Coaching

LEEDS, England - Leeds United and Brentford played out a 0-0 draw in the Premier League at Elland Road on Sunday leaving the hosts a point above the relegation zone following a frustrating afternoon.

The disappointing result stretches Leeds' winless run to six league games and leaves them in 15th place in the standings just a point above third-bottom Bournemouth.

"Points are crucial for us at the moment," said Leeds forward Jack Harrison. "We would like to get as many as we can and would have liked to win but we take the point, move on and get ready for the next game."

U.S. Soccer made its debut on HBO Max Tuesday night with the USWNT beating New Zealand in a friendly in Wellington thanks to four second-half goals, including Alex Morgan's 120th international strike off a ridiculous Rose Lavelle backheel. 

The Football Ferns were a little overmatched.  

LISBON - Portugal named former Belgium coach Roberto Martínez as their new manager on Monday and the Spaniard said he would sit down with Cristiano Ronaldo to talk about his future in the team.

Martínez, 49, replaces Fernando Santos, who left his job after Portugal suffered a shock defeat by Morocco in the World Cup quarterfinals.

"I appreciate the enthusiasm and ambition with which he (Martínez) received the invitation," Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) President Fernando Gomes told a news conference as Martínez stood next to him.

France Football Federation (FFF) president Noël Le Graët apologized to Zinedine Zidane on Monday after his comments on the former Real Madrid coach drew the ire of players, politicians and even the Spanish club.

Zidane was one of the favorites to take charge of the national team if Didier Deschamps had stepped down but his contract was extended after he led France to the World Cup final, where they lost to Argentina in Qatar last month.

With Leeds United just two points above the Premier League relegation zone nearing the campaign's halfway point, an FA Cup exit to EFL Championship side Cardiff City on Sunday would've certainly left Jesse Marsch's job security on the brink.

It looked pretty hopeless at halftime after Jaden Philogene and Sheyi Ojo scored to give Cardiff a 2-0 advantage while the 6,000 Leeds supporters who'd made their way to Wales booed their players and manager off the pitch.

NEW YORK - Veteran forward Alex Morgan heads a largely inexperienced roster as the U.S. women's national soccer team kick off 2023 with two friendlies on the road against World Cup co-hosts New Zealand.

The United States are gunning for an unprecedented third straight World Cup title — and fifth overall — when the tournament kicks off in less than 200 days, after a frustrating end to 2022.

An attempt to blackmail USMNT manager Gregg Berhalter during the World Cup was revealed by Berhalter himself on Tuesday with the 49-year-old coach issuing a statement on Twitter from what was later confirmed as his personal account.

In it, Berhalter describes an incident from 31 years ago when, as an 18-year-old, he had a violent incident with his wife Rosalind. The two have now been married for 25 years but the actions occurred after they'd been together for four months.