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“I’m a deep believer in (the) promotion-relegation system,” Klinsmann told media in his press conference the day before Friday’s USA friendly against Ecuador. “So it’s not up to me to say there should be MLS and the second division should be NASL, and there should be promotion-relegation. I just wish that we had a system in place where all the young players and all the players in general know that there’s a next higher level and there’s a lower level....

The roster Klinsmann selected for next week’s friendly against the Czech Republic is the youngest we have seen a U.S. coach call up since Bob Bradley called up a slew of uncapped MLS players for the January national team camp in 2011. Even that team wasn’t quite as green as this group from a professional experience standpoint, though it did have less national team experience (12 of 14 players were uncapped, as opposed to just six this time around)....

The Reds reluctantly sanctioned the €160 million sale of a key playmaker to Barcelona after seeing him express a desire to complete a “dream” transfer . Coutinho is not the first to have left Anfield in pursuit of major honours elsewhere, with Luis Suarez and Raheem Sterling having taken similar decisions in recent years. Klopp, though, is determined to restore former glories to the red half of Merseyside and make Liverpool a team everybody wants to be a part of....

Coutinho has handed in a transfer request at Anfield in the hope of pushing through a move to Barcelona, but the Reds have held firm and insist that the player will not be sold. Liverpool 23/10 to beat Arsenal With no conclusion to the saga, Coutinho has yet to feature for Liverpool this season with Klopp maintaining that a back injury is the reason for his continued absence. Klopp, though, expects Brazil – who have World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador and Colombia on the horizon – to check up on Coutinho....

Klopp’s comments come after Lovren claimed that based on his recent exploits, including with the Reds in the Champions League, people should view him as one of the world’s best defenders. Lovren has been considered by some as error-prone, but Klopp feels this assessment has been blown out of proportion. “People very often judge other people pretty early. Since I came in, maybe Dejan made three or four mistakes, two of them in the Tottenham game, but it’s for sure not 15 or 20,” he told Liverpool’s website....

Liverpool stormed to 5-2 victory over lowly Everton at Anfield on Wednesday, with Klopp bringing up his 100th Premier League win in the process. It also marked a new club record, as Liverpool extended their unbeaten run in the top flight to 32 matches, since they were defeated by Manchester City in January. Divock Origi scored twice to take his tally of derby goals to five, while Xherdan Shaqiri capped his first start of the season with a goal - regulars Sadio Mane and Georginio Wijnaldum completing the rout....

While knee replacement surgery is considered a safe and effective operation, it’s important to gain knowledge about the potential risks involved, as well as the recovery process, which may take up to a year in some patients. What Is Knee Replacement Surgery? During a total knee replacement (TKR), the bone and cartilage at the end of the thigh bone and shinbone are removed. An implant is then placed on the knee to create a new joint surface....

The coach led the Knicks to a 23-31 record, which is fourth-worst in the Eastern Conference. He had coached 136 games with the Knicks over two seasons. MORE: NBA coaches who were players | Who’s the NBA’s most unique rookie? New York has been struggling lately, losing its last five games and going 1-9 in the last 10. Fisher took some of the blame for the team’s rough starts after Sunday’s loss against the Nuggets....

Starc will miss the tournament after suffering a tibial bone stress fracture in his right leg during Australia’s tour of South Africa. Curran went unsold in the IPL auction, but the 23-year-old Surrey man will make his debut in the competition for two-time champions the Knight Riders. “I’m thrilled and excited to be joining Kolkata Knight Riders for the IPL,” Curran told Surrey’s website. “I know from chatting to other players I can learn a lot from being in that environment, skills that I hope will benefit Surrey and my chances of representing England again this year and if selected, for next year’s World Cup....

A coach in the wrong situation. If Lane Kiffin made one, critical mistake as a young guy finding himself in a cutthroat business it was this: he never should have left Tennessee. MORE: First-and-10 | Week 1 picks | Exit Poll | SN All-Americans "There's no better job than the USC job," Kiffin says now. For the right guy, sure. For the guy following the coach who had the greatest run in the school's storied history -- and subsequently left before the NCAA hammer fell -- probably not....

