U.S. youth international and Hannover 96 forward Sebastian Soto has been contacted by Chile manager Reinaldo Rueda, with an eye towards the striker playing for La Roja, according to a source with knowledge of the approach.

Soto, 19, is eligible to represent three countries -- Chile through his father, Mexico through his mother, and the U.S. because it's the country of his birth. He has represented the U.S. at U19 and U20 level, and scored four goals for the Americans at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup last spring when his team reached the quarterfinals.

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If Soto were to play for a country other than the U.S. at international level, he would have to file a one-time switch. The source added that Soto hasn't yet been approached by Mexico.

Prior to the U20 World Cup, Soto said that he was leaving his options open in terms of what country he will ultimately represent.

"I haven't been put in a position yet to where I have to make a decision with the senior national team," Soto told ESPN FC in May. "That's kind of where we're at, that I haven't had to make a decision yet."

At club level, Soto has had to be patient so far this season. While he's made the match-day squad in all three of Hannover's games, he logged just four minutes in the season opener against Stuttgart.

Hannover, now competing in the 2. Bundesliga after last season's relegation, has scored just two goals -- including one own goal -- and was shut out by Karlsruher SC in the DFB Pokal last weekend.

With Soto's current contract expiring after this season, Hannover and the player were attempting to reach an agreement on a new deal, but couldn't agree on the contract's length.

Hannover wanted a three-year contract while Soto desired a two-year deal. A source with knowledge of the negotiations said that all talks have been shelved as a consequence.

Soto can sign a pre-contract with another club as soon as this January, assuming he and Hannover do not reach an agreement before then.

The end of the summer doldrums -- and the closing of the secondary transfer window for international players -- is upon us, and with it, the start of the MLS stretch run can commence. Per usual, no team is really out of the playoff hunt until the math says so, and with seven teams from each conference making the postseason -- c'mon MLS, that's too many! -- the math is even more forgiving than usual.

Home-field advantage is a different story, as it actually means something this time around given the new single-elimination format, so this is one instance where regular-season placing will create more urgency than in years past.

With two months to go in the regular season, here's how the playoff race is shaking out.

The runaway favorite

LAFC | 1st in West | 55 points
Next MLS match: Aug. 17 at Real Salt Lake
(10 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

With 10 games to go, Bob Bradley & Co. have a whopping 10-point lead in the race for the Supporters' Shield. Their attack looks unstoppable, with the records for most goals and most points well within reach. If LAFC have a weakness, it's that they have shown an odd inability to manage games well: Sunday's game against the New York Red Bulls, when LAFC blew an early two-goal lead only to recover for a 4-2 win, was the latest example. Then again, Zlatan Ibrahimovic's hoodoo over LAFC is well-documented.

If the planets align, he could be LAFC's postseason kryptonite. That said, LAFC remain the heavy favorites to win a Shield/MLS Cup double.

Poised for a deep run

Atlanta United | 2nd in East | 42 points
Next MLS match: Aug. 18 at Portland, 10 p.m. ET

There's been something of a "woe is me" vibe emanating from Mercedes-Benz Stadium for most of the season, whether about the new coach, change of tactics or new players struggling to adapt. Except now the Five Stripes appear to be hitting their stride. Pity Martinez is beginning to look like the player Atlanta thought it was getting, and the 3-4-3 formation Frank de Boer has been using looks a keeper. And, oh yeah, Atlanta is now just three points back of first-place Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference with a game in hand.

It's true that Atlanta recently lost a 4-3 barnburner to LAFC, but that matchup would make for an epic MLS Cup final. Wednesday's 3-2 Campeones Cup win over Club America also bodes well.

Philadelphia Union | 1st in East | 45 points
Next MLS match: Aug. 17 at Chicago
(8 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

Every week the expectation is that the Union will suddenly revert to their historical type and begin dropping points. After five months, it ain't happening.

The Union are the classic "greater than the sum of their parts" team. They don't appear to have a go-to striker but Kacper Przybylko has 11 goals, and the rest have been spread out to the extent that Philadelphia has the best attack outside of LAFC. The defense has been a tad suspect at times, but overall this is a team with fantastic balance, especially with the midfield containing Haris Medunjanin, Alejandro Bedoya and Marco Fabian.

Can cause some upsets in October

New England Revolution | 6th in East | 34 points
Next MLS match: Aug. 17 at Red Bulls
(7 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

They looked dead and buried until Bruce Arena arrived and completely altered the trajectory of the Revs' season. The addition of Gustavo Bou has helped galvanize an attack that already had some pretty good pieces in Carles Gil and Cristian Penilla. Arena's decision to go with a 3-5-2 hints that there are still some question marks in defense, but regardless, New England looks set to make the postseason.

