New York City police say they are investigating a possible hate crime directed toward Megan Rapinoe after posters featuring the U.S. soccer star were defaced with derogatory slurs.

Police said the vandalism, which was discovered inside the Bryant Park subway station in midtown Manhattan on Monday, was being investigated by the New York Police Department's Hate Crime Task Force.

The posters have since been scrubbed clean. Rapinoe, who is gay, has been an outspoken advocate for gender equity and LGBTQ inclusion.

The U.S. women's national team was honored with a ticker tape parade Wednesday up New York City's Canyon of Heroes for winning the World Cup.

After the parade, Rapinoe urged Americans to "love more" and "hate less."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The 2019 Major League Soccer is cruising towards the halfway point and the annual All-Star Game, so what better time to see how the players are feeling about soccer in the U.S. and much, much more.

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As has become a tradition at ESPN, we asked MLS players during preseason and the early weeks of the 2019 campaign for their thoughts about some hot-button issues in the sport, collecting their answers for our fifth edition of MLS Confidential. This year, we went a step further: how do they spend time away from the pitch? What do they like to eat? Are they movie fans or do they prefer binge-watching TV shows? Which kits are their faves, and which teams do they hate going to play the most?

For the first time, all 24 MLS teams -- and 128 players -- put up responses as we compile the most comprehensive and colorful edition yet. Also of note: the illustrations are representations of the answers we received as all players provided answers on the condition of anonymity.

Previous editions: 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015

Let's get into it.

DOWNTIME: How they relax away from the field

Being a pro athlete means you're constantly in the spotlight when you're at work, doing your job, but how do the stars of MLS spend their time when they're not on the clock?

1. How do you unwind after a win?

Drinks: 26 percent
Go home/hang with family: 24 percent
Celebrate with teammates/go out on the town: 24 percent
Go for a nice dinner: 16 percent
Relax/sleep/recover: 10 percent

What the players said:

"I usually can't sleep much [after a game] so I chill with my dog and watch some TV."

"I celebrate at home with my family: my kids really help put it all in perspective."

"Probably just go out and have a few drinks with teammates. Nothing crazy."

2. Do you have a secret twitter account?

No: 92 percent
Yes: 3 percent
No comment: 2 percent
Don't use Twitter: 2 percent
I used to: >1 percent
Secret account elsewhere (e.g. Instagram): >1 percent

What the players said:

"Nope. I tweet what I want."

"I used to. We used to have them in the USL so we could tweet out funny observations, not to argue with anyone."

"Twitter, no, but Instagram, yes. It's just for friends."

"No. I don't need that. I'm pretty secure with who I am."

3. Date night or Netflix and Chill?

What the players said:

"Players are always inside chilling so it's nice to go out."

"Date night because when you become a dad, they are so rare."

"Netflix. Going out is expensive. I'm a low-key guy, it fits my personality."

"Netflix. It's more relaxing. Me and my fiancé can just hang out on the couch."

4. Fortnite or FIFA?

FIFA: 63 percent
Fortnite: 29 percent
Neither/no video games: 5 percent
Other game: 3 percent

What the players said:

"FIFA. I played Fortnite once and I died in about two seconds."

"Fortnite because I'm doing too much soccer already."

"FIFA. Fortnite is overrated."

"Fortnite because of the banter with the guys."

WORK MATTERS: MLS players on MLS

It's gameday. That means focus, preparation and execution. How do the players get ready for the big game? How do they celebrate after a big win? Which road trips do they dread as soon as they see the schedule? And how does this generation feel about the revamped playoff format -- which boasts single-elimination games hosted by the higher seeds instead of a two-legged process -- and the age-old question of whether U.S. soccer can handle promotion and relegation?

1. Which away game do you dread the most, and why?

New England: 23 percent
Houston: 12 percent
Columbus: 11 percent
Real Salt Lake: 7 percent
Orlando: 5 percent
Kansas City: 4 percent
San Jose: 4 percent
Dallas: 4 percent
Montreal: 4 percent
Vancouver: 4 percent
New York (Red Bulls or NYCFC): 4 percent
Minnesota: 3 percent
Toronto: 3 percent
LA (Galaxy or LAFC): 3 percent
Don't have one/love all road games: 3 percent
Seattle: 2 percent
Colorado: 2 percent
Philadelphia: >1 percent
Atlanta: >1 percent

What the players said:

"The cross-country flights are pretty tough, but New England is the worst. The hotel is right next to the stadium and there's nothing else to do around there. The fans aren't the best, the field isn't the best. Just the whole package I guess."

"Columbus, dull city and black and grey all the time."

"Houston: it's a long trip, always hot there and downtown is a ghost town on weekends."

"NYCFC: Small pitch, not many fans, long ride to the stadium from the city."

"New England. Terrible turf. Tom Brady world. Trader Joes and Bass Pro Shops."

"RSL/Utah, because it wouldn't be a place I'd like to live. A friend living out here said it's boring unless you are really into the outdoors."

2. What are your pregame rituals or superstitions?

None/not really: 43 percent
Same meals/routines: 18 percent
Same clothing and/or same pattern of getting dressed: 17 percent
Same music: 8 percent
Too many to note: 6 percent
Other: 8 percent

What the players said:

"I always listen to the same two songs before I take the headphones off and shut the phone off. I have smaller ones too. After the team picture on the field I always come over to the equipment guy and get a sip of water, then sprint towards the fans to acknowledge them and then come back to the huddle. It's always the same. [What two songs?] 'Congratulations' and 'Goosebumps.'"

