D.C. United striker Wayne Rooney has said that American players in Major League Soccer do not get paid enough.

The former Manchester United striker told ESPN FC in an exclusive interview that his U.S. teammates do not earn enough money, calling for team owners and league officials to increase wages in the next collective bargaining agreement.

"I feel that American players get underpaid," he said. "I feel they deserve to get more money to stay in line with football in the rest of the world and in terms of the American sports.

"I'm not saying it to benefit me, I obviously won't be in the league next season. I think it's only fair to those players who are putting in the same work as all have to earn the right to earn more money for doing it."

The existing collective bargaining agreement is due to expire on Jan. 31, 2020, with players previously threatening to strike if changes are not made to salaries, travel accommodations and more freedom of movement between MLS clubs when contracts expire.

Rooney is one of the three Designated Players at D.C. United, meaning that he is allowed to earn above $10,192-a-week, the cap for non-Designated Players on MLS rosters.

Rooney has scored 23 goals in 45 league appearances, but will leave for second-tier English side Derby County at the end of the MLS season.

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is set to continue his policy of targeting British players next summer with Jadon Sancho and James Maddison, sources have told ESPN FC.

Solskjaer splashed nearly £150 million to bring Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Daniel James to Old Trafford during the transfer window and he is planning to sign more domestic talent at the end of the season.

- ESPN Champions League fantasy: Sign up now!

Borussia Dortmund forward Sancho and Leicester midfielder Maddison top the list of targets with Solskjaer keen to inject more goals into his squad after allowing Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez to join Inter Milan.

United have not been put off pursuing Sancho despite the 19-year-old agreeing a new long-term contract at Dortmund in August. They expect Leicester to value Maddison, 22, at between £70m and £80m.

Other British names on Solskjaer's hit list include Newcastle midfielder Sean Longstaff, Bournemouth striker Callum Wilson and Stoke defender Nathan Collins.

United will look to strengthen their midfield and forward line next summer after Solskjaer admitted he has been left short of attacking options after the departures of both Lukaku and Sanchez.

Saturday's 1-0 win over Leicester on Saturday moved United up to fourth in the Premier League table.

They have the joint best defensive record in the league after five games but have been restricted to just eight goals themselves -- eight fewer than top scorers Manchester City.

Meanwhile, sources have told ESPN FC that goalkeeper David De Gea has penned a new deal at Old Trafford.

De Gea agreed terms on a six-year deal earlier in the summer and the formalities have now been completed to extend his stay at the club.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who is still facing a civil rape case in Las Vegas, said in an interview this week that he felt "embarrassed" by the allegations against him.

The pending civil case by Kathryn Mayorga alleges conspiracy, defamation, breach of contract, coercion and fraud. Her complaint seeks unspecified monetary damages greater than $50,000.

Police in Las Vegas reopened a criminal investigation last October at the request of Mayorga, who accused Ronaldo of sexual assault in 2009. But police confirmed in June that he won't face criminal charges. Las Vegas police matched a DNA sample from Ronaldo to evidence from the alleged 2009 rape at a Las Vegas hotel, but detectives said they struggled with uncooperative attorneys for Mayorga before prosecutors declined to pursue a criminal charge, according to correspondence obtained by this past August by ESPN's Outside the Lines.

"They play with your dignity," Ronaldo told 'Good Morning Britain' in an interview with Piers Morgan that will air on Tuesday in Great Britain. "It's hard. You have a girlfriend, you have a family, you have kids. When they play with your honesty, it's bad, it's hard.

"I remember one day I was at home in the living room with my girlfriend watching the television to see the news and they speak about 'Cristiano Ronaldo this and that.'

"I listened to my kids coming down the stairs and I changed the channel because I was embarrassed.

'He doesn't see me receive awards.'

In an emotional interview, @Cristiano breaks down in tears over the loss of his late father and the fact that he never got to witness his son's success.

Watch the full interview on @ITV on Tuesday at 9pm.@piersmorgan | #GMB pic.twitter.com/LybbJn31VR

— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) September 16, 2019

"I just changed the channel for Cristiano Jr. not to see that they speak bad about his father about a very bad case."

According to court documents, Mayorga signed a 2010 confidentiality agreement with Ronaldo in exchange for a $375,000 hush-money payment. Ronaldo's lawyers have said Ronaldo and Mayorga had consensual sex in his suite at a Las Vegas casino hotel but deny it was rape.

Prosecutors say the initial police investigation in 2009 was closed after police were stymied by lost evidence and lack of cooperation from Mayorga.

Mayorga, 35, asked police to reopen the case in August 2018. Police also were unable to authenticate leaked documents about the case that have been published in the European media. Police also struggled to get cooperation from British police related to a 2005 rape allegation against Ronaldo, according to the correspondence.

During the interview, the Portugal international also broke down into tears when remembering his father, Jose Dinis Aveiro, who died of cirrhosis in 2005 at the age of 52.

"He doesn't see me receive awards," Ronaldo said. "My family see, my mum, my brothers -- even my son. But my father, he didn't see anything.

