long, Tim Ream and Walker Zimmerman in contention to play alongside Brooks, although why Matt Miazga did to not get called in this time -- despite playing regularly for Reading in England's Championship -- remains a mystery.

In the absence of Adams, Berhalter is still looking for the right balance in midfield, especially in terms of which player (or players) sits in front of the back line. Michael Bradley remains an option, but his advancing age (32) demands that Berhalter look at other possibilities. Alfredo Morales, who plays with a bite that in large part is missing from this team, could be a solution, but he's not exactly youthful at age 29. That merely highlights the fact that Adams can't return to health soon enough.

Altidore is still the best option as the lone striker, but health remains an issue for him. Based on the Gold Cup, he also doesn't seem to have the faith of Berhalter, leaving Josh Sargent as the heir apparent. On the wing, Morris has made steady progress this season, while Arriola and Tyler Boyd are still in contention.

6. Is Berhalter getting the most out of Pulisic?

Not yet he isn't, and it's still not clear what Pulisic's best position is in Berhalter's setup. Pulisic has excelled playing out on the wing for Borussia Dortmund and now Chelsea, looking dynamic when he cuts inside from wide positions. But for the U.S. there's a question of whether he can get the ball with enough frequency in that spot and whether the USMNT can afford to have him so isolated. Playing as one of two advanced central midfielders, Pulisic has looked promising at times, and this approach ought to be looked at again. It gives him a bit more freedom within the U.S. side to find space, whether its centrally or out wide.

There's also the question of how much Pulisic is chafing at how he's being used. He showed visible frustration when he was subbed against Canada. No player wants to come out, ever, but against Canada, Pulisic's insistence that he wasn't feeling ill -- as Berhalter stated -- hints that player and coach aren't always on the same page.

7. Which players should be shown the door?

In many ways, this process has already started. Wil Trapp, as good as he is on the ball, hasn't shown the necessary physicality to excel with the national team, and his playing time has decreased as a result. Gyasi Zardes is everyone's favorite whipping boy, and his playing time has largely been a function of Altidore's injuries. But at this stage, he should make way for others.

8. Which players should get more chances?

There has been plenty of clamoring to see more of the U20 squad that reached the quarterfinals of last summer's FIFA U20 World Cup. Berhalter has established a standard whereby players have to be getting minutes with their first team in order to get called up. I have zero problem with this. Too often in the past, players with minimal club achievements have been called into the national team, often to their detriment.

Despite fans' enthusiasm for a youth movement, a better development path for these players is to cut their international teeth with the U23s and focus on qualifying for the Olympics. It's a tournament that is often derided as being far down the totem pool in terms of international cachet, but it's still international experience, and can provide an important step in terms of the international game.

However, one player who should be exempt from the above line of thinking is Paxton Pomykal, who has shown in 2019 that he's deserving of additional opportunities. Injuries late in the season meant he hasn't been able to build on his initial call-up in September, and he recently had surgery to repair a core muscle injury. But his skill on the ball would seem to suit what Berhalter is asking for. The potential, composure on the ball and playmaking ability of the Philadelphia Union's Brenden Aaronson makes him another to watch.

If the likes of Ulysses Llanez and Alex Mendez break through at Wolfsburg and Ajax respectively, by all means call them into the senior squad. The same can be said for Richie Ledezma at PSV. Until then, they should be left to develop with their clubs.

In the absence of Pulisic, Sebastian Lletget is one player who ought to get some more looks. He's crafty on the ball, and can pop up for the occasional goal, although there wasn't enough of that last season for the LA Galaxy. So far, he hasn't gotten all that many minutes when Berhalter has had first team available. If the U.S. manager is really intent on playing Pulisic out wide, Lletget may be the key to making that work. If Pulisic and Lletget are installed in these roles, Sargent could be suited for being the connection in front of goal given his skill set.

Sargent is one player who needs to see the field more often given his all-around game and Altidore's health issues.

9. What's the U.S. team's most glaring deficiency?

Depth or creativity, take your pick, although one tends to bleed into the other. The biggest problem with the attack is that there is no one to take the creative load off of Pulisic. If no one emerges to provide a secondary attacking outlet, then the Pulisic can expect a steady stream of tactical fouls.

10. What must Berhalter and the U.S. do better in 2020?

Besides everything? First, find the aforementioned pragmatic streak. The U.S. has historically been at its best when it has known its limitations and played within them. That's not to say that playing a more expansive style can't be tried, but it shouldn't be the only club in the U.S. team's stylistic bag.