"None. I learned early on that if you start doing that, you'll go crazy trying to remember everything. I do walk with my right foot on the pitch first, but that's more out of habit."

"I'm not too superstitious. I like to keep with my routine but it's a loose routine. So as long as I'm doing the things around my routine, like my pregame meal at a certain time, if I can get some pasta before a game, but I'm not superstitious."

"I watch the same YouTube video before every game. Eden Hazard, the dribbling machine."

"If I score, I'll eat the exact same stuff and at the same time have coffee. If I don't score, I'll change it up."

"If we lose a game or I played poorly, I won't wear the same kit and socks again."

3. Who has the best kit in MLS?

LAFC: 26 percent
Atlanta: 16 percent
Sporting KC: 13 percent
Seattle: 11 percent
FC Cincinnati: 6 percent
Orlando: 5 percent
Vancouver: 5 percent
NYCFC: 5 percent
Portland: 4 percent
New York Red Bulls: 2 percent
LA Galaxy: 2 percent
Chicago: 2 percent
Montreal: 2 percent
Real Salt Lake: >1 percent
Chicago: >1 percent
DC United: >1 percent
Minnesota: >1 percent
Toronto FC: >1 percent

What the players said:

"Seattle. The black and pink is nice and tight."

"LAFC. I like the bad boy look. They always look like the bad boys of LA, like the Raiders used to."

"Atlanta. They are sharp: can't go wrong with black and red."

"Atlanta, because I was there to help put that star on."

"Sporting KC. They always have something nice and clean."

"Love Orlando's all-purple kits."

"Cincinnati. I like the orange and blue. I think it's a good combo."

LAFC. I've always liked their jerseys. Simple and they have an impact."

4. New playoff format: love it or hate it?

Love it: 68 percent
Meh/don't care: 23 percent
Hate it: 9 percent

What the players said:

"Love it. I just feel like that the best teams over the course of the season should be rewarded with a one-off game at home in front of their fans. It also eliminates a lot of travel. I like the advantage for the higher-seeded team."

"There are positives and negatives. It makes for long offseason. If you go to MLS Cup final, you still get proper time to rest. If you don't make the playoffs, it might be too long. I don't want to be off the field for that long."

"I don't like it. I think that home and away is important so when you cut that short, I don't think you're going to get the best team necessarily winning."

"Like it. It speeds up the process and you need just four good games to win the championship. It gives opportunity to a team that wouldn't necessarily have a chance."

5. Would you like to see promotion/relegation in MLS?

What the players said:

"No. I just don't think it's feasible. I don't think an MLS team that gets relegated will be supported the way it needs to be supported. I think that the fan base isn't strong enough yet and ownership will lose too much money. I also don't think a USL team that comes up will be able to compete without spending a ton of money."

"It would never work. There's no infrastructure within the lower leagues. I think there's MLS teams that are still figuring things out, and it would just demolish the league entirely."

"If there are enough solid teams, yes. If we can get to 30 teams that average 15 thousand and above, 100 percent. But I wouldn't want to have 5,000 fans a game. I did it in Norway in the second division and those games are no fun to play in."

"No: It's too early for that in my opinion. I just think we can't afford to have a team like Atlanta or Seattle or Portland, a big market team, get relegated and then have a team like Orange County come up. It would be ridiculous to play in front 200 people at Orange County's USL stadium."

"No. I don't think U.S. Soccer is stable enough with the lower-level teams. I think if you look at how the USL played out last year, if a team like Red Bulls 2 won it, then you'd have an academy league playing in MLS."

"I just think the competition within the league and the Supporters' Shield race as the season winds down, some teams just tend to throw in the towel. And if there's promotion/relegation, the quality of games is still going to be high all the way through."

"Yes, 100 percent. I feel like it brings a lot more pressure. The competition will propel the sport even further in this country and the development. I think soccer should be more like the rest of the world in this country."

POP CULTURE: A look at their own fandom

Athletes have faves of their own, you know. Which musicians, movies and TV shows do they enjoy, especially when trying to relax or while traveling to a road game?

1. Who's your favorite superhero

Batman: 28 percent
Superman: 19 percent
Spider-Man: 15 percent
Thor: 5 percent
Hulk: 5 percent
Iron Man: 5 percent
OTHER (receiving 1 vote): 5 percent
The Flash: 5 percent
Black Panther: 3 percent
Captain America: 3 percent
Wolverine: 3 percent
Power Rangers: >1 percent
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: >1 percent
Deadpool: >1 percent
My parents: >1 percent

What the players said:

"My Dad. He's done everything for me."

"Batman. He's the most realistic of superheroes. He's got the human element to him."

"I'm kind of into the Thor movies. I like watching him walk around and just whack people with his hammer."

"As a kid I really liked the Flash, but his movies are trash so I don't know if I like him anymore. I'm gonna go with the Flash."

"Iron Man. I like his house and that he's big on technology. I love all the gadgets he has."

"Captain America because it's one of the nicknames I used to have. I even have a tattoo."

"Spider-Man. I grew up with his comics. My dad read me his comics. He's young, relatable and makes mistakes."

2. Which TV show are you binging?

Game of Thrones: 28 percent
The Office: 11 percent
Friends: 5 percent
Ozark: 5 percent
Don't watch much TV: 5 percent
Stranger Things: 2 percent
The Wire: 2 percent
Suits: 2 percent
Other (shows receiving one vote each): 40 percent

What the players said:

"I could watch the 'Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' and 'Martin' all day long and not get tired of them."