"But I really don't know my father 100 percent. He was a drunk person. I never spoke with him, like a normal conversation. It was hard."

There's lots to talk about in this week's Monday Musings following a wild weekend. Gab Marcotti is here to recap the big stories around soccer.

Jump to: No crisis yet for Man City | End of Bayern's dominance? | Fati masks Barca's issues | Juventus get lucky | Neymar gets rude welcome | Arsenal woe continues | | Neville harsh on Man United? | Chelsea's youth movement | Dortmund ready for Barca | Odegaard dazzling for Sociedad | Why Firmino's so special | Conte, Inter keep winning | The sad story of #BlueGirl

Sky isn't falling for Man City despite Norwich shock

One of the more odd decisions this past summer was Manchester City not replacing Vincent Kompany. "Replace" is perhaps too strong a word. You can't "replace" him but you can bring in another live body to give offer you an alternative at centre-back and provide some competition for John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi.

- Ogden: Man City might regret inspiring Liverpool
- Miller: Have Norwich shown the league how to beat City?
- ESPN's Ultimate XI: This team would win everything

Many of us pointed this out but hey, it's Pep Guardiola, so you naturally offer the benefit of the doubt. He must know something we don't. Maybe Fernandinho (at 34) can fill in too. Maybe Eric Garcia is ready. Maybe Kyle Walker can slide across. Maybe Aymeric Laporte is Iron Man and will never get injured. (Oops: we already know that's not the case.)

It's not that Otamendi and Stones are bad defenders, it's that the way City play can leave them vulnerable, which is pretty much what happened against Norwich in their 3-2 defeat. There's a price you pay for choosing to play a certain way and evidently, for City it's one worth paying. The problem is this is a low-scoring sport. Scoring goals is difficult and ideally, you want to make conceding them as difficult as possible for the opposition. With those two back there and this set up, it's that much easier for them.

Updated Luck Index: Man City continue to be unfortunate

No, the sky isn't falling. Even in this game, Man City could have grabbed the three points with a bit more luck. Nor will they always face someone as motivated and as intense as Daniel Farke's crew who, severely depleted by injuries, went all out with nothing to lose. But the reality is that the gap separating them from Liverpool is already at five points, and the last time that happened was back in January.

Is time running out on Bayern's Bundesliga dynasty?

Is this the year someone in the Bundesliga topples Galactus (read: Bayern)?

Leipzig had their audition on Saturday, holding the champions to a 1-1 draw. The result keeps Julian Nagelsmann's crew top of the league with Bayern fourth, two points back. But other than the usual drive and running you'd expect from Leipzig -- and, after the break, the character that wasn't always there last season -- I'm not sure we quite saw enough to predict they'll prevail over the marathon that is a whole season.

In fact, a lot of it had to do with Bayern's deficiencies. Having gone ahead early thanks to the age-old Thomas Mueller-Robert Lewandowski connection, they failed to capitalise on their lead despite having the upper hand for much of the first half. Joshua Kimmich in central midfield alongside Thiago Alcantara gave them a bit more control against the press, but they were sterile in the final third. Leipzig deserved their equalizer after a bad error from Lucas Hernandez (the sort that prompts you to say "He cost how much?") and while late chances meant it could have gone either way, there wasn't too much separating these two.

The difference? Well, you try to imagine how they can get better and you can see far bigger margins for growth at the Bayern end. Nagelsmann can conjure up some more tactical voodoo, Emil Forsberg might last 90 minutes, Kevin Kampl might be fit again and maybe they'll get something out of Patrik Schick. But it's slim pickings.

As for Bayern, Nico Kovac lost David Alaba to injury in the warm-up. But he still has Philippe Coutinho, who only came on with two minutes to go, and Ivan Perisic, who stayed rooted to the bench: presumably both were signed for a reason. The question, really, is how much faith you have in Kovac.

Fabulous Fati obscures Barca's issues

Ansu Fati, already the third youngest goalscorer in the history of La Liga, got his first start for Barcelona on Saturday against Valencia and set the Camp Nou alight inside 10 minutes. He scored with a confident, accurate finish, set up a goal for Frenkie de Jong and came close to scoring two more times. Oh yeah, in case you didn't know, the kid doesn't turn 17 until Halloween.

His emergence, and that of Carles Perez, mean that Lionel Messi (who was in the stands) and Luis Suarez (who came on and scored twice) can come back into the team in their own time. But equally, despite the gaudy scoreline (5-2) and the excitement over Fati, there is still plenty for Ernesto Valverde to work on.

Valencia are a mess right now (thanks, Peter Lim!) having sacked Marcelino and replaced him with Albert Celades. And they still stayed in the game thanks to Kevin Gameiro, falling apart only after Jasper Cillessen's mistake for the third Barca goal. Suarez, looking sharp and hungry (no, not in that way), later added two to put the game out of reach.

Defensively, Barca looked far from solid, not just at the back but also in midfield; the fact that it was the first choice trio of De Jong, Arthur and Sergio Busquets doesn't bode well.

