Semifinal win against Jamaica gives USWNT World Cup berth

Almost a year to the day that the US men's national team made a complete hash of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup, the women have got the job done without any fuss or bother.

A 6-0 semifinal win against Jamaica on Sunday night in the Concacaf Women's Tournament was enough to grab a spot in France 2019 where the team lead by Jill Ellis will defend its World Cup title. 

"They have a lot of talent and a lot of depth," boasted the USWNT coach on a squad that has been rebuilt over the past two years after a disastrous performance in the 2016 Olympics which saw the team crash out in the quarterfinals. 

The team has won four from four in the Concacaf tournament scoring 24 goals in the process with none conceded. 

Wednesday's final will take place between the US and Canada, who defeated Panama 7-0 in the second semifinal. 

Spain looks for Nations League triumph against England 

Really? It's still going on. Not folded already? Ok.

Apparently the Nations League has survived into another month. So, teams across the continent will continue to battle for the right to play other sides slightly more glamorous than before. 

That's except in League 1 when the winners of the four groups will have their summer vacations shortened with a brand new tournament. Footballers love that. 

Spain is well on the way to achieving this and a victory over England in Seville should do the job. That result is the most likely considering quite the renaissance being experienced by La Roja under Luis Enrique, with ten goals scored in the team's past two matches. 

As for England? Just the one win in five. 

Head to the XTRA for the highlights of that clash as well as Iceland taking on Switzerland in another League A encounter. 

Liverpool face double fitness race for Premier League return 

Jurgen Klopp was already a downer on the Nations League, calling the tournament "senseless" before the international break. 

The Liverpool boss will be even more so today as his medical team check out any damage done to Virgil Van Dijk who has left the Netherlands squad due to an ongoing rib injury. The Dutch defender joins Mohamed Salah on the sidelines, injured with Egypt. 

Gareth Bale has returned to Madrid, giving up on getting any game time for Wales due to a troublesome groin. Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey has also left the Wales squad due to "family reasons."

Monday will see the Didier Deschamps and Joachim Low talking ahead of Tuesday's Nations League match-up between France and Germany. Admittedly, it's a good clash considering Germany's alarmingly bad form at the moment. 
 

Bolt from the blue for Usain in drugs test request 

Usain Bolt was more than a little irked on Monday. 

The former sprinter is currently on trial with Australian club side, Central Coast Mariners, and despite not signing a professional contract with the team, Bolt has been notified that he will have to take a drugs test. 

Bolt questioned the notification from Australia's anti-doping agency on an Instagram post saying that "how am I going to get a drugs test today? I'm not even a professional footballer yet. Seriously."

It is understood that Bolt is still considered as an "elite athlete" and is still required to be available for testing despite retiring from athletics in 2017. The Jamaican scored twice in his first start for the team in a friendly on Friday.