"'Game of Thrones.' I'm into the ancient times and dragons. It's pretty dope the way they put everything together."

"'Game of Thrones.' It has everything: drama, betrayal, violence."

"'The Office.' It's funny, it's realistic. The humor is so subtle that every time you watch it you catch something new."

"'Ozark.' The suspense always leaves you wanting to know what happens next."

3. Who do you prefer: Kanye West or Drake?

What the players said:

"Drake. With Kanye, you never know what's gonna come out of his mouth."

"Kanye just because he's a better rapper. He's a better MC. Better lyrics. Drake is one of the best musicians of this century but Kanye could rap circles around Drake."

"Drake. He just makes better music. Right now he's untouchable. His worst song is Kanye's best song."

"Drake. Kanye is an idiot right now. I really don't like his ideas."

"Drake. I like old Kanye but new Kanye has me with mixed feelings."

"Drake, easy. Kanye's losing his mind."

FOOD: How the pros eat

Food is fuel for athletes but it's also something to be enjoyed after practice, at the holidays or during the offseason.

1. You've got one meal today: Burgers or tacos?

Burgers: 58 percent
Tacos: 40 percent
Both: 2 percent

What the players said:

"What's not to like about a good burger?"

"Good tacos, I should stress. Street tacos."

"It's a tie between American burgers and straight Mexican street tacos."

"I grew up in SoCal so I'm all about tacos. Carne asada is good."

"Being from Cali, Mexican food is a staple for me."

"Burgers. Tacos are too soggy."

"If I had to eat only one the rest of my life, I would go tacos."

2. What's your favorite cheat meal?

What the players said:

"Pizza. I'm from New York and it's just my go-to if I'm going to eat like crap."

"Something with peanut butter. Peanut butter is amazing."

"Chocolate runs through my veins."

"I have a sweet tooth. S'mores. Make 'em in the house myself, love 'em."

3. What's your go-to food before the game?

Chicken/carbs/veggies: 54 percent
Pasta: 18 percent
Fish/carbs/veggies: 11 percent
Chicken parmesan sandwich: 5 percent
PB&J sandwich: 4 percent
Eggs: 4 percent
Soup: 3 percent
Anything/no preference: >1 percent

There has not been a player like Kylian Mbappe -- at least, not since the turn of the decade.

According to TruMedia data, which goes back to the 2010-11 season, Mbappe's 33 Ligue 1 goals last season were the most of any player age 20 or under in Europe's big five leagues in that time period. When they were in the same age bracket, Lionel Messi topped out at 14 goals, while Cristiano Ronaldo never got above nine.

More recently, Romelu Lukaku's 2012-13 season with West Bromwich Albion and Kai Havertz with Bayer Leverkusen this past year are tied for second behind Mbappe, with 17. So, among goalscorers in his age bracket, Mbappe is nearly 100 percent better than anyone else, but his impact goes beyond goals and, indeed, his age bracket.

After registering eight assists in 2017-18, he had seven more last year; in terms of attacking production -- defined as "non-penalty goals plus assists per 90 minutes" -- there is him (1.50) and Messi (1.49) and then there is everyone else (with 1.04, Dries Mertens was the only other player above 1 NPG+A per 90). Sure, it's easier to score in France than in Spain or England, but Mbappe also produced at an elite level (1.16 NPG+A per 90) in the Champions League.

Mbappe, then, is a singular prospect and one of the two best attackers in the world. Moreover, he does not turn 21 until Dec. 20. If he stays healthy, it is easy to imagine a world in which he improves further and spends at least the next 10 years at the top of the game. Even if he does not get any better, his place atop the hierarchy is secure.

Given all that, he is by far the most valuable player out there. Transfermarkt pegs his market value at €200 million, while the CIES Football Observatory's algorithm lists it at €252m. Whatever the exact number, were Mbappe to switch teams -- and with Paris Saint-Germain in a perpetual state of flux, who knows! -- it seems likely that a buyer would at least have to come close to breaking the world transfer record to acquire him.

But what if the middleman was cut out? Mbappe's contract expires at the end of the 2021-22 season; if he ran it down, he could negotiate with teams of his choosing, play them against each other, then sign a deal with no transfer fee attached. He would only be 23 years old, so prospective employers would likely be paying for his entire prime. The scenario probably will not happen, but imagine if it did, in a global sport with no salary cap? The bidding war would be unlike anything seen before.

From an American-sports perspective, the development of the soccer labor market in Europe is difficult to comprehend. In the middle of the 20th century, clubs could allow contracts to expire, while retaining control of players' rights. Affected individuals needed permission to leave and if clubs refused, they could essentially prevent the player from moving to another team... while also not paying him.

That situation was eventually struck down in court -- how could it not be? -- with teams at least required to pay those they were not allowing to leave. However, they would still get a transfer fee if an out-of-contract player wanted to move on.

In 1995, Belgian midfielder Jean-Marc Bosman challenged the structure when his club, RFC Liege, cut his wages by 75 percent after his contract expired and refused to allow him to leave. The European Court of Justice ruled in Bosman's favor -- again, how could they not? -- and players were suddenly allowed to go wherever they wanted, without a transfer fee, once their deals ran out.

Despite fears of a world with constant player movement and disappearing transfer-fee revenue, not much changed at the top of the game. Juventus have made free agents like Andrea Pirlo and Aaron Ramsey a team-building priority, but most players move with a fee attached that gets split among agents and the clubs said player has previously represented.