The Korean shot a near-flawless 67 to win by two shots, following her success at the ANA Inspiration earlier in the year with another major win. Ko only dropped one shot with five birdies enough to move her ahead of the chasing pack at the Evian Resort Club on Sunday. Playing partner Park Sung-hyun made Ko wait at the last, having hit her ball into a flower arrangement, but the 24-year-old retained her composure....

Lakers team physician Stephen Lombardo examined the superstar guard at halftime of the team's game vs. the Boston Celtics on Friday. Bryant still has pain, swelling and soreness in his knee and will be re-evaluated in three weeks, which is March 14. The Lakers will have 16 games remaining after that date. LA coach Mike D'Antoni told reporters he has no idea when or if Bryant will return. "I don't know," D'Antoni said, according to ESPNLosAngeles....

Bryant fielded questions recently at his Kobe Bryant Basketball Academy at UC Santa Barbara. Among the questions that arose: “Who was your favorite player, that you enjoyed playing with, in all of your basketball career?” MORE: Kobe’s career, captured in images | Los Angeles Lakers legends of lore “There (are) two,” Bryant replied, according to Kobeteam.com. When someone prompted him with Shaquille O’Neal, Bryant continued. “No it’s not Shaq,” he said....

A few weeks earlier, his controversial appearance on the chat show Koffee with Karan led to him getting banned by the CoA and BCCI. However, that ban was lifted a few days ago and today, KL Rahul made his comeback on the cricket field for the India ‘A’ side in the third unofficial ODI of their series against the England Lions. India ‘A’ won the toss and elected to bat first, with skipper Ajinkya Rahane opening the innings with the returning KL Rahul....

"Absolutely! The door is still open until May. It’s about what happens over the next couple of months," he told US Soccer's official website. "We coaches are going to do our homework as well. We are going to put the puzzle together of hopefully 23 players that are totally committed, that are not only giving everything they have, but that also mix well together. "The tricky part about a World Cup roster is that you want to bring in a group that really is on the same page with one another, that support one another and are willing to take the challenge to another level — maybe two levels — within a short period of time....

Alexandre Lacazette’s excellent 82nd-minute finish gave the Gunners a share of the spoils in a pulsating encounter after James Milner capitalised on a Bernd Leno error to open the scoring with an hour played. But the main talking point occurred early in the first half, when Mane prodded into an unguarded net after Roberto Firmino’s effort came back off the post. Replays showed the Senegal forward was in an offside position when Firmino latched on to Trent Alexander-Arnold’s lofted pass but was level when his fellow attacker shot for goal....

Estonia centre-back Klavan is rumoured to be on the verge of a £2million move to Serie A side Cagliari having fallen down the pecking order at Anfield. The arrival of Virgil van Dijk in January, coupled with the fact Joe Gomez is set to play a more prominent role at centre-back this season, has left Klavan seemingly surplus to requirements. With Dejan Lovren still unavailable due to injury and Joel Matip - who Klopp hopes to have available on Monday against Crystal Palace - working his way back from an upper-leg complaint, the German was asked about the timing of Klavan’s potential sale....

The ideal midfielder for Liverpool? It would represent a reversal of the situation last summer, in which the World Cup winner was a priority target for the Reds, but opted to return to the Westfalenstadion from Bayern Munich for a smoother transition and Champions League football. The Merseysiders had gone all out in their attempt to land the Germany international, which included a personal pitch from Klopp over a reunion and a sizeable package that would’ve established him among the highest earners at Anfield....

The Reds have seen their wait for top-flight glory stretched to 27 years, with the club’s last crown secured back in 1990. Get Liverpool at 12/1 for the PL title Since they last experienced domestic dominance, they have been passed by arch-rivals Manchester United as English football’s most successful club. There is, however, a belief within the Anfield ranks that a return to the summit can be achieved, with Klopp convinced that he has title-winning quality at his disposal....