Minnesota United | 2nd in West | 41 points
Next MLS match: Aug. 17 vs. Orlando
(8 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

The Loons have enjoyed a substantial turnaround. That's what happens when you sign well (Ozzie Alonso, Jan Gregus, Romain Metanire, Vito Mannone), trade well (Ike Opara) and draft well (Mason Toye, Chase Gasper, Hassani Dotson). The team of 10,000 wingers could stand to get a bit more production from out wide, but the first playoff spot in team history is there to be claimed.

San Jose Earthquakes | 6th in West | 38 points
Next MLS match: Aug. 17 at Sporting KC
(8:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

This is more of a season-long assessment for the Quakes, with Matias Almeyda working wonders at Avaya Stadium. But San Jose has dropped points the past two weeks against teams below it in the overall standings. The center of defense still looks to be a question mark, and the schedule down the stretch is tilted more toward road matches, where the Quakes have not impressed.

Almeyda's system has flummoxed opponents. Is the league beginning to adjust? Will the Quakes run out of gas? Or can gold-plated acquisition Cristian Espinoza lead San Jose to the postseason promised land?

Portland Timbers | 7th in West | 37 points
Next MLS match: Aug. 18 vs. Atlanta

A really home-heavy schedule, with just one more away game this season, bodes well for the Timbers' playoff chances. So does the play of BrianFernandez, who has torn it up to the tune of 10 goals in just 12 league appearances. But teams are beginning to adjust and taking away the spaces in behind that Fernandez loves. Playing Jeremy Ebobisse as a central striker could be the key to providing enough attacking variety to keep Fernandez among the goals.

New York City FC | 4th in East | 38 points
Next MLS match: Aug. 17 at FC Cincinnati
(7:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

New York City has some dynamic attacking pieces, with Maxi Moralez in particular feeding the likes of Heber and Valentin Castellanos. Only LAFC and Atlanta United have conceded fewer goals. So why hasn't this team done better? Maybe it's just a function of time. NYCFC have been making up for an 0-5-1 start, so there's that. If it can manage to snag a home playoff game or two, New York will be mighty tough to beat in the straitjacketed confines of Yankee Stadium.

Real Salt Lake | 4th in West | 40 points
Next MLS match: Aug. 17 vs. LAFC
(10 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

RSL have claimed 20 points of a possible 27 in their past nine matches, but the firing of manager Mike Petke, for a post-game tirade against officials on July 24 that reportedly included multiple anti-gay slurs, has put the team in turmoil. Freddy Juarez claimed two wins and a draw filling in for Petke. He won again on Wednesday against Seattle. Now the team is his. Sam Johnson recently returned from a quad injury, and if he gets back to top form (and he scored on Wednesday), he could be the deciding factor.

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Mystery-box teams

D.C. United | 3rd in East | 39 points
Next MLS match: Aug. 17 at Vancouver
(10 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

Yes, the Black-and-Red are third in the Eastern Conference, but there's a "breaking us in two" feel to what's going on at Audi Field. Wayne Rooney is leaving after the season. Luciano Acosta is likely to follow. Sure, DCU could reprise their form from a year ago, but they've shown little sign of that this season. Maybe last weekend's win over the Galaxy will allow them to kick on and make a deep playoff run.

LA Galaxy | 3rd in West | 40 points
Next MLS match: Aug. 17 vs. Seattle
(10 p.m. ET, watch live on ESPN2)

Speaking of the Galaxy, this side remains difficult to figure out. They've gotten reinforcements in every part of the field, yet remain dependent on Zlatan Ibrahimovic and are oddly frail in the back. They're the only Western Conference team in the playoff places that have a negative goal difference. The hope is that Cristian Pavon will be the attacking force everyone expects, but Jonathan dos Santos will be just as important.

New York Red Bulls | 5th in East | 37 points
Next MLS match: Aug. 17 vs. New England
(7 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

The Red Bulls are a gambler's nightmare and never make it easy on their fans, either. They're not the only one -- this is MLS after all -- but one week they're grinding out a 1-0 win at Orlando, the next they're losing 3-2 at home to Columbus. It feels like a team in transition, too. Tyler Adams is gone and Bradley Wright-Phillips hasn't just lost a step, he's lost his starting spot to Brian White. The Red Bulls have talent and pushed LAFC to the limit last weekend, so they look a solid bet to reach the postseason. But it's tough to imagine they'll get too far.

On the bubble

Seattle Sounders | 5th in West | 39 points
Next MLS match: Aug. 17 vs. LA Galaxy
(10 p.m. ET, watch live on ESPN2)

This team has endured more than its fair share of adversity. Some of it was self-inflicted, like the departure of midfielder Ozzie Alonso. But the forced retirement of Chad Marshall, injuries to the likes of Will Bruin and international absences have cut deep. The Sounders have persevered, but are now fading. One point in three matches has seen them drop to fifth place in the West. With Nicolas Lodeiro in the side, anything is possible. That said, a tough stretch run that sees them play eight of nine against teams in the playoff places means things won't get any easier.