Juventus get lucky vs. Fiorentina

There's a ton of ancient bad blood between Fiorentina and Juventus. Throw in the enthusiasm that new owner Rocco Commisso has engendered within the Viola organization, the fact that it was Maurizio Sarri's official post-pneumonia debut and especially the fact that the visitors lost Douglas Costa, Miralem Pjanic and Danilo through injury during the match (and the first two are especially key to the way they play) and perhaps Juve should be happy with a point.

Why? They were poor for much of the game against an opponent who treats the match as if it was the Champions League final and Avengers: Endgame rolled into one. Sarri later blamed the heat of a mid-afternoon kickoff, which is a bit hard to stomach since presumably Fiorentina felt just as hot. It might have been better to just take it on the chin, be grateful for the point and move on.

PSG fans will take time to welcome Neymar back

Neymar made his first appearance of the season for Paris Saint-Germain at the weekend and was greeted, predictably, with boos and insults. It's what you expect when, after pledging your loyalty to the club, you go out of your way to force a move back to Barcelona. So what did he do? Easy, he scored a "worldie" deep in injury time to secure the three points against Strasbourg.

- Laurens: The definitive story of the Neymar saga

"I expected it, but in the end I forced them to applaud," he said afterwards adding that every game will now feel like an away match.

He made his bed, he can lie in it now and won't get much sympathy. But at the very least, he deserves recognition for the professionalism he showed Saturday. Whether he'll ever get love from the Ultras given what happened is unclear but that doesn't mean they can't reach some mutually beneficial relationship.

What's obvious is that if you're Thomas Tuchel, you're glad he's back.

Arsenal's issues are self-inflicted

The statistics say Arsenal conceded 23 shots on goal in the second-half against Watford on Sunday. That's one every two minutes and it's frankly hard to do. It's especially tough when you go in at half-time with a two-goal lead, one which, based on what we saw in the first half, was likely more than generous. And yes, they ended up settling for a 2-2 draw.

You can focus on individuals -- Matteo Guendouzi, Sokratis Papasthatopoulos, David Luiz -- all you like and there's another statistic floating around that says that since the start of last season no team has made more errors leading directly to opposition goals than Arsenal. But this is a team issue.

If you have error-prone players, you design tactical systems that protect them and don't expose them. That's just basic. And that's on Unai Emery.

Real nearly throw it away before PSG trip

It's a sign of Real Madrid's current state that even after playing well, creating plenty of chances and racing to a 3-0 lead at home to Levante, they still required a last-ditch save from Thibaut Courtois to retain their three points. In the cold light of day, you'd look at this performance, note Madrid's domination, the fact that the goals conceded were against the run of play and chalk up the 3-2 scoreline to the randomness of football. And you might even celebrate Eden Hazard's debut and look forward to what is next.

Instead, it's all fraught nerves ahead of the trip to the Parc des Princes to face Paris Saint-Germain in midweek. Context matters, possibly because we're in mid-September and we have no real idea what Zinedine Zidane has in mind.

Neville a bit harsh on Man United?

Manchester United squeezed out a victory over Leicester City, but I was struck by Gary Neville's comments suggesting Ole Gunnar Solskjaer should get at least three more transfer windows "to clean up the trash in the dressing room, because there is trash in there."

I have a lot of time for Neville, but I was wondering to whom he's referring given a summer of significant departures. Of the guys who are most frequently targeted as "trash" (or "weeds" to use another of his terms), Eric Bailly, Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo haven't played this year. Fred has been on the pitch for 24 minutes, Nemanja Matic has started one game. Who does he mean? Paul Pogba? Anthony Martial? Juan Mata?

I'm also not sure about the comparisons with Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool and how it took him time to produce. He reached a Europa League final after taking over in October and finished fourth the following year. Plus, he had a rather more credible resume than Solskjaer did. By all means, give him time, but set credible targets and deadlines too.

Why Chelsea's youth movement feels different

Chelsea's 5-2 away win to Wolves brings their seasonal goals total to 11 and all of them scored by Academy graduates. Fikayo Tomori, Andreas Christensen, Tammy Abraham and Mason Mount all started at Molyneux and all look poised to play a big part in Chelsea's season. With more homegrown players -- Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Callum Hudson-Odoi, possibly Reece James too -- set to return from injury, there could be as many as seven of them in Frank Lampard's XI at some point.

What sets this group apart though is the fact that apart from Christensen, who joined at 16, the others have all been affiliated with the club since before they were 10 years old. We often play fast and loose with the homegrown label since so many clubs (including Chelsea, of course) cherry pick top talent from elsewhere at 16, stick them in the Academy for a year or two and then count them as "club-trained." Technically, that's true but with these guys, it's different.

Dortmund look ready for Barcelona

"Bouncebackability" isn't a real word, but it applies here. Borussia Dortmund had a whole international break to stew over the humiliating 3-1 defeat to newly promoted Union Berlin and with Kai Havertz and Bayer Leverkusen rolling into town, the potential for after-effects was still high. Instead, we got one of the most dominating Dortmund performances in recent memory. At the attacking end, Marco Reus got his mo-jo back, Jadon Sancho popped up with his usual two assists and Paco Alcacer scored in his eighth consecutive game, including internationals.