Find a dedicated place for Pulisic to play and then build the attack from there. And pray that Adams returns to health.

The U.S. also needs to rediscover its competitive streak. The Canada game in October was embarrassing in terms of how badly the U.S. was outworked. If the U.S. is to make any progress at all in 2020, that trait needs to return in abundance.

Four officials from a CPL franchise were pulled up by anti-corruption officers during the 2019 season. One of them, thought to be either part of or close to the ownership structure, was the main focus of a report made to anti-corruption officials by a player from the franchise. The man was detained at Trinidad airport, not allowed to travel with the team during the early part of the season and ultimately was asked to leave the tournament.

The individual in question did not make a direct approach to the player who eventually reported him. Instead, ESPNcricinfo understands, the nature of the interactions between them had made the player wary. Sources say that the player believed he was being groomed as someone who could eventually be approached to carry out corrupt activities, which is what led him to reporting him to the anti-corruption authorities,

It is unclear how influential or senior the individual in question is, or whether he has a stake in the ownership of the franchise, but he did present himself to the player as part of the ownership group.

There are believed to have been several interactions, in the casino of the hotel where the team was staying, that prompted the player to go to the anti-corruption officer. There are said to be a few one-on-one meetings the player was asked to attend with this individual, by which stage the player was so uncomfortable and suspicious he had taken to recording the meetings surreptitiously on his phone.

No direct offer was made, though in one of the one-on-one meetings, talk had begun to turn to performances in an upcoming game.

"Any such incident which is reported to the CPL [officials] is taken very seriously and investigated thoroughly," a CPL spokesperson said. "Our policy is that we do not comment on anti-corruption related matters or incidents. We are firmly committed to making sure the tournament's integrity is protected. We are very confident that our anti-corruption team, in conjunction with the ICC colleagues, make sure this remains the case."

Incidentally, the ICC ACU, which had been providing anti-corruption cover every year from the first season of the CPL, was not appointed this time around.

When the ICC's ACU was employed, it is believed between four to six officers manned the tournament. ESPNcricinfo understands that for the 2019 season, the CPL appointed an independent person, who had previously worked as a part-time consultant for the ICC's ACU. It is believed that the measure was a step to cut down on costs.

"There was an anti-corruption officer for both legs of the tournament with players given a briefing at the start of the event to reconfirm the process needed if an approach is made," a CPL spokesperson said.

It is believed the ICC has asked for a detailed report from the CPL officials. The ICC has been concerned about ownership structures at a number of domestic T20 leagues in various countries. Usually the organisers vet the owners through their respective anti-corruption units, or the ICC ACU, from an integrity point of view.

Bangladesh coach Russell Domingo has called for structural changes in the Test side for overall improvement. He pointed towards the need for a seam-bowling allrounder who would bat at No 7 or 8, to provide the balance that the current side lacks.

Bangladesh are playing seven batsmen, including wicketkeeper Liton Das, and four bowlers in the first Test against India. Mehidy Hasan Miraz hasn't lived up to the promise that he could develop into an allrounder, which has left Bangladesh with a long tail. The squad outside the playing XI consists of three specialist bowlers and an opening batsman, so Domingo will have to wait for that elusive allrounder to emerge.

"There's no doubt that the structure of the team needs change, otherwise the results are going to be the same," Domingo said. "I need to sit with the selectors to plan the way forward. I need to identify the players that can take the team forward. If it means that we need to go with some new faces and struggle for a period of time, I don't think it is any different to what is happening at the moment.

"There's some fantastic players in our side that needs to be respected. We need to value their performances for Bangladesh, but we also need to take decision in the best interest of the team."

The missing link here is, of course, Shakib Al Hasan, who gave the team the flexibility to play five bowlers. The team management, however, has often been reluctant to play that fifth bowler, and have often played an eighth batsman even when Shakib has been in the side.

Domingo said Bangladesh will need to find a seaming allrounder like Mohammad Saifuddin, who has done a decent job in the ODI and T20I sides, but often struggles with injury.

"It is very hard to play with two seamers," Domingo said. "We definitely need to find a third seamer who can bat. There's Saifuddin, but he is struggling with injuries. But the structure of the team needs attention.

"I think a lot of teams that play against Bangladesh will prepare good wickets, which won't spin much. We need to find a seamer who can do a No 7 or 8 job for us with the bat."

Domingo said Bangladesh tend to pick the extra batsman because not many of the top seven have good Test averages, and this forces the team to sacrifice a bowler. "I think it is easy to say when you have six batters who are all averaging 45 or 50. You look at the numbers of the Indian batters, but unfortunately we don't have those numbers in our batting line-up.