FC Dallas | 8th in West | 36 points
Next MLS match: Aug. 17 at Montreal
(7:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

Take a young, talented team and a first-year coach in Luchi Gonzalez and Dallas is about where one might expect: one point out of the last playoff spot in the Western Conference. The sale of Carlos Gruezo may yet come back to haunt FCD, especially in terms of the team's balance. Gonzalez is either left trying to play Bryan Acosta as the lone holding midfielder, which leaves Dallas vulnerable defensively, or teaming Acosta with Brandon Servania and stilting the attack.

Chicago Fire | 10th in East | 30 points
Next MLS match: Aug. 17 vs. Philadelphia
(8 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

The Fire have been an enigma all season in that they've played good soccer. Only LAFC have a better mark in terms of expected goal differential. And yet this team has continually found ways to lose. Now two wins in a row have them just three points off the final playoff place in the Eastern Conference. The next two games (home to Philadelphia and away to New England) will prove critical to the Fire's postseason hopes.

Orlando City | 8th in East | 33 points
Next MLS match: Aug. 17 at Minnesota
(8 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

The Lions have somehow managed to hang around and now they're level on points with Montreal and Toronto for the seventh and final spot in the East. The defense has been much improved, Nani has been as advertised with eight goals and preseason pickup Tesho Akindele has been sneaky good with nine tallies. A tough four-game swing that includes games against Minnesota, Atlanta, San Jose and LAFC will decide matters.

Fading from contention

Toronto FC | 9th in East | 33 points
Next MLS match: Aug. 17 at Columbus
(7:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

Toronto is another team that seemed to get the reinforcements it needed with Alejandro Pozuelo, Omar Gonzalez, Erickson Gallardo and Nicolas Benezet, but TFC haven't yet put it all together on the field. The Reds have looked vulnerable in transition and BMO Field isn't near the fortress that it once was. Should Toronto miss the postseason for the second year running, it's tough to see how manager Greg Vanney survives even after winning a domestic treble in 2017.

Montreal Impact | 7th in East | 33 points
Next MLS match: Aug. 17 vs. FC Dallas
(7:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

Montreal is seventh in the East but hanging on by its fingernails, having lost six of seven. Ignacio Piatti's return from injury lasted all of three games before suffering an adductor injury last weekend that will shelve him for another two games. There is hope, however, for the Impact in that six of their last eight games are at home. The addition of Bojan Krkic could provide a spark as well, but that's asking a lot of a midseason addition, even one as talented as the Barcelona product.

Need a miracle

Houston Dynamo | 9th in West | 30 points
Next MLS match: Aug. 17 vs. Colorado
(9 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

Perhaps there are limits to a low-budget approach but now it is Wilmer Cabrera who has taken the fall, getting fired after Houston lost 10 of its past 12 games, with just 14 goals scored in that span. Christian Ramirez has been brought into bolster the strike corps, but is there now enough room for Alberth Elis? Last weekend there wasn't, at least from the start. There are some winnable games down the stretch against the likes of Colorado, Orlando and Vancouver, but it likely won't be enough to make the postseason.

Sporting Kansas City | 10th in West | 28 points
Next MLS match: Aug. 17 vs. San Jose
(8:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

Some idiot picked Sporting Kansas City to win the Supporters' Shield. OK, it was me. But even if one's predictions weren't that optimistic, SKC's fall has been borderline shocking. Peter Vermes will push his group to the end, but it's past time for fans to begin thinking about next season.

Columbus Crew | 11th in East | 26 points
Next MLS match: Aug. 17 vs. Toronto
(7:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

Perhaps all the off-field turmoil last year finally caught up with the Crew, at least in terms of restocking the side during the offseason. Certainly Columbus couldn't solve its scoring issues. Injuries to Milton Valenzuela and Federico Higuain, the departure of goalkeeper Zack Steffen and a passel of international call-ups didn't help either. The introduction of new GM Tim Bezbatchenko and manager Caleb Porter was bound to have some hiccups as well. The roster rebuild is underway, with five new players already on board, but it likely won't be enough to salvage this season.

Season's Over

Colorado Rapids | 11th in West | 26 points
Next MLS match: Aug. 17 at Houston
(9 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

Who says games at the beginning of the season don't matter? The Rapids' record under Conor Casey is 7-6-3, which makes you wonder if the team is that much better now or was that bad when it started 0-7-2 under Anthony Hudson. Regardless, Colorado is playing for next year.

Vancouver Whitecaps | 12th in West | 24 points
Next MLS match: Aug. 17 v. D.C. United
(10 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

Count me among those who thought Marc Dos Santos would get more out of this Whitecaps team than he has, although to be fair, the talent deficit is immense. The attack will require (another) revamp. More telling, the organization is still looking to hire a head of player recruitment, which is long overdue.