Roll on, Barcelona, this Tuesday.

Odegaard continues to dazzle

Martin Odegaard made his international debut for Norway at 15 years of age and moved to Real Madrid six months later. Too much, too soon? It felt that way to many, given he failed to establish himself at youth level and later spent two years on loan. But players develop at different speeds and having rocketed to the international stage, he was due a breather.

This year, he's on loan at Real Sociedad, where he's already scored twice and, on Saturday night against Atletico Madrid, was arguably man of the match. He doesn't even turn 21 until December, but it feels as if this could be the year it all comes together for him. Watch this space.

Meanwhile, for Atletico, the 2-0 defeat reinforces what we already know: losing four or five starters in a summer is tricky to metabolize and there will be days like this when Diego Simeone's tinkering leads nowhere.

Why Roberto Firmino is so unique

My former colleague Matthew Syed, writing in The Times, made the point that Roberto Firmino appears to have 360-degree vision, a bit like those owls, whose heads seem to swivel all the way around. It's not hard to see why, given his performance in Liverpool's 3-1 win over Newcastle.

Some see him as a prototype of a modern center-forward, the "false nine" who is more creator than finisher. That certainly fits with Firmino's strengths though another, equally formidable strength, is the intensity and intelligence of his pressing game. But I'm not sure he's a prototype of anything.

Most of Europe's top teams -- from Barcelona to Manchester City, from Tottenham to Real Madrid, from Bayern to Juventus -- still have a genuine centerforward rather than a "false nine" (to use another hipsterish term). In other words, Firmino is not a trend as much as he has a nearly unique, extremely rare skill set, which comes a result of his past as an attacking midfielder.

Conte keeping expectations down at Inter

Antonio Conte is playing that age-old game straight out of Sun Tzu's "The Art of War" -- "when you are weak, appear strong and when you are strong, appear weak." Following Inter's third win on the bounce (one-nil against Udinese) he said "we know the game. They build us up now to knock us down later. For us to win the title, other clubs would have to have disastrous seasons."

- Schoenfeld: Romelu Lukaku talks about his Inter mission

It's pretty transparent what he's doing. And yes, Inter aren't title favorites but he has the strike force he says he wanted (Romelu Lukaku, Lautaro Martinez, Alexis Sanchez), he has two of the best young midfielders in the league (Stefano Sensi and Nicolo Barella) and arguably the best center-back corps. There's no reason to hide. Own the responsibilty.

What needs to happen beyond #BlueGirl

The harrowing tale of Sahar Khodayari, the 29-year-old Iranian woman who set herself on fire (and later died from severe burns) after being sentenced to six months in prison for disguising herself as a man to attend a football match between her team, Esteghlal, and the UAE's Al-Ain last March, shocked the world.

Like many such stories, it's more complicated than it appears. There is no written law barring women from entering Iranian stadiums, so she was sentenced for not fully adhering to Islamic hijab laws and covering her head. But equally, since the Islamic revolution 40 years ago, women have been unofficially banned from watching men's games with very few exceptions, like last November's Asian Champions League final.

It shouldn't take the tragic death of a vulnerable person for the world to take notice. The hashtag #BlueGirl is great to raise awareness but it can't end there, particularly since there has been so much outrage and support for change, even in Iran.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has pushed Iran on this matter before and the stock answer has been that the "infrastructure" was not yet in place to allow women in on a regular basis. (What infrastructure? Women's toilets? Surely they have port-a-potties in Iran...) That argument is nonsense as evidenced by the fact that women have been allowed in before. FIFA's statutes are very clear when it comes to equality and access. They have the power to withhold development money and suspend the Iranian FA.

It's time to take action and, given the support such action would have within Iran -- from much of the population and virtually the entire football world -- it feels like a no-brainer.

Last time we met, the Major League Soccer playoff push was in full swing and every game seemed to count just a little bit more. New York City FC had ascended to the top of the Eastern Conference. Toronto FC had pulled themselves into a stable playoff position. Montreal had faded. Peace settled across the conference. This weeks' results changed nothing.

- ESPN MLS fantasy: Sign up here!

Meanwhile, in the Western Conference: chaos. The East is a PBS show about antiques. The West is a telenovela with more than one evil twin, an international conspiracy and rotating love triangles.

This week, seven teams moved up or down the standings based on the round of games in the West, and it doesn't figure to calm down any time soon.

We live for the chaos. Rank 'em up.

Previous rankings: Week 27 | Week 26 | Week 25 | Week 24 | Week 23 | Week 22 | Week 21 | Week 20 | Week 19 | Week 18 | Week 17 | Week 16 | Week 15 | Week 14 | Week 13 | Week 12 | Week 11 | Week 10 | Week 9 | Week 8 | Week 7 | Week 6 | Week 5 | Week 4 | Week 3 | Week 2 | Week 1

1. LAFC (19 wins, 7 draws, 4 losses)

Previous ranking: 1

Next MLS match: Sept. 21 vs. Toronto FC (10:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

LAFC are now in the middle of an unprecedented four-game winless run, which is the 2019 MLS regular season equivalent of Drago getting cut in "Rocky IV." Yes, that casts the Union as Rocky Balboa. Too easy.

