With the men's squads for the Hundred largely settled following the first player draft in British sporting history and the women's squads beginning to take shape, we take a look just who makes up the eight teams in the new 100-ball competition, to be played in July-August 2020. But, a few things first ...

Who picked the squads?

The head coaches went into the men's player draft armed with their wish lists, compiled in consultation with their team analysts and backroom staff. They had two windows of 100 seconds each per round - there were seven rounds - in which to make their picks. Each side had already chosen or been allocated one England Test player plus two 'local icons' who had spent the 2019 season with a county in their catchment area.

Who entered the draft?

A fairly comprehensive list of domestic and overseas players put their names forward, with teams allowed to choose a maximum of three overseas players.

So are the squad complete then?

Not quite. Each team can award a £30,000 contract (the minimum salary band) to one more 'wildcard' player following next season's Vitality Blast.

What about the women's squads?

With no player draft for the women, teams are selected by their respective head coaches. Each team has already signed two England-contracted players and one 'marquee' pick, announced on the night of the men's draft. Teams have until the end of May 2020 to finalise their squads.

So, who's in then?

Trent Rockets

Men's squad: Joe Root, Rashid Khan, D'Arcy Short, Lewis Gregory, Alex Hales, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Harry Gurney, Steven Mullaney, Matthew Carter, Luke Wood, Tom Moores, Dawid Malan, Ben Cox, Luke Fletcher, Luke Wright Head coach: Stephen Fleming

Women's picks: Nat Sciver, Katherine Brunt, Sophie Molineux

Head coach: Salliann Briggs

Southern Brave

Men's squad: Jofra Archer, Andre Russell, David Warner, Liam Dawson, James Vince, Shadab Khan, Chris Jordan, Tymal Mills, Ross Whiteley, Delray Rawlins, Ollie Pope, George Garton, Alex Davies, Max Waller, Craig Overton
Head coach: Mahela Jayawardena

Women's picks: Anya Shrubsole, Danni Wyatt, Suzie Bates
Head coach: Charlotte Edwards

Northern Superchargers

Men's squad: Ben Stokes, Aaron Finch, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Chris Lynn, Adil Rashid, Adam Lyth, David Willey, Richard Gleeson, Ben Foakes, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, David Wiese, Nathan Rimmington, Brydon Carse, Ed Barnard, John Simpson
Head coach: Darren Lehmann

Women's picks: Lauren Winfield, Linsey Smith, Alyssa Healy
Head coach: Danielle Hazell

Welsh Fire

Men's squad: Jonny Bairstow, Mitchell Starc, Steve Smith, Colin Ingram, Tom Banton, Ben Duckett, Ravi Rampaul, Simon Harmer, Qais Ahmed, Liam Plunkett, Ryan ten Doeschate, David Payne, Ryan Higgins, Danny Briggs, Leus du Plooy
Head coach: Gary Kirsten

Women's picks: Katie George, Bryony Smith, Meg Lanning
Head coach: Matthew Mott

Oval Invincibles

Men's squad: Sam Curran, Sunil Narine, Jason Roy, Sam Billings, Sandeep Lamichhane, Rilee Rossouw, Tom Curran, Reece Topley, Hardus Viljoen, Fabian Allen, Alex Blake, Will Jacks, Chris Wood, Nathan Sowter, Laurie Evans
Head coach: Tom Moody

Women's picks: Laura Marsh, Fran Wilson, Dane van Niekerk
Head coach: Lydia Greenway

Manchester Originals

Men's squad: Jos Buttler, Imran Tahir, Dane Vilas, Phil Salt, Tom Abell, Matt Parkinson, Saqib Mahmood, Dan Christian, Wayne Madsen, Wayne Parnell, Mitchell Santner, Joe Clarke, Marchant de Lange, Ed Pollock, Eddie Byrom
Head coach: Simon Katich