FC Cincinnati | 12th in East | 18 points

Next MLS match: Aug. 17 v. New York City FC
(7:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+)

FCC have already done both the triage and the major surgery by hiring a GM (which they should have done from the start) as well as a new coach. Both GM Gerard Nijkamp and manager Ron Jans will need to be quick studies in terms of what works in MLS. Then again, they can't do any worse than what took place before.

The Premier League season is just 90 minutes old for each of the top flight's 20 clubs. Hopes and dreams remain alive for all of them, regardless of any defeats on the opening weekend, but the cold, harsh reality is that Matchday 2 could turn out to be a defining moment of the campaign.

Quite simply, if Manchester City beat Tottenham at the Etihad on Saturday evening, the challenge facing the chasing pack in terms of catching Pep Guardiola's champions will only become much more difficult.

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No team has beaten City in any competition since Spurs secured a 1-0 victory in last season's Champions League quarterfinal first-leg at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium. Guardiola's men have won all nine of their competitive games (the Community Shield is not classed as a competitive fixture by the English FA) since that defeat on April 9, including home victories against Spurs both in the Champions League and Premier League, and already sit atop the table on goal differential having won 5-0 at West Ham last Saturday. Since losing 2-1 at Newcastle on Jan. 29, City have played 15 Premier League games and won every single one of them.

Spurs, at least, showed they know how to beat City during that Champions League win, which paved the way for an away goals victory following a frenetic second leg. That said, if they can't repeat that feat on Saturday, there is a real possibility that the champions could have disappeared over the horizon by the time they visit Anfield to face Liverpool in the most-eagerly-awaited fixture of the season on Nov. 9.

The record for successive Premier League wins, which City set by winning 18 on the bounce in 2017-18, is already under threat and could be equalled when City host Brighton on Aug 31. After facing Spurs this weekend, City embark on a run of nine league games against opponents from outside the so-called "Big Six," so they could obliterate their own record of 18 straight wins and raise the bar to an impossibly high level.

And if City are on 25 successive league wins by the time they visit Anfield -- is it really that difficult to imagine? -- will the title race already be over bar the shouting?

While City plot their route through a fixture list that sees them face Tottenham, Bournemouth, Brighton, Norwich, Watford, Everton, Wolves, Crystal Palace, Aston Villa and Southampton before they travel to Anfield, last season's runners-up Liverpool -- the team regarded by most as the only likely challengers to City this term -- face home games against Arsenal and Spurs, plus away trips to Chelsea and Manchester United.

Maybe this season will prove to be like a 400-metre race, with City breaking clear down the back straight before Liverpool close the gap once the stagger unwinds in the second half of the season. But there is a danger that the Premier League fixture computer may have distorted the title race before it has even begun by handing City such a comfortable start to the campaign.

For Liverpool to keep pace, they must overcome all of their other top-six rivals by maintaining the incredible form that saw them amass 97 points -- and lose just once in the league -- only to finish second to City by a point last season (even if ESPN's Luck Index suggests the margin should have been wider).

Liverpool powered out of the blocks by beating Norwich 4-1 on the opening weekend, but City still ended Matchday 1 ahead of Jurgen Klopp's team following the rout of West Ham. With the fixtures that lie in front of them over the next three months, Liverpool might not get this close to Guardiola's men again.

So when it comes to keeping the title race as compelling as it was last season, the rest of the Premier League will be desperate for Spurs to halt City's winning run this weekend.

Newcastle showed last season that, on a bad day, City can be beaten even by the struggling teams, but they have not displayed too many signs of suffering an off-day since that defeat at St James' Park. Maybe Bournemouth, Brighton or Norwich can repeat Newcastle's success, but really, Spurs are likely to be the only credible threat to City over 90 minutes in the league until they travel to Anfield in November.

In other words, City look likely to serenely bank win after win after win in the coming weeks as they pursue a third successive title. Mauricio Pochettino and Spurs are the one major roadblock standing in their way. Can they find a way to knock City off course at the Etihad on Saturday?

If there was any doubt as to the high standards Australia's cricketers were holding themselves to on this Ashes tour, a blunt reminder came in the form of Nathan Lyon's critique of day one of play at Lord's following a washout on the Wednesday.

While Lyon was glowing in his praise of Josh Hazlewood's return to the team, and also Pat Cummins' aggressive use of the bouncer in the afternoon, he indicated that the overall performance was short of expectations despite bowling England out for 258 and peeling 30 of those runs off for the loss of David Warner by the close.

Lyon, who in claiming three wickets of his own drew level with Dennis Lillee on 355 Test wickets for Australia, reckoned that the dropping of three catches ad also allowing England to form a pair of pesky stands between Joe Denly and Rory Burns then Chris Woakes and Johnny Bairstow undid much of Hazlewood's precision work with the Dukes ball.