2. New York City FC (16-9-5)

Previous ranking: 2

Next MLS match: Sept. 22 at FC Dallas (11:00 p.m. ET)

The late season rise of Keaton Parks continues and NYCFC is navigating the absence of Heber just fine, thank you very much. This calls for some peanuts and Cracker Jacks.

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3. Philadelphia Union (15-7-8)

Previous ranking: 3

Next MLS match: Sept. 22 at Red Bulls (6:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

Some people go back to school or take continuing education classes to improve their credentials. The Philadelphia Union play toe-to-toe with some of the league's best teams to improve theirs.

4. Minnesota United (14-6-10)

Previous ranking: 4

Next MLS match: Sept. 22 at Portland (3:55 p.m. ET, watch live on ESPN/ESPN Deportes)

"Molino, Quintero, baby why don't we go / to the playoffs..." The Loons are definitely going to go to the playoffs. Hopefully without terrible parody lyrics to a Beach Boys song we'd all like to forget.

5. Seattle Sounders (14-7-9)

Previous ranking: 8

Next MLS match: Sept. 18 vs. FC Dallas (10:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

Look, no one is going to say that the Sounders defense look MLS Cup-caliber at the moment, but as long they have a rampant Jordan Morris and Nicolas Lodeiro, no one should doubt their championship credentials.

6. Toronto FC (12-9-10)

Previous ranking: 13

Next MLS match: Sept. 21 at LAFC (10:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

Everything in Toronto is about bringing the talent in the squad to bear on the final few weeks of the seasons. It wasn't comfortable against Colorado, but the Reds have the look of a team no-one will want to see in the postseason.

7. Atlanta United (15-3-11)

Previous ranking: 5

Next MLS match: Sept. 18 at FC Cincinnati (7:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

Whatever designs the Five Stripes had on first place probably died at the hands of the ghost Crew on Saturday. Everyone is allowed a blip, even in crunch time, so we'll hold off on overrating the poorness of that performance.

8. LA Galaxy (14-3-13)

Previous ranking: 10

Next MLS match: Sept. 21 vs. Montreal (10:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

The Galaxy scored seven goals against Sporting and yet -- and yet -- there are still serious questions about that defense. For now, Zlatan Ibrahimovic & Co. are in fifth in the West and lurking.

9. D.C. United (12-9-10)

Previous ranking: 14

Next MLS match: Sept. 22 vs. Seattle (8 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

D.C. United got a lucky break (Portland's own goal), were denied a chance at an insurance goal and still held on against the Timbers in Portland. Every win is worth the same three points, but those three points will feel like some of the biggest of the season.

10. Portland Timbers (13-4-12)

Previous ranking: 7

Next MLS match: Sept. 18 vs. Red Bulls (10:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

The Timbers axe had no edge against D.C. United on Sunday. Without Brian Fernandez and Sebastian Blanco, Portland couldn't muster enough in the attack to overcome Bill Tuiloma's own goal. Mark that down as a very bad loss.

11. San Jose Earthquakes (13-5-12)

Previous ranking: 6

Next MLS match: Sept. 21 at Atlanta (3:30 p.m. ET)

The Quakes lost at Yankee Stadium, and Matias Almeyda was back on the sidelines. That's great because we then get quotes like this: "It's a great stadium, but it's a small-sided field. It's not real. It stops being realistic before the game even starts."

12. New England Revolution (10-10-10)

Previous ranking: 9

Next MLS match: Sept. 21 vs. Real Salt Lake (7:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

We didn't even know Bruce Arena teams were allowed to be up two goals at halftime and somehow not win. A road point should never be taken for granted, but with a playoff berth on the line, that's a draw that will hurt. The Revs have a record like a gymnastics score -- but not as positive.

13. Real Salt Lake (14-4-12)

Previous ranking: 11

Next MLS match: Sept. 21 at New England (7:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

RSL had one of those weeks that speaks to how tight things are in the West. A win over San Jose? Good! A loss to Minnesota? Not so good! RSL looks like a playoff team, but nothing else can be stated with certainty.

14. Orlando City (9-9-13)

Previous ranking: 17

Next MLS match: Sept. 21 at Houston (8:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

When only a win would do, the Lions go a three-goal performance -- and still managed to only draw. Orlando is the Sisyphean Team of the Year so far: Just when they look like they've reached the top of the hill, the boulder rolls all the way back down.

15. FC Dallas (12-7-11)

Previous ranking: 12

Next MLS match: Sept. 18 at Seattle (10:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

They don't let us post gifs in lieu of words in the Power Rankings. Just imagine that instead of these sentences, you're seeing a famous person making a confused face. FC Dallas everybody!