Women's picks: Kate Cross, Sophie Ecclestone, Lizelle Lee
Head coach: TBA

London Spirit

Men's squad: Rory Burns, Glenn Maxwell, Eoin Morgan, Mohammad Nabi, Mohammad Amir, Roelof van der Merwe, Mark Wood, Joe Denly, Dan Lawrence, Mason Crane, Kyle Abbott, Adam Rossington, Zak Crawley, Jade Dernbach, Luis Reece
Head coach: Shane Warne

Women's picks: Heather Knight, Freya Davies, Tammy Beaumont
Head coach: Lisa Keightley

Birmingham Phoenix

Men's squad: Chris Woakes, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Kane Williamson, Ravi Bopara, Benny Howell, Tom Helm, Shaheen Afridi, Pat Brown, Adam Hose, Cameron Delport, Henry Brookes, Adam Zampa, Riki Wessels, Chris Cooke
Head coach: Andrew McDonald

Women's picks: Amy Jones, Kirstie Gordon, Sophie Devine
Head coach: Ben Sawyer

"Build it and they will come." So goes the Field of Dreams mentality that seems to be underpinning the ECB's bold gamble with the Hundred, which still sounds like a dystopian futurescape survivalist gameshow - and to those tweeting with the #OpposeTheHundred hashtag on Sunday evening, that is exactly what this thin-edge-of-the-wedge exercise in marginalising the county game is.

Nevertheless, the scaffolding is in place and an army of eager hands are scurrying about their business - nowhere more obviously than at Sky's studios in west London, where a bespoke set had been constructed for the televisual extravaganza that was the Hundred draft. A black runway stencilled with neon runes and flanked by eight brightly lit plinths at which the decision-makers sat hunched over their touchscreens, picking and choosing their way through seven increasingly slick rounds of squad building.

This was all an event in itself, some nine months ahead of cricket's newest format being launched in the English summer of 2020. Sky threw open the doors - after a certain amount of security vetting - to the great and the not-so-good of the UK cricket media, as well as the "influencers" whom it is hoped will bring access to a brand-new fan base. Nothing says "we are taking this seriously" like asking in advance for journalists' dietary requirements (which are normally limited to "anything we can scoff").

Speaking of scoff, there were the obligatory offerings from the competition's snack-giant sponsor; appropriate, given the whole concept of the Hundred is product placement on a grand scale.

Also read: Hundred boosts England's bid to retain World Cup - Root

Does the public want the product? That question won't have an answer for a while yet, but we are now firmly on the route march to 100-ball cricket. Ever since the surprise/botched - delete according to prejudice - announcement in April 2018 of the ECB's wheeze to grow the game, momentum has been slowly gathering. From promoted content lurking in social media feeds to being discussed on BBC Radio 4's Women's Hour, as it was last week, the Hundred is coalescing before our eyes.

"May you live in interesting times," as the apocryphal Chinese curse has it. And there was undoubtedly plenty of interest in what amounted to a path-breaking moment - the first player draft ever to be held in UK sport. It may not have had the decadence of the IPL auction (the top price bracket for a contract was a mere £125,000) or the sheer grandiosity of the NFL draft, which Sky had sent presenter Ian Ward to observe in order to pick up tips, but it had a certain heft and zing of its own as the eight newly minted teams came together.

Not that there weren't some issues during the somewhat frenetic opening rounds. Trent Rockets, who had drawn the right to first pick, took around 15 of the allotted 100 seconds to confirm their preference for Rashid Khan - and then they were off, a domino effect of causality as each team's management, usually including an analyst or data guru, scanned the ever-diminishing list of options and those on the Sky sofas struggled to come up with incisive commentary - mostly consisting of "So who should these guys pick?" "Would you have picked him?" and "That's a good pick" on sugar-buzzed repeat.

The fact that some of the slots - each team had two picks at seven different price bands, from £125,000 down to £30,000 - had already been filled by the 'local icons', selected behind closed doors earlier this month, contributed to the confusion. As the camera skipped quickly from Manchester Originals to London Spirit to Birmingham Phoenix, then suddenly back to Simon Katch's Originals (because Spirit and Phoenix had previously signed up Eoin Morgan and Moeen Ali), it became a struggle to keep up.