"If you look at today I don't think we've had the best day if I'm being brutally honest," Lyon said. "I think Josh Hazlewood was absolutely exceptional and the spell from Pat Cummins after tea really set the tone for us. For our standards I don't think we were good enough for long periods of time.

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"But in saying that it's still a good day for Australia, we've won the toss, we've created more than 10 chances, we haven't played catch today. We can get better, and that's exciting but we still were able to bowl England out for 258 on a day one wicket. There's still a lot of work to do, we're happy with the day but we know there's a lot of improvement to be done."

Asked to explain where he thought he day went wrong, Lyon felt that the period in between Hazlewood's early work and Cummins' short pitched assault was a little too generous to the hosts. "I think we can always keep learning about the game, but the Dukes balls tend to go a little bit soft and the wicket's quite slow as well, which makes ... I think the quicks nicked about six and they bounced a good metre in front of our slips," he said. "That's generally a sign of the pace in the wicket and how soft the ball is if the nicks aren't carrying.

"It's one of those ones where the short bowling is used as a tactic, and we saw it in the [2013-14] Ashes when Michael Clarke was captain. They're totally different wickets but I thought the way Tim and Pat and others came to a plan and I think the way Josh stuck to his nagging length was exceptional.

"We're playing Test cricket, playing against the best players in the world, there's going to be partnerships here and there, that's where it comes back to us bowlers hanging int here and doing the basics for long periods of time. I don't think we did that well enough for Australian standards, our standards we have in our bowling cartel, and in that change room. It's a positive sign we can get better."

As for Hazlewood, Lyon indicated that his fellow New South Welshman had plenty more days like this one, where he nipped out England's first three wickets and troubled everyone, lay ahead. "I think Josh has been a world-class bowler for a long period of time and I don't think he's got the rewards that he's deserved as yet," Lyon said. "I think they're to come. In my eyes Josh is up in the top three best bowlers in test cricket in my personal eyes. I think his control of hitting that nagging length but having the skill to go both ways in and out.

"Then he's got a pretty strong bouncer as well and it's always usually on the money. I think Josh has been outstanding, I know he was disappointed to be left out of the first Test but to come back and bowl the way he did today, hats off to Josh, I thought he was the pick of our bowlers."

Southern Vipers 132 for 8 (Taylor 51) tied with Lancashire Thunder 132 for 7

Southern Vipers and Lancashire Thunder produced a thrilling tie under the Hove lights in the Kia Super League.

On a slow pitch Thunder's 132 for 7 didn't look enough but by the seventh over of their reply Vipers had slumped to 24 for 4. Stafanie Taylor and Maia Bouchier appeared to be taking Vipers to victory but the game seemed to swing back Lancashire's way again in the 19th over when Taylor was bowled sweeping Sophie Ecclestone, who then ran out Bouchier for 40 with a direct hit on the turn.

Vipers needed 12 off the final over and were back in control when Amanda-Jade Wellington struck the first two balls from Emma Lamb to the boundary only to be stumped off the next. Tash Farrant scrambled two off the fourth delivery but was bowled attempting a reverse-hit off the fifth. Carla Rudd could only manage a single off the final ball to leave the scores level.

Skipper Kate Cross had made the breakthrough in the second over when Danni Wyatt feathered an edge to the wicketkeeper before Suzie Bates played on to Ecclestone in the next over. Thea Brookes mistimed a drive to mid-off to give Cross a second wicket and Lancashire appeared to be in control when Tammy Beaumont squirted a delivery well outside off stump from Emma Lamb to point in the seventh over.

But player of the match Taylor, who had earlier taken 2 for 23, and Bouchier turned things around in a terrific stand of 94 in 12 overs which got Vipers' target down to 15 off 12. Taylor took her aggregate in four innings to 173 runs as she hit Sophia Dunkley for two sixes and also struck four boundaries in 51 from 43 balls

Having won the toss Thunder found themselves in early trouble when they lost openers Tahlia McGrath and Sune Luus in the first two overs. McGrath steered Farrant's third ball to backward point and Luus was run out by Wyatt's accurate throw from deep mid-wicket as she came back for a second.

Skipper Beaumont mixed up her bowlers effectively and Vipers were in control when New Zealand leg-spinner Wellington came on in the seventh over to pick up two wickets and reduce Thunder to 28 for 4. A promising start by Dunkley ended when she drilled a return catch back to the bowler and Georgie Boyce played across a quicker delivery to fall for a two-ball duck.

Thunder fought back through Harmanpreet Kaur and Lamb, who shared 62 in seven overs for the fifth wicket and played with increasing confidence. Harmanpreet appeared to be moving through the gears when she drove Taylor over extra cover for six and hit the next ball for four but she was caught on the mid-wicket boundary for 34 off the next delivery. Lamb fell for 29 off 24 balls in the next over when she became Wellington's third victim.

