By Tim Stannard

1) Hope Solo joins US soccer presidential chase 

And then there were nine – it’s almost a Fellowship of the Ring style quest to apparently safe US soccer from itself. 

Candidate number nine came forward on Thursday night to announce that she too was putting herself forward to become the new president of US Soccer. That figure was none other than Hope Solo, who is very much out of favor with the Federation at the moment over calling some Swedes cowards back in the day – and recovering from shoulder surgery - but has a World Cup and two Olympic gold medals to her name. Not too shabby. 

Through the medium of Facebook, the goalkeeper claimed that “the business strategy at U.S. Soccer cannot continue to be profit before progress,” and focused very much on addressing how the best young players in the country have their opportunities hampered through lack of funds and the cost of coaching, as well as gender wage equality. Three formal nominations are needed for a candidature to progress to February’s final elections. 

Get the latest news on the presidential race on the XTRA at 7PM ET / 4PM PT. 

2) No Bale-in for Real Madrid against Sevilla 

 Ok. It’s weekend time again. 

Which means the obligatory Gareth Bale injury news. Early in the week Coach Zizou said a return for the withering Welshman was possible against Sevilla on Saturday. That has now been put back to sometime during the Club World Cup, which Real Madrid are playing next week. Maybe. Basically, the Real Madrid manager did the world’s biggest gallic shrug of insouciance. "The idea at this moment is for him to travel with us to the Club World Cup.

So, Gareth Bale is out, Raphael Varane is crocked, Marco Asensio a doubt, while Sergio Ramos, Casemiro and Dani Carvajal are suspended. Find out how the Locker Room panel think Nacho and company will get on against Sevilla at 7PM ET / 4PM PT and tune into the game itself from 10:05AM ET / 7:05AM PT on Saturday morning. 

The round of La Liga itself gets underway on Friday at 3PM ET / 12PM PT with a relegation battle between Alaves and Las Palmas, live on beIN SPORTS ESPANOL from 2:40PM ET / 11:40AM PT. 

3) Peru’s low after a player’s high

Peru’s joy at qualifying for the World Cup for the first time since Atari’s were popular has been tempered a little – well enormously - with the news that top striker, captain and all-round talisman, Paolo Guerrero, has been suspended for a year, after testing positive for cocaine metabolite benzoylecgonine, after a World Cup qualifier against Argentina on October 5^th, a match that Peru drew in 0-0 in Argentina.

Peru’s Russia 2018 World Cup group includes France, Denmark and Australia but the ban will apply to all club as well as international fixtures. 

Peru are known for playing their home games at altitude in Lima at 11,000 feet, so perhaps Guerrero was wanting to repeat the advantage by being high away form home as well. 

4) Inter to avoid sewage treatment from Juve 

Real Madrid taking on Sevilla is not the only big clash taking place on beIN SPORTS this weekend. Oh no, just the small matter of the undefeated and Serie A table-topping Inter facing Juventus, a team fresh from taking down another title rival, Napoli last weekend. 

Mauro Icardi has revealed an interesting motivational took from Inter boss, Luciano Spalletti, who will apparently “chop our heads off” if the Argentinean and his teammates do not deliver against the Old Lady on Saturday in the Derby d’Italia. The game has been given extra spice after a guest on an official Juventus TV show opined that he was keen to “cancel Inter from the planet, keep them in the sewers.” 

“I probably also know what I’d do with him…” warned Spaletti talking ahead of Saturday’s very juicy clash that you can see live on beIN SPORTS at 2:40PM ET / 11:40AM PT. 

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The life philosophy of Sports Burst is that if you are not upsetting someone, then you are not trying hard enough. SB is a daily trawl and troll through the morning's sports news to bring you fact-nuggets to make you both smile and swear. Hopefully at the same time.