"Whilst no transfer fee is being paid, Juventus are still paying significant salaries," said Daniel Geey, a sports lawyer and author of "Done Deal: An Insider's Guide to Football Contracts, Multi-Million Pound Transfers and Premier League Big Business." "The positive side is that the club may make huge transfer profit if they sell a player they signed on a free transfer. Conversely, not many other clubs could afford such salaries should they want to sign such players in the future, due to the additional transfer cost having to be factored in to any transfer."

Although it is called a "free" transfer, the term is misleading. When Juventus signed midfielder Emre Can last summer, they paid out €16m in fees. As that approach shows, players who enter the open market and sign contracts without a fee attached will typically make more money than when a multi-million-dollar sum essentially buys the right to pay that player a salary. However, despite the option of individually customized insurance policies that protect against injury and minimize risk, most are not willing to run down their deals.

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Part of it has to do with the strange function of agents. In American sports, it is in their best interests to get clients the best deals because they will get a percentage of it. In soccer, agents often serve as intermediaries between clubs and players. While they can get commissions from clubs when their players move outside the market, most get them as a chunk of transfer fees.

According to UEFA, the average commission is 12.6 percent, though it can be higher: Paul Pogba's agent, Mino Raiola, reportedly earned £24m on his player's £89m move from Juventus to Manchester United in 2016. However, according to Stefan Szymanski, a sports economist and a co-author of "Soccernomics," the market exists in its current form because it is what the clubs want.

"What's really happening here is that because of the transfer system, the economic rents that are generated by players' services are being distributed amongst the clubs," Szymanski told me. "And whenever that happens, you get middlemen who come in. That's who the agents are. They facilitate the transaction. They're a manifestation of the problem in some ways, but they're not the source of the problem."

There is only one Mbappe. Way beyond his level, almost 75 percent of the global soccer-playing workforce makes less than $4,000 a month, according to a 2016 FIFPro report, the worldwide players' union. The average playing career, according to the Professional Footballers' Association in England, lasts eight years.

Those players are not in a position to go against the institutional inertia; they cannot afford to refuse a transfer or run down their deals because their clubs can just make them go train with the youth team or reserves and then they lose a year in what is already likely to be a short career. On top of that, if a lost season comes at the wrong time, it could also mean that a player doesn't get selected by his national team for the World Cup or a continental competition.

There are other ways players can exert control. Eden Hazard gained leverage by running his contract down to its final year, and Chelsea ultimately decided to sell him to Real Madrid, rather than risk losing him for nothing.

Outside Spain, where every contract is legally required to include a buyout clause, players could start negotiating automatic release clauses into their deals, which would allow them to enter into personal negotiations if a given club meets the asking price. But in both cases, players are still likely to earn less than they would on the open market.

Unlike the NFL or NBA, there is no collective bargaining agreement among players and the leagues, in part because there are so many professional teams and players scattered across the world, in different countries with different labor laws. When the current transfer regulations were agreed upon in 2001, it was a deal between the European Commission and FIFA, not FIFPro.

For various structural reasons, soccer players will likely never have the kind of negotiating power exercised in the NBA during the most recent free-agency period.

"There's a handful of stars who basically are the NBA. If those handful of stars decide to leave and form their own league, the NBA would more or less drop dead," Szymanski said. "Global soccer is a different proposition. It's hundreds of clubs with incredibly strong loyalties, most of whom would survive a mass walkout by the top hundred players."

Individual players are more important in a sport with five players rather than 11, and thanks to their historical importance as societal institutions, most soccer fans still identify with clubs ahead of players. Perhaps a high-profile star like Mbappe hitting the open market would start to shift the balance.

Or maybe someone else could try it even sooner: David De Gea, Christian Eriksen and Timo Werner, for example, have one year left on their contracts...

For the longest time - the first day if you like - it did look like New Zealand had fallen behind and India had the edge in their World Cup semi-final at Old Trafford. It turned out that the 239 for 8 they got was 18 runs too many for India, a target that Ross Taylor said his team were quietly confident about. "We thought 240 was a target that we wanted to get to, and be very competitive," he said.

It was a tricky pitch to bat on right through the 99.3 overs of action, with only Ravindra Jadeja getting the better of the conditions in his 59-ball 77.

"We fell a little bit short (of 240) and we knew we needed early wickets and the way the two opening bowlers set the tone, 240 looked a long way away," Taylor told newspersons after New Zealand had made the World Cup final for the second edition in a row. "We all knew in ourselves that we deserved to be here and we wanted to … not to prove anyone wrong, but to prove it to ourselves that we were good enough.

Watch on Hotstar (India only): Ross Taylor's crucial innings of 74

"We were quietly confident, I think. When our backs are against the ball, quite often we have played our best. We talked about that, we have nothing to lose, just go out there and sum up the situation. We have obviously got quite a few level heads, from playing the semi-final and winning at home [in 2015]. We trusted ourselves, we trusted ourselves yesterday - strange to play over two days - but we got the right result."

With rain pushing the semi-final into the reserve day, a lot of focus was on Taylor, who came into the match on the back of middling form in the tournament. He looked scratchy during his innings in the semi-final too, but he hung in, and was on 67 not out when play was called off on Tuesday. He carried on to 74 and New Zealand got from 211 for 5 to 239 for 8.

"Hopefully that's a bit of luck that he takes from his fielding to his batting and maybe he can have a bit of luck and make the most of it" Ross Taylor on Martin Guptill

"I woke up at 3 o'clock this morning, wondering how I was going to bat these last 23 balls. I texted my wife at about five saying I still can't go to bed. She said, 'Oh dear.' So I just turned my phone off because there were a lot of messages from back home. So in terms of my sleep, I had terrible sleep," Taylor said with a laugh. "But my main focus, everyone kept saying, 'come on, get to 250', my mind set was to get to 240, as Kane and I discussed yesterday. I get to go to sleep now, though."