Thunder were 94 for 7 in the 16th but Cross and Ecclestone put on 38 for the seventh wicket and they proved to be crucial runs.

In case you haven't noticed, England's Test batting line-up is in an absolute maelstrom. You used at least to be able to rely on it for perversity - for the top half to sink without trace (not much change there then, admittedly…) before that gloriously stacked lower-middle order would come rampaging into the breach, blades whirring like vengeful ninjas as they boshed and hacked their way out of a hole to achieve something north of 300 and place their side firmly in the contest.

But right now, the components of this England team don't seem to know where to bat, let alone how to bat in the Test format. An auto-completed innings on some late-1990s cricket captaincy simulator couldn't have generated a more random route to England's eventual 258 in 77.1 overs - a few fits here, a few starts there, a collapse, a recovery, a fade. It might prove competitive. It probably won't.

Either way, it left an awful lot of opportunity squandered, on a day when Nathan Lyon admitted that Australia had not been at their best. For, with the honourable exception of Rory Burns at the top of the order - whose latest display of Test-calibre yakka did owe a considerable amount to a terrible drop in the gully on 16 - there was arguably not a single other member of England's 11 who was batting in his optimal position, and it showed in the final analysis.

Jason Roy - too high! Joe Root - too high! Joe Denly - Too low! Jos Buttler - Too high! Ben Stokes - too low! Jonny Bairstow - too low! And so the spiel goes on, right down to the retention at No. 11 of a man who made 92 on his last visit to Lord's. If England's innings had been an episode of Play Your Cards Right, then Bruce Forsyth's catchphrase "didn't they do well?" would have been a bare-faced lie.

Take that period, in the early afternoon, when a typically even-paced (okay, flat…) Lord's pitch had lost any suspicion of venom under gently breezy blue skies, and Burns and Denly were chugging along with suspicious ease, at a perfectly acceptable rate of 2.9 an over, in a 66-run third-wicket stand.

It was the sort of passage of play that ought, by rights, to have caused Tim Paine's brow to furrow just a touch, as he considered the possibility that his decision to bowl first might have been a little bit impetuous. But, of course, by then Roy and Root - two of the men best equipped to take advantage of such conditions - had already been chopped down before they could get going.

Now, you shouldn't be surprised to suffer a few early casualties in a Test innings, especially when Josh Hazlewood is bearing down on you like a sweaty-toothed attack hound unleashed from a summer in purgatory. But seeing as the primary virtues displayed by both Denly and Burns were caution, judgement and a straight bat at the point of impact (irrespective of where Burns may have waved it before the ball was released), it seems strange not to have deployed both when survival against the new ball was the primary aim.

And moreover, if Denly really does have a future in this England Test team, then surely he needs to be that man to bite the bullet, and front up alongside Burns and revert to a role that he has played for Kent in the past (and on far more occasions that Roy has ever done). If he soaks up some new-ball overs, job done. If he gets out cheaply, then at least he's not a more prized scalp. Either that, or England need to start to accept that their quest for a reliable opening partnership is a simple case of damage limitation, and that Leach should be handed the nightwatchman role on a permanent basis. Harsh though it sounds, the same principles apply in both cases.

Instead, England have opted to expose a batsman of proven international pedigree in the one-day game, not least against Australia, against whom he averages 49.64 in 17 ODIs, including an England-record score of 180 at the MCG in 2018, but who is finding the transition to red-ball cricket as problematic as Hazlewood himself predicted on the eve of the series.

According to CricViz, Roy's false-shot percentage is 28.7 percent, the second-highest among all batsmen in the past 12 months - and though Burns is lurking fifth on that list, at 21.1 percent, his game is at least built to factor in the inevitability of new-ball hardship. Roy's hand hands and pro-active mindset, by contrast, appear to be inviting more trouble than his talents can currently compute.

As for Root, his reluctance to hunker down at No. 3 doesn't even qualify as an open secret - he now averages less than 40 there in 43 innings, compared to 48.00 at No. 4 in 60. But he took one for the team in this series because there were no better alternatives, and his scalping against the new ball, pinned lbw by one that Hazlewood jagged back up the slope, was a classic example of why he'd prefer not to be exposed so early in a Test innings.

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And the upshot was, that even at 92 for 2 half an hour after lunch, Australia knew that England were just one wicket from sinking into genuine peril, given that what remained of their counterattacking middle order was now pre-programmed to be trapped in two minds. Enter Buttler, exit Buttler - a man looking more frazzled by his role in England's World Cup glory than perhaps any other player, and that's saying something. If there was a silver lining to England's four-wicket capitulation in the third hour of the day, it was that Bairstow at the very least was reacquainted with the middle of his bat, after one of the most extraordinary collapses in Test form imaginable.