It was at this point the Manchester hierarchy slipped in what was probably the most astonishing selection of the night, taking Lancashire captain (and Kolpak qualified "local") Dane Vilas for £125,000 despite his not having set a reserve price. But no time to discuss that because Steve Smith! Mujeeb Ur Rahman! David Warner! D'Arcy Short! On we go!

To be fair, after two or three rounds of flustered scribbling on the helpfully provided draft grid, things began to settle down into an understandable rhythm, with interviews and analysis - rather than hypothetical musing - interspersing the "action" in the main studio. Though how many of the casual audience, who could also follow online via the BBC, the competition's other broadcast partner, will have stuck with it for the long haul remains unknown.

By the end of the process, when Luke Wright became the 96th player to be given a Hundred handshake, you could argue that things had gone pretty well. There were no technical glitches or hold-ups, the teams professed to being happy with their selections (and it was hard to argue with the concentration of talent in each list), and all of the players present were on message - albeit Sky had only invited in those certain of deals. Beyond a certain amount of carping at the number of Kolpaks winning "domestic" spots or the lack of any Leicestershire player being picked, the most difficult moments came for the camera operators trying to avoid catching Sam Billings or Jofra Archer eating their dinner while filming segments in the canteen.

There was even room for an announcement of marquee players for the women's competition - though given the ECB has made a big thing of the Hundred putting male and female players on the same pedestal, this was an occasion heavily orientated towards the men's game (and that is without touching on the issue of pay).

Perhaps most importantly, this felt like a recognisably "cricket" happening - bubbling along with enthusiastic discussion about squad balance and tactical options. And who would begrudge the likes of Max Waller or Benny Howell the opportunity to become household names? For a few brief hours it was easy to forget about the whole 100-balls lark, as if this, finally, were the star-studded launch of England's first T20 franchise league. Now there's an idea.

After the World Cup and Ashes summer just gone - reminders of which were regularly on show - it remains a nagging doubt that a fourth format will merely serve to complicate matters further. And on a day that began with emotional sporting scenes in Japan, as rugby union made great global strides with its own expansionist tournament, while in the UAE the T20 World Cup Qualifier continued to offer cricket a path for growth, it seems instructive that the ECB is spending millions of pounds simply to drum up interest in its own territory.

But here we are, on the road to the promised land - or, at least, the highly leveraged land. In these divided times, whether the Hundred turns out to be a field of dreams or a waking nightmare may simply depend on your point of view.

Kenya 138 for 4 (Gondaria 85*, Leverock 2-30) beat Bermuda 93 (Rawlins 37, Obuya 4-27) by 45 runs

Dhiren Gondaria's unbeaten 85 led Kenya to their first win of the T20 World Cup Qualifier as they beat Bermuda by 45 runs in Dubai.

After choosing to bat on a wearing pitch, Gondaria lifted his side out of an early hole created by disciplined bowling from Bermuda. Alex Obanda fell on the fourth ball of the match for a golden duck miscuing a straight drive to midwicket off George O'Brien where Delray Rawlins took a splendid leaping catch.

Kamau Leverock struck twice in his first two overs, getting Irfan Karim caught at midwicket for 15 before a slower ball foxed Collins Obuya to trap him in front for 4. Rodney Trott then had Rakep Patel nicking off to leave Kenya at 66 for 4 after 12 overs.

Gondaria could do little but watch as the top order stumbled all around him but eventually he found a willing ally in the No. 6 batsman Rushab Patel. The pair added an unbeaten 72 across the final eight overs with a mixture of sensible strokeplay and a touch of luck.

Gondaria had brought up his 50 off 48 balls in the 16th over, then struck back-to-back fours off Rawlins to begin a late surge. In the following over, he inside edged a heave off Leverock that spun back into the stumps but the bails wouldn't break. Then, on 71, he was then put down at long-off by O'Brien, once again off Leverock's bowling, as he made the most of his chances and batted through the innings.