16. Chicago Fire (9-10-12)

Previous ranking: 19

Next MLS match: Sept. 21 at FC Cincinnati (7:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

Okay, Chicago, we see you. You didn't like our little joke at your expense last week and you decided to take it out on FC Dallas. We guess you do have all the ingredients for a conflagration.

17. Columbus Crew (9-7-15)

Previous ranking: 20

Next MLS match: Sept. 21 at Vancouver (5 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

Not going to lie, we're very confused by what happened in Atlanta. It's like the ghost version of the 2017 Columbus Crew inhabited the body of the current version and beat the champs at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Spooky.

18. Colorado Rapids (10-6-15)

Previous ranking: 15

Next MLS match: Sept. 21 at Sporting Kansas City (8:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

The Rapids were a saved penalty away from keeping Robin Fraser's unbeaten start as manager going against TFC in Toronto. It was never going to be simple for the new boss, and even in a loss there are positives for Colorado.

19. Sporting Kansas City (10-7-13)

Previous ranking: 16

Next MLS match: Sept. 21 vs. Colorado (8:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

Um. Yeah. Peter Vermes, do you want to take this one?

20. New York Red Bulls (12-5-13)

Previous ranking: 18

Next MLS match: Sept. 18 at Portland (10:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

The Red Bulls are on red alert after an ugly defensive performance in Seattle. What this year's entry from New Jersey lacks in assuredness they more than make up for in fragility. Wait, that's not how that's supposed to work ...

21. Vancouver Whitecaps (7-9-15)

Previous ranking: 22

Next MLS match: Sept. 21 vs. Columbus (5 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

The Caps aren't really in any danger of collecting the Wooden Spoon, but Saturday's win was important (sorry, "important") because it kept Marc Dos Santos' team one head of FC Cincinnati in the win column.

22. FC Cincinnati (6-3-21)

Previous ranking: 24

Next MLS match: Sept. 18 vs. Atlanta (7:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

The results are in: Skyline chili is better than poutine.

23. Houston Dynamo (10-4-16)

Previous ranking: 23

Next MLS match: Sept. 21 vs. Orlando (8:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

So much for Zombie Dynamo. Houston lurched back to life in midweek only to fall to the worst team in the Western Conference on Saturday.

24. Montreal Impact (11-4-16)

Previous ranking: 21

Next MLS match: Sept. 21 at LA Galaxy (10:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

Wilmer Cabrera, head coach of the Montreal Impact and a man with at least some say in what happens in Impact games (we think): "Losing against Cincinnati is one of the worst things that can happen to the players." Well then.

Last week was momentous for Somerset's cricketers. Needing a victory to put the pressure on Essex in what is a two-team arm-wrestle race for the title, they hammered Yorkshire by 298 runs, helped in large measure by two outstanding fifties from their skipper, Tom Abell, who batted ten minutes short of seven hours on a surface which some Test players found too taxing.

But that victory over Yorkshire may be viewed as little more than a staging post on a flight to glory should Somerset win the Championship in ten days' time. The prospect is the talk of Taunton - and also a subject which many of the county's supporters are barely able to discuss. Somerset, you see, have been here before.

In 2010 they needed Lancashire to avoid losing three first-innings wickets to Nottinghamshire at Old Trafford. Karl Brown, Mark Chilton and Shivnarine Chanderpaul were duly knocked over in 4.4 overs and the title went to Trent Bridge. "The eternal second" was the headline above Richard Latham's Somerset copy in the 2011 Wisden. Then in 2016 around a thousand supporters gathered at the County Ground, hoping against all cricketing logic that the game between Yorkshire and Middlesex at Lord's might end in a draw or a tie. Middlesex won the match - and the title. Perhaps we can now understand why some folk in Glastonbury or Frome will be torn between wanting to find out what is going on in this week's match at the Rose Bowl and wondering whether a week's retreat with Trappist monks might be a saner option. No one doubts Essex would be worthy champions; they are not the bad guys in this drama. All the same…

One of the most memorable photographs from that Friday afternoon at the County Ground three years ago shows Somerset's skipper, Chris Rogers, "Buck" to almost everybody in the game, looking up at the television as the drama unfolds at Lord's. Rogers had retired from the game the previous evening after making two centuries in the annihilation of Nottinghamshire. Now all he could do was wait. Hardly anyone knew it at the time but Somerset's then-director of cricket, Matthew Maynard, had chosen Rogers' successor. He had settled on Abell, a 23-year-old Taunton boy.

It has proved a wise choice. Abell has the respect of his players and the unconditional love of the county's supporters. His captaincy against Yorkshire last week was assured and suddenly one realised he is now a senior cricketer with perhaps a decade in the professional game ahead of him. But as Abell prepares himself and his team for their vital matches against Hampshire and Essex, it is probably important to recall that two years ago, in his first season at the helm, he was in such poor batting form that he dropped himself from Somerset's team for another match against Yorkshire, at Scarborough. And even more intriguing to discover that Jason Kerr, Somerset's current head coach, told Abell he "enjoyed" the skipper's slump even as he sympathised with his gloom.