Do you remember the days when Bairstow was without question England's most accomplished Test batsman behind Root? At times in the past 12 months, you wonder if he remembers it either, but there it is - plain as day in his career record: 1470 runs at 58.80 for the calendar year in 2016, with four centuries including a career-best 167 not out on this ground against Sri Lanka.

The discussion back then was whether Bairstow had it in him to become a genuine Test batsman, rather than a Gilchristian counterpunching No.7 … but as we all know, his preference has always been for the security that comes with his dual role of wicketkeeper, even it if means pinning him squarely to the lower-middle order, with all the jeopardy that that entails.

His hard-earned half-century was at least the beginnings of a typical Bairstow riposte to criticism, though seeing as it began at 136 for 5 (soon 138 for 6), it never had enough road to develop into a full-blown screw-you-all performance. But either way, his form in the intervening period had been nothing less than shocking - eight single-figure scores in his previous ten on home soil, with a best of 18 and five ducks to boot.

In such circumstances, allowing yourself to be typecast as a not-really batsman looks nothing like an insurance policy, more an invitation to be dropped. But that is rather the problem all the way up and down the order at present. Not really is as good as it is getting at present. And it's not looking like being good enough to withstand an Australia team with as singular a focus as they've displayed on these shores in a generation.

Rory Burns believes that Jofra Archer will be looking forward to dishing out some of the medicine that he and his fellow tailenders received on the first day of action at Lord's, after being welcomed to Test cricket by a fiery onslaught from Pat Cummins.

Archer, who cranked his pace up past 92mph in a promising but wicketless six-over burst before stumps, was on the receiving end from ball one of his Test career, as Cummins went short with ten of his eleven deliveries, before finally having him caught off a leading edge in the gully for 12.

And he was not alone in being peppered by a pumped-up Cummins, with Burns himself taking two blows in the space of three deliveries before fencing another lifter in his subsequent over to short leg, where Cameron Bancroft clung onto a brilliant one-handed take.

"It's always nice to get into a little bit of a scrap," said Burns. "Obviously he got two to hit the same spot, which was nice, but I was just trying to getting amongst it and tough it out."

Burns added that he had been warned from the very start of his innings what was in store for him, but put that down to the fact that, with 197 runs from 472 balls in the series to date, Australia are starting to think about ways to extract him from the crease.

"I've obviously batted a few balls so far in this Test series, so they're looking at different ways of getting me out," he said. "I think Nathan Lyon ran past me this morning and mentioned it within about three balls, so I was well versed in what I was looking at, and prepared for what I was getting. But it's just a good battle isn't it?"

Asked if Archer was looking forward to getting thrown the ball when Cummins comes into bat tomorrow, Burns replied: "Yeah, I'd have thought so. He copped a fair few as well so he's probably looking forward to getting his own back.

"It's quite an obvious tactic, what they're doing, so the boys are preparing for it. And luckily we can dish out some of our own in this game as well. We've got some boys in our armoury that do the same things, so it should be pretty interesting."

Lyon, who claimed not to remember his early warning to Burns, admitted that he too was bound to be in Archer's sights, and joked that it wasn't a prospect that he entirely relished.

"Mate, I can't bat, so what do you reckon?" he said. "I'm a No.10, No.11 batter, and I average 10.

"It's a world-class bowling attack. It's Jofra's first Test, but he's a world-class bowler. We all know that. You know that. the world knows that. [Stuart] Broad, the same thing. Yeah, of course, it's going to be challenging.

"But it's Test cricket. That's why we play it, and for me personally, I want to challenge myself against the best players in the world. And these guys are the best bowlers in the world. So even though I can't bat I'll go out and give it a go, unless you want to do it for me!"

On the match situation, Burns admitted that England would have fancied a higher score after getting first-use of a good Lord's pitch, but believes that their total of 258 puts them firmly in the contest.

"It's tight, isn't it?" he said. "I think it's a competitive total but there's probably a sense of disappointment there at the same time. But it's kept everyone interested all day, because it seamed and If they missed their length you've been able to punish it. And it's just started to offer a little bit to a spinner too, so I think it's game on, and we're right in amongst it."

Innings Sri Lanka 267 (Dickwella 61, Lakmal 40, Patel 5-89) lead New Zealand 249 by 18 runs

After being ignored for the 2019 World Cup and then missing the cut for the ODI series at home against Bangladesh, Niroshan Dickwella proved his worth to the Test side with a calculated 61, ushering Sri Lanka to an 18-run first-innings lead in Galle. Resuming on an overnight 227 for 7, Sri Lanka added 40 to their tally before Trent Boult and Will Somerville took the remaining three wickets about an hour before lunch on the third day.