Bermuda's chase got off to a dreadful start when Okera Bascome was caught at short fine leg off the first ball from Elijah Otieno. Captain Dion Stovell's attempt at a glide to third man resulted in his own stumps being rearranged, and then Terryn Fray ran himself out to make it 7 for 3 after just 13 balls.

Rawlins did his best to lead a fightback, reverse sweeping Ngoche for his first boundary in the fifth over before charging Obuya for a trio of straight driven fours. He pulled Rakep Patel for a couple of big hits over the leg side in the 12th over but a third attempt resulted in a top-edge being taken at short fine leg by the wicketkeeper Karim, ending a 58-run stand with Janeiro Tucker.

Bermuda crumbled thereafter and were all out for 93 as Rawlins' wicket sparked a collapse (6 for 12). Obuya did most of the damage, dismissing Tucker at long-on before Leverock top-edged a slog to short third man. A googly trapped Onias Bascome for his third wicket before he ended the match bowling O'Brien after a failed charge. After playing three days in a row, Bermuda now has a day off before taking on Namibia, needing a win to keep their playoff hopes alive.

No result Punjab 52 for 2 (Sanvir 21*, Sai Kishore 1-17) v Tamil Nadu 174 for 6 (Aparajith 56, Gurkeerat 2-25, Markande 2-26) in 39-over match

Tamil Nadu qualified for the semi-finals of the 2019-20 Vijay Hazare Trophy on the basis of more wins in the league stage after rain washed out their quarter-final against Punjab in Alur. The match was evenly poised at the time of the call off, but Tamil Nadu's nine out of nine wins to Punjab's five out of eight saw them through.

Due to a wet outfield, the game itself started 45 minutes late, as a 47-over contest, and was further reduced to 39-overs-a-side when a passing shower brought a pre-mature end to Tamil Nadu's innings. At that stage, Tamil Nadu were 174 for 6, thanks to B Aparajith's 56.

Chasing a VJD-adjusted target of 195, Punjab reached 52 for 2 in 12.4 overs before it started raining again, this time bringing a complete end to play.

ALSO READ: Dinesh Karthik tells the story of Tamil Nadu's nine wins in a row

Tamil Nadu had a nervy start after being put in. Abhinav Mukund tried to impose himself but ended up chopping Sandeep Sharma onto his stumps. M Vijay struck two fours, flicking Sidharth Kaul's pace with ease over midwicket, but he missed the same shot against left-arm spinner Karan Kalia and was lbw for 22.

When Mayank Markande dismissed Vijay Shankar, Tamil Nadu were 82 for 3. Aparajith and Dinesh Karthik took the side past 100 before Karthik pulled a long hop from Markande straight to short midwicket.

Aparajith though kept chipping away and took his tournament tally past 500. Along the way, he smashed a free hit from Sanvir Singh over long-on, pulled Sandeep over deep-backward square leg and brought up his fifty in 68 balls. Washington Sundar held it together at the other end as the duo added 51 in 59 balls. Aparajith was looking set for a big score but he ended up hitting an innocuous Gurkeerat Mann delivery straight to deep midwicket. In his next over, Mann dismissed Shahrukh Khan in the same manner as well.

Punjab lost Abhishek Sharma in the fourth over of their chase. Anmolpreet Singh hit a couple of boundaries before Sai Kishore got him caught-behind, leaving Punjab 37 for 2 at the end of seven overs. Sanvir hit a couple of good-looking drives to keep the chase on track but the rain had other plans.

Britain's Esah Hayat and Phoebe Suthers won three medals each at the World Deaf Tennis Championships in Turkey.

Hayat, 17, and Suthers, 16, claimed gold in the junior mixed doubles, beating Czech second seeds Jaroslav Smedek and Katerina Blascikova 6-0 6-7 (6-8) 10-6.

They then each combined with Lewis Fletcher, 34, for silvers in the senior men's doubles and mixed doubles finals.

The pair also claimed boys singles silver and girls singles bronze.