Once New Zealand had got their competitive total, the bowlers took over. In 3.1 overs, India were 5 for 3, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul all back in the hut. Man of the match Matt Henry picked up two of the wickets and Trent Boult accounted for Kohli, with the umpire's lbw decision upheld despite an India review.

"Starting up with the ball, we just wanted to put as much pressure on the opposition as we can. And yeah, to nudge him [Kohli] in the pads and see the finger go up, yeah, it was pretty exciting," Boult said. "But obviously you're always nervous if the decision goes upstairs. So it was good to see the bails just falling off. It was good fun.

"I don't want to say I am a magician against the best player in the world, but yeah, it was nice to see everything line up and I think we saw them at 3 for 6 [5] at one stage. So yeah, we bowled extremely well, it was good pressure from both ends, and it was nice to come out on the right side."

From 5 for 3, India got to 24 for 4 and then 71 for 5 and 92 for 6 before MS Dhoni and Jadeja added 116 for the seventh wicket, Jadeja, especially, taking the fight to the opposition - he hit four of the six sixes hit in the entire match.

"We know for a fact that if we can get sides three down inside the first ten, and put pressure on the middle order, it's going to be challenging for anyone," Boult said. "It was about keeping it simple and nice to put a bit of pressure on those guys. I thought they absorbed it very nicely to get into a position to need 25 [31] off a couple of overs. The end was … it was a great game, great fun, we're in another final, and we can't wait."

The moment that turned a fast-swinging game decisively in New Zealand's favour was Martin Guptill's direct hit to run Dhoni out in the 49th over. With Bhuvneshwar Kumar at the other end, Dhoni wanted to keep the strike and took on Guptill, who threw down the stumps from around the 30-yard circle after running in from the deep. The wicketkeeper had chased after the ball, so it had to be a direct hit, and it was. It was a spot of redemption for Guptill, who has had a horror run with the bat at the World Cup. After hitting 73 not out against Sri Lanka in New Zealand's first game, he has totalled just 94 runs in eight innings.

"He is down on confidence, we talked about it after he missed out yesterday, and this morning, he was going to go out there do something brilliant," Taylor said. "Jimmy Neesham's catch [to send back Dinesh Karthik off Henry] was fantastic, and Dhoni has won from that situation many times. Once we did break that partnership - Jadeja and Dhoni - we weren't still out of the woods yet, but once we got Dhoni… Brilliant run out, no keeper, if the keeper had been there, he [Dhoni] would have been safe by the time he took the bails off.

"But to have the confidence to do that, in a semi-final... hopefully that's a bit of luck that he takes from his fielding to his batting and maybe he can have a bit of luck and make the most of it.

"Cricket's about small margins. When we came in to the huddle, the boys were joking that Gup always misses the stumps. When there's a run out on, he always missed the stumps," Taylor smiled. "All those misses over the years, he only hits when there's nothing to worry about, but he did it now, and we celebrated accordingly and we're very happy for him."

Lewis Gregory, the Somerset allrounder, will captain the England Lions in their four-day game against Australia A which starts at Canterbury this Sunday.

Gregory, who was called into England's first ODI squad after the 2015 World Cup but did not make the final XI in the one-off game against Ireland, is the leading wicket-taker among Division One seamers this year, with 44 wickets at 13.88 in his eight games.

He has some captaincy experience, having skippered England's under-19s back in 2011, and will again lead Somerset in their upcoming Vitality Blast campaign after taking over from Jim Allenby last year.

Gregory is realistically an outside bet for Ashes selection given England's catalogue of seam-bowling allrounders, but can hope to force his way into their T20I plans ahead of this winter's tours to New Zealand and South Africa.

There are also late call-ups for Sam Curran and Sam Hain.

Curran, who has taken 18 wickets in his four Championship games for Surrey since returning from the IPL, replaces Saqib Mahmood, after the Lancashire fast bowler suffered an abdominal problem during their game at Northampton this week.

Hain's call-up comes immediately after his twin hundreds for Warwickshire secured a draw against Hampshire. He is included after Ben Duckett's groin injury in Nottinghamshire's defeat at Somerset.

Jack Leach, Ben Foakes, and Curran are the three Test players in the squad, and all will look to press cases for Ashes selection.

Australia A warmed up for this game with a ten-wicket thrashing of Sussex at Arundel, in which both openers - Marcus Harris and Joe Burns - made centuries. Both men are in contention to open the batting with David Warner this summer.

England Lions: Lewis Gregory (captain), Jack Leach (both Somerset), Sam Hain, Dom Sibley (both Warwickshire), Sam Curran, Ben Foakes (both Surrey), Sam Northeast (Hampshire), Jamie Porter (Essex), Zak Crawley (Kent), James Bracey (Gloucestershire), Ollie Robinson (Sussex).

"Baffling."

That was the word former India captain Sunil Gavaskar used to express his disappointment with the Indian team management's decisions ahead of, and during, their World Cup 2019 campaign. India had topped the league stage of the tournament, but lost by 18 runs against fourth-placed New Zealand in a thrilling semi-final.

Matt Henry and Trent Boult had reduced India to 5 for 3 in their chase of 240, but there was some surprise about MS Dhoni's batting position, with the most experienced member of the team coming in at No.7, with all of Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik and Hardik Pandya sent in ahead of Dhoni.