New Zealand took the new ball immediately and Boult pushed the batsmen back with a barrage of short balls. While Suranga Lakmal was struck flush on his right elbow, Lasith Embuldeniya copped a glancing blow on the helmet. Two balls after being hit, Lakmal stood deep in the crease to a ball that wasn't short enough and wound up dragging it back onto the stumps for 40, snapping an 81-run eighth-wicket stand.

At the other end, Dickwella was more competent against the short stuff, often rolling his wrists to keep the ball down. He reached his half-century in the 88th over when he dinked Ajaz Patel to the leg side for a single. Four overs later, Somerville dangled one up outside off - wider than a set of stumps outside off - and had Dickwella slapping a catch to Kane Williamson at short cover for 61 off 109 balls. Somerville then pinned Embuldeniya in front to end the innings and leave the game fascinatingly poised with the Galle track yet to deteriorate.

The show Antonio Brown put on in running routes and catching passes from Derek Carr on the State Farm Stadium grass before the Oakland Raiders' 33-26 preseason defeat of the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday night has coach Jon Gruden hopeful.

As in, Gruden hopes Brown practices with the Raiders before the team breaks camp in Napa, California, on Monday.

"I'm not going to say anything else, but I'm very optimistic after what I saw tonight," Gruden said after the game, in which Oakland built a 26-0 lead, with its defensive starters playing four series against No. 1 draft pick Kyler Murray.

"Hell yeah, it was encouraging. It was great to have him back," Gruden added of Brown. "You know, it's been a strange, strange couple weeks, with frostbite and the helmet grievance. Can't say that that's common, at least in my history in this league. But we've weathered the storm."

Brown had been away from the team for two weeks after starting camp on the non-football injury list before participating in one pre-practice walkthrough July 28, being limited July 30 and then leaving the field early.

Carr also said he was encouraged.

"It was kind of right where we left off," Carr said. "He's such a good player, and we've spent so much time together that I knew when he came back it'd be just like he never left. He came in. You see him chatting it up with everybody on the sideline. He's our teammate. We love him. That's our brother and we're just happy that he's here so we can put our arms around him and head forward."

Brown was away seeking treatment on the soles of his feet, which he injured in a cryotherapy mishap in France early last month. He told ESPN's Lisa Salters the injury occurred because he wore only socks. Therapy included laser treatments, said Brown's agent Drew Rosenhaus, who added that the injury was the main reason Brown was absent from camp and not so much his grievance against the NFL as Brown sought to be able wear his 10-year-old Schutt Air Advantage helmet, the only helmet he has worn in his professional career.

Brown lost the grievance Monday and returned to Napa on Tuesday.

Gruden would not say what helmet Brown was wearing during warm-ups.

"I'm not talking about it anymore," Gruden said. "It was a legal, certified helmet, you know? Somebody approved it, or he wouldn't have worn it.

"It's great to see him out there with his teammates. He appears to be in great spirits and he appears like he's ready to get going here, so that's Antonio Brown. We're excited about him. I'm excited about him. I could care less what anybody else says, I'm excited."

The Raiders are scheduled to hold practice in Napa on Saturday and Sunday before breaking camp Monday, then "host" the Green Bay Packers in their penultimate preseason game at Winnipeg, Manitoba, on Thursday.

Los Angeles Lakers center DeMarcus Cousins has suffered a torn ACL in his left knee, agent Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports told ESPN, putting his availability for next season in jeopardy.

There is no timeline for surgery.

Cousins' visit to team physicians in Los Angeles on Thursday confirmed the diagnosis, which constitutes a third serious leg injury in the past year and a half.

"It's no joke when you get injured," Lakers teammate Kyle Kuzma said after USA Basketball's practice at the Lakers' facility on Thursday. "This is our livelihood and it's something that we love to do. It's super-unfortunate for a guy like DeMarcus because you just tell how much he loves basketball through all of these injuries -- he's fought back and tried to get back as early as possible.

"That's kind of how the ball goes sometimes. You just never really know. ... He was going to be a big part of what we're going to do."

Cousins, a four-time All-Star, already had his mobility compromised with a left Achilles tear in January 2018 and a quadriceps tear in April.

Cousins, 29, was working out in Las Vegas on Monday when he had to leave the court.

The loss of Cousins could prompt All-Star forward Anthony Davis to play more center for the Lakers this season, with JaVale McGee playing more minutes at the backup spot.

Cousins signed a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Lakers in July. He was expected to be part of a team expected to be among the NBA's elite this season. In his nine NBA seasons, Cousins has averaged 21.2 points and 10.9 rebounds a game.

During his one-year deal with Golden State last season he spent most of his time rehabilitating the Achilles injury before playing 30 regular-season games. He suffered the quad injury in Game 2 of a first-round playoff series. He returned in Game 1 of the NBA Finals against Toronto.