"I've had a great week and am really pleased with getting two silvers and a gold," said Hayat.

"We have all come through some close battles this week and we've worked well as a team to get our medals.

"GB is becoming a stronger team on the world stage every year, and we will be working hard for more medals at next year's European Championships."

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Brad Keselowski tried his best during Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway, but in the end his best efforts weren’t enough to advance in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.

Keselowski, William Byron, Clint Bowyer and Alex Bowman were the four men eliminated from championship contention in the Sunflower State, as the group of title contenders was cut from 12 to eight ahead of Martinsville (Va.) Speedway on Oct. 27.

RELATED: Logano & Elliott Squeak Into Round Of 8

The plight of the 2012 Cup Series champion was perhaps the most heartbreaking.

Keselowski, who needed to be within 14 spots of Chase Elliott at the finish, pitted prior to an overtime restart for fresh tires and lined up 15th for the first attempt at a two-lap dash.

However, instead of going forward, Keselowski was shuffled off the bottom and ended up losing vital positions in the waning moments. He ended up 19th after 277 laps and two overtimes, while Elliott finished second to race winner Denny Hamlin.

The end margin was three points between the pair, with Keselowski on the losing end.

“We didn’t make it,” said a dejected Keselowski, who also made late contact with the wall. “I pushed as hard as I knew how and didn’t quite do good enough on the last restart and that was it. We clawed as hard as we could and there were times it looked like we were going to be fine and times it didn’t. In the end it didn’t work out.”

Byron actually finished a strong fifth in Sunday’s race, doing everything he could to gain points and have a shot at transferring on, but the points hole he was in after a crash at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway the week prior proved to be too great to overcome.

The Charlotte, N.C., young gun ended up missing the semifinal round by 16 points.

“It’s just a bummer, but we had a great run today and we can take pride in that, for sure,” Byron noted. “We had a great car, one of the best cars we’ve had on a 1.5-mile track. It was fun, but we just needed to win and we couldn’t do that. But it is what it is. It was a great day for us overall, we’ll move onto the next couple of weeks and keep fighting. If we can go out and win, that’s all that really matters now.”

An eighth-place finish left Clint Bowyer 21 points short of advancing to the third round, though he was solidly in the hunt for a good portion of the afternoon at his home track.

“Obviously we wanted to be in Victory Lane,” said Bowyer. “I like the situations that we could put the car in and it would withstand. We got a little bit of damage there on that last stage. I don’t really think that affected it that much. It was a decent day. It wasn’t a stellar day by any means.

“I am proud of our effort. I am proud of trying something there and it working out (for a good finish).”

RELATED: Denny Hamlin Puts On A Kansas Clinic

Bowman came home 11th after staying out long on the final round of green-flag pit stops and trying to catch a caution for track position, but Greg Ives’ gamble paid no dividends for the Arizona native and Bowman ended the day 20 points back of the elimination line.

The late attempt at heroics came after an incident Bowman had with Ryan Newman just after the start of the race.

“We got up to fifth or sixth there pretty quickly and obviously had a really good car to start. I got loose, I saved it and it was all good; that’s just racing. I guess just the 6 (Ryan Newman) being right there tore the left rear off of it,” Bowman explained. “You wouldn’t think it, but that’s probably the most sensitive corner on these cars for rear downforce and rear side force. We really fought with it the rest of the day and all but crashed it for the remaining 260 laps, or however long it was.

“We didn’t get in, so that sucks. We had a good start and a really good car there for five laps or however long it lasted,” Bowman added. “It just sucks driving a wrecked race car for the rest of the day.”

Those four join Erik Jones, Kurt Busch, Aric Almirola and Ryan Newman as drivers who have been eliminated from the playoffs through the first two rounds of competition.

And as Keselowski put it, the fates of the eliminated weren’t just sealed on Sunday.

“It’s three races, not just one,” he said. “We just weren’t quite good enough to move on.”

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – A look back at speedways and drivers of the past are the focus of the day for participants in the Saratoga Automobile Museum’s popular Lost Speedways program on Nov. 30.