"We are playing that extra batter to make up for that. It is a catch-22 situation. If you don't pick up wickets, people say why you didn't take the extra bowler. Hindsight is a great sight."

What Domingo is also worried about is the level of interest his players show in Test cricket as opposed to T20 cricket.

"It is a challenge which I need to come to terms to, as a coach." Domingo said. "It is obviously a tough one, being my second Test match and seeing how guys approach Tests, how they train leading into Test cricket. It is hard for me to say whether guys prefer [Test cricket or the shorter formats], that you need to ask them.

"There are definitely players who are more suited to T20s, and some more suited to Tests. Some players are hungry when they play T20, some are hungry when they Tests.

"I think trying to siphon out the T20 into one side and Test-match guys into one side is something that I am grappling with. After this last T20 series and the first days of the Test, I am starting to get an understanding."

Philadelphia Eagles running back Darren Sproles will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a torn right hip flexor muscle, the team announced Friday.

The team said Sproles originally was injured in an Oct. 6 win over the New York Jets. It was also during that game that Sproles moved into fifth place in career all-purpose yards.

Sproles, at 5-foot-6, has spent much of his career being underestimated because of his height. Fourteen running backs went ahead of him in the 2005 NFL draft before the San Diego Chargers selected him 130th overall in the fourth round. Of that group, only he and Frank Gore are still playing.

Sproles, 36, said he was motivated to return for his 15th NFL season in part so he could finish his career fifth in all-purpose yards.

He also returned to honor an agreement. His daughter made a bet with him: If she qualified for the Junior Olympics, he had to play one more year. She qualified, and Sproles obliged.

Sproles, a three-time Pro Bowler, is the only player in NFL history to record more than 30 receiving touchdowns (32) and more than 20 rushing TDs (23) in addition to at least one kickoff return touchdown (2) and at least one punt return TD (7).

ESPN's Tim McManus contributed to this report.

CLEVELAND -- The agent for Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph isn't ruling out any legal options in the aftermath of a late-game melee Thursday night.

"I am gathering all information and no options have been removed from the table," Tim Younger said when reached by text message Friday morning.

Rudolph was struck in the head with his own helmet by Cleveland's Myles Garrett after the Browns defensive end ripped it off in the final seconds of the Steelers' 21-7 loss.

The fight started when Garrett took Rudolph to the ground following the quarterback's short pass to Trey Edmunds on third-and-long. Rudolph appeared to attempt to dislodge Garrett's helmet as the two exchanged words. As Rudolph stood up, Garrett ripped Rudolph's helmet off and swung it at him as offensive linemen David DeCastro tried to push Garrett away.

"It was pretty cowardly," Rudolph said. "Pretty bush league."

The incident evoked memories of Tennessee's Albert Haynesworth stomping on the head of the Cowboys' Andre Gurode in a 2006 game. Haynesworth was suspended five games, but Gurode opted against pressing criminal charges or filing a civil lawsuit.

Younger tweeted about Thursday night's incident after the game.

"There are many risks an NFL QB assumes every snap taken on the field," Younger wrote. "Being hit on your uncovered head by a helmet being swung by a 275-pound DE is not one of them. Tonight could have had a catastrophic ending. The matter will be reviewed thoroughly."

SAN TAN VALLEY, Ariz. – Kevin Thomas Jr. recorded the fastest lap during USAC NOS Energy Drink National/Western States Midget open practice Wednesday night at Arizona Speedway in preparation for the Western World Championships on Friday and Saturday.

Thomas set the standard of 15.073 seconds around the third-mile dirt oval in the first visit for the series to Arizona Speedway aboard his Petry Motorsports/FK Rod Ends – McDonald’s – Dr. Pepper/Bullet/Speedway Toyota.

Last year’s USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget champion, Logan Seavey, was second fastest at 15.157 seconds, followed by 2014 series champ Rico Abreu at 15.190 seconds, 2016 USAC Silver Crown/2017 USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car champion Chris Windom was fourth at 15.206 seconds while 2018 USAC AMSOIL National Sprint champ and current USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget point leader Tyler Courtney rounded out the top-five at 15.252 seconds.

Notables throughout the field include Jason McDougal (sixth), Zeb Wise (eighth), Brady Bacon (ninth), Buddy Kofoid (10th), Jerry Coons Jr. (11th) and Tanner Carrick (13th).  USAC Western States Midget point leader Robert Dalby was 16th while 2019 Indianapolis 500 10th-place finisher Conor Daly was 18th.