Dhoni didn't walk out even when India became 24 for 4 in 10 overs, with Jimmy Neesham taking a spectacular one-handed catch to send back Karthik. The general expectation was that the situation was ideal for Dhoni's experience and calm, but it was Pandya who came out to join Pant.

Both young players put their heads down in a 47-run stand for the fifth wicket, playing with confidence and composure. However, Pant went for the slog-sweep against Mitchell Santner, with the bowler having built up pressure through tight bowling, and was caught at deep midwicket. Pandya was out to a similar shot, as the asking rate mounted.

Gavaskar felt that Dhoni should have been the one to join Pant when the fourth wicket fell, since he could have settled any nerves that Pant, as a rookie, might have felt.

"At that stage (24 for 4) you did not need two players playing in the same mould," Gavaskar told Star Sports on Thursday, the day after India's defeat. "Both (Pant and Pandya) are attacking players. It could have been an MS Dhoni coming in at this stage and talking to Rishabh every second delivery.

"He would have assessed from the non-striker's end what exactly Rishabh Pant is feeling: is he getting a little impatient? You have sent two people whose natural game is to go bang-bang, and at that stage, with the ball doing all kinds of things and the pressure being there, four wickets gone - you wanted somebody to hang in there. That was baffling."

"The Indian public is entitled to answers. It is not the selection committee's decision. It is the team management... At the moment what we are seeing didn't work out, so we need to know." Sunil Gavaskar

When India's captain Virat Kohli was asked why Dhoni walked in at No. 7, the lowest he has batted in the tournament, he said the role Dhoni had been given some games into the tournament was to be there at the end. "Well, he's been given that role after the first few games of being in a situation where he can, if the situation's bad, control one end, like he did today," Kohli said. "Or if there is a scenario where there are six or seven overs left, he can go and strike."

Gavaskar pointed to Ambati Rayudu as one batsman who would have had the ability and experience to handle the situation following the top order collapse. Rayudu had been on the list of standbys for India's World Cup squad, but wasn't called up despite two men being rendered unavailable through injuries, following which he announced his retirement from all cricket.

Rayudu had batted 14 times at No.4 since his return to the Indian ODI squad last year in the Asia Cup, but he wasn't called up to the team, with Pant flown in when Shikhar Dhawan was ruled out and Mayank Agarwal included when Vijay Shankar had to exit.

"Let's face, there have been a lot of baffling decisions over the last couple of years. Ambati Rayudu for example - he should have been brought here," Gavaskar said. "Why and how can you explain to me you bring in a Mayank Agarwal? He hasn't played a single ODI as yet. He just came before the Sri Lanka game, the last league game, (so) you want to him to make his debut in a semifinals or a final in case a slot was open? Why not bring in an Ambati Rayudu, who is your standby? Very disappointing to see what happened yesterday."

VVS Laxman, too, was critical of the selectors and the Indian team management for preferring Vijay Shankar over Rayudu in the original squad. "Yes, Vijay Shankar can contribute with the ball (too), but what about the experience the Indian middle order required?" Laxman said. "Who is that batsman at No. 4? It has been musical chairs: 13 players have been tried and tested, but they have not been given enough opportunities. In a semi-final ultimately, those kind of decisions will affect the team, which it did."

Gavaskar said the Indian fans deserved answers to some of the rationale behind the decision-making. "Last year you say we found our No. 4," he said, referring to when Kohli had anointed Rayudu as the man to fill that spot. "So what happens to that No. 4? He is now left out of the original squad. Then when you have the opportunity when Vijay Shankar gets unfortunately injured, you bring somebody else in. This is something nobody can understand. The Indian public is entitled to answers - what is the thinking behind this (selections).

"It is not the selection committee's decision. It is the team management which has been asking these things. We are not saying you are wrong but at the moment what we are seeing didn't work out, so we need to know."

Gavaskar said even someone like Ajinkya Rahane could have been an option at No.4, given his sound technique. Rahane had been tried at that position earlier, but was dropped, and Gavaskar felt the batsman was given confusing messages.

"You have tried Ajinkya Rahane. He was your middle order batsman for such a long time. Suddenly you are only going to consider him as an opening batsman because in the middle overs he is not a finisher, he does not take runs, whatever, whatever excuses we heard," Gavaskar said.

"In those conditions in Manchester, what did you need? Somebody with technique. Somebody who could have been around to see that period off and then eventually leave the field open for a Hardik Pandya or even a MS Dhoni."

England (Roy 85) beat Australia 223 (Smith 85, Woakes 3-20) by eight wickets

How does that old song go again? Thirty years of hurt? Make that 44 and counting (and contrary to the lyrics, England's cricketers certainly gave up dreaming for at least 20 of those). But suddenly it's all up for grabs. On home soil, with the wind behind their backs and the fates screaming in their favour. Is it coming home this time? If you don't believe it now, you truly never will.

One thing is for sure. New Zealand await in the World Cup final at Lord's on Sunday, where for the first time since Sri Lanka at Lahore in 1996, a brand-new team is sure to be crowned as champions. But after the jitters and the wobbles, the niggles and the doubts, today was the day when England banished the angst and restored the roar that had carried the side to the top of the world ODI rankings.

Put simply, Australia are not meant to suffer beatings this comprehensive in World Cup knock-out matches. They had not lost any of their previous seven visits to the semi-finals, and yet a massive 107 deliveries still remained when victory, fittingly, was sealed with a swipe over long-on from England's captain, Eoin Morgan, the man in whose image this team has been remoulded since the misery of 2015.