Since the program takes most of the day, lunch is a priority as well and one of Saratoga Springs’ finest caterers will be on hand to refuel attendees.

“Mama Mia’s Ristorante provided the meals for our volunteers at our recent Saratoga Auto Auction and the food was outstanding,” said Lost Speedways organizer Ron Hedger. “Before the auction was even complete, I’d asked Giuseppe to sell a variety of lunch items during the program and he readily agreed. He’s a major part of many of our events and I’m sure everyone will love his offerings.”

Set for Nov. 30, the look back at speedways that no longer exist and racing heroes who excited fans back in the day will open with Motorcycle Madness by longtime favorite Mark Supley, followed by newcomer Paul Malecki, who has done exhaustive research on the history of the long-defunct Altamont Fairgrounds Speedway, site of big car races featuring regional drivers, AAA events and even NASCAR’s top division over the years.

Host Hedger’s interviews with a pair of regional legends will round out the program.  First up will be Dickie Larkin, who is known for his success on the Empire State’s small block scene early in his career driving the famed Yellow Banana Ford Falcon. Larkin went on to great success in the big blocks at Lebanon Valley Speedway, where he had a huge fan base.  He also has great tales to tell of his exploits on the Syracuse mile, where he was always a contender.

The program will close out with another Lebanon Valley hero, John Flach Jr., who was both a steady winner and a track champion on the high banks before retiring at a relatively young age. This year found Flach back behind the wheel in vintage events and winning almost everywhere the vintage club went, all the time wearing a huge smile as he evoked memories of the past.

Other highlights of the Saturday after Thanksgiving program will include the traditional display of memorabilia and vintage photos that participants bring to share and a quick big screen look at vintage photos from western New York showing the rustic cars used long ago.

Additionally, a short home movie of Fonda time trials back in the 1960’s and a Billy Rafter win on the Syracuse mile will be run at noon, before the formal presentations start.

The Saratoga Automobile Museum will open at 10 a.m., memorabilia will be on display from 11 a.m. through the day and the formal presentations will kick off at 12:30 p.m. Regular admission rates will prevail, with museum members admitted free of charge.

The Saratoga Automobile Museum is located on the Avenue of the Pines in the Saratoga Spa State Park, just north of Exit 13 of the Adirondack Northway/I-87.  More information about the museum and current exhibits can be found online at www.saratogaautomuseum.org.

COSTA MESA, Calif. – Two-time MotoAmerica Supersport champion and four-time MotoAmerica Superbike race winner Garrett Gerloff has inked a deal that will see the young Texan competing in the World Superbike Championship next year aboard a GRT Yamaha YZF-R1.

“I want to start out by saying thank you to Yamaha Motor USA for everything that they’ve done for me, for signing me in the first place so many years ago and really having faith in me,” Gerloff said. “I wouldn’t be where I am now in my career without their help. I’m really excited to say that I’ll be continuing in the Yamaha family for 2020, this time with the GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team. I’m also really looking forward to representing America overseas. It’s something that I’ve always dreamed of doing and something that I’ve been preparing for, and I feel like I’m ready to do. I really appreciate Yamaha Europe giving me the opportunity to be that guy, to be one of the guys, to represent them and try to go get good results.

“I also want to say a big thanks to Ben Spies for really helping me out the past few months and getting my name out there and really pushing for me. I have a lot of goals that I really want to accomplish next year, and I know that with the team’s help and the Yamaha R1 that I’ll have a great opportunity of reaching them. I know this isn’t going to be easy, but I never give up. I’m ready to push myself and continue chasing my dream.”

Gerloff will be joined by Italian Federico Caricasulo on the two-rider team that is based in Italy. Caricasulo is currently second in the World Supersport Championship and is eight points out of the championship lead with one round remaining.

Gerloff won the 2016 and 2017 MotoAmerica Supersport titles before switching to the Superbike class in 2018. The 24-year-old Texan finished fifth in his rookie season in 2018 and followed that with a breakout year this season that saw him win four Superbike races and earn 15 podiums en route to third in the championship.