"We're very keen at Somerset to develop people as human beings and I'm a fan of people going through adversity," said Kerr. "That year was awful to watch for Somerset supporters and for friends and family of Tom but if you go through something like that you are definitely stronger. It's a determining factor in how you are going to be moving forward.

"I can remember having conversations with Tom at the time when I said: 'Look, you won't appreciate this but I'm actually quite enjoying this happening to you.' You can imagine how he looked at me but I told him he would be a better person and we are all reaping the rewards now. I think we'll see a consistency of performance which will get him higher recognition."

"That year was awful to watch for Somerset supporters and for friends and family of Tom but if you go through something like that you are definitely stronger." Jason Kerr on Tom Abell's batting slump

During 2017 Abell viewed any type of higher recognition as a distant second to justifying his place in Somerset's team and he is now capable of viewing things a little more dispassionately than perhaps he could at the time.

"I guess luck does come into it," he said. "I dropped myself and that's something that had to happen. But circumstances dictated I got back in the side because Adam Hose left and vacated a spot at five. But things could have been very different and I look back with a bit of relief that I managed to come back. It was a pretty tough time and as a captain it was difficult to lead from the front when you weren't worth your place in the side. But I have a great team around me and great team-mates who will always have my back.

"We know there are going to be times when things don't go as smoothly as you would like. I spoke to Andy Hurry during that period and he said it was possibly the best thing that will ever happen to you in your career. It wasn't nice but I've come out the other side."

Abell's emergence from what is becoming a distant gloom has been confirmed in several ways this summer. He has led Somerset to the Royal London One-Day Cup triumph and made a century in the Vitality Blast which revealed a far greater range of shot than he previously possessed. Above all, though, he is a shrewd captain and front-line batsman, who may, just may, lead them to the title So these are heady times as well as momentous ones and you might think it would be useful if Abell had the advice of someone like Rogers to call on. Funny you should ask…

"Buck was fantastic for us," said Abell. "I had a really good relationship with him and certainly learned a lot from him in the year he was here. He helped me as a batter and I still have the few pages that he wrote and gave to me to help me out as a captain. And that was great because I don't think you can fully prepare yourself for what to expect and you can't ask for anything more than to have people like that in your corner. The notes are all about tactics, playing on spinning wickets, making sure you take care of your own game and getting the best out of the team. There were other things - in cricket and outside of cricket."

Getting outside cricket may well be important in the next fortnight even if Somerset and Essex's players have little opportunity to take in a film or play a little golf. It scarcely needs too much imagination to visualise what the County Ground will be like if the title comes to Somerset. Already officials are thinking of hiring Portakabins to accommodate the influx of written media keen to report on the shootout beloved of the tabloids. The usual press box is being used by Sky and the Thatcher's Terrace will be the preserve of TMS. And all this for a game nobody watches…

"We're trying to avoid thinking too far ahead," Abell counselled, "We love it and we're desperate to do something special. You do get a sense of the pride the people of Somerset take in their cricket and we felt that when we won the one-day cup earlier in the year. Taunton is a very special place and we have a special group of supporters. We're also a tight group and we are desperate to win it for each other."

It will also be fair to say that Somerset's players are keen to win the title for Marcus Trescothick, who retires at the end of this season, and for Kerr, a quietly-spoken Boltonian who has made his life in the West Country and has spent most of his career at the County Ground. The coach, himself, of course, having enjoyed Abell's agony, will share in his ecstasy if the title comes to the West Country for the first time.

"I'm a huge fan of Tom and he has my unconditional support," he said. "I think he's an outstanding cricketer and an outstanding leader. I think what we've seen emerge more this year is his deep-rooted belief in himself. The guys follow him and I think we're going to see him go from strength to strength. He took responsibility on a really challenging surface in this game against Yorkshire and batted as if he'd been playing a lot longer than his years suggested. The signs are really good for him."

The BCCI's anti-corruption unit (ACU) is conducting an inquiry into alleged approaches made to several players by suspicious people in the latest edition of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL), a T20 competition conducted by the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA). The ACU launched an inquiry after the players reported the alleged approaches during the tournament.

According to Ajit Singh, head of the ACU, the approaches were reported by the players promptly during the fourth season of the league, played between July 19 and August 15 between eight teams. "It is an inquiry into who has made an approach," Singh told ESPNcricinfo. "The players have told us we have received these messages, so it is not an inquiry against the player."

It is understood that seven to eight players had reported approaches to the ACU.

When asked, Singh said he could not confirm or deny whether any of the players are, or have been, Indian internationals. Saying he did not have an exact number of players who had reported approaches, Singh did confirm that there were at least a handful. "There were messages who is going to bat first in the match, basically seeking (match related) information. We presume it's coming from those who are interested in betting," he elaborated.

Singh, a former Director General of Police in Rajasthan, also said that the ACU had received no information against any of the eight team owners, and the teams are not part of the inquiry as of now. As things stand, the ACU is trying to establish the source of the messages the players had received, which involves tracking telephone numbers.