After adapting their gung-ho attitudes to haul themselves into the last four, this was a throwback performance of a more recent genre from England, on a day that had dawned fraught with the sort of anticipation not truly witnessed in an England v Australia contest since that seismic Ashes Test at Edgbaston in 2005. Then as now, England knew they had their opponents' measure after a generation of subjugation, but the weight of history isn't something that can be cast off at a whim.

Or so we might have assumed. Instead, England tapped into the same mindset that had crushed Australia 5-0 in their bilateral series a mere 12 months ago, and produced a performance that had far more in common with that 481-run pasting at Trent Bridge than the rather timid, confused surrender at Lord's a fortnight ago that had left their tournament in such jeopardy.

Ferocity was England's watchword from the outset, and with ball and bat alike. Not even the loss of an apparently crucial toss could unhinge them, as Chris Woakes and Jofra Archer contrived in the space of 16 balls to blow away Australia's totemic openers, Aaron Finch and David Warner, before Adil Rashid produced the spell of his tournament to undermine a doughty fightback from Steve Smith and Alex Carey, who batted on gamely after a savage blow to the chin from Archer had left him bleeding profusely and requiring stitches.

And thereafter it was over to Jason Roy - the man of England's tournament, whatever the final may bring - who climbed into a sub-par target of 224 with a hugely intelligent blend of caution and mounting arrogance. He and Jonny Bairstow displayed the wisdom gleaned from earlier tournament hiccups to see off a briefly threatening Mitchell Starc, but retained the right to flog allcomers with impunity wherever their lines strayed from the straight and narrow.

At the end of the Powerplay, England were 50 for 0 and cruising, and Roy began to turn on the afterburners. Nathan Lyon, a scourge of English batsman in Ashes battles gone by, was pumped for six first-ball as he entered the fray for the 11th over. And when Australia, in desperation, tossed the ball to Smith in a bid for any sort of a breakthrough, Roy responded with three consecutive sixes - the third of which, into the fourth tier of the new stand, was surely the largest on this ground since Andrew Flintoff's iconic smoking of Brett Lee into what was then a building site during that 2005 Test.

Only accident or injury seemed capable of dampening England's day, and both did briefly flare up - first when Bairstow had to receive treatment after tweaking his groin while turning for a second run. He was never quite as fluent again before falling lbw to Starc for 34 - a dismissal which, in using up England's review, had a major bearing on the second flashpoint of England's chase.

On 85, Roy climbed into a pull at a bouncer from Pat Cummins - and was left utterly bewildered as umpire Kumar Dharmasena first began to single a wide, but then rather apologetically raised his finger, seemingly swayed at the last second by the vehemence of Australia's appeals. Roy signalled for the review, was reminded he had none left, and then launched into an apoplectic rant that betrayed the enormity of the task still at hand.

A demerit point or two may await Roy for his wrath, although it is not thought that his place in the final will be at jeopardy - but nor was it in his absence from the crease either, as Joe Root - with typical gap-finding aplomb - and Morgan - with mounting confidence in spite of a few more awkward moments against the short ball - eased England over the line in an unbroken stand of 79.

England have endured some absolute towellings in the 27 years since they last set foot in a World Cup final, from Faisalabad 1996 to Colombo 2011 to Wellington 2015. But this was a performance that deserves to resonate in a similar manner.

Australia were ahead in the contest for, at best, a solitary delivery, when David Warner - pumped to the gunwales with adrenalin but eerily calm as the boos rang around him - leaned effortlessly into a first-ball loosener from Chris Woakes and stroked a cover-driven four that evoked memories of Phil DeFreitas to Michael Slater at the Gabba in 1994-95 - a four that allegedly lost the Ashes there and then.

But England, to their credit, adapted collectively and quickly. They'd been guilty, in the group-stage defeat at Lord's, of bowling too short when the conditions had favoured swing. But Woakes hauled himself back half a yard to join the dots for the rest of the over, and hand the baton to Jofra Archer, for a rather more effective first-baller.

After making 496 runs in first seven World Cup innings, Finch's campaign has now finished with scores of 8, 3, 0 - the first time in his ODI career that he's collected three consecutive single-figure scores - and what a time to do it. There was always a suspicion that he'd be susceptible to the one that shaped back into his pads, but Archer utterly nailed his length, a perfect jag-backer that would have crashed into middle and leg, and a review burnt as well.

Watch on Hotstar: Jason Roy's belligerent innings of 85

Warner wasn't about to be cowed. An extraordinary belligerent launch over Woakes' head for another four confirmed he was still pumped for the contest. But Woakes' response was emphatic and brilliant. Back of a length, leaping into the splice, a proper Test-match dismissal as Bairstow second slip clung onto a flyer.

It might have been two in two for Woakes, as Peter Handscomb - nervy and shuffling - was pinned on the crease and survived a reviewed lbw only on umpire's call. But instead Woakes bagged him 11 balls later, bowled off a tentative inside-edge after a World Cup debut to forget.

Inevitably, Australia found the resolve to dig their way back into the game, as Smith - with his fourth half-century in as many World Cup knock-out appearances - found an ally in Carey, whose entire head required swaddling to cope with the gash in his chin after Archer's vicious lifter.