“We are very happy to see Garrett get this opportunity to chase his dream,” said MotoAmerica President Wayne Rainey. “He had a great season in MotoAmerica this year and we think he’s picked the perfect time to show his talents to the rest of the world. He was fast all season, won four races and was in the championship battle until the very end. I think Garrett has an advantage in that our rules are in line with those of World Superbike so he can jump on a bike and just go race. When we put MotoAmerica together, we wanted to make sure that when our riders got the opportunity in the World Championship, they would be completely comfortable with the regulations, the technical rules and the procedures, so they just have to learn the racetracks. We know Garrett can do the job well and everyone at MotoAmerica wishes him the best of luck and we’re looking forward to following him in his first season of World Championship racing.”

Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane has said that the side's recent struggles marks the "toughest" period in his time at the club.

Spurs escaped with a late draw at home to Premier League strugglers Watford on Saturday, following a controversial Dele Alli equaliser.

Boss Mauricio Pochettino has come under pressure following a poor start to the Premier League season that has seen just three wins, including losses to Brighton, Leicester and Newcastle.

"It's hard to put a finger on exactly what's wrong," Kane said at a news conference on Monday. "Sometimes when you're having a run of form like this, things don't always go your way in games. It's about sticking together and if we win tomorrow night that can kick start us.

"It's probably the toughest time since I've been here. It's just another challenge though. The road to success will always have bumps and this is just one of them."

Pochettino maintained that his side are just low on confidence, saying: "For many of our players this is the first time they've been in a tough period.

"For 99 per cent of our players they were in a very good period in the past five years, it's a very new thing for them."

"It's natural that when suffer a defeat like we suffered [7-2 loss to Bayern Munich]. When it should have been 3-1 to us in the first half and then we conceded like we did in the second half that is tough. It affects your confidence and trust.

"Then Brighton came so quick and it's normal that we're in a period where we're fragile."

Spurs, who reached the final of the Champions League last season, will look to end their poor form in the competition this season when they face Serbian champions Red Star Belgrade at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium on Tuesday.

The first round of the 2019 Major League Soccer playoffs are in the books, and it wasn't for the faint of heart. Here is a look back at round one of the postseason.

JUMP TO: Sounders-FCD a match for the ages | What to do with Pity Martinez? | Philly finally have that game | Extra fun for Toronto FC | Time for Mr. October | The best sort of traffic to be stuck with | Credit where it is due

Insanity in Seattle

There is always one game in the MLS playoffs that makes you feel like you are living in some sort of surreal soccer world and for the second year running, Seattle was the location.

A year after their Western Conference semifinal second leg to remember against Portland, the Seattle Sounders and FC Dallas delivered a match for the ages that ended 4-3 to Seattle in extra time and somehow with all 22 players on the field.

There's a lot to unpack here but first, all credit to hat-trick hero Jordan Morris after a difficult Tuesday night last week with the United States national team in Toronto. Morris has always had a nose for goal -- especially when things get messy or scrappy -- and he came up big for the Sounders.

Kudos are also warranted for FC Dallas after coming back from 2-0 and 3-2 deficits and very nearly finding a late equalizer in stoppage time. The league's youngest team was brave and they'll only get better.

Overall, this was entertainment at its finest. Was some of the defending bad? Absolutely. Was some of the decision-making poor? No doubt. Did players lose their cool and deserve to get sent off? Here's looking at you, Jesse Gonzalez But like last year's thriller against Portland, it was a time to embrace the hilarious absurdity of it all.

Pity for your thoughts

A year after leading River Plate to an epic Copa Libertadores title and being named South American Player of the Year, Pity Martinez can't even get off the bench in an MLS first round playoff match for Atlanta United. Yes, the reigning champions did advance with the 1-0 win over the New England Revolution but the fact that the big winter arrival didn't even see the field for coach Frank de Boer is startling and will be the biggest question heading into round two.