That information can only be accessed by the police, but under the Indian Penal Code, match fixing is not yet a legal offence. Hence, Singh said, there was no deadline as such, but the ACU will look at all possible angles before wrapping up the inquiry.

Incidentally, this was the first time that the ACU provided cover for TNPL, having supervised the anti-corruption measures last year. In the first three seasons, the TNPL had on board Ravi Sawani, former ICC ACU general manager and BCCI ACU head, to look after the anti-corruption cell. This season, the TNPL had four ACU officers available throughout the tournament, with a few more investigators providing them support.

Singh explained that the ACU conducts a mandatory education programme before any tournament and this was followed at the TNPL this time. Players are expected to report any approach made within 24 hours to the ACU, and Singh said that the education programme had helped make players aware of the way corrupt elements seek match-related information, and how they use it. Also, the programmes have helped develop a rapport between players and ACU officers, who they can contact directly if required.

Later in the evening, the TNCA sent out a press release, stating that the TNPL has a "zero tolerance policy" towards corruption. The release also said that the TNCA has appointed a committee to look into the allegations.

"Having received information of acts that would constitute, if accurate, offences under the regulatory framework of the TNPL, the TNCA had appointed a committee to enquire into the issue and submit a report and until the Committee has been afforded an opportunity to thoroughly examine the allegations and submit their report, the TNCA is unable to make any statements on the specifics of the allegations concerning teams, players or officials."

The TNPL was launched in 2016 by TNCA, the home base of former BCCI president and ICC chairman N Srinivasan. The tournament has been promoted by various high-profile present and former cricketers acting as brand ambassadors: MS Dhoni, Shane Watson, Matthew Hayden, Michael Hussey, Brett Lee, and Ambati Rayudu. The best cricketers from the region have also always been a part of the mix. This year, for example, Dinesh Karthik, R Ashwin, Vijay Shankar, M Vijay, Washington Sundar and Abhinav Mukund were all part of the action. Also, the TNPL has been telecast by Star India, the biggest broadcaster in cricket, which owns rights for ICC global tournaments as well Indian cricket rights and the IPL.

12.52pm GMT: The news story was updated after the TNCA sent a press release

The BCCI has accepted Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik's unconditional apology for violating a clause of his central contract by watching a Caribbean Premier League match from Trinbago Knight Riders' dressing room.

"The BCCI has accepted Dinesh Karthik's apology and the matter is now a closed chapter," a board official told PTI.

As per the central contract, Karthik, who has played 26 Tests, 94 ODIs and 32 T20Is for India, should have taken permission from the BCCI before attending the match. His contract bars him from being associated with any private league.

Karthik is the captain of IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders but being seen in a TKR jersey, while watching the match from the dressing room, prompted the BCCI to issue a show cause notice, asking why his central contract should not be cancelled.

Karthik, in his reply, submitted that he went to Port-of-Spain on KKR's new head coach Brendon McCullum's request and watched the match wearing the TKR jersey on the New Zealander's insistence.

A member of the India women team was allegedly approached to fix matches earlier this year. The alleged incident, which the player reported to the BCCI's anti-corruption unit (ACU), took place in February, ahead of the limited-overs home series against England.

The ACU has registered a first-information report (FIR) with the Bengaluru police against two individuals, Rakesh Bafna and Jitendra Kothari, for the alleged approach. The case has been registered under four sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) including Section 420, which pertains to cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property.

"Today, we have got an FIR registered against two people in Bengaluru," Ajit Singh Shekhawat, who heads the BCCI's ACU, told Sportstar on Monday. "The FIR pertains to an approach that was made to one of the women cricketers of the team. She reported the approach to us and even recorded the conversation she had with one of the accused over the telephone."

According to the Sportstar report, Kothari, claiming to be a sports manager, got in touch with the player last year. In February, when the player was undergoing recovery sessions at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, Kothari put her through to Bafna.

"Kothari was trying to sell himself as the manager of various women cricketers," Shekhawat said. "It was he who introduced Bafna to the player. He approached her to fix matches and play according to the script."

This incident, Shekhawat said, should serve as an eye-opener for women cricketers that they are as vulnerable to corrupt approaches as their male counterparts. "People involved in betting just need any cricket match, for them, it does not matter at what level it is being played," he said. "If a match is telecast, that helps them in betting and that's why they indulge in spot-fixing."

41 - Balls taken by George Munsey to score his century against Netherlands, making it the third-fastest in T20Is. And it was his maiden hundred in international cricket too.

14 - Sixes hit by Munsey - only one man has managed more in a single T20I innings - Hazratullah Zazai.

3 - Munsey and Kyle Coetzer ransacked 200 runs in a mere 91 balls, making it the third-highest partnership in T20Is, for any wicket. It is the highest partnership for any wicket for Scotland.

32 - Munsey walloped four sixes and two fours in Max O'Dowd's first over. Only Yuvraj Singh has made more runs in a single over in T20 internationals.

252 for 3 - Scotland's final total - easily their best in T20Is and the sixth highest overall

More to follow...