The pair had just begun to cause England's fans a few jitters with a fourth-wicket stand of 103 when Rashid - his shoulder clearly bothering him all tournament - produced the impactful over for which his captain had been priming him for pretty much the past four years. If Carey's dismissal was careless, a loose swipe to cow corner where James Vince was lurking on the rope, then Marcus Stoinis' was brilliant - the biggest ripping googly of Rashid's World Cup to date, the perfect welcoming gift for a batsman who played hopelessly down the wrong line to be pinned on off stump for a second-ball duck.

Smith, again, redoubled his efforts, but his support cast was found wanting. Glenn Maxwell was suckered by a genius knuckleball from Archer, a few 20kph of pace lost with no discernible change of action as Morgan collected a lob in the covers, before Cummins poked another googly to slip. And when Smith himself was run out by an extraordinary shy that wriggled through a gap in his groin and beat him to the crease, the resistance was as good as over. Seventeen overs of the Jason and Jonny show later, there was truly no recourse.

And now it's off to Lord's where - with the respect that is due to Kane Williamson and Co. after their own stage-seizing performance against India - England will stride into the contest with the swagger of a side that has already ripped the crown clean off the defeated king's head. And if that sort of attitude happens to be exactly the type that will play into their unsung opponents' hands, then so be it. It is hard to see how England could possibly take a backwards step after this sort of statement victory.

The first appearance by the England men's cricket team in a World Cup final since 1992 will be shown on free-to-air TV in the UK. Sky and Channel 4 announced an agreement to share live coverage following England's victory over Australia at Edgbaston.

The subject of the World Cup's visibility has been much discussed, with the tournament being broadcast behind a paywall in its host country. However, Sky had previously indicated it would be willing to share the feed if England beat Australia in their semi-final at Edgbaston.

Sunday's final at Lord's will also be broadcast free-to-air on Prime TV in New Zealand. Kane Williamson's side shocked India in the first semi-final, which was concluded on Wednesday after rain forced the game into a reserve day.

Channel 4 has been showing highlights of the competition in the UK, and will now broadcast the final - while managing to also fit in coverage of the Formula One British Grand Prix. Cricket coverage will begin at 9am BST on Channel 4, move to More 4 at 1.15pm while the Grand Prix is on, and then return after the race is over.

England's last appearance in the cricket World Cup final came in 1992, when they lost to Pakistan. They have never won the tournament but were one of the favourites this time around having risen to the No. 1 ODI ranking under Eoin Morgan's captaincy.

"This is fantastic news for cricket fans and the nation," Channel 4 CEO Alex Mahon said. "This Sunday is a massive day for British sport with England tantalisingly close to lifting the Cricket World Cup for the first time and Lewis Hamilton setting his sights on his seventh season win at Silverstone - all live on Channel 4.

"The big winners of this strong partnership between Channel 4 and Sky are sports fans and viewers who want to come together for these big sporting occasions."

Cricket has largely been absent from free-to-air TV in the UK since 2005, with some blaming the ECB's decision to sell the rights to Sky for recent declines in participation.

"England in the Final on home soil is a huge moment for sport in this country and we are proud to be the host broadcaster," Sky UK and Ireland Chief Executive Stephen van Rooyen said. "Thanks to our strong relationship with Channel 4, we are partnering to make the game available to everyone, so the whole country can get behind England, and be part of a special national sporting event."

As well as showing the game on its sports channels, Sky will broadcast the World Cup final on Sky One.

Running back Melvin Gordon has informed the Los Angeles Chargers that unless he receives a new contract, he will not report to training camp and he will demand a trade, his agent Fletcher Smith told ESPN.

Smith said he and Gordon did not want to go this route, but because of the lack of progress in negotiations and the offers the Chargers made this offseason, they felt it necessary to voice their displeasure in an effort to reach a more satisfying outcome, whether with a new contract or a trade.

Gordon, 26, is scheduled to be heading into the last year of his contract, a fifth-year option worth $5.6 million.

Other top running backs -- Todd Gurley, David Johnson, Le'Veon Bell -- recently have received new deals, and Gordon wants to be the next one added to that illustrious list. He is unwilling to take a Chargers offer that does not put him near the salaries of those top running backs.

Gordon has been voted to two Pro Bowls and rushed for an average of 5.1 yards per carry and recorded 14 total touchdowns in 2018. He also averaged 114.6 scrimmage yards per game last season, the best by any Chargers player since LaDainian Tomlinson (121.8 in 2007), according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Gordon skipped most of the offseason but attended mandatory minicamp. Last month he said, "I don't know" when asked if he would report to training camp without a new deal. The Chargers have solid depth at running back behind Gordon in Austin Ekeler, Justin Jackson and Detrez Newsome and went 4-0 last season when Gordon missed time with a knee injury.

Unless the two sides can resolve their differences before the Chargers' training camp, slated to open July 24 in Costa Mesa, California, this will be a contentious issue that shadows the team, much as the Chargers had to deal with an unsigned Joey Bosa in the summer of 2016.

Smith said Gordon is dug in and discouraged with the lack of progress in the talks.

ESPN's Eric D. Williams contributed to this report.

New York City police say they are investigating a possible hate crime directed toward Megan Rapinoe after posters featuring the U.S. soccer star were defaced with derogatory slurs.

Police said the vandalism, which was discovered inside the Bryant Park subway station in midtown Manhattan on Monday, was being investigated by the New York Police Department's Hate Crime Task Force.

The posters have since been scrubbed clean. Rapinoe, who is gay, has been an outspoken advocate for gender equity and LGBTQ inclusion.

The U.S. women's national team was honored with a ticker tape parade Wednesday up New York City's Canyon of Heroes for winning the World Cup.

After the parade, Rapinoe urged Americans to "love more" and "hate less."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.