- MLS Playoffs: What you need to know

There is an eerie parallel with Ezequiel Barco, who sat on the periphery of Atlanta's title run last season after his own big offseason move from Argentina. But Barco is six years younger than Martinez and had time on his side. That's not as much the case with Martinez and after a disappointing year one in Atlanta, one can't help but think there are many "what ifs" going through Martinez's mind.

Martinez could still well factor in Atlanta's postseason journey but to see the league's most high-profile signing in the last year not even factor in a do-or-die match is noteworthy.

DOOP what ya like

In their history, the Philadelphia Union really haven't had that signature moment or that game that fans can pull up on YouTube when they're feeling blue. Until now. Down 3-1 early in the second half against the New York Red Bulls, the Union rallied to force extra time before winning it on Marco Fabian's deflected winner.

That Philly was able to make the necessary adjustments and shut down the Red Bulls attack for almost the final hour is a credit to coach Jim Curtin and the resiliency of the Union squad. So too is the fact that this comeback happened without leading scorer Kacper Przybylko is even more impressive.

Like Pity Martinez and Atlanta, Fabian not starting on Sunday has the potential to loom uncomfortably over the Union, but they look equipped to handle any adversity that comes their way. The two teams will meet Thursday night with a spot in the Eastern Conference finals up for grabs (8 p.m. ET, ESPN2).

Extra the fun in Toronto

What a week to be in Toronto. Last Tuesday, the denizens of the Canadian city were treated to a historical 2-0 whipping of their neighbors to the south in the CONCACAF Nations League and then on Saturday they were treated to a festival of goals in extra time for local side Toronto FC against DC United in a 5-1 final score. It didn't match the five extra-time goals tallied by Italy and West Germany in the 1970 World Cup semifinals but it was stunning nonetheless to see Toronto FC score four in the added 30 minutes, with all of them coming in the first period of extra time.

Then again, they never should have been in that spot in the first place.

TFC had DC United locked down, only to incredulously cough up an equalizer deep into stoppage time. Late letdown aside, the Canadian side are right up there among the league's elite when it comes to a formidable attack. TFC can hit you hard and fast, while the fact that this was done without Jozy Altidore is even more impressing.

Mr. Octobers show up

For all the unpredictability that comes with the MLS playoffs, it is nice to know that we can still rely on several things, one of which is Dairon Asprilla always scoring for the Portland Timbers in the playoffs. "Senor Octubre" did it again by thumping in a header to bring Portland level 1-1 with Real Salt Lake early in the second half of their Saturday night affair, giving the Colombian four goals in four different MLS playoff campaigns.

Asprilla gets more attention for his heroics but he faces a new rival from across the pond in Damir Kreilach. The Croatian scored a goal of his own and now has four goals in four playoff matches with RSL. There's something about the MLS postseason that seems to motivate the 30-year-old and you wouldn't bet against him to do it against in Seattle.

One can also make the argument that Nick Rimando falls into the "Mr. October" category as well. The soon-to-be-retired stopper made a number of crucial saves in the second half to keep things level before Jefferson Savarino won it late 2-1 for RSL.

El Trafico, here we come

The LA Galaxy were the lone road team to emerge victorious over the weekend and it came when superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic was not at his best. Still, some poor finishing from Minnesota United, plus heads-up poaching from Sebastian Lletget and a golazo from Jonathan dos Santos, earned a 2-1 win for the Galaxy and a conference semifinal date with city rivals LAFC.

It's a cruel fate for Minnesota, who had an excellent season, and there will be a lot to learn from it. However, for now, buckle up for 24/7 El Trafico until Thursday night (10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).

New format delivers

The new one-and-done format of the MLS playoffs is a winner.

The games were open and teams were forced to be proactive, meaning everyone was spared the 0-0 snoozers that plagued first legs in years' past. Of the six games, five home teams advanced to the next round, something that playoff contenders will no doubt keep in mind as they enter the home stretch of future seasons.

MLS got this one right.